# Canadopers: Official Election Day Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 23, 2006, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadopers-official-election-day-thread/341244 "2006-01-23T14:09:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2006, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadopers-official-election-day-thread/341244/41 "2006-01-24T16:38:57Z")
> [@cowgirl](#): > > I keep hoping to see an all-candidates meeting where one of each turns up, they can either explain the difference, or get tangled up in subtle philosophical debates with each other. I was hoping to see both at my all-candidates meeting, but only the M-L showed. > [@](#): > > I had one of each in my riding but only the Marxist-Leninist came to the all-candidate’s meetings. He comes to all of them. (I never saw the Conservative guy at any.) :eek: What happened? > [@](#): > > I love election day. I love lining up with my immediate neighbours to fill in forms and moan about line-ups. Me too. I always feel so irrepressably smug after I cast my vote. > [@](#): > > I love the Toronto NDP ladies. Marilyn Churley, Olivia Chow, Peggy Nash. All potent women. I’m sorry Marilyn lost - but she did lose to a formidable Toronto Liberal lady, so I can’t really complain. The NDP seems to have the best women. But then I’m biased. My mother was one of them. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2006, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadopers-official-election-day-thread/341244/42 "2006-01-24T16:43:29Z")
> [@Sgt.Pepper](#): > > That’s the second reference I’ve seen to milk in bags up here. Is that not common in down south? What is it cartons for small amounts and jugs for larger? Pretty weird. You’d think packaging would be universal by now. Um… you don’t get milk in bags in the West, either. You Ontario freaks. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2006, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadopers-official-election-day-thread/341244/43 "2006-01-24T16:49:00Z")
> [@Raygun99](#): > > Um… you don’t get milk in bags in the West, either. > You Ontario freaks. Hey! It freezes well. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sgt.Pepper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Sgt.Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sgt.Pepper)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2006, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadopers-official-election-day-thread/341244/44 "2006-01-24T17:02:01Z")
> [@Raygun99](#): > > Um… you don’t get milk in bags in the West, either. > You Ontario freaks. My gosh, that’s like a fundamental truth in life. It’s like the sky being blue and the sun setting in the west. Amazing. I wonder why that is? I’m referring to the milk bag thing, not the Ontarian freak thing. Although, I suppose the rest of the country would argue, but why bother? We are the best. ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2006, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadopers-official-election-day-thread/341244/45 "2006-01-24T17:26:17Z")
> [@Savannah](#): > > Overall, Prime Minister Stevougk adakasuam ajdhaar rpe > > :eek: > > See, I can’t even say it. It’s just so… wrong. Eh, I don’t know. He’s kinda… growing on me. Still orange, though, all the way. And my candidate lost–Joe Volpe was a lock on my riding from the beginning. Lousy nuthead. :mad: ☹ ---
**Author:** ![cowgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@cowgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cowgirl)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2006, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadopers-official-election-day-thread/341244/46 "2006-01-24T18:45:09Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > > [@me](#): > > > > I had one of each in my riding but only the Marxist-Leninist came to the all-candidate’s meetings. He comes to all of them. (I never saw the Conservative guy at any.) > > :eek: What happened? He (the Marxist-Leninist) frankly and thoughtfully answered each of the questions posed to him. I can see why he keeps losing: this is not appropriate behaviour for a politician! The Conservative guy was basically a paper candidate. It is all Red and Orange in my riding. > [@](#): > > Me too. I always feel so irrepressably smug after I cast my vote. I might do advance polling next time, this will give me even more time to be smug. > [@](#): > > The NDP seems to have the best women. But then I’m biased. My mother was one of them. 🙂 Wow. Colour me envious. (Nothing against my own mother, of course.) ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2006, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadopers-official-election-day-thread/341244/47 "2006-01-24T22:01:49Z")
> [@PastAllReason](#): > > Ha, interesting you should ask. A voter receives a ballot that is about maybe 3 1/2 by 5 inches. One walks over to the “booth” which is commonly a wooden table with a cardboard construct around it; one picks up a pencil; and then one x’es the candidate of choice. That’s it. Results come in the same night, and we’re done.\ This is why us Canadians were so stunned when you guys took so long and had so much kerfuffle about that election (I think you may remember the one). We were all thinking “How hard is it to count X’s?” Since then, we have learned that you can make it extremely difficult, indeed. 😃 **Raygun** , I remember having milk in bags for a short time in Saskatchewan in my childhood. You had to get a special pitcher to put them in. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2006, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadopers-official-election-day-thread/341244/48 "2006-01-24T22:43:10Z")
Aw, crap. This was a hard election decision for me. Worried about the vote being split between NDP and Liberal to the Conservatives’ benefit. Added to that, not really enthusiastic about the NDP candidate in my riding. Ended up holding my nose and voting Liberal. Now that the Conservative candidate finished a distant third, with the NDP + Libs outrageously close, I feel vaguely stupid. Things are better now for BC, from my POV. (NDP gained a few seats.) Federally, though… ugh. _wrings hands_ ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2006, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadopers-official-election-day-thread/341244/49 "2006-01-24T22:45:11Z")
Oh, almost forgot: We used to be able to buy milk in bags here in B.C. until the late eighties. I wish you still could – I hate the amount of space those cartons take up in the bin. ---
**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2006, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadopers-official-election-day-thread/341244/50 "2006-01-24T23:05:44Z")
I remember having milk in bags whenever I went out to Nova Scotia to visit relatives. Mmm bagged milk and oat cakes… Was an easy win for the Conservative in my riding, which is kinda annoying since (as I said before) he was hardly around. (Yes, it was Anders). ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2006, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadopers-official-election-day-thread/341244/51 "2006-01-24T23:08:00Z")
In the 1979 election, at the University of Toronto the Communists set up a table at one side of the western entrance to Sid Smith. The Marxist-Lenninists set up a table at the other side of that same entrance. It wasn’t long before they started beating the crap out of each other. Sometimes the campus police would haul them off,a nd sometimes they would take off when they saw the police coming, but being determined types, they would be back the next day, duking it out. Conservative Joe Who won a minority, which if I recall correctly was the last time the Conservatives won a minority up until now. I wonder if for the present election there were some Communists and Marxist-Lennists bashing away at each other in service of their country and the proletariat (or whatever it is that they serve). ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2006, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadopers-official-election-day-thread/341244/52 "2006-01-24T23:15:22Z")
There does appear to be some heavy duty eletion rigging in Nova Scotia. Well, maybe not. But there is at least some significant organized crime concerning ballot box stuffing in Nova Scotia. Well, maybe not. But there have been a couple of hosers who have grabbed and run away with ballot boxes, only to be caught: [http://www.cbc.ca/ns/story/ns-ballot-car20060123.html](http://www.cbc.ca/ns/story/ns-ballot-car20060123.html) Now how’s that for a major election scandal! (Hey, we’re doing the best we can, but we just don’t have election fixing down pat yet.) ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2006, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadopers-official-election-day-thread/341244/53 "2006-01-24T23:31:29Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > But there have been a couple of hosers who have grabbed and run away with ballot boxes, only to be caught… > [@the CBC](#): > > Alexander James MacKenzie was later sentenced to 30 days house arrest and 100 hours of community service… Never trust an eighteenth century fur trader. Shifty lot. ---
**Author:** ![detop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@detop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/detop)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2006, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadopers-official-election-day-thread/341244/54 "2006-01-25T06:28:09Z")
> [@Kythereia](#): > > Eh, I don’t know. He’s kinda… growing on me. Like a fungus ? 😛 To come back to the CCP (M-L) thing and other commies, in my days (gather round kids, grampa **detop** is telling another one of his boring stories) there was **3** Maoist parties (1 following the Chinese line, 1 following the Albanian line and 1 nobody was really sure who they were following), **2** Trotskyist parties (really Byzantine hair-splitting differences between the two) **1** traditional communist party (following the Moscow line). The Maoists hated each other and were ready to inflict serious bodily harm on each other and worse on the Trotskyists. The Trotskyists were laid-back and the Moscow liners were invisible. How things have changed in 30 years ! ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2006, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadopers-official-election-day-thread/341244/55 "2006-01-25T13:52:15Z")
I just realized this about the results. (maybe I’m slow.) It might not be the most likely situation, but if… the tories allied (for some strange reason) with the NDP… The liberals allied in opposition with the Bloq… Then both factions would have 154 seats and Andre Arthur would have the deciding vote. That’s kinda scary. ---
**Author:** ![Dante](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dante/32/9673_2.png) [@Dante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2006, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadopers-official-election-day-thread/341244/56 "2006-01-25T14:22:06Z")
These last two elections really stand out to me as ones where people voted more AGAINST a party than FOR a party. Says something about the state of politics in Canada. ---
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2006, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadopers-official-election-day-thread/341244/57 "2006-01-25T18:13:09Z")
> [@Dante](#): > > These last two elections really stand out to me as ones where people voted more AGAINST a party than FOR a party. > > Says something about the state of politics in Canada. What about the PC death march? In my view it seems that there is a large amount of political inertia when it comes to federal elections in Canada. Until a party reaches a point where the “electoral friction” fails it’ll stay in office. ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2006, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadopers-official-election-day-thread/341244/58 "2006-01-25T20:54:24Z")
> [@Mehitabel](#): > > Hmmm…the DeLay-controlled Congress appointing the commission that oversees the elections and then claiming that it’s non-political…makes me shudder a bit but hey, the Canadopers surely would be the first ones to call shenanigans if Elections Canada starting screwing around with the system, so I’ll just chalk it up to odd but harmless cultural differences, like selling milk in bags. Which, BTW, they don’t do in Cape Breton, I was there last summer and looked. 😃 [You just _had_ to jinx us, didn’t you?](http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2006/01/25/saskatchewan-riding060125.html) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadopers-official-election-day-thread/341244.md?page=2)