NDP did make huge gains in Quebec

Buckdog: New Democrats Made Huge $urge In Quebec During The Last Federal Election

At the end of a federal election campaign, any party or candidates that
earn at least 10% of the vote in a riding get much of their actual
election expenditures reimbursed by Elections Canada.

At the end
of the 2006 election in the Quebec ridings, the New Democrats only
qualified in 4 federal constituencies for reimbursement. After the
recent campaign, they achieved over 10% of the vote in 50 of the
provinces's 75 ridings.

The Vanity of Harper and the Cost to Canadians

rabble.ca Canadian federal election blog - Apathy Gains Majority In Federal Election

After spending $300 million dollars of taxpayers money, this morning
Canadians awoke to fact that another Conservative minority government
is in power. True, the argument can be made that if more people voted
the results might have been different – but then again, it can also be
viewed as a lack of confidence and interest in this nation’s leaders.

We
live in a democratic country – on paper anyway as perceived by millions
of Canadians - and therefore should cherish the power that we have to
elect our representatives, there’s no questioning that. But at the same
time, there is the very real possibility that many Canadians saw this
election for what it was – a political maneuver on the part of the
Conservatives to gain a majority. Like it or not, that does not
represent the people’s democratic interests, only the vanity of Mr.
Harper who took a gamble yesterday and lost. That gamble could very
well see Canadians return to the polls in another year, making it four
federal elections in five years.

Lastly, there is the fact that
this election cost Canadians $300 million dollars in a time global
economic crisis. This morning Mr. Harper unveiled a new six-point
economic plan to deal with the financial ramifications of the current
crisis. Unfortunately for Canadians, $300 million dollars that could
have been used to bolster social programs has evaporated for the sake
of an additional sixteen Conservative seats in the House. Ironically,
the addition of those sixteen seats will no doubt empower Mr. Harper to
claim that the Canadian public has given his party a clear mandate to
lead, despite the fact that it technically didn’t.
When all is said and done, Canadians have to look at both the last
government and this new government and ask a very serious question. If
the last one wasn’t working because of political infighting which saw
its ability to function diminished, how will this new one be any
different? If the Parliamentary blame game is going to continue to
consume the House, what did this election accomplish other than the
establishment of the status quo?

Here come the cuts

While the Earth Burns: Focus on Harper: Deficits, Recession & Social Spending Cuts

Heaven forbid that Harper rolls back his big $50 billion hand-out to corporations to keep us in the black. He will decimate our healthcare system and our social safety net first.

Thanks for voting for Harper you f**kers. You know who you are. And don't complain when you have to sell your house and take a second job to pay for the medical bills because the healthcare system gets privatized - you voted for it - dumbass!

Quebec and cities save our Canada

rabble.ca Canadian federal election blog - Quebec and cities save our Canada

A great piece by Alice Klein.

The government we deserve?

About That Recession, Harper... - mike watkins dot ca

If I suffer from the recession, due to the results of the election, I want the lying mainstream media to pay up. They are the ones who mislead the masses into buying into the shit that the Conservatives spew. If they reported/covered all the parties fairly, no one except the very rich and the very stupid would have voted for the Conservatives.

Could longer campaign periods save our elections?

There Is A Connection Between 59 Percent Voter Turnout And Four 36 Day Elections In A Row « …cultural sn:afu.

Before the 1993 election — then the shortest at 47 days, and with a 69.6% turnout — Canada had some of the largest voter turnouts of any democracy. Now, after four consecutive 36-day elections, we don’t. Increase the minimum, force the parties to defend their platform over a significant time, and give people time to figure out what’s going on and the numbers will go back up.

Lament for a nation

rabble.ca Canadian federal election blog - Lament for a nation

It was Canada’s 40th federal election – an election waged during perilous economic times, globally and domestically.

And yet, only 59% of eligible voters came out to vote. That
represents the lowest voter turnout in our entire democratic history.

Election results map and some analysis

ALTAVISTAGOOGLE: Look at the Results Map

Low voter turn out hurts the Liberals

Accidental Deliberations: On absent Liberals

A lot less people turned out to vote this time than in 2006. Most of those who didn't turn out were Liberal voters. I guess they were just taking after the example set by Liberal MPs who sat out of many votes in Parliament over the last few years.

In 2006, 64.7% of eligible voters voted. A total of 14,908,703 voted.
In 2008, 59.1% of eligible voters voted. A total of 13,832,972 voted.

How Canadian Elections Work (as told to Americans)

Explaining Canadian Elections to Americans « Blevkog

Because our elections can happen at any time, and with only a
month’s notice, our campaign seasons are more shorter than the ones in
the U.S. It’s not that we don’t want to hold year long election
campaigns - it’s that we have stuff to do. What’s your deal America?
Don’t you have stuff to do?

Keep the Conservative crooks out of office - read this!

liberal catnip: Harper's Secret Bank Bailout Deal

Progressives: You Don't have to vote Liberal

Dipper Chick: No, you don't have to vote Liberal

But, in this election in particular, voting Liberal is a wasted progressive vote. Stephane Dion has brought the Liberal party to new lows in support. Here's my brilliant election prediction: the Liberal party will not be forming government. Voting Liberal may help elect another Liberal MP, but that MP is sure to vote with the Conservatives or abstain when it really counts. That is what they did 43 times in the last parliament. Do you really want more of this?

... The sad truth about the Liberals is that they are not really
progressive outside of elections. They govern from the right when they
win and vote with the Conservatives when they lose. Voting for them to
"stop Harper" makes no sense. It's not strategic, it's a sham.

A Message from Peggy Nash

spurs: A message from Peggy Nash

Vote NDP

Dawg's Blawg: Dr.Dawg endorses the NDP

Harper the crook

Harper Helped Bush Money Launder Softwood Duties « Cyberwanderer’s Blog

Harper - Lier and Briber?

TheStar.com | Canada | Tape not altered as Harper claims, analysis finds

Taking the Democracy out of Democracy

rabble.ca Canadian federal election blog - Thinking big or acting small

So let’s take stock of what the Harper Conservatives have done since being elected—as a minority government.

They questioned the credibility (Linda Keen, Marc Raynard) and then fired (Adrian Measner, Linda Keen) civil servants who prioritized their legal mandate and public responsibility over demands from the PMO.

They eliminated a program that helped guarantee marginalized organizations and individuals equal access to the justice system (Court Challenges Program).

They sued Elections Canada when it questioned whether their party violated campaign spending laws (“In-and-Out” scheme). They provided their MPs with a step-by-step guide to ensure parliamentary dysfunction.

And they severely restricted the media’s and the public’s access to information (eliminating the national Co-ordination of Access to Information Requests System).

And that’s just for starters.

Vote for positive change in Toronto - Vote NDP

NOW Magazine // News // New Democrats – not old answers

How The Skinny will vote.

The Skinny: How I will vote

The Skinny's analysis of the political parties during this election.

NDP Platform

NDP | A Prime Minister on your family's side, for a change.

Still undecided? Check out the NDP Platform. Scroll down to the bottom of this page for a comparison table and the platform (PDF files).