Canadian federal election, 2000

Infobox Election
election_name = Canadian federal election, 2000
country = Canada
type = parliamentary
ongoing = no
previous_election = Canadian federal election, 1997
previous_year = 1997
previous_mps = 36th Canadian Parliament
next_election = Canadian federal election, 2004
next_year = 2004
next_mps = List of House members of the 38th Parliament of Canada
seats_for_election = 301 seats in the 37th Canadian Parliament
election_date = November 27 2000


leader1 = Jean Chrétien
leader_since1 =
party1 = Liberal Party of Canada
leaders_seat1 = Saint-Maurice
last_election1 = 155
seats1 = 172
seat_change1 = +17
popular_vote1 = 5,252,031
percentage1 = 40.85%
swing1 = +2.39%


leader2 = Stockwell Day
leader_since2 =
party2 = Canadian Alliance
leaders_seat2 = Okanagan—
Coquihalla
last_election2 = 60
seats2 = 66
seat_change2 = +6
popular_vote2 = 3,276,929
percentage2 = 25.49%
swing2 = +6.13%


leader3 = Gilles Duceppe
leader_since3 =
party3 = Bloc Québécois
leaders_seat3 = Laurier—
Sainte-Marie
last_election3 = 44
seats3 = 38
seat_change3 = −6
popular_vote3 = 1,377,727
percentage3 = 10.72%
swing3 = +0.04%


leader4 = Alexa McDonough
leader_since4 =
party4 = New Democratic Party
leaders_seat4 = Halifax
last_election4 = 21
seats4 = 13
seat_change4 = −8
popular_vote4 = 1,093,868
percentage4 = 8.51%
swing4 = −2.54%


leader5 = Joe Clark
leader_since5 =
party5 = Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
leaders_seat5 = Calgary Centre
last_election5 = 20
seats5 = 12
seat_change5 = −8
popular_vote5 = 1,566,998
percentage5 = 12.19%
swing5 = −6.65%
map_

map_size = 250px
map_caption =
title = PM
before_election = Jean Chrétien
before_party = Liberal Party of Canada
after_election = Jean Chrétien
after_party = Liberal Party of Canada

The 2000 Canadian federal election was held on November 27, 2000, to elect 301 Members of Parliament of the Canadian House of Commons of the 37th Parliament of Canada.

The governing Liberal Party of Canada 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 failure for every other party. Without important issues or a very exciting campaign, voter turn-out reached a record low of 64.1 per cent (corrected from initial reporting of 61.2 per cent).

It is said that the election also brought an end to Quebec Premier Lucien Bouchard, due to the Bloc losing seats in Quebec and the Liberal success in the province.

Parties

*The Liberal Party campaigned on its successful economic record and relatively scandal-free seven years in office. They regained some of the ground in Atlantic Canada that they lost to the NDP and PC parties during the 1997 election due to a change to unemployment rules that hurt seasonal workers. In Quebec, the Liberals also managed to capture nearly half of the province's seats at the expense of the Bloc. Overall, the Liberals increased their number of seats in the House of Commons from 155 seats to 172 seats.

*The 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 alongside 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 win the election. 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 Duceppe, despite performing well in the debates, was not a very popular leader in Quebec. The Bloc Québécois's seat total fell from 44 to 38.

*The New Democratic Party 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 Conservative Party aimed to regain its former place in Canadian politics under the leadership of former Prime Minister Joe Clark. The PC Party had a very disappointing election, falling from 20 to 12 seats, and being almost exclusively confined to the Maritime provinces and Newfoundland. It won the 12 seats needed for Official party status in the House of Commons, however. Failure to win 12 seats might have marginalized the party in the House of Commons, and likely led to a more rapid decline.

It should be noted that governing parties have the option of extending party status to caucuses of less than twelve members at their discretion. Had the Progressive Conservatives been just a few seats short of the requisite twelve "and" the NDP had stayed at at least twelve seats, the Liberal government would likely have exercised this option as they had done for Social Credit in 1974.

On election night, controversy arose when a CBC producer's gratuitously sexist comment about Stockwell Day's daughter-in-law, Juliana Thiessen Day, was accidentally broadcast on the Canadian networks' pooled election feed from Day's riding.

National results

Source: [http://www.elections.ca/gen/rep/37g/table9_e.html Elections Canada]

eat by seat results

*Canadian federal election, 2000 (candidates)

Notes

*Number of parties: 11
**First appearance: Marijuana Party of Canada
**Reappearance after hiatus: Communist Party of Canada
**Final appearance: Natural Law Party of Canada, Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
**First-and-only appearance: Canadian Alliance

10 closest ridings

1.Champlain, QC: Marcel Gagnon (BQ) def. Julie Boulet (Lib) by 15 votes
2.Laval Centre, QC: Madeleine Dalphond-Guiral (BQ) def. Pierre Lafleur (Lib) by 42 votes
3.Leeds—Grenville, ON: Joe Jordan (Lib) def. Gord Brown (CA) by 55 votes
4.Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar, SK: Carol Skelton (CA) def. Dennis Gruending (NDP) by 68 votes
5.Yukon, YT: Larry Bagnell (Lib) def. Louise Hardy (NDP) by 70 votes
6.Tobique—Mactaquac, NB: Andy Savoy (Lib) def. Gilles Bernier (PC) by 150 votes
7.Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre, SK: Larry Spencer (CA) def. John Solomon (NDP) by 161 votes
8.Regina—Qu'Appelle, SK: Lorne Nystrom (NDP) def. Don Leier (CA) by 164 votes
9.Palliser, SK: Dick Proctor (NDP) def. Don Findlay (CA) by 209 votes
10.Matapédia—Matane, QC: Jean-Yves Roy (BQ) def. Marc Bélanger (Lib) by 276 votes
11.Cardigan, PE: Lawrence MacAulay (Lib) def. Kevin MacAdam (PC) by 276 votes

ee also

Articles on parties' candidates in this election:

External links

* [http://www.elections.ca/content.asp?section=gen&document=index&dir=rep/37g&lang=e&textonly=false Elections Canada: 2000 election]
* [http://www.egwald.com/statistics/canadianelections.php Predicting the 2000 Canadian Election]