Basically Smiler, the Liberals, the party that used to be THE centrist party, and the party that won maybe 2/3rds of the time, has hit a historic low, Meanwhile the NDP (strong leftist) party, usually a third-place also-ran that served as something of a "conscience" to the two main parties, has gained a vote total of about 250% of their high-water mark. In Quebec, the regional Bloc party that had been strong there for 20 years was, well, totally obliterated. The conservatives won a majority through vote splits and mistakes on the part of the Liberals.
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If I was a betting man, I would call the next election as a true three-way race. The NDP are gonna have some new faces who'll be certain to do some stupid things, given that they were total longshot candidates, cones unexpected to win. The Liberals will be at least a little better off, without the full weight of the Con propaganda machine gunning them down every day (that will now be directed at the NDP)., and while the Cons will no doubt still have a strong core, I can only see them losing votes - I think this will be their high -water mark under Harper. He's just too prone to self-inflicted damage, even with the tightest imaginable controls.
A lot will depend on who the Liberals will choose as a new leader, and how well Layton manages a hugely increased stable. The NDP might look like government material if they do really well in opposition.