CBC has recently released its VOTE COMPASS, a survey involving 30 questions to see where one aligns politically. The questionnaire was developed by a team of elections researchers and political scientists in conjunction with the University of Toronto. The Vote Compass has in its first week open to the public via the CBC website been often used, though still under scrutiny for a perceived Liberal bias. Both the National Post and Toronto Sun have cited Queen’s University professor Kathy Brock’s finding that the online tool is flawed a skewed in favour of the Liberals. While the questions can be answered on a scale of ‘strongly agree’ to ‘strongly disagree,’ those who find themselves without polarizing opinions tend to align closer to the Liberal centre. Meanwhile, many NPD voters are finding themselves aligning closer to the Green Party, a ploy perhaps to improve Liberal chances in NDP ridings according to some critics.
Meanwhile, Vote Compass executive director Clifton van der Linden has maintained that the online form is “not meant to tell people how to vote,” but rather is a tool to promote discussion and raise awareness of the views of political parties. In that, the Vote Compass has succeeded. What strikes me, however, is where the 5 major parties lie on the four-quadrant grid dividing “economic right” with “economic left,” and “social liberalism,” from “social conservatism.
