I think it's a little more complex than leaders myself. I think Canadians just remain creatures of habit and the swing from one side to other is a gradual thing based on percieved performance more than anything else.
Harper may be a crappy Prime Minister, but he talks smooth and answers questions with what sounds like answers, so the perception of a good leader is there. Is Dion , or even Layton (not that it matters) any better/worse/different than Harper? No.
Why are we still in a minority gov't? Because we're all such timid voters. It's been shown by research that many voters will cast ballots for who they think will win, not for who they would like to win. It really is a strange thing, and I can't explain it.
Anyway, the Tories are a real concern to me in terms of deep intergration, and I'm afraid of how far down the conservative path we can go before we lose important pieces of our Canadian identity.
I say we should all just vote Green and see where that goes, just for fun.
Peace,
Pierre