Should Canada have a Federal Election this year?

Prime Monster Stephen Harper recently sat down to an interview with Peter Mansbridge (CBC) and said that he will not call for an election this year, though he said he was ready for one.

A recent poll questioned 1,000 people between Jan. 13 and 16 (with an error margin of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times in 20) and found that fifty-six percent of the respondents said that their, "view of the governing party hasn't changed since it won the federal election on Jan. 23, 2006."

This coming year will likely be a big one for Harper. Like most municipal/provincial/federal leaders do, he will probably try to squeeze in what he can before the federal election next year, hence how adamant he was about getting
Bill S-10 through the Canadian Senate.

So, Canadians, are you anxious for a federal election? Would you like one this year? Do you want Harper out? Do you like what he has done? Discuss

I gave the option for multiple votes given the nature of the responses.

 

There will be an election this year, Harper has ensured it. He also launched his party into election mode and started the attacks ads again.

I would love to see people who really care about this country all get out and vote this time around. Personaly I would hope everyone voted for the Green Party, but honestly, as long as they dont vote for harper and his band of croonies I dont really care...

We need to get this dictating piece of shit out of office.

 

Definitely. Have you (or anyone else) seen those new anti-drug commercials where some girl goes nuts in her room? Just in time for bill S-10. There's all these new anti-drug ads all over buses now too.

The Green Party would be ideal, but realistically I'd probably opt for the NDP. I badly want a party that isn't the Liberals or Conservatives in office and even though it's a far bet, the NDP has gained some ground over the last 6-7 years.

However, if tradition has taught us anything, what will likely happen is the Liberals will get voted in and they'll spend 4-8 years trying to undo some of what the Conservatives did before them.

 

I don't like Ignatief at all... Can't for the life of me figure out why they haven't picked someone else to lead them... BUT, I would take him and the liberals in a second over harper

As for the other choices... They have ALL been in power before, and they have screwed us... The closest one behind those that have been in power, who HAVENT proven they will screw us, is the Green Party...

Will they screw us too? Maybe, they are politicians after all... but we know for a fact that the conservatives, liberals and ndp WILL, because they have done it every time they have got in power.

We should at least give the Green Party a chance to screw us too... lol

 

That's true. I think a lot of people see the Green Party as sort of gimmicky. I'm not saying it is, but from what I've read a lot of people don't seem to take it that seriously unfortunately.

 

Well... gimmicky or not, the simple fact is that they have not gotten into power and screwed us. The others have. As for the gimmickyness about them... They are the ONLY party that consistently runs candidates in all ridings (where possible)... regardless of their chances of success... The other parties occasionally do, but it is rare... They put candidates only into the ridings they think they have a chance to succeed in or at least make an impact... Right off the bat, how does any party represent Canada, if it isn't running a candidate in every riding of Canada?

 

I didn't know that. Very interesting.

 

Thought it was fitting... lol

 

Here this is great.. lol

The Inspiring Mr Harper.

http://pushedleft.blogspot.com/2011/01/who-says-that-stephen-harper-fails-to.html

 

As much as I do not care for Harper, the pickings are slim.

Harper is so far removed from actual issues it is frightening.

May is out of her element, period.

Layton is overbearing and as long as he remains head of the party, I will never vote for them.

Ifnatieff is too much of an unknown as far a political track record.

If an election were called tomorrow I would vote Liberal, not because I necessarily wish to have him in power but all the other leaders are less appealing.

We really need some party leadership changes.

 

Stop and think about that heat...

Harper is more 'in his element' then anyone... is that really the measure you want to use?

 

I think as long as leaders like Layton and May never get a shot to prove themselves, they'll simply go down with the ship. For what reason do they have to quit if their job security remains the same?

The whole reason Stephane Dion stepped down was because they thought the Liberals might win the election and he was too impersonal, wasn't it?

 

No and exactly why I would not vote for him as stated.

That does not inspire any more confidence in May, in my opinion. In fact even less. I wish I could say anything about her political persona (I do not know her personally) that I feel is a positive. I would not wish to have her as a leader of this country.

To be honest with you there is not one party who has a leader at this point that you can point to and feel that they are who should represent Canada.

I would far rather have a Liberal minority and the rest of the vote split so that all the other (3) parties have to band together to defeat either bills or halt Parliament.

 

Dion stepped down as he had no choice. He had the political savvy of a wet dishrag. The caucus turned on him and he was left to either resign or they would have removed him. He could not hold his own party together.

You really want someone like Layton representing you as a Canadian.

I do not.

 

I can't point to one leader in the past, that I would choose to put into leadership positions... each one has served every interest except the peoples...

Someone like May, is the first one who is totally out of step with the normal corporate superstructure behind her...

Experience? Who has experience before getting into that position?

She has years of experience as the leader of the greens, has maintained a steady message throughout it. She hasn't flip flopped on issues to suit the day.

More importantly though.. go read the green platform;

http://greenparty.ca/

 

Ha! True.

I would not mind someone like Layton representing me. I've followed his work for awhile and I've met him in person, he seems alright. I've never seen/heard of the ideal politician, but someone's got to do it. From what we have right now, he's the most appealing.

What is it about him that bothers you?

 

As an environmentalist, I applaud her efforts. As a political leader, I do not.

In fact her stand on a lot of those issues are her downfall.

But, in this country people can vote as they wish to, thankfully.

 

One question heat...

Do you like our political system and what it has done for you?

 

He is arrogant and politically old school, overbearing. Even during debates he is not able to control that. That is without power behind him. We have had enough arrogant leaders.

To be honest I do not think that there will ever be an NDP government in power. Possibly with a leadership change they might stand a better chance but the majority of Canadians have a distrust of their policies and the implementation of them.

I am not saying that any of the other parties are any more advantageous but if the NDP ever take power we will within a term run the largest deficit that we have ever seen if they implement their policies. In my opinion we can not afford it.

 

Tom there are gripes I have with the system as we all do. There are many things about govenment that I do not care for. There are changes that I would like to see but the reality I face with that is that changes also come with a price.

I do not think that our political system is "broke". I think that leadership is often questionable more than the system of electing is.

What it has done for me is allow me to live in a country that I am proud to call home and sustain myself and my family.

So while it may not be perfect it far exceeds the systems that are in place in many other countries.