Canada, The Day After

The Liberal win brings a measure of relief but not joy, at least not for me. We narrowly avoided a Poilievre-led Conservative government, which posed a direct threat to marginalized communities, democratic institutions, and the social fabric we’re trying to protect. But this relief is tempered by grief: the collapse of the NDP, the erosion of meaningful left alternatives, and the unsettling reality that the Liberals did not win on merit but out of necessity.

Many of us voted not for a vision we believed in, but to hold the line against something far worse. I do not believe a Carney-led government will bring the transformation we need, even if it is the best alternative we have right now. I hope it gives us a fighting chance to resist what we cannot afford to normalize. That’s not a celebration. It’s a breath before what comes next.

And what comes next depends on our active engagement, politically, socially, and relationally. We cannot afford to retreat into passive relief or bitter resignation. This moment demands that we hold on to our deeply considered convictions, while also remaining open to meaningful dialogue and the difficult, often uncomfortable work of mutual understanding with those who oppose us. I am not suggesting shallow civility or respectability politics. I mean refusing to let polarization replace courage, refusing to let fear silence truth, and refusing to abandon the hope that people, systems, and stories can change.

This election may be over, but the work of building a more just and compassionate Canada is not, especially as the shadow of authoritarianism continues to grow.