As a first step in re-educating myself for the upcoming election, I decided to do a web search on where each major party stands on the issues. I have come to the table as the metaphorical "Martian" who will be influenced by what I see and hear.
For "major parties", I have selected those based on the numbers at the dissolution of the last parliament in mid-May.
As you can see, the party's standings in numbers of seats were:
Conservatives 159
NDP 95
Liberals 36
Bloc Québecois 2
Greens 2
FD 2
Independent 8
Vacant 4
I got stuck on the opening pages of the sites as indicators of what each party holds as most important at this point. The opening pages are as follows:
The Conservatives' page has a two-fold scroll, the first centering on donating / becoming a member, and the second bad-mouthing the leader of the Liberal Party.
The Conservatives seem to be relying on their record over the past few years, highlighting the strong leadership of Stephen Harper and the new look that Canada has of being strong. Stephen Harper is highlighted as is the call for donations and membership.
The second element is the attack on Justin Trudeau as "just not ready" to be a leader. Again, this follows the assumption that (a) Conservatives like a strong leader and (b) no Conservative would consider any other party except the Liberals. The NDP etc are not worthy of consideration. Is negative advertising part of being strong or mimicking US political strategies?
The Liberals' page is static and one scrolls down or hits on links.
Of interest here is the highlighting of the young face of Justin Trudeau and his role as an advocate for change as well as being a family man. Youth seems to be emphasized. Again a call for donations and for volunteers. My personal impression is that it reminded me of "President's Choice" ads.
The New Democratic Party's (NDP) page is static, but buttons for quick links are highlighted.
Dead centre is a button to watch a video and the "donate" button is highlighted along with "The Issues" (hmm, the first time we've seen that on a front page). The friendly tone of "About Tom" caters to the less conservative minds that are the main targets for this party.
The Green Party's page is again of the static, scroll-down type.
Highlighted is a place to add your email address, the face of "Elizabeth" (Elizabeth Who?). Again, like the Conservatives and Liberals, there is a link about "Vision". A pretty shot of water.
The Blocque Québecois' (BQ) page is understandable only in French (the other parties have bilingual portals). It has a four-fold scroll of which I have screenshots of the first two.
The voter base of BQ comprises those who see Québec as unapologetically independent. Voila!
There is not a focus on leadership here as there is with the other parties. It's hard to find the leader's name. The buttons on the side are the usual about getting involved and watching a video.
The Forces et Democratie (FD) party's page is in French, although there seems to be an English version "Strength and Democracy" which is under construction. Honestly, it's the first time I have heard of this party so I really am a Martian here.
Their slogan seems to imply that they are an alliance of regions. Could this be like a "states-rights" party in the US? Lots to learn.
My overall impression of the opening pages is that yes, these people are first and foremost politicians. Not a lot of substance, just the usual "vision" stuff. I would say the NDP's opening page is the easiest to get towards something of substance (the issues) while the Conservatives' was the only one with negative advertising.
Hmm, negative advertising in Canada? Not very Canadian of them!
I haven't even started :) More to come from the Lively Albatross.
For "major parties", I have selected those based on the numbers at the dissolution of the last parliament in mid-May.
As you can see, the party's standings in numbers of seats were:
Conservatives 159
NDP 95
Liberals 36
Bloc Québecois 2
Greens 2
FD 2
Independent 8
Vacant 4
I got stuck on the opening pages of the sites as indicators of what each party holds as most important at this point. The opening pages are as follows:
The Conservatives' page has a two-fold scroll, the first centering on donating / becoming a member, and the second bad-mouthing the leader of the Liberal Party.
The second element is the attack on Justin Trudeau as "just not ready" to be a leader. Again, this follows the assumption that (a) Conservatives like a strong leader and (b) no Conservative would consider any other party except the Liberals. The NDP etc are not worthy of consideration. Is negative advertising part of being strong or mimicking US political strategies?
The Liberals' page is static and one scrolls down or hits on links.
Of interest here is the highlighting of the young face of Justin Trudeau and his role as an advocate for change as well as being a family man. Youth seems to be emphasized. Again a call for donations and for volunteers. My personal impression is that it reminded me of "President's Choice" ads.The New Democratic Party's (NDP) page is static, but buttons for quick links are highlighted.
Dead centre is a button to watch a video and the "donate" button is highlighted along with "The Issues" (hmm, the first time we've seen that on a front page). The friendly tone of "About Tom" caters to the less conservative minds that are the main targets for this party.
The Green Party's page is again of the static, scroll-down type.
Highlighted is a place to add your email address, the face of "Elizabeth" (Elizabeth Who?). Again, like the Conservatives and Liberals, there is a link about "Vision". A pretty shot of water.The Blocque Québecois' (BQ) page is understandable only in French (the other parties have bilingual portals). It has a four-fold scroll of which I have screenshots of the first two.
The voter base of BQ comprises those who see Québec as unapologetically independent. Voila!
There is not a focus on leadership here as there is with the other parties. It's hard to find the leader's name. The buttons on the side are the usual about getting involved and watching a video.
The Forces et Democratie (FD) party's page is in French, although there seems to be an English version "Strength and Democracy" which is under construction. Honestly, it's the first time I have heard of this party so I really am a Martian here.
Their slogan seems to imply that they are an alliance of regions. Could this be like a "states-rights" party in the US? Lots to learn.
My overall impression of the opening pages is that yes, these people are first and foremost politicians. Not a lot of substance, just the usual "vision" stuff. I would say the NDP's opening page is the easiest to get towards something of substance (the issues) while the Conservatives' was the only one with negative advertising.
Hmm, negative advertising in Canada? Not very Canadian of them!
I haven't even started :) More to come from the Lively Albatross.
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