Tim Hortons, a rightist prime minister and bears! Oh my!
Social conservative Stephen Harper won the Canadian national election Monday, but is this something that should send shivers down liberal Americans' spines?
Probably not.
The Conservative Party took the most seats but did not win the outright majority in the House of Commons, so the checks and balances in Canada's political system will still be in place to prevent any drastic change.
But more importantly, it's Canada.
Although Harper does promise to increase military spending, Canada has never been viewed as a global aggressor. We see them as low-key, hockey-loving folk who endure polar winters and have a top notch health-care system.
Harper might have said it best Sunday with "it takes a lot to get Canadians to intensely hate something or hate somebody, and it usually involves hockey."
Harper's victory still seems perplexing seeing as the majority of Canadians do not like what President Bush has done in the United States. So why the Conservative victory after 13 years under the Liberal Party?
Canada was ready for a change. The current administration, under Prime Minister Paul Martin, has come under a good deal of criticism in the past couple years because of party scandal investigations.
Most notably is the Quebec sponsorship scandal in which the Public Works Department's fund money, generally used to promote federalism, might have been given to reward Liberal supporters.
Party scandals. That sounds really familiar.
Lately, our administration has had its fair share of them as well. Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, had to step down as House majority leader after being indicted on charges of money laundering and conspiracy to engage in money laundering.
Then there is Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist under investigation for insider trading.
Finally, joining the pool of big-name Republican controversy are Bush's chief of staff, Karl Rove and Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, who are both under investigation for allegedly revealing the identity of a covert CIA operative.
With this surge of political distrust at home, we can't blame Canada for demanding change as well.
