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The big topline story from the federal election yesterday in Canada is that the Conservatives won a solid majority of seats in parliament. Prime Minister Steven Harper will have extensive power to govern the country as his party desires.
On a historical level, though, probably the even bigger news is that the election saw the near collapse of two political parties. The Bloc Québécois was effectively wiped out at the national level. Last night it went from 49 seats in parliament to a mere 4, causing it to lose its official party status. While not as dramatic, the massive losses for the center-left Liberal party will likely have much farther reaching implications for the future of Canadian politics. For a long time, the Liberals have dominated the politics of Canada as one of its major parties, but this election saw them fall to a distant third. Liberals lost over half their seats, falling from 77 to only 34.
It was the left-wing New Democratic Party that mainly gained from the losses of the other two parties. The NDP had overwhelmingly its best national showing ever, going from 37 seats to 102, making it the official opposition.
Moving Canada toward a true left-right two-party system
The effective disappearance of Bloc Québécois and the huge loses for the Liberal Party could easily transform Canadian politics into some form of a two-party system in the near future. Exit polling found most NDP and Liberal voters supported a merger of the two parties. An official merger or some kind of a temporary non-competition pact in the next federal election to prevent the Conservatives from winning a majority with only 40 percent of the popular vote is at least a possibility.
Even if the party leaders don’t reach any kind of agreement, the voters may force a move toward a two-party system anyway. A big part of the Liberal Party’s appeal is that they could win, making them a solid pick for that “anyone but Conservative” voter. Now, though, they are a distant third, the extreme underdogs to win a majority, and three-quarters of Liberal voters support a merger with the NDP. Liberals’ base of support could further collapse if a few years under the right-wing Harper administrations causes voters to rally around NDP as the best chance of beating the Conservatives.
This election could easily mark the beginning of a new party system for Canada.
29 Comments
Can we haz NDP in USA?
The victory of extremism over moderation. Huzzah, we’re now well on our way to a two party system. Fantastic. No more voting one’s conscience, it’s all going to be choosing the lesser of two evils from here on out.
Assuming that the NDP can survive the unholy plans Harper has to strip public funding for political parties.
thanks for writing about Canada’s election, we are overlooked by a lot of people.
Maybe we should be thankful for that.
Canada is the country whose well regulated big banks stayed out of the USA, and required zero dollars of help.
I agree with Uncommoner @ 2 that having the Canadian system morph into having two presenting faces of The Money Party is not an improvement.
Any news re this?
“May you live in interesting time” was thought to be a curse.
Well apparently, most Canadians disagree with you, else they wouldn’t have voted the way they did.
But then, maybe I’m just bitter because your “Conservative” Party is to the left of the mild-eyed Socialists of our Democratic Party on a fair number of issues.
The Conservatives didn’t really “win” at all. The Liberals and the NDP simply managed to split the left/center votes to let the Tories get a majority (167 seats) with 39.6% of the popular vote… that is up 2.0% from the last election in which they won 143 seats.
What’s wrong with this picture?
Don
after you stop crying all you can do is laugh.
the hysterical laughter of madness. let chaos rule.
so the Canadians bought the corporatist takeover too? LMAO.
well you get what you vote for. that’s Democracy. welcome to the chaos. let the lord of chaos rule.
Harper’s government has been guilty of so many unethical and fraudulent actions. see http://www.whynotharper.ca/#printablelist for the tip of the iceberg.
so? … they not only elect him again, but they give him absolute power. WHICH HE DIDN’T HAVE BEFORE! LMAO.
Canadians will be easy pickings for the corporatists. lush, full of life, and equality? yup, the corporatists are literally drooling. check out the comments at http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/harper-finally-wins-majority-as-ndp-surges-into-opposition/article2006635/comments/.
ya, those are Canadians. remind of you anything?
1. divide and conquer.
2. secure and expand corporate control by decreasing corporate taxes, which they use to buy poiticians.
3. scapegoats – well they already targeted the immigrants and “ethnics”, ie. non-whites/non-”true” Canadians. we all know who’s next … wait for it … guessed it yet? … surprise, surprise, it’s “the gays”.
(Canada doesn’t have enough black people to make them an effective scapegoat.)
4. they already made their pact with the “religious” crowd. the usual anti-abortion stuff.
5. military spending will increase significantly. Harper wants F35s for ~30 billion. initially saying it would be 9 billion. cost increase? shocker, I know. and a weapon unused is a useless weapon. so they will be using them.
6. and of course the ultimate hallmark of fascism, national superiority. he told them Canada was mediocre because of its socialist values. and national superiority is much better than mediocrity. see the globe and mail comments. they’re literally repeating the talking points. remind you of anyone? their conservatives are also using the “nanny state” talking points. remind you of anyone? straight out of fascism 101. job-killing taxes. remind you of anyone? straight from the US conservatives.
7. Canada’s deficit has also expanded. remind you of anyone? and with Harper, they will increase it more. remind you of anyone?
51st state baby.
and FOR THE RECORD, he won a democratic election (per their rules) EASILY!!! this ain’t Bush v. Gore. the Conservatives trounced the rest (per their rules).
Canadians are lining up for the meat grinder just like americans did. and just like us, they deserve it. they want it, they got it.
No, they didn’t “trounce” anyone… they sneaked in the side door while the center/left majority of the electorate wasn’t paying attention.
Canada IS a center/left country.
Great, the fourth reich wing took over canada…
Now where can I escape to?
yes.
what you say is true.
but it’s not accurate. ie. it’s not the whole picture.
per YOUR rules, he was elected. the conservatives trounced the 2nd place NDP. thoroughly.
PER YOUR RULES for a democratic election.
I am so so sorry you folks will be following us down into the depths of corporate takeover of the country. I really am. but that’s how democracy works. you want it, you got it. sadly, your people did not learn from our mistakes.
http://www.whynotharper.ca/#printablelist – 25 reasons NOT Harper.
he obviously violated the law in several areas. remind you of anyone? and nothing happened. no consequence. no accountability. no responsibility. and Canadians still elected him. so what does that say about Canadians? welcome to the US as the 51st state, in all but name.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/harper-finally-wins-majority-as-ndp-surges-into-opposition/article2006635/comments/
that’s your fellow Canadians. remind you of anyone?
Harper is going to gut that place. and the people will be gutted as well. he’s going to ramp up the military spending. cut regulations. allow bubbles. cut taxes for the corporations and the rich as he has already done. and more to come.
when the bubble bursts, guess who’s paying? taxpayers. and then the inevitable “left” candidate will win, ONLY TO GUT THE SOCIAL PROGRAMS THAT ARE LEFT. oh yeah, he’s also going to increase your deficit.
I am so so sorry. but this is so incredibly tragic all I can do is laugh hysterically with a touch of madness as Canadians follow the same path we did. you folks are toasttttttttttttttttttttttttt.
sorry, but your country (ie. per YOUR election rules) elected him. welcome to our hell.
come on now, you’re just rationalizing.
it happened. Canada will follow the same path as the US. how do I know? why the election results.
you deserve the politicians you (ie. YOUR election rules) elect.
First Past the Post electoral systems, for one. A lack of proportional representation for another.
Of course, any chance of electoral reform went out the window last night. It’s going to go the other way rather quickly, I’m afraid.
And as an aside, for tambershall and cwnidog, are you so ground down and hopeless that you can only find pleasure in the destruction of others? When I saw Bush elected and then reelected I wept openly. You are my neighbours, and while I occasionally wish I could call the police and complain about the way you trim your hedges and party noisily into the wee hours I don’t laugh out loud when your house catches fire.
Canada never had a chance.
it will look like current day US in 10 years. 20 years max.
because it takes time to build a bubble. it takes very little time to dump the cost on the taxpayers. so give time for the bubble to build.
Europe is also FUBARed. the UK, austerity cuts. all the rest, also austerity cuts.
options are dwindling.
oh ya, in case you didn’t know, India is not a good choice. over populated (water shortages will hit there like Armageddon). and in India they don’t bother with perceptions of equality. they literally have an “untouchable” caste. they have a whole segment of the population permanently relegated to working poor status. PERMANENTLY!!!
pollution. check. corporate regulations non-existent.
China’s also a no go. same footing as India. don’t believe the hype about them. same footing as India.
what other options?
Become rich by creating futurama style suicide booths?
I believe there has been a misunderstanding.
as I clearly stated, after you weep, sometimes one laughs hysterically (with a touch of madness) at seeing the madness unfold in front of your eyes.
Am I happy about it? do I take pleasure in it?
are you out of your mind? of course not.
yesterday was a day of great tragedy for the Canadian people. I weep for all the innocents and defenseless who will now be gutted bu their “compassionate” conservatism.
however I must point out the factual information. I’m not going to “spin it”. I’m not the corporate media. and I’m not going to sugar coat it. I’m not their mother. and they’re not children.
is that what you want? me to placate them? to say “it will be alright”? to say “don’t worry”? to lie? to “color” the truth?
I won’t do that.
the facts are this (and please if you disagree, rebut with info, cause I may be wrong or misinformed),
1. they voted for this.
2. THEIR election laws of THEIR democracy set this in motion.
3. they’re voluntarily lining up for the meat grinder
(see http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/harper-finally-wins-majority-as-ndp-surges-into-opposition/article2006635/comments/)
this is reality. their reality. I won’t lie to them. they’re FUBARed. just like we are.
you want that hope and change BS, then you know the person to go to. it ain’t me!!!
‘Exit polling found most NDP and Liberal voters supported a merger of the two parties.’
If true, a testament to the fundamental misunderstanding by voters of the respective ideology and policy of the two parties – and that Canadians as a statistical average have perhaps, at last, become as lazy and complacent in their political thinking as many of our southern brethren when it comes to appointing our corporate thoughtlords.
Um, not really. But thanks for sharing your view.
;>)
A lot of Canadians have decided they have too many civil liberties, too many benefits derived from community-paid resources. Giving Harper an outright majority is like giving David Cameron the keys to your truck and the number to your bank account. Both will disappear faster than the US can say its wars are not about oil.
I’ve known the world was fucked since I was about five years old, so I suppose I understand your perspective, but Harper’s conservatism was never compassionate. The old Conservative party wasn’t particularly progressive, but the new one is regressive in the extreme.
I live in Canada, I’m not blind and I saw the corporatist hellhounds snarling years ago. You’re not telling me anything I didn’t know.
I guess it goes to show, democracy simply doesn’t work. In fact, nothing works, because the problem isn’t democracy or dictatorship or communism, the problem is people. Selfish people and Ignorant people. Selfishness and Ignorance. The only two sins. The very heart and soul of evil.
So do you have any recommendations for fighting it?
Are you advocating violent revolution, then? If the laws and the people are incapable of protecting themselves from themselves, then we need to start shooting anyone acting ignorant or selfish in public?
Or are you of the opinion that their is no hope and we are better dead now than suffering later?
It would be considered insufficiently conservative here, as would David Cameron’s Tories.
The US has redefined the center; the Right has tied it to themselves and shove it almost as far right as they do themselves. “Midfield” is now where the ball is placed for extra points. Soon, Ayn Rand will be considered a pinko.
To the right of atilla the hun?
ATILLA THE FILTHY STATIST HUN!?
Been following Canada’s elections, and was shocked the
Conservatives won so many seats. God help you all.
Read some of Harper’s plans, very similar to Obama and Cameron.
Giving to corporate interests while taking from social interests.
The US, England, and now Canada are governing with the same ideology.
Although, the USG is by far the cruelest, most dangerous organization
on earth, and Obama is the coldest, most calculating, craven,
president in American history. A disaster of epic proportions.
Way worse than Bush cause he’s a total fraud.
Everyone knew who Bush was, like him or not.
Obama’s a combination of two sociopaths;
Benito Mussolinni and the Reverend Jim Jones.
There’s also the possibility that elections are being rigged
all over the world for the corporate takeover of all Western governments.
Forget terrorism.
They are the real evil in the world.
I think you all need to take your pills and settle down.
The Liberals blew it the instant they picked Ignatief as a leader. Everyone in Canada knew it except for, it seems, the Liberals.
So now we have a lot of Liberals sitting it out, and a lot of Liberals switching to NDP.
The math adds up to a conservative majority.
Q: What almost ALWAYS happens after a conservative majority in Canada?
A: A conservative trouncing and a Liberal majority.
So we’re screwed for the next 4 years, but then the fun will really begin. Will the next government be a resurrected Liberal party, an NDP minority, or a new merger party of Liberals and NDP?
If I have to wait 4 years for an NDP Federal government I would be happy to do that, I did not expect to see it in my lifetime.
Edit: to emphasize how important this is. The NDP has historically been a poor third party because a lot of people don’t want to “waste” their vote and because a lot of other people see them as “socialists”. The mere fact that they tripled their held seats is astonishing — it means that people are now willing to vote for them and more importantly, they can WIN. It is no longer a wasted vote. That will encourage even MORE people to vote for them next time.
And as an aside, for tambershall and cwnidog, are you so ground down and hopeless that you can only find pleasure in the destruction of others?
I saw no one destroyed. I saw a party lose an election because someone offered an alternative to their policies that a substantial number of voters that they were counting on preferred to theirs.
The Liberal Party has no more right to anyone’s vote than the Whigs. Maybe they’ll learn a lesson not to take their voters for granted, because this time they did have someplace else to go. A lesson that the Democrats might want to learn from the Liberals’ experience. If the Liberals want to come back, they need to figure how to earn those votes back rather than just cry “Splitters!”.
BTW – screw the “ground down” bit, pal – I still fight and don’t vote for anyone just because of their label. You might want to try it.
Why would anyone curse Canada with a two party system? The difference of course is more accountability in a parliamentary system, but WTF, the US is stuck with Tweedledee and Tweedledumber.
Interesting info from Fair Vote Canada (see more in “2011-05-02 The Canadian election: What just happened? [Updated 2],” by Heather Marsh on Tue, 05/03/2011 – 05:29) and the bold is my emphasis:
{ Thank you, mo_devatas, for the fixes to my munged HTML formatting. Check out this eye and ear candy: “The Mountain” by Terje Sorgjerd }
Yessss…. Canada is a juicy treat to be sucked dry by the global Oligarchy. Thanks for building your nest egg Canada, your next!!!