Liberals only 6 points ahead in GTA

If the GTA is this close can we really believe the Liberals lead nation wide.


An admission from the Star:

"Paul Martin and Jack Layton are regarded as a far less frightening political couple; rather, it is Stephen Harper and Gilles Duceppe who are seen as disturbing and beyond odd bedfellows."

But the Liberals aren't out of the woods. Buried among generally positive news for the Liberals are these results:

A majority of Canadians, 60 per cent, feel it's time for a new government in Ottawa. Still, that's roughly the same number who thought so a year ago, too.

Anger over the sponsorship issue is still running higher than anger over any early election call. While 52 per cent of Canadians said they would be inclined to punish a party at the ballot box over the sponsorship issue, only 35 per cent said they would hold an early election against any party when making their voting choice.


Martin is seen more as part of the problem than as part of the solution. While 32 per cent said he had no part in the sponsorship scandal and deserves credit for calling the inquiry, almost twice that number — 62 per cent — agreed he should be accountable because he was a key player in the government that ushered in the program.

Why is it buried Susan?, now there is your story.

The Red Book 2005

Jack Layton the iceberg

E-mail sent to Jack Layton prior to the agreement in principle.

Dear Jack, April 23/05

This link I have provided is how Paul Martin Governs. Why would you support this? He will say one thing and quietly do another. Harper has more personal interest in having clean air as his kids have asthma. I trust him to do the right thing on the environment file because of this personal situation, a guy like Harper would not sell his kids ability to take in clean air to dirty corporations. This driving force , a guys kids, and not Paul Martins poll driven, friend of Power and power crazed motivation will give us what we desire, real solutions to environmental issues.

The NDP has more in common with Harper than Martin and Harper has way more integrity. Please help put the Liberals in their place, it is time for a populist government with the NDP and Conservatives finding common ground and making Canada a great nation again.

Derek K Richards
Kelowna, BC

His reply.

Dear Friend, April 27/05

I am writing on the budget agreement which I believe provides a better, balanced budget for Canadians.

I promised to listen to Canadians and I have.We have succeeded in getting things done and making this parliament work for all Canadians.

This budget deal will enable families to pay less for their kids' education and workers will get better training. Pollution levels will be reduced, affordable housing built and there will be money to protect workers' pensions. I am especially pleased there is funding for a national child care program and the gas tax revenue going to municipalities. This is a balanced budget that is fiscally responsible yet gives a much needed tax relief to small and medium sized businesses.

This agreement represents a victory for Canadian people. We know minority Parliaments can work - the NDP created medicare, affordable housing, and pensions during previous minority governments. The bottom line is the NDP is about people and not about games or corruption.

I appreciate the time you took to share your views and concerns as they have been helpful during this process.

Sincerely,


Jack Layton, MP (Toronto-Danforth)
Leader, Canada's New Democrats

Well Jack thanks for sharing your bottom line with me, I appreciate that the NDP is about people and not about games or corruption.

I wonder how you feel today knowing you have been played by a ditherer who happens to be the leader of a self proclaimed corrupt party. The fact the tax cuts will go ahead on a separate track can only mean Martin won't honor your agreement or that he could have spent twice as much on NDP priorities. As I clearly said in my letter, you can't trust the Prime Minister to do the right thing and I would like to say thank you for allowing me the opportunity to tell A Phd., I told you so.

You should also note that it will be ironic that you should be remembered as the iceberg that finally opens the hull of the SS Martin as he adopted an NDP enhanced budget.

Liberals put the party first

The following quote from Finance Minister Ralph Goodale as he submitted his budget to Parliament;

A commitment to sound financial management is never easy —and it is never over. It is not something to be done once— or just for a while —and then set aside. It requires the steady, unrelenting application of rigorous discipline and vigilance—at the macro level of balancing our government books overall, and at the day-to-day micro level in how programs and services get delivered.

The best line of course is the part about it not being something to be done once or just for a while and then set aside. Hey Ralph what happened to, "steady", "Rigorous discipline". I guess we can't blame the author though, given the weak and vacillating leader that intends to take down the whole team. John Manley made a brilliant move by getting out of town.

Over the past few years, we have given our Canadian businesses a modest but strategic tax rate advantage vis-à-vis the United States. Over that same period, the Canadian private sector generated more than 1 million new jobs.
However, recent tax reductions in the U.S. will gradually erode our margin. To maintain it, this budget proposes to reduce the statutory corporate income tax rate by 2 percentage points—from 21 per cent to 19 per cent by 2010. We also propose to end the corporate surtax, which was introduced in 1987 as a deficit reduction measure. This will help all businesses in Canada, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

We don't have all the details of the NDP re-written budget yet but Given the sentiments stated above it surely means we will fall behind the United States and loose jobs if the Finance Minister was to be believed a few short months ago. How can any Liberal face the nation and suggest they have Canada's interest at heart when they will allow the erosion of the economy to simply try to stay in power.

Ok Stephen and Gilles, you flushed them out, they blinked, vote to pass the budget and take them out on weakness and corruption. The Liberals could sure look like the damn fools they are if all parties supported the budget. Parliament is not broken, only the Liberals are desperate and willing to flip on their own members and agenda.

If the NDP wishes to support the Liberals on a separate motion that charges that the Liberals are corrupt and don't have the confidence of the house and need to resign, well good luck selling that support.

Warren Kinsella more lovable than ever.

The former Prime Minister attack dog Warren (Pitbull) Kinsella has taken on the likeness of a cute and cuddly Pug. Contrasted below is the Globe published CP photo taken during his Gomery appearance and that of a very adorable Pug.

Caption update: Warren Kinsella reacts to wedgie from David Herle





Yes the Globe could have chosen a more respectable image like the one below, but the editors picked a pug looking mug of Kinsella, "looking serious". Any guesses as to why?


This was the Globes other choice, "A stern-looking Kinsella", but they went with the "serious-looking Kinsella"

Canada second rate

Does this mean that Stephen Harper was right on when he said,

"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."

Voting Liberal for 12 years does not seem to have helped our ability to brag about our social programs unlike those first-tier socialistic European countries.

We used to be number one on the UN Human Development Index. We haven't done that since 2000 and the biggest gains on this scale came under Brian Mulroney's Tories.

I'm glad Stephen Harper has the guts to state the risks that Canada faces by voting for people that have no vision for the country. Yes, Canada did seem content to carry on falling amongst our international peers and over the last four years the Liberals boasted ever more loudly about our economy, surpluses, and health care to mask this second-rate status. Very frustrating to someone with a vision that Canada should be the wealthiest nation on the planet and the most generous.




Must be a Power Corporation thing. Reads like a witness list.

Warren Kinsella threatened by PMO

Warren Kinsella received a threatening phone call today as he was getting ready to testify before the Publics Accounts Committee hearing of possible interference by finance when Paul Martin was minister, in the awarding of Government contracts to Earnscliffe, the very same group running the PMO.

Warren testified that the phone call from a still anonymous source warned him that former Public Works Minister, David Dingwall would be pressured by the PMO to disavow any specific or general testimony given by Warren.

Stay tuned.

Conservative musings brings new fears to electorate.

This will be the headline ripping Gomery off the front pages of the Nations papers and tuning TV's to some small Alberta or perhaps some rural Ontario riding, maybe the backwoods of B.C., When some Conservative says something so stupid to piss off central Canada.

Just so we remember, cause it won't last, the Conservatives are at about 38% in Ontario and 16% in Quebec.

Any bets on who it might be? Which mouth on the right is it going to be?

Scott Reid ?, Cheryl Gallant ?, Maybe Stockwell Day for old times sake?. Ralph Klien ?, well he and Harris and Manning already tried with their freak out Health Care, stupid timing jackass stunt. They still might have more ammo up their three stooges asses though.

Those are too easy though, this time I'm thinking it comes from the likes of Peter Mackay or Belinda, or hell maybe even John Crosbie or Danny Billions.

(No actual wages please, this is a contest for entertainment purposes only)

The Blue Maple Leaf

The Blue Maple Leaf

Deserves the support of this blogger in standing up for the right to know.

Gomery Brault ban futile

Well that didn't take long. The toothpaste is out of the tube and it will be enjoyable to watch the threats and calls to the RCMP as Liberals try to put it back in the tube. International media and the sphere of Blogs will fill the void. Anything that is banned becomes a must see in our society so I don't feel the need to add anything or link to anyone.

Canada kinda, sorta, has a Deep Throat. I had hoped that one would surface to inflict the mortal wound on what is clearly a highly organized system of criminal activity.

I have doubts that when the ban is lifted that the Government will suffer at the polls. The Liberals are already pretending to be victims of adscam and a hell of a lot of Canadians don't have a discerning eye in their head.

As Mark Steyn once wrote, it amounts to voting for the fascists or the thieves and I doubt having the smoking gun will change that. This assumes the Brault testimony is in fact a smoking gun. My feeling is that most Canadians will look at it and surmise that they have always suspected this, but still won't vote for the fascists.

The worst case for the Liberals is a shift to the NDP in Ontario and B.C., kinda like 1988.

I would ask Canadians to try and imagine a Canada without a Liberal Party, C'mon, it is easy if you try. It is their turn at oblivion.