The Liberal Party has again managed a win, albeit once more with a minority government to manage and a slimmer bulge in terms of seats.
Not surprisingly either, the political map remains rather familiar.
The Bloc Quebecois still hold a significant number of seats in Quebec as a party with a strictly regional focus although sitting in a Canadian Parliament.
Saskatchewan and Alberta and chunks of Manitoba and British Columbia are again strongly Conservative, leaving a huge swath of central Canada with barely a voice at the table of power once again, with one Liberal elected in Calgary.
The New Democrats keep a voice and it again will be one the Liberals will need to pay attention to in a minority government.
The Green Party faltered too, but landed a pair of seats to at least have a voice in Parliament, better than either of the upstart People’s Party of Canada, or Maverick Party managed Monday.
So the landscape hasn’t changed greatly.
In the end the Conservatives polled more votes, in large part because they so dominate to Prairies, but popular vote doesn’t mean a lot, only the number of seats won.
And in Canada most seats are won without a clear majority. It is the flaw and perhaps the strength of a multi-party system.
Two parties might give you majority wins, but it tends to also polarize politics more severely to the left and right. In Canada there remains a range of parties with their own pros and cons, as was seen locally with six names on the ballot.
So what lies ahead?
An angrier Prairie region to be sure where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been vilified almost since day one, and his return to the Prime Minister’s chair will not sit well, especially given the Conservative swell of support here.
It may mean changes in leadership lie ahead at the federal level.
Headed into this election many saw the Trudeau-led Liberals as ripe for the picking with a leader dragging an ever growing pile of baggage but Conservative Erin O’Toole couldn’t get it done. That won’t be popular in the party’s backrooms.
Jagmeet Singh hasn’t managed a breakthrough for the NDP in his time either, and a change may be seen as necessary.
Trudeau may well not be around when the next election is called either. He has to know he slipped through this one to the surprise of many, and he can walk away having given his fair share of time to his country – whether you like him or not.
As for the policies of government, the course of the Liberals won the day Monday, and it’s unlikely to change greatly in the months ahead, which may not be popular here, but as a democracy the vote went the Liberals way.
