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.