Now that election euphoria is fading, “trick or treat” is a question many voters will likely be asking themselves.
Whether they voted for incoming Liberal government or not, the question is legitimate. Politicians have a habit of morphing during elections. Control freaks take out the sweater and become men of the people. Angry partisans become kinder, gentler versions of themselves. We’ve yet to see whether prime minister-designate Justin Trudeau will prove to be one of these shape-shifters or not.
The letter from a Sunshine Coast mother to Trudeau that recently went viral illustrates some of those very real morning-after hopes and fears.
Luckily for voters, the scariest fright nights have already come and gone. Spooks like the jihad under the bed or the monster behind the niqab have already been trotted out and found to be just not as scary as advertised.
Now the dust has settled, everyone will soon be coming to the new government-in-waiting with a treat bag – advocates for marijuana legalization, Senate reformers, right-to-die activists and environmentalists have wasted little time lining up at the figurative front door.
Items the North Shore hopes to find in its candy stash in fairly short order include a large chunk of cash for the new Lions Gate sewage treatment plant. Assistance with big-ticket transportation items would also be welcome in the bottom of the treat bag.
Apprehension about change is normal.
For now we’re willing to wait and give Trudeau and his team the benefit of the doubt. But we’ll be looking carefully to see if what we saw is what we get, or whether there’s another face behind the campaign mask.
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