Volume 89 | Issue 5 | obiter-dicta.ca
The Definitive Source for Osgoode News since 1928
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
BACK TO THE FUTURE
canada elects trudeau
ê Photo credit: National Observer
sam michaels › editor-in-chief
T
oday is a historic day for Canada, ourselves,
and the world. Yes, the release of the new Star
Wars trailer will most certainly be marked in
history second only to the release of the movie
itself. However, a “secondary” piece of news occurred
yesterday which does demand a bit of attention, at
least until 18 December 2015. As it turns out, Canada
has a new Prime Minister.
Apparently, while I was busy prepping for Star
Wars, and watching the Blue Jays in the playoffs,
Canada decided to elect Trudeau as our new PM. No,
this isn’t the 1980s. In fact, if my calculations are
correct, Marty McFly should be arriving here any
second now. If and when he arrives, he will find a
Canada radically changed from a day ago.
This was one heck of an election. After nine years
of Stephen Harper’s Conservative government, four
as a majority, Canadians decided the time was ripe
for a change, and ushered in Justin Trudeau’s Liberals
to their first majority government in fifteen years.
Following a down year in 2011, where only 61.1 percent
of eligible voters cast a ballot, Canada rebounded to an
estimated 68.5 percent turnout for the 2015 election.
Of course, for a country that used to consistently see 75
to 80 percent of the population vote in each election,
the numbers remain disappointing. That being said, it
is absolutely a step in the right direction.
Of the ballots cast, Justin and Stephen traded
percentages of the popular vote as compared to the
last election. This time, it was Justin capturing 39.5
percent of the popular vote, with Stephen pulling in
31.9 percent. Interestingly, this election represented
more of a surge for the Liberals, and a collapse for the
NDP, than a significant change for the Conservatives.
» see election, page 20
In this Issue ...
editorial
Roots of Legal-Hate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
news
Election . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . cover, 20
special report
Health Week . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
arts & culture
Jurisfoodence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
sports
Blue Jays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17