Canadian Election Delivers Losses To Bloc Quebecois

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(Host) The results are in from yesterday’s federal elections in Canada and the big winners are the Conservatives, who took 167 seats in Parliament. That gives Prime Minister Stephen Harper a majority government for the first time.

The New Democratic Party also made strides. The NDP won 102 seats – up from the 37 seats it had following the 2008 vote. The New Democrats took 45 seats in Quebec that were previously held by Bloc Quebecois.

Bloc Quebecois now holds just four seats after yesterday’s results, leading some to question the future of the Quebec sovereignty movement.

Antonia Maioni directs the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada. She says this doesn’t put an end to the sovereignty movement:

"There are members of the sovereigntist movement that never saw the need for the Bloc Quebecois. That is to say, why do we need a party in Ottawa when we want Quebec‘s independence? And so, I think that part of the sovereigntist movement may obviously have a louder voice after yesterday’s result."

(Host) For a full analysis of the Canadian federal elections go to Vermont Edition at VPR.net.

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