Canadian Federal Election - 2015

[Jimmy Higgins]

Yeah, there wasn't much talk 15 months before the run-up to the election like we have in the US, but there is an election in Canada in October.

Early Polling is trending positive to a party that was a weak 3rd party a couple decades ago, but has moved on to replace the Liberal party as the left wing party. The Liberal Party's last hurrah was with Martin and perhaps they were in power too long and the typical malfeasance with assumed perpetual power took hold. It took a while but the NDP is now well ahead of the Liberals.

Steven Harper has been the leader for about ten years now. And in that time, has shifted the tone of Canadian Politics from friendly to more America (that isn't good). Partisanship is pretty high these days and Harper has helped to shift Canada from a left-wing nation into a wannabee Republican Utopia (circa late 90's).

It'll be interesting to see if the NDP can win outright, but regardless, with a coalition with the Libs, they probably have a great chance at taking the reins and potentially changing tact on Canadian politics. Oh and if Duffy owes you money, the check is in the mail, but the Conservative party knows nothing of the check.

 

[krypton iodine sulfur]

Duffy should be sending cheques, not checks, the dirty traitor.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

There is a real difference between Canadian and American elections. There was an article today about how most people in the country haven't started to give a shit about it yet because the actual election is still eight weeks away. That's a vast difference between the two year continuous campaign that you guys have.

We also don't have Donald Trump running, so it's a lot more fun to pay attention to what's going on with you lot.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

There is a real difference between Canadian and American elections. There was an article today about how most people in the country haven't started to give a shit about it yet because the actual election is still eight weeks away. That's a vast difference between the two year continuous campaign that you guys have.

We also don't have Donald Trump running, so it's a lot more fun to pay attention to what's going on with you lot.

No, you don't have a Trump. But you do have laser beams.

 

[Jolly_Penguin]

There is a real difference between Canadian and American elections. There was an article today about how most people in the country haven't started to give a shit about it yet because the actual election is still eight weeks away. That's a vast difference between the two year continuous campaign that you guys have.

We also don't have Donald Trump running, so it's a lot more fun to pay attention to what's going on with you lot.

No, you don't have a Trump. But you do have laser beams.

Now go ahead and compare that add to one of the US adds. You guys are way too serious bro.

 

[bilby]

Changing tack. 'Changing tack' is a nautical term from the days of sail, indicating a change of direction. Tact is something completely different, that I am displaying a lack of in this post.

 

[Jolly_Penguin]

Has there or will there be a second debate?

I found this vote compass that helps find which party agrees most with you: https://votecompass.cbc.ca/

I was surprised to see myself not in line with ANY of the parties, so I'm a little torn on this vote.

 

[Blahface]

I'm curious to see how the voting system will change after this election. Hopefully it will spark calls for change in the US as well.

 

[krypton iodine sulfur]

I found this vote compass that helps find which party agrees most with you: https://votecompass.cbc.ca/

I was surprised to see myself not in line with ANY of the parties, so I'm a little torn on this vote.

The vote compasses aren't particularly good at telling you which party you really align with. They have to simplify a fair bit in order to make it work, sometimes the data is incomplete, or there are broader considerations which the voting compass cannot factor in. What these tools do somewhat well (I hope) is getting people to entertain the idea of potentially voting for other parties. If you were going to vote Green, but perhaps found the NDP ranked a bit higher, perhaps you would at least look at the NDP in greater depth if you haven't already. I'd like to think people give each party consideration individually, but I'd wager most don't put much effort into it.

That said, did you try weighing the questions at the end? My responses were 75, 75, 75, 10 across the four parties until I weighed each category in which case it went 77 (Green), 76 (NDP), 73 (Liberal), 10 (Conservative). I don't put a lot of stock into it.

 

[Jolly_Penguin]

before and after weighting, you were still pretty close though by those numbers.

My biggest surprise was that there was no party that wanted less immigration or less favouritism for religious minorities or less favouritism for natives.

 

[bilby]

What's all this 'election' stuff? If you have a crap Prime Minister, just swap him for a new one.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

What's all this 'election' stuff? If you have a crap Prime Minister, just swap him for a new one.

That's what we're doing right now.

However, we're doing it through an election because we're a polite and civilized nation and not a boorish collection of the descendants of unwanted criminals.

 

[bilby]

What's all this 'election' stuff? If you have a crap Prime Minister, just swap him for a new one.

That's what we're doing right now.

However, we're doing it through an election because we're a polite and civilized nation and not a boorish collection of the descendants of unwanted criminals.

That's not very fair. Some of us are the descendants of WANTED criminals.

 

[SimpleDon]

There is a real difference between Canadian and American elections. There was an article today about how most people in the country haven't started to give a shit about it yet because the actual election is still eight weeks away. That's a vast difference between the two year continuous campaign that you guys have.

We also don't have Donald Trump running, so it's a lot more fun to pay attention to what's going on with you lot.

Are you guys missing Rob Ford yet?

 

[krypton iodine sulfur]

Are you guys missing Rob Ford yet?

He's still a city councillor as far as I know, but after he lost the mayoral race and had to undergo treatments for cancer, it took things down a few notches in terms of the attention he receives. Not saying he's out of the news entirely, but you don't hear his name come up all that often where I live. Much of the sensationalism has worn off.

 

[ZiprHead]

I am woefully uninformed about Canadian politics even though I live practically on the doorstep. Typical USA-ian.

 

[Tigers!]

What's all this 'election' stuff? If you have a crap Prime Minister, just swap him for a new one.

That's what we're doing right now.

However, we're doing it through an election because we're a polite and civilized nation and not a boorish collection of the descendants of unwanted criminals.

Tweet I saw

Australian democracy - Every one gets a turn at being Prime Minister

So true it is saddening

 

[bilby]

That's what we're doing right now.

However, we're doing it through an election because we're a polite and civilized nation and not a boorish collection of the descendants of unwanted criminals.

Tweet I saw

Australian democracy - Every one gets a turn at being Prime Minister

So true it is saddening

Can I go next? I would do a fuck of a lot better than any of the last dozen incumbents.

 

[Tigers!]

Tweet I saw

Australian democracy - Every one gets a turn at being Prime Minister

So true it is saddening

Can I go next? I would do a fuck of a lot better than any of the last dozen incumbents.

Please do. After your turn my grandmother can have a go and she died in 2003.

Last dozen - Abbot, Rudd (x2), Gillard, Howard, Keating, Hawke, Fraser, Whitlam, McMahon, Gorton, McEwen, Holt. Goes back to 1966.

 

[rousseau]

I'm going to down two shots of whisky for every percentage point the Conservatives win by.