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Federal Election Results

© David Newman

The Polls closed, the votes were counted and Jean Chrétien went into the history books as the first person elected to three consecutive majority governments. It was NOT too close to call. The opposition parties were hoping for a minority government but the Liberals got more seats than in the last election and stronger popular vote. The final standings were as follows: Liberal Party of Canada 173, Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance 66, Bloc Quebecois 37, New Democratic Party 13 and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada 12. All retained official party status.

The Atlantic's change of heart towards the Liberals has proved costly for the NDP and the PC party. Newfoundland saw Brian Tobin elected and saw the seats divided between the Liberals, with four, and the Tories with two. The NDP and PC loss came from Nova Scotia. The NDP managed to relected Alexa McDonough in Halfax and defeat Government leader of the Senate Bernie Boudreau in Dartmouth. The Liberals and Tories had four seats each; the NDP had three in the province. Like in the two previous elections, the Liberals swept Prince Edward Island. New Brunwick elected six Liberals, four Tories and one New Democrat.

One of the big stories occured in Quebec where the Bloc Québecois were reduced to 37 seats. Why? Some say its due to the PQ's forced amalgamation of cities (sound familiar Torontonians?). Anyway, both Quebec leaders were elected, Jean Chrétien for the eleventh time in his county of Saint Maurice and Gilles Duceppe in Laurier-Sainte Marie. The Liberals and Bloc Quebecois split Québec's 75 seats with 37 each, the remaining seat going to Tory Andre Bachand of Richmond-Arthabaska (which permitted the Tories of holding on to Official party status).

Ontario is a wall of red. It has been since 1993 and seems to be content with the Liberal party. The two seats that had gone against the Liberals in 1997 were defeated when Independant candidate John Nunziata was kicked out by Alan Tonks and Markham's John McCallum stole a seat away from the Alliance. Of course, the Liberals managed to lose a few seats: two to the Alliance, who were expecting a breakthrough, and one by the New Democrats. Scott Reid from Lanark-Carleton and Cheryl Gallant from Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke of the Alliance gained seats from the Liberals and New Democrat Joe Comartin won the Windsor-St. Clair riding. Cabinet ministers such as Allan Rock, David Collenette and Herb Gray were reelected.

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