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Canadians voted for a sweeping change in government Monday, giving Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau a majority to end the nearly 10-year rule of Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
Election returns showed Trudeau's Liberals winning a majority of the 338 seats in Parliament. With 85% of polls reporting, the Liberals either won or were leading in 185 seats. The party needed to win 170 seats for a majority government.
Trudeau, 43, the oldest son of the late prime minister Pierre, will become the second youngest prime minister in Canadian history.
The story is being carried by USA Today and just about every major news outlet. There were some economic takes on the election as well.
takyon: Results at CBC and BBC. DeSmog Canada has an analysis focusing on potential shifts in environmental and science policies:
The Liberal party has taken a strong stance on the war on science in Canada, promising to free scientists to speak publicly about their work. Trudeau has also promised to instate a Parliamentary Science Officer to ensure transparency, expertise and independence of federal scientists. This position will mirror that of the Parliamentary Budget Officer.
In addition to unmuzzling scientists, the party also wants to work collaboratively with the provinces, First Nations and other stakeholders when it comes to ocean management. This is significant in light of the Conservative government's de-funding of numerous marine science programs, including the only research being conducted into the effects of industrial pollutants on marine mammals. The Liberal party has promised to reinstate $40 million of funding for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by VanderDecken on Tuesday October 20 2015, @02:48PM
National stats: 68% of those eligible to do so cast their vote.
The two most common elements in the universe are hydrogen and stupidity.
(Score: 5, Funny) by SanityCheck on Tuesday October 20 2015, @08:12PM
That's nothing, in the US people are often so compelled to vote that they have been known to leave their graves to cast ballots in certain states. Now that's turn out!
(Score: 3, Informative) by compro01 on Tuesday October 20 2015, @11:33PM
That's preliminary, not counting the people who registered on election day.
I worked as a poll clerk yesterday and just over 10% of our voters were same-day registrations. If this is at all representative of the nation as a whole, expect that number to rise a fair bit.