2008 Canadian Federal Election

[the_std]

So, I know that this thread will be less populated than those concerning the US election, but I had to start it anyways.

Stephen Harper has called an election because he wants a majority government. And it's quite possible that he'll get it. But how do you feel about that? Has he done more good things than bad in his short term as prime minister, or would it be better for the country for someone else to win this election?

[AFPheonix]

We don't get to hear a whole lot about Canadian politics down here, so enlighten us a bit.
I know that he's the head of a conservative minority. My understanding is that your version of conservative is a hell of a lot more liberal than ours. What do you think?
A lot of my info that I don't get off the internet is filtered through family members who think Bush is the bomb, so I really don't get all that much of an unbiased opinion.

[Boozy]

I can draw some loose comparisons between Canadian and American politics, I suppose. Despite what a lot of Canadians will tell you, the governing Conservative party is actually pretty similar to the Republicans. Prime Minister Harper supported joining the US in Iraq when he was leader of the opposition. This is something I like to loudly and stridently remind people of at every opportunity. (Why yes, I am a lot of fun at cocktail parties. )

The Conservatives also made a big stink out of the Supreme Court ruling in favour of gay marriage...until it became abundantly clear that the average Canadian, even those opposed to gay marriage, would rather the whole issue be forgotten and ignored. Making a scene about these things is considered impolite and hence very un-Canadian. Which is why we also like to avoid the whole abortion debate. That's never been an issue in a federal election, to my knowledge.

The big issue this time around is the carbon tax proposed by the Liberal (opposition) party. The Conservatives are calling it "a tax on everything." It is...but the Liberals have proposed a plan to offset that tax by cutting income taxes. They would be taxing the things we don't want (environmental destruction) and cutting taxes on the things that we do (production). This is good, solid economics. I have not been a traditional Liberal supporter, but they may have sold me.

[AFPheonix]

Ah, ok. Sorry our conservative stink wafted up your way. Gah. Oh, and your capital is prettier than our capital. Just sayin'.

Almost all my aunts and uncles are conservatives from the prairie, so parts of my visits a few weeks ago consisted of me smiling nicely and not saying anything as the talk drifted towards politics. I didn't really want to insult them or my mom, considering I was sharing a small motorhome with her. Oh well, I just cancel her vote out here. Mua hahahaha!

Do you guys think that he'll succeed and get a majority, or is there more of a shift towards liberalism?

[lordlundar]

The big issue this time around is the carbon tax proposed by the Liberal (opposition) party. The Conservatives are calling it "a tax on everything." It is...but the Liberals have proposed a plan to offset that tax by cutting income taxes. They would be taxing the things we don't want (environmental destruction) and cutting taxes on the things that we do (production). This is good, solid economics. I have not been a traditional Liberal supporter, but they may have sold me.

I would like to remind you that the liberals made these promises for the entire time when they were the leading party and it never happened.

A basic rundown by the fear monger statements:

Conservatives: Military and corporate domination upon the public.
Liberals: Rob you blind while supporting their buddies
NDP: (socialists) Government control of everything
Bloc Quebecois: Declaring Quebec an independent country
Green: Political version of GreenPeace. Environmental domination.

I'd like to enunciate the fear monger statement, as pretty much what our election has been so far is attack ads.

[Boozy]

Green: Political version of GreenPeace. Environmental domination.

For some reason, when I read "Environmental domination", I pictured everyone getting whipped by a bunch of adorable woodland creatures.

I'd like to enunciate the fear monger statement, as pretty much what our election has been so far is attack ads.

I've been really disappointed by that. It never used to be that way, and I can't be the only one who's really turned off.

The polls are predicting a Conservative majority, which makes sense, because Harper called the election. He wouldn't have done so if he hadn't thought it would work out favourably for them.

That's yet another reason why Harper's a douchebag. He pushed legislation that would set a regular election day, like they have in the US, and said that it would prevent governments from calling elections for political advantage. The legislated election day was all set for the end of November....but wait! Harper has changed his mind! It would be a lot better for the Tories if he called the election now. To hell with his own legislation - that bill is only good if it screws the Liberals, not if it hurts his own party.

[lordlundar]

For some reason, when I read "Environmental domination", I pictured everyone getting whipped by a bunch of adorable woodland creatures.

That's actually not too far from what I was hoping to convey. Basically, the attack ads toward the green party is declaring a total shutdown of anything industrialized.

That's yet another reason why Harper's a douchebag. He pushed legislation that would set a regular election day, like they have in the US, and said that it would prevent governments from calling elections for political advantage. The legislated election day was all set for the end of November....but wait! Harper has changed his mind! It would be a lot better for the Tories if he called the election now. To hell with his own legislation - that bill is only good if it screws the Liberals, not if it hurts his own party.

Every single party leader would do the exact same thing. It's the nature of modern Canadian politics unfortunately. Look after yourself and screw over everyone else.