Conservatives must find middle ground between West, urban ridings in East: political scientist
CBC
The Conservatives again dominated federal election ridings in Saskatchewan and Alberta, but it wasn't enough to form government.
Justin Leifso, an assistant professor in political studies at the University of Victoria, says rumblings of western alienation will continue because of the result.
Leifso said westerners must face the fact that if Conservatives are to form government, they must also appeal to urban voters in Ontario and Quebec.
"Are [voters in Saskatchewan and Alberta] going to keep parking our political interests with a party that is so focused on grievance?" Leifso, who grew up in Moose Jaw, Sask., asked Tuesday on CBC Saskatchewan's The Morning Edition.
"Or are we OK with a party trying to broaden its scope in terms of getting enough seats to form government?"
Liberal candidate Buckley Belanger is projected to win Desnethé-Missinippi-Churchill River, the lone Liberal from Saskatchewan heading to Ottawa.
Conservatives won Saskatchewan's 13 other ridings without much competition. The NDP ran third in every riding.
Leifso said those results were not surprising.
Belanger's projected win in the north riding of Desnethé-Missinippi-Churchill River had more to do with boundary changes than anything else, he said.
"We didn't see the same sort of red wave that the polls, maybe like about three weeks ago, nationally were showing."
The NDP fell to third place in popular vote in the province for the first time in years. Leifso said that result had everything to do with U.S. President Donald Trump and the trade war.
"This was progressive centre-left voters who were frankly spooked by Donald Trump, his authoritarian tendencies and of course the tariffs, who voted strategically in their own minds, giving their vote to the Liberals," Leifso said. "I have no idea if that's going to remain.
"The question of the fortunes of the NDP in the mid- to long-future is completely up in the air because of that."
Doug Richardson, a Saskatoon lawyer and former chief of staff for Liberal prime minister John Turner, said having the Liberals' Belanger elected in northern Saskatchewan will be a welcome voice in Parliament.
Black History Month starts Feb. 1, a time used to honour the contributions, heritage and legacy of Black people in Canada.
A blast of Arctic air is pushing the temperatures even further down across southwestern Ontario on Friday — including in Windsor-Essex, Chatham-Kent and Sarnia-Lambton.
Daniel Cruz was browsing displays of trading cards in Calgary’s ShoeBox Games & Cafe last October when he saw two people walk in, both dressed in black and sporting skull face paint — not an unusual sight on Halloween.
More Albertans are waiting longer than clinically recommended for critical cardiac and cancer surgeries, sparking concern among health experts and calls for urgent action.
There have been four collisions involving transport trucks in northwestern Ontario in three days, prompting renewed calls for action to address ongoing safety concerns along Highway 11-17.
Ontario’s Progressive Conservatives will huddle behind closed doors at a policy convention this weekend as some Tories question the party’s direction after nearly eight years in power.
The father of a three-year-old girl that was killed after being struck by a vehicle in Cambridge in mid-December says recent charges laid to the driver bring little comfort and relief.
The start of kindergarten can be a time of excitement or anxiety for parents, guardians and children — and also for Prince Edward Island's education officials as they try to staff schools appropriately.
Nunavut Nukkiksautiit Corporation (NNC)’s proposed hydro project is facing some backlash in Pangnirtung.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre will take to the stage Friday for what could be one of the most important speeches of his political career as he tries to convince delegates at the party's Calgary convention to keep him in the job.
As his flight departed from Amsterdam's Schiphol airport en route to Kuwait via Istanbul, Canadian crypto fugitive Andean Medjedovic was unaware that his globe-trotting lifestyle would soon be halted.
One of the largest taxi companies in Toronto will be down to three wheelchair-accessible cabs by the end of March, as advocates and providers say the city is failing to support accessible taxi drivers.
As a deep freeze continues to envelop southwestern Ontario at the same time municipalities deal with a pressing shortage of road salt, there's a renewed focus on finding different ways to melt road ice.