Open this photo in gallery: Canadians went to the polls on April 28 to select a new government of Canada.Justin Tang/The Canadian Press To the winner of the 45th general federal election: First, congratulations on your victory. This was a short campaign but one of the most important in Canada’s history. All elections matter, but this one matters more than most. As we’ve previously said, Canada sits at a crossroads today, with big choices to make in reorienting this country’s economy and our relationships with the United States and the rest of the world. Your term in office will be historic, for good or ill. We hope that your plan to steer Canada out of the current maelstrom works. Your success is Canada’s success. That said – we have a few notes. Speak to and for all Canadians: Most Canadians didn’t vote for you. That fact doesn’t diminish your win – those are the rules of the first-past-the-post system – but it does underscore the need to bridge that divide. Winston Churchill, as is so often the case, said it best: In victory, magnanimity. Canada has avoided the full-blown polarization on display south of the border, so far. Your early actions in office can ensure that this continues to be the case. Steal from the other side: You had some good policies on offer. So did your opponent. Pilfer those ideas. And what a wonder it would be to give the opposition credit. Recognize that the era of continental free trade is done: Of course, Canada should aim to convince the United States to lift its tariffs at the earliest opportunity. And there may yet be some provisions to salvage in the continental trade agreement. But any negotiations with the Trump administration need to start from the premise that protectionism and isolationism are going to figure prominently in U.S. politics for years to come, and that treaty commitments mean little. Break your promise on defence spending: The world is changing rapidly, but neither you nor your opponent came clean with Canadians on what burden that will entail. Your party had an underwhelming plan that is unlikely to see Canada hit its NATO commitment by decade’s end, even as the alliance is likely to raise the bar in June. Your government must clear that bar – Canada’s security depends on it. Meeting that commitment is not an accounting exercise. It is a demonstration of Canada’s international credibility and of a basic willingness to defend this country’s sovereignty. Break your promise on supply management: The state-sponsored cartel controlling dairy and egg prices was a bad enough idea when its main effect was to force Canadian households to overpay for basic foodstuffs. Now, a bad idea is much worse, as Canada seeks to broaden trade beyond the United States. Supply management is going to be on the negotiating table for any country looking to liberalize trade with Canada, and rightly so. Both you and your opponent vowed to defend supply management, but that was a foolish promise. Ban handguns: There is a legitimate debate on the appropriate balance between the interests of hunters and the need to restrict dangerous long guns. There is no such debate on handguns. They are a plague; their possession by civilians should be outlawed. Pass a bill, with a buyback, to take effect immediately – and ignore the protests from the sclerotic bureaucracy about acting too quickly. Now is not soon enough. Forge a Canadian economy: In recent weeks, the federal government has made progress in reducing those internal trade barriers over which it has direct control. But for the most part, the provinces (particularly Ontario and Nova Scotia) have led the way. Ottawa now needs to lead the charge. Restore confidence in the immigration system: In one way, it was a good thing that immigration did not figure prominently in the election. A glance to the south demonstrates the perils. Some reforms are already under way, but much more needs to be done to ensure that the immigration system is restored to its former status as world-leading. Restore 24 Sussex Drive: For years, 24 Sussex Drive has been an unintentional symbol of the rot in Canadian politics. No prime minister has been willing to make the necessary choice to spend the money needed to repair and upgrade the official residence, now uninhabited and uninhabitable. You should put an end to that sorry bipartisan failure and announce that an official residence will be constructed at 24 Sussex. That new residence would become a much different symbol: one that showed that nothing in Canada should be second rank.