Something political (part 3)

Who knew an election could be so lively? I had never been anywhere public to watch the national election results before, but the hum of energy in the theatre where I am sitting is tangible.  For a moment I regret that I am unable to hear the election coverage commentators over the myriad of conversationally engaged people around me.  But then I realize that not only can I still see the important stuff on the screen, but the ebb and flow of voices from the theatre are providing their own unique commentary. 



IPhone selfie with my popcorn!

The NDP* get a seat! They cheer! *New Democratic Party

The Liberals get a seat!  They cheer!

The Conservatives get a seat!  They boo!

A Conservative cabinet member gets upset!  The Liberal party wins the seat.  They cheer! LOUDLY.

An NDP member gets upset.  The Liberal party wins the seat.  There is a mixture of both disappointment and acceptance.

I take this all in and feel a tickling sense of amusement.  Just by the responses alone it is not hard to tell that I have found myself in the midst of a young vocal university crowd, a demographic that is notorious for being left-leaning.  I suppose it should be no surprise, as the cinema is in the middle of the University district of Toronto, but the unabashed vocal engagement of the crowd gives the sense that we are just as engaged in the results of the federal election as we would be in an epic Canadian hockey game! 

~Cue hockey announcer voice~ "That Liberal came out of nowhere, straight down centre ice.  It's a breakaway!  He shoots, he scores!  It's a Conservative upset!!!!" ~Cue massive fan cheering~ 

Olivia Chow, widow of the late Jack Layton former leader of the NDP, gets defeated.  Suddenly the deafening hum of voices in the theatre go silent all at once.  You could hear a pin drop.  The silence speaks volumes and you feel how stunned, sad and full of respect the population of the theatre is for her.  Coverage switches to show Olivia giving her concession speech and the crowd around me remains silent, listening intently for the duration of the speech.  Then the election results resume, and just as though someone flipped a switch, suddenly the voices pick up where they left off, robust as ever, drowning out the sounds of the television announcers.

It's only about 20 minutes after the polls in Ontario and Quebec when a message flashes across the screen LIBERAL VICTORY.  The voices in the theatre falter and I can hear the announcer on tv saying, "The analysts are calling it a Liberal victory.  The Liberals will be the ones to lead our next government."  Confusion rolls through the stunned theatre.  "What?" I can hear a dozen voices saying, "Isn't it way to soon to be calling this?"  After all, only a handful of ballot boxes in our most populous provinces have been counted.  I myself am skeptical and think that the guy sitting next to me is summarizing the situation perfectly, "Well, they better hope they are right or this is going to be the biggest embarrassment of Canadian news reporting history!"

It turns out the analysts were not wrong.  As the night goes on, the red Liberal wave sweeping the nation become apparent.  It is not even an hour later when the announcers update their announcements.  It will be a Liberal majority and the Conservative party will form the official opposition.  I find myself breathing a sigh of relief at the word "majority".  To me this means that the new government can be effective.  They  don't have to get caught up in trying to negotiate between warring factions, and they will have a chance to prove themselves, 4 years to be exact.  In the meantime Canadians won't have to return to the polls right away and we will have a chance to observe and see whether these politicians will live up to their promises.

The Canadian government before the 2015 election:
Conservatives 166  NDP 103  Liberals 34  Bloc Quebecois 4  Green 1

The Canadian government after the 2015 election:
Liberals 184  Conservatives 99  NDP 44  Bloc Quebecois 10  Green 1
(This is a massive change in government.  The Liberals gained 150 new seats).

As the night concluded and I went back to the hostel dorm to watch the after-election commentary on the internet until 3 in the morning (for the first time on my trip missing my BC time zone which meant I would have gone to sleep at midnight instead of 3am), I had only one thought go through my head:

A new government, a Blue Jays win, and a Star Wars trailer - it was truly a great night to be Canadian!


Canadian Parliament Buildings framed by the Canadian Museum of History

 



Something political (part 2)

It's already dark as I step out from the Toronto subway.  There is a hum of energy around as people walk down the sidewalks with purpose.  This is probably typical of Toronto, but for a moment I allow myself the illusion that they are headed to their destination with the same purpose I have: to imbibe on a refreshment of their choice (in my case popcorn, oh what a party animal I am!) and watch the election results.  I orient myself on my phone using the Google maps app and set out in the direction of the cinema.

There is a greeter at the door when I arrive.  I mention I am there to watch the election results and a big grin lights up her face.  "Welcome!" she enthuses as she quickly gives me an orientation on where I can buy my popcorn.  Popcorn: very important for an election night - I am glad that she recognizes this.  I walk to the popcorn line, which is empty.  I've arrived over 20 minutes early, being the keener I am, so that is no surprise.  I look at the sign on the cashier's desk.

MEDIUM POPCORN

$3.38

(The number of seats in the House of Commons)

 

FREE REFILLS!

 

Excellent, this night was starting out excellent!  I swiftly purchase my popcorn, yes extra butter please, and then I go pick out a seat in the sparsely populated theatre.

 

I am surprised to see that the screen is already on and election results are rolling in from the Maritimes.  A few of the ridings are being slightly schizophrenic, tumbling between a Liberal/Conservative identity crisis, but otherwise the Atlantic provinces are looking decidedly red.

 

Very little happens for the next 40 minutes.  I watch the commentary that the political analysts are providing on the tv as the Maritimes decide that they are going to be 100% Liberal after all.  The seats in the theatre around me fill up. A dull roar from the hum of voices surrounds me, it is becoming increasingly difficult to hear.  On my left a young couple settles down in their seats and pulls out their refreshments, a clear liquid in a soda bottle that is definitely not water and plastic cups to drink it with.  We chat a bit about our anticipations for the evening and he offers me something to drink from the bottle.  Nah, I'm happy with my popcorn, but thank you.  On my right three young girls of east Asian descent who look like they are barely out of high school and old enough to vote sit down.  They chatter loudly, enjoying their own refreshments, holding pieces of paper in their hands. I glance at the piece of paper "Election Bingo" it says.  HOLD THE PHONE! The cinema is giving out Election Bingo and I didn't get one?!  I briefly consider whether it is worth it getting up to hunt down my own piece of paper, but then I consider the swelling theatre population and decide the effort isn't worth it.  I like my seat too much.  Maybe I'll get one when I go for a popcorn refill.

 

The stage is set, my first helping of popcorn is almost finished, and there are only 10 seconds before the polls in Quebec and Ontario close.

 

"10 - 9 - 8 - 7 - 6 - 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1."  The dissonant hum of voices unites into a singularity of anticipation and cheers echo as the announcer on the tv declares that the polls are now closed.  Now things get interesting.

 

Part 3 is up!

Something political (part 1)

 What does one do when they are away from their home riding at a time a national election is taking place?  This was the conundrum that faced me while I was on my epic two month journey 3,904km (give or take a few hundred kilometers) away from home.  If I were to point to my normal election habits I would vote, go home and curl up in front of the tv alone to watch the election results and be riveted to the screen for 3 hours or so before I decided to call it a night.  But I was travelling and these were hardly normal circumstances - after all I did not have a tv!  Since I'm slightly passionate about Canada (give or take a few degrees of passion [mostly give]) I knew that not watching the election coverage results first hand was not an option, so other arrangements would have to be made.

First of all, voting - I made arrangements a month in advance of the actual polling date to vote by mail.  I might have snorted very loudly in amusement when I opened the envelope from Elections Canada to discovered that it was like a Russian nesting doll inside, with one, two, three more envelopes and a ballot required for use in order to return my vote.  I had to write my vote on the ballot, put it in an envelope, seal and sign.  Then I had to put that envelope in another envelope and seal and sign.  Then I had to put that envelope in yet another envelope, address it, attach my own postage (Seriously Elections Canada no pre-posted envelopes?  I'm so disappointed in you.) and mail it.  Talk about a process!

Second, finding a place to watch the election coverage - I just happened to be in Toronto for the week that the election was taking place so I figured that there was some place out there showing results for the public.  After all, this was Toronto: the city that blew my mind as I entered it and realized how absolutely huge it and the greater surrounding area was.  We're talking about an area that is half the population of Ontario, equal to the population of BC or three times the population of the Maritime provinces put together!  If there was no place in a city this big to watch the election coverage results then I was going to eat my toque, or hat (for those non-Canadian readers out there).  Still there was the chance that finding a place might be difficult since the election night conflicted with an all-important Toronto Blue-Jays baseball playoffs game, and an equally important debut of the new Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer during Monday night football (priorities, people, priorities).  After looking online, however, I realized that my fears were in vain.  The problem was not finding a place that was showing the election results; no, the problem would be narrowing down which place out of all the plethora available that I wanted to spend my night.

It was a tough decision, but in the end I settled on a cinema up in the university district that was hosting a free screening of the election coverage. I was secretly hoping they would be selling popcorn too! Having made my decision, I announced my evening intentions to my international roommates in the Toronto hostel I was staying at, giving them the opportunity to join me, only to receive incredulous looks all around.  The Swede declared that this was absolutely fascinating - that Canadians actually get together outside of the home together to watch election results!  This was something she has never heard of before, which I find absolutely fascinating.  I guess Canadians are comparatively very passionate about their politics, something that was apparent only after receiving an outsider's perspective.  Despite the fascination, however, she declined to join me for my exciting evening on the town.  No problem, having been single for so long I am used to going to the cinema on my own!

Decision and arrangements made, it was the evening of October 19th. I bundled up and stepped out into the heart of downtown Toronto.  My mission: to spend my evening at a cinema celebrating with other Canadians our democratic right to vote.  It was to be a unique, fun and historic night.

The story continues!