Vote for the Moment of the Decade
Thanks to everyone who voted in the first round of the “Canadian Political Moment of the Decade” poll. Before I reveal the final 10, here are the 11th to 20th place finishers:
20 - 2003: Danny Williams comes to power in Newfoundland
19 – 2001: Stockwell Day forced out as Canadian Alliance leader
18 – 2008: Jean Charest wins a majority, decimating the ADQ
17 – 2006: Ralph Klein is forced out early at an Alberta PC leadership review
16 – 2000: Jean Chrétien wins his third straight majority
15 – 2006: Ed Stelmach stuns the field, winning the Alberta PC leadership race
14 – 2005: The Income Trust investigation is announced during the election
13 – 2003: David Orchard hands Peter McKay the PC leadership win, thanks to a no merger deal
12 – 2009: STV goes down to defeat in British Columbia
11 – 2003: Jean Charest knocks the PQ out of power in Quebec
All memorable events, but the top 10 blew them out of the water – it wasn’t even close.
And the top 10 offer a nice mix. Three policy decisions. One election, one leadership race, one merger. Some moments from the Chrétien years, some from the Martin years, and some from the Harper years.
I’ve set up a preferential ballot for the top 10, so just click through the link to see who made the cut. Voting will be open until midnight on Sunday night – results will stay secret until I count down the top 10 the first two weeks of January. You can vote once a day, so the old "vote early, vote often" adage certainly applies.
So argue for which moment you feel should win in the comments section, then go cast your vote!
PS - And, after that, if you're still in the mood for more online preferential balloting, be sure to cast a ballot in the final round of the Canadian Blog Awards where I'm up for Best Political Blog.
20 - 2003: Danny Williams comes to power in Newfoundland
19 – 2001: Stockwell Day forced out as Canadian Alliance leader
18 – 2008: Jean Charest wins a majority, decimating the ADQ
17 – 2006: Ralph Klein is forced out early at an Alberta PC leadership review
16 – 2000: Jean Chrétien wins his third straight majority
15 – 2006: Ed Stelmach stuns the field, winning the Alberta PC leadership race
14 – 2005: The Income Trust investigation is announced during the election
13 – 2003: David Orchard hands Peter McKay the PC leadership win, thanks to a no merger deal
12 – 2009: STV goes down to defeat in British Columbia
11 – 2003: Jean Charest knocks the PQ out of power in Quebec
All memorable events, but the top 10 blew them out of the water – it wasn’t even close.
And the top 10 offer a nice mix. Three policy decisions. One election, one leadership race, one merger. Some moments from the Chrétien years, some from the Martin years, and some from the Harper years.
I’ve set up a preferential ballot for the top 10, so just click through the link to see who made the cut. Voting will be open until midnight on Sunday night – results will stay secret until I count down the top 10 the first two weeks of January. You can vote once a day, so the old "vote early, vote often" adage certainly applies.
So argue for which moment you feel should win in the comments section, then go cast your vote!
PS - And, after that, if you're still in the mood for more online preferential balloting, be sure to cast a ballot in the final round of the Canadian Blog Awards where I'm up for Best Political Blog.
Labels: Political moment of the decade
posted by calgarygrit at
7:25 p.m.
10 Comments:
If only we could get preferential ballot for both federal and provincial elections, perhaps politicians would make a better effort engaging the electorate beyond their traditional base of support. Maybe there would be an end to brutal question periods and slandering "10 percenters" if they were foced to respect those who could choose them as a "second choice."
By
Anonymous, at 10:39 p.m.
Grit, don't you mean the "AG's report on Adscam" and not the "GG's report on Adscam"?
By
The Pundits' Guide, at 10:52 p.m.
Yes, it was present in the first poll as well. Copy-paste can be a harsh mistress.
My only thought is that the Clarity Act either shouldn't be on the list or be very low on the list. I think it's more of a 90's thing, and it hasn't really affected Canadian or Quebec politics all that much, especially since the 2003 and 2007 provincial elections (in fact, probably the 2007 election, where the PQ ended up third, should be list - but the people have spoken already, the bastards.
By
Christopher, at 4:53 a.m.
I know a lot of people will vote for the coalition, but I think the 2005 confidence shenanigans were just as exciting. The Belinda floor crossing stunned everyone, and you had all the "what will happen" vote counting. Remember when one of the MPs was rushed to hospital and people thought the gov might fall because of it? It was crazy.
And in the long run, I think it was more meaningful since it delayed the Harper victory election (which he might have lost had it happened earlier).
By
Sean, at 9:44 a.m.
Yeah, AG, GG, it's all the same...
By
calgarygrit, at 12:40 p.m.
The abortive coalition is indeed the biggest story as no others story had such a grip on the attention of the nation. The icing on the cake is the potential it has to influence the next election ... the thought that Canada's legitimately elected government could be overturned as the result of a backroom bargain which included the Quebec separatists was extremely distasteful to many. This may incline people to vote for a majority government next time in order to prevent the return of this kind of scenario.
By
Dave in Maple Ridge, at 1:26 p.m.
The coalition crisis was the only time in my life other than the 1995 referendum where I feared for the fate of my country (and would consider protesting in the streets).
I think its resolution will have a lasting impact on Canadian politics as well - though I can't tell which. Perhaps it put a germ of an idea in the heads of the NDP and Liberals and will bear fruit in the future. Alternately, the reaction of Canadians may have illustrated that such a move is so politically toxic that it won't be tried again.
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french wedding cat, at 12:40 a.m.
Hmmm. Of course, it's all in personal perception, but I do not see the coalition 'crisis' as at all historically significant. It is typical of the horse-trading that can take place in the early stages of any minority government. Certainly, it is less significant than, for example, Broadbent supporting Trudeau in '72 or Rae backing Peterson in '85 (of course, it would have been historically noteworthy if it had actually worked!).
It is hard to imagine an event that redefined the electoral landscape (as distinguished from the political) than the Reform/PC merger. It ended the Liberal party hegemony of the centre, and the party has struggled ever since to find itself.
By
Anonymous, at 9:02 a.m.
King-Byng did make the history books, so I suspect the coalition will as well.
By
DF, at 10:21 a.m.
I think several attempts at reforming the federal system in Canada have thus far failed because of, particularly, the conflicting interests between Quebec's representatives and the other provincial governments' representatives buy term papers, essays
By
baster, at 9:48 a.m.
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