I won't delve down into a really big analysis. But in a nutshell, here are my thoughts on what happened, and why the current party (Liberals) were voted out.
Because the Liberal Party's mess with the whole sponsorship scandal, I think the majority of Canadians didn't think there were any other viable options in this election. While they have some good ideas, the New Democratic Party has never been able to really reach out to folks on a national level, largely due to poor leadership and lack of substance. The Bloq is a non-option, and useless. They don't even care about their own cause (Quebec separation), all they do is suck up federal tax dollars by being in Ottawa.
Interesting how after the results, Duceppe (Bloq leader) made all sort of gestures to work with Harper (PM-elect). Funny how history repeats itself but in reverse ...
I think it's what Canadians want for now (i.e. a minority government) Until the Liberal Party gets their house in order (i.e. get rid of the corruption that comes with running the country for more than 12 years), and elect a leader that can infuse new blood, we won't see them in power any time soon.
Some of the former premiers look like fairly good options (McKenna, or Tobin). Rock or Dion are other choices. I think Manley is a bit too old and tied in too much with the party power structure to really be effective.
