In the course of one day, Canada's political landscape has undergone a radical, and historic, restructuring.
The Conservatives have a majority, the NDP are the opposition, the Liberals have been pushed to the hinterlands and the Bloc Quebecois are more or less dead in the water. Heck, we even have our first elected Green Party candidate. What more can you say than, wow.
Now come the questions. Where do the Liberals go from here? How will the NDP hold up as the official Opposition for the first time in their history? Have we in fact seen the last of the Bloc Quebecois?
But the biggest question Canadians will be asking themselves is this: is a majority Conservative government the best thing for the future of our country?
After failing to gain a majority in two previous attempts, Prime Minister Stephen Harper has been handed the keys to the kingdom. He can now push the Conservative agenda without having to beg Michael Ignatieff, Gilles Duceppe and Jack Layton for permission. Whether or not this is a good thing bears watching.
Harper didn't exactly show a great deal of humility, or willingness to compromise, when he was the leader of a minority government. Canadians have to be asking themselves 'have we created a monster?' Or, will Harper, as some have suggested, finally relax now that he has his much-coveted majority and no longer has to walk the tightrope of a minority government?
It will also be interesting to watch what legislation the Harper government will push through Parliament. This much is certain: the long gun registry is gone. After many failed attempts to get rid of the registry there is nothing left to stop the Conservatives from accomplishing one of their long desired goals.
The countdown to the demise of the Canadian Wheat Board has also started. Harper and his western MPs have never hidden their dislike of the wheat board and with nothing standing in their way, it's only a matter of time before it's gone.
Things get as little murky from there. You can bet the Conservatives have a long list of pet items that have been sitting in a drawer, waiting for the day they gained a majority in Parliament. Will those items be in the best interests of the country or will they be part of an overreaching Conservative agenda that is based more on ideology and not what is best for Canada? As the saying goes, absolute power corrupts absolutely and we'll likely find out very quickly whether Harper can handle his new-found power.
Although there are some questions surrounding the Harper majority, there are some positives to take away from the election. With a majority government we won't be subjected to another expensive election until 2015. As well, the country will no longer be held hostage by the Bloc Quebecois. Because of the past minority governments, the Bloc held an inordinate amount of power and had far too big a say on the national scene, especially when one considers their sole purpose was break up of our country. They have been relegated to history pages and any way you look at it that's a positive.
