Some math for Liberals

Between the 2004 and 2006 elections, the New Democratic Party of Canada increased it's vote by 462,194 Canadians nationwide. This was less than a 2% increase in it's overall vote share.

Between those same elections, the Liberal Party of Canada lost 399,417 votes in Quebec alone through that party's incompetence and corruption. This loss in Quebec made up more than 80% of the Liberal Party's national decline between 2004 and 2006. Nationally, the Liberals lost only about another 100,000 votes.

(All of these figures come from Elections Canada. 2004 results here, 2006 here.)

Here we have a pretty close call - one party gained more than 400,000 votes by advocating policies that, you know, appealed to Canadians. The other party screamed that the Conservative opposition was going to rain hellfire and damnation on us all if they were elected. They were so remarkably successful in that pitch that close to the same number (and even 100,000 Canadians not directly affected by Liberal corruption) were turned off.

Now I'm sure that a sophisticated Liberal can explain to me why Gomery was ultimately all Jack Layton's fault. Hell, if they tried, I'm sure they could convince us all that all of AdScam was Jack's fault. Further, I'm sure a sophisticated Liberal can tell me how, without Jack Layton, the people of Quebec would have re-elected the Liberal Party in Quebec with an overwhelming majority. I'm sure, to put it bluntly, that whatever the numbers are, whatever the facts are, whatever reality is, it's all Jack Layton and the NDP's fault.

Oh, and a finale: 1.3 million more Canadians voted for the Conservative Party in 2006 than in 2004. This dwarfs any potential fratricide alleged to occur between the NDP and the Liberals.