Liberal Minority Government 2019 - ????

[suffolkowner]

Go ahead JT, call an election.  Do it. 

Your ego might be a wee bit surprised at how far you've fallen since you were first elected...


Or, save the taxpayers the money & the hassle, and just walk off the job.  Accomplish the same outcome with significantly less hassle. 

:2c:

I would not bet against the Liberals winning an election. O'Toole was probably the right man for the last election, but with Covid it's not a good time to be in opposition

 

[Brad Sallows]

>The Liberals are threatening to send Canadians to the polls if Parliament passes an opposition motion to create an “anti-corruption” committee

That's not anti-democratic or a display of contempt.  It would basically be a referral to the ultimate "anti-corruption" committee of Canada.

 

[Jarnhamar]

[quote author=Brad Sallows]

That's not anti-democratic or a display of contempt.  It would basically be a referral to the ultimate "anti-corruption" committee of Canada.
[/quote]

Except in that case a large chunk of the committee doesn't care about corruption as long as they're getting taken care of.

 

[Haggis]

I would not bet against the Liberals winning an election. O'Toole was probably the right man for the last election, but with Covid it's not a good time to be in opposition

A quick glance at 338Canada.com predicts that the Liberals could form a majority if an election were held right now.

 

[daftandbarmy]

As of 2019 we weren't too bad corruption-wise according to these guys: Transparency International....

Transparency International is a global movement working in over 100 countries to end the injustice of corruption.

We focus on issues with the greatest impact on people’s lives and hold the powerful to account for the common good. Through our advocacy, campaigning and research, we work to expose the systems and networks that enable corruption to thrive, demanding greater transparency and integrity in all areas of public life.

Our mission
Our mission is to stop corruption and promote transparency, accountability and integrity at all levels and across all sectors of society.

Our vision
Our vision is a world in which government, politics, business, civil society and the daily lives of people are free of corruption.

We are independent, non-governmental, not-for-profit and work with like-minded partners across the world to end the injustice of corruption.


CORRUPTION PERCEPTIONS INDEX


https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi#

 

[Halifax Tar]

Go ahead JT, call an election.  Do it. 

Your ego might be a wee bit surprised at how far you've fallen since you were first elected...


Or, save the taxpayers the money & the hassle, and just walk off the job.  Accomplish the same outcome with significantly less hassle. 

:2c:

Now is not the time to have the Liberals lose and election.  They need to sit in this mess for 2 more terms.  Let them truly display their colors, and let Canadians truly see them.  And until this pandemic flattens out and begins to recede an election would simply refocus our efforts from where they need to be!

 

[Remius]

A quick glance at 338Canada.com predicts that the Liberals could form a majority if an election were held right now.

The Libs know this.  Probably why they made the threat.

 

[Kat Stevens]

Now is not the time to have the Liberals lose and election.  They need to sit in this mess for 2 more terms.  Let them truly display their colors, and let Canadians truly see them.  And until this pandemic flattens out and begins to recede an election would simply refocus our efforts from where they need to be!

It must be nice to have the kind of job that could survive 8 more years of this. Me? as I approach the slippery side of 60, I don't hold out much hope for my financial security in my "golden years". Maybe I'll be able to afford a van down by the river.

 

[Halifax Tar]

It must be nice to have the kind of job that could survive 8 more years of this. Me? as I approach the slippery side of 60, I don't hold out much hope for my financial security in my "golden years". Maybe I'll be able to afford a van down by the river.

I am very sorry you are in this situation. 

 

[Kat Stevens]

I am very sorry you are in this situation.

I’m good as things stand now, but if that drunken monkey with my credit card gets eight more years, all bets are off.

 

[Good2Golf]

I’m good as things stand now, but if that drunken monkey with my credit card gets eight more years, all bets are off.

Well if Erin O’Toole can’t keep the monkeys to a minority, then maybe Rona Ambrose will have had enough time to settle down and put her name in the ring for the 2024, thus keeping the monkeys’ damage to only four years...

 

[ModlrMike]

I believe that the GG is not bound to dissolve parliament in this instance. She could offer the Conservatives the opportunity to form a government first. Although knowing which side her bread is buttered on makes that less likely.

 

[suffolkowner]

Personally I don't think things look good for the Conservative Party right now and that's saying something. An irrelevant NDP means that fewer votes will be bled off the Liberal Party to the Left. Leaving the Conservative Party to hope to bleed off the Blue Liberals especially as the Liberals as a whole appear to move to the left. I'm just not sure if there's enough there to make the swing happen. Has the whole country moved to the left? And by how much? In the end I think it's possible the Conservative Party is just the NDP of the right with a very strong rural/western base. Every 12-20 years voter dissatisfaction with the corruption of the Liberal Party will allow for their return to power for a term or two. On the WE charity scandal, I'm fairly convinced that something is there to be hidden, otherwise the Liberals are just making it worse on themselves. But unless it breaks out into the open I dont see it making a difference

 

[dapaterson]

I believe that the GG is not bound to dissolve parliament in this instance. She could offer the Conservatives the opportunity to form a government first. Although knowing which side her bread is buttered on makes that less likely.

Generally, constitutional scholars suggest that Parliament falling in the first six months of a minority mandate would be rationale to ask another party to form government; more than a year into the mandate, custom strongly steers her towards granting dissolution (barring exceptional circumstances, none of which appear in this instance).

Look for Philippe Lagassé and Emmett Macfarlane; they have both done some writing on the topic.

https://carleton.ca/npsia/people/philippe-lagasse/
https://uwaterloo.ca/political-science/people-profiles/emmett-macfarlane

 

[suffolkowner]

Generally, constitutional scholars suggest that Parliament falling in the first six months of a minority mandate would be rationale to ask another party to form government; more than a year into the mandate, custom strongly steers her towards granting dissolution (barring exceptional circumstances, none of which appear in this instance).

Look for Philippe Lagassé and Emmett Macfarlane; they have both done some writing on the topic.

https://carleton.ca/npsia/people/philippe-lagasse/
https://uwaterloo.ca/political-science/people-profiles/emmett-macfarlane

I think a key factor here has to be the ability of the opposition to generate support, unlike in the Harper minority there is no clear path for the opposition parties to support each other. The NDP, BLOCQ and Conservatives make uneasy bedfellows

 

[Halifax Tar]

Personally I don't think things look good for the Conservative Party right now and that's saying something. An irrelevant NDP means that fewer votes will be bled off the Liberal Party to the Left. Leaving the Conservative Party to hope to bleed off the Blue Liberals especially as the Liberals as a whole appear to move to the left. I'm just not sure if there's enough there to make the swing happen. Has the whole country moved to the left? And by how much? In the end I think it's possible the Conservative Party is just the NDP of the right with a very strong rural/western base. Every 12-20 years voter dissatisfaction with the corruption of the Liberal Party will allow for their return to power for a term or two. On the WE charity scandal, I'm fairly convinced that something is there to be hidden, otherwise the Liberals are just making it worse on themselves. But unless it breaks out into the open I dont see it making a difference

And this is where the Cons have navigated poorly.  Unfortunately in our current electoral model votes outside of Que and Ont are just the icing on the cake.  Until we (as a nation) care enough to come to the realization that the Atlantic provinces are inconsequential and the west can be ignored because of our seat distribution nothing will change.  The foundation of winning Federal elections is in Ont and Que.  If you cannot make headway there and appeal to those voters you will be forever pissing into the wind.

 

[dapaterson]

And this is where the Cons have navigated poorly.  Unfortunately in our current electoral model votes outside of Que and Ont are just the icing on the cake.  Until we (as a nation) care enough to come to the realization that the Atlantic provinces are inconsequential and the west can be ignored because of our seat distribution nothing will change.  The foundation of winning Federal elections is in Ont and Que.  If you cannot make headway there and appeal to those voters you will be forever pissing into the wind.

You mean "Unless you can get a majority from provinces which are proportionately underrepresented you won't win", right?  Urban ridings generally have more voters than rural, skewing power away from the majority.

As I recall, there are individual ridings in the Toronto area with nearly as many voters as all four of PEI's ridings combined.

Edit to add list of ridings.  Note that AB and BC are also under represented.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Population_of_Canadian_federal_ridings

 

[mariomike]

You mean "Unless you can get a majority from provinces which are proportionately underrepresented you won't win", right?  Urban ridings generally have more voters than rural, skewing power away from the majority.

As I recall, there are individual ridings in the Toronto area with nearly as many voters as all four of PEI's ridings combined.

For reference to the discussion,

One person one vote? In Canada, it's not even close
https://www.thestar.com/politics/2019/10/13/one-person-one-vote-in-canada-its-not-even-close.html

 

[Halifax Tar]

You mean "Unless you can get a majority from provinces which are proportionately underrepresented you won't win", right?  Urban ridings generally have more voters than rural, skewing power away from the majority.

As I recall, there are individual ridings in the Toronto area with nearly as many voters as all four of PEI's ridings combined.

You are echoing me. 

The danger we are running into now is that essentially two provinces are deciding the political fate of the country.  And this where I am envious of the US Electoral College as it seem to try to ensure that regions (concerns) cannot simply ignore others (concerns) because of population size and willful ignorance.  This is my elementary understanding, and I stand to be corrected.

This country is in dire need of electoral reform or at a minimum a redistribution of the seats.  Ont and Que should be power houses but should not be allowed to hold the balance of power.  It needs to be distributed equally to ensure all regions are relevant and represented.  The Bloq earned only 1.3 million votes vs the NDP 2.9 million and still got more seats.  This a gross misjustice in our electoral system; and its a glowing example of how one region is allowed to dominate others.

 

[dapaterson]

So you oppose majority rule?  A vote in Labrador is worth five votes in Niagara Falls.  How is that fair or just?

Manitoba and Saskatchewan have the same number of seats, but a big population difference.  How is that fair?

You seem to want to further reduce the influence of areas that are already underrepresented.