Why and when did uncommitted voters lock in? Study shows Liberals benefitted most from strategic voting. Angus Reid survey canvassed Canadians who were uncommitted during campaign about decision-making process. The survey also offers a glimpse of just how volatile the campaign was. Nearly one-quarter of late deciding voters (23%) say although they were leaning towards one party, they changed their minds and cast a ballot for another in the end.

By R. Paul Dhillon

 

With News Files

VANCOUVER – Despite the blackface and SNC-Lavallin scandals, the Justin Trudeau Liberals held on to power through a sizable minority government where they don’t have to make a coalition government with the NDP or any other party and can work with parties across the board to pass various bills

 

The government isn’t expected to last the full four years but the Liberals retain power and can govern but with a less ambitious agenda but one that is directly catered to the voters for a future majority.

 

So how did they end up winning 157 seats without winning the popular vote, which was won by the losing Conservatives largely from their huge vote bank in Alberta.

 

 

According to the Angus Reid poll, in the hours of ballot counting, as political commentators filled airtime and candidates nervously chewed their nails, a narrative of how one of the closest elections in Canadian history came to be emerged: strategic voting.

 

Though the struggling Liberals may not have captured the most votes, nor secured enough seats in the House of Commons for a majority, new data confirms they were able to successfully persuade enough voters to help their cause, even begrudgingly, rather than support another party which may have helped to elect the Conservatives.

 

A post-election survey from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute re-canvassed voters who were still considering their options, even into the late innings of the campaign. Their responses reveal that among those who voted strategically, most chose the party of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

 

The study also offers a glimpse of just how volatile the campaign was. Nearly one-quarter of late deciding voters (23%) say although they were leaning towards one party, they changed their minds and cast a ballot for another in the end.

 

 

SINGH COULD HAVE BEEN KINGMAKER BUT NOT NOW!

 

 

History-making Sikh Canadian politician Jagmeet Singh, who many touted as be the “kingmaker” after the election, promised that his New Democratic Party would be “constructive” in the formation of the new minority government by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and would approach the issue with “open minds and an open heart”.

 

Singh, who won’t play the role of the Kingmaker despite a great election campaign which he single handily dominated, said his party is open to all possibilities: a formal deal to prop up the Liberals, a power-sharing coalition, or to simply pressure them on their policy wish list on a vote-to-vote basis, the Toronto Star newspaper reported

 

“This minority government gives us the chance to be able to fight for the things that we have laid out all along this campaign,” Singh told reporters in Burnaby, British Columbia.

 

Singh, the first non-white leader of a federal political party in Canada has congratulated Trudeau, 47, on his win and said he spoke to him earlier in the day.

 

Singh’s NDP has won 24 seats this time. Being able to hold leverage in the minority Parliament is a silver lining for Singh, who surpassed expectations in this campaign but still saw his party lose 13 seats.

 

 

“The New Democratic Party will be constructive, will respect the choices that Canadians have made, and we’ll approach building the new parliament with open minds and an open heart,” the 40-year-old criminal lawyer-turned politician, said.

 

“The results show a broken electoral system and it’s certainly clear we need to fix it. I’ve long called for and will continue to call for true electoral reform,” The Canadian Press quoted his as saying.

 

Singh said he plans to push for a proportional representation system, which would have given his party more seats based on its 16 per cent share of the popular vote.

 

 

More Key Poll Findings:

More than one-fifth (23%) of late deciding voters say they left their decision for the final day, while another 12 per cent say they settled on their candidate in the last couple of days

 

Green Party and NDP voters are most likely to say that their vote was primarily based on the policies that the party put forth during the campaign, and the idea that they felt those parties best represented them

 

Ultimately, half of late deciding voters (52%) said that they supported a candidate because they liked what they and their party offered, while half (48%) said that they simply disliked the alternatives more