Canadian Election Results

The results:

Conservatives - 143
Liberals - 76
Bloc - 50
NDP - 37
Greens - 0
(from cbc.ca)

Now it is time to get my pundit on.

First, this was an important election for Canada. But, unlike usual, it was an important election for the world. It was a verdict on our economy and the world economic crisis. This was the first election to follow the collapse of the world economy. The verdict, though not the one I personally would have liked, is probably the best for world stability. It says that Canada has decided it is pleased with the current situation.
Why shouldn't it be? The dropping Canadian dollar will help rebuild our export base, by reducing the price of our goods in America at a time when Americans need cheaper commodities, our banks are considered the strongest in the world (thanks in part to very heavy regulation), and our current account and fiscal balance are quite good.
Is this all the Harper administration's doing? No. As Harper himself once said 'It wasn't raining when Noah started building the Ark'. Which, apparently, means that the plans to protect the economy have been in place for a long time. The policies that are keeping Canadians wealthy started back with Trudeau (unless you are NDP, then Tommy Douglas). Trudeau helped shape the welfare state that keeps people safe, secure and healthy. This, furthered by a strong boom in first manufacturing, then energy, allowed Canada to become a first rate economy. The Chrétien administration is to be thanked for balancing the budget. But all of this is really beside the point which is Canadians said they are confident we can weather the storm.

Party by Party:

Conservatives: Harper should be disappointed. He came very close to a majority but failed to achieve it because of his inhuman demeanor. Politicians, everywhere, need to relate to the masses. If a leader is not trustworthy, compassionate and understanding, they face an uphill battle at the polls. Yes Canada has a better position than almost every other country in this crisis but you need to be able to speak to the people about this. The leader of Lockheed Martin, may need to be secretive but as the leader of a nation you need to be more open. I understand that there are security concerns that sometimes lead to silence but on a day to day basis this is unnecessary.

Liberals: This is essentially a deathblow to Dion's leadership. Unlike Harper whose French has improved greatly over the years, Dion has failed to get comfortable in English. His environmental policies are far better than previous Liberal leaders and that should be commended. He is clearly not electable. The Liberals failed to capitalize on the issues that differentiate them from Conservatives. Dion's best hope at retaining power in the long run may be to put his money where his mouth is and cross party lines and become a green party member in Parliament.

Bloc: Like every year, Duceppe ran a good campaign. He has moved his party from a Separatist party to a more relevant special interest party. This is an important deviance. It has become apparent that Separatist feelings are waning. The Bloc are helping to shape policies in a way they could never do before with a more antagonizing leader. Especially in a current administration where the conservatives only need the support of one party to pass legislation. Harper may find it easier to bargain with the Bloc than the Liberals or NDP.

NDP: Layton should be happy with his results. but, then, it is his tenacity that both helped him gain his party's influence and will deny him pleasure at the results. The NDP should be able to push through a couple of their policies in the new house. I think one specifically they could work on is a compromise with the Conservatives where there would be some sort of duel child care system. This would result in tax deductions for single earning families and free child care for other families. Or something else akin to this.

Greens: First, congratulations to Mike Nagy for 21% of the popular vote. It was not enough to be the first Green MP but I have confidence that he will be one of the first to be elected. I am disappointed by the Green's portion of the popular vote. I thought they could get 3% more. I believe that Elizabeth May is correct in saying that the Greens will win in a landslide in 10 years time. I, however, need to fault Elizabeth May. She made a decision to make a deal with Dion to have no liberal candidate in her home riding. She was running against MacKay, who is probably my favourite Conservative politician, and lost. She should have done one of two things. Either make a similar deal with the NDP which likely would have resulted in her being elected or move a riding over which probably could have resulted in her winning. She had already risked her scruples on the deal so she wouldn't have been too much worse for wear if she did either of those things. Or why not make a deal with Dion for 3-4 ridings. Mike Nagy may have won if there was no Liberal candidate.

In conclusion, congrats to Harper. I hope this time you are less autocratic and adversarial. It would be helpful if you were more compromising and less inclined to force an election. Your denial of environmental problems is concerning. I have said it before and will again; ignoring environmental problems is the most selfish thing you can do. You are harming your own children for personal gain. Hopefully this government can last a year. If you have to raise taxes, consider consumption taxes. That was your worst decision. With the economy the way it is we do not have to worry about your social agenda and your economic policies may be helpful in the short run.