# NDP-Liberal Merger?



## ddkay (Nov 20, 2010)

After Jack Layton's death (RIP) both parties are leaderless and have MPs musing about a merger. I'm not particularly in favour of this scenario. I think we already have too few choices to vote for... Where do you think this is heading?


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## sags (May 15, 2010)

In the last election the PCs got a majority government with only 39.6% of the vote. The other 60% of the people voted for one of the other parties.

With a merged Liberal and NDP party, the majority of Canadians would elect a government that better reflected their values.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

I just don't see that it's going to happen. 
They have different political mandates after all. 

Nicole T. is interim leader for now, at least until the next general NDP 
caucus meeting next year when they can elect another leader. 
Whether they can find another as charismatic as Jack remains to be seen.

I certainly would not be in favour of a two party system here in Canada,
like they have in the US..

I prefer to be able to cast my vote on..

the Good, the Bad..and the Ugly (in political terms).


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## Dmoney (Apr 28, 2011)

sags said:


> In the last election the PCs got a majority government with only 39.6% of the vote. The other 60% of the people voted for one of the other parties.
> 
> With a merged Liberal and NDP party, the majority of Canadians would elect a government that better reflected their values.


Unless among that 60% of people there is a sizeable chunk that adamantly opposes either the NDP or the Liberals.

I'd like to have a choice between more than two parties.


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## slacker (Mar 8, 2010)

sags said:


> In the last election the PCs got a majority government with only 39.6% of the vote. The other 60% of the people voted for one of the other parties.
> 
> With a merged Liberal and NDP party, the majority of Canadians would elect a government that better reflected their values.


If you want to get proportional representation, you should do proportional representation. (ie 7% Green votes should mean 7% of the seats)

http://www.fairvote.ca/

Merging parties has many unfortunate consequences (look at the dysfunction down south)


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

The Liberals and Greens have more in common than Liberals and NDP.


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## DavidJD (Sep 27, 2009)

I used to be labeled a radical Green, probably was too.

Haven't changed but now a proud member of the Conservative Party.

Merger? Look what happened when the Conservative elements merged.

Majority - eventually.


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

The Conservative Party today didn't really merge, they reunited. It was a party that blew apart when Reform split from the PCs in the late '80s. I don't think you can draw parallels between that and the Liberals and NDP--they have been distinct parties for decades.


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## LondonHomes (Dec 29, 2010)

A merger between the 2 party's isn't viable.

The Liberal party is a party that seeks to govern.

Meanwhile the NDP has been and still is a party of opposition.

Official Opposition is the peak of what the NDP can achieve. If they actually achieved government and had to implied some of there policy it would be a disaster for their party. Just look what happened to them in Ontario when they surprised everybody and formed the government.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Bob Rae is interim leader of the "Grits" right now with the departure of "Iggy"
Even if the PC majority gov't does something that goes against the grain of
the voters, it can never be as bad as what happened to Ontario during the
"Rae Days". 

I tend to agree that the NDP would have a hard time getting in the "drivers
seat" with a lot of backlash on election day from corporate Canada. 

They managed to acheive to official opposition status because of Jack's charismatic personality and the backlash against Duceppe and the BQ.
They got nowhere with Alexis McDonough, when she tried to run for NDP
gov't in previous elections, until she stepped down in 2003 and Jack took'
over as leader of the NDP. Even the progress of elected NDP MPs with him was also slow, until this last election with the backlash from Quebec against
the BQ. 

So even if a merger was possible, with Bob Rae as leader...they will have
a hard time getting the number of seats they have now. There are too
many still around that remember his mismanagement of Ontario.


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