Canadian Politics 2017: I've Got a Pipeline Straight to the Heart of You

The "Weaver is a secret Liberal" thing was largely about vote-splitting rather than ideology (though he has voted with them I guess - don't know much about exactly what.) Other than the corporate cash/influence issue and electoral reform, there's the Site C dam, which most people, including the Greens and NDP want cancelled and the Liberals (ie. their donors) insist go ahead. I can't see either party offering him a cabinet position - they are too keen on their own Environment guys. All the NDP people I know are pretty stoked today. The only bad thing is that recounts or absentee votes hand the liberals a majority. Then we're fucked again.

wonder if horgan will stay as leader. david eby is obv waiting in the wings

This is a pretty good primer on the situation now. The jist: Liberals have not won a minority, it's a hung parliament and up to the Legislature to determine who forms government. This seems obvious but it does demonstrate that many news reports are mis-reporting this as a small win for Liberals.

Yeah, no one can 'win a minority government' in an election. Canadians so often seem depressingly ignorant of our own political system.

So what does half the province like about Clark and the Libs if they are borderline crooks?

their enthusiasm for low taxes, low government spending, and love of pipelines and energy projects

Also, only about 23% of the population voted for them. ie. 40% of the 57% that voted.

the idea behind favouring pipelines/energy projects is that it'll bring in more jobs and economic growth it should be said

Christy speaking now. Amazing that she doesn't own a place in her own riding and didn't even vote there.

Okay, that was a really boring response from her. Maybe she realises it's over unless they can win another seat on the recounts.

176,000 uncounted absentee votes.

That riding in Comox with only 9 votes separating the NDP from Liberals had 1,800 absentee votes last election.

I envy BC's political scene, in Quebec we have the same kind of liberals: austerity and corruption (although it is mostly the previous Charest administration), but at least BC have the NPD as an alternative. The alternative in Quebec is xenophobic deficit hawks. Our choice is between xenophobia/sovereignty and corruption. Make it count!

That riding in Comox with only 9 votes separating the NDP from Liberals had 1,800 absentee votes last election.

― everything, Wednesday, May 10, 2017 1:17 PM (twenty-three minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

giving me the fear!

extra fear

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/absentee-voting-explained-1.4108548

And given that Courtenay-Comox is home to CFB Comox, where many will be voting by absentee ballot and where Benninger was the former base commander, the results could change significantly between now and May 22.

https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/comments/6ae5mr/we_are_two_ubc_political_scientists_ama_about_the/

Green leader Andrew Weaver @AJWVictoriaBC says deal breaker to working with parties is getting big money out of politics. #bcelxn17 pic.twitter.com/XJW3m4UHNQ

— Gordon Hoekstra (@Gordon_Hoekstra) May 10, 2017

And Horgan hammered that same point today.

And for me, that is probably the #1 thing I'd like to see addressed

I don't mind Horgan staying on, he ran the first semi-successful ndp election in 20 years. it gives us a strong bench for the future. could spencer herbert lead one day or is that crazy?

with 176,000 absentee ballots nobody who won by less than like 700 votes should feel safe. this election will never end.

Spencer's too nice to be party leader. Seen him speak lots of times and he's so well-liked that it's more like a "great to see you all, thanks for comin'" vibe. Just can't see him smiling while sticking a knife between his opponents ribs.His strength is being an available and active community member, and truly representing his constituents.

Wildrose and PCs plan to merge in AB: http://globalnews.ca/news/3461146/alberta-wildrose-and-pc-parties-to-make-announcement-thursday-morning/

Will the NDP be a one-term phenomenon? Honestly, not that I've paid extremely close attention to AB, but my sense is that they have been doing a pretty reasonable and not-at-all-extreme job with the hand they were dealt.

can't imagine they can compete with the united right. only caveat i suppose would be if a lot of wildrose voters are disillusioned with the party teaming up with the PCs.

Is there somewhere else they could go (other than not voting)?

I was wondering the opposite: if moderate PCs shift left instead of backing what will probably be a further-right party. If what they care most about is lower taxes, though, probably not.

A fringe party but ugh: https://www.facebook.com/Parti.Independantiste.du.Quebec/photos/a.580290878652647.144921.522503504431385/1891635784184810/?type=3&theater

If you can't see that, it's a sign for Parti indépendantiste candidate Alexandre Cormier-Denis, competing in the upcoming provincial byelection in Gouin with a picture of two women, one a white brunette in a blue toque with a fleur-de-lys, and one in a niqab. The text says, roughly "Choose your Quebec. Canadian multiculturalism: no thanks!"

http://www.tvanouvelles.ca/2017/05/18/une-pancarte-electorale-provoque-lindignation-de-citoyens

That's my hood, between the austerity party, the dude who turned the student strike into utter chaos, the right winger whose party promises me '1000$ in my pocket!!' and these islamophobic bullies, I'm really wondering if it is too much to ask for a Quebec NDP? (made a similar comment not too long ago, I realize).

NDP will be one-term, and would have been even if they had single-handedly caused a full recovery in global oil prices, slashed taxes to zero, and built a new pipeline for every conceivable market. They've done a decent job, but it was a protest vote against the corrupt, ineffectual PCs, and hatred of the Dips (fuelled by misogyny and the rise of the alt-right as well as an unshakeable perception of them as hardline Marxists and SJWs) runs deep & is daily, casually expressed in coffee-room chatter.

thank you courtenay comox!

anyone think the Greens will go Liberal?

Me

a small sick part of me wants it to happen so we can watch green voters freak out

So a social conservative wins his party's leadership race. Is Trumpism on its way here?

is Scheer a bigger social con than Harper?

I always felt that Harper was a politician first and then whatever else second, at least in that Harper made an occasional point of silencing this element of his party if he felt it threatened his brand. Not saying Scheer isn't the same (he's already made "I don't agree with it, but same-sex marriage and abortion are done deals" type statements), but in the bit I've read about him, he sure likes to tout his social conservatism.

I thought Bernier might have been able to make inroads in Quebec but there is basically zero chance of Scheer doing this, right?

If Harper did then anyone can.

Scheer seems like a politician created in a lab to lose to Trudeau lol

If Harper did then anyone can.

At their best, Harper's CPC won 10-12 seats in QC compared to 45-50 for the BQ or NDP, right? Afaict, the CPC were able to win power because the Liberals were unable to win QC for a while, not because the Tories could. Now that Quebec has returned to the Liberal flock under Trudeau, it is hard for me to see a path to victory for the Tories unless this changes somehow.

More like 45-60, ha.

Oh there is a section if Quebec that hates the liberal more than anything, and BQ is in major disaray. Scheer could play a bunch of specific cards and win 5-8 seats, that would be a very realistic scenario (and kinda what i was implying). But obviously it would'nt be enough. Which, thank god.

Greens going NDP.

ヽ(・∀・)ﾉ

We'll likely end up going back to the polls soon, which is cool with me. Voting is fun.

anyone got a question for niki ashton

Are you interviewing her? This is where I admit that I bought an NDP membership but haven't really done my research yet.

No, she's going to be present at a recruiting event with the theme of pushing the NDP to the left on Sunday in TO. I assume there's going to be some kind of question period.

:)

Monumental

Things are going to get veeeerry interesting

are we referring to BC?