Canadian Politics - Why did you vote Conservative

As a very politically aware person, who takes pride in the right to vote in a free country like ours, I would like to know your reasonning behind voting for Stephen Harper's Conservative party. Was it just to get rid of the Liverals, or is his agenda in line with your thinking?

Does anyone think that bowing out of the Kyoto agreement is a good thing? Do you want to join in with the missile defence system with the US? Are you in favour of the Iraq War? Are you agains homosexual marriage and abortion? Because if you are, then you agree with Harper. I do not.

First, for the record, I did not vote in the Canadian National Election 2006. I am an American citizen who has lived in Canada for twenty-five years. But, simply because I did not vote does not mean that I don't follow Canadian politics closely.

I think that many people voted Conservative in this election as a backlash against Liberal arrogance and financial improprieties. The Chretien government was arrogant and was the subject of one financial scandal after another. The Martin government, in part, inherited the Chretien aura but still raised enough doubt in the minds of the populace that they could return the liberals to power.

For the most part, it would seem, Canadians espouse the values of the Liberal party. However, Canadians are also quite dismayed at the insensitivity that the liberals have shown, in recent years, to the actual demands of the people. Years of being in power have left the Liberals in a state of arrogance which is obvious to almost anyone who follows Canadian politics.

People have voted Conservative, not necessarily because they believe in the values of the Conservative party but, rather, to express their displeasure towards the Liberal party and the way they have been functioning over the past several years.

Frankly, a minority government with the Conservatives in control is a rather good position for Canadians. I for-see this government being in a position to get some necessary things done for the country without being mired down in bi partisan politics. The first thing on the agenda is to take care of the beleaguered Canadian military -- a job that the Conservatives have already announced.

I think it was mostly an anti-Liberal vote.

The Conservatives ran a much tighter campaign this time around and managed to muzzle the anti-abortion, anti-same-sex marriage candidates. Several Conservative candidates in the Lower Mainland refused to speak to the press because they were afraid of hurting the party's chances. How's that for transparency in government?

Thankfully, it's a minority.

I'm mostly a Conservative, but I can't stomach this new version of the Reform party draped in blue. I voted NDP, and my candidate kicked the Conservatives butt.

I don't think you will get much of a response from Conservative voters sensfan. From what I can tell there are only a small amount of them on ATS/PTS. I can only thing of 2 right now. I have noticed a lot of Canadian ATSers say they are voting NDP though.
I think that the Canadians that did vote for the Conservative party did so for two reasons. One is that they did it to take the Liberal Party out of power. The other one is because they always vote for the Conservative Party anyway. Look at Alberta, in the 2004 election the Conservative Party took 26 out of 28 seats. In 2006 they took all of them. Sure that is only 28 seats but noting really changed in Alberta. The Conservative Party went from a total on 99 seats in 2004 to 124 this time around. To me that means that at least 99 of the 124 riding actually share the same values and like the platform of the Conservative Party.

Now we must also keep this in mind. 14,845,680 Canadians voted yesterday. Only 5,370,903 of them voted Conservative.

The Conservatives ran a much tighter campaign this time around and managed to muzzle the anti-abortion, anti-same-sex marriage candidates. Several Conservative candidates in the Lower Mainland refused to speak to the press because they were afraid of hurting the party's chances.

Not refused, they were forbidden from talking to the press by the leadership of the Conservatives.

Well, that too...

This is another good one from before the election:

There's an e-mail making the rounds of U.S. conservative groups, warning them not to talk to Canadian journalists before Monday's election for fear of scaring off voters and hurting Stephen Harper's chances.

And while right-wing commentator Paul Weyrich says he didn't actually write it, he agrees with the sentiments.

ctv.ca

Yes I am probably one of the two you are talking about Umbrax. And you are correct with wanting the liberals out for very strong reasons of accountability and corruption.

I hold no religious view one way or the other, I keep an open mind and am curious about all religions and always respect those of others.

This election for me has nothing to do with those aspects. It was strictly looking at the country as a whole which has not been seen in this country for too many decades.

In our great determination as an accepting society of all walks of life we have stetched the fabric to tearing down the very seams that were initially put in place to hold us together.

This has been done by a government that offered this so richly and denied so disdainfully.

Implementing social issues and moral values across the board is something most Canadians are in agreement with. If people are unable to contribute to society because of a disability or someone with a disability needs their asisstance or simply they are out of work for a short time, conservatives do not challenge these. What is subject to challenge are the rising few who blatantly disregard the fundemental aspects of the this service.

A rising few continued with the knowledge that they can, always will.

If left unchecked with a government not caring or willing to balance this the few will grow to a great many.

I have voted NDP in the past . When I vote I do it not because of how it serves me as an indidvidual but how it serves my country as a whole.

Sometimes we have to be less self-serving and sacrfice things we hold dear, not forever but for awhile until we achieve a balance of society that represents us all as true Canadians.

Besides how bad can a guy be, who during this election is writing a book about the history of hockey. Can't get anymore Canadian than that eh

[edit on 24-1-2006 by alphacenturi]

I did not vote.

My riding was won by a conservative with 14,000+ more votes than the 2nd place competition.


Majic's Political Easter Egg: Be the first to post the names of the two parties which merged in December 2003 to become the Conservative Party of Canada in this thread and send Majic a U2U with a link to your post, and you will be awarded 500 PTS points.

[edit on 7/15/2006 by Majic]

Sorry I got to this board a bit late, but if you are still interested:

You see, I am a young white male. I was seriously considering voting for the local Independant, but then I realized that there is no chance in hell they'd ever get elected. I voted for the Conservatives primarilly on the basis that hopefully they will spend the least amount of money. If I had it my way, there would be no welfare, no healthcare for people who don't take care of their health (anyone who smokes, drinks, or is obese would be exempt from coverage), I would like to actually see our taxes RAISED and our wages CUT until the National Deficit is removed. Because people seem to be fooling themselves like at no point we are going to have to repay out debts. But oh we will, and the amount is just growing and growing. Right now every person in Canada owes thousands of dollars.

Conservatives have typically Classical views on the economy, while Liberals and NDPs tend to take a Keynsian view of it. So in theory, Conservatives = less waste.

Aside from that, I just wanted to do my part in trying to get them a majority so we don't go through all this stuff again.

And the final deciding factor is that most people I know and respect were rooting for the Conservatives as well. I sit beside my county's Conservative Youth President and Chief Financial Officer in my accounting class.

It has come to my knowledge that all rich people vote Conservative, and all poor people vote NDP. The reason for this is (in my opinion), because Conservatives know how hard it is to make money, and thus they want to keep it all, and the government should have little or no say in what happens with their money. Meanwhile people who support NDP, and to some extent the Liberals, have no money to begin with. So of course they are more than willing to support government spending (even if it's more than the taxes we take in), because they contribute very little of it, in comparison.

*I am for environmental policies. I believe we are slowly destroying our world. But I don't think Kyoto was the right thing to do it. I also don't believe in Global Warming. Or at least, that mankind has little or no role in contributing to it. The oceans give off more than 80% of the world's CO2. Come on.
*I am against the Iraq War, although I am also essentially against the Middle East in general.
*I am against gay marriage. Face it, even the Liberals wouldn't have done much for it. The only people serious about the cause are NDP, which will never be elected again. All other people just pass it off saying "I believe we should pass it on to the voters and let them decide" (And the majority will always say no.)
*I am for abortion. The less illigitimate low-income children walking around, the better. Although I am also for making them learn. I think it should be done brutally without any anesthetic or painkiller so they never want to have sex again. I'm a horrible, horrible person .
*I figure all politicians are corrupt, so you might as well replace the old ones who got really good at being sneaky with new ones, so there may be a time where they actually get something done for at least a week-long period.

And THAT, in a very long rant, is why I voted Conservative.

Sincerely,
18 year old white male with more money than most adults.

Originally posted by sensfan
Does anyone think that bowing out of the Kyoto agreement is a good thing? Because if you are, then you agree with Harper. I do not.

The kyoto agreement is flawed, it pays more attention to westernized countries which is ludicrous because they emit less pollution then third world and middle eastern countries/china included.

how old are their cars compared to ours? bowing out of the kyoto agreement isn't a bad thing like most people think because it's unfair and needs to be revised. That 'agreement' doesn't push those countries into emitting cleaner emissions the way they do towards western countries. obviously western countries are trying and trying to evolve to create less pollution but those other countries innocently plead ignorance because they are less eduated on the subject.

i know many people who voted conservative, mainly because they want the government to mind their own business and they agree with the lowering of the gst as well as the government accountability act.

A small government/minority government means they will be watching their backs, unlike the liberals who got too liberal with their spending, anyone remember john manley spending tax dollars to redo his office, a whopping 560,000 that is. you can't have that kind of government in office because they become corrupt.

I didn't vote conservative. I voted for Jack Layton, NDP.

Congrat for the people who voted for the Penis looking guy... Dont worry i will still buy his videos on computers... jk But i voted for the conservative because i hope that they understand what provincial jurisdiction is.

We didn't, there hasn't been a real election in years. The districts are redrawn. The media runs the campaigns.

And a pox on Layton for forcing the election.

Conservatives are not fiscally more responsible. Paul Martin was liberal finance minister before he was prime minister. He left a massive surplus of profits. The conservatives will squander them in order to justify destroying the social safety net. It's the American way.

Originally posted by Som3Guy
Congrat for the people who voted for the Penis looking guy... Dont worry i will still buy his videos on computers... jk But i voted for the conservative because i hope that they understand what provincial jurisdiction is.

Er who looks like a weiner?

I think I'm the other Conservative voter.

Why?

Well, besides the anti-liberal bonus, they are dumping bucketfuls of cashy-monies into the military, which is certainly excellent. The promise of getting tough on crime is also something great. But mostly, the fistfuls of military spending.

I think what really turned me was the attempted handgun ban by the liberal. I didn't take kindly to that.

DE

Why did I vote Conservative?

The Ten Reasons I voted Conservative.

1 - Beer and popcorn money. I can always use more beer and popcorn.

2 - Military spending. The men and women who represent Canada are some of the best service men/women on the planet. Vimy Ridge, the Battle of the Somme, Juno Beach and the sacrifice at Dieppe are battles that defined this country. Most people would agree the we became a country at Vimy. They need our support to once again be the envy of the world.

3 - Crack down on crime. Mandatory minimum sentences for certain crimes. 'Nuff said.

4 - Possible scrap of Kyoto. I like the environnement. Really do. Kyoto is not the way to do it.

5 - Stephen Harper is NOT Paul Martin.

6 - Jack Layton looks eerily similar to Stalin. So do his policies.

7 - Jack Layton is a wussy.

8 - The gun registry needs to go. Liberals made, NDP want to keep it. I say, it needs to go. Its a cash cow that Canadians simply do not need to keep feeding. Even if the RCMP say that its essential. ??? Shouldn't RCMP officers approach every call as one that potentially deals with guns?

9 - Gilles Duceppe is a little creepy. That, and the Bloc didn't run anybody in my riding. Oh well, their loss.

10 - These Conservatives run a more efficient government. Less beaurocracy the better. You hear that Liberal Party? Less is more.

I think theres only one guys i trust in the chamber is Andre Arthur, this guy is real but independant, local are supporting him even if mainstream media in here bash him prime time for some declaration he did when he was running his radio show for +- 25 years.
He is a very good journalist but over years he took position on most of the establishment, he exposed alot of local and provincial scam and knowing hes in this chamber means theres still hope if ppl wouldnt be soo asleep.
ppl who vote in canada are like 65 + years old. I once work for a provincial election and it was crazy how the proprotion of very old person vote. If you want an answer to why did we vote Conservative, i say ask th3 old timer.



[edit on 18-7-2006 by eagle eye]

I'll admit that I voted conservative. Although I feel I'm more of a moderate/centrist political type person. There are things I like from both the left and right sides. I usually voted Liberal as it is in the center (when compaired with the NDP and the Conservative party). But the Liberal party seems to have become rather stagnant, possibly due to being in power for so long. I really thought Paul Martin was going to be better. He seemed like some one who'd be all business and accomplish something, but insted he seemed to have done nothing at all. I not a big fan of Harper either, but I like some of the things he's done already. Especially the increase of military spending. I'm not all for war and fighting and I don't think Canada needs a big military force. I just think it's very important to keep them up-to-date, especially with all the peace keeping we do. Also the 1% drop in GST was nice. Sure, saving a few cents on my Tim Hortons coffee and doughnut isn't a big deal, but it's better than nothing.

I don't support the more extreme things that Harper has talked about, like banning gay marriage. I don't think some ones sexual orientation should be any ones business, especially the Governments. I also don't support the war in Iraq. I don't want to see Canada get into that mess, but I support our peace keeping efforts in Afganistan.

I'm glad that it's a minority Government. I'd imagine that would prevent Harper and his party from doing anything more extreme.

Originally posted by jra
I don't support the more extreme things that Harper has talked about, like banning gay marriage. I don't think some ones sexual orientation should be any ones business, especially the Governments.

I'm glad that it's a minority Government. I'd imagine that would prevent Harper and his party from doing anything more extreme.

As far as gay marriage, I hope Harper does something of it. Sort of.

I don't mind gays/lesbians, and have met, worked with, and know several quite well. It's their choice on how they want to live their lives. That's good and great.

The problem I have is that our country is built on Christian values, and gay marriage doesn't fit. The Liberal Party of Canada was wrong to make this Canadian. Gay marriage shouldn't be banned, per se, but amended to be called a 'union' and certain bonuses taken away. Top of that list is adoption rights. I am totally against gays/lesbians adopting. No matter how good the couple is or how rich they are..... they are robbing a child right from the start. I can say, as can most people, that they learned certain values from both their parents, mother and father. Something a gay/lesbian parent duo could never do.

And because such relationships are centered around sex, and not children and starting a family, I don't feel that it should take away from my marriage. Unless of course, a gay couple can have an immaculate conception, I won't change how I feel about it.

As long as Canada remains a secular country, it is wrong to deny members of our society access to legal marriage because they are gay. Marriage is the domain of the government, not the church. If the church doesn't like it, they don't have to perform the service.

Gay adoption? Don't care. There are plenty of children on this planet who need a home and someone to love them. Children in gay marriages are not the only ones with an absent father/mother figure. My dad hasn't been around since I was five and my sister not even a year old. Lack of parenting has nothing to do with being gay, it has to do with parents who aren't interested in their children.

I'm also curious why straight people think that relationships between gay people are only about sex. Gay people want love and companionship just like everyone else.

Gay marriage takes nothing away from heterosexual marriage. If you don't like gay marriage, don't marry a gay person. Other than that, it's none of your business.


edited to add: the Conservative stance on gay marriage is the main reason I can't give them my vote.

[edit on 21-7-2006 by Duzey]