Very proud to be a Canadian tonight. Democracy appears to be alive and vibrant in my country.
As Canadians know, and many of our American friends on this forum probably also know, Canadians went to the polls today to elect a new government. Here are the results:
canada.com
A few wonderful aspects to note:
1 - Canada has 4 very strong political parties: the Conservatives, the Liberals, the Bloc Quebecois, and the New Democrats.
2 - Canada elected a minority Conservative government. A few of the positives aspects to this to my mind are: (i) the Liberals (particularly the Liberal apparatus in Quebec) has been shown to be complacent and corrupt, and Canadians voted them out of office, (ii) the Conservatives will now form the new government - this represents a vote for change, but they are a party that is quite sympathetic to many aspects of the Bush government ... so I am VERY happy that they did not form a majority government ... hopefully we get the best the Conservatives can bring, while minimizing the likelihood of fascist elements planting a foundation to the extent that appears to be the case in the US (which seems to be represented to an extent in the entire political apparatus in the US, but obviously most significantly with the neo-cons, (iii) there is strong representation for the political center (i.e. Ontario), but also in the West (Harper, the new PM, is from the West), Quebec (with the Bloc), and the Maritimes voted strongly Liberal; (iv) and finally, the New Democrats, which captured 17% of the total Parliamentary seats, represent a strong vote for Canada's collective social conscience (to my mind).
All in all, an excellent outcome I feel. Any other thoughts from my fellow Canucks on the forum, or perspectives from down South?
Regards,
Glenn |
