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Puck
The Texan
Joined: 05 Jan 2004
Posts: 5596
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 Mon Jun 28, 2004 11:07 am Canadians Go to Polls in Tight Election |
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Canadians Go to Polls in Tight Election
Monday, June 28, 2004
OTTAWA � The Liberal Party's 11-year reign as Canada's governing party was in jeopardy Monday in a national election expected to be so close that a clear-cut winner might not emerge.
Polls suggested that neither the Liberals nor their main challengers from the Conservative Party would win an outright majority in the 308-seat House of Commons, resulting in Canada's first minority government since 1979.
Whichever major party won the most seats would depend on support from either the left-wing New Democratic Party (search) or the separatist Bloc Quebecois (search).
Prime Minister Paul Martin (search), in his first election after succeeding Jean Chretien (search) last year, has conceded that his Liberal Party was likely to lose its majority in Parliament.
Signaling his concern, he scrapped a planned low-key schedule for Sunday and instead embarked on a last-minute marathon taking him from Nova Scotia on the Atlantic Coast to British Columbia on the Pacific � with stops in Quebec and Manitoba.
"We've seen a lot of polls in this campaign and they're telling us one thing," he said in Nova Scotia. "This is going down to the wire."
The Conservative Party leader, Stephen Harper (search), has said that if the Conservatives head a minority government, he would seek support from the smaller parties on a vote-to-vote basis rather than cut deals that would bring them into a formal coalition.
He contended that the Liberals would do otherwise, negotiating for ongoing support from the New Democrats � who favor big increases in social spending � and the separatist Bloc Quebecois.
"Isn't that wonderful," jibed Harper. "Corruption, taxation and separation all in one administration."
Alleged government corruption has been a major campaign issue. The Liberals were hurt by revelations that tens of millions of dollars in federal funds were improperly channeled to pro-government advertising companies in Quebec in the 1990s.
Andre Pratte, chief editorial writer for the Montreal daily La Presse, contended that the Liberals underestimated the toll that various financial scandals had taken.
"Elected officials must take responsibility for such failures," he wrote. "Unfortunately, the Liberals � convinced they are invincible and the only ones suited to govern Canada � tended to minimize them."
Several analysts have suggested that a minority government � although inherently unstable � might have some positive aspects, regardless of whether the Liberals or Conservatives are the nominal leaders.
"The result is going to be a mess," wrote columnist Richard Gwyn in Sunday's Toronto Star. "And yet this mess could turn out to be a creative one."
If the Conservatives are in charge, Gwyn wrote, they would feel obliged to show a moderate face rather than flaunting any right-wing ideology. If the Liberals eke out a plurality, such a narrow victory might prompt Martin to adopt a more open and effective style, according to Gwyn.
Although the Liberals and Conservatives have much in common � including basic economic policy and support for the national health insurance system � there are some key differences.
Harper wants to slash middle-class taxes, increase the military ranks from 60,000 to 80,000 and pull Canada out of the Kyoto Protocol, which commits industrialized nations to reduce emissions of certain gases.
One of the ironies of the election is that the Bloc Quebecois, a party whose fundamental mission is to secede from Canada, might end up in the role of kingmaker.
Bloc leader Gilles Duceppe could become one of Canada's most powerful figures if his party's votes in Parliament are needed to pass legislation. He says an incoming minority government should allow major bills to be decided by so-called "free votes" � in which Parliament members are not bound to follow party lines.
"It's going to be interesting to have a Parliament that decides things not on a partisan basis, but takes into account what Quebeckers and Canadians want," he said.
Duceppe has played down any connection between this parliamentary election and the possibility, a few years from now, that the separatist movement might propose another referendum in Quebec on seceding from Canada. Referendums were held in 1980 and in 1995, when the separatists lost by only a minuscule margin.
The new Parliament will have seven more members than the outgoing one, in which the Liberals hold 168 seats, the Conservatives 73, the Bloc Quebecois 33 and the New Democrats 14. There are nine independents and four vacant seats.
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syd2002
Admiral
Joined: 25 Mar 2002
Posts: 8919
Location: Somewere in the world, makeing a difference
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| Fri Jul 02, 2004 8:56 pm |
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I very hard and tight election. The Libs have a weak governement and we Candains wait to see how it does.
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Captain Leah Manzer
Vice Admiral
Joined: 21 Mar 2002
Posts: 5221
Location: State of Insanity
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| Wed Jul 07, 2004 5:26 pm |
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Well, assuming it doesnt work out too well, their might be a revote next year, which mean I get to vote..haha. But i think it was a good vote. I really didnt want the conservatives to get in. Harper seems Evil!! :|:|
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Trekkie617
Lieutenant Commander
Joined: 18 Jul 2003
Posts: 303
Location: Georgia, but I miss Oklahoma
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| Sat Jul 10, 2004 1:58 am |
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Although this doesn't quite affect me a whole lot, I will probably be living in Montreal for about 6 months so this kind of affects me.
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