I guess the worst part about this election is that we will most likely end up with a minority government. Traditionally they don’t work very well here in Canada, and I can’t see why one would work now either.
CrazyMike
they didn’t work well in Italy either. Italy had like 47 governments between 1945 & 1975. Yet they surpassed us economically. They couldn’t cause huge economic upheavals like big tax hikes and cuts, changes in trade policy had to be formed by consensus, rather than imposed. Rules for business didn’t flux back and forth every four years.
Could a minority gov’t impose the GST? no. Remove it, no.
Could one do a NAFTA-like deal: yes if it has the popular support, the consensus would be there.
Likewise a Tory minority could scrap the gun registry, cut personal taxes, elect the senate, or bring in proportional representation because the support might be there. They couldn’t outlaw abortion, raise personal taxes, increase penalties for simple possesion or send troops to Iraq because the support isn’t there.
This is good. It would be like if you were starving and got served a pile of shit with chocolate icing. You could lick off the icing without eating the shit!
Anyways, we’ll get to find out, won’t we?
What do you mean “traditionally they don’t work very well here in Canada?”
Everything that we consider “Canadian” such as Unemployment Insurance, Old Age Pension, free health care, etc, all these were passed in minority governments.
Well considering how uneducated I am in Canadian politics I probably am wrong about minority governments not working well… one thing is reasonably sure though: We won’t have one long. The longest one has lasted in Canada is like 17 months.
What frustrates me a bit about them is the uncertainty they cause and the fact that if the party I have voted for (whomever they may be) gets into power they will undoubtably have to compromise their values to get anything done. Want to scrap the gun registry? Well… we’ll play ball if you agree to play ball on something else…
Bah… what the hell do I know anyways. I liked it better when I didn’t care about voting…lol
CrazyMike
Yeah, you’re right you’re uneducated in Canadian politics. The longest minority government wasn’t 17 months. It was more than 5 years. Pearson’s two governments were both minority governments.
Guess what they accomplished?
The pension plan.
The auto-pact with the USA (which until NAFTA meant that for every car imported into Canada, one had to be built here)
A new national flag – the maple leaf.
Universal medicare.
Bilingualism and multiculturalism laws.
Immigration laws.
Anti-nuclear weapons policy.
Anti-vietnam policy.
Established Canada as a “peacekeeper” nation.
Minority governments ensure that bad governments can’t survive. And they get things done, because they’re about consensus. There are no bad laws passed, since an unpopular law will bring down the government.
It’s good. Read up on some history.
Pearson won the Nobel Peace Prize, eh.
you must be really old to remember Mike Pearson. I was partial to the flag design with wavy blue stripes. Politics like diplomacy is the art of compromise.
Like my Granma who hated how Trudeau ‘legalized homosexuality’ but always voted for Svend Robinson anyways because he was damned good to seniors.
I hope all parties can check their dogmas at the door and do the right thing for the country again. We could use a dose of consensus after five governments of gang rule.
[quote=“hoshq”]
Crappy camera. Kodak LS443.[/quote]
One crappy camera that is still in one piece and does the trick 
KA-PLOW! 