In the hour it took me to get home, the obvious happened: CBC projected a Conservative minority government. It looks like the Conservatives gained 15 seats (127 to 142), the Liberals lost 18 seats (95 to 77), the BQ gained one seat (48 to 49), and the NDP gained 7 seats (30 to 37). Two independents were elected, both in Québec one in Québec and one in Nova Scotia. The big winners are clearly the Conservatives and the NDP, both at the expense of the Liberals.
This election will probably cause some call for a change away from the First Past The Post voting system used in Canadian federal (and most provincial) elections, as the Greens took 6.6% of the popular vote with no seats to show for it, whereas the Bloc Québécois took 10.1% of the popular vote and got 49 seats. It’s highly unlikely anything will change any time soon, though.
[tags]canada election 2008, canada, liberal party of canada, conservative party of canada, new democratic party, bloc quebecois, green party of canada, first past the post[/tags]
#1 by fellow canadian on 15 October 2008 - 5:00 am
one of those indepedents was in Nova Scotia.
#2 by Kelly on 15 October 2008 - 5:01 am
“Two independents were elected, both in Québec.”
Nope. One of the Independents was in Nova Scotia. His name is Bill Casey and his riding is Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley. You know, the Bill Casey that was thrown out of Caucus for not “towing the party line?” Yeah, that Bill Casey.
#3 by Brad on 15 October 2008 - 7:31 am
Whoops! All fixed.
I even got it right in my Nova Scotia results — it completely slipped my mind.