Trudeau pere was just before my time (the first prime minister I personally remember was Mulroney in the late eighties, I think?) and honestly the biggest thing I remember from high school history classes was the bit about "the state has no place in the bedrooms of the nation." So you may be slightly ahead of me, heh.
The NDP are, like, on the more actual-left-wing side of the left-wing parties. Liberals are kind of left-centrist? Like the NDP is your environmentalist, pro-gay, do something about student loans and minimum wage, sort of thing, though not as hipppie green as the Greens. (I tend to dither between the Greens and the NDP and usually go with the NDP as more electable, as in, one Green member of parliament now and the NDP often have dozens.) IIRC the provincial NDP in Saskatchewan was the first to bring us what eventually became national socialized healthcare--Tommy Douglas of story and song. :) And Jack Layton, the best prime minister we never had because he died just as his party was gathering steam a few years ago...also NDP, see icon. :)
The last time the Liberals were in (from around 1993 to the early 00s) they ended up embroiled in a bunch of financial scandals, which pissed people off. Hopefully they've sorted their shit out by now; guess we'll see. I read a similar news article to the one you heard, saying that Harper's entire career has basically been dedicated to tearing down everything Pierre Trudeau believed in, so this must really sting a lot. Which, you know, can't say I mind. :D
(Mucca is the Canadian politics expert in this house. I fell headlong into US politics during the Bush/early Obama years, and have thus confused myself a lot. :P)
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The NDP are, like, on the more actual-left-wing side of the left-wing parties. Liberals are kind of left-centrist? Like the NDP is your environmentalist, pro-gay, do something about student loans and minimum wage, sort of thing, though not as hipppie green as the Greens. (I tend to dither between the Greens and the NDP and usually go with the NDP as more electable, as in, one Green member of parliament now and the NDP often have dozens.) IIRC the provincial NDP in Saskatchewan was the first to bring us what eventually became national socialized healthcare--Tommy Douglas of story and song. :) And Jack Layton, the best prime minister we never had because he died just as his party was gathering steam a few years ago...also NDP, see icon. :)
The last time the Liberals were in (from around 1993 to the early 00s) they ended up embroiled in a bunch of financial scandals, which pissed people off. Hopefully they've sorted their shit out by now; guess we'll see. I read a similar news article to the one you heard, saying that Harper's entire career has basically been dedicated to tearing down everything Pierre Trudeau believed in, so this must really sting a lot. Which, you know, can't say I mind. :D
(Mucca is the Canadian politics expert in this house. I fell headlong into US politics during the Bush/early Obama years, and have thus confused myself a lot. :P)