All of us. For now, at least.

Our sovereignty will remain. We will not follow in the footsteps of our neighbours to the south.

Looking at the results though, It was a very near thing. This wasn’t Canada outright rejecting fascism, because holy there’s a lot of blue on the map of the west. Part of me wonders if it’s just the usual Canadian thing where we rotate out the Liberals and Conservatives every few cycles, or if people are still hating on Trudeau even though he’s gone now.

It likely would have been a Conservative minority at minimum if the NDP had kept all their seats. Seeing Jagmeet Singh resign after losing his seat was a little heart-wrenching. But while it stings to see, the NDP will bounce back. We need them in this country. They are why we don’t go bankrupt when we get sick and why we have worker’s comp and old age pensions and so much more that makes us Canada.

We are not a two-party system, and no one should want that for us. We are stronger with all the parties at the table.

I will say… PP losing the seat he’s held for two decades was poetic. Some poor sap in a safe blue riding in Alberta will probably be forced to step aside, because while PP should absolutely resign, he probably won’t. And if he does, no one should feel bad for him either, since he’ll be able to live large off his government pension for the rest of his life. Won’t have to get one of those real jobs he’s always talking about but has never actually done himself.

This would be an ideal time for the Conservative Party to do some serious self-reflection. Their last three leaders could not get them over the finish line to a majority, or even a minority… doesn’t that tell you something? They’re past due for some real hard consideration of what it means to be a right-leaning Canadian. And I don’t mean being a Canadian version of the Republican party.

Because this whole thing where they imitate the far right in the US? It doesn’t work up here. And leaning so hard into it over the last decade or so is what brought the country to this near tipping point. Making the media out to be your enemy really doesn’t help project the image you want, because again, we are not the US. Using the far right buzzwords of “anti-woke” and all that utter bullshit does not endear you to the electorate.

You will pry my right to choose from my cold, dead fist.

We have been bombarded by American media and social media for so long, it’s like people have forgotten that we are not America. I recall seeing a clip somewhere a while back of a guy yelling about his First Amendment rights at a city council meeting and him being told there’s no such thing because this is Canada. Imagine getting so wrapped up in your own rage that you completely forget that we are not the same country with the same laws and rules and regulations… It’s sad, really.

Yet another reason why education is so damn important. Belittling education as elitism is not going to help anything, but neither is gatekeeping. There’s a lot – and I mean A LOT – of bullshit out there on the internet, and while it’s more effort on your end, do yourself a favour and triangulate your sources. This means finding three sources confirming what you’re reading, and I’m talking about reputable sources, not a random Facebook post.

Also, there is a world of a difference between a news article and an opinion piece. What I’m doing here is an opinion piece. I’m just sharing my thoughts about a particular subject that I’ve read a lot about and formed an opinion of. You may not agree with me, and that’s okay. I don’t expect everyone to.

A news article will be the facts with cited sources. Not everything from the news is a “hit piece” or biased just because it doesn’t agree with your preconceived ideas.

At any rate, we’ve still got a lot of work to do. Go for a walk, stand barefoot in the grass, drink some water. Take care of yourself.

Elbows Up.

-A.