A Speshul Request
Hey hey, it's election day . . . but since it's our second in the past 18 months, I'm not surprised it's barely registering on non-Canadian political radar screens. Even though I'm almost paralysed with apathy about our political scene, I'm going to my polling place to exercise my right to vote (for ???) out of respect for the fact that in the
( Read more... )
Okay, seriously:
The Liberals: considered ideologically centre/moderate and have been in power for over a decade. Last year they made gay marriage legal but were also implicated in a funding sponsorship scandal whose details make my eyes glaze over.
The Conservatives: ideologically to the right. Their leader hails from Alberta, the most socially conservative of the ten provinces and the birthplace of several right-wing parties that have sprung up, died, and reformed since the 1990s. The current Conservative party is an amalgam of "traditional" and grassroots right-wing movements.
The New Democratic Party: ideologically to the left, semi-socialist. Their leader is the only politician with a moustache (I've met him at least twice and I actually do respect him). One of the NDP's founding fathers helped create Canada's universal medicare system.
The Bloc Quebecois: ideologically committed to separating Quebec from the rest of Canada. The Bloc gets no votes and runs few candidates outside of Quebec. But the way Parliamentary representation is structured means that the Bloc occupies a substantial number of seats. Every few years, the Bloc threatens another separation-referendum, which never fails to wake everyone up.
The Green Party: I understand they're popular in Europe but in Canada have never managed to get representation in Parliament.
And there you go . . . my potted perspective on the politics of the Great White North.
Reply
Leave a comment