The election is over and it feels like we dog eared a page in an unfinished novel.  In two thousand nineteen we wrote the first chapter in what has become a revolving door approach to governance.  Instead of writing a new chapter Canadians served up a recycled version of what was already written.  At least that is what the first page looks like.  There are some revisions that go by almost unnoticed.  

First the political novel has no title as in what was the election really about?  The Prime Minister couldn’t tell us and the opposition parties couldn’t define it either.  It was like an episode of the walking dead.  If there was life what is the new picture that will emerge?

 

The Liberals have a scant foothold in the west.  A thin veneer that hints at a presence but not much more.  The Greens did their best  to implode.  Their leader came under attack more from within than from the other contenders.  It was a case of being doomed from the start.  The other problem for the Greens is that all the other parties have a green plan now.

The problem is they need a bigger and broader platform to compete for hearts and minds on more than one issue.

The west which was Tory blue is now Tory blue and Orange.

Not only did the NDP increase the footprint they did so in the bastion of conservative Alberta.  Even worse the Peoples Party of Canada took votes from O’Toole s conservatives.  The rumble in the distance is a reminder of when Reform split the vote and spoiled right of center hopes and dreams.  Is the PPC a flash or a flag for the discontented “I’m against everything crowd”        

The NDP inroads in the west threaten the Liberal mindset.

The imploding Greens could either see a relaunch or a withered crop of political ambitions and the PPC could increase the shelf life of future Trudeau Governments.   The Conservatives moved a little to the center and this upset a significant number of party members.  This combined with not only a loss but virtually no progress in terms of seats is not what the faithful hoped for.

In this election Trudeau was the winner and the loser at the same time.   Yes his majority quest was a failure, however in a very uncertain and unpredictable time it does buy the present government more time minority or not.  Personally I have come to believe the election was more about longevity and wiggle room than it was about securing a majority.  Why?  Because which ever party brings down this government in the short term will bear the wrath of voters.  

So as I ended the last article welcome to back to square one.

 

Fred Steele