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Post-Election report from canada
by George and Ellen Taylor
We arrived at our new home in Canada a few weeks ago, just in time for the Canadian general election on January 23, 2006. Although American politics are covered extensively in the Canadian media, it seems to us that the American media has only perfunctory coverage of the Canadian political landscape.
To help fill in this gap, here are some of our observations about the Canadian general election just held. [Note: While all of us living in this hemisphere are “Americans” the population in the United States feels it has exclusive rights to this term (as in the bumper sticker “Proud to be an American”), but to avoid confusion, we will continue to use this jingoistic conceit.]
The Parties
First, a thumbnail sketch of each of the political parties: The Conservative Party (Tories), headed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, stands for lowering taxes, closer ties to the U.S.A., rolling back some of Canada’s good social programs like day care subsidies, abolishing the rifle registry (gun registration), and supporting Canada’s 2000 troops in Afghanistan.
The Liberal Party, headed by former Prime Minister Paul Martin (who will step down now as leader), stands for a more independent foreign policy from the U.S. (They do not support the U.S. invasion of Iraq and do not support Canadian participation in the American anti-missile defense system.) They support day care subsidies, improved national health insurance, and continuing Canada’s role as international peace-keeper.
The Bloc Quebecois, behind leader Gilles Duceppe, supports progressive social programs and more autonomy for the Province of Quebec (and maybe eventual separate nation status from the rest of Canada).
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The New Democratic Party, headed by Jack Layton, is the most progressive political party in Canada besides the Green Party. It stands for strengthened national health care, higher taxes for improved social services, such as improving schools and rehab services for First Nations peoples, and better environmental protections.
The Green Party, headed by Jim Harris, has a platform similar to U.S. Greens, including no foreign military intervention and domestic policies such as more better environmental protection and more family-friendly work places. |
Canada's Green Party is led by Jim Harris. |
Elections in Canada
About how Canadians vote: All voting across Canada is done by paper ballot, and the final results are known within hours of the final closing of the last polling stations on the West Coast. No Diebold machines or any kind of computerized voting devices are used, thus there is a reliable paper trail in case of any necessary recounts.
Polling stations were open across Canada from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. According to Canadian law, there is a media blackout during this entire 12-hour period and no exit polling is allowed to be reported until the last polling place on the far west coast is closed. We were told that workers are allowed a minimum of two hours off to vote, encouraging voter turnout.
In this election, 67 percent of the electorate voted. The entire election campaign had lasted about 16 weeks for a plurality, or majority, of seats in the national parliament. The leader of the party winning plurality must also win a seat in his or her own district. If a national party wins only a plurality, as was the case in this recent election, then they must form a minority government, creating coalitions with other parties to provide a working majority in the Parliament in order to pass legislation.
On election day, all 308 seats in the House of Commons are at stake. There are no terms; the elected legislators sit until the next election is called.
Election Results
The Conservative party came in first with 124 seats, followed by the incumbent Liberal party with 103 seats, followed by the Bloc Quebecois Party with 51 seats, and finally the New Democratic Party (NDP) with 29 seats, with one seat going to an independent (much like our own Bernie Sanders from Vermont).
The Green Party, which received a total of 4.3 percent of the total vote, ended up with no seats in Parliament because of the winner-take-all election system. Behind this lies the phenomenon of “strategic voting.”
Many of our acquaintances here did not like the incumbent Prime Minister, Paul Martin, citing his personal wealth and moderate politics, but they held their noses and pulled the liberal lever instead of voting for the more progressive NDP or Greens.
Green party leader, Jim Harris, commented, “Quite a lot of people were voting for the least worst party that had a chance of winning, rather than voting for the party they really wanted. As a public health person, I’m deeply concerned that long-term issues are not being addressed by our very short-sighted political system. One good example is the issue of global warming—what it’s doing already and what it is going to do. Our window of opportunity for action on global warming is already getting very narrow. Some would say it is already closed.” [Note: That is what our own Mike Tidwell has been saying for years.]
What does this election mean for Canada? The Conservative Party won the most seats in the House of Commons, but not a majority. Therefore, their party leader, Stephen Harper, will be asked to be the new Prime Minister by the Governor-General of Canada, who is the honorary Head of State, appointed by the Queen of England. (Remember: Canada became independent without a revolution). The Liberals and the NDP are happy with their relatively strong showing; if they work together, they can effectively oppose the Conservative agenda, and still may be able to advance key progressive legislation, what Canadians here call “keeping a check on the Conservatives.”
The new Parliament takes office on February 6, represented by all of Canada’s parties except the Greens. We will see what the new government brings. In the meantime, we will be reporting back to the Voice other developments in Canada, and the world beyond. If anyone wants to visit to check out the situation firsthand, let us know by e-mailing us at georgeetaylor@hotmail.com.
Goodbye/Adieu.
For more information about Canadian politics and the recent federal election, visit nodice.ca/elections/canada/
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