Having posted my thoughts on our election yesterday, I guess I’m obliged to comment on the result. This is not complete though – mail in and some other ballots are still being counted.
At first sight the results look similar to the last election in 2019. The media are saying this and asking ‘What was the point?’
But appearances are deceiving. At the moment, the Liberals are up 3 seats, the Conservatives down 2, the BQ (Bloque Quebecois – a party that confines itself to Quebec, since its purposes include possible independence for Quebec in the future) – the NDP (New Democratic Party), considered to be Canada’s Left, have increased their count by 1, a bit of a disappointment because yesterday it looked like they were doing to get an additional 6. My Greens dropped from 3 to 2 seats – what can I say?
As for my concern about Quebec-born Erin O’Toole, leader of the Conservative party gaining seats in Quebec, that was unfounded. He was born in Quebec, but he was running in Durham, just East of Toronto, which wasn’t likely to gain him many Quebec votes, and didn’t.
The name of the Conservative party, by the way, used to be, when I was young and for many years, the “Progressive Conservative” party. Somewhere along the way they became concerned about being perceived as ‘progressive’, and so dropped the prefix. I suppose they see progressive as a euphemism for socialism, and that, as the American right in the USA does now, as a mask for communism.
How ‘socialism’ got to be a negative word in many minds is a historical paradox. Why concern for each other should be considered bad does require some explaining. It’s no wonder that many young people are turned off by politics.
Anyway, I’m still glad the election was held. I’m always happy to get a chance to cast my vote, as all citizens should be.
Given the technology we have, I’m not sure we need these elections at all though. There is no technical reason why issues can’t be voted on by the public once a week. Just give us a list of the proposals and we’ll vote on each one online.
Some people are too poorly informed, or deliberately ignorant for that? Well, then why are they voting at all? But that is a subject for another day.
Yes, the numbers from this election are similar to those in 2019, but that masks a lot of change. Many lost their seats, and many new names have appeared. It is not the same group at all, and I think the more astute politicians, including our ongoing prime minister, Justin Trudeau, have learned a few things from this election.
Alan Conrad 