David Raymond Amos @DavidRayAmos
Methinks this is a rather entertaining Circus N'esy Pas?
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/grenier-2019-byelections-1.4934139
How the upcoming federal byelections could make history
Comments
Commenting is now closed for this story.
Commenting is now closed for this story.
Gerry Ferguson
With Jagmeet Singh as leader
the NDP will be obliterared this fall. The best thing for their party
would be if he loses the byelection, the party dumps him as leader, and
they get someone who is electable to take over.
John Dirlik
@Gerry Ferguson
A merger between the NDP and the Green Party may provide the only prospect for a realistic shot at governing.
A merger between the NDP and the Green Party may provide the only prospect for a realistic shot at governing.
Johny Ng
@Gerry Ferguson Trudeau wants
Bernier to do well and Singh not to, Liberals do better when there is
division, as it can easily be seen amongst Canadians since they were
elected
William Weston
@Johny Ng
Will we ever return to referring to parties as parties rather than branding them with the name of the front man?
Did that start with Ronald of McDonald’s fame?
Will we ever return to referring to parties as parties rather than branding them with the name of the front man?
Did that start with Ronald of McDonald’s fame?
Arlond Lynds
@Gerry Ferguson
He may well have saved the country from another Conservative debacle. Imagine the "Scheer Government™", scary.
He may well have saved the country from another Conservative debacle. Imagine the "Scheer Government™", scary.
Neil Gregory
@John Dirlik
The NDP and the Greens seem to be getting along in BC. I'll bet money that if they would co-operate federally, they would both do much better in next fall's election.
The NDP and the Greens seem to be getting along in BC. I'll bet money that if they would co-operate federally, they would both do much better in next fall's election.
Neil Gregory
@Johny Ng
"Liberals do better when there is division."
Yes, they do, and the divisions within the right-wing Conservative Party of Canada generally create enough division to satisfy their need.
"Liberals do better when there is division."
Yes, they do, and the divisions within the right-wing Conservative Party of Canada generally create enough division to satisfy their need.
Neil Gregory
@Arlond Lynds
A Scheer government sounds like the stuff of a Hollywood horror movie, but this would be real. Scheer could make both Ford and Trump look good.
A Scheer government sounds like the stuff of a Hollywood horror movie, but this would be real. Scheer could make both Ford and Trump look good.
James Holden
@Johny Ng
More Conservative projection.
Conservatives only get elected through fear and division.
More Conservative projection.
Conservatives only get elected through fear and division.
Rick Green
@Neil Gregory
"The NDP and the Greens seem to be getting along in BC. I'll bet money that if they would co-operate federally, they would both do much better in next fall's election."
The NDP would gain one green seat and a power struggle would ensue.
"The NDP and the Greens seem to be getting along in BC. I'll bet money that if they would co-operate federally, they would both do much better in next fall's election."
The NDP would gain one green seat and a power struggle would ensue.
Rick Green
@Neil Gregory
"A Scheer government sounds like the stuff of a Hollywood horror movie"
Why?
"A Scheer government sounds like the stuff of a Hollywood horror movie"
Why?
Art Rowe
@John Dirlik
Even a merger of the 2 would never lead to enough seats to form a government.
As it stands Singh is holding back the NDP and while May is an earnest leader, her party is too far removed from reality to ever be anything close to in contention.
Even a merger of the 2 would never lead to enough seats to form a government.
As it stands Singh is holding back the NDP and while May is an earnest leader, her party is too far removed from reality to ever be anything close to in contention.
David R. Amos
@Rick Green "Why?"
Methinks you should read the article again N'esy Pas?
"The split on the right is unlikely to be so dramatic when Maxime Bernier's People's Party contests the upcoming byelections — the former Conservative MP's party is still languishing at single-digits in the polls. But the PPC doesn't need a significant amount of support to have a real impact on Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer's chances of becoming prime minister in the next federal election."
Methinks you should read the article again N'esy Pas?
"The split on the right is unlikely to be so dramatic when Maxime Bernier's People's Party contests the upcoming byelections — the former Conservative MP's party is still languishing at single-digits in the polls. But the PPC doesn't need a significant amount of support to have a real impact on Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer's chances of becoming prime minister in the next federal election."
Art Rowe
@Rick Green
Why? because who would elect a party with NO POLICIES and only promises of policies "coming".
Mr. Smiley Face is leading the Cons to yet another defeat.
Why? because who would elect a party with NO POLICIES and only promises of policies "coming".
Mr. Smiley Face is leading the Cons to yet another defeat.
David R. Amos
@Johny Ng "Trudeau wants Bernier to do well and Singh not to,"
I agree
I agree
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David R. Amos
David R. Amos
@david mccaig "The NDP is
truly the only party of the people and knowing this every time they get
close to power the corporate media owned by billionaires trot out all
the red scare socialist propaganda."
Methinks everyone expected that comment N'esy Pas?
Methinks everyone expected that comment N'esy Pas?
Buford Wilson
I’m seeing a blue Conservative wave rolling across the country. From coast to coast to coast.
Jane Madison
@Buford Wilson Yeah,
wondering about that too but there's no crystal ball. Look how quickly
the Ontario Liberals got pitched out. We'll see. They'll probably soften
the carbon tax blow especially in an election year and be prepared for a
goody bag to open.
David R. Amos
@Buford Wilson Dream on
@Jane Madison Methinks
crystal ball or not it would be quite a hoot if Jay Shin defeated his
fellow lawyer Jagmeet Singh N'esy Pas?
John Dirlik
@Stanley Brown
Forty four of the 45 largest Canadian English newspapers (even that allegedly "lefty" G&M) endorsed the Conservative Party last election.
Canada's largest private media (Postmedia with its flagship National Post) religiously champions Conservatives, Israel and de-funding CBC.
Which "anti conservative media" are you talking about ?
Forty four of the 45 largest Canadian English newspapers (even that allegedly "lefty" G&M) endorsed the Conservative Party last election.
Canada's largest private media (Postmedia with its flagship National Post) religiously champions Conservatives, Israel and de-funding CBC.
Which "anti conservative media" are you talking about ?
david mccaig
@david mccaig
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh I think is intelligent , a kind and honourable man , but his achilles heal in politics is he wears his religion and that makes him a target.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh I think is intelligent , a kind and honourable man , but his achilles heal in politics is he wears his religion and that makes him a target.
David R. Amos
@John Dirlik "Which "anti conservative media" are you talking about ?"
Methinks its not rocket science N'esy Pas?
Methinks its not rocket science N'esy Pas?
David R. Amos
@david mccaig "NDP Leader
Jagmeet Singh I think is intelligent , a kind and honourable man , but
his achilles heal in politics is he wears his religion and that makes
him a target."
Methinks everybody knows that I find lawyers contemptible no matter what religion they happen to abide with N'esy Pas?
Methinks everybody knows that I find lawyers contemptible no matter what religion they happen to abide with N'esy Pas?
Johny Ng
Canada has had enough of this Trudeau parade of fiascos, his party is done come October
mo bennett
@Johny Ng what? so ya can have an ambulance chaser instead? smart, like a bag of hammers.
Glenn Carducci
@mo bennett The moment you discover that emotion and thought are not the same thing, will be a monumental day for you.
Ryder Pures
@Johny Ng
Hooray for your side.
Hooray for your side.
Neil Gregory
@Johny Ng
Replacing Trudeau's fiascos with Scheer's fiascos, doesn't sound like much of an option to me.
Replacing Trudeau's fiascos with Scheer's fiascos, doesn't sound like much of an option to me.
mo bennett
@Glenn Carducci it's always fun to watch the supporters of inept incompetence ID and convict themselves in one simple sentence.
Jane Madison
@Johny Ng Hope so. Just don't know if we have alternative, effective leadership for these times. Time will tell.
David R. Amos
@Johny Ng Methinks it would not be wise to bet the farm on your opinion N'esy Pas?
David R. Amos
@mo bennett YO MO Welcome Back to the Circus
david mccaig
@Johny Ng
So whose going to replace Trudeau in 2020 climate and science denying Andrew Scheer or party splitting hard right austerity Maxine Bernier.
So whose going to replace Trudeau in 2020 climate and science denying Andrew Scheer or party splitting hard right austerity Maxine Bernier.
David R. Amos
@david mccaig "So whose going
to replace Trudeau in 2020 climate and science denying Andrew Scheer or
party splitting hard right austerity Maxine Bernier."
Neither
Neither
Rod Begin
Everything is always bad for
the Conservatives but good for the Liberals, isn’t it rather odd what a
$1 billion taxpayer funded media and now subsidized for another 1/2
billion does to your reporting prejudices!
David R. Amos
@Rod Begin Methinks everything political is always about the money Nesy Pas?
Jenna Collins
@Rod Begin
BINGO! I am glad many people are starting to see that.
BINGO! I am glad many people are starting to see that.
David R. Amos
Paul Pedersen
Singh was a colossal mistake
on every level. His performance to date, or rather lack thereof, and the
questionable judgment on too many issues proves that. The challenges he
faces just getting elected even when cherry picking a riding
underscores how the NDP is going absolutely nowhere with him as leader.
David R. Amos
@Paul Pedersen I concur
Frank Hammerschmidt
The Liberals have cornered the far left market leaving the NDP out in the cold and irrelevant.
David R. Amos
@Frank Hammerschmidt YUP
Robert Roode
I have voted NDP many
times,voted for mulcair in the last election but most likely will vote
liberal this time to keep the cons out,i suspect mant NDP voters will be
doing the same.
Milloy Johnson
@Robert Roode
So you would rather vote in proven and embarrassing incompetence then give Conservatives a chance just because you are buying the "back to the 50s" nonsense?
So you would rather vote in proven and embarrassing incompetence then give Conservatives a chance just because you are buying the "back to the 50s" nonsense?
David R. Amos
@Milloy Johnson Methinks the Conservatives had their chance under Harper N'esy Pas?
ERIK HANSEN
@Harry Henderson
It was Trudeau that told us that 2019 would be an election where everyone's vote would count. Unfortunately he lied because we did not get a Proportional Representation system introduced as promised during the last election.
Therefore Liberal policies have definitely not made the NDP irrelevant.
Don't forget, both the Liberals and the Conservatives spend more time using our tax dollars to subsidize their (minority) corporate masters than they do for the (majority) working class! If it wasn't for the working class the corporate class simply would not exist.
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David R. Amos
David R. Amos
@ERIK HANSEN "It was Trudeau
that told us that 2019 would be an election where everyone's vote would
count. Unfortunately he lied because we did not get a Proportional
Representation system introduced as promised during the last election. "
Surprise Surprise Surprise
Surprise Surprise Surprise
John Dirlik
Whether under Conservatives or Liberals, Canada’s voting record at the UN speaks volumes.
Ottawa (alongside a couple of American protectorates like Micronesia, Palau and Marshal Islands) consistently votes alongside the US and Israel against the entire world.
This needs to change. Though I am not optimistic, considering the character (or lack thereof) of today’s politicians.
I remember Joe Clark Conservative) being booed and heckled at a Canadian Jewish Congress event after he brought up Israel’s abuses during the first Palestinian uprising. Can anyone imagine a politician doing that today?
Clark calmly looked at his audience and said: “It has been my experience that denying reality does not change reality”.
That took courage. Principles. And ethics. Qualities sorely lacking in our current batch of spineless and lacklustre politicians.
Ottawa (alongside a couple of American protectorates like Micronesia, Palau and Marshal Islands) consistently votes alongside the US and Israel against the entire world.
This needs to change. Though I am not optimistic, considering the character (or lack thereof) of today’s politicians.
I remember Joe Clark Conservative) being booed and heckled at a Canadian Jewish Congress event after he brought up Israel’s abuses during the first Palestinian uprising. Can anyone imagine a politician doing that today?
Clark calmly looked at his audience and said: “It has been my experience that denying reality does not change reality”.
That took courage. Principles. And ethics. Qualities sorely lacking in our current batch of spineless and lacklustre politicians.
David R. Amos
@John Dirlik "That took
courage. Principles. And ethics. Qualities sorely lacking in our current
batch of spineless and lacklustre politicians"
I Wholeheartedly Agree Sir
I Wholeheartedly Agree Sir
ArtMuler
Real NDP supporters who live
in this riding may well vote against Jagmeet Singh out of party loyalty,
because the want the NDP to get new leadership before the next
election.
David R. Amos
@ArtMuler Methinks many would agree that would be wise N'esy Pas?
Jerry Beam
Traditional NDP will not vote for Singh
Neil Gregory
@Jerry Beam
What is the traditional NDP? I consider myself to be much closer to the left-wing policies of the old CCF than to the watered down socialism of the current NDP. As far as I am concerned, the NDP abandoned its socialist roots years and years ago.
What is the traditional NDP? I consider myself to be much closer to the left-wing policies of the old CCF than to the watered down socialism of the current NDP. As far as I am concerned, the NDP abandoned its socialist roots years and years ago.
James Holden
@Neil Gregory
The NDP's Quebec base is dwindling.
The non Christian accoutrements are a red flag in Quebec.
The NDP's Quebec base is dwindling.
The non Christian accoutrements are a red flag in Quebec.
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David R. Amos
@Neil Gregory Cry me a river
David R. Amos
@David R. Amos Oh My My
Barry William Teske
I just wish we could stop treating our democracy like a sport.
Lol.
Who am I kidding...
At this point in time or history (as it will be called one day), it is the highest bidders who call the shots, foreign or not.
Lol.
Who am I kidding...
At this point in time or history (as it will be called one day), it is the highest bidders who call the shots, foreign or not.
David R. Amos
@Barry William Teske Methinks its not a sport but a rather entertaining Circus N'esy Pas?
How the upcoming federal byelections could make history
At least three byelections will be called in the coming weeks — and they could prove to be memorable
It's an election year in Canada. The
country will head to the polls in October to render judgment on Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau's government, either giving it a second term or
sending it packing after four years in office.
But some voters will get a chance to offer their own verdicts much sooner. At least three byelections will be held in February in ridings spread across the country: York–Simcoe in Ontario, Outremont in Quebec and Burnaby–South in British Columbia. That last contest is the one NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is hoping will give him a seat in the House of Commons.
Byelections don't
always make history and, when they do, their importance often becomes
clear only long afterwards. But these byelections could turn out to be
significant events — by deciding the fate of a party leader, signalling
the end of the NDP's orange wave, or measuring the depth of a new split
in the conservative movement.
Arthur Meighen is certainly one of Canada's least illustrious prime ministers. He took over from Robert Borden, the Conservative prime minister who led the country through the First World War, for about a year before meeting defeat at the hands of W. L. Mackenzie King's Liberals in 1921. He remained at the helm of the party for another two elections, getting a second stint as prime minister in 1926.
By 1941, Canada was again at war and the Conservatives were in need of Meighen's experience. The party had been dealt another crushing defeat by King's Liberals in 1940 and convinced Meighen to step back into the job. There was only one problem: Meighen hadn't had a seat in the House of Commons for 15 years, though he did occupy a seat in the Senate. That simply would not do for the leader of Canada's opposition.
Alan Cockeram, Conservative MP for the Ontario riding of South York, dutifully stepped aside to offer Meighen a shot at his seat. It was a safe Tory riding, having voted for the party in every election since its creation in 1904.
The Liberals opted to respect parliamentary tradition and not run a candidate against an opposition leader seeking a seat in the House. But King still wanted to see Meighen defeated, and so the Liberal party threw its weight (unofficially, of course) behind Joseph Noseworthy, candidate for the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation.
Arthur
Meighen, seen here when he was briefly prime minister in 1920, failed
in his attempted return to the House of Commons as leader of the
Conservatives in a 1942 byelection. (Library and Archives Canada)
Noseworthy had
finished a distant third in South York in 1940. But on a snowy Feb. 9,
1942, despite having Ontario Premier Mitch Hepburn and the provincial
Conservative leader, George Drew, campaigning by his side, Meighen fell
short by 4,426 votes.
Immediately, questions were raised about whether Meighen could hold on as party leader. The Toronto Daily Star wrote that Meighen's "ability, his intellectual honesty and his skill as a debater" were unquestioned, but "his popular appeal is a different matter altogether."
Meighen knew he was done. And the party was moving on, adopting a far more progressive platform than Meighen could support. He successfully persuaded John Bracken, Liberal-Progressive premier of Manitoba, to take his spot. One of Bracken's conditions was that the party would add "Progressive" to its name. And so, the Progressive Conservative Party was born.
Meighen's defeat in South York in 1942 was the last time a national leader met personal defeat in a byelection. That one loss helped set the Tories' course for the next 60 years. It's one byelection precedent Singh will not be looking to repeat in 2019.
In 2007, Outremont was one of the safest Liberal ridings in the country, having backed the party in every election but one over the previous century. So when Jean Lapierre resigned his seat, Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion saw an opportunity to parachute a hand-picked star candidate, Jocelyn Coulon, into the riding.
The Liberals met an unexpected challenge from the New Democrats, who had a star candidate of their own on the ballot — Tom Mulcair, a former environment minister in Jean Charest's provincial Liberal government. It was an ambitious candidacy for the NDP, which had only one victory in Quebec to its credit over its entire history.
Still, the Liberals were feeling the heat from Mulcair's candidacy. The party brought in some big names to help bolster the floundering Dion — including Justin Trudeau, at the time known only as the son of a former prime minister.
The
breakthrough by Tom Mulcair (left) in the 2007 byelection in Outremont
foreshadowed the party's surge in Quebec under Jack Layton (right) in
the 2011 federal election. (Ryan Remiorz/Canadian Press)
But the New Democrats pulled off the upset; Mulcair won nearly half the vote and outpaced Coulon by almost 20 points.
The NDP's victory didn't immediately open the floodgates for the party in Quebec. But it gave the New Democrats credibility in the province. Mulcair held the seat again in 2008 as the NDP increased its share of the popular vote in Quebec to 12.2 per cent from 7.5 per cent in 2006.
That set the groundwork for the party's breakthrough in 2011, when Mulcair was joined by 58 other NDP MPs from the province. After taking over the party's leadership following the death of Jack Layton, Mulcair was only able to hold 16 of those seats in the 2015 federal election.
For Singh, the byelection this year in Outremont risks being a disappointing bookend to the story of the NDP's rise and fall in Quebec. The polls suggest all of the party's seats in the province could be at risk in this year's federal election. The byelection in Outremont should give us a sense of just how vulnerable those seats are.
The Progressive Conservatives went from a solid majority government to just two seats in the 1993 federal election, one of the most dramatic falls from power of any party anywhere in the democratic world. That the PCs were in trouble going into that election was obvious — but the scale of the defeat still came as a shock.
Two byelections years before, however, had signalled what was to come. In 1993, the PCs were defeated in large part because the two voting blocks that helped bring them to power in 1984 — Western Canadian conservatives and Quebec nationalists — broke off to support new parties: the Reform Party under Preston Manning and the Bloc Québécois under Lucien Bouchard.
Reform entered the House of Commons for the first time after Deborah Grey won the 1989 byelection in the Alberta riding of Beaver River, taking the seat away from the PCs. The Bloc — which formed itself out of a group of floor-crossing Liberals and PCs — won its first seat when Gilles Duceppe took the 1990 byelection in Laurier–Sainte-Marie.
Reform
Party leader Preston Manning and MP Deborah Grey, a few months after
Grey's 1989 byelection victory in the riding of Beaver River, which gave
the Reform Party its first seat in the House of Commons. (Ray Giguere/Canadian Press)
In
the 1993 federal election, the PCs lost all of their seats in Alberta
and retained just one in Quebec — one of two seats they held nationwide
— as Reform and the Bloc won the majority of each of those province's
ridings.
Ten years later, attempts to re-unite the right were galvanized by another byelection. A vacancy in the Ontario riding of Perth–Middlesex was seen as a key opportunity for the Canadian Alliance — Reform's successor — to pick up a seat and present itself as the government-in-waiting after a decade of Liberal rule. Instead, the Alliance finished third, with the PCs narrowly squeaking out a win over the Liberals.
It was the last straw for Alliance Leader Stephen Harper, convincing him that the only way for his party to defeat the Liberals was to put aside its differences with the PCs. Within seven months, the Conservative Party of Canada was created.
The split on the right is unlikely to be so dramatic when Maxime Bernier's People's Party contests the upcoming byelections — the former Conservative MP's party is still languishing at single-digits in the polls. But the PPC doesn't need a significant amount of support to have a real impact on Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer's chances of becoming prime minister in the next federal election.
For now, the main electoral course will have to wait. But in the coming weeks, Canadians will get an intriguing appetizer in these byelections — a taste of what's to come in October's federal election.
But some voters will get a chance to offer their own verdicts much sooner. At least three byelections will be held in February in ridings spread across the country: York–Simcoe in Ontario, Outremont in Quebec and Burnaby–South in British Columbia. That last contest is the one NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is hoping will give him a seat in the House of Commons.
The byelection that took down a party leader
Arthur Meighen is certainly one of Canada's least illustrious prime ministers. He took over from Robert Borden, the Conservative prime minister who led the country through the First World War, for about a year before meeting defeat at the hands of W. L. Mackenzie King's Liberals in 1921. He remained at the helm of the party for another two elections, getting a second stint as prime minister in 1926.
By 1941, Canada was again at war and the Conservatives were in need of Meighen's experience. The party had been dealt another crushing defeat by King's Liberals in 1940 and convinced Meighen to step back into the job. There was only one problem: Meighen hadn't had a seat in the House of Commons for 15 years, though he did occupy a seat in the Senate. That simply would not do for the leader of Canada's opposition.
Alan Cockeram, Conservative MP for the Ontario riding of South York, dutifully stepped aside to offer Meighen a shot at his seat. It was a safe Tory riding, having voted for the party in every election since its creation in 1904.
The Liberals opted to respect parliamentary tradition and not run a candidate against an opposition leader seeking a seat in the House. But King still wanted to see Meighen defeated, and so the Liberal party threw its weight (unofficially, of course) behind Joseph Noseworthy, candidate for the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation.
Immediately, questions were raised about whether Meighen could hold on as party leader. The Toronto Daily Star wrote that Meighen's "ability, his intellectual honesty and his skill as a debater" were unquestioned, but "his popular appeal is a different matter altogether."
Meighen knew he was done. And the party was moving on, adopting a far more progressive platform than Meighen could support. He successfully persuaded John Bracken, Liberal-Progressive premier of Manitoba, to take his spot. One of Bracken's conditions was that the party would add "Progressive" to its name. And so, the Progressive Conservative Party was born.
Meighen's defeat in South York in 1942 was the last time a national leader met personal defeat in a byelection. That one loss helped set the Tories' course for the next 60 years. It's one byelection precedent Singh will not be looking to repeat in 2019.
Outremont and the rise (and fall) of the NDP in Quebec
In 2007, Outremont was one of the safest Liberal ridings in the country, having backed the party in every election but one over the previous century. So when Jean Lapierre resigned his seat, Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion saw an opportunity to parachute a hand-picked star candidate, Jocelyn Coulon, into the riding.
The Liberals met an unexpected challenge from the New Democrats, who had a star candidate of their own on the ballot — Tom Mulcair, a former environment minister in Jean Charest's provincial Liberal government. It was an ambitious candidacy for the NDP, which had only one victory in Quebec to its credit over its entire history.
Still, the Liberals were feeling the heat from Mulcair's candidacy. The party brought in some big names to help bolster the floundering Dion — including Justin Trudeau, at the time known only as the son of a former prime minister.
The NDP's victory didn't immediately open the floodgates for the party in Quebec. But it gave the New Democrats credibility in the province. Mulcair held the seat again in 2008 as the NDP increased its share of the popular vote in Quebec to 12.2 per cent from 7.5 per cent in 2006.
That set the groundwork for the party's breakthrough in 2011, when Mulcair was joined by 58 other NDP MPs from the province. After taking over the party's leadership following the death of Jack Layton, Mulcair was only able to hold 16 of those seats in the 2015 federal election.
For Singh, the byelection this year in Outremont risks being a disappointing bookend to the story of the NDP's rise and fall in Quebec. The polls suggest all of the party's seats in the province could be at risk in this year's federal election. The byelection in Outremont should give us a sense of just how vulnerable those seats are.
Breaking up in public
The Progressive Conservatives went from a solid majority government to just two seats in the 1993 federal election, one of the most dramatic falls from power of any party anywhere in the democratic world. That the PCs were in trouble going into that election was obvious — but the scale of the defeat still came as a shock.
Two byelections years before, however, had signalled what was to come. In 1993, the PCs were defeated in large part because the two voting blocks that helped bring them to power in 1984 — Western Canadian conservatives and Quebec nationalists — broke off to support new parties: the Reform Party under Preston Manning and the Bloc Québécois under Lucien Bouchard.
Reform entered the House of Commons for the first time after Deborah Grey won the 1989 byelection in the Alberta riding of Beaver River, taking the seat away from the PCs. The Bloc — which formed itself out of a group of floor-crossing Liberals and PCs — won its first seat when Gilles Duceppe took the 1990 byelection in Laurier–Sainte-Marie.
Ten years later, attempts to re-unite the right were galvanized by another byelection. A vacancy in the Ontario riding of Perth–Middlesex was seen as a key opportunity for the Canadian Alliance — Reform's successor — to pick up a seat and present itself as the government-in-waiting after a decade of Liberal rule. Instead, the Alliance finished third, with the PCs narrowly squeaking out a win over the Liberals.
It was the last straw for Alliance Leader Stephen Harper, convincing him that the only way for his party to defeat the Liberals was to put aside its differences with the PCs. Within seven months, the Conservative Party of Canada was created.
The split on the right is unlikely to be so dramatic when Maxime Bernier's People's Party contests the upcoming byelections — the former Conservative MP's party is still languishing at single-digits in the polls. But the PPC doesn't need a significant amount of support to have a real impact on Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer's chances of becoming prime minister in the next federal election.
For now, the main electoral course will have to wait. But in the coming weeks, Canadians will get an intriguing appetizer in these byelections — a taste of what's to come in October's federal election.
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