What's going on politically in your country?

[gremcint]

I am not a history buff so I'm not going to argue history a lot.

I know Canada is a very young country.

The US is a fairly young country too. 233 years is not that old and we're only about 90 years younger. A lot of the countries in the Europe and Asia have been around hundreds of years.

You didn't have to fight for your separation like we did.

The British saw what happened with you guys and worked out a deal with us rather than enter another war. However we have had to defend our soil multiple times, at least a couple times by the US even.

America would be perfect and our government would do only as outlined in the Constitution.

I'm not really going to go into it but that is an entirely different thread.


Now in regards to a few other things: first I think the separatists are idiots, it really would not be any better for them to be on their own. If they really want to leave then I say fine, the border is to the south you can take your stuff but the land belongs to CANADA. You don't get to be separate for us and keep the land.

Overall the Canadian system isn't too bad. There are a few things that bug me though. We have senators but they are different from yours, they get hired for life, they cannot be fired (some have stepped down due to controversy) and any bill that goes through parliament has to be approved by them meaning we will never pass a bill to be able to fire them. Then on top of that The governor general is chosen by England and she has also has to sign off on any bills (mostly symbolic though) but the governor general appoints the senators. The senators rarely reject bills but there is still a bit of a problem there when you think about it.

Honestly though we don't have too much large stuff going on (oh there's always something) we right now are mostly sitting and watching our downstairs neighbour slowly go batshit insane :P. I think that there is a lot that the US could learn from us but there is also a lot that you guys could learn from us.

One thing that is nice is that our elections only take a couple months.

[the_std]

That's why I said that that isn't necessarily the best case for you. I am just asking why, even when the possibility is mentioned that, gasp, change might be good, most Americans just lose their shit. I am open to the idea that change might be good for Canada as well. Change is the only way for a country to survive. Evolution and adaption are the only way to go. I am not jumping down your throat, nor am I saying that you need to change. I am also not saying you need to change everything. Where did I say that? Change can be to one piece of the system, or to the whole darn thing. Just wondering why the possibility seems to scare you so much.

[gremcint]

I think that there is a lot that the US could learn from us but there is also a lot that you guys could learn from us.

correction, should read: I think that there is a lot that the US could learn from us but there is also a lot that we could learn from you.

[lordlundar]

So acting completely shocked that some of us can't get it through our thick skulls that a lot of government control can be a good thing is simply wrong.

That is where the concept of a multi party system is effective. It does make the government more accountable to the people.

The American system is binary. One party HAS to have majority support at any time. Even with a horribly low turnout, the assumption is that the majority of the public supports a particular party, which also unfortunately created the divide you have now, because you have to support one or the other in full, or at least that's the perception.

The Canadian system on the other hand works more like a sliding scale. Think the Conservative party is too far right? Well the Labour party is not so far right, you can vote for them. Think the NDP is too socialist? Well, the Liberals aren't so far left, vote for them. How does this make them more accountable? Well, if a party doesn't work for their populace, there's always another choice that will work for them. So it becomes less a case of people deciding left or right and more a case of how to I work for the populace as a means of garnering votes.

[Amethyst Hunter]

I knew there was a reason I loved Canada so much when I got to visit there six years ago.

Also, Timbits = <3

[Nyoibo]

The US is a fairly young country too. 233 years is not that old and we're only about 90 years younger. A lot of the countries in the Europe and Asia have been around hundreds of years.

And some even thousands.

[Boozy]

Thousands of years? I think that's arguable. Some countries (like Egypt) have ancient names, but the borders, demographics, and autonomy have changed drastically over the years. It can't really be considered the same continuous nation. For example, the ancient Egyptians as a race of people have long been extinct.

But I agree with the Canada and the US are just babies. What's the saying? "In Europe, 100 miles is a long distance; in America, 100 years is a long time."

[Nyoibo]

China, Japan? Both over 2000 years old.

[lordlundar]

China, Japan? Both over 2000 years old.

I think those easily go beyond the 3000 mark and pushing 4000. And that's just the written history.

[Fashion Lad!]

The US is a fairly young country too. 233 years is not that old and we're only about 90 years younger. A lot of the countries in the Europe and Asia have been around hundreds of years.



The British saw what happened with you guys and worked out a deal with us rather than enter another war. However we have had to defend our soil multiple times, at least a couple times by the US even.

I never said that we were an old country. I mentioned that we were fairly long but Canada is younger. But, I also mentioned that you didn't have to fight for your separation like we did. Yeah, Canada was able to come to an agreement, but we fought 100 years earlier to become the nation that we are today. We wanted to be nothing like Great Britain. And that's why are politics are significantly right of yours.

[BroomJockey]

I mentioned that we were fairly long but Canada is younger.

And yet explorers landed on the mainland of Canada about 20 years prior to the landing on mainland US, and permanent settlements established in both in 1607. Further, the province of Quebec was established as an entity prior to the declaration of the United States as an independent country. So, what's this "younger" stuff?

[Fashion Lad!]

And yet explorers landed on the mainland of Canada about 20 years prior to the landing on mainland US, and permanent settlements established in both in 1607. Further, the province of Quebec was established as an entity prior to the declaration of the United States as an independent country. So, what's this "younger" stuff?

Complete independence from Great Britain. Didn't that happen in the late 1800's for you?

[the_std]

Complete independence from Great Britain. Didn't that happen in the late 1800's for you?

If that's how you're gonna measure the age of a country, you're leaving a loooot of details out.

And we didn't actually technically achieve complete independence from them till the 1980s.

[Fashion Lad!]

If that's how you're gonna measure the age of a country, you're leaving a loooot of details out.

And we didn't actually technically achieve complete independence from them till the 1980s.

I need to do more research because:

Canadian confederation happened on July 1st, 1867, however, this was not a declaration of independence as Canada was part of the Commonwealth under the monarchy of Great Britain. There was a re-patriotism of the Constitution in 1982, but Canada remains a constitutional monarchy, though for all practical purposes it functions as an autonomous country.

whatever that means.

[Gravekeeper]

We wanted to be nothing like Great Britain. And that's why are politics are significantly right of yours.

I doubt the political climate of Britain was overly liberal in the 1700s to be honest. Plus your legal system is still based on the English common law system. Just like ours is. Frankly the desire to be nothing like Britain has nothing to do with why the US is swinging right of us these days. Nor has the US itself always swung to the right. Historically it has swung back and forth.

If anything you could argue Canada swings left of you because we're more effective at multiculturalism and separating church and state.