Can someone give me The Idiots Guide to the Canadian Government?

[skipos]

I'd like a primer on the parties, what this election is all about, etc. Thanks to anyone who can inform me!

[ClusterFreak]

1. Kinda watching tv and typing at the same time, however I will say this...

The "Idiots" are now running the Canadian Government!!!

[OrangeCountyDemocrat]

2. Yeah...What He Said....Canada Is Now Fucked Too.

[tsuki]

6. No, it's not. It is a Minority Government. n/t

[pstans]

4. Isn't that what is happening in the US?

Bu$hCo are all about of heartless idiots.

[PDJane]

3. Um..........

Progressive Conservative more or less equals the rethuglicans.
Liberals more or less equal the democrats, although they are further to the left of what the US terms centre.
New Democratic Party is way left of anything in the US.

There are also some minor players:
The Green Party
The Communist Party
The Marxist-Leninist Party
a couple of animal rights groups, and the usual independents.......



The election is due to a scandal......and the fact that the NDP, part of the minority government coalition, weren't getting what they thought they wanted and forced a non-confidence vote. That was a tactical error.

[cali]

5. You forgot the Bloc Quebequois

which holds and will continue to hold a sizeable number of seats. And for all the moaners on this thread, who evidently know little about Canada, this decidedly does not indicate a sharp swing to the right. Canada will remain a liberal country.

[Art_from_Ark]

9. Having experienced Canada during the Mulroney days

I am not so sure about your assessment.

Mulroney = Reagan's lapdog

[tsuki]

8. I thought the PC's were left of our Conservatives. Hell, I thought

Mussolini was left of our Conservatives. It seems to me that no matter who the Tories join with to form a minority government, it will fall apart in less than two years.

But, y'all watch out. You have the Saudstrailan News Network now. And they preach hate 24-7. The former Saudi king vowed a jihad against the decadent west, not just the US.

[omega minimo]

7. Fer starters, it's spelled "Canadian"

:evilgrin:

[NinetySix]

10. The Conservatives are the conservatives.

The Liberals are the moderates.
The NDP are the liberals.
The Bloc Quebecois are the nationalist separatists.

What used to be the Progressive Conservative Party (PC) is no more, except in Provincial politics. After their defeat in 1993, the PC went from a 155-seat majority to holding only 2 seats. After that, a right-wing splinter group of former Tories (PCs) formed their own party, known as the Reform Party of Canada. Reform quickly became identified with fringe right politics, then changed their name to the Alliance Party, neither of which names gained them much recognition or power outside of Alberta. The Progressive Conservative Party lingered, eventually polling as many as 12 seats (IIRC), then held a leadership race in 2004 -- here's where the story gets interesting.

Among the contenders in the leadership race, Peter MacKay was getting around 40% support, not enough to break through and win the leadership. I can't recall who the second-place contender was, but in third place with 25% was David Orchard, who threw his support behind MacKay ON CONDITION THAT HE NOT seek to unite with the Alliance Party. MacKay agreed and won the leadership. FOUR MONTHS LATER, MacKay united the Progressive Conservatives with the Alliance Party under the banner of the Conservative Party. This effectively took a once moderate, fiscally conservative party and radically shifted it rightward. But because they still call themselves Conservatives and even Tories, many people, especially committed older voters who voted PC all their lives have failed to realize that it ain't your daddy's PC Party.

Even so, the Conservatives got in this time because of voter outrage over Liberal scandals (which to Americans would seem like trifles), which are certain to have a very short shelf-life. In the next election, which likely will follow shortly upon the heels of this one due to the minority status of the new Government and the ideological divide between them and the three other major parties, the Liberals are quite likely to return to power, possibly even as a majority party.

Canada isn't shifting to the right. It's just giving the Liberal Party a well-deserved spanking.

[PDJane]

12. Thank you for the corrections........

I was thinking of my own riding, which isn't all of Canada, and you have given a lovely précis of the beginnings of the current Conservative party.

What we have forgotten, however, is that sometimes the appointed senate works the way it was intended; as a check on blatant abuse of power in parliament.

[CHIMO]

11. Here Is

A good primer.

http://www.cbc.ca/canadavotes/voterstoolkit/howitworks.html



However, when you look into it you have to remember that there is a big difference. You won't see very much about what you would call states rights. That is because there is much more power in the provincial powers than there is in the USA.

Hope you enjoy the reading.

http://www.cbc.ca/canadavotes/voterstoolkit/