The Canadian Election

[Love4himies]

Originally Posted by kanis

You're the one who made the comparison to funding under the Mulroney era. Every "free" nation was pouring money into defense at that time. Post Cold War, the fear of Communism wasn't there and as a result of a MASSIVE debt left by the Conservative party, cuts were made across the board. I'm sure most people would rather have had the defense budget cut first before health, wouldn't you say?

Health care is managed by the provincial gov't, military is managed by the federal.

[Dracko]

Originally Posted by Love4himies

Watched Dion interview with Peter Mansbridge yesterday, he could not answer a question directly and all he could do is talk about his "green shift" plan. He didn't give any indication that he would be willing to change/defer or scrap the carbon tax, even if it meant a loss of jobs when he was asked.

I seriously tried to watch it. Really I did. But his lack of actually answering a question just wore on me.

[Frenchy]

I just want to say .... 2 people voted that they will not vote and that .... is extremely wrong to me. If you don't care or don't know who to vote for , at least go to cancel your vote !! Please !

[kanis]

Originally Posted by Love4himies

Health care is managed by the provincial gov't, military is managed by the federal.

True. Transfer payments to the provinces were cut. All spending was cut as a result of the massive 600$ Billion debt left by the Mulroney Conservatives. Are you saying that military spending should have been exempt?

[Love4himies]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mv-5biChVrA

Video of Dion who can't answer a simple question about the financial crisis.

[Love4himies]

Originally Posted by Dracko

I seriously tried to watch it. Really I did. But his lack of actually answering a question just wore on me.

I thought Peter was going to smack him

[Love4himies]

Originally Posted by kanis

True. Transfer payments to the provinces were cut. All spending was cut as a result of the massive 600$ Billion debt left by the Mulroney Conservatives. Are you saying that military spending should have been exempt?

Agree, but it was up to the provinces on how to manage those funds and set their priorities. No I am not saying military spending should be exempt, what I am saying is the military should be provided proper equipment and training. These are young men and women who have signed up to give up their lives for their country when duty calls, so the gov't should be responsible for ensuring they are doing what ever possible to lessen the death counts.


This is what I believe: Gov't should be spending on those services that are a necessity and when and if there is a surplus and no debt left to pay then to fund those luxuries such as arts, sports. When all the infrastructure is sound, hospitals and schools (no students should be taught in portables ) are well equipped and staffed, our military is ready to go on a moment's notice, then you can fund the non necessities.

All able bodied men and women, yes even single moms, should be working to support themselves and their children and if you are low income then you should be supplemented with lower rent/daycare, reimbursement of tuition for high school/post secondary courses. Hard work never hurt anybody and if that means you have to work full time and go to school at night, well so be it, lots of us have done it and survived. If you don't want to work hard to get ahead, then the consequences is poverty. If you can't afford your kids, then don't have any. I would have loved to have a couple of children, but could not afford the daycare so I stopped at one. I felt I was responsible for the upbringing of my children, not the taxpayers.

Anywaaaaaays, TODAY IS ELECTION DAY, GET OUT AND VOTE!

[Love4himies]

This is on PM Harper's GC website:

http://www.pm.gc.ca/eng/feature.asp?pageId=90

[Love4himies]

Awwwww here is another one:

http://www.pm.gc.ca/eng/feature.asp?pageId=73

How can you say this is an evil guy????

[chico2]

L4H,We came to Canada when Trudeau was PM,he did a lot of good,some bad,left Canada deep in debt.
He had charisma ,made the world aware,Canada was not part of the US,was not covered in ice
What I see in Harper,might be unjust,but the proverbial smile on his face even if he is giving us bad news,shows arrogance and coldness.
Cozy sweaters did nothing to change that,it seems to be a PC-trait over the years.
I agree that Dion at this time is probably not the right leader for the Liberals,his English is just not good enough and Peter Mansbridge took full advantage of that fact.
In my experience over the years and I am sorry to say,French Canadians are not always looked upon favorably,by English speaking Canadians
Visiting Quebec several times,we could not disagree more,although having been warned about Fr-Canadians being unfriendly,we encountered nothing but friendly people.
Dion is an intelligent,well spoken man in French,but his insecurity with the English language makes him look like a mouse facing a big bull(Harper)and it is very unfortunate,but a fact.
All we can hope for is a minority gov,dog help us if Harper gets majority

[clm]

Today is the day people. GET OUT THERE AND VOTE!!!

Now I can't wait to hear all the whining tomorrow from people who didn't know they need to bring 2 pieces of identification to prove their address and one with their picture on it. Drivers license plus a passport or a bill (like a hydro bill or credit card statement), addressed to you at your address. No excuses, take what you need and VOTE.

Cindy

[chico2]

I agree,we'll be there at 9:30....VOTE!!

[Love4himies]

[QUOTE=chico2;673975]What I see in Harper,might be unjust,but the proverbial smile on his face even if he is giving us bad news,shows arrogance and coldness.
Cozy sweaters did nothing to change that,it seems to be a PC-trait over the years.
QUOTE]

I see his smile as warm, not arrogance and his sweaters as his fashion statement. I think we need a Prime Minister that isn't for the rich and famous (as I thought Mulroney was ), but for the middle income tax payer and I think that is what he is trying to portray.

Chetien did not have that great of English either, but he was still voted in, so I don't think that is an excuse for Dion not getting the votes. I personally don't find his English that bad, if only English people could speak French half as well as he spoke English, I think this would be a better country. The question was put forth quite simply, the problem was that he did not have an answer and kept fumbling. Even Peter Mansbridge couldn't get him to answer questions directly.

[Love4himies]

Originally Posted by chico2

Visiting Quebec several times,we could not disagree more,although having been warned about Fr-Canadians being unfriendly,we encountered nothing but friendly people.

dog help us if Harper gets majority

DH is French and we travel through Quebec all the time to get to NB and living in a tourist town (Kingston) he hears what French people are saying in French and not all are very kind to the English, infact some are down right rude to the point DH has to bite his tongue.

I do agree that the hospitality in Quebec is second to none.

Do you think Canada is going to sink into the ocean if Harper gets elected into a majority gov't? I guess I just don't understand why people fear him like he is Hitler .

[bendyfoot]

Wow, so much great stuff came out of this thread over the weekend, I'm sad I wasn't able to participate...just a few pre-voting comments...

Originally Posted by kanis

The only other Canadian politican who has given me concern in the past was Stockwell Day. From the get-go I didn't trust him at all. Harper gives me the same feelings. True, in some ways it's just a gut reaction; however, there are a few things that have been thrown around in the past years (whether he's been PM or not) that have concerned me greatly.

1. Choice. The topic of women having control over their own reproduction.
2. Same sex marriages. There was discussion about bringing this back on the table.
3. The elimination of the national child care program.

The first three are what popped into my mind right away. I hope that answers your questions

1. He's NEVER said that the abortion debate would be brought back into the house. While I don't agree with his personal stance on the issue, I think everyone is entitled to their opinion, and as long as things stay the way they are (which they will 'cause no politician with half a brain would touch this one with a ten-foot pole), then I'm happy.
2. As a person IN a same-sex marriage, I was actually really happy that this issue was brought back for a second FREE vote. The first one was a sham, and insulting. Now, the issue can be laid to rest, which it would not have been had Harper not reopened the issue.
3. I don't remember him ever saying he would eliminate national child care, only that he would ALSO support parents who wanted to keep their children at home with a parent or other chosen caregiver...how can that be bad?

Originally Posted by Schwinn

But just remember it is the "evil" Conservatives who have brought us this far, and our economy is one of the more stable ones in the world, so while we will disagree on the political spectrum, I'm not sure how you can clearly say Dion is better, not if you're talking from an informed point of view, and not from under the bedsheets staring at your closet door. Oh, and trust me, if Dion reverses income trusts, clearly, we will be in serious trouble.

YEP.

Now we're deciding who to vote based on thier body??? Well, then, bring back Belinda Stronach! However, that DEFINITELY means Elizabeth May is out, though...anyone know how many sit-ups Jack Layton can do?



.

Originally Posted by Schwinn

I keep hearing how Harper is evil and lack integrity, but I haven't heard why...which leads me to believe that people are believing the hype. And THAT scares me.

Yes, I believe that Harper runs a "my way or the highway"-type ship, and I find he is a little smug. I'd much rather someone else lead our country, to be truly honest. But to say he lacks integrity, I have yet to hear why. I believe he kept the majority of his promises, and the big one he broke, had to be done. I saw that before the promise was broken, and didn't forsee it when the promise was made. Doesn't talk to the press, personally, I find that refreshing. But then, having fought BSL, maybe I'm just tired of watching Bryant and McGuinty talk to the press every chance they got, and pander in a way that would make Jack Layton proud. He said he felt that every decision made was being crucified by the press, so screw them, he wasn't dealing with them. I actually, on one level, respect that.

The enviroment? I think he's done better than anyone else. I'm getting long-winded here, but Kyoto isn't an enviroment agreement, it's a wealth re-distribution policy. The short version? Major polluters in developed countries get to buy credits from undeveloped countries, which is cheaper than implementing policies which reduce pollution. Suddenly, nothing gets done to reduce pollution. To say Harper has done nothing for the enviroment, again, isn't right. He implemented hard targets. Maybe you disagree with the dates or the targets, but it's unfair to say he's done nothing. And ever since Kyoto, I've been saying we can't sacrifice the economy for the enviroment, and we can't sacrifice the enviroment for the economy. Since then, I've heard two politicians say the same thing...Stephen Harper, and ironically, Elizabeth May. Keep in mind, if the economy suffers, there won't be enough money to implement the changes and technology required to fix the enviroment.

D)

Yup to all that. Schwinn, you say it very well.

[Dracko]

Originally Posted by clm

Today is the day people. GET OUT THERE AND VOTE!!!

Now I can't wait to hear all the whining tomorrow from people who didn't know they need to bring 2 pieces of identification to prove their address and one with their picture on it. Drivers license plus a passport or a bill (like a hydro bill or credit card statement), addressed to you at your address. No excuses, take what you need and VOTE.

Cindy

Exactly my thoughts!

[Dracko]

Originally Posted by Love4himies

Do you think Canada is going to sink into the ocean if Harper gets elected into a majority gov't? I guess I just don't understand why people fear him like he is Hitler .

Yeah, what I don't understand is Harper has been in power for 2 years and we've seen no destruction of our country. What, do people think he's waiting until his 2nd term to bring the country down????

[krdahmer]

I voted last saturday!

[Love4himies]

I am voting tonight, was going to vote at the advance poll, but just got too busy.

[rainbow]

Originally Posted by krdahmer

I voted last saturday!

Me too since hubby had to take Chase to Kelowna for his operation today. And I didn't vote for the conservatives either.

[chico2]

Dracko,Harper has been a PM for 2yrs,but in a minority government,often his hands have been tied by the opposition.
We just went to vote and in Oakville there truly was only one choice,Bonnie Brown Liberal

[Writing4Fun]

Originally Posted by Dracko

Yeah, what I don't understand is Harper has been in power for 2 years and we've seen no destruction of our country. What, do people think he's waiting until his 2nd term to bring the country down????

Really? From where I stand, Harper's first term was pretty disastrous.

[chico2]

W4F,nice to"see" you again
Well,for the first time in ages our Bonnie lost to the PC's:sad:
This election was just a total waste of millions of $$$$$,thank's Mr Harper

[Chris21711]

BIG FAT WASTE OF $$$$$$$

[kanis]

I agree Chris. I think this was a waste of tax payers' money. We should have waited until the Conservative Mandate was over. We're "electioned" out. I don't know how it is elsewhere, but we have our municipal elections coming up next month. The lowest voter turnout EVER. Pretty sad. A lot of people just decided to stay home.

And of course, a lot of attention is on the US election in November. Now, THAT's an interesting election! Whether Democrat of Republican, it's going to be a historical win.

[clm]

Lowest voter turnout in Canadian history. Pretty sad IMO. Only 59% went out to cast a ballott. For shame.

Cindy

[Love4himies]

Originally Posted by clm

Lowest voter turnout in Canadian history. Pretty sad IMO. Only 59% went out to cast a ballott. For shame.

Cindy

Very sad and unless parties start being ethical and disclose platforms that are attainable should they be elected, then I think low voter turnout will be the norm. Voters have lost confidence in their politicians because they are not implementing what they promised.

[Love4himies]

I do have to say that it is amazing that the Green Party got 7% of the popular vote and 0 seats, NDP got 18% of pop vote and only 37 seats and the Bloc got 10% of the pop vote and 50 seats .

[Dracko]

Originally Posted by Love4himies

I do have to say that it is amazing that the Green Party got 7% of the popular vote and 0 seats, NDP got 18% of pop vote and only 37 seats and the Bloc got 10% of the pop vote and 50 seats .

I agree. This is just WRONG.

[BenMax]

I'm just plain ticked and have nothing to say! I think alot of people are disappointed. I am certainly not expecting any changes - life goes on and promises will be broken as usual....whatever......