Canadian Election Thread

michelemichele · 09-08-2008, 08:06 AM

Unless someone thinks: nah, I'll post related articles here.

Be warned: I'm digging around the Toronto Star, I'm biased, I'm not going to play pom-pom girl for the Tories in some dumb ploy to look as if I'm "playing fair". I already am fair.

Feel free to post other points of view from other papers if you believe in them. I'll scream at the screen, but I will try to contain myself & reply to the contents of whatever 'points' are made in Harper's favour (there won't be many).

Hopefully we can all scrap and cool off without carrying grudges etc.

Harper downplays majority
Sep 08, 2008 04:30 AM
Comments on this story (28)
Tonda MacCharles
Ottawa Bureau

OTTAWA–Moments after Prime Minister Stephen Harper triggered a federal election for Tuesday, Oct. 14, he downplayed prospects of a majority win, saying even a stronger minority government is a prize worth calling an early vote.

"I'm in this election to win. We believe it's going to be a tough election. We believe it will be a tight election and yes, we believe it will be, in all likelihood, it will be a minority. That said, I'm a very young man and I'm not in the mood to think about losing or retiring," he said, when asked whether he'd quit if he failed to secure a majority.

Harper shrugged off legislation he passed that set Oct. 19, 2009, as the fixed date for the next general election.

He denied his decision is motivated by opinion polls showing the Conservatives could do better than he is perhaps prepared to admit.

Instead, Harper argued that at a time of global economic uncertainty, when the Liberals are promoting a carbon tax and "shift" of the tax burden on to polluters, "we have come to a moment that requires the people of Canada to choose."

He urged voters to look at the immediate economic picture and the question of "competent leadership."

His political rivals took a couple of shots at the abandoned fixed-date election pledge. But they, too, quickly moved on to well-honed political messages.

Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion said Canadians have a "stark choice between two visions for our country," calling Harper's a "narrow-minded right-wing agenda."

Dion called Harper's "the largest spending government in Canadian history. But they spend with no plan because they govern for the next day, the next poll, the next election. Never do they govern for the next generation."

Dion promised his "green shift" plan to tax carbon fuels, excluding gasoline, would lessen taxes on hard-hit individuals and industries, and bring down poverty by one-third in Canada in a first mandate.

New Democratic Party Leader Jack Layton ditched his party's usual appeal. Instead of seeking the balance of power, Layton said he and his party are ready to take the reins.

"Stephen Harper announced he is quitting as prime minister, so today I'm announcing that I'm applying for his job," Layton declared.

He urged voters to reject the "Harper approach" and "say goodbye to the George Bush era in our own conduct abroad."

Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe pitched his party as the key to blocking a Conservative majority.

He slammed Harper as an ideologue whose "vision is inspired by (U.S. President) George W. Bush," who "wanted to drag us into the Iraq war," who quit the UN's Kyoto treaty on climate change, and who is waging a war on culture in Quebec.

Green Leader Elizabeth May, who faces the biggest challenge to get an MP elected to Parliament for the first time, called on voters to flex their muscle to fight climate change, "child poverty, world peace and nuclear disarmament."

"I beg you, do not sleep through this election," May told voters, speaking in Guelph, where the party had been contesting one of four by-elections now superseded by the general election call.

At dissolution, the Conservatives held 127 seats in the Commons, the Liberals 95, the Bloc 48 and the NDP 30. There were four independent MPs and four vacant seats.

The Conservative party starts the campaign with its coffers full and an experienced campaigner in Harper, 49. Still, this is a gamble for Harper, who must delicately navigate running as a front-runner, not the underdog, and from the governing seat, not opposition.

The stakes are high for all leaders, none more so than Dion, 52, the rookie Opposition leader facing a nervous and restive caucus.

The Liberals say they are ready. But Dion's plane is not, and he travels by bus for the first three days of the campaign, arriving in Quebec last night for events today.

Layton, 58, is an experienced campaigner, and plans to target ridings in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec. He headed first yesterday to Calgary, a Conservative stronghold where he has almost no chance of winning a seat, to present himself as an alternative to Harper.

Duceppe, 61, with his sights set only on Quebec seats, is in a tough fight. The party's raison d'être – separatism – is a cause that no longer grips Quebecers as a priority.

The Greens' rookie leader, May, 54, has shown herself a shrewd campaigner.

She personally chose to fight high-profile cabinet minister Peter MacKay for his seat in Central Nova, made gains for the party in recent by-elections, and brought a sitting independent MP, former Liberal Blair Wilson (West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country) into the Green ranks.

Quote:

REALITY CHECK

The claim: That the minority Parliament was dysfunctional and at an impasse and therefore the Conservatives were justified in ignoring their own legislation that set Oct. 19, 2009 as the date of the next election.

Who said it: Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

The facts: This minority Parliament was the second-longest in Canadian history.

There have been 65 bills and three budgets passed by the House of Commons since the Conservatives were elected on Jan. 23, 2006.

Opposition leaders say that uncertainty is a reality of minority parliaments and that Harper should have abided by the spirit of his fixed-date election legislation.

"Fixed dates stop leaders from trying to manipulate the calendar," Harper told reporters in May, 2006 when he introduced the legislation.

"Hopefully, in the next election, we can run on our record and we won't need the manipulation of the electoral calendar," he said.

Bruce Campion-Smith

21st century?

Who wants to break it to Oka that we're already in the 21st century?

Posted by kinski at 9:39 AM Monday, September 08 2008

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You win

Harper majority. You win if: you are a CEO with a seven-figure income, you own oil stocks, you are a Conservative MP who is okay with being a puppet, you believe global warming, like evolution, is an unproven theory, you are a deceased, failed Tory PM who wants a ship named after him.

Posted by E.B. at 9:32 AM Monday, September 08 2008

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I'm for Canada being as successful as possible....

I'm also a realist. So, this time around, I'm voting Conservative. Mr Dion and Mr Layton, We know who the sitting US President is, and we know who the Canadian Prime Minister is. The comparison is laughable, and old. Is that the best you can do to try and earn my vote? All political parties in Canada, and their leaders, are significantly 'left' of Barrack Obama, Mr. Harper included. Comparing Mr Harper to the Burmese junta warning of armed Canadian soldiers in the streets (from the 2006 campaign) was at least entertaining. How about bringing back those ads?

Posted by eastern at 9:30 AM Monday, September 08 2008

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Harper downplays majority

we have a minority situation now and we will and up with a minority again? so why have an election? what a way to save tax payers money! the naked emperor's clothes are showing.

Posted by fibonacci3 at 9:25 AM Monday, September 08 2008

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tweedle or tweedle dum?

Party affiliation and polarization run deep to be influenced by election campaigns. Though I have voted NDP a couple of times I have always gravitated towards the Liberals.

Posted by Max Desouza at 9:23 AM Monday, September 08 2008

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Why is it that..........

Liberals behave like little children when other paries treat them the same way they have treated everyone else for the last 25yrs? Why is it OK for the Liberals to use a 'dirty trick' multiple times, but when any other party does it just once, suddenly that party becomes irresponsible or unfair?

Posted by Straight Shooter at 9:17 AM Monday, September 08 2008

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If Harper is fit to lead why is he playing down a majority?

shouldn't he be saying he thinks Canadians are ready to support him? I think he knows most people are afraid to give him a majority, so he is trying to play it down, hoping that people will vote for conservative candidates thinking that it won't happen.

Posted by mbr1888 at 9:16 AM Monday, September 08 2008

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Who is Bruce Campion-Smith?

And how did he get to publish an obvious anti-PC side bar on this website? I was under the impression that The Star was suppose to be impartial. Everyone knows this paper is heavily titled towards the Liberals, but to be so blatant about it reduces The Star's credibility. Now that we have an election, this would be the best time for the Star to 'step up' and produce truely impartial articles. If that can't be done, then lets see AN EQUAL NUMBER of articles that support all of the political parties.

Posted by Straight Shooter at 9:16 AM Monday, September 08 2008

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Liberals....Stop worrying about your pot

It never fails.....there is always a few posts from Liberals on their precious 'herb'. Canada has a ton of real problems to fix both internally and externally. We have 25 yrs of Liberal mess to clean up and it will take some time to lay down the changes that will work and for all you non-believing Liberals to see that it works. Please stop worrying about your precious marijuana. We know you love it and we know that was a natural effect from spending those 10 years in University get over educated. We have a strong to country to build; we encourage all of you Liberals to just sit back and stay High. You are less obnoxious that way.

Posted by Straight Shooter at 9:15 AM Monday, September 08 2008

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MORE OF THE SAME

Don't kid yourself. Stephen Harper has called this election for the purpose of obtaining a majority. He knows that Canadians are terrified by the prospects of him obtaining a majority so his downplaying things. The danger is ever present. Canada, stand on guard for thee.

Posted by a citizen at 9:13 AM Monday, September 08 2008

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Re: Block Treasonist Bloc

The Bloc Quebecois is not the only political party in Canada in recent years whose goal was the dissolution of the country. If memory serves me well, the Canadian Conservative Party sprang from the Reform / Alliance western regional parties that advocated at one time that the oil rich provinces west of Ontario should secede. Do you remember the phrase "let the Eastern Bastards freeze in the dark"?

Posted by Dave 20 at 9:13 AM Monday, September 08 2008

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Harper is my man

Harper, is the leader to lead Canada all the way to the 21st century, he has vision, he has leadership, ha has the balls to stand up and be counted

Posted by oka at 9:11 AM Monday, September 08 2008

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Page 1 of 3

TheStar.com | Federal Election | Harper downplays majority

michelemichele · 09-10-2008, 05:54 AM

EDITORIAL
TheStar.com | Federal Election | Image triumphs early in election
Image triumphs early in election
Sep 10, 2008 04:30 AM

The early days of the federal election campaign have been dominated by images – mostly negative ones of Liberal leader Stéphane Dion – rather than substance.

The Conservatives have unleashed a barrage against Dion, ranging from TV ads claiming (falsely) that he would roll back the GST cuts and child-care benefits to a Web posting showing a bird pooping on him (Prime Minister Stephen Harper apologized for that) to speeches characterizing the Liberal leader as an out-of-touch intellectual with "theoretical ideas" and "untested schemes" (Harper's own words).

Dion has fought back by launching his own website portraying himself as a family man who enjoys the outdoors, by appearing at a campaign event with a guitarist from a rock band, and by appealing for sympathy for his laboured English because he has a hearing problem.

Unfortunately, lost in all this is the substance of what Dion has been saying. Contrary to Conservative predictions that he would run away from his "Green Shift" plan because it is unpopular with voters, Dion has been doggedly pushing the idea in both speeches and ads. If voters pay close attention, what he is saying begins to make sense.

Dion has also been making sense with proposals such as a ban on military assault weapons and the restoration of the court challenges program eliminated by the Harper government.

But these messages are struggling to be heard above the din of the attack ads and the negative media commentary about his English and signs of disorganization in his campaign.

Of course, political leadership is all about communicating effectively, and until now that has been Dion's weak suit.

There are some signs he is improving, however. His opening day performance, including a direct pitch to Quebec voters, was solid. His response to the erroneous Conservative attack ads was strong. ("They are piling lies on top of lies.")

And yesterday Dion managed to boil an explanation of his Green Shift down to six words: "Cut income taxes, shift to pollution." For good measure, he described the Conservative plan to tackle climate change in just two words: "No plan."

Not bad. The question for Liberals is whether voters will hear Dion out in the time remaining.

TheStar.com | Federal Election | Image triumphs early in election

michelemichele · 09-10-2008, 06:22 AM

Toronto Star
Vote Ontario, McGuinty
Sep 09, 2008 04:30 AM
Comments on this story (11)
Robert Benzie
Queen's Park Bureau Chief

Striving to set the agenda for the Oct. 14 federal vote, Premier Dalton McGuinty yesterday urged Ontarians to exert their clout to demand a better deal for the province during the election campaign.

"We make up more than one third of the seats in the House of Commons and it's time that we understood that and exploited that in the very best sense of the word," the premier told reporters at Queen's Park. "Ontarians deserve a fair shake when it comes to federal funding for laid-off workers and health transfers and economic development."

McGuinty's plea met with little sympathy from Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who said in Richmond, B.C., that he's running on a "national agenda."

"We dealt with the fiscal imbalance," Harper said. "We increased transfers to all of the provinces. Premier McGuinty, like many of the premiers, didn't get everything he wanted out of the fiscal balance resolution, but ... he was pretty positive about the improvements we made in fiscal relations with Ontario," he said.

Against a backdrop of seven Maple Leaf flags, seven Ontario ensigns, and a dais emblazoned with the slogan "Strong Ontario, Strong Canada," McGuinty railed against what he says is a raw deal the province gets from Ottawa.

"Ontarians are not looking for special treatment. We're looking for the same treatment. We're looking for – we're demanding – fairness."

To that end, McGuinty wants Ontario workers' employment insurance benefits hiked to national levels, entitling the average unemployed person here to an additional $4,630 in yearly benefits.

The shortfall costs Ontario workers $2.1 billion in benefits annually and an additional $478 million in training program funding.

He also seeks a change to the Canada Health Transfer funding so it is immediately distributed on a per capita basis in Ontario instead of being phased in by 2014-15. Such a shift would add $733 million to the health-care system in 2008-09.

Finally, he'd like to see the creation of a regional development scheme to help southern Ontario's ailing industries. Every other region of Canada has such a program.

McGuinty vowed to remain neutral other than campaigning with his brother, Liberal incumbent David McGuinty (Ottawa South).

While McGuinty said his aides would be allowed to help federal Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion "on their own time," he took a veiled shot at the federal party's Green Shift carbon-emission reduction program, which would tax fossil fuel consumption in exchange for income and corporate tax cuts. "I've got my own particular approach when it comes to dealing with carbon emissions. We believe in a cap-and-trade system."

Under a cap-and-trade system, government sets a total limit on carbon emissions as well as a cap for each major polluting industry. Industries below their cap can sell emission permits to those that exceed their limit. The intent is to encourage efficiency and conservation by rewarding industries that get below the cap and adding costs to high polluters.

Dion said his platform would prove he would be "a very good partner" for McGuinty.

The tax cuts in the Liberal environmental strategy would help Ontario fight poverty, he said, and Quebec and Ontario would benefit from a $1 billion fund to help manufacturers adjust to modern, "green" technologies.

"We have an agenda that will improve what he's able to do," Dion said. "He needs a partner in Ottawa and we'll provide a partner for the premier of Ontario and all the premiers of this country."

But Dion did not address the premier's complaint that Ontarians get short-changed by Ottawa on employment insurance, health transfers and other programs.

Harper denied that Ontarians get a raw deal under employment insurance rules.

"It's not true that there are rules in employment insurance that discriminate against Ontario. There are rules that assist more economies that have higher or seasonal unemployment rates. As the patterns of employment change, those rules apply as much to Ontario as to any other province," he said.

"I don't wish to see the seasonal employment economy of Atlantic Canada extend to Ontario. If it did, they would be eligible for the same EI. But our goal isn't to see greater EI across the county. It's to see greater employment ... notwithstanding this economic slowdown, we've had a positive trend."

NDP Leader Jack Layton said if McGuinty is looking for someone to address the fiscal imbalance issue, then he's the man.

"It sounds to me like he's setting up to support the New Democratic Party. These are all ideas that we've been talking about for a long time," Layton said, adding he will be addressing the issues raised by McGuinty in his election platform.

In Ottawa, Green Leader Elizabeth May said Ontario would benefit from her policies because they are designed to be good for all regions of Canada.

With files from Richard Brennan, Bruce Campion-Smith, Rob Ferguson, Joanna Smith and Les Whittington

Quote:

REALITY CHECK

The claim: Ontario is treated fairly and on an equal footing with other provinces under federal employment insurance rules.

Who said it: Prime Minister Stephen Harper

The facts: Last year, 58 per cent of unemployed people in other provinces received regular benefits from the Employment Insurance program – almost double the 30 per cent rate in Ontario, according to the provincial government.

Premier Dalton McGuinty argues the federal government is short-changing jobless Ontario workers receiving employment insurance by an average of $4,630 compared with other provinces, a total of $2.1 billion annually.

Harper denied yesterday that the rules treat Ontario workers differently. "There are rules that assist more economies that have higher or seasonal unemployment rates. As the patterns of employment change, those rules apply as much to Ontario as to any other province," he said.

The difference of opinion appears to spring from the tendency for Ontario's economy to have fewer seasonal employment swings than other provinces, which often depend more on natural resource industries.

TD Bank chief economist Don Drummond noted earlier this year, however, that Ontario's manufacturing sector is in the midst of a major restructuring. "Typically, when a person becomes unemployed, they end up being re-employed in the same sector; that's not likely going to be the case, unfortunately, for those people now."

Star staff

TheStar.com | Federal Election | Vote Ontario, McGuinty urges

Mississauga's McCallion blasts Harper and Dion for not spending more on Canadian cities
Sep 10, 2008 04:30 AM
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Bruce Campion-Smith
Linda Diebel
Les Whittington
Staff Reporters

Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion rolled into Greater Toronto looking to woo urban voters – and got a blast from Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion demanding that Ottawa do more to help Canada's cities.

McCallion laid out a chilly welcome mat for the two leaders, telling a Mississauga Board of Trade luncheon that the cash being spent on the election triggered by the Conservatives – some $297 million – should have been pumped into municipal infrastructure.

Stressing she's non-partisan, McCallion lambasted successive federal governments – Liberal and Conservative – for the fact that Ontario "has been discriminated against for many years."

There must be change, said McCallion. "Are we going to stand up and make that happen?"

McCallion's call to action came as both party leaders held events at opposite ends of the GTA last night – Harper in Mississauga and Dion in Pickering.

Liberal GTA candidates, who gathered to welcome Dion, slammed the Conservatives for failing to understand the importance of federal support for upgrading the city's infrastructure.

Dion told supporters that the needs of cities would be a high priority for a Liberal government in Ottawa.

Harper didn't touch on urban issues in his speech, but the Conservatives point to several initiatives to prove they've helped tackle the concerns of Canadians.

Sharing a stage with Dion, Martha Hall Findlay, the Liberal candidate in Willowdale, said Harper has scoffed at the needs of Ontario's cities.

"He sends out (Finance Minister) Jim Flaherty at a time when this country is facing an infrastructure deficit of $125 billion," Findlay said. "And Jim Flaherty comes waltzing into southern Ontario and says, `Potholes aren't our business.' "

"We must invest in our cities and communities by using annual federal surplus money to tackle our countries' infrastructure deficit."

The Liberals have promised that any unexpected annual budget surpluses above $3 billion will be dedicated to supporting urban infrastructure projects.

"We would also invest in our countries' bridges, our clean water, our public transit and our railways," Dion said.

Harper used an evening rally at a Polish cultural centre to make a direct appeal to Toronto's ethnic communities, telling the diverse crowd that the "Conservative party is your party."

While Harper didn't mention urban issues in his speech, the Tories insist they've helped Canadian cities, starting with a $33 billion infrastructure program, which includes a portion for municipal projects. And they note they've earmarked $269 million over two years to tackle homelessness.

As well, the Conservatives are making law and order a big part of their pitch to Toronto residents, touting crime measures such as mandatory sentences for offences involving firearms, tougher bail conditions for gun-related offences.

NDP Leader Jack Layton, a former Toronto councillor and former president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, said the federal government has to invest in three keys areas in the cities: transit, affordable housing and post-secondary education.

"I have been announcing funding for public transit all across this country where 1 cent per litre of the gas goes directly to public transit ... in a city like Toronto it's close to a billion dollars," Layton told reporters after a campaign stop in Thunder Bay.

In a fiery speech often interrupted by applause, McCallion said Toronto has gone from being a world leader to a follower.

"We're so far behind its pitiful," she said, citing a decline in the Toronto Transit Commission, once the subject of study by experts across North America.

"They don't come and look any more. Toronto is the heart of the GTA; we are the arteries. If the heart isn't strong the arteries aren't strong."

She said it's crazy that Ontarians have a tougher time getting Employment Insurance than in other regions and that property taxes are expected to cover social welfare costs.

"I don't think we needed an election, frankly," she told the luncheon.

McCallion said she's met Harper and was "impressed with all the achievements" of his government – "so frankly, I was mystified" that he felt Parliament wasn't working. "Think of the money wasted (by the election)."

She urged the crowd of about 200 to take advantage of the election to fight for Ontario and their cities. "You had better approach the candidates running in this election and put them on the carpet," she said.

"Folks, I challenge you to get organized."

The stakes are high for Harper and Dion in this region. Dion is looking to keep his party's stranglehold on urban seats, while Harper is confident that his pitch to middle-class voters – and ethnic communities – will help swing seats his way.

At the time of the election call, Liberals held 36 of the 46 ridings in the GTA. The Conservatives had six, the NDP three and there was one vacancy in Don Valley West.

Harper concedes his party has had trouble making inroads in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, but says it's only a matter of time before Tories win over urban voters.

Both Harper and Dion have events scheduled in the Greater Toronto area today. They'll be joined by Layton, who is making stops in Oshawa and Toronto.

With files from Richard Brennan

EDITORIAL
TheStar.com | Federal Election | Fairness is in eye of the beholder
Fairness is in eye of the beholder
Sep 09, 2008 04:30 AM
Comments on this story (9)

Premier Dalton McGuinty says he wants to use the national election to influence politicians of all parties to treat Ontario more fairly in the distribution of federal dollars. But from the party leaders' response yesterday, it will be an uphill struggle for McGuinty and the province.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper dismissed Ontario's concerns and said the "fiscal imbalance" issue had already been dealt with by his government through increases in federal transfers to all the provinces. "Premier McGuinty didn't get everything he wanted," said Harper. "But as I recall at the time, he was pretty positive about the improvements we made in fiscal relations with Ontario."

Harper took particular issue with McGuinty's complaints about the federal Employment Insurance program, under which the average unemployed worker in Ontario is receiving $4,630 less in benefits than in the rest of the country. The Prime Minister suggested that this is due to the seasonal nature of work or the higher unemployment rates in the other provinces.

Well, Ontario has seasonal workers, too (in construction, tourism, forestry). And its unemployment rate is much higher than in the four Western provinces. Nonetheless, unemployed workers in those provinces all receive more benefits, on average, than in Ontario.

Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion appeared more open to Ontario's pitch. He congratulated McGuinty for his "courageous" campaign for fairness for the province and suggested elements of the Liberal platform will directly address his concerns. We shall see.

As for NDP Leader Jack Layton, he, too, said McGuinty's concerns would be addressed in the party platform. "These are all ideas that we've been talking about for a long time," said Layton.

But provincial NDP Leader Howard Hampton sounded a different note, dismissing McGuinty's fairness campaign as "phony." Hampton also suggested the Liberal premier's motives were partisan, even though McGuinty has said repeatedly that the discrimination against Ontario dates back well before the Harper government to Liberal regimes led by Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin. McGuinty has also noted that past provincial governments of all stripes have raised the issue before, including the NDP government in which Hampton served in the early 1990s.

Now is the time for Ontarians to stick together and say to candidates of all parties: "You better be prepared to stand up for Ontario," as McGuinty declared yesterday. He's right.

michelemichele · 09-10-2008, 06:26 AM

EDITORIAL
TheStar.com | Federal Election | Injudicial process
Injudicial process
Sep 10, 2008 04:30 AM
Comments on this story (2)

When Justice Minister Rob Nicholson announced in May how the government planned to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court of Canada, he touted the fact that a panel of MPs would play a substantial role by drawing up a short list of candidates.

But late Friday afternoon, with an election call imminent, Nicholson cut off his own process by nominating Justice Thomas Cromwell of the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal to the country's top court before the panel had finished its work.

While the nomination still must be vetted by an all-party committee, that is an after-the-fact formality. The more important parliamentary input was to come beforehand, with the panel's short list. Now that step has been dispensed with, on the eve of an election.

Nicholson justifies the decision by saying he was "disappointed" with the panel's work. He says it accomplished nothing at its first meeting last month because opposition MPs objected to the makeup of the panel, and that meetings this month were cancelled because opposition members "failed to participate."

But NDP MP Joe Comartin, who served on the panel, disputes that version of events. He says opposition members were not holding up the process and he calls the government's decision to circumvent the panel "blatantly partisan politics."

How is it political, given that no one, including Comartin, is questioning Cromwell's qualifications? There is speculation that Prime Minister Stephen Harper wanted the nomination out of the way before the election so that the opposition could not accuse him of a secret plan to name a right-wing "hanging judge" to fill the vacancy.

So why should voters care if a consensus choice was made before the election? Because to get there, Harper has once again circumvented an agreed-upon process, just as he did in dissolving Parliament for an election prior to the fixed date – set by his own legislation – in 2009.

What does it say about a Prime Minister who is so quick to break his own rules when it suits him?

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Does anyone, except his puppets, believe anything this guy says?

I know people will try to plamauch their way around these words, but if you believe in the truth, you have to accurately describe the truth. From his promise to be accountable to Canadians to his promise on the Atlantic Accord to this illegal election call the Prime Ministrer has demonstarted his dishonesty and dishonourable behaviour repeatedly.

Posted by P. F. Murphy at 8:07 AM Wednesday, September 10 2008

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A Leopard Doesn't Change Its Spots

Thanks for the story. The pattern of breaking his word started in Harper's first week as PM and will apparently continue until his last. Here are the options as I see them. #1. It says don't be surprised by whatever Harper does. #2. Don't trust Harper to keep his word. #3. It says trust that Harper will do what he says he won't do...except he does some of the things he says he will do. #4. Ladies and gentlemen, place your bets will Mr Harper keep his promises to Ford, Peterborough or public healthcare? Its says Harper is a gamble.

Posted by Jennifer Pollock at 7:56 AM Wednesday, September 10 2008

http://www.thestar.com/FederalElection/article/496307

michelemichele · 09-10-2008, 06:37 AM

Toronto Star
Harper best and worst of Tory weapons
Sep 09, 2008 04:30 AM
Comments on this story (15)
James Travers

VANCOUVER

Paul Martin's faint ghost haunts this campaign. It wafts restlessly through Steven Harper's pleas for Canadians to choose strong leadership and it hovers over Stéphane Dion as he struggles to demonstrate competence.

Ethics, not dithering, cost Liberals the last election. Still, Dion's uncertain guidance since succeeding Martin as party leader is a reminder that when it comes to running a complex country, good ideas are not enough.

A simple dynamic turns Dion's suspect leadership to Harper's advantage. When only two parties have a reasonable chance of forming the next government, leadership becomes a comparison and Conservatives sensibly believe that comparison flatters the Prime Minister.

Most Canadians agree. Poll after poll positions the Prime Minister and the opposition leader at opposite ends of the leadership scale. More significantly, Harper is considered most able on the most troubling issues – the economy and Afghanistan. Dion's singular advantage is on the environment and even there approval is shared with the NDP's Jack Layton and the Greens' Elizabeth May.

So statistics and common sense explain why Conservatives want leadership to be the Oct. 14 ballot question. But loud and frequent warnings that Dion is too high a risk carry their own, if more modest, dangers for Harper. A campaign that focuses on leadership won't necessarily focus on Dion alone.

In fast-forwarding his agenda Harper hasn't been as steady as Conservatives suggest. Broken promises, including the one that made this election a reality Sunday, fleck his record. Second thoughts on, among others, income trusts, the Atlantic Accord, accountability, and sharing power with Parliament all changed the Prime Minister's mind and all will be remembered by some voters.

Of course consistency is a variable for most leaders – Dion, for example, wasn't always so enthusiastic about carbon taxes – and wary citizens are now as economical with trust as politicians are with truth. So a better, more predictive test of Harper is how he has applied power to finances at home and foreign policy abroad.

Using a "typical" family as painfully artificial prop, Harper stressed here Monday that Conservatives have cut taxes, most memorably the GST, and are writing cheques for parents. Missing from the script is that the formula of reducing revenues and raising spending – military suppliers are big winners – slimmed a double-digit surplus into a rounding error and is now limiting Ottawa's ability to react to a recession gobbling manufacturing jobs as it oozes north.

Between now and election day, all parties will roll out their economic plans. For Harper that means explaining if his second government will be more broadly activist and engaged, less laissez-faire and reliant on the market's invisible hand, than the first.

Afghanistan, which claimed its 97th Canadian fatality as the campaign began, is equally problematic. Harper, who criticized Liberals for not marching Canada into Iraq beside the U.S. Marines, no longer frames the Afghanistan mission as a struggle of civilizations; success now is strengthening the host army and police. But his government still tilts to military over diplomatic responses even though a majority of Canadians no longer believe the Taliban and its Al Qaeda parasites will be defeated.

It's cold comfort for Harper that Martin waffled so long that Canada found itself defending deadly Kandahar. For ideological and partisan reasons, this Prime Minister made the war his own even as his party publicly doubted the patriotism of those who questioned the mission.

Harper's application of power is as legitimate an issue as Dion's unproven ability. History, after all, is strewn with the debris of strong leaders as well as weak.

James Travers' column appears Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

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One last time

to regurgitate Liberal talking points won't change things Jimmy Travers. Dion and the Liberals are toast, and this is where your questions should be focused. How did the Liberals get to this disastrous point? Well, you can thank Gerard Kennedy and his terrorist backers component for high jacking the Liberal leadership convention. Nobody to blame but yourselves. Sad day for socialists in Canada and a great day for Conservatives.

Posted by Denis P at 7:34 PM Tuesday, September 09 2008

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Peter1a: The government has a surplus now, but don’t let the facts get in the way. visionary: I had to disagree with you, the new Liberal leader will not want an election because the Liberal party will be flirting with bankruptcy by the time he or she takes over.

Posted by Cdnexpat at 6:39 PM Tuesday, September 09 2008

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PCs are too eager to please Americans

If Harper would have been the prime minister instead of Martin, Canada would have been fighting in Iraq now and there is no doubt about it. PCs, by nature, are too eager to please Americans. The future will eventually require Canadians to leave Afghanistan despite American displeasure and Harper will not be the man to do it while Dion is pretty capable of detaching from Americans.

Posted by tes at 6:34 PM Tuesday, September 09 2008

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Dithering- competence false words

Mr. Travers chooses to use the reform parties favorite attack words. Competence- Mr Dion won the Liberal leadership over tough extremely capable opponents. that's not done by incompetentency. Mr. Dion was a very competent leader in the cabinet for many years. Dithering. A man with a fractured party is brainless if he goes into an election before his muscles are strengthened party committed to one agenda and battle ready. Mr Harper hated his constant support by absence as it kept him from a majority when the economy was good. Mr. Harper feared a firmly regrouped Liberal party under leadership with a Vision for Canada. Sooo he forced an election contrary to his law. Mr. Harper appears so competent. 3 years of DITHERING in election seeking expediency, an agenda full of opposites and party acceptance of one man leadership. Give us back the Progressive Conservative clear firm agenda SOMEHOW- NO MORE competence of a failing economy and deficit bound treasury.

Posted by STAN Stainton at 3:08 PM Tuesday, September 09 2008

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Aristotelis

It is fair to assume,that there is a wholesale change of linen coming up in the White House,which means,Harper would have to stand on his own two feet without the Bush neo-con machine at the ready with their apocalyptic advise.I would sooner have a prime minister,who has the intelligence.We already had an overdose of brawn.Let`s now go for the brain and elect Dion.

Posted by Aristotelis at 3:00 PM Tuesday, September 09 2008

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Harper already has a majority

The conservatives will win enough seats to get a flat majority or they will stay as minority status. Either way, Harper has his majority. With another conserative minority, the liberals will be leaderless while replacing Dion. This will allow Harper to implement any new legislation and threaten a confidence vote. The liberals will not challenge him in fear of another election blamed on them. This has been Harper's practise thus far. This time his legislation will become more conservative and Harper will govern as if he has a majority, regardless of the outcome.

Posted by visonary at 2:08 PM Tuesday, September 09 2008

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Not-so-hidden agenda

"Missing from the script is that the formula of reducing revenues and raising spending – military suppliers are big winners – slimmed a double-digit surplus into a rounding error and is now limiting Ottawa's ability to react to a recession gobbling manufacturing jobs as it oozes north." Why Canadians don't get that is Harper's plan for this country a mystery. Strong leadership does not mean heavy-handed control of every aspect of government. It means having a strong team and letting them do what they do best.

Posted by GABE at 2:03 PM Tuesday, September 09 2008

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defining progress

Is it lower taxes, less government, more decentrilization, widening disparities between citizens, muscular military, alien foreign policy, effective dismantling of the gun registry, and encouraging further drift into the American orbit.

Posted by lescaine at 1:42 PM Tuesday, September 09 2008

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false image

Harper bullies, lies and manipulates, and somehow manages to convince people that these are the attributes of a strong leader.

Posted by E.B. at 1:33 PM Tuesday, September 09 2008

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best worse and only

Dion listens to 90 some M.P.s and 300 some riding assoc.s across this nation . Stevie has between 600 and 1000 staff from the Friends of Science working at the PMO / PCO. Decisive ? Clear ? One voice ? These staffers quickly and efficiently tell the party and all 120 some M.P.s what they should think !

Posted by ANTI PMO at 1:20 PM Tuesday, September 09 2008

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"Rounding error"

A delicate way of saying a $13 Billion surplus in two years became a deficit. This is economic stewardship?? Harper has proven equally useless on support for industry and the public. Leadership?? Is to laugh

Posted by Peter1a at 12:16 PM Tuesday, September 09 2008

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Harper is a leader, he takes decisive action when needed.

He's the best Prime Minister we've had for decades. The media have painted him with every smear they can, he's succeeded despite their best efforts to lie to Canadians.

Posted by Foghorn Leghorn at 9:13 AM Tuesday, September 09 2008

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Page 1 of 2 < Prev Next >

TheStar.com | Federal Election | Harper best and worst of Tory weapons

michelemichele · 09-10-2008, 06:38 AM

Hrm

It's like a deluge

Will post others tonight

AuCanada · 09-11-2008, 08:19 AM

So what are you hoping for, Michele? I don't know, myself.

michelemichele · 09-11-2008, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AuCanada

So what are you hoping for, Michele? I don't know, myself.

...that Harper wins a minority government smaller than the one he had before. It'd be a kick in the jahoobies to go along with the new hole Mayer MacCallion tore into him yesterday (that is one ferocious old woman).

I'm voting Liberal for two reasons:
- Layton wanting to shut out May from the debate bothers me a lot. No NDP.
- the riding I live in is notoriously conservative, but it's swung back and forth between Liberal and Conservative for the last twenty years: here, it'll be another showdown between the big two. Every Liberal vote will matter.

BTW AuC, I'm a bit fretful that I'm hogging the topic, flooding it, appearing as someone who doesn't think things through, maybe seeming a bit too aggressive because of that mouth of mine.

Last time, you created a discussion thread and more Canadians participated. < hint

Is it me, or are things looking better than one would have thought just a few days ago? Harper seems to be getting careless, lapsing back into the dumb Harper we knew three, four years ago.

(that Harper)

...Now fretting jinx

michelemichele · 09-11-2008, 12:36 PM

Ohno, Travers disagrees w/me RE Harper's conduct and Harper likes cats

Toronto Star
Smug smile conceals feathers
Sep 11, 2008 04:30 AM
Comments on this story (19)
James Travers

Stephen Harper is a cat lover trying hard not to look like he swallowed the canary. Even when things go wrong on this campaign they turn out right for a Prime Minister taking full advantage of a critical Liberal mistake.

A little smugness is understandable. While Liberals were bickering among themselves and rolling the dice on an untested leader, Conservatives were growing up as a party. Nothing demonstrates that new maturity better than this week's puffin incident. In the past, a brick stubborn Harper would have defended the indefensible. Now there's a quick, unequivocal apology for the image of the bird relieving itself on Stéphane Dion and the campaign rolls on.

There are other examples. Unlike 2004 when Conservatives ran out of things to say weeks before the finish, and 2006 when Harper's careless comments probably cost him a majority, this campaign is fully scripted, the leader disciplined.

Events are unfolding so well that just five days into a five-week campaign the Prime Minister is cautioning loyalists about complacency. That and any backlash to polls suggesting a Conservative majority are his major worries.

Some Conservative success is strategic. History is being repeated as the party reconnects its core constituencies in Quebec and the West. Some, too, is good fortune. Just as Jean Chrétien used weak opponents and their easily deconstructed platforms to devastating effect, Harper is letting Dion defeat himself with the Green Shift.

Conservatives know exactly what happens when opposition leaders focus campaigns on themselves and their polices. They know because Tories made that fatal error at least twice in the past. In 1974, Robert Stanfield campaigned on wage and price controls and lost to Pierre Trudeau who savaged the concept before implementing his version. Last year, John Tory made private school funding the issue and was easily beaten by Dalton McGuinty in the Ontario election.

The problem is easily grasped. A controversial idea promoted by an unproven leader is the political equivalent of being asked to jump off a cliff by a perfect stranger.

It's that leap of faith Harper warns against at every campaign stop. Using the same fear tactics Liberals used so successfully against his Reform and Alliance predecessors, Harper presents Dion as a risk, himself as the steady status quo.

Along with a you-gotta-be-kidding makeover as the guy next door, Harper is also misrepresenting a transformational, well right-of-centre government as the cautious agent of incremental change. A narrow example of a broader technique is his promise to trim a couple of cents off the federal excise tax on diesel. Harper's message delivered in Winnipeg this week emphasized, over and over, the plan's modesty. The not so subliminal message is that Conservatives are doing what's possible to help consumers while Liberals would, as the Prime Minister repeatedly puts it, raise taxes on everything.

That considerable exaggeration skips over environmental concerns and common criticism of Conservative tax breaks for consumers that are more politically attractive than equitable or effective. But it's good politics. It casts a government on a spending spree as fiscally prudent and the alternative as a reckless choice in uncertain times.

Whatever it is, it's working. Campaigns have their own character and this one is quietly confident, sure of itself and its increasingly self-evident destiny. For the Prime Minister that means 33 more days of hoping voters don't notice the feathers on his lips.

James Travers' column appears Tuesday, T