Federal election changes little on political landscape

BY JAY STRUTH

The Liberals, looking for a majority in the House of Commons, picked up just two seats in Monday’s federal election as the results stood at press time. 

The Conservatives are down two seats, the Bloc Québécois gained one seat, the NDP picked up one, while the Greens lost a seat, and the People’s Party stayed at zero.

So it’s another Liberal minority government for Canada, with the Liberals leading or elected in 159 ridings, and Justin Trudeau back at the helm as prime minister. 

The Conservatives now have 119 seats, the Bloc Québécois have 33, the NDP have 24, and the Greens have two seats.

Both Green Party Leader Annamie Paul and People’s Party Leader Maxime Bernier lost in their own ridings, while every incumbent MP in Manitoba kept their seats.

Brandon-Souris MP Larry Maguire was re-elected, garnering nearly 60 per cent of the popular vote. 

Maguire, Killarney’s representative in Ottawa, picked up 22,733 votes for the Conservatives, Whitney Hodgins of the NDP had 7,840 votes, Liberal Linda Branconnier had 4,608 votes, while Tylor Baer of the PPC picked up 2,981 votes. 

Voter turnout for Brandon-Souris was just over 61 per cent, and while Larry Maguire was happy with his win in the riding, he was obviously disappointed in the federal results. 

Maguire feels that one of the positive outcomes for the Conservatives, which came out of the election being called, is the fact that people now know who their leader Erin O’Toole is. 

He was elected to leadership of the Conservative Party just a year ago, and O’Toole has had limited opportunities to appear in public thanks to COVID, and less chance to build a national profile. 

Maguire, who was an early supporter of O’Toole in his bid to succeed Andrew Scheer, says he continues to stand behind him after Monday’s results, and believes the election has now given Canadians a better sense of the man.

What many Canadians still can’t make sense of is why there was an election called in the first place.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that Parliament had become dysfunctional back in June. Well, not much has changed after Monday’s $600-million-dollar election, so let’s hope the dysfunction becomes more functional, and for a few years this time. 

Otherwise this was all just a waste of time and taxpayer dollars.

VICTORY WAVE – Brandon-Souris MP Larry Maguire addresses supporters at his campaign headquarters in Brandon on Monday evening after winning his riding in the federal election.

TIM SMITH/BRANDON SUN PHOTO