Who knew, on the eve of the election, that Stephen Harper would be about to be elected Canada’s next prime minister? That Paul Martin’s Liberals could sink so low in public polls? That there would be a Conservative wave in Québec strong enough to dethrone the Liberals as the second-most popular party in the province and even make the Bloc sweat bullets? Who knew that we would even begin to think about Harper’s ability to form a majority government in this campaign? Who knew that election night would be such a nail-biter?

Whodathunkit? Who would have thought?

I didn’t. No one did. And this campaign has made us go through more than its fair share of surprises. And it’s been extremely interesting. And it’ll be even more intense and interesting tomorrow night, as Canadians from coast to coast will stand on the edge of their couches in the family living room as the results will be revealed.

But I at least knew something would happen. I knew this campaign would get interesting and impassion a lot of people. The French-speaking readers to my blog will possibly recall that at the very end of a previous November 2005 post titled “Le gouvernement Martin est tombé! Yahoo!” I had written the following in French : “But this campaign is still young, and I believe it’s going to be very interesting, despite what political journalists want us to believe.”

As you can see, I was dead right.

Now, for a Tory supporter like me, what’s left to say about a 55-day-long electoral campaign that’s just ended, which put the candidate I support in a position to win? Not much. I still hope for a Harper majority though, I believe he won’t be able to do a lot if he has to get the approval of other parties first as is customary in a minority government. But for that, a lot of Atlantic Canada and Ontario voters will have to renounce supporting Paul Martin’s Liberals (although it beats me how someone can STILL vote Liberal in those times AND be able to sleep at night) and go for Harper’s conservatives. And the worst thing about it is that it probably won’t happen. But I’m crossing my fingers and not losing hope. And I am not changing my predictions. I think that, in the end, Harper will have a majority. A lot of disillusioned Liberal supporters probably won’t bother to go out and vote that much to save Paul Martin’s sorry ass. This will play in the favor of the Conservatives, which will ALL rush out and vote to give Harper a majority. Plus, there are still a lot of undecideds. They will most likely make their mind in the voting booth. I suspect most of them will go for Harper, as undecideds tend to follow trends.

As for those last subsisting dreaded dye-in-the-wool Liberal voters, I really don’t understand why, with all that’s happened to them and the empty-fear-mongering-disaster-they-call-a-campaign Paul Martin has run, Liberals still poll above 20% in Canada. I really don’t get those who will vote Liberal again tomorrow, whether they hold their nose or not while marking their ballot. I wish they’d lighten up and really think about what they’re going to do. They are going to vote for a party that’s corrupt. They’re going to vote for a party that’s really, really used. They are going to vote for a party that’s already been in power too long. They’re going to vote for Paul Martin, one of the slimiest and most opportunistic politicians I’ve ever seen, and they actually want him in power. Unbelievable. Add to that that they’re going to vote for a party that had twelve long years to do EVERYTHING they now promise to do but didn’t, and they’re going to vote for a party whose leader’s opinion changes with the times. Plus their choice party’s best defense, because they have nothing to show for their twelve years of Liberal rule, is calling the other guy an extreme-right wingnut which is just about the only thing Paul Martin has done from beginning to end of this campaign. Apart from switching to “damage control” mode. Sad, and pitiful.

I just don’t get those people. I really don’t. Someone please explain to me why there are still Canadians who will vote Liberal this time. I just don’t get it. It’s not like Harper’s the only choice if you don’t like him or his party. If you’re a leftist, there’s the NDP. If you’re an environmentalist, there’s the Greens. If you’re right-wing, vote Conservative. You don’t HAVE to vote Liberal even if you feel they’re right on the issues or if you feel they appeal to your positions! Nobody forces you to vote Liberal. And this time, EVERY OPTION is better than voting Liberal.

Because the Liberals are just not an option this time. Fortunately, many Canadians who have voted Liberal all their life and now won’t feel that way too. And that’s why tomorrow, we won’t have to put up with Paul Martin or the Liberal party anymore.

Please Canada! Tomorrow, vote Conservative, vote NDP, vote Green, vote Marijuana, vote Canadian Action Party, you can even vote Marxist-Leninist! Vote anything… but please, please, I beg you, don’t vote Liberal!