NDP- because perhaps a majority Conservative govt. is just what we need to kick us out of our stupor.

I would say the same except that I really do not like Jack Layton. If they had a different leader then maybe.

I can't stand Harper. I'm in a very safe Liberal riding so I might vote Green, just because I can, and so that they'll get a bit more money next time around.

Aren't the polls saying the result will be pretty much the same situation as there is now?

If polls were that precise, we wouldn't need elections.

I will be voting Green. I support most of their platform, both environmental and budget-related, and I think it would be nice for them to receive more recognition. If something changes between now and May 2nd, I might again vote NDP.

But, but didn't they say that last time too? It seems like you guys are just stuck with that balance of parties as long as the leaders are the same or some big political shakeup doesn't happen.

We're stuck with the same balance even if the parties don't have the same leaders. We also got roughly the same thing when Stephane Dion led the Liberal Party.
There is one shake up in the mix this time though. It looks like the NDP has supplanted the Liberals and the Conservatives as the federalist party in Quebec. Up till now Quebec has only elected one New Democrat MP. If they get their big breakthrough in Quebec this election, that'll shake things up for sure. And it'll call into question the potential future of the Liberal Party for sure.

Honestly, at this point, anything but the conservatives. Check out project democracy (http://www.projectdemocracy.ca/). The name isn't very well chosen but it's a website the helps you "amp up" your vote by telling you which party is the strongest in popular opinion in your riding. Of course, you should vote according to your personal opinion as well, but it's still good to know.

I'm planning to vote NDP. I don't particularly like Jack Layton but I don't really like any of the leaders. So, I'm going to vote for the candidate I think is the strongest in my riding. My riding is a strongly Conservative riding in Alberta but the incumbent is a backbencher for life. Outside of that I think the best candidate is the NDP guy.

+1 gman I'd say. I live in the same riding and our conservative MP is doomed to toe the party line (whatever his campaign leaflets may say to the contrary) for the rest of his miserable days :P But hey, why stick to the main 3 (4 if you really like)? We have the LEADER of the Pirate Party of Canada in our riding!!!!! Talk about influence and power!!! :D

Seriously though, if we had an independent candidate and I liked his platform I'd vote for him. I like independents, they can vote according to conscience and represent your area better in my opinion.

I'll be voting NDP this time around. Jack Layton impressed me in the debates, and the recent allegations re: G20 (mis)spending as well as the 'not' scandal (also the Lisa Raitt 'sexy isotopes' comments) have scuttled what support I had for Harper.
In all honesty, I get the feeling that we're doomed to a succession of minority governments until the NDP and Liberals come to some sort of understanding. Maybe a merger, maybe running candidates in select ridings, whatever.
I've always been an 'undecided' voter, but the Concervative government has simply exhausted my patience. I'll give them some credit for not rocking the boat during the recent recession, and they have some good policy ideas. However, I have a gut feeling that Harper has nothing but contempt for the democratic process. Like the Liberals before them, they need to clean house.
One of the Cash Brothers (Andrew) is running in Toronto. That's mighty cool :)

There will be another Con minority result.

Ignatieff will strike a deal with Layton to form the new government of Canada.

Bye-bye Steve-O.

#mapleleaf - agreed. If Harper doesn't pull off a majority this time, I suspect that there will be open talk of replacing him. This would be his third in a row, correct?

@Mack Eye - Yes indeed. This would be the Hat Trick for Harpo.

"There will be another Con minority result.
Ignatieff will strike a deal with Layton to form the new government of Canada."
I dunno. I think Harper saw that coming and he's poisoned the well against that well enough. He has Canadians convinced that a minority based on cooperation between two opposition parties is undemocratic and doesn't reflect the wishes of voters.

"He has Canadians convinced that a minority based on cooperation between two opposition parties is undemocratic and doesn't reflect the wishes of voters."
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I disagree.

Coalitions happen in Parliamentary governments all of the time, all over the world. It's nothing unusual. Canada has had a coalition government before(Borden, IIRC). Outside of the yokels out west and parts of northern Ontario, who all vote Con anyway, Harper has convinced nobody of anything.

Iggy will argue that it's NOT a coalition anyway, since the Bloc will not be involved. Therefore, no promise has been broken. He does not need to campaign based on this, nor does he need anybody's permission. All he needs to do is strike a deal after the election.

Done.

I hope you're right. I might be being a little pessimistic at the moment.

Well, wouldn't a coalition not including the party that got the largest number of votes be just as problematic as a minority government? Keeping out the top vote getter is a pretty unusual scenario for parliamentary governments, which is what made the latest Iraqi government deals so convoluted. And when Gordon Brown made a hint at staying in power by yoking the Liberal Democrats and regional parties into a coalition everybody cried foul. Plus, how stable could this coalition be? You poor people might have to go to yet another vote later this year, and might even get the same sort of result.

This almost makes Canadian politics interesting.

http://politicalcompass.org/canada2011

@ Invicus - That is my concern. However there might be a chance it could happen anyway. The political climate in Canada at the moment is quite polarized. The two sides are essentially "Yay Harper!" and "Oh god please! Anyone but Harper!"

I'm gonna vote harper cuz I like him, the way he has handled the campaign and the pressure from all the other parties just shows what a leader he can be. note I normally vote liberal, but ignatieff is just too much of a prick to become prime minister. he belongs in america!

+1 Graeme for the independent and Pirate Party comments. I think independents are much better and that our system really needs less party discipline so that the MPs actually represent the ridings. Also, I would vote Pirate if I was a hacker but I don't think they'll get much support at all.

Mapleleaf -1. Not all the west votes conservative. With proportional representation we'd get a lot more non-conservative seats in Alberta. In the last election (2008), it played out like so:
Party Seats Vote% Seats under prop. Rep. (approximate)
Conservatives 72 52.66 44
Liberals 9 26.37 22
NDP 2 8.52 7
Wildrose Alliance 0 6.77 6
Green 0 4.58 4

My attempt at a table turned out very poorly.

im voting for the american

jk.

the composition of the government is expected to be much the same is it not?

What I've heard is that it should be a stronger Conservative minority or possibly even a majority.

I can almost guarantee that Alberta will stay the same except one riding which has about a 30% chance (by my reckoning) of being returned from the NDP to the Conservatives who have the rest of the province in federal government.

If we are going down the less likely lines by the polls you might as well include Liberal Minority.

The current ceilings and floors have anywhere between a Conservative Majority, to a Liberal Minority.

With the most likely result being a slightly expanded conservative minority. Personally I'm a a.b.c voter. ;)