What O’Toole calls ‘radical’ is Canadian democracy at work 

To be clear, there is no coalition being formed. And there’s nothing radical about the re-elected minority Liberal government comparing notes with the NDP, writes Randy Boswell.

Though most of his attention is likely focused on keeping his own restive caucus united, federal Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole did manage to direct some of his mental energy last week to scaremongering about the unholy alliance he claims is taking shape in Ottawa: a “radical Liberal-NDP coalition.”

The first order of business of the re-elected Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, O’Toole warned Canadians in ominous tones, “is to let his new Liberal members of Parliament know that they will have to accept a radical Liberal-NDP coalition agreement. This coalition will mean billions of dollars of new spending to buy Jagmeet Singh’s silence.”

The so-called “Liberal-NDP government,” O’Toole added, would “cause devastating financial impacts for workers and communities from coast to coast to coast.”

To be clear, there is no coalition being formed. And there’s nothing radical about the re-elected Liberal government, as it plans its legislative agenda in a minority Parliament, comparing notes with the NDP — a party that holds the balance of power in the House (that’s just math) and which everyone knows shares a number of key policy planks with Trudeau’s left-leaning cabinet and caucus.

Paid sick leave. Affordable housing. Serious climate change commitments. Child care. Pharmacare. A vaccination-driven, science-based escape route from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Liberal and NDP policies in these areas differ in some details. Timelines for implementation aren’t perfectly aligned. The degree of determination to press ahead with certain changes isn’t exactly the same.

But these two parties — as well as the Greens and most Bloc Québécois MPs — are definitely in the same ballpark when it comes to such issues, all milling about in centre-left field as they get ready for the parliamentary return to play next week, on Monday, Nov. 22.

Still, we shouldn’t expect O’Toole to adjust his rhetorical strategy in the face of such basic facts or the will of Canadian voters who — broadly speaking — gave solid majority support in the Sept. 20 election to the country’s political progressives, as well as clear marching orders (all party leaders seemed to admit) to simply work together to get things done.