You rarely see anything from the others. The Green Party seems to the most active out of that group.

I believe the Green Party is an up and coming major player in this country and they need to step up the campaigning.

**emerging from below the border**

My dear friend is Manx, and in conversation it was explained to me the Tynwald's (oldest parliament in the world I believe since Viking times) Legislative Council elects the Chief Minister, but the people elect the House of Keys members by party vote. But by definition they are a parliamentary democracy, but have monarchy influence, as Queen Elizabeth II is head of state and chooses who the Lt. Governor is.

As for the Aussie model, can you imagine how many people would make uninformed votes just to stay out of trouble? Better to have more educated voter perhaps, than those who vote for the name they recognize or the first person on the list?

I live close enough to Canada to get some commercials and television, but there is never anything political that I see. Are commercials for our elections coming across the border the other way?

Actually I was more interested in the Aussie electoral, parliamentary system, and senatorial system...

For example you don't pick one candidate but instead you rank your choices, because no candidate can be elected to office without support from at least 51% of the voters... it's a bit complicted to explain here but CBC did a piece on it a while ago I'll see if I can find a link....

We don't mind visitors. Just be respectful (I don't worry that you would be disrespectful...but there are some people...)

I haven't seen any Presidential election commercials. I don't know if they are shown here. It might have something to do with Can. Con. laws or other legals issues.
Do you get the CBC, that's the best station to find our election commercials on. You might not get them because there are legal issue surrounding what commercials the US and Canada can pick up.
Can anyone else shed some more light on this?

As far as being respectful, I attended the University of Alaska, where there is a Canadian Studies program (they always advertised with William Shattner?), and most of the hockey team was Canadian. I also have love for my Northern (well western while in Alaska) neighbors as Canada is my chocolate (crunchies, cadbury, and kinder surprise to be exact) outlet.

I had a scary experience with CBC in a hotel room in Beaver Creek YT. There are some strange things on there, and Beaver Creek itself is a trip! I believe the only CBC I get here is programs shared with PBS, and not direct broadcasts. The commercials we get are often strange, the most prevalent are those for "singles phone lines". I'll ask my friends in Bellingham if they pick up anything. It may be different if one has cable as opposed to an antenna.

I've seen a few presidential commercials on US channels when they aren't simulcasting with any of ours. So far, they're kind of tame.

I don't want you to think that I was insulting you.
I was actually of one person in particular. I welcome your thoughts, ideas and opinions...but to get back on topic.

Not being able to pick up direct broadcasts is most likely the reason why you wouldn't see any election commercials.
Those "singles phone line" commercials I thinka re on every station late at night.

I would like to see the US commercials. They'd be interesting to watch.
But since I don't think they are shown here I will get my updates from the news and newspapers. But in all honesty I haven't been following the US campaigns that closely. So I don't have an opinion of it.

Like Taualumna said, you can catch the US election commericals when the US stations aren't simulcasting with the Canadian stations; however I haven't seen any in a while.

Hey, I found some fun election political cartoons on the CBC website:



http://www.cbc.ca/canadavotes/thecam.../images/05.jpg

http://www.cbc.ca/canadavotes/thecam.../images/04.jpg

http://www.cbc.ca/canadavotes/thecam.../images/03.jpg

I found this useful link on CBC website - it's pretty much everything you want to know about this election, where the candidates stand, etc...

Canada Votes

I know you didn't mean me, I was being silly! :p

You could probably see US commercials on the internet at the official re-election site for the president, and the one for John Kerry. Amusingly enough I only have seen one commerical, and repeatedly at that. It is about Kerry flip flopping, and is put out by the Bush campaign. I think it is rather amusing in the respect that this is one of the MOST republican areas in the nation, so perhaps it is not needed in the area?

I am just in awe of the amounts of parties there are in Canada. We have the two big ones, and then a few others, but they aren't large enough to have an effect on their own. As far as mudslinging goes, I think that is part of the political process, and is used by many outside of it.

"I think you're wrong and stupid, I am right, and no one is better/smarter/more qualified than me. Now I will call you names and manipulate facts to further my own agenda, because I can't come up with anything to say of substance, so i will just insult you."

Is that about right?

That's a good site. But they don't give blurbs about all the parties. They left out some of them that RACooper mentioned like the Monarchists.

yeah that's pretty much it.

I don't think mudsling works. If it has any affect I would say it has the opposite. People tired of listening to one party/candidate bash another will throw their hands up and say fine, I'll vote for the other guy because I'm sick of listening to you.
Now that's just a guess. I don't have any actual eveidence to say that it's true, but it would be interesting to see if it does that effect on some.
What bothers me the most is when a party/candidate feels it needs to bash their opponent even when they have overwhelming support.

GO MONARCHISTS :D

ah but seriously they're fringe like the Marxists-Leninists and the Commonwealth of Canada... they run every year but never manage to get a seat (federally or provincally).... but they just keep trying.. like the Little Engine That Could.

You know who should start his own party? The little old man that sings down at Yonge and Bloor...damn what's his name? He runs for mayor.

I would vote for him and his party :D ;)