Well the results are in, and as expected the Conservative Party of Canada has won a minority government. It will take a few days for the dust to settle and the recounts to be over and done with until we know their exact margin of victory. As it stands now though the final tally of seats is: Conservatives 124, Liberals 103, Bloc Quebecois 51, New Democratic Party 29, and one Independent.
The biggest news of the night may not be the results, but the fact that Liberal leader, and now former Prime Minister, Paul Martin has announced his resignation. Although there was speculation that he would not run again as leader if the Liberals lost, his resignation so soon after the results were finalized is surprising.
Although the Conservatives picked up a few seats in the Toronto Metro Area, the numbers were not sufficient to make any serious inroads into the traditional Liberal power base. They did pick up an additional 12 seats, and the N.D.P. also picked up 5. The Conservatives held on to their rural Ontario seats, and took some from the Liberals, but it was the N.D.P. who benefited the most from the soft Liberal vote in Ontario
Where the Conservatives picked up seats was Quebec. They managed to take eight seats away from the Bloc Quebecois and two from the Liberals. Whether this was simply a protest vote against the Liberals, or the beginnings of a trend towards supporting a federalist party that will guarantee more provincial rights remains to be seen.
In the Maritimes the situation remained virtually unchanged with only two seats changing hands, from the Liberals to the Conservatives.
On the Prairies nothing much changed from the last election, save for the Conservatives solidifying their hold on Western Canada. They completely swept Alberta, the home province of the former Alliance Party; won 13 of a possible 14 in Saskatchewan with one seat going to the Liberals; and in Manitoba the results look to be identical to last election at Conservatives 7, N.D.P. 4, and Liberals 3.
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Article comments
1 - imelda
I think the Liberals are going to get Ignatieff to run for the leadership - that was the idea behind getting him to run. Having an intellectual - a man of letters - as a leader of a party, any party, would be a nice change.
Were you amused by Harper's speech about "a strong & united Canada" - I was. It has never been less united - nearly ungovernable. The only way for the Conservatives to have enough seats, is for them to get into bed with the Bloc Quebecoise - which is not likely. The NDP don't have enough seats to be a factor for either the Liberals or the Conservatives.
2 - Valery
Why would anyone choose Ignatieff when they can vote for Harper and get more or less the same thing....a Bush lapdog.