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Canadian federal election
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Jowy Atreides




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PostPosted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 10:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote Add User to Ignore List

I think Harper is an excellent politician -- I generally prefer the calm and cool types to the hot-headed reactionaries.

It seems that the makeup of the upcoming parliament will be roughly the same as the 39th, with the Conservatives leading a minority, Liberals in Opposition, the Bloc in 3rd, and the New Democrats in 4th. Whether or not the Greens make any gains is unknown -- probably not though.
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Elc

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PostPosted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 3:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote Add User to Ignore List

I think the one comment which didn't make much sense to me was Dion accusing Harper of previously having the stance of (regarding Afghanistan) "staying until the job is not done" and then even added himself "Whatever that is supposed to mean."

Overall, I think most of the leaders said what they believe the people want to hear, while the Bloc is just concerned about Quebec, which makes very little sense in a federal setting. It would be like George W. Bush only having an interest in the welfare of Texas for the duration of his administration.

If this election results in another minority government, I can't help but see ourselves back in the same position before too long. It's only a matter of time before the parties in the Opposition will refuse to support the government and bring us right back to this point.

What we really need is an independent who holds the balance of power, much like the late Chuck Cadman. At least someone who does not have an agenda other than doing what is best for the country as a whole.

When Harper was asked about if he would ever raise taxes, did anyone else get this impression: "The Parliament will push me to raise taxes, and I'll say no, and they'll push and I'll say no, and they'll push again. And all I can say to them is read my lips: No New Taxes."

One of the issues brought up which I most agreed with was when Elizabeth May said the electoral system needs reform (I just love that word REFORM!) in that parties can gain the majority of seats while not having a majority of the popular vote, something which is also a problem in the US system as Gore won the popular vote but the presidency went to Bush instead.
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Jowy Atreides




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PostPosted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 5:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote Add User to Ignore List

How long do you think we'll keep on having Conservative minorities? Another Conservative minority means the writ will be dropped again soon, and then what? I just can't see the Liberals getting a majority or minority anytime soon, and the other parties don't have a chance either. Canadian politics will be pretty interesting for the next few years.

The Rick Mercer Report did an excellent satire of the leaders.

Harper can really rock those sweaters, can't he? He's no Bill Cosby, but he does a good job nonetheless.
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Elc

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PostPosted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 10:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote Add User to Ignore List

It seems to depend on the support in Quebec, which is second only to Ontario in the number of seats they control in the Commons. On a side note, I think it is ludicrous that a bill announced last year would introduce 22 new ridings in Canada, which in itself isn't a bad thing, but ten of those ridings will be added to the already bloated Ontario representation.

I digress, though.

As it stands, based on the results of the previous election, Conservative support is primarily found within the western provinces (and part of Ontario), with Ontario largely Liberal (half of the seats were Liberal, with almost a third of the seats being Conservative). If the Conservatives could eat away at Liberal support in Ontario and Bloc Quebecois support in Quebec, they would have a much better chance of gaining a majority as they were 31 seats short in 2006.
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Jowy Atreides




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PostPosted: Sat Oct 04, 2008 8:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote Add User to Ignore List

Are you from Western Canada, by any chance? They always bitch about Ontario, haha.

I mean, it does have 13 million people, which is a huge huge chunk of 33 million.

Alberta will always have a Conservative supermajority (all of its ridings went to the Tories), but the Grits still have a good chance in the other three Western provinces. The NDP has a good chance in BC and MB too.

Quebec just needs to give up on the Bloc, and its good friend the PQ. I'd love to see either big party -- the Conservatives or the Liberals -- eat into the Bloc's support, and my dream seems to be finally coming true. If the New Democrats or the Greens can eat up Bloc support, I'd support that too. It shouldn't be ABC (Anything But Conservative), it should be ABB (Anything But Bloc).
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Jowy Atreides




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PostPosted: Thu Oct 09, 2008 9:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote Add User to Ignore List

Polling has gotten a little more interesting, but the Conservatives have managed to solidify their lead. There were a few recent polls that had the Liberals nearly winning, within the margin of error. Every time the Liberals get within the margin of error, the Greens always suffer, and when the Liberals are polling low, Green support is high. Maybe the Greens really are splitting the vote.
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 14, 2008 9:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote Add User to Ignore List

The polls close in about 15 minutes. C-SPAN is actually broadcasting the CBC's coverage of the election, so I'm pretty excited.
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Starslasher

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PostPosted: Wed Oct 15, 2008 11:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote Add User to Ignore List

And the results are in: Harper wins.
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Jowy Atreides




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PostPosted: Thu Oct 16, 2008 6:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote Add User to Ignore List

Yeah, with a stronger minority. A lot of my Canuck friends are saying it was a waste of time, but I think he's attempting to show everyone that the Conservatives will have a majority the next time an election is called (2 or 3 years or so). There are also unsubstantiated reports that Dion, the Liberal leader, will be stepping down.

Personally, I think he's proven himself to be a shitty leader, and, if a leadership election does take place within the Grits, then Ignatieff is definitely the person who should become leader (he lost in the final leadership ballot the last time around). Dion just seems like someone who is completely out of touch with Western Canada, and that's where power is slowly but surely shifting.

The Conservatives have managed to trickle into Liberal strongholds, but the Liberals have done nothing of the sort within Western Canada. I'm not saying that Ontario and Quebec are unimportant (as they obviously matter), but the two main parties definitely need a nationwide strategy nowadays, instead of just relying on party loyalists in the two largest provinces. The Reformers (the precursor to the Conservatives) presented themselves as representing Western Canada's interests, but also never forgot to include Central Canada, and that's why we have the mess we're in now.

The Liberals, unless they can modernize and figure out that Canada has more than just two provinces, will never form another government, minority or otherwise. Now, if they had the foresight to pick a leader from Western Canada, they might stand a chance whenever Harper decides to randomly call another election (a major flaw of parliamentary systems, if you ask me), but as I see no particular candidate from the West sticking out, they'll probably just pick my favorite, Ignatieff.

By the way, I'm just a yank from Texas, so I really have no idea. These are just my thoughts on where Canada is headed (Conservative minorities and majorities until the Liberals can get their heads out of their asses).
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 6:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote Add User to Ignore List

As much as I don't like the Conservatives, I rather not have another election. I wasn't even happy about this one. Like most Canadians, I felt this was a waste of tax payer's money, just to get to a similar situation we were in a few days ago. Plus considering Canada is facing it's own financial troubles, another election is not something we need.

I found the new voting rules to be quite discouraging as well. Ids were required, since you need proof that you live in Canada. This makes people who live on the streets unable to register to vote. Also, schools are not obligated to give students time to vote. So if students really have no time to vote(And for some stupid reason some teachers can be unreasonable), they are not able to. Voting turn out was only about 59%, and I think that the new rules are partly to blame. Some really wanted to vote, but couldn't.
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 9:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote Add User to Ignore List

Apparently this was the worst turn out for an election (percentage wise) in the history of Canada.
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Elc

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PostPosted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 11:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote Add User to Ignore List

Dragonstar13 wrote:
As much as I don't like the Conservatives, I rather not have another election. I wasn't even happy about this one. Like most Canadians, I felt this was a waste of tax payer's money, just to get to a similar situation we were in a few days ago.


This election would most likely have happened regardless of whether Harper called it or not. (and the financial turmoil began well into the campaign, so it wasn't a factor... though the Opposition leaders were more than happy to attack Harper with it during the debate) Considering none of the other parties were willing to work with the Conservatives to make the government work, the only options open to Harper were to blaze ahead and let the Opposition bring down the government or bite the bullet and call an election.

Before people complain about Harper, this election and how it wasted the tax payer's money, I should point out that Liberal leader Jean Chretien was notorious for calling elections at times when the Liberals were ahead in the polls. He had majority governments with each mandate, yet in 2000 he had called an election after only three years in office. (Parliament had terms of five years)
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Dragonstar13

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PostPosted: Sat Oct 18, 2008 5:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote Add User to Ignore List

Indeed. I am hoping another election doesn't happen soon, but you're right, there is a likely chance.
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Jowy Atreides




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PostPosted: Sat Oct 18, 2008 6:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote Add User to Ignore List

There will be another election in 2 to 3 years. I can guarantee it.
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Elc

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PostPosted: Sat Oct 18, 2008 2:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote Add User to Ignore List

With a minority, it's practically a certainty, particularly if the other political parties decide they aren't going to support the governing party any longer. If the Conservatives play their cards right, they could make even more gains in the next election and finally secure that coveted majority.
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