shadowplay
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Mulcair is going to spank them so hard. Looking forward to election night.
Canadian Elections!
- Thread starter Wrymouth3
- Start date
Evie
Pronounced like Eevee
I hope so, but I'm not going to expect it. Harper plays dirty, and is going to make this one a fight to the finish.
Right now I'm disgusted with everyone except Elizabeth May. But voting Green won't help get rid of the Fake Conservatives. My riding hasn't even chosen the NDP candidate yet.
Evie
Pronounced like Eevee
I make a conscious effort to avoid disgust at politics and politicians. Even Harper (I dislike many policies, and think he's the worst thing to happen to Canada in a generation ; and I loathe some of his policy choices), but I try to avoid disgust.
It's just too easy to condemn how the game is played, when we (the collective "people of Canada" are in no small part responsible for the game existing in that form in the first place. Negative politics work because we, the people, respond to it - because we allow ourselves to be disgusted at politicians, so trying to make people more disgusted at the other party than you IS a winning strategy). False promises work because the voters tend to demand to have their cake and eat it too and will lap up anyone who tell them it's possible, while cold-shouldering anyone who tell them otherwise.
It IS possible to do politics otherwise (Layton more or less pulled it off in his last campaign), but it takes an exceptional personality, and it may not even be something you can pull off twice.
It's just too easy to condemn how the game is played, when we (the collective "people of Canada" are in no small part responsible for the game existing in that form in the first place. Negative politics work because we, the people, respond to it - because we allow ourselves to be disgusted at politicians, so trying to make people more disgusted at the other party than you IS a winning strategy). False promises work because the voters tend to demand to have their cake and eat it too and will lap up anyone who tell them it's possible, while cold-shouldering anyone who tell them otherwise.
It IS possible to do politics otherwise (Layton more or less pulled it off in his last campaign), but it takes an exceptional personality, and it may not even be something you can pull off twice.
The "way the game is played" is partly tactics imported from the U.S. Would Harper have pushed for fixed election dates if he hadn't had the means to go into perpetual campaign mode while pretending it was just normal government announcements meant to benefit everyone?
I do have my reasons to be disgusted with these people. It's going to come down to whichever candidate between the local Liberal and NDP person looks to be more competent, because I'm not willing to give Mulcair the same respect I gave Layton. He hasn't earned that, and he's going to have to really work at it over the next two months if he wants it.
Recon Rover
Warlord
I am predicting a Conservative minority government.
There is a possibility that there could be a Liberal / NDP coalition however I do not believe it would form with Trudeau as Prime Minister but rather Mulcair.
I suspect the Conservatives will carry Ontario outside of Toronto and Ontario as a whole.
The NDP should carry southwestern Ontario.
The Liberals should carry downtown Toronto.
There is a possibility that there could be a Liberal / NDP coalition however I do not believe it would form with Trudeau as Prime Minister but rather Mulcair.
I suspect the Conservatives will carry Ontario outside of Toronto and Ontario as a whole.
The NDP should carry southwestern Ontario.
The Liberals should carry downtown Toronto.
Does the system not allow voters to cast blank ballots?
Bloc - 78
Liberal - 63
NDP - 63
Con - 129
Green - 2
Duceppe as minority coalition PM with his choice of Liberal or NDP. I'll vote Bloc in Alberta to make this happen.
shadowplay
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I predicted 6 months ago that Mulcair would be the next Prime Minister of Canada, and I stand by that. Whether it's with or without a coalition with the Libs, we'll see. I think most likely with.
The bloc runs candidates in Alberta?
The bloc runs candidates in Alberta?
There are two ways to cast a blank ballot:
1. Go to the poll, sign in, take your ballot, go over to one of the voting stations, don't mark anything, then come back (with your ballot properly folded), put your ballot in the ballot box, and leave. When your vote is counted, the Deputy Returning Officer will take one look at it, mutter "another spoiled ballot," the Poll Clerk will mark it as spoiled, it will be put in the Spoiled Ballot envelope with the others, and both will wonder why you even bothered showing up.
2. Go to the poll, sign in, and then officially refuse your ballot. The Deputy Returning Officer will make a note that you have officially refused your ballot, and you can leave. That's different from spoiling your ballot - it's a more pointed way of saying "this election is important to me, but I don't think anyone on the ballot deserves my vote, so it's 'none of the above.'"
Note that Canadian elections don't allow write-in votes. The only choices you have are either one of the names on the ballot, or nobody.
Good luck with that.
No, it doesn't. The Bloc only runs candidates in Quebec.
Now some ridings are going to have some interesting choices. I see that at least one Alberta riding has a candidate from the Pirate party - I've no idea what that is - and at least one candidate from the Rhinoceros Party (that's the Canadian equivalent of CFC's "Downtown" option on polls). It's a joke party that allows the candidates a public platform to get their views aired, but they don't usually get more than a handful of votes... except way back in the '80s (I don't recall which election or which riding). There was one riding in which the Rhinoceros Party candidate came in 2nd. For a brief time during the evening, he had to seriously consider the bizarre idea that he might actually win.
That's a story that goes back over 20 years, at least.
Some parliamentarians have remained MPs for decades - 40+ years, in a few cases. But they don't get to be hated for how long they've been in Parliament. They get hated for what they've said, done, and supported while they were there.
Some people are saying Harper is the worst Prime Minister we've ever had, and when you consider the level of hatred for Brian Mulroney, that's some achievement.
I'm going to mull this over and try to give you a better answer later. There's a lot to hate about Harper and not a lot to recommend him.
Evie
Pronounced like Eevee
There are a lot of things to be critical of Harper for: intrusive security bills that violate privacy, but undermining any and all attempt at gun control because "that would violate privacy". Trying to take the credit for Canada riding out the 2008 recession when he wasn't going to do anything about it until the other party arm-twisted him into it. Putting his morality ahead of the constitution. Actively trying to undermine the chief justice of the supreme court by publicly accusing her of interfering in the political process (when she had actually simply followed proper protocol). He's done his level best to destroy any and all Canadian public institution one after the other (Statistic Canada, CBC, etc). He's deliberately silenced government scientists. He's revoked environmental protection on half the environmentally protected landmarks in the country. And he made a large number of Canadian citizens into second-class citizens (including my nieces), whose citizenship can be revoked by government decision, on the basis of foreign criminal law. They've acted in bad faith in one trial after another. In one recent case, a federal court judge had to order the government to surrender a hard drive with the data that was the object of the dispute on it (data on the former gun registry, I think), because the balance of evidence led him to believe it wouldn't be safe in government hand.
The fundamental problem with the guy is - and his own party has been saying it - is he's a total control freak. He despise things he has no control over, and will stop at nothing to paint them as enemies, and to try and bring them down. Hence his repeated attack on any even loosely independent part of the government: the Supreme Court, Crown Corporations, the Provincial Governments (ask Wynne about it)...if Harper (or his allies) don't control it, it's an enemy that should be attacked.
All politicians are control freak to some degree, but Harper is gleefully crossing every line he can find.
The fundamental problem with the guy is - and his own party has been saying it - is he's a total control freak. He despise things he has no control over, and will stop at nothing to paint them as enemies, and to try and bring them down. Hence his repeated attack on any even loosely independent part of the government: the Supreme Court, Crown Corporations, the Provincial Governments (ask Wynne about it)...if Harper (or his allies) don't control it, it's an enemy that should be attacked.
All politicians are control freak to some degree, but Harper is gleefully crossing every line he can find.
Recon Rover
Warlord
I thought there was 338 seats up for grabs this time around?
Anyways, though I find your post amusing you can't possibly believe the Liberals or Bloc will be that successful.
I've been in and out of Ottawa enough lately from Toronto (I'll be back in Ottawa in a week), to have good sense of the mood in the capital thus far.
The people I've spoken to are sure of this: It is going to come down between the NDP and the Conservatives. Let's see if the debate tonight changes this mood!
Oh yeah, I forgot the territories, the Greens can have the extra three.
I've got no real predictions, I haven't looked at polling numbers and don't follow any traditional media. Like I said in my first post in this thread, I'll be voting for whichever local candidate seems most competent regardless of party, following election news otherwise is a waste of time. (And probably actively worse than not following the news, since you're mostly looking at noise.)
I've got no real predictions, I haven't looked at polling numbers and don't follow any traditional media. Like I said in my first post in this thread, I'll be voting for whichever local candidate seems most competent regardless of party, following election news otherwise is a waste of time. (And probably actively worse than not following the news, since you're mostly looking at noise.)
Don't forget about the POS in charge of Canada Post, who had the gall to say that senior citizens are glad that they'll be able to get exercise from having to struggle through snowbanks, and risk slipping on ice and breaking their hips (among other things) to get their mail. Apparently every senior or disabled person in the country has family, friends, or neighbors who would be only too happy to run and fetch mail for them if they're not mobile.
Some people pontificate on CBC.ca that rural Canadians have never had mail delivery, that they've always had to go to the nearest town. That's absolute BS, because what do they think "rural route" means? My mailing address, when we lived on an acreage for the first 8 years of my life was "(my name) R.R.#4, Red Deer, Alberta (postal code)". The mailman came 6 days a week (yeah, we had Saturday service), and we could receive and send mail. Why do people think traditional mailboxes have a little red flag on them? It's not for decoration. It's how mailmen told the residents they had mail, and how the residents let the mailman know there was outgoing mail. So while some rural residents may never have had mail delivery, it's a flat-out lie to say that no rural residents have ever had mail delivery.
Harper does not play well with Rachel Notley. According to CBC, he made a speech in Quebec - in French only - in which he claims that the NDP has been a "disaster" in Alberta:
Harper is lying, of course. How interesting that he didn't have the guts to say that in English.CBC.ca said:
There are 338 seats up for grabs now. Some riding boundaries have been changed and some new seats have been created. Red Deer used to be just one riding, but now it's been split in two. The useless backbencher who I'd thought had retired actually hasn't; he's running for the other Red Deer seat. So they get to deal with him and his rude, airheaded staff. I wonder what kind of potted plant they'll use at the public forums when he doesn't show up this time?
Tony Abbott looks up to him as a rolemodel and has been doing the same things to us for the last two years.
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