Canadian Election Results

The results of the Canadian election are in: the Conservatives are back in power with a strengthened minority of 143, while the Liberals took 76, the NDP 37, and the Bloq 50. Although the Conservatives strengthened their minority, they still do not have a majority, which means that they will need the cooperation of at least one of the other parties to pass legislation. When I last posted about the election, I mentioned that the Conservatives had no health care policies to speak of (and, in fact, no platform at the time). However, on October 9, Stephen Harper (the Canadian Prime Minister) announced plans to invest $10 million dollars between now and 2010 to support the development of a National Lung Health Framework, which is a strategic action plan to promote lung health, and to provide $15 million for a study of how Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease affect Canadians. Over the past two years, the Conservatives have invested in important health care initiatives, such as the establishment of the Canadian Mental Health Commission and provincial wait times guarantees, so there is no reason to believe that they will not make good on these promises. At the same time, the more far-reaching health care platforms of the other parties will likely not be realized over the next four years unless the parties can work together to force the passage of new health care legislation.