theBreaker.news Podcast: Losses outweighed gains in Canada's 43rd federal election

The Green wave did not happen and there was no Orange Crush. The People’s Party fizzled, while the Bloc Quebecois had a resurgence. The Conservatives won the popular vote. The Liberals lost their majority, but retained the most seats and control of the Prime Minister’s Office.

The Oct. 21 federal election contained no grand vision for the country’s future and often sank to mudslinging.

On this edition of theBreaker.news Podcast, host Bob Mackin asks pollster Mario Canseco of ResearchCo to analyze the results.

Justin Trudeau has already shut the door on a coalition with the NDP, but will govern on a case by case basis. Trudeau is still likely to need the NDP votes to pass some of its legislation.

“They are trying to do this the Scandinavian way, I’ll get some of the parties to vote for me on issues they care about and I’ll get some of the parties to support me on things the major party may not care about, which is the way it’s been done in Denmark and Sweden,” Canseco said in a feature interview.  “I think it’s a difficult situation particularly because of the animosity that we’ve seen come out of… Alberta and Saskatchewan and also the fact that he Bloc almost tied the Liberals when it came to the actual popular vote in Quebec.”

The Conservatives increased their popular vote, but could not defeat a weakened Liberal Party because of the “lack of emotional connection by Andrew Scheer with voters.”

There were low expectations for the NDP and high expectations for the Greens. Elizabeth May’s party was predicted in summer to eclipse the NDP.

“The largest disappointment, aside from what happened with the Conservatives,” Canseco said. “You had a summer that was definitely full of news related to climate change, the campaign happens at the same time as Greta Thunberg was crossing the Atlantic. You had plenty of opportunity to try and connect on that issue and it just didn’t materialize for them.”

Both the Greens and the PPC could have won more if they had stopped focussing on a national campaign and pinpointed five to 10 ridings where they could concentrate resources.

Listen to Canseco's full interview. Plus commentaries, headlines and Trudeau's last bozo eruption of the election campaign. 

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