Anyone else just a weeeee bit tired of elections yet? Well, keep your voting finger exercised, because there is one more to come within 11 months and probably sooner. That Ottawa one. But seriously, having three of the dang things within three weeks was just ridiculous. I’m beat. And yes, we only had to mark the boxes twice, but let’s face it: the United States election had most people’s attention just as much as the local ones. Likely more. And its importance to Canada cannot be understated.

Here at home, although of course we are unaware of how this will go with a new mayor and six-tenths of a city council, it looks, in the main, like a reasonable outcome. Also, we’ve made history. Saskatoon finally managed to elect a woman as mayor, Cynthia Block, along with the first Black councillor, Senos Timon, in Ward 2. We have had LGBTQ+ councillors. We have had Indigenous councillors, including this go-round with re-elected Zach Jeffries. Apparently, Saskatoon got the memo some time ago — diversity is important in government. Seems like a good idea to reflect the population. The turnout, mind you, was not fabulous, but at 35 per cent we at least beat the 27 per cent of the last very stormy election. I fail to grasp why more people don’t vote. The arguments that “nothing ever changes anyway” and that one’s voice doesn’t matter in a sea of other voters are patently ridiculous. Note, for example, the very tight race in Ward 1, where just 52 votes made the difference. See?

Moving up to the provincial election, it turns out Premier Scott Moe’s fear of an oncoming surge from the right was incorrect. Instead, the NDP vote came out in the cities to double that party’s seats. Not one to-the-right party elected a member. In most cases, the vote differentials weren’t even close. Regardless of which party we support, a strong Opposition is generally a good thing — and not just to rein in a potentially roughshod and ideological government, but to provide diversity of thought and view. Who knows? They might have a good idea or two. A stronger Opposition, meanwhile, has set Premier Moe back a step or two, if we are to believe his postelection words. He says he has heard and learned from the rather large city minority vote. If that is so, I hope and trust we will see a government less reactive to weird right-wing complaints.

None of these positive things have happened in the United States. Despite a very close popular vote, an overwhelming number of electoral college votes went to Donald Trump. He ended up with 75.6 million votes to Kamala Harris’s 72.4 million. Had 12 million Democrats, who decided to sit this one out, checked the boxes in Blue Wall or swing states, there might well have been a different outcome. Indeed, almost certainly. I do not understand why Canadians would appreciate a Donald Trump presidency. And yes, some — even many — do. I am still stinging from and confused by notes I have received from people snidely noting “that’s democracy” and much worse. I beg to differ.

The U.S. has a winner-take-all system except in two states. So the voices of those 72+million voters have gone unheard. It’s a ridiculous system in what is called the world’s greatest democracy. These numbers hardly indicate a resounding endorsement of Trump. I won’t go into all the wonderful things about him at length; you know them all by now. Convicted felon, abuser of women, hider of secure documents, hirer of people distinctly unqualified to serve in his cabinet.

But let’s be clear about the effects his policies will have on our country. I will name only two, in the interests of keeping this column free from bad language and short enough to print.

One: Immigrants will almost certainly start coming over our border, and we are not prepared for this influx. They will not arrive, in the main, through border crossings. It is, to put it mildly, difficult to police a 9,000-kilometre border.

Two: Significant tariffs of 10 per cent (or 20 per cent, depending on which Trump comment you believe) will affect many industries and commodities, and Saskatchewan will not be immune.

Some who know more than I about such matters say Canada may dodge the worst of these in oil/gas and the auto industry. We will see. But look out on agricultural products and other manufacturing. It is with some relief, then, that I consider the local election outcomes. They may or may not be perfect from any given perspective. But they do, I think, better reflect democratic principles than the one south of the border.

-Joanne Paulson