It is foolish to do the same thing repeatedly and expect different results each time. With a federal election coming again, it's clear that someone has not quite grasped this fundamental lesson. Since the last election, the major parties have, for the most part, remained consistent, with only one seeing a change in leadership and none seeing any major policy shifts. So, it stands to reason that there will soon be the same situation as we were in before the election, with another minority government, with a new election in a couple years.
The lesson that should be learned from the major political parties, but hasn't been, is that there needs to be some major changes in order to actually get a different result. Since the most visible part of the parties is the leader, perhaps everyone needs to get somebody new, and hopefully somebody that can connect to a greater proportion of the population and actually achieve a majority government.
That proposal would likely see the most resistance among the Conservative Party. Stephen Harper has managed to get the Prime Minister's chair twice, and might do it again soon, so it's difficult to justify a replacement. Still, while he's proven to be able to win an election, he's also proven to be unable to get a decisive victory.
It could even be argued that Harper has been running with an advantage the entire time. The Liberal Party's record at selecting candidates that a country can rally behind has been impressively poor. Stephan Dion last time was a charisma vacuum and Michael Ignatieff is barely better. In their case, a complete overhaul of how their leader is selected must be in order, because they haven't had one that people can actually rally behind. Given their failings, Harper should be able to wipe them off the map. If he can't do it this time around, it will be time to reconsider his place at the head of the party.
The third party to examine is the NDP, and Jack Layton. Yes, he's rebuilt the party from something that barely made a dent to a party that actually has some influence in the government. Good for him, but he's also been there a long time, and there is a point where it becomes obvious that he's done all he can. The NDP might never become more than the third party no matter who leads it, but with Layton in charge that fate is guaranteed.
With a new set of leaders would need to come a different approach overall. Since the leader is the face of the party, a new face allows for different approaches to connect to voters and also a different approach to the other parties. The current approaches do not work, that is clear. If we are doomed to minority governments, it is prudent to find leaders willing to work together rather than try to find ways to score points before the next inevitable election.
Whatever your political stance might be, it's clear that the current party structures aren't working, both for the country and for the parties themselves. We're stuck in an endless loop of minority governments and frequent elections. The people in charge have been mostly static in that time, and what little change there has been - primarily in the Liberal leadership - has been ineffective and inconsequential. It's time to look at what's not working, and find a fix.
