Thank god Canadians are civil with political debates

[vicphoenix13]

After watching all the angry groups crashing townhalls in the U.S., I realized how much more Canadians as a whole respect political differences. Political discussion is way more civil in that you don't see people screaming and shouting. Whether you belong to the NDP, Liberal or Conservative parties, no one questions each others patriotism. While the U.S. is a good neighbor, I wish they would tone down the political rhetoric on both sides.

[Devils'Advocate]

I dunno. I live in a very Conservative neighborhood. The fellow across the street was great... we would chat on and off and he let me borrow his lawn mower when my grass got too high to use my push mower. That all ended last election when I put the NDP sign up. Then again, I guess getting the evil eye is more civil than threats of violence.

[starseed]

Both ends of the political spectrum have people who hold onto crazy beliefs and easily swallow mis-truths. I am not saying I liked Bush, but people went crazy when he won his elections. There were protests and calls for him to resign.

...but this is a whole new level. It is insanity. These people are swallowing the dumbest shiz ever and using it to excuse their violent behaviour. I guess this is proof that direct democracy is not a good idea.

I think people up here on average are more tolerant of other people's points of view... but the large influence of religious social conservatives in that country may have more to do with it than simply American culture.

[HotHotHeat]

You're right about Canadians being more tolerant and civil.

But could you imagine having to put up with a Sarah Palin supporter? Bush supporter? It would be incredibly frustrating having to listen to these people stand in front of you and speak the merits of having a deeply religious nutcase as the most powerful woman on the planet.

I would probably be violent, frankly.

[FiftyBelow]

perhaps... but have you ever seen question period at the House of Commons? I'm not against it... but the politicians can sure get riled up during debates. What about the FLQ crises? Things sure got pretty messy then. If Canadians have something to get worked about, I can see us being the same way.

[Iowa_Flames_Fan]

Originally Posted by vicphoenix13

After watching all the angry groups crashing townhalls in the U.S., I realized how much more Canadians as a whole respect political differences. Political discussion is way more civil in that you don't see people screaming and shouting. Whether you belong to the NDP, Liberal or Conservative parties, no one questions each others patriotism. While the U.S. is a good neighbor, I wish they would tone down the political rhetoric on both sides.

The thing is, the "angry groups" in the U.S. are frequently staged mobs organized by lobby groups, not true "grassroots protests."

I think it's true that the general tone of the political debate is more civil in Canada. But I don't think as a general rule Americans are any less civil. This is just one ugly aspect of their political culture, and has nothing to do with the beliefs and attitudes of Americans themselves. I've had many very civil political debates with Americans of different political stripes than mine.

[jacenta]

All political parties in the us and canda just need to sit in a circle in Arnold Swazernager basement and smoke a bag of dope.
hey would probably get the same amount of work done as they do now.

[troutman]

What's god got to do, got to do with it?

[VladtheImpaler]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

I dunno. I live in a very Conservative neighborhood. The fellow across the street was great... we would chat on and off and he let me borrow his lawn mower when my grass got too high to use my push mower. That all ended last election when I put the NDP sign up. Then again, I guess getting the evil eye is more civil than threats of violence.

Yeah, I would have burned you in effigy...

[corporatejay]

What about the FLQ crises

1. That was Terrorism.
2. That was 40 years ago.


Considering all the animosity towards quebec seperatism and seperatists towards anglophones in Quebec, I think people were kept relatively civil.

[starseed]

The FLQ did murder one person, but it could have been worse. At its climax, the crisis was not anywhere near what similar crises have escalated to. The referendums have been very civil all things considered. Thats not to say Canada has a spotless record in the past, however.

Originally Posted by VladtheImpaler

Yeah, I would have burned you in effigy...

Except unlike Americans, we would do it tastefully and respectfully.

[mykalberta]

Originally Posted by starseed

I think people up here on average are more tolerant of other people's points of view... but the large influence of religious social conservatives in that country may have more to do with it than simply American culture.

Canadians are not more tolerant. That is the biggest joke ever thrown upon the masses. We are just less confrontational about things and tend to internalize them.

When you have played major parts in every major war since WW1 and gone through an extremely bloody Civil War yourself, you tend to be more confrontational because you know how things can spin out of control in a hurry if you say nothing.

Its being taken to the extreme down there right now because Conservatives know they need to blunt Obama's momentum now else they risk losing the Presidency forever. Previously the US was the last great Conservative hold out but the game changed when Obama won and now Americans can see the inevitable shift left that the US is taking.

[DOK]

I think we're more passive aggressive than tolerant. Everyone knows about Quebec, they know about themselves, but that's about as far as the conversation goes. Even that boiled up into a "well, lets be fair about it and let everyone choose".

[Pastiche]

John Ibbitson had a good article about this yesterday. His point was that yes the U.S. political dialogue is often more confrontational and charged but maybe that's just because they care about their politics alot more than Canadians.

I don't know what the polling numbers show between Canada and the U.S. Canada has higher participation rates but really voting is a pretty weak proxy for political engagement. If anything high voting rates and low levels of debate and dialogue indicate a blasse or disassociated feeling to the system. Kind of like going and stamping your card every four years and then forgetting about it.

When was the last time that people in Canada became really politically engaged with a domestic cause, legislation, issue like in the U.S? (Opposition to the Iraq war doesn't count). I think my point is that Canada's political culture and our affectation to politics is nothing to be proud of.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...rticle1241177/

Americans argue so furiously because there is much to argue about: the health-care and immigration systems are utterly dysfunctional, and the administration and Congress are racking up trillion-dollar deficits with no clear understanding of how to bring them down.
They argue because U.S. society is cleaved by region, race and class more deeply than in Canada. But they also argue because they care. They believe their federal government matters and they have strong opinions about how that government should act.
Canada always struggled to define itself as a nation, and in recent years appears to have given up that struggle, retreating into regional isolation. What Canadian federal politician has a clear sense of what this country should look like in the 21st century?

I for one am very nervous about Canada in the future. Seperated by regional differences and identities, lead by politicians of which none have articulated a vision or even a direction for Canada in the next 50 years, churned by an economy overly dependent on a low dollar to offset terrible productivity and innovation and you have the ingredients for long-term decline.

[starseed]

Originally Posted by mykalberta

Canadians are not more tolerant. That is the biggest joke ever thrown upon the masses. We are just less confrontational about things and tend to internalize them.

When you have played major parts in every major war since WW1 and gone through an extremely bloody Civil War yourself, you tend to be more confrontational because you know how things can spin out of control in a hurry if you say nothing.

Its being taken to the extreme down there right now because Conservatives know they need to blunt Obama's momentum now else they risk losing the Presidency forever. Previously the US was the last great Conservative hold out but the game changed when Obama won and now Americans can see the inevitable shift left that the US is taking.

Well, my opinion that Canada is generally more tolerant is just that... an opinion. One reason I think that way is that 55-58% of Americans oppose same-sex marriage according to 2008 polls, and 66% of Canadians supported same-sex marriage according to 2005 polls.

I can see your point about the conservatives in America lashing out only to try and stop Obama's momentum. Maybe they are looking for any reasons, as crazy and ill-informed as they may be, to stand up against the shift to the left.

[FiftyBelow]

Originally Posted by corporatejay

1. That was Terrorism.
2. That was 40 years ago.


Considering all the animosity towards quebec seperatism and seperatists towards anglophones in Quebec, I think people were kept relatively civil.

Yes it was terrorism. However, the FLQ's actions are still representative of a type of response to political debate. Albeit an extreme one. I agree that overall we are less confrontational most of the time. But my point is that Canadian's have have had their moments. Other examples that come to mind are the blockades that Native groups have erected in protest to some kind of dispute. The Oka crisis comes to mind. Even more recently, threats from the Mohawks (Ontario) about doing the same in response to armed CBSA officials have surfaced.

[troutman]

Could it be that there is not as much difference between our liberals and conservatives, as there is between the democrats and republicans?

[VladtheImpaler]

Originally Posted by troutman

Could it be that there is not as much difference between our liberals and conservatives, as there is between the democrats and republicans?

Exactly, they are all varying shades of pink here, since they depend on winning votes in Ontario/Quebec.

[starseed]

That was an interesting article:

But Americans love to argue, and much of what they yell at each other is crazy talk. Nothing in the health-care bill would encourage euthanasia, and Mr. Boehner knows it. But in American politics, it's fair game to just flat out lie. This can lead to scenes like the one in South Carolina, where an angry voter warned Congressman Bob Inglis at a town hall to “keep your government hands off my Medicare.” Mr. Inglis, according to The New York Times, tried to explain that Medicare actually is run by the government, but the voter “was having none of it.”

...but I dont think we 'just dont care'. I agree that its mainly because the problems in our society are not as deep as they are in the US. Our media also doesnt have those talking heads on 24/7 that get into screaming matches with pundits and fringe groups. We have major issues to deal with, but they just are not on the same scope.

Originally Posted by troutman

Could it be that there is not as much difference between our liberals and conservatives, as there is between the democrats and republicans?

That could be because all political leaders know that Canada's political system and landscape as it is today, will only allow governments to form from the center. If you want to be PM, you must hold the image of being centrist.

The Liberals took a shift to the left, and they suffered their second worst defeat ever. The big C conservatives joined with the PC's and thus moved toward the center, and they formed the government.

[zuluking]

After watching all the politically-active groups passionately engaged in townhalls in the U.S., I realized how much more Canadians as a whole are politically ignorant and lazy. Political discussion is way more pointless and frustrating in that you don't see people politically informed or even willing to be. Whether you belong to the NDP (commie), Liberal (liar) or Conservative (hypocrite) parties, no one questions each others vision, policies or motivation; they just run BS personal attacks and media drivel about wafers and hidden tape recorders. While the U.S. is a good neighbor, I wish we could also recognize the example they set as a nation willing to express itself across the entire political spectrum.

**there... fixed.