Hello sports fans, and welcome to the 1993 Parliamentary Election draft choice. The ballots are counted, the people have spoken, and here is the line-up.
The Liberal Party of Canadian (Governing Party) One of the venerable parties in Canadian politics. Voted out of office in 1984, under the leadership of the West Coast's "Great White Hope", John Turner. Since then, Mr. Turner lost the leadership of the party, and the respect of his parliamentary colleagues by being conspicuously absent from almost all important votes in Parliament. He was replaced by Jean Chretien, who recently led his party to a massive landslide victory over the Progressive Conservative Party, led by Kim Campbell. (More on her further on.)
Outlook - The Liberals will institute massive government spending to help stimulate job growth in Canada. They have a tough row to hoe on the subject of taxation. The middle class in Canada pays the majority of taxes, and are at the limit of what they can pay. The Liberals have promised to repeal the Goods and Services Tax (7% on just about everything). However, they may be in trouble when they follow through, and try to replace the tax with something "easier to administer" (their words). In the long run, it looks like it will be business as usual.
The Bloc Québecois (Official Opposition) An offshoot of the Progressive Conservative Party, the Bloc's policy boils down to "Quebec first" (For those who don't know, Quebec is a predominately French speaking province in the East, that suffers from a persecution complex.) The Bloc, led by Lucien Bouchard, believes that Quebec is a distinct society, and should be responsible for it's own destiny. If necessary, that means that Quebec should secede from the Confederation. Due to the high population in Quebec, this party won enough seats to become the official opposition, after a close race with the Reform Party.
Outlook - The next few years will be quite interesting, as the Bloc tries to reconcile its separatist charter with its duties for all of Canada. Unless a separatist party is elected to the Quebec provincial government, the Bloc stands to lose a lot of credibility. One way or the other, this will probably be the last time they'll have this many seats in Canada's government.
The Reform Party - A regional, western based party, whose platform is based upon "grassroots" policies. Deficit slashing, and better fiscal management are the priorities of Reform, led by Preston Manning. This party narrowly lost opposition status to the Bloc Quebecois after a closely watched race in the West. Tied with the Bloc for most improved position, leaping from less than 5 seats in the previous parliament, to 52 after the recent election. This is the party that really killed the Progressive Conservative party in the West. Many conservative voters became disenchanted with the PC's, and jumped ship to Reform.
Outlook - The Reform could be the real voice of opposition in the Parliament, if the Bloc decides to concentrate only on Quebec issues. Like the Bloc, most of the members elected to Parliament are new, and are likely to be a source of comedy, as they find their way. Could be a real player next time around.
The New Democratic Party - The "progressive" voice in Canadian politics, advocating better social programs. They were a power, with over thirty seats in the last Parliament, but got nailed to wall in the recent election as voters looked for new alternatives. They now have nine seats in the new Parliament, short of the twelve needed for official party status. This means the NDP no longer get a research budget, and are not guaranteed a voice in the question period. Led by Audrey McLaughlin, the NDP are in a deep hole and they will have to do a lot of rebuilding to become a force again.
Outlook - Needs CPR and mouth to mouth, but still has a chance.
The Progressive Conservative Party - Oh, how the mighty have fallen. The PC's led the country for the past 8 years, through recessions, a ballooning deficit, and pork barrel politics. Led by Brian Mulroney for most of that time, they cut spending and increased taxes in an effort to get the national debt down. Mulroney stepped down in the summer of '93, as it became apparent that his popularity had slipped to the level of athlete's foot. Kim Campbell, former Justice Minister and Defense Minister, took over as party leader after a leadership convention. Her chances seemed good at the start, but a poorly run campaign, coupled with some bad gaffes on Kim's part, and a commercial targeting Jean Chretien's unfortunate facial disabilities that inflamed the country, led to the biggest political defeat in recent Canadian history. Formerly holding over 145 seats, they have lost all but 2 seats in the Parliament. The party, over one hundred years old, is now in danger of disappearing completely.
Outlook - Start playing "Taps", and send flowers. If it does die, look for a new party to spring from the ashes in it's place.
So there it is, sports fans. The political map has been completely redrawn. I'm looking forward to 4 years of comedy from entirely new sources. Comments? Inflamed opinions? Write me care of Teletimes.
- Ryan Crocker, Vancouver, Canada
