Earlier this week, Alberta became one of the few provinces in Canada to plan future election dates for spring, rather than fall.
Based on recent experience in Ontario, it was a smart decision.
For the past three weeks, legislators in Canada's largest province assembled for the first time since its Oct. 6 election. Given economic and budgetary challenges which have intensified since the last time MPPs convened, half a year earlier, a robust policy agenda – at least some serious debate about what that agenda could and should be – seemed in order.
Instead, the sitting was nearly a complete waste of time. Dalton McGuinty's Liberals used it to advance a couple of spending promises made during the campaign, and all three parties began to feel their way around the unfamiliar dynamics of a minority legislature. But on the really big questions, which mostly revolve around how to tackle Ontario's $16-billion deficit, the government was just stalling until 2012.
To some extent, that's because the Liberals are eagerly awaiting a public-services review helmed by former bank economist Don Drummond. But even behind the scenes, the government has not been laying much groundwork with the various interests – including public-sector unions, and doctors up for a new contract – from which it will soon be trying to extract concessions. And under the circumstances, that's not really surprising.
Election campaigns are draining experiences, particularly when fixed dates mean they effectively last much longer than just the writ period. And it's been obvious, for the past couple of months, that this recent one took a toll on Mr. McGuinty's Liberals – some senior staff clearly exhausted, others leaving or being replaced, most everyone giving the appearance of being slightly punch-drunk.
If campaigns were in the spring, that wouldn't have been a big problem. Governments aren't typically very active over the summer. So even if the legislature were recalled for a week or two in June, to enact a campaign commitment or two, both government and opposition would then have had several months to get their houses in order before really getting down to business.
But fall is supposed to be when the policy engine kicks into high gear, leading into budget season. And when it doesn't, that means the legislature goes an awfully long time – in this case, from last spring until its scheduled return on Feb. 21 – without doing much of anything.
The previous time Mr. McGuinty's Liberals were re-elected, in 2007, relative prosperity and a general lack of pressing issues meant they could afford some post-campaign inertia. This time, they really couldn't.
Every government is different, and some might thrive on post-election adrenalin. But Ontario has still offered a cautionary tale.
The federal government, which has scheduled its next election for October, 2015, likely won't heed it. But the three provinces also scheduled to have elections that fall – Saskatchewan, Newfoundland and Labrador and Ontario – would probably do themselves a favour by seizing on the conflict to put themselves on a different cycle.
Adam Radwanski