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Half of Canadians Upset with Election Result
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Adults in Canada are divided in their assessment of this month’s federal election, according to a poll by Angus Reid Strategies. 50 per cent of respondents are dissatisfied with the ballot’s outcome, while 45 per cent are satisfied.
Canadians renewed the House of Commons on Oct. 14. The Conservative party—led by Stephen Harper—received 37.6 per cent of the vote, and secured 143 seats in the 308-member lower house. Harper will assemble a minority administration. The Tories also earned a minority mandate after the 2006 election, ending more than 12 years of government by the Liberal party.
The Liberals have formed 23 of Canada’s 39 federal governments since 1867. In December 2006, former environment minister Stéphane Dion became the new leader of the Liberal party. In the 2008 election, the Liberals garnered 26.2 per cent of the vote—the party’s second worst total in history—and 76 seats.
Canada uses the first-past-the-post system—where candidates win seats by getting more votes than any other rival in a specific constituency—for its federal and provincial elections.
Earlier this month, Green party candidate John Fry called for electoral reform, saying, "We nearly tripled our percentage vote and doubled our vote numerically [in the Nanaimo-Alberni riding]. Next to electing an MP, we achieved everything we set out to do. We need to move toward proportional representation. If we had already done that, the Greens would have 22 or 23 MPs."
Polling Data
Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the outcome of the Canadian federal election?
|
Very satisfied |
9% |
|
Moderately satisfied |
36% |
|
Moderately dissatisfied |
22% |
|
Very dissatisfied |
28% |
|
Not sure |
5% |
Source: Angus Reid Strategies
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,003 Canadian adults, conducted on Oct. 16 and Oct. 17, 2008. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.
