Topic: Canadian Indecision 2011'!! Maple Syrup or Hockey eh?
Blayne Bradley
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posted
Seems like Canada is heading into a federation election! This year I'll vote more seriously and vote for the NDP instead of the Marxists.
Some notes for reference, copied from SA:
quote: The Conservative Party of Canada/Parti conservateur du Canada led by Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Approximate American Comparison: Spans from centrist Democrats to moderate Republicans Approximate British Comparison: The Conservative Party Approximate Australian Comparison: National Party of Australia Approximate Lord of the Rings Comparison: Sauron
Liberal Party of Canada/Parti libéral du Canada led by Opposition Leader Michael Ignatieff
Approximate American Comparison: The left-fringe of the Democratic Party Approximate British Comparison: The Labour Party Approximate Australian Comparison: The Labour Party Approximate Lord of the Rings Comparison: Saruman the White
New Democratic Party/Nouveau Parti démocratique led by Jack Layton Approximate American Comparison: That Social Democratic/Progressive Party that you will never have Approximate British Comparison: The Green Party Approximate Australian Comparison: Australian Green Party Approximate Lord of the Rings Comparison: Hobbits
The Bloc Québécois/Le Bloc Québécois led by Gilles Duceppe
Approximate American Comparison: Texan Secessionist Movement or anything like that Approximate British Comparison: Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) Approximate Australian Comparison: Who wouldn't want to separate from Austrlia? Approximate Lord of the Rings Comparison: Tom Bombadil
Green Party of Canada/Parti vert du Canada led by Elizabeth May
Approximate Comparison to Anything: It's a Green Party, but more economically right-wing than most other European Green parties.
Seems that the Conservative budget has sufficiently horried everyone else enough that everyone voted no and will this friday delivery a motion of no-confidence vote to the Governor Generation.
Which will lead to elections and then very likely to a Coalition Government by the opposition, which if it works would be the first Coalition government since World War I.
I am ecstatic.
I love how all talk of a coalition government leads to the Tories scathingly remarking "If your working in a coalition government it means you'll be working with the seperatists!"
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The budget wasn't horrifying at all. It's an engineered defeat with a budget reasonable enough to trumpet in an election, but just enough to force the opposition to not support it. Far enough from the two prorogues, with a Libyan war to justify the F35 purchase, and Afghanistan winding down.
It will probably be another minority government and then hopefully we can get a new, actually interesting, cast of leaders.
Posts: 7593 | Registered: Sep 2006
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Blayne Bradley
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posted
The Libyan war wouldn't justify the F-35 purchase, 'lack of a war' isn't why the MoD doesn't like the F-35, the lack of two engines in the plane is why (a requirement for artic operations).
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I think the government will likely fall on the contempt of Parliament non-confidence motion tomorrow, rather than falling on the budget next week. That's better optics for the opposition than for the government; falling on the budget means the government can accuse the opposition parties of not working with it (never mind that the government steadfastly refused to amend the budget). Falling on the contempt finding means the government brought its demise upon itself by showing an unprecedented lack of respect for our chief democratic institution, and the "they wouldn't work with us" mantra won't be such an easy out.
I hope.
As much as I'm ambivalent about both Ignatieff and Layton, and as much as I suspect Harper will simply win another (perhaps smaller) minority, part of me is excited at the chance of getting rid of Harper before he does any more damage to my country.
Posts: 10886 | Registered: Feb 2000
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Canadian voters could care less whether the F35 has two engines or one. This is not something that is going to fire up voters, make headlines, or turn around the leader's debate. The Liberals aren't going to be putting out attack ads, "Oh noes! Harper wants to buy a jet with one engine, not two!"
The political context is that a week ago, the Liberals could trumpet the Auditor General's report that the F35 would cost a ridiculous amount of money over Harper's estimates which fits into their narrative of "the Liberals will be more fiscally responsible than the Conservatives." But now, Harper can simply point at Libya and say "Thats why we need the F35, to support the troops. How dare you risk the lives of our soldiers." It will be very difficult for the Liberals to counter that in the near future.
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Blayne Bradley
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Easy, there's no way for the F-35 to be availiable in time for the Libyan conflict *AND* the CF-18 fleet has already been upgraded for international operations, the lives of our troops isn't in jeapordy.
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Indeed it has. And thankfully, it fell on the non-confidence vote over the contempt of Parliament findings rather than on the budget. I hope the other parties can turn that into votes.
Posts: 10886 | Registered: Feb 2000
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Aside from not being a separatist, my answers actually aligned closest with the Bloc. I'm further left and more liberal than the Liberals, but not quite as far as either the Greens or NDP.
Of the non-separatist parties, I'm closest to the Greens.
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For better or for worse, the Conservatives have been pretty aggressive in their targeting of "very ethnic" people, i.e. me.
It's pretty bizarre too. The message basically comes across as, "Chinese people, you work hard! Surely you don't want to pay taxes and give it to other people (who presumably don't work hard)."
The silver lining seems to be that I legally have my choice of two "swing" ridings to vote in, both with margins of less than 1%. One was won by a margin of 17 votes last time. Posts: 7593 | Registered: Sep 2006
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That's better than a couple of elections ago, when the message was "Chinese people, surely you don't want to allow gay marriage!"
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Blayne Bradley
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posted
Okay my riding is Vaudrail-Solanges, seems the Bloc candidate is fairly hard working and socialist so if she wins (which is very very likely) everything should be fine so I can vote NDP and not have to worry about strategic voting, the CPC ain't got a chance in hell since the last guy is no longer running.
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quote:The e-mail, which was written by party volunteer Zeljko Zidaric, said the Etobicoke Centre Conservative campaign was planning a photo-op that would portray a rainbow of multicultural support for Mr. Harper and the local candidate.
“The opportunity is to have up to 20 people in national folklore costumes which represent their ethnic backgrounds. These people will sit in front row behind the PM – great TV photo op. We are seeking representation from the Arab community. Do you have any cultural groups that would like to participate by having someone at the event in an ethnic costume?” the e-mail states.
Reaction to the e-mail was swift and negative from groups already irritated by the Conservative strategy of targeting certain ridings identified in party strategy documents as “very ethnic.”
quote:Several University of Guelph students claim Michael Sona, the communications director for Guelph Conservative candidate Marty Burke, attempted to put a stop to voting at the Wednesday special ballot.
The students say Sona approached the Elections Canada balloting site claiming that the process at the location was illegal and at one point reached for, but never took possession of, a container with ballots.
“He tried to grab for the ballot box. I’m not sure he got his hand on the box, but he definitely grabbed for it,” said Brenna Anstett, a student, who at the time of the reported incident was sealing her second of two envelopes containing her vote.
Student Claire Whalen was just about to receive her ballot just before 5 p.m. when the episode unfolded.
“That’s when a guy came up and said it was an illegal polling station and that he was confiscating the ballots. And then he tried to take (the ballot box),” Whalen said.
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I'm further left and more liberal than the Liberals, but not quite as far as either the Greens or NDP. ![[Evil]](graemlins/evil.gif)
