Conservatives re-elected to minority government, CBC projects (Canada)

[brooklynite]

Source: CBC

Stephen Harper's Conservatives have made significant gains across the country from the 2006 federal election but failed to gain enough seats to win a majority government, CBC News projects.

The Tories' fortunes were buoyed early in the evening by surprising gains in Atlantic Canada, especially in New Brunswick, despite the party being shut out in Newfoundland and Labrador. Meanwhile in Ontario, returns suggested vote-splitting and a strong NDP showing were cutting into Liberal support in the party's traditional heartland.

As the final tally approached, the Conservatives were up less than one per cent in the overall popular vote, which translated into a 20-seat increase from the last federal election. The Liberals, in turn, were down 2.4 per cent, or 25 seats, according to the projections.

The New Democrats were up one per cent but down six seats.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canadavotes/story/2008/10/14/elxn-main.html

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Can anyone offer a perspective on what the issues were Canadians voted on?

[AllHereTruth]

1. Fuck.

My plan was to move to Canada if we don't get National Healthcare.

Looks like it all rides on Obama now...yea...not lookin good for me.

[Oregone]

13. Why is that plan shot?

They had a conservative minority government before the election, and they have one now. The conservatives only got 37% of the vote (with super low turnout).

I still have my universal health care. Its not happening any time in the US I betcha.

Its a good plan you have, if you mean it (I mean that as a US expat).

[AllHereTruth]

15. It has been my plan for a long while now

I have lived in Minnesota my whole life (about 20 years) and i have always admired my neighbors to the north.

My intention is to start a family in a nation that will provide adequate health care when needed. it had always been my plan. It will always be my plan.

Whether that be the United States or Canada.

[Oregone]

16. Its about more than healthcare.

Matching grants on children's education funds up to $18K, 1 year paid maternity leave, mandatory 2 weeks of vacation time, plethora of parks and community centers (pools/skating rinks/children's programs/tennis/golf), better pay for child care providers and educators, low crime rate, possible universal child care in the next decade, big emphasis on arts, culture, and festivals.... It is very family orientated.

Canada is running budget surpluses, has very positive economic growth, and incredibly low unemployment (you wont be seeing Canada's banks fail). This society has the highest rate of social mobility in North America/Europe (tied with Norway), which means children have a high chance at succeeding and making more than their parents (also known as the "American Dream", which US is last in). They are a resource rich country, which will help them to skirt the upcoming depression as much as possible (though they will still be hurt, depending on trade from the US so much).

They normally use their troops as peace-keeping only, using only a small part of their budget on the military. The country has a lot going for it. The MIC has a much smaller grip on the country here.

Yes, its more than about them offering healthcare. Its a society that would choose healthcare. They choose paid maternity leave. They choose to help out their families, and promote growth and upward mobility. Thats they key. There is a different mindset which manifests itself as a positive community which cares about its members. I am sorry, Obama (as much as I like him) and an entire Democratic congress is not going to be able to fundamentally change how the entire society thinks and operates, much less dramatically fix the government which is broken (especially in this time of economic crisis).

Anyway, due to the nature of a parliamentary system, a minority conservative government here is the last thing to worry about. It just means everyone has to work together to ensure things get done, and the conservatives can't force any legislation through. If I were you, and you are really interested, I would start researching how to immigrate, because it just isn't something thats going to take a few days, weeks, months, or even a year.

[Eric J in MN]

2. After January 20, maybe Canadian liberals will be moving here to...

...get away from a right-wing government.

[Oregone]

14. Don't bet on it. n/t

[kurt_cagle]

3. Nah, this was about what most of us were hoping for ...

When Harper called for elections back in the summer, he was confident that he could form a clear majority government, and the Liberals (think right-leaning DLC types) have been politically bland for a while.

What happened ironically enough was what appears to be the collapse of the Green party in the face of a carbon tax that proved unpopular, while the New Democrats (closest thing to Canadian progressives) actually managed to strengthen their hand considerable, as did the Bloc Quebecois. Harper got closer - needed 155 ridings (more or less electoral votes) got 145 compared to his 127 earlier, but nowhere near what he needed to form a majority government, probably because the damage to the economy up here, while considerably milder than south of the border, is still pretty nasty.

Most Canadians think that Harper is a reasonably competent prime minister, but they're not about to give him a majority government.

Canadian politics is a lot like trying to solve the three body problem in physics - two bodies have a clearly defined orbit, three bodies can get eratic, and more can be downright impossible to model precisely. I'd prefer to see the NDP in control, but as a member of the majority coalition, the NDP makes it almost impossible for Harper to go too far to the right.

[Zhade]

7. "right-leaning DLC" is redundant.

NT!

[TrogL]

17. Wierdly enough, the Greens made the most gains - 2 percent

The NDP picked up a point (and a seat in Alberta of all places as well as one in Quebec) and the Liberals got slaughtered.

[ScottytheRadical]

4. New Democrats are up 7 seats...that's awesome

That's one positive tonight. The New Democrats are the only real progressive political party in Canada, and they went from 30 seats to 37 (out of 308). Hopefully, since Harper's going to have a MINORITY again, the New Democrats can help keep him in check. Check out the NDP website: http://www.ndp.ca/home

Anyway, they've always been more progressive than the Liberals. Maybe now that the Liberals are being *slammed* at the polls, they'll actually take a que from the New Democrats and move alittle further to the left.

[cyclezealot]

8. NDP has always been my favorite

Can't see how Canada's elections work per riding if Canada does not have proportional representation.. Splitting up the vote could mean a Tory MP and say, win only - 33% of the riding's vote total. Hardly representative democracy.?

[whistle]

5. Canadians are drinking the koolaid...unless there was vote fraud

[Rainforestgoddess]

10. no electronic voting here

we vote with pencil and paper. Also we don't have confusing measures and other things to vote on, simply vote for the candidate in your riding. Big circle, big name, party clearly indicated. No dangling chads. REcounts entirely possible, and I've seen them happen a few times. I'm sure there's always a way to create vote fraud, but I honestly think it's a slim slim possibility.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

12. I have been in Canada off and on for a few years

There are a few factors in play, the first is that the present Liberal leader is a flake from Quebec who is outside of the traditional Liberal machine. Until fairly recently the Liberal Party was dominated by the now defucnt Chretien and Martin camps. These two groups had massive resources and ruthless political machines. Chretien retired and Martin was pulled down by a fake outrage scandal.

In the absense of the Chretien and Martin machines Dion has few resources to draw on and by most accounts he let his wife run the campaign. I would say he is alot like Gray Davis in that he really doesn't have a base within the party he leads and when times are tough he is left to be slaughtered.

The old Liberal party had strategists who make Karl Rove, Haley Barbour and James Carville look like pussies and ran a slime machine of epic proportions.

This past summer Dion came out with the most bizzare and inarticulate environmental policy imaginable, Al Gore he is not and Harper decided this was the time to strike and try to win a majority government. The problem is that if Harper couldn't win a majority going up against Dion he will be slaughtered by the reconstituted Chretien and Martin machines.

This is NOT a victory for Harper, this is the third election in which he has failed for form a majority government so the long knives are going to be out for both of them. The only people who won tonight are the NDP and the Quebec nationalists.

The NDP are also an issue, once a European style Christian Democrat movement that was rural and labor oriented - it is not just a bunch of urban yuppie dickheads but they split the vote with the liberals in many urban areas.

[Doctor Cynic]

6. This is actually a good outcome in a sense.

Harper doesn't get a majority, meaning that he will NEVER get a majority in the best possible atmosphere for him.

Dion is finished, and hopefully the Liberals will get a half-decent leader.

The NDP will struggle to find what they stand for.

The Bloc will always be the Bloc.

[Rainforestgoddess]

9. Issues?

What are these things you speak of, called issues?

Economy (not hit as hard in the banking/mortgage sector but our stock market took a beating and the dollar is down)
Environment (Liberal leader made a new tax the exciting cornerstone of his campaign - who you callin' upidstay?)
Youth Crime (or what I like to call, 'the war on children' - Harper wants to toughen punishments and put 14 yr olds in jail with the big boys)


edit - to echo what I said in the Canad forum - our hope now is that Obama wins because Harper is such a USA suckup, that he'll turn black by New years.
more edit - we need electoral reform so that a 1% increase in polls cannot translate to a 20 seat increase in seats. but that will be a cold day in Hades...

[Dogmudgeon]

11. I'd trade Bush for Harper in a heartbeat

Granted, it's a loss for Canada that Harper keeps control, but he's still a damn sight better than the Idiot Bastard Son who we have squatting in the White house right now.

It's like with the last election in France. Most of us would have preferred that Sego defeated Sarko, but Sarko has turned out to be a halfway decent leader. (Yeah, I know someone is going to come ranting that Sarkozy eats babies and that I'm a DLC! WHORE! TRAITOR!, but again, compare him to Bush.)

The problem isn't that conservatives outside of the USA are so wonderful -- it's that the conservatives in the USA have become so radical that they have alienated us from the rest of the world. Where Harper and Sarkozy leave much to be desired, Bush and his cabal (and probably McCain, too) are actively malignant.

--p!

[fascisthunter]

18. Um... I Just Heard on the Radio That Conservatives LOST the Majority

this is some serious spin... not surprised