Dynasty, s3: Canadian Politics 2018

the National Post has some examples.

So what were the actual numbers that have people talking about reform?

Dalton McGuinty pulled off a political coup by becoming a three-peat Premier. But it is not as if the majority of Ontarians loved him. The Liberals took 53 seats with 37% of the vote. The Tories were two percentage points behind, but only won 37 seats. In Manitoba, the NDP took 37 seats with 46% of the vote while the Conservatives took a mere 19 seats with the backing of 44% of the voters. In P.E.I. the Liberals won 22 seats on 51.4% of the vote while the Tories took a piddling five seats on 40.6%. “Every election gives us new horror stories because of our voting system,” said Wayne Smith, executive director of Fair Vote Canada. “You can conclude [from these results] that there is something seriously wrong with the Canadian political system. It is almost as if the majority of voters end up getting no real representation at all.”

Are there worse examples?

One of the most extreme examples came in the Quebec provincial election of 1998. The Parti Québécois won 76 seats to the Liberals’ 48. But the PQ had a lower popular vote than its Grit rival.

http://nationalpost.com/news/canada/what-the-why-seat-counts-never-match-the-popular-vote

Thanks. The Quebec example is the only one that meets the criteria I was looking for but, yeah, it definitely shows that it's possible.

Ontario election newspaper endorsements in review:

Sun: PCs
National Post: PCs
Globe: Declined to endorse
Star: The NDP if necessary, but not necessarily the NDP

Our left wing media at work! #ONpoli #ONelxn

— Luke Savage (@LukewSavage) June 5, 2018

The Ottawa Citizen's PC endorsement was something else: http://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-the-progressive-conservatives-should-form-the-next-ontario-government

One highlight:

Only the PCs are placed to even begin an honest conversation with Ontarians about other models and innovations that work in other jurisdictions;

It's not that they have a plan or even any ideas, you see. They are *placed* to begin a ~conversation~.

How does a newspaper decide who to endorse? I mean it's easy to understand how the Sun and Post go PC, but how do the Globe come to their ridiculous conclusion? or The Star?

Here's the Globe editor's response to how they came up with their ridiculous 2015 federal election endorsement.

Rex Herrington Mr. Walmsley in the interests of transparency and accountability could you inform your readers as to who made this decision is was it a board decision, a senior managers decision or did the owner just ask you to "take this memo!"? Seriously this is even more convoluted than your 2011 endorsement. Why did you not just abstain? Cowardly but oh so much more honest

The Globe and Mail Great question that highlights many questions in one. So I will take a bit of time with this. At The Globe and Mail, unlike at other newspapers, the editorial board answers to the editor in chief, not the publisher and not the proprietor. We publish editorials every day. We have views every day. It is routine business. The editorials are the position of the newspaper, and as the editor in chief, ex-officio the chair the editorial board, I make the call. I also out of courtesy tell the publisher. This is a franchise play and the publisher should know. But there is no ownership involvement at any stage. As an editor in chief for 18 months I rely heavily on my publisher, who has been in the business a long time. I go to him on many occasions for advice. In the summer I wanted to bounce off him my idea to play big the image of young Alan Kurdi, the young Syrian refugee who drowned. That was also a franchise play. He agreed with my decision, but he didn't make the decision. On this endorsement, and on any other decision, they are mine to make. Of course if there is a serious disagreement, the publisher is my boss. That has never happened to my knowledge when it comes to endorsements.

https://www.facebook.com/theglobeandmail/posts/10153602685703904

So it's a franchise play to be cowards? **thinking emoji**

I feel like I'm a little disappointed with the strategic voting campaigns this time compared to the last federal election, even though it might be more necessary this time. Even Leadnow is just asking people to vote 'against Ford'. In 2015, they actively endorsed the individual candidate who had the best chance of beating the Tory in each riding. Unless it's just because everyone realizes that the NDP is the strategic option.

https://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2018/06/05/pc-candidate-raymond-cho-apologizes-over-physical-altercation-with-grade-7-student-outside-scarborough-school.html

Admittedly the actual story is a bit of a letdown after seeing the headline, but still very on the PC brand.

More Tory shadiness: https://www.facebook.com/deborah.reid.16/posts/10155302300690957

Haven't seen much reported on it tbh although there's another tweet:

This is my riding. Unreal.

Also, why is the Progressive in Progressive Conservative in scare quotes? https://t.co/Uk3M1ZpkHo

— Siobhan Morris (@siomo) June 6, 2018

Assuming it's real, it's pretty shady.

"We meant 'Liberals' as in classical liberals!"

That is hilarious

And in the gloom column:

We will be putting out final numbers later today . We are still in field and reserving option of going till 9 but everything seems pretty frozen right now . Barring some shocking late shift or turnout skew this is going to be a Conservative majority .

— Frank Graves (@VoiceOfFranky) June 6, 2018

fuuuuuuuuuck

in the lol dept:

According to the sources, Trudeau pressed Trump on how he could justify the tariffs as a "national security" issue. In response, Trump quipped to Trudeau, "Didn't you guys burn down the White House?" referring to the War of 1812.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/06/politics/war-of-1812-donald-trump-justin-trudeau-tariff/

just thinking of ways i'd answer that if i were trudeau, and i'm getting so many lols

https://open.spotify.com/track/7EcLeCDAzau3QdCnsmT4R4?si=VoQ3R1z8S5i7gSCxS5mYMg

I mean, it's not terrible as a joke and probably the height of wit by Trump's standards.

(It's not really "erroneous" imo.)

"don -- can we narrow it down to the last oh i dunno decade? century? cool?"

Ha

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLIP0ZtoiO4

Happy doomsday everyone. (I voted, obv)

good luck ontario (but we're all fukt)

Let's get this over with.

Seriously.

CBC calling it for the PC. This is happening fast.

Fuck.

Congrats Ontario, you are officially as stupid as America.

Not even close.

Well, at least it was over fast.

Fuck this country.

hey hey we didn’t all elect Ford

If it's any comfort, Quebec will soon follow suit by electing Legault so we can all be morons together, a fucking gaggle of them, all over the continent.

A majority government, though. For fuck's sake.

I hope Ford finds a way to keep his campaign song around. "F-o-o-o-r-r-r-r the people..." It was just so catchy.

Pom... give me my few months left.

Torch the goddamn suburbs.

Apparent low youth turnout, which is especially unsurprising in this election.

Can't argue with that. Preemptively, in our case.

And sorry VHS, it's just that I think the cue to abandon all hope was the most humane part of the Inferno.

xp

Youth deserves the bullshit happening to them imo

I don't agree.

If they don’t vote, it’s really on them.

If they don't vote, the strategies to make clear to them that there are in fact political solutions to problems they face clearly aren't working. I'm not interested in blaming them for thinking all the establishment parties are full of shit or not capable of acting in their interest. That gets us nowhere.

the provincial NDP are still seen by so many as a joke option and while they've made clear gains, a lot more work needs to be done to build their credibility.

I heard so many anecdotes from friends of people saying "really??" when they announced they were voting NDP. I heard the same from my own father. They're going to need to be a relentless, principled, and bold opposition for the entirety of Ford's term, and they're going to get little to no media support while they're at it.

I had precious little notion of where I stood politically in my late teens and early 20s so I feel for their disarray. If anything, it's the 'elderly' who should know better.

it's really frustrating that the NDP had a real albeit difficult path to victory this election

Well it's a chicken and egg situation really, but so far I do have a cliché picture in my head of a bunch of old conservative laughing in unison at the idea of 'the youth vote' while racking the suburbs. The problems they face won't solve themselves without voting for parties who have their interest at heart.

in BC I only know a couple people who grew up supporting the Liberals, they're not a party people feel a bond with. I've realized in the last few election cycles that in Ontario very few people grow up NDP.