CANADA ELECTION THREAD - Democratic Underground

JackRiddler

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Mon May-02-11 11:30 AM
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CANADA ELECTION THREAD

Edited on Mon May-02-11 11:42 AM by JackRiddler

A historic shift appears imminent in today's Canadian election.

Our Canadian Friends and All Friends of Canada are invited here to post news and developments throughout the day, and updates as results start coming in tonight.

The Conservatives under the Bush-cloned Stephen Harper are seeking an absolute majority of seats with the intent to commit mayhem on Canada's social democracy. Canada is in a barely-concealed constitutional crisis. Harper's minority government was hit by a no-confidence vote on March 25, as the opposition parties in the House of Commons found the government in contempt of the parliament.

To the left of the moribund Liberals, an avowedly small-s socialist NDP appears set to swallow the Bloc Quebecois vote, and is rising as the strongest opposition party throughout the country. Ontario is the main battleground, but even prairie-state districts are suddenly thought to be in play.

According to the pollsters, the NDP may even ride the surge to victory.

Reference thread on the NDP: "A Caucus of Kuciniches and Sanderses"
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1000437

I don't know if there will be US television coverage, which we might hope for from C-SPAN. If anyone knows a good live stream, tell us.

Some stories to prime the pump...

http://www.care2.com/causes/politics/blog/where-when-and-why-to-vote-in-the-canadian-election-may-2/

Canada's 41st Federal Election Begins

2011-05-02 22:32:27 Xinhua Web Editor: Gong

After a 37-day fierce campaign, Canada's 41st federal election began on Monday morning and voters cast their ballots in 308 electoral districts for 308 members of the House of Commons in Parliament.

The party, which has most MPs, will form the federal government with its leader as the Prime Minister.

Canada's political leaders campaigned all day Sunday, trying for the last hours to woo voters in race that pollsters say is a statistical tie.

An EKOS Research poll showed the Conservative Party at 34.6 percent, the New Democratic Party at 31.4 percent, the Liberal Party at 20.4 percent, the Green Party 6.3 percent, and the Bloc Quebecois, which only runs candidates in Quebec, at 5 per cent.

The Chinese news service (who better to get your Canadian news from?) reports that the EKOS poll has a margin of error of 3 percent.

Broadcasting of first results will start at 10 p.m. EST after polls have closed in British Columbia.

Read the following to spot some astonishing differences between the Canadian democracy and the US... um, elections.

http://www.care2.com/causes/politics/blog/where-when-and-why-to-vote-in-the-canadian-election-may-2/

In order to vote on May 2, you need to head to a polling station, and you need to be registered to vote in Canada. If you aren't registered or aren't sure, don't worry: you can register just before you vote. You will need to prove that you're a Canadian citizen over 18 years of age or older as of May 2, and you will need proof of identification and address. If you have already received a Voter Information Card, then you are registered to vote. You can simply follow the instructions on where to vote that were provided to you on that card.

SNIP

Not sure when you'll vote? By law, Canadian electors must have three consecutive hours available on Election Day to vote. If hours of work do not provide for three consecutive hours, your employer is obliged to work with you to make these hours available in order to vote.

Once the polls close, the ballots will be counted. Election results will be broadcast locally by an increasingly frenzied media as the polls close and vote counts are returned (although websites -- and Twitter -- may be muzzled until the last polls in the West are closed.)

Canada's electoral system is based on the "First Past The Post" concept, meaning that the only vote you'll cast tomorrow is for your local candidate. The candidate that gets the most votes will win the riding; the political party who wins the most ridings will be invited to form the next Canadian government. Given that the last three elections have resulted in minority governments, it is more important than ever that every single eligible voter casts a ballot. Here are the party platforms. If needed, you can find more information about your local candidates online.

Oh, and they forgot to mention:

It's all Hand-Counted Paper Ballots.

CANADIAN BLOGGERS: WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-05-02/canada-election-result-bloggers-face-fines-under-1938-law.html

Canada Election Result Bloggers Face Fines Under 1938 Law

Social media and a 73-year-old law may be headed for a collision today when Canada holds a national election as tweeters and bloggers face the possibility of C$25,000 ($26,400) fines for posting results before the polls close in the West.

Under section 329 of the Canada Elections Act, no one is allowed to transmit early election results from one region to other areas where the polls are still open. The provision dates to 1938 - long before television and the Internet - and was intended to prevent broadcasts of results in Eastern Canada from influencing voters in the West, as much as four and a half hours behind.

The law distinguishes between transmission - broadcasting to an audience - and communication among individuals. In the modern world of instant tweets and blogs, that distinction may be blurry. Elections Canada says that section 329 applies to all transmissions, regardless of the medium.

“What we’re seeing now is the advent of what’s being commonly called social media platforms, Facebook etcetera, which are adding a new dimension to the immediacy of communication,” Elections Canada spokesman John Enright said in a phone interview from Ottawa. “That being said, 329 is still on the books.”

Let's keep this kicked through the day and SEE YOU AT 10PM Eastern!