Yeah screw you too. =(

I hope the Conservatives can clean up their act, and stop being a bunch of twats maybe even run a balanced budget, failing that I hope in four years they bomb horribly.

Mind you WOOOO!! NDP, 103 seats.

Best thing to happen to politics in 36 years :)

The conservatives promise a surplus by 2013, just in time for health care :)

Sure if they can live up to their promise, that will be cool. But I'll believe a balanced budget from them when I see one.

Worry not, you won't.

Successful. majority will be...

Conservative politics have historically had a hard time balancing the budget (here or south of the border). I'm not convinced they'll be able to do it now.

Toronto is beginning to worry me - Harper, Ford, McGuinty will fall soon...

Well in Canada our Conservative party is about the same degree to the right as your Democrat party.

"Well in Canada our Conservative party is about the same degree to the right as your Democrat party."

Were the Democrats pro-apartheid? I don't recall. Harper sure was.

http://pushedleft.blogspot.com/2009/09/stephen-harper-northern-foundation-and_19.html

It's "Democratic Party". "Democrat Party" makes you sound like an asshole.

So, help out the clueless American... what's the major differences between the NDP and the Liberals? Is it a left vs. further left thing, or are there actual philosophical, economic or demographic differences between the two?

The Liberals are a self-described centrist party (radical center, they call it), the NDP is a social democratic one. NDP is also much more pro-Quebec self-determination. The NDP is like the Old Labour party in the UK. The Liberals are like the Tony Blair version. The Bloc is more similar to the NDP than the Liberals are, from what I've heard at the debates.

Again, this is coming from an American. But I try to follow Canadian politics since I grew up close to the border.

Putin, that sounds about right. The thing with the Liberals is they tended to be left leaning on the highly visible social issues, ie. reproductive freedom, gay rights, immigration, and they payed lip service to environmental issues without actually doing anything etc. But centre-right economically. The NDP and the Bloc Quebecois are both left of centre social democratic parties, the difference is just where they stand in terms of the Quebec issue.

And it used to be true, in like, the 80s that the Conservative party (or Progressive Conservative party as it was called at the time) was about on a par with the democratic party, but Harper has pulled the party right, and in a lot of ways he really is about on a par with mainstream republicans.

The thing is a lot of good did come from this election. I'm thrilled about the NDP surge. As someone opposed to Quebec separatism, I'm glad to see the Bloc nearly wiped off the map, I'm glad to see Elizabeth May in parliament (I'm hoping Jack Layton will appoint her environment critic, even though she's not from his party), and I think that slap in the face for the Liberal party was well deserved and a long time coming. But this majority is upsetting. Very upsetting. And seeing this thread posted, and reading the comments only confirms my fears. There is no condemnation so damning as an endorsement from Fasces.

No, I am certain that the position of the Harper Conservatives are left of the positions that the Democrats as a whole actually vote on. (Remember for 2 years they had a majority in both houses)

Health care - The Canadian Conservatives fully support a government run and taxpayer funded health care system. There may be some disagreements on strategy, but this is far more then the Obama democrats were able to get through with there inadequate (in my opinion as a Canadian conservative) plan.

Military spending - Although the Canadian conservatives support the military to a greater extent then the other parties, this is still no where near the level of Spending that Obama proposed in his budget. (Why build another aircraft carrier?) We are debating about a single fleet of fighter jets.

Global Warming - Neither the Obama Democrats nor the Canadian Conservatives have done anything to reduce Carbon di-oxide output, with the conservatives saying that they will follow the Americans lead (which is not going anywhere)

Abortion - Canadian conservatives say they will not do anything with our abortion on demand laws. No mainstream political party in Canada fights as an election platform restrictions on Abortion (I would wish that they did).

Anything else? Perhaps they are about the same, but it is not that Canada has a far right party. (Despite what the Liberals and NDP say)

Hmm, I guess you have a point joey, but I think in some ways there's still a commitment to further right ideals in Canadian the Conservative party than a lot of small c conservatives realize, and a lot of big C Conservatives like to admit. The prison plan is definitely worrying, strictly speaking Harper supports a mixed, private and public healthcare system and he has frequently come down against programs for women. It's more an issue by issue basis than just drawing everything with broad strokes.

Well among my circle of Friends (a non-representative sample I know), The conservatives have the most family friendly proposal with income splitting. This may allow more women to make the CHOICE to stay home to care for there children.

In Harpers support for a mixed Public and Private health care system, he has always said that it would be paid for by the public. It is funny that the left is so fond of planned parenthood, a private organization that provides medical services and disallows other private healthcare organizations.

Even harpers prison proposals are still to the left of the US. just look at the sate of prisons in the state of California (which tends to support the Democrats nationally)

How do you think we should punish people who break the law? Or should we not have any laws? If someone is sentenced to 2 years they should serve 2 years. Even our 'life' sentence is under normal circumstances limited to 25 years.

Clearly there are different starting points. Canada is a center-left country. Harper, or at least members of his party like Marty Burke, have spoken openly about privatizing healthcare. Democrats want greater public control over healthcare, many openly advocate for a single-payer "Medicare for all" plan. At the very least, the House caucus wanted a public option.

Yes, such a plan is not as significant as Canada's public healthcare system, but one has to consider what the political conditions of America are as opposed to Canada. The fact is, the Cons want Canada to look more like America, the Dems want America to look more like Canada.

I will agree with that.