CANADIANS TO VOTE IN A FEDERAL ELECTION Introduction As Canadians, we are fortunate to live Political analysts are interested to Focus in a democracy. Every few years, all see if Prime Minister Harper will be This News in Review story explores the Canadians 18 years of age and older punished for calling an election for October 14, 2008, have the opportunity to cast a vote for October 2008, despite the fact that the federal election. the person and/or political party they official date for the next federal election You’ll learn about the believe will do the best job of running was supposed to be October 2009. parties, the leaders, the country. Voting behaviour is affected During the last federal election, Harper and the issues. You’ll by a number of issues: critical issues promised to pass legislation to ensure also explore why the facing the country at the time of the that elections would be held on fixed election was held on October 14, 2008, election, the strengths and weaknesses of dates. On May 26, 2006, he said: “Fixed a full year before the party leaders, the policies promoted election dates stop leaders from trying it was supposed to by Canada’s major political parties, to manipulate the calendar simply for occur according to and the qualities and experience of the partisan political advantage.” In 2007, he the rules of Prime local candidates running in the riding in passed such legislation. Recently Harper Minister Stephen which voters reside. Although we have claimed he had to call an election a year Harper’s “fixed date” no control over how the politicians will early because the opposition parties legislation passed in 2007. do their jobs once elected, if we are were blocking all of his attempts to pass unhappy with their record, we do not legislation in the House of Commons. have to vote for them the next time an As politicians and analysts wait to see Quote election is called. how Canadians will vote, the United “There is not a party This is not the case everywhere in the States is facing economic collapse, and in this country . that world. In some countries, free elections the economy in Canada is showing has not manipulated the election date in are never held. Some governments are much slower levels of growth than over order to suit their own run by a military dictator who has taken the past several years. This has made political interests.” — control of the country by force. In some the economy the number-one issue of Former NDP MP Lorne countries, there are no true opposition concern for Canadians in this election. Nystrom, speaking parties, and citizens can be pressured or All of the political parties are scrambling in the House of threatened to vote in a particular way. to convince the public that they are Commons in February In such places, the average citizen has the party to best lead Canada through 2004 (Don Desserud, professor of history virtually no power over the issues facing these difficult times. They must also and politics, University their country, their families, or indeed, demonstrate that they have a strong of New Brunswick, their daily lives. handle on foreign policy and the mission “Fixed-date elections: As Canadians go the polls in 2008, in Afghanistan, are concerned about Improvements or new Conservative leader Stephen Harper’s the environment, and understand the problems?” available minority government is on the line. daily concerns and worries of average on the Elections Canada Web site Will he win another election with only Canadians. On October 14, 2008, we will www.elections.ca/eca/ enough seats to form another minority find out which which leader has done the eim/article_search/ government? Will he win enough seats best job of convincing Canadians that he article.asp?id=130&lan to form a majority government? Or has or she is the right person for the job. g=e&frmPageSize=& he become so unpopular with Canadians textonly=false) that his party will not win enough seats to form either? CBC News in Review • October 2008 • Page 6 Further Research To Consider To stay informed One of the issues being discussed in the lead-up to the election is that Prime about the fortunes Minister Harper chose to call the election for October 2008, when, according to and policies of his own government’s fixed-date legislation, it should not have been held until Canada’s major October 2009. Read the two viewpoints on this issue below, and then respond to political parties, the questions that follow. consider a visit to their official Web sites: When Parliament amended the Canada Elections Act to establish fixed election Conservative, www. dates every four years, Rob Nicholson—the government House Leader at the conservative.ca; Green, time—said that the purpose of the change was to limit a prime minister’s ability www.greenparty.ca; to dissolve Parliament at a time of his/her own choice. The benefits from the Liberal, www.liberal. change would be that “the public would no longer face surprise elections; ca; NDP, www.ndp.ca; political parties would benefit from a regular electoral timetable; Parliament Bloc Québécois, www. would be free to plan its business over stable four-year terms; and voter turnout blocquebecois.org. would increase” (The Globe and Mail, August 21, 2008). But Conservative government whip Jay Hill explained that a prime minister always has the authority to ignore the fixed-election date and call an election if Parliament becomes “dysfunctional.” This means that the government does not have enough support in the House to get legislation passed. (A minority government needs a number of votes from the other political parties to pass legislation.) In the case of Stephen Harper’s government: “If Parliament was not functioning well, that would show a lack of confidence in the government. It’s a no-brainer that we’d have to go to the people to try and settle it” (Toronto Star, August 21, 2008). 1. Do you agree or disagree that the prime minister should be able to ignore the fixed-date election law and call an election at any time if he or she feels Parliament has become “dysfunctional”? Explain fully. 2. How should we define “dysfunctional”? That is, what criteria would need to exist for Parliament to be considered to be dysfunctional (e.g., unable to pass any legislation, unable to pass more than 50 per cent of proposed legislation, reluctance of members to work together in the House)? CBC News in Review • October 2008 • Page 7 CANADIANS TO VOTE IN A FEDERAL ELECTION Video Review Carefully respond to the following questions as you view the video. Did you know . In this election 1. How many times have Canadians gone to the polls in the last four years? _____ campaign, there are 1 601 candidates and 2. On what date was the current 2008 campaign launched? ________________ 19 different political parties vying for 308 3. What do Conservatives hope to demonstrate to Canadian voters? seats. 4. What challenge faces Stéphane Dion? Quote “Politics is a strange game. You stand for 5. On what do Stéphane Dion and Gilles Duceppe agree? nomination in order to run for election, to sit in Parliament. 6. What was NDP leader Jack Layton’s response to the election call? — Popular joke 7. Who is the “new upstart” in this campaign? 8. What controversy erupted concerning the national television debates? 9. List some of the top issues that concerned Canadians as they prepared to vote. 10. How are the Conservatives trying to present their leader? 11. What image problems confront the Liberal leader? 12. What pledges did the NDP’s Jack Layton make? 13. Which age group is the worst at getting out to vote? Why? 14. If you could vote, which party would you be most likely to support and why? CBC News in Review • October 2008 • Page 8 CANADIANS TO VOTE IN A FEDERAL ELECTION The Leaders During an election, a number of factors point for the party, demonstrating that Quote have an impact on how people vote. the BQ was capable of winning federal Rejecting the idea that a sovereign Quebec One of the factors is how Canadians seats in Quebec. In 1996, he became the would face economic feel about the leader of each political interim leader of the party, and assumed barriers when trying party. Does the leader seem honest, full leadership in 1997. Duceppe to do business with intelligent, and confident? Does the continues to advocate for sovereignty the rest of Canada, leader seem to understand the lives of association, a particular form of Quebec Duceppe once said: “average” Canadians? Does the leader nationalism that involves sovereignty “Tell Western farmers have the skills and experience to be an (or independence) for Quebec, but that they will have to eat all their beef or effective prime minister? As you read also includes a political and economic watch the carcasses the information about each of the leaders association with the rest of Canada. rot, instead of selling below, decide who you think would be them to Quebec. Go to the best leader. Stephen Harper, Conservative Party Oshawa and explain Stephen Harper was born 1959 in to workers in the Gilles Duceppe, Bloc Québécois Toronto, Ontario. He moved to Alberta in automobile industry that they will have to Gilles Duceppe was born in 1947 1978 to work in the petroleum industry. go on unemployment in Montreal, Quebec. He earned his He has a master’s degree in economics insurance out of undergraduate degree from the Collège from the University of Calgary.