Canada 2008 General Election Thread

October 13, 2008 5:03 PM

The Canadian General Election kicks off in four hours. Can we use this as the official election thread, or is there a better way (snark away, but at least provide an example of a better way)?

The multiple McCain-Obama-Palin-USElectionFilter-FinancialMeltdown thread have made me anxious...

posted by KokuRyu to etiquette/policy at 5:03 PM (38 comments total)

or is there a better way

I always thought the best way was, after dropping the gloves, to try to pull your opponent's sweater over his head and then hammer him repeatedly. I could be wrong.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 5:19 PM on October 13, 2008 [1 favorite]

Why not an FPP?

Has there been an FPP about the Canadian election - candidates, issues?

(There may have been - I've been out of town and usually don't go back to read).
posted by Miko at 5:29 PM on October 13, 2008

Your first link breaks and 4 hours is very wrong. If you're going by when the day starts, you want to start with either Newfoundland or B.C, not Ontario. Realistically, you should go with when the polls open, so either 11 hours or 13 hours depending on your opinion.

Is there room for a FPP about various interesting electoral laws in Canada? The various media blackout laws to prevent disillusion in B.C., the edibility of ballots, etc?
posted by Lemurrhea at 5:39 PM on October 13, 2008

There have been 4 FPPs about the Canadian Election, I believe. But this topic doesn't really center on a specific component or a social issue, which is usually what an FPP is centered about. I actually think a dedicated MeTa for free-form discussion might be a neat idea (as a Canuck myself), but I'm not sure if the mods will like the use of MetaTalk as a surrogate forum this way. We'll see.

I for one will be watching this closely.
posted by Phire at 5:40 PM on October 13, 2008

PoliticalFilter is great for this sort of thing.
posted by grouse at 5:42 PM on October 13, 2008 [3 favorites]

I actually think a dedicated MeTa for free-form discussion might be a neat idea (as a Canuck myself), but I'm not sure if the mods will like the use of MetaTalk as a surrogate forum this way.

I think it would be pretty easy to be certain that we wouldn't. Metatalk isn't for talking about topics, it's for talking about the site though sometimes of course things devolve into talking about topics. Really though this isn't the place to have an "open thread" about anything. Make a good post about the Canadian elections or go to PoliticalFilter and make a bunch of tiny posts about it. Either one is fine.
posted by jessamyn at 5:50 PM on October 13, 2008

Go to politicalfilter & start a liveblog if you like. I'm pretty sure it's well-suited for this.
posted by Pronoiac at 6:04 PM on October 13, 2008

Oh hey... I suppose I should have come here before posting in AskMe. Anyone know of a US TV station where I could follow the Canadian election returns?
posted by Kattullus at 6:09 PM on October 13, 2008

No. If I (or anyone else) wanted to go to PoliticalFilter, we would go to PoliticalFilter. In this case, this was a question regarding the best use of MetaFilter. Consensus seems to be that a single FPP covering the Canadian Federal Election tomorrow would work better than using an existing MetaTalk thread. For an FPP to work, it has to be more than just political chatfilter. I'll try my hand at creating such a post later tonight, or perhaps someone will beat me to it.

However, the numerous Palin/McCain/Obama/Economy threads are a real pain in the ass, and hopefully there will be a single stop tomorrow for the Canadian election. Or perhaps the Meta community will determine multiple threads are better. We'll just have to see.
posted by KokuRyu at 6:13 PM on October 13, 2008

Anyone know of a US TV station where I could follow the Canadian election returns?

I don't know about live television coverage in the States, but CBC Radio 1 (live stream) will have some pretty good coverage. I don't get cable tv, so that's how I will be following the election results.
posted by KokuRyu at 6:16 PM on October 13, 2008

Make a good post about the Canadian elections or go to PoliticalFilter and make a bunch of tiny posts about it. Either one is fine.

If you're feeling truly radical, you could even make a good post about the Canadian election at PoliticalFilter.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:19 PM on October 13, 2008

Ok, so I know this isn't a thread about the Canadian Election and that should be an FPP, but I'm going to add this as a plea.... Please be nice to your election workers. I'm one of them (Deputy Returning Officer). I start at 6am tomorrow and go all day with only a few bathroom breaks (I eat at my polling station, etc...) until the day ends around 8-9pm, in a cold high school gym on a crappy wooden chair WITH NO INTERNET ACCESS *cries*.

But anyways yes this can go on as an FPP when I won't be able to access it all day tomorrow as I'll be helping everyone get their votes in.
posted by Salmonberry at 6:34 PM on October 13, 2008 [1 favorite]

I think it would be pretty easy to be certain that we wouldn't. Metatalk isn't for talking about topics, it's for talking about the site though sometimes of course things devolve into talking about topics.

I had meant more the sabotaging of either this thread or the one linked into a live debate, as opposed to creating yet another dedicated thread, but your original point stands and makes perfect sense.
posted by Phire at 6:37 PM on October 13, 2008

No. If I (or anyone else) wanted to go to PoliticalFilter, we would go to PoliticalFilter. In this case, this was a question regarding the best use of MetaFilter.

You're sort of being prickly to folks who're just trying to be helpful while still respecting the guidelines of the site - I don't remember seeing anything in the MeFi FAQ that mentioned providing a forum for discussion of Canadian elections.

Unless some post-worthy event occurs in the next twelve hours, I suggest using one of the extant FPPs, since the best use of MetaFilter involves linking to stuff on the internet.

Or, go to PoliFilter.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 6:51 PM on October 13, 2008

Anyone know of a US TV station where I could follow the Canadian election returns?

This is meant to be funny, right?
posted by Chuckles at 6:54 PM on October 13, 2008

NO INTERNET ACCESS

Don't forget, no cell phones at the polling place!
posted by Chuckles at 6:55 PM on October 13, 2008

I can't believe it!
And now I feel like an ass too!!
posted by Chuckles at 6:58 PM on October 13, 2008

You're sort of being prickly to folks who're just trying to be helpful

You know, you're right. Sorry about that.
posted by KokuRyu at 7:17 PM on October 13, 2008

No harm done, I'm prickly myself because I have to work tomorrow night. Sure, I'll be able to listen to the coverage, but I'll miss critiquing the CBC people's outfits.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 7:26 PM on October 13, 2008

Chuckles: This is meant to be funny, right?

Apparently, C-SPAN will be showing the CBC broadcast from 9 pm until 1 am.
posted by Kattullus at 7:33 PM on October 13, 2008

And now I feel like an ass too!!

You know, you're right. Sorry about that.

No harm done

CanadaFilter: I'm wrong. No, I'm wrong.
posted by hangashore at 8:24 PM on October 13, 2008 [6 favorites]

Sorry.
posted by hangashore at 8:25 PM on October 13, 2008 [3 favorites]

"No cell phones" doesn't include BlackBerries, right? Because they're smart and special and Canadian and -- and --

Oh, God. I'm going to have to bring a brown paper bag to breathe deeply into, right? Right?
posted by maudlin at 8:51 PM on October 13, 2008

Great Canadian Election FPP here.
posted by KokuRyu at 9:39 PM on October 13, 2008

Everyone's a winnah!

And now that that has been resolved, I would like to hijack this MeTa to discuss a display issue, I'm not sure if it would qualify as a bug or not. I have my font sizes set at 11 and 10. On MetaTalk and AskMetaFilter things are fine, with the "posted by..." slightly smaller than the comment. But on the Blue, both the comment text and attribution line are the same size, which is quite distracting and yes, unsettling.
For the last four days I've been tweaking and retweaking my display settings and gibbering in the corner, certain that I was going mad. However, I am now 99% certain that this is not the case, and disabling GreaseMonkey doesn't result in any change, so it's not the culprit either.

What gives?
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 11:17 PM on October 13, 2008

You can bring your cell phone to the polling station, just don't be on it. And that includes blackberries. Just turn it to silent mode (or at least change your ringer away from the HNIC theme, which is clearly Conservative)
posted by Lemurrhea at 11:45 PM on October 13, 2008

is there a better way (snark away, but at least provide an example of a better way)?

2007 Australian Federal Election threads:

Part 1

Part 2

Those actually cover the entire election, from the day it was formally announced, to voting day itself. The last quarter or so of the second thread contains live-action reporting as the results come in.
posted by UbuRoivas at 2:44 AM on October 14, 2008

Chuckles, believe it or not, there are a number of USians who follow Canadian elections. I grew up on the border, and remember staying up late to watch the Quebec votes. I even have favourite Canadian parties and politicians.

There is more to Canada than hockey and softwood lumber, and a few USians have noticed.
posted by QIbHom at 7:13 AM on October 14, 2008

Just a word of warning not to share election results as they start coming out later today. In one of our more hard-to-understand laws, it is still illegal to transmit election results while polls are still open in other parts of the country.
posted by never used baby shoes at 10:39 AM on October 14, 2008

There is more to Canada than hockey and softwood lumber, and a few USians have noticed.

Right. There's also beer.
posted by desjardins at 10:53 AM on October 14, 2008

Don't forget that they have Tim Horton's, too.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 12:04 PM on October 14, 2008

I voted in the local hockey arena an hour ago, but sadly, neither beer nor Tim Horton's was available.
posted by maudlin at 12:10 PM on October 14, 2008

you forgot maple syrup.
posted by UbuRoivas at 1:23 PM on October 14, 2008

Tim Horton's is all over Rhode Island, I can tell you that. Pretty decent sandwiches for the price.
posted by Kattullus at 2:09 PM on October 14, 2008

Just a word of warning not to share election results as they start coming out later today.

Metafilter is hosted in the United States, and therefore does not have to follow Canadian election laws.
posted by KokuRyu at 2:11 PM on October 14, 2008

I forgot about that, KokoRyu. Cool. Bring it on, MeFi!
posted by never used baby shoes at 2:45 PM on October 14, 2008

Tim Horton's is all over Rhode Island, I can tell you that.

Rhode Island is the smallest province of the Greater East Canadian Co-Prosperity Sphere.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 2:52 PM on October 14, 2008 [1 favorite]

>'ll be able to listen to the coverage, but I'll miss critiquing the CBC people's outfits.
I was shocked (well, not really) to see CBC correspondents wear reading glasses (Wendy Mesley and Peter Mansbridge, I'm looking at you) when reporting on the fly but don't wear them for the teleprompters.
posted by philfromhavelock at 6:01 PM on October 15, 2008