Canada the day after

by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU E. CHISU, CD, PMSC, FEC, CET, P. Eng. Former Member of Parliament Pickering-Scarborough East The election has come and gone. Under a sunny and hot summer, iced with pandemic worries, ruling incompetencies, and a short and furious election campaign costing more than 600 million dollars of taxpayer's money, the political landscape remains unchanged. The issues and problems are also the same. The Covid 19 pandemic still lingering and showing no signs of slowing down; the fourth wave imminent, driven by the delta variant. The leaders of the political parties participating in this short election campaign did not achieve their proposed goals and we ended up with the same government (mis)leading us in these choppy waters of a pandemic ridden economy. Justin Trudeau, the Liberal leader, has just won his third consecutive federal election, a feat that, in his lifetime, only Pierre Trudeau, Jean Chrétien and Stephen Harper had matched even though he will once again, face a minority government. That means he will need a dancing partner to hang onto power, and a logical guess would make that the NDP. But Trudeau's third victory will have real and serious consequences. Just because an election is close or divisive doesn't mean it doesn't settle big issues and watch them closely. An election in which voters passed up a chance to choose change is still very far from being an election about nothing. Trudeau's government returns to work with a mandate to impose vaccine requirements in federal workplaces, on trains and planes. It will proceed with a plan to triple carbon taxes and the rebates that go with them, in provinces that don't have ambitious carbon-pricing regimes of their own. It has the go-ahead to keep building a national network of low-cost daycare spaces. So be prepared for things to come, like increased taxes and inflation, and certainly more limitations on your personal freedom. The election also demonstrated that, for the moment, in the consciousness of the vast majority of Canadians, no clear alternative exists to the governing Liberals, despite their many shortcomings. A flip flopping Erin O'Toole's Conservatives, suffering of weathervane syndrome, did nothing to inspire the electorate. Jagmeet Singh's NDP, seeking a billionaire at every corner to pay for their socialist utopia, did not convince the electorate to give them more seats. On the other hand, Maxime Bernier's populist, new and growing movement, has not yet convinced many people of his staying power. Largely due to an obscene lack of information about them, deliberately orchestrated by the mainstream media through the total media blackout they practiced against Max, his principles, and the growing of the movement among those who are aware of it. Despite these concerted efforts to rob them of their voice, the PPC quite tripled its share of votes. In conclusion Canadians who had considered switching their votes finally decided they preferred the Liberals they knew and hoped for the best, even though reluctantly. So here we are back to the future with more to come from a Liberal leadership concentrated more on retaining power than the interests of ordinary Canadians. But what can we do; people always deserve the leaders they elect so no complains please. There are big problems ahead for the future as we need to deal realistically with the effects of the pandemic. Small businesses are shattered, the tourism industry barely survives and jobs are on the line with ever increasing unemployment. Everyone hopes these are the waning days of a historic catastrophe nobody anticipated the last time we voted in 2019. We could actually use a real discussion about what happens next. Is it masks for everyone forever? Is there a quantum of risk that's low enough that we can get back to living more or less the way we used to? Are we anywhere close to that blessed day? It would be great if we could have adult conversations about these things, the bubble in Ottawa permitting, about hard choices and limited payoffs. But the very best that can be said today is that we have little confidence in that happening. With the two Michaels now free from the Chinese grip we hope that a kind of normalization of our relations with China will be in view in the near future, barring further complications happening. The relations of Canada with the world are under scrutiny. We have lost our edge on the international scene. Let's hope somebody will pay attention to this in the near future. Coming back to our internal issues, there are many ahead, ranging from the indigenous one to the gun and gang problems. The future will reveal where the paths being chosen by current leadership will lead us. I do hope however, the realism will prevail in order to maintain this magnificent country united and retain its place among one of the best places in the world to live. Let us hope for the best!