I don’t obscure these pages with issues-oriented coverage often, so when I do it’s nice to think the issues might count for something. Yesterday’s snap federal election, called five weeks earlier by Conservative PM Stephen Harper in a bid to convert his party’s minority hold on the House of Commons into a majority, was unfortunately not one of those issues.
$300 million dollars in spending and five weeks of media saturation later, and the make-up of the Commons looks much the same as it did after the previous federal election in 2006. Harper failed to win a convincing majority and I failed to photograph anything more than a dull smattering of signs and speeches.
Oh well. We’ll both have another shot in a couple years.
Conservative propaganda at party headquarters in Vancouver Centre.
Turf wars along Main Street.
Painters $14/hour.
CBC on site at a Liberal rally on the eve of the election.
Vantage point.
Viral voting.
Adrienne Carr, deputy leader of the federal Green party and MP candidate for Vancouver Centre, addresses a crowd of party faithful as the CBC’s Peter Mansbridge announces election results behind her. Despite garnering nearly 7% of the popular vote the Greens failed to win a seat in the 308-member Commons.
Word of mouth.
Polls open.
Liberal propaganda at party headquarters in Vancouver Centre.
Stephane Dion, leader of the federal Liberals, entertains a media circus.
Minimum voting age.
Dion speaks to supporters at a last minute Liberal rally held in a failed bid to win the battleground Richmond riding for incumbent Raymond Chan. The riding was one of seventeen new seats ceded to the Conservatives.
Dion raises a victory fist as incumbent Vancouver Centre MP Hedy Fry looks on.
Dion in the public eye.
