ROTHENBURGER: It’s not exactly sunny ways but Canadians have spoken

Trudeau will again be prime minister. And, again, he’ll have to work with the NDP to keep the wheels of government turning.

Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo will continue to be represented by a Conservative. No insult to Frank Caputo, and congratulations to him, but the Tories could have run the proverbial fence post with hair and won handily — the riding has been solid blue since it turfed the NDP 20 years ago.

The most interesting results come at the other end of the spectrum where the Greens still have a couple of seats but have lost much of their base and will be looking for a new leader. The People’s Party of Canada, however, increased its popular vote despite winning no seats, and is poised to become a factor in Canadian politics.

A side note: if the election had been held using proportional representation, the PPC would have elected several Members of Parliament. Ponder that one.

Armchair experts will be lamenting the future of the country and reminding us about Trudeau’s scandals and missteps and how he should never have called the election. To be sure, it was exactly what everyone said it was — an election about nothing.

But that’s yesterday’s news. Time to forget the insults and heated rhetoric, though Erin O’Toole gave no hint of that in his ungracious concession speech.

Today, we start over. The job remains as it was — defeat the pandemic, fight climate change, pursue reconciliation, bring back the economy and get the deficit down to zero.

It’s not sunny ways but it’s what we’ve got.

Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and a retired newspaper editor. He is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.

Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.

by Mel Rothenburger

ROTHENBURGER: It’s not exactly sunny ways but Canadians have spoken

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