Conventional wisdom has it that 2011 was a turning point for democracy and progress, a year of hope and inspiration. The year in which the protester came out from behind the sign and became the person of the year who was making change.

I find myself a contrarian to this uplifting view. I have little hope arising from the progress that did not materialize. It was a year of progress unfulfilled, and frankly we are left with a world less friendly and more austere than a year ago.

After just six months of a Conservative majority, Canada's labour movement is heading for a showdown with the Harper government. If there were illusions about the ability of the trade union movement to coexist and influence the Conservative government, there are few left today. Attacking unions and reducing their political and economic role has emerged as a central element of the Conservative political strategy. The showdown is coming because social conservatives want a fight with the unions.

Stephen Harper said the Keystone XL pipeline was a no-brainer, and he arrogantly dismissed any and all criticisms of the flawed development model of a 1-million barrel per day, raw bitumen pipeline traversing the continent all the way to Port Arthur, Texas.

The no-brainer has become a migraine headache for our PM and it is now precisely his judgment and wisdom that must be evaluated after U.S. President Obama announced today that there will be no decision on XL until well into 2013.

If XL is not now dead, it is on long-term life support. Some estimates have put delays beyond the end of this year to the $7-billion project at $1 million per day. Oil industry analysts point out that XL's contracts require shipments to commence before the end of 2013.

As thousands get ready for a big last push on President Obama against the XL Pipeline in Washington DC this weekend, decision makers should remember Elvis Presley's sage advice: "When things go wrong, don't go with them." If, or when, XL goes down, how many politicians, businessmen and labour leaders will get pulled under with it?

By any measure, TransCanada Pipeline's Keystone XL project has gone horribly wrong. This $7 Billion project was supposed to have been under construction seven months ago. It has yet to receive critical US state approvals, and the once expected pro-forma approval from the White House is now very much in question.

Holding hands with Maude Barlow and marching with Dave Coles, Tony Clarke, Graham Saul, George Poitras and a group of Aboriginal leaders, we marched slowly towards a metal fence. Media blocked our way and it was difficult to see past them to the police awaiting us, but it seemed to me that they were standing back rather than moving forward to confront us. That was comforting and a small sign that this would more or less go as planned. We were supposed to spread out at arms length to give each of us room to step up onto the lower bar of the fence and swing the other leg over. But the media funnelled us into a narrow space and that just wasn't going to happen. Coles was first over, the rest of us one or two at a time after.

The Harper government's legislation to end the lock out at Canada Post sends a strong message to Canadian labour. They intend to lower the wages and benefits of public sector workers and they could give a damn about collective bargaining rights.

The CUPW bill is brutally anti-union and it comes only days after strike breaking legislation against CAW Air Canada workers was introduced, but not passed when the union struck a last minute compromise deal. These back-to-back attacks on unions leave no doubt that there is no place for unions and collective bargaining in shaping Canada's economy under Harper, and that this government will act harshly and decisively to put unions in their place.

The NDP surge means that there is now a chance to advance progressive politics in Canada by a generation.   If the potential electoral breakthrough for the NDP can be realized, it would shift the centre of debate and social consensus to the left, after moving steadily in the other direction for the last generation.  The NDP may be even be positioned as a real option for a new government of the centre-left: perhaps later or perhaps sooner.

The debates are over, the platforms are released and there is really nothing left to know about the choices in the federal election. The choice is Harper, or the rest of us.

The choice is between a narrow economic and social appeal to middle and high-income earners, drenched in self-interest and individualism, and a community-based, social vision of the country addressed to middle and lower-income Canadians.