Canadian Elections... too many to count!

Four elections in three months - for real!? I don't know if I could do it...

The first election was small, but still an election. It was some weekend day mid-September (just after the Hollyhock SVI that I put on). It was a chance for people in their 'parties' to select who they would want to run for city council and other municipal positions (the municipal elections are this Saturday). The turn out was small, but the candidates were selected and have been campaigning ever since (it turns out I could have voted in this election. I applied, but never received information about how to vote, so I didn't and went to Ikea instead - not a proud moment, but the truth all the same).

The second election... this is the one that really irks me the most. Since I moved to Canada I am trying to learn and understand as much about this place as possible. At first you think it is just like the states, but trust me it is not. Far from it. Any time you see a similarity, something comes out to bite you to remind you that it is not the home you know, but rather a foreign country. So they Parliament (excuse my layman terms.). They have Prime Minister. They do note elect the Prime Minister. The PM gets the job based on who has the most seats in Parliament. They do not have set federal elections every four years. It some how works where the PM can call an election anytime. Stephen Harper, the PM of Canada, called for new elections in September. Last year, he passed some legislation or signed some paper guaranteeing that there wouldn't be another election until 2009. But he broke that agreement and called one anyway because his party didn't have a majority in the Parliament and wanted to get more of his people in there. So another incredibly wasteful election took place (not that I have an opinion or anything). All the parliament seats were up for re-election - there were the two many parties to count (CON - conservative, LIB - Liberal, BQ - the Bloq, NDP - New Democratic Party, IND - Independent, GRN - Green) Phew - that was a lot to remember! The CON party is Right and most everyone else is left of right. So as you can imagine, Stephen Harper and his Right friends of the Conservative party are pretty much a shoe in. No one can decide on which party to stand behind... Then there is talk of strategic voting... (my head is spinning trying to think and remember all this, so look it up if you want more info and probably more factual info). Needless to say, millions of wasted dollars later, the second election happened on October 15th (see results at http://www.cbc.ca/news/canadavotes/map/2008/) and Stephen Harper is reappointed (is that the right term?) and they still don't quite get majority. one word - frustrating.

The third election was a couple of weeks ago and this was to fill two interim seats in the Provincial elections. This is the one I know the least about. But based on the reaction in my office, the people they wanted elected were elected. These roles are only held until March when the full on Provincial elections happen (Provincial elections are like state elections).

The fourth election will be held this Saturday - which is sooooo exciting! This is for the Municipal elections. And this election I think deserves its very own blog... so stay tuned for more on Vancouver's Municipal elections.