Fixed Terms?
Wullu @ Mon Jan 09, 2006 1:19 pm
I was watching CPAC last night and they were asking the question as to wether we should have fixed terms for our governments like the US has.
On the face of it I sorta liked the idea, but in a country with 4 major national parties we are more and more likely to be in a minority govt situation. How then would fixed terms work in this situation? If the opposistion decides the govt in power needs to be defeated for whatever reason, what good would a fixed election date be?
Thoughts? Comments? Ideas?
ThePolitician @ Mon Jan 09, 2006 1:30 pm
I'm kinda with you on this one Wullu.
On one hand I would like to see fixed terms so thst the party in power couldn't call an election when the timing is right for just them; but in the same breath I like the accountability that a minority government must have as they can be forced into a vote by a majority.
It's certainly not as clean cut as the US system, nor is their system ideal, but some changes to our system would be nice.
ridenrain @ Mon Jan 09, 2006 1:34 pm
Definately.
BC has fixed election dates and it makes a big difference.
Wullu @ Mon Jan 09, 2006 1:47 pm
ridenrain ridenrain:
Definately.
BC has fixed election dates and it makes a big difference.
BC has fixed election dates and it makes a big difference.
How then do they deal with minority govt riden?
PluggyRug @ Mon Jan 09, 2006 2:10 pm
How about no government at all.
Wow...... no taxes, scams, mealy mouthed politicians, accountants, financial lawyers, waste of time elections, red tape, jumped up never come down government workers, forms to fill out, gobbledygook, waste of money, waste of time, elaborate buildings to house it all, etc, more etc, etcetera, etcetera, bullshit, milk marketing board, pork marketing board, this board, that board, minister of ministries, minister of administration, overseer of ministry of administration, the administrative ministerial supervisory board of administration, wimps, wastes of oxygen,
ministry for the supervision of oxygen wasting, ministry to administrate the administration of supervisory administration for not wasting oxygen..........
and last but not least "Jobs for the Boys.".
The largest and busiest department is the "Pork Marketing Board"
This board gets 20 to 30 requests a day for "pork" handouts.
Abolition of the 'Pork Marketing Board' alone could reduce taxation by 99.9999%.
ridenrain @ Mon Jan 09, 2006 2:21 pm
$1:
On August 20, 2001, the government introduced Bill 7, the Constitution (Fixed Dates) Election Act, 2001. The legislation makes the following amendments to BC's Constitution Act:
Fixes the date of the next election at May 17, 2005
Fixes the election date in subsequent elections as the second Tuesday in May every fourth year following the most recent general election. (The Premier must still go through the formality of asking the Lieutenant Governor to dissolve the legislature and issue the order for a general election).
It is not possible to state the exact date of elections past 2005, since an election can also be called in cases where the government loses a non-confidence vote. (A non-confidence vote is virtually impossible before 2005, since the Liberals hold a significant majority of seats). Under the Fixed Dates Election Act, if an election is held due to a non-confidence vote, the next election would be held on the second Tuesday in May four years later.
Fixes the date of the next election at May 17, 2005
Fixes the election date in subsequent elections as the second Tuesday in May every fourth year following the most recent general election. (The Premier must still go through the formality of asking the Lieutenant Governor to dissolve the legislature and issue the order for a general election).
It is not possible to state the exact date of elections past 2005, since an election can also be called in cases where the government loses a non-confidence vote. (A non-confidence vote is virtually impossible before 2005, since the Liberals hold a significant majority of seats). Under the Fixed Dates Election Act, if an election is held due to a non-confidence vote, the next election would be held on the second Tuesday in May four years later.
Link
I'm not sure if that answers you're question.
Knoss @ Mon Jan 09, 2006 3:31 pm
I suggested a simular thing in my Improve Canada post "Canada Needs and Elected Governor General and Senate"
xerxes @ Mon Jan 09, 2006 3:38 pm
Wullu Wullu:
ridenrain ridenrain:
Definately.
BC has fixed election dates and it makes a big difference.
BC has fixed election dates and it makes a big difference.
How then do they deal with minority govt riden?
It's not a worry. There are only two parties in BC with a chance of winning seats. The Liberals (who are nothing like their federal namsakes) and the NDP.
SamIAm @ Wed Jan 11, 2006 9:48 pm
Now, as I see it, if the people in BC can inact a policy that answers what happens if a minority government messes up, then I'm sure the fools in the House of Commons can figure it out as well. We need two major shake ups in Ottawa. First, we need an elected Senate. Second, we need individual responsibility within government. Start making people responisble for their actions when they hold office. Chances are no one in the current Liberal lottery draw will never see a day of jail time, nor a single public recogniction of their gult.
Funny how I've seen more ethical politicians in African then I've seen in the Liberal Party. 
xerxes @ Thu Jan 12, 2006 10:37 am
Close. What we have available here in BC is a recall. Just like the one in California which got the Steroid-inator into office.
If a group in a riding feels that their MLa has screwed them in some, they can initiate a recall. To do so, they have to collect a certain percentage of the ridings eligable voters and their signatures, and within a few month period.
It's very hard to do. A riding in Delta tried to recall their MLA a few years and it didn't work. They were a few thousand names short and also a good number of the names were duplicates.
hamiltonguyo @ Fri Jan 13, 2006 7:24 pm
personaly I favour an independant govenor general(above the parties and politics) who could call the election when it suited the public not when ever the prime minister feels like it