Conference kaosws::canada

    Hello there,
    
    I have been away from home for a long time and am very much out
    of touch with Canadian politics. I always thought that Turner had
    a seat somewhere in Ontario. Have I missed a political joke or does
    he realyy have one in B.C. now ?
    
    Thanks,
    Ted.

    re .2
    Its true. Turner ran in the Vancouver Quadra riding last election.
    Both the PC and the NDP put up some real credible candidates, but
    Turner won because of what was termed "the sympathy vote." This
    time however, I don't think the voter will show him any sympathy.
    

    Maybe the best thing that could happen to the Liberals is that they
    don't win the '88 election. That way, Turner will resign, a leadership
    convention will be held, and Jean C. will takeover as leader. I
    wish he was leader today - we need someone to thoroughly beat the
    pants off Mulroney and the PC's. They gotta go.
    
    PM

    You guys keep talking about the big three but what about the rhino
    party? They have  $ 0.54 in their election savings, which is
    $ 6,000,000.54 more than what the libs have!
    
    Well our friends to the south can sympathize with us, look at their
    choices for president. 
    
    I predict that Brian will win this election with (God forbid) a
    majority. In the U.S. I think that Bush will win too. Now I am going
    home to kill myself...

    I don't follow the details of politics/election too closely but
    I do have one observation: Regardless of who is in power a majority
    government always sucks. With a minority government both sides
    have to agree/comprimise on issues and it seems to be the only way
    that the opinions/concerns of the voter are taken into consideration.
    
    Jason...

    re: .6   The problem with minority governments is they seldom last
    long due to disagreements, and as such we get soaked:  more frequent
    elections ($$$), more campaigning ($$$), more promises ($$$).  The
    loser is always the taxpayer, especially in the middle class (Tax
    Reform - what a joke!)
    
    I also must state that although traditionally a Liberal, I cannot
    vote for Turner, not can I vote Liberal or NDP this time, as I believe
    in free trade, and think the Senate, not being elected, has no right
    to stall the legislation.  Therefore, the only way to get the free
    trade deal through (since it is THE election issue) is to vote PC.
    
    Otto.
    

                                
    As an expatriate Canadian living in the US, one thing I can say
    is that the Canadian election process is infinitely superior to
    the American presidential electoral process. How would like to 
    suffer through two years of non-stop mind-numbing coverage? And
    every detail is discussed in the media ad nauseum - while the general 
    public seems to listen to nothing but the "sound bites"
                                
    Heard from a Canuck buddy visiting last weekend that it was disclosed
    that the Grits set up a secret million dollar trust fund for Turner when
    he rejoined the party from his law practice. Any truth to this?
                                 
    By the way, my favorite description of Mulroney was from Allan
    Fotheringham: "The chin that walks like a man". Interesting trivia fact
    about the Chin - a guy I know is close to the Mulroney family and told
    me that he had seen Brian's closet at Rideau Hall - he had forty (he
    counted them) pairs of identical black Gucci loafers! 
                                
                                
    Mike.                       
                                

    THAT'S IT!!!!! He's got my vote!!
    
    Glenn

    Re .8
    > about the Chin - a guy I know is close to the Mulroney family and told
    > me that he had seen Brian's closet at Rideau Hall - he had forty (he
    > counted them) pairs of identical black Gucci loafers! 

    Rideau Hall??  Geez, I wonder how many shoes he keeps at 24 Sussex??
    
    Eric

    Isn't 24 Sussex the location of the American Embassy?? What are
    Brian's Gucci loafers doing there??? He must have a lot of loafers!!
    I'll bet it's the Canadian tax payer that 'foots' the bill.....
    I'm sure this isn't the 'sole' issue here though..... 

    I will not vote for NDP, I believe in a strong NATO alliance. Ed
    Broadbent takes his vacations in Russia. I refuse to vote for a
    party that is a "RED COMMIE PIG DOG PARTY" that calls itself
    democratic. NDP also stand for increased spending in the welfare
    system and other things as crazy.
    I will not vote for Liberal, I believe in Free Trade. 12 Carrribean
    nations just implimented Free Trade last week, in 1991 the European
    Economic Community will be going to Free Trade, we as a continent
    unto ourselves should be in Free Trade before 1991 to ensure our
    economic stability in the future world trade practises. I like the
    idea of spending $15,000,000,000.00 on sewers and water etc... Halifax
    harbour is so bad you could walk on it, and a lot of other places
    need sewer systems so we stop killing our enviroment. I like the
    idea of Mortgage interest being Income Tax deductible, most of my
    mortgage payments are interest anyhow.
    I will vote for the Progressive Conservatives. I believ in Free
    Trade. I do not believe in any other thing the PC's have done and
    I find the vote buying with my tax dollars most disgusting.
    
    Some things we should think about in terms of things affecting the
    common man.
    1. Zero Tolerance, this is a good idea that should be expanded to
    many other areas of society. Zero Tolerance on Drugs. You get
    caught you pay the penalty. No plea bargaining, No reduced sentence
    for first offence, no parole, Just straight to the klink. All drug
    related hardware and money is confiscated and rolled into the states
    coffers, to be used for more policeing of the drug problem. All
    criminal activity should be rewarded the same way. We should eliminate
    parole entirely. No short sentences either. When you are sentenced
    to 25 years of hard labour, that is what should happen. By most
    modern definitions of society, when one commits an act against society
    at large, on forfiets any and all rights that one had as a citizen
    of said country. There should be no TV, No drugs, No visits, No
    daypass, No halfway house, no privileges at all for those convicted
    of criminal offences. If an individual commits an offence again,
    after being let out, it should be an automatic doubling of the maximum
    penalty for that crime as punishment. In other words, KEEP THE KILLERS
    OFF THE STREETS. KEEP THE DRUGGIES OFF THE STREETS. ETC ETC ETC...
    2. Free labour. We are essentialy paying the people we keep inside
    prisons by providing them with houseing, food, clothing, cigarettes,
    TV, Movies, Education etc etc ect... Well it costs about $38,000.00
    a year to keep each individual incarcerated and we have people,
    honest people starving on the streets of Canada making no more than
    $12,000.00 a year. I sya we should be getting FREE LABOUR from our
    prisons. We could get a lot of roads repaired. We could replant
    our forests. We could clean up a lot of grabage from our
    neighbourhoods. ETC ETC ETC .....
    
    

    	Richard, have you ever seriously considered a career in politics??
    I think you'd go far......
    
    Glenn who_thinks_Canada_will_be_feeling_blue_on_election_day
    
    TORY BLUE, that is...

    rep .12
    
    Richard. Do I hear your Amnesty International card burning in the
    fireplace? Perhaps the death penalty would save us all a lot of
    time and trouble. Yessssssss! Yessssssssssssssssss!!!!!
    I can see it now!!! KILL THEM! KILL THEM ALL!!!!
    
    		YYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!
    
    AHEM. Excuse me, I seem to have gotten carried away in the heat
    of the moment. If I might continue...
    
    re .13
    
    Yes Glenn, I think you're on to something there. If Richard were
    to run for office I'd second his nomination. We need a politician
    who'll endorse the death penalty. Not like those spineless
    masses of quivering flesh in office today. We need someone who will
    stand up and say what he believes...Yesssssssss!!!
    
    Arrrrrr Billy......Ever watched a man walk the plank???
    He knew he couldn't park there...but he didn't listen.
    Now we've got to teach 'em all a lesson.
    Arrrrrr
    
    
    
    Just kidding, Richard. Please don't throw your terminal at me!
    
    Rob
    

    In reference to .5:
    
    The Rhino party has seemed to die down over the years.  I sorry
    to see this happen because they always had a way to bring the campaign
    down to the proper level.
    
    During the last election their platform do bring inflation under
    control was to do away with Stats Canada!
    
    DT

< Note 123.15 by TRCA03::THOMSON "David W. Thomson" >
                                -< Rhino Party >-

	re .-1: Ah, Canada. Where the political buffoonery is at least
		partly intentional. I heard on the radio (in Boston!)
		that the Rhinos had started their national campaign under
		the slogan "We are not sheep". (That should distinguish
		them from the other parties involved :-)

		This time around, they vow to make Canada the strongest
		nation in the world. They're going to replace the fluoride
		in the water with anabolic steroids.

	Rob (whose request for repatriation help is a separate topic)

    re .16
    
    It seems the Rhino party is back at it.   Yeah!!!!
    
    Yesterday I heard that they are going to fix the hole in the ozone layer
    by asking their mothers to sew a patch over it.
             
    DT

    re .17
    
    	Do you know if the Rhino Party still plans to switch the country
    from currency to pop bottles??
    
    	Maybe someday our dollar will be worth:
    
    		2 750 ml Cokes
    	     +	1 300 ml Orange Cruch
             -----------
        =     $ 1.00 U.S.

    I would like to withdraw my vote for the PC party as presented earlier
    in this note. Since becoming more enlightened, by my colleauges
    banging on my haed, I will now throw the towel in with the RED's.
    I have a sneaky suspicion that the NDP is realy the way to go. My
    work-mates are saying Liberal is it, so wanting to be different,
    I will go for the old NDP, and maybe they realy are ready to manage
    the country.

>>I have a sneaky suspicion that the NDP is realy the way to go...
>>I will go for the old NDP, and maybe they realy are ready to manage
>>the country.

You don't fool me, Richard.  You intentionally dropped the second, or was
it the first, 'l' in really as a rather blunt attempt to indicate your
true electoral preference - 'l' for Liberal, eh?

Oh, the tangled web we weave, when first we practise to deceive.  You are
a person of diminuitive proportions Richard, for making that thinly veiled
attempt at deception.  You will be the first to shot when the NDP takes
over.

In disgust,

Pat

    The latest comment I heard from the Rhino Party is their claim of
    financial success.
    
    The Rhino Party has $52 in the bank.  But, as they see it, that
    $6 million more than the Liberal Party...
    
    
    
    Dave

    Look for Rhino success on the East Coast.  The Party has promised
    to entrench 'freedom of Screech' in the constitution.
    
    Glenn :^)

    Well all the polsters blew it again. PC majority 168-170 seats (
    a few not yet confirmed) Libs 84  NDP 41. First time in 35 years
    that a governing party gets two majorities in a row.
    
    PCs lost the Maritimes, Won big in Quebec, Just over half in Ontario
    (which is good), Took the West.
    
    Eastern Ontario, home of the Nation's capital, went almost solid
    Liberal giving the PCs only two seats of 12. Public servants always
    hate the party in power.    
    
    Free Trade is here even though the popular vote went 45% PC 38%
    Lib 18% NDP                                                   
    
    Roger

    How many seats in Parliment total?
    All seats equal in voting ? [eg.: in the US, the Virgin Islands
    observe but can't vote]
    

    
    	A party needs at least 148 seats to win a majority. The PC's
    got 170 which is a solid majority. One seat is worth one member
    in Parliament. That member represents his constituents in the riding
    in which he/she won. There are more seats available in the more
    densely populated areas, e.g. Ontario = 95 seats compared to the
    Atlantic Provinces = 32 seats.
    
    Glenn 

    How many seats did the PC's have before the election?  Did they
    gain, lose...?
    

    In the '84 election, the PC's won 211 seats. Compared to the, they
    lost 40+ seats. The '84 majority was not a normal or healthy one
    as far as I can see. The majority the PC's have this time is a more
    realistic one. Years ago, it would have been considered a landslide
    but because of the huge majority in '84, this one is considered
    small.
    

    Final totals are in:
    P.C.	170
    Liberal	 82
    N.D.P.	 43
    
    Too bad.  I was hoping for a Tory-Rhino coalition!
    
    Glenn

    One result changed after the official count, and one Tory member
    died of cancer a few days later.  Current standings are:
    P.C. 168
    Liberal 83
    NDP 43

    Seems that Canada Post a Crown Corporation and/or Elections Canada
    the election watchdog and organizer screwed up.
    Members elected to parliment are required by law to show up in Ottawa
    when parliment is called to sit. Members must bring with them a
    slip of paper called a "WRIT of ELECTION". This slip of paper gives
    them the legal authority to sit in parliment. Without this slip
    of paper, they cannot sit in parliment, they do not get paid, and
    they have no right to claim an office in the West Block. By law,
    duplicate "WRIT of ELECTION" cannot be issued. Only an original
    will suffice.
    Well for those astute readers who already guessed it, one or both
    of the groups mentioned at the top of this note lost about 28 of
    these "WRIT of ELECTION".
    Stay tuned, maybe we will have to hold 28 by-elections to fill those
    28 seats in the House of Commons.