IT'S OUR TURN!!!! We go to the polls October 14...RESULTS #25

[Catty1]

Okay, Pat and everyone:

We have over 300 ridings in Canada. Ridings are like electoral districts.

Each party has (or hopes they have) candidates in each riding. Each of the leaders has their own riding as well.

We don't vote for the leaders (unless they are the candidate in our riding).

To avoid confusion:

There are 5 parties.

They have a candidate in each riding (except the Bloc), so each party has 300 candidates each, one in each riding. This means a candidate from each party is running in an individual riding - each riding has 5 candidates.

So, for example, if the Liberals have 200 of their candidates elected (if they win their ridings), then the Liberal leader becomes the Prime Minister of Canada, because his party won the most ridings.

Each of those ridings counts for a voting seat in Parliament.

Clear like mud?
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Speaking just for myself, Harper and the Mrs would be a powerful force in changing lives for pets in Canada.

However, Harper was a Reformer (US friends - extreme right) originally - and a bribe of 2% reduction in the GST is not enough to make me vote for him. It's the PROVINCIAL governments that lower provincial sales tax, not Ottawa.

He broke his own party's law - a federal government law - to have this election. If you want to see real control and evil from Mr Deadeyes, just give the Conservatives a majority.

On the BRIGHT side, Canadians got angry enough that they flooded the other leaders' websites with emails, and pestered the TV networks - and now Harper and Layton (NDP - Major left) have backed off and Elizabeth May will be in the televised leaders' debates! YAY CANADA!

We do have our non-apathetic moments.

[Catty1]

So why did Harper break the fixed-election law and call one now?

1. To avoid any fallout from the US Election that might hurt him or influence voter decision (the same in my books!)
2. To avoid flack before we had our 100th fatality in Afghanistan(I know, US friend, Iraq is hell and this doesn't begin to compare, even with the US having 10 times the population of Canada. Smaller country means the deaths feel like losing family...and somehow, when you can count the individual numbers, it makes it seem worse. Enough to scare Harper into an election).
3. Economic reports from the last quarter show Canada is a whisker away from a recession. Harper didn't want to get blamed for that.

Interesting that he called this "snap" election...and then it was found out that he has been doing election fundraising for the past three months. In my own town, the Conservative election signs were out the VERY NEXT DAY after the election was announced. Sorry, this is just a bit fishy...

Some blog posts from cbc.ca:

CANADIANS SHOULD NOT TRUST HARPER!!!!!

A majority government for Stephen Harper would be one of the most negative political events in Canadian history

Even without a majority, he has cut;
funding for minorities
funding for literacy
funding to students
volunteers
museums
arts and culture groups across the CANADA

his government even cut funding to women's groups and … actually went so far as to remove the federal mandate to advance equality for women

$300 million is a lot of money to waste to come to another Conservative minority. Couldn't he take that cash and improve the economic situations for THOUSANDS OF CANADIANS ??

HE IS AND WILL ALWAYS BE "THE GEORGE BUSH OF THE NORTH"

The government has accomplished nothing under Harper. Whenever these so-called conservatives talk about their accomplishments they always start with the GST cut......you know, the one where us ordinary folks save about 4 cents on a cup of coffee. Then there's the $100 a month child care benefit. Would be better to target that money toward the poorest families, but I guess that wouldn't buy them enough votes. Otherwise it's money well spent I'm sure.

Harper says he's tough on crime, but at the same time insists on being soft on guns. Yeah, he's tough. So tough that he condones the death penalty, unfair trials, and torture in foreign jails. And the economy? Like I say, he's eroded our fiscal capacity with all the bitter candies to the point that we've been flirting with deficits. Considering also their disrespect for parliament, the senate, committees, the charter of rights, and the independence of the judiciary, the multiple scandals, the broken promises on income trusts, fixed election dates and the Atlantic Accord, or extending the mission in Kandahar despite troop and equipment shortages, we can't afford having this party in power any longer. Let's not forget their joke of an environmetal policy where they would rather follow developing coutries rather than take the lead.

Canada deserves better than Harper.

[smokey the elder]

I wonder how politics in the US would be if there were five viable political parties. From what I understand, if no one party has a majority in Parliament, a coalition needs to be formed to pick an acceptable PM. This forces dialog and compromise, something sadly lacking in US politics in recent memory.

Good luck with your election!

[Catty1]

We usually have what is called a "minority government", like the one that was just dissolved. That means the party has more seats than any other individual party, but not enough to outnumber all of them.

A coalition could have happened, but no one approached the Governor General about it. She's is the Queen's rep in Canada - and it is she that dissolves Parliament on request of the current Prime Minister. Then, it's election time!

[phesina]

Okay, from all I have heard about Harper, he is another Bush clone in the making and is VERY bad news. More later on him and his efforts to run (ruin?) Canada.

But first let's get on to the REALLY important issue:

How will animals (and in particular, cats) fare under his leadership?

First, I read this:

Some of you seem to disapprove of Stephen Harper. I have no idea what he is as a leader - but he wins me over with one facet of his life. He loves cats. In fact, he and his wife have fostered cats - since he became PM. They even adopted one - an orange tabby named "Cheddar."

Good on him!

Then this:

Speaking just for myself, Harper and the Mrs would be a powerful force in changing lives for pets in Canada.

In what respect would the Harpers be a powerful force in changing lives for pets in Canada.. for the better or the worse? Overall, I mean.

And..

Speaking of politicians and their feelings on cats, back to the ongoing fun-fest in the good ol' U S of A:

From NY Times columnist Paul Krugman's blog "The Conscience of a Liberal":
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/200...=5070&emc=eta1

Cats against Palin

'We already had Dogs Against Romney. Now we need Cats Against Palin:

'When asked to reveal something about Palin that no one knows, one woman offered, “She doesn’t care for cats very much,” and another chimed in, “Oh, yes, she’s afraid of my cat.”'

And yes, the attached Cheezburger picture IS part of the blog piece!

[Catty1]

LOLOL!

What I meant was that the Harpers could devote themselves to animal welfare on a national scale IF the Mr. retired as Prime Minister, or a politician at all.

On his web page there is link to fostering, and names and phone numbers of just about every Humane Society in every province and territory!

Some people are better with critters than people. Maybe Stevie is.

[phesina]

All the more reason he must be retired as Prime Minister or as a politician at all!

[Catty1]

It's Monday night, 10:12 pm here. By this time tomorrow night, our election will be over and the decisions made.

It's your turn soon, US friends...hang in there....{{{{hugs}}}}

[shepgirl]

All this being said, the best thing that could happen to Canada if the Liberals don't get in, is another minority government (as most are predicitng will happen). This would be the only way to stop Harper from totally destroying Canada.
Harper breaking the law he himself made does not impress Canadians. Neither does rubbing elbows with Bush.