Is Everyone Happy With Our New Government??

Jay

Executive Branch Member
Jan 7, 2005
8,366
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It's too bad Martin decided to step down...I hoped he would ride this out till a conservative majority...
 

Curiosity

Senate Member
Jul 30, 2005
7,326
138
63
California
Congratulations :p
or
Shadenfreud 8)
or
Jeez I'm Sorry.... :cry:

To everyone depending on your wishes...


Does Canada have fillibustering? With such a split, I wonder if you will actually get any work done.

Anyway, take a rest and wait til things shake out...the day after elections is sort of a trance-state and it too shall pass.
 

pastafarian

Electoral Member
Oct 25, 2005
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in the belly of the mouse
Yes, Canada does have filibustering, but members can "invoke closure" to end a long filibuster. I think the world record still belongs to Strom thurmond for longest filibuster.
It's usually only used in the House of Commons to stall end-of-session legislation, so I doubt it will be an impediment to harper's government. His biggest worry will be that a vopte on a bill may turn into a "confidence vote" and bring down the Cons, forcing another election.
 

Triple_R

Electoral Member
Jan 8, 2006
179
0
16
I am mostly happy with how this election turned out. I would have perferred a few more Conservative and/or NDP seats, and a few less Liberal seats (they really didn't deserve triple-digit number seats, in my view), but I was pleasantly surprised by the Bloc actually losing seats in Quebec.

Nonetheless, I was worried that we might actually send the incredibly corrupt and scandal-plagued Liberals back to Ottawa as the governing party, after the results from just Atlantic Canada had came in, and hence was relieved that the Liberals were punished as they deserved to be.

In many ways, this makeup of Parliament is the best of all worlds. This will give Harper a chance to govern from the center (he can turn to the farther right members of his party, and effectively say "Look, with a lead this narrow, we can't afford to push any hot button issue changes") that he may not have had if he had won a majority, or even a strong minority.

This election is also a great one for national unity, with the Bloc losing seats, and with the Conservatives and Liberals each having 10 (or more) seats in Quebec, giving Quebecers TWO serious federal options now.

I strongly disagree with the fear that some here have with a decentralized government in Canada. As somebody living far out on the east coast, I often feel that Ottawa doesn't have a clue about what matters to every day Newfoundlanders. With Alberta having very different concerns than Quebec, and with Quebec having very different concerns than Newfoundland, and with Newfoundland having very different concerns than Ontario, and so on, I really don't understand the fear of a decentalized government. I'd perfer to have Newfoundland's natural resources (offshore oil, the cod stocks, mineral mines, the forestry) handled primarily by Newfoundlanders who are actually on the ground, and the best able to determine how much of any resource we have, and how best to handle what we have.
 

Cosmo

House Member
Jul 10, 2004
3,725
22
38
Victoria, BC
pastafarian said:
The Cons have a minority, which is the only kind of Con government to have :wink: , so Cosmo, I doubt Harper will risk his Prime Ministership on SSM, since he has bigger fish to fry and probably won't want to rock the boat. If he had a majority, I'd be worried for you.
Thanks, Pastafarian ... although a majority would have had me concerned about more than just SSM. 8O I do believe you are correct in that Harper will be busy elsewhere. It was an election issue more than a real issue, I suspect. Now that Harper is in, I'm way more concerned about being sold out to the US than the SSM issue. Time will tell, though. Keeping my fingers crossed that the minority government will keep him in line.

At any rate, it's done. A couple days of "Monday morning quarterbacking" and we can all get back to talking about something else in addition to politics!!
 

Curiosity

Senate Member
Jul 30, 2005
7,326
138
63
California
Pastafarian

Thanks for the explanation. I'm going to have to pay some attention to what happens over the next year to see what a
new government gets done...

Triple_R

Glad you are happy! I guess the majority of Canadians are today!
Sending celebratory ice cream your way :p
 

sanch

Electoral Member
Apr 8, 2005
647
0
16
Re: RE: Is Everyone Happy With Our New Government??

S-Ranger said:
the caracal kid said:
well, we all know how mob mentality works. Harper played the plebs perfectly. Lets hope that canada does not meet the same fate as the rats when they followed the Pied Piper.

I've been trying to think of a way to explain that little tidbit. Thanks.

The more effective imagery was a little devil with a bible in one hand and a pitch fork in the other set to destroy Canada. It was the same ploy the Republicans used when they replayed gay couples getting married in the bible belt. It’s remarkable to me how people zone in on an image and block out the real world. Yes there was a pied piper but he was so out of tune only the tone deaf followed him.
 

Jay

Executive Branch Member
Jan 7, 2005
8,366
3
38
pastafarian said:
I for one am pretty happy! Although, I'd have liked to see the NDP and Cons together have enough for a majority. The Libs weren't spanked nearly hard enough and that creep Ignatieff won. Anne MacLellan lost: yay! The Bloc was reduced and a Federalist party (even if it was the Cons) made inroads in Quebec. Gotta love that if you love the country!

The Cons have a minority, which is the only kind of Con government to have :wink: , so Cosmo, I doubt Harper will risk his Prime Ministership on SSM, since he has bigger fish to fry and probably won't want to rock the boat. If he had a majority, I'd be worried for you.

The NDP did much better than I predicted (nice to see the husband and wife team in the House), we don't have a Con majority... yup, i'm looking forward to the next 2-3yrs. :lol: :lol:


I love your optimism....I hope it's catchy and others get the bug. :)
 

Cosmo

House Member
Jul 10, 2004
3,725
22
38
Victoria, BC
Wednesday's Child said:
Cosmo!!!

Is it still Monday? I thought it was Tuesday!!

I'm gonna get back to bed and start all over again! :p

Monday :?: :?: Could be for all I know. It's early here and only 2 cups of coffee into my day. Is my clock wrong? I'm on the damn laptop which has a mind entirely of its own so, who knows!

No ... don't be starting all this election crap over again. No matter what day it is!!! I'm glad it's in the rear view mirror. ;)
 

Curiosity

Senate Member
Jul 30, 2005
7,326
138
63
California
Playboy

My brother used to tell my mom they had great recipies in it hahaha....

Of course he could do no wrong in her eyes.....
 

Triple_R

Electoral Member
Jan 8, 2006
179
0
16
Re: RE: Is Everyone Happy With Our New Government??

Hank C said:
God bless Stephen Harper...the face of Canada has undeniably changed. We will be able to push through legislation on tougher criminal sentences (arming border guards & more border security), get the support needed to boost our military, cut taxes for Canadians and the business community to promote growth, less interference in provincial matters (great for Quebec and Alberta), hopefully make some changes for Senate Reform, Handgun owners can breathe a sigh of relief (maybe even abolish the gun registry), fix realtions with the United States, establish our daycare plan, ect..........

I also think many Canadians went into this election thinking a Stephen Harper govt would be the end of Canada with the destruction of health care and a turn in the economy for deficits...... .... but when Canadians see that a Tory government is nothing to be scared of, and if Harper put some policy through which makes him popular, then I think next election could be the Tory majorty!

I agree with much of this. In a way, a minority government is better for Harper than a majority government is. Now, he has a chance to dispell all the myths about him being a scary right-winger - with a majority, he'd have to cowtow to a great extent to Ralph Klein, and the more controversial elements of his party. Harper has effectively been given a chance to be a statesman, and to prove that he has truly evolved as an individual.

I actually think that Harper will get through most of the actual major planks of his party platform (SSM was never one, folks - it may have been priority 35, or so, on Harper's list - he won't be touching it anytime soon - if he does touch it, the most we'll see is a terminology change that would probably be good anyway as it would make Canada less devided on hot button issues), since I don't see them being offensive to the other parties. Even the NDP supported cutting the GST on family essentials (back in the '04 election campaign). The NDP will want government ethics reform just as the Conservatives do. Every party ran on toughening up criminal sentences, and the justice system.

Of your list, Hank, the only one that I think that the Conservatives will have serious problems with is their child daycare plan. All the other parties are fundamentally oppossed to it. So, I think that Harper may have a fight on his hands on that one. The rest of your list should get through with out too much of a squabble, though.
 

Triple_R

Electoral Member
Jan 8, 2006
179
0
16
Wednesday's Child said:
Pastafarian

Thanks for the explanation. I'm going to have to pay some attention to what happens over the next year to see what a
new government gets done...

Triple_R

Glad you are happy! I guess the majority of Canadians are today!
Sending celebratory ice cream your way :p

Thanks. :) I love ice cream with bananas. Yourself?
 

S-Ranger

Nominee Member
Mar 12, 2005
96
0
6
South Ontario, Toronto District
pastafarian said:
The Cons have a minority, which is the only kind of Con government to have :wink: , so Cosmo, I doubt Harper will risk his Prime Ministership on SSM, since he has bigger fish to fry and probably won't want to rock the boat. If he had a majority, I'd be worried for you.

Could we please put an end to this?

What, pray, is any confederate government going to do to stop equal marriage now?

So what if the confederate Civil Marriage Act, 2005 is repealed? The status quo remains, the majority of the federal courts of the Canadas have already ruled and every jurisdiction but (for now; maybe, if a case isn't already before their highest federal courts), Nunavat, PEI and Alberta haven't already changed their statutes in accordance with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms (which would have to be repealed and best of luck with that) -- and on top of that, every marriage in the Canadas is legal in any other jurisdiction of the Canadas.

What, on oh so precarious confederate mound, is going to try to tell Ontario. Quebec and B.C. what to do? Suicidal maniacs?

The largest group of Protestents in the Canadas, the United Church of Canada, is also what started marrying couples of the same sex in religious christian church ceremonies, which is what led to every federal court that matters ruling according to our constitution, not Hyde v. Hyde, 1866 (U.K.), a common law court precedent that gave us our legal definition of marriage (which was overturned in 2000 -- in this country); so freedom of religion would have to be repealed, which is fine by me.

We'll finally be able to sue their sorry asses off unless discrimination legislation was also repealed; particularly the Roman Catholics.

Then the Anglicans. And if they want to exist they'll redecorate their buildings in a manner that suits us and will play music that suits us and will say and do what suits us, or will be sued over and over again until they're bankrupt, which they already are morally.

The confederate Civil Marriage Act never meant a thing other than the usual: the confederates trying to pretend that they're relevant.

The notwithstanding clause exists for subnational governments; not for the confederates who make federal legislation.

It would be totally absurd (and likely fatal) for them to use the notwithstanding clause on themselves as opposed to, oh, trying to get homosexuality back into the Criminal Code of Canada; which would be unconstitutional unless the Charter of Rights and Freedoms (constitutional reform, welcome to Meech Lake Part II and plenty more and no luck repealing the Charter) were repealed and good luck with that too.