The Finch Formerly Known As Gold

23 January 2006

The Great White North polls

Prediction on the Canadian election, from Bleeding Brain:

Conservatives: 141
Liberals: 63
New Democrats: 41
Bloc Québécois: 63

Prediction from Ginna Dowler:

Conservatives: 135
Liberals: 76
New Democrats: 34
Bloc Québécois: 63

No majority for the Conservatives, certainly, but not too bad a place to be, if it comes off that way.

A few things I wonder about, since my knowledge of Canadian politics is spotty at best:

  • Will Stephen Harper be able to work with Jack Layton's New Democrats?

  • Given the Bloc Q's hostility toward the Tories, should Harper come up with some notions for turning some functions now centralized in Ottawa over to the provinces, will the Bloc endorse them, or will they reject them just because Harper proposed them?

  • Weren't there a couple of independents in Commons before it was dissolved?

This will have to satisfy my political jones until they open up the filing period (this week) for mayor of Oklahoma City.

Posted at 6:16 AM to Political Science Fiction


Hi PSF,

Thanks for the link to BB.

You know the final results by now and at first we found them to be fairly distressing.

We have since calculated that it is possible for Harper to come out ahead. He will have a little less than two years to do it but a few deft moves could earn him a greater share of seats if the opposition force another election at that time.

Posted by: bleedingbrain at 12:15 AM on 27 January 2006