In what’s been the most radical political shift in about a century, Canadians yesterday voted the Conservative Party into a 100-seat majority – meaning first time in history, the New Democratic Party will form the Official Opposition.  Prime Minister Harper’s minority government was forced into an election after a no-confidence vote in parliament.

Says Cory Doctorow over at BoingBoing:

‘Stephen Harper has presided over a string of short-lived Parliaments that dissolved in various forms of acrimony, generally resulting from his attempts to pass extremist no-compromise legislation without a majority government. Now that Harper has his long-sought majority, it’s bound to mean some pretty seismic changes for Canada.’

Reluctant though I am to be an agent of the liberal media, this is worrying – beyond the fact that same-sex marriage and abortion rights enjoyed over the last five years are now being called into question, the Conservatives are focused on economic reform in favour of big business, providing tax breaks for corporations and manufacturers, and tax credits as incentive for small businesses to hire new workers.

Hence ‘Conservative’, I guess.

[Source: Globe and Mail]