When I first started blogging over ten years ago, I wasn’t sure a night like tonight would ever come to pass. But, ladies and gentlemen, I present your first TWO Calgary Liberal MPs in over 40 years:
And a very honourable mention to Matt Grant in Calgary Confederation, who ran one of the best campaigns in the country, but fell oh so short.
5 responses to “The West is in”
It’s really good to see Calgary Centre going Liberal. I’ll be holding onto my Kent Hehr lawn sign. 47 years is longer than I’ve been alive, and now Calgary finally has not one but two Liberal seats. Congratulations to Darshan Kang and Calgary Skyview as well.
The Liberal wins in Calgary and Edmonton were nice. But I’m still sad that Janis Irwin didn’t win in Edmonton-Griesbach, one of several red tide casualties where strategic voting kind of backfired for the NDP and resulted in a Conservative win.
Now we’ll have deal with Kerry Dioette for the next 4 years. I guess we have a potential successor for Rob Anders….
So I think most Alberta Liberals know the last time Calgary elected a Liberal MP was Pat Mahoney in 1968.
But, prior to the 2015 election, when was the last time Calgary elected 2 Liberal MP’s?
Justin’s greatness will only be confirmed if he can convince his large majority, elected with a slightly swollen version of the traditional 1/3 of the votes of the 1/2 the voters who made it to the polls, to actually move to ‘inclusive voting’.
Liberals pride themselves on make Canada ever more inclusive – extending rights to even the smallest of minorities.
But the acid test is whether they will end ‘taxation without representation’ for 2/3 of all Canadians.
Quite simply, “The 2/3 Wants In !”.
We all wonder if Justin will repulse his worried caucus or move forward bravely, in the mode of his father’s earlier boldness, to bring this ‘silenced majority’ back into the Canadian body politic….
I am also happy that Calgary has elected Liberals. However, the real test will be whether they are a true voice for Calgary and Alberta or see their role as explaining Ottawa to us, as have Liberals in the past. One was always left with the impression that loyalty to their career in the Liberal Party trumped loyalty to Calgary or to Alberta. I wait with a sceptical eye.