Canadian-American political dictionary

So the motherland has had its elections, with the Conservative Party winning a minority government after approximately 3 generations of rule by the Liberal Party. Here at the Embassy, we recognize that there is ample room for confusion in interpreting these results, due to differences between the Canadian political spectrum and those of other countries.

Like, say, America. Are Dubya's followers smiling? Are their opponents despairing at the spread of right-wing politics beyond America's borders? It is worth keeping in mind that that the Conservatives are still a minority, and that in order to govern they will probably want to forge a coalition, with the New Democratic Party being a likely candidate. Every single Conservative motion in the House of Commons will require the cooperation of over 30 non-Conservative MPs, thereby eliminating the possibility that the more conservative strains of the Conservative Party will ever find political realization.

In addition, here is a useful summary of key terms in Canadian politics, and how they translate into the American political vernacular.

Centre/Centre: A political position characterized by views held by the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.

Liberal Party/Parti libéral: A party characterized by views held by slightly more leftist members of the Democratic Party.

Consertive Party/Parti conservateur: A party characterized by views held by slightly more conservative members of the Democratic Party (there are quite a few more extreme Conservatives, but these are kept gagged and bound in a closet in Stephen Harper's Ottawa office).

Bloc Quebecois/Bloc québécois: A separatist party native to Quebec. Actually, I'm from western Canada, so I know next to nothing about this party, though I know that I don't like it.

New Democratic Party/Nouveau Parti Démocratique: Communists.

Attack ads/publicité négative: Campaign advertisement in which it is suggested that a candidate resembles George W. Bush.

American-style healthcare/système de santé à la mode américaine: A two-tier system in which the public (single-payer) healthcare system is joined by a parallel system of private medicine; a vile curse word with no real equivalent in American English.

The war in Iraq/la guerre en Iraq: An atrocious mess in which, thanks be, we never got involved.

Anti-abortion movement/le mouvement anti-avortement: Political stillbirth.