mrvp

Hi,

I'm looking for a few pointers towards Canadian Politics (as in who sits where and general policies). I have an okay understanding on the UK political scene, and from that I'm figuring out my opportunities are somewhat limited in the field in which I currently work so I'm looking abroad.

I've just got a feeling from someone's post in another thread that I need to open my eyes a bit and get an understanding of Stephen Harper and the Conservatives policies (as it seems that's the direction in which things are heading in Canada). As I'm understanding it the Conservatives have gradually inched towards a minority government since 2000 and now have about 40% of the house (with the Liberals 2nd on a 25% share)?

Also have I understood this correctly that general elections (federal) are held every two years?

I'm just looking for a few pointers so that I can do a bit of further reading (I like to know what I may be getting myself into, before I stick my foot in it).

Thanks,

Toontje

Is google broken where you are?

Captain Cheesestick

Here.

http://www.rickmercer.com/

That'll do.

mrvp

Fair play . I'd already checked out wikipedia and got a general feel for it from some other sites, I was just keen to get a better understanding (e.g. where parties are going and why - on another thread someone mentioned that the Conservatives seem to be somewhat pro further cuts, I just couldn't understand why ).

mrvp

This is what I'm getting at. Nice. Canadian MP's get 46 days off for Xmas

By the way congrats on your "low paid job thread" absolute classic.

I've just seen the Umm I'm Scared thread as well - pure gold

Oink

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...adian+politics

iaink

Hes not managed to convince people to give him a majority by now, so its unlikely that its ever going to happen. The thing with minority government is they never last for too long (no doubt the UK will find this out too)

General elections here have to be every 4 (or 5?) years, but with a minority government they dont usually hold together for that long before something triggers a collapse and subsequent election. The only reason this one has lasted as long as it has is because the opposition liberal party (the traditional party of government here) have no funds to fight, and no desire to force a new election that they are not in a position to win.

jimf

UK government isn't actually a minority government it's a coalition government with a majority. Doesn't mean it'll last 5 years either though but coalition governments elsewhere are very common and often last the full term (excepting Italy of course). The SNP government in Scotland is a minority government - I can't think when the election was but I think it's just about managed a full term.

I noticed Harper was interviewed on the CBC last night. He basically seemed to be saying that come the next election it was either going to be a conservative majority or a coalition of the losers in government which I suppose is his way of trying to mobilise his voters. Pressumably if the conservatives were the largest party in the next election but without a majority they would still be given first invitation to form a government? Now if the liberals could become the biggest party that might be different but it looks unlikely. In the days before the block and successfully operating a divide and rule strategy against the conservatives the liberals in the past were the "natural" party of government as they like to claim, but as things stand it looks unlikely that Canada will have a single party majority government for a while yet.

mrvp

One of the things I was after - sorry should have searched harder

Novocastrian

Err, have we forgotten Preston Manning so quickly?

mrvp

He's the person that effectively pulled the Conservative Party together, by effectively forcing Reform and the Progressive Conservative Party to merge to strengthen the Conservative vote (and allowing Mr Harper to emerge as his policy advisor through the Reform Party and end up as the current PM??) - just starting to get my head round this.

Just took this from that other thread:

"The Conservative Party are currently in government. They are a fairly right wing, authoritarian party. They believe in old fashioned social values, personal responsibility and small government. They are currently kept in check because they are in a minority position in the House of Commons. Ironically, they are running the largest budget deficit in history"

Is this true? I swear that in a UK broadsheet not more than 6 months ago (I think when Mr Martin and co. were in the UK to talk to the UK Conservatives and David Laws and Vince Cable) that Canada was made out to have a budget surplus and in terms of the modern world to have the best economic conditions (taking all things into account).

I am a bit confused.

iaink

Thats exactly what a minority government is... a coalition of parties none of which has a majority on its own

Novocastrian

Err, no. He's the person that effectively pulled the Conservative Party apart by forming Reform and taking all the old Tory voters in the west out of the old Conservative Party.

jimf blaming the Liberals for "divide and conquer" is just silly.

mrvp

Hang on I thought a minority government was when the UK Conservatives on 309 seats (instead of 323 for the majority) would try and go it alone (e.g. they can't force decisions through - the same would have applied if the Lib Dems had gone with a Labour to form a Progressive Minority Rainbow Alliance, I think).

JonboyE

Not quite. Manning was the leader of the Reform Party - essentially a Western Canadian populist far right party. This party morphed into the Canadian Alliance (the suggested title of Canadian Reform Alliance Party never stuck) and Stockwell Day became leader.

Harper became leader after the hapless Day failed in a general election and merged the Canadian Alliance and the more centrist Progressive Conservatives into the present Conservative Party.

Some now speculate that as the right merged to oust the Liberals, the left may need to merge to get back into Government.