Comments on: Canada re-elects Conservative government

By: gew

gew — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 04:59:44 +0000

I’m a tad disappointed and somewhat dismayed that the Reform party gained a few more seats this go ’round.

Having them in “power” even as a minority government is bad enough without them making even small gains.

What a bloody waste of time and tax dollars. No doubt though Prime Minister Bean Counter is moderately pleased.

By: Randy

Randy — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 19:29:44 +0000

I think this was actually a pretty good outcome for the left in Canada. Harper wasted his election (and millions of taxpayer dollars) for basically no change.

This gives the Liberals the legitimate reason they need to replace their leader with someone who can actually lead. And it gives the left a chance to either unite the parties, or at least adopt a strategy to campaign as a coalition that can govern.

There is an outside chance that the “nothing left to lose” Liberals may be emboldened to bring down the Conservatives and set up a Liberal-NDP-BQ government in its place. Most Canadians voted for ABC (Anybody But Conservative) and that’s what we should get. But the kind of bold leadership to get that done is nowhere to be seen on Canada’s left.

By: John

John — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 17:41:34 +0000

Although they would never admit it in public, many Canadians want the Tories in charge because they’re afraid Obama might win. On a personal level, Canadians often express disdain for the Republicans and their brand of “lowest common denominator” religious extremism. However, economically and politically, a Republican administration in Washington isn’t necessarily bad for Canadian interests. Certainly, Obama’s pledge to “re-negotiate” NAFTA, ratify Kyoto, and ask for more allied troops in Afghanistan has not endeared him to the neighbors up north.

And should the Democrats win a majority government next month (which seems increasingly likely), the Canadian Prime Minister will have to deal with an emboldened, more assertive America. Dion’s simply not upto the task. Whatever else Harper might be, he’s also a pretty tough negotiator.

By: ERubySachs

ERubySachs — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 17:12:03 +0000

Unfortunately, the Conservative party is only 12 seats from a majority and the Bloc has been recently leaning right on most issues. I worry about the future of Canadian politics and most of all, I worry that the public health care system will see more cuts at the hands of Harper.

By: Ginelle

Ginelle — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:25:27 +0000

The great thing about being elected as a Minority Government is the fact that Mr. Harper cannot have everything the way he wants it. Mr. Harper very much likes to have absolute control, and when you get into a situation like that, you end up with a dictatorship. As evidenced in the last federal election when he got in with a minority government, he promised to re-visit the same-sex marriage law which had been enacted by the previous Liberal Government and various courts in the land including the Supreme Court of Canada. Despite his mandate to re-visit the issue, he was forced to concede along with his conservative party as the opposition parties overruled by 175 to 123 to maintain Bill C-38 as stood in our lawbooks. So, we as Canadians will see what the next term brings, the good thing being is that Canadians as a whole have some control over our leader and what he does and does not do in this session.

By: Jon

Jon — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 13:42:09 +0000

I am a proud Canadian however even I was less than impressed with the 59% turnout. Sadly, our choices were limited. Harper, who is a control freak and a social conservative. Dion, a smart man to be sure but lacking in the finer art of politics, he’s just too nice. Layton, a socialist who is too left wing even for me. The less said about the green party the better, they were helpful in only splitting the vote.

All that said, at least it’s still a minority government. Harper may have some room to move but we still kept the conservatives on a very tight leash.