A few post-election thoughts from National President Jeanette Meunier-McKay

The tectonic plates of Canada’s political landscape shifted dramatically in last Monday’s federal election. The precise effects on CEIU members going forward are, as yet, unclear.

Stephen Harper finally has his long-sought majority government. Parliament is likely to be called sooner than later, perhaps by the end of this month. The Conservatives are eager to pass many of the measures contained in the March budget, including slashing an as-yet unspecified $11- billion in federal programs over the next four years.

Several Ottawa-area Conservative MPs have been quick to assure federal workers that major job cuts are not on the table. Well, we’ll see… As we know all too well, job cuts of any kind or size will have a major impact on services to the public and the local economy in communities right across the country.

While there is no question that a minority Conservative government would have allowed us to breathe easier, there are nonetheless some hopeful signs that emerged on May 2.

First is that Stephen Harper won his coveted majority by promising no radical right-wing ‘surprises’ after the election. He is astute enough to know he cannot afford to alienate the ‘swing voters’ and right wing Liberals who made his victory possible.

Second, the vaulting of the NDP into Official Opposition status – and as a government in waiting – is a very positive development. This is a welcome historic breakthrough for the party that has always been closest to the values of the labour movement and the greatest defender of federal public services.

While there were many individual Liberal MPs who were of a progressive bent, the party and caucus as a whole were an unreliable partner for labour, including PSAC and CEIU. It is often said that Liberals sound like New Democrats in opposition but govern like Conservatives once in power. Those of us who survived the deep cuts to the federal public service by the Chrétien government in the mid-1990s know this is more than a clever throw-away line.

The demise of the Bloc Québécois was stunning. While its caucus contained a number of supportive Members of Parliament, the Bloc’s replacement by the NDP will bring many voices supportive of quality public services.

So, what does all this mean for CEIU members? It means that our pre-election decision to launch an extended campaign to fight for improved public services and job security was both appropriate and well-timed.

A major component of our ‘Better Services: Time’s Running Out’ campaign will be the lobbying of Members of Parliament of all political stripes in their ridings. As well, once the Prime Minister has chosen his Cabinet, and the two officially-recognized opposition parties their portfolio critics, we will be establishing contact and building working relationships with the key players and their staff.

Finally, we must be aware that, more than ever, we must put the wellbeing of the membership above all else. And now, more than ever, all of us at all levels of CEIU must work together to strengthen and defend quality public services and the job security of the women and men we are privileged to represent.