While checking out Mike Hrycyk’s blog [mh] I found a link to a handy website from the CBC that helps users decide which federal leader/party they agree with on 12 issues [cbc]. Mike found that “kind of as expected. agree with layton on 7 things and martin on 6, even harper on 3. disagree with duceppe and harper on 9 issues.”

Myself I was actually surprised on how much I did agree with Harper and the Conservatives, though the issue of how human rights relates to same sex marriage and a woman’s right to choice was not taken into account by the quiz. Still I agreeded with Harper on four issues, Foreign Aid, Child Care, Farming and surprisingly National Security. Once again though the quiz did not ask if I thought Canada should invade Iraq.

I agreed with Gilles Duceppe on six issues, Foreign Aid, Economic Growth, Gun Control, Employment Insurance, Defence Spending and again National Security. I did not agree with him on jetsoning Quebec out of Canada.

Paul Martin and the Liberals got eight of my issues right, Foreign Aid, Gun Control, Child Care, Employment Insurance, Farming, Healthcare Funding, National Security and Relations with the provinces. I tend to vote either Liberal or NDP so it wasn’t surprising that even though I don’t like Martin he did well.

Nor is it surpising that Layton hit twelve for twelve getting Foreign Aid, Taxes, Economic Growth, Gun Control, Child Care, Employment Insurance, Defence Spending, Farming, Parliamentary Reform, Healthcare Funding, National Security and Relations with the provinces.

The interesting thing is a demonstration of how close together the parties are on all the issues covered by the poll. I mean if I can agree with both the Conservatives and NDP on so many issues the far right and far left of Canadian politics can’t be that far apart.

CanadianFederalElection CanadianElection Conservatives NDP Liberal PaulMartin StephenHarper GillesDuceppe JackLayton