It's good to be back. I have been absent from these pages for the majority of the writ period due to my heavy involvement in the federal campaign, and I must admit that there were several occasions where I wished to weigh into the public debate on these issues and could not.
As I write this, the election has just ended and across the country it appears certain that a Liberal majority government, headed by Justin Trudeau, will ensue in the coming months.
I had not predicted this, and, quite frankly, none of my friends in high places across the spectrum predicted this either.
Even the best voter ID was, while not precisely blind, off by just enough percentage points to make the difference.
This is, at its core, a good thing, as it goes to show that Canadians are not automatons; yes there are trends and voting blocks to an extent, but there are also shifting demographics, and I believe that a good deal of what occurred on election night can be explained by these demographic shifts.
I will go into this issue in greater depth next week.
Another part of this campaign that needs highlighting before anyone forgets is that while the outgoing Prime Minister Stephen Harper had earned the vitriol of many Canadians, some of whom are even members of his base, all of Canada must tip its hat to him for two big reasons: the first is that he did not leave his government, which was overdue for a reprimand from voters, in the hands of a doomed successor, and second, he did not brand the campaign as his alone.
Trudeau Sr., Mulroney and Chretien all left their sinking ships in the hands of successors, happy to spend their days golfing and glad handing away while the new leaders took the scorn that their predecessors had earned.
Harper could have done this - he did not, and that shows strength of character, no matter what side you're on.
The second big reason to tip your hat to Harper is that for all his control-freakish tendencies, not a single Conservative campaign sign outside his riding bears his name: even though we live in a parliamentary democracy where we elect individual MPs, not governments, somehow I was expected to vote for "Tom Mulcair" or "Team Trudeau" despite the fact that both leaders were running thousands of kilometres away from me.
I am not afraid to call this technique as I see it - it was and is Stalinist, new guard, a subversion of our historical and political framework.
For all the vitriol pointed at Mr. Harper, this single misuse of branding might be the most egregious thing to happen in this last election.
And this brings me to my closing thought which is what we witnessed was perhaps a commitment to change and hopefully a new dawn for much needed reforms for Canada's federal structure.
But I am deathly afraid that this is Canada's Obama moment, a catchall term for what is now clearly a lost decade for our southern cousins. He was the young, inspirational face of hope and change in America - it turned out quite the opposite.
That is all I am going to say about the election for now. I will come back next week with further thoughts.
But before I go, I hope you will join me over today and tomorrow in saying a prayer for Corporal Nathan Cirillo and Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent.
A year after their tragic deaths, we are still a functional democracy with hope for the future - the True North, Strong and Free. I take sober heart in that and, whatever your politics, I hope you do as well.
