Stephen Harper will be our next Prime Minister

[ollie]

Does anyone think the Liberals can still win another minority government?

I can think of nothing but mis-steps and minor scandal when I think of the Liberal campaign up to this point. Whereas the Conservative campaign at least has some substance to it. I mean, it's not going to get me to vote Conservative but I can see how their platform will sway a lot more of "middle Canada".

I'm starting to resign myself to the fact that a minority Conservative government won't be that bad and hopefully the Liberals can get some new blood at the top and start to remove the taint.

Opinions on this or general thougts on the campaign thus far? It's been quiet here on the political front. And I'm still waiting for D-Rawk to update his blog!!

[Booche]

Does anyone think the Liberals can still win another minority government?

nope

[MarcO]

I think the Liberals will form a minority government and that the next Parliament will look a lot like the one we have now. Which is fine with me.

[Guest Low Roller]

Liberals will win. I think the mentality of the majority of the voters will be to stick with the devil they know rather than someone new. Afterall, despite the scandal the Liberals have managed to balance the budget how many years in a row now?

[Rob Not Bob]

On the other hand, Canada does vote in a Conservative government every once in a while to remind themselves why they don't do it more often.

[Alexis]

I'm still waiting for the rest of the platforms to come out before i make a final decision.

having said that, i really don't understand how the liberals could win a minority or a majority government, if people really thought about what's been going on in the past, what promises they've made and how they plan to execute them. However, i don't think people will think about those things. i think that the liberal marketing strategy is a good one. The whole "the liberal party is the natural choice for canadians. if you don't vote liberal you're not a real canadian" is a good strategy. Also, I've recently met a lot of "new canadians" and it astonishes me the way they think about voting. The ones I've met say that compared to where they come from canada is amazing (which I agree with). And they think that the party in power when they came here is a good enough one to vote for. they don't really think about their choices, or how to make canada better. they're satisfied with the status quo. they're statisfied with anything really, that's better than where they've come from.

i do think what the conservatives have done so far is good though. they're trying to stay ahead of the other leaders and parties in the headlines, and it takes something ridiculous like banning hand guns to out do them. i like that they say what they're going to do, and HOW they're going to do it, and their plans and goals are all realistic.

will they win a minority....it's possible...thank god. people just need to wake the hell up and think for themselves.

[thatpatguy]

I'm thinking there won't be much of a change to the house of commons.. which will be interesting to see if that will then get everyone pissed off at those who pushed so hard for an election, wasting everyone's time and money.

but I could be wrong..

[Guest Low Roller]

Every party has their skeletons...

Conservatives:

Liberals:

NDP:

BQ:

[Alexis]

an election is never a waste of time or money. even if not one damn thing changes. it's not a waste of money.

with more talk like that, if the polls show the majority party still in the majority of favour what's to say that we won't have an election the next time?

[Velvet]

How is banning handguns ridiculous?

[Alexis]

I think banning handguns is ridiculous because i don't think it will solve the problem that solution is intended to solve.

As I see it, that promise was made in regards to the escalating gun violence in Toronto, and i don't think that banning handguns will have much impact on that issue.

[Dr_Evil_Mouse]

people just need to wake the hell up and think for themselves.

Thanks for my daily chuckle .

Unfortunately the first thing this usually seems to involve is their thinking about themselves and what they can get for themselves out of the vote. Not to say this isn't important, but self-indulgence seems to be the one thing that really comes out during elections, and platforms tend to pander to that. Even the satisfaction of lobbing a revenge vote against some offending government (and, as noted above, every party's government has had dirt on its hands).

[Davey Boy 2.0]

You know if there was a movie made about this election, I think Richard Dreyfuss at his whinyest could play Layton:

The idea that Canadians can only choose between the Liberals and Conservatives is "frankly offensive," said NDP Leader Jack Layton on Tuesday.

As the federal election campaign heads into its final three weeks, Layton is focusing his attention on strategic voting, hoping to convince voters not to switch from the NDP to the Liberals to block a Conservative victory.

"It is frankly offensive for [Liberal Leader Paul] Martin to tell Canadians they are limited to two choices, that they are limited to a choice between corruption and conservatives," he said.

Layton was in Oshawa on Tuesday morning, as he and his party swing through southern Ontario, where the New Democrats hope to pick up some seats.

Oshawa, Layton said, is one place where strategic voting backfired. Conservative Colin Carrie beat the NDP's Sid Ryan by 463 votes in 2004. Ryan is running again, hoping to take the seat away from Carrie.

Layton has been railing against strategic voting all campaign, insisting that electing New Democrats gives his party more power to influence policy from the opposition benches.

[Velvet]

Okay, aside from the fact that it's just a little election promise made purely for the purpose of garnering votes, what is wrong with banning handguns?

By the way, isn't it funny that right after the announcement was made a legit handgun collector in Cornwall was robbed and lost 22 handguns in the robbery?

[Birdy]

i don't think anything is "wrong" with banning handguns. in theory it's beautiful. but as legislation, i think it's useless and will mop up tax payers money that could be better spent elsewhere.

in the end, the weapon isn't the criminal. the criminal is.

Edited January 3, 2006 by Guest

[Alexis]

people just need to wake the hell up and think for themselves.

Thanks for my daily chuckle .

Unfortunately the first thing this usually seems to involve is their thinking about themselves and what they can get for themselves out of the vote. Not to say this isn't important' date=' but self-indulgence seems to be the one thing that really comes out during elections, and platforms tend to pander to that. Even the satisfaction of lobbing a revenge vote against some offending government (and, as noted above, every party's government has had dirt on its hands).

[/quote']

no probs on the jokes

people may not expect to hear me say this, but when i think about who to vote for, i think about who will do the most good for a) the riding i live in and canada as a whole. i live within this distinct society. i want it to progress as far as it can. yes, my rating are givin based on my own personal preferences and priorities, but i'm not naive to vote for my own interests. there's no way that they'll ever be served, our voting process doesn't work that way. canada being better makes all of us, as canadians better...that's what we should be trying to do with our vote, better canada for ourselves and our children.

[Blane]

fucking hell I hope the cons don't win. Seriously the very thought of it makes me feel ill. I wish more Canadians would take a look at what they value about the country and compare it to what the candidates stand for. I mean shit, Tommy Douglas was named "Greatest Canadian Ever" like 6 months ago or something? The majority of Canadians supported our hard line with the US over missle defence, Iraq, trade, etc. and are anti-Bush. But now the Globe is trying to feed us this line of how the Tories, running on a platform of substituting a social contract with tax rebates is the best choice to represent us and our values? I seriously don't get it.

If things go the wrong way and Harper turns into the John Howard of the North I don't know if I'll be able to stay in this country. It's too disgusting.

Edited January 3, 2006 by Guest

[Alexis]

i don't think there's anything inherently WRONG with banning handguns. i think it's pointless, and a waste of the federal governments time and money, which in the end is a waste of my and your time and money.

i think that that little election promise reflects a lot on the liberals. it says to me that they aren't willing to think of dynamic solutions to a problem that is growing, and shows no signs of stopping. it tells me that when it comes down to creativity, they don't have it. there are better solutions to this problem than what they've presented me with. we all know that just because it's not legal to buy something, doesn't mean you can't get ahold of it.

edit to add: i heard on cfrb (local talk radio) from a host, not a caller (whatever credability that gives) that hand gun sales actually went up 30% after that announcement was made, that, i think is funny.

Edited January 3, 2006 by Guest

[bradm]

I think the handgun ban is symptomatic of a problem that Robert A. Heinlein noticed about the USA: we believe that, because we live in a democracy, that we can affect change in society by passing laws. We forget, however, that to affect change in society, you have to change people's behaviours, which often are independent of laws.

We want safer streets. We want fewer killings. We need to get the handguns that are out there, now, in the hands of people, off the street. How do we do this? Passing one federal law making it harder for an individual to buy a gun doesn't do anything to rid the streets of the guns that are out there in people's hands. The "gun amnesties" I've seen are good photo ops, but I doubt are more than a drop in the bucket.

For me, this came to a head recently with the Boxing Day shootings on Yonge St. in Toronto. My feeling was that somebody knows who did this; somebody knows people who have the guns that were used in this hideous crime; somebody knows someone out there with an illegal gun (handgun or otherwise). I want to see the people who know who has the handguns to turn these people in (anonymous tip line, anyone?). That is a change in behaviour which will (I hope) help rid our streets of guns (and, ideally, the criminals who possess them).

Aloha,

Brad

[Freak By Night]

The Liberals are toast. Kim Campbell toast.

Here's my predictions for seat numbers:

Conservatives: 220

Liberals: 2

NDP: 26

Bloc: 60

Other: 0

[Birdy]

nice idea bradm but the motto of every street-minded person that i know is, "keep your mouth shut".

noone likes a rat.

[Alexis]

everyone has a price. offering cash rewards, and varying levels of protection is a good idea for information leading to arrests, convictions and jail sentences.

[MarcO]

The Conservatives will have to make some major gains in Ontario for them to pull of a sweep in three weeks, and that is not going to happen.

[Alexis]

what would it take for your vote marco?

[MarcO]

pussy and beer.