After the Election: Finding Unity Across Canada
After a divisive Canadian election, unity is essential. A timeless lesson from Anne of Green Gables reminds us: we are stronger together.
Canada Votes
By Elke Porter | WBN News Canadian | April 28, 2025
As this Canadian election cycle winds down, it’s clear that no matter who claims victory, at least a third of Canadians will be angry, disheartened, and maybe even in despair. It’s a reminder that elections often divide us — passions run high, beliefs feel existential, and fears for the future loom large.
We have seen this before, even south of the border, where scenes of wailing and screaming flooded the streets of New York when Donald Trump was sworn into office. And we are seeing echoes of that same intense emotional reaction here at home.
But history reminds us that Canada has always been a passionate, opinionated nation — and yet, somehow, we have always found a way back to each other.
One of the most charming examples comes from Anne of Green Gables — not the original Avonlea tales, but later when Anne moves to Glen St. Mary after getting married to Gilbert. (Fun fact: Glen St. Mary is a fictional place created by L.M. Montgomery, inspired by real locations in Prince Edward Island.) There, Anne meets Marshall Elliott, a character whose hair flows down his back and whose beard cascades down his front, giving him the appearance of a modern-day prophet.
Anne soon learns that Marshall’s peculiar look is rooted not in religious fervor but in political passion: years earlier, after a bitter election defeat for the Liberals ("the Grits" as they were called), he vowed never to cut his hair or shave his beard until the Liberals won again. True to his word, he let both grow wild for fifteen years.
When the Tories (aka Conservatives) were finally toppled and the Grits triumphed, Marshall Elliott wasted no time. At 10 o'clock at night, he stormed over to the local barber — a staunch Conservative himself — and demanded a haircut. The barber, groggy and reluctant, tried to resist, but Marshall insisted, even jokingly threatening to turn him over his knee if he didn’t comply. With a mixture of resignation and grumbling, the barber finally gave in. (And while he threatened, perhaps half-seriously, to "slit his throat" if he said a word during the haircut, let's hope that was more colorful speech than literal threat.)
In the end, even Miss Cornelia, the town’s fierce and outspoken Conservative, found it in her heart to marry Marshall Elliott. Despite decades of political differences, they chose unity over division — after he shaved his beard, of course.
The lesson is simple but powerful: political seasons come and go, but community endures — if we let it.
Today, Canada finds itself again at a crossroads. Rhetoric is fiery. Social media is ablaze. Friendships feel strained, families uncomfortable. But as in Marshall Elliott’s day, the real test is not how passionately we vote — it’s how graciously we live together afterward.
No matter who wins, Canada remains a nation built on cooperation, on community, on compromise. Our country is stronger not because we all agree, but because we know how to come back together after the vote is counted.
If a Grit and a Conservative spinster could find love in fictional Glen St. Mary, surely we can find a way to work together in 2025 and beyond.
It starts with recognizing that our shared dreams — for a safe, prosperous, welcoming Canada — are bigger than any party's platform.
It starts with kindness, patience, and a willingness to believe the best in each other.
It starts with us.
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