Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - Thank you sir, may I have another? (Liberals win Minority Gov't in Canada)

Yakk · 06-29-2004, 07:20 AM

In the olden days, the PCs and Liberals had minor policy differences. Flip flopping between them didn't have all that much impact.

The creation of the two regional parties (Reform and Bloc Quebecois) fractured and destroyed the old PC party. The new Conservative party isn't the old PC party, and isn't the kind of party that most people form Ontario want running the government apparently. Me included.

The money wasted by the Liberals is somewhat mitigated by the fact they have run the country well for 10 years, paid off 10% of the half-trillion dollar debt that previous fiscially irresponsible governments ran up, and their election promises are believeable. If you assume all the scandals where purely wasted money, it still pales in comparison to how much debt we paid off. I don't like being in debt, and don't appreciate other's using my credit to buy bread and circuses.

The NDP stated they would stop paying off the debt. The Conservatives promised they would spend more, tax less, and pay off the debt more, while claiming to have absolutely no policy on many social issues ("free vote").

What I am hoping to come out of this election is the NDP's promise to have purportional representation reform in the House of Commons. It is something that can be done without a constitutional reform (unlike, say, the Conservative election promise to remove sufferage from Federal prisoners, sigh). If it goes forward, it will forever change the structure of Canadian politics. Minority governments would become the norm instead of the exception, and parties with a broad but shallow base of support would have a say at the federal level (instead of the current system, which encourages regionalism).

If this works, we'll have Green, Family Coallition, Liberal, Bloc, Conservative, NDP, and Progressive Canadian parties all playing in Parliament. You'll be able to vote for the party that reflects your views, rather than for the one closest to your views that has a chance of winning.

The interesting thing is that right now the Liberals+NDP have exactly 1/2 of the seats in the House of Commons. With a speaker from their ranks this isn't a majority. They will either have to find another vote from somewhere, or select a non-party member for speaker of the house.

06-29-2004, 07:20 AM	#2 (permalink)
Yakk Wehret Den Anfängen! Location: Ontario, Canada	In the olden days, the PCs and Liberals had minor policy differences. Flip flopping between them didn't have all that much impact. The creation of the two regional parties (Reform and Bloc Quebecois) fractured and destroyed the old PC party. The new Conservative party isn't the old PC party, and isn't the kind of party that most people form Ontario want running the government apparently. Me included. The money wasted by the Liberals is somewhat mitigated by the fact they have run the country well for 10 years, paid off 10% of the half-trillion dollar debt that previous fiscially irresponsible governments ran up, and their election promises are believeable. If you assume all the scandals where purely wasted money, it still pales in comparison to how much debt we paid off. I don't like being in debt, and don't appreciate other's using my credit to buy bread and circuses. The NDP stated they would stop paying off the debt. The Conservatives promised they would spend more, tax less, and pay off the debt more, while claiming to have absolutely no policy on many social issues ("free vote"). What I am hoping to come out of this election is the NDP's promise to have purportional representation reform in the House of Commons. It is something that can be done without a constitutional reform (unlike, say, the Conservative election promise to remove sufferage from Federal prisoners, sigh). If it goes forward, it will forever change the structure of Canadian politics. Minority governments would become the norm instead of the exception, and parties with a broad but shallow base of support would have a say at the federal level (instead of the current system, which encourages regionalism). If this works, we'll have Green, Family Coallition, Liberal, Bloc, Conservative, NDP, and Progressive Canadian parties all playing in Parliament. You'll be able to vote for the party that reflects your views, rather than for the one closest to your views that has a chance of winning. The interesting thing is that right now the Liberals+NDP have exactly 1/2 of the seats in the House of Commons. With a speaker from their ranks this isn't a majority. They will either have to find another vote from somewhere, or select a non-party member for speaker of the house. __________________ Last edited by JHVH : 10-29-4004 BC at 09:00 PM. Reason: Time for a rest.