The BQ the most free-market-oriented major party in Quebec aside from

[Machjo]

The BQ the most free-market-oriented major party in Quebec aside from the Libertarian Party?

To my recent surprise, my local BQ candidate expressed support for adopting a public-media voucher programme so as to allow people to subscribe to the media of their choice within reasonable parameters, and also supports loosening linguistic requirements on packaging and labeling.

Of course this is coming from a local BQ candidate and not her party, so her colleagues in her party might not agree with her, but for ridings without a Libertarian Party candidate, it seems promissing.

Combine that with the BQ's position on official bilingualism, and my local BQ candidate is more free-market oriented than any CPC candidate that I know.

The only thing that really irritates me about the BQ is its position on the niqab, but if I'm lucky my local BQ candidate might not be too committed to her party's position on the niqab either. I'm still awaiting a confirmation of that from her.

One drawback for my BQ candidate is that I live in an extremely federalist riding, meaning that few would vote for her and even among those that do vote for her, most of them would likely be federalists voting for her not because of her views on sovereignty but because of her policy position on other matters. I myself would fall into that category, essentially voting for her on principle knowing full well she has little chance of winning.

[Michael Hardner]

Interesting - is there a link ? This seems like it would be major news in Quebec.

[Machjo]

No link. I got this from personal e-mail exchanges between myself and my local candidates. My local BQ candidate's position on some points is not her party's position, though it doesn't contradict her party either, the party's platform itself being so meagre. She did say though that she liked the idea of media vouchers and not necessarily requiring both English and French on packaging and labeling and would pass the ideas on to her party and has already decided to support them in Parliament herself.

I can only guess that either the BQ gives its candidates significant leeway like the Reform Party used to do or my local BQ candidate is somewhat rebellious. She is only 22 years old, so perhaps more idealist, but definitely very free-market when it comes to public media funding and packaging and labeling language requirements. Not as much as the Libertarian Party (which would likely at least reduce media funding), but converting public media funding into media vouchers and loosening language requirements for packaging and labeling is still more free-market than the CPC on these matters. My local CPC candidate is not particularly gung ho about reducing media funding nor converting it to vouchers, happy to just keep it more or less as is, and he's not interested in deregulating packaging and labeling language rules in the least either.

Again, much of this might be unique to my local candidates and might not necessarily apply to other ridings, so before voting for your local BQ candidate just because no competent Libertarian candidate is available in your local riding, you might want to ask him some questions first to be sure that your local BQ candidate is equally free-market oriented as mine., not to mention that there may be a competent Libertarian candidate in your riding as a better alternative.

[overthere]

She wants public money to continue funding public networks. how is that a free market concept?

Ask her how she feels about the supply side protectionism enjoyed by Quebec dairy farmers. That will reveal much.

[Machjo]

Though the Libertarian Party's likely position of simply cutting public media funding would be the most free-market-oriented policy on the matter, the second-most free-market-oriented policy on the matter would be to at least give us more say in how public funding is directed by converting it to a voucher program as my local BQ candidate is proposing.

The CPC's position might follow in third place by showing interest for neither eliminating funding nor converting it to a voucher program. The other parties would follow after that for wanting to increase funding without giving us a say in how it's spent.

So all in all, my local BQ candidate still ranks up there on this point.

As for deregulating packaging and labeling language rules, again my local BQ candidate is the only one who's shown interest, and this could increase consumer choice on the market by allowing monolingually English-labelled and French-labelled imports into the Canadian market.

As for deregulating Québec's dairy farms for trade agreements, I support that in principle; but given that I'm vegan anyway, it's not a major concern for me.

That said, given that my riding is mostly urban and that my local BQ candidate is so free-market-oriented on these other points, I have a hard time imagining her being particularly protectionist over dairy products.

[overthere]

As for deregulating Québec's dairy farms for trade agreements, I support that in principle; but given that I'm vegan anyway, it's not a major concern for me.

I didn't ask what you thought, you are unlikely to cast a vote in The Commons.

What is her position regrading supply side management? that will be the litmus test of how 'free market' she actually is.....

[Machjo]

I didn't ask what you thought, you are unlikely to cast a vote in The Commons.

What is her position regrading supply side management? that will be the litmus test of how 'free market' she actually is.....

Perhaps. Maybe I'll ask her that along with my CPC candidate (neither of whom is likely to win in my riding, but then again, I vote on principle, not strategically or for who will win). That said, even the CPC is only lukewarm to dismantling it if I understand correctly, which would bring us back to the Libertarian Party candidate if there were one in my riding.

[Machjo]

I found her answer on her Facebook page. She opposes any Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement if it means abandoning the supply-management system.

That said, Harper is promissing to protect it too. So on that front, Harper and my BQ candidate are on the same page but disagree with me. Trudeau and Mulcair likely agree with Harper on this too. So clearly supply-management policy won't help to distinguish candidates in any way except the Libertarian Party which has no candidate in my riding.

So going back to public media funding and packaging and labeling language laws and allowing monolingual Federal services, the BQ is clearly more free-market and small-government oriented than the CPC.

[Smallc]

I found her answer on her Facebook page. She opposes any Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement if it means abandoning the supply-management system.

So there's far more evidence that she's anti free market than pro free market. Harper isn't free market either, and I'm fine admitting that. Duceppe is even less free market, and even more bigoted.

[Machjo]

So there's far more evidence that she's anti free market than pro free market. Harper isn't free market either, and I'm fine admitting that. Duceppe is even less free market, and even more bigoted.

That's one concern I have about the BQ: it can be just as xenophobic as the CPC. But then again, the Greens and the LPC and the NDP each have their own problems too unless you happen to have a really competent local candidate from any of these parties.

I guess in the end, it really does come down to the character of the local candidate in each riding.

And yes, my local BQ candidate's has exhibited traces if anglophobes which I must consider in my decision. I'm still trying to determine whether her character strengths outweigh any character flaw of hers.

[Machjo]

On the flip side, she seems sympathetic towards deregulating the indigenous cultural industry, though even she admits that her ideas on this go further than her party's position on indigenous issues, meaning that if she won, she could find herself promoting this without the backing of her party.

[Machjo]

I got an e-mail from my NDP candidate also supporting such deregulation, but less committal, not at the expense of English or French and only if her caucus supports it too. The Bloc candidate had no language requirement and was prepared to support it independently of her party if necessary.

As for my CPC candidate, I'm not even sure he has an e-mail address. If I can't reach him during a campaign, how will I reach him as my MP?

[angrypenguin]

99% of free trade deals have been done under a Conservative government (federally). Why do people think the Liberals are known for trade?

[Machjo]

There is more to a free market than just trade deals. Too much of the Canadian economy is overly regulated domestically too, including packaging and labeling, public media, and health care.

While I'm very pro-trade and tend to lean CPC or preferably even Libertarian on that front, it's less predictable which party will support deregulation of cultural and linguistic industries except for the Libertarian Party. Outside of that party, it will tend to vary from candidate to candidate, sometimes varying with the party leader too.

[Machjo]

I now find myself in an odd position. Since my local NDP candidate has presented some really good ideas, I'm strongly leaning in her favour thinking that as a opposition MP she could introduce some of these ideas to Parliament. Yet while I might vote for her, I'd be doing so hoping that the NDP not win too many seats. Its opposition to free trade concern me.

[SpankyMcFarland]

The BQ is a conservative party - it wants to keep Quebec as it is or, even better, as it used to be. I've never heard

much praise of free enterprise from the leadership.