In our view: We're looking for respect, investment

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It's a new day, but without a lot of real news in the country.

Stephen Harper's Conservatives are once again leading a minority government, so in the big picture, not a lot has changed, except we just spent several million dollars on a federal election, and with money tighter than ever, it was not a particularly valid expenditure.

Nevertheless, we offer our congratulations to Prime Minister Harper and all the successful candidates.

We have some advice for Harper, but first, here's some wise counsel for the political left.

Take a lesson from the political right. They spent several years toiling in the political wasteland known as the official Opposition because of the very fact that there were two of them - the Progressive Conservatives and the Reform-Alliance - splitting the vote. Once they got over their initial revulsion, they merged, and look at them now - they're running the country, twice in a row.

There are three, not two main left of centre parties in the political spectrum, and if they ever expect to run things, they're going to have to hold their noses and hammer out a deal that unites the left for the greater good. The alternative is too depressing to contemplate.

Now back to the Conservatives.

You've been given a mandate that is questionable at best. The immediate task is to get over that fact and resist the urge to punish those provinces, like Newfoundland, and those ridings, like Moncton, that rejected you. You have been elected to represent all of us equally, and no good can come from dwelling on the numbers and holding grudges.

What you can do for us here in Atlantic Canada is everything possible to convince us that we matter. We are, frankly, tired of being dumped on by you. And don't think you can show up the day before the election and assume all is forgotten.

Besides that important intangible, you can invest in infrastructure, particularly green projects like wind and tidal power.

You must also invest in economic development, especially that which has international implications. Goods and services that can be marketed globally need that federal push that can result in huge economic gains here.

On to health. We're overdue for a workable national strategy that results in standardized health care across the country, and the same goes for education. We must have the same expectations and results in both health care and the education of our children, no matter where we live.

Apart from that, we need you to wisely ride out this economic crisis so we all come out at the other end as unscathed as possible.

Best wishes on your new job.