Moldy Peaches

If I were being asked for my two cents by the political parties (which, sadly I am not), this is the advice that I would give.

Conservatives

Stephen Harper, the Conservatives and almost 40% of the Canadian electorate can almost recite their top five priorities. Harper should stay focused, govern with a two years window and check off each item one by one.

Those five promises are part of the reason that Harper will soon occupy 24 Sussex Drive. The main planks were popular and a focus on them would further establish centrist appeal.

How can he do this? The spring sitting should accomplish at least 3 of the points listed below.

Accountability Act: Should pass easily with support from the NDP and BQ. Even the Liberals wouldn't dare vote against it, would they? In fact, this act may include some additional measures proposed by the NDP in exchange for future support on items listed below.

GST Cut: This will be the first test for the new government. The Conservatives would be smart to make this a centerpiece of a new budget. This is likely the second bill to go through so the Conservatives can take advantage of the desire from other parties to not have another election. The other three parties will be pushing to ensure that the recently announced and implemented income tax cuts stay permanent. This will be a challenge for the Liberals and NDP. My sense is that tax reform and reductions will be made on a series of fronts and all parties will have some say BUT the GST cut stays. Expect a lot of MPs to abstain.

Mandatory Minimum Sentences: Should pass easily with the support of the Liberals and NDP. The Bloc will vote against it and claim that the other parties are out of touch with Quebec.

Wait-Times Guarantee: This will be the second test for Parliament. The NDP won't support it and likely the BQ won't either. The Liberals, who will not want another election anytime soon, will be left with some difficult choices. Since the Conservative policy is very similar to the Liberals it should pass, but not without allot of rhetoric. Hello Ragging Grannies, Shirley Douglas, the ghost of Tommy Douglas, the Fraser Institute and every other Canadian with an ill-informed opinion about wait times.

Choice in Childcare: This policy is a non-starter in the current format. The Conservative policy as I have stated on multiple occasions is not about childcare but rather is a baby bonus or family allowance. The NDP and the Liberals will not allow the current plan to go forward. The Bloc may, if the Conservatives don't eliminate the recently announced childcare agreements. If they do, count the Bloc out. The Government of Quebec would have to see some transfers to make the Bloc happy not the just the citizens.

Repair the relationship with the United States. Work to resolve some of the trade irritants. Name a solid citizen as the Canadian Ambassador to the US - Gwyn Morgan or Perrin Beatty. Rebuild the military moral.

Finally, avoid recently debated social issues - i.e. same sex marriage. Unless of course you (know it will) want it to fail to satisfy your base. In this case let someone (or encourage - wink, wink) introduce a Private Members Bill and watch it narrowly die on the floor of the House. Then, tell the base that you tried to convince Parliament of the need to see the law reversed but the horses weren’t there.

Once he's passed his top five, Harper needs to look for the right opportunity to go back to the polls and run on his record, but that will depend a lot on other events that occur in the meantime.

Liberals

Reunite the party. Rejuvenate the troops. Figure out how to fundraise in the new era of federal politics - more grassroots, less Bay Street. Build a war chest.

Figure out what it means to be Liberal. Blue sky ideas. What does it mean to be socially liberal and fiscally responsible? Watch some footage of Bill Clinton, Tony Blair and other 3rd way leaders.

Construct policy that speaks to people - real people. The average Canadian not the Toronto Club member or career civil servant. The men and women who work hard, pay taxes, use services and love Canada. They expect the government to do the same.

Where do you see Canada in 10 or 20 years. What are the tools needed to get the country there. More research and development? First-class infrastructure? First-rate colleges, technical institutes and universities? Competitive tax policies?

What should be our role on the world stage - passenger or leader? What do both mean? More troops, ships, planes, etc.. A closer alignment with the US? Tighter border security? More free trade zones?

Finally, define what Liberal values are. Here is a hint, they are not the same as Canadian values.

NDP

If I'm Jack Layton, am I really that happy? I held some real power in the last parliament with only 19 MPs and now there are 29 yet the numbers may mean less. I forced out a party that I could find common ground with and they were replaced with a party that is farther from your traditional beliefs.

Also, in an election where Progressives were angry and looking for somewhere to place their vote just this once - they only gained an additional 500,00 votes and 10 seats. This is not good news. In fact, they were shutout again in Saskatchewan, made no progress in Manitoba or the Atlantic. Won a series of seats in Ontario that they are holding for the Liberals until voters (Chrétien supporters) come back. Zilch in Quebec and Alberta.

Things just get trickier from here. Jack needs to ask himself where he wants to be after the next election. I think the answer is 35 - 40 seats in another minority.

How could Layton and co get there? One route, as Andrew Spicer points out, is to make a deal with the Conservatives. The most attractive way to make a deal would be to say they will help the Conservatives pass all of their 5 priorities, with a price tag. What can the NDP get that would make it worth their while?

How about:

Immediate implementation of the full 5 cents per litre of the municipal transfer - This would go along way to ease some of the fears in Metropolis Canada.

Deferral of the capital gains tax cut - This seemed like a B level priority for the Conservatives and economists aren't even sure the party knows how much this will cost. Most experts believe it will be far more than the Conservatives have budgeted.

True maintenance of equalization, provincial transfers and other deals as Conservatives have promised - This would be popular in Saskatchewan for both the NDP and the Conservatives.

All foreign policy and military engagements debated and voted on in the House - This would allow the NDP to argue, often with immense rhetoric and anecdote, the merits of peacekeeping and military deployment. In the end, not much will change but the NDP can claim to have spoken out against many measures.

Some TBD increases in provincial transfers for social services, health and education - The establishment of a dedicated education transfer to support accessibility, affordability and quality in Canadian post-secondary education could be a start. The NDP would have to drop their constant demands to have provinces get the cash in exchange for tuition reductions. Bad politics and even worse policy.

If a deal was struck the NDP would be smart to get the promises in writing from Stephen Harper, not Peter MacKay! The ghost of David Orchard still roams the halls.

The NDP could promise to support the Conservatives on their 5 priorities plus not vote to bring down the government for a specified time period (likely 2 years). Although the NDP doesn't have enough support to guarantee passage of anything, a deal between the two parties would certainly have the moral authority to expect success in governing.

Any deal would allow the NDP to show themselves to be useful, getting results for working families and could improve their standings in urban Canada.

Greens

Pick a seat your leader can win - how about Victoria? Work on a realistic platform. Balance the pragmatic with the practical. It sounds good to say tax polluters not people, but that has serious implications and spelling them out truthfully is a start.

Bloc

Go away.