Is socialism on the rise in the Americas? Paralleling Bernie Sanders rise in the polls, Canadian leftists have dramatically altered their country’s political landscape by sending Justin Trudeau — the son of the country’s former socialist Prime Minister — to their highest office and ending nearly a decade of conservative leadership under Stephen Harper.
The victory in Monday’s election by Trudeau’s Liberal Party was stunning. The Liberals were on a path to win at least 184 seats out of 338 – a parliamentary majority that will allow Trudeau to govern as prime minister without relying on other parties. The Liberals received 39.5 percent of the overall vote compared to 32 percent for the Conservatives and 19.6 for the New Democrats.
Harper, one of the longest-serving Western leaders, will step down as Conservative leader, the party announced as the scope of the party’s loss became apparent.
Trudeau is the son of the late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, a former socialist leader who swept to office in 1968 on a wave of support dubbed “Trudeaumania.”
Trudeau channels the star power — if not quite the political heft — of his father. Tall and trim, he is a former school teacher and member of Parliament since 2008. At 43, he becomes the second youngest prime minister in Canadian history and has been likened to Obama.
Trudeau promises to raise taxes and run deficits for three years to boost government spending.
Canada shifted to the center-right under Harper, who lowered sales and corporate taxes, avoided climate change legislation, and strongly supported the oil and gas extraction industry.
Harper said he had called Trudeau to congratulate him.
Trudeau’s opponents pilloried him as too inexperienced, but Trudeau embraced his boyish image on Election Day. Sporting jeans and a varsity letter jacket, he posed for a photo standing on the thighs of two his colleagues to make a cheerleading pyramid, his campaign plane in the backdrop with “Trudeau 2015” painted in large red letters.
“A sea of change here. We are used to high tides in Atlantic Canada. This is not what we hoped for,” said Peter MacKay, a former senior Conservative cabinet minister, shortly after polls closed in Atlantic Canada.
Harper, 56, visited districts he won in the 2011 election in an attempt to hang onto them.
Former colleagues of Harper said he would be personally devastated to lose to a Trudeau, the liberal legacy he entered politics to destroy. Harper’s long-term goal was to kill the widely entrenched notion that the Liberals — the party of Pierre Trudeau and Jean Chretien — are the natural party of government in Canada, and to redefine what it means to be Canadian.
The Associated Press contributed to this article
Must have used the same soros voting machine, the same one oboma used two terms. How else would a kenyan born muslim win an election in America’s highest office.
No voting machines here. All paper ballots.
Damn. Where can I retire to now?
From today on , Canada , unfortunately will experience the new road to socialism/communism . If Canadians were bitching before , just wait for the crying to be bigger and bigger . Time of logic and common senses are gone for good with this wave of idiots running something important
Harper failed to reject placing the anti- abortion issue on his platform.Also refusing to boot out Obama’s election team operating in Canada being lead by George Soro’s money! Allowing wickedness is inviting God’s curses, for men always reaps what is sowed! Except we repent we WILL PERISH!
Once again we see that a charismatic person can successfully sell really bad ideas. Hopefully socialism will stay on the Canadian side of the border.
Sorry, the headline is wrong. Canada has long been very progressive/socialist. Harper was an aberration, and had stated that he wanted to change Canada’s identity from that of a liberal country! He was mean-spirited and catered to the wealthy. Most Conservatives in Canada are to the left of US Liberals!!! I was dismayed at Harper’s aims, and dismayed that he lasted so long. I had read that Conservatives in the US helped him in his elections, and that would explain how he seemed so unsuited to what I know of most Canadians. He pandered to the more Conservative types in Western Canada, and ultimately alienated the rest of Canada and they let him know that they were fed up.
Now Canada is simply getting BACK to how it has basically been, the Canada that I grew up in. The politics of hate and meanness were trounced. Even MORE democratic socialism is ultimately needed for our futures, since automation/technolgy are poised to make ‘work’ as we know it almost as obsolete as the horse and carriage.