NDP makes gains in N.B.

The NDP made history in New Brunswickon Monday, placing first or second in seven of the ten ridings with a combined total of 29.76 per cent of the vote.

However that increase in votes didn't translate into more seats for the NDP,with incumbent Yvon Godinof Acadie-Bathurst remaining the only NDP Member of Parliament in the province.

Some were surprised by the strong showing ofthe six NDP candidates who came in second, ahead of the Liberal candidates, in the ridings ofFredericton, Tobique-Mactaquac, New Brunswick Southwest, Saint John, Miramichi and Fundy Royal.

Fredericton's Conservative incumbent Keith Ashfield, who secured his second federal victory, was shocked that NDP candidate Jesse Travis finishedsecond to himwith 10,522 votes.

'That's something for the future to look at but I think right now many of the left have joined with us, the people that voted last night, and I think that will continue...I think there's a change happening' Yvon Godin, NDP

"(Voters) perhaps weren't happy with (Liberal Leader Michael) Ignatieff. I don't really know," Ashfield said. "But I found it quite strange that the Liberals would end up in third place rather than second."

Godin rides the wave

Yvon Godin said the surprise for him came during the last two weeks of the election campaign.

"We always hear the waveabout the Liberal or the Conservative but the wave from the NDP was nice to see after all those years that we have worked so hard."

Godin credits Jack Layton's leadership with theparty's success.

"Jack is a person that is well respected across the country,Quebec fell in love with him and they like our policy andthe work that was done in the House of Commons...and I think when they look at it for an alternative they were not ready to go back to the Liberals."

Now Godin is looking forward to being a member of the Official Opposition in Ottawa.

"You know, we're pretty proud this morning to have the official status, that Canada madehistory today on this," Godin said.

Vote splittinga factor

In Moncton, NDP supporters cast 14,053 votes, and Liberal supporters 15,244 which split the anti-Conservative vote and led to the election of Conservative Robert Goguen. Goguen received 35.73per cent of thevote compared to a combined total of 60.13 per centfor theLiberal and NDP candidates.

However in other ridings the combined vote for the NDP andLiberalcandidates wouldn't have been enough to defeat the Conservatives.

In Fredericton, Keith Ashfield received 48.43 percent of the vote compared with a combined total of 46.98 per centfor the NDP and Liberal candidates.

In Saint John, Conservative Rodney Weston had 49.81 per cent of the vote compared with 46.66 per cent for the NDP and Liberal candidates combined.

Godin said uniting the Liberal Party and the NDP is an idea he thinks should beconsidered.

"That's something for the future to look at but I think right now many of the left have joined with us, the people that voted last night, and I think that will continue...I think there's a change happening," Godin said.