Give me one quick election with a side of popcorn and beer
I find it so amusing how Stephane Dion has the power to discern whether or not Canadians want an election. (Dion: Canadians hungry for an election.)
Up until now, he was sure that we didn’t, but apparently he foresees that we very likely will have an appetite for an election in the fall - unless of course the by-election results are not favourable to the Liberals.
And I love those references to ‘appetite’ and ‘hungry’ for an election.
The way food prices are going up, that may be all we end up with on our plates.
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Update : The Phantom Observer - Summer By-Elections: The CBC is running Candidates.
And Alberta Ardvark has a great post up: Dion confirms what MHF said about the greenshift.
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Update: - Stephane Dion’s midsummer night’s election dream, by Kelly MacParland.
Peterborough Politics: When communication goes wrong.
Steve Janke: Stephane Dion selling the carbon tax.
July 23rd, 2008 at 11:52 am
Well, since we’re on that topic, Stephane Dion makes me lose my appetite and want to vomit every time I see and hear him on TV.
Or, I’m hungry to see him get booted out of politics for good because he gives he a bad case of indigestion.
July 23rd, 2008 at 11:55 am
And there’s nothing worse than listening to a bad case of French-accented verbal diarrhea.
July 23rd, 2008 at 11:55 am
” unless of course the by-election results are not favourable to the Liberals.”
Or the weather is bad.
This Dion guy is a total joke.
July 23rd, 2008 at 11:57 am
and yet the MSM thinks this is news today. Who’s worse?
Them for keeping Dion in the news or us for sitting here wasting out time discussing it?
Harper’s always true to his word on this issue. We have a fixed election and I see him sticking to it.
The Liberals have nothing to fight an election on and no money with which to do it. We’ve heard this all before and it amounted to nothing.
July 23rd, 2008 at 12:23 pm
Speaking of beer and popcorn; why are the Liberals not crying out that the $350 per child cheque that the green shift is proposing will be spent on beer and popcorn instead of on the child? Or have they finally admitted that the CPC was right all along?
Does anyone know if the Libs are planning to cut the $100 per month payment for children under age 6 that parents are currently receiving from the Harper Government? Because if they are planning this, a loss of $850/year for some families is not really the best way to decrease child poverty IMHO.
But I have never been very good with Liberal math.
July 23rd, 2008 at 12:56 pm
Isn’t there another liberal resigning Aug 1st, so maybe PMSH will set the date far enough ahead so there will be 4 instead of 3 by-elections.
And, will the liberals really want to spend all that money and then go into a general election a few months later.
July 23rd, 2008 at 12:58 pm
If you think food prices are going up now, imagine what will happen if a carbon tax is applied to the diesel fuel used to transport food everywhere.
July 23rd, 2008 at 2:01 pm
The business I work for purchases over $100000 worth of food products every year. I began to track the “fuel charges” and we are now over 1% of total cost. This is just in the last 6 months and we had very minor fuel costs before that. I expect that the fuel surcharges will only go up as have our product costs (20%). Granted this is an expense but it takes away from the “boss’ profit” so we are very conscience of any increases.
Dion Diesel wants to Tax the Truckers. I operate in the fully government funded health care industry so YOU ALL will pay for the increase in transport costs. Nice “shift/shaft” for you.
July 23rd, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Dion is desperate for a fall election because he’ll get creamed campaigning on implementing a carbon tax in the winter when everyone is paying maximum already to heat their homes. And likewise the coming spring won’t work because the energy bills will be too fresh in the electors minds. From a tactical standpoint autumn is the only time the Liberals can go.
So if I was Harper I would prorogue Parliament until the chill of the coming winter is starting to set in (some time in November). That will pretty much allow him to govern until the fixed election date in the autumn of 09.
July 23rd, 2008 at 2:45 pm
Mary T., John Godfrey has postponed his resignation as an MP until August 1 so that PMSH cannot call all four byelections together. I’m not sure of the details, but the math just does not let him because of the various time periods involved in calling and then holding an election.
I’ve heard rumors that the Liberals did this because they either cannot afford to fight 4 by-elections at once, or because they are afraid of losing a couple of them and don’t want to risk Godfrey’s as well. Take your pick !
July 23rd, 2008 at 3:20 pm
I think there is a maximum time to call a by-election but is there a minimum time to call one. Could PMSH not call the election for Godfrey’s seat for Sept. Didn’t Chretain call the by-election for Sheila Copps when she resigned over the GST within a few hours. He could sell this as saving the taxpayers money by having them all together. I think the liberal plan was to get many of those not running again to resign thruout the year to elect new liberals, get name recognition out there before a general election.
He knows incumbants have a better chance to win,
Too bad for Dion he lost some of them and almost lost a 3rd. Why would anyone vote for a liberal to just sit on their hands, hide behind curtains and get a big paycheque and build up pension benefits. Liberals could do their party a great favor by defeating all 3 or 4 of them to send a message. Clean house, get your act together and maybe come a general election we will come back to you.
July 23rd, 2008 at 3:27 pm
There’s a couple of flies in Dion’s election ointment …
First, as Reid points out, Harper just might prorogue Parliament. I think he will, but mainly because he doesn’t want the Opposition to use Parliament as a platform to create mischief during the US election.
Second, Dion obviously needs the co-operation of Layton and Duceppe. I’m pretty sure that Duceppe has said that he will only trigger an election over a budget. Anything else is not important enough. So Harper can alternatively play to that by having Flaherty bring in a tame economic update in the Fall.
I think Dion’s biggest fear is that the Liberal Electoral District Association will force a “Leadership Endorsement Ballot”, to be voted on by members prior to the Dec. LPC convention in Vancouver. If Dion gets less than 50 % approval, then the LPC Constitution says he MUST resign.
July 23rd, 2008 at 4:24 pm
Dion is as spineless as they come… this is mere sabre rattling from someone who thinks he will face no consequences.
After watching the boob for the last year it is clear this follows a pattern he already is stuck into.
Coming up next … some rehashed “revelation” from the Libs about an imaginary Conservative transgression.
July 23rd, 2008 at 4:59 pm
Greetings. I just got a very interesting mailer from Betty Hinton my MP. It excoriates Dion and the GREEN Shift. It also includes a vote on who would be best PM and you can detach it and send it back for free. Very well done. Short, sweet and to the point. Has anyone else received this in other parts of Canada. I am in BC.
July 23rd, 2008 at 5:13 pm
Sor, you’re lucky. I just got one from my MP Karen Redman.
Some of the highlights include a section titled, “Finance Minister is bad for Canada”.
I kid you not.
July 23rd, 2008 at 6:35 pm
I got one similar to Sor, with the title Mark Holland, missing in action, with a list(a long one), of all the votes he has abstained from.
July 23rd, 2008 at 6:39 pm
Paul, I wonder if that’s available online anywhere?
July 23rd, 2008 at 7:05 pm
Mailers like this are a lot more effective than trying to get the MSM to be honest.
There is an article today in our local paper about the possibility of Emerson running here. He needs a seat and Kamloops is one that would be safe for him and a good fit with is lumber background. The rumour has been around for months now but this is the first in the paper.
Betty hinton is not running again for medical reasons. Cheers.
July 23rd, 2008 at 7:28 pm
I rec’d a mailer yesterday from Leon Benoit MP entitled:
“Dion’s Tax On Everything….Will You be Tricked Into Paying More”
The tear-off portion asks “Who do you think is on the right track on taxes?” Then lists the selections, leaving out Duceppe entirely.
Really effective…plain black and white but that’s all I need.
I live on Ontario’s West Coast
Oh and to Gabrielle re: her experience with Dion in Stratford. Don’t be too surprised by all of the pushing and shoving you experienced, perhaps they though you wanted to join the ranks of the lemmings and head to the nearest cliff.
I think the way you were treated as an individual who wanted more information was pretty bad.
July 23rd, 2008 at 7:35 pm
More here about G.A.
I love the lemming reference, Sol! Thanks for that.
July 23rd, 2008 at 11:18 pm
Joanne and all - for a preview of what the Liberals have in store as their strategy next campaign and in the by-elections check out Kinsella’s tips on his website that he entertained young Liberals with tonight.
Take a page from Kinsella’s book and know your enemy.
Know everthing.
Hmmm. Do you think it’s wise for a strategy to be telegraphed like this? Hope the Harper dudes are taking notes.