29.6.04

The Day After...

It's a beautiful Tuesday afternoon and I'm taking a quick lunch break before getting back to work.

Yesterday I watched intently as the Liberals won a minority government and although I haven't been too impressed with the Liberals as of late, I'm happy the Conservatives didn't win. What's surprising to me though is how well the Bloc Quebecois did and I guess it really reflects Quebecer's dissatifaction with the Liberal government. Let's just hope this doesn't lead to Quebec's separation of Canada because although Duceppe didn't make sovereignty an issue during his campaign, his speech last night sent a clear message that the idea is not far from his mind. Duceppe said he is looking forward to working with his sovereigntist colleague Bernard Landry to "reach the country we need to give ourselves."

I'm really interested in seeing whether there will be a Liberal-NDP coalition because of all the combinations that could have happened with a minority government, this one seems to be the one that has the possibility of having less friction than say a Liberal-Bloc or Conservative-Liberal combination. No one knows how this will all play out in the end but the drama makes for some very interesting politics.

I'd also like to congratulate the Green Party for breaking the half-million vote barrier:

"With four per cent of the national popular vote, the Greens will qualify for annual funding of $1.75 per voter. That should allow Green Leader Jim Harris to build the party's infrastructure leading up to the next election" (CBC).

They didn't win any seats but it seems that people are starting to pay attention to this alternative party. I know I have. Will it ever become a legitimate fourth party? Will Canada ever go Green? Probably not in the near future but stranger things have happened in this crazy, crazy world.

Have a great day.

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