Canada a progressive exception to global Conservative trend?

[mileslunn]

I was wondering if anyone has any idea why Canada seems to be moving leftward while everywhere else is moving rightward.  I have a couple of thoughts but would have assumed a few others would follow but other than maybe Portugal, trend is murky or opposite everywhere else.

More urbanized than most, higher rates of post-secondary education, more diverse and built on immigration as well as weak class system are some I can think of.  I am not surprised nationalism hasn't taken off in Canada like elsewhere, but it does seem the whole class warfare thing has gained more traction in Canada than elsewhere despite the fact gap between rich and poor is pretty middle of the pack.  Likewise on social issues, it seems in Canada, we aren't just socially liberal, we expect everyone to be too and less tolerance for those who are not.  In the 90s, balanced budgets were popular while it seems things have flipped as many European countries have balanced budgets, but any talk of that in Canada is politically damaging.  Otherwise it seems a lot of Canadians want a big activist government like Northern Europe has, but countries with such government want to move away from it, while in US some want this, but not a majority like in Canada. 

Any thoughts on this or do others see the results elsewhere in a different light.  It was traditionally thought that US was more conservative, Canada similar to Australia and New Zealand, while Europe more left wing, but today I would place Canada is more left wing than all of those.  Even with Liberals being more a social democratic party than centrist unlike in 90s, Tories are stuck in 30s while combined right wing vote in almost all other Western democracies is usually in the 40-60% range, not low 30s.  Otherwise most are either split 50/50 or more on right than left while Canada is quite lopsided towards left with 2/3 left wing 1/3 right wing.  Off course you have exceptions in Canada like Alberta which votes more heavily right wing than just about every other Western country.

[mileslunn]

Canada also remember moved rightward when everyone else moved leftward in the late 2000s so maybe Canada is just the opposite

Certainly true in relation to US.  Since 2000 unlike last century, usually our prime-minister has been of opposite stripe of US president, but in Europe, its been mostly centre-right governments pretty much at all times this century.  True left wing win periodically, but last time left outnumbered right was 2000, mind you back then more traditional centre-right types not more populist right types.

[mileslunn]

We're not that progressive; almost all the provincial governments are conservative right now. Canada is very much a centrist country. We don't do extremism.

True enough although in most cases right gets in 30s when loses and 40s when wins, but unlike elsewhere only crosses the 50% mark frequently in the Prairies.

But that might explain why right wing populists like PPC haven't taken off here unlike elsewhere.  Still Liberals have under Trudeau moved left, but its true provincially a lot are right wing.

[mileslunn]

In some ways, Canada seems to be the last bastion of liberalism. It's relatively immune to populist surges from both the left and right.

I would say true.  On the left, a lot of the rhetoric of taxing rich more is used by Trudeau and so you do see some of it, but Tories also give nods to right wing populist ideas, but you are right both are careful to not go too overboard.  At the same time no talk about massive expansion in the welfare state although NDP do but not Liberals and no party talks about nationalizing certain industries like Corbyn has or ripping up free trade agreements (which you see populist parties on both sides elsewhere talking about).

[mileslunn]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quebec_ban_on_religious_symbols

Eh...

Quebec is basically French politics.

Also who the fyck is a legault-trudeau voter and how does that work?

There aren't many of them.  Reason Tories massively underperformed CAQ is a lot of CAQ voters went to the BQ so actually majority of Legault voters are Blanchet federally.  BQ is centre-left while CAQ centre-right but labels somewhat misleading as both depending on policy lean right on some issues, left on others so its less clear cut than in other provinces.