OUR VIEW: Dear Mr. Trudeau: Don’t get cocky

Dear Mr. Trudeau:

Well, that was an exciting night. We have to thank you for keeping it interesting for us all – not so much here in New West, perhaps (our result was all but a foregone conclusion) but right across the country.

And we couldn’t help but watch with interest as you set out your vision for a new, positive, forward-looking future for our nation.

We just want to make a polite suggestion.

Don’t get cocky.

We know, we know, you managed to pull off a miracle, what with turning 36 measly seats into a majority government. Not since that whole five loaves and two fishes thing has someone managed to parlay so little into so much for so many so quickly.

But don’t think for a second that the victory was all about you. It was about a whole lot of factors – and those factors weren’t all as pretty as your perfectly coiffed hair.

It was about Canadians being mad as heck at Stephen Harper and his Conservative Party’s divisive campaign.

It was about strategic voting and Canadians rallying around those they saw as the most likely candidates to defeat those above-mentioned Conservatives.

It was about the fact that you entered the campaign in third place and had really nothing to lose by putting it all on the line – unlike your rival on the left, Tom Mulcair, who clearly buckled under the pressure of having to prove he had the gravitas to govern the country.

It was about the fact that your campaign team was clever at coming up with ways to turn all the attacks on you to best advantage. (If there is a person in the country who hasn’t made at least one “nice hair” joke in the past couple of months, we’d be surprised.)

And, yes, it was about you. You answered your doubters (and they were legion) by proving yourself to be more shrewd, more savvy and more solid than many gave you credit for – and you managed to remain likeable and upbeat throughout.

That was no mean feat, and we congratulate you.

Now we have one request: Do it. Follow through on what you’ve promised us.

Start with electoral reform. Don’t let the fact that you managed to pull off a first-past-the-post miracle dissuade you from realizing that Canadians deserve a better system that gives more representation to all the voices of this proud nation. Then, step by step, lead us forward into that future of hope, optimism and positive cooperation you’ve promised us.

We’re counting on you. Please don’t let us down.