The 2025 Canadian election is over resulting in a Liberal minority Parliament under the leadership of Mark Carney. The focus of many voters was how to best defend ourselves against Donald Trump, the American president. So much so, that strategic voting reared its ugly head.
Of course there are many issues that ordinarily decide which direction Canadians want to steer the nation. The economy, particularly at the household consumer level is critical. Other issues include the environment, immigration, Quebec sovereignty, energy and foreign affairs. But this time the American president insulted Canada saying we should become the 51st state and that we (and virtually all other nations) had ripped off America. On the eve of the election he made further comments inappropriate at the time perhaps amounting to election interference. His statements and attitudes became a decisive factor for many voters.
For me I had respect for three prime minister candidates. I had met Jagmeet Singh at a Fair Vote Canada booth here in Hamilton during Labour Day. Although not given enough credit for getting a dental plan running I appreciated it with a recent root canal. Elizabeth May represents my highest priority, fighting climate change. Mark Carney with his international banking experience strikes me as truly our best prospect to deal with Trump. The Bloc Quebecois candidate, Yves-Francois Blanchet did impress with his manner at the debate, but his focus is on protecting Quebec's francophone interest which I can respect, but not my priority. Pierre Polievre was not respected with a least two marks against him: "Axe the tax" was offensive as was his support for the Freedom Convoy.
I also respected our incumbent Matthew Green and assumed he would win my riding. I had met him as a poll clerk in a previous election. My assumption turned out to be wrong.
Strategic voting was more prominent than ever. Enough voters agreed with my assessment about Mark Carney and the importance of the Trump confrontation. The Bloc, the NDP and Green all lost seats to the Liberals. At the same time the issue encouraged the biggest turnout of voters since 2015. Two leaders lost their seats with probably the Trump dilemma being a primary factor.
Those who follow me on Facebook or my blogs know I detest Donald Trump and love proportional representation. My highest voting priority is actually climate change which apparently was not a critical factor for the outcome. The Conservatives were most against any action and most boosting the oil industry.
To me it is obvious climate change requires immediate attention and in fact the parties with at least some concern received the majority votes. Despite that, it was not a factor. The Liberals were concerned their carbon tax was a negative factor and dropped it for consumers. The Conservatives funded by fossil fuel interests felt climate change was not worth discussing. The Green party was cut out of the national debates due to the rules. It is past time when those who want environmental policies get more power.
Minority government will force some co-operation among the parties. I think the threat of Trump will bring the NDP, Green and even the Bloc and Conservatives together on some votes. But proportional representation could have been as effective while respecting the true priorities of Canadians.
During the election the one issue brought us closest to the U. S. system of two parties competing for power that comes with insults and bickering that has gotten worse. The U.S. has as many issues as any country, but voters have less real choice.
Trump is a bully claiming the world has taken unfair advantage of Americans and he going to reverse the injustice. In reality the U.S. has done more than its share of exploiting other nations. American jobs were taken away by wealthy manufacturers to shift expenses to cheap labour countries and automation. On the other hand poor immigrants have been exploited despite contributing a lot to the American economy and culture.
The use of Fentanyl is a poor excuse to hold against Canada and Mexico. Americans have developed a desire for all sorts of illegal drugs to be smuggled in. Mexico and Canada both are concerned about the smuggling of American guns to our countries that have been scooped up by criminal elements.
Another concern that is increasingly of concern is Western alienation, principally Alberta. The tar sands are a major economic driver that politicians ignore at their peril. Proportional representation offers everyone a more realistic choice who and how they want to be governed. There are westerners concerned about the environment and other national issues.
Matching popular voting with actual seats won, it worked reasonably for the Liberal (with 49.27% of the seats on 43.7% of votes), Conservatives (with 41.9% of seats and 41.3% of votes ) the Bloc Quebecois (with 6.4%@ of seats and 6.3% of votes). Not so great for the NDP (2.04% of the seats and 6.3% of votes) or the Green (with .0029% of the seats and 1.3% of votes). Both the NDP and Green parties lack official status.
For me, a new observation regards the two unsuccessful leaders, Jagmeet Singh and Pierre Polievre. Under a proportional representation system they could easily have been given a seat to better represent their views.
The Trump confrontation certainly helped bring out more voters, but there are other pressing issues. A lot of voters concluded their vote would be wasted, but in what is perceived as with an existential crisis they will adjust with strategic voting. Canadians deserve real choices. Ultimately proportional representation offers a much better choice than First Past the Post. Other nations, somehow overcome the opposition of politicians who don't want to tinker with the system that got them into power.
Yes, I am preaching a bit. Proportional representation not only offers real choices, but politicians have to learn to co-operate. You may think it a coincidence but when the United Nations brings out its World Happiness Report it nations with proportional representation that hog the top spots.
Don't be shy. If you agree, or don't or have questions feel free to let me know.
