Vision Please

In September 1864, 36 delegates from the British provinces of North-America gathered in Quebec City to negotiate the creation of a new confederate state. They came from different backgrounds, both personal and political, but were united by the common dream of building a country to call home. Three years later, on July the 1^st 1867, this country they called Canada was born.

Less than forty years later, at the turn of the century, the united state they had dreamt for had blossomed into a true land of promise where anything was possible and the best was still to come. The country’s new francophone Prime-Minister, riding an unprecedented wave of popularity, felt confident enough to claim that the century would belong to Canada.

He also had a dream. A dream of a country truly spanning from coast to coast, populated by millions of new immigrants united by hard work and optimism. So he implemented it. He opened the country’s borders, gave out free land, and offered government subsidies to fund the construction of new railway lines building on the successes of the Canadian Pacific Railway. His dream took off, and the country benefited.

Half a century later, Lester B. Pearson took the reigns of a Canada more prosperous than it had ever been, and with the help of Tommy Douglas, gave it a compassionate government. He knew what his country could achieve, he had a vision he dearly believed in, and he implemented it. The result was universal health care, the Canada Pension Plan, Canada Student Loans, and a minimum wage. He dreamt big, and the country is still reaping the benefits.

His successor, Pierre Elliot Trudeau, also had a dream: a just society. He wanted a country where all citizens would be treated equally by the law, where Francophones and Anglophones would build the country together as equals, and where immigrants would be welcomed with opened arms and encouraged to share their culture and heritage. The result was official bilingualism, multiculturalism, and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Trudeau’s dream was bold, and never unanimously accepted by the Canadian public, but he had the courage fight for it and make it a reality. The country undeniably benefited.

Brian Mulroney also had a dream. He wanted a truly united country where all citizens felt included and accepted by the federal government. He wanted to bring Quebec back into the constitutional families and heal the wounds of a divisive and often bitter Trudeau reign. He really tried his hardest and put all of his energy into his dream. And ultimately, if it failed, it was because of the unpredictable actions of a single Manitoba MLA. But he took other risks, some of which proved to be fantastically successful. NAFTA, the GST, were all products of Mulroney’s bold vision and desire to produce lasting change in the Canadian economy.

But since then, there has been no vision. Nobody able to take the reigns of the country and bring it on a path towards more fairness, unity and prosperity. Four Prime-Ministers, have led the country since Mulroney left office, and not one of them truly has truly brought vision and a desire for excellence. We had good managers, sly politicians, but no true leaders.

Times are good -times are very good-, but our country still faces many challenges. We must restore communications between francophone Quebecers and the federal government, and address the unacceptable plight of Aboriginals living on reserves. We must address the growing disparities between regions, and between the very rich and very poor. We must act immediately to become leaders in fighting climate change, rather than self-righteous talkers. And most importantly, must to start believing in ourselves, and remembering that while Canada may not be the largest and most powerful country in the world today, it wasn’t either at the time of Lester Pearson, which didn’t stop him from leading the world.

The next election should be about vision. Who has a positive and generous vision for the country? We’ve had fourteen years and counting of decent managers playing political games to stay in power. It’s time for vision.