Bloc Quebecois - Time To Dissolve The Party
Pimpbrewski @ Tue Apr 01, 2008 11:23 am
There has been some articles in Quebec newspapers about the Bloc Quebecois. Most notably, Journal de Montreal/Quebec, I almost crapped my pants when I saw that (since these types of kindergarten journalists at Quebecor media usually are so biased towards the PQ and the Bloc). 
Anyways, there are some influent members of the BQ which suggested that there is no use for Bloc anymore at the Federal level. Plus, Thomas Mulcair (Outremont NDP) mentioned that the Bloc no longer has its place in Federal politics.
I could only find the article in French. Please !!! if someone can find a related article in English, it would be very much appreciated. I know some of you are quite the experts when it comes to finding articles. 
Être ou ne pas être
Bodah @ Tue Apr 01, 2008 2:04 pm
We will have to kick'em out. Otherwise there not going anywhere, ever.
They only thing the dont hate with a maple leaf on it is their paychecks.
kenmore @ Tue Apr 01, 2008 3:30 pm
the people of Quebec will decide the fate of the bloc... they are losing support as Quebecers are tired of the separatist issue and want to move forward with economic and other issues.. and they want to do it in a united Canada...
Robair @ Tue Apr 01, 2008 3:36 pm
Bodah Bodah:
They only thing the dont hate with a maple leaf on it is their paychecks.
NICE!
kenmore @ Tue Apr 01, 2008 3:36 pm
Le Bloc n'est pas en crise existentielle, disent ses députés....an article in the le soleil... M.Duceppe says the party is in good stead and there is no discord.. it states that the plan is to continue on...
Bodah @ Tue Apr 01, 2008 3:59 pm
kenmore kenmore:
the people of Quebec will decide the fate of the bloc...
Funded by the tax-payers of Canada.
kenmore kenmore:
they are losing support as Quebecers are tired of the separatist issue and want to move forward with economic and other issues.. and they want to do it in a united Canada...
I hope your right for once.
kenmore @ Tue Apr 01, 2008 4:01 pm
I read the article and its the NDP and the Liberals that are suggesting the Bloc is redundant in Ottawa because the PQ have softened the stand on a referendum..both parties say they can best represent Quebec in Ottawa... when asked their position the torys preferred not to answer... go figure..
Saskanna @ Tue Apr 01, 2008 4:07 pm
Pigs at the trough. They'll never leave willingly.
What amazes me is that each and every one of us in Canada pays out $1.75 per vote in Quebec for support of Le Bloc(among others). We pay separatists to sit in our Federal Parliament? Talk about paying to cut our own throats.
Canadian Taxpayers are absolutely insane. This $1.75/vote for parties one would never support in reality should be instantly withdrawn. Taxpayers in this country shouldn't be forced to support ideologies they abhor and totally disagree with. I really don't appreciate my tax dollars going to support LeBloc or any other Party I wouldn't support privately. 
Insanity. How did Jean Chretien ever manage to get this bill accepted by Canadians and the Canadian Parliament? ![[bash]](./images/smilies/bash.gif "Bash")
This is only accepted in Canada because a majority of the population hasn't a clue this is even happening. If they did there would be far more dissension about this particular Bill.
$1:
Is it true that political parties now receive taxpayers' money for each vote they earn in a federal election?
Yes, it's true. Changes to the Canada Elections Act making this public policy came into effect on Jan. 1, 2004.
The same package of changes limited individuals to donating $5,000 per calendar year to the registered political party of their choice, and banned contributions from companies, lobby groups, unions and associations. (An exception to the $5,000 limit was made for people who leave bequests to political parties in their wills.)
Imposed in isolation, that kind of sudden severing of a major source of funding would have a huge impact on parties, of course. So there is now a system for paying publicly financed allowances to registered political parties under certain conditions. The system is meant to ensure that parties are beholden primarily to Canadian citizens for their annual funding, based on a relatively fair formula: their share of the popular vote in the previous general election.
Now every registered party gets $1.75 every year for each vote they received in the previous general election, as long as they attracted two per cent of the national votes cast or five per cent of the eligible votes cast in the ridings in which they ran candidates. The $1.75 per vote will be adjusted for inflation, so it will rise as time goes by. The allowances are paid out quarterly, as long as the parties eligible file their financial papers and all other Elections Canada documents properly.
Let's crunch some numbers: In the 2004 general election, the Liberal party received just more than 4.98 million votes, so it received about $8.72 million in public funding in the year following the vote. If the government hadn't fallen early, that number would increase according to the rate of inflation each year until the next general election. In the same election, the Conservative party's 4.02 million votes earned it an allowance of $7.03 million; the NDP's 2.13 million votes garnered it $3.72 million; the Bloc Québécois earned $2.94 million for its 1.68 million votes; and the Green Party's 582,000 votes won it $1.02 million.
As the same bill went through, Parliament also voted to increase assistance for political parties and candidates in other ways. The percentage of election expenses that can be reimbursed to parties has been increased from 22.5 to 60 per cent; the definition of reimbursable election expenses has been broadened to include polling; and the ceiling for expenses eligible for reimbursement has been increased as a result. Finally, individual candidates have to earn only 10 per cent of the valid votes cast in their riding in order to have 50 per cent of their personal campaign expenses refunded. The old threshold was 15 per cent of the votes.
Yes, it's true. Changes to the Canada Elections Act making this public policy came into effect on Jan. 1, 2004.
The same package of changes limited individuals to donating $5,000 per calendar year to the registered political party of their choice, and banned contributions from companies, lobby groups, unions and associations. (An exception to the $5,000 limit was made for people who leave bequests to political parties in their wills.)
Imposed in isolation, that kind of sudden severing of a major source of funding would have a huge impact on parties, of course. So there is now a system for paying publicly financed allowances to registered political parties under certain conditions. The system is meant to ensure that parties are beholden primarily to Canadian citizens for their annual funding, based on a relatively fair formula: their share of the popular vote in the previous general election.
Now every registered party gets $1.75 every year for each vote they received in the previous general election, as long as they attracted two per cent of the national votes cast or five per cent of the eligible votes cast in the ridings in which they ran candidates. The $1.75 per vote will be adjusted for inflation, so it will rise as time goes by. The allowances are paid out quarterly, as long as the parties eligible file their financial papers and all other Elections Canada documents properly.
Let's crunch some numbers: In the 2004 general election, the Liberal party received just more than 4.98 million votes, so it received about $8.72 million in public funding in the year following the vote. If the government hadn't fallen early, that number would increase according to the rate of inflation each year until the next general election. In the same election, the Conservative party's 4.02 million votes earned it an allowance of $7.03 million; the NDP's 2.13 million votes garnered it $3.72 million; the Bloc Québécois earned $2.94 million for its 1.68 million votes; and the Green Party's 582,000 votes won it $1.02 million.
As the same bill went through, Parliament also voted to increase assistance for political parties and candidates in other ways. The percentage of election expenses that can be reimbursed to parties has been increased from 22.5 to 60 per cent; the definition of reimbursable election expenses has been broadened to include polling; and the ceiling for expenses eligible for reimbursement has been increased as a result. Finally, individual candidates have to earn only 10 per cent of the valid votes cast in their riding in order to have 50 per cent of their personal campaign expenses refunded. The old threshold was 15 per cent of the votes.
Pimpbrewski @ Tue Apr 01, 2008 5:53 pm
Robair Robair:
Bodah Bodah:
They only thing the dont hate with a maple leaf on it is their paychecks.
NICE! I was gonna say something about Bodah's comment too. You got to love the Bloc.
Gilles Duceppe can whine all he wants. But at the end of the day, he knows where his salary comes from. It's like the saying goes, don't bite the hand that feeds ya, but it seems like it doesn't apply to the BQ.
Red_Eye @ Tue Apr 01, 2008 6:06 pm
Weel seems no one said it but its a chip off the ol Bloque HAHA
Freakinoldguy @ Tue Apr 01, 2008 9:01 pm
Bloc Quebecois - Time To Dissolve The Party
I hope they were talking about the Liberal Party?????????
Benoit @ Wed Apr 02, 2008 6:26 am
The best way to dissolve the Bloc and any other party is to create a new one. Our new centrist party would make clear that the Bloc has never had a good explanation of what Canada has done to deserve losing Quebec.
ridenrain @ Wed Apr 02, 2008 6:57 am
How can a provincial party run and hold seats in a federal election.
This twist of the rules to accommodate Quebec needs to end.
Benoit @ Wed Apr 02, 2008 7:01 am
Collective self-interest will end only when replaced by collective enlighten self-interest.
RUEZ @ Wed Apr 02, 2008 7:07 am
kenmore kenmore:
I read the article and its the NDP and the Liberals that are suggesting the Bloc is redundant in Ottawa because the PQ have softened the stand on a referendum..both parties say they can best represent Quebec in Ottawa... when asked their position the torys preferred not to answer... go figure..
It must really burn you that the Conservatives are polling so well in Quebec. That makes me happy.