Canadian Election Thread, 2019 edition

[Parasaurolophus]

So how many parties figure to win at least one seat in the upcoming election?

Bloc Québecois (but they only run in Québec)
Conservative Party
Green Party
Liberal Party
New Democratic Party
People's Party of Canada

[Parasaurolophus]

Thanks for this explanation. I've lived here (in Canada) nearly five years -- and my first book even concerns the Canadian constitution! -- but this is the clearest explanation I've seen of the first-past-the-post system.

Flattery will get you everywhere!

Is gerrymandering even possible in Canada, btw? 

Ridings are delimited by an independent commission in each province, so no, not really. Riding boundaries are reviewed every ten years, after the census.

Can Canadian parliamentarians challenge their party leader for the leadership at any time, or is this only possible at certain fixed intervals?

Pretty much only at a party convention, and there are procedures governing that. Basically, if you become the leader, you pretty much aren't replaced until you step down or die. It's very difficult to oust a sitting leader. Canadian MPs (and backbenchers especially) have way less control and power than their UK counterparts (by some measures, anyway).

[kaysixteen]

Thanks.

Would the Bloc Quebecois be willing to sit in a national governing coalition?

What is the nature of The People's Party of Canada?

Btw, while we're at it, anyone want to explain what real role the Canadian Senate has?

[marshwiggle]

Is gerrymandering even possible in Canada, btw? 

Ridings are delimited by an independent commission in each province, so no, not really. Riding boundaries are reviewed every ten years, after the census.

This has always weirded me out about the American system, that this is NOT independent of the governing party.

Thanks.

Would the Bloc Quebecois be willing to sit in a national governing coalition?

Actually, some years back they formed the official opposition when votes on the right were split. In a minority government they would probably vote for anything which they saw as in the best interests of Quebec.

What is the nature of The People's Party of Canada?

The party was started by a former Conservative cabinet minister and leadership candidate. It's more libertarian than the conservative party. While I don't agree with many of their policy ideas, and I wouldn't likely vote for them, I don't see them as xenophobic bigots* or anything like that. It's better to have a broad debate of issues than a very narrow one, in my opinion.

*(Every party has bigots and so on; it's not limited to a particularly ideology. All that changes is who they think the "bad hombres" are.)

Btw, while we're at it, anyone want to explain what real role the Canadian Senate has?

Most Canadians would appreciate that as well :)

In principle, I think their main purpose is to propose amendments to bills before their final adoption.

It used to be to provide a sinecure for party faithful who couldn't get elected.......

[Parasaurolophus]

Would the Bloc Quebecois be willing to sit in a national governing coalition?

You've got it backwards. The question isn't whether the Bloc would want to be part of a coalition--it might well--but rather whether the other parties, and Canadians in general, could stomach it. The Bloc is a separatist party. Which means that it draws a lot of ire outside Québec, and any party that entered into a governing coalition with it would take a ton of flak. Given the likelihood of a an election in any coalition near future, most parties would think of that as shooting themselves in the foot.

Indeed, the Conservatives wouldn't hesitate to demonize any such coalition. Not only have they consistently demonized the Bloc to rally the ROC, but they employed just this tactic in 2008, when the Liberals and NDP were proposing a coalition (supported unofficially by the Bloc) to replace Harper's minority government. It never happened, though, because Harper prorogued Parliament after the no-confidence vote was scheduled, but before it had taken place. (IMO, this was a huge anti-democratic deal).

Canada has only ever had a single coalition government, the Union government, and it governed from 1917-1918.

What is the nature of The People's Party of Canada?

Maxime Bernier, a Québec conservative politician (they're extremely rare there), was unhappy about losing the Conservative leadership race again. He also hates supply management, and thought the Conservatives were insufficiently concerned about it. So he formed his own party and rode the anti-immigrant wave to this election. They don't have a proper platform yet (two weeks into the six-week campaign), but it'll feature the end of supply management and corporate subsidies, ending the GST and health transfer payments, encouraging privatization in healthcare, significant cuts to immigration, and total inaction on climate (because climate change is a hoax).

Btw, while we're at it, anyone want to explain what real role the Canadian Senate has?

In theory, close to none. It's a sinecure, and supposed to have no real power, except to amend bills or delay their passing, and to conduct investigations. Bills can also be introduced in the Senate, provided they don't impose taxes or concern appropriations. Senators are appointed by the PM at his sole discretion, although the Tories tried to set up elections, and the Liberals have set up an appointments commission. There are only Liberal, Conservative, and independent senators. This is because those are the only two parties ever to have held power in this country, and thus, they're the only parties to have rewarded their followers. The NDP has long thought the Senate should be abolished, and so would not appoint any of its own to the chamber even if it could (and would oppose the appointment of any NDP member).

In 2010, the Conservative Party instructed its senators to reject a climate change bill that was passed by every party in the House except the Conservatives. There was hardly any debate before its rejection. This was extremely unusual (as I said, the practice has been for the Senate to accept the will of Parliament; it's a power they technically have, but aren't really supposed to exercise, much like the Queen's powers), and has heralded the dawn of a much more active Senate, which sort of confuses the issue since we only have one elected legislative body, and its will is now subject to the whims of appointed hacks from just two parties.

[ursula]

FPTP: first past the post. The electoral system in Canada.
There is no national libertarian party that I'm aware of but all kinds of small parties run candidates in most jurisdictions. Last election I saw the Marxist party, the Animal Rights party, maybe  a Libertarian on the ballot I can't recall... we have lots of options.

And the Rhinoceros party is running a candidate in at least one riding!

[Parasaurolophus]

FPTP: first past the post. The electoral system in Canada.
There is no national libertarian party that I'm aware of but all kinds of small parties run candidates in most jurisdictions. Last election I saw the Marxist party, the Animal Rights party, maybe  a Libertarian on the ballot I can't recall... we have lots of options.

And the Rhinoceros party is running a candidate in at least one riding!

Maxime Bernier in Maxime Bernier's Beauce riding? :D

[marshwiggle]

FPTP: first past the post. The electoral system in Canada.
There is no national libertarian party that I'm aware of but all kinds of small parties run candidates in most jurisdictions. Last election I saw the Marxist party, the Animal Rights party, maybe  a Libertarian on the ballot I can't recall... we have lots of options.

And the Rhinoceros party is running a candidate in at least one riding!

And if you're old enough to remember the Natural Law party, that was going to have yogic fliers on Parliament Hill (seriously!!!!), then you know how fascinating it can be!

[secundem_artem]

FPTP: first past the post. The electoral system in Canada.
There is no national libertarian party that I'm aware of but all kinds of small parties run candidates in most jurisdictions. Last election I saw the Marxist party, the Animal Rights party, maybe  a Libertarian on the ballot I can't recall... we have lots of options.

And the Rhinoceros party is running a candidate in at least one riding!

And if you're old enough to remember the Natural Law party, that was going to have yogic fliers on Parliament Hill (seriously!!!!), then you know how fascinating it can be!

As I recall the magician Doug Henning was one of their candidates.  One would think they would have realized that yogic flying (i.e. bumping around on your butt) was fundamentally incompatible with the natural law of gravity.  And if he was such a great magician, why didn't he make all the competing magicians disappear and have the market all to himself????

What ever happened to the SoCreds up there in the Great White North?  Are they still kicking around in BC or elsewhere?  I used to think their policy of a guaranteed national income was pretty crazy but one of the D's running here in the US (Andrew Yang) is proposing a "Freedom Dividend" of $1000 a month and as technology starts displacing more and more people from jobs, there are more and more test cases of a basic minimum income that does not depend on being employed. 

Too bad nobody from this party is running:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Official_Monster_Raving_Loony_Party

[pedanticromantic]

What ever happened to the SoCreds up there in the Great White North?  Are they still kicking around in BC or elsewhere?  I used to think their policy of a guaranteed national income was pretty crazy but one of the D's running here in the US (Andrew Yang) is proposing a "Freedom Dividend" of $1000 a month and as technology starts displacing more and more people from jobs, there are more and more test cases of a basic minimum income that does not depend on being employed. 

Too bad nobody from this party is running:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Official_Monster_Raving_Loony_Party

I forgot about the Loony party. And I guess now that pot is legal there will no longer be a marijuana party (another I already forgot), although the next battle is legal mushrooms.
Pretty sure there was a really right-wing party last time in my riding but can't remember their name.
It's sad how fractured the Left are, though. It's like we can't decide on anything. It's why I gave up working in politics. I kind of feel that way about the university too sometimes--it's great that some things are democratic, but it means we get far less done than if we just had a benevolent dictator making decisions and informing us.  Every meeting we have to be sure to give everyone their voice, but most of the time it's just blow-hards puffing themselves up to hear themselves speak rather than contributing anything meaningful.

I hope the Greens can make some real gains this time. It won't be in my riding, but as a member I like how they put forward ideas and we all voted on them, and then those are what made up the platform. There seems to be a lot more room for direct democracy with our current technologies, and yet we're still stuck in the 1800s when it comes to entire structure of our government and democracy.

[kaysixteen]

Thanks again.  Random additional thoughts and questions:

1. This Bernier chap sounds like a nut and one whose views sound far outside of the Canadian mainstream.  Who's gonna vote for him?
2. What is supply management?
3. Could Commons, by itself, vote to abolish the Senate?  Canada has no written constitution, right, since the Charter of Rights and Freedoms is just a bill of rights, right?
4. A UK politicians I know told me once that the House of Lords's sole remaining inviolable power is to force the government to call a new election when the HOL determines that the national emergency the government cited to postpone the normal end of mandate-timed election no longer exists, as it ultimately did in 1945.  Does the Canadian Senate have anything like this, and can Commons ever postpone elections?

[marshwiggle]

Thanks again.  Random additional thoughts and questions:

1. This Bernier chap sounds like a nut and one whose views sound far outside of the Canadian mainstream.  Who's gonna vote for him?

I don't think he's a nut, although as I said, I wouldn't likely vote for him. There are a lot of issues that are worth discussing.....

2. What is supply management?

..including this one.

Supply management (or the "quota" system) works like the New York city taxi medallion system. Dairy farmers buy "quota" at auction, which determines how much milk they can sell. By limiting the amount sold, (i.e. "supply management"), prices can be kept from falling arbitrarily low.

A few points:

• The system has been around since the 70's at least.
• Only a small part of the agriculture system has supply management. (Dairy is the big one.)
• It accounts for a tiny part of the economy, and affects some regions much more than others.
• Trump pointed to it and got a lot of mileage out of it in the NAFTA talks as an example of how the US was being treated unfairly by NAFTA.

My own $0.02:

Since it's been around for half a century, and technology and the global economy have changed drastically in that time, it's at least worth discussing whether something like this is necessary, and even if SOMETHING is needed, whether this is the best model.  Since other sectors of agriculture get along without it, is it possible that if it were phased out, even over 10 or 20 years, that it could be done without destroying that sector? This should be able to be discussed.

While Trump brought it up for NAFTA, the fact remains that it has been and will be a challenge for Canada in ANY trade agreements as long as it's in place.


I'll leave the Senate questions to someone else.

[Catherder]

Living in a rural area among dairy farmers facing multiple threats to the survival of family farms, I think supply management is vital.

On cancelling elections: the CBC tackled that one this AM--

Can elections be postponed or cancelled?

Yes. It hasn't happened in the 99-year history of Elections Canada, but that's not to say it couldn't happen.

Election Canada says in "extreme situations" in which it is "practically impossible" to carry out the election in one or more ridings, their Chief Electoral Officer could recommend the election be postponed by up to a week or completely start over. Reasons could include floods, fires or other unforeseen disasters.

Elections Canada says the final decision about setting a new election date would rest with the current prime minister and the cabinet. Parliament would remain dissolved.

Elections have been postponed in individual ridings before. During P.E.I.'s provincial election in April, Green Party candidate Josh Underhay died just ahead of election day, postponing the vote in the Charlottetown-Hillsborough Park riding by almost three months.

[marshwiggle]

Living in a rural area among dairy farmers facing multiple threats to the survival of family farms, I think supply management is vital.

I grew up in a rural area, and both of my parents grew up on farms. I don't mean to understate the challenges faced by family farms. But I don't see how it's helpful when the only two positions that can be heard are "Get rid of supply management!" and "Don't touch supply management!"
Great as dramatic headlines, but hardly conducive to any rational change, including change for the better.

[Kron3007]

Living in a rural area among dairy farmers facing multiple threats to the survival of family farms, I think supply management is vital.

I grew up in a rural area, and both of my parents grew up on farms. I don't mean to understate the challenges faced by family farms. But I don't see how it's helpful when the only two positions that can be heard are "Get rid of supply management!" and "Don't touch supply management!"
Great as dramatic headlines, but hardly conducive to any rational change, including change for the better.

Yes, the black and white nature of the debate is a problem. 

Supply management is often supported based on maintaining family farms, but a lot of the quota gets gobbled up by large farms.  We have a chicken farm in my area (another supply managed sector) that has been expanding like crazy and by my estimates has over a dozen barns with capacity for millions of birds at any given time.  Meanwhile, a friend of mine with a farm growing cash crops wants to start farming chickens (beyond his limit allowed without quota) and cant because there is no quota available and when it becomes available it gets bought up by these large farms.  The value of quota itself is an issue since farmers can sell quota and it has become a commodity making farmers with quotas very protective of the system (its like cash in the bank).  So, a major issue with supply management is that while it is pitched as a mechanism to preserve the family farm it actually creates a barrier for small farmers to enter. 

Does this mean the whole system should be scrapped?  I dont think.  Some of the oversupply issues in some American states are a good example of why not.  However, this dosnt mean it should be left untouched and as a country we should be able to discuss the future of it to make sure that it actually protects family farms and allows would be farmers to enter the market without unreasonable barriers.

It is also an issue with all trade agreements.  Before Trump and NAFTA, we had to compromise for the TPP as well.  However, I view food security and self sufficiency as a national interest and dont think we should compromise too much on this.