Right now, both the Liberals and Conservatives might be congratulating themselves, pleased with the outcome of the recent election. The Liberals managed to secure a fourth term for themselves, an achievement for any party, and the Conservatives secured a larger share of the popular vote than they’ve enjoyed in decades. Voters were more engaged than usual as well, with 19.5 million people turning out to vote. Strong showings from both of the major parties, and a population that took its right and duty to vote seriously. What’s not to like?

Let’s start with the Conservatives. For the party faithful, and for the people who voted for them, we’ve got time now for serious reflection on what the country might have looked like had your party performed just a little better. Not regarding the economy, as important as that is, or on any other questions tied to your wallet. Look at your friends and family. Any of them who might not quite fit in with the majority? Any whose skin is a different shade, who love differently or live differently than most? How would you feel, seeing them under siege? Not under siege in the sense that the more rage-filled of our times might dwell on, in that never to be satisfied feeling of not receiving one’s due because of some ever-shifting other taking one’s rightful place. No, in the sense that many in the States are now under siege, in fear of being snatched off the streets by anonymous police and imprisoned without due process or recourse. How would you feel, knowing your vote and your support enabled that? Perhaps it might not have, not immediately, but then Trump’s first term didn’t immediately result in that either, did it? The “war on the woke” that Poilievre has been pushing is the same war that the right wing in the States is prosecuting now, and sooner or later ends in the same place. Sit with the possibility for a while, and decide if that’s an outcome you could live with.

For the Liberals, think on Biden’s term as president. How well did his administration address the structural issues causing people’s disengagement and dissatisfaction with the status quo, and what was the result? You won, this time, thanks to people’s need for stability. In the midst of one of the most dire threats Canada’s faced in most people’s lifetimes, with your primary opponent being aligned with that threat in the minds of many, the Liberals scraped 2% more of the popular vote than the Conservatives. People are hurting and looking for a solution, and the Conservatives claimed to offer one. That’s how the US ended up with the extreme right wing in power, and that’s how we’ll end up in the same situation here if we don’t take care to avoid it. You have four years at best, likely less, to make enough progress to address the discontent that made the Conservatives appealing enough to many to vote for even as they mirrored the threat we face from the south. Make good use of that time, for everyone’s sake.

We have a moment of quiet before the next round of campaigning begins. It’s time to focus on safeguarding our people and our country. That, in part, means taking a moment to consider what created this threat we face, and how those factors are in play at home. Otherwise, we very well may welcome our own Trump into power eventually.