G&M - "A new vision for the country?"

The Globe & Mail's Lawrence Martin as an interesting piece in yesterday's paper, entitled, "A new vision for the country?", where he offers his two cents on the apparent Conservative plan to correct some of the "political imbalance" (my own new word) that has existed for far too long... where Ottawa has been controlled by Toronto's wishes and interests, rather than the interests of the country as a whole.

An interesting section:

"But do these long-held harmonies [the usual Liberal attacks on decentralizaion] still hold? Or are they outmoded, in need of overhaul? Has the country not moved beyond its vulnerable adolescent era to the point where now, like a normal family, it can entrust its members with more responsibilities? After 141 years, is there not a new sense of trust and maturity in the land?

Identity? History is identity. If you don't know who you are at 141, if you still think some provinces have stars and stripes in their eyes, the shrink is in the waiting room.

Now even Liberals don't think the new Canada is as dependent on the centre as the old. The old parts were fragile, in need of nurturing, in need of national and protectionist policies. But now there is more wealth and more equality, a levelling of the braying fields. Little guys like Newfoundland and Saskatchewan, with their newfound riches, are no longer little guys. They are not as beholden and their new level of maturity requires new thinking in Ottawa. Treat them like teenagers and they'll be more inclined to rebel. Give them space and they'll be more inclined to be part of the whole.

[...]

All part of growing up. But now? Noteworthy is that while in more recent times we have seen a trend away from centralized powers, unity is now well intact. Many would argue the country is more unified today than at any time since 1967.

The big centre is still needed. It's still needed for infrastructure, uniform social programs, defence and multifarious other initiatives. But, with the old family having a better sense of its bearings, it isn't needed the way it was before.

For more on the proposed Conservative initive, read this article in Wednesday's G&M.