Since there's only a week left until the election, thought I'd open a thread.
Opinions on it, and of course, a poll.
As Smokey the Bear would say: Remember, only you can prevent tories from winning.
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Since there's only a week left until the election, thought I'd open a thread.
Opinions on it, and of course, a poll.
As Smokey the Bear would say: Remember, only you can prevent tories from winning.
I don't live in Canada but if I did the Marijuana Party would most definitely get my vote.
I will vote for the hockey puck.
I've a little bit of research. Everything most people are promising (Health care and Education) are handled by the Provincial governments, not Federal Governments. Sponsorship scandal aside, the Liberals have kept this country up fairly well in all matters I care about besides military. And I can't have it all so I'll probably be voting for the liberals once more.
NDP was in control of Ontario for a time and they fucked it up.
I'm voting for the Green Party since the Liberals are going to win easily in my riding and I don't need to worry about voting against the Conservatives. They should get at least 2% of the vote this election, qualifying them for funding, and while I don't agree with them on every issue, I think they could do a better job on the left than the NDP are doing.
I've no fucking clue who I'm going to vote for.
I like the Conservatives' idea of pumping more cash into the military and taking a more active role on the world stage. But... they're the Conservatives. I don't like their vision of Canada. I only like their foreign policy.
I like the Liberals' internal policy, but their external policy is weak! The military has severely atrohpied under their decade long rule.
The NDP is a joke. Jack Layton would promise turbines for everyone just to get elected.
The older I get the more I realize I'm not just a liberal...
I might just pencil in The Bloc on the ballot and vote for them.
I see so many blue signs in my town it's scary. I'm afraid the Liberals are gonna go down in flames, but i seriously hope it doesnt happen. I can live with a minority tory government though, as that would likely collapse as soon as they tried something funky like we all know they wanna.
"ABORTIONS FOR NONE!"Quote:
Originally Posted by Error
Hell that's just the start with them I fear. Health care for those who can pay. Tax reductions for everybody who has more than a million in the bank. Screw the rest. Gay Marriage? Hell, it'll be illegal to be Gay again as soon as they get their way. Official religion introduced. Officially one language.
All of that is what I expect from Stephen Harper. People were fooled by Mike Harris once, then they were stupid enough to vote for him again. Look what that got Ontario. No money, no infrastructure, and debt out the wazzoo. It might just be time for me to move to Europe or someplace for a few years if the Tories get an actual mandate. And whats really funny is I liked the Federal PCs. I didn't have a problem voting PC if i liked the candidate. It's these damned Reform party fricks that scare the hell out of me.
We don't have a lot of options this year. Hopefully we'll get a minority government which forces a coalition Lib/NDP government.
Harper = Baby Bush
The guy scares the hell out of me.
I'd like to see a coalition Liberal/NDP gov't. The Liberals need a GOOD kick in the ass, and a bit of control put over them, but Tories ARE NOT THE ANSWER. (Stupid clueless public...)
Where's all the support for the Marxist-Leninist Party?!
You guys all seem to have your priorities mixed up. Vote what's right! Vote Marxist-Leninist!
Being stranded in this Republican wasteland down South, I can't vote :(. Can you mail in ballots or something?
I realize that I'm a pretty conservative-minded fellow, but modern Canadian Tories just suck. I would vote Liberal just because they seem to be the only sane party left.
I blame it all on Mulroney, BTW.
Aren't you a Canadian abroad? Can't you vote abroad?
I'm a canadian abroad, too. I think you can vote at the local embassy, if you have one. I'm from Ontario, but currently I live in Belgrade. Incidently, Serbia is having a presidential election now, but I can't vote and I don't know shit about the politics over here. Come to think of it, I don't know shit about the current state of canadian politics either. I'm done school, I'm healthy, and I have never had to pay income tax, so I've never given it much thought. It would be nice to see a stronger gov't in terms of foreign policy. Our gov't has a nasty habit of letting other countries fuck us over in order to maintain 'good diplomatic relations.' (soft-wood lumber, north atlantic fishing, nafta violations, advocacy for canadians detained abroad, BSC hipocrisy, etc.) It wouldn't be a bad idea to have a better equipped military either. We have great soldiers, but the equipment they have to work with is pathetic. The americans are decommissioning equipment that is better than what we plan to buy. I really wish the media and the gov't would just drop the non-issues as well. The whole gay marriage 'debate' is little more than a stupidity pageant for bible-thumpers and special interest groups.
For the most part though, I don't really see the signifigance of the federal elections to my life. If I decide to stick with a career in computer engineering, I'll be moving to the states anyway, unless canadian companies wise up and start paying their engineers the kinds of salaries that their american counterparts are offering. And I doubt the gov't will have any say in that issue.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/gener...ision2004.htmlQuote:
Originally Posted by kedawa
Pay may be less here, but the general cost of living is lower. It's all proportional. The quality of life is higher too.Quote:
Originally Posted by kedawa
Moving to the US won't do much, anyways. All those jobs are moving to India.
I think Martin has two things going against him, people are tired of the liberals (they've been in power for so long), and people are pissed off because of the scandals.
But still, I'd rather have the liberals win than the tories.
Then again, it could be worse, the tories could be led by Belinda Stromach... :sweat:
But I think the scenario outlined by Error is very possible, and I think we'd have to vote again in a year.
I'm just hoping the participation rate won't decrease again, seems there's a decision to make this time.
She's hot.Quote:
Originally Posted by Geo-X
She looks like cougar material, but she's probably more of a rich soccer mom type. So, doubt you're gonna have any luck.Quote:
Originally Posted by Brisco Bold
I can dream, can't I?
I don't know! I always just assumed that I couldn't, and never looked into it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Brisco Bold
But in any case, there is no Canadian embassy/consulate for several thousand miles, so it looks like it'd be a lost cause if what Kedawa says is true.
Right - I don't see myself going back to Canada any time soon, either. But it still does seem nice to have a say in whether or not the folks in power are treating my family & friends properly.Quote:
Originally Posted by kedawa
Quote:
Originally Posted by Matt
:cry:
Well, I love my country, but I'm hoping to find work doing research on warm-water marine life. That sort of limits my options :\
If you like being "the bitch", yes.Quote:
Originally Posted by Brisco Bold
I'm no expert in Canadian politics, but is the entire Conservative part like this fearful portrait you paint, wheere everyone is so far to the right it's mind-boggling, or are you just manifesting your worst fears into words?
With the way Brisco puts things, a liberal internal policy with a conservative external policy would be ideal. But I bet I'm generalizing a lot of stuff.
Btw, how minor are the minority parties in your country? In the US, I know we have Greens, Libertarians, and the like, but they hardly register a blip on the radar.
Recent Polls: http://www.nodice.ca/election2004/polls.htmlQuote:
Originally Posted by Hero
As for the Conservatives ("tories"), their leader is much further right than Canadians are used to. But the problem lies in the fact that the Liberals have sort of been "abusing" their majority status the past few years, and alot of voters are going to vote Conservative simply to teach the Liberals "a lesson". A four year lesson, that'll end up biting the voters back in the ass.
Harper (the tory leader) has actually said that "we won't be able to recognise Canada when he's done with it", which to me is a pretty damn scary prospect.
Years back a bunch of fundies split from the Progressive Conservative party to form the Reform party. They later changed their name to the Canadian Alliance while moving a little towards the center and taking a lot of Progressive Conservative seats. Recently the Canadian Alliance merged with the Progressive Conservatives to form the Conservatives, although it was more like a Canadian Alliance takeover than anything.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hero
Conservative leader Stephen Harper supported the war in Iraq. He supports further privatization of our healthcare system and other public services. He's against same-sex marriage, the Kyoto Protocol and abortion. The last point has been dodged and many Conservatives say the opposition is fearmongering, but Stephen Harper would let Parliament vote on a private members' bill concerning abortion.
The Conservatives would've dragged our asses into Iraq and had our noses so far up Bush's ass we'd be smelling shit. The Liberals, and even NDP, are commited to beefing up our military now that we've got a decent economy.Quote:
With the way Brisco puts things, a liberal internal policy with a conservative external policy would be ideal. But I bet I'm generalizing a lot of stuff.
We've got the NDP to the left, the Greens on their tail and the Bloc Quebecois in Quebec. Basically four parties are guaranteed seats, possibly five if the Greens are lucky. There's also fringe parties like the Communist Party, Marxist-Leninist Party, Marijuana Party, Libertarian Party, Christian Heritage Party, Canadian Action Party and others. None of them will win any seats and they'll probobally get 1% of the vote combined.Quote:
Btw, how minor are the minority parties in your country? In the US, I know we have Greens, Libertarians, and the like, but they hardly register a blip on the radar.
She's dead sexy, so I'll be anything she wants.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kenshin
For some strange reason I doubt they'll do this.Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnny
The Liberals or NDP? Because the Liberals have already started re-investing in the military.
The Tories used to be a pretty normal bunch - sort of like your Republicans but not quite as far to the right as the Reagan administration. But they were nearly killed off in the early '90s, and the people who filled the gap are just plain incompetent. Imagine the Bush administration but with less common sense and a nervous underdog mentality. A lot of former party stalwarts have since quite politics.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hero
Actually, I think that looking at the way the US has turned out in the last four years has opened up people's eyes a little more about the ideals of the Canadian right.
Both, actually. And the Libs already did? Interesting. But I doubt they'll bring back military spending back to pre-93 levels.Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnny
The Tories, pre-Alliance takeover, were NOT like the Republicans.
Yes, they had a bunch of the same political ideals, but socially they've always meant to keep the Canadian ideals like health care and our general open-minded values. That's why they were called the "Progressive Conservative" party.
Now they're just called the "Conservative" party, which mirrors their shift to a sort of veiled christian-based value system and regressive social ideals.
Old PC members who bailed after the Alliance/PC merger, digusted by the sharp right turn, have a new "PC" party called the "Progressive Canadian" party. Right now it's in a very pathetic position, since they only formed it the other day, but maybe it'll build up its ranks again after people realize the new Conservatives are not so Canadian.
Vote Liberals.
So there's no right that isn't so far right as the Tories?
Because I heard mention of the Marxist-Lenin party, the Communists, the Greens...sounds like a lot of left-alternatives. I know Libertarians are right, but if they're anything like ours, they're harder right than Conservatives, just without the religious element. And the Christian-Heritage...I doubt Kenshin would give me a good review of them. =p
Sounds like there's no place for the slight-rights to go. Do you think they'll vote left, or is there a left party that appeals to the centrists and fence-sitters?
The fringe parties are fringe parties. They have no chance of winning a seat.
The other left party is the NDP (New Democratic Party), and I'm voting for them. They have about 20% in the polls right now. The Greens are around 6%.
Oh, and here's an interesting article on how the Conservatives can "win, but not win":
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl...query=clarkson
It's a complicated election, this time around.
Vote for the pot-smoking dominatrix!
I don't think parties that only have one cause can last out there.
The Marijuana party seems frivolous to me, and here with the Greens...I want to keep the environment in one peice, but Green members I've met tend to be...quite militant and zealous.
I didn't know Canada have provisions to basically overturn the decision of the voters (reading Kenshin's article). Call me crazy, but even if the Liberals voted Torie just to teach their party a lesson, then whatever trouble comes in the next 4 years is squarely on them. You ought to vote for what you want to vote for and be responsible for that decision.
*two cents*
Wonderful..... Just great!
The best case scenario is a minority government so nothing really retarded happens. Hopefully this occurs or we are fucked for the next 4 years. Guarenteed!
It's not a provision to overturn the decision of the voters.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hero
The way it works is that if no party wins a majority, and there is a small difference in won seats between front-runners, a coalition government is set up to avoid Commons from falling into bickering chaos.
The reason it is not overturning the decision of the voters is because the coalition, composed of parties of similar interest, would hold more than 50% of the seats, so therefore hold a majority. Remember that more people voted against the "winning" party than for it, but this also wouldn't prevent them from participating in a ruling coalition if a suitable partner is to be had.
The Governor General, the non-partisan representative of the Queen in Canada, is responsible for this action.
It's complicated, but commonplace in many democracies. Keeps things running in a system with more than two popular parties.
i'm voting green not as a protest but because I genuinely believe we need to invest into renewable energy. If Canada gets on the forefront of that we'll have a nice economic boost. I also like ideas like how solar pannels and personal windmills get you tax breaks. I'm not so much of a fan of them wanting to teach green party values in schools. Just because I agree with them doesn't mean it should be force fed to people.
Ok get out there and vote you scum.
Know Your Enemy:
http://lunarworks.ca/harper-evil.jpg
I believe that news right there Kenshin LOL. Almost time to vote...
When is the HOC not a bickering chaos? :nod:Quote:
Originally Posted by Kenshin
Man, after going to a few question periods myself, I can assure you it is definitely bickering chaos. Ah, the days of Preston Manning pwning people at random. LOL
Ok, well... you're right.
But I mean even more like kindergarten than it is now.
Who was it the other year that called another MP a "fat cow"? (Far more entertaining than the cranky old men of the US gov't.)
I just got back from the polling station and I must've been the only guy there under 35. If this election is anything like the last one I'll be pulling the weight of four other people in my age bracket and last time I checked my vote doesn't count as five. Everyone who posted in this thread backing one party or another needs to actually go out and vote now, you've still got quite a few hours.
Oh, and someone on another board said it best when he explained how MPs have turned the phrase "Would the honourable member from such-and-such..." into an artform of subtle insult through tone of voice.
"Marxist-Leninist Party"
Since when did John Lenin support Groucho Marx?
At least the HOC isn't like Taiwanese parliament. Don't like a piece of legislation? Flying Dropkick!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hero
It's a function of the multi-party system, and the weird fact that the Queen of England is still nominally the head of our government. But our incumbent Prime Minister has already said he wouldn't challenge the election results. In reality what happens is the winning party finds they don't have enough votes in parliament to pass anything, so they hold another election (ours don't happen on a set date).
You probably wouldn't find the Tories (Conservative party) as scary as all that. They're really not that far off from the Republicans, but in a socialist, heavily multi-cultural country like ours privatized healthcare, preemptive wars and religious government start to look like a threat to our way of life. The real problem with them is that all their talent jumped ship years ago after Brian Mulroney left the party a smoking ruin.
For me, I think I'm going to vote NDP. Olivia Chow's running in my riding, and she's more competent than anyone running against her. Yes, their platform is unworkable, but that's academic, isn't it? At least they mean well. The Green party I had written off as the usual leftist flakes but I'm suprised at how pragmatic and broad their platform actually is. Maybe next election.
He was already Prime Minister in the 80s. He was okay on the economy, but didn't really have a firm grasp on foreign policy.Quote:
Originally Posted by diffusionx
http://www.wingnuttoons.com/PeterPuck.jpg
A few minutes ago the CBC reported the Marxist-Leninists had an early lead in the Mississauga-East riding.
I nearly fell over laughing.
(The lead quickly disappeared.)
Ya, the Marxist Leninists were winning in Mississauga. Now I can call my friends from there Commies. Cuz they cant prove they didnt vote that way...lol.
Anyway, good news! Minority Liberal government with probably NDP Majority support. Meaning the NDP won enough to hold the hammer, but the Liberals will still be the majority party in the government. They got a swift kick in the ass that we all hoped for but not the kick in the balls that we feared.
The Liberals won in my riding, which surprised me. I thought this town was gonna be painted Tory Blue for sure. I'm glad, though. Bonnie Brown has been a fairly good MP (and openly against Bush in parliament.)
Jack Layton won in his riding, which is GREAT. It's kinda sad that Olivia Chow (his wife) didn't win in hers, but that's probably because she was just re-elected to Toronto City Council in November and alot of voters were annoyed by her eagerness to ditch.
Liberals seem to be in there good, but it's a Minority government. That's what this country needs right now. That, and less Bloc seats. Bloc always gets so many.
I give this government six months.
McTeague won in my riding (Liberal). I wasn't surprised. Everyone knows him; he lives down the street from me. I wish that fucker would cut his lawn, though. It's unsightly.
NDP are behind BQ.
Now that is funny.
I don't have a problem with NDP at all, I just find it funny.
The BQ probably won alot of the seats because the seperatists figured they could get a very sweet deal for Quebec if a minority gov gave them power. Only I don't think they figured the NDP would do as well.
Whats funny in a strange sort of way is the Tories could still form the government if they were able to convince the NDP and the Bloq to join them.
I'm satisfied with the election results, the NDP will keep Martin from dealing with Kyoto, child care, proportional representation, gay marriage & pot in a half-assed manner, while not actually running the country and turning the economy to shit. I'm a little worried about the strong Bloc showing and the seperatist movement getting some new momentum, but that's down the road.
The Greens got 4% of the vote too so they'll be receiving some funding, here's hoping they kick the NDP's ass come next election.