No matter which federal party you support, you may have woken up Tuesday morning with some disappointment, a Manitoba political scientist says.
Brandon University Prof. Kelly Saunders told 680 CJOB’s The Start that the election of another minority government may not have been the definitive statement some voters had hoped for.
“Regardless of who you might have been supporting last night, I think what voters were really looking for above everything was maybe some clarity and some stability moving forward,” Saunders said.
“There’s still a lot of fluctuation here, but this looks like a third minority government in a row for Canada.”
And while the Conservatives — who only a few months ago seemed poised for a major win — may not have had the night they wanted, they were able to make some gains, despite party leader Pierre Poilievre losing his own Ontario seat after more than 20 years.
“They certainly did grow their vote quite substantially, they certainly grew their seat count as well, but obviously it’s a huge loss with Pierre Poilievre,” Saunders said.
“How that’s going to impact that party going forward … they’ve got a lot of big decisions. (There are) some good things they can take away from the election, but I think it’s not quite the win they were hoping for. ”
Saunders says there were a few unexpected results in ridings across Manitoba, both in Winnipeg and outside the perimeter.
“Up north in Churchill-Keewatinook Aski, to see Niki Ashton, a longtime MP, lose their seat up there, I think that was a bit of a shocker for a lot of people.
“To see Winnipeg west lose, the Conservatives lost that, of course, to the Liberals … and also Elmwood-Transcona I think, which was a Conservative pick-up.”
Paul Thomas, professor emeritus of political studies at the University of Manitoba, told 680 CJOB’s Connecting Winnipeg that although Canadians will be faced with a minority government, it’s something the nation has experienced many times in recent history.
“I don’t think it’s a terribly bad thing to have a minority government,” he said. “We know how to make these work.
“There’s volatility and uncertainty attached to them, but creative things can be done. And there can be cross-party collaboration. We won’t see a repeat of a formal accord between the NDP and the Liberals this time around, but they can work issue by issue.
“I can recall times when Parliament was quite productive under a minority situation.”