montreal mike

Steve_P writes ‘I do have to admit I was hoping the Governor General would have said, no go back and prove that parliament is dysfunctional.’

Exactly.

If one looks at the record Harper had most of his legislation passed. Thanks in good part by Dion being reluctant to pull the plug.

dbd33

I miss the Cretien years. Little in the way of lunatic legislation, kept Canada out of foreign wars and beat up members of the public; that's what I want from a Prime Minister.

rwin

I don't think Harper is a religious guy is he?

iaink

He is, but he doesnt harp on about it or play it up for the media.

dbd33

or, as I see it, he tones it down for the moment. I would think a majority Harper government would move on the touchstone religionist issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage.

iaink

Cant see it myself, not as a whipped vote. Political suicide in my opinion.

If it was a free vote it would not pass anyway so why bother, you just risk alienating your new found voting base as soon as you got it.

Besides, even out west where that sort of overt religous faith plays to the redneck gallery he has always considered it a private thing I understand.

Oakvillian

This is one of the strongest differentiators, IMHO, between the US and Canada when it comes to the engagement of politicians with the general public (obviously, the political system itself is very different: I'm talking specifically about public engagement). I really can't see any politician here thinking it would be a good idea to make either religion or abortion a party-political issue, whereas in the US you have people like Sarah Palin standing on a platform of overtly opposing a woman's right to choice, and everybody wearing their religion on their sleeve, as it were (viz. the whole thing with Obama's former pastor's somewhat questionable views, or - worse - the creeping fundamentalism/creationism in some Republicans' manifestos).

I'd like to think the electoral system here, with its nod to multi-party politics (albeit reduced to two effective parties in many ridings), makes that kind of single-defining-issue political soapboxing a non-starter in Canada.

dbd33

Eh? Was the Reform Party before your time? Those were planks in its platform, that and dealing with the "gays". My absolute distrust of Harper rests on his having been a Reform member, he's subsequently shut up but he hasn't formally renounced his views. Some stuff on the Theo-cons and those issues:

http://www.thestar.com/article/485973

http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/2000/11...ark001111.html

http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jul/08070311.html

http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/feb/05021510.html


This is a tired old link but I think Harper's comment:

"The NDP could be described as basically a party of liberal Democrats, but it's actually worse than that, I have to say. And forgive me jesting again, but the NDP is kind of proof that the Devil lives and interferes in the affairs of men."

suggests a fame of mind at odds with that of secular Canada.

http://www.tranquileye.com/stockwell/harper.php

dbd33

I think it would be a challenge to find a more fundy Republican than the Conservative's Mr. Kenney, the obvious equivalents, such as Pat Buchanan, are mostly independents.

windward

"Election - what does it mean ?"

Possibly a re-adjustment of the GST you're paying. Though from the looks of the polls, likely not.

Chi_Nook

As a former brit, who has been in Canada for over 25 years, these are my thoughts on this election.

Stephen Harper is the local representative for my community (Calgary South) and in my opinion he's a fine politician and has been a great leader and Prime Minister of Canada, who has made me proud to be a Canadian.

I have just sent him a political donation and I and all of my extended family will be out supporting Stephen and all the other Conservative candidates in this election.

Hopefully the Conservatives will win a resounding majority in this election and the socialist scum, the same type of people that have ruled Britain for the last decade, together with their politics of government dependency and centralized control of everything and introduction of policies and practices designed to undermine the successful and reward failure, will be defeated along with their leaders Dion and Layton (I actually like Gilles Duceppe as a politician, but not his policies. Elizabeth May is a bit of a one trick pony though and can't be considered seriously).

Of course if Dion/Layton wins, to take our collective minds off the introduction of their bankrupt socialist policies, they could always try to get us adoring and fawning over celebrities, hooked on watching TV all the time, become sports fanatics and for good measure encourage the consumption of more alcohol. Then we may forget about just how bad our lives have really become.

Just my unbiased thoughts anyway.

dbd33

You Sir are an ungrateful disgrace. The Liberals brought you here and you owe it to the party to vote for them.

macadian

Mmmm, I smell bullsh*te ..in copious quantities...

dbd33

Me too, "great leader" is hardly a phrase even the most fervently believing neo-con evangelical Christian could reasonably apply to Mr. Plastic Hair.

pinkmcfarquhar

As somebody else said earlier - thanks for this thread. Politics was quite far down the list of things to learn about, and this thread has really filled in some of the blanks about the election and government in Canada. Just an observation so far, but there seems to be something pretty fake about Steven Harper - too squeaky clean looking for my liking.

We're currently in Newfoundland where there seems to be the rather strange situation of our boss (Danny Williams) actually being quite popular. Not used to that at all!