They will have to put their party back together before they can call an election. Watch for a bunch of folks trying to gain the leadership...

Posted by: Awake Canadian at January 22, 2006 10:35 PM

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Not to mention they are broke. They could never aford another election within a year or two.

Posted by: Tim at January 22, 2006 10:41 PM

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Not to mention the fact that the Liberal party is deeply in debt and it would take a while to raise enough cash to run another campaign.

Wouldn't it be nice to get a nice, fat majority win for the Conservatives so we wouldn't have to look at the libs ugly faces for a while? Because I almost think we would be looking at a Liberal Majority next time around, if it's a quick election in say two years, with a slick shiny new leader for the libs. Then all of this will have meant nothing but the same old same old.

Posted by: Soccermom at January 22, 2006 10:41 PM

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They can certainly bargain their way into the money for another election. What is even more likely is that if it's close, the Dippers and the Libs can form a coalition government and inform the Liberal appointed GG that Martin will continue on as PM.

Just about makes me gag to think of it.

Posted by: Pat at January 22, 2006 10:46 PM

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With the Liebrals reportedly $50,000,000.00 in debt. They no way in Hell want to campaign in another election.
MArtan will leave for China and they will have to find another leader who will have the right stuff to bring the party back to national attention.
My bet.....if we have a minority..non of the other parties will be eager to topple the CPC.
But I'm also betting that we will have a majority after the final ballots are counted. :)

Posted by: GL1800 at January 22, 2006 10:48 PM

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The Liberals remind me of the Black Knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Posted by: Linda at January 22, 2006 10:51 PM

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I don't think an immediate election is likely.

In the case of a Conservative minority, the Canadian people would be outraged if the Fiberals manufactured another election immediately. Even if Martin manages to hold onto his position, which seems unlikely given the number of blades being whetted for his back, the Fiberals will want a bit of time to lick their wounds, find fresh sources of money to refill their empty coffers and begin plotting anew.

Posted by: Mac at January 22, 2006 10:54 PM

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Does anyone know how far in debt the liberals are? I thought I heard on talk radio (might have been Adler) that after this election it should be about 40 Million! It's going to take a long time to recover from that.

I'm also wondering about all the cash that the liberals stashed out of reach of the Aditor General in some foundations or something. Maybe it can be recovered and used properly. I think it's time for a small army of forensic accoutants. There's so much to be UNDONE! This country has never needed a majority Conservative government more than it does tomorrow.

Bill in Calgary

Posted by: Bill at January 22, 2006 10:59 PM

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Amen to that Bill

Posted by: Pat at January 22, 2006 11:08 PM

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Amen to Bill as well! I also don't think the Liberals will have the funds or desire to run another campaign in the near future. That being said, I'm also fearful of the impact of the Lib-left MSM on a minority Conservative gov't. I feel we're gonna get a very short leash on just about everything. Can't you see the CBC/Globe/Star the first issue where we and the Bloc vote together to pass a bill? *shudder*

Call me a pessimist, but i'm also fearful the next election with the shiny new Lib leader will be a win for them from the previously mentioned biased coverage and protest vote returning to the liberal fold.

The silver lining could be be the 2-5 years of Conservative gov't and some serious inspection of the books. I figure there might be some good skeletons and I for one want to see where some of all that money went ($48B EI fund for example). No way Adscam gets investigated without this win, and possibly the special prosecution office will turn up new stuff that will tarnish the Liberal brand for a decade.

Get out the vote tomorrow everyone. Its a whole new day.

Posted by: Daryl Hawken at January 22, 2006 11:19 PM

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One factor the Liberals seem to be forgetting is the Bloc Quebecois.

Now, I cannot see any of the other federal parties ever forming an alliance with the Bloc. However, if the Conservatives have a minority governement, and the Bloc have a sizeable number of seats, the other parties would need to convince the Bloc to participate in any non-confidence vote, which the Bloc would not do unless it was in their own interests.

In the case of the Liberals, it was in the Bloc's interest, given all the anger in Quebec over AdScam. However, the Bloc would be less inclined to participate in a non-confidence vote against the Conservatives.

The obvious issue at the core of the Bloc's agenda (Quebec separatism) is not going to be espoused by any of the other federal parties: the Bloc knows that. But when you look beyond that core issue, other elements of the Bloc's platform are not that far from the Tories': cleaning up corruption, giving more power to the provinces, putting more accountability into the process of appointing judges, democratizing the senate, etc.

And so, while the Bloc knows it will never form an alliance with the Tories, they would be unlikely to go along with a non-confidence vote against the Tories unless they have a good reason to do so.

Posted by: Mad Canuck at January 22, 2006 11:22 PM

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WOW, elections are like gambles to politicians, aren't they?

Posted by: TO TORY at January 22, 2006 11:22 PM

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The sleazy 'Liberals' will make an inevitable come-back if the next parliament fails to institute electoral reform.

With half of potential voters voting to pick with 40 percent of this half-vote another 'majority' government, what has changed, re long term legitimacy of democratic governance in Canada?

The past several 'liberal' governments have been elected by 20% of potential electors under this flawed democracy called Canada.

Electoral reform is the only long-term change that can save Canada.

Posted by: brock at January 22, 2006 11:51 PM

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There are court cases coming up in Victoria regarding the B.C. legislature raids in April 2006. There are some federal connections to those plaintiffs.

I suspect the Judge will minimize those connections somewhat but when the media covers the events, there will certainly be mention made of the federal ties.

There will also be other Liberals under court review in Ottawa. Some will be in the courts due to Gomery*s commission.

It should be some good length of time before Liberals are clear of enough of the courts and have monies and fines paid off with enough in reserves to begin thinking of another election. TG

Posted by: TonyGuitar at January 23, 2006 12:01 AM

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Off topic, but ya gotta head over to Small Dead Animals... http://www.smalldeadanimals.com/

Paul Martin and Condola Rice telling secrets..

I'm still laughing over it. But remember Condola is doing it in "inches" while Martin is confused and showing "millimeters".

Posted by: tomax at January 23, 2006 12:04 AM

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According to the law liberals should be ban. should not?

Posted by: george at January 23, 2006 12:05 AM

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If the Libs are the Black Knight in (Monty Python's) Holy Grail, then the BQ are the French who threw the cow over the wall at King Arthur.

And the NDP are the Marxist peasants in the field.

("He's got to be a King." "How do you know?" "He hasn't got sh*% all over him")

Posted by: Salty at January 23, 2006 01:01 AM

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Rafe Mair on the Tyee got me thinking ahead, and he is right! Right for the next election, that is.

I read all these comments and am aware that they seem to reflect politics of the 80s.

This is a new ballgame. Not 1980.

There are some decent people in the Liberal Party, but without EFFECTIVE Whistle Blower Protection law [bill C-11], those decent people could not report the massive extent of Liberal theft and channeling of our public monies.

The primary goal of this election is to put in place the people who are going to install and enforce law like Whistle Blower protection and individual Ministry accounting and audits.

These laws will provide us with more efficient and honest governments for years to come, no matter who sits in the house.

If there are nagging nellies in the CPC who want to make a fuss about bill-c38, same sex, abortion and public morals, I hope Harper keeps them on the back burner until our machinery of government is properly repaired along with the armed forces.

We can not afford to squabble while China, India, Iran Venezuela and the Jihad get their agendas in order.

I support Raif*s choice. Later when repairs are made to our federal government, an ideal house of commons will consist mainly of the Conservatives and the Greens.

The Greens are big in Europe and rightly so. We are still stumbling along in 1985. TG

Posted by: TonyGuitar at January 23, 2006 01:05 AM

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Relax boys and girls there won't be another federal election for at least 3 years.

1. None of the parties (especially Liberals) can afford it.
2. Voter fatigue, no one wants to be responsible for causing another election too soon.
3. The Liberals will need time to rebuild.
4. The NDP will be busy trying to prove themselves to all their new supporters.
5. The Bloc will be afraid to lose more ground to the Tories.
6. The Tories will be too busy providing good governance.
7. The NDP and the Bloc will want to help the Tories expose and destroy the Liberals.

Let there be no doubt about it, the Liberals are in huge trouble. They have a lot more than credibilty and money woes. The list is way too long to get into. Start with the Gomery investigation and finish with possible voter fraud involving a sitting Deputy Prime Minister. You can add an awful of hidden crimes and misdemeanors in between.
I think the petty little attempt to smear Mr. Mulroney by Mr. Chretien will pale beside the slime that will stick to the Liberals.
Mr. Harper has proven himself to be a shrewd tactician. I believe he is capable of taking the Liberals apart and it may get ugly. The best part of it is he will be able to do it in good conscience. He came to power on an agenda of cleaning up corruption.
He may even have the Liberals support him as he beats up on them. Otherwise they will expose their hidden agendas, or something like that.

Maybe I am being much to optimistic! But I have watched Mr. Harper for quite a while and guys like him can be scary. They will slay you with honesty and integrity. This is something the Liberals are defenceless against.

Posted by: Proud K-W Conservative at January 23, 2006 01:22 AM

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The more I read about the Greens, the more curious I become. I initially dismissed them as a left-wing protest party, a political arm of Greenpeace or similar, determined to end all industry.

Once this election is over, I'll do some more checking on the Greens to see what they're about unless anyone has an inside scoop?

Posted by: Mac at January 23, 2006 02:49 AM

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I hope you savor today as much as we did our long awaited victory in November 2004. It is SUCH a good feeling.

Enjoy the wonderful feeling of voting in a democracy. And then, enjoy all day as the returns come in.

Posted by: American Daughter at January 23, 2006 04:19 AM

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A majority would be nice but a minority under the circumstances would work just as effectively. Know anybody that want another election right away? Know any Toronto Liberals that can't support tougher gun crime laws? Know any Bloc members or provincial premiers that do not want to talk about money and power to the provinces? Do we know any Liberal Party that will be able to afford a combination of leadership race, general election, and judicial review in the next few years? The term 'lame duck' comes to mind.

Suspension of long gun registration will be footnote item in the next budget, which will pass due to popularity of GST reductions and child care credits.

Based on the example of the old Liberal government, Kyoto will just be a motherhood statement. As for missile defense, the issue of Iran and body bags from Afghanistan will be the daily focus. (You think we are going to ignore an incoming on Vancouver just out of principle?)

So Prime Minister Harper may demonstate to Canadians that any opposition attempt to kill this minority parliament may just result in a majority the next time.

Posted by: john at January 23, 2006 10:40 AM

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Two bad news things today. The mad cow thing. I got a news alert from CKNW on that.

There is also the imbeded fear Harper thing. So many people accept that drip - drip message from the CBC and because Cheating Broadcast Slime is mainstream… they just believe it without checking around.

Kyla and Rob R are finding the same in comments at SDA. The main ace in the Librano camp is the *Fear Harper* card. Pathetic! TG

Posted by: TonyGuitar at January 23, 2006 12:05 PM

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"Relax boys and girls there won't be another federal election for at least 3 years."

I sure hope you are right but I wouldn't put it past the Libs whip together a new leader and make a run for the top job at the earliest opportunity.

Posted by: JackM at January 23, 2006 12:38 PM

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Repeat after me: audits, audits, audits.

The results from the deep forensic audits that are going to take place into the numerous Liberal boondoggles of the last several years are going to keep enough senior Liberals occupied just trying to stay out of JAIL that they won't pose any threat electorally for the next 2-3 years. The Earnscliffe contracts alone should provide another AdScam-like wave of disgust with the Liberals once they're exposed (remember, the AG specifically named those contracts as suspicious but they were excluded from Gomery's mandate) and may even get Martin himself.

This is the one area all three Liberal opponents can agree on, and the one that must have the Liberals absolutely terrified.

Posted by: Ian in NS at January 23, 2006 05:00 PM

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