News

Do Canadians want political cooperation? According to a new survey by Leadnow.ca, the answer is a resounding "yes". Leadnow proposed the following proposition to electors:

"I call on the opposition party leaders to support political cooperation for electoral reform. During the next federal election, the NDP, Liberals and Greens should work together in key ridings to defeat Conservative incumbents. After the election, they should cooperate to pass electoral reform and make sure our government better reflects the values and priorities of all Canadians."

Leadnow.ca asked Canadians whether they strongly agreed, agreed, disagreed, or strongly disagreed. The results? Out of a total of 9,173 respondents, 73% strongly agreed and 22% agreed. A whopping 95% of respondents want progressive Canadian political parties to cooperate in defeating the Conservatives and to work together to implement electoral reform.

Ekos study provides insights from the 2011 election

The 2011 election may be remembered for many remarkable events, not the least of which was its outcome which surprised pollsters, pundits, and parties to say nothing of voters themselves. Many were left scratching their heads, including the polling gurus who (in theory) should have had the best information and insights of anyone. 

An incredible openness to strategic voting by progressive Canadians was revealed in the results of Saturday’s Angus Reid poll:

Many pundits focused on groundbreaking numbers solidifying for the NDP while at the same time showing the Harper Conservatives polling dangerously close to majority territory. Most importantly, there was significant data indicating that May 2^nd could be a watershed moment for co-operative voting. Half of all NDP and Liberal voters are now indicating they are willing to vote strategically in this election to prevent Harper from achieving a majority government.

From Angus Reid:

"more than a third of Canadians (36%) are considering voting strategically in order to reduce the chances of a specific party forming the government, even if it means casting a ballot for a candidate they dislike. More than half of Liberals (55%) and more than two-in-five NDP supporters (44%) are pondering this option."

by Patricia Rozema

Project Democracy provides a way of holding Stephen Harper's power in check. I worry about what a Harper majority will mean to the country I love. With Project Democracy voters can easily, quickly help make this the country they want to live in by voting strategically. It's important to remember that it is possible, even in Canada, to shut down open discourse. Arrogant leaders honestly believe that it's for their country's own good. We can't let it happen here.

Stephen Harper clearly wants to control traditional media, social media and twitter. He invokes arcane procedures when he doesn't like the way parliament is going. He tries to stir up fear about the perfectly legal normal process of coalition governments. He also rarely makes himself available to answer unscripted questions.

Yes, he's a good calm manager and our country is relatively stable financially. Some of that is, in fact, the Harper minority government's doing. Some of it was the doing of Liberals before him. But our reasonably good performance economically doesn't give him the right to overstep the authority he was given the way that he has. He can't be trusted with our support. I fear issues like abortion, gay marriage, and gun control will all be re-opened. His disregard for environmental concerns would continue unabated.

There's a reason we haven't trusted Harper with the reins in the past. His vision doesn't represent the majority of Canadians.