Five Things to take away from results of Monday’s federal byelection
OTTAWA — The final outcomes of Monday’s federal byelections might appear to do little to change the political landscape in the House of Commons, since no seats changed hands among the parties. In fact, the opposite may well be true.
Here are just five headlines from Monday’s vote that could prove to be significant developments as the 2019 federal election rapidly approaches:
1. The New Democrats showed signs of life in Ottawa-Vanier. The riding, a politically savvy region adjacent to Parliament Hill, played host to an aggressive push by the advocacy group Fair Vote Canada to punish the Liberals for abandoning their commitment to electoral reform. In response to media reports suggesting the group colluded with the NDP, a statement Monday insisted the campaign was theirs and theirs alone. “Fair Vote Canada’s approach in these byelections has been to ask citizens to vote for candidates who have shown consistent support for electoral reform,” including the NDP, the statement said. The fact the riding also includes the University of Ottawa, as well as many student residences, suggests the issue of electoral reform was a major motivator for a segment of voters said to have supported the Liberals for precisely that reason.
2. Four out of five of the newest MPs are women. At a time when talk of gender-based analysis, gender equity in cabinet, Canada’s self-proclaimed feminist prime minister and the need for more female representation in the House of Commons, the fact that four out of five of Monday’s victors are women can only be seen as good news. However, women still only comprise 27 per cent of all MPs, the group Equal Voice said in a statement. “We are hopeful that tonight’s results will inspire even more women to seriously consider running for political office,” the statement said. “Canada needs them.”