Election - Post-Game Thoughts

So, there we have it: the Cons have a majority government. The NDP is the official opposition. Iggy led the Liberal party to a historic low in the house. The BQ is all but decimated and, at this point, Elizabeth May of the Greens might have won a seat for her party - finally. (Update - she won.)

Polls showed last week that the Big Orange Surge towards the NDP was a force but no one predicted this tsunami.

Ignatieff, who may have lost his seat at the time of this writing, (update: he lost it) was never an inspiring figure and I've wasted several pixels on my opinion of him on this blog through the years since he was anointed by the Libs. I never saw him as a potential prime minister and now, most of the country has told him that at the voting booth. As for the Liberal party, when you stand for mushy-middle centrism, you get what you deserve: a yawn and a wave goodbye.

Layton? Not my favourite person either - especially when he propped up the Cons in the past - but he deserves congratulations for leading his party to this monumental win. The NDP has more seats in parliament than they probably imagined they could have pulled off and the stark contrast between real left and right parties will make for very interesting times.

The BQ loss in Quebec shows a sea change in public opinion. I'm not surprised that so many Quebecois chose the NDP - not after watching the constant opposition to Canada's participation in the Afghanistan war. That province has often leaned more left than most others. I have to say that I admired Gilles' Duceppe's political skills. He's been quite adept. But - he lost his seat and now his party doesn't have enough seats for minority party status. That era is over. (Update: he resigned.)

As for Steve? Haven't we had ENOUGH of him? Now that he has majority power, we may be in for some seriously authoritarian moves (okay, even more of them than he's pulled so far). He doesn't have a hidden agenda. He's just never had enough power to ram it through. Layton and his new, large band of MPs are going to have their work cut out for them. I cringe at some of the right-wing crap this government will now feel very free to foist upon Canada. But - let them do it. Perhaps they'll push it just a little too far - as some of the wingnuts have recently done in the states. They may just end up hoisting themselves on their own petard. Cons always seem to manage that when they have absolute power. (Mulroney, anyone?)
 

No election - No surprise

Following the news today that Iggy has decided to commute the pending death penalty of Steve's government, BQ leader Gilles Duceppe was quick to say of Ignatieff that "he choked" and that "he looked in the mirror and saw Stephane Dion".

No doubt.

Not to be outdone in the department of flourishing rhetoric, Steve told that country via a press conference that if the Liberals decided to try to bring down his government in the fall, there would be "dangerous results for the country". Really, Steve? Do tell...

I guess if we have a fall election, the terrorists win. Or something.

Jack Layton, who missed the house shenanigans to spend time with his newly born granddaughter and whose recent poll numbers showed a bleak outcome for an election any time soon for his party anyway, was interviewed by Don Newman and stated the obvious: the fact that the new Lib/Con coalition (as Gilles called it) has decided to strike a committee to study EI reform this summer has just pushed any real changes for real people off into the sunset (my words, not his). We all know what happens when dreaded committees are sent off to study anything.

In my humble opinion, Ignatieff has blown it for his party. The latest numbers in Quebec and Ontario favoured a positive outcome for the Liberals. And with talk of this recession starting to possibly turn around by the end of this year, the Cons can coast through once again having by then picked up more support as the results of their stimulus package begin to kick in. (They surely have nothing to show in that department right now).

And, speaking of stimuli, she who should have been fired last week got the chance to try to rehab her reputation by announcing $1 billion for the pulp and paper industry today. Long overdue and an obvious move by the Cons to deflect that as a possible election issue had the campaigning actually begun at the end of this week.

When Ignatieff was anointed as party leader in May, he declared that the Liberals would release their policy agenda/platform in June. Where is it?

These guys are so quick to assert that "Canadians don't want an election right now" but, guess what? We're going to have to put up with months and months of their annoying partisan ads anyway, so what difference does it make? And when do Canadians ever really want an election?

Smoke and mirrors.

Ignatieff pretends he's The Uniter while leaving too many Canadians high and dry. I thought it was quite telling earlier this week when I saw him interviewed and he kept on using the word "I". "I" haven't decided if "I" will vote confidence in this government on Friday, etc. To use a well-worn cliché: there's no "I" in team. And there certainly isn't one in "party" either. The man is a self-centered ass.

This is what Ignatieff held the government to in January, 2009:

Text of the proposed Liberal amendment to the government's budget motion:

That the motion be amended by changing the period to a comma and adding the following:

"on condition that the government table reports in Parliament no later than five sitting days before the last allotted day in each of the supply periods ending March 26, 2009, June 23, 2009, and Dec. 10, 2009,

(a) to provide ongoing economic and fiscal updates;

(b) to detail the actual implementation of the budget;

(c) to itemize the actual effects of the budget with respect to the protection of the most vulnerable in Canadian society, the minimizing of existing job losses, the creation of the employment opportunities of tomorrow, the provision of economic stimulus in a manner fair to all regions of Canada, and the assurance that the government's deficit is not a burden to future generations or a detriment to economic recovery and finally;

(d) to provide details on any adjustments or new measures as may be required to benefit the Canadian economy."

Have the Cons held up their end of the deal?

Hardly.

So, why is Steve really being given a free pass?

Is it because there's no majority in site for Iggy? That he's not ready? That he really thinks he can cozy up to Steve and make things right for Canadians by doing so? Based on what, exactly?

He obviously needs to get out more if he thinks his new buddy isn't beyond stabbing him in the back whenever he gets the chance. But Ignatieff has chosen to play the lead role in Saving Stephen Harper - a performance that desperate Canadians won't be applauding any time soon.
 

Ignatieff Puts Harper on Notice; Liberal Party Caves

In true Harvard professorial style, interim Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff announced today that (as predicted) the Liberal government will support the Cons' new throw everything against the wall and see what sticks budget as long as Harper agrees to submit 3 reports while being on probation over the next year. That begs the question: if Steve fails, will he get the strap?

So, what's this really about? Politics as usual.

Delaying a possible election until next year (really - don't expect the Liberals to vote against this government before that time) gives Ignatieff time to be rubber-stamped during the spring convention as the new Liberal leader. If the party had chosen to defeat the government now, Iggy obviously would not have any kind of track record to provide Canadians that might show what kind of PM he would be. If you listened to his press conference or read the transcript, you'll know that he referred to himself much more often that the party - a lot of "I" and very little "we". And if you really paid attention, you caught the fact that he's not all that schooled on parliamentary procedure - preferring to answer those types of questions with political philosophy or using slippery slope faulty logic such as, 'if we propose fiscal amendments to the budget, that process will never end'. Never? Really? C'mon now.

In other words, he needs time to learn what he needs to know to do his job as the leader of a party and as a possible future leader of this country.

As for the opposition coalition, as Jack Layton put it, "Mr Ignatieff has chosen to form a new coalition with Mr Harper." Duceppe called Ignatieff's "absolutely ridiculous" amendment "a smokescreen". Exactly. He's nobody's fool and formally announced, in response to the Liberal party's decision, that the coalition is dead. RIP.

As for the budget, what can you say about a finance minister who lied to the public about an upcoming surplus and who now says that the economy should show a turnaround by July? No one knows when the global economy will show real signs of recovery and the experts I've listened to are predicting possible progress in about 18 months at the earliest. In fact, today the IMF has predicted a "weaker Canadian rebound".

Referring to the IMF's 2010 outlook, Eric Lascelles, chief economics and rates strategist at TD Securities, said it is “the weakest figure we have seen, and it appears that the IMF has revised the Canadian outlook downward by the most of any ‘advanced economy.' “In the Canadian context, what is most noteworthy is that the Bank of Canada and the federal government are of the minority opinion regarding prospects for a short-lived period of weakness in the Canadian economy followed by a strong 2010 rebound,” said Derek Holt and Karen Cordes at Scotia Capital.

Throwing financial crumbs out to a starving public is no way to ensure a solid, timely recovery but that apparently doesn't bother the Liberal party enough to bring down this government. It's politics first. What else is new?
 

I'll Take 'Conservative Spies' for $500, Alex

Question: Sunday's winner of the Conservative Weasel of the Day award

Answer (in the form of a question a la Jeopardy™): Who is "the Conservative member" who secretly taped Jack Layton's caucus call?

According to the audio tape, Layton appears to take credit for the possibility of a coalition.

"Let's just say we have strategies. This whole thing would not have happened if the moves hadn't been made with the Bloc a long time ago and locked them in early," Layton says. "Because, you couldn't put three people together in one or three hours. The first part was done a long time ago."

He then goes on to say that the NDP "spotted and prepared for the opportunity and had taken the steps that were required, so that when the opportunity arose, which was when Mr. Harper made his disastrous strategic error by not providing stimulus to the economy and instead playing political games, we were able to move and things began to move very quickly."

Layton also says about the Bloc: "Nothing could be better for our country than to have 50 members who have been elected to separate Quebec...actually helping to make Canada a better place."

The standard denial was issued, of course, and legal action against the person who recorded the conversation is being looked into.

Who knew this fall session would be so much fun?

In related news, Daddy Deficit has now bumped up budget day to January 27 and John "Pit Bull" Baird announced that the Cons are backing down from taking away strike privileges. That's Baird once again acting as Steve's spokespuppet - the Transport minister. What's wrong with this picture?

How do you spell scramble? These days it's spelled C-o-n-s-e-r-v-a-t-i-v-e.

And how do you spell subpoena? Stay tuned.

Update:

Details of proposed Liberal-NDP coalition emerge

A Liberal-NDP coalition agreement that would replace the minority Conservative government was being fleshed out Sunday night, the CBC has learned.

Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion has shown the outline of an agreement between his party and the New Democratic Party to Liberal leadership candidates Michael Ignatieff, Dominic LeBlanc and Bob Rae, the CBC's Keith Boag reported, citing sources.

"They're discussing this tonight in Toronto," he said from Ottawa.

The NDP would hold 25 per cent of cabinet positions, Boag said, adding that the finance minister and the deputy prime minister would be Liberals.

The Bloc Québécois would not officially be a part of the coalition, but the new government's survival would depend on their support, he said.

The Harper government could prorogue Parliament to block the coalition efforts, but "that'd be a very, very dramatic step given the government has taken the position there'll be a budget early in January," Boag said.

"The real obstacle to this deal going through is still within the Liberal party," Boag said, adding the deal is being negotiated by Dion, who believes he has the right to be prime minister.

But it's unclear whether the party wants him to continue, and the leadership candidates were meeting Sunday evening to discuss the matter, Boag said.

Canwest reports:

The National Post reported that Michael Ignatieff is to become prime minister in a Liberal-led coalition if the opposition parties do bring down the Conservatives in a no-confidence vote next week. It went on to say that outgoing Liberal Leader Stephane Dion would step aside and that leadership Bob Rae would receive a senior cabinet post. The Post reports that the plan will be presented to the Liberal caucus Monday afternoon.

But a spokesman for Bob Rae categorically denied Sunday night that Rae has agreed to step aside to make room for Ignatieff and said that Dion was not even at the meeting where the purported deal was said to have been hatched.

Also Sunday night, there were media reports which said that the Liberals and NDP had agreed on sharing cabinet seats, although there were conflicting reports on the number of portfolios each party would get.

Whatever's going on, the Liberals had better get their ducks in a row quickly by getting these leadership egos out of the way if what they're up to is truly for the good of the country. We've had enough politicking this year, thank you very much.

And, here's more of who might have recorded the NDP caucus call:

Harper's spokesman Kory Teneycke said the PMO was inadvertently given the co-ordinates to the teleconference call between Layton and his caucus. Teneycke said he would "leave it to others" to decide if it were ethical to tape the conversation and to distribute it.

There you go. It was the PMO's office. Busted. They wouldn't know the definition of "ethical" if it slapped them in the face. No wonder they have no shame about what they've done.
 

Memo to Cons: Blame Steve

The (self) righteous indignation of Conservative party supporters is palpable. Heads are exploding all over western Canada. Beware grey matter splatter. Dress appropriately.

Fueled by right-wing radio talk show hosts on stations like Corus Entertainment's QR77 in Calgary, the angry mobs on the airwaves have their virtual torches and pitchforks ready to go while they rail against what they characterize as an attempted "coup d'etat" by the federal opposition parties who've threatened to form a coalition government to bring down the Harper regime.

The funny thing is that radio hosts blowhards like Charles Adler and Roy Green (I'll get to him later) both admit that Steve's decision to gut federal financing of political parties was a mistake - a "weapon", as Adler put it, simply handed to the opposition at a very bad time. Steve seems to have received that message since he announced on Saturday that he's running away from that decision. Typical bully - taunt and taunt and when someone calls you on it, run as fast as you can in the other direction.

As for Green, I'm not a regular listener (thankfully) but I sure let him know that I was listening to his show today after he was absolutely rude, petulant, and childish in the way he treated MP Libby Davies, whom he had invited onto his show as a guest. He battered her with his non-stop anger and refused to give her a chance to answer. When she did manage to get a few words in though, she stayed calm and chided him for his ridiculously emotional behaviour and then went on to try to explain the NDP's viewpoint. Kudos to her.

Green was nowhere as rude to Bob Rae or John Baird (who came onto the show 2 hours late - yes, I listened to his show for 2 hours - the horror). Green was appalled - appalled I tell ya! - at the idea that the Liberals and NDP would get support from the Bloc to bring this coalition to fruition. He continually denied the fact that the Conservative party has repeatedly used the Bloc's support while it's attempted to lead a minority government because it had to. Rae was quick to point that out (as was I in an e-mail to Green). Hypocrisy might be entertaining but it's no substitute for the truth.

So much misdirected anger. Conservative supporters need to take a good, long look at the fact that their party failed to step up to the plate at a moment in time when the economic situation needs immediate action and active solutions. "Wait until Flaherty announces his new budget next year" is not acceptable. If your house was burning down, would you appreciate being put on hold by a 911 operator? No, I didn't think so. And if that 911 operator didn't effectively deal with your situation, wouldn't you want him or her fired? No doubt. Well, guess what? Canada's economy is on fire. And not in a good way. We're dialing 911 and being put on hold.

We know what "taking responsibility" looks like after watching years of Harper in office. It's simple: blame the Liberals. Blame anyone else you can. That's why there's so much right-wing anger out there today. It's so much easier to spew misplaced, red-faced rage than it is to look at your own role in your impending demise. So, be angry. The rest of us will be responsible and rational. Somebody has to be. Maybe we'll even save your house while we're at it.

Related:

G-G would have little choice but to accept coalition, experts say
Harper scrambles to retain power
Flaherty's instinct to cut out of step with world
 

Election Nite Open Thread & Liveblogging

So, here we are. Finally.

I asked 3 people today if they were going to vote.

The first one said she didn't think it would make any difference.

The second, a store owner, said, "I'm not happy". His main issue is crime and punishment because of the gang violence and he was quite adamant that the person whose recent gunshot blinded an innocent victim in Calgary should be forced to donate his eyes and to "live in darkness" for life. I didn't have to guess who he might have voted for and I told him that I believe in karma instead.

The third, a young clerk, said of voting, "I don't care for it. Sorry." Well, I didn't think he needed to apologize to me and I told him that not voting was his right.

I voted and, like the store owner I spoke to, I'm not happy either. I know the Conservative candidate Deepak Obhrai will win again in my riding and I actually didn't decide to vote until yesterday - not because his win is assured but because I'm not satisfied with any of the parties.

So, here we are.

I'll be following the Election Act on this site:

“No person shall transmit the result or purported result of the vote in an electoral district to the public in another electoral district before the close of all of the polling stations in that other electoral district.”

In other words:



I welcome whatever's on your mind about tonite's happenings but any comments that violate that act (or the counting of the holy hand grenade) will be deleted.

Laugh, cry, yell, dance...have at it.

I'll post updates as they come in.

Reminder: There are 308 seats and winning 155 constitutes a majority.

Results:

Atlantic Canada

- The Cons lost 3 seats in Nfld/Labrador.
- Peter MacKay won his seat beating Elizabeth May, who came in second, by some 5,000 votes.
- Independent Bill Casey won his seat.
- According to CBC, the Grits and Tories are both down 4 seats (?) in the region.
- The Cons won a seat in PEI for the first time since 1984.
- Conservatives shut out by ABC campaign in N.L., make gains in N.B., P.E.I.

The Liberals were set to hold on to 17 seats out of Atlantic Canada's 32 ridings in Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia as of about 10 p.m. ET.

The Conservatives earned 10 seats and the New Democrats took four. One Independent will also be going to Ottawa from the region.

In the 2006 election, the Liberals won 20 seats, the Conservatives nine and the NDP had three.

10:45 ET from Elections Canada

Leading: Cons 142; Popular Vote 36.7%
Leading: Libs 78; Popular Vote 28.6%
Leading: BQ 47; Popular Vote 7.1%
Leading: N.D.P. 29; Popular Vote 19.6%
Leading: Other 3; Popular Vote 8.0%

Total: 299; 100%

CBC projects a MINORITY Conservative government. (Take that, Steve!)

11:55 ET from Elections Canada:

Leading: Cons 143; Popular Vote 37.4%
Leading: Libs 76; Popular Vote 26.7%
Leading: BQ 50; Popular Vote 10.1%
Leading: NDP 37; Popular Vote 18.0%
Leading: Other 2; Popular Vote 7.8%

Total: 308; 100%

For comparison's sake:

2006 results

Cons 124; Libs 103; BQ 51; NDP 29; Other 1

More from Elections Canada:

Polls reporting: 61,438/69,632
Voter turnout: 11,875,370 of 23,401,064 registered electors (50.8%)

more to come...
 

Canadian Election Watch - Day 37

Happy Thanksgiving, my fellow politically-disgruntled Canadians. Turkey for dinner tonite. Turkeys to vote for tomorrow. At least the dinner comes with mashed potatoes and gravy - palatable extras that we just can't seem to find in our politicians. Let's hope one of the other major party leaders makes dessert out of Harper since he fancies himself to be a fruit.

I was pondering today whether Canada needs a longer campaign season. Yes, I know that would involve an increase in the already insanely excessive election budgets of Elections Canada and the parties but as I've watched the downward trend of the Cons, I've wondered if more damage might have been done to their party if the other parties had had more time. I'm also aware that there was, apparently, a little spike upwards for the Cons over the weekend but if Steve had been given even more time to shoot himself in the foot, especially as he has in Quebec, might his fortunes have been diminished? Hard to know. Lastly, would an extended campaign season increase interest and participation in our elections as more Canadians had a longer stretch of time to really study and discuss each party's platform?

As it stands now, and as I've written before (yesterday, for example), too many people vote based on ideology that the politicians they choose don't even stand for anymore. That is a problem and is one of my core complaints about singularly devoted partisanship that forgives far too much when parties don't live up to their agendas. That's why I'm now an independent. I don't expect perfection but I do expect meaningful battles - not political games - to push for more civil and human rights and justice.

None of the current leaders exhibit anything nearing greatness. They're all very milquetoast characters who are too willing to compromise core principles for political gamesmanship. I'm not talking about rigid ideology here - just some passion for really helping Canadians to live a better life. It is our government, after all.

I'm sure as I write this that there are partisans reading who are thinking unequivocally that their leader is exactly what I've described. I've chronicled that belief in writing about the US election. We don't need shiny objects and we deserve to be treated as intelligent voters who absolutely refuse to be lied to anymore. But, if we don't demand that, as George Bernard Shaw wrote:

Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve.

I guess we'll find out what we deserve on Tuesday nite. Enjoy your turkey(s).
 

Canadian Election Watch - Day 35

Just 3 more sleeps until we know if Harper is toast. Can I just add that I'm glad I haven't been doing daily updates on the never-ending US election campaign? My head would have exploded long ago.

Alrighty, well this has to be the quote du jour (h/t Danielle Takacs):

Stephen Harper, looking to stem the dramatic slide of his party in Quebec, reassured Quebecers on Saturday that he is not the "devil incarnate."

Hahaha. Wow. You know things are bad when you have to try to convince people you're not Satan.

Obviously poor Steve was having a really bad Luciferish kind of day:

Earlier Saturday, in London, Ont., Harper scoffed at the possibility a Conservative government would have to cut programs to balance the budget if the economy continues to slump.

"This is a ridiculous hypothetical scenario," Harper told reporters when asked what his priorities would be in terms of program cuts.

"What it really comes down to is you're asking me to say what would Canada do if our economy went to hell in a handbasket. This government is running the economy so it can't go to hell in a handbasket."

And with that, he grabbed his pitchfork and made his way out the door.

I was quite surprised this afternoon to see the covers of the Calgary Sun and the Calgary Herald both carrying prominent doom and gloom stories about the economy. This is, after all, Harper country. But you know how Con supporters are around these parts, you could prove that Steve is the "devil incarnate" and they'd still vote for him anyway. Partisanship kills crucial brain cells.

On the heels of the revelation that the Cadman tape was not doctored, Dion is after Steve to explain himself.

Harper sued the Liberals for defamation in 2008 based on comments on their website about the situation with Cadman.

Harper said the tape had been edited, but a court-appointed expert in the defamation case reported Friday that the key portions that the prime minister had contested contain "neither physical nor electronic splices, edits or alterations."

Harper needs to explain "what he meant when he said on the tape that Conservative officials offered Mr. Cadman financial considerations for his vote," Dion said.

You betcha. That might have done a bit more damage if it had been revealed earlier in the campaign.

Poll smoking: Decline in support spells minority government for Tories: poll

Nationally, the poll of 1,000 Canadians conducted on Friday suggests the Conservatives had the support of 35 per cent of decided voters. That's down from the 39 per cent that the party garnered when the same poll was conducted on Sept. 28 and 29.

The Liberals climbed from 24 per cent to 28 per cent over the same period while the NDP remained steady at 19 per cent and the Green Party fell from 10 per cent to 9 per cent.
[...]
Other polls conducted over the past two or three days had different numbers for the national race. Harris-Decima put the Conservatives at 36 per cent across the country and the Liberals at 25 per cent, a gain of one point for the Tories and a loss of one point for the Grits.

A Nanos Research survey, meanwhile, suggested that there was just a four-point spread between the two parties, with the Conservatives at 32 per cent and the Liberals at 28 per cent. The New Democrats were selected by 22 per cent of respondents in that poll while the Green were chosen by 8 per cent.

As always, it's hard to know which is the most accurate poll so try not to bite your nails too much the next couple of days (especially if you're a carpenter).

To the bunker! Harper's handlers warn he may no longer take questions from media. [insert more laughter here]

Photo credit: Reuters
 

Canadian Election Watch - Day 31

Let's play "Spot the Contradiction".

Steve, on Monday:

"Our position in Canada, of course, is that we don't have a crisis in our financial sector, in our banking sector," he said, ahead of a meeting of G7 finance ministers in Washington on Friday.

Steve, on Tuesday:

TORONTO (Reuters) - Prime Minister Stephen Harper, acknowledging that Canadian banks were facing a credit crunch, said on Tuesday the government would probably take some steps soon to alleviate those.

And, what's this? Sales of Canada Savings Bonds put on hold amid market confusion

Federal officials would give no reason Tuesday for the delay, which presumably relates to the difficulty of setting interest rates under current conditions.

The bonds, a Canadian tradition since 1946, are backed by the government and promoted as a foolproof way for small investors to save. They are put on sale each fall.

David Gamble, public affairs director of the Department of Finance, which is responsible for CSBs, confirmed that the 2008 campaign has been delayed but would not say why.

The left hand obviously doesn't know what the right hand is doing because Flaherty came out later and said the bonds "should" be on sale on Wednesday. (And Canadians trust this guy and his master to take care of our money?)

And what about this? TSX closes 400 points lower amid official efforts to avoid disaster

Not to worry though, Steve's seeing the silver Tory Blue capitalist lining:

TORONTO (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said on Tuesday he is concerned about the sharp falls in Canadian stock markets but said there may be some good stock bargains out there now.

He told a news conference that it is clear that a lot of investors have panicked, and he said members of his extended family have been shocked by developments in the market.

But he added: "I think there's probably some great buying opportunities emerging in the stock market as the consequence of all this panic."

Good to know but who the hell has money to buy any stocks? And who are these mysterious members of his extended family? Maybe somebody should track them down and interview them - unless Harper has them cloistered in a monastery somewhere for the duration of the election. Wouldn't want them to be attacked by that nasty Press virus.

Remember last week when Steve attacked Stephane because he presented a new 30 day economic platform in the middle of his campaign? It seems pretty handy that the Cons released their platform on Tuesday so they could take advantage of the timing to shift their economic policies and promises in response to the global meltdown. But Steve is busy pretending that he's just stayin' the course, you betcha (as Sarah Palin would put it).

Gilles Duceppe is right:

Stephen Harper is a "fragile" and shaky leader who is incapable of making decisions that will protect the economy, says Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe.

And what's with all of this boat talk?

Duceppe said the Tory proposals would do little to help people in the battered manufacturing and forestry sectors, especially older workers.

"I think he's just missing the boat. He talked about Noah's boat. They're still looking for it nowadays."

Duceppe was referring to Harper's comment in Toronto earlier in the day when he said now is not the time for Canadians to eschew his party.

"As the saying goes, it wasn't raining when Noah built the ark," Harper said. "Which is why when the rain came, Noah didn't need to panic and he didn't switch boats."

Which, of course, reminded me of this:


 
Somebody needs to ask Steve if he knows what a cubit is because, if he wins, he'll obviously be busy doing one massive construction project.

But wait, did he include funding for that in his new platform? Whoops.

And do we have to call him Noah now?
 

Canadian Election Watch - Day 30

One week to go and one more sleep until the Cons release their platform. It's like Xmas Eve except, this year, Santa's wearing a sweater vest and visions of sugraplums deficits are dancing in the kiddies' heads...and Santa's.

So, what is Santa Steve planning to do about the economic problems? Why do I get the feeling that either:

1) he knows and doesn't want to tell anybody

or

2) he has absolutely no idea because Bush/Paulson have been too busy to advise him.

Maybe I'm not sure because of news like this:

Earlier Monday, Harper said the government is considering "secondary" plans to stabilize the Canadian financial system. But within hours, his chief spokesman said the government wasn't planning any extraordinary measures.

Does that mean that if our economy starts dying, Steve will issue a do not resuscitate order? (Or will he page Bill Frist for a second opinion first?)

And, shouldn't we be a tad concerned that Steve's now channeling McCain and calling people "my friends" in his speeches? I'd say so.

In related news, the TSX dropped more than 1200 points and ended the day at -572 points on Monday while Harper played hide and seek with his party's policy. We're going to need more than some Santa dropping off gifts one nite of the year to fix the upcoming economic mess. A bespectacled, soft-bellied, invisible, jolly guy (who doesn't like to talk to the press) just won't cut it - and the latest polls show the Cons' support slipping. Andrew Coyne has the handy, colour-coded trend charts. It looks like there won't be a majority under Steve's tree Xmas morning.

Okay, enough of that metaphor...

The CBC has the opposition leaders' reactions to Steve's no man/country is an island day. (And can I just add that several countries actually are islands? Steve's geography grade - F)

Moving on, The Star has a great pic of the CAW "putting the boots to Flaherty" on Monday. More civil disobedience, more often!

Don Martin has a roundup of 10 incumbent MP seats that are "in deep doo doo". (Yes, he really did use those words in his headline. The story is in the National Post after all and you have to write for the intellectual capacity of your audience.)

Frankly, I think Canadians are tired of the bickering and worried about their economic futures - TD announced rate increases on Monday and the loonie and oil prices are dropping. Even if Dion hasn't sold his party's Green Shift plan, we do have a collective memory of the fact that Cons usually bring deficits at the federal level and Libs dig their way out of the mess they leave. We're not quite at that point but that may have an effect on your average voter's psyche if he or she isn't really paying attention beyond the gloom and doom economic headlines each day. And if voters are uncomfortable about the Liberals' "shift", they also have the NDP to choose from - which may explain the growing support for that party's platform. The Cons' little dribbles of inconsequential financial aid to Joe and Jane Canuck may not be enough to sustain that party's fortunes, such as they are, but leading a minority government is better than leading the opposition. And the Cons don't want to end up back in that position.

We'll see what kind of crap promises they fork over on Tuesday when they release their so-called platform full of promises they're sure to break anyway.

Related:

Why Stephen Harper is unfit to govern. (What he knew about this crisis and when he knew it.)
 
 

Canadian Election Watch - Day 28

Day 28 and no candidates from any of the parties have shown up at my door yet. The only flier in the mailbox so far was left by Conservative Deepak Obhrai's campaign. He'll win, no doubt, but can the other party candidates at least pretend that they're running against him? Can they at least try to be a bit more enthusiastic than my pathetic fellow Albertan voters?

Alrighty then. Getting on with it...

Steve, on Saturday:

The campaign is still "fluid," said Harper, although he declined to say why he believed that is so, whether economic developments have caused a volatility. He would say only it is because of the way "some of other parties are conducting their campaigns."

Nailing Jello™ - to the wall - again.

Harper admitted he had learned lessons from the 2004 and 2006 campaign, but wouldn't go into detail.

"Look, the biggest myth about '06 was that we did everything right, because we won, right. But we did some things wrong, but on that one, if you guys didn't figure them out, I'm not going to share them with you."

He said that "all wisdom" will emerge after it's over, but cautioned that myths based on factual inaccuracies about those campaigns have also "become entrenched."

"all wisdom"...I can't wait! (Is he forecasting Armageddon there or am I just being paranoid? Not to worry since I'll be Left Behind anyway and could use a car since I don't have one..."all wisdom"...how exciting...vote for Steve, The Oracle.)

Oh and apparently, according to Steve, Elizabeth May has had a sex change operation:

He said there will be lots he'll miss about politics. "I'll miss all of you, just as I've missed you this week," he said about the week where the debates interrupted the constant campaign tour. "Although I must say I enjoyed having those four guys yell at me this week."

I won't miss you one bit, Steve, so don't lose any sleep over that.

Moving right along, a fourth NDP candidate, Andrew McKeever, bites the dust. What a gem he was:

The Durham, Ont., candidate posted comments on Facebook calling one war activist a "fascist bitch" and threatening to beat up another person.
[...]
McKeever wrote comments peppered with expletives and calling the operators of a war-resister website "Nazis."
[...]
"I like the part in Schindler's List when the guard starts waxing the prisoners," he wrote.

Yet, when his writings were exposed last week, Layton kept him on. Why, exactly?

Stephane, Stephane, Stephane...

MISCOUCHE, P.E.I. — Stephane Dion is portraying Jack Layton as a far-left socialist as some polls show the NDP leader is on the verge of overtaking Mr. Dion's Liberals.

You're looking desperate...

Are we there yet?
 

Canadian Election Watch - Day 27

So, I kind of forgot last nite's election watch roundup since I had a busy nite watching the US and Canadian debates. Whoops.

As far as our debate went, stylistically, I think Layton - although he got in a few good zingers - really needs to learn how not to look like he's constantly starring in a teevee commercial. His posing for the camera was annoying. Gilles was Gilles. Elizabeth May was aggressive but held her own. Dion's English was okay. Having been raised in a household with 2 Quebecois parents, I have an easy time deciphering the h'accent (which I'm also fond of) so I can't judge how an average English-speaking canuck might have heard his performance. Steve - well, once again he had bad posture, tried to pretend he was Mr Low Key Non-threatening Guy and managed to control his temper (mostly).

Substance-wise, I think Steve was hammered on basically all of the issues by the rest of the leaders. His lack of a released platform left him with the basic Con talking points ie. tough on crime (jail the kids), trust us on the economy (even though it's tanking), we love teh public health care system (yeah, right), intensity targets good (grunt and a wink to his corporate petro-buddies) and nobody loves you like the Cons do (daddy Steve will save you all from the evil socialists and separatists).

All in all, it was a draw. But at least I understand the Green Shift better now so that's a plus for Dion (and May).

(I don't know what these wankers were watching.)

And can I just add my 2 cents about what an ugly, distracting table that was?



Anyway, another day, another plagiarism charge against Harper. (Who the hell would want to steal anything from Mike Harris??)

Paul Martin was in Calgary on Friday bravely going where (almost) no Liberal would dare to go by predicting, 'We will elect a Liberal government'. Who's this "we", Paul? Do you have worms?

It looks like Steve's majority may not be on the march according to a new Ipsos-Reid poll. I guess fewer Quebecois have chosen to greet him with flowers and candy so it looks like it won't be Mission Accomplished there. But polls are polls so stay tuned for new ones next week. This is almost over. 10 more days to go...
 

Canadian Election Watch - Day 25

A very harried 5 leader French language debate was tonite's election highlight. The result: no clear winner. The oddity: Stephane Dion's translator had a Scottish accent. The whiner: Steve complained to the media that he'd been "ganged up on" after it was over and he was - and he should have been. The best digs of the nite: Elizabeth May repeatedly saying that Steve and his agenda were "dangerous".

(I'm not feeling all that well tonite so I'll have to keep this short.)

I think all of the leaders managed to get some of the main points of their platforms across (not that the Cons have actually offered a "platform" yet, per se) although it was quite a jumbled mess to sort out if you weren't familiar with what they've put out since the campaign began. Maybe they'll try to clean it up a bit for the English debate. It felt like watching Question Period (without having Steve serve up some heavy-handed pinch hitter like a Van Loan or Baird for the questions he didn't want to answer).

To sum it up, I really was underwhelmed and I don't think that any of them were able to grab new votes from those performances.

Related:

Bernier bashed PM, asked ex to put NATO papers in trash: Couillard book
Activist group heads to court to stop federal election
PM criticized on economy, environment
Debate format, linguistic disadvantage hobbles Harper
 

Canadian Election Watch - Day 24

While the plagiarism bombshell ruled the day, Canadians were once again reminded that when Stephen Harper was the Reform Party's (opposition) leader in 2003, he was more than eager to toe the neocon line following it and them right into the illegal Iraq war. And we'd still be there if he'd been PM at the time. Just imagine how many lives that would have cost. And we're supposed to trust this man to lead our country's foreign policy? Not a chance. We're all more than familiar with the way he's dealt with the Afghanistan war and hidden the abuse of Afghan detainees. Enough is enough.

And, speaking of corruption, chicanery, and conservatives behaving badly, reader Raj e-mailed me this article: Tories opened patronage doors before election: CP

OTTAWA -- The Harper government approved 148 appointments to federal boards and agencies, long used as rewards for supporters of the party in power, as the election neared, The Canadian Press has learned.

Cabinet handed out the posts in three rounds, the first only two days before Parliament recessed for the summer, the second on July 30, at peak holiday time for politicians and political journalists, and the third less than a week before Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced the election for Oct. 14.

Harper, who railed against Liberal patronage in the 2006 election, later failed to deliver on a campaign pledge to put an independent commission in charge of vetting cabinet appointments. He angrily shelved the idea after opposition MPs refused to ratify his nomination of Gwyn Morgan, a Calgary oil baron who is also a friend of the prime minister, as the commission chair.

Just who does Sweater Vest Steve think he's trying to fool? That's Steve and his so-called "new" government of transparency and accountability - a first class charlatan.

In other news, frankly, this headline is depressing: Harper majority a concern to more than half of Canadians: poll

Why?

Well, take a look at the story:

More than half of Canadian voters say they're worried about the thought of giving Stephen Harper a majority government, but most wouldn't change their vote to prevent it.

The results are found in a new Globe and Mail/CTV News poll by The Strategic Counsel, which finds that 52 per cent of Canadians surveyed are anxious about a majority Conservative government. When asked whether they would consider changing their vote if it appeared the Conservatives were going to form the majority, only 16 per cent replied in the affirmative, with 81 per cent saying they would stick with their original intentions. The rest didn't know.

The Tories are still in minority territory at 39% (while the Liberals have nose-dived to just 24%) but that kind of voter apathy about the country's future should be more than troubling to the opposition parties and all Canadians who reject the 'Daddy knows best, just shut up and behave' Conservative philosophy. The upcoming debates could be crucial - that is if anyone actually watches them. And, even then...

In a sign of how uneventful the federal debates have become, however, experts have to go back more than two decades to come up with a Canadian example of a debate exchange that was widely deemed to have had an impact come voting day. That was a pitched 1984 dustup over political patronage between Brian Mulroney and John Turner.

The addition of Elizabeth may might garner a few more viewers at least. She's predicting it'll be a 'make or break' event for the Green party.

The French debate will be held this week on Wednesday at 8 pm ET followed by the English debate on Thursday at 9 pm ET. If you don't have access to Canadian teevee, you can catch them online on CPAC.

CBC's The National did a segment about Canadian bloggers this evening. You can check out the video on their site (on the right side of the page, following the news). Interviews include Steve Janke (Blogging Tory), Jason Cherniak (Liblogs) who whines about being "swiftboated" by the Dippers, and NDPer Devin Johnston. More about that Cherniak controversy here.
 

Canadian Election Watch - Day 23

So, Jack Layton wants a pentpartisanship meeting on the economic meltdown. Steve, of course, quickly said no.

...a spokesman for Mr. Harper ruled out any such meeting, saying the campaign debates are the proper place for this kind of discussion.

Apples and oranges. Even if you think Layton is grandstanding, the idea of the leaders getting together to discuss Black Monday, is vastly different from jabbing each other in a partisan way during the upcoming debates. In effect, Steve is saying that he's so supremely confident in how the Cons handle the economy (history proves how wrong that is) that he won't work with the other parties to ensure that this country's future is safe.

What's happening is the equivalent of economic terrorism. What al Qaeda was unable to accomplish via the 9/11 attacks, Wall Street and the US government have now wrought on the American people and the global economy. What Harper is doing amounts to telling Canadians to just "go shopping". That's not good enough in the midst of an unprecedented economic failure. Do you trust politicians like Jim Flaherty to guide Canadians through this? Do you trust the Conservative philosophy?

There are two weeks left in this campaign. I predict that concerns over the economy, and the success or failure of the opposition's efforts to pin those concerns on the Conservatives, will determine whether Mr. Harper gets his longed-for majority.

Jim Stanford - author of Economics for Everyone.

He's got that right.

Related:

Stay tuned for the 'Give Flaherty the Boot' campaign.
 

Canadian Election Watch - Day 22

What a difference a journalist makes:

Some unidentified CBC reporter: Dion says Liberals are in the middle

Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion moved to locate the party firmly in the middle between the Conservatives and the New Democrats on Sunday.

Addressing a Liberal women's meeting in Toronto, he said the Conservatives do not understand that the role of the government is to help people, while the New Democrats do not understand that the role of the private sector is to create jobs and wealth.

Conservative Leader Stephen Harper is an old-fashioned conservative, while NDP Leader Jack Layton is an old-fashioned socialist, he said. Dion described the Tories as having a "laissez-faire I don't care" approach.

Carly Weeks writing for The Globe & Mail: Dion lashes out at NDP, Tories

TORONTO — With sagging support and the NDP breathing down his neck, Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion launched a blistering attack on his opponents Sunday, saying the Conservatives can't be trusted to run the country and that the NDP doesn't understand the economy.

The Liberal Leader tried to beat back damage inflicted on his party by the NDP, warning that Leader Jack Layton's economic platform would destroy the Canadian economy.

“Mr. Layton has an old-fashioned socialist mentality that will not work in this century,” he said.

Canwest's conservative-slanted coverage for The National Post wasn't that feisty. Just goes to show you how the same story can have a very different impact depending on who's presenting it to the public. As for the message, muddling around in the middle is not a winning strategy for winning an election that you're already struggling with. And, in case Dion has forgotten, it was dreaded "socialism" that brought us medicare and that's kept our country from turning into an even more militaristic society than it already is. Not that I'm a fan of Jack Layton but Dion would be wise mot to throw the socialist baby out with the neocon bathwater.

Speaking of Jack, I see he's promising to eliminate poverty by 2020. Haven't we been down this road before?

Unveiling the New Democrats' plan for governing today in Toronto, Layton pledged a new $17 billion child benefit plan that will reward families up to $400 a month per child.

"The New Democrats' child benefit will give every middle-class and working family in Canada a raise," he said.

"Our priorities are those of the kitchen table, not just the boardroom table."

As first disclosed by the Star, families with a household income of $38,000 or less would receive $400 a month per child.

Those making less than $188,000-a-household would get $250 a month per child.

And families earning more than $188,000 a year would receive $100 a month per child.

Can someone please tell me why a family earning more than $188,000 a year (or a family edging up on that amount) needs money from the government? What's wrong with this socialist picture? If you want to help the poor, help the poor, Jack.

While we're on the subject of poverty, it looks like Steve doesn't even want to touch it and is being criticized for not appearing in a new video posted Sunday on Make Poverty History's site.

Liberal Stephane Dion, New Democrat Jack Layton, Elizabeth May of the Green party, and Gilles Duceppe of the Bloc Quebecois all answer questions for the video “On the Record.”

“In all cases they have something to say about what they’ll do to deal with global, domestic and aboriginal poverty,” said Dennis Howlett, co-ordinator of Make Poverty History.

“But so far we haven’t heard anything from Stephen Harper.

“We went back and forth for quite some time with the Prime Minister’s Office media people. The final thing we got back was our questions were too specific and that he would do it if we asked more general questions ... The whole point was to get specific commitments from party leaders.

Like nailing Jello™ to the wall. If you want your questions answered by Steve, use MPH's online form (but don't hold your breath waiting for a response).

On the Green front, May ended her cross country train trip in Halifax on Saturday while asserting that she's not in favour of strategic voting, as had been reported last week. You certainly can't vote strategically in a riding like mine (Calgary East) which has basically gone Conservative since the beginning of recorded time. The best I can do is to enter a protest vote. The opposition candidates around here are absolutely invisible as are their election signs. And they wonder why they don't get more votes?

As for Gilles, well, a guy can dream, can't he?
 

Canadian Election Watch - Day 20

This new poll is definitely the big news of the day (if you're into polls):

OTTAWA - Support for the federal Liberal party is crumbling, so much so that the New Democratic Party appears to have a realistic chance of forming the official Opposition, according to a new poll commissioned for Canwest News Service and Global National.
[...]
Thirty-nine per cent of the respondents said they would vote Conservative, about the same number as a similar poll a week ago. Just 23 per cent of respondents said they would vote Liberal, a drop of four percentage points in a week while 18 per cent would pick the NDP, a gain for that party of three percentage points.

Support for the Green party also climbed in the week, by two percentage points up to 11 per cent.

In the 2006 federal election, the Conservatives received 36 per cent of the popular vote compared to 30 per cent for the Liberals, 17 per cent for the NDP and five per cent for the Greens.

IV caffeine for the Liberal Party - stat!

I'm still not seeing a majority for the Cons and, as one commentator I heard on Friday said, when the battle is for the (mushy) middle, both the Liberals and Cons look very much the same. The inability of the Liberal party to clearly articulate its Green Shift plan which has been messaged by the Cons in 2 words, "tax increases", has created major problems for the Liberals as far as I'm concerned. And yes, there is the lack of charisma issue for Stephane Dion but it's not like Harper is Mr Personality unless you're into the nasty bullying type. Exhibit A: Harper accuses Liberals of rooting for recession.

Harper, preaching from Conservative bedrock in the Calgary heart of Alberta's oil patch, wrapped up a bruising week of campaigning Friday with a wrecking-ball performance.

"The other parties have clearly written off Alberta and don't mind using Alberta as a whipping boy from time to time, which I think is very unfortunate for our country," Harper opined to a receptive audience at the Calgary Winter Club.

Harper did not provide any examples.

Having stoked the fires of regional alienation, Harper went further, accusing Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion of "some of the most irresponsible behaviour of a Canadian political leader I've ever seen."

Harper's complaint? Dion's pointed criticism of Conservative economic policy and its impact on a flagging Canadian economy.

"Some Canadians think that in times of economic difficulties, you need to elect a right-wing government – right-wing governments are supposed to be good economic managers in their minds. But it's not true," Dion said Friday in Toronto.

"Each time you have Conservative governments, the economy is not going well. In fact, Tory times are tough times."

Harper, in turn, accused Dion of "trying to drive down confidence in the Canadian economy without foundation – and quite frankly sitting on the sidelines virtually cheering for there to be a recession."

And, as that article reminds readers:

Yet it was the Conservatives who spent much of the last year trash-talking Ontario and its investment climate.

Harper's finance minister Jim Flaherty famously said Ontario was the "last place" a tax-conscious business would invest, while Tory House leader Peter Van Loan repeatedly called Ontario's premier the ``small man of Confederation."

The glaring contradiction was not lost on Dion.

"Shame on him," the clearly inflamed Liberal leader said late Friday in Belmont, Ont.

"Do you want more of this? Do you think it's the way, in a democracy, to debate and to try to find the best solutions for our country?"

Meanwhile, back at the Harper ranch:

OTTAWA -- The Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, indicated Friday that the Canadian economy was at risk unless voters gave the Conservative Party a "strong mandate" to govern on Oct. 14.

Emotional blackmail from Bush of the North. Who's driving down confidence again, Steve?

Here's the cover of the Calgary Sun that Calgarians woke up to on Friday:


Harper is standing by his man, Lee Richardson, stating that his blaming immigrants for crime just "isn't an issue among voters". And it probably isn't for xenophobic right-wingers who agree with that judgment but it certainly is for the rest of us.

On the Liberal front, Dion has turfed candidate Lesley Hughes. Ms Hughes learned about her forced resignation from a CBC News crew. Bad form, Mr Dion.

Related:
Provincial, territorial ministers bash culture cuts
The politics of resentment
Anybody-but-Harper movement hopes to catch fire
Transcript: Elizabeth May meets with Star editorial board
Layton pitches prescription drug program
 

Canadian Election Watch - Day 19

While economic Armageddon (according to the boy king George) plays out in the US, Canada's opposition leaders took the opportunity to bash Steve on Thursday on his economic record. Stephane Dion held nothing back when he called Harper an "economic incompetent" and staked out the Liberals' claim to the mushy middle:

“We are not the left-wing party. We are not the right-wing party. . . We are the party of the large centre,” Dion said.

And here's our illustrious prime minister trying to look prime-ministerial:

"All the fundamentals of the Canadian economy are good. It's not the time to do anything new, wild or stupid," Mr. Harper said in Victoria.

"I think we will be fine - not great - but we will be fine as long as we don't do stupid things," Mr. Harper added.

Not only has he downgraded the status of our economy from "strong" and "solid" to "good", he's also downgraded his rhetoric to 5th grade level. (No offence to 5th graders). Define "stupid", Mr prime minister.

Is there something in the air? Defeatist Liberals should ‘shut up,' Ignatieff says. And we thought all of the adolescent behaviour had been confined to Question Period. What's next? A food fight?

In other news, Layton, once again siding with the Cons, stated that if he won (not gonna happen) he'd "make sure a federal carbon tax never sees the light of day" while he and Steve, in separate announcements on the same day offered different consumer protection strategies.

Locally, here in Calgary, yet another Con had Right-wing Foot in Mouth disease:

In an interview, Conservative incumbent Lee Richardson suggested immigrants are to blame for much of the crime in Canada.

"Particularly in big cities, we've got people that have grown up in a different culture... and don't have the same respect for authority or people's person or property," Mr. Richardson told Fast Forward Weekly.

"Talk to the police. Look at who's committing these crimes," added Mr. Richardson.

Mr. Richardson later said he regretted the comments and that he misspoke.

Hey Richardson, if I call you a xenophobic bastard, can I just say I "misspoke" later too?

And I see the NDP is still on a roll as well:

Also on Thursday, the Liberals demanded that Layton fire his candidate in the riding of Durham, near Toronto, for violent and misogynist remarks on the Internet.

In Facebook postings denouncing U.S. war deserters, Andrew McKeever used an obscenity to refer to a female poster, and threatened to beat up a male one.

Mr. McKeever released a statement saying he is "deeply sorry for having offended anyone."

Mr. Layton told reporters the candidate has apologized and that's enough.

Which cave did these candidates crawl out from under? Mon dieu.

Oh, we're not done yet. And this one is ironic considering the controversy Liberal blogger and Liblogs owner Jason Cherniak recently created about an alleged NDP candidate and 9/11 conspiracy theories. Who needs to "chillax" now, Jason?

Conservatives called for Winnipeg-area Liberal candidate Lesley Hughes, a former CBC broadcaster, to resign over an article she wrote shortly after 9/11, saying Israeli businesses in the Twin Towers may have had warning about the attack because they vacated the building a week before the terrorist strike.

"Canadians rightfully relegate 9/11 conspiracy theorists to the extreme ideological fringes of our society," said Conservative candidate Rochelle Wilner.

However, Ms. Hughes issued a statement Thursday night, saying she is "deeply distressed" by any suggestion she's anti-Semitic.

"I find any interpretation of my journalism as anti-Semitic personally offensive and I heartily apologize for that perception," she said.

Are we having fun yet?

Meanwhile, Elizabeth May's train had a run-in with a moose. The moose lost and, as far as I know, May didn't field dress it. And perhaps grabbing onto the sudden death metaphor as a result of that encounter, she issued a dire warning for Canadians:

But before her train from Vancouver pulled into Toronto last night, she called for a form of strategic voting, which she feared might get her in a moose-size mess of trouble with her own party.

May urged Canadians to do all they can to throw Prime Minister Stephen Harper out of office, including strongly suggesting they shouldn't vote Green if another candidate has a better chance at defeating a Conservative.

"We are too close to the edge of a global apocalypse," May said in an interview. "We have got to grab the opportunities we have. And, clearly, the contribution Canadians can make to a global solution is to get rid of Stephen Harper."

All I know is that it's time to stockpile cheesecake. The rest of you are on your own.

"Young flesh", "fresh meat" - whatever the comment was, Gilles isn't taking it back. That's 2 campaign days wasted on those remarks.

The level of our leaders' political discourse is quite impressive, n'est-ce pas? This is like political limbo: how low can they go?


 

Canadian Election Watch - Day 18

Steve on Tuesday:

“I think when ordinary working people come home, turn on the TV and see a gala of a bunch of people, you know, at a rich gala all subsidized by taxpayers claiming their subsidies aren't high enough when they know those subsidies have actually gone up, I'm not sure that's something that resonates with ordinary people,” he said during a campaign stop in Saskatoon.

I guess that means he's opting out of G8 meetings from now on.



Oh. That quote was about Canadian arts and culture?

Mr. Harper's barbed shot at whining elites attending glitzy affairs was curious, given that his wife Laureen is the honorary chair of the National Arts Centre's gala next month in Ottawa.

That's what they call (in truly elitist terms) "schadenfreude".

And, while Steve's been busy mimicking John McCain and Dubya this week - telling us that the fundamentals of our economy are strong - Merrill Lynch issued this warning today: "Canada could face housing woes".

In a report issued Wednesday, Merrill Lynch Canada economists said many Canadian households are more financially overextended than their counterparts in the United States or Britain.

They said it's only a matter of time before the “tipping point” is reached and the housing and credit markets crack in Canada.

Locally, the hot and extremely expensive housing market in Calgary has slowed down with a glut of newly-built condos now sitting empty because there aren't any buyers. On top of that, the G&M also reports that "average pay increases among Canadian workers are set to cool next year" thanks to the current economic mess. Not to worry though. Steve has it all under control. (cough cough hack hack)

Maybe he can get those 14-year olds that he wants to imprison for life ("fresh meat" as Gilles calls them) to start working on building some new nuclear plants (although Elizabeth May might have something to say about that). A little child labour goes a long way towards "rehabilitation". Victorian England wasn't all that bad for kids, was it? Oliver Twist was just an immature little whiner. What's not to love about gruel?



In other news (of the nudie type), I see NDP candidate Julian 'I stripped in front of teenagers 12 years ago so I could go skinny dipping' West has resigned but his name is still on the ballot. How many more candidates will The House That Jack Built lose? Stay tuned. (They're quite the interesting bunch.)

Why are we having this election again?
 

Canadian Election Watch - Day 16

Are we there yet?

I received my handy dandy voter information card in the mail today. If you have questions about voter registration or where to vote, check out the Elections Canada site.

On with the show...

So, Crime Fightin' Steve wants to name young offenders and get tougher on them, does he? JAWL takes a look at those moves and lays out the case against that announcement.

Speaking of Steve and crime, he's called in those who always get their man to find out who sent out spoofed e-mails in his name.

One of the messages suggests Mr. Harper's recognition of Kosovo's independence could lead to Quebec sovereignty.

The other begins with the greeting, “Hi The Average Canadian, Stephen Harper wanted to tell you” that he intends to destroy health care, make Canada the 51st U.S. state, is beholden to the Alberta tar sands, and dislikes all things green except for the almighty American dollar.

The notes were sent to an e-mail address that automatically distributes messages to people who have signed onto the PMO listserv mailing list.

The jokesters would not necessarily have needed to hack into government computers to perform their stunt; all they would have required was the listserv's e-mail address.

Whoops.

Macleans' Kady O'Malley has more on that story.

Today's poll smoking: Various favourability ratings of the party leaders.

(I'm kind of bored with this race. Can you tell? Whose idea was it to do daily updates anyway? Oh yeah. Mine.)

Stephane Dion released his party's platform on Monday (titled, "Richer, Fairer, Greener") and explained how he'll balance the budget and, well, just read the article. (I'll try to be more enthusiastic tomorrow, I promise.)

I expect the Tory's platform will be named, "Meaner, Crueler, Talk to the Hand" because that was the subtitle of the last one.

Speaking of meaner, Steve is sticking with the income trust tax. That's sure to win him votes, especially from those seniors he ripped off.

Hey. I just followed a Google link to a post about the income trusts over at the Blogging Scaries - I mean "Tories" - and evidently I've been banned. Funny, I've never even commented there and have never linked to them. I guess this would be one of those pre-emptive attacks that conservatives are infamous for. Nice to know they're scared of me. That makes me happy.

You have been banned from this forum.
Please contact the webmaster or board administrator for more information.

What more information do I need? Wankers.

Anyway...where was I? Oh yes.

This news caught my ear today as well: Layton hints at coalition government

For the first time in this election campaign, Mr. Layton has broached the idea of a political alliance to prevent Mr. Harper from leading again.

Gee Jack, maybe you should have thought of that in 2005 when you seconded Harper's vote to bring down the Liberal government.

Margaret Wente chimes in on Elizabeth May: What's not to like about Ms. May? I heard some blurb today about people showing up to see her Green Train at 3 am. There was something about teddy bears in there too although not everyone is happy to see her.

Lastly, the battle for Quebec is on: Fortier v Duceppe

Time for Dancing With the Stars. (I jest - although my cat Joey is apparently a big fan. Who knew?)