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It is a truth universally acknowledged that being Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition is the worst job in politics.

That is doubling true in times of crisis, when a "rally around the flag" factor kicks in, somewhat inoculating the prime minister and cabinet against criticism.

So, what is an opposition leader to do during the COVID-19 pandemic?  For the most part, we've seen a combination of tempering partisan criticisms with solicitous preambles, some more ham-fisted than others.

As some examples, former NDP premier Rachel Notley in Alberta has refused to back down, fighting Jason Kenney tooth and nail on health-care funding.  The NDP's Andrea Horwath in Ontario has largely been invisible; new Liberal leader Steven Del Duca has oscillated between the occasional jab but mostly stuck to practical suggestion-making.  And Andrew Scheer has been a godawful train wreck.

What has united these differing approaches is that they all focus on the day to day, what I call the "ankle-biting" or "backseat-driving" role an Opposition plays: find the bad in whatever the government of the day just did.

However, in this time of crisis, it seems as if that role is less welcome; the public seems to accept that government will, to one extent or another, be reactive in a crisis, and the time for criticism is in the inevitable public inquiries to come.

Granted, the Opposition still has to do its daily job but it seems to me right now a far more vital role is to project an alternative vision, not simply to play armchair quarterback.

President Obama's first chief of staff and former Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel said, (in)famously, "never let a good crisis go to waste".  Or, to paraphrase The Great One, skate to where the puck is going to be.

What are the long-term solutions to the economic downturn the pandemic will cause?

Is it to aggressively champion converting the Emergency Relief Benefit of $2000 into a basic income?  That could be done, with some 9 million Canadians receiving the benefit, not to mention those already millions of Canadians receiving a pension or child-benefit cheque.

Is it to forgive student loans?  That could work as economic juice, freeing up the purchasing power of millennials and Gen-Zs to help power the recovery.

Perhaps, for the Conservatives, the answer might be some form of targeted tax cut, to stimulate that age-old response to a crisis: "go shopping".  It seems to me a kneejerk siren song for austerity would be the worst thing the Conservatives could do, economically and politically.

Might it be to embrace the fact that our transit systems have either gone to fare-free models during the crisis voluntarily, or else have seen their fare revenue drop to near zero anyway?  Could we see a way forward where transit comes back with a fare-free model, to encourage ridership when people might want to avoid commuting on a packed subway car when the crisis first ends?

What about pay rises for personal-support workers and nurses?  Grocery store clerks and truck drivers?  What about a minimum-wage increase across the board?

What about foreign aid, and forgiving debts owed to the developing world?

There are endless possibilities for intriguing public-policy solutions to be advanced.  Indeed, the biggest economic risk still to come, if we have learnt anything from the 2008 crash, is that we cannot afford to take our foot off the gas of stimulus and supports prematurely, lest we risk a moribund recovery.  This time next year, we will need governments to continue to pull on economic levers in an unprecedented way; cutting back too early is risky for the economy, just like it is for our health in ending the lockdown too soon.

Regardless of the preferred solution, now is the time for bold leadership, for Opposition figures to propose a vision and a plan, to be maximalist to push public opinion and move governments along.  Yes, there needs to be day-to-day accountability, but much of that will be handled after the fact.  Now is the time for a smart Opposition leader to seize on "the vision thing" and get real change done.

Photo Credit: City News Toronto

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