2015 Canadian Election

[Admiral Piett]

October 19th is Canada's federal election, and if the polls are any indication it will be quite close. I'm curious what all you guys think. At least the small number of Canadians on here who might care. I voted in the advance polls since they were nice enough to set one up on campus.

A crash course for those unfamiliar with Canadian federal politics:

There are three main parties. The Conservatives (Tories), the Liberals and the New Democratic Party (NDP). The Tories currently run things, but the winds seem to be changing. The NDP under Tom Mulcair (bearded creepy smile man) watered down their left wing policies considerably this election, but have lost a lot of ground in the polls in the last few weeks. The Liberals under Justin Trudeau (young "pretty boy"), the son of the late Pierre Trudeau, who was one of Canada's most charismatic and divisive Prime Ministers. The Liberals' policies have seemingly done an end run further left around the NDP economically, though is further right when it comes to foreign policy. Finally, the Tories under Stephen Harper (Data from Star Trek: TNG minus personality), who are firmly centre-right. The Bloc Quebecois is also floating around (they were a regional, separatist party before it was cool *looks at Scotland*), and so is the Green Party, who's sole existence seems to be giving people the ability to protest vote against the real parties. Neither of the last two will get enough seats to matter.

American Parties on a Canadian Political Spectrum:

NDP>Liberals>CENTRE>Democrats>Tories>>>>>>>>>>GOP

Traditionally, the NDP were always Canada's "socialists." However, at the moment they can largely be interchanged with the Liberals on many issues. Something that has thoroughly confused the crap out of the voting public this election.

[Mitchverr]

I think if the tories win then Canada will become a police state which cares not for people but for big money.

The path is already in motion, can be seen with the laws limiting scientific speech with reguards to climate change, the laws on "terrorism", the laws on snooping and so on.


Canada would do well to take lessons from what happened in the UK election of tories which has brought more and more freedoms under pressure.

[Admiral Piett]

If the polls are any indication, nobody is coming close to a majority. That means a Liberal-NDP coalition by default, with the Liberals and Tories temporarily teaming up to pass the TPP since they are both in support of it. Of course the polls in the UK election made it seem close and then the Tories coasted to an easy majority, so who knows. The Canadian election is won or lost in Ontario and Quebec, so I'm very much on the sidelines. Made worse because my province is the most conservative in the country. Any vote for a party that isn't the Tories in my riding is a protest vote. Right now it is a big story that the Liberals might win one seat in Calgary.

[rex88]

I advance-voted. The rules and procedures at the federal ballot seems very different from last time. The process seems more securitized, but at the same time the procedures make it super easy to spoil your ballot by accident. I vaguely recall the MP name being a multiple choice ballot last time, but this time around they have to be written by hand.

I know it's politically incorrect to suggest that folks on my side of the bar are more likely to jitter and make typos, but one honestly has to wonder.

Historically, NDP has never ruled the country, so if Mulcair wins then it will be a first for the party. Although Trudeau's stance on state-run infrastructure seems a very seductive idea, especially fueled with the blood money leeched off from the TPP. He has a... non-zero chance of force-building a level of infrastructure that is befitting of our nation's size, and that has to count for something. As for NDP moving to the right, they've been doing that on the provincial level ever since Bob Rae won Ontario in the early 90s. Nonconfidence threats from corporate lobbies made Ontario NDP decouple welfare from inflation for the first time in decades, and every other party in Ontario moved rightwards as a result since leftist voters became willing to settle for less and less and less. NDP's rightwards move has a long history. But if they go federal, who can say?

[Admiral Piett]

Yeah, I was caught off guard by having to write the name out. It was definitely multiple choice before, though the writing may only be for advanced polls.

[another505]

Wait, you write the name of the person in the riding or you write stephen harper and others?

anyways, still havent decided between the liberals or NDP....
might vote the commies for the lolz, jk

[Admiral Piett]

For the advance polls you had to write out the name of the candidate in your riding. I'm not sure if they will make you do that on election day though.

I voted Liberal, but like I said, my vote doesn't matter. My riding is landslide Conservative.

[another505]

For the advance polls you had to write out the name of the candidate in your riding. I'm not sure if they will make you do that on election day though.

I voted Liberal, but like I said, my vote doesn't matter. My riding is landslide Conservative.

But the liberals are throwing away the F35!!!

though have to say, i doubt that they will do that even if they win..
anyways, we have like 5-6 canadians in this forum?
Chyka
another
admiral
rex
beyond
i feel like there is one more

[Shrike]

^gotta get that avro arrow

[Admiral Piett]

Hahaha, yeah. I noticed that. At this point I'm starting to think the Canadian F-35 is dead. It is a political hot potato. The Conservatives claim to want it, but they never put it in their budgets. Including the newest one. They just keep kicking the can down the road. Since it such a touchy, partisan issue in a country with a population that doesn't like spending money on defence, it doesn't really matter how good the plane is. It could cure cancer and people would still hate it. At least the Liberals say they will fix the RCN.