When I read that Scott Brison has joined the Liberals, I started thinking to myself that we seem to be rapidly moving towards a two party system in Canada.
The PC party has dissolved itself, and combined with the Alliance party to form the Conservative Party of Canada. The Liberals have an extremely strong support base in the country, and aren't going anywhere for the foreseeable future.
The merger of the Alliance party and the PC party has really reduced the amount of choice we have as electors. Let's face it. The new Conservative party is just the old Reform party with yet another name change. The same bigots that ruled that party are now in a very good position to form a government.
So where are those of us who don't want to support either the Liberals or the Allaince going to turn? The only alternative to either a fully conservative party or yes another Liberal term is the NDP - and their political popularity has historically been pretty meagre.
And, of course, for Quebecois, their only choice is for Liberal or Bloc Quebecois. The 2000 election saw support in Quebec split between the Liberals and the BQ, with 1.59 million votes for the Liberals, and 1.37 million votes for the BQ.
What are your thoughts?
Hey, now. Not all of us Quebecers would alternatively vote for the BQ. :) I'm a Liberal, myself, but I'd vote NDP over BQ any day of the week.
From what I've seen (and from friends I've spoken to), the NDP has support in younger voters (20-somethings), but because the voters tend to be spread out and in typically Liberal or BQ ridings (at least here), they don't tend to win seats.
Worse are the people who say to themselves "ah, well, the Libs/BQ/whoever are going to win this riding anyways, my vote doesn't matter" which is getting to be a serious problem, IMHO.
-- Posted by >> Julie » Thursday, December 11, 2003 04:51 AMJulie: I totally agree... that's been the problem with NDP ever getting any footing in Canadian Federal politics.
It's becoming an increasingly bleak landscape for Canadian politics and freedoms.
-- Posted by >> Oorgo » Thursday, December 11, 2003 09:27 AMPost a comment
* under no circumstances will your email address be traded for a sack of quarters. No-sirree.