I'm unsurprised... I think satisfactory would be a good description.
Even though you will almost never find me in the Conservative camp, I think that realistically it was a race between the Conservatives and the Liberals, and between the two I prefer the Conservatives right now.
The Liberals need to step back, clean up and re-group.
Like many I also think the minority government is a very good thing, it keeps a leash on everyone, and means that Harper will have an opportunity to prove himself and his party in the interest of Canada. Whatever policy they try to pass through must meet with tougher scruinty than a majority government.
I can't say that I am that "afraid" of Harper in this context, I'm suspect of his social conservative views, but I think that the party will not be able to exercise those views in this context and will hopefully pass some of the policies that are more in favour of healing Canada.... while going too far on giving over power to the proviences could result in a very week federalism there is a real problem with the fiscal imbalance.
I am a little dissapointed that the Liberals got as many seats as they did... I would have liked to see the NDP hold more of the blance of power.
But, I do think it is very good that the Conservatives were the ones to take seats away from the Bloc... this means that the federalists are alive and kicking in Quebec, and it will be very difficult for the Bloc to continue to win by any large margin with two federalist parties to compete with next time.
On a riding by riding note, I'm glad to say that my riding and the one next to me both had a change over from the Liberals to the NDP...
Mine: Trinity Spadina Tony Ianno defeated by Oliva Chow, I think she'll be a very good MP, she's really involved in the community and we see her around lots, I've never even met Tony.
Parkdale-High Park: Sam Bulte defeated by Peggy Nash... this is a real surprise in someways, Bulte has been hanging onto this riding mainly because of a strong ethnic vote (Polish), and that is the main reason that Nash lost last time, although I do think that one reason Nash won this time is that the Green Party canadidate who has been one of the strongest GP candidates in the country to date, stepped down before this election and there was a new GP candidate who I will hazard a guess didn't pick up as much of the vote, which probably went to Nash.
I'm really glad to see Valeri gone.... not that I get into Liberal politics all that much but I've got family in that riding and I saw first hand what happened when they ousted Shelia Copps.... it was sooooo very very far from legitimate, the evening news even caught Valeri's guys sneaking busloads of people from the periphery of the riding through side doors and giving them membership cards at the same time as people who had been standing in line for hours at the front doors were either shut out or told their memeberships were no good and could not vote.
The only thing that would have made this election a real win for me would have been to see a GP member... but another time.
Now onto electoral reform!