RWL Mock Elections

[Peace Alliance]

 [IF you vote othe for heavens sake specify!]

Lets see who RWL would vote for our federal government.

For those of you in the states who don't know how canadian politics work, basicly, we vote for a local representative for a federal party. When a rep wins, they earn a seat in the house of commons. The party with the most seats wins.

I vote liberals because NDP wants to legalize pot, Alliance is a bunch of biggots, bloc is only running in quebec really, so they could never earn enough seats... Plus i think they're plotting to seperate quebec from canada as soon as they get in power O.o . The Green party would be cool, because they're so environmentaly oriantated and i think they could do a LOT of good for our country. Unfortunitly, i don't think they are anywhere near equipped enough to run an entire nation. Sure, they'd be great for our environment, and thats one of the most important things, but they wouldn't really know what to do with all the other things the government has to do.

I think liberals are a good party, they're few flaws are the gun registry (which they say they have plans to fix) and accusations of a sponsorship scandel... but i'm not very worried about that. Liberals have been in power for a LONG time, and i like the way the country is right now, so more power to 'em.

[Juby (Tercios)]

 I'd vote communist but were not running in my riding so NDP.

[Germania]

 Liberals for a minority governemnt with NDP as official opposition.

[Wolf Snare]

Liberals for a minority governemnt with NDP as official opposition.

Co-signed.

[Juby (Tercios)]

 are those realistic hopes germania and wolf snare, or is that what you want in a perfect world?

[Peace Alliance]

 not reolistic really. Looks like the alliance is gonna take the win, liberals in opposition. Which totally sucks 'cause the alliance isn't going to do anything but lance .... I hate the thought if even having to go thought 4 years with these guys, its even worse when looking at what harris's government did to ontario. GRRRRR  

[Naltaca]

 I voted other because umm.... the other choices all confused me except liberal. There should have been a "conservative" up there but maybe that fits into one of the other choices. Is that alliance maybe?

[Peace Alliance]

 Conservative is the Alliance party. few years back they all joined up to make the uber-conservative biggots... Somehow that got shortened to alliance?  :P  

[Naltaca]

 Alrighty then, you can just call me a biggot.

[Myrhakel]

 Hey! There are many non bigots in the Conservative party, such as Belinda Stronach.

The Conservatives will win with a minority government and they will be defeated in a few months and then the Liberals will come in with a majority. So don't worry.

I'd vote Green because there are no Communists running in my riding.  

[Aqualis]

Conservative is the Alliance party. few years back they all joined up to make the uber-conservative biggots... Somehow that got shortened to alliance?  :P

If that's the case. Alliance.

[Devari]

 Liberals. But, then again, I'd be voting more for our Liberal canidate (David Anderson), not the actual party.

If I lived elsewhere and COULD vote, it would be for one of the following:

Liberals
NDP
CAP
Greens




Now, for education time! :D

From CBC.ca/canadavotes (a great source of election coverage):

The Parties:

Bloc Qu?b?cois (Bloc) - http://www.bloc.org/
Canadian Action Party (CAP) - http://www.canadianactionparty.ca/
Christian Heritage Party (CHP) - http://www.chp.ca/
Communist Party of Canada (CPC) - http://www.communist-party.ca/
Conservative Party - http://www.conservative.ca/
Green Party of Canada - http://www.greenparty.ca/
Liberal Party - http://www.liberal.ca/
Libertarian Party of Canada - http://www.libertarian.ca/
Marijuana Party - http://www.marijuanaparty.ca/
Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada - http://www.cpcml.ca/
New Democratic Party (NDP) - http://www.ndp.ca/
Progressive Canadian Party - http://www.pcparty.org/

In-Depth (Primary Parties):


Bloc Qu?b?cois - The Bloc Qu?b?cois was created with one goal in mind: the sovereignty of Quebec. The party has been around since 1990 but exists solely in Quebec. It held 33 seats when Parliament was dissolved, but the BQ was once Canada's official Opposition, with 54 seats after the 1993 election. The current party leader is Gilles Duceppe.
   
The Bloc's policies are geared toward the sovereignty of the province. For obvious reasons, it does not field any candidates outside of Quebec.

If the party were to win (not possible without a coalition, given the distribution of votes across the country), its first order of business would be to find a way to secede. Barring that, its mandate is to push for Quebec's interests at the federal level.

Quebec typically has been a province where social programs and wealth redistribution have been popular with voters.

The Bloc Qu?b?cois has been at the forefront of the push for more information on the recent sponsorship scandal in Ottawa. In question period and the parliamentary hearings into the federal program, the Bloc has repeatedly taken the lead.

When it comes to federal-provincial matters, the Bloc feels strongly about keeping money local. It says that 50 per cent of Quebecers? taxes go to Ottawa, but they could be better spent at home, under provincial control. For example, the feds currently pay 14 per cent of the cost of health care in the province. The Bloc would like health care to be completely under provincial jurisdiction, with Ottawa granting tax points to Quebec to pay for it.

The party also says that human health is intricately tied to the environment. Environmental protection is one of the major planks in its platform. The party wants mandatory labelling for foods with genetically modified organisms, and more incentives for the development of cleaner energy sources such as wind and water, to discourage reliance on carbon-based sources.

On monetary issues, the Bloc would like to consider moving to a common currency for the Americas, similar to the euro, or possibly using the U.S. dollar in Quebec. It is calling on the federal government to reduce taxes for middle-income earners, and crack down on the ability to shelter money in tax havens. It has repeatedly said that Prime Minister Paul Martin shouldn?t funnel money from his family?s company through the Barbados, where taxes are lower.

The party says it would move quickly to settle land claims in Quebec, and work with First Nations groups to begin developing resources, where possible.

The Bloc wants immediate recognition for Quebec at international forums. It says it would increase aid to developing countries and support free trade, as long as it?s balanced with mechanisms to distribute the wealth fairly.





Conservative Party of Canada - The new Conservative Party of Canada was formed by the merger of the historic Progressive Conservative Party of Canada and the relatively new Canadian Alliance party (formerly the Reform party). Its leader is Stephen Harper.

The joining of the two parties was an attempt to "unite the right" and stop splitting the conservative vote at the federal level.

Although the Conservative party is the new kid on the block, we can look at the histories of the two parties that formed it to get a sense of where it might go in the future.

The party has posted an "Interim Policy Document" on its website to outline the policies on which the two "sides" of the party agree. It has also issued a pamphlet to its campaigning members that outlines, in broad strokes, the party's platform.

The party's policies are based on the belief that the primary responsibility for a person rests with the individual and his or her family. The document places a significant emphasis on individual rights, particularly the right to own property and run businesses with little interference from government.

The party hasn't been specific so far on health care. It has said that Canadians should have "reasonable" access to health care regardless of ability to pay, and that decision-making on health-care spending should be the exclusive domain of the provinces.

On aboriginal affairs, the Conservatives are adamant that self-government should fit within the structure of the Canadian Constitution and Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The party doesn't want aboriginal government to be another level of government outside of existing government structures.

The party also says that "institutionalized multiculturalism as a taxpayer-funded program has run its course."

Its fiscal policy is, not surprisingly, conservative. It plans what it calls "broad-based" tax cuts, and says it will introduce legislation that would require the government to bring in a balanced budget each year, barring exceptional circumstances. It also plans legislation to require a certain annual payment on the national debt, currently $510 billion.

The Conservatives are also pledging to get tougher on criminals. They would try violent or repeat young offenders as adults if they are over 14. They plan a national sex offender registry, and tougher sentencing legislation.

At the same time, the party would replace the current firearms legislation, including the much-criticized gun registry, with an unspecified replacement ? what it calls a "practical firearms control system." For more on the gun registry see our in-depth feature on gun control.





Liberal Party of Canada - The Liberal party has sometimes been described as Canada's "natural governing party" because it has formed the government for most of the past century.

Its policies, for the most part, fall in the middle of the political spectrum, making them broadly acceptable to a wide number of Canadians. Although not as popular in the West as in other parts of Canada, the Liberal party has long-standing support in the key provinces of Ontario and Quebec.

At the time of Parliament's dissolution, the Liberals had been in power for more than 10 years, largely under the leadership of Jean Chr?tien. Current leader Paul Martin has been keen to distinguish himself from his predecessor, however, promising to "change the way things work in Ottawa."

As part of that change, Martin says MPs should be allowed to vote according to their beliefs more often, rather than along party lines. His government has tabled a proposed plan for democratic reform, but critics have said it's not even as strong as changes proposed by Chr?tien that weren't passed before he left office. Liberal MP John Bryden left the party in February, partly because there was less freedom for MPs, rather than more.

Martin has repeatedly said that health care is one of his top priorities. The throne speech emphasized the need to shorten waiting times for diagnoses and treatment.

But there is no mention in the Liberal policy documents of the Romanow commission's findings on health care. One of its recommendations was that the federal government guarantee it would pay 25 per cent of the cost of medicare. Although Chr?tien's Liberal government commissioned the report, its recommendations have not been implemented. The premiers have been demanding action on the report.

Martin has already delivered on a pledge to boost health-care funding for this year by $2 billion.

In the throne speech, the Liberals promised to help aboriginal communities work toward self-governance, based on historic rights and agreements.

Another major element of Liberal policy is the promise of a "new deal" for municipalities, which includes, among other things, refunding municipalities the GST they pay. The party estimates that it will deliver $7 billion in stable new funding.





New Democratic Party - The New Democratic Party was founded in 1961, bringing together the Prairie-based Co-operative Commonwealth Federation and the unions of the Canadian Labour Congress. On its website , the party describes itself as "a clear democratic socialist political alternative."

But with just 14 members in the House of Commons, it's often difficult for them to be heard.

The party has enjoyed some revived interest lately, with the selection of its new leader, Jack Layton , and some polls suggest that its popularity has risen somewhat since the advent of the federal sponsorship scandal.

According to the NDP, job creation should be Canada's top economic priority. The party accuses the Liberals of abandoning workers, and reducing access to Employment Insurance and training programs.

The NDP also says health care is being underfunded. It would immediately increase the federal share of health-care funding to 25 per cent, and work to institute national home-care and pharmacare programs. The party says national standards would guarantee access to the same quality of health care for all.

The party also advocates for the decriminalization of marijuana. The NDP says drug policies should be health-based, and focus on harm reduction, not criminalization. The party argues that criminalization encourages the illegal drug trade.

Education is high on the list of priorities for the party. The NDP says it would lower tuitions, introduce federal grants for post-secondary education, and offer interest-free student loans.

On the international stage, the NDP would like to see new trade and investment rules that take the environment, human rights, labour standards and cultural diversity into consideration. It wants culture, health, education and water exempted from trade agreements.

The party is using attacks on Paul Martin as a large part of its campaign strategy. It's criticizing his practices as a businessman and as finance minister. In March, Layton laid out a plan to reduce the influence of lobbyists on the Prime Minister's Office.




In-Depth (Secondary Parties):

Canadian Action party ? The party emphasizes Canada's independence from the U.S., opposing globalization and free trade. The party website says "Strong domestic economics are essential to maximize human welfare." The party leader is Connie Fogal.

Christian Heritage Party ? The CHP describes itself as "Canada's only pro-Life, pro-family federal political party", and the only party that recognizes the supremacy of God and the rule of law in Canadian life. The party wants to put forward the Biblical perspective upon which it says Canada was founded. They also support financial incentives for stay-at-home parents, and reducing the prison population by requiring restitution and treating non-violent criminals outside of prison. The party leader is Ron Gray.

Communist Party of Canada ? The socialist party platform is based on the principles of Marxism-Leninism. The CPC (same initials as the Conservative Party of Canada) decries the capitalist system as parasitic and prone to unnecessary economic crises. The party lists job creation as its top priority. The party successfully challenged a move to have it deregistered for not running enough candidates in the 1993 federal election. The federal government has since proposed legislation that would allow parties to run just one candidate in a general election. The leader of the Communist party is Miguel Figueroa.

Green Party of Canada ? The party is the largest of the secondary parties, in terms of number of candidates. The Greens plan to run candidates in every riding during this election. The party says its goals include environmental sustainability, social justice, gender equity and decentralization of political power. The Green party has never won a seat in Canada, but Green parties in other countries, such as Germany, Belgium and Finland, have had some success at the ballot box. The party leader is Jim Harris.

Libertarian Party of Canada ? The party is founded on the belief that "each individual has the right to his or her own life, and this right is the source of all other rights." The party literature says property rights are essential, and that the only functions of government are settling disputes among individuals, and providing protection from criminals and foreign invaders. The party believes in an entirely free market economy, and the rights of the individual to live as he or she chooses. The party's leader is Jean-Serge Brisson.

Marijuana party - This party is devoted to ending the prohibition on marijuana use and possession in Canada. The party platform states that after ending prohibition in Canada, it would focus on pressuring the international community to also end prohibition against the drug. The party platform is focused entirely on the issue of cannabis. The leader of the party is Marc-Boris St.-Maurice.

Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada ? A socialist party that refers to itself as the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist), although it is registered only as Marxist-Leninist, to avoid confusion with the Communist Party of Canada. The party's leader is Sandra Smith.

Progressive Canadian Party ? The party was formed by Progressive Conservatives who opposed the merger with the Alliance Party. In fact, some people associated with the party have launched a court challenge against the registration of the merged party, including organizer Joe Hueglin, who is a former PC MP from Ontario. The Progressive Canadian Party became a registered party at the end of May, and is basing its philosophy on the constitution of the previous PC party. The party is fiscally conservative, and stresses the importance of individual rights and responsibilities. The leader of the party is Ernie Schreiber.

[Juby (Tercios)]

 hmmmmm, maybe the admin should run a list of all who voted (not who they voted for) cause the results seem a little suspicious compared to the posts, I think we may have a few over zealous americans voting ehn?

[~>John<~]

 it says who RWL would vote in not who the RWL canadians would vote in Juby. Thus Americans could be justifieds.

[Juby (Tercios)]

 So you voted John?  god, way to ruin our poll, what's the point in having a sovereign election if everyone in the world could make the decisions for you, hence you shouldn't vote in our polls, i don't vote in the bush vs. Kerry ones, in fact I think I jokingly say, Kuchinch each time  :lol: .  THere are more americans then canadians here, americans are generally more right wing, therefore you voting does not give an accurate representation on the election.  Your say doesn't matter, the canadians either do or will matter in the future.  You shouldn't have voted.