Canadian National Vote

Hill-Shatar · #1 (**permalink**) 01-23-2006, 08:30 PM

Well, the votes are still coming in. I'm a little surprised how some of the ridings are going. Middlesex looks conservative this year, where I used to live, and the obvious Conservative majority here in Calgary got Anders into office. Again.

All in all, looks like a Tory Minority this year. Not unless a lot of the votes coming in change drastically. They reported a while ago that Paul Martin is losing in his own riding, but that is after 1 of 229 poll stations were brought in.

For a while, the Green were on the board. I'm surprised how well they did this year. Still in competition for some of the ridings, and we're seeing a lot of third or even second places all over the place.

For those of you who are interested and want to comment or grumble on this action packed event.

Oscuro_Sol · #2 (**permalink**) 01-23-2006, 08:34 PM

Eh, I'm a little excited actually. I think it'll be close.

Well, when I checked it a while ago..

TonyMontana1638 · #3 (**permalink**) 01-23-2006, 08:36 PM

Wait, Canadians can vote? Since when?

Hill-Shatar · #4 (**permalink**) 01-23-2006, 08:36 PM

The lead is currently 19 seats for the conservatives. It'll be a minority.

Breaking news, Green was, in 2 ridings, doing fairly well. We might have a Green in the House of Commons before the night is over!

Wait, Canadians can vote? Since when?

*SMACK*

Hill-Shatar · #5 (**permalink**) 01-23-2006, 08:45 PM

NDPs have dropped from 50 seats to about the mid- to high twenties upon moving a little west, where the Liberals have suprisingly gone up. The conservatives still lead with about 20 seats, and about 3% (the miracle of moving riding boundaries a little) difference between the Conservatives and the Liberals overall.

No movement in the Bloic section. Big surprise there.

ch85us2001 · #6 (**permalink**) 01-23-2006, 08:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hill-Shatar

Breaking news, Green was, in 2 ridings, doing fairly well. We might have a Green in the House of Commons before the night is over!

Ralph Nader should move to Canada. *nods*

<insert nice anti-canadian comment here>

TonyMontana1638 · #7 (**permalink**) 01-23-2006, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ch85us2001

Ralph Nader should move to Canada. *nods*

<insert nice canadian comment here>

Suck up.

Oh, except for the nader comment. Yeah, they can have him.

dragon wench · #8 (**permalink**) 01-23-2006, 09:01 PM

Let me guess?
Your next career will as a CBC announcer, eh Hill?

I'm not bothering with watching it... too damned depressing. Thank God it's looking like a minority though.

A bit surprising about the Greens doing better, though not entirely.. I suspect it is a sign of general voter cynicism and disgust.

I don't know much about the Greens at a national level, but here in BC they are basically BC Liberals in ecology-conscious clothing..

(for those who don't know, BC Liberals are actually Conservatives and have essentially no relationship to the Federal party)

Hill-Shatar · #9 (**permalink**) 01-23-2006, 09:25 PM

BC is a nation all to its own.

Well, time to turn on the TV and see how they are doing.

(CBC announcer? I want job security, and I won't get that if I have to deal with Peter Mansbridge.

Or is that mental security?)

EDIT-

Conservative- 124
Liberal- 102
NDP-31
Bloic- 50
Ind.- 1

No greens anymore.

fable · #10 (**permalink**) 01-23-2006, 09:45 PM

What's needed to get a Conservative working majority? In other words, what do the others need to keep them from having that?

dragon wench · #11 (**permalink**) 01-23-2006, 10:29 PM

a bare majority is 156 seats Fable..
There are a total of 308 seats.

Yech....
What a wonderful nosedive the nation has taken. In the space of 20 years we have went from the Right Honourable Pierre Elliot Trudeau to..... Stephen Harper....

Oh I'm so proud to be Canadian... NOT!

Well.. at least the bastard is stuck with a minority...

fable · #12 (**permalink**) 01-24-2006, 08:06 AM

Looks like the Conservatives have a minority government. I heard a good interview a short while ago on the BBC that pointed out Harper's dilemna: having moved most of his hardline support out of the limelight to get elected, how is he going to manage, now? Give the base of his support control, which will alienate the majority of Canadians who are socially far to his left, or try to live up to the image he created of being moderate, which will alienate his party?

At least something good came out of this. Martin resigned as leader of the Liberals. As badly as he spoke to the issues, he could have been a US Democrat.

So what have you Canadians been reading in the press, and what are your impressions?

dragon wench · #13 (**permalink**) 01-24-2006, 08:50 AM

If you are at all looking for Canadian Press coverage Fable, the CBC and Globe and Mail are probably the best two sources:
http://www.cbc.ca/canadavotes/

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Beyond my initial disgust, I'm not awake enough to have very many impressions. I'd say, though, he has two years.. tops.
Looking at it.. he will be seriously hampered. Beyond just the obvious trying to walk the tightrope... between moderate and hardline.. the reality is that he does not have enough seats to do anything really major. For one, he won't have the votes to alter the same sex marriage bill.
While he and Jack Layton formed something of a devil's alliance to bring Martin down, there is *no way in Hell* the NDP will support touching anything like that. And the Quebec Bloc generally veers to the left, so they are unlikely to support social conservative issues either.
Added to that, Harpy will have a Liberal-dominated senate to contend with.

IMO.. these election results are basically just sending a message to the Liberals that it is time for them to get their act together.. Much as was the case in 2004, which was a warning..

fable · #14 (**permalink**) 01-24-2006, 09:11 AM

Thanks for the links, DW. I'll check them out.

Do you think the Liberals will be able to get their act together in the next year or so? Or are they going to mirror our Dems, and just stumble around trying to look statesman-like, and wonder why they aren't winning elections?

dragon wench · #15 (**permalink**) 01-24-2006, 09:38 AM

I suspect the Liberals will indeed get their act together within the next year. The big, red machine is a well-oiled one, and Martin has already announced he is resigning as leader. Thus, the leadership race (that has been unofficially underway for a while) will come out into the open, and there will probably be a convention within the next six months.
Moreover... the Liberals were not exactly decimated.

The candidates will most likely be:
Michael Ignatieff (a left-leaning Harvard academic being touted as 'the next Trudeau')
Brian Tobin (Centre Left Liberal)
Frank McKenna (Canadian ambassador to the US, and from the right of the party)

I don't think I need to state where my sympathies lie

It will be interesting to see how things transpire.. McKenna is a high profile candidate and he'll have the business community behind him. However, Martin came from the same wing of the party. It's possible because of the association, and the fact that the New Democrats have been doing better, that maybe they'll opt for another left-leaning Liberal.
In recent history, Liberals from the left of the party have had longer tenures.

The thing distinguishing Canada from the US, in this particular case, is that political parties have more stability. A party leader is always contender to the throne at election time. We don't have elections to select 'Prime Ministerial Candidates' for a particular party.
Further, there is no limit to the amount of time somebody can serve as Prime Minister.
So, I think it is probably fair to say that because of this greater stability, Canadian political parties usually have more foundation and hence, have an easier time rebuilding. Though, I'm just rambling here, I may well be way off base