Canada’s election, largely ignored here. The re-elected PM Stephen Harper, will now have his first ruling majority. He got here by breaking the Liberal brand and legitimizing the separatist movement in Quebec.
For the US, this has two messages.
1. Harper is not a Republican. By Republican standards, Harper is somewhere to the left of President Obama. Realistically, Harper and Obama belong to one species .. the North American Rationalists. No Canadian leader could get elected on a ticket of far right religiosity, super patriotism, and radical capitalism.
2. The opposition New Democrats are Democrats. As a citizen of WAstate, I have long known the NDP as the British Columbia version of our Democratic Party .. a moderate left, pro environment, internationalist, small l liberal party. Now the NDP has replaced the Liberals as Canada’s oppositioj.
So now our norther neighbor has a two party government composed of TWO DEMOCRATIC PARTIESS.