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Official Canadian Federal Election Thread - May, 2011

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J.D.
Posts: 21362 - Karma: 5,142
So, after the government unveiled the 2011 federal budget today (the most nothing budget in at least a decade), it seems certain, if not official, that there will be an election as a result of the vote on friday. It'll take place on May 2 or May 9. Although I am guessing no one will have much to say yet, things always heat up as the campaign goes along so I thought I would make a thread.

Will there be a conservative majority? Who will you vote for (or who would you vote for if you could)? Will the current issues surrounding the budget form a jumping-off platform for election issues? I'm thinking not - there is simply nothing really in there to campaign on or against, aside from the elimination of the federal deficit by 2015. From where I sit, the issues at stake will develop over the next couple of weeks and we'll be talking about completely different things than now. Aside from contempt of Parliament which is a good election buzzword.
Mar 22 2011 6:24PM
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Blurst
Posts: 13577 - Karma: 10,169
Why the fuck would you want to live in saskatchewan no matter their economic status?
May 3 2011 9:00PM
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Blurst
Posts: 13577 - Karma: 10,169
and no I have not
May 3 2011 9:06PM
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Desabrais
Posts: 71 - Karma: 14
Funny. No one wants to live in a place that's been ran by the NDP for half a century..
May 3 2011 9:21PM
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Download-My-Apps
Posts: 5069 - Karma: 1,017
You realize that provincial parties and federal parties are only loosely related. And you can't attribute the Liberal for a provincial boom the entire country has boomed, and what is that thing that they recently started major exports out of Saskatchewan? Oh ya, oil....
May 3 2011 9:24PM
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HKizzle
Posts: 401 - Karma: 19
The substance that the entire world runs on.
May 3 2011 9:44PM
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PacificRimJob
Posts: 24725 - Karma: 29,944
Dude... Who the fuck COULD do something for the Economy in Saskatchewan? Obviously no offense, but it's not like it's the most happenin place when it comes to resources or anything... It's a million people that live in a gazillion, landlocked, extremely flat, acres...

Bringing jobs to the praries is always going to be hard... no matter WHO'S in charge.
May 4 2011 5:16AM
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geteducated
Posts: 6410 - Karma: 86
dude, maybe you should just stay out of this thread if you don't know anything. you're not helping.
May 4 2011 8:08AM
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J.D.
Posts: 21362 - Karma: 5,142
Uh... what. If not for Alberta's oil Saskatchewan would be resource capital of Canada. Probably North America. It contains the world's largest supplies of potash and uranium, and has barely begun to be tapped. The place is going to blow up.
May 4 2011 9:13AM
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Blurst
Posts: 13577 - Karma: 10,169
Ya thats wrong. It i has been hard in the past but like said above it is going to blow up. It's just ridiculous to say that the NDP ruined their enconomy.
May 4 2011 9:15AM
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J.D.
Posts: 21362 - Karma: 5,142

Um, perhaps, but it's not ridiculous to say that the presence of an NDP government is in no small part the reason that companies are hesitant to make that inevitable expansion happen. And why you generally see corporate head offices of Sask companies in... well...

http://www.agrium.com/contact.jsp#head-office

May 4 2011 10:06AM
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Bar_Down
Posts: 5896 - Karma: 395
i lol'd
May 4 2011 10:08AM
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corona
Posts: 12795 - Karma: 32,751
Wow, j.d. You say your opinion is right over those of 10 million canadians or however many are represented by NDP. That's cool, cause you definitely know better than a third of canada. And you definitely know what's right for us. You obviously haven't looked past the US and realized that social democratic parties actually work. Very well. Germany speaks for itself. Let alone the scandinavian countries and new zealand etc. And the fact that they've never even been close to in power in canada at a national level and right wingers are saying what a shit hole they'd make the place. You do realize there's more to a country than money right? More to life than money? Or is that all that lawyers care about, charging even for a phone call. You can't compare to provincial politics. Completely different ball game. Then look at ontario when ndp went in power. It didn't go to shit because of them. The province had already started the worst recession since the great depression. You blame ndp? Who was in power during the great depression? Bennet or something right? Does he get the blame for it? No, it was unavoidable. I mean, if all someone gives a shit about is lining their pockets. Sure, be against socialism and move to us. The rest of us can enjoy a better, less greed run life with our nice social benefits. My point being, everyone. I mean EVERYONE. Who is against NDP Are only worried about money. God damn that pisses me off. There is a hell of a lot more to things than money.
May 4 2011 12:47PM
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corona
Posts: 12795 - Karma: 32,751
That probably made no sense, but i'm in no condition to make things make sense right now
May 4 2011 12:50PM
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Scrambles
Posts: 2270 - Karma: 63
lol, two thirds of Canada voted against NDP. besides a lot of people voted for Jack because he was the most charismatic, not for the party.
May 4 2011 1:15PM
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corona
Posts: 12795 - Karma: 32,751
Wouldn't it be interesting to have 2 votes on a ballot. One for who you want to win, and one for who you don't. Every person who didn't vote conservative would put them for not wanting to win, where conservatives would be spread out over all left wing parties. They definitely have the most people who don't want them in. Sucks having vote splitting between 3 left wing parties. If it was just 2 parties, like us, left wing would have been elected in almost every election in canada's history.
May 4 2011 1:24PM
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J.D.
Posts: 21362 - Karma: 5,142
VinnieF, you're a young dude who gets very riled up about this stuff so I can forgive the emotional posting, but at some point in your life you'll finally establish the connection between the "other stuff than money" and the fact that the health of the economy - i.e. money - is the only reason we have access to that "other stuff". Yes, I know what's better for the country than a third of Canada. Being better informed and educated than one third of the population is not exactly a significant feat. Now, as for the people who vote NDP, they may do so for a variety of reasons... I like the NDP. I like them at 40 seats keeping everyone honest. Their policies are essentially intended to appeal to people who have certain agendas, environmental, social or otherwise, but if implemented would make Canada significantly less competitive, thereby doing serious damage to the country from a financial standpoint which would ultimately impact on our overall standard of living.
May 4 2011 2:31PM
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Trollolo
Posts: 793 - Karma: 16
Conservative storm troopers havn't starting breaking down doors to kill babies and puppy's yet. Do you guys know whats going on?????? I'm starting to think their was no secret agenda.....Maybe Harper misplaced it? I dunno.
May 4 2011 2:31PM
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J.D.
Posts: 21362 - Karma: 5,142
PS - we are not Germany or Scandinavia. Comparing us to those countries shows a complete lack of understanding for the functioning of this country. Germany and Scandinavia are run on a completely different national model. They have different cultures, different needs in terms of government spending (for one thing Canada must be 50 times the size of Sweden or Norway), different competitors internationally, different trading partners and completely different economic drivers.
May 4 2011 2:33PM
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corona
Posts: 12795 - Karma: 32,751
Of course all social programs be based off of money, but how many times has harper said 'we'll but taxes to put money back in your pocket' or something along those lines. A lot. I'd much rather pay higher taxes and get better healthcare, education, infrastrcture etc. Where the conservative agenda seems to be based on cutting government spending and control and keep then well out of our pockets. Well i simply don't agree, i'd rather get taxed more and have my kids get a much better education. Oh, and putting spending where it's needed is huge too. Where ndp will put it towards there social programs and conservatives will put it towards planes we have absolutely no use for that we're spending way way too much on. And you're saying i can't compare social government of other countries to canada, when you compare social provincial governments to federal. A federal government of new zealand is a lot closer to ours than a provincian government of saskatchewan. And you simply don't know they'd do all the dreadful things you'r saying. At a federal level they've been nothing but successful in other countries. You cannot say it wouldn't work here because you just don't know. At all. You have no idea, and neither does anyone else. And you actually think your opinion on what makes canada a better country is right? It's a god damn opinion. Some may prefer communism and some democracy. But it's an opinion. You can't be 'right', and you can't say they're wrong for prefering it.
May 4 2011 3:01PM
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Proletariat.
Posts: 1797 - Karma: 45
When you get older you will realize that the NDP was never meant to run Canada
May 4 2011 3:03PM
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corona
Posts: 12795 - Karma: 32,751
Dude, good chance i'm older than you. And good chance the millions who voted ndp are older than you. And good chance the people who reelect social government very similar to our ndp over and over again, as it works, are older than you. What a pointless comment.
May 4 2011 3:16PM
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J.D.
Posts: 21362 - Karma: 5,142

Are you operating on the presumption that raising taxes ultimately means more tax revenue for the government to put into social programs? This is simply not true. Tax base is far more important to tax revenue than tax rate. NDP policies implemented on a national scale will lead to a shrinkage of the overall "pot" from which these social programs can be funded.

May 4 2011 3:28PM
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Trollolo
Posts: 793 - Karma: 16

This.

For example, if the government raised taxes to 99%, it wouldnt generate more money, it would actually generate less since the economy would be destroyed. Obviously an ultra-extreme example, but raising taxes doesn't always mean more money.

When the Con's lowered the tax rate by 1.5% a year on corporations it received an increase in 3% a year because of it. Interesting stuff.

May 4 2011 3:40PM
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Proletariat.
Posts: 1797 - Karma: 45
Get back to me when you live under an NDP government, something you have never experienced
May 4 2011 4:00PM
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Proletariat.
Posts: 1797 - Karma: 45
and I have
May 4 2011 4:00PM
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Lord.Quasimoto
Posts: 958 - Karma: 33

No there are right answers to these questions, you're wrong. It's about looking at history and seeing what has and what has not worked. Communism has never worked and never will... I learned that in highschool. The more I learn about the world the more sense it makes to me why communism doesn't work. Something as complex as a national economy of 30+ million people is not predictable. The more you try and think of the economy as a machine and tinker this to change that the more you see how little control the government really has. You can't treat the economy like a machine because it's made up of individual human actions. Humans adapt and change, a machine does not. No matter how thought out your interventionist policy is, there will always be some detail you missed. The best economists in the world recognize that we still don't understand how markets work.

That's not what the NDP will tell you though. The NDP will tell you they have it all figured out and if we just tax more and spend more everyone will be better off... History has proven otherwise.

May 4 2011 4:10PM
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Proletariat.
Posts: 1797 - Karma: 45
While I agree the NDP are far from communist
May 4 2011 4:12PM
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corona
Posts: 12795 - Karma: 32,751
You're suggesting taxing more, instead of raising taxes is the way to get money. Well that I can definitely agree with. That's what something like a carbon tax should definitely be put into place. Not only will it make people think twice about purchasing that huge SUV, but it will also generate more income for government programs. Or what about government run insurance, like what Rae tried to implement in Ontario. Not only will it save our sorry asses from being practically extorted by insurance companies, it would be another excellent source of government income. That would be a win win for everyone, lower insurance rates and more money for the government instead of filling bank accounts of rich dick wipes who run those companies.  Or another example, legalization and taxation of marijuana.  These could easily raise a tax base, while also saving Canadians money at the same time.

Unfortunately, absolutely nothing like that would ever happen under the Conservatives watch.
May 4 2011 4:36PM
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corona
Posts: 12795 - Karma: 32,751
^ hahaha, comparing NDP to communism. You actually think our country would become a communist regime then turn into a dictatorship if the NDP are elected? See, this is why we need more money for our school system.
May 4 2011 4:37PM
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neutralzombie
Posts: 8629 - Karma: 606
but they'd rather spend it on fucking jets because russia will one day attack us. never mind that over 2 million quebecers have no access to family doctors, we need FUCKING JETS. JEAH
May 4 2011 4:39PM
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HKizzle
Posts: 401 - Karma: 19
Nobody implied a dictatorship you dumbass. Communism≠ Dictatorship. And you're the one complaining about the school system.
May 4 2011 4:49PM
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corona
Posts: 12795 - Karma: 32,751
ah, but that's most certainly what he was implying. Of course I know they're completely different. but as he no doubt learned, communism can easily degrade into dictatorship.
May 4 2011 4:52PM
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geteducated
Posts: 6410 - Karma: 86
actually you can blame the quebec provincial bureaucracy for that problem. are you so dense that you think every problem in this country comes down to the conservatives?

and vinnief is one of those people that live by the immortal words of stephane dion 'we are entitled to our entitlements'
May 4 2011 4:52PM
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Cincher
Posts: 3403 - Karma: 535
Manitoba already has government run auto insurance called Autopac. It works quite well, as I never have to worry if the person I got into an accident with doesn't have sufficient coverage. Prices are also regulated like you said.
May 4 2011 4:53PM
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ShredThePowdah.
Posts: 394 - Karma: 19

I heard something about legalizing marijuana?

info please

May 4 2011 4:55PM
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corona
Posts: 12795 - Karma: 32,751
this is exactly what we need at a national level. In Ontario, if you're a new driver, you could be paying more in a single month on insurance than what your car is worth. It's ridiculous.
May 4 2011 4:56PM
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HKizzle
Posts: 401 - Karma: 19
wait this explains a lot
May 4 2011 4:57PM
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corona
Posts: 12795 - Karma: 32,751
not gonna happen, don't get your hopes up.
May 4 2011 4:57PM
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ShredThePowdah.
Posts: 394 - Karma: 19
Damn haha.
May 4 2011 4:59PM
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corona
Posts: 12795 - Karma: 32,751
uh oh! I'm pro legalization of marijuana!  That obviously means I'm a lazy bastard who does nothing all day except suckle at the tit of the government and who failed every class in school and who's never going to amount to anything in life!! you caught me
May 4 2011 5:03PM
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Trollolo
Posts: 793 - Karma: 16

Anyone know what the first thing on the agenda for the conservatives is after the budget? Usually when this shit happens whoever is in power immediately appeals to the base for helping them get there. (see obama's first couple days). I'm thinking the end to vote subsidies or the long gun registry is the first to be scrapped. Dunno what else.

May 4 2011 5:10PM
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Proletariat.
Posts: 1797 - Karma: 45
He is going to push through the stiffer sentences bill
May 4 2011 5:11PM
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corona
Posts: 12795 - Karma: 32,751
so we can charge a 16 year old with a joint like an adult with a bag of meth! yay!
May 4 2011 5:13PM
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geteducated
Posts: 6410 - Karma: 86
hell ya! he should have stayed in school!
May 4 2011 5:15PM
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Proletariat.
Posts: 1797 - Karma: 45
why not?
May 4 2011 5:17PM
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Proletariat.
Posts: 1797 - Karma: 45
Both are currently illegal activities and should be treated as such. Our Canadian judicial system is a joke.
May 4 2011 5:17PM
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KRASHED
Posts: 7803 - Karma: 466
First off I voted conservative.

I feel that this issue is a big problem though. I have seen time and time again how jail turns petty criminals into the real deal, hell even the people in jail will tell you that. Harsher jail sentences does not fix this. People screw up, does that mean they should spend a year in the clink because of it? That record destroys any chance that they have of being employed thus resulting in them seeking lucrative or criminal ways of making income. Not to mention they will most likely seek welfare putting more strain on that already bloated system.

I can't wait to burn my long gun registry certs though!!!
May 4 2011 5:19PM
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geteducated
Posts: 6410 - Karma: 86
ya like this here. im seriously surprised at alberta.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/story/2011/04/27/calgary-red-deer-drunk-driver-howe.html
May 4 2011 5:19PM
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Proletariat.
Posts: 1797 - Karma: 45
This is what im talking about. That scumbag should get a much stiffer sentence than 3 years
May 4 2011 5:23PM
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Proletariat.
Posts: 1797 - Karma: 45
Im more talking about people like the Air India bomber
May 4 2011 5:24PM
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