Can't believe we're going to the polls again...

[Mr. Analog]

Man, I wish the election was sooner so we could get this all over and done with and not have to sit through a month of hot air escaping the vaporous gasbags unleashed from Ottawa on the unsuspecting masses.

Hey! If you live in Edmonton Central there is a Pirate Party candidate!

[Melbosa]

If we all vote for one party (the country) we can get back a Majority Government and not have to deal with this BS again for a while.  But alas I think we'll see another Minority and not much else...

Silly no confidence because we don't like you... at least that is what it seems to be IMO.

[Mr. Analog]

Well, I see either a minority Gov't again (bleh) or (despite Iggy's comments over the weekend) a coalition Gov't (scary)

I'd like to see a strong majority, but I doubt that will happen.

[Thorin]

Sure, Melbosa, just vote for the one I want in power, 'k?

The problem is that many people want to see a majority Conservative government, while many other people want to see a majority Liberal government, while quite a few want to see a majority NDP or Bloc Quebecois government.  We are a nation divided as to who we'd like in power.  At least, the minority of us who bother voting.

[Tom]

Voting for the party is stupid anyhow. Vote for what you'd see like done, and the person who might actually vote in that direction. If you vote conservative, you'll probably almost never see your representative vote the way you'd like them to vote (that is if you disagree with any of the conservative party's past actions) because the party has a strict conformance policy, vote against it and you're booted.

So yeah. Its a load of bull and too many people are voting idiotically.

[Melbosa]

I've lived in an NDP province, still one of the few left in the country, and I can tell you, even at a socialist view, your representation personally isn't really felt.  You want to be represented properly, you're going to have to run for office yourself.

And yeah Thorin, I know, it is a pipe dream to think any populace would collectively vote one way.  I know... but I can dream!

[Mr. Analog]

Oh yeah, Mack tweeted this today:

federal election races to watch in edmonton. http://bit.ly/hrfBfX

Pretty good roundup IMHO (though not without editorializing in some parts)

[Thorin]

I agree with what you say, Melbosa, politicians don't vote their conscience, they vote their party line - regardless of party.  There's too much power in aligning yourself with a party, and politicians are rewarded for accumulating power, not for representing their constituents.  How?  By getting into the old boys' club, where they get connections that ensure they're always comfortable and well-off after political life.

And I have no idea how to counter that problem.

Tom, when the Liberals were in power, they also always voted along party lines.  Just think back to the two years under Paul Martin and the ten years under Chretien.  The only difference in my view was that I actually _liked_ the programs Paul Martin was pursuing.  We still pay more taxes now than we would have if Paul Martin's tax changes hadn't been rolled back by the Conservatives.  He had proposed major increases in the personal tax deduction, increasing deductability of child care, and increasing the GST credit.  All these changes decreased how much low- to middle-income earners would pay while living the taxes on high-income earners the same.  When the Conservatives had him defeated in a vote of no confidence and then gained power, they rolled back his changes, and instead brought in a deduction in the GST and a new taxable payment for families with young children.  Turns out these changes help high-income earners more than low- and middle-income earners.  But hey, the Conservatives keep _claiming_ they lowered taxes, so it must be true, right?

And for those of you who don't believe me, look back through the old business payroll packages, where they list proposed changes in tax rates, non-refundable credits, and the like.  We went from 16% to 15% (proposed) under Martin, then that suddenly got yanked and we got put back up to 16% for a few months, and then it got dropped back down to 15.5% (what the Conservatives called "a significant personal income tax reduction", even though it was actually an _increase_ over what had already been proposed in Martin's budget).

[Thorin]

We need to fix this first-past-the-post system, too, to reflect when a candidate only has 50.00001% of those who bothered to vote voting for them.  We would get _much_ better representation if they only got as much power as they did votes, especially so if the runner-up got a seat as well.  Of course, that would lead to a doubling of the number of MPs, unless the boundaries were significantly re-drawn.

Ahh, serious change.  Never gonna happen!

[Mr. Analog]

I think another big problem that we as Canadians have to tackle is voter apathy.

How many people went to the polls during the last election?