Canada: a country for minorities

Everyone who knows Canada knows its love for immigrants and its obsession with minorities. But when this passion becomes political, there's something fishy going on. The last federal election gave us our third minority government (correct me if I'm wrong) in as many elections. With a minority government as well at the provincial level in Québec, a tendency seems to be appearing on the Canadian political scene: the demand for political structures change. Because the last election was not unworthy of our time, quite the opposite, it sent a clear message to every party: Conservatives, you're good but not good enough (in Québec and Maritimes: you're not good enough). Liberals, we still like you (despite your backstabbing us...), but not Stéphane, better luck next time. NDP, we like you but...Greens, it feels good to describe ourselves as ecologists but there's a huge difference between what we want others to think of us and what we truly are. Bloc, keep up the good work, but please try to understand what's going on in Québec and in Beauce for God's sake! Another interpretation could simply have been that Canadians like Harper but are afraid of his conservatives minions and so refuse to let him have a majority. Then how can you explain that in this Québec election also, although people are not afraid of Charest, few people want a majority government? If we put aside the incredible importance the media have had on this phenomenon, we can simply understand this visceral desire for minority governments as a desire for more accountable governments, desire that came out of the distrust of government, distrust that came out of the sponsorship scandal on the federal level and out of the Gaspesia flop on a smaller scale on the provincial level. Another explanation is perhaps the lack of unity under a true eloquent born leader. The Canada loves Obama phenomenon will be the subject of my next blog, in relation to the phenomenon of minority governments.