right you are Popeye, and that is why there are many who want Electoral Reform in Canada. Some people want to see changes in how our elections take place.

I do have a question though. Do not the party members elect the leaders of their Party in the United States also ? Or, are they specifically voting for Presidential Candidates and are these votes done by the public ?

I wonder how the Party leaders in Canada would fare if the general public got to vote for them and not just the registered members of the actual party.

Originally posted by RealMckoy
I wanted to see my fellow Canadians' take on our own upcoming election

thanks "Steve" I really didn't want to vote again anytime soon, but...

I am not a card carrying member of any of the political parties. Used to vote Liberal, won't ever vote Conservative, last election voted NDP, and this time I honestly have no clue.

Won't vote liberal again until they get a leader who has more "oomph". Stephan Dion just comes across as someone who is one dimensional. Now, I am not saying that this is the case, I am saying that is how he comes across to me. I admit I don't know a lot about the whole Carbon Tax stuff and I should investigte, I want to know more about it than the Conservative scare tactics ads would have me believe. Oh yeah another older issue, HRDC Jane Stewart, need I say more ?

Won't vote conservative. Stephen Harper scares the crap out of me. He has broken his own election rule. During the last election he ran on the premise of "cleaning up government". Doesn't seem to me he has done that. Does anyone remember him saying he didn't need to co operate with the Ethics Commissioner and that he didn't "have to" ? In my own opinion of course, I feel that Harper wishes to be too much like George W Bush for my liking. One thing I have to say in his favour though, he is one of the first Prime Ministers willing to spend any decent money on our Military and they so desperately need it. More recently the issue of the allegedly "suspicious" grant by MP Mackay to a women's advocacy group, when they had targeted thos same groups for major cuts.

NDP ? Not sure about this one. Am looking into their platform in more details.


I am tired of voting for the "lesser of the evils".

who are you going to vote for Canada, and why ? Would like to hear/read your opinions, and Please let's keep it civil please whether we agree or disagree with eachothers' points of view.

RealMcCoy, I'm with you on this one! Personally, I think Harper is a robot. Just watch the man when he blinks, I swear you can hear clicking! Yup, if I were back in the land of the Canucks (but I'm your friend in a land far, far away McCoy...guess who!) I too would be voting NDP, as I did last time!

Winks to ya...your BlueJay friend!

Thanks for that clarification, I really wasn't too sure about what happened.

Originally posted by whiteraven
I agree. Chretien had fire in his belly.

He sure did:



Don't get in his face.

And this was before reelection.

I'm watching the debate (in French) right now.

The format is different this year, all 5 leaders around a table, no introduction or finish speech, one animator, questions from the public (selected in advance) but they responding to one another directly.

I'm not sure, I prefer this formula, but I don't think such a debate (both US candidates, both US vice-president candidates) could be possible in the USA.

I'm not sure, but I guess the format of this year debate should be the same tomorrow (in English).

I've been following several threads about this election and the feeling I'm getting is that if people voted as they felt, not to vote in/out a party, the NDP would be doing pretty well.

^^^

That's not one line but it is one sentence.

It look like the Conservatives will not have a majority government (good news if it hold).





It take 155 seats to have a majority government.

In 2006, it was:

Conservatives: 124
Liberals: 103
Bloc: 51
NDP: 29
Others: 1
Total: 308

I voted Conservative in the last election, however, I'm not really feeling like Harper has lived up to his promises.

To be honest, I didn't even KNOW about our Federal election until a week ago, when the Register, came to ask if I wanted to register to vote. (I'm registered in my parents town in Alberta, however I attend University in BC). I feel, as though I'm not well informed - by my own voalition of course (I live in Residence, I don't have a TV, ATS is one of the only sites I visit - and we don't have much in terms of Content on Canadian Politics here, etc.).

As someone also mentioned, I agree, it feels as if the United States Election lasts FOREVER, and ours only lasts a few weeks. I enjoy watching the presidential debates of the United States...

NDP has had a station set up on "Student Street" in one of our buildings for a while, and I passed some of them today.

I don't want to NOT vote, because then, I don't have a right to complain if our Country goes to #. And, as I have the right to vote, I believe in exercising that right. So, as it stands I haven't made a clear choice on who I will be voting...

*Off to research the Political Party Platforms*

- Carrot

Originally posted by PopeyeFAFL
Harper will probably win, but minority and will have been served a lesson.

I agree that a minority govt with Harper is what lies in store for us, but I doubt that it will be seen as a lesson. To Harper, this will be validation and he'll call it a 'strong mandate from the people'.

I will probably vote Conservative because Stephen Harper is the one candidate out of all who are running that I feel IMO has the most realistic outlook on Canada as a whole. It's not much, but it beats everyone else. I know the conservatives introduced GST, but at least he's doing his best to help relieve some of it. I like that he followed through with the idea. Maybe it was the party's master plan for years to secure votes. I don't know... but I feel like he's trying.

I think Jack Layton has a good heart, but his party's track record gives me a sick feeling in my stomach. Especially after what they did to BC and SASK.

When I look at the Liberal party, I keep asking myself what the hell is going on. It feels like they're all over the place right now. I personally have very liberal views. I'm pro choice, pro gay marriage... but that's not enough for me to vote them back into power.

And LOL @ the Green Party.

But I'm still a little on the fence about everything. I have a week to decide.

All polls indicate that Harper has lost most of the momentum that he had starting off. At the moment, reliable polls have him sitting at around 31% of the vote. Nowhere near enough for a majority.

This meltdown has hurt him. All of our economists have been saying for weeks that this was going to be affecting us but he stayed the course on his line of everything is ok. Just today, Jim Flaherty was on TV talking about it is going to be a rough ride for the next little while for Canadians before he headed off to Washignton for the emergency G7 meeting on the state of the Financial sector around the world.

Harper's comments during his interview with Peter Mansbridge did nothing to help his image also. Saying now is a good time to buy stocks when people are concerned about their life savings dwindling away wasn't exactly the smartest move.

So unless something drastic happens over the next five days, he will end up right back where he started. A minority.