Canada General Discussion: Trudeau II

[Filuwaúrdjan]

I think the NDP is in not that bad a shape in retrospect. Their caucus is a lot more balanced - before it seemed to be Quebec + a handful of other guys

Correct; people who are acting as though they are in a terrible state have clearly not been following Canadian politics for very long (or have forgotten what they used to know). I would also note that there's now more 'logic' to NDP support patterns in Quebec that indicates that they may have attracted a proper base rather than what looked like borrowings from elsewhere.

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What's new? Toronto has always been a frustration for the federal NDP. Significant breakthroughs in the past have never lasted either.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

The PLQ is whatever you want it to be.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

The Liberals have absolutely no reason to back electoral reform right now.

It is strange that the future is so often seen as the present projected forwards, when surely our memories ought to tell us that this is absurd.

The past decade gives the Liberals ample reason to back electoral reform: what proportional representation (for instance) would mean above all else would be a degree of protection from the volatile nature of the Canadian electorate. As such over the long run it is their best hope of returning to their traditional status as a semi-permanent party of power...

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Wouldn't single-member-district IRV be the best system for the Liberals? It would allow them to reap Conservative votes to challenge NDP members and NDP votes to challenge Conservatives. It wouldn't by any means be a permanent Liberal majority, but it does seem like the Liberals would be in a significantly better spot than they're in now.

Short term yes, longer term... hmm... you need to be able to guarantee that you'll be at least second in the overwhelming majority of seats for the system to do you any good, else you get ratfycked as badly as by FPTP second prefs or no.