Election
      aftermath
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Oh
      brave
      new
      house,
      that
      hath
      such
      MP
      s
     
    
   
   
    
     
      dominated
      by
      the
      usual
      vapid
      offerings
      of
      sugary
      sitcoms,
      over-
     
     
      blown
      melodrama,
      and
      entertainment
      scandals.
      Canadian
      coffee
     
     
      shop
      chitchat
      has
      turned
      from
      political
      speculation
      to
      such
      perennial
     
     
      preoccupations
      as
      the
      fortunes
      of
      those
      puck-chasing
      paladins
      who
      hold
     
     
      the
      national
      imagination
      (and
      national
      airtime)
      in
      their
      icy
      grip.
      The
     
     
      election
      is
      well
      and
      truly
      over,
      and
      Canadians
      voted
      for
      change
      in
     
     
      overwhelming
      numbers,
      electing
      a
      brand-new
      majority
      government
      and
     
     
      voting
      completely
      new
      political
      parties
      into
      the
      role
      of
      our
      country’s
     
     
      opposition.
      The
      political
      scene
      is
      unquestionably
      transformed,
      but
      it
     
     
      remains
      to
      be
      seen
      whether
      this
      will
      translate
      into
      a
      significant
      change
      in
     
     
      the
      governing
      of
      the
      country
      and
      the
      conduct
      of
      its
      Parliament.
      Radical
     
     
      change,
      regardless
      of
      politicians’
      promises,
      does
      not
      come
      overnight.
     
     
      Whether
      the
      new
      Parliament
      is
      their
      cup
      of
      tea
      or
      not,
      many
      Canadians
     
     
      may
      soon
      find
      themselves
      waking
      up
      and
      smelling
      the
      political
      coffee.
     
     
      Politicians
      who
      for
      months
      shouted
      their
      platforms
      from
      the
      rooftops
     
     
      a>
      now
      strangely
      silent.
      Doug
      Henning
      and
      his
      Natural
      Law
      cohorts
      have
     
     
      done
      a
      disappearing
      act.
      The
      Green
      Party
      has
      withered
      away
      into
     
     
      obscurity.
      The
      National
      Party
      remains
      a
      national
      joke.
      God
      only
      knows
     
     
      what
      the
      Christian
      Heritage
      Party
      is
      up
      to.
      The
      New
      Democratsare
      old
      hat.
     
     
      The
      Progressive
      Conservatives
      have
      become
      the
      Regressive
      Conserva-
     
     
      tives,
      devolving
      from
      a
      two-time
      majority
      government
      to
      a
      two-member
     
     
      parliamentary
      contingent
      that
      is
      well
      below
      the
      total
      needed
      to
      claim
     
     
      official
      party
      status,
      let
      alone
      be
      any
      kind
      of
      contender
      in
      the
      new
      political
     
     
      order
      of
      Ottawa.
      After
      the
      New
      Democrats
      and
      P.C.’s
      coming
      out
      on
      the
     
     
      losing
      end
      ofa
      political
      bloodbath
      that
      saw
      a
      massive
      shift
      of
      power
      in
      the
     
     
      House
      of
      Commons,
      Parliament
      is
      awash
      ina
      sea
      of
      red-
      Liberal
      red.
      Jean
     
     
      Chretien’s
      Liberals,
      ‘‘the
      other
      big
      party’’,
      the
      political
      bridesmaids
      of
     
     
      the
      past
      decade,
      have
      filled
      the
      gap
      left
      by
      the
      ousted
      Conservatives
      and
     
     
      then
      some,
      winning
      a
      commanding
      majority
      to
      form
      thenew
      government.
     
     
      Even
      more
      astounding
      are
      the
      upstart
      regional
      parties
      that
      have
      arisen
      to
     
     
      fill
      the
      role
      of
      our
      country’s
      opposition:
      the
      Reform
      Party
      (self-pro-
     
     
      claimed
      anti-establishment
      scourges
      of
      traditional
      government)
      and
      the
     
     
      Bloc
      Quebecois,
      a
      Quebec-based
      separatist
      party
      whose
      majority
      within
     
     
      Quebec
      gave
      it
      enough
      seats
      to
      become
      the
      official
      opposition
      for
      the
     
     
      whole
      country,
      even
      though
      the
      party
      is
      publicly
      dedicated
      to
      the
     
     
      dissolution
      of
      the
      federation
      it
      has
      now
      sworn
      to
      serve
      in
      parliament.
     
     
      Politics
      may
      make
      for
      strange
      bed
      The
      dust
      has
      settled,
      and
      the
      House
      of
     
     
      Commons
      is
      virtually
      unrecognizable,
      largely
      populated
      by
      politicians
     
     
      who
      for
      years
      have
      espoused
      the
      most
      radical
      of
      changes
      in
      Canadian
     
     
      government.
     
     
      The
      radical
      shift
      of
      power
      does
      not
      necessarily
      mean
      we
      should
      expect
     
     
      a
      radical
      shift
      in
      government,
      though.
      The
      Liberals
      are
      a
      mainstream
     
     
      national
      party,
      seasoned
      veterans
      well-apprised
      of
      political
      realities.
      That
     
     
      being
      the
      case,
      we
      probably
      should
      not
      expect
      anything
      too
      radical
      from
     
     
      them.
      They
      do
      seem
      to
      be
      pursuing
      some
      of
      their
      election
      promises
      in
     
     
      good
      faith
      (compacting
      government,
      curtailing
      political
      perks,
      and
      cut-
     
     
      ting
      defense
      spending,
      for
      instance);
      however,
      Liberal
      indignation
      over
     
     
      such
      things
      as
      the
      GST
      and
      NAFTA
      has
      long
      since
      given
      way
      to
      promises
     
     
      to
      modify
      these
      unpopular
      policies
      rather
      than
      eliminate
      them
      (though
     
     
      Chretien
      is
      trying
      to
      haggle
      with
      Clinton
      on
      the
      NAFTA
      front).
      As
      the
     
     
      fiasco-filled
      rise
      to
      power
      of
      the
      NDP
      in
      Ontario
      has
      shown,
      even
      the
      most
     
     
      idealistic
      of
      parties
      must
      act
      in
      accordance
      with
      harsh
      economic
      and
     
     
      political
      realities.
      No
      one
      (despite
      Doug
      Henning’s
      claims
      to
      the
     
     
      contrary)
      can
      wave
      a
      magic
      wand
      and
      make
      our
      financial
      difficulties
     
     
      disappear.
      No
      government
      can
      solve
      all
      our
      problems,
      and
      the
      Liberals
     
    
   
   
    
     
      neerie
      quiet
      has
      settled
      over
      the
      land.
      Televisions
      are
      once
      again
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      in
      it!
     
    
   
   
    
     
      will
      prove
      to
      be
      no
      exception.
     
    

    
     
      In
      their
      own
      ways,
      the
      new
      opposition
      parties
      are
      facing
      even
      harsher
     
     
      realities.
      The
      Reform
      Party,
      which
      has
      always
      savagely
      attacked
      tradi-
     
     
      tional
      governmentand
      its
      privileged
      elite,
      now
      finds
      itself
      in
      the
      awkward
     
     
      position
      of
      being
      solidly
      among
      that
      elite.
      Along
      with
      all
      the
      other
     
     
      challenges
      they
      face,
      the
      legion
      of
      rookie
      Reform
      MP’s
      must
      decide
      to
     
     
      what
      extent
      they
      will
      adopt
      the
      perks
      and
      privileges
      afforded
      members
      of
     
     
      Parliament
      (including
      such
      goodies
      as
      unlimited
      travel
      funds,
      a
      lucrative
     
     
      pension
      plan,
      tax-free
      allowances,
      and
      free
      services
      like
      an
      exclusive
     
     
      restaurant,
      a
      steam
      room,
      barber,
      hairdresser,
      tailor,
      and
      masseur).
      Now
     
     
      that
      they
      are
      in
      Ottawa,
      some
      Reformers
      seem
      to
      have
      fewer
      qualms
      about
     
     
      these
      privileges,
      describing
      some
      as
      necessary
      conveniences
      for
      the
      job.
     
     
      One
      Reform
      MP,
      quoted
      in
      the
      Globe
      and
      Mail,
      nicely
      summed
      up
      the
      sad
     
     
      reality
      of
      the
      situation
      by
      saying
      that
      the
      Reformers
      would
      be
      ‘‘disadvan-
     
     
      taged”’
      if
      they
      gave
      up
      all
      the
      perks
      of
      power
      and
      the
      other
      parties
      didn’t.
     
     
      While
      Reform
      Leader
      Preston
      Manning
      claims
      there
      will
      be
      discussions
     
     
      of
      how
      to
      reduce
      the
      privileges
      of
      office
      to
      at
      least
      some
      extent,
      some
      of
     
     
      his
      MP’s
      seem
      content
      for
      now
      to
      line
      up
      at
      the
      trough.
      When
      in
      Rome...
     
    

    
     
      Still
      more
      astonishing
      and
      blackly
      humorous
      is
      the
      hypocritical
     
     
      position
      the
      Bloc
      Quebecois
      finds
      itself
      forced
      into-
      a
      party
      dedicated
      to
     
     
      the
      independence
      of
      Quebec
      from
      our
      federation,
      serving
      as
      the
      official
     
     
      opposition
      for
      a
      country
      that,
      outside
      of
      Quebec,
      they
      don’t
      give
      a
      flying
     
     
      French
      fig
      about.
      Lucien
      Bouchard’s
      drive
      for
      power
      in
      Quebec
      worked
     
     
      too
      well,
      saddling
      his
      party
      with
      the
      responsibilities
      of
      the
      national
     
     
      opposition
      despite
      their
      insular,
      separatist
      agenda.
      This
      paradox
      is
      made
     
     
      all-too-clear
      by
      the
      recent
      swearing-in
      of
      the
      Bloc
      MP’s
      as
      members
      of
     
     
      parliament.
      When
      Gilles
      Duceppe
      became
      the
      first
      MP
      elected
      to
     
     
      parliament
      as
      a
      B.
      Q.
      representative
      in
      a
      1990
      by-election,
      he
      made
      a
     
     
      media
      show
      of
      rejecting
      the
      Parliamentary
      oath
      of
      loyalty
      to
      the
      Queen
     
     
      thereafter.
      Now
      that
      the
      B.Q.
      has
      been
      elected
      as
      the
      official
      opposition,
     
     
      all
      fifty-four
      members
      were
      sworn
      in
      quietly,
      oath
      of
      loyalty
      to
      the
      queen
     
     
      and
      all,
      without
      a
      peep
      of
      protest,
      let
      alone
      the
      French
      kiss-off
      that
      any
     
     
      self-respecting
      separatist
      would
      reserve
      for
      the
      institution
      of
      monarchy,
     
     
      symbolic
      or
      otherwise.
      The
      B.Q.,
      for
      now,
      seem
      content
      to
      speak
      softly
     
     
      and
      carry
      a
      big
      grudge.
     
    

    
     
      What
      this
      amounts
      to
      is
      that
      Canada’s
      most
      infamous
      political
      rebels,
     
     
      the
      B.Q.,
      have
      joined
      the
      Reformers
      in
      surreptitiously
      donning
      the
     
     
      conformist
      trappings
      of
      mainstream
      Parliament.
      Their
      joint
      complicity
     
     
      in
      traditional
      Parliamentary
      practices
      is
      amply
      illustrated
      by
      their
      shared
     
     
      contention
      that
      the
      fallen
      P.C.’s
      and
      NDP
      should
      not
      be
      allowed
      to
      retain
     
     
      official
      party
      status.
      While
      this
      is
      a
      perfectly
      justifiable
      contention,
      it
     
     
      makes
      clear
      the
      massive
      role
      reversal
      the
      B.Q.
      and
      Reform
      have
      under-
     
     
      gone-
      the
      one-time
      political
      fringe
      groups
      kicking
      the
      new
      underdogs
     
     
      when
      they’re
      down,
      working
      to
      disempower
      the
      mainstream
      parties
      as
     
     
      they
      themselves
      were
      once
      excluded.
      The
      Reformers
      and
      the
      B.Q.
      have
     
    

    
     
      _become
      what
      they
      always
      opposed-
      instead
      of
      beating
      the
      system,
      they
      are
     
     
      becoming
      the
      system.
      What
      does
      this
      all
      mean?
      While
      the
      policies
      and
     
     
      practices
      of
      the
      government
      and
      its
      opposition
      have
      yet
      to
      clearly
      emerge,
     
     
      it
      is
      clear
      that,
      no
      matter
      how
      much
      pre-election
      hype
      there
      was
      to
      the
     
     
      contrary,
      none
      of
      the
      newly
      empowered
      parties
      can
      guarantee
      quite
      so
     
     
      much
      sweeping
      reform
      as
      quickly
      as
      they
      may
      have
      led
      voters
      to
      believe.
     
     
      You
      can’t
      remake
      national
      politics
      overnight,
      and
      any
      dreamers
      who
     
     
      thought
      swapping
      old
      political
      parties
      for
      new
      ones
      would
      do
      this
      may
      be
     
     
      in
      for
      a
      rude
      awakening.
     
    

    
     
      Sean
      McQuaid,
     
     
      Editor-in-Chief
     
    
   
   
    
     
      November
      11,
      1993/X-Press/3