This blog is maintained in conjunction with POL S 421 (Provincial Politics in Canada) at the University of Alberta. Comments and questions from students, guests, and the community are welcomed.
Does the inability of either opposition parties to unseat the scandal-ridden Liberals indicate that previous negative experiences with the far-Right Conservative government under Harris and the far-Left government of the NDP under Rae have in fact narrowed Ontario political culture to only exist within the dead centre of the ideological spectrum? It seems as though any divergence from the dead Centre is difficult for Ontarians to accept, given the fact that the Liberals have governed for so long.
Do you think the instability of the manufacturing sector - or the economy as a whole - pushes the electorate to move more to the left? Wynne certainly has presented herself as a more leftist party with a left-leaning budget (that Horwath clumsily brought down). Will we continue to see this kind of trend (ie - no dealing with the deficit, increased government spending) because it's a way to appease voters who are unsure about the economy?
Looking at an election results map, it looks like support for each party is broadly geographically located. The Liberals won cities while the PCs were able to take seats in suburban areas. Do you think the geographical distribution of seats is significant or an indicator of ideological differences? Is there anything other parties can do to diversify their support?
Do you think that the reluctance to elect a Conservative government in the 21st Century is indicative of a rejection of neoliberal economics by the Ontario voter, or is it based more on the dislike of the PC leaders themselves? Would the electorate buy into neoliberalism again if the leader was more palatable?
Does the inability of either opposition parties to unseat the scandal-ridden Liberals indicate that previous negative experiences with the far-Right Conservative government under Harris and the far-Left government of the NDP under Rae have in fact narrowed Ontario political culture to only exist within the dead centre of the ideological spectrum? It seems as though any divergence from the dead Centre is difficult for Ontarians to accept, given the fact that the Liberals have governed for so long.
ReplyDeleteDo you think the instability of the manufacturing sector - or the economy as a whole - pushes the electorate to move more to the left? Wynne certainly has presented herself as a more leftist party with a left-leaning budget (that Horwath clumsily brought down). Will we continue to see this kind of trend (ie - no dealing with the deficit, increased government spending) because it's a way to appease voters who are unsure about the economy?
ReplyDeleteLooking at an election results map, it looks like support for each party is broadly geographically located. The Liberals won cities while the PCs were able to take seats in suburban areas. Do you think the geographical distribution of seats is significant or an indicator of ideological differences? Is there anything other parties can do to diversify their support?
ReplyDeleteDo you think that the reluctance to elect a Conservative government in the 21st Century is indicative of a rejection of neoliberal economics by the Ontario voter, or is it based more on the dislike of the PC leaders themselves? Would the electorate buy into neoliberalism again if the leader was more palatable?
ReplyDelete