OT: Canadian Federal Election

[BlackRose]

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]

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]

I'm awake. I live near Vancouver.

[David E. Gervais]

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!

[EvilGenius4ABetterTomorro]

Hi, I was just wondering about a recent quote from the leader of the "Bloc" about how he was going to put issues regarding Quebec first. Isn't that kind of selfish? I know Senators down here look out for their own states but jeesh! Are there importand issues in Quebec that need to be addressed above other national matters? I was just reading about that "Bloc" leader guy. A ex militant Marxist? Oh great! Don't be adding any hammer and sickle to that red maple leaf!

[TerranC]

Hi, I was just wondering about a recent quote from the leader of the "Bloc" about how he was going to put issues regarding Quebec first. Isn't that kind of selfish?

Yup.

Are there importand issues in Quebec that need to be addressed above other national matters?

Not really IMHO, they just need a bunch of money for lots of things just like every other province, but the bloc argues that since a majority of Quebecers speak French (and have, in turn a "distinct" society), that Quebec should be special and get better treatment by the federal government than other provinces.

I was just reading about that "Bloc" leader guy. A ex militant Marxist? Oh great! Don't be adding any hammer and sickle to that red maple leaf!

Don't worry; should he get his way, you won't be seeing a People's Republic of Canada; instead, you'll be seeing a People's Republic of Quebec.

[ June 29, 2004, 21:28: Message edited by: TerranC ]

[EvilGenius4ABetterTomorro]

Thanks, just wanted to get an opinion on that. I do care what happens in Canada. I go there quite a bit and would hate to see anything interfere with their standard of living or happiness...or the continued construction of underground shopping malls.


Vancouver has a "Skytrain" underground; hey who knew!

[Grandpa Kim]

Originally posted by Renegade 13:
How would you distribute the seats around the country??

Simple:

1. Have all candidates run at large. So 5000 candidates up for 310 slots. Top 310 win those slots... and represent no one part of the country more than another.

2. Candidates (again at large) must produce a verifiable petition with 100,000 names on it to gain a seat. If you can get 1,000,000 names, you gain 10 seats... and 10 votes in the house!

The beauty of the Last one is you represent those 100,000 citizens wholeheartedly! No disgruntled voters who voted for the other guy!

These ideas are not new by a long shot, but as this election has proven, the electorate hates change. They prefer the bad old ways to taking a chance. These electoral ideas are just way too big a change.

[BlackRose]

Well only 60% of the elegible voters voted, OR there were more people who DID NOT vote than voted for the Liberals.

[ June 30, 2004, 02:46: Message edited by: BlackRose ]

[Renegade 13]

Well, if this minority gov't doesn't Last long (which it probably won't...) next time I should be able to vote! As long as the election is after April 27, 2005, I'll be giving the Conservatives one more vote.