Center-Left Canadians Vote Strategically, Smash Conservative Party to Pieces.

Last edited Tue Oct 20, 2015, 02:16 AM - Edit history (1)

Presently, Canada has one conservative party (the Conservative Party), a center-left party (the Liberal Party), and a left party (the NDP). For years, the majority center/center-left voters (about 60% of the voting population) have split the center/center-left vote and allowed the Conservatives to win a majority of seats with a minority of votes. (Basically, the same way FOX NEWS remains the 'number one' viewed cable channel as a result of CNN, NPR, MSNBC, and PBS splitting the center-left viewing audience.)

Not any more. The "ABC Coalition" (Anybody But Conservative) decided to vote strategically, and vote for whichever party in their riding was most likely to beat the Conservative candidate (based on either past performance, or current opinion polls).

The Results: (seats)
LIBERAL: 190
CONSERVATIVE: 102
NDP: 35
BQ (Quebec Separatist party): 10
Green Party: 1

The back story: During the past two years the Conservatives had gotten desperate, and pulled every right-wing trick and wedge issue in the book, all straight out of Karl Rove's playbook.

Those tricks included:

Fear:Blathering about how only Conservatives can keep Canadians safe from terrorists.

Xenophobia: Stirring up hatred against Muslims by talking about laws to ban public employees from wearing Muslim head-dresses, and forbidding Muslim women from covering their faces during citizenship ceremonies.

Pandering for votes with tax cuts: Lower tax rates for upper middle-class Canadians.

Voter Suppression: Making it more difficult for students to vote in ridings where they are going to university etc.

IT BACKFIRED! Nice try.

Liberals now go on to form a Majority Government under Justin Trudeau, son of Pierre Trudeau.

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BELOW: Liberal M.P. Justin Trudeau vs. Conservative Senator Patrick Brazeau do celebrity boxing for charity a few years ago.