OT: Canadian Federal Election

BlackRose · #1 June 29th, 2004, 05:36 AM

Yes it's all very interesting, too bad they dont get their coverage.

All other independant parties mostly had their %'s cut in half.

Liberals lost 10% of their previous popular vote

Conservatives lost 21.5%

NDP Gained 83%

Bloc Gained 18%

Green Gained 525%

David E. Gervais · #2 June 29th, 2004, 05:47 AM

Oh, one thing, I think that seats in the house of commons should be given out based on popular votes. it would be a truer representation of the people's wishes, and it would also mean that every vote counts. As is in many ridings the people always feel that their votes don't count, because they have lost their riding. but in the big pic, they are often in the majority.

just a little note about how I feel about the seats in the house of commons.

BTW: the green party gets 4.2% of the popular vote (over 500,000) and has no representation in the house? that is just not right. The bloc got some 1.5million votes and 54 seats. by right Ithink the green party should have 12 seats of their own. Some lonely indipendant gets 13,000 votes and wins a seat. There is definately something wrong with our system, but I doubt it will ever change in my lifetime.

Cheers!

Renegade 13 · #3 June 29th, 2004, 06:31 AM

One problem with seats based on popular votes:

How would you distribute the seats around the country?? Would you randomly distribute them? What? You could end up with a NDP incumbent in a riding that voted 70% Conservative...and THAT would not be right. They would not be getting the appropriate representation.

BlackRose · #4 June 29th, 2004, 07:13 AM

Certainly, but the system the way it works right now delivers things like this:

BC LIBERALS got 98% of the Seats with only 57% of the vote.

In a sense you are right but this is how things would shake up if you went by the popular vote:

Liberal 113 Seats (Actual: 136)
Conservative 91 Seats (Actual:96)
NDP 48 Seats (Actual: 20)
BLOC 39 Seats (Actual: 54)
Green 13 (Actual: 0)
Combined Ohter 4 (Actual: 1)

So the biggest blow would be the Liberals and the Bloc. (is that bad?)

The Biggest Bonus would go to the Green and the NDP. (heck we the people wanted that!)

You have to look at it in a lot of different ways but in the end the Popular Vote would make a HUGE difference in how are goverment is formed.

The hard part is finding out who would be elected from where, or would the party leaders decide? who knows, but it is a significant difference.

The other thing we need to consider is the the 'non voters' and the 'stategic vote'.

1: 'Non Voters' I happen to live in a riding that is 79% Liberal support, so why should I vote for the conservative government? They cant win so I wont vote. OR I like the Greens but they simply cant win in my riding so I'm not going to bother.

2: 'Strategic Vote' I like the NDP but my riding is very heated between the Conservatives and the Liberals, I HATE the Liberals SO i'll vote conservative to STOP the Liberals.

It totally jades the process and often discourages voters. If you really wanted the CURRENT system to work you'd herd all the like minded people into the Ridings, which is obviously just aboud as flawed as our system

[ June 29, 2004, 06:24: Message edited by: BlackRose ]

BlackRose · #5 June 29th, 2004, 07:39 AM

Oh My, I dont know if anyone is awake right now (I'm in BC) but this Liberal/NDP Majority is dissapearing.

It seems to all be coming down to two things, a vote in NEW WESTMINSTER that just went over to the Conservative Government.

The Independant Candidate that was elected in SURREY who was formerly a Conservative MP but chose to run as an INDEPENDANT. He is however planning on polling the people that voted for him to see if they want him to go back to the Conservative.

Regardless of the second point is this

The Liberals ended up with 135 Seats
There supposed coalition partner the NDP ended with 19 Seats
The Conservative ended with 99 Seats
BLOC with 54
And the Independant who may/may not go over to the conservative has 1

SO In theory the the Liberals with the NDP now would hold 154 Seats which is not a majority vote (they would need 155).

Things just got ugly

narf poit chez BOOM · #6 June 29th, 2004, 07:53 AM

I'm awake. I live near Vancouver.

David E. Gervais · #7 June 29th, 2004, 02:48 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Renegade 13:
One problem with seats based on popular votes:

How would you distribute the seats around the country?? Would you randomly distribute them? What? You could end up with a NDP incumbent in a riding that voted 70% Conservative...and THAT would not be right. They would not be getting the appropriate representation.

I understand the problems involved in "How to distribute the seats" if they were given out by popular vote. But I think the 'Party leaders' could decide who goes to Ottawa to represent them, and as for 'the person with the most votes in a riding not geting to Ottawa' well, instead of voting for all these individual mp's just have the 'party-name' on the ballots. (and have all registered partied on every ballot.)

The Green party got close to 600,000 votes and as is 4.3% of the population has no representation in the house of commons. At the very least the 'Leader' of the Green party should have a seat in the house of commons.

Our system is far from perfect and never will be, but such is life. Nuf said.

Cheers!