First you cry.

No, wait, that’s for cancer.

Well.

Look, as I write this, it’s Tuesday morning January 24, 2006 and lo and behold, the sun came out today. Well, at least here in the States.

So don’t despair; you still live in Canada and Stephen Harper, despite the not-so-hidden agenda behind the strange not-of-this-world smile, is no Sam Brownback, Tom DeLay or . . . George W. Bush.

We have survived our 2004 election, up to a point. Now it’s your turn.

If it’s any more consolation, you know that with people like Vic Toews running around shooting their mouth off and the social and religious conservatives seething with anticipation of free votes on this and that, it’s only a matter of time before the cons put their foot it in.

After all, you survived Brian Mulroney and Ontario survived (barely) Mike Harris. You’re resilient. You have to be to live in a country where it’s winter much of the year (kidding!).

So while you’re sitting there looking at the TV, double clutching your double double, at least notice that Olivia Chow is smiling. And it’s only a minority government after all. We have to wait four years to put things right at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. You’ll have a chance in perhaps less than two years to change the face at 24 Sussex Drive. See, it’s not so bad.

Some Americans are happy. Look at what The New York Times said:

    A Conservative victory is a striking turn in the country’s politics and is likely to improve Canada’s strained relations with the Bush administration.

And:

    Mr. Harper, 46, is a free-market economist who expressed strong support for Washington at the time of the American-led invasion of Iraq and shares the Bush administration’s skepticism of the Kyoto climate control protocol, which Canada has signed and ratified. His party was formed three years ago as a coalition of two conservative parties.

    Such positions are in sharp contrast with those of Prime Minister Martin, who rejected cooperation with President Bush’s missile defense program, ratcheted up criticism of American trade policies and caustically criticized Washington during the campaign for not supporting the Kyoto protocol.

So who says the Times is a liberal rag, eh?

It’s to be hoped that Bush and pals are in for a nasty shock when Ottawa fails to promptly and completely carry out Washington’s agenda on trade, defense and energy. Cooler heads in the U.S. are probably dampening the administration’s joy by explaining the limits of a minority government.

And Frank McKenna scurries home to pick up the pieces left by Paul Martin. That’s perhaps the most depressing thing, at least now — Harper gets to appoint his own person as U.S. ambassador.

So now fellow Canadian progressives we both have our work cut out for us. However, prying the neo-conservative death grip from our throats is a more difficult proposition. Down here, this far nastier brand of conservatism is becoming institutionalized with the merger of the GOP and the conservative Christian churches, plus the ownership of both parties by the corporate élite.

The Liberals may even learn from what has happened to them and come back a better, more honest party. For Jack Layton, well, he didn’t get to move into Stornoway, but 29 from 18 ridings could be the start of something bigger. Time will tell and the ball is in the CPC court now. But all in all, institutionally, politically and socially Canada, you’re still in better shape than we are.

Down here, Stephen Harper would be considered a moderate.

Keith Gottschalk

Keith Gottschalk

U.S. Keith Gottschalk has written for daily newspapers in Iowa, Illinois and Ohio. He also had a recent stint as a radio talk show host in Illinois. As a result of living in the high ground...