Although I would have preferred a Conservative majority, or even a strong minority, I am somewhat pleased with the election results, but I am concerned about the fragmentation of the Canadian electorate. When the Conservatives started to show a rise in popular support, the other three major parties resorted to the old SCARY neo-conservative fascist portrayals of the Conservative Party of Canada. Please note the name of our country in their name!
At the conclusion of the night, the party leaders displayed good diplomacy by extending olive branches and pledging to find consensus to progress the country forward (with the possible exception of the Bloc, as we all know their not-so-hidden agenda). The major disappointment of the evening for me was the reaction from Jack Layton's NDP supporters in Toronto to the congratulatory message sent to Stephen Harper, our new Prime Minister. There were jeers and boos from the crowd, until an embarrassed NDP leader calmed them down. It is time to work together as a nation and progress to create a better Canada for all of us.
Congratulations to Stephen Harper for a well run campaign and an excellent first speech for our new Prime Minister. Now, he has to prove to dissenting Canadians he and his party are not bogeymen - or is that bogeypeople? He has to stay on the issues, get to work, and make Ottawa operate for the Canadian people instead of the other way around.
