Election 2015

One more turn down the rabbit hole.  This blog now serves exclusively as a repository for voter information. Back by popular demand, I am writing now to provide some basic resources for the upcoming federal election (Monday October 19th).

One of my previous posts referenced voter turnout, however I did not provide any updates as to the Voter turnout of the last two elections (2008 and 2011). however I just found this handy graphic on Elections Canada's website.  Please vote, its important, and if you want to know why, read earlier posts by me. (How apathetic is that? I am complaining about voter apathy by absently referring to prior posts).

Moving on to resources.
**Note- All links will open new browser windows.

1) General Resources - Elections Canada
-This one is pretty straightforward you can use the elections Canada website to register to vote, to confirm that you are on the voter list, to determine where you are voting, to determine who your local candidates are.....etc. etc.  This is your primary resource for everything regarding the act of voting. Also, if you are expecting to have to register at the polls, be sure to read the updated requirements for registry so that you arrive equipped with what you need. The last thing that we all need is a vote being turned away.

2) Vote Orientation -CBC Vote Compass
I have linked to this tool in the past. Its a short survey which gauges your opinion on common socioeconomic issues and then aligns your responses with the policies of the major parties. Not groundbreaking, but fun at least.

3) Party information
This is the most important part.

Bloc Quebecois (French only website)
- Party Website

Conservative Party of Canada
- Party Website (No distinct platform section)

Green Party of Canada
- Party Website
- Election Platform (PDF)

Liberal Party of Canada
- Party Website
- Platform Sheets (PDF Library)

New Democratic Party of Canada
- Party Website
- Platform Page

It appears that as website usage grows, parties are doing away with the PDF style platform books, and simply housing their positions as online topics. This is unfortunate as I was always most interested in actually reading the platform PDF's, also it makes this page much less useful.

In any case please feel free to ask questions or provide links to platform information.

Thanks - Please Vote

Election Help

So it has been quite a while since I last posted and I certainly don't think that this blog will be getting a reboot any time soon. However we are coming up on another federal election, and while voter fatigue is probably digging its claws into everyone I thought I should post some helpful links to educate everyone on the latest platforms. Any little bit of education you can do for yourself will help ensure that you will vote, and as you may have read in one of my prior posts I care much less about who you vote for then I care that you DO vote. Last week George Stroumboulopoulos (yes that is the correct spelling) gave a great monologue that mirrors my sentiment exactly. We do so little in our day to day lives for our country as a whole, and receive so much. There is only one duty that all Canadian adults have, and that is to make sure that our government can hear our voice. Voting is a duty and obligation of Canadian citizenship which should never be shirked. For the few of you disillusioned hipsters out there that want to claim that there is no good choice for your vote, fear not the solution is simple: Reject your ballot. This can be done by making no mark on your ballot at all, or selecting all options. Elections Canada does track the number of rejected ballots separately from spoiled ballots. (By the way it is illegal to intentionally spoil your ballot, but perfectly legal to reject it as instructed above).

I have compiled some links below that should help anyone do the most basic research necessary to make a somewhat informed decision regarding their vote this election (May 02 2011).

-The CBC votecompass is a great simple survey that helps voters learn where their opinions would fall among the Major parties. http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canadavotes2011/votecompass/

-Bloc Quebecois (Link is to French website)

-Website: http://www.blocquebecois.org/accueil.aspx

-Conservative Party of Canada

- Website: http://www.conservative.ca/

- Platform: http://www.conservative.ca/media/ConservativePlatform2011_ENs.pdf

-Green Party of Canada

- Website: http://greenparty.ca/

- Platform: http://greenparty.ca/files/attachments/green-book-2011-en.pdf

-Liberal Party of Canada

- Website: http://www.liberal.ca

- Platform: http://cdn.liberal.ca/files/2011/04/liberal_platform.pdf

-New Democratic of Canada

- Website: http://www.ndp.ca

- Platform: http://xfer.ndp.ca/2011/2011-Platform/NDP-2011-Platform-En.pdf

Please read as much or as little as you feel you need to, but make sure you are educated, and make sure you vote. As usual if anyone wants my opinion please comment or email me.

Election Aftermath

In my last post I wrote that I would discuss the implications of the Canadian election. That was almost a month ago, and not a word from me. I have no good excuse for this, I have begun my adult life as a corporate cubicle dweller. I do not loathe this new existence, it has however served to limit my motivation to do anything other than channel surf on my leisure time. I will now try to remedy this.

In the late hours of Oct. 14 concerned citizens across our fair nation sat riveted to their television sets as the election ballots were tallied and reported. Granted, their television sets probably weren't tuned to the election coverage, more likely to the latest Hero's episode, waiting to see what Milo Ventimigilialgalaalaa's next move would be. It would be hard to blame our nation for their disinterest in this election. The Prime Minister called the election almost a year early, contradicting his own calls for set term elections. People's attention was turned to the American recession, and little cared about replacing a government which had done nothing good nor bad for the last 3 years. As far as elections go, this one was placed at a terribly uninteresting time, the only story to follow was whether or not the Liberals could recover from a terribly ill timed and poorly presented 'Green Shift' strategy. The Canadian election of 2008 was about as exciting as watching C-Pac on voiceprint.

We can lament the elections mundane pointlessness, but for the sake of this blog I'll add some commentary to the days events.

.....Alright, that previous part has been sitting in my draft box for a little while now, and to be honest, i dont feel like I have much to say about the election. Perhaps this attitude reflects the election itself. Stephen Harper picked up a handful of extra seats from the weak liberals, this helped him create a stronger minority government. This is of course the equivalent of creating a faster pinto...that is to say that a strong minority is worth little more than a weak minority. The fact that Harper was limited to a minority government quite surprised me. I even went so far as to tell Winnie that Harper was essentially guaranteed a Majority, I guess thats why I'm writing here, and not on a panel at the CBC.

The Minority for Harper essentially signals another 4 years of Status Quo operation, Harper has not been given a clear mandate to implement any major changes and has not been given the power to do so. With such a weak response from the electorate Harper is unlikely to attempt to call another early election because the electorate is already bitter at having to go to the poll's unnecessarily, to change essentially nothing. This means that it is up to the opposition parties to dissolve parliament by voting down key legislation, triggering another election. It is not likely that any of the opposing parties want to run another campaign anytime soon, especially not until the Liberal's have sorted out their leadership mess. That said, I believe that this time around, the smaller parties will not allow as many right wing bills to pass through out of fear of an election. This was the problem with the last term, all of the opposition parties were so worried that they would lose seats in an election, that no one wanted to vote down any legislation. I believe that this hesitation will not be as strong this time, the NDP have shown that they have some backing, and Jack Layton's pitbull/car salesman attitude will surely have him using the NDP's new found strenght to leverage some concessions out of Harper.

Essentially I believe that we are in for another uneventful status quo turn from the Harper/Conservative government.

But remember, I also predicted a conservative Majority as being a lock, so my track record on predictions isnt exactly stellar. I guess we will all just have to wait and see what kind of boredom the next few years will bring.

Election Night

Alright, its only 20 minutes after the polls in Ontario have closed, and the major news networks are making their predictions. CBC calls a Conservative Majority, and Global calls a Conservative Minority. Most people know that I am not a fan of the Conservatives, but it would be nice for them to be limited to a Minority. I was resigned to the fact that they would be granted a majority so to see this gives a light at the end of the tunnel. I had previously told Winnie that I was convinced that the Cons would get their Majority but it appears that that may be at risk.

No commentary yet though, infact no commentary for a while actually. I am less concerned with the results of the election as I am about the turnout, so I will be writing more heavily about the turnout results which will take a little longer to be posted.

If anyone is unclear about the implications of having a minority or majority government, please feel free to post a comment to this post, and I will write a post about the differences and possibilities.

M.A.D. and how it is was saving the world.

Alright, hopefully this will be a short entry....About Nuclear War... (maybe some day a short post will find its way here.)

On May 26 1972, that dastardly American President Richard Nixon signed a treaty with General Secretary of the Communist Party (USSR) called the Anti-Ballistic Missiles Treaty. The treaty in essence stated that neither of the two nuclear super powers, who were at the time locked into the Cold War, would build defenses against the other nation's missiles. This at first glance seems like one of the most bizarre concepts in international affairs and warfare. 'I agree to let you attack me, as long as you agree to let me attack you.' This on the surface seems to be a counter productive treaty designed to draw the Cold War on, and put innocent lives at risk. However the treaty was designed around an incredibly perverse rule of logic that has become a mainstay of international affairs.This is the concept of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD).

After the Atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end the final feud of the Second World War, it became apparent that Homo Sapiens had finally become the bearers of the tools for their own annihilation. This realization was best verbalized by the lead scientist of the Manhattan Project (the atomic bomb development project) J. Robert Oppenheimer when he quoted hindu scripture stating "I am become death, destroyer of worlds" to which his colleague replied "Now we are all sons of bitches." The creators of the bomb understood far better than anyone else the incredible reprecussions of opening the Pandora's Box that was atomic warfare. (The I am become death line is one of the most chilling quotes I have ever heard, though it is unclear if he said it at the time of the testing or if he thought it and mentioned it later).

back on point now... with the apocalyptic power of nuclear weaponry came an entirely new kind of warfare, and an entirely new set of logic with which to wage war. MAD became a point of stability and safety in the least likely place. The concept of Mutually Assured Destruction is that both superpowers have enough nuclear weaponry to completely destroy the other state. COMPLETELY as in lay waste to the entire territory and all of its inhabitants, and the hapless nations nearby. Also both nations had the quick launch ability to respond to this attack before the aggressors attack had actually reached its targets. This means that one of the only reasons Nuclear bombs were not launched is beacuse each country knew that if they launched their arsenal of weapons, the other would respond in kind, destroying both states. Hence Mutually Assured Destruction.

The ABMT was signed to ensure that this function would continue to operate. If one nation were to build a missile defense, then that nation would be able to comfortably launch their weapons with the knowledge that they were safe from any reprisal, negating M.A.D.. While it seems bizarre, this notion of MAD helps to prevent war. A sort of anti-arms build up.

In 2002 George W. Bush withdrew from the ABMT and began preparations for the construction of a missile defence program. At the time, Canada was invited/asked to participate in the program so that the defence stations could be built in Canada's northern territories. Then Prime Minister Paul Martin reluctantly declined under public pressure, and saved Canada from becoming a participant in the reintroduction of Nuclear buildup. Not long after the demise of the ABMT and Mutually Assured Destruction, North Korea withdrew from its obligations of non proliferation, and has since become a nuclear power. While two other nations have begun their own not-so-covert research into nuclear weaponry.

So that wasn't a short post, or a post with an end or argument. I have just found the concept of Mutually Assured Destruction to be an astounding example of how complex and difficult international politics can be.

Why tax cuts cost you money.... Also INTERNET TAX

On the political landscape of Canada today, one of the most telling ways that a party can be placed on the left/right spectrum is by their approach to taxes. The parties on the left wing, such as the Green and the NDP have no problem suggesting that taxes are necessary to fund programs or shift spending habits. The Green for example propose a policy of Carbon Taxing (charging for using fossil fuels) which far exceeds the amount that the Liberals are proposing. The NDP also have no qualms with using taxes to get the funding they need.  Right Wingers on the other hand think that the citizens should have the choice to decide for themselves what they want and need. Prime Minister  Stephen Harper and the Conservative party over their time in power have cut 2% off of the GST, surely everyone knows that. Harper believes that the government should have less control over the finances of the average Canadian. 

Harpers approach sounds like it gives Canadians a lot more freedom, after all isnt that supposed to be what government is about? Freedom? I am hoping to keep this blog relatively balanced, and declare my biases as needed, so here I declare that I support the left, and whole heartedly disagree with Stephen Harper's approach.

The problem with tax cuts is that the money from taxes is used for something. We don't pay taxes just so that the politicians in Ottawa can get a paycheque, we pay taxes because the government does a lot for its citizens that require funding. The obvious sacred example is Universal Health care, each province is required by the Canadian government to provide free health care to every Canadian, if you are sick, someones going to help you, regardless of your wealth or ability to pay it back. Most of our health care is paid by our Provincial taxes, but the federal government has a hand in it too through Provincial funding programs.

The example of health care may not be the most relevant example but it carries the most shock value so I use it. But here is an example of service cuts. Cultural funding has become the hot button topic. when Harper cut taxes ($200 billion total) he started to chop away at the arts programs, things such as funding Canadian based television shows no longer get the same sized government grants. The funding cuts look to amount to about $50 million from the arts. You may be saying 'I totally don't care about Canadian television, it always sucked anyways, except of course Corner Gas'  Thats fair, the fact that arts are losing funding won't bother you too much. But stop for a second and think, if the Canadian Radio and Telecommunications Commission had budgeted X amount of dollars for 2009, and now knows it won't get it, what are they going to do? The practical option would be to rebudget, but no matter how they do that someone is going to be pissed. Instead, they have to find other ways to come up with that money, Heres one option:

The Toronto Star ran a story today with the shocking headline Internet Tax. The idea is that the CRTC is considering making Internet providers include an additional fee for your service, sort of like the $6.95 service fee you pay for your cell phone.  Well this is just a preliminary idea, but they do have the ability to do it. So what do you think about your tax cut now? The 2% less you pay when buying goods is just redistributed to other fees elsewhere. If you have to pay a fee to use the internet (let's say $5 a month) just to cover $50 Million, where is the other $199,950,000,000.00 going to come from? you will either end up paying for it elsewhere financially, or through a reduction in services. Imagine waiting 6 months for your passport to arrive because the passport office had to cut jobs. or waiting for 6 hours in line to get your Social Insurance Numbere issued.  I am being alarmist I know, but what I am saying is taxes do something for you, when you pay less taxes, those things will be reduced. 

Nobody likes the Government in their pocket, but I submit to you that our pockets would be more empty if they took their hands out.

Election Info

Alright at the request of a friend, here is all the online information you need to make an educated vote on the 14th.

elections.ca - has all the information that is important to you individually, including where to vote, and who's running in your riding. Just enter your postal code on the main screen, then follow the FAQ's on the next page.

Major Party websites and platforms (Alphabetical).

Conservatives - Stephen Harper:

Main Site

The conservatives have not issued an official platform, but here is their policy page

Green Party - Elizabeth May

Main Site

Platform  - (PDF)

Liberals - Stephane Dion

Main Site

Platform - (PDF)

New Democratic Party - Jack Layton

Main Site

Platform - (PDF)