kungfuthug Posted February 15, 2015 Report Posted February 15, 2015 Any advice would be appreciated... kind advice. I am struggling with my political compass lately and with the upcoming federal election I am wondering how to better inform myself on the parties/candidates. Obviously I could spend hours on Google, scouring over biased articles... but there must be other methods. How is an un-decided voter supposed to get a crash course on each party/candidate? I took a couple online quizzes containing questionnaires. Every one I took led me to complete different outcomes. I should be Liberal, oh wait ; Conservative... Now I'm Communist, hmm... now NDP. Any suggestions? Quote
Michael Hardner Posted February 15, 2015 Report Posted February 15, 2015 Yes, come on here and ask questions, and answer them. Discuss proactively and you can learn something as the rest of us here do. Let me start by asking: what is important to you as a Canadian ? Specifically ? What field do you work in ? What values are important to you ? Where do you live ? Quote Click to learn why Climate Change is caused by HUMANS Michael Hardner
Michael Hardner Posted February 15, 2015 Report Posted February 15, 2015 Also -> welcome ! Quote Click to learn why Climate Change is caused by HUMANS Michael Hardner
Bryan Posted February 15, 2015 Report Posted February 15, 2015 Michael's right. The most important thing is to start by identifying what YOU want. Only then will looking at what a given candidate says be an informed choice. A lot of people from all ends of the political spectrum get caught up in identifying with their guy or their team, and simply accept that a given list of policies are their policies too because their guy says they are. Quote
Big Guy Posted February 15, 2015 Report Posted February 15, 2015 Avoid labelling yourself as a Conservative, Liberal, NDP, Green or whatever. Educate yourself as to what it is in domestic affairs, national affairs and international affairs with which you agree. Tape news shows but later fast forward to the end where a panel of journalists representing different views attempt to analyse events and issues. Find a newspaper columnist who most represents your views and place yourself on his/her mailing list. If you do seek out anonymous electronic bulletin boards for views then do not associate the opinion with the apparent personality of the avatar. Do not become a cheerleader but stay an analyst. When you find which organized party represents most of your views then support it. Quote Note - For those expecting a response from Big Guy: I generally do not read or respond to posts longer then 300 words nor to parsed comments.
kungfuthug Posted February 15, 2015 Author Report Posted February 15, 2015 Thanks for the replies... Yes, come on here and ask questions, and answer them. Discuss proactively and you can learn something as the rest of us here do.Let me start by asking: what is important to you as a Canadian ? Specifically ?What field do you work in ? What values are important to you ? Where do you live ? I work as an electrician in Alberta. As a Canadian I find the following things important. No specific order. -freedom of expression/speech, religious freedoms, democratic freedoms, less big brother -strong stable economy, economic diversity -safe food, GMO labelling -healthy environment, clean air -transparant govt, less govt wastage -foreign policy that is not so paralleled to the USA -less/no lobbying -upgrades to infrastructure -education reform -reduction in needless military spending -better image internationally Quote
Moonbox Posted February 16, 2015 Report Posted February 16, 2015 Kungfu I don't think anyone is going to give you a useful answer as for who you should vote for. They might try, but that's going to be more their personal bias than anything. As for your wish list, the unfortunate reality is that there isn't a party that's going to meet all of them, or even most of them. Politics are a balancing act of priorities, and rarely are these priorities strictly for the 'greater good'. Different people have different ideas of what things like "government wastage" are, so you can never please everyone. Worse, however, is that things like nepotism, corruption or just pure incompetence can frequently can turn government programs/projects into complete and utter disasters, regardless of whether the original intention were good. Realistically, you have to do a lot of reading and research to figure out what you want out of a government, and not just from one or a few sources. You're going to get a lot different 'look' on things from the Calgary Herald than you will from the Toronto Star, so you have to keep that in mind when you're trying to make decisions. Quote "A man is no more entitled to an opinion for which he cannot account than he is for a pint of beer for which he cannot pay" - Anonymous
jacee Posted February 16, 2015 Report Posted February 16, 2015 Check out your local candidates. Quote
kungfuthug Posted February 16, 2015 Author Report Posted February 16, 2015 The thanks for the replies. I guess I have to prioritize my wish list and start from the top down making concessions one the way. Quote
Keepitsimple Posted February 16, 2015 Report Posted February 16, 2015 The thanks for the replies. I guess I have to prioritize my wish list and start from the top down making concessions one the way. That's pretty much what you have to do......prioritize as best you can - and take your top 3 or 4 and see where the Parties stand. And you might want to consider..... with a government that's been in power for 10 years, you know what you are getting and either you like it, you. don't or somewhere in between - but they are what they are and are not going to change very much. So you have something to compare your priorities against. If they don't match up well, then you have to decide whether another Party would actually accomplish what you'd like. So there's a lot to consider - but you've got almost 8 months to arrive at your decision. Quote Back to Basics
eyeball Posted February 16, 2015 Report Posted February 16, 2015 OTOH you could refuse to vote, spoil your ballot or strategically vote. Quote A government without public oversight is like a nuclear plant without lead shielding.
Smallc Posted February 16, 2015 Report Posted February 16, 2015 OTOH you could refuse to vote, spoil your ballot or strategically vote. Or, you could vote for what you actually believe in, which is generally the better way to go. A spoiled ballot basically means that your forfeit your part in the democratic process, and a strategic vote basically says that you don't really believe in anything in particular. Quote
Ash74 Posted February 17, 2015 Report Posted February 17, 2015 I vote for the party that will likely hurt me the least. The choices are not very good as history has taught us but all we can do is hope they don't screw thing up too badly. They are after all politicians. Quote “Show me a young Conservative and I'll show you someone with no heart. Show me an old Liberal and I'll show you someone with no brains.”― Winston S. Churchill There is no worse tyranny than to force a man to pay for what he does not want merely because you think it would be good for him. –Robert Heinlein
eyeball Posted February 17, 2015 Report Posted February 17, 2015 (edited) Or, you could vote for what you actually believe in, which is generally the better way to go. A spoiled ballot basically means that your forfeit your part in the democratic process, and a strategic vote basically says that you don't really believe in anything in particular. I certainly know what I believe in I just don't have any faith in it anymore. I was also hoping we'd have new planets to migrate to by now. Oh well. Edited February 17, 2015 by eyeball Quote A government without public oversight is like a nuclear plant without lead shielding.
Bonam Posted February 17, 2015 Report Posted February 17, 2015 I'll try and present an unbiased assessment of which parties might best fit your various priorities: Thanks for the replies... I work as an electrician in Alberta. As a Canadian I find the following things important. No specific order. -freedom of expression/speech, religious freedoms, democratic freedoms, less big brother Conservatives are likely to defend freedom of speech a bit more eagerly than other parties. All federal parties will infringe on democratic freedoms by increasing the state surveillance apparatus and further grow big brother. As for religious freedoms... you'll likely find conservatives more eager to defend Christian religious freedoms, but not as eager as liberals will be to defend Muslim religious freedoms. No party particularly supports freedom from religion. -strong stable economy, economic diversity Economic management under Harper has been adequate. You're unlikely to find better under Trudeau. If you are a union member, then the NDP agenda may be attractive. If you're an electrician running your own business or working as part of a small contracting firm, you're more likely to benefit from tax changes that conservatives generally seek. -safe food, GMO labelling GMO labeling is most likely to be a priority of the Greens. But if you do any real research on the science of the subject, you'd find GMOs are generally safe, and often in fact beneficial. -healthy environment, clean air-transparant govt, less govt wastage Trudeau is the most likely to take action on environmental issues. Government wastage will always grow under any party. -foreign policy that is not so paralleled to the USA Harper is most likely to stay aligned with the USA on foreign policy, though no party is likely to deviate overmuch. Trudeau is more likely to keep Canada out of armed conflict. -less/no lobbying No party is likely to change how lobbying works in Canada. -upgrades to infrastructure Primarily a provincial/municipal priority. Federal governments under all parties have generally been willing to partner with cities/provinces on infrastructure projects and contribute funding. -education reform A provincial matter, and one the federal government is unlikely to want to get mired in under any party. -reduction in needless military spending Smaller military budget is possible under Trudeau. -better image internationally Depends what you mean by "better" image. Harper tries to project a bit of a "tougher" image, whether it comes to condemning dictatorships, northern sovereignty, etc. Trudeau is likely to project a "softer" image and invoke the idea of Canadians as "peacekeepers". Quote
Topaz Posted February 17, 2015 Report Posted February 17, 2015 In the next election besides knowing what YOU want from a PM, you also have to look at the present party in the PMO and go back and look at HOW they have governed. Does it bother you of the big Bills they have created and put a short timeline on debate that the opposition parties really didn't get the time to review them and the fact what was put in them. Does it bother you that this party also messed around with CPP, OAS and health care. How many scam, schemes and half-truths and it seems the more they are re-elected, the worse they get, in other words Harper will be judge by his actions thus far. As far as the opposition leaders, the debates will be the final decision maker, but also think character and personality also plays in it. Quote
PIK Posted February 17, 2015 Report Posted February 17, 2015 If you love this country ,vote conservative, the other 2 will destroy the place. Quote Toronto, like a roach motel in the middle of a pretty living room.
On Guard for Thee Posted February 17, 2015 Report Posted February 17, 2015 If you love this country ,vote conservative, the other 2 will destroy the place. Now that was truly cheap. But certainly not unconservative. Quote
PIK Posted February 17, 2015 Report Posted February 17, 2015 Nothing but the facts. Quote Toronto, like a roach motel in the middle of a pretty living room.
On Guard for Thee Posted February 17, 2015 Report Posted February 17, 2015 Nothing but the facts. I see an opinion, no facts. My opinion is Harper is damaging this country as much or more than any previous government, and thats a fact. Quote
overthere Posted February 17, 2015 Report Posted February 17, 2015 (edited) If you are an electrican from Alberta, you are likely to be unemployed or underemployed soon. Vote for the party that can change that. Because despite all the yap about programs we need, none of it happens unless people are working an earning. Edited February 17, 2015 by overthere Quote Science too hard for you? Try religion!
kungfuthug Posted February 18, 2015 Author Report Posted February 18, 2015 I have been employed continuous since 1995. I have no concerns about weathering another downturn. There is always a need for a good electrician. I do not work in the oil patch and this downturn seems to be nowhere near the depths of a few years ago. That being said, there is no guarantees. I also wouldn't like to see my neighbours struggling either. I cannot imagine voting for Harper. I have in the past, I will never again. I do not know anything about the other candidates... minus the attack ads etc. Quote
eyeball Posted February 18, 2015 Report Posted February 18, 2015 I cannot imagine voting for Harper. I have in the past, I will never again. I do not know anything about the other candidates... minus the attack ads etc. If your goal is to ensure Harper is not elected then we need a progressive coalition to vote for and in lieu of that voting strategically is really the only option. Quote A government without public oversight is like a nuclear plant without lead shielding.
hitops Posted February 18, 2015 Report Posted February 18, 2015 Thanks for the replies... I work as an electrician in Alberta. As a Canadian I find the following things important. No specific order. -freedom of expression/speech, religious freedoms, democratic freedoms, less big brother -strong stable economy, economic diversity -safe food, GMO labelling -healthy environment, clean air -transparant govt, less govt wastage -foreign policy that is not so paralleled to the USA -less/no lobbying -upgrades to infrastructure -education reform -reduction in needless military spending -better image internationally I'd say those could apply to all of the parties, or none of them. I would say probably Liberal overall if I had to choose. I noticed you didn't mention remaining employed in your field. If hope for continued employment is a priority, conservative policies tend to favor that outcome. Quote
overthere Posted February 18, 2015 Report Posted February 18, 2015 If your goal is to ensure Harper is not elected then we need a progressive coalition to vote for and in lieu of that voting strategically is really the only option. If the OP lives in Calgary and want to vote strategically, then he should just move somewhere else. Maybe to Edmonton, they are going to give it the old college try to break the Con stranglehold. It wasn't that long ago that Redmonton had a couple of Liberal MPs. One of them was Landslide Annie McLellan, Deputy PM and winner of two elections by the thinnest of margins. Quote Science too hard for you? Try religion!
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