Harper and the Conservatives Win in Canada
CBC News reports that Stephen Harper and his Conservative Party have won enough seats to form a minority government.
Conservative Leader Stephen Harper will become Canada’s next prime minister, as Canadians have elected a Tory minority government and ended a 12-year reign of Liberal rule. Nationwide, the Tories are currently leading or elected in 123 ridings, the Liberals in 103, the Bloc in 51 and 30 for the NDP. One independant was elected.
The Tories appeared to make significant gains in Ontario and Quebec, leading or elected in at least two dozen seats in Central Canada. The NDP also made major gains, up 11 from the 2004 vote. In Quebec, where they were shut out in 2004, the Tories made major inroads, leading or elected in 10 ridings, eight from the Bloc and two from the Liberals.
This would seem great news for U.S.-Canadian relations and, indeed, for Canada itself, which desperately needs a fresh start politically.
Ed Morrissey has been live-blogging since 6:30, for those interested in a blow-by-blow recap.
Update (1/24): The Tories gained ever so slightly in the final count (same link):
Conservative Leader Stephen Harper, Canada’s next prime minister, pledged to work with all parties in the next Parliament after Canadians elected a Tory minority government Monday, ending a 12-year reign of Liberal rule.
“Tonight friends, our great country has voted for change. And Canadians have asked our party to take the lead in delivering that change,” Harper told supporters in Calgary.
[…]
“There will be another chance and there will be another time,” Martin told a roomful of supporters in Montreal. He said he called Harper to congratulate him.
CBC has many related stories linked from within the ever-evolving main one.
Wait a second…. I thought we had a deal to send all of our liberal kooks north of the border?
Now what?
Thunderbird and LJD. Don’t start popping the champagne bottles yet. Have you guys really read what Harper stands for? He makes John Kerry look like a member of the John Birch Society.
Odd, because some Canadians are calling him a right-winger.
Then again, some Americans say the same about Joe Lieberman…
Having watched Harper the other night on CBC take questions, I’d say by US standards he would be middle-of-the-road, maybe slightly to the left (particularly on the state-supported child care issue). So where does that leave the Liberals? And then there is the New Democratic Party (NDP) who are Socialists. Rounding out the 4 Parties of Canada is the Bloc Quebec (BQ), a regional Party.
Having watched Parlimentary minority governments in other countries (but not being familiar with Canada’s Constitution), I would expect the course of the new government to be largely directed by any concessions they have to make with another party (likely BQ) to ensure a majority (but not necessarily a coilition government). Think the inclusion of the Green Party into the German system, which resulted with Fischer of the Green Party becoming Foreign Minister.
I’ve also seen Canadian press about overcoming intertia in trying to shift the patronage-based “Liberalocracy” – not much different than other countries, where the entrenched civil servants resist change.