Summary of Election Questions

With the election less than a week away, it’s time to review the Cobourg News Blog series of posts featuring four key election issues.  As expected, many candidates simply pointed to the policies published by their party but some in particular took the trouble to spell out their personal positions.  Most electors in Canada decide their vote based on the policies and personalities of the party leaders and see the candidates as representatives and not individuals.  But in gathering responses to my questions, I have come to see them as distinct from their party leaders.  I can also safely say that from my perspective, they are all good people.  But let me try to analyse what Cobourg News Blog readers think.

Overview

Numbers as of publication of this post

Question subject Article hits Number of Comments
Health 1222 16
Housing 1027 19
Environment 634 11
Long Term Care 871 12

Note that posts that are online longer will get more hits and comments. Taking this into account, one can still make observations by comparing to other subjects on this blog.

Observations

  • The Provincial election does not seem to generate a whole lot of interest.  Or maybe people have already decided who they should vote for and are not really very interested in what candidates have to say.
  • There is no consensus on how to fix our health care system except that it’s a Government issue and nurses should be paid more.
  • There seems to be no consensus on what exactly affordable housing means and secondly, how should it be provided.
  • Affordable housing is of more interest than the Environment – at least at the Provincial level.
  • Despite the talk, the Environment is not a big issue – at least provincially
  • Discussions on the Environment are mostly about using energy sources that don’t produce carbon dioxide when operating
  • For Long Term Care, the most contentious issue is the provision of long term care by for-profit companies versus not-for-profit and government operated homes.

Prediction

You have no doubt seen predictions that Ford will get back in with a majority but most media don’t go into details.  We all know that polls can be wrong – as they have before – but they are still interesting.  Most Canadian media agree that the best source of poll information is web site 338Canada run by Philippe J. Fournier.  Phillippe collects information from all polls and uses them to predict results in elections with his current focus on the Ontario Provincial election.  He even drills down to the riding level so he can predict which ridings will go to which party.  To do this, he relies not only on Province wide polls but also electoral history, demographics and if there is a star candidate.  The error margin is high (around 8%) but he currently predicts our Riding to be “Leaning CPC”. (“Leaning” means 70 to 90% likely).

See Resources below for links to key parts of Phillipe’s web site.

I would note that Cobourg tends to vote left of the rest of the Riding – that is, the Conservative strength in Northumberland-Peterborough South is primarily in rural areas and not Cobourg.

Resources

338 Canada Links

Cobourg Internet

Provincial Election fact page – includes results of previous elections

Previous posts in this series

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MiriamM
2 years ago

The environment topic is generally like the story of the frog in a pot it can not escape, a pot of heating water. Except, we humans have been warned. But “We’re ok at the moment, worry about it later if we have to. Right now, the water seems just fine.”

Keith Oliver
2 years ago

What is strange, if not tragic, is that while so many are willing to complain, so few are willing to get involved, offer constructive criticism when they don’t agree, and ultimately get out and vote. Just over half the eligible voters did so in the last provincial election.

While others are fighting and suffering elsewhere to gain the kind of well constructed and impartial electoral system that our predecessoros have trusted to us, like spoiled children we are indifferent to our responsibilities which often results in our system being abused.

Jones
Reply to  Keith Oliver
2 years ago

Let’s ad prosecutors and judges to our electoral system

Keith Oliver
Reply to  Jones
2 years ago

Jones

I disagree. Our system of appointing such judicial officers is, for the most part, based on recommendations submitted in an organized manner by others.

In the US they are elected and the system has become highly politicized even up to appointments to their Supreme Court.

There’s always room for improvement, but we’re doing just fine. Now if only more Canadians would get involved and vote.

marya
Reply to  Keith Oliver
2 years ago

We are far from doing just fine with the prosecutors and the existing judicial system.

Keith Oliver
Reply to  marya
2 years ago

marya

This is not the time to be vague.

Referring to my reply to Jones just what do you mean by disagreeing with me and .saying “… We are far from doing just fine.”?

Last edited 2 years ago by Keith Oliver
marya
Reply to  Keith Oliver
2 years ago

There is agreement with Jones. Cobourg Police Services, and other Police Departments throughout Ontario, do a fantastic job of apprehending criminals only for these offenders to be released, time and time again, without consequences, by appointed judges or justices of the peace. Criminals are laughing at the system and Victims are suffering by it. We write through experience.

Dunkirk
Reply to  Keith Oliver
2 years ago

Keith–voting is simply a right, as not voting is also a right: it’s not a privilege, a responsibility or an obligation….
Next week, using your math, an MPP will be selected to represent us at Queens Park that perhaps only gets 30% of the vote and with 50% not participating that would mean 3 out of every 20 citizens support. The real tragedy will be to watch him/her behave for the next 4 years like they have 100% support….
For the record–I will exercise my right next week, but, I’ll be holding my nose when I do it…

Are_n
2 years ago

Thanks for that analysis. Always nice to see an unbiased and well articulated viewpoint.