Minority report

Peter MacLeod writes about some of the big ideas that helped to shape 2005, including this passage on the minority Parliament:

The funny thing about minority governments is that constant squabbling aside, they have a habit of producing surprisingly good legislation with real options and debate. Without the legislative monopoly that majority government ensures, parliament regains its vitality as a genuine marketplace of ideas and alternatives. Sure the politicians might hate it, but Canadians, especially centrists and those on the left, have been well served by the 38th Parliament and should be sad to see it go.

It's tough to disagree with most of MacLeod's sentiment, though it's worth keeping in mind that the end of the Parliament unfortunately came about as a result of a Liberal refusal to keep the marketplace of ideas going.

In any event, it won't be long before Canadians have a chance to decide again whether they'd sooner continue that genuine marketplace, or spend the next 4+ years stuck with policy from either Harper's House of Tax Cuts or Martin's Broken Promises Emporium. Let's hope they make the right call.