A.B.C. voter? What do you mean?

Anyone But Conservative.

The situations aren't really the same. Brown was an incumbent who couldn't manage a majority. Harper, on the other hand, was told to get out of Dodge (I suppose Canadians would say something different, but that's the idea). And the fact that Labour couldn't get enough votes to form a majority even WITH the Liberals indicates how ridiculous the whole idea was in the first place.

The Canadian PMs have too much power. It's insane how they're able to prorogue parliament on a whim, or choose puppet governor-generals, or enforce gag orders with taxpayer money. I can't believe Canadians have tolerated Harper's blatant abuses of power for so long.

What do you suggest? A revolution?

@orathaic: thats a pretty poorly made quiz, all the questions are pretty extreme and all 3 canadian parties would agree with the same answer much of the time.. here is a specifically canadian one, if your interested:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canadavotes2011/votecompass/

@putin: most canadians dont like harper. he gets less than 40% of the popular vote. its just the liberals are gonna lose badly in quebec to the bloc and that the ndp and the liberal are gonna split the left vote in the rest of the country even more than usual. you should see the ads and media coverage up here, ignatieff just gets (unfairly) ripped for having worked in the states for so long and for being too 'intellectual.' Layton and duceppe are both pretty well liked, i would say

I don't know whatever happened to Cabinet government among the Anglo-Saxon democracies, but Canada's PM seems the most powerful of them all. I don't think a revolution is necessary, just a return to the Westminster model. It's also odd to me that a single member district system somehow has produced 5 parties capable of getting into parliament. How could this be?

Quebec needs to be a team player and stop voting for the bloc in federal elections. Vote for sovereignists at the provincial level, but what the hell is the point of voting for the Bloc at the federal level since they don't want to be a federal party? Ignatief as leader has been a disaster. It's like Labour picking Tony Blair. No wonder the NDP is gaining ground and the left is so divided.

Isn't the whole point of the Bloc to represent Quebec's interests on the federal level? By switching to the other parties just to spite the Conservatives the people of Quebec would effectively be surrendering the privilege of having a super-specific party pushing purely for the benefit of Quebec. Human nature would preclude strategic voting in that regard.

I'd say Quebec's interests are harmed more by dividing the opposition to the Conservatives. What does the Bloc stand to gain by being a small minority faction at the federal level?

Well, if you believe the Conservatives are some cartoonishly evil band of supervillians then that view makes sense. If they're just another party who doesn't share your views then being a regional party on the federal level gives a platform to air those issues. Just by the Bloc existing Quebec gets a disproportionate amount of attention.

could greens get a seat this time whattaya think

I hope not. The last thing Canada needs is yet another party to divide the left. Why do the Greens even exist?

I personally think it is ridiculous that the Bloc Quebecois are allowed to exist. However, it does make sense for the people of Quebec to vote for them as it gives Quebec an unfair representation in the government which makes Quebec get a significantly higher amount of federal money. If the people of Quebec did not vote for Bloc Quebecois it would be worse for them as the Liberals would not be guaranteed to win and even if they did the Liberals would not give Quebec as much money as Quebec currently gets.

Anyone have the numbers on federal money to the provinces?

I am planning on voting Conservative. I really don't like the minister who represents my riding (John Baird) but I like the liberal and NDP candidates less, and I like Harper (an Economist, had to deal with real world situations and projections) better then Ignatief (a History Professor, who has idealistic viewpoints looking back with hindsight).

I personally really like Jack Layton, and would really like to have him over for a fascinating debate, but I disagree with many of his principles. [Not that I don't disagree with some of the principles of all of the parties].

I'm late to this conversation but my addition would be to point out that

Harper seems smart but has proven pretty terrible with any sort of personal interaction. He has distanced voters and I'm sure he is terribly awkward when it comes to talking with other countries.

Ignatieff seems smart but is about the least charismactic man on the planet. And he gets ripped on. There are some pretty hilarious negative ads about him.

Layton is an unreal guy but I wouldn't really want the NDP running our country. Other than he would work hard and generally be a pretty likable character.

My riding is pretty safe Liberal,maybe i'll check out some other options to make a statement.

marxist-leninist, as always...

Biz, hope you're serious.

"I am planning on voting Conservative."

I thought you were a liberal? Nevermind there are a lot of "I'm a liberal but I don't act or vote like one" people on here.

I am absolutely serious... although there's a slim chance I might go NDP, if it seems crucial

Awesome. The ML party in Canada seems legit. I wonder though why the strategy of running in bourgeois elections?

I imagine they share Marx's once-cherished hope of achieving revolution through democratic suffrage... I suppose it COULD happen

So dividing the left is bad for Greens and Bloc Quebecois but for Marxist-Leninist it's awesome? I suppose the People's Front of Judea can tolerate the Judean People's Front but not the Judean Popular People's Front or the Popular Front of Judea. And you wonder why the Conservatives keep getting voted in.

Invictus, you robot, I was declaring it awesome that there is another MLer on here. I think the strategy of using limited resources to run in bourgeois elections is not the wisest of strategies. And anyway you had spent this entire thread criticizing the idea of strategic voting, and now you think I had a valid point? Make up your mind.

"I thought you were a liberal? Nevermind there are a lot of "I'm a liberal but I don't act or vote like one" people on here. "

Like that Stalinist Putin

Eh?

I'm not sure that is the correct usage of that term, Poutine.