[Canada] Canadian Politics Redux

[Sheilbh]

Is there form for this in Canadian politics?

I ask because in the UK it's normally ended up as BB says - the larger party ends up eating up a lot of votes from the minority party. Can't think of an example where the smaller party has not taken a big hit at the next election

[Barrister]

Is there form for this in Canadian politics?

I ask because in the UK it's normally ended up as BB says - the larger party ends up eating up a lot of votes from the minority party. Can't think of an example where the smaller party has not taken a big hit at the next election

Best example I can think of is 1972 - the Liberals (under Trudeau senior) in a minority are supported by the NDP fairly openly.  By 1974 Pierre Trudeau's government was back with a minority.

I too can't think of a time when a junior partner in a minority benefitted.

[viper37]

Bad when we have early elections, bad when we have stability.

Les conservateurs juste du braillage.

C'est la job de l'opposition

Celle du gouvernement LIbéral est de remplir ses coffres avec notre argent.

I miss the scandals about the dude having his expenses paid back by someone else so no tax payer's money would be involved and a cabinet minister ordered an 8$ orange juice at the hotel.

[crazy canuck]

Is there form for this in Canadian politics?

I ask because in the UK it's normally ended up as BB says - the larger party ends up eating up a lot of votes from the minority party. Can't think of an example where the smaller party has not taken a big hit at the next election

Yes and yes.  The Liberals have always taken the best ideas from the NDP and implemented them.  It is the secret to staying in power.  The only alternative then is on the right - and the Conservatives are rarely flexible enough to enact anything but right wing policies.  There have been exceptions to that rule but they are rare and that in a nutshell why the Conservatives rarely form a majority government.  The Liberals have to screw up really badly to open that door.

[Jacob]

Is there form for this in Canadian politics?

I ask because in the UK it's normally ended up as BB says - the larger party ends up eating up a lot of votes from the minority party. Can't think of an example where the smaller party has not taken a big hit at the next election

It's certainly not a regular feature.

I think the NDP is gambling on achieving some specific things and using that to argue that voting for them makes sense. The way it's been announced, there is a specific quid-pro-quo involved - they're going to pass national pharmacare and dental care programs in return for the support.

So if the NDP can credibly point at those programs and say "we have those because people voted for us" that's potentially persuasive and on-brand. The question is whether they can maintain that narrative or not when the actual next election is up.

[Grey Fox]

I think it's a clairvoyant moment from the NDP. They will not form government, ever.
They poll high between elections but when it comes to the box ABC takes over & the average voters votes Liberal.
Better to get some achievement in that you can claim in the next cycle or 2, than get to lose even more seats in the next early election.

Also with the Overton window moving right again, they can hope to syphon some of the more lefty liberal voters while the Liberal party syphons the non-insane elements of the CPC.

[Jacob]

Yeah.

I find it hard to predict what'll happen. Whether it blows up in the NDP's faces or turns out to be a brilliant strategic move in a couple of years I can see myself saying "yeah that makes sense, I'm not surprised it turned out this way." But if I had to pick one as more likely than the other? I dunno....

[crazy canuck]

Also with the Overton window moving right again, they can hope to syphon some of the more lefty liberal voters while the Liberal party syphons the non-insane elements of the CPC.

I agree that is the most likely result.

Which course is bad news for the Conservatives, and is probably why they are reacting the way they are. 

[Josephus]

Stability makes sense for the NDP. An early election could see them lose their kingmaker status. As others have said, the NDP is never going to win power, so trying to hold on to their big cousin and hope one or two of their platform ideas get passed is not a bad thing. At the very least they can hope to keep their support. It's a win-win for the NDP.

[Josephus]

The Beaverton
@TheBeaverton
·
44m
Backed into a corner, Liberals make deal to follow through on some of their election promises https://thebeaverton.com/2022/03/backed-into-a-corner-liberals-make-deal-to-follow-through-on-some-of-their-election-promises/

[Barrister]

Stability makes sense for the NDP. An early election could see them lose their kingmaker status. As others have said, the NDP is never going to win power, so trying to hold on to their big cousin and hope one or two of their platform ideas get passed is not a bad thing. At the very least they can hope to keep their support. It's a win-win for the NDP.

The NDP is never going to win power because they aren't serious about winning power.

Look around the world.  No other country has a middle-to-centre-left party like our Liberals.  In the UK the Liberal party long ago lost out to their left wing party.

Remember prior to 2015 the NDP was leading the polls - even heading into the election period.  Heck the NDP won power in Alberta.

There certainly is a path to power for the NDP.  They have to sand off some of their roughest left-wing edges and show some discipline, but they can still run well to the left of the Liberals and have a shot at it.

[crazy canuck]

The Beaverton
@TheBeaverton
·
44m
Backed into a corner, Liberals make deal to follow through on some of their election promises https://thebeaverton.com/2022/03/backed-into-a-corner-liberals-make-deal-to-follow-through-on-some-of-their-election-promises/

 

[Jacob]

Oh, affordable housing is also part of the deal. That one is going to be interesting because affordable housing is a massive issue and potentially complex. It'll be interesting to see what action looks like - and whether it's effective.

[HVC]

Easiest way to get affordable housing is to jack up the interest rates, but that has obvious knock on effects.

[crazy canuck]

Easiest way to get affordable housing is to jack up the interest rates, but that has obvious knock on effects.

That will bring housing prices down a bit, but the borrowing costs get driven up - does it really improve affordability?