# The "Longest Election Campaign in Modern Canada" Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [August 2, 2015, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-longest-election-campaign-in-modern-canada-thread/726807 "2015-08-02T15:45:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 27
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2015, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-longest-election-campaign-in-modern-canada-thread/726807/521 "2015-10-08T08:20:53Z")
No message. ---
**Author:** ![Andiethewestie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@Andiethewestie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andiethewestie)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2015, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-longest-election-campaign-in-modern-canada-thread/726807/522 "2015-10-08T17:31:30Z")
No way. You can’t get off that easy. It’s a very different world from Trudeau senior. This is an age of racism against Muslims and Harper is playing the race card to get votes. This is very dangerous as some Muslim women have reported being yelled at and attacked for wearing their religious garments. This has to stop. > **[Fifty years in Canada, and now I feel like a second-class citizen](https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/fifty-years-in-canada-and-now-i-feel-like-a-second-class-citizen/article26691065/)** > > The Conservative message is: You are Muslim, you are the ‘other,’ you can’t be trusted and you will never belong ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2015, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-longest-election-campaign-in-modern-canada-thread/726807/523 "2015-10-08T17:58:08Z")
Canada is very different place than in even the recent past. Prejudice and racism are accepted political positions in those parts of the country where they never had been, and laws are being created to make them intrinsic to the legal system. Alberta has won. You’d better get used to it. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2015, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-longest-election-campaign-in-modern-canada-thread/726807/524 "2015-10-08T20:43:06Z")
And what is it we’ve won? ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2015, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-longest-election-campaign-in-modern-canada-thread/726807/525 "2015-10-08T20:52:14Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > But as I said, the “idea” of Canada is larger than Harper, Trudeau, or Mulcair. We will survive, no matter who is elected. As long as Canada remains a “rule of law” state, and our Supreme Court assures that (as it must), we will survive, no matter who makes up our next government. I really wish you were right. You are certainly right n that the Supreme Court is responsible for ensuring we are a"rule of law" state. This is what I"m worried aobut; What we’ve seen in the recent past, a Prime Minister who has attacked the Chief Justice of The SCC. This is unprecedented. A PM who has tried to stuff an unqualified judge into the SCC. A PM, a party and supporters who have nothing but contempt for our Supreme Court who are trying to ensure that rule of law takes precedence over the will of One Single Man. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2015, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-longest-election-campaign-in-modern-canada-thread/726807/526 "2015-10-08T20:55:19Z")
Conservative candidate says we [don’t have to worry about oil spills](http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/absorb-oil-spills-conservative-1.3260460) because “It’s a natural substance, so the land will absorb it”. Whew! That’s a relief. I always knew that Exxon Valdez spill was just faked by those environmentalists. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2015, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-longest-election-campaign-in-modern-canada-thread/726807/527 "2015-10-08T21:09:58Z")
The Prime Minister’s office [halted Syrian refugee claims earlier this year,](http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/prime-ministers-office-ordered-halt-to-refugee-processing/article26713562/) and inserted itself into the process. > [@](#): > > The Prime Minister’s Office directed Canadian immigration officials to stop processing one of the most vulnerable classes of Syrian refugees this spring and declared that all UN-referred refugees would require approval from the Prime Minister, a decision that halted a critical aspect of Canada’s response to a global crisis. > [@](#): > > The Globe and Mail has learned that \*\*the Prime Minister intervened \*\*in a file normally handled by the Citizenship and Immigration department in the months before dramatic images of a dead toddler brought the refugee crisis to the fore. The processing stop, which was not disclosed to the public, was in place for at least several weeks. It is unclear when it was lifted. (bolding mine) > [@](#): > > The Prime Minister’s Office asked Citizenship and Immigration for the files of some Syrian refugees so they could be vetted by the PMO – potentially placing\*\* political staff with little training\*\* in refugee matters in the middle of an already complex process. Bolding also mine. So Harper himself utilized his office to intervene in Syrian refugee acceptance, turning acceptance of these desperate people into a political decision. The man is beneath contempt. ---
**Author:** ![yawuntz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a5b964/32.png) [@yawuntz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yawuntz)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2015, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-longest-election-campaign-in-modern-canada-thread/726807/528 "2015-10-08T22:05:59Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > …The man is beneath contempt. Praising him with faint damns 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-longest-election-campaign-in-modern-canada-thread/726807/529 "2015-10-09T05:21:26Z")
At least our next Prime Minister has a sense of humour. [http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/10/08/c0f7bd13e38980d97dd340b2ce1f2788.jpg](http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/10/08/c0f7bd13e38980d97dd340b2ce1f2788.jpg) ---
**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:** [October 9, 2015, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-longest-election-campaign-in-modern-canada-thread/726807/530 "2015-10-09T05:41:58Z")
[CTV](http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/election/pmo-sought-political-gain-in-prioritizing-certain-syrian-refugees-sources-1.2601028): > [@](#): > > **PMO sought political gain in prioritizing certain Syrian refugees: sources** > > . . . . > > Sources tell CTV News that a temporary halt to the processing of some Syrian refugees was ordered earlier this year to make sure the types favoured by the Prime Minister’s Office were being prioritized. > > Department of Citizenship and Immigration insiders told CTV’s Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife that PMO staff went through the files to ensure that persecuted religious minorities with established communities already in Canada – ones that Conservative Leader Stephen Harper could court for votes – were being accepted. Insiders say PMO actively discouraged the department from accepting applications from Shia and Sunni Muslims. > > Private applications, which are often from church groups, were allowed to continue while the rest were on hold. A bad person. A truly bad person. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-longest-election-campaign-in-modern-canada-thread/726807/531 "2015-10-09T13:37:54Z")
I am completely, thoroughly baffled as to why the PMO would insert itself, at that point, into refugee vetting. Or at any point, really. It is materially equivalent to the Premier of a province deciding to take it upon themselves to approve surgery schedules in hospitals. I can’t think of any reason, even an evil one, why an intelligent person would think this was a good idea. If the story is literally true - if Stephen Harper insisted on personally approving or having his immediate staff personally approve refugee applications, of any type or class - the truth is if anything worse than him being mean; it’s that he is hopelessly incompetent. He’s been in the job so long he’s completely lost touch with what his job actually is. I think Harper would make a fine Leader of the Opposition. He is no longer suited to be Prime Minister. ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-longest-election-campaign-in-modern-canada-thread/726807/532 "2015-10-09T17:10:51Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > I am completely, thoroughly baffled as to why the PMO would insert itself, at that point, into refugee vetting. Or at any point, really. It is materially equivalent to the Premier of a province deciding to take it upon themselves to approve surgery schedules in hospitals. I can’t think of any reason, even an evil one, why an intelligent person would think this was a good idea. > > If the story is literally true - if Stephen Harper insisted on personally approving or having his immediate staff personally approve refugee applications, of any type or class - the truth is if anything worse than him being mean; it’s that he is hopelessly incompetent. He’s been in the job so long he’s completely lost touch with what his job actually is. > > I think Harper would make a fine Leader of the Opposition. He is no longer suited to be Prime Minister. It is time for Harper to retire, just like his good buddy Jim Prentice before him. Canadians have had enough of the politics of fear and loathing. We are looking for vision. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-longest-election-campaign-in-modern-canada-thread/726807/533 "2015-10-09T17:29:09Z")
> [@Biffster](#): > > It is time for Harper to retire, just like his good buddy Jim Prentice before him. Canadians have had enough of the politics of fear and loathing. We are looking for vision. Unfortunately, there is a significant minority who embrace fear, and want to have a Strong Authoritative Leader to protect us. That minority tends to vote. And the rest of us are split up into different parties. So this minority’s voice is much louder than it should be. ---
**Author:** ![Andiethewestie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@Andiethewestie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andiethewestie)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-longest-election-campaign-in-modern-canada-thread/726807/534 "2015-10-09T18:45:57Z")
Well even though Harper’s minority gets a lot of votes, at least the Liberals are inching up past them. Whether they take the election is anyone’s guess, but it’s clear the majority of Canadians aren’t with Harper, so if he forms a minority he can’t last long. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2015, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-longest-election-campaign-in-modern-canada-thread/726807/535 "2015-10-10T04:58:51Z")
> [@Kenm](#): > > Canada is very different place than in even the recent past. Prejudice and racism are accepted political positions in those parts of the country where they never had been, and laws are being created to make them intrinsic to the legal system. Is this a joke? You think racism is a new thing in Canada? You can’t be serious. ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2015, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-longest-election-campaign-in-modern-canada-thread/726807/536 "2015-10-10T05:21:34Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Is this a joke? You think racism is a new thing in Canada? You can’t be serious. Not racism per se because that was well established with Canada being able to commit a cultural genocide and basically get away with it. Today’s issue is racism in the political process, to a degree it has never been featured before. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2015, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-longest-election-campaign-in-modern-canada-thread/726807/537 "2015-10-10T05:31:11Z")
> [@DWMarch](#): > > Today’s issue is racism in the political process, to a degree it has never been featured before. Exactly. Anyone who doesn’t understand this or believes it’s unimportant is part of the problem. ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2015, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-longest-election-campaign-in-modern-canada-thread/726807/538 "2015-10-10T06:41:56Z")
Projected seat count as of Friday, October 9. Source: [ThreeHundredEight.com](http://ThreeHundredEight.com) [http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/10/09/1d957d299e1692634cbc84f78df3a3f5.jpg](http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/10/09/1d957d299e1692634cbc84f78df3a3f5.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2015, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-longest-election-campaign-in-modern-canada-thread/726807/539 "2015-10-10T09:06:18Z")
As of today, I can say that has nobody shown up to my door, looking for votes. I feel left out. Why have I been left out? Because I don’t live in Toronto? So I am going to vote Marxist-Leninist. They won’t win–they never do–but they are legitimate candidates. Tories, Liberals, NDP: you want my vote, make me want you. In other words, come talk to me. Otherwise, I will vote M-L, just for S and G. No party wants to talk to me, it seems. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2015, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-longest-election-campaign-in-modern-canada-thread/726807/540 "2015-10-10T09:29:22Z")
Maybe the parties listened to the other, and this is just a rough estimate, 99% of people who find it annoying and intrusive when strangers beat on their doors to sell things (goods, politicians, gods, whatever). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-longest-election-campaign-in-modern-canada-thread/726807.md?page=26) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-longest-election-campaign-in-modern-canada-thread/726807.md?page=28)