Canada Votes 2015

[Captain Obvious]

They are a party in Quebec that aims to represent Quebecois needs and some members still support sovereignty. Not many or all but some. In the last election they lost major party status when Quebec went almost entirely orange/NDP. They went from like 20 seats in Parliament to 4 - it was pretty epic.

Is that the separatist party?

[Adelaide]

Is that the separatist party?

They aren't separatist, per se. Some members are but it hasn't really been a major part of their platform for a while. They do believe in the concept of Quebec as a sovereign nation within Canada which is different and basically means they want Quebec to have special abilities to essentially run their own province almost without any federal/Canadian intervention.

[Adelaide]

Mulcair would end Canada's fight with ISIS if he were to win in the upcoming election.

NDP Leader Tom Mulcair says his first acts as prime minister would include pulling the Canadian Forces out of Iraq and Syria, bringing in 10,000 Syrian refugees and reducing taxes for small and medium-sized businesses.

Mulcair, whose party is currently leading in the polls, sat down with CBC chief correspondent Peter Mansbridge for the third in a series of four interviews with the national party leaders.

"We will immediately stop the bombing mission and bring those troops home," Mulcair told Mansbridge in an interview for The National on Wednesday.

The refugee aspect will heavily appeal to some voters, while the issue of ISIS I'm not so sure. Canadians generally don't like the military being used for more than peacekeeping but at the same time from US media and our own media some Canadians might think we have a responsibility to help.

[Peter1469]

If I were Canadian I would be concerned that someone proposed bringing 10,000 Syrians to Canada.

[Captain Obvious]

If I were Canadian I would be concerned that someone proposed bringing 10,000 Syrians to Canada.

They can put them in Niagara Falls, they'll blend right in.

[Adelaide]

If I were Canadian I would be concerned that someone proposed bringing 10,000 Syrians to Canada.

I've seen people pushing for more on Facebook, plus numerous articles by news organisations which seems to suggest Canadians are willing to throw a good system out the door because of a few photos of dead Syrian kids. Don't get me wrong - it's a sad situation, but I feel like people are not thinking through the financial aspect. Raising our number of refugees means splitting the "pot" among more people, which puts all refugees at a larger disadvantage. Of course, when the government has to raise taxes somewhere to afford it people will scream bloody murder even though it was their own short-sightedness that caused the problem.

[Peter1469]

I've seen people pushing for more on Facebook, plus numerous articles by news organisations which seems to suggest Canadians are willing to throw a good system out the door because of a few photos of dead Syrian kids. Don't get me wrong - it's a sad situation, but I feel like people are not thinking through the financial aspect. Raising our number of refugees means splitting the "pot" among more people, which puts all refugees at a larger disadvantage. Of course, when the government has to raise taxes somewhere to afford it people will scream bloody murder even though it was their own short-sightedness that caused the problem.

That is my thinking....

[IMPress Polly]

I'm not Canadian, but I find that I really have by far the most in common the NDP ideologically. That's who Canada's organized labor tends to vote for, though even they have seen a significant influx of corporate money and power in recent decades that's significantly impacted what's in their platform. Their foreign policy stances (fairly inclusive and anti-imperialist) continue to be very progressive, but when it comes to economics, no longer do they call for nationalizing anything and that's a MAJOR change for a party that just a few decades ago was ideologically socialist. Nowadays they seem to be pretty much Canada's analogy to the progressive wing of America's Democratic Party: real reformists, but hardly radical. Though perhaps that moderation is why they're winning more elections these days too.

Concerning the refugee issue (which I classify as an aspect of foreign policy), I completely agree with the NDP's stance. I wish we would welcome more refugees into this country as well. The callous disconcern I see from most of our politicians frankly sickens me, particularly considering that we're participating in the said war in Syria, THUS ACTIVELY CAUSING part of this refugee crisis! We have a responsibility to, at minimum, welcome in more just a small handful of the resultantly displaced, IMO! As far as the financial aspect of providing for them goes...well, my solution to that is for the NDP to scrap their stupid plans for more corporate tax cuts "for small and medium-sized businesses". (But perhaps that orientation reflects my certain contempt for conservative middle class people as well as the truly wealthy. )

Anyway, ten years of Conservative governance has definitely shifted Canada's center of political gravity rightward. I'm up for seeing what an NDP/Liberal alliance can offer in the way of shifting it back in the other direction.

[IMPress Polly]

I have just discovered my favorite campaign ad of Canada's 2015 election. It's for an independent candidate by the name of Wyatt Scott who sounds like he's fairly progressive in this ad. Anyway, prepare yourselves, my friends (and foes), for the most EPIC campaign ad of all time, bar none!



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[Ransom]

They aren't separatist, per se. Some members are but it hasn't really been a major part of their platform for a while. They do believe in the concept of Quebec as a sovereign nation within Canada which is different and basically means they want Quebec to have special abilities to essentially run their own province almost without any federal/Canadian intervention.

Adelaide, how are the conservatives fairing, is this 'refugee' crisis having any influence?