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Post by DarkAngel on Jun 13, 2004 10:23:28 GMT -5
Well, a federal election is coming up in Canada, and tragically, Stephen Harper's conservatives seem to be leading in the polls... This guy is an idiot, he wants to buy 2 aircraft carriers for Canada, which would like increase our military spending by like 1000%, he wants to privatize pretty much everything. The sad part is that if any of the voters were actually informed, no one would care about the sponsorship scandal. I heard that the money lost from that was equal to a family with an income of $30,000 losing $6. It wasn't Paul Martin's fault, and it wasn't his responsibility to look after every cent spent by the government. If you people don't know anything about Canadian politics...you are probably clueless eh?
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Post by stalin on Jun 13, 2004 10:31:12 GMT -5
You betcha!
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Post by Elfie on Jun 13, 2004 13:19:40 GMT -5
I do though, and I agree wholeheartedly. The response to the sponsorship scandal is the dumbest thing I've seen in a long time. They fired the guy that was to blame after the system caught him, and now the Opposition is using it to paint the governing is corrupt, and people are believing them!
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Post by DarkAngel on Jun 13, 2004 13:35:26 GMT -5
People should like have to pass a test in order to vote or something, because the sponsorship scandal should not allow an idiot like Stephen Harper to come to power, just because a few idiots mis-spent $6:
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Post by Elfie on Jun 13, 2004 13:39:09 GMT -5
Yes, something like 25% of the pop thinks Jean Chrètien is still PM, and another 70% can't name an Opposition leader.
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Post by DarkAngel on Jun 13, 2004 18:17:53 GMT -5
Thats...sad:o Sigh, well if we made the test, we'd have like a 15% vote turn out...God bless Canada:
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Post by Elfie on Jun 13, 2004 18:19:41 GMT -5
Democracy is the worst form of government in the world, but it's better than the alternatives.
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Post by devo2 on Jun 14, 2004 22:56:41 GMT -5
I assume that you mean republican form of government, right?
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Post by piñata on Jun 15, 2004 7:16:05 GMT -5
If the Republicans I've seen are any indication, ANYTHING is better than a Republican government.
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Post by Elfie on Jun 15, 2004 9:12:13 GMT -5
Democracy is the worst form of government in the world, but it's better than the alternatives. I assume that you mean republican form of government, right? I believe I qas quoting Churchill, though I could be wrong.
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Post by stalin on Jun 15, 2004 22:05:27 GMT -5
You got the quote wrong. Its "Democracy is the worst form of government except for all those others that have been tried."
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Post by Elfie on Jun 16, 2004 14:16:39 GMT -5
You got the quote wrong. Its "Democracy is the worst form of government except for all those others that have been tried." Oh, I got it second-hand, so I really don't remember the wording.
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Post by Elfie on Jun 18, 2004 20:24:37 GMT -5
The Liberals are taking the lead again!
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Post by stalin on Jun 23, 2004 0:00:47 GMT -5
w00ty w00t w00t!
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Post by DarkAngel on Jun 25, 2004 14:25:46 GMT -5
By like 5%! It's better than nothing!
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Post by Elfie on Jun 29, 2004 8:09:21 GMT -5
Well, we've got a Liberal minority government.
Liberals: 135 Conservatives: 99 Bloc Quebecois: 54 NDP: 19
*realizes that none of the Americans know how the Canadian democratic system works*
Oh, come on! I figured out the electoral college on my own. Please tell you at least have an idea.
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Post by piñata on Jun 29, 2004 8:37:55 GMT -5
Nope, sorry. Devo probably knows. He takes after Hermione Granger that way... you know, the insufferable know-it-all. ;D
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Post by devo2 on Jun 29, 2004 9:02:43 GMT -5
But I've got nicer eyes.
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Post by stalin on Jun 29, 2004 11:09:01 GMT -5
I just read something in the paper today saying that canada looses liberal majority. I had no time to actually read it and I cant find it again. Explain elife.
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Post by Elfie on Jun 29, 2004 11:24:19 GMT -5
There are 308 seats in the House of Commons. We don't have separately elected leader. Whoever is leading the party with the most seats becomes Prime Minister and their party governs. They must have a majority on all votes of confidence. (Votes of confidence are things like the budget and other major changes.) If a vote of confidence is defeated, it is seen that the majority of Canadians are disatisfied with the government and an election is called by the Governor General.
Now, if you look at the results of the election, nobody has more than 154 seats, the bare minimum required for a majority. Thus, a minority government is formed. What this means is that without an alliance between two parties (probably the Liberals and the NDP), we can expect an election very soon because the Liberals will lose a vote of confidence and be forced to call an election. Minority governments are usually very creative. They force parties to cooperate and find common ground, something you never see in the US, and it's a great check against corruption because the alliance can fall apart at any time.
EDIT: It's odd that the paper would say losing a majority rather than winning a minority.
EDIT: Everyone understand?
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