When Covid hit Canada and many were thrown out of work. the Canadian government--within two weeks--came up with a massive social relief package to help those Canadians who no longer had an income. In normal times, such a program would have taken two years to put together: such a process would have required the prime minister, the cabinet, parliament, parliamentary committees, and experts to talk and talk to produce this package.

So yes, we can affect change we really want to.

But when the unity is not there, it takes a long time. The 17th amendment was a good example. By 1880, there was a significant minority support for reforming the US Senate. But it took another 30 years of constant political pressure to make it happen. And when it did happen, it seemed like it happened so quickly. But without that previous 30 years of "struggle", it would not have happened.