Yes, Stephane Dion is through as leader of the Liberal Party. He’ll be the first Liberal leader since Edward Blake never to become prime minister. The Grits will now have to decide, in a new leadership contest, whether to tack vaguely to the progressive side with Bob Rae or Michael Ignatieff, or to move to a pro business, pro American integration stance with Frank McKenna or John Manley.
And Jack Layton is not about to move into Stornoway as leader of the opposition. His strategy during three election campaigns has been to take the NDP to the centre---remember how quickly he rejected the nationalization of the oil industry during the French leaders’ debate---to reposition his party as one of the two major contenders for power. It didn’t happen. Now the party will have to rethink its role in Canadian politics. It might even decide to return to socialism in a world in which bankers have flown the economy into the side of a mountain.
Gutsy Elizabeth May injected candour and courage into a campaign that was noteworthy for its lack of either. But the Greens have been shut out of parliament again.
Gilles Duceppe played defence brilliantly. He stopped Harper in Quebec, but his party still remains without a clear long-term mission. During elections, the BQ is neither clearly sovereignist, nor clearly committed to fighting for a well-defined agenda inside Canada.
The big loser, however, is Stephen Harper. He gambled everything to win a majority and he lost. Had he won his majority, he would have taken the country through a wrenching two years with a harsh right-wing agenda, including program cuts, privatization of the CBC, a larger role for faith based initiatives, and increased military spending. Then he would have used the last two years of his mandate to cozy up to Canadians and to claim victory in pulling the nation through the economic crisis.
That’s not on now. Harper is going to wear the economic crisis. And when the nation goes to the polls in about two more years, his record will be one of economic failure, tax cuts for corporations, and the collapse of the manufacturing sector. Next time out, he will go down to defeat---the R.B. Bennett of his day---either to a revived Liberal Party or to a progressive electoral coalition including the Liberals, the NDP and the Greens that is committed to a new economic agenda for Canada and to the implementation of proportional representation.
Forget about a merger of all three parties, that’s not on. But that’s fodder for future posts.
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11 comments:
Ah, the Greens don't have any seats, so until they get one, they are not a part of a coalition.
Also, some folks in the medium consortium are not too pleased with May's call out at the end of the election to back Dion Liberals. Feeling that they were "take advantage of" (well I don't know), they are not all that willing, next time out, to give the leader of the Green's a place in the debates. Stumping for a different party than one's own didn't go over big - especially in the Green tent itself.
Although it was quit true that Harper wasted a huge amount of taxpayers' money and he didn't get a majority (thank goodness), May's pronouncement that he should quit because he didn't, made her look stupid. Think about it. May is a two-time loser who couldn't even win herself a seat (even with the help of the libs, mostly friendly media, voteforenvironment, Aveez, and most of the Green resources) telling the PM he should step down, one who has won 2 minority govts. You might call that candor, I call that "stupid."
And I don't think its refreshing politics to act like a faux party of another; I call that sleezy politics, and it's no wonder, people are turned off electorial politics.
I think that Ralph Goodale should be seriously considered as the next leader of the Liberal Party. He is from the west. Also he has been finance minister before and would be able to deal with difficult financial situations. Also he is extremely charismatic something Mr.Dion unfortunately was not.
After Obama wins in the US, look for the Libs to consider youth.....fresh change.......Trudeau
I don't think that Justin Trudeau is in the cards for the time being, he is in the future of the Liberal Party. For the present, I suspect they will give the party's old guard one more kick at the can.
There may be an opportunity here for the NDP to reinvent itself. The current economic crisis is going to discredit a lot of politicians and after the dust settles, the electorate may be open for meaningful change.There are a number of longstanding issues that will continue to sit on the backburner and simmer, the environment is one of these. It will be displaced by economic concerns for the short term at least. There are also issues surrounding education, native rights, federal-provincial relations, and reform of the voting system. Not all will come to the fore but a party that looks like it has its act together and a dynamic team could come in from the left and capture the hearts and minds of the voters. After a prolonged bout of fatigue, there will be a rebirth... If the NDP wait too long, Trudeau can come in an steal their thunder with a reborn Liberal brand.
In the east of Canada names Frank McKenna and Dominic LeBlanc emerges for the Liberal leader
While Harper did not win his majority he did increase his seats and the Liberals are now bankrupt and also need to seek a new leader. They are in no condition to oppose any right wing bills he introduces. They will sit on their hands once again for some time to come.
The economic crisis is a great opportunity for Harper to cut social programs in the name of balancing the budget.
Iggy progressive????
No merger or coalition with the NDP ever. They've abandoned whatever slim principles they used to have in a grab for power and focus on bullying, a la Harper.
I would love to the Liberals and Greens merge or form a coalition. They should shut out the NDP entirely. That party has proven, twice now, that they don't care about Canadians as much as they pretend. They care about building power and gaining seats. Canada is the last thing they care about. That came through loud and clear with this election. In 2006, I wasn't sure. But now I am. NDP is just as dangerous as Harper, if not more so, because they are really so economically incompetent.
Over the next months Dion will give Harper a run for his money, so to speak. Dion discovered the real Harper through the campaign and I surely expect Dion to oppose when necessary, like he has never opposed before.
I'm not sure the millions of people being told on a daily basis that Layton was going to "destroy business" with his plan to tax corporations (a mantra repeated in stereo by Harper and Dion) would agree that Layton has moved to the "centre".
True, he didn't propose nationalizing the oil sector. He did propose a moratorium on oil sands development, re-opening NAFTA, rescinding the US Softwood Agreement, withdrawal from Afghanistan, and a reversal of $50 billion in corporate tax cuts. Hardly insignificant stances - and noticably different from the Liberal and Conservative insistence that Canadians simply "accept the inevitable" on these files.
Your delight at Layton's failure to take Stornoway is a little unseemly. Do you honestly think Canada is better off with the Afghan-extending, corporate-tax-slashing, Nafta-boosting, oil-sands-defending Dion there? If so, why?
Your boosterism of May is also confusing. Candour? She spent the last week of the election contradicting herself daily about whether her candidates merited a vote. Courage? She advocated lower corporate taxes, higher consumption taxes, extending the Afghan mission, and her Deputy Adrienne Carr even attacked an NDP candidate for threatening to "shut down the oil sands". I suppose it was courageous to stake your political career on the success of Stephane Dion but I don't think you earn praise for being inadequately machiavellian in your self-promotion.
I look forward to your future posts on this subject.
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