So, if we could step away from partisanship for a while and put on our neutral observer hats, what do you think each party needs to do in the coming campaign in order to reach their goals? It can be debated, but my idea of what each party's goals should be is
Cons - get a majority
Libs - form gov't, minority or majority
NDP - official opposition status
Greens - be taken seriously
Bloc - fuck off, ok maybe just win 90% of seats in quebec. And then fuck off.

   

They could actually try campaigning for a change instead of repeating ad nauseum why the other guy isn't good for Canada.
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So if he NDP spent more time putting out their platform, less attacking the others, you would vote for them? All the parties have put out their platforms. The NDP wants better senior care, the Libs universal childcare or something, the Cons have are big on prisons. But who pays attention. The media won't cover it extensively, while giving prominence to every attack. And we all know when they get into power, they have to pay back the people that put them there, keep the real powers that be happy (ie the rich), and then throw the odd bone to the people who actually voted for them. Libs or Cons, there wouldn't be a huge shift. The cons have been out liberalling the Libs. Unless they get a majority and can show their true colors, either way it stays pretty much the same.

   

Cons - Majority or Retain the same amount of seats and a minority government.
Libs - Gain more seats while keeping the Cons from a Majority government or reduce the cons to the opposition.
NDP - Tie with the Libs or become the opposition.
Greens - Nothing even if May gets a seat they will still lose.
Bloc - Win at least 6 more seats.

   

While I do tend to agree with your cynicism, I was actually thinking of this thread as more of an exercise in strategic political thinking. ie. Harper should wear skinny jeans to get the youth vote. Iggy needs to do a few photo ops standing in manure to get the praire farmer votes. etc.

   

I wouldn't vote NDP if you put a gun to my head AND promised me $1000 for voting for them. MPs waste enough money sending me useless shit in the mail, you'd think someone could take the time to mail out an outline of their party platform.
Yep yer right, but wouldn't it be fun for once to actually vote based real issues that matter to Canadians instead of some dolt's pet project or personal attacks?

   

Get more votes than everybody else.




What a stupid question.

   

Ba dum bum!

   

THANK YOU!! I'm not the only one who thinks that!!

Please don't do that to my eyes, there is no way we can UNsee that anymore!

Not just Iggy... Maybe a nice wrestling game in some farmers compost pile would attract voters?

CHARISMA!!!! Where the hell are you when we need you, girl??

   

I think most everyone who pays much attention to politics would agree with that sentiment, unfortunatly the vast majority of voters do fall for the spin and the attack ads. The libs kept Manning and then Day and then Harper(for a while) out of power by painting them as dangerous religious fundamentalists at every opportunity. Now the cons are doing the same by painting Iggy as a contempltible foreigner who's only in it for himself. Before that Dion was an "incompetent bumbler". The torys atleast get credit for mixing it up a bit, I suspect the libs are going try going back to the well of "ooo scary christian Mr. Harper" again.

In the meantime, those of us who are actually interested in finding a reason to choose one pile of shit over the other will have to work far too hard finding info on actual policies. All the while knowing that even when we think we know what each party stands for it could all change with a minor shift in public opinion.

   

Personally, I think it should be outlawed. If you cannot come up with the positive traits of your party, and make a positive campaign which states your strengths, you have no business being in politics.
What they show now is that they are wanting to be bigger by putting everyone else down. What way to "raise" your country is that? I don't raise my kids that way, why would I want the people who make the rules in this country set this as an example?

It is not only disrespectful to the opponents, but it insults MY intelligence.

   

In campaign mode the NDP have to attack both the wigs and the Grits to form their own niche. After the election then they can build bridges but not before. Their votes are either going to come from enticing people who have never voted before to vote for them (unlikely) or convincing people who do vote to change their mind and vote for them which will be far more likely. The ergonomics will dictate that the parties MUST attack each other in order to shore up their own base and at the same time sap the strength of their opponents. People who are apathetic and do not vote are left out because they are not the low lying fruit of the electoral process they just can not be tracked and thus planned for in an electoral strategy.

What the parties have to do to win is play to their strengths and convince their base to show up on election day everything else is gravy.

   

Umm I would say for the Conservatives they will have to do some serious damage control on the most recent ethics issues because that will primarily be what the opposition will be attacking them on. Second they have to emphasise how they led Canada through the worst of the recession and pull out that budget that was never passed and demonstrate to Canadians that it was a good budget.

Liberals, basically pull everyone together and start speaking as a unified party. They still seem a little at odds with one another and in particular some seem a little at odds with their leader. Canadian won’t support Iggy as their PM if they feel that others within his own party don’t support him. Second, keep hammering at the ethics issues. I don’t think it’s really an election breaker of an issue but it has been gaining some momentum. Thirdly, address the coalition issue. I think they have already been painted with the prospect of forming a coalition if they lose the election so they either have to come and admit that is a possibility and try to convince Canadians that it isn’t a bad thing or somehow convince Canadians that it isn’t their intent. On the latter issue I think they have some catching up to do. And lastly, distinguish themselves from the Greens and form a concrete and realistic policy on environmental issues. They bled votes to the Greens and NDP on environmental issues during the last election; they need to recapture what they lost. They should be one of the strongest parties when it comes to environmental issues but lately they have been lagging a bit on that end of things. They need to form some moderate and attainable goals on that end but nothing to drastic like a carbon tax that could be easily attacked and potentially spook voters.

NDP, go after the disgruntled Liberal crowd and carve out some good solid policies on a select few social issues such as old age pensions and such. They’re not going to win the election so they would be better off picking a few issues that will capture select segments of support.

There’s probably a ton more that could be added but those would be my suggestions.

   

Imo, canadian dont vote for a party, they vote against a party.

7 years ago, i voted against the liberals.

Instead of the liberal party rebuilding themselves, they have sat on their thumbs waiting for Canadians to grow fond of them, again.. This really pisses me off, because eventually we may have to vote the conservatives out of power, and when that happens, i would like to see a humbler,more honest liberal party.

Imo, the conservatives have done quite well, and the liberals havent done a darned thing.

I will be voting against the liberals,again. I hope this time, they get the message.

   

How can we make a country better, when all we do, is be negative? Put your opponents down, vote against...