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Canada Isn't a Red State Yet
The surprising thing about Canada's election yesterday was the extent to which the country's ruling Liberal Party was NOT decimated. Beset by scandal and running a sloppy campaign that never saw it come out on top in any single 24-hour-news cycle, the Liberals nevertheles won 31% of the vote, only about six points behind the winning Conservative Party.
Canada remains a far more collectivist country than its giant neighbor to the south. The Liberals and the socialist New Democrats together won more seats in parliament than the Conservatives. Stephen Harper, the new prime minister, will now to have to form a minority government that will depend on tacit support of at least one opposition party to survive. Far from being able to implement its own platform, every major piece of legislation will have to be negotiated. Luckily, this time the separatist Bloc Quebecois won only 40% of the vote in Quebec and for a while will be unlikely to use its 50 seats in parliament to bring down Mr. Harper's government.
As for Mr. Harper, U.S. conservatives are likely to be disappointed in what he will be able to accomplish in the short term. An economist and policy wonk, he is steeped in free-market theory and personally remains committed to a les intrusive government. But he has greatly modified his view of what is posible in Canadian politics. His party now backs les reform and more spending in dealing with Canada's creaking nationalized health care system. Maclean's magazine reported last year that "whispers about Mr. Harper becoming too soft have replaced those that he is too brittle" and an inflexible ideologue.
That said, Canada's election is a watershed. The Liberals have so dominated the country's politics that they were in office longer during the 20th Century than even the Communists in the Soviet Union. The country was in danger of becoming a permanent one-and-a-half party state. Having been chastened by the voters for their rampant corruption and insider dealing, the Liberals will now have a chance to clean up their act. For his part, Mr. Harper will end the gratuitous America-bashing of recent years and at least make a stab at more sensible economic policies. Grading on a Canadian curve, yesterday's result amounts to a welcome political revolution.
"Used with permission from OpinionJournal.com, a web site from Dow Jones & Company, Inc."
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