Canadians Go To The Polls

[bjarvis]

This morning, the Prime Minister of Canada called a snap federal election. The voters will be casting their ballots on October 14.

Yes, that's right: the Canadian election campaign will take 37 days.

Those tired of the never-ending US psychodrama of the past 2+ years still have nearly 2 months of joy.

Whatever the miscellaneous faults of both the US and Canadian system of elections, I'm hugely in favour of shorter, cheaper campaigns. If nothing else, it limits the number of forests which have to be clear-cut to supply the yard signs.

We now return you to your own regularly scheduled never-ending psychodrama already in progress.

Comments

[apparentparadox]

I'm also jealous because smaller parties have the possibility of forming coalitions that might influence the end result.

[billeyler.livejournal.com]

(raising hand) I'm all for SHORT election periods too!

[pklexton.livejournal.com]

That's just soooo civilized compared to the circus down here. Too bad about their winters though :)

election season

[trawnapanda.livejournal.com]

I heard on the 9am CBC radio news that the writ of election had been dropped. the FIRST thing that went through my mind was precisely your point.

Last week, the main story on the Washington Post was (McCain had just accepted the GOP nomination) "well, we're into the home stretch of the election". Hmmm, I thought, it's going to take us just over seven weeks*. We started a week into your "home stretch", and we'll have a new gummint three weeks before you do in that republic to the south of me.

* the minimum campaign time is set in the Canada Elections Act, and we always vote on a Monday for federal elections, so Parliament is nearly always dissolved on a Sunday to meet the timelines.

All that said, I'm annoyed that the Governor-General gave him the election. This PM introduced an amendment to the Canada Elections Act in this past parliament, giving us fixed election dates, saying that election dates should not be at the behest of the PM for political advantage. Yeah, right. Except when it's ME apparently. He's now saying that the legislation doesn't apply when there's a minority government. NOTHING about that was said by him or anyone else during the debate on the fixed election date provisions.

He says that Parliament is dysfunctional - how would he know? it hasn't sat all summer. And it did pass three budgets for him and all the major items in his platform. The parliament should have survived until he lost a confidence motion, or until 19 October 2009.

all that's academic now. fasten your seatbelts, it's gonna be a bumpy seven weeks.

[trawnapanda.livejournal.com]

hey, they have this kind of short election season in australia and new zealand (and all sorts of places with parliamentary systems), I b'leeve, and winter isn't too bad there.

come to think of it, winter is much kinder in the UK, and I think their dissolution to election cycle is even faster there.

[pklexton.livejournal.com]

I really am jealous - I'm just trying to make myself feel better.

[trawnapanda.livejournal.com]

oh, ok. well -um- how can i help...

gasoline prices are cheaper where you live (really, this is not sarcasm)

[trawnapanda.livejournal.com]

speaking of the american gummint - do today's actions by the gummint about the corporations you've referred to as "mortgage a-go-go" mean that you're now a civil servant?

working as I do for a gummint-supported corporation (which means my salary is public information), I'm just curious

[bjarvis.livejournal.com]

Dunno what will be changed or affected. I hope there will be some sort of company-wide statement made tomorrow.

the benefits of a parliamentary system

[redbearmark.livejournal.com]

Besides the fluidity of the election cycle (which can also be longer - a five year term in Great Britain) it also allows that the party that wins the majority also leads the executive.

Many differences but each has their own pluses and minuses.

Seems the Canadian Prime Minister wants to have the election finished before the US Elections could affect it and help him lose his majority. Seems he is calling the election to get a more sustainable majority that doesn't require coalitions.