2012 NDP leadership convention

[MaxQue]

Do Conservatives get to gerrymander the ridings like the winning party does in US? Is gerrymandering even reasonably possible in Canada because there are two opposition parties? Seems to me like all strategic voting failed last election because of the rise of NDP.

No. Redistricting is done by commissions, one in each province.
Each has three members. One chosen by the Chief Justice of each province and two chosen by the Speaker of the House of Commons.

The Speaker is more or less non-partisan, and the list of his appointments seems non-partisan too.

Process:
They must do proposals (committee map), hold audiences around their province, write a report, submit it to the House (report map). There, a special House Committee met and each MP can raise objections to the map and write a report to each commission. Each commission has to answer them in another report and do corrections to the report map if they feel than some objections were right (definitive map).

[MaxQue]

Does someone understand the Topp lovefest?

All the leadership of the NDP club of my university supports him, for a reason which eludes me.

[MaxQue]

For the moment, my planned ballot is exactly the same than Holmes.

[MaxQue]

I think than Mulcair wants to transform NDP in a center-left party, not a centrist one. If he was centrist, he would have joined Liberals, offering him a much easier path to a seat in Quebec.

Moving to center-left is probably needed to gain power.

[MaxQue]

I don't think he really supports A, but it is a needed position to keep his seat, which has a lot of Jewish people.

[MaxQue]

What else?

On B, well, he followed the policy decided by his leader as any minister is doing.
Demonising Canadian businesses wouldn't be useful in a general election. That's sad, but it isn't our job to regulate what Canadian businesses are doing abroad.
D will be helpful in the real election.
E. Well you know, most areas of Canada benefites of NAFTA and the real losers of it is US, since our economy is way less industrial. And repealing NAFTA would be a really bad idea. Plants wouldn't be back and prizes for customers would raise. The best thing would have be not signing it, but the disadvanges of leaving it outweights the advantages, at this point.

[MaxQue]

Well, US has a problem of fiscal base. The State just doesn't tax enough money to fund itself.
Canada hasn't that problem. We had no deficit until the stimulus and we will return to equilibrum normally before next election, despite the unneeded tax cuts for big businesses by Harper.

Taxation for the sake of taxation, I'm not a fan of that. Especially with provinces like Ontario and Quebec struggling. Leave them space to raise taxes, if needed.

[MaxQue]

¿Qué?

Seriously, the article is saying than they chose him as he is high-profile and can raise attention in Québec. As much we dislike him, he a very intelligent and educated man.

[MaxQue]

None of those things you mention will hurt him in a general election. Most likely they won't prevent him from being elected 3 weeks from tomorrow.

I hope they do.  If the NDP still has any commitment to labour rights, they should.  I'm amazed that so many labour figures have endorsed him. 

I see than Topp smearing machin is well-oiled.
I refuse to let Topp destroy the party by creating division for its own partisan gain.

[MaxQue]

None of those things you mention will hurt him in a general election. Most likely they won't prevent him from being elected 3 weeks from tomorrow.

I hope they do.  If the NDP still has any commitment to labour rights, they should.  I'm amazed that so many labour figures have endorsed him. 

Mulcair announced more labour support today and also unveiled his labour policies and they strike me as being very progressive and pro-labour and have all sorts of provisions for banning replacement workers and making it easier for peoiple to join unions. What's not to like?

The main default of Mulcair is not being a friend of St. Brian Topp.

For Dewar French, it sounds like a elementary kid (and more Grade 3 than Grade 6). Sorry.

[MaxQue]

For sure, La Presse wants the NDP infringing.

It is not a secret than Desmarais prefers Liberals. Their blatant campaigning for the scolarity fees increase proved than they are the propaganda arm of Desmarais/Power Corporation.

[MaxQue]

I don't know if you noted it, but Phil Edmunston endorsed Mulcair.

[MaxQue]

Got my ballot (even if I can't mail it and must vote online)!

[MaxQue]

Will be interesting to see how voting patterns match up with that map.

NDP doesn't publish detailed results, usually.

[MaxQue]

Cullen? Isn't he even more right-wing than Mulcair?

[MaxQue]

The poll of a couple pages ago got mentioned in a Mulcair campaign email.

[MaxQue]

At 11AM, it shoul be only the 2nd ballot, from what I read.

[MaxQue]

Well, given there is much issues right now with online voting (too much trying to vote at the same time), it's probably done on purpose.

[MaxQue]

I notice than Mulcair gained 4200 votes, while all other candidates gained roughly 2000 each. Mulcair isn't doing badly in second choices, then.

I'm pretty sure than Mulcair wins. The only case I can see him losing is if Cullen manages to get over Topp on next count, because Cullen is more consentual than both Mulcair and Topp.

Topp is the candidate who gained the least votes in the 2rd round, it means something.

[MaxQue]

Now, the NDP seems to say than the problems were created by a denial of service attack.

Vosem, the NDP can be purist, but I'm nor sure it's the best path, considering it has to look moderate to gain voters.
By the way, there is a difference between being moderate and seeming moderate during an electoral campaign. Harper proved that.

[MaxQue]

Brad Lavigne (some guy in the leadership of the party) said there was an attempt to disrupt voting.

[MaxQue]

Again, NDP isn't responsible of the attack on the NDP website.

Does it is a Liberal employee, again, like the Vikileaks thing?

[MaxQue]

That speech was pretty bland, but, anyways, everyone is looking hockey at this hour.

[MaxQue]

Numbers?

Percentage: 57.2% Mulcair, 42.8% Topp. 

Raw vote: Mulcair 33,821, Topp 25,329

Damn.  I would've hoped it'd be narrower.  Ah well.  I'll be remembering what you guys said about how he'll be toast if he tries to make the NDP Third Way.  If he starts as leader by demoting Libby in any way, shape, or form, I'll go berserk.

I think he will have too.
Because of his results, I think than Cullen must get a position.
And other provinces will complain if BC gets two powerful offices.

[MaxQue]

Well, Broadbent seems to be very pissed and seems to hate everyone who doesn't agree with its view of the NDP.