Conservative loyalists celebrate a Harper-led majority government on election night. Bras, thankfully, weren't thrown.
Election night: 7:45 p.m. Hundreds of Conservative party faithful packed into the Telus Convention Centre are on the cusp of losing their collective minds; many are well on their way to a morning hangover.
Their true-blue messiah, Prime Minister Stephen Harper, is about to deliver his followers to the Holy Land: a majority Conservative government.
Cheap perfume, beer breath fills the stale, recycled air. Blue lights form an electric ‘C’ around a red maple leaf. Media sit on the fringes, clacking on laptops; cameras roll for talking heads chirping into microphones.
The event has all the trappings of a second-rate mixed martial arts fight: mindless chants of “Harper! Harper! Harper!” among handheld placards emblazoned with “Canada,” the crowd booing and hissing political opponents, men stuffed into ill-fitting suits, their trophy wives posing nearby.
Missing, however, are the fireworks, scantily clad ring card girls and the fact that unless someone utters the word “bomb” or “Pierre Elliot Trudeau is a God,” no one is likely to get a swift round kick to the head.
No, in fact this anxious, pent-up energy parallels a college frat party sponsored by Red Bull and Jägermeister. If Harper delivers a knockout punch, it’s going to be one hell of a party. If not, look out!
Three massive screens sandwiched between, what else, rows of Canadian flags, roll national news channels and the latest poll results.
Each Conservative win draws cheers from the mainly white, grey-haired crowd. Each Conservative loss (and there aren’t many) draws long sighs. Witnessing the decimation and decapitation of the Liberal party and the Bloc Quebecois, as one MP after another drops, the crowd ripples with approving laughter.
Ian Todd, Enmax’s prickly vice-president of media relations, who used up five weeks’ vacation to direct Harper’s campaign tour, roars, fist pumping the air.
Conservative bloviator Ezra Levant snakes through the crowd, shaking hands, stopping to furiously pound his pudgy fingers on his BlackBerry. Ontario Liberal MP Ruby Dhalla loses her seat to a Conservative rival, sending Calgary Herald editor Licia Corbella into a tizzy, cheering like a one-drink pompom girl at a college football game. “Yaaaaaaaa....”
Even Calgary’s black and blue get in on the act. A cop decked out in full uniform parades a Harper sign on downtown’s Stephen Avenue. After reading about this on Twitter, local Ald. Druh Farrell advises the police commission be notified. Don’t hold your breath.
Back in the convention centre, elusive, often silenced Calgary Conservative MPs make their entrance. Loyal foot soldier and perennial backbencher Rob Anders glad-hands the crowd. Rookie MP Michelle Rempel, who refused to attend most local debates during the election, smiles and nods, as veteran MP Lee Richardson is glued to Rempel’s side.
Meanwhile, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney stands, eyes closed, hands clasped prayer-like, pressing his lips as if worshipping at the feet of a Tory-blue deity. Later, Kenney informs the media he hasn’t been in his home riding of Calgary because he’s been doorknocking in Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff’s riding — perhaps the stunning blow in Iggy’s loss, Kenney proudly suggests.
And then, it’s announced — The Conservatives, after repeated, frustrating elections, will win at least 155 seats — a majority. Hallelujah!
“Harper! Harper! Harper!” The crowd morphs into a sea of barking seals.
Harper’s faults and missteps, and there are many, have been wiped from memories; a historic moment.
Costly taxes on income trusts? Get over it. Broken promises to make Ottawa more accountable? Shrug. Reluctance to acknowledge the greatest recession in decades has hit Canada? Hey, the leader’s only a scholarly economist. Contempt of Parliament charges? Nothing more than a socialist ploy to overthrow the Conservatives and install a dreaded coalition government.
No, to this crowd, a Harper-led majority means surefire economic stability, prisons stuffed to the rafters, unfettered oilsands development, jobs aplenty and traditional-family-driven tax credits. Glory for the nation.
Amen.
Comments: 11
Just Jonathan wrote:
on May 5th, 2011 at 9:49pm Report Abuse
officematt2002 wrote:
on May 6th, 2011 at 7:27am Report Abuse
dugger wrote:
Answer: They are a troll.
Conclusion: officematt2002 is a troll.
DNFTT!
on May 6th, 2011 at 9:04am Report Abuse
Ron wrote:
The election of the federal government and the people's representatives in Parliament is not a game. It is a serious issue that affects millions of Canadians for years or possibly even their entire lives. It is not a time or place for cheering or trash-talk.
Perhaps the major tragedy of Canada is its absurdly inadequate electoral system, which renders useless a huge number of the votes cast. All those voters thereby have no voice in Parliament.
The solution - to replace the moribund existing state of affairs with any of several versions of proportional representation - has been known for many decades. But no party will formally propose this in the House of Commons. They all love the idea of receiving less than 40% of the popular vote and then being able to govern with an unchallengable oligarchy for at least four years.
But, as we have seen, a huge amount of damage can be wrought upon the country in that time. This damage can take decades to repair.
It is very long overdue for Canada to correct this problem. As the politicians will not do it, perhaps popular demonstrations, or even revolt is needed.
Without this change, ever-increasing numbers of people will come to feel cynical and helpless about being able to influence the country into the shape that they would like it to have.
When most of us reach that level of frustration, then there will be no point in having Canada at all. It will then be ripe for take-over, as many who used to believe in Canada give up the futile battle and emigrate to some other country that is willing and able to treat its citizens with respect and to at least try to give them the society they desire.
The prospect of living in a Canada with a fascist so-called "Conservative" government that feels no shame in being secretive and smug and in lying outright to its people is highly dissatisfying to me. Options exist, and I now find it time to seriously consider them. I will not tolerate being taken for a sucker by my government.
on May 6th, 2011 at 6:32pm Report Abuse
officematt2002 wrote:
And Ron, keep dreaming. Canadians are no better than cattle led to slaughter. We are a complacent, smug bunch.
on May 7th, 2011 at 11:51am Report Abuse
laricasurf wrote:
on May 7th, 2011 at 12:15pm Report Abuse
Ron wrote:
E.g: I find Albertans to be very ignorant about the geography, history, politics and laws of Canada. Most know far more about the U.S. than they do of Canada -or even of Alberta. Too much time watching Yankee T.V. shows? But this can be changed. We must at least try.
on May 8th, 2011 at 1:53pm Report Abuse
Clairvoyant wrote:
You "will not tolerate being taken for a sucker by my government." And how do you feel about Mr. Mayor Nenshi, and 10.4% = 4.5%
Interesting comment on "deficient education systems". I agree, but I don't know what you would do to fix the problems. Obviously you do not have children in the Alberta education system, or you would be aware that "Canada" shows up in the curriculum year after year, to the point where the kids turn off, because they want to learn about other parts of the world. I assume that you are as old as me: Yankee T.V. shows may have been our generation, but that is not today ... YouTube, Google, Facebook, Japanese anime ... the CRTC cannot keep the rest of the world out. So your solutions?
on May 8th, 2011 at 2:11pm Report Abuse
dugger wrote:
on May 8th, 2011 at 2:44pm Report Abuse
Ron wrote:
No, I have no children in Alberta education. If I did, I'd be very concerned and doing a LOT of home schooling.
I began my university education here with an aim to seek a B. Ed., but later changed to Psychology.
While talking to children of friends and during visits to a few Calgary schools as part of the Ed. courses, I was shocked and disappointed at the apparent ignorance of the students of Canada's history, geography and political structure. - again, duty calls. I will continue later, but send this now so as to not lose it.
on May 14th, 2011 at 12:38pm Report Abuse
Ron wrote:
In my very first university political science class, the instructor tested the 35 people with 30 questions about Canadian politics. Only 3 got a "passing" grade. Only 1 other person and me got more than 25 correct. And this was a group who were allegedly INTERESTED in political science!
Quite irrespective of what little Jack and little Jill "want" to learn, the purpose of formal, government legislated and mandated education is to teach them what they NEED to know n order to be effective participants in Canadian society. They have a lot of free time to look after their wants. - But it seems that almost all of them to a dismal job on the "wants" too.
In 1992, I first proposed that Canadians should insist that a program of Canadian history, geography and political science be made a compulsory part of the curricula of our high schools. Passing this program should be a prerequisite for graduation. The program should be prepared and monitored by the federal government to ensure that a national standard of quality is met.
To institute such a program would require an amendment to the Constitution of Canada, as education is currently solely the domain of the provinces. To this, I say "so be it." Otherwise, Canada could gradually decline into a "confederation of shopping centres," as noted by the late P. Trudeau.
This country should be and can be much more than it currently is. It will only become that "more" if we all act to make it so.
on May 14th, 2011 at 3:06pm Report Abuse
Post comment: (Login or Register)