Harper's highwire act

Editorial

Canada will have a Conservative government for the first time in almost 13 years. What that means for Jewish Canadians is ... not much.

True, there are members of the Conservative caucus who have been outspoken on issues of concern to the Jewish community, not least of which is Israel's right to exist in peace. But the minority government, combined with a sort of diplomatic stasis at the United Nations, will probably result in a foreign policy that is not much different from that which we've seen under the Paul Martin Liberals.

If Stockwell Day, who has been the Conservative foreign affairs critic, is given the prestigious role of international spokesperson, it will be an interesting development. Day is a passionate and unapologetic Zionist. He is also a conservative Christian and his attitudes toward Israel are to some degree infused with his theology. This is a concern to some Jews and many other Canadians.

The defeat of some of the most fundamentalist of Christian conservatives – Darrel Reid in Richmond, Cindy Silver in North Vancouver and John Weston in West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country – is an indication of British Columbia voters' unwillingness to tamper with the firewall, such as it may be, between government and religion. But there are plenty of Conservative MPs from primarily rural and suburban ridings who hold equally conservative religio-political views. Perhaps the key to Harper's success or failure in this "trial period" of minority government will be how he deals with this element of his party. The Achilles heel of the Conservative party is that Canadians at large simply do not agree with values that are as conservative as many of Harper's members of Parliament.

At the same time, there's a near-desperation among Canadians for a government that doesn't embarrass us with needless scandals and waste taxpayers' money on partisan political patronage.

What Canadians face is a time of continuing uncertainty. Unless the Conservatives make a deal with the separatist Bloc Québecois, it is hard to see how they can do more than limp from vote to vote, relying on the opposition parties' reluctance to defeat them in the house and force another election.

In fact, what is most notable from Monday's election may be the beginning of a long period of minority government. With the Bloc taking most Quebec seats and the NDP making a good showing, it will be increasingly difficult for the two traditional national parties to form majority governments.

That means all parties will need to get over their reluctance to deal co-operatively with other parties in Parliament. The horse-trading we saw in the last Parliament – when the NDP was able to rewrite the Liberals' budget in exchange for support in non-confidence votes – may be a common occurrence if no party is able to win a majority in the coming years.

For Jewish Canadians and other multicultural communities, the Conservatives' philosophy regarding cultural diversity will be a closely watched matter. There was not a great deal of discussion during the election about multicultural policy – with the exception of sotto voce allegations about some Conservatives' views of race relations – so the new government will have a relatively free rein to act on the portfolios of, among others, multiculturalism and Canadian heritage. We may see a reallocation of funds away from some of the programs that Liberal governments have traditionally supported in the realm of multicultural programming.

More than anything, though, the next few months – for Jewish Canadians and others – will be a time of familiarization. Canadians will get to know Stephen Harper and his Conservative party, while the Liberals reorient themselves with a new leader. Despite the assertion that we may be entering a phase of prolonged political uncertainty, another possibility is equally likely.

The jury is still out on Harper and his party. The coming year or two will likely see Canadians' opinions of Harper become increasingly solidified. If we decide we like him and his government, we may venture to give him the majority government that eluded him this week. If he flubs the coming months - and if the Liberals clean themselves up with a new leader and a purge of the corrupt dead wood - Canadians may return to their Liberal roots.

But perhaps the thing to keep closest in mind is this: a minority government is fundamentally different from a majority government. By definition, minority governments are forced to seek consensus, govern from the centre and avoid

polarizing issues. If the new government successfully navigates its way through the coming Parliament, they may receive a majority endorsement from voters. Then, with a majority endorsement, we'd be likely to see a very different Conservative government.

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