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Election Canada May2, 2011....Vox Populi...Triumph and Despair

5/3/2011

1 Comment

 
     In a democracy, you always get the government you deserve. The Canadian electorate have spoken and the result is a majority for the Ref/Con,  humiliating defeat for the Liberals and the Bloc Quebecois, triumph for the long-suffering NDP and even a seat for the Greens.
     The wind of change that has swept across the Canadian electoral landscape has ushered in a new era. There will be a majority government, and those who have long held the belief that Harper has a "hidden" right wing agenda will have an opportunity to see whether this is so. He will be able to get rid of the gun registry, build more prisons, pass draconian criminal laws, cut taxes for the wealthy and for big business, continue to develop the environmentally dangerous tar sands, cut social and cultural programmes, frustrate climate change debates, expand the military(spending billions buying fighter jets) and join USA and NATO in more wars and nation-building.
    The NDP will be the Opposition, with a melange of new and inexperienced members. They will have the huge task of, first of all acquainting its members about parliament and how it works and then hold the Harper government accountable. This will be a task that will be difficult and fraught with danger, because it will expose the weaknesses of their caucus. There has never been an Opposition party with so few skilled and knowledgeable members facing off against a government (in 1984 when Mulroney won 208 seats and formed the government, he was beset with similiar problems of skills, experience and knowledge and it was a fiasco, with many cabinet ministers and MPs accused and some convicted of crimes). If the NDP are not quick learners, then this may well be their first and last hurrah. Layton and the senior members of the party will have to "babysit' them and keep them on a short leash.
     The once proud Liberals have been reduced to a mere shell, with barely 30 or so seats. They suffered a similiar drubbing in 1984 and were able under the able leadership of Jean Chretien to come back and win a majority in 1993. They were helped in this by the scandals and incompetence of the Mulroney governemnt, as well as the general disgust and antipathy of the voters (in this election the Conservatives were dealt such a severe blow that they never recovered and they were absorbed by the Canadian Alliance/ Reform Party. This is the Ref/Con that won last night). Is this the  fate that awaits the Liberals, to be absorbed by the NDP, described in the past as "Liberalas in a hurry"? This will be most interesting to watch...the Ref/Con on the right and the merged NDP/Lib on the left.  
     The Bloc Quebecois  has run its course and their leader has stepped down. Ther is no coming back for them. They were formed from the chaos of the Meech Lake Accord and rode that "horse" for 20 years and had nothing else to offer. They became discordant and irrelevant and the sameness of their message has could incite the "new" generation, tuned in to social networks and more sophisticated than their parents and grandparents and their dream of separation. They know more and want more and have decided to go with the NDP, at least for the time being. They will move again if the NDP fail to deliver, but not to the  Bloc or some reincarnation.
     The leader of the Greens was elected. They have an opportunity to grow, but are fighting for the same voters  as the NDP and that may be their undoing if the NDP can show that the are capable.
     So here we are. The people have spoken, now let the governing begin.    
1 Comment
Dan
5/3/2011 12:48:15 pm

It was a long evening for the Liberal supporters that remain. Many solid Liberal candidates went down to defeat. As a former Quebecer, I was completely shocked by the Orange tide. As they say, their support is one mile long and one inch deep.
Quebecers hoping for change will be sadly disappointed as the NDP will not deliver the goods to Quebec. Offering policies like an extension of Bill 101 to Federal institutions in Quebec is ridiculous. I was glad to see the almost total annihilation of the Bloc after 20 long years.
As a Liberal, I believe the party can now focus the next 4 years on rebuilding and redefining itself. A merger with the NDP is premature at this point. The Liberals appear to be in a steady decline as their traditional base is all but gone. If they are to rebuild, it must start with Francophones in Quebec and the GTA in Toronto. They will have financial problems which will make it difficult for them to survive especially with the subsidy being eliminated in a few years. They need to take a long range approach. Any other approach will result in failure and a probable merger.
They have 4 years to rebuild and show they are a viable party worthy of Canadians. If they cannot, then merger is a given after the next election.
Sad days indeed.

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    fig 2-b My Father and Mother to whom I owe everything

    "Ecce Homo"  ("Behold the Man"), Antonio Ciseri's depiction of Pontius Pilate presenting a scourged Jesus to the people of Jerusalem.

    fig 1-b


    figure 1-a

    F. Goya
    Two men fighting with clubs
    circa 1819-1823

    The Black Paintings Period


    (Fig 2a) The Death of Innocents


    Author

     Ishwar R. Prashad recently retired from over 47 years of teaching.

    He taught Political Science variously at Dawson College, Loyola College, Algoma University College, Sir George Williams University, Concordia University and Vanier College.

    Previously, he taught for nine years in Port Mourant, Guyana.


    He became Principal of Corentyne Comprehensive High School at the tender age of 21. During this time he turned down Scholarship offers to study overseas in England and the U.S.S.R.

    He chose Canada and after graduating from Sir George Williams with a B.A Honours with Distinction, he accepted a Fellowship to complete his graduate work at McMaster University. He completed his first two degrees-Bachelors and Masters- in three years.  

    His last position was as Co-Ordinator of Political Science and Economics at Vanier College and Adjunct Professor of Political Science at Concordia University.

    He is married to the former Juliet Ramcharan (Library Supervisor, McGill University) and together they have three children – Indra R. Prashad, P.Eng. ,McGill (Presently Manager, Ontario Safe Water Drinking Agency), Ishwar R. Prashad Jr., B.A ,McGill (Presently, President, Kismit Gear Inc.) and Rabindra Y. Prashad, (Presently, Artist and Chef).They are the proud Grandparents of eight grandchildren-Miranda, Kamal, Ayesha, Élan, Anĵa , Étienne, Chloé, and Jasmine.

     

     

     





     



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