And next time, folks, Jack Layton becomes prime minister.
A political shift is taking place, and Monday night we saw the next essential phase that will result in Canada finally getting a pro-environment, pro-fairness, pro-peace and prosperity government.
It is disappointing, of course, that Stephen Harper’s definitely-not-progressive Conservatives have snatched their majority, and that now he will get to show the country what he can do unfettered and unrestrained and without any minority partners to shift the blame onto.
Canadians will now get a face full of Harper, and I’m pretty confident that they won’t like what they see. With the mandate of a massive new nationally based caucus of 103 MPs, Jack Layton and the NDP will form a vibrant opposition to Tory attempts to deconstruct Canada, unlike the namby-pamby, ineffectual Michael Ignatieff.
Layton will show the country real alternatives – peace instead of war, creativity instead of cuts – and he’ll have members of Parliament on the ground and interacting with constituents like never before.
The massive opportunity the NDP has won cannot be minimized and should be celebrated for the refutation of fear it represents and the celebration of hope and fairness that it is. Layton will have a dramatically higher profile, and there will be huge financial benefits for the NDP for staff and research to help the party build a case for a better Canada.
Miraculously, the NDP leader has brought Quebec back into the conversation for the first time in over two decades. No longer left to sit on the sidelines, excluded from talk of building a progressive, inclusive Canada, Quebeckers, especially the young ones energized by “un bon Jack,” will now be part of this essential discussion.
And young people are all over this NDP breakthrough. I saw them Monday night beaming and bursting with pride at victory celebrations across the city, especially the big fete at the Convention Centre.
These were political participants not prepared to hold their nose for compromise candidates, who want to be part of a movement to change Canada – one that very well may succeed. Are we really going to engage the historically voting-resistant young by selling them strategic stasis?
These people were in the campaign offices and working on the street to help elect candidates they believe in, and now they are officially engaged builders of this progressive body politic. They will want more.
It’s a movement that has steadily grown since 2004 as a restless country flirted with Harper’s Tories through a string of minority governments and the NDP’s seat count and percentage of the popular vote grew. At the same time, the Liberal con that they were the only choice against the Big, Mean Blue Machine fractured and then collapsed.
Monday night, Canadians saw that a change has fully taken place and the only choice for electable change in this country is now the NDP. No more muddled calls for strategic voting and the confusion that comes with it. That conversation is over, as this profoundly unpredictable race has proven.
The strategic vote spinners would have had us vote Liberal, for example, in Scarborough Southwest to beat back the Tories. Fortunately, voters didn’t listen, and a great NDP candidate, Dan Harris, picked up the seat as the surefire Lib finished third. Can you imagine being a progressive who reluctantly voted Lib this time and almost lost Toronto another local orange rep?
In Bramalea-Gore-Malton we were told to vote Lib Gurbax Malhi as the only anti-Tory hope. In fact, NDP candidate Jagmeet Singh lost to Conservative Bal Gossal by fewer than 2,000 votes. Strategic voters who were hustled into choosing the Lib actually helped defeat an excellent NDP candidate and elect a Tory.
Such is the morass that is strategic voting. And that doesn’t include the head games it unleashes, urging its adherents to damp down their aspirations and settle for second choice to avoid even worse ones rather than following their hearts.
Monday night, in spite of the Tory win, we saw a celebration of hope, dreams and dreaming. The impossible imagining of a progressive party governing, not just influencing politics, reared its head for the first time in our history.
And you know what? The big smile, the clear blue eyes and the awesome moustache looked pretty damned good. They’ll be great for four years at Stornoway and even better after that at 24 Sussex.
A lot of Canadians made history Monday night. I hope you’re having the fun of being one of them.
michaelh@nowtoronto.com
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