Been trying to make some sense of the new Canadian reality resulting from this week's election.
What will be the worse case scenario of a Conservative majority government led by Steven Harper? Are gay marriage rights in jeopardy? What about the Woman's right to choose? And just how much pay-per-use medicare will be introduced? Is a return of the death penalty (50 years after it was abolished) a possibility? How many newly appointed federal judges will change the interpretation of the Charter of Rights? In the past 5 years, with a Conservative minority, Harper has already appointed enough Conservative Senators to defeat two bills passed in the lower house (the upper chamber is, like the Monarchy, merely symbolic in Canada), how much more damage will be done to our parliamentary system under a Conservative majority?
Harper's already declared (post election) there would be no radical changes in Ottawa. But if he's basing this assessment on the idea that Canada needs more jails, more fighter jets, even lower corporate taxes (all things introduced in the last budget before it's rejection brought down the government and caused this last election), and that it's normal to lie to Parliament (Harper was formally repremanded by the Speaker of the House for contempt of Parliament, a first in Canadian history) or simply progogue it when it (Parliament) doesn't agree with him (as he's done twice in the last 3 years - again a first and a second), then I guess the gradual moving of Canada on a right wing agenda is already well on it's way.
There are five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.
I'm not sure how far I've progressed in my personal development as a result of this week's event, but I'm fairly certain it's not acceptance.
By the way, for those who haven't heard
