It's only a passing thing, Harper's Legacy

Full of darkness and danger they were,
and sometimes you didn't want to know the end.
Because how could the end be happy.
How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad happened.
But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow.
Even darkness must pass.A new day will come.
And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer.

In 2006, Stephen Harper said "You won't recognize Canada when I'm through with it."  After ten years as Prime Minister, this is arguably true - much that once was was lost.  

We have a new Prime Minister now - one who speaks about a new dawn and sunny ways.  

Some stories that have hit the news since Justin Trudeau was sworn in:

The Liberal government is reinstating the mandatory long-form census that was scrapped by the Conservatives five years ago.

"Regardless of the committees you're on, the roles you have, regardless of party demands ... regardless of everything else we do, your one job that you cannot ever forget is to be a strong voice in service of the people who sent you here."

"This is going to be a period of slight adjustment for a number of people in the political world in Canada," he said, "because government by cabinet is back."

"I expect that you will be engaged energetically in public diplomacy with other diplomats, host government officials, civil society, and the media — in all manner of ways — through direct contact, the media, and social media," he writes.

Two days, folks.  All that in two days.

Of course, Team Trudeau has the better part of four years to unravel Stephen Harper's efforts to remake Canada to fit his ideological perspective, plus bring in some of their own initiatives.

They are seriously hitting the ground running.  Can this monentum be sustained?  What bumps and unexpected challenges will get in their way?  How committed can Team Trudeau be to sunny ways when the opposition starts raining on their parade?

We'll see what we see, but if the present is any indication, it isn't going to take all that long to undue Stephen Harper's reformed Canada.

That's got to sting a little bit.

For Stephen Harper, there was much to watch and wonder how things might have turned out had he been less aristocratic, acerbic and antagonistic.

Indeed.