Who do you support in the Canadian federal election?

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For those who have no idea who is running:

Stephen Harper - Conservative


Justin Trudeau - Liberal


Thomas Mulcair - New Democratic Party


Elizabeth May - Green Party


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I'm voting Liberal because I believe it is the best chance to oust the evil overlord.

Seeing as how everyone is so interested, I thought I'd expand a bit:

My support goes to Justin Trudeau who is being called "not ready" by Conservative incumbent, Stephen Harper. Harper is involved in a scandal in which a debt to the taxpayers was paid for by a party member instead of being paid back by the person, Mike Duffy, who took the money in the first place. Mike Duffy was kind of set up by the Conservatives, but that's a long story. Justin Trudeau is the Liberal Candidate and promises to legalize marijuana. Thomas Mulcair says he would decriminalize and Harper thinks it's ridiculous to even consider. I'm not sure where Elizabeth May stands, but I suspect she's for it. There's also this Bill C-51 that's been passed that makes security paramount and is invasive of rights. May and Mulcair are against it, Trudeau supports it.
October 19 is the date, so not far off. This Fahmy case (CBC) could have an impact. If Harper is able to bring him home, it will win him a lot of favour.

Interestingly, Fahmy's lawyer is Amal Clooney, George Clooney's wife. And if you hand't guessed, Justin Trudeau is Pierre Elliot Trudeau's son.

So, anyway ...

Will it really matter who wins in the end? The result will be the same: rich folk who don't like paying taxes will retain their grip on power, and the worker will once again lose out and be betrayed.

Trudeau says he'll increase taxes on the rich to help rebuild the middle class.

What about the working (i.e. lower) class? They are never mentioned during election campaigns. Why not? They comprise the vast majority, do they not?

Well, the New Democratic Party generally supports more social programs. But I think Trudeau is aiming to bring the working class into the middle class.

I'm not old enough to vote in the election, but I think I will root for Trudeau. I think it's time for a change.

I agree.

The rich and corporations have had it too easy too long. And Harper is a lying cheat.

From a policy perspective, there is little to choose between the three, but enough so that we can make some definite choices. Ultimately, every government is going to be limited by the Department of Finance, its willingness to increase government revenues, and the financial markets.

The Conservatives are, quite simply, not an option for me. I am gobsmacked at their callous disregard for the constitutional conventions upon which their power depends. When the unelected, unaccountable PMO treats Senators and MPs as extension of its power, and not the other way 'round, there is something fundamentally wrong with the institutions of government. To be fair, the Conservatives didn't invent the PMO, but they have exponentially increased its power at the expense of Parliament and the Public Service--which should be bulwarks against dictatorial power. When the Chief Justice of Canada is the real Leader of the Opposition, something is wrong.

Similarly the Greens are a waste of political bandwidth. Many voters are parking their preferences there not because they believe in the Green platform, but because they don't like any of the alternatives. Now there's nothing wrong with voting "none of the above," but don't pretend that it's an affirmative choice.

Both the NDP and the Liberals present coherent platforms, and each represents a viable choice.

That being said, on economic policy, the only party making sense right now is the Liberals. The Conservatives refuse to say the "R" word, and simply repeat, "steady as she goes; more of the same." Thy have not yet balanced the budget, and that is largely due to their woefully stupid move of cutting the GST by 2%. Meanwhile, the NDP pretend that they can make significant reinvestments in program spending without going into deficit and without across the board tax increases.

On democratic reform, both the NDP and Liberals are committed to getting rid of FPTP--the NDP with MMPR and the Liberals with STV. MMPR is intuitively simpler; but STV better reflects voters' intentions overall. On the Senate, the NDP favour abolition (that ain't gonna happen under our constitutional amending formula) whereas the Liberals favour reform. On both of these points, I'm solidly in the Liberal camp.

But it is also clear that the electoral momentum is with the NDP for the time being (though the length of this campaign means that current polls are pointless). And if it turns out that the momentum sticks, I may well move my vote to the orange box. My riding is a three way fight, and it may be necessary to vote strategically to keep the Conservatives out.