The short term projection has drifted slightly in favour of the Conservatives. They've gained three seats, provided by the Liberals (one) and the Bloc Quebecois (two). The Conservatives have seen their national vote edge up by 0.1 points, while the Liberals have lost that amount. The Bloc is up 0.2 and the New Democrats 0.4, while the Greens have lost 0.6 points.The long-term projection has also seen a few minor changes, but with signficant consequences. The Conservatives have re-gained two seats in the west, one in Alberta and one in the Prairies. These came from the Liberals, who are down two seats to 118 total. The Tories are now at 119, giving them the tiniest of leads. With such a close electoral result, the face of the government is impossible to predict. The New Democrats, who remain at 22, don't give the Liberals (or even the Conservatives) enough to rule with a majority. So, a coalition of convenience could be in order here.
Nationally, the share of the vote has not changed much, with the Tories losing 0.2 points while the NDP and the Greens gain 0.1 and 0.2 points, respectively. Regionally there have been some more dramatic movements. The Conservatives have gained points in Alberta (0.4), but have shown losses in the Prairies (0.4 points) and Atlantic Canada (0.3). The Liberals have shown losses in British Columbia (0.3), Alberta (1.2), and the Prairies (0.3). The NDP is up in three spots, in Alberta (0.7), the Prairies (0.7), and Quebec (0.3). All other movements were smaller than 0.3 points.
From the looks of things, the winner of the next election will have won by the skin of his teeth. It is really a testament to how weak the two major parties are at the moment that neither can manage much more than 33% support. Things usually become clearer during election campaigns, but to have such a close margin between the two parties capable of forming government could leave Parliament even more dysfunctional than it already is.
