Canada's Conservative Government: Five Years Later
written on Sunday, January 23, 2011 by Huy Dang
Today is an important day, and not because it's the day after my birthday. It is important, because it is the anniversary of a major milestone.
Five years ago today, Canadians elected a Conservative government after 13 years of the same old, and tired, Liberal government. First, there was Jean Chrétien. Then, there was Paul Martin, who decided to call his own election, only months after being in office, after taking over from Mr. Chrétien.
As for the leader of the new government elected in 2006, he is the Right Honourable Stephen Harper.
Five years later, Canada has seen a lot of interesting things during the last five years under a Conservative government.
Back then, the Conservatives defeated a minority government that was led by Paul Martin and the Liberals. The government took 124 seats against 103 Liberals, 51 seats for the Bloc Québécois, 29 seats for the NDP and one independent.
Within months of his mandate, Mr. Harper made a trip to hang out with the troops in Afghanistan. Within months, the government cut the GST by 1% to 6% from the then-7%.
By the end of 2006, the Québécois nation was formally recognized as a nation, and the Accountability Act was passed by the House of Commons.
Over the last five years, the GST has been cut from 7% to a 5%, and the Conservative government was re-elected with a stronger mandate.
And during the last couple of years, Canadians have been exposed to quite an entertaining adventure through the current session (40th) Parliament, as long as it has been governed by the Conservative government.
Today, Prime Minister Stephen Harper is the longest-serving prime minister in a minority situation, and that is quite commendable.
I would like to congratulate Mr. Harper on a job well done. Five years in a minority government situation is like being a prime minister for 20 years, and I look forward to the next 20 years of Conservative government.
Five years later, we're better off as Canadians. We have been forced to grow up and act more mature, and the sense of entitlement seems to have replaced the sense of entitlement that most Canadians have had before.
And despite the coalition parties' attempts to stall much-needed legislation, laws today are tougher than they were five years ago.
As for politics in general, it has never been more interesting!
