recession?

[SaskHunter]

imo, there is a lot to like about a parliamentary form of government.

Our constitution selects for stalemate fairly often. That and one house of Congress is wildly unrepresentative. It gives disproportionate power to rural states.

Federal Parliamentary Monarchy; ruled by a random nepo baby with no real powers overseas!

 

[Beignet]

We're not really a two party system, we have four main parties that hold significant power. The New Democrats (NDP) became the official opposition from 2011 to 2015, with the Conservatives in power and Liberals far far behind. We have what we call majority and minority governments. A majority government happens when a political party holds the majority of seats/elected members of parliament and cannot be defeated with a vote of non-confidence. A minority government happens when a party is elected with the most seats in parliament, but when the majority of seats are held by other parties, therefore the minority government in power must remain somewhat neutral or form a coalition to rule. Right now the LPC holds 160, CPC 119, Bloc 32, NDP 24 and Greens 2 seats.

Currently, the Liberal Party (LPC) has a coalition government with the NDP, meaning that as long as the LPC passes policies that the NPD agrees on, they will continue to hold the majority of power together. What ends up happening is that if the LPC or Conservatives (CPC) have a minority government, they must work with one or more parties to maintain their rule, meaning that parties like the NDP or Bloc Quebecois (who would never get a majority government), end up having legislations passed thru coalition efforts.

Essentially, parties have to work together to make things work when we have a minority government. No one wants to have repeated elections unless there's a good reason and any "non-confidence" vote would trigger an election (meaning a majority of members of parliament vote "No" on any item brought to Parliament). The both the LPC and CPC have worked with the Bloc or NDP in the past.

Edit: We also don't have a cult-like following of Prime Minister candidates like we see South of the border. Our Prime Ministers are the leaders of their respective parties, when their parties are elected to power. Our head of state, or "President" if you will, is King Charles III, represented by the Governor General (unelected official) who essentially signs off on stuff that Parliament and the Senate have voted on. We do not have a single entity or person, who can make drastic decisions in Canada. The King and Governor General have absolutely no powers here in Canada, they act on request of the government. While the King technically owns everything, he can't do shyte.

That was informative. Thanks! Sorry I don’t know jack about what’s shaking up north. Especially when you guys are bludgeoned with news coming from us all the time.

Good luck in the trade war and enjoy your healthcare.

 

[Nick87]

I bet it's a lot for sure.
And until David is old enough to start school, we kinda have no choice. No child care close by. I appreciate them helping tremendously, but I'm ready for school to start.

Luckily for me, my parents are the ones who help with the kids. If I had to deal with her parents that much I'd swan dive into a wood chipper, literally. I feel like I'm having holidays with the phuggin Adam's family. You're a better man than me.