Canadians Head to Polls With Trudeau Poised to Oust Harper

[bigworld]

Source: Bloomberg

Canadians vote Monday in a tight federal election that polls suggest will bring Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party to power, ending the decade-long run of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservatives.

The Liberals are projected to secure the most seats in Parliament, though short of the 170 required to form a majority government. That would put Trudeau, 43, the son of former prime minister Pierre Trudeau, in the driver’s seat to form a government with help from other parties. Initial results from the country’s two most-populous provinces are expected to begin rolling in after 9:30 p.m. New York time.

Trudeau successfully tapped the electorate’s desire for change, charging to a late lead in the polls on a platform of deficit-financed infrastructure spending as an antidote to economic woes triggered by an oil-price collapse. Harper, 56, has failed to translate a program of balanced budgets into an expanded support base.

Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-10-19/canada-voters-head-to-polls-with-trudeau-poised-to-oust-harper

[cilla4progress]

1. Good luck to

the Canadian left!

[Wibly]

15. Could be, but not likely

The Canadian "left" is not Trudeau. Trudeau leads a centrist pro corporate party called "Liberal".
The left in Canada is primarily lead by a party called New Democrat. Their leader is Tom Mulcair. According to the polls they may wind up holding the balance of power, but an outright win is unlikely, and would be considered a total upset (hope so).
More than likely Canada will wind up with a Minority Parliament, mostly likely led by Trudeau, with the NDP in support. It could also be the other way around.
In the end though, Canadians will likely elect a centrist govt, not far off what Obama has provided for the US.
Still, it will be a big switch from the current Harper-led, right wing, austerity, cut, cut, cut, pro war, pro Big Oil regime.

[cilla4progress]

16. Yes -

definitely!

[ffr]

2. The good news and bad news

The good news is that a liberal is projected to win the election as Prime Minister. The bad news, is that the same voters who put him there and a bunch of others didn't vote for liberals down the ticket, so Parliament will still have a bunch of ass hats working against him.

There's a lesson to be learned here for the 2016 American electorate. Figure it out people.

[Jim Lane]

12. I don't understand how that could happen.

Canada has a parliamentary system. Unlike the U.S., the voters don't vote separately for a chief executive. They vote only for their local Member of Parliament. Trudeau is being tipped as the next PM based on the projection that the Liberal Party will win the plurality of seats, and that he'll be able to form a coalition with the NDP to assemble a majority.

You're warning of a repetition of the U.S. situation, where a President who won a majority twice is nevertheless confronted by a hostile legislature. That simply can't happen in Canada.

[Wibly]

14. Not so

In order to become PM Trudeau would have to somehow have control of most of his Parliament, either by winning a majority or working out a deal with the NDP. Therefore, your assertion that he would have a bunch of contraries beneath him who could sway his actions is not correct.

[niyad]

3. did you see john oliver's segment on canada's election?

[saidsimplesimon]

4. A Trudeau win is good for US & Canada

Investment in infrastructure is something our Congress should be doing.

[Wibly]

13. Not necesarily

Historically, Liberal governments in Canada have been less than congenial with the US. For example, the Liberal government of PE Trudeau refused to accommodate requests to join the US in Viet Nam, and openly harboured US draft resistors. The latter Liberal government of Canada, under Jean Chretien, refused to join the US in Iraq and actually condemned the action.
On the flip side, it was a Conservative PM, Brian Mulroney (Lyin' Brian we call him) who bent over backwards to bring in a much desired free trade agreement the Americans were pushing, and was even known to buddy up with and sing songs with Ronald Reagan.
A Trudeau win would have little affect on US Canada relations, although it might well strain any sort of military cooperation.
However, the Liberals have changed to the Right of the political spectrum in recent years, so it would likely mean not much change between what the US is experiencing with Harper, although Mr. Obama would find Mr. Trudeau much more interesting and easier to relate to.

[DFW]

5. My dad knew Justin's father--funny story

Not quite on subject, but Canadians will appreciate this.

My dad was a Washington print journalist, Washington correspondent from a one-horse town in upstate New York. Since it was his job to report on anything affecting the St. Lawrence Seaway, he always knew the Canadian Ambassador, and knew who all the main players were in the Canadian government. He introduced us to Raymond and Kay Chrétien, who remain friends to this day.

In the winter of 1969, my dad took the family on a trip to somewhere in Mexico (I was in school in Spain, so I wasn't along). At the hotel my family was staying at, my dad noticed Pierre-Eliott Trudeau getting some sun by the pool. All by himself--the PM of Canada! My dad went up to him, introduced himself, told Trudeau he had recognized him, and promised not to ask Trudeau one single question. Totally relieved, Trudeau thanked him profusely.

A couple of years later, Nixon and Trudeau were inaugurating something or other at the St. Lawrence Seaway. My dad was there, and knew Nixon from the Moscow trip in 1959. Nixon knew this was his "beat," so he was showing my dad around, and when Trudeau appeared, Nixon wanted to play the important host. He puffed up and said to my dad, "Have you met the Prime Minister of Canada?" Trudeau recognized my dad right away from Mexico. They both laughed a little, and said, "well, as a matter of fact, yes." Totally deflated, Nixon said, "oh," and went off to be important to someone else.

[iandhr]

6. Hopefully Harper will be gone.

I am not that familiar with Canadian politics so I am asking for an opinion. Would Trudeau be where is if his name wasn't Trudeau?

[Wibly]

11. Yes

As leader of the Liberal Party, one of the country's largest, yes, he would be there.
Whether or not he would be the leader of the Liberal Party without his Father's name is another question.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

7. This could kill the Keystone pipeline....

I know someone from Canada who blames Keystone on Harper.

[Chakab]

8. Just voted for the Liberal candidate in my riding.

My first time voting in a Canadian federal election. I've been a citizen all my life, but I never actually lived here until a couple years ago.

[Tripper11]

9. I too voted Liberal for my riding as well

First time for me voting here after being away for over 20 years.

Bye bye Harper.

[u4ic]

17. The Liberal candidate in my riding withdrew

Her name is still on the ballot though. It's a battle between the NDP and Greens here.

[Wibly]

10. Poorly informed article

This article does not begin to cover what is really going on in the Canadian election.
The simple fact that national polls show Trudeau leading does not mean anything. Unlike America, our national polls do not necessarily reflect riding (constituency) break downs on which the electoral outcome is dependent.
The story also does not seem to recognize there are more players than just Trudeau and Harper, nor does it seem to recognize that Trudeau and Harper's parties are not much different. It seems to identify Trudeau as some sort of "left" candidate, when in fact he's a centrist. The "Left" belongs to a party named the New Democratic Party, led by Thomas Mulcair.
Many polls show Harper's Conservative, Trudeau's Liberal, and Mulcair's NDP in a three way dead lock, with double digit undecideds going into the election.
What's more, the article does not explain how the riding break downs could affect the outcome. Trudeau may well be more popular, but unless that support is focused in the right ridings, he could well lose. The current PM, the most unpopular in our history, was elected to a full Majority with less than 40 percent of the vote. Broken down to include all eligible voters, he actually earned less than 25% of the national vote, and was not at all favoured to win the last election.
There is also a Green Party, which oddly is also a centrist Liberal-like party, and a Quebec Separatists party, along with several minor parties, including a Communist Party, a Marxist Leninist Party and a Rhino Party, whose numbers influence the eventual outcome.
My suggestion would be the DU dig a little deeper and maybe find a Canadian Newspaper to quote instead of the American Bloomberg vehicle.