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Post by Wolfpack Bitch on Apr 30, 2011 19:03:27 GMT -5
Per request, and based on the fact that we've done it for other major elections.. you have your Canadian Election thread.
Please use your common sense when replying and conversing on this topic as it will be watched closely.
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Post by Bang Bang Bart on Apr 30, 2011 19:17:14 GMT -5
Au revoir, Stephen Harper?
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Square
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Post by Square on Apr 30, 2011 19:25:32 GMT -5
So how does the whole Canadian voting system work? FPTP?
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Post by Free Hat on Apr 30, 2011 19:29:22 GMT -5
Au revoir, Stephen Harper? Honestly, it's really hard to say at this point. It seems a certainty that the Tories will win the most seats, but the NDP surge, in combination with the collapses of the Liberals and the Bloc, really has been a game changer. A Conservative Majority may very well be out of reach, and depending on the combined NDP/Lib seat count, we could potentially see our first coalition government at the federal level in nearly a century. One thing does seem for certain though, Jack Layton will probably be moving into Stornoway.
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Post by Free Hat on Apr 30, 2011 19:31:04 GMT -5
So how does the whole Canadian voting system work? FPTP? Yes, unfortunately.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 30, 2011 20:01:17 GMT -5
Au revoir, Stephen Harper? Doubt it. The Liberals are losing steam but NDP stock is rising but I don't think it'll be enough. It's still not going to be enough. It's kind of funny how the majority of Canada is liberal minded (combine the vote % of NDP and Liberal) but the Conservatives are in power. Well this is exciting for me because I can actually vote for the first time ever. The last election in 2008 happened a day before I turned 18.
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Post by Bang Bang Bart on Apr 30, 2011 20:07:36 GMT -5
Au revoir, Stephen Harper? Doubt it. The Liberals are losing steam but NDP stock is rising but I don't think it'll be enough. It's still not going to be enough. It's kind of funny how the majority of Canada is liberal minded (combine the vote % of NDP and Liberal) but the Conservatives are in power. Well this is exciting for me because I can actually vote for the first time ever. The last election in 2008 happened a day before I turned 18. Same with me now (19). Hopefully my vote goes far on Monday.
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Post by Milkman Norm on Apr 30, 2011 20:18:41 GMT -5
Some questions:
Could the NDP top their 1988 (87?) results? I think they won 45 seats in Commons that year.
Does the weakening of the Bloc mean that what had been safe Bloc ridings are going to a federal party and if so which party has the lead in Quebec? I know that the torries made in roads in Quebic in the last two federal elections
Is any party leader in trouble if their party has a poor showing on Monday? I might think Dillsepe but I don't know the interworking of the Bloc at all.
Could the Green party be enough of the factor in BC to hand some potental NDP ridings to the Conservatives?
Are the Liberals pretty much an urban Ontario party now?
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Post by Free Hat on Apr 30, 2011 20:36:58 GMT -5
Some questions: Could the NDP top their 1988 (87?) results? I think they won 45 seats in Commons that year. Does the weakening of the Bloc mean that what had been safe Bloc ridings are going to a federal party and if so which party has the lead in Quebec? I know that the torries made in roads in Quebic in the last two federal elections Is any party leader in trouble if their party has a poor showing on Monday? I might think Dillsepe but I don't know the interworking of the Bloc at all. Could the Green party be enough of the factor in BC to hand some potental NDP ridings to the Conservatives? Are the Liberals pretty much an urban Ontario party now? To answer your questions: It was 43, and yes it's all but a certainty that they'll top it. The Tories and the Liberals are now pretty much tied for third and fourth place in Quebec. All four parties have bled support to the NDP in this election, but the Bloc has taken the brunt of it. It's likely that the NDP will win at least a plurality of Quebec seats. Considering that they currently only have 1, it's pretty astounding. Yes. Duceppe and Ignatieff are done for sure. Elizabeth May (Green Party Leader) will likely be gone if she fails to win a seat. The Tories could also be looking to replace Harper if he fails to deliver a majority. Not likely. Their support has declined significantly. Yes. For good or ill, their days as Canada's "Natural Governing Party" are pretty much over.
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Post by TripleMerc on Apr 30, 2011 22:14:21 GMT -5
I really want to vote for the CPC but I feel like the party needs a lot of reform before it goes anywhere. I'm going NDP this year - Layton seems like the lesser of three evils when looking at Layton, Ignatieff and Harper.
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Post by Bang Bang Bart on Apr 30, 2011 22:22:00 GMT -5
Maybe it's the barrage of constant negative ad after negative ad, but I am definitely not voting the Conservatives on May 2nd.
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Post by Cavs for Mavs Mafia on Apr 30, 2011 22:58:25 GMT -5
So what are the major issues in Canadian politics these days?
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Post by Free Hat on Apr 30, 2011 23:26:33 GMT -5
So what are the major issues in Canadian politics these days? Well the main reason for the election call was the government being held in contempt of parliament. I'm not gonna get into the details of it, but it was something that had been building for awhile. Harper and the Conservatives have tried to frame the election as a choice between a Tory majority government, or an unstable "opposition coalition." Since the thread was originally my idea I'm trying remain somewhat neutral, but I will say that their line of attack on this issue has been a bone of contention for me as a PoliSci nerd. They've gone out of their way to mislead the public into thinking that such coalitions are somehow illegitimate, when in reality they're not. For the opposition parties, the main issues have been the government's record on ethics, healthcare, monetary policy, etc. During the first half of the campaign, the Liberals tried their usual tactic as framing the election as choice between only them or the Tories. It.....hasn't worked out so well this time.
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Post by BorneAgain on Apr 30, 2011 23:39:02 GMT -5
Having watched my President come out to "Real American" I'm wanting at least one Canadian politician (ideally Stephen Harper) to come out to "I'm the Mountie".
That is all.
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Post by kevservo on Apr 30, 2011 23:49:18 GMT -5
Having watched my President come out to "Real American" I'm wanting at least one Canadian politician (ideally Stephen Harper) to come out to "I'm the Mountie". That is all. ....or Bret's theme.
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Post by h on May 1, 2011 0:15:47 GMT -5
I don't think any of the parties have done a good job of stating a clear position on any real issues.
These sorts of campaigns make me wish for fixed election dates with no dissolution option. As with almost every Canadian election, the major issue has been, "The other parties made this election happen. You don't want to have to spend your time voting, so vote for us to punish them for causing the election." Then there is the never-ending argument about whether the government caused the election by not doing a good enough job, or if the opposition caused the election by being too greedy and opportunistic.
Surely setting fixed dates would lead to an issue with more substance being discussed?
As for my thoughts, I have been blown away by the lack of coverage of the Liberals. They seem to have recognized that it's a battle between the Conservatives and the NDP, and so they've decided not to even try. I have to imagine that it's leaving Liberal supporters longing for the days of stronger leadership under Stephane Dion.
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Post by Muskrat on May 1, 2011 0:46:46 GMT -5
I don't think any of the parties have done a good job of stating a clear position on any real issues. These sorts of campaigns make me wish for fixed election dates with no dissolution option. As with almost every Canadian election, the major issue has been, "The other parties made this election happen. You don't want to have to spend your time voting, so vote for us to punish them for causing the election." Then there is the never-ending argument about whether the government caused the election by not doing a good enough job, or if the opposition caused the election by being too greedy and opportunistic. Surely setting fixed dates would lead to an issue with more substance being discussed? As for my thoughts, I have been blown away by the lack of coverage of the Liberals. They seem to have recognized that it's a battle between the Conservatives and the NDP, and so they've decided not to even try. I have to imagine that it's leaving Liberal supporters longing for the days of stronger leadership under Stephane Dion. This is pretty much how I feel. The government had been pretty much useless for years, and it's almost to the point where I just don't care anymore. Way too many Fed. elections, horrible party leaders, and flat out annoying campaign ads. I'm just f***ing sick of it all. Harper is a f*** up, Ignatief is just a f***ing tool, and Layton looks like a shitty used car dealer. I really wish I didn't have to vote tomorrow, but if I don't then I have no right to bitch about any of these ass clowns.
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Post by Free Hat on May 1, 2011 0:48:44 GMT -5
I don't think any of the parties have done a good job of stating a clear position on any real issues. These sorts of campaigns make me wish for fixed election dates with no dissolution option. As with almost every Canadian election, the major issue has been, "The other parties made this election happen. You don't want to have to spend your time voting, so vote for us to punish them for causing the election." Then there is the never-ending argument about whether the government caused the election by not doing a good enough job, or if the opposition caused the election by being too greedy and opportunistic. Surely setting fixed dates would lead to an issue with more substance being discussed? As for my thoughts, I have been blown away by the lack of coverage of the Liberals. They seem to have recognized that it's a battle between the Conservatives and the NDP, and so they've decided not to even try. I have to imagine that it's leaving Liberal supporters longing for the days of stronger leadership under Stephane Dion. To be fair, the Liberal campaign was pretty solid until a couple of weeks ago. It was relatively gaffe free, Iggy was performing well, their TV ads have been well produced and on message, and on the whole they've seemed much more organized than they were in 2008. It's just that nobody saw the NDP surge coming, and it's sent them into a panic. And if you think the Grits have it bad, take a look at what's happening to the BQ. The NDP numbers in Quebec are insane.
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Post by Muskrat on May 1, 2011 0:51:53 GMT -5
And if you think the Grits have it bad, take a look at what's happening to the BQ. The NDP numbers in Quebec are insane. Thing is, I'm not sure whether to take that as a good thing or a bad thing. They're basically voting NDP because they've become incredibly apathetic to all the other parties. From what I've heard from people who have been in Quebec lately is the reason they're voting NDP is "Well, they can't do any worse....can they?"
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Post by Andrew is Good on May 1, 2011 1:18:13 GMT -5
The big surprise is Jack Layton right now, I guess in my lifetime, I haven't seen the NDP this strong. I know in my home province of Nova Scotia, the NDP took over, but apparently I was told there were issues in regards to politicians being politicians and some shananigans involving taking public funds. Which like, one person who was an NDP voted talked about that, and I don't know too much about it.
One thing about Canadian politics I find is, at times it can be a bit boring in comparison to other countries. I can't really go into why, haha.
I guess that's why, like, it was brought up before with Elections, and how we keep constantly going into them, it does seem hard for anything to get done. I'm also interested if the NDP surge could make hope for the Green Party in the future, as a party that people didn't see coming strong in the election.
Are there many NDP signs in anyone else's areas. I've been in two districts during this election, Cape Breton Sydney-Victoria and Fort McMurray-Athabasca, and I don't see NDP signs anymore. I think I saw a few when traveling to Halifax though.
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