[kwlug-disc] Parliament adjourned ... bills dead (again!)?

[Bob Jonkman]

On 2011-04-03 at 11:38:23  Darcy Casselman wrote:

> I would probably vote for Cathy MacLelland
> except the result of my doing so means I get Peter Braid as my
> representative in Parliament.

But Peter Braid is the representative in Parliament anyway.  So not only 
do you not get the candidate you voted for, you don't get the candidate 
who represents your interests.

If everyone who "would probably vote for Cathy MacLellan" actually voted 
for Cathy MacLellan then the political landscape might look different...

For this upcoming Federal Election why not try voting for the candidate 
who truly represents your interests, instead of vote swapping or voting 
"strategically"?  In a region that has only a single party representing 
all four ridings, it certainly can't get any worse.

--Bob.


On 2011-04-03 at 11:38:23  Darcy Casselman wrote:
> On Fri, Apr 1, 2011 at 1:33 PM, Russell McOrmond
> <russellmcormond at gmail.com>  wrote:
>> On Fri, Apr 1, 2011 at 10:45 AM, Darcy Casselman<dscassel at gmail.com>  wrote:
>>> Russel, this may be a leading question, but as you've talked to him,
>>> would you think we'd be more likely to get a favourable outcome if
>>> Marc Garneau was the minister responsible for crafting the next
>>> copyright bill versus the previous Clement/Moore tag team combo?
>>   Apologies that I can't offer you the answer you really want.
>>
>>
>>   I will pick 3 names from each of those two teams you want to talk
>> about.  None of them in KW area districts so it shouldn't matter for
>> your voting.  Remember: you should be voting for local representatives
>> and not for a party or for the President of Canada.
> Oh, I do; don't worry.  But you also have to be aware that your vote
> contributes to an outcome.  And voting for a candidate you think best
> represents your ideals may help generate an outcome that runs counter
> to them.
>
> Which is a travesty, but short of signing up with fairvote.ca, I don't
> see what we can do about it at present.
>
> For an unrelated example, take environment issues.  If you care about
> climate change and the environment, whatever else people may have
> thought of him, the Liberals under Stephane Dion represented Canada's
> first real opportunity for progress is solving these issues in the
> last election.  During the same election, the Green Party had its best
> showing ever, demonstrating that a sizable portion of Canadians
> actually do care about environmental issues.  But the outcome was that
> the Liberals were crushed, losing seat after seat, including my
> riding.  And now the consensus is that Dion's stance on the
> environment made him fundamentally unelectable.
>
> I note that the Liberals have said almost nothing about the
> environment in this election.
>
> I *like* the Green Party.  I would probably vote for Cathy MacLelland
> except the result of my doing so means I get Peter Braid as my
> representative in Parliament.  And, actually, I really like Andrew
> Telegdi who, even though he's kind of bad with tech issues (if the
> run-up to C-60 is anything to go by), I know he'll represent my
> interests and ideals on things I care even more about, like
> fundamental human rights.  Which, sad to say, has been a rare quality
> in our leaders over the last decade or so.
>
> Even though I tend to support the Liberals, I won't vote for a donkey
> they've painted red and propped up against a podium (as they do
> occasionally).  I'd never advocate anyone else should either.
>
>>    It is better to have the best local MP in opposition that you can
>> continue conversations with after the election than to have a
>> government MP that won't talk to you.
> I would like to agree with you, except that MPs have been increasingly
> marginalized over the years, under both ruling parties, with power
> being consolidated in the PMO.  And lately, parliament as a whole has
> been marginalized, making our voice that much less relevant.  I don't
> believe this should be allowed to stand.
>
>>   This is what I wish for each of you: an MP you are on a first name
>> basis with who sends you things proactively because he knows it is
>> important to you. Someone you can have conversations with in his
>> constituency office or on the street if you happen to meet up.  What
>> party banner they are running under is really beside the point!
> The trouble I have with this is Peter Braid is actually really good at
> meeting with and talking to his constituents.  His party, as far as I
> can tell, doesn't give a whit about what he or we think about
> anything.  Even if you might have influence with him personally, he
> can't do anything to change policy once his leader has made a
> decision.
>
> Darcy.
>
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