Talk Elections

CPC, reluctantly

Were I Canadian, I would be disgusted that the PC Party folded but still gladly vote CPC.  If only Belinda had won!

NDP, keep rocking in the free world.

Siege

Yes, we compromised a bit of our integrity, but if the merger hadn't happened this election would be over before it began.

Belinda was awful! Peter Mackay should lead us.

Were I Canadian, I would certainly be voting CPC this election. It is the party I would want as my leadership. In addition, as an American I recognize they would be the friendliest govt to our nation.

However, I have noticed an unfortunate trend in world affairs recently. The USA has become so dominant that in most democracies worldwide, the main foreign policy issue among the masses is snubbing the US. No one seems to support some kind of actual hostile action, but the majority most places just seems to want to say "heh heh, you silly American persons, food trough wipers, your father is a hamster and your mother smells of elderberries". This appears to be true not just in France but in Australia, Britain, Germany, Spain, Italy, Japan- just about every foreign democracy but Israel.

As a result of this, govts seen as too pro-American are regularly trrashed by their opponents. Maybe the Phillipine election broke the winning streak of les Obstructionistes, but I'm not holding my breath.

So while a CPC victory would be cool, it would probably fairly short lived, with the Canadian electorate turning 'em out at the first opportunity for a real nast CHirac-style anti-American, whose main purpose in life is to be annoying to the USA, to fart in our general direction, if you will. Like our old friend Chretien. So Martin might actually be the better long term outcome, all things considered. He would ONLY be a bad ally, refuse to help us in a tight spot, and constantly snipe at us from the sidelines, clearly using the myth that neutrality against a totalitarian threat is some kind of moral high ground. Whereas a conservative in the short term might in the long term lead to someione who actually goes out of his way to gather people together to say arrogant, annoying things to us from the world podium.

I voted CPC.

You know, the US can be a world leader without all this foolishness. Has anyone heard of the movie "Control Room"? Somebody said that it takes a good look at how different things play out in various parts of the world.

Dippers

I am the only LPC vote so far.

Chirac is not anti-american.


I voted for the left (NDP isn't it?).

Yes my friend, NDP is the LEFT, Liberals are the Center-Left, and the CPC is now RIGHT, they've pretty much abandoned their center part. The Red Tory is quickly becoming a thing of the past.

Siege

Just to prove that snubbing the Americans is a common check out the ad in the top left corner, called Harper and the Conservatives.

I think it's powerful, I like it, despite what everyone else says.

http://www.liberal.ca/ads_e.aspx

Siege

I'd say:

NDP=Centre-Left
LPC=Centre
CPC=Centre-Right (varies a lot from province to province. NS Tories are very centrist, Alberta Tories are rednecks).

Canadian politics isn't very ideological (except for Quebec of course) though

We're Canadian, in America we're all liberals ;).

Siege

The LPC also varies provincially

I'm not the only liberal vote now :)

Voted NDP - I like their politics (and their humour - loved the one about the flags)

I can't stand the message of those ads... but I've got to give kudos to whoever created them.  They are fantasticly produced, have all the right visuals, and are more powerful than most of the US ads I've seen.

Hmm, I like this Harper guy already.

Is this Prime Minister elections?

Yes Federal elections.

I think the ad is extremely powerful, understand that what's alarming or not alarming to you may or may not be alarming to Canadians. The idea of U.S. level taxes coupled with American style healthcare disturbs many Canadians.

I'd like to point out that Harper's numbers don't make a lot of sense, he's cutting taxes and dramatically increasing spending. If Harper wins the election, he'll be voted out in a year or two because of his growing deficiet.

Siege

How exactly do the parties line up?

heard the Conservatives are sorta Perot style...socially conservative, fiscally moderate

liberals...fiscally conservative (save health care), socially liberal

NDP-social democrat...a little more extreme than mainstream US democrats.

Do enlighten please.

That's the confusing bit...

The Liberals are currently Socially liberal and fiscally moderate (balanced budgets)

The Conservatives have tried to keep quite on social issues, but are clearly conservative, very very conservative. Fiscally they claim to be conservative, tax cuts etc. but they're massively increasing spending, and have in many provinces created deficiets.

The NDP are liberal socially and fiscally, but they're realistically presenting a balanced budget (unlike the Conservatives). They're socialist, so a little more left, Liberals tend to be Center-Left, NDP Left and Conservatives are really right now, not too many Red Tory voices left.

Siege

Seems the Grits are getting caught in a squeeze in this poll!

More or less that's whats happend. Had the Dippers remained dormant, PM PM would be cruising this election...

French debate is tonight.

Looks like I'm closest to the liberals.

What an awful debate that was. Sometimes I wish there could be a U.S. Presidential-style debate: just Martin vs. Harper, one-on-one.

Ontario looks like a ham.

Oh,i voted Liberal btw.

Only in Canada...

No you are not, Siege would call Alan Specter a far right fascist looney, so just because he says something about the conservatives, that doesn't make it true. I would say most of the conservatives up here would be Democrats down there.

;) The PCs were moderates, we'll have to see what the New conservatives will do before we can tell what they are, but once again the fact that nearly all Canadians support public healthcare sends us way left of most Americans. So who knows.

Siege

What do LPC, CPC and NDP stand for?

Yep, but on TV I believe they use LIB, CON, NDP and BQ instead.

CPC is more accurate as it prevents confusion with the old pre-PC Conservatives.

I don't really have a pony in the Canuck elections, but it'd be cool if some fringe like Freedom or Libertarian or Marijuana got a few seats in Parliament (which simply won't happen).  The Liberals aren't my kind of classical liberals and the Conservatives are kinda weird.  Plus, I despise Burkean/English-style Tories because they are so pro-status quo.

It's okay if the Liberals win, because I would theoretically fit with them, just not realistically.  They are free trade, but I'm not a fan of so-called social democracy.  There's not really a laissez-faire leaning party, although the Conservatives are probably closer to it than the Liberals.

I'd probably join one of those three minor parties mentioned earlier if I had to vote in Candian elections, or try to form a libertarian faction inside the liberals.  Either way I'd be focusing way more on issue advocacy than elections if I had to live there.

It would be interesting if the Conservatives do win.  They can pledge some support for Bush and be a really good ally.