It’s been seven years since a party had a majority of seats in the Commons, and Stephen Harper will put this new-found authority to immediate use.
A majority government not only cements Mr. Harper’s leadership within the Conservative Party but it gives him four years to pursue his policies as he sees fit without having to shelve long-term plans every few months in case his rivals might defeat him.
"Our job starts tomorrow," Mr. Harper said in his victory speech from Calgary late Monday night. "We will implement what we laid out in the budget, our plan for jobs and growth without raising taxes."
A majority will make it easier for Mr. Harper to balance the budget. He will be able to schedule government spending cuts over four years instead of worrying this would alarm voters. It may also give him leeway to cut payments to provinces if his promise to keep health transfers rising at 6 per cent annually puts too much pressure on Ottawa’s coffers.
Still, the Tory Leader will likely be cautious about radical moves, such as cutting funding to the CBC, even though it’s one measure the Conservative base would like to see.
Mr. Harper’s long game, as he’s discussed in years past, is to shift Canada rightward politically so that the Conservatives replace the Liberals as the “natural governing party” in the eyes of voters. That’s not going to occur overnight and it’s not going to happen by spooking voters with radical changes from a party the Tory Leader has acknowledged is more conservative than the Canadian public.
The Conservative Leader will likely seek to change Canada more incrementally.
As pledged, the Tories will move rapidly on a far-reaching rewrite of Canada’s crime laws. They’re planning to bundle 11 pieces of law-and-order legislation they’d failed to enact as a minority government into one omnibus bill that will be passed within 100 days of taking power.
Measures would include an end to house arrest for serious and violent criminals, tougher sentences and mandatory jail time for sexual offences against children and a crackdown on the handling of violent and repeat young offenders.
Say goodbye to the long-gun registry and $2-per-vote subsidies for political parties now that Stephen Harper has full control over the levers of power in Ottawa.
And get ready for term limits on senators and greater foreign ownership of companies that offer telecom services such as cellphones.
The Tories plan to phase out per-vote subsidies for political parties over three years. Federal parties have in a short number of years become dependent on this public allowance that was introduced at the same time corporate and union donations were banned and now cost taxpayers $27-million a year.
It will hurt all parties initially, but will likely have more of an impact on Mr. Harper’s rivals because the Conservatives are among the most adept at raising cash themselves.
Under the public-financing scheme introduced by a former Liberal government, political parties that earn at least 2 per cent of the popular vote receive a per-ballot annual allowance of about $2 per vote.
A majority may also mean more competition and cheaper prices for cellular phone users. The Conservatives haven’t made specific promises this campaign but a majority gives them the legislative power to open up the telecom sector to greater foreign investment. The Tories pledged this in their last throne speech but never proposed anything. One of the options under consideration would be to allow foreigners to own 100 per cent of small players that have 10 per cent or less market share.
