Canadians have spoken and they have said they are a selfish, fearful people who don’t care about their neighbour. Social services, health care, poverty issues will be decimated on the federal level. This is not a majority progessive conservative government, it’s authoritarian and as selfish as the voters.
On the up side, Elizabeth May won her seat. We’ve lost some committed, experienced hard working MP’s from all parties, including in my riding. Our MP served us well, and for the next four years people might as well kiss any hope of help and support good-bye.
Duceppe, gone. Iggy, defeated. A green group of NDP opposition that the Conservatives will wipe the floor of the House with.
The country is split again, we will get what we voted for, and given the last five years, it isn’t going to be pretty.
I wonder what the voter turnout was?
What Canada looked like after the 2008 election. What it looks like now.
Dare I say, AMEN!!!
Oh, and voter turnout was in the low 60% range
Ya know, now I’m kinda looking forward to May 21.
You get what you vote for – our riding voted for a conservative who was in court for stalking his wife.
I think the safest thing to do would be to leave the country
Bit of catastrophic thinking there cricket. We voted for arrogance, we got arrogance.
Five years will pass. The Conservatives were organized, disciplined and on message.
ar arrr arrrr! May 21st came a bit early. Ah well.
This is exactly what Harper and Preston Manning have been working towards since the Reform Party; polarize Canadian politics into two extremes: ultra-right wing and a Democratic Socialist party with nothing, in this case the Liberals, left in the middle. Harper’s hatred of the LPoC is legendary and he set out to destroy it years ago and today he finally succeeded. Now, we have unapologetic corporatists (read, fascists) in full, majority control in the House of Commons, a Senate packed with Harper sycophants, and he’s now got an opportunity to completely turn over the Supreme Court with right wing appointments as the current justices retire. And Layton’s 103 seat opposition, even with the Libs, Bloc, and Green MP on board won’t be able to do thing one to stop him. No non-confidence votes, nothing. We’ve just seen 164 malevolent, very disciplined cats swallow the whole, fucking canary farm. And with the 2012 provincial election coming up in Ontario and McGuinty’s brand sliding, we’ll get an even more rabid Harris/Harper clone in Tim Hudak.
Harper plans to establish a “Ministry of Religious Freedom”; just WTF is that??? If I, as an atheist now in a country where extremist right wing evangelicals are sure to demand religion be given more power and influence in daily life, criticize religion do I do so under peril of arrest for a “hate crime” or even blasphemy? Does internet access get restricted or even prohibited for its content? Will we see more G20 debacles as people begin to see the real outcome of tonight’s horror show and dare protest? Do we get prosecuted for associating with gays, lesbians, and transgendereds? Do they become criminalized?
In all my years here in Canada and as a Canadian I never felt fearful or threatened by my country or government, but that ended tonight, and for the first time I am truly and genuinely afraid.
Harper tried to give a conciliatory speech now that he has what he wants.
I don’t think the Canadians who didn’t vote for him will believe what he said.
There is nothing in the past to hope for the future.
In the next five years perhaps some of his supporters will wake up to his policies and rethink what they want for the future.
Agreed, this did not happen overnight, it’s done.
60% of Canadians voted for parties of the center-left, so don’t write off your country quite yet. Also, quite a few moderate Tories will jump ship if a Harper-led majority starts getting as bad as you fear.
The Conservative total was 166 when I turned off the CBC a few minutes ago. That’s only 11 north of a 155 majority. The Peter MacKays of the party, what’s left of the old PC wing, will be something of a breaker.
It’s a good day for the Canadian left. You have the first elected Green in, Jack Layton in as an articulate spokesman for the little guy and have handed the Conservatives enough rope to hang themselves with if they overreach. If Harper becomes a right-of-center analogue to Obama and overreaches, there is an active majority to vote him out if it organizes properly and doesn’t split their votes.
I think I know very well the fears many have of the Conservatives, and I concur… to a point. But talk of lost freedoms and heavy handed morality cops taking over is a bit much. Egypt just ousted their radical government via facebook and you are talking about leaving the country because you are afraid here in Canada! Come on! Find a better place to live then. I kind of like the richness we share in Canada, in both our resources and our ethnic and religious variety. The left just needs to unite and bingo… you will be able to sleep again without having to fear your neighbors.
This is not about fearing neighbours Ken, this is genuine concern about The Harper Government, which as Mark points out was not voted in by 60% of those who cast a ballot. Let people vent, let people deal with their shock, they love Canada and it’s “richness we share in both our resources and our ethnic and religious variety.”
To infer they do not is to pull a Harper, to split, polarize and mock.
I don’t think this is concern or fear of change, people here are an engaged group, who don’t fear the unknown as much as feel disquiet at the known.
I agree with you, not all fears are valid – enough are, give folk time to process genuine feelings without being dismissed. We’ll all get enough of that the next four years.
Remember that it was the Liberal’s Vote of No Confidence that dragged Canadian’s to the polls yesterday. Just as David Peterson (another Liberal) who flippantly called an unnecessary election back in 1990. Both times voters sent a message … a clear message.
I thought it was very profound how yesterday’s results came about, there was no surprise that Iggy would be treated just as Peterson was.
According to my calculations (numbers taken from Elections Canada website), a total of 24% of registered potential voters voted for the Conservative party. Only 61% of registered voters bothered to go out and vote. Yet we now have a majority government, which will rule as if the majority of Canadians voted for them. Will they show restraint, humility, and exercise servant-leadership, or the opposite? The choice is up to Mr. Harper and his fellow MPs.
Don’t be fooled by the Left{Liberal}…Right {Conservative}…Center{NDP} paradigm
The Rothchilds dictate what is going on!…and what Will be!
So…don’t put your trust in the chariots of man
You call it “richness” Ken, but Steven (Jets Jails Jesus) Harper calls our nation a “second tier socialist country boasting ever more loudly about its economy and social services to mask its second-rate status.” What do you think that means? He’s shown that he cares little about our diversity and our freedoms. Just look at how he’s managed to muzzle his Cabinet over the years. And now that he has full control of the reigns, Harper’s earlier words are even more haunting –
“You won’t recognize Canada when I get through with it.”
I think he means it. I think he will attempt to build another kind of Canada, one in which the ideas are not exclusively Canadian, but borrowed from American Republican ideology. Harper is a ruler, not a leader and is bound to bring out the worst in us long before it builds on the best in us.
As a dual citizen now living and working in Wisconsin, I think non-conservative Canadians should not lose hope. We live in very troubled and troubling times, and the vote, to my mind, was as much a vote of fear for the future as one of real ideological preference. Who can deny that Canada has done much better than the U.S. in the recent banking debacle, because the country was sane enough not to allow the sort of deregulation that fed (irony intended) the criminal behaviour that gutted the U.S. economy? Is it surprising that Canadian voters would heed the Tory claims that it was their watch that protected the country? For most voters, it’s all in the timing, not in the truth. Though I’ve not made a study, my guess would be that tough economic times invariably favour conservatives. Just stand, and keep the faith, so to speak, Canada is a great nation, because of the values of its people, not its military might.
Bene D.. I did not mean to dismiss or mock anyone here. I am one who has seen that religion is ugly and mean spirited, but I do not feel that there is any need to get so bent out of shape over the Conservative rule. Not that I like them, they disgust me… as do all politicians. But regardless of who is mismanaging our country, we “the people” will continue to live our lives and enjoy our freedoms. The Cons have earned the right to govern for a full term without threat of an election… after that the left will have a chance to get back in and be the one to mismanage.
Brano.. I fully agree.
Thanks Ken……Look for Justin Trudeau,to be the “New Leader” of the Left
You deleted my comment about Vote of No Confidence … fascinating I must say !!
Justin Trottier put it rather well:
“That’s the hardest voting decision I’ve ever made. It’s frustrating voting for an offense asshole to stop a party you don’t trust”.
Y’all could try looking at this a different way, you know.
The CPC ran on a platform of increased individual freedom (ending the gun registry, ending the HRCs, returning the Castle doctrine, returning property rights etc.), decreased taxes and smaller government. So you’ll still be able to say whatever you want, to whomever you want, whenever you want. Only more so. And louder.
By the way, if you can’t sleep for fear of your neighbors, you should buy a big dog and a shotgun. Bonus for you, in the brave new Hidden Agenda (TM) world, you’ll have the money and you’ll be FREE to buy whatever the hell you need or desire. Unlike the world Trudeau made, the one Count Iggula had planned, or the one Happy Jack is still dreaming about. Just remember friends, a government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take everything you’ve got.
Also by the way, were y’all aware that the NDP -lost- a net five seats outside Quebec? The only reason Happy Jack was not left with less than he had going in is the Bloc/Liberal Quebec meltdown. Can you say “protest vote”?
Proportional Representation would have made the outcome a lot different… A Con minority with a weaker NDP opposition and stronger Liberal and Green Party representation. Maybe it’s time for a change to our democratic system:
http://www.fairvote.ca/en/Canadians-cheated-again-by-voting-system
The CPC ran on a platform of increased transparency and accountability in the ’06 election. What did that give us? The ethics commissioner who didn’t investigate the vast majority of complaints and the Parliamentary Budget Officer, and I bet they’re regretting they actually went through with the PBO each day he talks about the real costs of their programs.
As for smaller government, have you read about what’s in theomnibus crime bill promised within 100 days? Internet surveillance. Warrant-less, no court oversight, internet surveillance, including real time surveillance. And why would they get rid of the HRCs when their bills have clauses like this: 2.1.1.1 Hate Propaganda (Clauses 4 and 5)
Hate propaganda offences must be committed against an “identifiable group.” Clause 4 of the bill adds “national origin” to the definition of “identifiable group.”8
Clause 5 of the bill provides that the offences of public incitement of hatred and wilful promotion of hatred may be committed by any means of communication and include making hate material available, by creating a hyperlink that directs web surfers to a website where hate material is posted, for example. C 46 24 September 2009
Like it or not, the election is a done deal. Do you not think that having an NDP opposition will hold the government more responsible on social policy issues?
Having Happy jack in the opposition could prove to be effective. I don’t see Harper trying to hard to push any radical policies too hard anyway. Yes, he will throw a few things at the wall (to satisfy the radical support) and then backdown (because he cares more about his comfy majority than earning points for Jesus at this point). Some think the Orange Group will get run over by the Blue Streak but that could be disastrous image-wise.
Ken, being the first government to ever be found in contempt didn’t seem to hurt his image, so I don’t think they’re overly concerned, especially now.
Have a look here and read the comments where there is more and this is from 2008. The list has grown significantly since then:
http://trustbreaker.blogspot.com/2008/09/100-reasons-not-to-vote-for-harper.html
Tim, I don’t like Harper. Not defending him at all. The people who are really in charge was perfectly revealed in the resolution of the American Banking-Mortgage scam. The same is true here and in most countries. Money rules. Our so-called leaders get to act like badly behaved children and push meaningless garbage through a red-tape job creation machine, while they hope for something like a war to give them status and legitimatimacy. Pitiful.
Hi Paul:
“Do you not think that having an NDP opposition will hold the government more responsible on social policy issues?”
What a good question. Short answer no.
The NDP opposition is going to be so busy learning the ropes, and dealing with a government held Senate and House, they aren’t going to be able to hold the government responsible on anything. The Liberals couldn’t, I don’t think this group will either. Harper has exactly what he wanted, a hobbled opposition, and four years to push through what ‘The Harper Government” wants unimpeded.
I generally enjoy your blog, finding it well informed and well written….until this post anyway. To pull out a broad brush and paint every person who voted Conservative to be “a selfish, fearful people who don’t care about their neighbour” is beyond the pale. To brand someone like my 76 year old father, a lifelong Conservative, who has spent his entire life helping others and has been awarded numerous volunteer of the year awards, shows you certainly aren’t the well reasoned writer I had assumed. For this post, and for using sweeping assumptions, you should be ashamed.
Martin, there’s a big difference between the Conservative Party your father used to vote for and the Conservative Party of today. The two are nowhere near the same and unfortunately, people like your father are probably not aware of the difference.
I used to be a strong proponent of the Conservatives but for the past 7 years, you could not get me to even entertain the thought of voting for them. Truly, they are not the same.
Tim,
My parents both still vote conservative because, whether or not they agree with everything the Harper government does, it is still the party that most closely represents their views. I have no problem with Bene disagreeing with the Conservatives, in fact, that’s what a free country is made of, but to use sweeping generalizations is indeed, shameful. Not every member of the PC party, despite his accusation, doesn’t care about their neighbor, or is selfish. If I were to accuse every member of the NDP as being lazy, no good, suckling from the government hippies, I would justifiably be vilified. However, I know that to not be true as several members of my family are members of the NDP. This very mentality is why the politics in the U.S. (where I happen to reside) are so vitriolic and meanspirited. It’s very easy to hate the other side when they are presented en masse as a group of Neocon’s bent on war, or hippies bent on socialism….seeing this type of thinking on a normally well thought out blog like this is not a good sign.
Martin:
You and your father may indeed be well read and informed, and perhaps you have already absorbed Marci McDonald’s excellent novel “The Armageddon Factor”.
Perhaps your opinions still stand even after a contemplation of the facts surrounding Harper’s connections to the religious right in the USA – and the dangerous direction he is taking Canada. If that is the case .. so be it …
But you haven’t had an opportunity to acquaint yourself with the available information on Harper, through the works of McDonald, and revealed on many other excellent blogs – you may be missing an important piece of the puzzle. You and your father may come to realize that while Harper seems to represent the good old Conservative party on the surface – that a little study in the depths may open up an entirely different persona.
One thing I definitely don’t want to get involved with is discussions of conspiracy theories, veiled agendas etc. The purpose of my post was entirely to point out that by making sweeping generalizations, Bene was doing a disservice to both the readers and the author of the blog.
It seems that in order to be an active member of a democracy nowadays, it’s necessary to pick the spot on the political continuum that best represents your views, then vote for the party that currently represents that space. Is the vote often the lesser of two evils? Absolutely, but the alternative is to sit at home, not vote and then complain about the results, and I think it’s the essence of hipocrisy to do that. Political winds will change, the left-right continuum will continue to swing, but the great thing about a democracy, is that the opinion of the majority will rule. Like they say, “it might not be the best system in the world, but it beats all the other options.” Should Harper go too far to the right, there’s no doubt the left will come roaring back in the next election, just like the midterms here in the U.S. Should he tread a comfortable middle ground, then it seems everyone should end up happy. Time will tell…..in the meantime, vilifying an entire voting block serves no one well..
Martin, what sweeping generalizations? I don’t think every Conservative MP is a cliche – there are principled people in every party. I don’t even disagree with some conservative principles, but I have no use for the Reform power brokers. I have no truck with the vast majority of Conservative Party members, I’m sorry if I wasn’t clear.
I’m speaking about Harper and a few of his supporters and MP’s. I’m specifically speaking about Harper’s goals.
“Canadians have spoken and they have said they are a selfish, fearful people who don’t care about their neighbour.”
How can that not be taken as sweeping generalizations….you say “Canadians”. Now in the context of your statement, it can only be taken as Canadians who voted for Harper. How else can that be interpreted? My parents, by voting Conservative, are responsible for bringing Harper to power and are one of the group you impune. They are neither selfish, nor fearful, yet you lumped them in with the group of “Canadians” who you are obviously upset with? If you have an alternative explanation for your statement, or if it’s a miscommunication on your part, I’m more than willing to accept that, but as a casual read you certainly seem to make sweeping generalizations. As I have said in my previous post, I generally enjoy and regularly read your blog, and this seems out of context to the way you normally communicate.
Relax Martin .. your shorts are too tight.
Athiest I was merely replying back to Bene’s question about how a sweeping generalization was made…nothing more. I didn’t see where you were involved in the conversation, and your comment on the snugness of my underwear didn’t have much relevance. I think both sides of the discussion have been fairly presented and I’m good with the resolution…
“How can that not be taken as sweeping generalizations….you say “Canadians”. Now in the context of your statement, it can only be taken as Canadians who voted for Harper.”
Fair enough Martin, I didn’t communicate clearly, it isn’t an analysis post.
Canadians do not handle minority government situations well on the federal level.
There are good reasons The Conservative Party got a majority, people were tired of elections etc. There is a good article on focus groups which explains better than I can.
One thing I had not considered was the Iggy message falling so flat.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2011/05/05/pol-voters-views.html
Thats a well written article. In terms of comparison, I’d say Harper just had his Obama moment. A perfect storm of weak opposition, single message, and a desire for change resulting in a victory. If Harper learns from Obama’s history he’ll realize that the electorate is looking for results, and if they aren’t seen there will be a radical reversal of fortune come next election. It will be interesting to see what happens!
It is well written and gives what I think is a fair snapshot into what Canadians were thinking.
I’m also learning from the Macleans series: The untold story of the 2011 election.
http://www2.macleans.ca/2011/05/04/politics-turned-over/#INTRO
Ahaha. Love Monty Python. The clip kinda reminds me of last year’s G20 Summit…”violence inherent in the system!”