Canadian Government Falls

[aucu 3]

Last week of the campaign and it looks like the liberals have shot themselves in the foot by forcing this election, they are now running in third place behind the NDP.

[Mercury69 3]

Yuck...who'd want to live here?

[brvheart 1,752]

Yuck...who'd want to live here?

Totally agree. Those beaches look awful.

[Balloon guy 158]

Yuck...who'd want to live here?

[Mercury69 3]

Still a damn sight better than, say, Detroit, except with fewer Stanley Cups...

[Balloon guy 158]

Still a damn sight better than, say, Detroit, except with fewer Stanley Cups...

I would live in most of Canada before many parts of the US.Alberta would probably not be one of those places though, nor would most of Saskatchewan. Saskatoon is pretty nice, as is The Hat and Moose Jaw....and in winter..most of Canada would be out.But I do respect the beauty of British Columbia almost every day of the year.

[Mercury69 3]

I would live in most of Canada before many parts of the US.Alberta would probably not be one of those places though, nor would most of Saskatchewan. Saskatoon is pretty nice, as is The Hat and Moose Jaw....and in winter..most of Canada would be out.But I do respect the beauty of British Columbia almost every day of the year.

You could migrate seasonally, like a cigar smoking bird.

[FCP Bob 1,312]

Happy Election DayGet out and vote.Unless you're voting for the Socialists or Separatists which I guess means nobody in Quebec should be voting today.

[outsider13 0]

Looking forward to seeing Ignatieff do the facepalm later.

[Mercury69 3]

Looking forward to seeing Ignatieff do the facepalm later.

Although the ads say "He didn't come back for you", try not to take it personally.

[outsider13 0]

Hey Liberals and Bloq, later!!!

[FCP Bob 1,312]

WoohooConservative Majority with the Socialist NDP the official opposition and the Liberals and Separatists the big losers.

[aucu 3]

WoohooConservative Majority with the Socialist NDP the official opposition and the Liberals and Separatists the big losers.

Canada where socialists can be wiped out in only 36 days.Can you top that USA?

[jmkiser 0]

The Cons are the only gov IN HISTORY to be found in contempt of parliament. the usual conservative stuff, lying, coverups, non-disclosure of info, etc...they do not deserve to be voted back in. yet most of the public are idiots, so they just vote for the party they always have.

I guess your conservatives have a thing or two to learn from ours.On the other hand, Nixon did get caught...

Conservative Majority with the Socialist NDP the official opposition and the Liberals and Separatists the big losers.

Canada where socialists can be wiped out in only 36 days.Can you top that USA?

I spoke too soon, eh?

[mrdannyg 274]

WoohooConservative Majority with the Socialist NDP the official opposition and the Liberals and Separatists the big losers.

With all the Quebec votes splitting their agenda, I don't see the NDP presenting much of a roadblock to any of the PC's plans. I am very frightened about what they might do to my country, especially since I live outside of a major city, in a liberal riding of an NDP province. Could I be more screwed?A majority government you didn't vote for (40% of the popular vote ftw!) is like having your favourite team lose every day for 4 years.

[aucu 3]

Great summaryhttp://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2011/0...lf-destruction/The Liberal legacy of self-destructionKelly McParland May 3, 2011 – 6:49 AM ET | Last Updated: May 3, 2011 12:08 AM ETThe people who run the Liberal party of Canada have a lot of questions to answer today. Like, can the party survive their bright idea last month to force an unnecessary election?Five weeks ago Canada had a workable if often unsightly government. We had a recovering economy that had weathered the recession in better shape than any other major developed country. Inflation was not a threat, the dollar was strong, unemployment was too high but prospects for improvement were good and — despite pockets of weakness — there was every reason to be optimistic about the future.Other countries could only look enviously at how fortunate we’ve been: we don’t have the staggering debtload or frightening deficit of the U.S., we’ve not facing the emergency situation that has forced staggering spending cuts in the UK, we’re nowhere near the crisis conditions of Ireland, Portugal or Greece.The Liberals decided to risk all that, because they wanted an election. Why? Who knows. Arrogance? It wouldn’t be the first time the Liberals decided their own needs and the country’s needs were one and the same thing. Because they couldn’t stand sitting in opposition to a government they felt inferior to themselves and were willing to put the entire country through an expensive exercise in ego gratification, even if prospects for victory were slim? Could be.So what do they get for it? Devastation. The lowest seat total in the history of the party. Fewer than 35 when Mr. Ignatieff made his concession speech. The previous low was John Turner’s 40 in 1984, then Lester Pearson’s 48 in 1957, then way back to 1882, when Edward Blake managed 63 seats, albeit in a House of just 211 members.Mr. Ignatieff lost his own seat. Ken Dryden lost his. Joe Volpe, an ancient party warhorse who’d held his seat since 1988, lost. The remaining Liberal bastions in Toronto and Montreal were shattered. The government the party couldn’t stand serving under as a minority, now has a big majority. Mr. Ignatieff says he’ll do anything the party asks of him, but without even a seat of his own, the requests may not be quick in arriving.Julian Fantino won for the Conservatives. Chris Alexander beat Mark Holland. Even Bev Oda won. Tories won across Toronto, driving out Liberals just as the city’s new mayor drove out the city’s left-wing council last year. The Liberal share of the national vote collapsed to around 20%. Bob Rae, one of the few survivors, pointed out that 60% of Canadians still voted against the Conservatives. True, but 80% voted to condemn the liberals to oblivion.If the Liberals can scratch out a silver lining, it has to be the even greater devastation suffered by the Bloc Quebecois. Twenty years of complaining about how badly Quebec is treated by Canada came mercifully to an end. Mr. Duceppe and his entire caucus, save three or four lonely MPs, can retire to their fat public pensions and their embitterment. Mr. Harper has enough seats outside Quebec for a majority without its participation; 20 years of the Bloc has seen Quebec fall to that.ARTICLE CONTINUED AT LINK ABOVE

[aucu 3]

With all the Quebec votes splitting their agenda, I don't see the NDP presenting much of a roadblock to any of the PC's plans. I am very frightened about what they might do to my country, especially since I live outside of a major city, in a liberal riding of an NDP province. Could I be more screwed?A majority government you didn't vote for (40% of the popular vote ftw!) is like having your favourite team lose every day for 4 years.

This is about the same % that Chrétien used to rule with an iron fist thanks to a fragmented opposition, with the exception of the 93 election.As I see it the Liberals are done, their left wing is gone and the "Blue Liberals/Paul Martin Liberals" have a natural home with the Conservatives where ideally they can have a moderating impact on both the perception and substance of the Conservative party. Then we can get back to a functioning two party system.****Here are the %ages of the vote the liberals won to form majority governments.1993, 41.24% 1997, 38.46%2000, 40.85%So the Conservative majority is just as legitimate as these previous Liberal ones.

[mrdannyg 274]

Great summaryhttp://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2011/0...lf-destruction/The Liberal legacy of self-destructionKelly McParland May 3, 2011 – 6:49 AM ET | Last Updated: May 3, 2011 12:08 AM ETThe people who run the Liberal party of Canada have a lot of questions to answer today. Like, can the party survive their bright idea last month to force an unnecessary election?Five weeks ago Canada had a workable if often unsightly government. We had a recovering economy that had weathered the recession in better shape than any other major developed country. Inflation was not a threat, the dollar was strong, unemployment was too high but prospects for improvement were good and — despite pockets of weakness — there was every reason to be optimistic about the future.Other countries could only look enviously at how fortunate we’ve been: we don’t have the staggering debtload or frightening deficit of the U.S., we’ve not facing the emergency situation that has forced staggering spending cuts in the UK, we’re nowhere near the crisis conditions of Ireland, Portugal or Greece.The Liberals decided to risk all that, because they wanted an election. Why? Who knows. Arrogance? It wouldn’t be the first time the Liberals decided their own needs and the country’s needs were one and the same thing. Because they couldn’t stand sitting in opposition to a government they felt inferior to themselves and were willing to put the entire country through an expensive exercise in ego gratification, even if prospects for victory were slim? Could be.

That is an awful article. Incredibly biased. Mostly that it pretends any of the positives in the country or economy are going to be in any significant way effected by the election. They won't. Hell, the NDP could have won, and it wouldn't have significantly effected those things. Pretending the liberals were 'risking it all' by forcing an election is simply wrong.The bolded section is some of the most partisan rhetoric I can recall reading in this country.fake edit - looks like it actually might be an editorial. Not really any different, though I guess I'm wrong to hope people only put minimal value in severely biased and uninformative editorials.

So the Conservative majority is just as legitimate as these previous Liberal ones.

No doubt. When you have 6 parties, you have to live with people getting elected with less than half the vote. Frankly, I'm amazed it works as well as it does. Given the PC vote was spread more evenly than the liberal majorities (not just GTA), I'm not suggesting the victory is anything less than fully legit.

[Balloon guy 158]

Enjoyed this article:

Former Harvard professor Michael Ignatieff says he is resigning as the leader of Canada's Liberal Party, after a crushing defeat in the country's general election.

you guys are so lucky that your liberals run away and hide when they lose, ours just pretend they are still in power.

[Moneyball16 0]

Basically down to the wire for me on Monday deciding who to vote for. Only had it narrowed down to Conservatives, Liberals and Green. Ultimately after cramming on the MP candidates in my region I decided to be one of the relatively few new Liberal voters.Overall I'm mostly nervous or disappointed in the election results. I'm nervous about a Conservative majority. I'm mostly good with their stances on economic issues, but am worried about what they could do on other issues. I'm disappointed in the NDP jump. They are too socialist for me and I realize that people seem to love Layton and hate Ignatieff, but I feel like the voters lost track of what their parties stand for and also didn't realize the high % chance that Ignatieff wasn't going to be back anyways.I'm mostly happy that the Bloc lost seats. They seem to be almost as left wing as the NDP anyways, but with just way more annoying french shit, but then again if Quebec did separate I really wouldn't have a problem with it. I wouldn't lose too much sleep losing some good citizens and culture in order for Alberta not to ship them over tons in equalization payments and hopefully if they did separate not having to worry about all the French language issues anymore, if separation is what the citizens of Quebec wanted. Also I'm happy that the Green Party got a seat. I'm glad that they are going to have a larger platform to share their views and I assume they will be able to participate in the next elections debates and I think that's a good thing as well.

[mrdannyg 274]

I'm mostly happy that the Bloc lost seats. They seem to be almost as left wing as the NDP anyways, but with just way more annoying french shit,Also I'm happy that the Green Party got a seat. I'm glad that they are going to have a larger platform to share their views and I assume they will be able to participate in the next elections debates and I think that's a good thing as well.

I'm definitely with you on these things. I voted liberal as well, though I would have been fine with a minority government for whoever.I do love Layton. He's just so loveable. And Ignatieff is just so unfortunate in so many ways. What a terrible political candidate. Hope the liberals can turn it around and at least mount a challenge.

[Governator 54]

I'm very happy with the results. NDP promised 5 million things with no real plan on how to pay for any of it. It was laughable. Their campaign was filled with false promises that many gullible folks chewed up. You can't magically change the landscape of education, health care, environment & business while funding all private organizations in just a couple of years without increasing taxes. It's complete rubbish. The only thing the opposition accomplished with this election was give Harper complete control while blowing $300 million dollars of Government funded money. They deserved what they got.... squat.

[aucu 3]

And Ignatieff is just so unfortunate in so many ways. What a terrible political candidate. Hope the liberals can turn it around and at least mount a challenge.

Iggy just wasn't being true to himself, he is more of a blue Liberal but was playing far too left and it came off as all wrong.Even I could be a persuaded to vote for a blue Liberal platform given the right candidate. If this loss flushes out all the "natural governing" old guard Liberals who think if if if they could just get back all those old Liberal voters everything would be back to the way it was. I hope not be replaced by the those who harped on about hidden agendas, scary Cons, soldiers on the streets, you won't recognize Canada and so on that obviously missed it's mark. The Liberals need to be reborn as a viable alternative or co-opt the NDP because the Conservatives will be out of power at some point and we need a second acceptable party and the NDP in it's current form is not it.I think that the NDP will be very entertaining over the next couple of years as they have a lot of new MPs that no one thought had a chance to get in and there will some colourful incidents just like Harper had with his backwoods type ex-reformers. Will J-Lay be able to keep them inline? and if not who will pick up the pieces in the next election because they could lose Quebec just as fast as they won it.

[jmkiser 0]

Enjoyed this article:you guys are so lucky that your liberals run away and hide when they lose, ours just pretend they are still in power.

Pesky 2 party systems, eh?GREEN PARTY 201-lololol I can't even finish that with a straight face

[digitalmonkey 929]

I'm very happy with the results. NDP promised 5 million things with no real plan on how to pay for any of it. It was laughable. Their campaign was filled with false promises that many gullible folks chewed up. You can't magically change the landscape of education, health care, environment & business while funding all private organizations in just a couple of years without increasing taxes. It's complete rubbish. The only thing the opposition accomplished with this election was give Harper complete control while blowing $300 million dollars of Government funded money. They deserved what they got.... squat.

I can't wait to see our new fighter jets. Let's see if they come in at $9 billion like Harper says or closer to the $29 billion many others seems to think.