2015 Canadian Federal Election

[anitram]

My interpretation of the Harper years is essentially as the Rise and Fall of the Canadian Petrostate, and I'm wondering how accurate that is. I know that the collapse of oil has hurt the Canadian economy, especially out west. Did that help to drive Harper out in a substantial way?

The western oil-producing provinces still pretty much voted for him nearly unanimously.

I think the only thing that would have changed a year and a half ago is that the left may have consolidated votes behind the NDP resulting in a minority government. But Harper would likely have been out, there's probably never been a PM so widely disliked.

 

[DaveC]

You are a poor addict
You should have two or three stashes for emergencies

A proper pothead does not have extra stashes laying around for emergencies because those stashes have already been smoked. Otherwise you just end up with stale, dried out bush weed laying around in random places for the cat to find and eat.

Question for our Canadians, as someone who hasn't been following Canadian politics as closely as I should have been: would this have been the result a year and a half ago, when oil was still strong?

My interpretation of the Harper years is essentially as the Rise and Fall of the Canadian Petrostate, and I'm wondering how accurate that is. I know that the collapse of oil has hurt the Canadian economy, especially out west. Did that help to drive Harper out in a substantial way?

The West is still solid blue. Ontario (specifically, Toronto) and Quebec decided the victor, and Atlantic Canada pushed it into majority territory, essentially. Coastal BC and the city of Montreal more or less prevented the NDP from being obliterated.

It had less to do with the collapse of oil (that was reflected moreso in the provincial Alberta election that happened in June) and more to do with the general rejection of Harper-style politics of fear and division. We've had enough of blind ideology driving our policy decisions (eg. climate change, drugs, crime, immigration), IMO.

 

[DaveC]

Here's a good summary of Harper's time as PM. It's as good (and balanced) an explanation of why he's out as any:

Stephen Harper's legacy: Good, bad and a dose of ugly - Politics - CBC News

EDIT: I will also say that it gives me great joy to see how much Conservative supporters are twisting in the wind at the thought of PM Trudeau 2.0

EDIT 2: His first order of business as PM:

 

[deep]

.

good luck neighbors,

(sells Canadian stock holdings)

 

[deep]

A proper pothead does not have extra stashes laying around for emergencies because those stashes have already been smoked. Otherwise you just end up with stale, dried out bush weed laying around in random places for the cat to find and eat.

The West is still solid blue. Ontario (specifically, Toronto) and Quebec decided the victor, and Atlantic Canada pushed it into majority territory, essentially. Coastal BC and the city of Montreal more or less prevented the NDP from being obliterated.

It had less to do with the collapse of oil (that was reflected moreso in the provincial Alberta election that happened in June) and more to do with the general rejection of Harper-style politics of fear and division. We've had enough of blind ideology driving our policy decisions (eg. climate change, drugs, crime, immigration), IMO.

those maps don't tell much
people vote, not open space

 

[anitram]

Food for thought: Justin Trudeau is only 3 years younger than this guy:

Stay away from drugs kids (and buckets of KFC).

 

[DaveC]

those maps don't tell much
people vote, not open space

Of course, the point of that map though was that Alberta is clearly still Conservative blue, in reply to what you had said.

 

[Zoomerang96]

stephen harper... what an absolute numpty.