Canadian Election

[Junkie]

Another potential nasty can of worms. Let's just share thoughts on results.

Ok - I kinda figures PC would win - and Harper asked for a majority enuff that I thought he might get it but man - didn't see an orange official minority coming. OK, sure I thought they'd pick a few up in Quebec but wow, Layton must be passing out.

So much for the Block - and the Liberals - like unreal. Michael Ignatieff wasn't even leading his riding as I write this and Mansbridge just did the official PC Majority thing. Wild night in Canadian politics anyways - time to watch the speeches.

 

[JMac]

I'm surprised by the NDP performance. BC is still voting, but I guess that with Ont. & Que. done the election is pretty much done - kind of frustrating for a democratic believing westerner...

 

[Splashcoat]

Hopefully Layton can walk the walk, I'm optimistic. I'm not sad to see the Bloc lose its official party status; I can respect Gilles Duceppe as a committed leader but I was never comfortable with an opposition party whose mandate is to break up the country.

 

[Junkie]

True Splash. We need unity.

I honestly don't know much about Layton. He didn't have much of a voice out east here.

In my riding Liberals win again and again we are represented by a losing party.

Hopefully Harper will do what he's said as far as economy goes. Time will tell. Might be prudent to work on improving his reputation on the international stage too.

 

[Jeep]

One of my Canadian friends referred me to this video to describe the Canadian election, I found it interesting since I am NOT in Canada.

Why so angry, Canuck?

 

[Elm City Hobbies]

Finally a majority, and we don't have to go through this crap again for 4 years....about time.

I expected a Conservative majority, but didn't see NDP becoming the official opposition, but why not. Not that it will do much good since the Conservative party has the majority....opposition really can't do much.

What I didn't see coming was the demise of the Bloc in Quebec, as well as the demise of the Liberal party, but not sad about those things, especially the Bloc. If you are going to be a National party in the House of Commons, then you should be running in all 308 seats, and not just the handful in Quebec.

 

[Junkie]

Layton - despite the redundant minority - will have alot to prove if he wants to be there in 4.
Pretty wild. I really hope Harper can get something done.

 

[JMac]

I was not expecting the collapse of the liberals, I was also surprised that a Green candidate got elected in.

 

[noname]

I'm disappointed in the Harper majority. That gives him just too much power. I'm very happy that the NDP has finally become official oppostion. They have come a long way. The guy in the above video refers to the NDP as a "socialist party". But they have certainly mellowed out over the decades. But they are definately still on the left of the conservatives. I'm a scoialist at heart. Not a "communist" or a"Stalinist" by no means. The word is far too often associated together and shouldn't be. And I think this still scares people today. All I can say is think of Tommy Douglas and the CCF. For those of you who aren't aware of this person and party, well you really should be. This was the only socialist government in North America. And it was VERY succesful. Tommy Douglas, who ran five terms in a row as premier of Saskatchewan is not just resposible for our health care system but also a long list of other firsts. The movie "Prairie Giant, the Tommy Douglas Story" is well worth watching if you haven't seen it. The CCF eventually turned into the NDP.

I will give Harper credit, he has helped this country fare well after the recession compared to other countries. I just don't dig his angle. Instead of boosting health care and senior's pensions like the NDP proposed he would rather buy fighter jets and build jails. And tax breaks for big corporations? Besides I just like Jack Layton. He seems down to earth and not so stuffy. Does anybody remember Alexa Mcdonough? Gosh I loved her. Another down to earth politition.

I never vote Liberal but I actually feel kind of bad for Micheal Ignatieff. This switch in seats between the NDP and Liberals certainly is history.

How did I do? I was pretyy calm and nice about this wasn't I?

 

[Gundamhead]

So, basically, If I'm getting the jist is, Canadians elected somebody they don't really like, again. But they're OK with it. That sounds a lot like US politics...

 

[JMac]

Yep, pretty much. Lots of options (if you include the Bloc, four major parties and lots of independents, small or even fringe parties) in Canadian politics, in my riding I think I could select one of at least six (maybe seven) candidates. Not every riding would have that many. Lots of choice means that it could be unlikely that any one party might get a majority government, just because the pie of popular vote gets cut up in to lots of skinny pieces...

 

[noname]

I didn't vote for someone I didn't like. But I guess alot of people did. I think alot of the people who voted for Harper were just too shy of change. As time goes on this will change. I can forsee an NDP government in the future. I still can't believe that the same nation that voted in George Bush (twice I might add!) later voted in Obama. That leads me to believe anything can happen.

The sad part is that Harper doesn't have to consult with the other parties so much as with a minority government. This scares me a tadd. Now the NDP finally has gotten somewhere and won't have as much influence. :-\

 

[JMac]

I did not vote based on who I liked.

I voted for who I thought would best represent myself, the riding I live in, and who's party policies I thought I could live with. I did not vote for the sake of blocking a party (a'la better vote orange just to stop the blue, or blue to crush the red, or red because they might get more seats than the orange - which I know they did not). But in the end, politicians are people, people are part of larger organizations, people and organizations have agendas of their own. In the end I'm sure that with these facts in hand, the party be it blue, red or orange will do something that I a voter will not like. Left, centre or otherwise people are people, and politicians are a special breed of people...