Elections in Canadia

[shereads]

Who knew?

 

[rgraham666]

And our campaign is only six weeks.

 

[CharleyH]

Who knew?

Well, at least they (not he because Canadians don't vote that way) didn't get a majority government! Good god, why Canadians don't see that they are the Reform and Alliance reborn is beyond me! Pfft.

 

[epiphany65]

Well, at least they (not he because Canadians don't vote that way) didn't get a majority government! Good god, why Canadians don't see that they are the Reform and Alliance reborn is beyond me! Pfft.

I agree, which is why I'll never vote for them, but Harper has done some things that I agree with. I'm glad he's trying to protect Canadian sovereignty in the north and recently he's talked about lowering the voting age to 16 ('if you can be trusted to drive a car, you should be able to vote' is his reasoning) and he's talking about instituting free tuition to colleges and universities. He sounds like a red Tory at times.

 

[freshface]

You mean you had an election and didn't tell us? Where's the drama, the teeth nashing, the months and months and months of campaigning and commercials. Don't you feel just a little bit deprived?

 

[epiphany65]

You mean you had an election and didn't tell us? Where's the drama, the teeth nashing, the months and months and months of campaigning and commercials. Don't you feel just a little bit deprived?

Us Canadians are generally sedate and understated.

 

[Saucy_Sage]

You mean WHILE OUR CAMPAIGN WAS GOING ON??!!

Isn't there some sort of North American exclusivity clause that prevents that sort of thing, so as not to distract people in lesser countries from paying attention to us? I smell a lawsuit.

p.s. I think they spell the country without the "i" but I'm gonna have to check on that and get back to ya!

 

[freshface]

Us Canadians are generally sedate and understated.

Do you Canadians have something up there you're not sharing with the rest of us?

 

[epiphany65]

You mean WHILE OUR CAMPAIGN WAS GOING ON??!!

Isn't there some sort of North American exclusivity clause that prevents that sort of thing, so as not to distract people in lesser countries from paying attention to us? I smell a lawsuit.

p.s. I think they spell the country without the "i" but I'm gonna have to check on that and get back to ya!

Actually Prime Minister Harper (who is right-wing) wanted the election now so voters wouldn't be influenced by the outcome of the US election. Apparently he thinks Obama will win and that would have hurt his chances at re-election.

 

[CharleyH]

I agree, which is why I'll never vote for them, but Harper has done some things that I agree with. I'm glad he's trying to protect Canadian sovereignty in the north and recently he's talked about lowering the voting age to 16 ('if you can be trusted to drive a car, you should be able to vote' is his reasoning) and he's talking about instituting free tuition to colleges and universities. He sounds like a red Tory at times.

I know he, personally, was in the red (Liberal at one time), but honestly? I see Harper and all his alliance cronies like Stockwell Day and Flaherty and sorry, I forgot his name for a minute, we simply nicknamed him Milhouse ... ah, yes, Tony Clement, as idiots. They ARE!

I do understand the Canadian balance, though. Provincially? Ontario = Liberal, so federally they vote Harper or NDP or Bloc (lol) to keep the balance.

 

[Saucy_Sage]

Us Canadians are generally sedate and understated.

Couple a six-packs of Moosehead will have that effect.

 

[epiphany65]

Do you Canadians have something up there you're not sharing with the rest of us?

A strong left-wing bent... okay... it's more a matter of not many wanting it rather than us not sharing.

 

[freshface]

A strong left-wing bent... okay... it's more a matter of not many wanting it rather than us not sharing.

And on that note, you might like this.

 

[Liar]

And our campaign is only six weeks.

How does that work? Is it illegal for a politician to say "If we win the election, we will..." three months before voting day?

I thought campaigning was like Christmas decorations. It starts tastelessly early because all competitors are looking nervously at each other, and as soon as one twitch, all hell breaks loose.

 

[Katyusha]

And our campaign is only six weeks.

That'd be nice. Ours has been going on for, what, two years now? *sigh*

 

[epiphany65]

How does that work? Is it illegal for a politician to say "If we win the election, we will..." three months before voting day?

I thought campaigning was like Christmas decorations. It starts tastelessly early because all competitors are looking nervously at each other, and as soon as one twitch, all hell breaks loose.

Not illegal, just undignified, so no one does it. We're governed more by etiquette than laws up here.

 

[champagne1982]

Dress Gilles Duceppe in a Liberal hat and take away his franco-centric rhetoric and I may have voted outside my province's preference but I'd never give my vote to the NDP and if there'd have been a Green who wasn't as green as the candidate running in this riding (Westlock-St Paul) was they may have garnered my attention. As it was, until August there wasn't a local Liberal candidate either and when they found one, couldn't she have had some experience in party politics? So, left with a Christian Heritage candidate or a Conservative to choose from... I did what I felt was best for my community. I'm just sorry the government wasted 300 million dollars that could have been spent on better causes.

 

[CharleyH]

How does that work? Is it illegal for a politician to say "If we win the election, we will..." three months before voting day?

I thought campaigning was like Christmas decorations. It starts tastelessly early because all competitors are looking nervously at each other, and as soon as one twitch, all hell breaks loose.

LOL - it's the same all the world over. Remind me, Liar, Why DO we vote?

 

[freshface]

How does that work? Is it illegal for a politician to say "If we win the election, we will..." three months before voting day?

I thought campaigning was like Christmas decorations. It starts tastelessly early because all competitors are looking nervously at each other, and as soon as one twitch, all hell breaks loose.

I don't think they vote on any sort of a schedule up there, so it's harder to put it on the calendar and plan ahead.

 

[Liar]

Not illegal, just undignified, so no one does it. We're governed more by etiquette than laws up here.

You have dignified politicians? That's... unnatural, that it.

 

[epiphany65]

I don't think they vote on any sort of a schedule up there, so it's harder to put it on the calendar and plan ahead.

It used to be like that but... "November 6, 2006, the Parliament of Canada passed Bill C-16, An Act to Amend the Canada Elections Act. It requires that each general election is to take place on the third Monday in October, in the fourth calendar year after the previous poll, starting with October 19, 2009." (Wiki quote)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fixed_election_dates_in_Canada

 

[freshface]

You have dignified politicians? That's... unnatural, that it.

No, I think their politicians are just as wacky as the rest of the world's. It's the voters who are dignified. Still unnatural...

 

[freshface]

It used to be like that but... "November 6, 2006, the Parliament of Canada passed Bill C-16, An Act to Amend the Canada Elections Act. It requires that each general election is to take place on the third Monday in October, in the fourth calendar year after the previous poll, starting with October 19, 2009." (Wiki quote)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fixed_election_dates_in_Canada

You do realize it's still 2008, right? And not yet the third Monday? Jumped the gun a bit, didn't you?

 

[epiphany65]

You do realize it's still 2008, right? And not yet the third Monday? Jumped the gun a bit, didn't you?

That's a source of controversy that the opposition parties seized upon. It may come up again since the Conservatives only have a minority gov't this go-around.

 

[epiphany65]

No, I think their politicians are just as wacky as the rest of the world's. It's the voters who are dignified. Still unnatural...

Well, back in '96 our former Prime Minister, Chretien, confronted an angry protester during a walkabout, grabbed him by the throat, chipping one of his teeth -- all while his security people looked on. Imagine W. doing that...LOL. In another incident someone broke into the official residence of P.M. Chretien and his wife. His wife knocked the intruder out by hitting him over the head with a soapstone carving. Things like this only seem to happen here, but it makes politics interesting. After the incident with the intruder the Liberal Party said it was a good argument for gov't funding for artists because if it were not for them Mrs. Chretien would not have had a weapon and she and the Prime Minister may have been harmed. Only in Canada...