Thoughts on upcoming Canadian election?

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 1/7/06 at 8:27pm

For the minority of us Canucks on the board, a federal election is coming up on January 23. As a long-time Liberal, I'm in a tough spot. The election was called after a non-confidence vote placed by the NDP party - even though this was essentially "going to bed" with the Conservatives - due to the scandals plaguing the Liberals as of late. At first polls showed the Liberals with a slight lead (no matter what, it's pretty certain the winning party will still only have a minority government) but last week, Ipsos-Reid showed the Conservatives leading 34-33. In the last few days, Ekos has posted a wider margin of 36-30 for the Conservatives.

BC's provincial politics have usually been between the Liberals and NDP (left and left-er), but on the federal front, we're a swing province, and I've seen more lawn signs for the Conservatives than ever before. Curious to hear what the buzz is across the nation (and for the folks in the States) on this.

[Link Larkin Wanabe]

Posted: 1/7/06 at 8:33pm

Hah...my riding is Stephen Harpers...so my vote is so useless. But I am going to vote anyways, I just don't know who yet.

Akiva

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 1/7/06 at 8:53pm

Crikey, that DOES suck! How's your NDP candidate?

[Plum]

Posted: 1/7/06 at 8:54pm

Um, what is this Canadia you speak of? Is it by Russia?

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 1/7/06 at 8:56pm

Once I get off the bike generating electricity for this household and the commune next door, I'll get a snowdog to fetch an atlas.

[Link Larkin Wanabe]

Posted: 1/7/06 at 8:59pm

Tiff,

I won't really vote for NDP, because of their anti-Israel stance, and quite frankly the Green Party (which i voted for in the last election) has had too many incidents with representatives saying blatantly anti-semetic things in the media over the past few years. So I'm going to look into Liberal and Marijuana a bit more...hah...I'm kind of inclined to Marijuana though.

Akiva

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 1/7/06 at 9:13pm

I haven't totally discounted the Liberals yet. If it's really a Grit-Tory race, it boils down to a question of, do we vote for the known criminal or the criminal whose offenses we aren't aware of (yet)? The way I see it, if Harper's government goes through trying to take back gay marriage and banning abortion, their constitutional offenses against their own citizens are more heinous than the Liberal's sponsorship scandal. What were the Green's anti-Semetic remarks?

[Link Larkin Wanabe]

Posted: 1/7/06 at 9:35pm

Tiff,

I will try to go through press archives and try and find the actual quotes for you, because with things like that it's not right to misquote and make things worse than they are.

Akiva

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 1/7/06 at 9:46pm

Thanks. Green isn't too big out here so I'm usually left in the dark over their diatribe.

[nomdeplume]

Posted: 1/7/06 at 9:59pm

NDP?

Who's calling me?

(really I can't think of anything more dull than elections in Canada--I mean compare that to elections in Afghanistan or Iraq...)

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 1/7/06 at 10:05pm

I'm voting Liberal this year (after voting NDP in the last election). The MP of my riding, Susan Kadis, voted in favour of gay marriage and is chair of the woman's equity commission or something or other. So I'm a fan.

But I must concede that the Conservatives have been running a very effective campaign. Except for the GST break, Harper's platform isn't exactly revolutionary -- he was just the first out of the racing cages. But he's announcing very plans for very middle-of-the-road iniatives regarding things all Canadians are concerned about, before the Liberals and NDP have had a chance to release their own platform. So I can see why he's gained so much ground -- he's learned his lesson from the last election.

My PoliSci friend said something interesting that I'm beginning to see the wisdom of: she said that it might actually do the country some good if the Conservatives form a minority government, because who would they form a coalition with? Surely not the Liberals, and the NDP would be unthinkable. Who's left -- the Bloc?? Can you see the Conservatives with the Separatists? In any case, a Conservative minority government won't be able to get anything done, and will be destined to fall, and fast. Then Canada would just revert back to a stronger Liberal majority.

Updated On: 1/7/06 at 10:05 PM

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 1/7/06 at 10:07pm

Hee...to be totally honest I tend to follow US elections more closely than Canadian. More interesting, really. But now that the Conservatives may walk away with this thing, there's a greater invested interest. We don't want to go through what you folks do!

*ducks*

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 1/7/06 at 10:16pm

Harper's plan doesn't need to be revolutionary, really. (Was it a GST break or an income tax break he proposed?) All he has to do is sit back and say "sponsorship scandal" once in a while and he gets more points. I agree, the Tory campaign has been very effective so far. A librarian friend said the same thing today, about the inability for the Tories to get anything done in office. (The lack of NDP backing and that good ol' Charter helps stall things.) I may go NDP. Raymond Chan (the Liberal MP for my riding) had been coasting because he knew he has the Chinese vote secure. That's the thing I've noticed this time around - 70% of my riding is Asian, and the vast majority are middle-aged immigrants. I assume they normally would vote Conservative (socially and probably fiscally) but for previous elections, it was suggested that Raymond Chan kept winning because they wanted a Chinese rep in Ottawa. Now, like I said earlier, many, many of those households are now voting Conservative.

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 1/7/06 at 11:01pm

That's the thing I've noticed this time around - 70% of my riding is Asian, and the vast majority are middle-aged immigrants. I assume they normally would vote Conservative (socially and probably fiscally)

REALLY?? That's very surprising (and disturbing), Tiff. The main reason Olivia Chow lost in her riding (which encompasses Toronto's largest Chinatown) is because her Liberal competitor was fear-mongering the Chinese populace to vote Liberal or else it'll be a Conservative government. I always thought the Chinese immigrant population hated the Conservatives because of their history of virtually anti-immigration policies.

(PS Tiff -- I'll get back to your Europe PMs as soon as I can. )

Updated On: 1/7/06 at 11:01 PM

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 1/7/06 at 11:11pm

Makes sense, but no, in this neck of the woods, I'm quite sure that many, if not most, of the immigrant population would have voted Conservative in the past few provincial and federal elections if not for Raymond Chan being Asian. In fact, Raymond lost one election year to the Alliance candidate, Joe Peschisolido, who notoriously then crossed the floor to the Liberals, and regally pissed off the riding. But after that, Raymond beat Joe for the Liberal nomination, and won the latest election.

Let me look up www.canada.com. According to that librarian friend, there was an article in the local paper recently about the influence of the Chinese vote. I haven't seen it yet but I'll look.


(PS. No problem! Congratulations on your LSAT - are you packing your bags for U of O? Parents are doing their first Europe trip and cruise this fall, and I'm seething with Hatsumomo-like jealousy. )

Updated On: 1/7/06 at 11:11 PM

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 1/9/06 at 8:07pm

Anyone watching the debate right now? Can I just reiterate that I hate all 4 of them? Please Harper, make me happy. Just say it: "Hey, uh, heh--want some wood?"

Updated On: 1/9/06 at 08:07 PM

[sabrelady]

Posted: 1/10/06 at 4:03pm

Carolyn Bennett is my Lib nom/ incumbent. She freaking haunts my subway stop in the AM. Sigh ALL of the candidates are much of a muchness slobbering for power. I really resent the NDP for forcing this election when things were actually working due to the nature of a minority gov. I also don't believe Martin was involved in the slush fund scandale as we all know how much Cretien HATED Martin & pushed him out of the loop @ every opportunity. But the Conservative make my skin crawl tho I will agree the have run the best campagn in yrs. Oh and just as an aside immigrant communities tended to vote Liberal as the Libs were percieved as pro immigration as per Trudeau opening the criteria. I hate to do it but I think I gotta go w the Liberals tho it tee's me off royally.

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 1/10/06 at 4:35pm

I don't think the NDP had much of a choice BUT to force an election. They were stuck between a rock and a hard spot: don't do anything and you'll be accused of allowing Liberal corruption, do something and you might lose your foothold in the minority government.

Funny thing is, I think of all the leaders Gilles Duceppe sounds the most reasonable -- except for that separatism thing, of course.

[sabrelady]

Posted: 1/10/06 at 8:41pm

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 1/10/06 at 8:47pm

Did you see Duceppe in the debate yesterday? Something irks me about him. I was leaning towards voting NDP until I watched Jack, who now really irritates the hell out of me, too. Something about him screams "used car salesman". Maybe it's the moustache. Stuck between a rock, a hard place, and another hard place. Harper's doing a great job so far though - he's poised, articulate, and really doesn't have to do much and he'll probably win.

Updated On: 1/10/06 at 08:47 PM

[sabrelady]

Posted: 1/10/06 at 9:00pm

Which is scary. I mean the Conservative are really Alliance in wolf's clothing but they have run the most effective campagn. Like I said "Much of a muchness" amongst them all. REALLY wish there was a viable alternative choice but voting indep only pulls votes from a viable candidate.

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 1/10/06 at 9:01pm

He just has to get rid of the soullessness swimming in his eyes...

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 4:48pm

Jack and Olivia are the featured couple on my blog today.
The Rambling Corner

[Allie]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 4:50pm

I read in the newspaper yesterday that Stephen Harper and the actor who plays Ricky on the Trailer Park Boys are distant cousins. What does that mean?

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 4:51pm

Running there in a mo'! Did you place an advanced vote today?