Late january in canada is usually overcast and very cold, if not freezing. It is safe to say conditions will not be ideal for voters in a federal election. Yet, off to the polls we’ll go on Jan. 23 to replace the minority Liberal government that collapsed Nov. 28 after 17 months in power. This is Canada’s 39th federal election, and only the fifth winter vote.

The election will cost $277 million — the same as the previous one — and polls indicate another minority government may be in the cards. Every vote will matter.

The Internet lets us visit each major party’s Web site to see what it is promising in return for our votes. Here’s a guide to the 2006 election:



Elections Canada

www.elections.ca

The main Web site for the event is that of Elections Canada, the independent, non-partisan agency created by Ottawa to oversee the election process. You can type in your postal code to find out where to cast your ballot. There are local phone numbers and the name of your returning officer, should you want to confirm that you are on the list of voters. There are also dates of advance polls in each riding.

Only 61% of eligible voters cast ballots in 2004, making it the lowest turnout in Canadian history. There is added pressure this time because more than 100,000 voters are “snowbirds,” many of whom may be away on election day.

Advisors will want to let holiday-bound clients know the Elections Canada site offers a “special ballot election kit” for voters who’ll be away from their ridings on Jan. 23. A completed registration form, available on the site, along with a photocopy of ID, must be received by Elections Canada or dropped off at the riding’s election office by Jan. 17. The completed ballot must be received by Elections Canada in Ottawa by 6 p.m. EST on election night.



Bloc Québécois

www.blocquebecois.org

There are 308 seats in the House of Commons, and 54 were snared by the Bloc Québécois in the last election. The party is the only one that runs candidates in a single province. The Bloc has been a thorn in the Liberals’ side, last time winning 1.7 million Quebec votes vs the Liberals’ 1.2 million, and leaving the Liberals with just 21 of the 75 federal seats in Quebec. Other parties were completely shut out.

Quebec sovereignty is the Bloc’s main platform, and it is sure to use the Quebec sponsorship scandal to its advantage in coming weeks.



Conservative Party of Canada

www.conservative.ca

The Conservatives won 99 seats in 2004, attracting almost 30% of all votes — enough for party leader Stephen Harper to form the official Opposition. The party was created in 2003 through the merger of the Progressive Conservative and Canadian Alliance parties. Harper led the charge in tarring the Liberals for the sponsorship scandal.

The Tories have promised to cut the 7% GST by one percentage point immediately and trim another point within five years.



Liberal Party of Canada

www.liberal.ca

In 2004, the Liberals took 135 seats and about 37% of the votes across Canada; 155 seats are needed for a majority. The Conservatives’ ability to make inroads in predominantly Liberal Ontario and the Bloc’s dominance in Quebec contributed to the Liberal’s inability to grab a fourth straight majority.

The Liberals want to cut the corporate tax rate to 19% from 21%. Paul Martin is running on his 17-month record as prime minister, a period that saw healthy economic numbers.



New Democratic Party

www.ndp.ca

The NDP won 19 seats in 2004 — almost 16% of the national vote — and flexed most of its muscle in Ontario, Manitoba and British Columbia. Leader Jack Layton is expected to carry huge clout in Ottawa if another minority government is formed.

On Dec. 5, Layton and Paul Summerville, former chief economist with RBC Dominion Securities Inc. and a candidate in Toronto, said the NDP would not raise personal taxes nor be quick to cut them beyond levels proposed by the Liberals in November. Instead, they said, Ottawa should revamp its revenue stream priorities, putting more emphasis on education, health care and “green jobs” to improve cities’ water and sewage systems. IE



If you have sites to share with readers, e-mail gflanagan@sympatico.ca.