Canada awoke this morning to a country in transition. Looking at an electoral map of the nation, we are struck by the change from red, blue and a collection of light blue centred around Quebec, to a sudden collage of blue and orange.
For the first time in 7 years, we are back to majority status. Mr Harper has succeeded for the first time at what any party leader in Canada ultimately hopes for. Of course, in what we would assume is his glee, he characteristically gave his family stony hugs and manfully shook hands with his teenage son Ben. This should really be a message to any Canadians who were convinced by Mr Harper's claim that his party did not want this election: How many times this campaign did we hear Mr Harper state that this was an unnecessary election? Funny.....since you, sir, seem to have come out quite ahead of where you were 34 days ago.....huh.....interesting.
More impressive than even Mr Harper's majority is the rise of Layton's NDP. It has been understood in this country for as long as I have been alive that the mere idea of Prime Minister Layton was out of the question, as we were primarily a 2 party system with the NDP as the ultimate vote splitter. Pre-election they held 36 seats and in one day they emerged with 102. The impact of this sweep will only remain to be seen in the next 4 years - with our official opposition for the first time being someone other than the Grits or Tories.
The Liberals for their part, in their sacrifice of official opposition status, now sit at a mere 34 seats from a former 77. Here in Toronto, a historically red city, there is a combination of blue and orange ridings. The significant decline is most evident in Iggy's inability to be re-elected in his own riding. The Grits will need to plan carefully for the next leadership convention.
I was most disappointed to see Duceppe go. Our longest serving political leader, and easily the most engaging and politically savvy of all our leaders, did not win his seat either. And his party has as good as disappeared from their 47 seats, they won back only 4.
My favourite moment of this election though, and worth the entire upheaval of our system, was the acquisition of the first Green Party seat. This win is even more important as Elizabeth May was denied inclusion in the televised debates this election, a network choice that only handed her increased media attention. Truly her win is a huge frak you to those networks and to all of her outspoken critics. I can only imagine the first time she passes Iggy on the streets of Ottawa......"Oh hey, Mike, just on my way to Question Period.....Guess you're heading home to catch it on CPAC?"
Regardless, things here in Canada are different this morning. Thankfully, CBC Radio is free of attack ads, lawns are back to being non-partisan and we begin to relax in the thought of 4 full years of election-free governing.
