Jack Layton’s New Democratic Party rose to new heights on election night, becoming the Official Opposition for the first time in the party’s history.
The NDP all but decimated the Bloc Quebecois, winning 58 seats in Quebec and finishing the night with an unprecedented 102 seats in the House of Commons.
Layton earned top marks throughout the campaign for connecting with voters, and handling the pressure of being thrust into the spotlight like an old pro.
But was it simply Layton’s winning smile and likeability that won the party 102 seats?
We take a look at what else contributed to the NDP’s meteoric rise throughout the election campaign.
NDP by the numbers
Although the NDP ousted some notable MPs in B.C. and the GTA, the vast majority of the party’s gains were made in Quebec.
Across the rest of the country, support for the NDP almost matched that of the 2008 election when the NDP won 37 seats in the House of Commons. In 2011, the number of seats won outside of Quebec is just 7 higher, at 44.
Of these 44 seats, there are only nine ridings where the NDP winner is a newcomer who beat out the incumbent from an opposing party.
This suggests that had the “Orange Crush” not taken over Quebec, the NDP result nationwide would have been relatively unchanged from the 2008 election.
Data from an Ipsos-Reid exit poll suggests that the NDP’s success has just as much to do with Jack Layton’s smile as it does with an aversion to the other parties.
When Canadians were asked which federal candidate would make the best prime minister, Layton tied Stephen Harper for first place with 37 per cent.
Participants were also asked if they decided their vote based on who they wanted to win versus wanting a particular party to lose.
Thirty-seven per cent of electors polled said that their vote for the NDP was actually a vote against a party. Roughly half said they “wanted to make sure another party did not win,” and the other half said they “wanted to express [their] disgust with all of the other parties.”
Comparatively, in Quebec (where the NDP won 58 seats) 39 per cent of electors said they voted against another party.
Orange Crush sweeps over Quebec
The NDP’s success in la belle province can be attributed to two main factors: a leader who is well-liked amongst Quebecers, and a campaign mastermind who worked doggedly to raise the profile of the party in the province.
NDP deputy leader Thomas Mulcair was the man behind the party’s campaign in Quebec. He credited his party’s impressive showing as a rejection of constitutional bickering.
"We see the melting away of the constitutional divide, which is a rather artificial way of dividing in politics," said Mulcair in Montreal.
He rarely turned down a public appearance, and his party’s policies were notably Quebec-friendly, focusing on issues such as language laws and remaining mindful of Quebec culture.
With files from the Canadian Press
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