Final Analysis of the Election

Stephen Harper finally gets his majority government with NDP leader Jack Layton forming the opposition. This election also revealed the decline of the Liberal brand with their third-place showing and the evisceration of the Bloc Quebecois with their three seats in parliament.

The results of the election reveal a number of things on the Canadian electorate:

• Canadians wanted stability not radical change. Stephen Harper may not inspire the warm fuzzies but the economy is stable and our dollar at one point was worth more than the US.
• The NDP dominating Quebec suggests that the people of Quebec are more interested in becoming full participants in Federalism rather than sitting on the sidelines.
• The Liberal brand's decline began with the end of Chretien's time in office and has only accelerated with the lack of leadership by Ignatieff. Fortunately for Canadian public, Ignatieff resigned from his leadership position. Of course, he couldn't be very much of a leader since he lost his riding.
• The huge inroads by the left-leaning NDP is no surprise. When you strip the sovereignty veneer off of the Bloc, it is a socialist party.

This election has changed the political goal posts in Canada. We have two parties, Conservative and NDP that provide Canadians definitive political perspectives while the Liberals offer lukewarm centrism. These elections reveal much more than the political whims of Canadians but where we see ourselves now and in the future.