BTW, I like Canadian politics because It's so weird- It flounts the 2-party pattern you see in most FPTP English speaking countries. I suppose it's because of the regionalism; Quebec obviously, but aren't the Prairies geographically quite disconnected from the east?
To some degree; just like the Maritime provinces are geographically disconnected. To get to the prairies you (from here in southern Ontario) have to either go through the US (Michigan, and go around the southern part of the Great lakes, which I've been told can be quicker) or go north, and go around the Lakes that way. It can take oh, 8-9hours to get around the lakes, even longer.
Northern Ontario is where you see a transition between Eastern CA and the West politically. The NDP has become, has been in the rural areas in particular the more dominant party vs the Conservatives federally and provincially (although the Liberals have a base of support in the northern cities and hold those provincial ridings)... Once you hit MAN, you see the stark two party system of NDPvs"right-wing party" that has emerged in MAN and SASK, SASK is much more pronounced though.
