That's not why they'll never win. They'll never win because minor/fringe/startup parties can't win in the Canadian electoral system. It's not just unlikely, it's impossible for one simple reason.
That reason being, if those ideas ever become popular enough to win an election, a major party will run on them. That's how it works. The major parties adapt to the electorate (rather than taking a position, never changing, and just hoping the electorate eventually comes to them like the Greens and the PPC do). That's why they have leadership elections and policy conventions - to stay relevant with the voters.
Seriously. Haven't you ever wondered why for the entire 150 years of this country's existence it's only ever been ruled by one of the two major parties, even though a myriad of minor parties have come and gone? That's why. Because the major parties adopt the popular positions of the day in order to stay in power. That's not going to change. The major parties aren't just going to stop trying to win elections by adapting to current trends. And the PPC are not going to be the first party in Canadian history to come from behind and upset the whole system by winning an election. To even think this is possible reveals a deep lack of understanding of how electoral politics work.
I've seen you make this point often over the last few months, and I find it compelling. I'm probably on the younger side of this board, so I'm ashamed to say my mindset was entirely different in 2015, it was my first federal election where I could vote and I voted liberal then(I also live/grew up in a very liberal riding). I voted liberal over another candidate because I believed it was a strategic vote, even though I preferred another candidate.
I've learned and changed a lot since then. I now oppose the corrupt lying liberals. I have adopted the principle that I will not support a lesser evil, I will vote with my conscious. I believed the liberals were less evil than the conservatives and I wouldn't vote third party, look how that turned out. From now on I will vote for my preferred local candidate, "strategic voting" be damned.
So I see your argument about the nature of electoral politics in Canada, but the liberals have shown me that establishment parties will only exploit this. Further, I don't think real change will come at the ballot box but at the individual level of every Canadian. This is a reason for me to support the PPC, so I can at least have conversations with people about my values and point to a party that represents them. Cynicism and complacency in politics only dissuades individuals' civic engagement. I'd rather have to something to aim for than something to be let down by.
Besides last time PPC got 3% of the vote. If they get 7%, that's EXACTLY what Ham is saying sends the message to Conservatives, even if the PPC had no seats. If they lose seats because they don't represent 20% of their potential voting base, they'll adapt or die.
I'm in my late 20s, so I'm not much ahead of you, and I only woke up to politics in 2015 anyhow.
If you want a good historical context of what the PPC is trying to do, look up the reform party 1987 and what they became.
You said what's on my mind. People saying the PPC only got 3% of votes last election are fools. It's a new party. No one expect them to win or even get 10%. But they did get nearly 400,000 votes Canada wide. It could be 800,000 next election and even if no seats are won I will be happy knowing there are 800,000 reasonable Canadians out there who think like me and who are tired of CPC.
That's not why they'll never win. They'll never win because minor/fringe/startup parties can't win in the Canadian electoral system. It's not just unlikely, it's impossible for one simple reason.
That reason being, if those ideas ever become popular enough to win an election, a major party will run on them. That's how it works. The major parties adapt to the electorate (rather than taking a position, never changing, and just hoping the electorate eventually comes to them like the Greens and the PPC do). That's why they have leadership elections and policy conventions - to stay relevant with the voters.
Seriously. Haven't you ever wondered why for the entire 150 years of this country's existence it's only ever been ruled by one of the two major parties, even though a myriad of minor parties have come and gone? That's why. Because the major parties adopt the popular positions of the day in order to stay in power. That's not going to change. The major parties aren't just going to stop trying to win elections by adapting to current trends. And the PPC are not going to be the first party in Canadian history to come from behind and upset the whole system by winning an election. To even think this is possible reveals a deep lack of understanding of how electoral politics work.
I've seen you make this point often over the last few months, and I find it compelling. I'm probably on the younger side of this board, so I'm ashamed to say my mindset was entirely different in 2015, it was my first federal election where I could vote and I voted liberal then(I also live/grew up in a very liberal riding). I voted liberal over another candidate because I believed it was a strategic vote, even though I preferred another candidate.
I've learned and changed a lot since then. I now oppose the corrupt lying liberals. I have adopted the principle that I will not support a lesser evil, I will vote with my conscious. I believed the liberals were less evil than the conservatives and I wouldn't vote third party, look how that turned out. From now on I will vote for my preferred local candidate, "strategic voting" be damned.
So I see your argument about the nature of electoral politics in Canada, but the liberals have shown me that establishment parties will only exploit this. Further, I don't think real change will come at the ballot box but at the individual level of every Canadian. This is a reason for me to support the PPC, so I can at least have conversations with people about my values and point to a party that represents them. Cynicism and complacency in politics only dissuades individuals' civic engagement. I'd rather have to something to aim for than something to be let down by.
Besides last time PPC got 3% of the vote. If they get 7%, that's EXACTLY what Ham is saying sends the message to Conservatives, even if the PPC had no seats. If they lose seats because they don't represent 20% of their potential voting base, they'll adapt or die.
I'm in my late 20s, so I'm not much ahead of you, and I only woke up to politics in 2015 anyhow.
If you want a good historical context of what the PPC is trying to do, look up the reform party 1987 and what they became.
You said what's on my mind. People saying the PPC only got 3% of votes last election are fools. It's a new party. No one expect them to win or even get 10%. But they did get nearly 400,000 votes Canada wide. It could be 800,000 next election and even if no seats are won I will be happy knowing there are 800,000 reasonable Canadians out there who think like me and who are tired of CPC.