GRADE 6 politics. If there are any questions, reach back to a grade 6 teacher in your area or grab a copy of the Scholastic book designed for grade 6 students called. “Who Runs This Country, Anyway?”
Basic Questions and Answers:
- Did we wake up in a dictatorship in Canada tomorrow? The short and long answer to that question is NO.
In Canada, we elect a Prime Minister by each of us voting for a local representative. We do not vote for the man/woman, we vote for their party. The only people who actually saw Justin Trudeau on their ballot, were people in his local riding. The rest of us, saw our local Liberals, NDP and PC’s on our ballots. - “Mr Carney won the Liberal Leadership without having a seat in the House of Commons meaning he did not run in an election and win a riding (electoral districts) or Canada’s Federal electoral map.
Is Mr Carney the first Prime Minister who came into the position this way? No, he is not.
The following former PMs were in this same position:
- Charles Tupper
- John Sparrow
- David Thompson
- Louis St. Laurent
- Pierrre Trudeau
- Kim Campbell
- Paul Martin
- Mackenzie Bowell
- Sir John Abbott (death of Macdonald) and
- John Turner
It can also happen, that an election is held, and the leader of the party doesn’t win their riding. If that happens, they can take the seat of a party member who did win, and then hold a by-election.
It can also happen that a Prime Minister steps down, like JT just did, and they can replace their leader. Kim Campbell is an example from our lifetime (1993, Conservative who became Prime Minister when Mulroney stepped down), also John Turner in our lifetime. Normally when this happens, an election is called very soon after.
- Well then when will an election be called? Carney is expected to announce an election by the end of next week. It’s in their best interest to announce an election too. There are rumours that Carney will hold off an election until next year. The Liberals don’t want to hold off on this, as much as people seem to think that’s what they want. The earliest I personally see the election is Monday April 28th but more likely Monday, May 5. In my opinion. It is law that the election period be a minimum of 37 and 51 days and must fall on a Monday.
- Why are they trying to manipulate our vote? What? People are upset that JT did what he did when he was about to have a vote of non-confidence raised against him, and then he shut down parliament. Do you know who’s play book he got that out of? Stephen Harper, Conservative who did the exact same thing in 2009 when he was about to have a vote of non-confidence raised against him. It’s amusing when your preferred party does it, it’s treasonous when the party you don’t like does it. That’s Canadian politics for you.
Absolutely nothing about the handing over of power from Trudeau to Carney is illegal, or unusual, or against our electoral process or laws. It’s literally exactly how it is supposed to happen when a Prime Minister steps down.
People screamed for him to step down.
He stepped down.
Now, take a deep breath, and vote in the upcoming election Canada. It’s how democracy works. NDM
Nancy's Notes 