The October 21st federal election reflected how divided the country is, and highlighted regional differences.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has most of his seats out east, while the Conservatives swept Saskatchewan, Alberta and much of Southern Manitoba.

Brandon University Associate Professor Kelly Saunders wasn’t surprised with the minority outcome, but she was disappointed to see how polarized the country has become.

“What disturbs me is how sharply divided that electoral map is. We are a very divided country, and I think that surprised me, just that level of division. Jt also saddens me as well, because I don’t think that is good for us as a country moving forward.”

Prime Minister Trudeau is expected to work closely with the NDP on several issues, but Saunders points out the he will have the opportunity to work with all parties depending on what the issue is at the time.

“More than likely, on most policies, it will be the NDP he turns to to hold his government together, and to find enough votes to survive confidence motions and so forth. There are issues where he will have to part ways with the NDP and the Greens, and that of course is in on pipelines. That might be an issue where he seeks support from the Conservative Party.”

Brandon-Souris MP Larry Maguire has voiced concerns about the level of spending that could come from a minority government, and Saunders says that could be the case.

“The NDP will be a significant power broker, and they will be putting their demands on the table and they’ve already indicated they have priority areas including a national pharmacare program which would be very pricey.”

As for the duration of the Liberal minority government, Saunders says that it depends on how well the Prime Minister can work with the parties. With this parliament, she says the current group of leaders have more in common than some previous minority governments.

As for repairing a fractured country, Saunders says it’s a tough challenge. “His party doesn’t have any representation in two provinces out of 10 and Trudeau is going to have to do some heavy lifting to try and convince Western Canadians that he is the Prime Minister of all of us.”