Conservatives 40% of vote 167 seats. Liberals and NDP 50 % of vote 136 seats

Once again the first past the post voting system has delivered a disasterously lopsided result. The combined opposition parties captured 60 % of the popular vote but because of the perverse nature of the first past the post system and vote splits won a total of only 136 seats. The Conservative party won its impressive majority of 167 seats with only 39.6 % % of the vote. A system like this is clearly undemocratic and  can only disillusion thoughtful people over time. It cries out for reform but I am afraid there is now no prospect of reform for some years to come. The collapse of the Liberal vote in both Quebec and Ontario was overwhelming and as a consequence the Liberals were almost wiped out in Quebec and drastically reduced in Ontario. The New Democrats had an historic night electing 102 members with the biggest block coming from Quebec  and replacing the  Liberals as the Official Opposition. But one has to seriously question just how effective this opposition can be against a determined right of centre Conservative majority government that is strongly opposed to social democratic values and policies.  . It is too soon to leap to conclusions but some very serious thinking and discussion needs to take place about the possibilities of uniting the forces that are opposed to neo-conservative government in time for the next election four years from now.

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About haroldchorneyeconomist

I am Professor of political economy at Concordia university in Montréal, Québec, Canada. I received my B.A.Hons (econ.&poli sci) from the University of Manitoba. I also completed my M.A. degree in economics there. Went on to spend two years at the London School of Economics as a Ph.D. student in economics and then completed my Ph.D. in political economy at the University of Toronto. Was named a John W.Dafoe fellow, a CMHC fellow and a Canada Council fellow. I also was named a Woodrow Wilson fellow in 1968 after completing my first class honours undergraduate degree. Worked as an economist in the area of education, labour economics and as the senior economist with the Manitoba Housing and Renewal Corporation for the Government of Manitoba from 1972 to 1978. I also have worked as an economic consultant for MDT socio-economic consultants and have been consulted on urban planning, health policy, linguistic duality and public sector finance questions by the governments of Manitoba, Saskatchewan,the cities of Regina and Saskatoon, Ontario and the Federal government of Canada. I have also been consulted by senior leaders of the British Labour party, MPs from the Progressive Conservative party, the Liberal party and the New Democrats on economic policy questions. Members of the Government of France under the Presidency of Francois Mitterand discussed my work on public sector deficits. I have also run for elected office at the municipal level. I first began to write about quantitative easing as a useful policy option during the early 1980s.
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