Liberal leader and prime minister-designate Justin Trudeau poses for a photo while greeting people at a subway station in Montreal, Quebec, October 20, 2015. REUTERS/CHRIS WATTIE
WNU Editor: I personally expected a Liberal minority government. I knew that the NDP support had collapsed in Quebec, the only question where I was not sure of the answer was on the Conservatives .... how many voters had they lost. I now know the answer .... it is clear from yesterday's results that the Conservative government of Stephen Harper has been a huge disappointment .... not fulfilling many of the expectations that their supporters had of them when they were elected with a majority 4 years ago. I can say the same thing about the NDP .... they have also disappointed many in their base .... and when you disappoint the base .... they look elsewhere. I am not going to labour on the many policies and laws that the Conservatives passed which resulted in the conditions ripe for them to be defeated .... that list is long and it will take me hours to outline and explain. In terms of what they did right .... there are two that do stick in my mind. One .... during his term in office Harper did help in suppressing support for the French Quebec nationalist/separatist movement .... and he did it by ignoring it and not feeding into the many grievances that French separatists always like to exploit. One of my business partners is one of the founders of the Bloc (Quebec's separatist party on the federal scene), and he is relieved that Harper is gone, while the more divisive and confrontational Trudeau takes the reins of power. He sees the old conflicts coming back .... and while I am personally not sure about that .... he tells me wait and see. Two .... putting the Federal budget into the black (more or less). And while Harper did this by slowing the growth of government, adding service fees, cutting transfers to the provinces, favouring certain groups over others, and a host of other unpopular measures that has hurt a lot of people .... Canadian voters have shown their displeasure by rejecting these measures. In my opinion this is unfortunate .... I have lived in countries where the budget was not respected, and when the hard times hit (and they always come) .... the suffering then becomes unimaginable. And while I personally believe that in 2 to 3 years we in the Western world will start to see interest rates grow, and in return we will see government budgets explode to cover the costs of their debt .... for the Canadian voter in yesterday's election .... this was not an issue .... not even close.
As to what can we expect from a Trudeau government ... that list is long. Withdrawal of Canadian forces in the war against the Islamic State while maintaining military trainers and humanitarian aid programs. The admission of tens of thousands of refugees from the Middle East ... .25,000 Syrian refugees right away. The cancellation of the F-35 purchase. A re-examination of Canada's naval building program. Support for Kyoto and increase taxes/fees on energy resources and usage. Legalization of marijuana. Higher taxes for top income earners .... promised lower tax rates for the middle class (I have to see this to believe it). A reversal on extending the age when Canadians get their pensions (but I know this will be accomplished by raising the contributions that we must give .... i.e. more taxes). Promised infrastructure programs. Billions to native communities and a national commission to investigate the deaths of 1,200 native women. Restoring ties with Iran. Cooling the relationship with Israel. Try to have better ties with the U.S.. And .... lets face it .... back to having budget deficits which will stimulate the economy in the short term .... but leaving the bill for future generations. Is this the right direction .... I doubt it. But I do know one thing .... Prime Minister elect Trudeau does have a clear mandate for these policies .... and if he is like his father .... he is definitely going to implement this agenda ASAP.
