Canada's Liberals liberally routed!

In the limelight

With all the other stuff going on in the world I quite overlooked the fact that there was a general election in Canada. And what a result it turned out to be. No longer quite a two party system slightly mirroring that of Britain's Westminster model. The old Conservatives and Liberals are gone, as something of historical beings. The Progressive Conservatives have been reincarnated for this century as the Conservative Party of Canada. It seems Tories in Canada reform themselves through alliances whilst continuing to decide whether they are Red Tories or Blue Tories.

The Liberals, though, have just faded. No reforming, reshaping or reawakening. The party of Lester Pearson and Pierre Trudeau is a shadow of its former self. They lost the election. But not just that. Their leader, Michael Ignatieff, lost his seat! They are robbed of the possibility of being the official opposition. That now goes to the New Democratic Party, fast becoming an electable body of political opinion.

However, the man of the moment is Stephen Harper. He can smile broadly. Unlike David Cameron, Harper needs no coalition. He governs on his own terms.

Posted in: Canada,Canadian politics,Stephen Harper