22-11-2004 11:52									#31
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Canada has four main parties. They are, for the most part, conveniently named:

Liberals: Canada's "natural ruling party" have been in power far more than they haven't. They match up quite well with the US Democrats.

Conservatives: Closer in spirit to the UK Tories than the US Republicans, but through several splits, mergers and makeovers, they seem to be more socially conservative than was traditionally true (though less than some of their incarnations have been when they were more divided)

New Democratic Party: Canada's social-democratic labour party. They have a strong base in the trade union movement, and have formed governments at the provincial level, but tend to hover around the 15% mark nationally.

Bloc Quebecois: They are an odd mixture of ex-conservatives and nationalist social-democrats who have managed to unite on a national liberation basis. Because their support is so concentrated, they can be a force at times (they managed to form the official opposition at one point).

	22-11-2004 11:56									#32
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quote: They match up quite well with the US Democrats.

US Democrats are in favour of a universal single-payer health care system?

	22-11-2004 11:57									#33
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quote: Originally posted by KrazyHorse quote: They match up quite well with the US Democrats. US Democrats are in favour of a universal single-payer health care system?

The left wing of the DP is.

	22-11-2004 11:58									#34
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So is most of the Conservative party here.

	22-11-2004 11:58									#35
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What is the argument that baseball was invented in Canada? I've never heard that one before.

quote: The first recorded game of what could be considered north american football was played between Harvard and McGill.

That depends on what you consider the first American football game . Where it departs from rugby is hard to say, though plenty of people say the 1869 game between Princeton and Rutgers (about 5 years before the Harvard-McGill game) was the first football game.

	22-11-2004 11:59									#36
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quote: Conservatives -- "conservative", right-of-center...don't ask them to take a firm stand on anything, the pussies

Eh, bring it, closeted leftie.

	22-11-2004 12:00									#37
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Who are your prominent leaders?

	22-11-2004 12:02									#38
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quote: Your understanding would be incorrect. In an election that was widely seen as a rejection of the Tories, they are not far from a plurality if not a majority.

What percentage of seats would they need to be able to govern (i.e. practically being able to peel off individual votes in other parties, as the Libs are currently doing)?

	22-11-2004 12:03									#39
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Imran

That game was neither football nor rugby. The ball was moved through kicks. Picking up and carrying it was verboten.

Not football in the slightest. Soccer.

	22-11-2004 12:05									#40
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quote: Originally posted by Ramo quote: Your understanding would be incorrect. In an election that was widely seen as a rejection of the Tories, they are not far from a plurality if not a majority. What percentage of seats would they need to be able to govern (i.e. practically being able to peel off individual votes in other parties, as the Libs are currently doing)?

The Liberals are peeling off individual votes? Not really. They are in a de facto coalition with the NDP and need only 1-2 more votes than this gets them to pass legislation.

	22-11-2004 12:05									#41
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How many seats are there in your Parliament?
How is your executive selected?

	22-11-2004 12:05									#42
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It might be a shock, but our right (the Tories) would be in the centre in the US.

The defunct CA might have been more on the right. They are defunct because they never stood a hope in hell of forming a government and had the good sense to get out of the way of people who could, finally.

I wish we could drive a stake into the heart of prairie populist movements, they are entirely too good for the Liberals. However, I fear we have not seen the last of them. The next train is due in... about 30 years. Unless the population trends continue... If Alberta and BC had as many seats in the Commons as Quebec, or dare I say Ontario, that might be the salve that soothed many wounds.

	22-11-2004 12:06									#43
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quote: Who are your prominent leaders?

Paul Martin, of the Liberal Party

Stephen Harper of the Conservative Party

Gilles Duceppe of the Bloc Quebecois

and Jack Layton of the NDP

This is a pretty good site for you Che.

www.filibustercartoons.com/ parliament.htm

	22-11-2004 12:10									#44
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quote: How many seats are there in your Parliament? How is your executive selected?

Currently 308, roughly apportioned according to population.

Some areas have roughly 1 MP per 30K people, while others may have more than 100K people in an urban riding.

Each census, they redistrict the ridings, to adjust for population increases. Areas that are decreasing in population have their seatcount grandfathered.

This makes PEI our rotton borough with 4 seats for 120K people, but understandable given the history of Canada and a desire to acheive some regional balance.

The Prime Minister is selected by the governing party, and appointed by the Governor General.

	22-11-2004 12:12									#45
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So can the Governor General block the appointment of a PM somehow?

	22-11-2004 12:15									#46
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How frequent is gerrymandering in Canada?

How long will it be before the conservatives win again in Canada?

	22-11-2004 12:15									#47
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The last time the Governor General had an impact on the selection of a PM was in 1926.

Google King Byng Affair

	22-11-2004 12:18									#48
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Since all the seats need to be redistricted after the censuses, that's when any 'gerrymandering' can be done.

There's been allegations thrown around by both sides, folks in Alberta, like NYE, see the redistribution as an attempt to take away Liberal votes, but others have said the same for Conservatives in Ontario.

Me, it's just part of politics. Always has been and always will.

	22-11-2004 12:18									#49
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Canadians have a fully-evolved pancreas, and the province of Sasketchawan is mentioned during one of the songs in "The Great Muppet Caper".

	22-11-2004 12:19									#50
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quote: How long will it be before the conservatives win again in Canada?

Give them another year of Liberal scandals.

	22-11-2004 12:19									#51
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quote: That game was neither football nor rugby. The ball was moved through kicks. Picking up and carrying it was verboten.

And the game between McGill and Harvard was basically rugby . It was divided into two games, the first based on the 'Boston Rules', which was soccer. The second on the 'McGill rules' which was rugby with some different scoring.

What made the game between Rutgers and Princeton so different was that there were 25 players per side and it was full contact. It was a combination of rugby and soccer. And there definetly WAS picking up the ball.... you just had to kick for goals.

Basically neither were close to what we'd call football today, but both fight over which was 'first', even though it was probably an evolution.

Of course there may be some bias involved, but the NFL considers the Rutgers-Princeton game to be the first football match:

http://yahooligans.yahoo.com/conten...page?d=20040802

	22-11-2004 12:21									#52
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Actually, KH you are incorrect.

The King-Byng affair was not about the appointment of a PM, but rather, blocked the attempt by Mackenzie King to dissolve Parliament rather than face a censure vote in Parliament.

	22-11-2004 12:22									#53
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quote: Originally posted by Shi Huangdi How frequent is gerrymandering in Canada?

The chairman of the redistricting commission for a province is appointed by the chief justice of that province. His choice is limited to other judges in his province.

The other two members of the redistricting commission are appointed by the speaker of the house of commons.

Blatant gerrymandering isn't that common. The possibility exists of course, but ridings tend to make pretty good sense...

	22-11-2004 12:24									#54
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quote: Originally posted by Ben Kenobi Actually, KH you are incorrect. The King-Byng affair was not about the appointment of a PM, but rather, blocked the attempt by Mackenzie King to dissolve Parliament rather than face a censure vote in Parliament.

I know what the King Byng affair was. What I wrote is consistent with what occurred. I didn't directly answer Ramo's question because his question oversimplifies the powers of the governor general.

	22-11-2004 12:25									#55
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And it can only happen in provinces with rising populations, like BC, Alberta and Ontario.

AFAIK, they do not redistribute provinces that do not increase their population.

	22-11-2004 12:26									#56
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quote: Originally posted by chegitz guevara How is your executive selected?

There is the misery.

The PM is the leader of the party with the most seats in Parliament, usually. That person then takes on semi-dictatorial powers in the executive.

He (almost always) heads cabinet. Cabinet ministers are the bosses of the army, the police, the prosecutors, and every other important function of government. Cabinet ministers are subject to being sacked at a moments notice at the pleasure of the PM.

The PM appoints judges, without worry of confirmation proceedings such as is a hot topic in the US now and for the last 15 years or so.

The PM appoints Senators. The Senate is supposed to be the 'chamber of sober second thought' and a possible check on the tyranny of the Commons.

The PM is also the immediate superior of the head of the civil service (the Clerk of the Privy Council). That person also serves at the pleasure of the PM.

Finally, the PM pretty well appoints the Governor General. The GG is the last link to the tradition of Britain and the Empire. The GG is also the possible last line of defence in the face of a truely bad government. But alas, the PM appoints him or her.

If you want to know the truth, the PM of Canada is as a dictator in the Soviet Union would have dreamt to have been. Our defence against this concentration of power has been the decency of those who have held the office as well as the common sense of the courts and the various people in a position to put a break on excess.

But of course, the chattering classes continuously argue against any strengthening of the Senate. They seem to regard the Senate as a threat of some sort. Perhaps they do not want an empowered Senate if ever they get their hand on the power of the PMO.

	22-11-2004 12:32									#57
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quote: Originally posted by Ben Kenobi And it can only happen in provinces with rising populations, like BC, Alberta and Ontario. AFAIK, they do not redistribute provinces that do not increase their population.

a) Untrue. Every census sees 10 redistricting commissions. Quebec underwent a redistricting this time around and as you should know it always has 75 seats

b) Provinces gain representation when they increase in size relative to Quebec (which itself has a rising population)

c) Representations are grandfathered to a specific date (cannot recall exactly). If Alberta started bleeding population it could lose seats down to a minimum (the amount it had on previously referred to date). Grandfathering does not take place after every census.

	22-11-2004 12:34									#58
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Oh, and the PM commands near total obedience in the making of important legislation.

Vote against the PM on an important bill, and be expelled from the party which means near certain defeat in the next election for an MP.

Did I mention that?

	22-11-2004 12:35									#59
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The PM only has as much power as his caucus gives him.

	22-11-2004 12:37									#60
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If a caucus is full of pussies then their electorates shouldn't have voted for them.