Election 2011

The Canadian Federal Election of 2011 is over with, and it seems that the early poll results were correct. The Conservatives, led by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, won a majority government in the House of Commons with 167 seats, while, in a surprise move, the New Democratic Party, led by Jack Layton, became the Official Opposition with 102 seats. Another surprise was the election of Elizabeth May to Parliament, the first MP of the Green Party of Canada.

On the other hand, the Liberal Party and the Bloc Quebecois were blown away by the NDP surge, as the Liberals dropped from their previous 70 seats to only 34, the majority coming in Atlantic Canada, and the Bloc dropping from around 40 seats to only 4. To add even more surprise, the leaders of these parties, Michael Ignatiff and Giles Duceppe both lost their seats in Parliament and subsequently resigned from leadership of their respective parties.

As well, something that interests me is the election in my cottage riding of Simcoe-Grey. The incumbent, Helena Guergis was a member of the Conservative Party but was kicked out last year, sitting as an Independent MP for the duration of Parliament. She was defeated by a landslide by the Party-backed Conservative MP, Kellie Leitch.