McGill's Antonia Maioni
A year can be a long time in politics. As 2011 has proved, it can seem like a lifetime. Even though there was enough writing on the wall a year ago to sense the fate of the federal Liberals' fortunes or to predict what a Conservative government might do with a majority, no one could have foreseen all of what's happened in Ottawa or the provinces.
In this season of predictions and punditry, here's a wish list of what Canada could use to improve its prospects for 2012:
Expect a government of grown-ups: We have a House of Commons that displays the best and worst features of majority government – the ability to act decisively on issues of importance to Canadians, but the danger of doing so while ignoring legitimate expressions of disapproval. Reviewing the record on issues from climate change to gun control to Attawapiskat, many of us wonder what's happening to our country.
And with the continued spectacle of ministerial blame avoidance on the one hand and sophomoric political high jinks on the other, we may also be wondering when Parliament will start behaving like the responsible institution we expect it to be.
Seek an opposition with a pulse: As a political scientist, I was intrigued to witness the election of Canada's first social democratic opposition. As a Quebecker, I'm speechless at the weakness of the province's voice in Ottawa. Is this the legacy le bon Jack bestowed on us? An effective opposition must present itself as a forceful critic, a credible alternative and a ready government-in-waiting; we have yet to see evidence of this.
As a third party, the NDP was known for "fighting the good fight." As the Official Opposition faced with a majority government, it needs to get serious about the real-life political game of democracy.
Get more respect for the F-word: It's incredible that, in an officially bilingual country, we now have open season on the French language. Bilingualism should be an opportunity that Canada offers to every Canadian; instead, it's become the whipping child of anti-French sentiment across the land.
If specific and key requirements about the use of official languages are treated as minor annoyances at the highest levels of office, it won't be long before bilingualism becomes a laughingstock for everyone.
Get over 1812: Here's the reality: that, in 2012, Canadians will face an economic situation that offers no measure of certainty for anyone, in an atmosphere of apprehension about the growing spectre of inequality – individual, generational, regional – and the costs associated with social programs that need revitalization.
Here's the fantasy: that 1812 should be celebrated with pageants and parades as a monumental turning point in our collective lives. What we need are real-time nation-building projects that look to the future, not to the past, for inspiration.
Let God save the Queen: I'm about the closest thing Quebec has to a monarchist. As a child, I listened to the Queen's Christmas broadcasts and, as a girl, I was entranced by Princess Diana. I remain a lifelong British history buff. But, like religion, an appreciation of the monarchy is best left to the personal sphere.
Canadians don't need more superficial reminders of Her Majesty through colonial spectacles of pomp and circumstance. What we really need is to understand the relevance of the Crown to Canada's history, and to think about whether this is still necessary to our political system in 2012 and beyond.
Antonia Maioni is an associate professor of political science at McGill University.