The Price of Democracy

[Lowdark 5613]

While I think we all expected the Conservatives to form the next government, I think most of us were expecting them to form yet another Minority one, with the Liberals and NDP spliting the Opposition. But I doubt too many of us were expecting such a drastic final result at the end of such an unremarkable campaign. The strength of the Conservative victory, the historic finish of the NDP and the historic collapse of the Liberals and the near destruction of the Bloc. There will be a lot of disappointed people in the following weeks, and a lot of happy ones as well, but what we all must do in the months and years following is watch and protect our hard won liberties and freedoms, and that should be the case no matter who wins. While I have never subsribed to the theory that any party has a "hidden" or secret agenda, as citizens', our job doesn't end after an election, but our responsibility is to always remain vigilant. Apathy and disinterest are greater evils than ignorance and discord. It doesn't matter who you voted for or who you support, we must always be responsible for portecting and preserving the ideals of our society. That is the true price of of living in a great and civilized democracy.

[Guest o*****24]

While I am surprised that the Conservatives won a majority. I look at it with mixed feelings. While I am in no way a conservative, I am one of I'm sure many Canadians who are suffering from election over dose. I am leery of what the conservatives have in store for us, and feel that we must remain vigilant that they do not restrict us or try to impose any way.

 

Hopefully, things won't be too bad and some positives do come out of this!

[toine 30556]

Well, as a minority governing party they consistently showed contempt for the Parliament. I have a hard time imagining they will show more respect for democratic institutions with a majority. They have gained control of the Senate and will likely do their utmost to strenghten that for a long time...

[TheSanityAssassin 160]

I'm largely in agreement with that. Years upon years of Minority governments will not move this country forward in any sense. Though I did not vote Conservative, I have in the past, and I honestly think they will put our economy in a better place over the next 4 years. So long as they don't try to shoehorn in morality laws, I think we'll do OK.

 

The Conservative Majority will also give Canada the chance to see what a Right Wing majority means....by the time the next election rolls around, there's a good chance we'll see the government swing back left, or possibly even result in a Liberal resurgence.

[Maverick 2873]

Thankfully someone actually has a majority government now, so for better or for worse things will actually happen. I assumed this would happen from the beginning of the election process, and I'm not surprised the NDP replaced the Liberals considering they are a much better opponent for the Conservatives, platform wise, and considering how well Layton presented himself compared to the despised Ignatieff. I expect Ignatieff to be out as Liberal leader within the next 24 hours, as Duceppe has aleady done with the Bloc, and the most likely replacement could be Justin Trudeau.

[Capital Hunter 18263]

39% is a majority?. The other 61% have to be ruled by this MINORITY. Yes still better than many other countries where the top unelected 5-10% rule. So yes it is a democracy (relatively).

 

I hope that they come to their senses and end the scandals and corruptions and respect the democracy for a change and more importantly stay clear of implementing religious agenda which most Canadian do not want. They must remember that 61% of Canadians did not vote for them and did not wish their agenda.

[roamingguy 300292]

I'm not a flag waver of any of the parties.

Contempt and corruption have happened with both the Conservatives and Liberals

The NDP, never Official Opposition before, federally...wait and see.

But provincially, the NDP, the party of the working man/woman...well in Ontario they had lay offs, sorry, a Social Contract, and alienated their biggest constituent, the unions.

Party ideology sometimes takes a back seat to the reality of governing, and the nature of our parliamentary system of government allows majorities this almost absolute power...and absolute power corrupts absolutely

RG

[Guest s******ecan****]

39% is a majority?. The other 61% have to be ruled by this MINORITY.

 

 

All of our majority governments have won less than 50% of the popular vote, this will continue so long as there are more than 2 viable parties. Its hardly surprising or shocking.

 

I think there is a chance the Conservatives will be less paranoid now that they have a comfortable majority.......we shall see.

 

One thing we can count on is that Layton will do a good job of holding them accountable. Ignatief was a terrible opposition leader, ended up as a poor choice for the Liberal leadership, and would have made a disastorous PM.

 

Sure was sweet seeing those blockheads wiped out. For all of those who posted earlier on in the campaign comments to the effect that the Bloc weren't really seperatist I hope you noticed the last 2 weeks of their campaign was all about independence.

[Apex2006 1071]

39% is a majority?. The other 61% have to be ruled by this MINORITY. Yes still better than many other countries where the top unelected 5-10% rule. So yes it is a democracy (relatively).

 

I hope that they come to their senses and end the scandals and corruptions and respect the democracy for a change and more importantly stay clear of implementing religious agenda which most Canadian do not want. They must remember that 61% of Canadians did not vote for them and did not wish their agenda.

 

I feel that if you did not get up and vote, it is your choice to give up your choice of your countries leader to the people that did take the time to go and vote.

It is unfortunate that we do have 61% of our population that don't care about the elections; all they had to do was vote. I also feel that they have given up the right to complain about the outcome.

Left or Right wing government will never make everyone happy, but with a minority government our country will never be able to move forward. Will we move forward? Who knows! But now decisions will move forward.

I am assuming that the Liberals are sorry they pushed so hard for an election now!

Is this the end of the Bloc?

[Nicolette Vaughn 294340]

While I am not a huge supporter of the Conservative Party, I did vote for them solely based on the fact that I have faith that they will strengthen the economy.

 

Hopefully Jack Layton will step up and give the Conservsatives a run for their money as the next Opposition leader. This is definitely history in the making. Goodbye IGGY!!!!

[PistolPete 61421]

Perhaps a comical comment about last night both Jack and Steve said in their speeches last night that they were both "going to get to work " LMAO 2 politicians or for that fact any politician stating they are going to get to work today :)

 

It was all because of Iggy, Jack and Gilles did not want to work together with Steve. We ended up with a 5 week (very boring campaigns,and a long vacation for politicians that got to see the country from coast to coast) and a election cost of 385 million or more dollars that really nobody wanted.

 

So the voters basically told Iggy hit the road you are not a leader, Gilles we had enough, and now Jack you make sure you play and work with Steve, but Steve is in charge!!! he can take his ball home anytime when no one wants to play by the rules.

 

 

Yes get to work you over paid politicians!

 

;)

[Apex2006 1071]

Perhaps a comical comment about last night both Jack and Steve said in their speeches last night that they were both "going to get to work " LMAO 2 politicians or for that fact any politician stating they are going to get to work today :)

 

It was all because of Iggy, Jack and Gilles did not want to work together with Steve. We ended up with a 5 week (very boring campaigns,and a long vacation for politicians that got to see the country from coast to coast) and a election cost of 385 million or more dollars that really nobody wanted.

 

So the voters basically told Iggy hit the road you are not a leader, Gilles we had enough, and now Jack you make sure you play and work with Steve, but Steve is in charge!!! he can take his ball home anytime when no one wants to play by the rules.

 

 

Yes get to work you over paid politicians!

 

;)

 

I agree..... but I sense a little frustration in your voice!!!!

I can only thing of 385 million reasons for this.

[Lowdark 5613]

I was working on my computer when Gilles Duceppe made his concession/resignation speech, and I gernerally tune out his voice whenever I hear ita anyway, but the last sentence of his speech grabbed my attention as he took a swipe at the rest of Canada. He said something along the lines that the Bloc wouldn't rest until Quebec was its own country. I scanned the crowd of his (few) supporters and noticed a lot of young, twenty something faces. Hopefully, the remaining parties can cannibalize what's left of the Bloc over the next few years and reduce it to a fringe movement. But unfortunately, we can never presume that seperatism is dead.

 

All of our majority governments have won less than 50% of the popular vote, this will continue so long as there are more than 2 viable parties. Its hardly surprising or shocking.

 

I think there is a chance the Conservatives will be less paranoid now that they have a comfortable majority.......we shall see.

 

One thing we can count on is that Layton will do a good job of holding them accountable. Ignatief was a terrible opposition leader, ended up as a poor choice for the Liberal leadership, and would have made a disastorous PM.

 

Sure was sweet seeing those blockheads wiped out. For all of those who posted earlier on in the campaign comments to the effect that the Bloc weren't really seperatist I hope you noticed the last 2 weeks of their campaign was all about independence.

 

Additional Comments:

I was working on my computer when Gilles Duceppe made his concession/resignation speech, and I gernerally tune out his voice whenever I hear ita anyway, but the last sentence of his speech grabbed my attention as he took a swipe at the rest of Canada. He said something along the lines that the Bloc wouldn't rest until Quebec was its own country. I scanned the crowd of his (few) supporters and noticed a lot of young, twenty something faces. Hopefully, the remaining parties can cannibalize what's left of the Bloc over the next few years and reduce it to a fringe movement. But unfortunately, we can never presume that seperatism is dead.

 

All of our majority governments have won less than 50% of the popular vote, this will continue so long as there are more than 2 viable parties. Its hardly surprising or shocking.

 

I think there is a chance the Conservatives will be less paranoid now that they have a comfortable majority.......we shall see.

 

One thing we can count on is that Layton will do a good job of holding them accountable. Ignatief was a terrible opposition leader, ended up as a poor choice for the Liberal leadership, and would have made a disastorous PM.

 

Sure was sweet seeing those blockheads wiped out. For all of those who posted earlier on in the campaign comments to the effect that the Bloc weren't really seperatist I hope you noticed the last 2 weeks of their campaign was all about independence.

[Capital Hunter 18263]

I feel that if you did not get up and vote, it is your choice to give up your choice of your countries leader to the people that did take the time to go and vote.

 

It is unfortunate that we do have 61% of our population that don't care about the elections; all they had to do was vote. I also feel that they have given up the right to complain about the outcome.

 

 

Is this the end of the Bloc?

 

I am not sure Why you quoted me with your comments Apex!!!!????.

 

I never said I didn't get up to vote. After work before I did anything else, I headed to my polling station and voted.

 

I never said 61% of people did not vote!!!!!. I said 61% of those voted did not vote for conservatives but other parties because they did not want conservative agenda and I was saying that the conservatives must respect the will of majority and do not go ahead with a possible right wing religious agenda that they may have.

 

Yes hopefully it is.I am more against the Bloc than cons. The cons have an idealogy different to mine (I strongly believe in equality, freedom of choice and human rights, in particular women's right...) and I respect theirs even though different with mine, but Bloc stands for division and destruction. I do NOT respect that.

[Apex2006 1071]

Why you quoted me with your comments Apex!!!!????.

 

I never said I didn't get up to vote. After work before I do anything else, I headed to my polling station and voted.

 

I never said 61% of people did not vote!!!!!. I said 61% of those voted did not vote for conservatives but other parties because they did not want conservative agenda and I was saying that the conservatives must respect the will of majority and do not go ahead with a possible right wing religious agenda that they may have.

 

Yes hopefully it is.I am more against the Bloc than cons. The cons have an idealogy different to mine (I strongly believe in equality, freedom of choice and human rights, in particular women's right...) and I respect theirs even though different with mine, but Bloc stands for division and destruction. I do NOT respect that.

 

 

Oh sorry I was just trying to add to your point, and now that I have had my coffee, I see what you were saying!!!!

 

I just had to say that people that don't vote bug me.

 

Sorry! hope you can give a fellow CERBIE a second chance!!

My bad!

 

Apex

[Surf_Nazis_Must_Die 8958]

While I may not agree with a lot of conservative ideology I think last night's results were overall pretty decent and our country's future looks promising. Would I rather see a different party in power? sure, but at least we finally have a majority! No more bickering and treading water in the highest office in the land. The seperatist movement has been dealt a harsh blow, Iggy found out what most of us think of him and the Greens finally won a seat! It may not be much, but it's a great step in the right direction for the Greens. And it will be interesting to see how the NDP handles being the opposition for the first time ever.

 

Some pretty historic stuff last night that i'm stoked on overall.

[Capital Hunter 18263]

All of our majority governments have won less than 50% of the popular vote, this will continue so long as there are more than 2 viable parties. Its hardly surprising or shocking.

 

I think there is a chance the Conservatives will be less paranoid now that they have a comfortable majority.......we shall see. .

 

Yes that was my point. Canada's electrol system needs changing for a fairer definition of majority. I mean a run up election between the top two may be a logical solution (unless a single party secures 50%+ in the first ballet). Then it will be a majority. With this electrol system, a 24% of eligible voters (or 39% of voters who voted) for a party (less than a quarter of eligible population) gives the cons a majority. Likely a runner up election would have been a NDP government as I think most of those voted for liberals and Bloc and Green are centre or center left.

 

I hope so on your second point. I am cautiously optimistic.

 

PS - By 24% I mean 39% of the 61% eligible voters who voted.

[drlove 37204]

On a different note, how will the results of the election affect the outcome of the Bedford case?

[Phaedrus 209521]

On a different note, how will the results of the election affect the outcome of the Bedford case?

Who knows? I suspect it won't, in the short term at least - I'd be surprised if much happened while it was still going through the courts. But if the legal process ends with a ruling against the government that says SPs' rights are bring infringed while they carry out a legal activity (for now), and if there's still a Harper majority at that time, then I worry they may well be provoked into doing something about the legality of it to render such a ruling null and void.

 

Of course, if one of our self-appointed moral guardians gets the bit between their teeth, all bets are off.

[roamingguy 300292]

I was working on my computer when Gilles Duceppe made his concession/resignation speech, and I gernerally tune out his voice whenever I hear ita anyway, but the last sentence of his speech grabbed my attention as he took a swipe at the rest of Canada. He said something along the lines that the Bloc wouldn't rest until Quebec was its own country. I scanned the crowd of his (few) supporters and noticed a lot of young, twenty something faces. Hopefully, the remaining parties can cannibalize what's left of the Bloc over the next few years and reduce it to a fringe movement. But unfortunately, we can never presume that seperatism is dead.

 

 

You know, I shake my head at the arrogance. First of the Bloc. The people of Quebec, not of Canada as a whole, voted...their vote was for a federalist party, not a nationalist/separatist party devoted to the break-up of Canada. The arrogance that the Bloc won't rest, they are all but decimated federally. There will be a separatist faction in Quebec, but the wind sure has been taken out of their sail. Maybe after all these years the movement is losing it's legitimacy, maybe it's yesterdays news

 

And as for the Liberals and Iggy, in his speech, after he lead the party to it's worst defeat in history, he has the arrogance and gall to call the Liberals the natural governing party for Canada, or words to that effect. Iggy, wake up, you got your asses kicked, the people of Canada spoke, and the two parties that most of Canada want are Conservative and NDP.

To lose so bad and speak with such arrogance is insulting to the citizens of Canada who voted for a party other than the Liberals.

 

RG

[Guest s******ecan****]

With this electrol system, a 24% of eligible voters (or 39% of voters who voted) for a party (less than a quarter of eligible population) gives the cons a majority. Likely a runner up election would have been a NDP government as I think most of those voted for liberals and Bloc and Green are centre or center left.

 

 

Who knows though? You assume that in a run off everyone who didn't vote Conservative would all switch to the NDP. This is highly unlikely. You decry the Conservatives for only getting 39 (actually 39.6) of the vote but the NDP only got 30%. To breach the 50% barrier the Conservatives would have only needed another 11% (1 in 3 of the voters who didn't vote for either the Cons or NDP in the hypothetical first round, while the NDP would need to win 2 out of 3 voters) in a run off. Thats why the 39% number while not a clear majority is a significant number in a multi party system. Its wishful thinking on your part to assume that in a run off Conservative support would remain frozen and all others move in a monolith.

In addition what about the party diehards? If their party came 3rd and they were now faced with voting either Conservative or NDP many might simply choose not to vote in the run off. In all likelyhood voter turnout in the run offs would plummet and the Conservatives/NDP would retain their votes which would now comprise a larger percentage of a shrinking pie giving us the same end result...a Conservative victory.

 

The bigger problem with this system though is you condemn the also rans to extinction. If a two stage election requires a 50% plus 1 what happens to the Greens, Liberals etc? They end up with no representation. This would be a huge barrier to the creation of new political parties/movements.

 

Finally aside from the media, advertisers, and political junkies the vast majority of Canadians would not look fondly on election "overtime", most find the current 5 week campaign format exhausting.

[Capital Hunter 18263]

Who knows though? You assume that in a run off everyone who didn't vote Conservative would all switch to the NDP. This is highly unlikely. .

 

The bigger problem with this system though is you condemn the also rans to extinction. If a two stage election requires a 50% plus 1 what happens to the Greens, Liberals etc? They end up with no representation. This would be a huge barrier to the creation of new political parties/movements.

 

No I assume that two-third of the 30% who voted for liberal, Bloc, Green would have voted NDP not everone (almost sure all 9% green/Bloc votes would have gone to NDP in run up election, as their idealogy is much closert o NDP than Cons and slightly more than half of those voted liberal which I think would have been a good chance).

 

May be like many countries we need two elections. One to elect MPs and one separate to elect head of state. Options are plenty and I am certainly not a constitutional expert but in my view, a party forming a majority government with under 40% of vote (and less than one quarter of eligible voters) is just not true democracy, especially if they want abuse their majority and impose their rules/beliefs,ideas upon the remaing 76% of eligible population who did not vote for them or their ideas!!!.

[Lowdark 5613]

Perhaps it was that aspect of him that kept voters from really bonding with him. The truth of it is the Liberals had no chance in this election becuase of Ignatieff's unpopularity, although I don't anyione saw a collapse of this magnitude coming. And it doesn't matter how much money you spend on ads or what strategy you use, if voters just don't like you, you can't change most of their minds.

 

You know, I shake my head at the arrogance. First of the Bloc. The people of Quebec, not of Canada as a whole, voted...their vote was for a federalist party, not a nationalist/separatist party devoted to the break-up of Canada. The arrogance that the Bloc won't rest, they are all but decimated federally. There will be a separatist faction in Quebec, but the wind sure has been taken out of their sail. Maybe after all these years the movement is losing it's legitimacy, maybe it's yesterdays news

 

And as for the Liberals and Iggy, in his speech, after he lead the party to it's worst defeat in history, he has the arrogance and gall to call the Liberals the natural governing party for Canada, or words to that effect. Iggy, wake up, you got your asses kicked, the people of Canada spoke, and the two parties that most of Canada want are Conservative and NDP.

To lose so bad and speak with such arrogance is insulting to the citizens of Canada who voted for a party other than the Liberals.

 

RG

[Guest s******ecan****]

May be like many countries we need two elections. One to elect MPs and one separate to elect head of state. Options are plenty and I am certainly not a constitutional expert.

 

Thats why we'll never get this sort of reform, it would require constitutional revisions which we have no appetite for in this country, not to mention the fact the Provinces never agree on anything.

 

I think our current system serves us well, we're a pretty successful country with a long history of political stability.

 

BTW Bill Clinton was elected President in 1992 and 1996 both times with less than 50% of the vote yet is wideley regarded as a pretty good Prez.