He offered them a new way of seeing the world and each other, a way of remembering their similarities instead of their differences, and in doing so, elevated the political climate and the way the U.S. was viewed around the world. Obama made people feel that they could believe in the transformative power of change. Not only in HIS ability to bring about that elusive change in Washington, but in THEIR ability to do so by voting across racial divides and altering the course of history as we know it.

One can't help but ponder the stark difference between the U.S. election and the way it was followed closely by everyone around the world and the boring, almost yawn-inducing federal elections that just took place here in our country. And now we're set for another round of provincial campaigning, and speech giving, and televised partisan messages and we just don’t want more of the same.

Irrelevant of what Obama accomplishes in the next few years, he has already cemented his legacy as someone who managed to rally together and unify a deeply divided country, someone who managed to appeal to people's desire for something higher and nobler than petty party politics, someone who elevated the political discourse by choosing to abstain from fear mongering, daring instead to focus on higher ideals and pursuits and challenging voters to do the same.

It inevitably stirs up questions about the status quo closer to home and what we can do as Quebecers to rise to the occasion. Will the leaders of the various political parties appeal to the lowest common denominator, will they capitalize on deep-seated fears and prejudices, will they seek to divide us into "them" and "us" or will they –for once-- appeal for unity and challenge us to work together and become better than the sum of our parts?

La Presse columnist, Lysiane Gagnon, asked a very poignant question recently when she noted that a black man was elected president in a mainly white country. "Could an Arab or a Jew (even an old stock one) ever be elected Prime Minister of Canada? Not sure. Could an anglophone, even a bilingual one, become Quebec Premier? Even less certain…" These are valid questions that speak to our prejudices, our inability or unwillingness to see past our divides --be they racial, religious or linguistic.

This provincial election will our party leaders look to the stars or will they remain firmly planted in the mud? It remains to be seen whether anyone out there is up to the task…