Why I vote Conservative/Liberal/NDP/Green/Bloc

Colpy

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 5, 2005
21,887
847
113
69
Saint John, N.B.
With a new election on the horizon, I thought it would be interesting for any of us that wished to post articles on the policies, actions, people, or any other positive reason you vote for the people you do.....or would consider voting for any particular party.

Hopefully, sort of a anti-negative ad thread.......

I'll start....

I vote Conservative because of actions like this:

http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/0...d-at-library-and-archives-canada-in-february/
 

Colpy

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 5, 2005
21,887
847
113
69
Saint John, N.B.
With the calibre of Federal leadership out there, I'll be watching the local guys, sniffing for rhetoric, and hoping whomever will do right by me.

A completely understandable and honourable position.......but I would point out that due to the unfortunate developments in our parliamentary system over the last 40 years, back bench MPs are little more than finger puppets for the leaders.

Anyone with a set of cojones is soon bounced from the party.

And that is a damn shame. But a fact, nonetheless..........we are, if we wish to be at all effective in our voting, forced to consider the party leaders.

We are a five year tyranny........
 

damngrumpy

Executive Branch Member
Mar 16, 2005
9,949
21
38
kelowna bc
This election is going to be difficult as there are policy decisions fundamentally to be made.
I sometimes support an NDP Candidate if that person is progressive and fiscally conservative.
The problem I have is the political correctness to the absurd, we have to have 50/50 men and
women, (I think we should have qualified people regardless of what sex they are) There are
positive and negatives to voting this way this time. My biggest problem is Jack himself, and
the fact the party seems to be looking for a purpose to exist.

The Liberals on the other hand, well they are the other half of the Conservative program there is
almost no difference. I say this as there is a difference between action and rhetoric. The Liberals
have no purpose under the leadership they have. Iggy is a cut out prop, he his manipulated by
handlers. An intellectual in a plaid shirt, trying to capture the imagination of the working man and
the middle and upper middle class. Of course, Iggy is a great fan of the Bush Administration,
one that was even more conservative than Harper. How the hell can anyone reconcile that?

The Greens, what can I say these are not part of the left wing intellectual circle, they are on the
regressive right actually and more dogmatic than any other party or philosophy. Greens, not a
Political movement, it is actually the new religion and should they become government we would
have more to fear than anything on the Harper agenda, even more than anything the NDP could
come up with, and certainly more complicating than the Federal Liberals.

The Bloc, they are actually the only hope we have. Their separatist position is what unites the rest
of this great country. The Bloc also have enough going for them to prevent anyone from forming a
majority and really screwing us. The Bloc is a movement but it is not a religion, the Bloc is a route
to the dream of a nation on one hand and a reluctance to leave Canada on the other hand.
The Greens are far more concerning to me than the Bloc ever will be.

Then there is Harper himself, yes he is a control freak and he micro manages everything. Actually
this is not about power for Harper, it is in my opinion more about fear, and the fear of not achieving
his ultimate goal. Harper is also moving toward the middle of the Conservative movement, he is
slowly but surely shedding his Reform skin, and the reason is because he knows he cannot win on
the Reform platform, and he could not maintain power if he stayed that far on the right. His problem
is he cannot hold onto power if he does not mold his program to fit the majority view of a center
right government.

Put this into the mix and it really gets interesting. If Iggy loses the next election they will get rid of him
faster than a snake sheds its skin.
Jack is riding on the last train to the political wilderness, his hayride is over and the NDP may even find
its purpose with a new leader.
Duceppe he can stay as long as he likes because he has provided sound leadership in his concentrated
political base. This guy could make a career out being a pain in the backside for everyone and he has the
luxury in that he can enjoy it.
The Greens, the only hope we have is that they will never find a real leader. The Greens are not a
political movement, they are not a political party, they are a Religion and that makes them unpredictable
and concerning. Their policy would get rid of the wealthy, the upper middle, middle and lower middle
classes and provide the world with a new cottage industry, it is called poverty. They would be under huge
pressure from their base to move quickly and this would not allow for transition into a green world as they
believe it will be.

The Conservatives, here is a group the country says we will sort of trust you, but we will not trust you with
ultimate control. We want to keep our social contracts and not turn pensions and medicare over to the
private sector. We want a low key government that is variable, that can adapt like a chameleon and become
Liberal when it is convenient. Harper has in fact done this, he assisted business with bailouts and all the
things that the Liberals would have done. Social Conservatives are already getting restless and fiscal
Conservatives are forced to support him.
In short none of the leaders are safe, the people are becoming restless and in general we don't know what
they are going to do in a polling booth and that is why none of the leaders really want an election despite
what they would have us believe.
After all that I really don't know what I will do at this point in a polling booth.
 

Retired_Can_Soldier

The End of the Dog is Coming!
Mar 19, 2006
11,282
479
83
59
Alberta
Perhaps to the surprise of some I am not assigned to any one party and vote based on policy and action. Fiscally I am a conservative, and I think it is obvious that I am steadfast in my support of Canada's military. In the event of a Federal election I will be very conflicted as to who I will vote for. The Federal Governments bungling in regard to Veterans Affairs, Prime Minister Harper's policy shift regarding Afghanistan before the last federal election and some very arrogant post election actions that almost saddled us with a coalition government have given me serious reason to consider how I will vote.

So I cannot say unequivically that I will vote conservative in the next election. Quite frankly, the only strong point the conservatives have is the fact that the Liberal Party still has not abandon it's fear-mongering stance instead of strengthening its vision and policy for the future of this Country.

As for NDP, I would never vote for the NDP.
 

gerryh

Time Out
Nov 21, 2004
25,756
295
83
Historically, I vote Liberal. Last time with Dion and this time with Iggy I am at a loss. I did vote Liberal the last time because of the local candidate, this time around I will, once again, have to look close at the Liberal, NDP and Independant candidates as I am in Harpers riding now and there is no way on God's green earth I will vote for him.
 

Liberalman

Senate Member
Mar 18, 2007
5,623
35
48
Toronto
I will be voting Liberal because the Conservatives, NDP and Greens are full of crap And when I say crap I mean Canadian Reform Alliance Party thinking.

The Liberals is the only game in town that will do any good.
 

Tonington

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 27, 2006
15,441
150
63
I voted for Bill Casey when I was in Truro, the only votes I ever felt really good about. Any man who was willing to put his constituents ahead of his party was a man worth voting for. I have no idea who I'd vote for now. I'm in a new province, PEI gets four seats for very few people though.

I guess I'm in a similar kind of situation to RCS. Though the one party I can't vote for is the Conservatives. Far too many issues that concern me have been trashed by Harper. The census, food safety, cutting taxes and spending more than the Liberals (before the recession was even upon us), cuts to the science granting councils, and weak standards on clean water/air/environment in general to name the biggest offenses.
 

wulfie68

Council Member
Mar 29, 2009
2,014
24
38
Calgary, AB
Well, I'm not sure what my voting status is, since I am now living in the US: kinda hard to vote for a particular riding when I no longer live in one, even though I am still a Canadian citizen. This will be my first election outside Canada's borders and it feels wierd seeing that in front of me on the screen.

Historically, I have voted PC/Reform/Conservative. The biggest reason, as I tell people, in Alberta there two types of politicians: Conservatives and roadkill... and I have always identified more with my home province than the country as a whole.

In a lot of ways I see myself as a typical Albertan when it comes to my vote. I do not trust the Liberals in any way shape or form, after the economic war launched on my home by Trudeau, and the later disdain shown by Chretien. We're 3 leaders removed from Chretien but the Liberal Party of Canada has shown itself to be hostile and poisonous to Westerners and Albertans in particular. The NDP is cut from too similar a cloth, ideologically, as the Liberals, and it has never been worth their while to make policy that is remotely palatable to most Albertans. The Greens, emotionally I want to be able to embrace them but intellectually, there are again far too many questions as to what their plan of governance would be and how it would affect my home. To top it all off, the last couple elections, my MP was Jason Kenney, who I admired from his days as the head of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (although I have to admit some of his smart @$$ remarks from the Hill make me want to smack him upside the head at times).

I don't think the Conservatives are anything close to perfect, as others have touched on, but I think they are the best bet for the entire nation. I think Harper is a much more savvy politician and leader than most of us want to admit, but his lack of personality hurts him in an era when charisma and appeal count so heavily.
 

Colpy

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 5, 2005
21,887
847
113
69
Saint John, N.B.
I voted for Bill Casey when I was in Truro, the only votes I ever felt really good about. Any man who was willing to put his constituents ahead of his party was a man worth voting for. I have no idea who I'd vote for now. I'm in a new province, PEI gets four seats for very few people though.

I guess I'm in a similar kind of situation to RCS. Though the one party I can't vote for is the Conservatives. Far too many issues that concern me have been trashed by Harper. The census, food safety, cutting taxes and spending more than the Liberals (before the recession was even upon us), cuts to the science granting councils, and weak standards on clean water/air/environment in general to name the biggest offenses.


Yeah....I'd have voted for Casey as well, even after he was booted.
 

Retired_Can_Soldier

The End of the Dog is Coming!
Mar 19, 2006
11,282
479
83
59
Alberta
I'm thinking about running as an independent. (Do they get a pension after five years?) I need to start planning my real retirement.
 

Machjo

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 19, 2004
17,878
61
48
Ottawa, ON
With a new election on the horizon, I thought it would be interesting for any of us that wished to post articles on the policies, actions, people, or any other positive reason you vote for the people you do.....or would consider voting for any particular party.

Hopefully, sort of a anti-negative ad thread.......

I'll start....

I vote Conservative because of actions like this:

Iranium will be screened at Library and Archives Canada in February | Posted | National Post

I don't vote party, so the thread title is meaningless to me. For example, the Ottawa-Orleans MP, a member of the Conserative party, is not much more than a party hack, a bobbing head if you well, not worth the salary Parliament pays for a bobbing head. On the other hand, Scott Reid is an MP I might actually at least consider voting for if I were in his riding.

Here in Ottawa-Orleans last election, I nearly voted for the Green-Party candidate, but handed in a blank ballot instead. I still question whether I did the right thing, but the party name under his name kind of pushed me away from actually putting a check there; I found the idea that his party would get 1.25$ or whatever the amount is for my vote to be repulsive seeing that I was not voting for his party, but for him.

I think if we actually voted in quality candidates, even independent candidates, rather than party hacks, we'd have a much higher-quality Parliament. To take an example of how that would work:

A quality MP like Scott Reid might actually win election after election in his riding, possibly getting a few votes even from some non-conservatives, whereas a bobbing head like Galipeau would soon be ousted since he couldn't hide behind his party affiliation anymore, with even conservatives seeing through him and so dumping him. This would put pressure on all parties to actually find quality candidates.

But before any of this can be done, we need to tone down party loyalties a little.

I'm thinking about running as an independent. (Do they get a pension after five years?) I need to start planning my real retirement.

If you run in Ottawa-Orleans, the simple fact that you're an independent candidate would likely make me consider you pretty seriously. Of course I'd have to consider your policies, and might still end up voting for a party member. But the simple fact that you'd be running as an independent candidate would already give you a pretty high chance to win my vote.

I will be voting Liberal because the Conservatives, NDP and Greens are full of crap And when I say crap I mean Canadian Reform Alliance Party thinking.

The Liberals is the only game in town that will do any good.

I'd have no qualms about voting for a Liberal. But the Liberal running in my riding last federal election was almost as mindless as the Conservative member. So are you saying you'd vote for a Liberal even if he was a total nincompoop, but would refuse to vote for a Conservative, a Dipper or a Green with a head on his shoulders? No wonder we have so many bobbing heads in our Parliament.
 

damngrumpy

Executive Branch Member
Mar 16, 2005
9,949
21
38
kelowna bc
The problem is the Liberals and NDP are a better choice than the Greens. Two parties I am not
voting for the Conservatives, as the old Reform is more like draconian social conservative and
the Greens are a sinister for form of dogmatic dictatorial conservatism. The Greens are not the
slightest bit left as they like to position themselves.
The greens will not sit down and discuss things rationally, they will implement their plan regardless
of the consequences. And if they were to simply do that the changes would have serious and I
mean serious consequences.
I think this election I will hold my nose and vote NDP for the reason I want some balance, as in a
minority government. I do not want any of these clowns to have a majority under almost any
circumstances. Here there is a conservative riding and second is the NDP so it is a pretty safe
bet to vote. No I do not like proportional representation I do however prefer a minority to Tories
running rough shod over the country. Iggy ain't got a chance of winning and he is a doomed leader,
actually they all are.
 

Bar Sinister

Executive Branch Member
Jan 17, 2010
8,252
19
38
Edmonton
Generally I vote for any party whose ideas annoy or frighten the Liberals or Conservatives. The only way to get either of these parties to do anything other than sit on their hands is to put the fear in them that they might be replaced by a more radial third party. Without the NDP and the Green Party Canada would be little better than the deadlocked and essentially useless US Congress. It is interesting to note that during the last fifty years almost all meaningful legislation enacted in Canada has been copied by the Liberals and Conservatives from left of centre political parties.
 

Machjo

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 19, 2004
17,878
61
48
Ottawa, ON
This election is going to be difficult as there are policy decisions fundamentally to be made.
I sometimes support an NDP Candidate if that person is progressive and fiscally conservative.
The problem I have is the political correctness to the absurd, we have to have 50/50 men and
women, (I think we should have qualified people regardless of what sex they are) There are
positive and negatives to voting this way this time. My biggest problem is Jack himself, and
the fact the party seems to be looking for a purpose to exist.

The Liberals on the other hand, well they are the other half of the Conservative program there is
almost no difference. I say this as there is a difference between action and rhetoric. The Liberals
have no purpose under the leadership they have. Iggy is a cut out prop, he his manipulated by
handlers. An intellectual in a plaid shirt, trying to capture the imagination of the working man and
the middle and upper middle class. Of course, Iggy is a great fan of the Bush Administration,
one that was even more conservative than Harper. How the hell can anyone reconcile that?

The Greens, what can I say these are not part of the left wing intellectual circle, they are on the
regressive right actually and more dogmatic than any other party or philosophy. Greens, not a
Political movement, it is actually the new religion and should they become government we would
have more to fear than anything on the Harper agenda, even more than anything the NDP could
come up with, and certainly more complicating than the Federal Liberals.

The Bloc, they are actually the only hope we have. Their separatist position is what unites the rest
of this great country. The Bloc also have enough going for them to prevent anyone from forming a
majority and really screwing us. The Bloc is a movement but it is not a religion, the Bloc is a route
to the dream of a nation on one hand and a reluctance to leave Canada on the other hand.
The Greens are far more concerning to me than the Bloc ever will be.

Then there is Harper himself, yes he is a control freak and he micro manages everything. Actually
this is not about power for Harper, it is in my opinion more about fear, and the fear of not achieving
his ultimate goal. Harper is also moving toward the middle of the Conservative movement, he is
slowly but surely shedding his Reform skin, and the reason is because he knows he cannot win on
the Reform platform, and he could not maintain power if he stayed that far on the right. His problem
is he cannot hold onto power if he does not mold his program to fit the majority view of a center
right government.

Put this into the mix and it really gets interesting. If Iggy loses the next election they will get rid of him
faster than a snake sheds its skin.
Jack is riding on the last train to the political wilderness, his hayride is over and the NDP may even find
its purpose with a new leader.
Duceppe he can stay as long as he likes because he has provided sound leadership in his concentrated
political base. This guy could make a career out being a pain in the backside for everyone and he has the
luxury in that he can enjoy it.
The Greens, the only hope we have is that they will never find a real leader. The Greens are not a
political movement, they are not a political party, they are a Religion and that makes them unpredictable
and concerning. Their policy would get rid of the wealthy, the upper middle, middle and lower middle
classes and provide the world with a new cottage industry, it is called poverty. They would be under huge
pressure from their base to move quickly and this would not allow for transition into a green world as they
believe it will be.

The Conservatives, here is a group the country says we will sort of trust you, but we will not trust you with
ultimate control. We want to keep our social contracts and not turn pensions and medicare over to the
private sector. We want a low key government that is variable, that can adapt like a chameleon and become
Liberal when it is convenient. Harper has in fact done this, he assisted business with bailouts and all the
things that the Liberals would have done. Social Conservatives are already getting restless and fiscal
Conservatives are forced to support him.
In short none of the leaders are safe, the people are becoming restless and in general we don't know what
they are going to do in a polling booth and that is why none of the leaders really want an election despite
what they would have us believe.
After all that I really don't know what I will do at this point in a polling booth.

It would seem this entire post is a pure stereotyping and caricaturizin of members of this or that political party. Are you saying that there is not one sinle New Democrat who's a fiscal conservative and who is more moderate, that there is not one Green who is open to ideas from others outside his party, that there is not one Conservative or Liberal who is willing to work with others outside his party?

I beg to differ. Last Federal election in my riding, the Liberal and Conservative cadidates were party hacks, empty, shallow bobbing heads; the New Democrat just didn't know how to advertise herself (no web page, no e-mail, and just a home phone nuber, so it was difficult to find out whether she was a good candidate or not; though if that's how inacessible she is during a campaign, imagine once elected!), while the Green candidate, an ex-military officer (yeah, I know, not your stereotypical Green caricature) actually had a head on his shoulders and was willing to question ideas outside the box.

There is not guarantee that a candidate matches his party policy to a T, and that's why you need to consider the individual candidate an put party prejudices aside. Just to take an example here, with Canada at war in Afghanistan, who do you think would be more competent between the Green candidate who also happenned to be ex-military and the Conservative candidate who was previously a businessman and really just blindly tows the party line?
 

taxslave

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 25, 2008
36,362
4,336
113
Vancouver Island
Going to be a tough choice this time, I would never vote for a dipper or greenie. Both are out to destroy the economy. Which leaves the cons and libs unless we get lucky and have an independent run that is not a wing nut . We had about 3 of them last time. One left, one right one just plain nut. Don't like either leader and not too happy with our current con that thinks his job is to bring the party message to the riding. DOn't know who the libs will run this time, Last one was a lightweight.
 

Machjo

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 19, 2004
17,878
61
48
Ottawa, ON
Generally I vote for any party whose ideas annoy or frighten the Liberals or Conservatives. The only way to get either of these parties to do anything other than sit on their hands is to put the fear in them that they might be replaced by a more radial third party. Without the NDP and the Green Party Canada would be little better than the deadlocked and essentially useless US Congress. It is interesting to note that during the last fifty years almost all meaningful legislation enacted in Canada has been copied by the Liberals and Conservatives from left of centre political parties.

This is sad. How are we to advance as a nation if we're more interested in voting against something that for something? All such a mentality encourages is permanent stalemate.
 

Bar Sinister

Executive Branch Member
Jan 17, 2010
8,252
19
38
Edmonton
This is sad. How are we to advance as a nation if we're more interested in voting against something that for something? All such a mentality encourages is permanent stalemate.

Wait - are you telling me how to vote? May I suggest that if you are then you can go to hell.