When the votes are counted at the end of the evening, Jack Layton could be in position to put a New Democratic stamp on the government of Canada.
It would bring some politicians who served in provincial governments into power, as well as many new faces – some with very little political experience – who would be benefiting from a cross-country "orange wave."
Deputy leader Thomas Mulcair, a former provincial Liberal environment minister in Quebec, could be Layton’s right-hand man in a new NDP-led government. The other deputy leader, Libby Davies, from British Columbia, could also expect to have a prominent role in cabinet.
The party’s political opponents have not hesitated to drum up doomsday scenarios about economic chaos and fantasy promises, but the New Democrats have cited some specific priorities in the first few months of government, including tax cuts for small businesses, incentives for job creation, caps on credit-card interest rates and eliminating the sales tax on home heating bills.
Layton has also pledged to work with provincial governments to double public pensions, as well as crack down on industrial pollution under a market system that makes polluters pay and uses the revenues to invest in green initiatives such as incentives for energy retrofits.
However, Layton has already cast doubts on whether a newly elected government would be able to keep his promises to tackle pollution right away, indicating that some green spending initiatives could be delayed if the government is not immediately able to set up this market-based system.
The NDP can count on several star candidates and senior caucus members across the country, including incumbents with experience in provincial legislatures and governments such as Jack Harris from Newfoundland as well as David Christopherson and Irene Mathyssen in Ontario.
Christopherson and Mathyssen were actually members of the last NDP government in Ontario led by former premier Bob Rae, who is now a federal Liberal.
Linda Duncan in Alberta as well as Nathan Cullen in British Columbia are among the most prominent New Democrats in the western part of the country who could be called upon to lead the would-be government’s new approach to protecting the environment and tackling climate change – if they win their own seats first.
If it finishes second behind a minority Conservative government, the NDP could be poised to lead a formal or informal coalition that would govern if the Tories failed to win the confidence of the House of Commons.
Layton has stressed that he’s tried to work with all parties in Parliament to adopt policies and decisions, whenever they can find some common ground.
The only difference after Monday’s vote could be a situation where Layton is the leading partner in those discussions.
mdesouza(at)postmedia.com
Twitter.com/mikedesouza
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