Buckdog

Even the old Liberal guard dog has now infused himself into a debate that has NO basis in reality. Quebec has not called a Referendum. No Referendum is on the horizon ... and yet... the MSM, Liberal bloggers and now even Chretien himself have tried to whip the nation into a fearful frenzy over national unity.

They might as well speculate on Alien contact with planet Earth (as a former Liberal Minister of Defence did).

Liberals are absolutely desperate to find something to attack New Democrats on and they seem to think that this is a winner for them.

-Chretien is Distressed!

Well known Quebec blogger, Anthony Di Domizio has published a post on Factchecker that needs to be read by anyone experiencing palpitations or other fear triggered physical symptoms.

What Angers Some Liberals The Most Is the Loss Of Entitlement. How dare the 103 New Democrat MP's think they are in any way, superior to 34 Liberal MP's.

Jane Taber and the Globe and Mail agree!
"So much for doing politics differently. The new, muscular NDP is throwing its weight around at the expense of the Liberals."

Excuse me Jane, curbing Liberal entitlement IS doing politics differently!

Big City Lib predicts that the current parliamentary formula of (Conservative Gov't + NDP Official Opposition = BOOM!!!). Since it is the stated intent of the Harper admin to end the Canadian Wheat Board's mandate by legislation, expect a very big 'BOOM'.

To date, the Liberal Party of Canada and its Federal Caucus has protected and defended the Canadian Wheat Board. Where I am unclear is what Liberal House policy will be in the new Parliament.

-Canadian Centre For Policy Alternatives: "Harper’s Renewed Attack on the Canadian Wheat Board"

From Smalldeadanimals:
"It would be interesting for a pollster to find out if there's a growing concern amongst non-Quebecois Canadians about what plans Monsieur Jack Layton has for Quebec over the next four years. In this comprehensive column, Jeff Jedras carefully outlines a number of data points that justify much concern. Here's a snippet:

What they can’t do, however, is try to have it both ways. They can’t tell Quebecers one thing and Canadians another. They can’t say Sherbrooke is their policy but claim support for the Supreme Court opinion and the Clarity Act, because the two aren’t compatible. They need to pick a position, own it and stand by it in all of Canada.

Layton is like a 12 year-old boy playing with firecrackers, except that he's not using his own fingers but rather those of the Canadian public. Fueled purely by his own ego, he's opening up a can of worms that is likely to be more than a little rancid. Do the majority of Canadians really want to spend this next decade dwelling on Quebec sovereignty issues ... yet again?!

One thing's for sure: when this doesn't turn out well, and it won't, Jack will accept NO responsibility for the disastrous results. For that would require character. To quote Dennis Prager, "one of the beautiful things about being on the Left is never having to apologize for anything!"
Small Dead Animals

This is what passes as a 'Progressive Blogger' these days from the Right Wing of the Liberal Party of Canada camp. Way to go Jedras! Keep on proving the truth in the old snippet 'Liberal / Tory .. same old story"!


The fine print:
For the record, I do acknowledge that there are many, progressive Lib bloggers who do not share the kind of idiotic nonsense that Mr. Jedras and other Right wing Libs do.

"OTTAWA — The federal government has explored hiring a professional public relations firm and organizing trips for international leaders to promote Canada's oilsands industry, while fighting back against foreign climate change policies requiring it to reduce its pollution, a newly released federal document has revealed.

The action plan, prepared by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, also suggested hosting an "annual retreat" of its oilsands advocacy team in London to plan a strategy to help boost the image of the industry that has developed an international reputation, as a result of campaigns launched by environmental groups, for producing "dirty oil."

"Consideration should be given to hiring a professional PR firm to help the Pan European Oil Sands Team further develop and implement a serious public advocacy strategy," said a draft version of a 2010-2011 action plan, released through access to information legislation.

"This has to be very well co-ordinated. The PR firm would play more of an advisory role. Hiring a PR firm would involve incurring a substantial cost." [...]

A spokeswoman from the department was unable to answer questions immediately about whether it had hired a PR firm, or could provide spending estimates on the cost of site visits and the proposed annual retreat of the federal government's oilsands team.

She was also unable to say whether the government was using information from Environment Canada about the impacts of oilsands activity in its public relations strategy or explain why it described BP and Shell as "like-minded allies."

Montreal Gazette

Hearty CONGRATULATIONS to ELIZABETH MAY for making Canadian history today - the new MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT for *Saanich* Gulf Islands!

Two weeks after Canada's Election, the New Democrats are experiencing an increase in support with the Conservatives, Liberals and Bloc all slipping. Even the daily, relentless campaign by the MSM to attack NDP MP, Ruth Ellen Brosseau seems to have backfired.

"Over the last two weeks (a total sample of 2,000, all data gathered before the Liberals chose Bob Rae as interim leader) here is what we see:

» The Conservative Party is polling at 38 per cent, down slightly from 39.6 per cent on Election Day.

» The NDP finds 33 per cent support, compared to 30.6 per cent on Election Day.

» The Liberal Party is at 15 per cent, down from an 18.9 per cent result.

» The Bloc is at 22 per cent in Quebec; 23.4 per cent was their total on May 2."

The Globe & Mail

Rookie PC candidate George Lepp says he’s embarrassed that a photo of his family jewels was posted on his campaign Twitter account for about 20 minutes before it was quickly unzipped.

Alan Sakach, communications director for the Ontario Conservatives, said the photo was inadvertently taken by Lepp’s BlackBerry when it was in his front pocket. (Ed Note: HUH? Was his dick in his pocket as well? This explanation is completely ludicrous) The photo was posted after someone took it from the candidate for the riding of Niagara Falls, according to Sakach.

“He is pretty upset and embarrassed,” Sakach said of a photo that was posted on Lepp’s account Sunday. “It was removed as soon as it came to his attention.”
The Toronto Sun obtained grainy copies of the Twitter page images before they were removed.

The pictures — too graphic to reproduce in the newspaper — are of a man naked from the waist down, showing a close up of his penis and his crossed legs.

Sakach said the device was operating on camera mode in his front pant pocket when it went missing. He added that Lepp suspects it was taken as he was jostled by protesters outside the Dixon Rd. convention centre where the Tories met for the party’s weekend convention."
Toronto Sun

Let's review:
-his blackberry was on camera mode in his front pocket.
-from the pocket, the blackberry took pictures of his genitals
-someone jostled him at a demonstration and must have somehow taken his blackberry
-the someone who got his blackberry was able to log onto his campaigns Twitter account and post the pic.

HuH???

"At the request of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper thwarted an announcement Friday by the G-8 countries that would have supported U.S. President Barack Obama's statement that talks between the Palestinians and Israel should be based on the 1967 borders with exchanges of territory."
Haaretz.com

Maitre chez nous?

-Canadian Press

-Winnipeg Free Press


(Photo courtesy Reuters / Haaretz.com)

Quebec blogger, Anthony Di Domizio has published a post on Factchecker that needs to be read by Progressive Bloggers, both New Dems AND Libs:

"Jack Layton is under fire for balking when asked about the NDP’s position toward the Clarity Act. Layton quivered when asked about his party’s position to endorse 50% + 1 a valid majority for a secession referendum. When asked by reporters during the election, Layton referred to the 2005 Sherbrooke Declaration. Here is what it says:

“The New Democratic Party aims to form the government of Canada.”

(This is probably where everybody stopped reading)

“The NDP recognizes Quebec’s right to self-determination, which implies the right of the people of Quebec to decide freely its own political and constitutional future…Therefore the NDP is committed to respect, in all its dealings, the Loi québécoise sur la Consultation populaire (Quebec Referendum Act). Also the NDP would recognize a majority decision (50% + 1) of the Quebec people in the event of a referendum on the political status of Quebec. The NDP recognizes as well that the right to self-determination implies that the Assemblée nationale is able to write a referendum question and that the citizens of Quebec are able to answer it freely…For the NDP, it is necessary to propose a positive vision of the future rather than contribute to polarize the debate.”

(Here is the link to the full document.)

The NDP is clearly federalist and clearly respects the verdict that the Quebec people would offer them in a referendum.

Their position is identical to that of all Quebec provincial parties, including Jean Charest’s provincial Liberals.

Everything listed above is consistently federalist. Therefore, anybody implying otherwise (I’m looking at you Andrew Coyne) is misleading their readers.
Does the Sherbrooke Declaration support the Clarity Act?

It does not.

“The New Democratic Party recognizes that exercising the right to self-determination is part of a political process. We feel that to formally legalize this process is not useful or necessary.”

They believe no Clarity Act should exist because they believe Quebec has a right to decide, in-house, if it wants to leave.

Jack Layton cannot say his party supports the Clarity Act’s existence with the Sherbrooke Declaration. It is federal law however, but the NDP has said it will support (in the House of Commons) any majority, including 50% + 1 and any question deemed acceptable by the National Assembly. So if it came to a vote, NDP MPs would vote this way.

Funnily enough, the Clarity Act stipulates that a vote of 50% + 1 will determine what the definition of a majority is…

The Clarity Act itself is very unclear as to what constitutes a majority. It stipulates that Parliament will decide what a majority is. Wonderful. Have we had successful referendums in the past? Sort of.
Some history!

In 1948, Newfoundland had two referendums on whether or not to join Canada. After not getting the desired result in the first referendum, Joey Smallwood and company ran another one and 52.3% decided to join Canada. This is not a whopping majority and is a rather slim margin, being decided by less than 7 000 votes.

Therefore, a majority of less than 5% is enough to join Canada. But does meet the threshold of a “clear majority”? Who knows! It does meet the NDP criteria as it is above 50%. As for the other parties, there is a lack of…um…clarity.
Going after Layton for the right reasons.

The Quebec media have jumped on Layton because he tried to stray away from the long-held NDP position while speaking in English. He balked and dodged the same question NINE times. Everybody had a field day and justifiably so. His position is clear. Jack’s comments earlier this week are not.

I congratulate everybody else for taking 6 years to read the Sherbrooke Declaration. As stated above, we can forgive them for stopping when it said the NDP would take power.

Layton’s position does not harm Canadian unity one iota. He said he will respect the democratic will of Quebecers, just like Canada should recognize the democratic wills of other countries trying to secede as well.

What is harmful to Canada is the notion that if one has a different view then the one in the Clarity Act, that they are against Canada staying together, or that they are playing with fire with regards to Canadian unity. The sovereigntists themselves have already seized on Layton’s balk and are using it to try and drive a wedge.

The last thing Canada needs is a bunch of blowhards like Andrew Coyne telling Quebec what they can and cannot do, misstating facts and puffing out their nationalist chests in an effort to scare people into reading their newspapers. The discourse deserves better."
Factchecker

Remember the wars that raged between the Paul Martin and Jean Chretien camps a few years back? After the defeat of the Martin government, Liberals ripped each others eyes out in the leadership race that saw Dion elected Leader. Oops! Bad choice .. okay .. start the leadership process up again and ... voila .. new leader, Michael Ignatieff. The rest is history. The Liberal party of Canada is in the dumper.

But whose fault is it that Liberals are near death as a political party in Canada? Well according to some Liberals it is not their fault ....
"The NDP has taken great joy in dividing the Liberal Party at every opportunity during the minority years. Now, the Liberals have a golden opportunity to return the favor if they can bring what's left of their Quebec caucus onside. It won't be hard to toss federalism grenades into the NDP tent - a few mischievous opposition day motions should do the trick."

If Liberals want to know why they are irrelevant to Canadians and about to be placed by the curb of history, they need only look in the mirror.

The Liberal Party is sick. In fact, the question should be asked ... 'why does the Liberal Party of Canada bother to exist?'

-They Call Me Mr Sinister has more ...


Cartoon by kind permission of
Graeme MacKay at mackaycartoons.net

Here's a big warm cyber welcome to the Huffington Post - Canada edition! Nice to see another progressive voice in Canada. What with Harper's Right wing crap about to hit the fan, progressives will welcome this new voice in Canadian cyberspace.

Welcome to the neighborhood!

-Introducing HuffPost Canada!

"In as many words, today's editorial in The Globe and Mail suggests that only Canada's Conservative and Liberal parties are entitled to govern our country. Which is an interesting look into the minds of Canada's eastern establishment. It reminds the rest of us of many things.

First, this text reminds us that Canada's establishment doesn't like change very much.

Second, this text reminds us that Canada's establishment is sometimes untroubled by the verdicts or views of voters. Another example, as we've seen in Canada's recent political history, of how power creates powerful feelings of entitlement. Elites and rentiers always believe that their privileges are their property. But all around the world, throughout history and in many countries, citizens have taught their betters that – ultimately, one way or another – it is citizens who will be the judge of who is fit for office, and who will win office.

The Liberal Party will start back on the road to recovery when it has internalized this. Other elements of Canada's elite perhaps never will (which is a good thing – we don't want them to get too smart).

Third, this text reminds us of the truth of the old mantra: “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”

Canada's New Democrats have vaulted over Parliament's separatists and over its reserve conservative party to capture the Official Opposition bench.

So our friends (the folks used to running things) are going to stop ignoring us. They will shortly stop laughing. And then they're going to fight.

New Democrats should welcome this – it is how Canada's entitled are going to inadvertently communicate to the people of Canada that the NDP is close to victory. We won't be hearing about “don't waste your vote” any more. Now it's going to be “don't make a terrible mistake”.

Which gets us to the core of the business that lies before the New Democrats over the next four years: That is to earn the new role Canadians have given the party and to build on it – into a governing mandate – whether the voices of the past like it or not.

That requires the New Democrats to strike some careful balances. To be idealistic, but practical and reasonable in implementation. To be agents of change, but also of prudence and responsibility.

To carefully think through the issues that would come from winning national office, and to prove to voters that this has been done – without losing the party's political edge, its connection with citizens, or its sunny optimism and its commitment to change. Those features are what Canadians like about their new official opposition.

The New Democrats have done this successfully is a growing number of provinces. They can do so at the federal level. By not stopping (as someone has been saying) until the job is done."

'Why New Democrats Won't Stop' - Brian Topp

Bob Rae Given Liberal Interim Leadership

"Colleagues and friends,
I want to advise you that I am willing to let my name stand for the position of interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada. It is my understanding that this issue will be discussed by the caucus on May 25, 2011, and by the national board of the Liberal Party before the deadline of May 30.

After the worst election defeat in our history, it is vital that we come together as a party, and engage directly with Canadians about what matters to them. The pursuit of social justice and a sustainable prosperity in a united Canada has to remain our focus. We cannot afford to get caught up in internal wrangling."
Bob Rae

Cartoon by kind permission of
Graeme MacKay at mackaycartoons.net

"On March 25, the very day the government fell on a confidence motion in the House of Commons, Mr. Clement (Parry Sound-Muskoka, Ont.), Industry minister at the time and also in charge of the government’s Northern Ontario Development Program (FedNor), distributed a staggering $10-million in federal assistance to six electoral districts in the region covered by the program, including $1.9-million in his own cottage-country riding on Georgian Bay, controversial site of the G8 summit last year.

Informed of the pre-election spending, opposition MPs are furious that Prime Minister Stephen Harper (Calgary Southwest, Alta.) not only designated Mr. Clement Treasury Board President and tasked him with massive spending cuts—while Parliament awaits a potentially scathing report on $47-million he authorized for questionable spending on the meeting of G8 leaders — but also made him a minister of state with continued responsibility for northern Ontario development spending."
The Hill Times

Cartoon by kind permission of
Graeme MacKay at mackaycartoons.net

"While it is true that international diplomats will weigh substance over style when assessing Canada’s new foreign minister, in terms of making decisions with global implications, Baird’s recent track record is less than stellar.

It was only last October that Baird, as transport minister, advised Harper not to concede any additional Canadian landing rights to the United Arab Emirates’ two national air carriers. This had long been the offset that the UAE sought as compensation for the Canadian Forces using Camp Mirage in Dubai as the major logistic staging base for our operations in Afghanistan.

To his credit, Defence Minister Peter MacKay understood how vital Camp Mirage was to our military and he argued in favour of conceding the landing rights. Harper listened to Baird instead, and the rest is history.

After 10 years of rent-free lodging, the UAE gave us 30 days to pack up Mirage and vacate Dubai. As a war of words heated up in the Canadian media, the UAE also invoked a visa requirement on all Canadian visitors.

While the Canadian Forces have managed to work miracles in order to relocate to temporary regional facilities and to maintain the mission support in Kandahar, the Mirage debacle has cost Canada untold millions of dollars in additional costs and lost trade."
Halifax Chronicle Herald

Cartoon by kind permission of
Graeme MacKay at mackaycartoons.net

.... Cheer up ... it's not the end of the world!

Okay ... if this is it and it's all going to end in the next 24 ..
-I wish I'd traveled to Rome and Ireland at least once,
-I shouldn't have paid all those bills last week,
-I should have phoned a few people more often than I actually did,
-At least I saw the Saskatchewan Roughriders WIN 3 Grey Cups.

-Best TWITTER hashtag tonight

-Skeeter Davis - The End Of The World (1963)

Stephen Harper announced his new Cabinet, left Rideau Hall and quietly slipped away while his administration announced the appointment of the 'Three Conservative Losers' to the Senate. Hours went by and the MSM gave full coverage to the cabinet changes but hardly a mention of the sleazy Senate patronage appointments.

But that wasn't sitting well in the blogosphere and blogger after blogger started to point out Harper's sneaky move.

Eventually the MSM had no choice but to up the story profile somewhat.

Good work bloggers!

-CTV: Two Premiers Denounce Patronage Senate Appointments

-G&M: Friendly Fire On Senate

Saskatchewan's Right wing Premier Brad Wall had some criticism today for Stephen Harper's Cabinet and Senate Appointments:

"Wall was critical of Harper's pick for natural resources, Joe Oliver from a Toronto riding.

"Western Canada counts for 90 per cent of the country's oil, 93 per cent of the country's gas, 100 per cent of the country's uranium, 99 per cent of the country's coal and I think that the west needs that voice in terms of natural resources," he said. [...]

He also commented on news that Harper will appoint three new Senators.

Wall noted that Saskatchewan has legislation in place to allow people to elect a senator. He said appointing senators maintains the status quo, which many people do not like.

"I think it takes away momentum for change at the provincial level," Wall said. "I think it will probably increase calls that we hear from time to time, just saying, 'Do we really need this institution?'"

Wall said he will ask the Prime Minister what the plan is for senate reform."
CBC

"Mr. Harper talks about Senate reform but he's doing things in the same old way, in fact even worse. He's taking people who have been defeated, who have been rejected by voters. You should earn your place in the Senate and if you can't get elected, you shouldn't be appointed to the Senate two weeks later."
Jack Layton
Leader of the Official Opposition

CBC News

"OTTAWA–The Stephen Harper government’s decision to erase the word “Indian” and replace it with “Aboriginal” in the title for the minister and department responsible for dealing with Indigenous peoples is being called “disrespectful” by one of the oldest First Nations political organizations in Ontario.

The Anishinabek Nation issued a statement from its grand chief Wednesday shortly after the name change surfaced, accusing the federal government of disrespecting and “slighting” First Nations people.

“We are not Aboriginal, we are Anishinabek,” said Grand Council Chief Patrick Madahbee. “Trying to lump First Nations, Metis and Inuit peoples together might save space on the minister’s business card, but it is disrespectful of the truly distinct nature of the communities with whom he needs to establish better relationships.”

Madahbee said that if the Harper government and his name-changed Aboriginal Affairs Minister John Duncan really wanted to build a better relationship they should first start by identifying each Indigenous nation by their actual name.

“There is no such thing as an Aboriginal treaty or an Aboriginal nation,” said Madahbee. “How would Stephen Harper like it if he were introduced as the prime minister of Panamerica?”

Duncan’s title was previously minister of Indian and northern affairs. The government also plans to replace Indian with Aboriginal in the department’s current name which is Indian and Northern Affairs Canada.

A spokesman for the PMO said the name change was done so it “better reflects the scope of the minister’s responsibilities with respect to First Nations, Inuit and Metis.”

Andrew MacDougall said the new title was “more up to date and inclusive” and “consistent with the government’s focus on moving forward in our relationship with Aboriginal peoples.”

MacDougall said the title change did not change Duncan’s “statutory responsibilities” and he remained authorized to act as the federal interlocutor for Metis and Non-status Indians.

Harper also made history by naming two Aboriginal ministers in the same cabinet for the first time.

Labrador Innu leader Peter Penashue was named minister of intergovernmental affairs, while Nunavut MP Leona Aglukkaq retained her post as health minister.

Aglukkaq was also given the added portfolio of minister of Canadian northern economic development.

The Anishinabek Nation encompasses 39 communities across Ontario, totaling about 55,000 people."
APTN National News

APTN

The appointment of the angry, hollering, disturbed John Baird as the Minister of Foreign Affairs is a real embarrassment for Canada.

What a looney tune!


-Does John Baird Need Anger Management Therapy? ... just askin'

"Four Liberal MPs who lost the May 2 election still owe a total of $576,000 among them in loans for the party's 2006 leadership campaign—and their chances of drumming up donations to pay it all off have slimmed considerably.

Martha Hall Findlay, toppled by a Conservative in her affluent Willowdale riding in Toronto, said it was tough to generate contributions as MP Hall Findlay, and it can only be tougher as ordinary citizen Hall Findlay.

She and several of the candidates struggling to repay the five-year-old leadership loans were still fundraising as the May election approached. They registered contributions with Elections Canada as late as March 18, only eight days before Prime Minister Stephen Harper (Calgary Southwest, Alta.) called the vote.

"For sure it's going to be more difficult," Ms. Hall Findlay told The Hill Times, arguing a unique Elections Act cap on contributions to leadership candidates and the unusually large field of candidates, 11, have made fundraising to repay the loans comparable to searching for rare coins or lost treasure.

Anyone who has donated to any of the candidates for the contest that took place more than five years ago, and has reached their $1,100 Elections Act limit in leadership contributions for that specific contest, is prohibited from donating any more money to any of the candidates, anytime.

Ms. Hall Findlay, who lent her own campaign $125,000, said the pool of willing and available donors was being shared by 11 candidates from the outset and it has only grown smaller as the big stars—former party leader Stéphane Dion (Saint-Laurent-Cartierville, Que.) recently resigned leader Michael Ignatieff and Toronto MP Bob Rae (Toronto-Centre, Ont.)—gobbled up large donations from the largest number of donors.

"It's so difficult anyway because the pool from which to gain any more contributions for a 2006 leadership was already diminished in 2007 and 2008," Ms. Hall Findlay said. "We all pulled together to get what we could, there just isn't that much out there."

Gerard Kennedy, whose Parkdale-High Park riding in Toronto reverted to New Democrat Peggy Nash, still owes $126,963 in loans and $37,230 in unpaid claims. Joe Volpe, who lost Eglinton-Lawrence in Toronto to Conservative Joe Oliver, has a debt of $73,079. Ken Dryden, who lost York Centre in Toronto despite a last-minute rally by Michael Ignatieff and former prime minister Jean Chrétien, still owes $91,603 in loans and $122,984 in unpaid claims.

Mr. Dion, re-elected in his Montreal riding, also has about $30,000 to repay from his original loans totalling $905,000 while Hedy Fry, re-elected in her Vancouver-Centre riding, has $51,927 in outstanding loans reported to Elections Canada as of last Dec. 31.

Maurizio Bevilacqua, who resigned his Vaughan, Ont., riding last year to later win election as mayor of Vaughan, reported outstanding loans of $91,603 and unpaid claims of $122,984 as of last December.

Although the Liberals who lost their ridings will have a more difficult time finding donors now that they are no longer MPs, New Democrat Joe Comartin has little sympathy.

"The Liberals, unlike ourselves and the Conservatives, have not expanded their base for the smaller donations, the $100 to $200 or $300 ones," he said. "The candidates are part of the same problem, because they never developed that capacity to do that."

He argued the Liberals also have a history of extravagant spending.

"The Liberals, as a party, as individuals, have this expectation of grandiose events and they spend a heck of a lot more on their campaign than even our winning candidates do in the NDP," he said. "I think there's a change of culture that's needed within that party."

Ms. Hall Findlay, who spent $450,000 on her campaign, said it is the Elections Act donation limit that is causing her problems, not the legacy of a costly campaign.

"It's not like we were spendthrift, it's not like we were wasting money, it was that we were caught under this rule," she said.

Democracy Watch coordinator Duff Conacher said Ms. Hall Findlay should not have entered the race unless she knew she had the financial donations to contest it, instead of loaning her own campaign the $100,000 required as the entrance fee.

"Why did she run and why did she think she had enough support to become leader of the party?" said Mr. Conacher.

Chief Electoral Officer Marc Mayrand initially gave the contenders an extension to their original deadline for repaying the loans, and a judge of Ontario Superior Court granted them a second extension. That deadline expires at the end of December for all of the former candidates except Mr. Dryden, whose deadline was extended to the end of June next year.

If the loans are not repaid by the end of this year, it will be up to a court to extend the deadlines again or not, said Elections Canada spokesperson Diane Benson. Ms. Benson said if the Dec. 31 deadline is not extended, and the loans are still outstanding, it may be referred to Elections Commissioner William Corbett, as is the case with outstanding claims owed by candidates or political parties.'

tnaumetz@hilltimes.com

The Hill Times
The Star

TO: Gas Consumers of Canada

FROM: The Gas Industry

RE: The Harper Majority

As a result of the wonderful election win by Stephen Harper and the Conservatives, we have decided to jack the price of gasoline up to a ridiculous level SIMPLY BECAUSE WE CAN. And since NO ONE IS GOING TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT ... expect more!

Yours sincerely
Shell - Esso - PetroCan - and all the others!

After all that election blogging ... it's time to chill ....

Since it was only +4 degrees here this am, I think I may have to pass on 'World Naked Gardening Day'

.... just asking!

"Gas Prices Driving Canadians Crazy
May 11, 2011

A new poll from Ottawa-based Abacus Data shows that rising gas prices are affecting most Canadian family budgets and many Canadians are planning to make changes to their spending behaviour. Two thirds of respondents said they are angry and blame oil and gas companies for the increases. Almost eight in ten (79%) want governments to step in and do something.

Over seven in ten Canadians surveyed (72%) said that rising gas prices have forced them to change their spending plans with 39% saying that price increases have “really hurt their budget”. Only 21% of respondents said that they have not been affected by the gas prices increases.

Of those who cite budget pains from the rise in gas prices:

46% will have to reduce general spending;
41% plan to cut back on entertainment spending;
31% will find alternatives to driving: and,
26% will change their summer or vacation plans.

“The impact of rising gas prices goes beyond the price of fuel, food, and transportation,” said David Coletto, CEO of Abacus Data. “Canadians are changing their plans and spending priorities away from entertainment and vacations to help stem the rising cost of gas.”

When asked why they felt gas prices are rising, almost all respondents said it was because of “greedy” oil and gas companies, while 47% cited the rising demand for oil. Another 46% noted the conflict in Libya as a cause while only 25% believed rising gas prices was related to improving economic conditions."
Abacusdata.ca

Liberal / Tory .. same old story ...
Behold the future of the Liberal party of Canada. Blue Libs ditched official Liberal Party candidates on May 2nd and gave Harper his majority. Thanks a bunch Liberals.

The great schism has already started.

CBC

22,484 people voted for Ruth Ellen Brosseau in the May 2nd Federal Election. That's more than voted for any Liberal candidate in all of Quebec! And yet, a number of Liberal bloggers decided that Mme. Brosseau would be the victim of their vile venom.

Now, in all fairness, a large number of active Liberal bloggers did not attack the young, new Member of Parliament. Unfortunately, their silence was highly inappropriate in that no one in Liberal ranks raised their voice in opposition to these sexist attacks by their fellow Libs.

But for those of you who did attack Ruth Ellen Brosseau, your despicable, sexist, reactionary rants say more about you then they do about her.

Yes she is inexperienced, but who isn't when first elected to the House of Commons.

There is a lot of sexist poison in the ranks of the old boys club known as the Liberal Party of Canada.

The following appeared on the Factchecker website - May 9, 2011:

"Among the biggest sore losers this past week over the NDP orange crush are Liberal candidate and former PLQ MNA Francine Gaudet and Bourassa MP Denis Coderre. They are charging that 90 of newly-elected NDP MP Ruth Ellen Brousseau’s 128 signatures are not valid because they say the candidates name was not at the top of the page when the document was signed. They also say signatories did not know what they were signing for. (In retrospect, some might say that can be a euphemism for the entire NDP surge in Quebec.)

Nomination papers are part of the bureaucratic wonderfulness that is democracy in this country. Every candidate has to collect 100 signatures endorsing their opportunity to represent the riding. In most cases, the candidates are too busy campaigning to collect the signatures so campaign workers go out and collect them on the candidate’s behalf.

In Berthier Maskinonge, defeated Liberal candidate Gaudet and Liberal MP for Bourassa Denis Coderre are saying the person who collected Ruth Ellen’s signatures did a poor job because several do not live in the riding and others did not know what they were signing. These are serious allegations and the two are considering challenging Brousseau’s “crushing” win in court.

Some observers have qualms about how the media and these two veteran politicians are picking on Brousseau. She is under fire for spending part of the campaign in Las Vegas, never having gone to the riding, and not speaking the first language of 99% of the people in the riding. All serious issues but none that should get someone disqualified.

As mentioned above, staffers often collect these signatures in place of the candidates. They witness all the signatures and prepare the document to be submitted to Elections Canada. The three main charges are that several people say they did not sign the paper, other signatures are from those who are not in the riding, and that as Brousseau’s name was not on the document, they did not know what they were signing.

I would like to note that the official Elections Canada document states that you are supporting the candidate listed on page 1 of this nomination form. However, nobody gets shown page 1, partly because it has the candidate’s name, telephone number, and address. In fact even Elections Canada, when preparing the papers, separates the signatures from the other documents.

Many people have never seen nomination papers before, so I decided to go get some to show people what they are like. Coderre’s electoral returning office was a 5 minute drive from my parent’s house so I said what the heck!

Elections Canada vets the signatures and in Coderre’s case, of the 129 signatures collected, 1 was duplicate, and 17 others were flagged because they were not on the electoral list, leaving Coderre with 111 signatures, but still enough to get 100 easily.

I do not plan on calling these 111 people to see if they actually signed this. Many important names appear on this list like the Quebec minister of Education, city councillors, schoolboard officials, etc. They all knew they were signing for Coderre.

One major charge from Gaudet and Coderre is that as the name up there was blank, nobody knew what they were signing. Coderre stated that six of the 11 pages of signatures for Brosseau did not contain her name, which was only added later by an Elections Canada official. (Source: Helene Vastel, Canadian Press)

Coderre’s official documents only have the first page signed. In this case, the Elections Canada official didn’t add his name anywhere. (Note: I circled the name of the candidate on the first page to add emphasis.

Am I saying Denis Coderre should be disqualified because his staff incorrectly filled out some paperwork? No. But the question needs to be asked. Why are they trying to disqualify a duly elected MP for a staffer’s faulty paperwork when their own staffers cannot even fill out the form properly themselves?

22484 people voted for this single mom from Ottawa, more than voted for any Liberal candidate in all of Quebec. Would any of these people not sign papers endorsing her right to run when 225 times as many people voted for her?"
Anthony Di Domizio
FACTCHECKER

"REGINA — De nombreux néo-démocrates bien connus, des politiciens des Prairies et d'anciens premiers ministres se sont rassemblés samedi à Regina pour rendre hommage à Allan Blakeney, ancien premier ministre de la Saskatchewan entre 1971 et 1982.

M. Blakeney, qui a mené les destinées du Nouveau Parti démocratique de la Saskatchewan pendant 17 ans, est mort le 16 avril dernier après une courte bataille contre le cancer.

Il était âgé de 85 ans.

Près de 600 personnes ont assisté à ses obsèques, incluant le chef du Nouveau Parti démocratique Jack Layton, l'ancien chef Ed Broadbent, de même que Roy Romanow et Lorne Calvert, deux autres ex-premiers ministres de la Saskatchewan.

L'ancien premier ministre albertain Peter Lougheed, l'ancien premier ministre manitobain et ancien gouverneur général Ed Schreyer, ainsi que les anciens premiers ministres ontariens Bill Davis et Bob Rae ont chacun chaudement rappelé le leadership de M. Blakeney.

M. Davis, qui a été premier ministre de sa province au même moment que M. Blakeney, a relaté l'une de ses premières rencontres avec son homologue, lors d'un match de football au stade Ivor-Wynne, à Hamilton.

«Nous nous sommes assis un à côté de l'autre. J'ai parié notre déficit contre leur surplus!», a blagué M. Davis.

«Nous sommes rapidement devenus de bons amis à cause de notre intérêt commun pour cet événement culturel», a ajouté l'ancien premier ministre de l'Ontario, en faisant allusion au football canadien."
La Presse Canadienne

Warren Kinsella says that he simply can't explain what happened in the election!? He and others continue to act as if the Liberal Party is still a major player in the Canadian political scene. Liberal Party arrogance continues to ooze from every wound in it's battered corpse.

Meanwhile some of us had been predicting the great Liberal demise for some time - But Liberals won't remember. Arrogance blinds them to reality. They continue to turn to the likes of Kinsella but as he says, he simply 'can't explain' what happened.

So ... for the record .. and in order to refresh your Liberal memories, let me remind you:

-And As The Liberal Party Crumbles Around Them - Lib Bloggers Attack ...... Jack Layton!! - Sept 28, 2009

-Any Liberal Strategy To 'Poach' New Democratic Support Will Spell Disaster For Iggy - November 9, 2009

-Liberal Lemmings! - August 31, 2010

-Reasons Why The Liberal Party Of Canada Has Instructed Its Bloggers To Go Hard Against Layton - Liberal Lemmings 2.0 - August 31, 2010

-Get Ready For Some Nasty Liberal Lashback At Layton - BUT Liberals Were Warned Of Their Looming Electoral Disaster - April 19, 2011

Some of us were correct. It happened. It's time for Liberals to get out of the way. You are not at the head of the Progressive parade any longer.

But oh no. Liberals are already acting like modern day alchemists ... convinced that with just the right formulas and incantations they can turn lead into gold. Dream on.

" ... 'Liberal' is the new 'Social Credit' ... "

Cartoon by kind permission of
Graeme MacKay at mackaycartoons.net

... and paid tribute to former Premier of Saskatchewan, Allan Blakeney.

-Global Toronto: "Former Saskatchewan Premier Allan Blakeney remembered at memorial service"

-Canadian Press - Blakeney Memorial

Not too much surprises me in Canadian politics, but I have to admit that I was taken aback by the shrill venom that has been targeted towards Ruth Ellen Brosseau, newly elected New Democrat MP from Quebec.

Never mind that a male conservative candidate from Alberta, Jim Hillyer, was absent and hiding out during the campaign. Not a word of criticism was heard about the 'guy' but the misogynist attacks on Mme. Brosseau have been deafening.

Canada's most prominent news agencies and aggregators, have carried stories concerning Ruth, non stop for days now. But don't look to find much mention about Mr. Hillyer's absence.

If I didn't know better, I would have to say that there exists in Canada, a double standard in our political process. If you happen to be young and female, God help you. The 'angry old white guy' crowd simply will not tolerate a bright young woman venturing into the old boys club that is Parliament in Canada.

-Brian Topp

"A Lethbridge (Conservative) MP named Jim Hillyer never appeared during the campaign didn't do any interviews, no debates, ran away into a washroom once when he was found on the street."
Don Martin, Host
Power Play - CTV

At the 1:48 point of this Power Play excerpt, the panel talks about the double standard evident in the ongoing media frenzy over New Democrat MP Ruth Ellen Brosseau while no mention is made in the MSM of missing Conservative MP, Jim Hillyer. I guess the MSM - National Newswatch and Bourque Newswatch would all rather attack a young woman MP rather than a male MP.

CTV - Power Play Excerpt

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"Jim Hillyer - Lethbridge's 'Man Who Wasn't There' Heads To Ottawa!
He was dubbed The Man Who Wasn’t There – Jim Hillyer, a first-time Conservative candidate in the southern Alberta city of Lethbridge.

Mr. Hillyer replaced a popular outgoing MP in the Tory stronghold, but set about a quiet absentee campaign that stirred an uproar in the tightly knit community, which is accustomed to meeting its candidates."

"He earned his moniker from a local newspaper after failing to show up at a pair of debates, repeatedly refusing interview requests and declining to speak to a local blogger who used Twitter to track him down while he was door knocking, an activity he said was more important. (In a video of the encounter posted online, Mr. Hillyer said he couldn’t talk because he had to use the bathroom.)
The Globe & Mail

"There has been an expectation that if we just pick the right person at the top, everything is going to be fixed. Because of the history packaged into my name, a lot of people are turning to me in a way that actually, to be blunt, concerns me."
Justin Trudeau
Liberal Member of Parliament

The Star

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
--UPDATE-- 

DON'T DO IT JUSTIN!

"Iran's President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has enjoyed taking on and defying the West. But he is now playing potentially a much more risky game.

Mr Ahmadinejad finds himself up against his own country's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The two men are currently engaged in an unusually public stand-off.

Their argument began on 17 April, when Mr Ahmadinejad decided to fire his Intelligence Minister, Heydar Moslehi. A simple decision, say the president's supporters, since the constitution gives him the right to dismiss ministers.

But, several hours later Ayatollah Khamenei decided to overrule the president and ordered the reinstatement of Mr Moslehi.

The Supreme Leader's supporters quote Article 110 of the constitution, which says that the leader is responsible for the "supervision over the proper execution of the general policies".
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote

[Mr Ahmadinejad] is in pain, as if a thorn is stuck in his throat. He cannot take it out or swallow in”

Ali Akbar Javanfekr Ahmadinejad aide

But Mr Ahmadinejad did not like being overruled. Reports say that he decided to stay away from government meetings for 11 days.

During this time, one of his aides, Ali Akbar Javanfekr, wrote on his blog that the president "is in pain, as if a thorn is stuck in his throat", adding: "He cannot take it out or swallow in."
Ultimatum

A meeting on 25 April between the Supreme Leader and the president did not succeed in removing the thorn.

Mr Ahmadinejad did agree to start attending cabinet meetings again. But the status of the fired or reinstated minister, Heydar Moslehi, is not immediately clear."
BBC

On a quiet Canadian morning, in the not too distant future, I fully expect a Conservative Private Member's Bill to appear on the order paper that speaks to a return to Capital Punishment in Canada. It will not be a 'government' initiated proposal, per se, but it will be the sop that gives the hard Right and social conservatives in Harper's caucus something to rally around and ultimately claim victory over.

It will be hotly debated on all sides of the House. The nation will sit up and pay attention. It will also be hotly debated in every Tim Hortons location across the Dominion. The MSM will give blanket coverage to every little nuance of the debate. The blogosphere will churn out huge volumes of chatter both measured and ludicrous.

It will all be a well camouflaged distraction. While the debate rages, Mr. Harper will quietly be changing the foundations of the nation by Cabinet issued Order in Council, unseen and unnoticed by an otherwise distracted population.

That is how the change in Canada will commence. The debate will have nothing to do with a return to Capital Punihsment. No, the debate will have everything to do with distraction.

Have a nice day!

So I went to the website of the Winnipeg Free Press to read news of the Supreme Court of Canada decision to NOT hear the Conservative Party appeal of their in & our conviction. The Canadian Press story was only up for a short while and was then pulled. The screen capture above shows you what you find when you seek information.

Other media outlets such as the Ottawa Citizen and Montreal Gazette are carrying the story but NOT the CP release.

UPDATE:
A few minutes ago, Canadian Press issued an abbreviated version of the original story.


Welcome to Harper's NEW Canada where political pressure trumps hard news.

Canadians made some progress towards gender equity in our Parliament. We still have a way to go.

"For the first time in Canada’s history, and exactly 90 years since the first female Member of Parliament strode into the green chamber, women make up a quarter of the 308 seats in the House of Commons.

That record high is nothing to sneeze at, advocates say – but it’s also nothing to be overly proud of. Canada remains 52nd in the world when it comes to female representation in political office, and it’s falling further behind as other countries take more aggressive measures to even out the gender balance."
Globe & Mail

"MONTREAL - Sun News Network, dubbed "Fox News North," is no longer being carried on Bell Satellite TV across Canada due to a fee dispute, according to both Bell and Sun News owner Quebecor Inc..

But just who is responsible for the development is hotly disputed by both sides. The all-news and talk channel was launched by Quebecor (TSX:QBR.B) last month but disappeared from Bell's Satellite TV lineup on Tuesday. [...] "But the price being asked is quite excessive – it’s in line with what would usually be quoted for a well-established and popular channel."

"We’ve indicated our willingness to negotiate, made a realistic counter-proposal and asked them to respond. We haven’t heard back – other than through the media," he said.

Meanwhile, Sun News remains available on Fibe TV in Toronto where it is operating as an over-the-air local station that must be carried locally.

But Fibe TV, Bell's Internet protocol TV service, was only rolled out last fall in neighbourhoods in Toronto and Montreal and would potentially have a smaller pool of viewers for Sun TV than would Bell Satellite.

The Quebecor venture launched April 18 after months of buzz about what was being dubbed "Fox News North."

There were reports the new channel had an estimated 37,000 viewers across Canada tune in for its initial half-hour, when it hit the airwaves with what it called "hard news and straight talk.''

Since then there have been suggestions that audiences have declined sharply."
Winnipeg Free Press

My comment is NOT directed at the vast majority of Liberal bloggers. Most of the Lib blogs I read dealt with the results of Monday's election results with a mature, measured and reasonable response. Scott Tribe has had some great post election posts.

However, and unfortunately, certain Liberal bloggers reacted in a manner that seemed to require medical or psychological attention. On a different site I called it 'wailing and gnashing of teeth' ... and that was an understatement.

Is your Hissy fit over yet? If so, let's get down to the work that needs to be done to respond effectively to the Harper strategy to change the nation. If your hissy fit isn't done yet, well, hurry up and get it out of your system. Progressives have work to do.

After the disgraceful personal attacks on Mr. Ignateff, can you believe this? Tory leaning Jane Taber tells us that Conservatives think Mr. Ignatieff should have phoned congratulations to Harper on his election win. Screw that Jane!!

"So much for bonhomie in Canadian politics. Despite the huge Conservative win Monday night, there are Tories who are miffed Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff did not even bother to call Stephen Harper to congratulate him on his victory."
Jane Taber
The Globe & Mail


UPDATE:
OMG .. Iggy called Harper to congratulate. Jane Taber is relieved! "Thank goodness this has been resolved."

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B R E A K I N G N E W S
Missing Conservative MP STILL Missing!!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

"Nor are we waking up this morning with much of the fear of wild-eyed socialist hordes about to storm the gate. In fact, Canadians owe a debt of gratitude to NDP Leader Jack Layton: there has been no greater contribution in recent years to both the stability of Parliament and to national unity than the NDP's reduction of the Bloc Quebecois to a mere four seats. (Even leader Gilles Duceppe lost.)"
Regina Leader-Post

Elections Canada Final Results ... Seats .. Votes ... Percentages... the whole deal ..

Well it wasn't Conservatives and it wasn't Liberals!!! ... and over the other assorted wailing that is afflicting Prog Blogs tonite, the Bloc Quebecois has been reduced to 4 seats and it was New Democrats, not Conservatives nor Liberals who did that.

Jack Layton has done what Mulroney - Chretien - Martin - Harper could not achieve.

Vive Quebec! Vive Canada

PS: Gilles Duceppe lost his seat to the NDP!



UPDATE:
Gilles Duceppe resigns as Leader of the Bloc Quebecois!!!

(sigh) ....

BREAKING!!!....
Elections Canada WARNS of phony automated calls to voters in BC and Ont directing them to wrong locations to vote ... NOTE ... any automated calls from 'Elections Canada' to go to different polling station are PHONY -Ignore them! .. pass it on!

By voting AGAINST Stephen Harper, I voted FOR a return to democratic values in Canada. Harper does not deserve a majority ... he does not deserve to be the Prime Minister.

Stephen Harper was pretty friendly with the Bush Administration early on in his time as PM. Here is a sample of posts sent to Washington concerning Harper by the US Ambassador to Canada - appointed by the Bush, Republican administration.

“He has played the game of high-stakes, partisan politics well, but his reputation for decisiveness and shrewdness has been tarnished by a sometimes vindictive pettiness,”
David Wilkins, U.S. Ambassador to Canada

"Harper’s inner circle appears extremely small. Notoriously hard on staff … (Harper burned through a series of communications directors as opposition leaders and once reportedly told an aide that he liked to see the ‘fear’ in the eyes of prospective employees) he has tended to surround himself with like-minded people. As a result, some insiders say he lacks staff willing or able to act as an effective sounding-board or check his partisan instincts.”
David Wilkins, U.S. Ambassador to Canada

"“In office, Harper has rarely made the compromises typical of a minority (prime minister), nor built the bridges and informal channels that usually get things in a minority Parliament,”
David Wilkins, U.S. Ambassador to Canada

APTN

Over $1 Billion dollars for the 2 day G8 Conference - fake lakes and Gazebo's! What would your old Tory grandfather and grandmother have to say about that?

Our Prime Minister is a firm believer in the idea that people should be held accountable for the things they say - On the eve of Election Day - 2011, let's hear what Stephen Harper has said about Canada in the recent past:

"Canada is a Northern European welfare state in the worst sense of the term, and very proud of it. Canadians make no connection between the fact that they are a Northern European welfare state and the fact that we have very low economic growth, a standard of living substantially lower than yours, a massive brain drain of young professionals to your country, and double the unemployment rate of the United States."
- Stephen Harper, then vice-president of the National Citizens Coalition, in a June 1997 Montreal meeting of the Council for National Policy, a right-wing American think tank.

"Your country [the USA], and particularly your conservative movement, is a light and an inspiration to people in this country and across the world."
-Stephen Harper, then vice-president of the National Citizens Coalition, in a June 1997 Montreal meeting of the Council for National Policy, a right-wing American think tank.

"Canada appears content to become a second-tier socialistic country, boasting ever more loudly about its economy and social services to mask its second-rate status, led by a second-world strongman appropriately suited for the task."
- Stephen Harper in his article "It is time to seek a new relationship with Canada," December 12th, 2000.

"A culture of defeat..."
- Stephen Harper, describing the Atlantic provinces, May 2001.

"In terms of the unemployed, of which we have over a million-and-a-half, don't feel particularly bad for many of these people. They don't feel bad about it themselves, as long as they're receiving generous social assistance and unemployment insurance."
-Stephen Harper, then vice-president of the National Citizens Coalition, in a June 1997 Montreal meeting of the Council for National Policy, a right-wing American think tank.

"What we clearly need is experimentation with market reforms and private delivery options [in health care]."
- Stephen Harper, then President of the NCC, 2001.

"We also support the exploration of alternative ways to deliver health care. Moving toward alternatives, including those provided by the private sector, is a natural development of our health care system."
- Stephen Harper, Toronto Star, October 2002.

Let's face it boys and girls - Stephen Harper HATES Canada the way it is! John Diefenbaker would not be happy with today's leader of the Conservative Party of Canada!

The poll results could hardly be closer. One thing to remember (that the pollsters never tell you) concerns the normally high Conservative vote in Alberta and certain rural polls in Saskatchewan. While these high vote concentrations contribute to a leading Tory vote percentage overall, that does not necessarily pan out with projected riding distributions. In other words, the seats that the Conservatives win in Alberta have a huge percentage of the vote for Harper and raise his overall percentage of the national vote. Take those high vote concentrations out of the mix and the national averages may even have Harper trailing Jack Layton's national percentages.

"Here are the numbers as of last night:
* Conservatives: 34.6
* NDP: 31.4
* Liberals: 20.4
* Green Party: 6.3
* Bloc: 5.4 (a modern low nationally, with 22 points in Quebec)
Among those “certain to vote,” the Conservatives lead is reduced to a scant 2.4 per cent. (34.8 versus 32.4, which is statistically insignificant). The Green Party is reduced to 5.6 and all other parties remain unaffected."
Ipolitics

I know you exist. I know some of you. Old style Conservatives and Progressive Conservatives who remember a Canada where your neighbour might vote differently than you but was still you neighbour. That Canada has been eroded. Things have changed. There is a nastiness in the nation now.

I somehow think that old John Diefenbaker would not like what he'd find in Canada today. I don't think 'the Chief' would see a lot to be proud of in the Harper administration.

Diefenbaker would not have agreed with much of what the Reform Party pioneered on Canada's political stage. And let's face it, Stephen Harper is a Reformer. He would never have comfortably fit into Dief's party.

Conservatives in the Maritimes must surely remember when Stephen Harper called you a 'culture of defeat'. That somehow, adverse economic conditions in your region was your fault and could be remedied if you would only adopt the 'Reform ideals of mighty Alberta'.

Stephen Harper is something other than an old time Canadian Conservative. He is hard to pin down. He avoids the Canadian people. His 5 questions a day to reporters tells the tale pretty accurately.

So, exactly why would an old style Tory go out and vote for Stephen Harper tomorrow? Out of duty to the party? Out of duty to your family tradition of voting Conservative?

As one of your neighbours, as a fellow Canadian, I implore you to either spoil your ballot or vote for someone other than Harper. While I don't advocate staying home tomorrow and NOT casting a ballot, that is an option regardless.

Ask yourself this question: Does Stephen Harper represent the ideals of the Conservative Party that your family has voted for over the years, or does he represent something new and slightly uncomfortable for you?

Please, do not vote for Harper this one time. It would be a courageous act on your part to let Harper not get his majority - in which case the party can deal with him and select a new leader who more accurately reflects both your family's ideals and the ideals of Canada.

Thanks for giving me this moment ....

The following is a Google translation of an article that appeared in CyberPresse on April 11, 2011:
"CSIS refuses to confirm or deny whether it has documents showing that Mr. Harper, Prime Minister since 2006, has already been the subject of an undercover investigation by its agents.

Press asked CSIS in February to provide, under the Act on Access to Information, all documents in its possession which may show that Mr. Harper has been the subject of surveillance by investigators from the 1 January 1988 and December 31, 1995.

Mr. Harper served as adviser to Mr. Manning in the late 80's before being elected member of the Reform in 1993.

"Pursuant to Rule 10 (2) of the Act on Access to Information, we can neither confirm nor deny the existence of the requested records on Mr. Harper. We mention however that if such documents existed, they could probably be exceptions under one or more sections of the Act, "CSIS said in a letter dated 5 April.

One article cited is 15 (1) dealing with "Canada's efforts to suppress subversive or hostile activities."

-Infiltrate the Reform Party

Recall that in 1989-1990, CSIS hosted a folder that was titled simply "Preston Manning" for a period of three months. At the time, CSIS sought to determine whether a foreign government had paid up to $ 45 000 to Preston Manning and the Reform Party to lend a hand to Mr. Manning to defeat the former Foreign Minister Joe Clark in his own area riding of Calgary in the 1988 election.

But the Service had also recruited and paid a believer in white supremacy, Grant Bristow, to infiltrate the Reform Party. Mr. Bristow, who was instrumental in founding the neo-Nazi Heritage Front, had been involved in planning security measures for two major gatherings of the Reform Party in 1991 and 1992 and had served as a bodyguard for Preston Manning at a few occasions.

In a report on the case published in December 1994, the Supervisory Committee of the CSIS said the agency was justified in practicing espionage groups who advocate the supremacy of the white race, but one CSIS sources had gone too far in invading the Reform Party.

However, the report concluded that CSIS had not spied on the Reform Party as such, an assertion have always doubted Preston Manning and his deputies at the time. Mr. Manning had said that all this controversy had the manners of a "Watergate Canadian."

Recall that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), formerly head of the intelligence service until 1984, had spied for three decades, the former premier of Saskatchewan and the first NDP leader Tommy Douglas. Officers attended his speeches, analyzed his writings and his private conversations were intercepted.

CSIS refused for years to make public the information that was collected. The agency contends that disclosure of documents could endanger the lives of informants and that its activities might be compromised. CSIS said that informants who participated in the surveillance of politician, who died in 1986, are still serving and investigative techniques that could be mined.
- William Leclerc

CyberPress online
The original article can be found here.

-Are there secret CSIS Files on Stephen Harper??

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

"OTTAWA - Does CSIS have a file on Prime Minister Stephen Harper?

Two former CSIS agents say it's possible given Harper’s early involvement in the Reform Party and claims from early party members that the spy service tried to infiltrate and discredit them “When the Reform Party arrived on the picture it was fairly new, fairly shocking for Eastern Canada in particular because we didn’t understand that movement coming from the West,” said former intelligence officer Michel Juneau-Katsuya.

Juneau-Katsuya and David Harris, a lawyer and former chief of strategic planning said it would have been prudent for CSIS to look into who the people forming the Reform Party were.

“It would depend on associates, public statements and other such things,” Harris said.

Neither man could confirm a file but Harris said if there is a dossier on Harper it wouldn’t be the same type that the RCMP kept on Tommy Douglas.

“There was much more done under the RCMP in a speculative way.” CSIS took over from the RCMP as Canada’s intelligence service in 1984. A few years later they dropped the ‘subversive’ activities unit that had existed under the Mounties and adopted new rules on spying on Canadians. Those rules include restrictions on spying on groups, such as political parties, and active politicians.

In 1994 it was reported that CSIS had looked into sources of funding for Reform Party leader Preston Manning but an examination by SIRC, the Security Intelligence Review Committee, a civilian oversight body, cleared CSIS of spying on Reform."
Are there secret files on Harper?