Canadian election thread

[Party @ the Moontower]

Canada loves Obama..from Canada

[Dreamin']

Canada loves Obama..from Canada

Cute. I like the Tim Horton's bit.

[Dreamin']

Calculate your Green Shift tax benefit

[Party @ the Moontower]

Expatriot Liberal Intellectual Theocracy Escape Plan to Canada

Where can those crazy conservatives threaten to move if Obama wins? Not Canada!

 

 

[bobfrombob]

Vote!!

[Katie3]

I hope everyone has or is going to go out and vote today! I did for the first time

[Dreamin']

 

I hope everyone has or is going to go out and vote today! I did for the first time

Congratulations!

 

I'm glad that this election will be over soon... even though I might not like the result.

[blindgonzo]

Man, I wish a tide of orange would sweep across Canada. I voted for the NDP in my riding, which makes me feel good that I will be giving the party the $1.75 (or whatever it is) per vote. However, other than that my vote will be a complete waste. The only votes that matter are the ones that are cast for the winning MP in each riding. If you don't happen to vote for that person then your vote doesn't matter. And because this is a single member plurality (a majority isn't needed to win), this means that in some consituencies, the Majority of people's vote may not matter.

[TCP]

I voted NDP. Didn't feel good about it though, I don't see the difference between NDP, Liberal, and Conservatives anymore.

[Dreamin']

I'm relieved that the Conservatives won't win a majority (whew!), but I'm disappointed that the Liberals did so poorly. I think Stephane Dion is a smart, decent guy... but they have to find a leader who can win.

 

The NDP is leading in my riding (so far), so my fingers are crossed.

[trevor]

i voted libs. not that i'm a huge fan, really, but the NDP candidate in my riding withdrew (i'm sure some people have heard of julian gray in the past few weeks), and voting liberal was my only real option.

 

didn't work, though. "shun lunn" failed.

[Katie3]

Hey Bobfrombob, you're in the riding right beside mine, I'm in Ottawa - Vanier.

[blindgonzo]

Well, I'm pretty excited to see what happens this week. The Liberals and NDP with the support of the Bloc Quebecois have agreed on a deal to form a coalition government if the Conservative Party receives a vote of non-confidence (which it looks like they will). If the Governor General doesn't call for another election (which I think would be doubtful, being as we just had one), and if current PM Stephen Harper doesn't suspend Parliament, then it looks like Canada could have itself a coalition government.

 

Here's a CBC article that lays is out: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/12/01/...tion-talks.html

 

I am all for it. It may fail, perhaps nothing will get done, but as far as I'm concerned anything is better than the ping pong game between Liberals and Conservatives, who in reality aren't all that different in many policy positions. Yes, this coalition is dominated by Liberal cabinet ministers, but at least the NDP will be in a position of power as well.

 

Many people are calling this move undemocratic, but I have to disagree. With the Liberal/NDP coalition and the support of the BQ, more Canadians would be represented in the new government. The Conservatives only received 37% of the vote back in October. And that is from the record low turnout of 59.1%. The other three parties represent 54. 41% of those who voted. Majority rules, no?

 

I guess I am more in favour of this than other people because I am firmly against the first-past-the-post electoral system and I see this as a step in a different direction. I am not naive. I don't believe that the possible coalition government created this plan purely out of their concern for Canadians. It's about power (partially, anyways). But at least the distribution of power will change. As I said, however, I am excited to see what happens.

[GtrPlyr]

One of the problems with this coalition is, the BQ is not a party for Canadians, they're a party for Quebecer's and Quebecer's only. I guess these parties will align with anyone as long as they seize control.

[bjorn_skurj]

It is interesting to watch this exercise in parliamentary democracy. I don't really dig anybody's Conservative party and am of Quebecois extraction, so it is OK with me.

[bobfrombob]

Some day the whole story will be told. I'm already looking forward to learning how the Conservatives thought they could actually cut funding to political parties and get away with it. Whose idea was this and who approved it? Ultimately Harper must have bought in to it so the whole group-think phenomenon must have gotten out of control.

[Dreamin']

Who said Canadian politics was boring? (Oops, I guess that was me, wasn't it? )

 

Gov. Gen. rushes home to deal with political turmoil

 

Talk of a coalition government was triggered when Finance Minister Jim Flaherty delivered his controversial fiscal update last Thursday.

 

Opposition parties blasted the Tories for failing to include a stimulus package for the slumping economy and accused the party of using tumultuous times to try to push through ideologically driven measures they said attacked women and public servants.

 

The mini-budget originally proposed a three-year ban on the right of civil servants to strike' date=' limits on the ability of women to sue for pay equity and eliminated subsidies for political parties.[/b']

Nice try. What an arrogant f#@k!

 

Nelson Wiseman' date=' political science professor at the University of Toronto, said governors general have historically agreed to prorogue Parliament, but they've never been asked to do so so early after an election. The Tories were returned to power seven weeks ago in the Oct. 14 vote.

 

"Should she follow the convention of agreeing, or should she take into account what appears to be the sentiment of Parliament?" said Wiseman.

 

"Her job description is to find someone who can command the confidence of a majority, the House of Commons, and you've got a majority saying, 'We're available.' "

 

Wiseman dismissed the Harper's attacks on the coalition, who reportedly called it an "undemocratic seizure of power."

 

"The Conservatives are arguing it's undemocratic, but actually elections don't elect governments," said Wiseman. "They elect Parliaments. Parliaments make a government. Parliaments can break a government."

 

...

 

With 77 Liberal MPs and 37 New Democrats, plus the support of 49 Bloc members, the three parties have more seats than the 143 held by the Tories.[/quote']

 

The Liberals, NDP, and BQ (yes, ironic as it seems!) represent the values and priorities of Canadians much better than Stephen Harper's Conservatives do, but I think that a coalition is unwise.

 

One of the problems with this coalition is, the BQ is not a party for Canadians, they're a party for Quebecer's and Quebecer's only. I guess these parties will align with anyone as long as they seize control.

I've come to accept the presence of the BQ on the Canadian political landscape. I'd much rather have them participate in Parliament than marginalize their supporters (lest we forget the October Crisis). It's a paradox, of course, but I think the BQ actually helps national unity more than it hurts.

[Dreamin']

Coalition? Back off Jack!

 

Best of all worlds?

 

Lastly' date=' think about how this will play out -- the best case scenario. It would go like this: Stephen Harper is defeated in Parliament and Stephane Dion becomes Prime Minister. Harper is removed from the Conservative Party leadership for his reactionary and highly-partisan politics.

 

Dion does a brilliant job as prime minister for five months, winning international acclaim and making Canadians forget his disastrous election campaign.

 

Michael Ignatieff wins the federal Liberal Party leadership in May's Vancouver convention and takes over as prime minister from Dion.

 

Ignatieff does an equally brilliant job as prime minister for the remaining 25 months of the coalition government agreement.

 

Meanwhile, NDP leader Jack Layton and five colleagues sparkle in their federal cabinet portfolios, putting an end to persistent criticism that the NDP couldn't run a popsicle stand. The NDP proves that federally it is ready to govern.

 

With sage advice from the coalition economic advisors -- ex-Liberal Prime Minister Paul Martin, former Liberal cabinet minister John Manley, ex-Saskatchewan NDP Premier Roy Romanow and ex-New Brunswick Liberal Premier Frank McKenna -- now deputy chair of the TD Bank -- Canada weathers the economic downturn and financial crisis with flying colours.

 

The separatist Bloc Quebecois sees federalism at its best and decides that Quebec nationalism can indeed be enjoyed within Canada. BQ members disband their party and join either Liberal or NDP ranks.

 

At the end of the 30 months of coalition government, an election is held and the deal is over.

 

In the 2011 election, a grateful country votes to return significantly more Liberals and New Democrats, who decide that since a coalition worked so well, they will do it again, even though the Liberals have won a majority of seats.

 

The Conservative Party suffers its worst defeat in decades and admits the obvious -- the centre-left coalition government is the best Canada has ever seen.

 

And everyone lived happily ever after.

 

But that is obviously a fairy tale ending.

 

Back in the real world of financial disaster and a potential depression, it's time for all parties to stop playing games and start saving jobs and investment -- get on with it![/quote']