Another election!

[bubbaray]

Apparently, we may be headed to the polls AGAIN! AHHHHHH.

[EllasMum]

NOOOOOO! Can we please, please, PLEASE have some political stability?! At this point, I'd take a majority ANY party!!

[bubbaray]

Looks like Dion could be PM after all. Gag.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/...on-period.html

I am quite interested in politics, but I am D.O.N.E. with elections. Hopefully voters will penalize the 3 parties that are pulling this horse$hit.

[Neatfreak]

Hopefully voters will penalize the 3 parties that are pulling this horse$hit.

That was my initial feeling as well. This would be the 5th federal election in my kid's 4.5 years (I keep track because I voted whilst in labour in June 2004), which is ridiculous.

Then, I was talking to my dad a couple of hours ago, and my opinion has mellowed considerably. If I understand correctly, this budget takes away the majority of campaign funding for political parties, the $1.75 per vote that is funded through taxes (the amount parties get via individual donors is small, and is capped by gov't legislation. The Conservative Party has some sort of additional funding for being the incumbent party in power, so they would not be affected nearly as much, and would in fact have an advantage over the opposition parties in subsequent elections. I don't think that the the Liberals have the leadership to govern the country, but I don't think that I'd be happy in a Canada where it would be more difficult for there to be an actual change of government in the future.

Sigh.

[MontrealMum]

I have not watched the news in a few days...what the heck is happening? Are you serious? We're going to the polls for a provincial election here in QC, but federal? I've got to get busy and get on the darn list.

[MontrealMum]

OK, Melissa, I'm asking for another Can. Poly. Sci mini-lesson

I read one article on CBC online (I've got deadlines and no time right now) and talked to DH, and from what I gather it is possible for Dion to become PM without an election, and because - or maybe that should be if?...I'm not quite sure about the validity of this "rumor" - the Liberals, NDP, and Bloc have come to some sort of coalition or agreement? Wow!

So 1) how does that work, exactly, that the citizens don't get to vote? DH said that the Governor General is involved somehow...
2) this one is a bit more rhetorical...how can the Bloc be part of a three-way coalition government on a federal level, if they only represent the populace of one province, and their raison d'etre is separation??? I mean, does anyone see the irony or conflict here?

[bubbaray]

So 1) how does that work, exactly, that the citizens don't get to vote? DH said that the Governor General is involved somehow...
2) this one is a bit more rhetorical...how can the Bloc be part of a three-way coalition government on a federal level, if they only represent the populace of one province, and their raison d'etre is separation??? I mean, does anyone see the irony or conflict here?

Well, the citizens DID get to vote. They just voted such that there is no one party with enough seats to form a majority gov't. ANY time there is a minority gov't, coalitions can form. The Lib/NDP/Bloc could have formed a coalition 4 yrs ago. They didn't because their objectives differ vastly. And, coalitions generally don't last more than one parliamentary session because of politicking.

Technically, because we are a constitutional monarchy, the GG is the head of gov't, though generally d/n do anything except spend millions of tax dollars (whoops, evil twin skipping speaking out of school again -- Western bias). However, in minority gov't situations, s/he actually has to earn their keep. This is such a situation. If the Big 3 do actually vote Harper's gov't out of the governing party role (because Harper has a minority, the Big 3 have enough votes to do that -- if Harper had a majority, they would not), then IIRC, the GG can ask if there is any hope of a coalition or any party wants to try their hand at a minority govt'. The other option is to call another election.

The Bloc is a federal political party and even though their agenda has no benefit to the rest of Canada, they can be part of a coalition just like any other federal party. From a Western perspective, there isn't much difference between the Liberals and the Bloc -- out west here, we pretty much think that both parties have been trying to screw over the country for years now.

Personally, I think Harper is laughing at this. I mean, there is NO WAY Dion will be able to govern for long. The first time he tries to bring in his Green Tax, the Bloc and NDP will bail on him. The Green Tax is political suicide. That is part of Dion's platform and so the first budget he tried to introduce, he too would be the subject of a non-confidence vote.

I'm also not clear that this matter is actually a confidence matter. Minority gov'ts can only be "toppled" on confidence matters -- typically budgets. This is a financial statement, not a budget. So, not sure what the deal is with that. I haven't read any news yet today and not much this week at all.

I still think this may be part of a plan by Harper to get to another election without actually taking any of the heat for forcing the issue. Harper wants a majority. He has a plan and he believes it will work in the long haul, through the economic storm. He needs a majority to pull it off, but if he called another election so fast, the voters would penalize him. This way, he can blame Dion (and the others).

I think it may turn out to be a brilliant strategic move. Either that or complete stupidity.

[MontrealMum]

Thanks Melissa, I can always rely on you for the good info

I hear you about Western alienation. I know it's a big issue for all of you out there, I have lots of friends from, or living in, the West. What I was getting at is that separatism is still a hugely scary thing here in Quebec. Sure, support has been waning, but I lived here during the last Referendum and those were some pretty charged times...like the license plate references, memories are long here. A lot of people here still vote solely on that issue. The idea of the head of the Bloc being part of a coalition govt. is a pretty frightening prospect for many Anglos and Allophones here. Hard to believe that this is still a topic for discussion, and I know the rest of the country is sick to death of it, but it's still lurking.

For my part, I just hate all this uncertainty. And I totally agree, it's either brilliant, or completely stupid.

[bubbaray]

I can't say I would shed even one tear if Quebec separated. Good Riddance. They have no friends here in the West and we are sick of their crap -- and their politicians. Quebec can separate, but they can NOT have our currency or our passport. If they want to leave, go right-freakin-ahead. But, they need to sink on their own, not with Western tax dollars to bail them out. If it came time to leave and they didn't actually get any money from the rest of the provinces, they'd change their tunes pretty quick.

I think it came as quite a shock to most Quebecois that France didn't want them. Um, yeah, no one wants a bunch of winers....

Sorry. I just can't stand the whole separatist issue. Go, stay, whatever. Just quit whining and get on with it already.

[MontrealMum]

Sorry. I just can't stand the whole separatist issue. Go, stay, whatever. Just quit whining and get on with it already.

I don't disagree with you, I'm just saying I think we're going to hearing a lot more about it with Duceppe in a more visible position.

And I'm sorry to belabor this, but I also wish that people in the rest of the country would be a bit more empathetic towards those of us that are not interested in separation. Property values took a huge nosedive in the 90s over this - was this fair to people like my in-laws who stayed? Who have lived here for generations and built their lives here? How many generations is enough to be "allowed" to stay here, either by the souche, or in the eyes of the rest of the country? Are all of us non-separatists supposed to take the hike down the 401 like so many of DH's classmates and their families did in the 70s/80s...or in the 60s/70s after the bomb exploded in front of SIL's school - which was targeted, *because* it was a school ? Are we all painted with same brush by virtue of just living here? This is not directed at you, but is more out of frustration that the rest of the country, and certainly the West, is ready to write off a population that has hovered around 50% for NON-separation...that's approximately 3.75 million people.

I agree that it should be settled and this constant renegotiation is ridiculous - no other country has this as a recurring problem. They deal with it, once, and it's over. I'm just worried that we're going to see it crop up again, and I don't think I'm going to enjoy living here during times like those, especially now that I have a child, or travelling to other parts of the country where we all get labelled with the same dirty word.