2011 Canadian Election Thread

[MarchHare]

While I am quite certain right-leaning media was making that argument in 1997, I doubt very much the left was.

The centrist Liberals weren't calling for PR in 1997, but I don't doubt the leftist NDP were.

[Resolute 14]

The NDP have always favoured electoral reform because until about two weeks ago, they knew they would never come close to forming a government.

The media, however...

[The Goon]

Originally Posted by oilers_fan

That NDP MP finally made an appearance I see, and she's hotter than I thought she would be based on that one small headshot we saw. So...she can stay on as an MP.

I am cheering for her to succeed. I hope she steps up and becomes an excellent representative for her riding. It's such a peculiar story.

[GGG]

Minority governments such an expensive way to govern. They are held together by bribing smaller parties with tax payer money to fund pet projects. Since the PR system results in endless minority governments in is too costly.

My preference is a directly elected head state that is essentially a dictator for 4 years. You would get rid of the senate and the house of commons would become a body to sit on comitees and ensure accountabilty. Maybe with the abilty to overturn head of state decisions with a 2/3 to 3/4 vote. The key is that every 4 years the direction for the country is set and everyone votes matter.

The head of state would be kept accountable the same way a current majority is held accountable in that they would want to get re-elected.

[Frequitude]

I stand corrected, keep her in the news as long and as graphically oriented as possible.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Frequitude

I stand corrected, keep her in the news as long and as graphically oriented as possible.

Where are these pics? I just got the headshot over and over...

[burn_this_city]

CBC had some I believe.

[getbak]

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/de...189/story.html




Looks like she's got some big'uns under that suit jacket.

[burn_this_city]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/stor...quebec-cp.html

[getbak]

Sounds like she knows French to me...of course, I don't, so she could be speaking gibberish for all I know.

[metallicat]

Yeah that didn't really sound like French that was learned over the past week.

[Ark2]

Not bad looking. If I were at a bar and she were the bartender, I'm sure I would have no problem making a fool of myself.

[metallicat]

Yeah we could use more NDP MPs like her. I want to change my vote! Down with Harper!

[Stranger]

Originally Posted by getbak

Sounds like she knows French to me...of course, I don't, so she could be speaking gibberish for all I know.

I would have liked her to quote the late great Leslie Neilsen:

"I don't speak French....but I do kiss that way."

[SebC]

Originally Posted by crazy_eoj

Don't our neighbors to the south use a two party system precisely because of those concerns?

Nope. Two-party system is the result of First Part The Post.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duverger%27s_law

Oh, and if Barbara Amiel writes for your magazine, it's probably not left-wing.

[Canuck-Hater]

Originally Posted by Cowboy89

I'm cool with the 'Alternative Vote' but not PR. PR allows for too much instability, when at best the benefit to PR is to allow bats**t crazy minority parties a taxpayer sponsored platform to spew their idiocy, at worst you could have one-issue parties claiming the balance of power on key votes on issues that were outside of their platform.

Oh you mean like the instability of 2 consecutive minority governments? Gimme a break this is why Canada absolutely needs PR. We have already seen how the current system can throw parliament into complete disarray.

[SebC]

The argument that rep-by-pop gives minority parties too much power is hilarious, given that 40% (*cough* a minority *cough*) gives you license to do whatever you want under the current system.

One could also argue that FPTP is inherently more unstable than RBP because it makes parties either artificially large or artifically small. Sure, each individual majority government is stable, but over successive governments FPTP creates big power swings out of small changes in voting patterns, which means it's unstable in the long run.

[FanIn80]

I've long been an advocate of a two-party system. Especially now that the centrists have been relegated to fringe status. No time like the present.

[jammies]

Oh yah, the 2 party system is really working out in the States. Good idea. Diversity is overrated.

[Teh_Bandwagoner]

Originally Posted by SebC

40% (*cough* a minority *cough*)

It's been weeks now and I still don't get the math on this.

100%/5 parties = 20% for equal split of the votes. 40% is double that amount. More if you consider the other crazy fringe parties. Seems pretty major to me.

Even if we assume 3 legitimate parties that's 33% for equal split. 40% is 7% greater. In the States 54% (or 8% difference) is considered a landslide for a two-party system.

If someone has clarified this in the previous 250 pages or so, then egg on my face then . Otherwise, I don't get the arguments that this isn't a majority!