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| Canadian Corner Talk aboot things Canadian, eh? |
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#1
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Quebec election
Thoughts?
Sovereignty gets called into service Liberals, PQ raise 30-year-old debate as campaign ends http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465...2.j pg?size=l Parti Quebecois leader Andre Boisclair Photograph by : Christinne Muschi, Reuters Graeme Hamilton, National Post, with files from CanWest News Service Published: Monday, March 26, 2007 DRUMMONDVILLE, Que. - Quebec Premier Jean Charest, fighting to hold onto power in today's election, warned yesterday that a minority government would hobble Quebec in its dealings with Ottawa and increase the chance of another referendum on sovereignty. "It's no accident that Quebec has not had minority governments," the Liberal leader said on his last day of campaigning. "Quebecers know very well that a majority government is the only way for us to defend our interests and defend what we are." Mr. Charest pounced on Parti Quebecois leader Andre Boisclair's suggestion on Saturday that Mario Dumont, leader of the Action Democratique du Quebec, could be enticed to campaign for independence with the Yes side -- as he did in 1995 -- if the PQ fails to win a majority. "If the invitation was made, it was undoubtedly because Mr. Boisclair thought the door was open," Mr. Charest said, disregarding the fact that Mr. Dumont rejected Mr. Boisclair's overture on Saturday. "Mr. Dumont's ambiguity led Mr. Boisclair to make the gesture he made yesterday. Now there is a gesture that Quebecers can make together tomorrow: Those who don't want a referendum can vote Liberal." The ADQ platform calls for Quebec to "affirm itself without separating," and Mr. Dumont has said he wants no part of Mr. Boisclair's plan to hold another referendum. On Saturday, Mr. Dumont likened the PQ leader to a "spoiled child in a high chair" who cannot take no for an answer. Yesterday, he said Mr. Boisclair was like a drowning man trying to pull someone down with him. "No, we do not want to go down with him," he said. The attention paid to Mr. Dumont by the two other leaders speaks to the remarkable success of the ADQ campaign. A Leger Marketing poll published on Saturday in The Gazette gave the Liberals the support of 35%, the PQ 29% and the ADQ 26%. The poll is considered accurate to within plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times in 20. Those numbers would suggest a Liberal minority is the most likely result, but pollsters cautioned the outcome is hard to predict. The sovereignty question was not front and centre in a campaign coloured by widespread dissatisfaction with the Liberals' four-year record and questions about Mr. Boisclair's leadership qualities. Mr. Boisclair's inability to connect with Quebecers meant that his promise to hold a referendum "as soon as possible" after being elected was not taken too seriously by federalists. In the campaign's final days, however, both Mr. Boisclair and Mr. Charest tried to solidify their support by returning to the question that has framed Quebec elections for more than 30 years. "Already Andre Boisclair is talking about forming his coalition, about starting up the Yes bus for the referendum and to get the same players who were there in 1995 on board the Yes bus," Mr. Charest said yesterday during a campaign stop in Sorel, Que. "My dear friends, we do not want a divided society, and neither do we want a weakened society. We want a government able to fight for Quebec interests." Mr. Charest positioned himself as the man best able to exact more gains from the federal government. It was under his Liberals that Quebecers were recognized as a nation within Canada, was given a greater international role and received $2.3-billion in last week's federal budget to address the "fiscal imbalance," he said. "We want to continue to affirm our leadership so we can continue to seek gains," he told reporters. Quebec has not had a minority government since 1878, and Mr. Charest refused to entertain speculation on how a minority would work. "We are going to win a majority government tomorrow, I am very confident of that," he said. "A minority government would weaken Quebec." Mr. Boisclair also attacked Mr. Dumont, urging sovereigntists who might be considering the ADQ to think again. "Voting for the ADQ means running the risk of getting stuck with Jean Charest as Premier of a Liberal government," he said, urging people to take the time to vote. "Taking five minutes to get rid of Jean Charest for five years seems to be quite a bargain tome." Mr. Dumont accused the other two leaders of misrepresenting his position in a desperate bid to keep their jobs." The only coalition that will be judged tomorrow is the Liberal-PQ coalition against change," he said. He said Mr. Charest was trying to distract attention from his own record: "He's telling Quebecers to look left and right, but tomorrow Quebecers will look Jean Charest in the eye and judge him for four years of broken promises, for four years of political gaffes and for four years of neglecting the most fundamental needs of his population." © National Post 2007
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#2
27 Mar 2007, 01:19 AM
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Liberals win minority in Quebec, premier wins riding seesaw
Last Updated: Monday, March 26, 2007 | 11:12 PM ET CBC News Quebec has elected a Liberal minority government for the first time in nearly 130 years, and party leader Jean Charest personally prevailed after a seesaw race in his home riding of Sherbrooke. The Liberals and the Action Démocratique du Québec ran neck and neck in several closely contested ridings, with the PQ trailing in third for most of the night. Quebec last had a minority government in 1878. The Liberals had 33 per cent of the popular vote, translating to 48 seats. Mario Dumont's ADQ was narrowly behind with 31 per cent of the popular vote, collecting 41 seats. The win was a spectacular surge for the party, which had only five seats when the election was called. The Parti Québécois, led by André Boisclair, tallied 28 per cent of the vote, translating to 36 seats, a drop of nine from the previous sessions. // '); // ]]> The newly rebuilt Green party enjoyed a three per cent gain in popular support but failed to take a seat. The Québec Solidaire staked its ground as well, taking four per cent of the popular vote, with leader Françoise David coming second in her Gouin riding, taking 30 per cent of the vote, behind PQ candidate Nicolas Girard, who defended his seat. In Charest's riding, the Liberal leader finally came out ahead, taking nearly 37 per cent of the popular vote with all the ballots counted. He defeated the PQ's Claude Forgues, who had nearly 33 per cent. Elections Quebec reported the voter turnout up by about four per cent, with about 71 per cent of eligible voters casting ballots. Liberals caught by surprise Charest called the election on Feb. 22, hedging his bet that the PQ's fall from grace in the polls in the new year would translate into renewed support for the Liberals. But the party underestimated public discontent with the Liberal government's performance over the last four years — at election call, six out of 10 Quebecers were dissatisfied with the Liberals, according to a CROP poll. The Liberals were caught off guard by the ADQ's rise in popularity. Dumont's party came up from behind and gained favour with voters in several key ridings, which responded to the congenial leader, and his common-sense message that includes tax cuts and child-care credits. Despite the public grumbling, Charest ran the first leg of the campaign as a leader enjoying a comfortable lead instead of a candidate facing the political battle of his life. Charest's campaign seemed stuck in first gear. He vaunted the Liberals' work in office and the gains won for Quebec, including a lucrative deal with Ottawa on the environment, recognition for the province at UNESCO, and a motion in the House of Commons recognizing Quebecers as a nation. He bragged about his team of candidates — including popular former health minister Philippe Couillard and former Radio-Canada journalist Christine St-Pierre. Focused on health But headlines focused on problems in the health-care system instead of the Liberals' record in office. Charest hammered home the message that the Liberals were the only party to make health care a No. 1 priority, while his opponents harped on him for breaking promises he made in 2003 to eliminate wait times and deliver tax cuts. In the leaders' debate, Charest rose to the challenge, defending his record while warding off an attack from Dumont, who accused him of covering up problems with an overpass in Laval that collapsed in September, killing five. In the last stretch of the election, Ottawa handed Charest a trump card as the Conservative federal budget allotted billions of dollars in transfer payments to Quebec. The Liberal leader turned around and promised another round of tax cuts for Quebecers, many of whom scoffed at the offering, calling it a ploy to buy votes. /* */Overall Election ResultsPartyElectedLeadingTotalVote ShareLIB4714833.06% ADQ4104130.81% PQ3603628.33% QS0003.65% GRN0003.89% OTH000.26% Last Update:March 27, 12:15:43 AM EDT Quebec Votes 2007 Headlines » Liberals win minority in Quebec, premier wins riding seesaw Quebec has elected its first Liberal minority government in 130 years. And premier Jean Charest has won a seesaw race in his home riding of Sherbrooke. Liberal Leader Jean Charest holds on to Sherbrooke seat Liberal Leader Jean Charest managed to hold on to his seat in the Eastern Townships' Sherbrooke riding after a difficult provincial election campaign. ADQ becomes Quebec's Official Opposition The Action Démocratique du Québec captured 41 seats in Quebec's national assembly, and with them the title of Official Opposition. PQ humbled, finishes 3rd Parti Québécois Leader André Boisclair told supporters it was their duty to keep the sovereigntist dream alive, even as the party suffered a disastrous loss of its Opposition status to the Action Démocratique du Québéc in Monday's election. ADQ shines in Quebec City If Action Démocratique du Québec Leader Mario Dumont was the star in this provincial election campaign, his stage was the greater Quebec City region, where he found fertile ground for his right-wing policies.
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#3
27 Mar 2007, 09:01 AM
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Does the word "liberal" mean the same in Canada as it does in the USA?
Nick
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#4
01 May 2007, 09:14 PM
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:bump:
Nick
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#5
01 Jun 2007, 04:53 PM
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(Don't you hate it when you type out a bunch of stuff only to hit the wrong button and erase it? Let's try this again...)
Comparing Canadian and US parties is akin to comparing apples to oranges almost. Different priorities also make it harder to compare policies and mandates. Conservative Party of Canada: - Business oriented (suits and ties), with a focus on fiscal responsibility. - While this is from last year, here is their platform, and links to priorities. http://www.conservative.ca/EN/2590/ - Motto is: Integrity, family, respect for work, achievement – Canada strong and free - Controversy around gay marriage legality. Seem to be against it, but have stated that they will allow a free vote on the subject. Their apparent views agains gay marriage was what cost them the election in 2004. ***note that there aren't necessarily Conservative parties in the Provinces. British Columbia does not have one, although the provincial Liberal party (currently in majority power) is very similar. Gordon Campbell's platform was basically copied by the current Prime Minister. Liberal Party of Canada - Difficult to describe them right now. Have been rocked by scandal, which cost them the recent election. - Suits and ties, but not as starchy - Currently rebuilding, would call them "Conservative Lite". - Ex-NHL goalie Ken Dryden is a member. Previously held the position of Minister of Social Development. - There have been so many defections between the Libs and the Conservative that I can't remember them all! - Members of this party also include politico's from several provincial parties including the NDP and Liberals. - Here's there main website: http://www.liberal.ca/default_e.aspx. It's really to difficult for me to describe them at this stage in their rebuild. New Democratic Party of Canada (NDP) - If the Conservatives are right wing, and the Liberals are middle of the road...the NDP are bringing up the left wing. - Dress pants and shirt, rolled up sleeves. - Almost wiped out about 10 years ago, have come back with the recent issues with the Conservatives and Liberals. - Not really a threat to become governing party of Canada, they simply take votes away from the two main parties at elections. Because of that, they actually have a lot of power in that they are being woed from both sides. The ideas and policies they suggest are often taken into consideration by the Libs and Conservatives so they can steal away precious votes. - All about holding the governing power to account. - All about the environment and the working people. - NDP are the same, be it provincial or national. They often use each other during campaigns. - If the Liberals are middle of the road between the Conservatives and the NDP, then the NDP are middle of the road between the Liberals and the Green Party - website: http://www.ndp.ca/ Green Party of Canada - Name says it all: Green. All about the environment and sustainability. - Not a true contender, although have made strides in recent years. - Current featured blog on their website is entitled: "Al Gore and me" - 2006 election platform: http://www.greenparty.ca/en/platform2006/intro - Motto is: We Can - Logo is a sunflower - Outfit of choice is usually some kind of cotton or hemp dressy outfit. All about the natural look The others aren't really worth mentioning, but here's a list of federal parties, including the Marijuana party  http://www.altstuff.com/federal.htm Helpful?
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#6
10 Jun 2007, 01:52 AM
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#7
11 Jun 2007, 02:25 PM
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I got your PM and also read the thread, but didn't respond. Thanks for taking the time to explain all of this!
Nick Quote:
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Liberal Leader Jean Charest casts his ballot in Sherbrooke on Monday.
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