Majority governments

Regardless of when the next Federal election takes place Canada is not likely to have a majority government. We have to recognize that, with four mainstream political parties represented in Parliament, the chances of one party obtaining a clear majority of seats is slim.

And that has an important implication.

We have to consider ways to have major structural reforms take place while no one party has a majority that can force legislation through.

Look, for example, at the criminal justice system. There is no doubt but that the system needs significant and radical reform, reform that will injure existing stakeholders and be violently opposed as being either anti-civil liberties or being soft on crime.

Such significant reform is, at least in the present climate, impossible to achieve. At most small piecemeal changes – say creating mandatory sentences for some limited number of crimes – are made and even these are contentious.

Timelines are seen in terms of weeks or months at best – but government needs to look to a future years ahead.

So what is to be done?

Dare I suggest durable coalitions???