anyone planning to vote in the federal election (canadian)?

[alan t]

I know it's still several weeks away. but is anyone else thinking about it?

I am currently thinking of voting for the green party, because they're the only ones whose platform i like.

[MusicIsLife]

I always vote. If you don't there's always that chance of someone you don't like getting power.

I'm voting NDP.

[Mirko]

Yep! I'll be voting! It is going to be an interesting race in my riding. But I haven't made up my mind up yet.

[Revan]

I will be voting, my first federal election actually even though I'm 22 (23 end of month), I missed the last one due to being out of Canada at the time. But I really have no idea who I want to vote for. I'm totally against Ignatieff, he's a tool plain and simple, Harper not really big fan of either, Layton I'm sort of okay with but the platform on the website is like four points with one line descriptions which to me is like wtf? Bloc I just no.... And Green Party? I dunno. I think I'll just put a write in for myself (I know this isn't possible but wouldn't it be lovely?)

[Nitro]

According to the cbc vote compass I am a liberal - this gave me a little laugh. Maybe NDP? The caliber of the local candidates makes a big difference.

[alexi12]

How big are these elections? I don't understand Canadian politics at all, I'm just curious.

[haelmarie]

Originally Posted by Revan

I'm totally against Ignatieff, he's a tool plain and simple,

Why do you say that?

Originally Posted by alexi12

How big are these elections? I don't understand Canadian politics at all, I'm just curious.

They're federal, so the whole country votes.

Although the provincial elections in my province are coming up soon as well.

Unfortunately, I will not yet be 18 so I can't vote yet =[

[alan t]

Originally Posted by Nitro

According to the cbc vote compass I am a liberal -

Me too, but then if I adjusted which categories I considered important and which not, I could make the result move around.

---------- Post added 6th Apr 2011 at 08:38 PM ----------

Originally Posted by MusicIsLife

If you don't there's always that chance of someone you don't like getting power.

yes, of course that's true whether you do or not

[Revan]

I say it because most of what he says sounds ridiculous, and I'm sorry, I don't really know if I agree with voting for someone who just came back to Canada, it just makes me feel like he'd be out of touch. I'm not saying he's horrible, and I'm not siding with Conservatives over Ignatieff, I just :S. Problem is, whether we like it or not, this election like every other is going to be Liberal vs Conservative.

[Eric]

Originally Posted by haelmarie

Unfortunately, I will not yet be 18 so I can't vote yet =[

This.
I'm actually kind of a fan of Ignatieff though. If I could vote, I'd probably vote liberal.

i yet have to register... man just lookin for the time to do so

[Bryan90]

Originally Posted by Revan

I say it because most of what he says sounds ridiculous, and I'm sorry, I don't really know if I agree with voting for someone who just came back to Canada, it just makes me feel like he'd be out of touch. I'm not saying he's horrible, and I'm not siding with Conservatives over Ignatieff, I just :S. Problem is, whether we like it or not, this election like every other is going to be Liberal vs Conservative.

I doubt the 'Liberal vs. Conservative' scenario would be the case. There is a lot of vote splitting between the Liberals and the NDP.

2008 Election seats:
Conservative 143
Liberal 77
Bloc 49
NDP 37

In cases like these, I really think that strategic voting has its merits. Though even with strategic voting, the conservatives still seem to be ahead.

And I honestly DON'T GET the bloc! Sure, it made sense when they were fighting for speration, but now that the referrendum failed, they claim to be fighting for the provincial interest?! We might as well just all have a provincial party then.... There is a reason why we have ridings and how the MPs for each riding has to represent the riding. Having a provincial party seems really ridiculous to me.

[zeratul]

I am going to vote for the Liberal candidate in my riding because I come from a Liberal stronghold city. I am fully in support of the Conservative Party to continue govern our country, but I prefer it so that they once again become a minority government and not a majority government. I believe that they will win without my support and I have to tip the balance to make the minority happen.

[Bryan90]

Originally Posted by Bryan90

I doubt the 'Liberal vs. Conservative' scenario would be the case. There is a lot of vote splitting between the Liberals and the NDP.

2008 Election seats:
Conservative 143
Liberal 77
Bloc 49
NDP 37

In cases like these, I really think that strategic voting has its merits. Though even with strategic voting, the conservatives still seem to be ahead.

And I honestly DON'T GET the bloc! Sure, it made sense when they were fighting for speration, but now that the referrendum failed, they claim to be fighting for the provincial interest?! We might as well just all have a provincial party then.... There is a reason why we have ridings and how the MPs for each riding has to represent the riding. Having a provincial party seems really ridiculous to me.

Okay.. the argument on the riding doesn't make too much sense. The following is a better argument:

There is a reason why we have the separation of provincial and federal government. The provincial gov. uses provincial tax in a way it deems best for the province while the federal government uses federal tax in a way it deems best for the country. Having a provincial party at a federal level competing for federal taxes for the sole interest of the province defeats the purpose fo the separation of province and federal.

Schizophrenia ftw.....

[alan t]

Originally Posted by Bryan90

Okay.. the argument on the riding doesn't make too much sense. The following is a better argument:

There is a reason why we have the separation of provincial and federal government. The provincial gov. uses provincial tax in a way it deems best for the province while the federal government uses federal tax in a way it deems best for the country. Having a provincial party at a federal level competing for federal taxes for the sole interest of the province defeats the purpose fo the separation of province and federal.

Schizophrenia ftw.....

The purpose is to represent the interests of Quebec. No nation-wide party can serve all the interests of a single region, if they are too different from those of the rest of the country. Even if the government did what was best for the country on average, it would not necessarily be what's best for one particular region.

[TriBi]

Well - I'm not Canadian - I'm Australian. Just to throw a spanner in the works - if you lived here you would HAVE to vote (or risk getting fined for not doing so). Voting is compulsory here (and I think that is a bloody good idea).

So - what if you don't want to vote? Well - you just go along and 'spoil' your vote. Oddly enough - not many people do so deliberately - most really DO want to have a say in who actually gets elected.

Australia also is one of the countries that doesn't employ a 'first past the post' voting system. Here we have a preferential system. You not only get to place your vote for the person you most favour - if they are not the 'preferred by most' candidate - your 'preference' for an alternate will also be counted.

What this means is that you could then have the unusual situation where a candidate who receives a lesser number of 'first' votes could be elected - because they are 'preferred' by more people who gave their primary vote to another.

Personally I think this is a better, and more representative, system. Not everyone will agree - but it does ensure a far greater participation in the election of those who represent us in government.

[xequar]

Originally Posted by TriBi

Well - I'm not Canadian - I'm Australian. Just to throw a spanner in the works - if you lived here you would HAVE to vote (or risk getting fined for not doing so). Voting is compulsory here (and I think that is a bloody good idea).

So - what if you don't want to vote? Well - you just go along and 'spoil' your vote. Oddly enough - not many people do so deliberately - most really DO want to have a say in who actually gets elected.

Australia also is one of the countries that doesn't employ a 'first past the post' voting system. Here we have a preferential system. You not only get to place your vote for the person you most favour - if they are not the 'preferred by most' candidate - your 'preference' for an alternate will also be counted.

What this means is that you could then have the unusual situation where a candidate who receives a lesser number of 'first' votes could be elected - because they are 'preferred' by more people who gave their primary vote to another.

Personally I think this is a better, and more representative, system. Not everyone will agree - but it does ensure a far greater participation in the election of those who represent us in government.

It is a brilliant system, one I'd love to see here in the United States.

[stageone]

I think it is important to vote- though it sometimes looks like there are no good options
My 13 year old daughter just told me she's happy she's not an adult and doesn't have to vote yet: "Do you hear what they're saying about each other on tv? That's just not cool." Agreed.
Harper has taken credit (and may deserve some of it) for our economic stability. While that is important to me, I am not sure it is worth the risk of his increasing disregard for the rights of Canadians and the democratic process. I will probably vote liberal.
I think Ignatieff would get more votes if he groomed his eyebrows... just sayin'...

[zerogravity]

Canadian politics is screwed up because there are 2 main parties on the left (liberal, NDP), and only one on the right (Conservative). There used to be two right-wing parties (Reform and PC), which tipped the scales to the side of the Liberals. In Quebec there is one party which is made up of left and right wingers (The Bloq, Quebec nationalist).

[haelmarie]

Originally Posted by Revan

I say it because most of what he says sounds ridiculous, and I'm sorry, I don't really know if I agree with voting for someone who just came back to Canada, it just makes me feel like he'd be out of touch. I'm not saying he's horrible, and I'm not siding with Conservatives over Ignatieff, I just :S. Problem is, whether we like it or not, this election like every other is going to be Liberal vs Conservative.

Could you give me an example of some of the things he has said that you find ridiculous? From what I've heard from him, his policies are fairly sound and nothing particularly off the map. As a matter of fact, he seems, in my opinion, to be the most sincere of all of the candidates.