Canadian elections

Unless Harper is an excellent bluffer, Canada will also get into elections mid-october. Of course, the past announcements (re-opening of a Ford plant, improvement at Laval university in QUébec city) are just luck...

So far, there are 5 parties present in the House of Commons

- The Conservative party, lead by Stephen Harper. His economic policies are (usually) market-based, notwithstanding last-minute unveilings... He kept most of his promises (cut taxes and GST, re-invest in the army...). He was able to quiet down the Reform Party bases, but will he be able to do so should the Conservative become a majority government? It's a little scary; I would be considered inferior...

- the Liberal Party, lead by Stéphane Dion. What positive things can be said about a Trudeauist? If he makes any gains, it will be in Ontario; Quebec liberals must be quite sad to see him leading the party... Although his Green shift looks promising, it's only a disguised tax that will raise the cost of living. Plus, journalists in Ottawa apparently have a hard time understanding him

- the NDP, lead by Jack Layton. This is, more or less, Canada's socialist party. His discourse is classical: tax the rich, increase the government

- the Bloque Québécois, lead by Gilles Duceppe. It pretends to defend Quebec's interests. I have lived in this province all my life, and i'm still looking for things they really have done for the province... Oh well, his MP retirement plan must be quite interesting

- the Green party, lead by Elizabeth May. A quitting liberal has recently joined the party. Their main focus is the environment, but they have other worries... much like the NDP.

So, who will you vote for?

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Janus X

What positive things can be said about a Trudeauist?

A whole fucking lot, you useless shitsack.

That said, the Conservatives have failed fucking miserably at everything that actually matters, appeasing only those who are stupid enough to think the GST cut actually saves them any real money. Granted, Harper isn't a complete douchenozzle like most of the other party leaders, but he's sure not all that great either.

I'm voting grit because it's the least of all the evils. At worst, the Tories get stuck with another minority. While I'll be fine with that outcome, I really don't want anyone in a majority right now either. My ideal would be a liberal minority, maybe then they'll smarten up and focus on their policies instead of dicking around so much. Any vote elsewhere is wasted and is the practical equivalent of a vote for the conservatives anyway.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Janus X

It's a little scary; I would be considered inferior...

You are inferior.

As for who my vote is going with, I'm not quite sure yet. I know it won't be the conservatives, as I massively disagree with their "moral" standards. The liberals have pissed me off quite a bit in the past, but they're not looking too bad these days. Trudeauist my ass.

Mostly what I want is Al Gore to just decide he wants to run a real country and he and his nobel prize fuck off to manage Canada as a green heaven full of marijuana and gay marriage. Minister of War to be played by Ron Paul.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

To be quite honest, I don't think any of the parties have it together this time around. The Conservatives I'm not interested in at all, Harper is a duplicitous jackass.

I don't mind the Liberals in General, but Dion, from what I can tell, is a shit leader. He's had so many GOOD chances to knock down shitty conservative policies, prompting an election, and he hasn't jumped on one of them. It's like he wants the election to be as well timed for them as possible. Just pathetic.

I'm not against socialism outright, but I am against the NDP's weak ass faux-socialism. There track record here in Manitoba speaks for itself – the NDP is great at getting re-elected, piss poor at actually doing things for their constinuancies.

The Green Party are left-wing totalitarians. They try to come across friendly, but not if you sit down and read their policies.

The Bloc Québécois are a party I am actually in general agreement with – if they'd just forget the entire separation thing. They have interesting, charismatic politicians. I can't vote for them, though, because they don't run outside of Quebec.

I'll probably end up pity voting for some fringe party.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

I've been voting NDP for as long as I've been able to vote, and the region where I come from has actually elected a member of the NDP since 1997. The man has done good things for our riding (Acadie-Bathurst, north-eastern NB). I've actually had the chance to meet him on a few occasions, and he was a pretty stand-up guy.

I'll probably be voting the same way this time around, though I'm not exactly certain which riding I'll be voting in, my being in Montreal for school and whatnot.

In any case, the two main parties really just haven't impressed me yet, and I'd rather vote for a party that at least seems like it would bring at least some amount of change, were it given the chance.

I was speaking idiomatically.

I'm not really big into politics and I probably have a very limited amount of knowledge compared to everybody else.

If its one thing that I do agree with some of the people here is that I do not want the Conservatives to be in power. I've never been a big fan of Stephen especaily in some of the things he personally believs in. The last two federal elections I've always voted for the Green Party, because I tend to focus on policies regarding the environment as my main motivation. Even though I'm sure there should be other policies I should be more concerned about.

This federal election I'm really torn between voting for the Liberals and voting for the Green Party as well. A lot of my friends give a hard time because they think anytime I vote for the Green Party it is a vote wasted. I like Stephane Dion; my dad works as an advisor to a Federal Liberal MP so I'm always interested to get his perspective of things as well.

My wife on is probably going to vote for the NDP as she always has. I like the fact that the premier of our province is telling everybody from Newfoundland & Labrador not to vote for Stephen Harper this coming election. A lot of people consider Danny Williams to be a great premier for our province, since the last provincial election his party took 43 out of 47 provicinal seats in the provincial election.

I'm not big into politcis and may not understand everything concerning policies and election promises, but if its one thing I'm sure of is that I do not want Stephen Harper running this country.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Pew pew pew

A whole fucking lot, you useless shitsack.

If disuniting the country, fueling the separatists and destroying the economy with useless social programs is what you call great...

Quote:

That said, the Conservatives have failed fucking miserably at everything that actually matters, appeasing only those who are stupid enough to think the GST cut actually saves them any real money.

Every bits count. The bigger the purchase, the better. CHrétien promised its abolition in 1994 and failed miserably.

Quote:

The Green Party are left-wing totalitarians. They try to come across friendly, but not if you sit down and read their policies

Indeed. ''Tax the richest'' (over 150k$). Not that it will make them go away or evade taxes...

FELIPE NO

For someone worried about a destroyed economy, you're certainly not grasping the concept of a tax reduction that only rewards people for the more they spend. Then again, judging by your post history, you don't seem to grasp a whole hell of a lot. With savings at an all time low, reducing a tax that didn't focus on spending would keep money out of circulation and help with reducing inflation.

But hell, that 15 cents you saved on your groceries last week totally fucking helped, I'm sure of it. You're a rich man now, gonna go buy that boat you've been saving for?

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

I'm just glad the guy decided to remind us how much upholding the ideals of the man who fought to have the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms amended to the Constitution is something we can't say much good about.

Thanks again, sport.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Pew pew pew

For someone worried about a destroyed economy, you're certainly not grasping the concept of a tax reduction that only rewards people for the more they spend.

no shit . I studied economics and can't get this point

by the way, just in QUebec, 30% of the people are paying 80% of the taxes. Are there any differences at other levels?

Quote:

I'm just glad the guy decided to remind us how much upholding the ideals of the man who fought to have the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms amended to the Constitution is something we can't say much good about.

he backstabbed rené lévesque in order to get this charter. Plus, he constitutionnalized PROVINCIAL responsabilities (namely education). Finally, he totally ''cross-dressed'' the b&B commission byt separating culture from language

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Unless your posts start making sense I'm going to have to start removing them.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Well to us Canadians the day is at hand on which we will know who our next prime minister will be. I hope the Canadian GFF community took the time out of their day to vote.

Coverage is going to begin shortly on CBC in the next 20 minutes. I'm actually really excited; Its been a pretty tight race so far during the weeks leading up to the election.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

I can't believe Harper got back in. I guess it just goes to show how much regional variance there is in our country. I don't know anyone at all who said they were voting Conservative in this election, not anyone I know who actually can vote and is Canadian.

It must have been Alberta. Fuckers.

I was speaking idiomatically.

It is depressing how incredibly uninformed you people are.

"It must have been Alberta"? Really?

Do you get all of your information from headlines?

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Even though I am not from Canada, and given the attention given to how the previous two presidential elections here were from the point of how regions voted, I was looking at the map of the results, brought here for your convenience.

2008 Canada Elections Map by Percentage Plurality:

As much as Alberta is a convenient scapegoat for this, it appears there's quite more involved than that province in giving the Conservatives a slightly increased minority.

From my standpoint, it parallels the rural/urban divide seen in the USA during our elections.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by BigHairyFeet

I'm sorry is Alberta not overwhelmingly conservative?

Yes but they by far do not have enough seats to elect almost half of the representatives in the house of commons, and Alberta actually elected a member of the NDP in one of its 28 ridings this time around. If anything, it's Ontario that strenghtened the Conservatives power.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?