maplesyrup

What? This is very typical socialist type views that goes back to the party mantra of "power of the few over the many". If we start using the free vote system, then politicians have to start voting the way their constituents want them to vote, not toe the party line all the time. If they don't vote the way the constituents want them to, then they will get booted the next election. What makes you think the party's always know what is best for us as a society? pff........a majority is only as good as how it treats its minorities. It's heathy to be challenged, to be a bit uncomfortable. It's only then that society has the opportunity for growth.

DAC....you raise interesting issues. I think I agree with you at least concerning punishment. How about Svend? How should he be dealt with as he actually returned the merchandise?

Canadian Elections: Minority Looks to the Left What's going on? How are the restructuring of the committees doing now that the Liberals do not have a majority? I understand John Williams is chafing at the bit to get the Public Accounts Committee up and running again.

Does anyone know the seat where the Greens had their best showing? It wasn't Saanich Gulf Islands was it?

That was quite a forecast probably based on the nonsense you read in the mainstream press. Maybe you should be more careful when you get your information.

Public shame. If you don't vote, everyone knows... Why bother? Even more, why bother to figure out amongst all the verbiage who promises what? Your vote changed absolutely nothing in the past election, Maple Syrup. You might as well have stayed home.In fact, your vote gave you nothing of any practical use to you except: 1) you felt you did your civic duty, 2) you took sides and made election night more fun and 3) you can impress family and colleagues with your political knowledge. It is on these points that democracy rests. Compare all the effort people devote to finding a good job (or a good house) with the effort they devote to finding a good political party to vote for. Well in Australia apparentyly one pays a fine for not voting so pretty much evryone votes. Does that make for a more informed electorate? I am curious about that. August1991.......you are correct that my vote did not count for much (the only redeeming benefit is the annual $1.75 to the party of my choice, and that is a discouraging part of my own reality, which is the main reason I support PR. With PR every vote counts so it seems to me the people who are opposed to PR don't really give a damm about a healthy democracy they just want power for power's sake. I think the word democracy is one of the most abused words in the dictionary. "Government by the people", eh!

BD....thanks for the PR link. It is a good basic article and explains that under the German system there s a 5% minimum threshold which addresses one of the major concerns - fringe parties.

Réformer sans précipitation so what they are saying here is that in the recent election it took: 31,000 votes for a Bloc seat 36,700 for a Liberal seat 40,350 for a Conservative seat 111,400 for a New Democrat seat and even with 580, 816 votes no seat for the Greens

how does this relate? Toronto police force dealt another blow

Chewing on election leftovers Sounds like a good stalling tactic for the Martin Liberals to me.

1997 - 67% voter turnout 2000 - 61.2% voter turnout 2004 - 60.5% voter turnout PEI seems to have higher voter turnout than other areas in the country. Why are these non-voters not motivated to vote? Would some form of PR help encourage a higher percentage of voters?

I think you might end Western alienation if all those votes counted - let's implement some sort of PR.

Actually my understanding is more people watch or listen to a CBC show than the commercial networks. Anyways some Canadian culture is good for us all. For those of you who don't like the CBC just think of it like when you were a kid and you parents made you eat spinach. It didn't taste that hot perhaps, but it was good for you.

What is the CBC waiting for to set up a bilingual channel? Is it possible to merge l'anglais et francais divisions of the CBC? Or do we need a third separate bilingual division? What's is the CBC's problem? Why is the CBC holding Canada back?

No ,I am sorry,you are very wrong.A free vote,to clear the issue,by all mp's,not just the Conservatives,would be the best way to handle this.The obstacle,liberals have to vote the party line,whether or not their constituents agree with it.Which is more democratic,a free vote,or an orchestrated liberal party vote?I will still vote for a party that allows the voice of their constituents to be heard,and in the liberal party this is not an option. A free vote is code for discrimination. Discrimination against women, gays and lesbians, etc. Michael Hardner during the election tried a little experiment. Free votes are fine when you know the views of the prospective MP. One slight problem. The Cons tried as much as possible to hide the views of their potential MPs. The whole thing is a crock. You mess with the Charter at your peril.

I know there are supposedly no legal restrictions of French in British Columbia however the Trans Canada Highway is financed by the feds. Even federal buildings in Vancouver have bilingual plaques and/or signage. Actually the more I think about it the more miffed I am be coming about the lack of French (read: bilingual) signage. So in BC we have de facto eliminated French. BRILLIANT! I remember before I moved out to Canada's left coast, hearing about the CRTC forcing the cable networks in BC to carry one French channel and the ensuing anti-French (there is no other way to describe it) diatribes. I think the federales have let us down but not insisting on bilingual highway signs across Canada. I guess I could write Tony Valeri to find out the reasons why the francophone community hors du Quebec is being descriminated against bigtime, especially by those who are supposed to protect their minority rights, our federal government. Maybe it's time Ottawa started to kick ass on this issue, or we'll knock some more seats off the Liberal government's totals in the next electoral round.

PM could learn from past No wonder Canadians get confused when their political leaders don't properly understand themselves. Either that or they are distorting them on purpose. Which is it folks? Fess up!

Same defect hampers the leaders

Canadians swung left in election The Liberals are left wing. Good ole yankee doodle analysis

I agree about the orange. I wonder if it signifies something specific, or was just a colour that wasn't being used at the time. Jack Layton is the most green politician around and I thought the New Democrats were going to use green on their signs for this election. Does anyone realize how much money the green party is going to receive for their 580, 000 or so votes? Where are these green votes coming from? The so-called experts say: 1/3 from NDP 1/3 from people who would otherwise not vote and 1/3 from the Cons and the Libs. I am not so sure. I listened to a talk radio show late in the night just prior to the election and the host was doing a poll. 90% of the audience and callers are right wingers. I was surprised by the poll. most said they were going to vote for the Cons but the second highest, a substantial number said they were voting green. I think the greens are going to bled more and more right wing support.

I think the polls, more than anything else, were responsible for the Conservatives defeat. When Canadians saw that the Conservatives were leading in the polls, enough of them switched to the Liberals to ensure Harper's defeat.

Actually I think there is a restriction on French signs in British Columbia. I never see any, not even on the Trans Canada Highway that runs through the Lower Mainland. How come? Is this discrimination? You bet it is? I have seen some Chinese street signs in East Vancouver, which are cool. Anglos in Quebec have it good compared to French rights in the rest of the country.

Oh yea, I almost forgot. They sure didn't forget to charge Svend Robinson with the ensuing negative publicity, during the last week of the election campaign. Coincidence in timing, my ass. But when it comes to big business fronts BC Premier Gordon Campbell's, and PM Paul Martin's people in relation to the raids on the BC Legislature on December 28, 2003, nary a word. And you thought we were all treated equally in Canada, eh? Don't make me laugh! :angry:

So Coleman sluffs it off, eh? Don't worry, it will disappear from the news shortly. Big business protects their own. Contrast the coverage Glen Clark received for his indescretions compared to the coverage Campbell received for his DUI. Big business Campbell front got a couple of days on the front pages, and then the story got buried, whereas Clark, apart from the TV crews filming the police raid on his home live, was in the news for months. Turned out that Clark was innocent by-the-way, but I bet most people don't even know that. Two sets of rules in society - one for the friends of big business, and another one for the rest of us. :angry:

Did anyone hear how the Christian Heritage Party make out this election? I think they ran candidates in 50-65 ridings. I am curious to know in which ridings the CHP garnered the most strength in last Monday's election. One would think that with all the churches in Canada the CHP would be well positioned to take a few seats if they played their cards right in the next election.