Just as the morning radio and television anchors were crawling out of bed Monday, Canadians received news that a new opposition leader Erin O’Toole had been elected on the third ballot. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau prorogued parliament on August 18 and the next session of parliament will not begin until September 23. Will everyone begin gearing up for an election?
Parliament will begin with a throne speech immediately laying out the governing party’s plans for the coming year. The minority led parliament will then be called on in a vote of confidence.
We are not in ordinary times. Would a National Unity government made up of all parties in the cabinet serve us best? It would offer up the solution of deferring the election until stability is reached and a vaccine can be available. It would remove opportunities to fracture Canadians even more from an election that we experienced after the last election.
Canadians will be debating for the next month on whether the sitting Liberal government should be allowed to remain or if an election should be called. What would the parties offer for a reason to force an election? Would it be as a referendum on the actions of senior cabinet members and the prime minister’s family in choosing the “We Charity” to operate a program for supporting out of work students this summer? Would it be a referendum on how well the Liberal Party has handled the COVID-19 pandemic?
We will be into fall. Many of our summer outdoor activities will be curtailed. Canadians will find themselves more home bound. What can the politicians of our towns, provinces and national governments do to make us feel better.
What arguments would the opposition parties make for a new national election? What alternatives will they offer up to what is currently happening?
In many ways Canadians are living with a great deal of fear. Many have lost their jobs. Most are worried about their health. Mothers and fathers are worried and fearful of seeing their children off to school. We as Canadians remain isolated from each other missing social contact beyond our immediate bubbles.
What can the National political parties offer to Canadians to remove fear and darkness in their lives and bring sunshine and hope into their futures. As much as the Trudeau government needs to cast a new direction for Canadians in the next parliament, so too must the Conservatives have a throne speech ready to deliver to Canadians. nWhat would either party offer up to millennials who are struggling to pay their monthly rent, feed themselves and their children during the current crisis. What can both parties offer up in the way of hope that those young millennials will be able to own their own homes and raise a family?
We will be forced to make decisions.
