Friday, July 02, 2004
The Great White North veers leftward. . . Again!
Yet again another electorate has moved further to the left, this time our brethren to the north. No doubt a great comfort to those progressives with itchy feet who a considering emigration should TeamBush prevail in November.
Really, has one industrialized, western democracy voted in a conservative candidate since Bush was elected, let alone since the lead up to the Iraq War? I'd like clarification if I'm wrong about this one.
As has been the case across the globe, the predominant factor in the Canadian election was once again George W. Bush. Despite suffering stinging fallout from an insider influence scandal, Canada's Liberal Party held on to a plurality of Parliament. While the newly minted Conservative Party had some gains, it appears that many Canadians supported the social democratic policies of the New Democrat Party.
The London (Ontario) Free Press noted that without a solid majority in the House, Liberals will need votes from NDP or the separatist Bloc Quebecois to pass legislation. So organized, "(w)ith the Bloc and the New Democrats acting as the de facto legislative gatekeepers, leftist social democrats could exert more influence in Parliament than at any time since the Progressives of the 1920s.
And remember that the Liberals were the party who brought Canada decriminalized marijuana, gay marriage and universal health care.
It was thought that Liberal Party troubles over a scandal that funneled choice contracts to advertising firms cozy with LP pols would bring a surge of votes to the Conservatives. However, their "momentum was stalled, though, by questions about everything from his party's stand on gay rights and abortion to official bilingualism and the U.S. war in Iraq."
Canadians simply did not wish to elect a party that was possibly cozy with, let alone politically connected to the GOP or, more specifically, TeamBush.
Yet again another electorate has moved further to the left, this time our brethren to the north. No doubt a great comfort to those progressives with itchy feet who a considering emigration should TeamBush prevail in November.
Really, has one industrialized, western democracy voted in a conservative candidate since Bush was elected, let alone since the lead up to the Iraq War? I'd like clarification if I'm wrong about this one.
As has been the case across the globe, the predominant factor in the Canadian election was once again George W. Bush. Despite suffering stinging fallout from an insider influence scandal, Canada's Liberal Party held on to a plurality of Parliament. While the newly minted Conservative Party had some gains, it appears that many Canadians supported the social democratic policies of the New Democrat Party.
The London (Ontario) Free Press noted that without a solid majority in the House, Liberals will need votes from NDP or the separatist Bloc Quebecois to pass legislation. So organized, "(w)ith the Bloc and the New Democrats acting as the de facto legislative gatekeepers, leftist social democrats could exert more influence in Parliament than at any time since the Progressives of the 1920s.
And remember that the Liberals were the party who brought Canada decriminalized marijuana, gay marriage and universal health care.
It was thought that Liberal Party troubles over a scandal that funneled choice contracts to advertising firms cozy with LP pols would bring a surge of votes to the Conservatives. However, their "momentum was stalled, though, by questions about everything from his party's stand on gay rights and abortion to official bilingualism and the U.S. war in Iraq."
Canadians simply did not wish to elect a party that was possibly cozy with, let alone politically connected to the GOP or, more specifically, TeamBush.
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