Pervez’ life is on the line, but so is the political life of Paul Martin, Canada’s new Prime-Minister. There are clear signs that the country is becoming disaffected by the near totalitarian grip of the Liberal Party on politics. An emerging political scandal in British Columbia, implicating Martin fundraisers and activists is only adding fuel to the fire. It is expected that in the anticipated federal elections the protest vote will come out as both on the right and the left some viable alternatives have presented themselves. If such a protest vote is directed at a centrist party in a multi-party country, the outcome however could be less than desirable. While it is good news that the Canadian conservatives have finally merged and put an end to their counter-productive vote splitting, it is far from certain that they as yet have the capability to secure a parliamentary majority. The threat then comes from the left as many in the Liberal Party disgruntled with the pro-business Martin will throw their weight behind the New Democrats, who represent a strain of socialism long outdated but still potent, especially under their new leader. The net could be that no party is able to capture a majority, leading to potential coalition arrangements where the hard-left can play a meaningful role.

A nightmare scenario, true, but quite feasible if I compare this to a similar collapse of the centrist social-democrats in The Netherlands a few years ago: it led to a strengthening of the Green Left’s position and an astounding number of seats in parliament went to the stalinist Socialist Party. It was only the emergence of Fortuyn and his school of thought that prompted a tilt to the right, even after his death. And that’s exactly where the challenge is for the newly unified Canadian right: find a leader who can formulate a compelling vision that will not only fly with its core supporters but that will find an ear with that dissatisfied group in the middle. If they don’t, Canada could be headed for a government that is even less desirable than the questionable one it has now.