On Tuesday, October 22, Canadians woke up to find that the sky hadn’t fallen, and the world hadn’t come to an end. It will, but not just yet, despite the most acrimonious federal election that I can remember.
As I watched the returns on Monday night, I tried to count how many election nights I had watched – some of them in the very living room where I now live, when I stayed up together with my father and waited to find out who had won. Since Dad had to get up early the next morning to go to work, he often didn’t sit it out until the end, but I usually liked to stay up at least until the losing political leader had conceded the election. If I liked the winner, I would stay up for his victory speech, if not I went to bed. But that was many years ago when I had more energy. This time I packed it in soon after the outcome was apparent. So I missed the Prime Minister’s rude victory speech that apparently began before Andrew Scheer could finish his concession speech.
Most of us, I’m sure, are all “electioned out”. Even before the campaign officially began, we knew that it would be one of the nastiest in our history. Enough lies, character assassination to go around. It was more about sound bites than explanation of platforms or policy. A farcical English language debate, with a ludicrous format that was carefully crafted by the organizers appointed by the government to avoid discussion of anything embarrassing to the prime minister, or for that matter things of interest to the voters, such as economic policy or foreign affairs. The prime minister did not have to account for the deficit that his government created, nor his ineffective performance in Canada’s tenuous relations with foreign powers.
During his four years in office, the prime minister has broken almost every promise made in the 2015 election, including the promise of electoral reform. Now we know why. To be able to win an election while losing the popular vote.
This time around, about a third of Canada’s eligible voters decided to sit the election out and not vote. I don’t agree with that, but I do understand the frustration of people who wonder what difference their vote makes, when the outcome of electing a government for the entire nation is decided in two provinces and a few big cities.
I did vote on Monday, and as I walked into the polling station, I remembered being in Kenya during their last presidential election, and I thanked God that I live in a country where we can do this in peace, without the violence and deaths that accompanies elections in Kenya.
But needless to say, I think the outcome was not good. For one thing, we don’t have a truly national government that represents the interests of the whole country called Canada. The fractured minority parliament represents an array of regional divisions and alienations. Western provinces have little representation in the government, and two are not represented at all. Quebec has a large number of members of parliament whose only interest is “what is good for Quebec” and they have put the minority government on notice that propping the government up comes with a price tag.
For another thing, the governing party managed to become that by sowing and nurturing this disunity throughout the campaign by demonizing provincial premiers who disagreed with the liberal position. And this was orchestrated by a sitting prime minister who had been found guilty of breaking conflict of interest rules – twice – and whose outright lies on so many issues are well documented. As it became evident that he once again would be the prime minister, I had to think of 2. Thessalonians 2:11 that talks about people believing a lie.
Nevertheless, for better or worse, we now have a government, whether it is to our liking or not. For the Christian this means that while this government may make it more and more difficult for us to live by and express our values, it is still our government. This means we have the obligation to submit to it, and to pray for it, as 1. Timothy 2:2 commands us. That verse, to pray for those in authority, was written from prison by the Apostle Paul who was subject to the authority of a government that was much worse than the one Canadians have just elected. The Roman government under which Paul lived was not a democracy, it was an oppressive regime that persecuted Christians relentlessly. Ultimately, Paul suffered the death penalty under that government. So things have turned out badly for Canadians (or at least so I think) but it could be, and perhaps will be, much worse some day. We’re not there yet.♦