The environment proved to be a critical issue in Mondaysa国际传媒檚 election, and the Liberalssa国际传媒� compromise didnsa国际传媒檛 score them many votes on either side of the issue.
Climate change was polling as the No. 1 issue among voters prior to Oct. 21 vote, but one Simon Fraser University professor said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tried to play both sides, and lost.
sa国际传媒淭hey tried to provide what they would view as a compromise sa国际传媒� trying to build a pipeline and at the same time doing their carbon tax,sa国际传媒� said Tom Gunton of SFUsa国际传媒檚 Resource and Environmental Planning Program.
But their sa国际传媒渋nconsistent messagesa国际传媒� didnsa国际传媒檛 sit well with those worried for the climate, Gunton said.
sa国际传媒淚t was very difficult for them to portray themselves as defenders of the climate, while at the same time people would just point out sa国际传媒榃ell, you just bought an oil pipeline.sa国际传媒檚a国际传媒�
It especially didnsa国际传媒檛 help them in the Prairies, he pointed out, as they were completely shut out of Alberta and Saskatchewan, and suffered losses in Quebec, where the Bloc Qu茅b茅cois jumped to 32 seats from just 10.
sa国际传媒淥pposition to pipelines is high in Quebec,sa国际传媒� Gunton said. sa国际传媒淭hat was a liability for the Liberals.sa国际传媒�
Overall, Trudeau hung onto 157 of 184 seats, but was downgraded to a minority government, while Andrew Scheersa国际传媒檚 Conservatives jumped from 99 seats to 121 and actually won the popular vote.
The Liberals tried play the middle when it came to climate change, while other parties had a clearer goal.
The Conservatives, Gunton said, tried to keep Alberta and Saskatchewan happy by supporting pipelines, but lost in places like Ontario and Quebec.
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Gunton said the results paint a divided picture of Canada, with the Prairies and B.C.sa国际传媒檚 interior coloured a Tory blue, while more climate change-focused parties scooped up the rest of the country.
The NDP, which nearly halved their ridings to just 24 this election, could play a more significant role than their seat count suggests, he added, because of the minority result. Together, the Liberals, NDP and Greens have 184 seats sa国际传媒� a significant majority.
sa国际传媒淭here will certainly be some concessions.sa国际传媒�
As for the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, Gunton said itsa国际传媒檚 hard to tell if politics or economics will hold it back the most.
sa国际传媒淭he costs of building it has doubled,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淵ou add to that the political dimension, as the Liberal government does not have a majority, and the parties it depends on for support are clearly opposed to Trans Mountain.sa国际传媒�
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