[TonyV]

Firstly, I'll never believe in opinion polls again. Repeat experiences with the recent Toronto mayoralty campaign and this federal campaign show that opinion polls are nonsense.

This election outcome is basically a nightmare, the same old nightmare with a twist. The polarities within Canada are played up very obviously. The NDP party has become the official voice of Quebec, the twist is that the "voice" has some ridings outside of Quebec, and Canada is governed by a middle-of-the-road, white, middle-aged, weasely-eyed male - with a majority - so all that NDP stuff is really just piffle. Quebec has once again isolated itself.

I am going to be watching to see if the court appointees are right-wingers, and I'll scream if abortion debates are reopened.

I don't fear for Toronto at all, however. And frankly that is all within Canada that I really care about. This government won't hurt Toronto.

 

[MisterF]

Four years of lies, secrecy, intimidation, and in all likelyhoood, gutting national institutions. Way to go Canada.

 

[spider]

The NDP party has become the official voice of Quebec, the twist is that the "voice" has some ridings outside of Quebec, and Canada is governed by a middle-of-the-road, white, middle-aged, weasely-eyed male - with a majority - so all that NDP stuff is really just piffle. Quebec has once again isolated itself.

The Separatists are probably just now figuring out that their Faustian deal with the NDP required a Conservative minority that could be levered to Quebec's advantage by Jumpin' Jacks bilingual Medicine Show.

In all fairness there is a down side for the NDP as well, they get to explain a whole whack of unsophisticated and underqualified unilingual rural members parking their Pick-ups on the front lawn of the Parliament buildings.

 

[Tewder]

Four years of lies, secrecy, intimidation, and in all likelyhoood, gutting national institutions. Way to go Canada.

Not necessarily. They have a majority now. Their objective will be to prove to all Canadians that they are capable of leading, and to allay the irrational fears of centrist and left Canadians. To do anything else, which is to say to pursue an extreme right wing social/moral agenda would ultimately mean the end of the Conservatives come the next election, and the end of everything that has been rebuilt over the past twenty years. If nothing else Harper has shown himself to be a patient and long term thinker. He wants to build the Conservative brand, not destroy it.

Look, at the end of the day you could be right and Harper could be a wolf in sheep's clothing. At least now we'll get the chance to see. Choices in 2015 would be very clear for once, based on reality rather than fear-mongering. In the meantime even Harper can't destroy Canada or its democracy.

For now, Toronto/Ontario is in a much better position in terms of government largesse which may just end the stalemate of funding we have suffered for decades. This alone is reason to celebrate.

 

[TonyV]

In all fairness there is a down side for the NDP as well, they get to explain a whole whack of unsophisticated and underqualified unilingual rural members parking their Pick-ups on the front lawn of the Parliament buildings.

Fabulously funny, spider, you've made my day.

 

[gabe]

The liberals in Toronto have been decimated

2008 & 2011

 

[Eug]

Why is one district brown in 2011? Also, the district boundaries are slightly different than the map here:

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/politics/electionresults/index.html

 

[Tewder]

Voters in Toronto sent a message, loud and clear, that their votes can no longer be taken for granted. Let the money roll into the city!

 

[denfromoakvillemilton]

Firstly, I'll never believe in opinion polls again. Repeat experiences with the recent Toronto mayoralty campaign and this federal campaign show that opinion polls are nonsense.

This election outcome is basically a nightmare, the same old nightmare with a twist. The polarities within Canada are played up very obviously. The NDP party has become the official voice of Quebec, the twist is that the "voice" has some ridings outside of Quebec, and Canada is governed by a middle-of-the-road, white, middle-aged, weasely-eyed male - with a majority - so all that NDP stuff is really just piffle. Quebec has once again isolated itself.

I am going to be watching to see if the court appointees are right-wingers, and I'll scream if abortion debates are reopened.

I don't fear for Toronto at all, however. And frankly that is all within Canada that I really care about. This government won't hurt Toronto.

Word.

 

[kEiThZ]

Voters in Toronto sent a message, loud and clear, that their votes can no longer be taken for granted. Let the money roll into the city!

+1

People might see this as bad. But I think this is great for Toronto in the long run. Now that TO and the inner GTA is fully in play, you can bet that the goodies will start rolling in. Or at the very least (if the government is cutting back), Toronto and the GTA won't be picked on.

Toronto is now plugged into the rest of Canada.

 

[grey]

Great! Bring on the useless Sheppard subway!

 

[Urban Shocker]

The Left has actually done very well in terms of increased popular support. There was a comparatively small gain in percentage-of-the-vote support for the Right, and some their gain in terms of seats came about as a result of Liberals getting sideswiped by the surging Pinko vote. The dynamic is now quite different and I wonder how much mushy-middle support will drift to both major parties before the next election?

 

[kEiThZ]

I am going to be watching to see if the court appointees are right-wingers, and I'll scream if abortion debates are reopened.

Not going to happen. Do people really believe that the Conservatives are going to blow their first big break in decades on stuff like this? They do this and they'll be cast out into the wilderness for decades in 2015. They don't want that. They will appoint right-leaning judges. But there'll be nothing too crazy. They aren't going to re-open abortion. Though, the long gun registry is probably toast.

At the end of the day, they will have to face up to their policies in 4 years. They can only do as much as the public will tolerate.

Every party has its crazies. Don't forget that. It's how much say they get that matters. Suggesting a Conservative nut will have say on abortion is like suggesting the Liberals would have put Carolyn Parrish in charge of relations with the USA.

 

[grey]

Every party has its crazies. Don't forget that. It's how much say they get that matters.

There are some seriously twisted Reform backbenchers...

 

[kEiThZ]

Four years of lies, secrecy, intimidation, and in all likelyhoood, gutting national institutions. Way to go Canada.

Reminds me of the Chretien years.

Meh, I don't think the current Conservative government is all that different (in practice) from Liberals of yore. They're just worse at covering their tracks.