Great idea, but still a failure in my book:<br /> <br /> [QUOTE]Four other candidates are also running in the Brandon-Souris race, although they are not taking part in the online debate. They include Colin Atkins for the Christian Heritage Party, Lisa Gallagher for the Communist Party, Brad Bird for the Green Party and Independent Mike Volek.[/QUOTE]<br /> <br /> Yes let's all hear from the big three yet again. It's bad enough they spend the most already, but having them exclude the other parties to favour the same three again and again is not beneficial to our democracy as a whole.<br /> <br /> My fav part of the article though:<br /> [QUOTE]"I think any opportunity where people get a chance to participate, it's got to be a good thing," adds Conservative candidate Merv Tweed.[/QUOTE]<br /> <br /> Ah okay...

   

Yes, when 'big media'-whether public or private, call the shots then its unfortunate. It's too bad the guys who did it couldn't do it on their own. Three responses where the answers were pretty pat, and the questions predictable. Either nobody that doesn't watch Global bothered to get involved, or there was serious screening. Gang violence? In Brandon Manitoba? Excuse me while I chuckle. Foreign doctors? Yes, I've heard Brandon is a real hub along the route from Dahli, I hear they have a cab driver with a sign at Pearson which says 'downtown TO' and then unknowingly whisks them on the 48 hour drive ("yes, Canada is big, this is how far the airport is from downtown").<br /> <br /> What was REALLY interesting, and would be good for the Quebec thread was the first question which asked "If Quebec VOTED to leave Canada, would your party let them". Notice how they don't say the number or even reference the act, so say 85% of Quebecs 'vote to leave Canada'-both the liberals (who drafted the legislation in the first place-obviously somebody didn't tell this candidate) and the NDP said 'no'. So even by following Canada's required mandate for separation, elected officials STILL say they 'simply won't allow it'. And people on this forum are always surprised at how strident separatists are! <br /> <br /> Unfortunately, this simply means doing it the hard way. Quebec would either have to resort to violence or simply ban federal officials from the province. Or, on the other hand, we can look at the OTHER option, equally distressing, that elected candidates simply don't matter and their opinions are irrelevant to what actually happens in Parliament.<br /> <br /> Note how the only 'abstention' from this 'yes or no' question, was the conservative who actually is the member for this riding. HE gives an answer worthy of any party talking point hack by not even saying 'yes' or 'no', showing just how efficient conservatives are becoming at being as bad as liberals in Ottawa. I've heard it's something about the air in Ottawa that turns every new member into a blabbering rhetorician with no spine-remember Preston's famous "I'll never live in Stornoway...til I get there". Just more of a reason not to vote or to vote an independant.<br /> <br /> It's too bad an independant media or website couldn't get them on board and have a REAL discussion. My favourite is on child care:<br /> <br /> liberal: our child care policy is permanent, theirs is only six years.<br /> conservative: our child care policy serves everyone, theirs only serves urbanites<br /> <br /> No wonder the NDP get no press, or whenever it is it is bad, they are the only ones (with the bloc) who have the brains to say 'gee, why don't we combine both?' <br /> <br /> 40% abstaining and counting people.