{"id":5607,"date":"2015-10-20T15:56:22","date_gmt":"2015-10-20T19:56:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/huntsville.dopperonline.ca\/?p=5607"},"modified":"2015-10-20T15:56:22","modified_gmt":"2015-10-20T19:56:22","slug":"listen-up-there-is-joy-in-mudville","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/doppleronline.ca\/huntsville\/listen-up-there-is-joy-in-mudville\/","title":{"rendered":"Listen Up! – There is joy in Mudville"},"content":{"rendered":"

THE GOVERNMENT<\/strong><\/p>\n

There is joy in Mudville today\u2026.no doubt about it. I must admit, that as I went to bed last night, I thought the sun would not rise in the morning. But rise it did and we have a new majority government in Canada which will be led by Justin Trudeau.<\/p>\n

There will be people who will be wildly excited about the election results (I know of one friend who was dancing in the street in her P.J.\u2019s.), and there are others who are licking their wounds. Thus is the nature of politics.<\/p>\n

The people of Canada have spoken and they have spoken loudly and clearly. They wanted change and they have it. Stephen Harper stayed too long. People who vilify him as the worst Prime Minister in our history are wrong. He was elected Prime Minister by Canadians three times. He gave much of his career to serving Canada and he deserves to be respected for that. He simply stayed too long.<\/p>\n

<\/broadstreet-zone><\/strong><\/div>\n

When people stay too long in any one position, they tend to believe too much in themselves and they make mistakes. They also find it more difficult to embrace new ideas and to determine when a change in direction is needed. They become entrenched and weary voters begin to think of them as enlightened dictators. While there are many things I dislike about the American electoral system, I believe their policy on term limits is a good one. In Canada, I would advocate a limit of two to three terms for the Prime Minister and Cabinet Ministers.<\/p>\n

Canada has a long tradition of being governed by both Liberals and Conservatives and because of that, we remain today, one of the most respected countries in the world. We are a people who value stability and that is why, in spite of constant polls to the contrary, once the winds of change were obvious, Canadians opted for a strong majority government.<\/p>\n

Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party have been given a strong mandate and I have no doubt that they will leave their mark on a better Canada, as have governments that have gone before them. Do I worry about some of their stated policies such as higher taxes for small businesses and creating deficits? Yes\u2026.but anyone who follows politics knows the difference between an election campaign and the reality of governing. Whether these particular policies move forward or not, pragmatism will rule the day.<\/p>\n

Justin Trudeau, as Prime Minister, has a number of real challenges ahead of him: maintaining a strong economy, ensuring the safety of Canadians, renewing our outdated infrastructure, ensuring our place as a world trading partner, Senate reform, and seeing that all Canadians have a decent quality of life to name a few. Surely, now that the election is over, all Canadians want him to succeed in these endeavours. Certainly, I am one Canadian who does.<\/p>\n

THE OPPOSITION<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Conservative Party was not written off by Canadians. They have elected a strong opposition party, a fundamental part of our democratic process. Their job is to keep the government on its toes and I have no doubt they will do it well. They will be doing it, however, without Stephen Harper, who has announced that he is stepping aside as Conservative leader. That is the right and proper thing for him to do. It allows the party to renew itself, to look in new directions and to move forward.<\/p>\n

I would be surprised if the Tories opted for a leadership race right away. My guess is that they will appoint an interim leader, allowing the party and caucus to get their act together and regain some profile. Having a leadership race about half way through the term could also give them some momentum moving into the next election cycle.<\/p>\n

It would not surprise me if Tony Clement was on a very short list for interim leader of the Conservatives, assuming he wants it. He is one of the most senior Tories re-elected and he is a seasoned parliamentarian with extensive experience on both the government and opposition side of the House. When it comes to the actual leadership race, Tony may well be there along with, I suspect, Peter MacKay, Jason Kenny, perhaps Kelly Leitch and a few surprises.<\/p>\n

What will be fun for me will be to watch the media. Many of them probably will have serious hangovers today as they recover from celebrating the defeat of the Conservatives. But as the afterglow fades and they run out of good things to say about the government, their ratings will depend on strong, willing and effective opposition members, taking on the government. The Tories will become strange bedfellows indeed, and it might even wipe the smirk on CTV\u2019s Don Martin\u2019s face permanently away!<\/p>\n

THE RIDING<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tony Clement held on to his seat in Parry Sound-Muskoka but the landscape has changed. First, Liberal candidate Trisha Cowie gave him a run for his money. She ran a strong campaign and I suspect she is not going away. However, Tony Clement also ran a very successful campaign and against the national trend, he was running upstream. But he knocked on virtually every door in the riding and campaigned calmly and effectively at a myriad of events. That, plus his recognized devotion to every part of his riding as their Member of Parliament, put him over the top.<\/p>\n

But the landscape has changed because for the first time that I can recall in many years, Parry Sound-Muskoka will not have a member from the government side of the house either provincially or federally. We all know that the goodies tend to come to those ridings that are held by the government. We have benefited from that. This time around it will be a different challenge for Clement, but one he is used to as he has served in opposition before and been very effective in representing the interests of the people in his riding.<\/p>\n

The challenge now will be infrastructure. A large component of the Liberal\u2019s election platform was an extensive infrastructure program. Goodness knows it\u2019s needed and our riding should be no exception. Bridges, roads, public buildings and hydro facilities need updating and renewal. It is a serious problem, especially in Ontario where too much manufacturing has left the province because our infrastructure has been allowed to deteriorate. Tony Clement will have his hands full fighting for our share of infrastructure projects. It may be a new ball game but we still have a very effective pitcher!<\/p>\n

Hugh Mackenzie<\/p>\n

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