Who I am Voting For

[pyat]

I ain't voting for anyone until the Canadian Abolitionist Party comes back.



I can't remember what they were about, but their symbol was a computer disk pinned to a sport coat, and the party leader could play the accordion.

Comments

[bodhifox.livejournal.com]

What are your two strongest parties and what's the record on smaller parties running your government? Say in the last 20 years?

I could look it up but I'm sure you know.

[waiwode.livejournal.com]

Only two parties have ever formed a federal government: The Conservatives (who aren't actually the Progressive Conservatives, who imploded in the 90's, but a coalition between them and the Reform Party) and the Liberals.

Doug.

[dronon.livejournal.com]

Although the "Liberal" party in Canada is a moderate right-wing party. Sort of like the Clinton administration.

[pyat.livejournal.com]

I don't think the Liberals adhere to either wing, m'self, while not exactly being Centrist, either. They're the "What will get us elected?" party.

[pyat.livejournal.com]

Historically, they were the Whigs ("Liberals") and Tories ("Progressive Conservatives" or "PC"), with the Whigs being the most prominent. Canadians tended to elect the Liberals for long stretches of two or three majority government terms, or more, and then follow it up with one or two Conservative bare majority or minority government terms. The Liberals can stay in power for very long stretches - William Lyon Mackenzie King was PM for 21 years, Trudeau was in for 14 years.

For most of Canadian history, the only other party to win seats in the House of Commons was the New Democracts, which are very, very left, though they had their genesis amongst Methodists and Saskatchewan farm folk.

However, your question gets complicated!

After a wildly unpopular Progressive Conservative government in the latter half of the 80s and early 90s, the Tories imploded. Fourteen parties fielded federal candidates in the 1993 election, and the Bloc Quebecois and right-wing Reform party (think "Republicans-lite") carved up most of the traditionally Tory seats.

The Reform were originally a regional bloc, like the Quebecois parties, representing Western interests. However, they became national, and in 2003 they "dissolved the party" and became the "Canadian Conservative Reform Alliance Party", or "CCRAP."

No, I'm not kidding. And yes, they changed their name, to Canadian Conservative Alliance. The dissolution and reestablishment was largely an effort to lure Tory voters. The Tory party limped along through the 90s, and in 2003 they ended up merging with the Alliance, and the resulting Frankenstein was called the "Conservative Party of Canada." They are currently in charge, though it's a minority government. Depending on who you ask, they may or may not count as the "Tory" party. I don't usually call them Tories.

As to smaller parties running government, the NDP fairly regularly get elected to provincial government, and the NDP, Reform, and Bloc Quebecois all started as tiny parties that rose to national prominence fairly quickly. The Green Party appears to be on track to do this, too.

[relee.livejournal.com]

The NDP usually gets enough seats that they can team up with the opposition and overpower the majority, don't they? I thought that's how it worked.

[pyat.livejournal.com]

True until 1993, yes. And possibly true in this next election.

[momentrabbit.livejournal.com]

God, I hope so, lest Harper think he's got a 'mandate' again..

[relee.livejournal.com]

I'm still holding out a hope that the Conservatives will be relegated to the opposition this time. But I really haven't got a clue what's going to happen. Maybe there'll be a surprise and everybody will be so fed up with the Liberals and Conservatives that a third party will get a minority government. Wouldn't that be crazy? XD

In any case I really really really hope that the conservatives don't get a majority government. That would suck so hard. ;.;

I'm gonna go vote now, though I'd bet good money that the guy I'm going to vote for isn't gonna get elected.

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

Harper could win on 26% of the vote, if it was evenly distributed, and will probably win a minority on about 30% of the vote. And the kicker is - he'd claim a mandate EITHER WAY. For that matter, so would the Liberals if the same thing happened to them.

[momentrabbit.livejournal.com]

True, and true, sadly.

[waiwode.livejournal.com]

No ... that only works in a Minority government. If the NDP aren't the Government, they're part of the Opposition.

By definition a Majority government can't be out-voted in the house (assuming everyone shows up, the job of the Party Whip). In 2006 the Conservatives would have needed 155 seats to form a Majority, they won 124 seats.

Minority governments are quite common in Europe (where there are frequently a half-dozen or more popular parties getting a significant portion of the votes/seats). They tend to result in more moderate governments, as the government must acceed to the demands of other parties (either ad hoc or by forming a coalition) and can't afford to push their platform too hard.

When the Opposition has enough votes to overpower the Government it can trigger a non-confidence motion, a second vote that has the potential to overthrow the government. The Conservatives were the leaders of the Opposition for our last non-confidence vote, 29 Nov 2005.

Doug.

[pyat.livejournal.com]

I amend my answer to this one!

[relee.livejournal.com]

Ahh of course, how silly of me. I hope we get annother minority government this time, I liked the minority government over the last few years. <3

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

I didn't. The opposition had no teeth, and kept running away while Harper played chicken with them. You know how many times Harper tried to get the Liberals to force an election with a non-confidence motion, and Dion refused to do it - even when the law in question NEEDED to be defeated? I never had much faith in Dion, but that ate it up.

It was a minority government that acted like a majority in pretty much every way.

[paka.livejournal.com]

All this fluidity sounds so good compared to our current, unquestionable two parties, right now.

[pyat.livejournal.com]

It's pretty cool. :) Of the six local candidates, I'd happily vote for three of 'em.

[stress-kitten.livejournal.com]

Yeah... I like the multi-party system better than a rigid two party, quasi-religion. :-D