# Canada Gets It Right...



## blastoff

The people of Canadia took time out yesterday from the world's obsession with the dead bin Laden to pull off a voters' rebellion at the polls and tossed liberals out of office in favor of Conservatives, who campaigned, in part, on providing more jobs for their economy without raising taxes. 

Sounds like they've finally done something right up there, eh?

Canada's Conservatives score massive election win - Yahoo! News


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## slukasiewski

blastoff said:


> The people of Canadia took time out yesterday from the world's obsession with the dead bin Laden to pull off a voters' rebellion at the polls and tossed liberals out of office in favor of Conservatives, who campaigned, in part, on providing more jobs for their economy without raising taxes.
> 
> Sounds like they've finally done something right up there, eh?
> 
> Canada's Conservatives score massive election win - Yahoo! News



Good day, eh?


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## VaYank5150

Where is Canadia, exactly?


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## Truthmatters

I hope they do great things fr Canada.




If they make things worse will you still cheer them?


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## Robert

Truthmatters said:


> I hope they do great things fr Canada.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> If they make things worse will you still cheer them?



Yes "they" the Citizens have figured out that Socialism doesn't work.


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## VaYank5150

blastoff said:


> The people of Canadia took time out yesterday from the world's obsession with the dead bin Laden to pull off a voters' rebellion at the polls and tossed liberals out of office in favor of Conservatives, who campaigned, in part, on providing more jobs for their economy without raising taxes.
> 
> Sounds like they've finally done something right up there, eh?
> 
> Canada's Conservatives score massive election win - Yahoo! News



Let's see, the GOP/conservatives campaigned on creating jobs and not rasising taxes in 2010 and managed to win back the House.  What's the first thing they focused on?  They managed to change the definition of "rape".


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## Toro

blastoff said:


> The people of Canadia took time out yesterday from the world's obsession with the dead bin Laden to pull off a voters' rebellion at the polls and tossed liberals out of office in favor of Conservatives, who campaigned, in part, on providing more jobs for their economy without raising taxes.
> 
> Sounds like they've finally done something right up there, eh?
> 
> Canada's Conservatives score massive election win - Yahoo! News



First of all, there is no such country as "Canadia." Second, they didn't "toss liberals out office." The conservatives were the ruling party and had won the last two elections.


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## VaYank5150

Toro said:


> blastoff said:
> 
> 
> 
> The people of Canadia took time out yesterday from the world's obsession with the dead bin Laden to pull off a voters' rebellion at the polls and tossed liberals out of office in favor of Conservatives, who campaigned, in part, on providing more jobs for their economy without raising taxes.
> 
> Sounds like they've finally done something right up there, eh?
> 
> Canada's Conservatives score massive election win - Yahoo! News
> 
> 
> 
> 
> First of all, there is no such country as "Canadia." Second, they didn't "toss liberals out office." The conservatives were the ruling party and had won the last two elections.
Click to expand...


Must have been more of them damn RINOs?


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## Robert

VaYank5150 said:


> Toro said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> blastoff said:
> 
> 
> 
> The people of Canadia took time out yesterday from the world's obsession with the dead bin Laden to pull off a voters' rebellion at the polls and tossed liberals out of office in favor of Conservatives, who campaigned, in part, on providing more jobs for their economy without raising taxes.
> 
> Sounds like they've finally done something right up there, eh?
> 
> Canada's Conservatives score massive election win - Yahoo! News
> 
> 
> 
> 
> First of all, there is no such country as "Canadia." Second, they didn't "toss liberals out office." The conservatives were the ruling party and had won the last two elections.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> Must have been more of them damn RINOs?
Click to expand...


Canada's Conservatives Score Massive Election Win

Tuesday, May 3, 2011 8:29 AM

    Article Font Size  

OTTAWA - Canada's Conservatives stormed to a decisive victory in Monday's federal election, winning 54 percent of the seats in Parliament and securing a stable four-year term in power after vowing to focus on the economy.

The Conservatives grabbed 167 seats in Canada's Parliament, well above the 155 they needed to transform their minority government into a majority, according to provisional results. They won about 40 percent of the vote, beating expectations.

The victory, a relief for Canadian financial markets, left support for the separatist Bloc Quebecois in tatters and the party's leader without a seat. Bloc Quebecois advocates independence for the province of Quebec.

The Liberals, who have ruled Canada for more years than any other party, were reduced to a dismal third place showing with their worst ever seat haul.

LOL Ya that must be it...


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## blastoff

Toro said:


> blastoff said:
> 
> 
> 
> The people of Canadia took time out yesterday from the world's obsession with the dead bin Laden to pull off a voters' rebellion at the polls and tossed liberals out of office in favor of Conservatives, who campaigned, in part, on providing more jobs for their economy without raising taxes.
> 
> Sounds like they've finally done something right up there, eh?
> 
> Canada's Conservatives score massive election win - Yahoo! News
> 
> 
> 
> 
> First of all, there is no such country as "Canadia." Second, they didn't "toss liberals out office." The conservatives were the ruling party and had won the last two elections.
Click to expand...


You need to brush up a bit on how things work in Canadia.  Specifically, the difference between a minority government vs. a majority government.


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## Robert

blastoff said:


> Toro said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> blastoff said:
> 
> 
> 
> The people of Canadia took time out yesterday from the world's obsession with the dead bin Laden to pull off a voters' rebellion at the polls and tossed liberals out of office in favor of Conservatives, who campaigned, in part, on providing more jobs for their economy without raising taxes.
> 
> Sounds like they've finally done something right up there, eh?
> 
> Canada's Conservatives score massive election win - Yahoo! News
> 
> 
> 
> 
> First of all, there is no such country as "Canadia." Second, they didn't "toss liberals out office." The conservatives were the ruling party and had won the last two elections.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> You need to brush up a bit on how things work in Canadia.  Specifically, the difference between a minority government vs. a majority government.
Click to expand...


Thinking someone must have spike his vinegar eh?


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## Toro

blastoff said:


> Toro said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> blastoff said:
> 
> 
> 
> The people of Canadia took time out yesterday from the world's obsession with the dead bin Laden to pull off a voters' rebellion at the polls and tossed liberals out of office in favor of Conservatives, who campaigned, in part, on providing more jobs for their economy without raising taxes.
> 
> Sounds like they've finally done something right up there, eh?
> 
> Canada's Conservatives score massive election win - Yahoo! News
> 
> 
> 
> 
> First of all, there is no such country as "Canadia." Second, they didn't "toss liberals out office." The conservatives were the ruling party and had won the last two elections.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> You need to brush up a bit on how things work in Canadia.  Specifically, the difference between a minority government vs. a majority government.
Click to expand...


I was actively in involved in Canadian politics. I know the difference. And the Tories have been the party in power for the past four years. There were no liberals in office.


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## LibocalypseNow

They sure did get it 'Right.' Massive Conservative Wins up there. Nice job Cananda. Lets do the same thing here in 2012. What do ya say America?


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## Two Thumbs

VaYank5150 said:


> blastoff said:
> 
> 
> 
> The people of Canadia took time out yesterday from the world's obsession with the dead bin Laden to pull off a voters' rebellion at the polls and tossed liberals out of office in favor of Conservatives, who campaigned, in part, on providing more jobs for their economy without raising taxes.
> 
> Sounds like they've finally done something right up there, eh?
> 
> Canada's Conservatives score massive election win - Yahoo! News
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Let's see, the GOP/conservatives campaigned on creating jobs and not rasising taxes in 2010 and managed to win back the House.  What's the first thing they focused on?  They managed to change the definition of "rape".
Click to expand...


Unemployment also went down ~1% since they took the House.  If they had taken the Senate....  well, we might have gotten it down 2%.

But not to worry, people all around the world are learning that socialism is the dumbest idea next to communism and will no longer tolerate it.


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## VaYank5150

Two Thumbs said:


> VaYank5150 said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> blastoff said:
> 
> 
> 
> The people of Canadia took time out yesterday from the world's obsession with the dead bin Laden to pull off a voters' rebellion at the polls and tossed liberals out of office in favor of Conservatives, who campaigned, in part, on providing more jobs for their economy without raising taxes.
> 
> Sounds like they've finally done something right up there, eh?
> 
> Canada's Conservatives score massive election win - Yahoo! News
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Let's see, the GOP/conservatives campaigned on creating jobs and not rasising taxes in 2010 and managed to win back the House.  What's the first thing they focused on?  They managed to change the definition of "rape".
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> Unemployment also went down ~1% since they took the House.  If they had taken the Senate....  well, we might have gotten it down 2%.
> 
> But not to worry, people all around the world are learning that socialism is the dumbest idea next to communism and will no longer tolerate it.
Click to expand...


This should be rich....please list the specific legislation passed by the HOUSE that you are crediting the 1% decline in unemployment to.


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## Two Thumbs

Toro said:


> blastoff said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Toro said:
> 
> 
> 
> First of all, there is no such country as "Canadia." Second, they didn't "toss liberals out office." The conservatives were the ruling party and had won the last two elections.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> You need to brush up a bit on how things work in Canadia.  Specifically, the difference between a minority government vs. a majority government.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> I was actively in involved in Canadian politics. I know the difference. And the Tories have been the party in power for the past four years. There were no liberals in office.
Click to expand...


Damn Canadians don't speak English right!  When will the English speaking world wise up and start speaking American!?!?!?!?!


OK

What's a Torie - liberal - conservative, in Canada?

since it seems to not mean the same thing as in Gods Country.


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## LibocalypseNow

I'm moving to Canada to escape our horrifying Socialist/Progressive Nightmare here. Isn't that what most Lefty Wingnuts say when the Republicans are in Power? I'm just kidding though. I'm staying so i can help Conservatives take our Country back in 2012. Kudos Canada!


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## Toro

Two Thumbs said:


> Toro said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> blastoff said:
> 
> 
> 
> You need to brush up a bit on how things work in Canadia.  Specifically, the difference between a minority government vs. a majority government.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I was actively in involved in Canadian politics. I know the difference. And the Tories have been the party in power for the past four years. There were no liberals in office.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> Damn Canadians don't speak English right!  When will the English speaking world wise up and start speaking American!?!?!?!?!
> 
> 
> OK
> 
> What's a Torie - liberal - conservative, in Canada?
> 
> since it seems to not mean the same thing as in Gods Country.
Click to expand...


I'm sorry. A Tory is a Conservative. Same in Britain.


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## Oscar Wao

Trust me, guys, a Conservative up in Canada, while he may have his/her share of conservative ideals, is at the end a RINO here in the US.


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## B. Kidd

Conservatives won in very small part due to liberals making the Canadian prairie rattlesnake a protected species. How stupid. They're all over the place!


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## Toro

Oscar Wao said:


> Trust me, guys, a Conservative up in Canada, while he may have his/her share of conservative ideals, is at the end a RINO here in the US.



Conservatives in Canada tend to be more conservative on fiscal issues, free trade, defense and immigration. They are also the most pro-American party. They are not particularly conservative on social issues, at least not compared to the US, though this incarnation is a little more so. Religion plays little part as well compared to American politics. So many conservatives would consider the Tories as RINOs in America. That's why I feel very comfortable on the Right in Canada but not in America.


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## Two Thumbs

Toro said:


> Two Thumbs said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Toro said:
> 
> 
> 
> I was actively in involved in Canadian politics. I know the difference. And the Tories have been the party in power for the past four years. There were no liberals in office.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Damn Canadians don't speak English right!  When will the English speaking world wise up and start speaking American!?!?!?!?!
> 
> 
> OK
> 
> What's a Torie - liberal - conservative, in Canada?
> 
> since it seems to not mean the same thing as in Gods Country.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> I'm sorry. A Tory is a Conservative. Same in Britain.
Click to expand...



Thanks

Is a Candian conservative the same as an American conservative?  Or are they more like republicans?


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## Toro

Two Thumbs said:


> Toro said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Two Thumbs said:
> 
> 
> 
> Damn Canadians don't speak English right!  When will the English speaking world wise up and start speaking American!?!?!?!?!
> 
> 
> OK
> 
> What's a Torie - liberal - conservative, in Canada?
> 
> since it seems to not mean the same thing as in Gods Country.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm sorry. A Tory is a Conservative. Same in Britain.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Is a Candian conservative the same as an American conservative?  Or are they more like republicans?
Click to expand...


See above. 

I would think most Canadian conservatives would register as Republicans in the US, though they would make the party more moderate. If I become an American, I will most likely register as a Republican.


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## Robert

Toro said:


> Two Thumbs said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Toro said:
> 
> 
> 
> I'm sorry. A Tory is a Conservative. Same in Britain.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Is a Candian conservative the same as an American conservative?  Or are they more like republicans?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> See above.
> 
> I would think most Canadian conservatives would register as Republicans in the US, though they would make the party more moderate. If I become an American, I will most likely register as a Republican.
Click to expand...


Canadian's as a whole are good solid people with a solid ethic that sadly is lacking in the states. If they manage to run out the liberal base in power and institute some common sense reforms I wouldn't mind again living there.


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## Dr.Drock

LibocalypseNow said:


> I'm moving to Canada to escape our horrifying Socialist/Progressive Nightmare here. Isn't that what most Lefty Wingnuts say when the Republicans are in Power? I'm just kidding though. I'm staying so i can help Conservatives take our Country back in 2012. Kudos Canada!



Libo, you understand this is just the canadian version of american republicans right?

Nothing conservative about it.


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## B. Kidd

LibocalypseNow said:


> I'm moving to Canada to escape our horrifying Socialist/Progressive Nightmare here. Isn't that what most Lefty Wingnuts say when the Republicans are in Power? I'm just kidding though. I'm staying so i can help Conservatives take our Country back in 2012. Kudos Canada!



Don't move to British Columbia as it's crawling with socialists. Alberta and Saskatchewan more to your liking.


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## Oscar Wao

Toro said:


> Oscar Wao said:
> 
> 
> 
> Trust me, guys, a Conservative up in Canada, while he may have his/her share of conservative ideals, is at the end a RINO here in the US.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Conservatives in Canada tend to be more conservative on fiscal issues, free trade, defense and immigration. They are also the most pro-American party. They are not particularly conservative on social issues, at least not compared to the US, though this incarnation is a little more so. Religion plays little part as well compared to American politics. So many conservatives would consider the Tories as RINOs in America. That's why I feel very comfortable on the Right in Canada but not in America.
Click to expand...

Don't they support UHC also? That's what I meant by RINOs. RINO in the sense that they still support social programs in Canada.

I could care less about religion and social issues.  He could be a gay polygamist with 5 husbands and a devil worshiper for all I care.


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## jgarden

blastoff said:


> The people of Canadia took time out yesterday from the world's obsession with the dead bin Laden to pull off a voters' rebellion at the polls and tossed liberals out of office in favor of Conservatives, who campaigned, in part, on providing more jobs for their economy without raising taxes.
> 
> Sounds like they've finally done something right up there, eh?
> 
> Canada's Conservatives score massive election win - Yahoo! News


*The Conservatives may have won the majority of electoral seats - but they did it with a mere 39.62% of the popular vote.  

The demise of the Bloc and the decline of the Liberals resulted in major shifts of voter alliances within the Canafian political "universe," but when all is said and done that has translated into a mere 1.92 % increase in the popular support for the Conservatives since the 2008 Election (37.7%).  

That 1.92% increase is thought to have come from the last-minute defection of right-wing Liberals, in response to Harper raising the "boggeyman" of a socialism during the last days of the campaign.

The reality is that the vast majority of Canadians continue to hold negative opinions concerning the Conservative Party, its leader and just about everything it stands for.  

This Conservative's majority in seats is more in response to the structural "quirks" of the parliamentary system, rather than by some attempt by the national electorate to jump on the Tory poltical "bandwagon." *


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## Toro

Oscar Wao said:


> Toro said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Oscar Wao said:
> 
> 
> 
> Trust me, guys, a Conservative up in Canada, while he may have his/her share of conservative ideals, is at the end a RINO here in the US.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Conservatives in Canada tend to be more conservative on fiscal issues, free trade, defense and immigration. They are also the most pro-American party. They are not particularly conservative on social issues, at least not compared to the US, though this incarnation is a little more so. Religion plays little part as well compared to American politics. So many conservatives would consider the Tories as RINOs in America. That's why I feel very comfortable on the Right in Canada but not in America.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Don't they support UHC also? That's what I meant by RINOs. RINO in the sense that they still support social programs in Canada.
> 
> I could care less about religion and social issues.  He could be a gay polygamist with 5 husbands and a devil worshiper for all I care.
Click to expand...


Conservatives would like to offer more private alternatives.  However, they don't dare campaign on dismantling Medicare - what Canadians call Universal Healthcare.  They would get destroyed.  So implicitly, because Canadians want Medicare, the Conservatives support it as well.


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## Oscar Wao

Ah. 

Too bad about the whole not being able to abolish UHC thing...


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## Truthmatters

Hmmm you mean the people of canada like their healthcare?

Even the conservatives.


I guess universal heaalthcare must work well


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## Oscar Wao

No, TM, the conservatives know going against UHC would be political suicide.  Even if they are against it deep down, they have to keep their traps shut.


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## Epsilon Delta

jgarden said:


> blastoff said:
> 
> 
> 
> The people of Canadia took time out yesterday from the world's obsession with the dead bin Laden to pull off a voters' rebellion at the polls and tossed liberals out of office in favor of Conservatives, who campaigned, in part, on providing more jobs for their economy without raising taxes.
> 
> Sounds like they've finally done something right up there, eh?
> 
> Canada's Conservatives score massive election win - Yahoo! News
> 
> 
> 
> *The Conservatives may have won the majority of electoral seats - but they did it with a mere 39.62% of the popular vote.
> 
> The demise of the Bloc and the decline of the Liberals resulted in major shifts of voter alliances within the Canafian political "universe," hut when all is daid and done that has translated into a mere 1.92 % increase in the popular support for the Conservatives since the 2008 Election (37.7%).
> 
> That 1.92% increase is thought to have come from the last-minute defection of right-wing Liberals, in response to Harper raising the "boggeyman" of a socialism during the last days of the campaign.
> 
> The reality is that the vast majority of Canadians continue to hold negative opinions concerning the Conservative Party, its leader and just about everything it stands for.
> 
> This Conservative's majority in seats is more in response to the structural "quirks" of the parliamentary system, rather than by some attempt by the national electorate to jump on the Tory poltical "bandwagon." *
Click to expand...


Yeah, to be honest, I dunno how anyone could claim this as some sort of huuuuuge victory for worldwide conservatism. It's of course big in parliamentary terms and them getting the majority they've been hungry for since 2006, but if it's the general attitude of the Canadian public you wanna gauge, just looking at the numbers gives you an entirely different picture:

Conservatives: 5.8 million (39.6%)
New Democratic Party: 4.5 million (30.6%)
Liberals: 2.78 million (18.9%)
Bloc Quebecois: 0.89 million (6%)
Green Party: 0.57 million (3.9%)

The New Democrats increased their share of the vote by 2 million votes, and they're a pretty "left" party (self-identified as social-democratic), farther to the left than the Liberals (who lost ~600,000 votes, about equal the amount that conservatives gained) and the US Democrats. Even leaving out the nationalist Bloc you'd still be left with a "left" (Liberal, NDP, Green) total of  ~7.85 million votes to the Conservatives' 5.8. As a caveat though, the Canadian Liberals, while pretty "liberal" in relation to the US would probably be considered fairly centrist party (especially true in this case since it's been sandwiched between a Right Party and a Left party) in most of the world. And again, like others have pointed out, the "Right" in Canada is not anywhere near the viciousness of the "Right" in the US, at the domestic level in any case.

One could also point out that the Liberals in Canada have been basically leaderless for the past 5 years. Stephane Dion and Ignatieff were a total joke. I'll never forget these commercials the conservatives had for Ignatieff in the last election, they basically just destroyed him (for Canadians out there, I'm talking about the "Micheal Ignatieff: Just Visiting" commercials). Either which way, it seems pretty unlikely for Canada to have a left-leaning government for a while now, unless the Liberals finally call it a day and merge with the NDP, or if a Bloc desintegration pushes the NDP further up (unlikely considering that most of the remaining Bloc voters would probably split between Liberals and Conservatives).


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## Indy Terry

I believe that a Torie in Canada lines up more as a conservative Democrat in the United States. The Tories back a lot of the socialist programs just not as whole heartedly as the Liberals. Nothing like Toronto but Edmonton and Calgary come to mind.


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## Toro

Epsilon Delta said:


> jgarden said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> blastoff said:
> 
> 
> 
> The people of Canadia took time out yesterday from the world's obsession with the dead bin Laden to pull off a voters' rebellion at the polls and tossed liberals out of office in favor of Conservatives, who campaigned, in part, on providing more jobs for their economy without raising taxes.
> 
> Sounds like they've finally done something right up there, eh?
> 
> Canada's Conservatives score massive election win - Yahoo! News
> 
> 
> 
> *The Conservatives may have won the majority of electoral seats - but they did it with a mere 39.62% of the popular vote.
> 
> The demise of the Bloc and the decline of the Liberals resulted in major shifts of voter alliances within the Canafian political "universe," hut when all is daid and done that has translated into a mere 1.92 % increase in the popular support for the Conservatives since the 2008 Election (37.7%).
> 
> That 1.92% increase is thought to have come from the last-minute defection of right-wing Liberals, in response to Harper raising the "boggeyman" of a socialism during the last days of the campaign.
> 
> The reality is that the vast majority of Canadians continue to hold negative opinions concerning the Conservative Party, its leader and just about everything it stands for.
> 
> This Conservative's majority in seats is more in response to the structural "quirks" of the parliamentary system, rather than by some attempt by the national electorate to jump on the Tory poltical "bandwagon." *
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> Yeah, to be honest, I dunno how anyone could claim this as some sort of huuuuuge victory for worldwide conservatism. It's of course big in parliamentary terms and them getting the majority they've been hungry for since 2006, but if it's the general attitude of the Canadian public you wanna gauge, just looking at the numbers gives you an entirely different picture:
> 
> Conservatives: 5.8 million (39.6%)
> New Democratic Party: 4.5 million (30.6%)
> Liberals: 2.78 million (18.9%)
> Bloc Quebecois: 0.89 million (6%)
> Green Party: 0.57 million (3.9%)
> 
> The New Democrats increased their share of the vote by 2 million votes, and they're a pretty "left" party (self-identified as social-democratic), farther to the left than the Liberals (who lost ~600,000 votes, about equal the amount that conservatives gained) and the US Democrats. Even leaving out the nationalist Bloc you'd still be left with a "left" (Liberal, NDP, Green) total of  ~7.85 million votes to the Conservatives' 5.8. As a caveat though, the Canadian Liberals, while pretty "liberal" in relation to the US would probably be considered fairly centrist party (especially true in this case since it's been sandwiched between a Right Party and a Left party) in most of the world. And again, like others have pointed out, the "Right" in Canada is not anywhere near the viciousness of the "Right" in the US, at the domestic level in any case.
> 
> One could also point out that the Liberals in Canada have been basically leaderless for the past 5 years. Stephane Dion and Ignatieff were a total joke. I'll never forget these commercials the conservatives had for Ignatieff in the last election, they basically just destroyed him (for Canadians out there, I'm talking about the "Micheal Ignatieff: Just Visiting" commercials). Either which way, it seems pretty unlikely for Canada to have a left-leaning government for a while now, unless the Liberals finally call it a day and merge with the NDP, or if a Bloc desintegration pushes the NDP further up (unlikely considering that most of the remaining Bloc voters would probably split between Liberals and Conservatives).
Click to expand...


Generally, though, Canada doesn't elect majority governments with majority votes.  Majorities are usually won in Canada with 38% to 44% of the vote.  In BC a couple of decades ago, if I recall correctly and I may be a little off, Glen Clarke and the NDP won a majority with 35% of the vote while the Liberals won 38%.  In one of the elections - I think it was 1997, Chretien won all 105 seats in Ontario as the conservative vote split between the Reform and the PC.  The conservative vote split in something like 50 seats, such that had they been one party, they would have won those seats.  But it allowed the Liberals to slip through the middle.  I think the Liberals won a majority that election of 160-165 seats and 38% of the vote.

I don't think the Liberals will ever merge with the NDP.  They are two very different parties.  And the Liberals aren't really "left" either.  They are more centrists.  In fact, in some ridings, it appears that the right leaning Liberals broke to the Tories.

And despite the NDP's great night, they won only 44 seats outside of Quebec.  Over the past 35 years, Quebec has given massive majorities to the Liberals under Trudeau, then the Tories under Mulroney, then the Bloc under Bouchard and Duceppe, and now the NDP.  None had any staying power.  Will the NDP be any different?  Probably not, given that the party has absolutely no history in the province.

The Tories, on the other hand, won 161 out of the 233 seats outside of Quebec.  That is a pretty solid showing.

I can see a scenario where the NDP wins the next election, but most likely, the Tories will be in power for a decade while the Liberals regroup, as they will.


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## auditor0007

Toro said:


> blastoff said:
> 
> 
> 
> The people of Canadia took time out yesterday from the world's obsession with the dead bin Laden to pull off a voters' rebellion at the polls and tossed liberals out of office in favor of Conservatives, who campaigned, in part, on providing more jobs for their economy without raising taxes.
> 
> Sounds like they've finally done something right up there, eh?
> 
> Canada's Conservatives score massive election win - Yahoo! News
> 
> 
> 
> 
> First of all, there is no such country as "Canadia." Second, they didn't "toss liberals out office." The conservatives were the ruling party and had won the last two elections.
Click to expand...


Thought so.  I don't think the Conservatives in Canada are quite as "conservative" as they are in the US either.


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## auditor0007

Two Thumbs said:


> VaYank5150 said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> blastoff said:
> 
> 
> 
> The people of Canadia took time out yesterday from the world's obsession with the dead bin Laden to pull off a voters' rebellion at the polls and tossed liberals out of office in favor of Conservatives, who campaigned, in part, on providing more jobs for their economy without raising taxes.
> 
> Sounds like they've finally done something right up there, eh?
> 
> Canada's Conservatives score massive election win - Yahoo! News
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Let's see, the GOP/conservatives campaigned on creating jobs and not rasising taxes in 2010 and managed to win back the House.  What's the first thing they focused on?  They managed to change the definition of "rape".
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> Unemployment also went down ~1% since they took the House.  If they had taken the Senate....  well, we might have gotten it down 2%.
> 
> But not to worry, people all around the world are learning that socialism is the dumbest idea next to communism and will no longer tolerate it.
Click to expand...


And what exactly is it that the Republicans have done to bring down unemployment by 1%?  I'm just curious.  Not that the Dems have done anything, but what exactly have the Republicans done?


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## auditor0007

Toro said:


> Oscar Wao said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Toro said:
> 
> 
> 
> Conservatives in Canada tend to be more conservative on fiscal issues, free trade, defense and immigration. They are also the most pro-American party. They are not particularly conservative on social issues, at least not compared to the US, though this incarnation is a little more so. Religion plays little part as well compared to American politics. So many conservatives would consider the Tories as RINOs in America. That's why I feel very comfortable on the Right in Canada but not in America.
> 
> 
> 
> Don't they support UHC also? That's what I meant by RINOs. RINO in the sense that they still support social programs in Canada.
> 
> I could care less about religion and social issues.  He could be a gay polygamist with 5 husbands and a devil worshiper for all I care.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> Conservatives would like to offer more private alternatives.  However, they don't dare campaign on dismantling Medicare - what Canadians call Universal Healthcare.  They would get destroyed.  So implicitly, because Canadians want Medicare, the Conservatives support it as well.
Click to expand...


Why do they support such a horrible system?  Why don't they get rid of UHC and embrace the US system?  The first sentence was meant to be facetious, but still a serious question.


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## auditor0007

Toro said:


> Epsilon Delta said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> jgarden said:
> 
> 
> 
> *The Conservatives may have won the majority of electoral seats - but they did it with a mere 39.62% of the popular vote.
> 
> The demise of the Bloc and the decline of the Liberals resulted in major shifts of voter alliances within the Canafian political "universe," hut when all is daid and done that has translated into a mere 1.92 % increase in the popular support for the Conservatives since the 2008 Election (37.7%).
> 
> That 1.92% increase is thought to have come from the last-minute defection of right-wing Liberals, in response to Harper raising the "boggeyman" of a socialism during the last days of the campaign.
> 
> The reality is that the vast majority of Canadians continue to hold negative opinions concerning the Conservative Party, its leader and just about everything it stands for.
> 
> This Conservative's majority in seats is more in response to the structural "quirks" of the parliamentary system, rather than by some attempt by the national electorate to jump on the Tory poltical "bandwagon." *
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yeah, to be honest, I dunno how anyone could claim this as some sort of huuuuuge victory for worldwide conservatism. It's of course big in parliamentary terms and them getting the majority they've been hungry for since 2006, but if it's the general attitude of the Canadian public you wanna gauge, just looking at the numbers gives you an entirely different picture:
> 
> Conservatives: 5.8 million (39.6%)
> New Democratic Party: 4.5 million (30.6%)
> Liberals: 2.78 million (18.9%)
> Bloc Quebecois: 0.89 million (6%)
> Green Party: 0.57 million (3.9%)
> 
> The New Democrats increased their share of the vote by 2 million votes, and they're a pretty "left" party (self-identified as social-democratic), farther to the left than the Liberals (who lost ~600,000 votes, about equal the amount that conservatives gained) and the US Democrats. Even leaving out the nationalist Bloc you'd still be left with a "left" (Liberal, NDP, Green) total of  ~7.85 million votes to the Conservatives' 5.8. As a caveat though, the Canadian Liberals, while pretty "liberal" in relation to the US would probably be considered fairly centrist party (especially true in this case since it's been sandwiched between a Right Party and a Left party) in most of the world. And again, like others have pointed out, the "Right" in Canada is not anywhere near the viciousness of the "Right" in the US, at the domestic level in any case.
> 
> One could also point out that the Liberals in Canada have been basically leaderless for the past 5 years. Stephane Dion and Ignatieff were a total joke. I'll never forget these commercials the conservatives had for Ignatieff in the last election, they basically just destroyed him (for Canadians out there, I'm talking about the "Micheal Ignatieff: Just Visiting" commercials). Either which way, it seems pretty unlikely for Canada to have a left-leaning government for a while now, unless the Liberals finally call it a day and merge with the NDP, or if a Bloc desintegration pushes the NDP further up (unlikely considering that most of the remaining Bloc voters would probably split between Liberals and Conservatives).
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> Generally, though, Canada doesn't elect majority governments with majority votes.  Majorities are usually won in Canada with 38% to 44% of the vote.  In BC a couple of decades ago, if I recall correctly and I may be a little off, Glen Clarke and the NDP won a majority with 35% of the vote while the Liberals won 38%.  In one of the elections - I think it was 1997, Chretien won all 105 seats in Ontario as the conservative vote split between the Reform and the PC.  The conservative vote split in something like 50 seats, such that had they been one party, they would have won those seats.  But it allowed the Liberals to slip through the middle.  I think the Liberals won a majority that election of 160-165 seats and 38% of the vote.
> 
> I don't think the Liberals will ever merge with the NDP.  They are two very different parties.  And the Liberals aren't really "left" either.  They are more centrists.  In fact, in some ridings, it appears that the right leaning Liberals broke to the Tories.
> 
> And despite the NDP's great night, they won only 44 seats outside of Quebec.  Over the past 35 years, Quebec has given massive majorities to the Liberals under Trudeau, then the Tories under Mulroney, then the Bloc under Bouchard and Duceppe, and now the NDP.  None had any staying power.  Will the NDP be any different?  Probably not, given that the party has absolutely no history in the province.
> 
> The Tories, on the other hand, won 161 out of the 233 seats outside of Quebec.  That is a pretty solid showing.
> 
> I can see a scenario where the NDP wins the next election, but most likely, the Tories will be in power for a decade while the Liberals regroup, as they will.
Click to expand...


Having a third party in the US would wreak havoc on our system, because it is not set up for building coalitions, yet many people seem to cherish the thought of a major third party.


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## jgarden

*Although Canada's NDP has never held power nationally, it has formed a number of provincial governments.  Its predecessor formed a provincial government in Saskatchewan and proceeded to introduce its own working version of a public healthhcare system - that in turn gained widespread national attention.  

During the late 1960's and early 1970's, the Liberals and Conservatives realized that public healthcare had now become popular among voters and incorporated NDP ideas into their own platforms.  This has been a reoccuring in Canadian politics, whereby the 2 larger traditional non-socialist parties have denounced the NDP while repeatedly adopting those "socialist" ideas that gave gained widespread acceptance.

Quebec's own federal "separtist" party allowed that province to vent its frustations without actually separating.  After 25 years, this party now seems to have "run-its-course" and has all but dusappeared during the 2011 election.

Unlike America, socialist, separatist and even "Green" parties have won seats in parliament and allowed to voice their opinions.*


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## Epsilon Delta

Toro said:


> Generally, though, Canada doesn't elect majority governments with majority votes.  Majorities are usually won in Canada with 38% to 44% of the vote.  In BC a couple of decades ago, if I recall correctly and I may be a little off, Glen Clarke and the NDP won a majority with 35% of the vote while the Liberals won 38%.  In one of the elections - I think it was 1997, Chretien won all 105 seats in Ontario as the conservative vote split between the Reform and the PC.  The conservative vote split in something like 50 seats, such that had they been one party, they would have won those seats.  But it allowed the Liberals to slip through the middle.  I think the Liberals won a majority that election of 160-165 seats and 38% of the vote.
> 
> I don't think the Liberals will ever merge with the NDP.  They are two very different parties.  And the Liberals aren't really "left" either.  They are more centrists.  In fact, in some ridings, it appears that the right leaning Liberals broke to the Tories.
> 
> And despite the NDP's great night, they won only 44 seats outside of Quebec.  Over the past 35 years, Quebec has given massive majorities to the Liberals under Trudeau, then the Tories under Mulroney, then the Bloc under Bouchard and Duceppe, and now the NDP.  None had any staying power.  Will the NDP be any different?  Probably not, given that the party has absolutely no history in the province.
> 
> The Tories, on the other hand, won 161 out of the 233 seats outside of Quebec.  That is a pretty solid showing.
> 
> I can see a scenario where the NDP wins the next election, but most likely, the Tories will be in power for a decade while the Liberals regroup, as they will.



Well, yeah, I agree, like I said it was a pretty big parliamentary win for the Conservatives in Canada, but I just love how whenever people see a country, or maybe even a group of countries, vote in their own version of a "Right" or a "Left" or a "Center" party, all these people go overboard claiming that it "vindicates the success of [insert preferred ideology] against the failed policies of [insert antagonistic ideology]," when it usually only reflects at best a narrow political reality unfolding in the current context of whatever particular country's being discussed. 

In this case, it happens to be that unlike these sort of characters claim there isn't some sort of major right-ward shift in Canadian public opinion but the circumstances of a divided opposition, weak leadership, etc. that give one particular current greater strength electorally but not necessarily broad-based. One could find a number of examples (you mention that in Canada it has happened before, with the Liberals squeaking by through a divided conservative opposition) where the same could be true if a "Left" party won but the majority still voted for "Right" parties. 

As far as the Liberals and NDP go, I don't see it as particularly likely either, just heard the idea floating around somewhere. I guess the point was more akin to the idea that, like you say, the Liberals (or the "Left" - agreeing that we're using the term here veeery broadly here, but at least "Left" in relation to the Conservatives's "Right") are going to need to regroup one way or another like Conservatives had to do in order to break the long years out of power, unless the NDP manages to "prove" to the electorate that it can really deliver or something makes the Harper government implode before the next polls [NOT likely]. But it could likely be just a fleeting moment for the NDP. When you put it the way you just put it (about Quebec giving majorities to different successive parties), it now makes sense why nobody could give me a straight answer when I would ask "How do the Quebecois vote?" (not like I prodded too far into it). Well, we'll just have to wait and see how next time.


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## strollingbones

canada has more than 2 parties...


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## Dr.Drock

Lol fun watching people excuse the Canadian version of republicans support of universal healthcare.


Those same excuses will be coming here to the states when the next batch of republicans also supports it here.

"They have to!"  "Political suicide!" bla bla bla

I got a crazy idea.............STICK TO YOUR PRINCIPLES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Oscar Wao

strollingbones said:


> canada has more than 2 parties...


That's one of the VERY few things of Canada's that I wish we could emulate.


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## auditor0007

Oscar Wao said:


> strollingbones said:
> 
> 
> 
> canada has more than 2 parties...
> 
> 
> 
> That's one of the VERY few things of Canada's that I wish we could emulate.
Click to expand...


I hear this so often from people belonging to both the Democratic and Republican Parties.  The problem with the US having three or four major parties is that we would have to change the way our government runs.  In Parliamentary governments, coalitions must be built that bring about a ruling majority.  We would have to allow for the same in order to determine who received committee chairmanships in Congress, and which party would control both the House and Senate. Also, in the event that no Presidential candidate received a majority of the electoral votes, the President would then be selected by the House of Representatives.  This could leave the election of our President out of that hands of the voters on a regular basis.

While one can make an argument for the preference of the Parliamentary system over our own system, having multiple parties under our current system could easily become a nightmare that nobody would be happy with.


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## grunt11b

VaYank5150 said:


> Where is Canadia, exactly?



 Right above America dumbass.


----------



## grunt11b

VaYank5150 said:


> Two Thumbs said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> VaYank5150 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Let's see, the GOP/conservatives campaigned on creating jobs and not rasising taxes in 2010 and managed to win back the House.  What's the first thing they focused on?  They managed to change the definition of "rape".
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Unemployment also went down ~1% since they took the House.  If they had taken the Senate....  well, we might have gotten it down 2%.
> 
> But not to worry, people all around the world are learning that socialism is the dumbest idea next to communism and will no longer tolerate it.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> This should be rich....please list the specific legislation passed by the HOUSE that you are crediting the 1% decline in unemployment to.
Click to expand...


 The Democrats hold the senate and the white house still, it's virtually impossible for any conservative legislation to pass right now, with 100% of the ideas being threatened by a presidential veto. After 2012 we won't have to worry about that anymore.


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## grunt11b

Truthmatters said:


> Hmmm you mean the people of canada like their healthcare?
> 
> Even the conservatives.
> 
> 
> I guess universal heaalthcare must work well



 Yeah, it's so good they travel to America for life saving treatments such as cancer treatments and what not, it rocks up there!!!! UHC is so awesome it's unbelievable!!!!!


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## Epsilon Delta

grunt11b said:


> Truthmatters said:
> 
> 
> 
> Hmmm you mean the people of canada like their healthcare?
> 
> Even the conservatives.
> 
> 
> I guess universal heaalthcare must work well
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yeah, it's so good they travel to America for life saving treatments such as cancer treatments and what not, it rocks up there!!!! UHC is so awesome it's unbelievable!!!!!
Click to expand...


Hey, just wondering, got _any_ figures to back up your claims or do you just "feel it in your gut"?



			
				Health Affairs said:
			
		

> *Results from Canada*. Several sources of evidence from Canada reinforce the notion that Canadians seeking care in the United States were relatively rare during the study period. *Only 90 of 18,000 respondents to the 1996 Canadian NPHS indicated that they had received health care in the United States during the previous twelve months*, and only twenty indicated that they had gone to the United States expressly for the purpose of getting that care.



Phantoms In The Snow: Canadians Use Of Health Care Services In The United States

And yet...



			
				Washington Post said:
			
		

> Brooks, 48, is one of millions of Americans who have turned to Mexico and other countries in search of bargain drugs. [...] Mexico, Canada and other countries have become the discount pharmacies for many Americans, those looking simply to save money as well as the uninsured struggling to pay for their medications. [...] *Customs estimates 10 million U.S. citizens bring in medications at land borders each year*. An additional 2 million packages of pharmaceuticals arrive annually by international mail from Thailand, India, South Africa and other points. *Still more packages come from online pharmacies in Canada.*



Millions of Americans Look Outside U.S. for Drugs - washingtonpost.com


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