How A Minority Government Will Affect Our Country
How Will A Minority Government Affect Our Country?
The re-election of Justin Trudeau marks the smallest minority government in Canadian history. A minority government isn’t a new concept to Canadians; since the 1950s, our last twenty federal elections have produced nine minority governments under both Liberal and Conservative leaders—such as Pierre Trudeau and Stephen Harper.
These minority governments all produced little new legislation and enacted no real change. A minority government is a constant battle between the MPs of all parties, each fighting for their own agendas. Right now, Justin Trudeau is walking on a bed of eggshells, forced to play ball with the other MPs in fear of an all out government collapse. But, there are grounds to argue that Trudeau could lead a successful and impactful government for two, even three bills, if he plays his cards right.
On the issue of climate change, the Liberals will have the support of the NDP and the Green Party. The carbon tax will live on, and the liberals will be pushed to cut more emissions. On the issue of resources, the Liberals will have the support of the Conservatives as they push for the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion, placating the people of Alberta who are experiencing a failing economy because of Trudeau’s hesitation to move forward with the pipeline. The pieces are all there for Trudeau to have a successful government, as long as he doesn’t go and do something classically “Trudeau”—and by that, I mean do something stupid and immature to get himself in deeper trouble.
Trudeau’s most important task will be maintaining our country’s unity—something that has been crumbling slowly for years. Divides have manifested in many forms, such as the Yellowjacket riots in Quebec and the twitter hashtag #westexits in western provinces (mainly Alberta) who feel abandoned by their government and want to separate from Canada. The Liberals will need to prove that they can accommodate the Prairies and Quebec, and not just for the sake of their political fortunes. Trudeau doesn’t seem to be in the worst position to do this—the Liberals have the biggest spread of supporters throughout Canada, although there is a huge hole from lower B.C. to Winnipeg. On the flipside, the Conservatives have firmly implanted themselves in the West, but their policies don’t seem to resonate well with Ontario, Quebec and the Atlantic provinces, meanwhile the NDP lost quite a considerable foothold in Quebec to the Bloc, bidding farewell to 15 seats in the election process.
The Liberals are in a fairly good position at the moment. In fact, their biggest weakness seems to be their leader, Justin Trudeau—a concept that isn’t foreign to the Liberal party. Right now, Mr. Trudeau could seize his moment and work with Parliament in the interest of all Canadians, or he could let his ego derail his agenda the second he doesn’t get his way.
It’s impossible to predict exactly what will happen to our government. Will Trudeau lead us through this tumultuous time and cooperate with the other MPs in Ottawa, or will there be another election next year? The answer to that question is up to him.