Pajiba

No problem,sir.
(WOO,a mention on Pajiba.)

So,that Newfie accent is the one commonly heard on my favorite Canadian shows,"Divine Design" and "Being Erica"?

We don’t actually elect a Prime Minister, however, he’s just a man (and in one case a woman) who leads the party that is elected to power.

I wish more Canadians understood this. Lately there's been a growing number of pundits on Canadian TV who talk about how "we" elected our Prime Minister and now we have to support his mandate when it comes to Afghanistan, crime control, baby seal clubbing etc. No one voted for Harper or any other Canadian Prime Minister other than the people who live in their specific riding.

Then again, a lot of the worst aspects of America's right wing politics have been seeping into the discourse lately (e.g. talk about "administrations" as opposed to governments; hyper-negative attack ads etc.) Perhaps a little more influence from Merrie Olde Englande wouldn't be such a bad thing after all.

/soapbox

In 1996 I was in grade six and was STILL singing God Save the Queen at assemblies in my SK elementary school. Maybe they still do now, I have no idea. Either way, since I've relocated to BC I am apparently the only person who knows the words to that song, and I have a feeling I will never forget it.

I don't think having a Prime Minister and paying respects to a Queen is any more weird than declaring independence from a King and then making his son the Emperor of you new Monarchy, which is what we did in Brazil in 1822. It just sounds so ridiculous. "Fuck the monarchy, let them go back to Portugal!- oh wait, you stay and be King, but be nice, ok?"

But yeah, the american election process is a mindfuck to foreigners. I understand most of it by now, but I don't get why on earth they still use ballots! It goes through a computer later, right? Why not vote *in* the computer, then?

Hey, Canada isn't that much different from the US! If Harper were American, he'd be the Speaker!

...and John Boehner, as a matter of fact. Ugh.

The main thing I've understood from the entire proroguing drama two years ago is that Westminster (and most bicameral systems) gives a lot more power to the legislative branch, and especially the lower house. Putting it like this:

All the asshats in our Senate would be pretty much irrelevant, right? Canada's Senate, as I understand it, generally approves stuff that gets through the House of Commons (do I have that right?). Also, the 17th amendment in our Constitution wouldn't exist (as until 1913, our senators were also appointed, although by our state legislatures).

Barack Obama would be mostly a figurehead to sign off on stuff. (And also the Canadian face of an eighty-something white woman who happens to be the head of state of like twenty other countries.) Nancy Pelosi (until January) and John Boehner (after January) would be the head of government, and thus the person really running the show.

...you know, I just talked myself into being really glad that America doesn't have a Westminster parliamentary system. I also won't be able to sleep tonight.

The best part? Election called, for your MP, go home. Our elections are maximum five weeks long and it is blisssssss. After a while, it becomes such an ordeal to hear about some other country's competition every day, for YEARS. No matter how interesting or important it may be, after while you feel like asking this chick if she can talk about anything other her boyfriend because this is sooooooo enervating.

As far as Queen Half-Cocked Matron Tax Dodge and the Aryan Superstar Squad go, 'Love' is a too-strong word. I love dulce de leche, not the entity holding up the hats. Should I ever have attend a party (shudder) my only party trick in the world would be reciting all the kings and queens of England, because I've picked weird-ass shit like that in my very unconventional and brutal education history. It doesn't mean I'm terribly enamoured of any of them as people, they were sanctioned maniacs with the mandate of the people who didn't want to be tortured to death. I find the history incredibly interesting but since we're talking about today's sorry lot, I can't get past that whole inbred freaks of Nazism thing. I adored the bitchy takedown from David Starkey (quite possibly the world's bitchiest man) wherein he called her an 'uneducated housefrau'. Pissy and rude as fuck he is, but dang if I didn't enjoy reading that one, especially given her treatment of him when he gave her a guided tour.

@spoobnoonble: No kidding, huh? Is this the same country that reacted so negatively to the attack ad from almost ten years ago? Yes, one attack ad got people muttering. Now it's going all 'first past the piss' and increasingly difficult to watch.

@thecurious: No, that accent is what you'd hear in parts of southern Ontario. There are others, but that's the one that makes it to the airwaves.
Go north a ways, and you'll hit Fubar territory (though they've exaggerated it).

Here's my question (I already know a lot of Canadians can be insufferably smug about America, so you don't have to stomp around grousing about some mendacious maple-soaked slut who is lacking in introspection is giving you undue grief):

What is with the condescension about our accents? I assume a large part of it has to do with getting a rise out of us in the hopes that we'll utter the golden phrase: 'We don't sound like that!' It is somewhat true and I know that in the grand scheme it's nothing, but why test the gentle good humour of the person to whom you're talking with the 'Oh, it thinks it's people' bunk?

Oh, you crazy Canadians and your crazy Canadianness. How cute.

Now run along, us and the British got big people talk to have.

I'm one Canadian that doesn't love the Queen. I like Queen, I enjoy the company of queens, and I am the Pizza Queen, but as for HRH? No thanks.

Robert, you forgot the most awesome thing about our parliament. Well, technically it's about our parties. That would be the fact that we've elected a party into our parliament that has the goal of splitting the nation apart, and we're completely civil and casual about it! Bloq Quebeqois! The Americans would call them a bunch of anarchists, we just call them business as usual.

Maybe it's just my age, but I've just felt like parliament hasn't been the same since Jean left. I don't even vote Liberal, but I miss the old wingnut... and I have strangely fond feelings towards him.

@Claire Allison - you're not alone, I miss Honest Jean too. I still maintain he was the most honest politician ever to live, as he'd tell you straight to your face when he was lying to you (or just wouldn't tell you the truth). My favourite Jean Chrétien quote ever:

"'e make a mistake. We all make mistake. Even I make mistake, I just don' tell you guys h'about it."

"My dog wears a raincoat."

In 1996 I was in grade six and was STILL singing God Save the Queen at assemblies in my SK elementary school.

I was in grade 6 in 2000 and we never sang it, but I've lived in BC my whole life.

sunset&camden, the real question we need to discuss is WHERE in BC?

East Van represent!

One thing about Cretien, motherfucker knew how to choke a bitch.

Gawd, I remember singing the anthem in English only in grade school at assemblies. I am not even going to do the math on how long ago that was.

we still would sing God Save the Queen at assemblies.
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I still sing "God Save the Queen" at assemblies.

God save the Queen
The fascist ray-JHEEEEM
They made you a moron
Potential H-bomb

*accompanied by air guitar flailing*

At this point I'm usually asked to leave.

I want Italian-style politics for all. Italy has had something like what, 4,697 governments since World War II? They're always forming them and dissolving them two minutes later. How does that happen? Why does that happen? I don't know but I figure it's a way for absolutely nothing to get done while everyone still gets paid scads of lira (euros, whatever).

And of course, that government governs best which governs least.

I didn’t know Canada had some skirt running their country? That lady in the picture looks just like that Queen lady from Germany. So then what happened to that Merkel broad, did she lose the Vice Presidency of Germany?

I both love and dread reading about my home and native land. I miss Canada and the feeling of being in my own country and culture so much. I've been told by other ex-pats that the exiled feeling never really goes away. So I've got that going for me, which is nice.

I used to collect George VI memorobilia because it amused me to no end that someone would want an ashtray so they could put their cigarette out in the king's face. Then I married an Irish American and that is not a combination that goes well with royalty kitsch. Alas, my George VI juice glass and stemmed cookie plates languish in the back of the pantry cupboard. However, I am not a monarchist and I don't know what the fuckity-bye we are doing with that woman on the money and in our politics, even symbolically. I had a friend who got a job working for the federal government for a princely sum. He had to sign a loyalty oath including the words "to the Queen, her heirs and successors". He said he looked at the salary, looked at the oath, looked at the salary again and signed the damn paper.

I like the idea of a Head of State separate from the head of the government. I think it very civilized. I also think the whole "traditional ties" thing has gots to go. I am centennial baby and if I'm this old, the country is too and should cut the cord already.

Heh, I'm from Sask, too (Melville) and way older than you lot, and never sang God Save the Queen. I do admit to liking the old girl, though not nearly as much as the Queen Mother - now that was a lady who would have been fun to drink with.

Jo: the answer to your comment is never. The senate has never, in 143 years, rejected a bill.

The closest might have been when the abortion bill passed the house post-Morgentaler. The senate tied on the vote, resulting in the bill not passing (with no other law being put in place since).

Whenever she comes to visit us people line the streets to wave and bask in Her Royal Highnessness.

O RLY? I never met anyone under the age of 70 who gave a shit about the Queen.

Also? I find that the rural and/or Southern Ontario accent is more stereotypically Canadian than the Newfie one.

Stupid Velociraptors, yep, I went to public school and did the same things every morning. I never thought about it in a regional way, but it probably makes a lot of sense, considering we moved to another town two hours away and didn't do any of that there.

Suddenly I don't feel so alone with my fond memories of Chretien.

The missus could protect the homestead from mashers just as well as the Pugilist of Sussex, lest we forget the Inuit Soapstone Offensive.

Yeah, but Minister Prime is the only one that can kill Parliamatron.

Yes, I've been drinking. Why do you ask?