[Canadian Election Results] Harper vs Iggy vs the 'stache

[Oexmelin]

Considering the majority of Layton's caucus is from Quebec, you'd think he'd be speaking a lot more French.

Yes, but he is doing his speech in Toronto. The crowd wouldn't know when to clap and cheer...

[Grallon]

'Comme tous les autres Canadiens...' - Oh this is gonna be good 




G.

[Neil]

Take Layton's speech right now.  The disillusion is beginning under our very eyes.  He's talking about a Canadian vision - as in a one unitary country...  This, right there, doesn't bode well - for Canada *cackles*.

I wouldn't read too much into anything Layton says tonight.  He's got 60-70 new MPs, most of which he's never met, and an enormous chunk of them are from Quebec.  The NDP is a party without a strong identity, and that new blood can't help but distort the party a bit.  Layton is going to have to get to know them.

[Monoriu]

According to a sound bite from Jason Kenney (the Minister of Immigration) the Conservative Party was polling a majority, or two-thirds (I can't remember which), of Chinese Canadians.

The "anti-immigrant" label against Reform was largely false, but to be fair they did at the time call for reductions in the overall # of immigrants being allowed in.

Chinese Canadians would likely vote for whichever party that supported (a) more immigrants from China, and (b) lower taxes. 

[Barrister]

Considering the majority of Layton's caucus is from Quebec, you'd think he'd be speaking a lot more French.

Yes, but he is doing his speech in Toronto. The crowd wouldn't know when to clap and cheer...

There is that.

Whenever I hear a politician in person start going into French I know and understand why they do it, but I have no idea what they are saying.

[katmai]

Considering the majority of Layton's caucus is from Quebec, you'd think he'd be speaking a lot more French.

Yes, but he is doing his speech in Toronto. The crowd wouldn't know when to clap and cheer...

There is that.

Whenever I hear a politician in person start going into French I know and understand why they do it, but I have no idea what they are saying.

Damn Manitoban yokel

[Barrister]

Considering the majority of Layton's caucus is from Quebec, you'd think he'd be speaking a lot more French.

Yes, but he is doing his speech in Toronto. The crowd wouldn't know when to clap and cheer...

There is that.

Whenever I hear a politician in person start going into French I know and understand why they do it, but I have no idea what they are saying.

Damn Manitoban yokel

[Barrister]

I don't know what to make of Layton's speech.  It sounded more like a stump speech than anything else (not that there's anything wrong with that).

Wow there's some irony - "the NDP is represented in every province of Canada except for PEI and Saskatchewan".

The NDP was founded in Saskatchewan...

[Grallon]

Well there's a number of people who must be getting slightly nervous in Quebec right now.  First and foremost: Pauline Marois - so long as Duceppe was in Ottawa he wasn't a direct threat to her... shall we say lukewarm leadership.  But now he's suddenly available.  Yet the worst thing the separatists could do at this point would be to start fighting amongst each other.  They need to concentrate all their attacks on the provincial Liberals.  These I suspect are also quite nervous.  The collapse of the Bloc didn't benefit 'their' brand and in fact it freed a lot of 'enemy assets' to return to the Quebec front...

The next few years should prove interesting.




G.

[Barrister]

Well there's a number of people who must be getting slightly nervous in Quebec right now.  First and foremost: Pauline Marois - so long as Duceppe was in Ottawa he wasn't a direct threat to her... shall we say lukewarm leadership.  But now he's suddenly available.  Yet the worst thing the separatists could do at this point would be to start fighting amongst each other.  They need to concentrate all their attacks on the provincial Liberals.  These I suspect are also quite nervous.  The collapse of the Bloc didn't benefit 'their' brand and in fact it freed a lot of 'enemy assets' to return to the Quebec front...

The next few years should prove interesting.

Duceppe's overall career may not be over, but in the short term he's no threat to anybody.

[Oexmelin]

Duceppe's overall career may not be over, but in the short term he's no threat to anybody.

If "short term" means a couple of weeks, sure. But I don't think you quite grasp how the PQ works.

For he might be, as he once was, a threat to the current leadership of the PQ. And then, who know?

[Barrister]

Duceppe's overall career may not be over, but in the short term he's no threat to anybody.

If "short term" means a couple of weeks, sure. But I don't think you quite grasp how the PQ works.

For he might be, as he once was, a threat to the current leadership of the PQ. And then, who know?

No, I am no expert on the PQ.  You know that.

But from a distance I find it hard to believe that a leader who received such a humbling electoral loss could be a threat to anybody within a few weeks or months.

But if even Bob Rae could be rehabilitated, then anything is possible given enough time.

[Barrister]

A Preston Manning shout-out.

[Barrister]

Results in Yukon are still tight - but the good guys are up by 200 votes with 1 poll remaining.

[Barrister]

So I would like outside opinions.  How was Harper's speech?  He won the desired majority, but hardly overwhelmingly.  Was it statesmanly?  Did it reach out?