For those of you who don’t recognise these titans of Canadian politics, they are (L) Rene Levesque, founder of the Parti Quebecois, a believer in Quebec as a separate nation with close ties to Canada, a humanist and social activist. Next to him (R), his nemesis, Pierre Elliot Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, head of a modernised Liberal party of Canada who believed in a united bilingual country. They fought monumental battles, but I think they would have come together at this time in Canadian politics. They are both deceased, but I believe this is what they would have to say: (en Francais, certainment)
Rene: ” Well, Mr. Harper called an election even though he had pushed through a bill for fixed elections..he must have heard opportunity knocking on his door and couldn’t wait.”
Pierre “What he heard was a chorus of anti Bush talk below the border and he is a Bush clone, so it must have made him nervous. So he seized the moment, even if it’s against his own law. Stephane Dion and the Liberals are weak right now, but they will come back..the Liberals know how to come back.”
Rene: ” I thought Harper was a smart politician and maybe I am out of date, but for him to savage the arts community with all those cuts will have a negative effect for years, not mention his Rambo posture on the Canadian military. I’m no lover of the military, but at least we did a lot of peacekeeping and were respected for it.”
Pierre: ” Well, let’s be clear. I don’t like his right wing agenda and you don’t either. If we were alive, it is possible that we could have finally agreed on something ….keeping this country as a moderate welcoming society. Then again, maybe we’d still be sparring.”
Rene: ” He is clever and has a possibility of forming a majority government. Then watch all our work dissolve in right wing acid.”
Pierre: ” Well, I have had a lot of time to think about this and there is hope. The solution is mathematic.
Rene “ Merde, alors!!”
Pierre: ” Here is how I see the situation: There are 308 seats in the House of Commons (For the USA’ers, equivalent to the House of Representatives). Today the polls gave the conservatives 38%, the Liberals 28%, the NDP (i.e., social democrats) 19%., the Bloc Quebecois 8% and the Green Party 7%. If the future of the Canada is at stake, and I believe it is, after the vote is in the Liberals and the NDP and the smaller parties can form a coalition of the center left, certainly better for everybody than Stephen Harper’s right wing vision. As of today that would give the Liberals and NDP 145 seats. If the other parties went along, it would be a strong coalition for the next four years. The numbers are there, they just have to work out a sharing formula. I don’t think that is too much to ask. Sorry we’re not there.”
NOT the end of this story….
george
ps: Meanwhile south of the border………