Ballot Bowl 2008
I love elections. I don't know why but I always love listening to the nitty gritty details and reading up on platforms.
I think it is very important, as a democratic society to have an active role in determining our government.
So to preempt Ballot Bowl 2008, I thought I would prepare a little blurb in plain English on what each of the parties stand for, as well as where my vote falls now, prior to the spectacle.
First we have the Conservatives:
"Being conservative both fiscally and socially, the Conservative Party generally favours lower taxes, smaller government, more decentralization of federal government powers to the provinces modelled after the Meech Lake Accord, a tougher stand on "law and order" issues and more spending on the military, and harmonizing standards and regulations with those of the United States. It is also opposed to the legalization of cannabis and has had a free vote on whether the House wanted to reopen the issue of same-sex marriage, which was defeated. As the successor of the western-based Canadian Alliance, the party also supports reform of the Senate to make it "elected, equal, and effective" (the "Triple-E Senate"), as well as several other substantial reforms to reduce the present power of the Prime Minister's Office, such as establishing fixed election dates every four years and giving individual MPs more leeway in representing their constituents. In addition, in the wake of the sponsorship scandal and the resulting high-profile Gomery Inquiry the Conservative Party advocated government accountability and transparency reforms.
"
Taken from Wikipedia
I think a lot of people would find it surprisng that the conservatives advocate for less government control and more power to the provinces. Remember Conservative does not equal Republican. Harper has lowered our GST by 2%, and managed to keep our economy in a surpluss. This is no small feat.
Senate reforms make sense, as right now it is basically the Canadian MP retirement home. It is impotent and useless. Reform is just good sense.
Our Military NEEDS money. Whether or not people agree with military action in Afghanistan, I think we can all agree that we need to give our fighting men and women safe and modern equipment. Again, it just makes sense.
I could do without the conservatives antiquated social views though. Gay, straight, is it really that important to the government? We all pay taxes.
The Liberals:
"In the present times, the Liberal party has favoured a variety of policies from both right and left of the political spectrum. Since the 1990s it has been a strong champion of balanced budgets, and it eliminated the deficit completely from the federal budget in 1995 by reducing spending on social programs or downloading them to provinces. It had legalized same-sex marriage and use of cannabis for medical purposes, and has been proposing complete decriminalization of possession of small amounts of it. The party also holds progressive views on various other social issues like abortion. In spite of this, a socially conservative wing does exists within the party. For example, when the Civil Marriage Act was passed in 2004 (which legalized same-sex marriage), over a quarter[citation needed] of the Liberal caucus voted against the act.
During the 2006 election the Liberal party's platform included an
Introduction of a national childcare program
Immediately cut tax for low income earners by 1 point from 16% to 15%
Tougher firearm laws, including a ban on handguns and semi-automatic rifles
Reducing wait times for medical treatments
Increased support and opportunities for seniors, immigrants and the aboriginal populations
Increased spending on military
Additional investment in research and higher education.
In June 2008, the Liberal Party unveiled a new policy based on an ecotax called The Green Shift.
"
Taken from Wikipedia
People love the liberals. They seem to be pretty much pro-everything and do represnet quite an open an enlightened idealism. They , being a center wing party take the good points from the left and right side of the political spectrum, a kind of best of both worlds ideal. They do spend a lot though, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but where they spend the money is problematic. The recent sponsorship scandal was a real blow for the party. The problem they have now though is their leader.
If Michael Ignatieff had won the party nomination, we would have a liberal minority in a heartbeat. Instead they elected a piece of wood that cannot speak English. The man is berefit of charisma or appeal necessary to command a nation.
His carbon tax is also ridiculous. It would vastly increase the cost of everything and cripple lower income earners while allowing the wealthy to feel good about themselves. As good as his party's ideals are, Stephane Dion is going to hurt the liberals this election.
The Bloq Quebequois:
Assholes and seperatists. They don't want to be a part of this country, and gum up the political process to further their goals of seperatism. They could care less about anyone outside Quebec.
The NDP:
"The NDP grew from populist, agrarian and democratic socialist roots. Today it is known for its relationships with non-governmental organizations and organized labour. While the party is secular and pluralistic, it has a longstanding relationship with the Christian left and the Social Gospel movement, particularly the United Church of Canada. However, the federal party has broadened to include concerns of the New Left, which advocates issues such as gay rights, peace, and environmental protection.
New Democrats today advocate, among other things:
sweeping environmental protection [1]
national water safety standards
not reducing corporate taxes[2]
reducing poverty in Canada[3]
human rights protection
expanded high-quality public transportation
affordable and accessible high-quality post-secondary education
public health care including expanded dental and prescription drug coverage,
progressive taxation reform
social assistance policies that reflects citizens' needs and assists their re-entry to the work force
gender equality and equal rights for gays, lesbians, and minorities
electoral reform that abolishes the current un-elected Senate and ensures more proportional representation [4]
workers' rights including raising the minimum wage to at least keep up with the cost of living
Aboriginal treaty, land, and constitutional rights
balanced budgets [5]
a foreign policy that emphasizes diplomacy, peacekeeping and humanitarian aid instead of offensive military action
renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
"
From Wikipedia
Tommy Douglas, a former leader of the NDP, was voted the greatest Canadian who ever lived. Our free healthcare system was his brainchild, and he successfuly brought it to all of Canada.
In Manitoba, our car insurance is some of the cheapest in the country thanks to the NDP founded Manitoba Public Insurance.
The focuse of the New Democrats is always on the people. They are diametrically opposed to the conservatives in that they advocate "Big Governemnt". By that they government, not corporations provide for the people. Public insurance, public health, public everything.
They are for workers. They advocate more equitable wages, more rights for seniors, women, and GLBTT folks as well. Better environmental policies, better public transportation and all sorts of things.
They want education not to be a debt sentence. They want to help students from all walks of life benefit from higher education that is not wildly or unethically expensive!
People are still afraid of them because the opinion they are "Commies". This is un-enlightened. There is a big difference between socialism and Communism.
I think Canada would benefit highly from more social programs. Poverty is a big cause of crime. Giving everyone a helping hand out of it would likely go a long way in improving the safety of our cities.
They will be receiving my vote unless Dion manages to wow me in the debates or in his campaigning.
Please DO vote though!!!
I think it is very important, as a democratic society to have an active role in determining our government.
So to preempt Ballot Bowl 2008, I thought I would prepare a little blurb in plain English on what each of the parties stand for, as well as where my vote falls now, prior to the spectacle.
First we have the Conservatives:
"Being conservative both fiscally and socially, the Conservative Party generally favours lower taxes, smaller government, more decentralization of federal government powers to the provinces modelled after the Meech Lake Accord, a tougher stand on "law and order" issues and more spending on the military, and harmonizing standards and regulations with those of the United States. It is also opposed to the legalization of cannabis and has had a free vote on whether the House wanted to reopen the issue of same-sex marriage, which was defeated. As the successor of the western-based Canadian Alliance, the party also supports reform of the Senate to make it "elected, equal, and effective" (the "Triple-E Senate"), as well as several other substantial reforms to reduce the present power of the Prime Minister's Office, such as establishing fixed election dates every four years and giving individual MPs more leeway in representing their constituents. In addition, in the wake of the sponsorship scandal and the resulting high-profile Gomery Inquiry the Conservative Party advocated government accountability and transparency reforms.
"
Taken from Wikipedia
I think a lot of people would find it surprisng that the conservatives advocate for less government control and more power to the provinces. Remember Conservative does not equal Republican. Harper has lowered our GST by 2%, and managed to keep our economy in a surpluss. This is no small feat.
Senate reforms make sense, as right now it is basically the Canadian MP retirement home. It is impotent and useless. Reform is just good sense.
Our Military NEEDS money. Whether or not people agree with military action in Afghanistan, I think we can all agree that we need to give our fighting men and women safe and modern equipment. Again, it just makes sense.
I could do without the conservatives antiquated social views though. Gay, straight, is it really that important to the government? We all pay taxes.
The Liberals:
"In the present times, the Liberal party has favoured a variety of policies from both right and left of the political spectrum. Since the 1990s it has been a strong champion of balanced budgets, and it eliminated the deficit completely from the federal budget in 1995 by reducing spending on social programs or downloading them to provinces. It had legalized same-sex marriage and use of cannabis for medical purposes, and has been proposing complete decriminalization of possession of small amounts of it. The party also holds progressive views on various other social issues like abortion. In spite of this, a socially conservative wing does exists within the party. For example, when the Civil Marriage Act was passed in 2004 (which legalized same-sex marriage), over a quarter[citation needed] of the Liberal caucus voted against the act.
During the 2006 election the Liberal party's platform included an
Introduction of a national childcare program
Immediately cut tax for low income earners by 1 point from 16% to 15%
Tougher firearm laws, including a ban on handguns and semi-automatic rifles
Reducing wait times for medical treatments
Increased support and opportunities for seniors, immigrants and the aboriginal populations
Increased spending on military
Additional investment in research and higher education.
In June 2008, the Liberal Party unveiled a new policy based on an ecotax called The Green Shift.
"
Taken from Wikipedia
People love the liberals. They seem to be pretty much pro-everything and do represnet quite an open an enlightened idealism. They , being a center wing party take the good points from the left and right side of the political spectrum, a kind of best of both worlds ideal. They do spend a lot though, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but where they spend the money is problematic. The recent sponsorship scandal was a real blow for the party. The problem they have now though is their leader.
If Michael Ignatieff had won the party nomination, we would have a liberal minority in a heartbeat. Instead they elected a piece of wood that cannot speak English. The man is berefit of charisma or appeal necessary to command a nation.
His carbon tax is also ridiculous. It would vastly increase the cost of everything and cripple lower income earners while allowing the wealthy to feel good about themselves. As good as his party's ideals are, Stephane Dion is going to hurt the liberals this election.
The Bloq Quebequois:
Assholes and seperatists. They don't want to be a part of this country, and gum up the political process to further their goals of seperatism. They could care less about anyone outside Quebec.
The NDP:
"The NDP grew from populist, agrarian and democratic socialist roots. Today it is known for its relationships with non-governmental organizations and organized labour. While the party is secular and pluralistic, it has a longstanding relationship with the Christian left and the Social Gospel movement, particularly the United Church of Canada. However, the federal party has broadened to include concerns of the New Left, which advocates issues such as gay rights, peace, and environmental protection.
New Democrats today advocate, among other things:
sweeping environmental protection [1]
national water safety standards
not reducing corporate taxes[2]
reducing poverty in Canada[3]
human rights protection
expanded high-quality public transportation
affordable and accessible high-quality post-secondary education
public health care including expanded dental and prescription drug coverage,
progressive taxation reform
social assistance policies that reflects citizens' needs and assists their re-entry to the work force
gender equality and equal rights for gays, lesbians, and minorities
electoral reform that abolishes the current un-elected Senate and ensures more proportional representation [4]
workers' rights including raising the minimum wage to at least keep up with the cost of living
Aboriginal treaty, land, and constitutional rights
balanced budgets [5]
a foreign policy that emphasizes diplomacy, peacekeeping and humanitarian aid instead of offensive military action
renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
"
From Wikipedia
Tommy Douglas, a former leader of the NDP, was voted the greatest Canadian who ever lived. Our free healthcare system was his brainchild, and he successfuly brought it to all of Canada.
In Manitoba, our car insurance is some of the cheapest in the country thanks to the NDP founded Manitoba Public Insurance.
The focuse of the New Democrats is always on the people. They are diametrically opposed to the conservatives in that they advocate "Big Governemnt". By that they government, not corporations provide for the people. Public insurance, public health, public everything.
They are for workers. They advocate more equitable wages, more rights for seniors, women, and GLBTT folks as well. Better environmental policies, better public transportation and all sorts of things.
They want education not to be a debt sentence. They want to help students from all walks of life benefit from higher education that is not wildly or unethically expensive!
People are still afraid of them because the opinion they are "Commies". This is un-enlightened. There is a big difference between socialism and Communism.
I think Canada would benefit highly from more social programs. Poverty is a big cause of crime. Giving everyone a helping hand out of it would likely go a long way in improving the safety of our cities.
They will be receiving my vote unless Dion manages to wow me in the debates or in his campaigning.
Please DO vote though!!!