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Jan. 27, 2006
Harper's highwire act
Editorial
Canada will have a Conservative government for the first time in
almost 13 years. What that means for Jewish Canadians is ... not
much.
True, there are members of the Conservative caucus who have been
outspoken on issues of concern to the Jewish community, not least
of which is Israel's right to exist in peace. But the minority government,
combined with a sort of diplomatic stasis at the United Nations,
will probably result in a foreign policy that is not much different
from that which we've seen under the Paul Martin Liberals.
If Stockwell Day, who has been the Conservative foreign affairs
critic, is given the prestigious role of international spokesperson,
it will be an interesting development. Day is a passionate and unapologetic
Zionist. He is also a conservative Christian and his attitudes toward
Israel are to some degree infused with his theology. This is a concern
to some Jews and many other Canadians.
The defeat of some of the most fundamentalist of Christian conservatives
Darrel Reid in Richmond, Cindy Silver in North Vancouver
and John Weston in West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country
is an indication of British Columbia voters' unwillingness
to tamper with the firewall, such as it may be, between government
and religion. But there are plenty of Conservative MPs from primarily
rural and suburban ridings who hold equally conservative religio-political
views. Perhaps the key to Harper's success or failure in this "trial
period" of minority government will be how he deals with this
element of his party. The Achilles heel of the Conservative party
is that Canadians at large simply do not agree with values that
are as conservative as many of Harper's members of Parliament.
At the same time, there's a near-desperation among Canadians for
a government that doesn't embarrass us with needless scandals and
waste taxpayers' money on partisan political patronage.
What Canadians face is a time of continuing uncertainty. Unless
the Conservatives make a deal with the separatist Bloc Québecois,
it is hard to see how they can do more than limp from vote to vote,
relying on the opposition parties' reluctance to defeat them in
the house and force another election.
In fact, what is most notable from Monday's election may be the
beginning of a long period of minority government. With the Bloc
taking most Quebec seats and the NDP making a good showing, it will
be increasingly difficult for the two traditional national parties
to form majority governments.
That means all parties will need to get over their reluctance to
deal co-operatively with other parties in Parliament. The horse-trading
we saw in the last Parliament when the NDP was able to rewrite
the Liberals' budget in exchange for support in non-confidence votes
may be a common occurrence if no party is able to win a majority
in the coming years.
For Jewish Canadians and other multicultural communities, the Conservatives'
philosophy regarding cultural diversity will be a closely watched
matter. There was not a great deal of discussion during the election
about multicultural policy with the exception of sotto voce
allegations about some Conservatives' views of race relations
so the new government will have a relatively free rein to act on
the portfolios of, among others, multiculturalism and Canadian heritage.
We may see a reallocation of funds away from some of the programs
that Liberal governments have traditionally supported in the realm
of multicultural programming.
More than anything, though, the next few months for Jewish
Canadians and others will be a time of familiarization. Canadians
will get to know Stephen Harper and his Conservative party, while
the Liberals reorient themselves with a new leader. Despite the
assertion that we may be entering a phase of prolonged political
uncertainty, another possibility is equally likely.
The jury is still out on Harper and his party. The coming year or
two will likely see Canadians' opinions of Harper become increasingly
solidified. If we decide we like him and his government, we may
venture to give him the majority government that eluded him this
week. If he flubs the coming months - and if the Liberals clean
themselves up with a new leader and a purge of the corrupt dead
wood - Canadians may return to their Liberal roots.
But perhaps the thing to keep closest in mind is this: a minority
government is fundamentally different from a majority government.
By definition, minority governments are forced to seek consensus,
govern from the centre and avoid
polarizing issues. If the new government successfully navigates
its way through the coming Parliament, they may receive a majority
endorsement from voters. Then, with a majority endorsement, we'd
be likely to see a very different Conservative government.
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