Political science professor weighs in on election results

Sudbury -

With the exception of Sault Ste. Marie, which is still up in the air, Monday's election in northern Ontario left the same parties in charge of the same ridings.

Political science professor David Tabachnick said he isn’t surprised, although there was a time when he thought there was a possibility for change.

“At one point I thought maybe five of the 10 seats might change," Tabachnick said. "That would have been on the outer edge of possible, but here we have, as you say, status quo."

He said the most disappointed party is likely the NDP, who were hoping to turn some ridings orange this time around.

"I think the NDP did think they had a very strong chance in riding such as Nickel Belt and Sudbury, and it just wasn’t enough,” said Tabachnick.

The Conservatives underperformed, he said, and ultimately voters made it clear that they want to keep a minority Liberal government.

“That is good to be reminded of, especially after all we’ve been through in the last 18 months," he said.

"They're not super excited about the course that the Liberals have taken us on, but they haven’t rejected it and they don’t quite yet see an alternative."

Tabachnick said keeping things status quo means that in two years, Canadians will likely be heading back to the polls once again.