With May 2 now assigned to the pages of Canadian history, the analysis of the outcome gets underway.
The decision made by 50 percent of Canadian voters at the ballot box - the subject of dismal turnout we'll leave for the subject of another editorial - has changed the Canadian political landscape.
Prime Minister Steven Harper now has the majority he has aspired to for so long. The Bloc Quebecois have been nearly annihilated and the New Democratic Party - the exact social policy opposite of the ultra right wing Conservatives - has been elevated to the role of official Opposition.
What's left behind are some unnerving scenarios.
Consider this - an Opposition party where the majority of the elected members have no experience in governance at this level. It will take them at least a year to get up to speed on Parliamentary process and the fine art of lobbying for legislative change.
Given that one of the NDP candidates was on vacation for most of the campaign but was elected anyway, shows not only that the electorate in that particular Quebec riding were ready for change but they didn't really care who they elected as long as the candidate wasn't Liberal, Conservative or Bloc Quebecois. The guy in Las Vegas suited them just fine.
That's not to say the NDP is not a good choice for Opposition. It is time the party had a chance to prove itself. But they are on a steep learning curve and against the political savvy of experienced Conservatives; the New Democrats face a tough challenge of keeping the government in line.
The Liberals, meanwhile, have a rebuilding process on their hands.
It was no surprise that Michael Ignatieff announced his resignation the day after the election. As local MP Scott Simms put it, Ignatieff was a liability from the get go. Voters just didn't have a connection with him.
Voters on the island of Newfoundland delivered a vivid message. And their choice was not so much the residual effect of the Danny Williams' Anything But Conservative (ABC) campaign (as one political pundit suggested) as it was about the candidates the Harper camp offered up.
If the Conservatives had understood the psyche of voters in this province, they would have know that old politicians - held in the storage room of 'political appointment' and dusted off for battle - are not the kind of representatives voters here want.
That's why Loyola Sullivan was rejected, in favour of the bright, young, fighting Newfoundland NDP candidate, Ryan Cleary.
While the Avalon race was a tight one, Conservative Fabian Manning has also seen his best before date as a politician. His Senate appointment, and his frequent trips to the rock over the past several weeks to hand out government money, was things voters considered as they headed to the ballot box. If not for the Ignatieff factor or the public opinion of Scott Andrews as one of the weaker candidates, and the tide against Manning would have been stronger.
The riding of Humber-St. Barbe was no surprise. While Conservative candidate Trevor Taylor had political experience, his record as provincial fisheries minister was not a stellar one. The folks on the Northern Peninsula have very good memories, and their reflections on his decisions as a member of the Williams cabinet gave them just cause to reject him as a potential federal MP.
Liberals Scott Simms, Judy Foote and Gerry Byrne, and NDP candidate Jack Harris won because they have proven themselves to be outspoken on provincial issues. People saw no reason to toss them out in fear of a Harper majority government. In fact, the very prospect of a Harper majority was some of the underlying reason for their re-election.
The outcome of the federal election also poses some interesting scenarios for this fall's provincial election.
The decision by the provincial Conservatives did nothing for the federal party at the ballot box. And for Newfoundland and Labrador voters, that is one of the more interesting things to come out of May 2.
Newfoundlanders proved at the ballot box that they desire change, and are not willing to be talked down to.
As a result, they elected two NDP and four Liberal MPs to represent them in Ottawa. Only Labrador will sit on the government side of the house. And while Peter Penashue will sit at the Harper table, his victory by just a little over 200 votes may not be enough to secure this province a seat in Cabinet.
The more basic question is, did Premier Kathy Dunderdale err in supporting Harper in this campaign?
Depending on the answer, the fall out from May 2 may have even more repercussions for our own political landscape come October.
