Interesting that on a politcally charged forum like this there hasn't had much discussion about the coming Liberal defeat and subsequent election.

It seems the electorate are going be to quite apathetic this time around. If we aren't talking about it, the majority of Canadians definately aren't either. I imagine that doesn't bode well for the Liberals as angry voters will be more likely to vote and will be disproportionately Conservative.

My prediction is that the Liberals will roughly win the same amount of seats as the Conservatives, or just slightly more. I think the Conservatives haven't positioned themselves well going into this. People are getting tired of their focus on corruption issues. Hopefully, the strategists know about this and will instead focus on platform.

I think the Conservatives haven't positioned themselves well going into this. People are getting tired of their focus on corruption issues.
About the only time we agree.....

Let's see you have the choice to vote Liberal or........
uhmmm Harper.... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH......
BQ? God I hope not but the Liberals are pretty much finished in Quebec....
Green party? Not enough experience and high profile candidates...

Anyone else running?

About the only time we agree.....

I'm not saying that I am tired of the corruption issue. I am just saying most Canadians are.

My vote is about 99% certain.

In the upcoming campaign, with all the dirt and so much at stake, at lot is up in the air. Most likely is Liberal minority, but either major party is within majority striking distance. Maybe the debates will make a big difference this time.

In the upcoming campaign, with all the dirt and so much at stake, at lot is up in the air. Most likely is Liberal minority, but either major party is within majority striking distance. Maybe the debates will make a big difference this time.
I agree with your most likely concept, a Liberal minority.

As for "either major party is within majority striking distance", the Cons haven't a chance with Harper as leader. He is far too mistrusted by Central Canadian voters.

And yes the debates will make a difference, but only in favour of the Liberals.

That is the reality folks.

When asked... even the bastion of western conservatism Ralph "let's have another drink" Klien said that he thought we will see another Liberal Minority.

Maybe the writing is on the wall and the Conservatives have to realize that they need to drop their right wing social agenda and move to the center.

Vandave, I still have my year-long gentleman's bet with MacNutt, with the loser having to admit to one and all that he was wrong in his prediction. I predicted a Liberal majority or minority government, and he predicted a Conservative majority or minority government. Any other party forming the government makes this a tie re our bet. If I am wrong, then I shall admit that I was incorrect in my speculation over a year ago. If MacNutt is wrong, then when he admits that he was incorrect in his speculation, he will be able to lay to rest the postings that have accused him of never admitting when he is wrong. We shall see.

Raise your hand if you think the "corruption" started when the liberals took office.

What you see as apathetic might just be a feeling of hopelessness.

The corruption has been going on forever and was probably more evident during the conservative years than it has been since, they just knew what to look for and decided to bring it to the forefront as a means of bringing down the government.

If the Cons are elected, their first move will be to gut the civil service - a move they will justify because of all the "corruption" they've been "Harpering" about.

If ever a man should wear dark glasses in public, it's that Harper creep - hide those eyes - the many gives me the willies.

The real corruption was all the money spent on the so-called inquiry. A couple of phone calls to line employees in those departments and guarantee of whistle-blower protection could have produced more honest results for less than a dollar.

Apathy? It will come as a surprise to the TO - Montreal corridor that the rest of Canada wasn't glued to their televisions during that whole scandal. We were out here going about our business - as usual - shaking our heads and wondering at the stupidity of spending all that money to "prove" something that we already knew was true.

As a result of all that spending, some low-level civil servants will lose their jobs (you can bet nobody higher up will be truly affected), we'll be subjected to another election, probably blank-eyed Harper will get the nod from the people who were glued to the tv last summer, there will be a lot of hot air and bluster, but nothing will really change. The First Nations people will still have sub-standard living conditions, our cattle still won't cross the border, lumber mills will still close, the US will still find a way to siphon off our water - what's going to change??

Take care, Margaret

As a result of all that spending, some low-level civil servants will lose their jobs (you can bet nobody higher up will be truly affected), we'll be subjected to another election, probably blank-eyed Harper will get the nod from the people who were glued to the tv last summer, there will be a lot of hot air and bluster, but nothing will really change. The First Nations people will still have sub-standard living conditions, our cattle still won't cross the border, lumber mills will still close, the US will still find a way to siphon off our water - what's going to change??
Now there's some western optimism for you! I hear this all the time. :D

I think people are apathetic for a few reasons which boil down to one reason.

1) The Cons have no hope of forming a majority government.
2) If the Conservatives form a minority government, it will last all of 10 days in Ottawa before we return to the polls
3) The NDP and Jack Layton have completely muffed up any chance of solid growth with thier decisions of the past month.

That adds up to what we have now or a Liberal Majority next time around. The reason then for the apathy is no solid second choice after the Liberals. I understand that the west thinks that the Conservatives are a solid choice, but they are not.

In my opinion, if the PC's had taken over the Alliance instead of the other way around, the PC's under McKay would probably win a majority in a cakewalk.

Vandave, I still have my year-long gentleman's bet with MacNutt, with the loser having to admit to one and all that he was wrong in his prediction. I predicted a Liberal majority or minority government, and he predicted a Conservative majority or minority government. Any other party forming the government makes this a tie re our bet. If I am wrong, then I shall admit that I was incorrect in my speculation over a year ago. If MacNutt is wrong, then when he admits that he was incorrect in his speculation, he will be able to lay to rest the postings that have accused him of never admitting when he is wrong. We shall see.

BUt as was pointed out in another thread... what is the time frame? The next election? the one after that?

In my opinion, if the PC's had taken over the Alliance instead of the other way around, the PC's under McKay would probably win a majority in a cakewalk.

Yeah... McKay, like I trust him any more than Harper. Nice 180 on never merging the PC party with the Alliance (anyone recall the Orchard deal?). Loved his rhetoric on same sex marriage.

Here are some quotes of note...

"I've been called treacherous, venal, stupid, lazy . . . and that's just from the Tories!"

"I think I'll go home and walk my dog... at least dogs are loyal." (On how he will cope with his recent break up with Belinda Stronach).

The conservatives need some people of character at the helm... this guy and Harper are not it.

In my opinion, if the PC's had taken over the Alliance instead of the other way around, the PC's under McKay would probably win a majority in a cakewalk.
Agreed!

When asked... even the bastion of western conservatism Ralph "let's have another drink" Klien said that he thought we will see another Liberal Minority.

Maybe the writing is on the wall and the Conservatives have to realize that they need to drop their right wing social agenda and move to the center.

Klein is not a bastion of western conservatism, nor is Alberta the 'west'. Klein isn't even a bastion of Alberta conservatism. He's a populist (publicly admitted) and many Alberta conservatives aren't very fond of him.

Considering that Harper's fortunes turned, in part, when he started musing about governance last election, the Conservatives best bet is to talk down any potential victory in public. I don't know if Klein is thinking that, but it would be a good idea. It limits the power of liberal fear mongering of their less secure votes.

Although it's easy to portray things as 'Rest of Canada versus the Western Conservatives', that just plays into the Liberal communication strategy. The last thing they want is a substantial debate about some key issues. They will probably try to shout down any real healthcare or aboriginal society debate. Their strategy is to play up the fear factor and spread the word on what they say they're doing.

Conservatives need to communicate a few simple points of a unique platform. Playing 'me too' with the Liberals while complaining about corruption does not give people any idea what they would do. They are working on something, but will it be any good and can they direct the spin? Challenging work for a party that is not known for being politically adept.

Many moderates in the Conservative party know their social agenda has to centre itself, but they don't control the party. Even people who agree with the social conservative agenda often know it's not supported, but they still want to stick to their principles, much like many NDPers long ago accepted they won't get a federal majority, but will be a voice for their agenda. It would be a huge loss if Canada ended up with only one majority capable party, but some factions in the Conservatives seem ok with that. They're being held together by their closeness to power (that's what keeps Liberals togethers too), a Liberal majority could either break the party up again or put the moderates in control (or both sequentially).

The NDP also needs to diffuse the Liberal's fear factor, while promoting themselves as they minority party of choice. Most people don't want a majority NDP government (demonstrated by their voting history) but are probably comfortable with some NDP power in a minority. After damaging his credibility, Jack needs to again create the aura of being the only leader willing to 'make it work'.

The complexity makes it interesting, and no party or region has a single 'view', thus making national parties hard to hold together without drastically reducing their chance at forming a majority government. Even at the riding level, when nominating a candidate, opposing politics and principles come into play that can go against a leader's national view (a reason leaders get involved in local nominations).

The complexity makes it interesting, and no party or region has a single 'view', thus making national parties hard to hold together without drastically reducing their chance at forming a majority government. Even at the riding level, when nominating a candidate, opposing politics and principles come into play that can go against a leader's national view (a reason leaders get involved in local nominations).

I absolutely agree with this observation.

Yeah... McKay, like I trust him any more than Harper. Nice 180 on never merging the PC party with the Alliance (anyone recall the Orchard deal?). Loved his rhetoric on same sex marriage.

Here are some quotes of note...

"I've been called treacherous, venal, stupid, lazy . . . and that's just from the Tories!"

"I think I'll go home and walk my dog... at least dogs are loyal." (On how he will cope with his recent break up with Belinda Stronach).

The conservatives need some people of character at the helm... this guy and Harper are not it.No, I probably didn't explain the point in enough detail. I was not endorsing McKay in any way shape or form and agree with your observations about him.

However, any centrist party other than the Liberals could get a majority government now if they existed. No matter who the leader.

However, any centrist party other than the Liberals could get a majority government now if they existed. No matter who the leader.
Depends on your view of centrist - I'm sure the BQ consider themselves centrist in many aspects....

As I agree - the BQ is centre left certainly, Ontario generally centre right with Toronto tilting a bit left of centre......Bay St versus the immigrants/arts community keep it somewhat balanced

I think we are seeing an unplanned change in the federation power structure - how it plays out I don't know. The inequities in the size/rights/power of some of the constituents ( Toronto as a city with 25% of the GNP of Canada versus PEI as a province comes to mind ) plus the differences in cultures cries out for some new arrangment.

I thought the First Ministers conference on aboriginal healthcare may be a harbinger.
Ottawa is too powerful, Toronto needs more power, other regions need more of a voice and Quebec IS unique - = new power sharing in my mind.

WHO is to undertake it???
Anyone suggest a visionary leader anywhere in Canada to chart this??

Maybe appoint a small panel - start with Bob Rae - he's done a good job on other projects and redesign the power balance ( somewhat in the way Toronto's has been just recently ). Add Preston Manning and maybe even the Auditor General Sheila Fraser.

This would have to be a long term "in stages" shift but it HAS to start - the rifts in the current structure shows up as both anger and apathy.

LIB
CON
NDP

"NONE OF THE ABOVE" party would win in a landslide if Canadian voters could truly voice their discontent at the entire structure and most of it's denizens :mad:

At least Quebec HAS an alternative. Time for the the Ontario party????? The Toronto Party???

Minority govs and perhaps coalitions may be a permanent ongoing feature as with Germany who has similar rifts.

The way it is has GOTTA change......and soon. :eek:

The headache is this IS a very important election as the power struggle to define the future structure is very real......and despite the "same old, same old" appearance I truly hope people get very engaged but look beyond the parties to the shape of Canada and how power is shared and government conducted.

'Tain't good enough right now. :rolleyes:

BTW I'm pleased that Miller has stayed the course on getting the GTA some of the control over taxation etc that is long overdue. It's a crucial part of this restructuring as is Quebec and the voices/power of other regions.

Depends on your view of centrist - I'm sure the BQ consider themselves centrist in many aspects....lol, splitting hairs, non!
Perhaps I should have said a party that views themselves as "National".

I think we are seeing an unplanned change in the federation power structure - how it plays out I don't know. The inequities in the size/rights/power of some of the constituents ( Toronto as a city with 25% of the GNP of Canada versus PEI as a province comes to mind ) plus the differences in cultures cries out for some new arrangment.

Only two party's have been discussing these issues seriously for the last ten years, and it hasn't been the NDP or Liberals.

It's not so much the division of power that is the problem, its the delegation of power. We need to off-load many of Ottawa's responsibilities onto the provinces and cities. There needs to be better defined lines of who is in charge of what. I think it's crazy that some services are provided by three levels of government. What a waste of time and money!!

A well defined relationship between Ottawa and the provinces could make Quebec happy.

We can fix things the hard way or the easy way. But eventually it gets fixed and it would really suck for our country to be divided because our politicians and electorate lacked the vision for change.

I am incensed that we are about to have an election over the holidays, roughly 90 days earlier than promised by Mr Martin repeatedly; a promise he has little choice but to follow through on. There is no imminent crisis. This is a staged event, with cynical and callous disregard for the electorate.

My disgust at the NDP and Conservative parties leaves me no choice but to vote Liberal for the very first time in my life.

I hope Mr Martin wins by a landslide, and can't wait to tell every candidate those very words, and why, when they come around to chat.

I agree with Vandave assessment in the first post in this thread. Strategically, it would have been better for the Conservatives to let the election happen later, and spend the next few months campaigning on a "Why vote for us" platform instead of a "Vote out the corrupt Liberals" platform.

This is a little farfetched still, but with the mention of Peter MacKay, I keep thinking about what would happen if Peter MacKay headed up the Conservatives against Belinda Stronach as the head of the Liberals--can you imagine the media reports?

I am incensed that we are about to have an election over the holidays, roughly 90 days earlier than promised by Mr Martin repeatedly; a promise he has little choice but to follow through on. There is no imminent crisis. This is a staged event, with cynical and callous disregard for the electorate.

My disgust at the NDP and Conservative parties leaves me no choice but to vote Liberal for the very first time in my life.

I hope Mr Martin wins by a landslide, and can't wait to tell every candidate those very words, and why, when they come around to chat.

I feel exactly the same way - I might just be proactive and not wait for them to come to my door!!

Take care, Margaret

The Tories have, and will continue to, fall flat on their faces as long as their current crop of Boneheads and Bastards -- Harper, McKay, Kenney, Jaffer, Day, ad nauseam -- continues to demand the keys to the store with no plan other than the "throw the bums out" platform. Canadian voters are angry and feeling disenfranchised, but we're not stupid. Many of us realize that replacing the current jackals with the cabal I named in this post will only produce more of the same: bad deals and dumb decisions -- "let's roll the dice" -- and back-patting and buck-passing.

The result of the next election will be a razor-thin Liberal majority. Trust me on this ;) :D

Martin's choice of election date was cynical and manipulative. He wanted a good cushion of time between the final Gomery report and an election, as well as time to strut his stuff. This would give time for spending initiatives, tax cuts and new audit procedures to brag about. Nothing wrong with that, but it was a political choice to maximise the odds for the Liberals. The opposition then did the same thing, trying to engineer an election with a Gomery report being released mid-way through the campaign.

Each side repeatedly accused the other of playing politics with election timing, and all they managed to do was alienate most voters with their obvious power plays and spin. They all may try to beat the 'election timing' drum, but it's a difficult one. Overall, the Liberals seem to have out-maneouvered the opposition, but they by no means appear to be above the fray.

I expect an election of dirt and fake ideas (false shock and anger at the opponents ideas and how unCanadian/corrupt they are). Messages sell ('values', 'trust'), regardless of ideas, at the moment. I hope things slowly tilt towards real ideological choices, but for now we have mostly fake ones, despite there being real ideological difference underpinning the major party's supporters.

The basic material for a good debate is there (different ideas, philosophies, ideologies and experiences) but voters respond better and more realibly to smut. Politics is, for the most part, what the people have made it.

" ... Martin's choice of election date was cynical and manipulative. ..."

Martin, as Prime Minister, gets to pick any date he wants. It's in the rules.

As far as I know, no Prime Minister of any party, and I would even go as far as saying no Prime Minister of any party in any nation on earth with a Parliamentary Democracy, didn't pick a date based on how likely he was to win.

Are you accusing him of being the same as Disrali, Churchill, and Diefenbaker? I would certainly have to agree, but I don't see the point of belaboring it, and it is hardly is a political argument for or against, no matter where you sit on the fence.

I hate the Liberal Party, but I have to admit to myself that the others don't deserve my vote. They're behaviour is shameful.

They couldn't wait one more month to introduce a non-confidence motion? Give me a break.

I guess I'm hoping for the following scenario over a Liberal majority. As much as I'd like to see Martin actually execute I think he needs the spurs of having to make deals, I think they ALL need to learn what compromise and give and take is about.

Best in my view

Chunky Liberal minority so sick members and 100% attendance don't come into play.

Chastened but still balance of power NDP segment with Jack actually learning minority/coalition governance :mad:

A Con opposition with a new leader and shadow cabinet that ALSO learns to GOVERN in a minority.

A national restructuring committee appointed.

•••••••••••

..... Vandave you're as blind as the party leaders you support. The current Cons will not form a gov any time soon.
Instead of Liberal bashing Harper should have been working with the Liberals in the minority to get some of those structural changes in the public eye.
A Liberal minority under Pearson and with input from the Progressive Conservatives performed incredible changes in the 60s - from the flag to healthcare and many other policy initiatives.

Things got done then......things actually got done under THIS minority but in no way shape or form due to Harper or the Conservatives.
If there is one thing that is making the centre voters mad is the lack of governance and the Cons have shown ZERO.

Martin is the closest to a Red Tory that has ever been elected by the Libs and SHOULD be a natural ally for moderate conservatives.

That he's not an ally is entirely at the feet of Harper and the NeoCon contingent he fronts. :rolleyes:

You AND far too many in the Con party just don't seem to get it.
That there are those like Klein and formerly Stronach and a few other critical voices with in the party that DO, simply illuminates the problem the Cons has created for themselves perfectly.

So a vast number of voters like Gord will hold their nose and vote Liberal just so some semblance of governance can occur.

The Cons have no one to blame but themselves for their isolation from governing. It was there for the taking.

And the NDP lost the high road when Jack played politics instead of governing and waiting on the already called election. :mad:.

It shows in the polls.

So......Harper committed himself by tabling the no-confidence motion.
Jack has ONE chance to partially redeem his position by defeating the motion on Monday. While he might be called a "deal breaker" at least in the eyes of a great number of Canadians he's acceding to THEIR wishes.
If he doesn't I think he'll be back to 12 or 15 seats.

When your major constituent in the form of Buzz Hargrove AND the bulk of the Canadian people say wait.........if Jack was smart he'd listen.

Do I think he will??....nope. More's the pity.

••••

Beej you're just repeating the same mistake over and over that keep the Cons marginalized. Railing on Gomery is the single biggest error the Cons made and continue to make.

My point was that while accusing the opposition of playing politics etc. is accurate, Martin was doing the same thing. I got the impression that some thought the opposition was playing games, but Martin wasn't. May be my misinterpretation.

Choosing the date to so obviously serve his purposes may be his right, but that doesn't make it any less than cynical and manipulative. All three major parties came off quite badly over the past 9+ months and nobody took the high road in the end.

Beej you're just repeating the same mistake over and over that keep the Cons marginalized.

Your referring to Vandave as blind aside (unnecessary), what do you mean by the above quote?

I don't think I've ever said that continuing to bang on the corruption is a good idea or preferable. Do you mean that I think the Conservatives will repeat the mistake?

How is calling an election 30 days after the final report and committing to act on that report playing cynical politics??
I'd say it was the correct thing to do and certainly from a political standpoint he had little choice but to put his actions to voters at that point.

I don't think Martin picking that point for an election call is anywhere near in the same class of "idiotic behavior" by the NDP and Cons this past couple of weeks.

MORE governing could have been done - many good programs are endangered that could have been completed with input from all the parties.

Pulling the plug earlyis stupidity writ large and theose doing are paying for in their polling support and will very very likely pay heavily at the voting stations.....and rightly so :mad:

Da_jonesy, the bet is simple -- the next election will bring us someone as Prime Minister. If that person is a Liberal, be it for a majority or minority government, I win the bet. If that person is a Conservative, be it for a majority or minority government, MacNutt wins the bet. The loser has to admit, with no spin or excuses, that he was incorrect in this speculation made a year ago.

..... Vandave you're as blind as the party leaders you support. The current Cons will not form a gov any time soon.
Instead of Liberal bashing Harper should have been working with the Liberals in the minority to get some of those structural changes in the public eye.


Please find my quotes where I said the Conservatives would win a majority. I never said it. I said in this thread the Liberals will likely win the same number of seats or slightly more than the Conservatives. With the NDP holding the balance of power, there was no incentive for the Liberals to co-operate with the Conservatives. How far did Carley's law get?

So... how am I blind?

Martin is the closest to a Red Tory that has ever been elected by the Libs and SHOULD be a natural ally for moderate conservatives.

That he's not an ally is entirely at the feet of Harper and the NeoCon contingent he fronts. :rolleyes:

You AND far too many in the Con party just don't seem to get it.
That there are those like Klein and formerly Stronach and a few other critical voices with in the party that DO, simply illuminates the problem the Cons has created for themselves perfectly.

You seem to be stereotyping me. I find your comments funny because I volunteered on the last provincial election and municipal election locally. The provincial Liberals in BC are split between federal Conservatives and federal Liberals. The same is true of the municipal party I supported. So, don't put the lack of federal co-operation on Conservative (or Liberal) supporters. Many of us are actively working with federal Liberals (and vice versa) on other endevours.

The best possible outcome for the next election is a situation where the Conservatives and Liberals need each other to govern. Neither party is going to win a majority. This election comes down to whether the NDP + Liberals can get more than 50% of the vote. If they don't, that's the best possible outcome for the Conservatives, and in my opinion, the country. Once the two parties are forced to work together, they will. The rhetoric will die down and the feds will get on with governing, which is what Canadians want.

How is calling an election 30 days after the final report and committing to act on that report playing cynical politics??


The timing was specifically chosen to be after the normal short term outrage subsides (2-6 weeks). Why not after the first report, so that any government could implement the results of the second report as they desire? So the Liberals could be seen as responding in their way instead of making the response an issue, which brings the cause back into the debate. It was cynical politics and very smart politics.

I agree that what the opposition did was idiotic. They completely mishandled their opportunity (the budget is ok, the budget isn't ok, just the second part isn't ok...), wasted parliament's time and, in general, couldn't get their poop together.

Governments are supposedly there to govern - despite wishful thinking by the Cons Canadians are not overly concerned about Gomery - either it's scale or implications.

Martins biggest error was not governing when he HAD a mandate THEN going to the people. He's rightly criticized for calling an unnecessay election then and got punished for it - you'd think the opposition would be taking notes.

The last time that happened in Ontario Bob Rae woke up as premiere.

The people of Canada elected a minority parliament and expect the country to be governed by that parliament.
What ever it takes in deal making and compromise to get needed legislation passed.

The individual leaders and policy makers can SHOW the country their fitness.
By and large except for initial dithering which earned him the moniker Martin has done so and Layton supported it.

The Cons are seen as obstructive, period.

The scandal was investigated and reported on and the second part of the report offers ways to avoid such situations in the future....that's an important factor.
Not the scale of the actual scandal but how to prevent future abuses.

What the government does to implement the report carries value to voters. But it's of small concern relative to the other aspects of the challenges Canada faces in the coming near term.

Hmmmmmm some action

Stronach calls for fixed election dates
By ALEXANDER PANETTA
Sunday, November 27, 2005 Posted at 3:43 PM EST
Canadian Press

Ottawa — The federal minister responsible for democratic reform hopes to set fixed election dates after consulting Canadians in a series of conferences next year — and the wheels are turning towards the idea regardless of whether the government falls on Monday.

Belinda Stronach said the government has launched a process that could lead to sweeping changes in federal politics, including fixed dates.

Even if the Liberal government is defeated Monday, it appears destined to go ahead. A $900,000 budget has been set, a call for tenders was issued two weeks ago, and Ms. Stronach said she expects the citizens' meetings to start by the end of January.

A federal website has issued the call for tenders seeking potential organizers for 27 meetings of ordinary citizens across the country. The process loosely resembles recent citizens' assemblies in B.C. and is scheduled to result in a draft report by Oct. 13, 2006.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20051127.wstronach1127/BNStory/National/

:clap:

That said an American Thomas Friedman noted in his NY Times article ( worth a read )

Bush's `third term' a disaster for U.S.
Thomas L. Friedman says incumbent on track to becoming one of the worst presidents ever
Nov. 27, 2005. 01:00 AM

If America had a parliamentary system, Bush would have had to resign by now.

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1133046907170&call_pageid=968332188854&col=968350060724

The grass is always greener it seems.

I DO think there needs to be a way to interrupt a mandate - perhaps overlapping voting cycles so 1/3 every 2 years or some such tho that might mean continuous electioneering and takes away from a "national" election.

I'm curious...given that most have access to the internet even if in a local cafe or say post office.....is there a place for some "governance by direct mandate".

ie a class of legislation voted on directly by Canadians over a period of say two weeks. I know opinion polls do some of the same but what if there was a "direct input" even if not binding on key legislation. Sort of allowing individuals "in on the debate".

The Globe does a daily poll on topical issues...should the gov??

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/Page/document/polls/pollResults?id=37356&pollid=37356&answerid=&poll=GAMFront&save=_save&show_vote_always=no&hub=Front&subhub=VoteResult

Well, the dummies in opposition voted down the government for the election no one wanted. they will pay at the polls.

Well, the dummies in opposition voted down the government for the election no one wanted. they will pay at the polls.

No that clear cut. Obviously, the majority of the House thought it was time for the LIberals to go. Conservative ( keep wanting to refer to them as PC), NDP, Bloc, and Independent all voted to toss the Liberals.

And we'll probably see this all again in a year and a half. Expect a semi-regular string of minority governments.

The only thing that will change it will be a new leader at the helm of the Liberals or Conservatives. Neither Martin nor Harper seems fit to lead this country.