Home > Canadian federal election, 2000
On November 27, 2000, Canada held a federal election.
The governing Liberals won a third consecutive majority government easily, as they had been expected to do when the election was called in October, and throughout the campaign. The election was regarded as a great success by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien and the Liberal Party, but a a failure for every other party. Without important issues or a very exciting campaign, voter turn-out reached a record low.
Voter turn-out: 64.1% (corrected from initial reporting of 61.2%)
The parties:
- The Liberals campaigned on their successful economic record and their relatively scandal-free seven years in office. The Liberals increased their number of seats in the Canadian House of Commons from 155 seats to 172 seats. The Liberals also regained ground in eastern Canada that they lost during the 1997 election due to a change to unemployment rules that hurt seasonal workers.
- The Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance (Canadian Alliance) went into the election with great hopes. New leader Stockwell Day was expected to appeal far more to the crucial Ontario voters, and the Canadian Alliance was hoping for major improvements. The Alliance campaigned on tax cuts, an end to the federal gun registration program, and family values. The campaign was dogged by accusations that the party would allow private health care to operate along-side the public Medicare system and introduce two-tier health care, and for threatening gay rights and abortion rights, all of which the party denied. Day's personal image also suffered, particularly due to gaffes along the campaign trail. The Alliance ended up winning only two Ontario ridings. This led to the eventual downfall of Day the next year. At one point, the Alliance was at 30.5% in the polls, and some thought they could take government. While they did not do so, they did, however, retain their official opposition status, and increased their numbers in the House of Commons by six seats, from 60 to 66.
- The Bloc Québécois failed to attract much interest in their campaign, and Gilles DuceppeGilles Duceppe (b. July 22, 1947) is a Canadian politician. He is the son of a well-known Quebecois actor, Jean Duceppe, and Helene Rowley. Duceppe is a native of Montreal, Quebec, and studied political science at the University of Montreal. In his youth, despite performing well in the debates, was not a very popular leader in QuebecQuebec ( In Detail) ( In Detail) National Motto: Je me souviens (I remember CapitalLargest city Quebec City Montreal Area Total % fresh water 2nd largest(1st lgst prov. 1 542 056 km² 11,5% Population Total (2004) Density Ranked 2nd 7 509 928 5,43/km² Admi. The Bloc's seat total fell from 44 to 38. Many analysts thought the party would do worse, but the other parties split the federalist vote in Quebec, allowing the Bloc to win many seats that they would not have won if the federalist vote had been united.
- The New Democratic PartyThis page is about the Canadian political party. For other parties, see New Democratic Party (disambiguation). New Democratic Party Current Leader Jack Layton Founded June 17, 1961 Headquarters 300 279 Laurier Avenue West Ottawa, OntarioK1P 5J9 Colours Or campaigned intensely on the issue of medicare, but failed to make much headway with voters. Their seat count fell from 21 to 13. The NDP's vote remained high in eastern Canada, especially Nova Scotia, where it traditionally has not done so well.
- The Progressive Conservatives, despite great hope of regaining their lost glory under former Prime Minister Joe ClarkThis article is about Joe Clark the Canadian political leader. For the article about the United States Senator from Pennsylvania, see Joseph S. The Rt. Joe Clark Rank 16th Term June 4, 1979 March 3 1980 Predecessor Pierre Elliott Trudeau Successor Pierre, had a very disappointing election, falling from 20 to 12 seats, and being almost exclusively confined to the Maritime provinces and Newfoundland. The party, however, in getting the 12 seats needed for Official party statusOfficial party status refers to the Canadian practice of recognizing political parties. There are two forms of recognition. Recognition by Elections Canada allows parties (even if they have no parliamentary seats) to participate in federal elections and t in the House of Commons, and was able to stop the total implosion of the party.
One interesting sidenote was that the entire election was started, took place, finished, and a winner was chosen, all while the votes were being counted in the 2000 US presidential electionIntroduction and summary results Presidential CandidatePartyStatePopular VoteElectoral Vote George Walker Bush Republican Texas50,456,00247. 87%271 Albert Arnold Gore, Jr. Democratic Tennessee50,999,89748. 38%266 Ralph Nader Green Connecticut2,882,9552.. This made many satire TV shows in Canada, including This Hour has 22 Minutes.
