Vive users consistently elevate issues like economic integration and BMD to dealbreaker status and relegate the parties stances on domestic economic vision, their stances on law reform, bilingualism, social and charter policy and federal-provincial relations to the backburner. Notwithstanding the similarties in foreign policy and health care, the Conservatives and Liberals are radically different in their domestic economic vision, their stances on law reform, bilingualism, social and charter policy and federal-provincial relations. We will not recognise Canada under a Conservative government. The Liberals would not radically restructure the Canadian polity. The Conservatives will run Canada into another deficit, erode the power of the federal government, roll back charter rights and align our legal system values with those of the US. Why doens't anyone care about these things? They are far more important to the future of the Canadian polity than is BMD yet vive users don't want or care to recognise the conservatives' and liberals' differing positions in those areas.
And why does all matter? In a perfect world everyone would vote NDP (although I am serious concerns about the NDP's union ties, the leadership strength of that clown layton and the ability of an NDP govenrment to not run a deficit), and we would get a party that is 100% committed to Canadian values. But that unfortunatley is not reality. THe liberals and COnservatives are in a dead heat and most dissatisfacted voters are turning to the Conservatives. THe NDP has a certain stigma and no matter now bad you want people to vote for the NDP, you are just not going to elicit that kind of response before June 28. It's fine to dream, but there comes a time when we have plug our noses and be realistic. In ridings where the liberal and conservative vote is very very close, a few more votes for the NDP, which wouldn't have a chance of winning the seat anyway given the liberal-con numbers, would just propel a cnservative MP into the house. Disasterous for Canada.
Please address my specific points - NOT FOREIGN POLICY, BMD OR HEALTH CARE. We're agreed on those similarties between the parties. (But they're not the same on military or foreign policy really-only similar on one aspect of foriegn policy and military-namely BMD, yes David Pratt is a hawk, but the Paul Martin has stated equivocally Canada made the right decision to stay out of Iraq)
Read an article on this topic from the star:
Editorial: Harper's agenda weakens Canada
Note: Editorial: Harper's age...
Stumble It!
Now your saying the Conservatives want integration. Madness! Globalization will sell everything we have that is not nailed down. John Manley said in 2000, then the Minister of Trade and Commerce, predicted the end of federal restrictions on foreign ownership of Canadian airlines, communication companies and Banks. Good by Shaw and Rogers, goodbye Air Canada and West Jet, good buy banks GOODBYE CANADA! CN is already US owned and CPR has been spilt into 5 so it can increase profits for the shareholders who are more and more American.
The US has lost 300,000 jobs to India, China and Canada thanks to Globalization. In Canada we have lost 208,000 since FTA. With over half our manufacturing base owned by foreigners when the crunch comes that will all head south too offset their hemorrhaging job market leaving us out in the cold. Taking all the high tech jobs with benefits and steady paychecks south of the 49th and we will have jobs at Walmart to fill the gap. Do you want to be fighting over the job of who gets to be the greeter at Walmart? Vote lib/con! One is actively selling out and the other is selling us out because it would upset their major sponsors! The other 2 major parties do not have a position and will only delay the inevitable with their indecisiveness. Our nation is being sold underneath us!
Secondly, this thread is about major differences between parties that have a real chance of forming government from the vote outcome of June 28. It is within this context that this thread pleads you to think, realistically.
To help make the point that there are really only two choices for a leader government here, if NDP actually won the federal election, wouldnt we all be surprised, and wouldnt it also be a historical first.
Furthermore, it would help to look at and outside your own riding to understand that in many instances, the debate is actually between the Liberals and the Conservatives, despite the national coverage of the NDP. Hell, the bloc got national coverage and they only have ridings in Quebec.
Please understand that I do personally support voting for opposition. But in this case we see that Stephen Harper is about to take leadership of the federation. It makes sense to vote strategically in this context and to make sure that Stephen Harper does not assume leadership of our country.
Recognize the difference between the leading parties, and make your choice wisely. Do not accept the capitulation of Canada that Stephen Harper represents.
J Kirouac
I'm everyone by now is aware of Harper's plan to remove mandatory bilingualism from Air Canada. That's great. Canada, a bilingual country, will have a mostly English national airline, French services 'where numbers warrant.' A complete slap in the face to linguistic equality.
Child porn fiasco. Harper's crowing on Canada's weak anti-child porn laws is utter nonsence. Canada has some of the toughest anti-child porn laws in the world. But why let the truth get in the way of scoring political points? As this editorial at the globeandmail.com points out, the conservatives won't be happy until they'll be able to send the thought control unit of the RCMP crashing through your front door:
http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/Art ... Editorials
At first I was going to spoil my ballot, then this site and everyone gradually made me see that was a stupid idea. It would serve no purpose.
I have now decided to support the NDP, even though I am fully aware of the danger of harper forming a minority government.
My local Liberal candidate has been around for a long time, and is not a cabinet minister. I suspect he will win his seat again.
I am voting for something. I am not voting against a party, because, even as you say there is a huge difference between the Libs and CONS, Martin is still a right wing politician.
I am so up to here with people in Ontario phoning into the call-in shows on CPAC, which I do regularly, that look at what mike harris did to our province, and they praise him because he did what he said he wouold do.
Somehow, these people have it backwards: if harris told everyone that he was going to spend millions on consultants after laying off thousands of government workers, and then line his friends pockets after he slashed the social programs, including disability benefits 22% as one of his first major changes to the system, he then turned around and passed a law that made it so a person caught committing fraud on social programs would be banned for life from ever having access to those programs.
That cost one lady her life, who was pregnant and under house arrest for (get this) taking out a student loan so she could upgrade her education.
She committed suicide.
Mike harris should be tried in the deaths of many people in the tainted water scandal, but he walks free to do his crap at the federal level now, propping up harper along with mulroney.
I think that about covers it for now.
Go Jack Go !!
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"Arrogance in Politics is unacceptable"
Jim Callaghan
Minden, Ontario
705-286-1860
www.misterc.ca
dollars with his tax cuts for the "rich."
I went to Africa with my savings and
enjoyed the first total solar eclipse
of the 21st century. This is a much
better use of MY MONEY than pissing
it away on taxes. Mike kept money
in my pocket.
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"These Yankee politicians are the lowest race of thieves in existence." - Sir John Sparrow Thompson
Sorry didn't notice that you had a username now. I'll refer to you as "Jus Society" for now on and not Anon.
Kevin
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"Love actually, is all around us" --From the movie Love Actually.
No I am not buying this at all, a vote for something is far better than a vote against. If people keep running scared they will give Martin a clear message that robbing us blind, dealing in BMD and not dealing with trade issues, is what we want, so I won't give him my blessing!
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If I stand for my country today...will my country be here to stand for me tomorrow?
You too can enjoy the benefits of a CONservative government, Canada!
It is always a clear sign of a party's stagnation when they have to try and claw away voters from other parties when NEARLY HALF OF THE ELECTORATE DOESN'T VOTE! If they had any real vision in their platform, they could convince disenfranchised voters to support them. Apparently, they aren't desperate enough. Soliciting the support of people who want to keep the elected officials to their promises if they want to stay in power seems to be too much work when they can manage to scrape by on the disgust people have of harper and his neocons. That is why I'm voting for the NDP with the hope of a Liberal/NDP government being the result.