Earth Equity News

Conservatives Gain in Canadian Elections, But Still Shy of Outright Majority. By Ian Austen, IntHerarldTrib, October 15, 2008. "Prime Minister Stephen Harper's gamble that forcing the country into its third election in four years would give him firm control over Parliament failed. While his Conservative Party improved its results over the last election, it still fell short of a majority in the House of Commons, according to unofficial tallies. The Conservatives picked up 17 additional seats, giving them a total of 143. But that was still 12 shy of the majority Harper needed to pass legislation without the help of opposition parties... A clear loser in the election was the opposition Liberal Party, whose membership in Parliament dropped to 76 seats from 103. Though he conceded defeat, the Liberals' leader, Stephane Dion, gave no indication that he would step down... Dion, a former academic... has vigorously opposed Quebec separatism, which made him unpopular in many parts of his home province. His often peculiar English sometimes made him difficult to understand. The Liberals' biggest problem was the key element of their platform. Dion proposed controlling greenhouse gas emissions by introducing a carbon tax on all fossil fuels except gasoline. Under Dion's plan, the revenue would be used to reduce income taxes. The Conservatives relentlessly attacked the plan as a tax grab. Adding to Dion's woes was the resurgence of two other left-of-center parties. The New Democratic Party, supported by organized labor and led by Jack Layton, won 37 seats, up from 29. And the Green Party had an unusually high profile during the campaign, winning 6.8 percent of the vote but no seats."