Canadian took a stand, as they were urged to do, in the General Election held on January 23 2006. When all their votes were counted, they had chosen change, ending the Liberal Party's twelve-year reign in power, giving qualified support to the Conservative Party to succeed it in office, and causing the departure of Liberal Prime Minister, Paul Martin, from politics.

The litany of Martin's achievements during his leadership is not lengthy. Legalising same-sex marriage looms large in his legacy. The list of his failures makes sorry reading. Yet nothing became him more than the televised speech announcing his decision to stand aside for whomever is next elected to lead the Liberal Party.

Stephen Harper, the Conservative Party leader, now becomes Canada's 22nd Prime Minister. He brings with him a fresh approach to governance. He speaks in the language of the twenty-first century. He is grounded in traditional family values.

How much of his electoral program he can enact will depend on his ability to garner support from other political parties, the election having resulted in a minority government. Those other parties will depose him early at their peril. Above all else, Canadians do not wish to be forced into a third General Election in three years.

Should the new Prime Minister seize the initiative, he has a time span of 18 to 24 months in which to have the main proposals in his party's platform enacted by Parliament.

Based on many years of service in the House of Commons, seeing Prime Ministers come and go, beginning in the Diefenbaker era and ending with the Chrétien years, just this once has a new Prime Minister come forward with a set of core issues he has enumerated as his action priorities.

Canadians with a sense of fair play can hope he gets his chance. So far as this e-zine is concerned, renewed recognition of marriage as the union of one man and one woman is a primary issue, and giving all Canadians the right to elect members of the Canadian Senate is a most worthy objective.

We wish him well.

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