MP-Elect Chris Warkentin says it’s “likely” Canadians will head back to the polls sooner than later, despite the dust from election day barely beginning to settle.
The Mark Carney-led Liberal Party managed to grab a fourth consecutive mandate from Canadian voters; however, this time, without any significant presence from the NDP.
“If this minority government unfolds the way it looks at this moment, I suspect that there is a chance we may be back to the polls within a matter of months,” Warkentin says. “The reality is the NDP has collapsed, the Bloc has been reduced- I do expect based on the reality that we’re seeing right now, it’s unlikely the Liberals will have a committed dance partner like they had with the NDP.”
The “Real” Mark Carney
Warkentin has been steadfast in his criticisms of the Carney-led Liberal Party throughout the campaign season, saying the Prime Minister-elect is trying to please too many Canadians at once, even at the expense of his own voters.
“I think what’s going to happen over the coming weeks and months is Canadians are going to see the real Mark Carney, I think what we have seen over the last number of weeks is Mark Carney pretending to be all things to all people,” he says. “We saw Mark Carney take many of the platform items the Conservatives have been fighting for over the last number of years, and lifted them completely out of our platform, almost verbatim, and then told Canadians he would do that, while simultaneously committing to things that are completely contradictory.”
Another 2025 Election?
With less than ten NDP seats in Ottawa, and a likely minority, Warkentin says the Liberals will be forced to play ball with either the Bloc or the Conservatives.
“He’s going to have to decide who his dance partners are, what deals he’s willing to commit to in order to govern the country,” he says. “I think the real Mark Carney is likely to show his head, and I think at that point Canadians will render a different judgement than what they currently have.”
As a result, Warkentin and some of his colleagues have already begun to speculate on whether they will be on the campaign trail for a second time this year.
