CAMP

So please explain? I prefer an elected Senate with limited terms.

I agree with you on the referendums. I do think they should be limited to issues like the GM bail out. I think entering the Afghan war would have been another. Not sure what would be considered a referendum issue but I'm sure some sort of guideline could be put in place to bring understand as to when to use them. As calling your MP, I've been there done that and got no where except recorded on a message center with no return call. It could just be that some MP's are more responsible than others but mine is never around, only see him knocking on my door when there's an election. The polling I'm talking about would be optional but would happen in between mandates. Those who trust their MP could just proxy their vote for the entire mandate. Those who would like input would be involved in both choosing issues of importance for our government to tackle and then proceed to be polled. MP's would know the polling results and enter the house knowing what their constituents would prefer. Also make public the MP's vote to create accountability. This sort of system would require MP's to be responsible to their riding rather than their party boss or whip. The online voting should be implemented methodically and always with care to secure it and maintain that security in an ongoing fashion.

That is a pure assumption by you that the people who would become further involved don't understand. The job of a true politician is to try and make people understand their position through debate, have both sides represented or even an alternative choice. make the debate public. Then the people would understand and vote accordingly to their thinking. Those that would prefer to let their MP continue to represent them could also proxy their vote if they trust their MP. That is democracy in action. What you have right now is a partial democracy at best. Give the power back to the people where it belongs!

Our government which is really just a bunch of power hungry top down enforced parties would never go for it. Reliquishing power to the people is totally against their thoughts. Case in point. All governments elected now have the ability to hold a referendum on any issue they want to. Have they ever? To the best of my knowledge no? And why is this? Because the result would be binding on them and they would have to do the will of the people. This is why a number of people (and growing) are building the party in my signature below. The only way to reform our democracy is to reform it by getting in the house and breaking through the present parties defenses who don't want to give up their hold.

So we should just put up with the inconvience of walk in polling, and have a half ass system for our soldiers and people out of country or riding area. Meanwhile we do our banking online and fill up our Timmies cards but have such limited thinking about opening up a secure online voting system. Proof of security is the fact that there is online banking. Surely if the banks can do it so can the government.

Well I wouldn't say that Libertarians would just keep the day to day operations going on, they would want to dismantle it and reduce government. I don't think that would be the will of the majority. Democracy is all about the pursuit of the majority rule.

Well the first step has been taken to eliminate mandatory retirement. The US has moved it's payout to 67 now and I'm betting Canada will follow suit with perhaps 70. The way things are going I'm figuring to write a recipe book and sell it for to make ends meet. Title... 65 ways to cook Dr. Ballards

Well I'd say at best China is still an oppressive state. Their human rights violations are fair proof of that. They may in the future come totally out of their communist way but remember communism can crack down the population at any time just as they did in the Tienanmenn square.

Really, and I along with all the rest of Canada bailed out GM. I'm pretty sure that wouldn't have happened if we were working quite well. Our country will never see that money again, our health system and other areas could have used that money. We are piling up debt like no tommorrow... yeah it's working real well. NOT!

Obviously the day to day operations of the government isn't going to be polled. It was suggested to poll the public as to what would be the 5 main issues they want tackled by their government. These would be the items polled or if they are large items then use a referendum. Polls (whatever they may be) would only be to offer guidance to the MP from his riding, so they know how to vote in the house. Make all the poll results public domain and also how the MP voted in the house, this way their constituents have feedback which will provide accountability. Polls would be non binding. For the larger issues use a referendum which they would be binding. For example I would have like to have a referendum on bailing out GM. I doubt it would have been bailed out. I would also have liked a referendum on entering the Afghanistan war. I'm not sure which way that one would have gone. I just want more control over these large impact decisions as well as driving our government to act on issues they would rather push under the carpet. Issues such as Caledonia, etc.

My signature does that quite well doesn't it. So I should just shut up and let all the Liberals and Conservatives do their thing carry on.......

32,000 votes is a big difference. EACH AND EVERY VOTE IS IMPORTANT!. This is the same problematic thinking that has gotten us to the state we are in now with low voter turn out. So your willing to condem online voting with out any knowledge of how it would perform based on a whole lot of conjecture from various sources. Please read the article here... http://www.canadian-alternative.com/Intern...urity_scare.pdf It's mainly a human error problem than the technology. I'd like to see it tried out in say 10 selected ridings and see how it goes. Scrutinize it carefully and if all is good carry on to full implementation. I can't see you haveing a problem with that... after all it's only 40 or 50 thousand votes per riding... yikes!

Well toad, very well put, I totally agree with your assessment of the GG and the monarchy and the set up of our government. It works well. But we do need to have a cleaning up of political parties and MP's being responsible to their constituents, and of course from the other thread we need to get into the technology available to keep our politicians accountable.

Way different. If MP's are responsible to their constituents ( who are polled regularly) instead of party whips we are much closer to true democracy. This is one of The Central Parties founding principles.

And so we must all run to our home riding to vote if there's a snap election. How inconvenient and short sighted. What about handicapped people, university students away from home and our soldiers, they are not stupid or lazy. Did you know 32000 votes from overseas didn't manage to make the deadline of the last federal vote to be counted? E voting solves a lot of problems that non lazy people who do want to vote and aren't able to surely can. For those who want to go to their regular polling station and cast a paper ballot go ahead. I'm not from down under and that sure sounds like a government out of control. I wouldn't vote just out of spite if that was passed here! The more laws that are made like that the closer you come to the slippery slope of being bound and gaged by your government. There are so many advantages to Evoting it is unwise to not proceed with implementation of it. It opens up so many doors to the improvement of our democracy and Canada and for that matter the world.

It is often argued that Socrates believed "ideals belong in a world only the wise man can understand Socrates was in no way subtle about his particular beliefs on government. He openly objected to the democracy that ran Athens during his adult life. It was not only Athenian democracy: Socrates objected to any form of government that did not conform to his ideal of a perfect republic led by philosophers, and Athenian government was far from that. It is, however, possible that the Socrates of Plato's Republic is colored by Plato's own views. During the last years of Socrates' life, Athens was in continual flux due to political upheaval. Democracy was at last overthrown by a junta known as the Thirty Tyrants, led by Plato's relative, Critias, who had been a student of Socrates. The Tyrants ruled for about a year before the Athenian democracy was reinstated, at which point it declared an amnesty for all recent events. So I guess regular everyday Canadians just aren't smart enough to vote/poll on issues being decided by our government, so they can push the decision in a majority direction. I can only assume that you are one of those few philosophers that have the self centered right to govern the masses. The mobilization of war takes a good week now a days especially when we are an ocean away from any adversary. I'm not saying yes it needs a poll or no, what I am saying is you'd probably have enough time to poll people to find out if they want to start a war. Case in point with Afghanistan, we had plenty of time to decide if we were in or out. The only other type of war that would require an immediate response would be thermonuclear. I guess we could let whats left of our government declare war... tell you what I'll chip in for the hot dogs to roast and you get the marshmellows...........

What you chose to hear is that online voting ONLY uses Captchas. I mentioned it was just one method of helping to secure online voting. There is a whole host of methods being used that build proper security. I also mentioned that security is always an ongoing issue to be dealt with and continue improving. Here is an article about security that is relevent to it.... http://www.canadian-alternative.com/Intern...urity_scare.pdf

Yes it will be interesting to see if the Greens have eclipsed. We will find out next election on that issue. You are right that if the environmentalist pendulum swings too far to the radical side we will have a problem. Any green initiatives should have fiscal responsibility tied to it.

We do so you're now informed.

I give it about 5 years until all western nations hit the credit wall. They only other thing I've heard from economists is that some how the US is going to fool everyone and create super inflation. This will de-value their money and so also de-value the amount they owed. Then they bring out a brand new American buck of some kind that all other American bucks are equal to 1/10th of or 1/100th of. I think Germany did this way back when.

The Central Party would have to have this issue brought up as an issue of importance in a primary poll before it could be dealt with. Canadians will drive the government to look into issues that bother them by being polled. This is all explained on the website. New legislation would also have to be acceptable to Canadians via polling and then their MP's would enter the House of Commons and vote it through. Any issue of this nature would have Canadians involved directly... hence we call it direct democracy.

I agree Jerry, we need to re-do NAFTA to create a level playing field for our manufacturing sector. Mexico should never have been involved at a duty free level. Anytime a trade agreement with another country is put together you must consider the scale of their economy, and if the general population is similar to Canada's living standards. I have watched the gradual decline of our manufacturing base in areas other than automotive for the last 18 years. Finally it has hit home with the auto sector and is noticed. Unfortunately they did not fix the problem and I suspect you will see GM and others in trouble again in the future. Both Canada and the US are borrowing money at a record pace to hide the fact that our democratic countries are in deep trouble financially. There needs to be a multi level attack on both limiting imports via duties as well as reducing the heavy tax burdens, and operating costs of manufacturing companies that actually manufacture in Canada and aren't just a pseudo assembler of parts brought in from other areas of the world and then call it MADE IN CANADA. Our previous governments have received large donations from the multinational companies to keep our borders open for them to import goods and drain the net worth of our countries wealth. To further exacerbate the problem we are dealing with a country (CHINA) who owns and controls their manufacturing base because they are communist. We are treading on very dangerous ground here. Our democratic governments think that a world economy is all good in some sort of politically correct way and continue to support the largest communist country in the world by allowing importing with out much duty. Don't kid yourself there is a large scale war going on in this world. This one doesn't use guns, bombs, or anything of that nature. China is a very smart communist country that knows the way to defeat a democracy is to tear its manufacturing base out of it, and they are doing that at a record pace. Soon you will see automobiles that no North American manufacturer will be able to compete with over here, and the last large vestige of manufacturing will dissipate to the Asian rim.

Well I must say this thread shows that the Liberals aren't cramming attack ads down our throats like the Conservatives. Scraping the bottom of the barrel to pull up a John A McDonald Utuber. Sadly attack ads do work sometimes. The latest about the Block and pedophiles is a loser and will hurt the Conservatives. The one about Ignateiff only visiting was a powerful one that did work for the Conservatives.

Well said benny, I think the UN should adopt and offer online voting as an independent monitor for 3rd world and oppressed countries, who's population are wanting to have a democratic election. Being able to offer this to a population of people who don't trust their government would be another very good way online voting could be utilized. This way the people would feel safe to vote if there is any danger from thugs or their own government. And a true result would be able to be made public. Just look at IRAN.

Better get use to those inept minortiy governments that are nothing but partisan. MP's need to be responsible to their constituents instead of party whips.