Blue Like You

Archive for September, 2008

So are you happy, Mr. Rae?  Did that make your day?

Owen Lippert resigns.

Now can we please get back to somewhat more important issues, like the economy for example?

Check out the comments from the Star link. Looks like folks are fed up with ‘Gotcha’ politics.  Why do you suppose this came out now? - It was a 2003 speech!

Grow up, people! Save it for Question Period when Parliament begins.

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Update: More from the Post - Tory staffer resigns after admitting to plagiarizing 2003 speech.

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And here’s some real news that MSM should be focusing on:

Star - Duncan sounds Ontario economic warning.

VOLVO CLOSING - 104.9 the Beach.

Leaders ask for full hour on economy in debate - CTV.

Jim Coyle - Industrial jobs gone forever, McGuinty concedes:

…"There are parts of this economy which I am absolutely convinced are not coming back,” McGuinty told reporters.

When asked what parts, he said: "There’s no doubt that there’s some of our traditional manufacturing is being challenged.”

The premier said it was time for a great deal of humility. But he sounded positively chastened.

He said Ontario manufacturers, sheltering behind the low Canadian dollar, "hid from global economic realities” longer than did the U.S.

"We didn’t make the necessary productivity gains that we should have made. We weren’t necessarily as innovative as we could have been and should have been…’

Do I actually detect a tone of responsibility and partial ownership of this mess? Maybe there’s hope for Dalton yet.

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Wednesday Update : Plagiarism charge is a low blow - L. Ian MacDonald.:

…So the big story in the campaign yesterday was whether Harper, as leader of a party that no longer exists, plagiarized a speech five and half years ago from a leader who is no longer in office.

And Bob Rae, who has spent more than a decade rebuilding his own reputation after his disastrous term as premier of Ontario, spent a morning trying to destroy the reputation of someone who has never treated him as anything other than an honourable opponent …

Saskatoon journalist Wayne Eyre has some suggestions for Stephen Harper in today’s National Post. Some of his ideas are similar to those found on my Election Issue Wish List.

One of those items is overreaching power of Canada’s various Human Rights Commissions, for which Eyre proposes a solution:

-Join (Liberal) MP Keith Martin’s initiative to kill Section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act — the one that deals with speech that’s "likely to expose a person or persons to hatred or contempt." Section 13 is custom-made for Islamist, and other, anti-free-speechers who — with no hit on their own wallet — can, and do, launch capricious and malicious suits against others.

Mr. Harper had it right in 1999, when he publicly opined that "Human Rights Commissions, as they are evolving, are an attack on our fundamental freedoms and the basic existence of a democratic society… It is, in fact, totalitarianism. I find this very scary stuff."

Of course, in today’s politically-correct world, this is a very delicate area. And throwing your support to an idea espoused by a member of a rival political party may not seem like a great idea during an election. However, I would certainly love to see more discussion on the topic of Section 13. (Are you listening, Steve Paikin?)

(Lots of background on this topic at ezralevant.com)

Eyre also seems to share my concerns about two-tier justice in Canada - especially Ontario. His suggestion of sending in the army to deal with native road blockades may seem a bit heavy-handed, but I would think there is a lot of support for this idea out there (Hello, Caledonia?). Unfortunately, it is another politically-incorrect concept and therefore not likely to be part of any party’s election platform.

Even though it’s not on my list, I like Eyre’s idea of improving the decorum in the House of Commons.  It is an embarrassment to the country that our elected members of Parliament are allowed to act in such a juvenile fashion (my apologies to Canadian children).

Finally, on the topic of consumer food safety which was on my list and not Eyre’s, I would like to suggest that the Prime Minister explain to Canadians exactly how his government plans to protect Canadians from any kind of tainted food products. This is of vital importance to Canadians. We rely on Government standards to protect us from dangerous imported and domestic products.

Concern about food safety is a major ‘gut’ issue.

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Afternoon Update: Well, it looks like the Liberals and MSM are getting totally desperate - Liberals accuse Harper of plagiarizing 2003 speech on Iraq - CBC (which must be gloating right now)

When it comes to plagiarism, the Liberals are experts - Steve Janke.

Liberals try to bushwhack Harper with Plagiarism claim - Neil Hrab. (Post)

This could get ugly - Bailout bill defeated; Dow Jones falls 777 points. (H/T National Newswatch)

Jonathan Chevreau suggests going out for a brisk walk to help shake off the anxiety. That might be the very best thing you could do right now.

It will be interesting to see how Canadian politicians spin this one.

Let me guess… Iggy will say this is all Harper’s fault.

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Update: Can anyone please tell me why TD’s Don Drummond continues to support a carbon tax?  At least one Ontario Liberal has his head on straight.

More from the Wudrick Blog.

Civitatensis - Paul Martin to the Rescue.

I’ve always said that any changes to Canada’s current lack of abortion law will have to come from ordinary citizens pressuring the left. Otherwise, we will never have any restrictions on publicly-funded abortion in Canada - Harper says no to abortion debate (Globe).

So email NDP and Liberal MPs if you are upset about this.

Since it seems that the race to watch this election is the battle between Stephane Dion and Jack Layton for the keys to Stornoway, it is imperative that we focus on the NDP leader’s credibility this time, whereas in previous elections we would have regarded him as an amusing sideshow (something like Lizzy May this go-round, in spite of having wiggled her way into the leadership debates.)

Both Greg Weston and John Ivison seem impressed with Jack Layton’s show of fiscal prudence, in that he intends to balance the budget and not go into deficit.

All very laudable, but the plan breaks down when you look at where he is planning to get the money from, in order to fund all his social programs for the folks at the ‘kitchen table’ - He plans to raid the ‘boardroom’ tables. Ivison explains:

…Jack proposes to pay for his "balanced and responsible" $52-billion, four-year plan by cancelling the corporate tax cuts already earmarked by the Conservative government.

"We’ve seen on Wall Street this week what happens when the rich and powerful are allowed to do whatever they want with other people’s money. Can we afford to let Stephen Harper take us down the George Bush road?" he asked, to roars of appreciation.

Jack understands that many Canadians find something honest about ignorance. He regards the financial sector with much the same distaste as the pest exterminator in the Capital One television advertisement — "You’ve got bankers" –as if they were the cause of Canada’s economic woes, rather than the solution. The choice, he says, is simple: You can fund multi-billion-dollar giveaways to the gougers on Bay Street and in the oil patch, or put money in the hands of hard-working Canadian families. This glosses over the economic reality that those same companies have been an economic lifeline to Canada at a time when the rest of the world has been buffeted by recession.

What is most worrying is that this intellectual incoherence does not appear to be just political theatre.

There is near unanimity these days among economists and politicians that corporate tax cuts improve productivity, attract foreign investment and increase the national wealth. A recent OECD study suggested that a decrease in corporate income tax has a stronger positive effect on GDP per capita than a similar decrease in personal income tax. Gary Doer, the NDP Premier of Manitoba, seems to believe that keeping corporate tax rates competitive is a sound investment — his province’s corporate rates are set to move to 12% from 14% by 2012, making them one of the lowest in the country.

Yet, the lone dissenter from this view is Jack Layton. When asked about the effect of raising corporate taxes back to their 2007 level of 22.12% (the Tories have promised to reduce corporate income tax to 19.5% this year and to 15% by 2012), the NDP leader said he did not believe "in a race to the bottom…"

As John Ivison goes on to explain, Layton cites the single example of the John Deere plant closing as proof that corporate tax cuts don’t work.

So the weakest part of Layton’s economic plan hinges on his failure to answer the following question: Where will the money come from to pay for all those goodies after Canadian businesses close down and take those fine jobs with them?

If Jack Layton truly aspires to be the leader of the Official Opposition, he must come clean on this apparent flaw in his platform  - before it becomes a gaping hole in his credibility.

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Update: And since the vultures are already circling around the head of Stephane Dion (don’t drop any poo!) , here’s a column by Lorne Gunter on one of his possible replacements - Iggy Think 101: An introduction to the great man’s logic (or lack of it).

Afternoon Update -  Jonathan Kay: Just came out of an editorial meeting with Jack Layton:

…Impressive guy. Too bad about the whole socialism thing.

Tuesday Update: Lorrie Goldstein -Jack Layton and the real world:

…Layton says he’d raise $50 billion by cancelling corporate tax cuts promised by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Conservatives and redistribute it to working families, led by a tax-free baby bonus of up to $5,000 annually, per child.

He’d also charge corporations billions of dollars for emitting carbon dioxide in order to fight global warming and use that money to pay for such things as making homes more energy efficient.

There’s only one problem with all this — reality.

In the real world, if you increase the costs of doing business, businesses pass along those costs to consumers. If you make businesses uncompetitive by raising taxes too much, they’ll lay off employees, move offshore, or go bankrupt …

Exactly.

Evening update: Welcome Little Green Football readers!!!

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Sun reporter Michele Mandel says she tried desperately to find even a speck of dirt on Stephen Harper as she interviewed his former classmates at Richview C.I.’s 50th anniversary yesterday:

…Say the name "Stephen Harper" and Heather Johnston pictures the quiet boy in homeroom who was always so polite and respectful — and of course, smart. "I think he only got three math questions wrong the whole year in Grade 13 — and that includes calculus, algebra and functions and relations."

It bothers her that many voters remain wary of her former classmate. "He’s the nicest guy," she insisted. "He’s the best guy for the job — he’s a very hard worker and he has no vices. I think it’s a tragedy the media are making him out to have a secret agenda. There’s nothing secret about Stephen. What you see is what you get …"

Harper displayed his terrific sense of humour at the reunion:

"I guess you’re not wondering what happened to me after high school," he quipped. "Look, things have worked out pretty well, except that, at this point in my life, I thought I’d have a permanent job."

So in addition to being compassionate, Stephen Harper is a brilliant, witty man.

If you read between the lines of Angelo Persichilli’s column in this morning’s Star (!), he suggests that it might actually be the media that has the ‘hidden agenda’, and that some lemmings have bought the spiel hook, line and sinker (my words).

Persichilli isn’t endorsing Harper, but he asks that voters look at the facts:

…I realize that not many Canadians get to have private conversations with the Prime Minister, but it’s also true that nobody has a valid reason to say that he is "mean-spirited" or has a "hidden agenda."

We can argue he hasn’t kept all the promises he made, but can anybody name one politician who has? Have we forgotten Pierre Trudeau’s promise not to implement wage and price controls? What about the Liberals denouncing the GST and then using it to balance the budget?

Is Harper mean-spirited because he has cut funding for some social programs? What about Paul Martin reducing transfer payments to the provinces and cutting money for medicare and education six years in a row? Isn’t he "the best minister of finance we ever had?"

We say that Harper is "mean" because he runs a controlled operation. What about Stéphane Dion who, according to some Liberal strategists, doesn’t listen to any adviser?

We criticize Harper because he doesn’t put on a show for the media and doesn’t kiss his son on the way to school, or because of the way he walks and dresses. With the cowboy vest, he’s aggressive; with the sweater, he’s phony. Did we forget the picture of prime minister Jean Chrétien with his hands at the throat of a protester in Quebec?

Then we have the "hidden agenda…"

Of course, Liberals could accuse the CPC of defining Stephane Dion as "not a leader". But the difference is that one only has to watch the Liberal Leader in action to know that they are merely stating the painfully obvious truth.

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Update: H/T to Paul in comments for this Greg Weston column - Grits head for crater:

…As one longtime Liberal insider involved in Dion’s campaign puts it: "If the debates are supposed to be our Hail Mary pass of this election, it would help to have a quarterback who can throw the ball more than 10 yards."

Yikes! How about strategic voting for second place?

Sounds like Stephen Taylor was reading my mind…  The Battle for Second Place.

Monday Update: Dion slips and slides in a field of disbelief - Post’s Kelly McParland.

The federal Conservative party has often been criticized for lacking ‘bench-strength’ - a label which I feel is unjustified. There are many very competent Ministers in Government, such as Jim Prentice, Chuck Strahl, Jim Flaherty and Peter Mackay, just to name a few. Monte Solberg is also a great guy and I’m sorry that he’s not running again.

By far, one of my favourite Ministers is Stockwell Day and I had the honour of meeting him this morning. While I was watching him speak at a Conservative rally in Waterloo, I was thinking that here is a man who could very well take over Stephen Harper’s job someday. Of course, a leadership race in the Conservative Party is way off in the future, and I am SO glad to have Stephen Harper as our Prime Minister. He is a brilliant, decent, compassionate man and as well as being a strong leader. But if Mr. Harper ever decided that he wanted a new challenge someday, I am sure that Stockwell Day could fill his shoes.

Minister Day started off his address by thanking Kitchener-Waterloo candidate Peter Braid (who had introduced him) for the rainy weather, because it reminded him of BC weather. This drew chuckles all around.

He talked about a rising momentum in the Party, and the ‘look of wonder’ on the faces of some in MSM as they watch what’s going on. Stockwell said it really shouldn’t be all that surprising, because we have a great leader.  Or as he quoted Don Cherry, "It’s not rocket surgery" .  (More laughter)

I actually took copious notes, most of which I can’t even read…   I’ll just give a brief listing here of some highlights I noted:

- Many traditionally NDP or Liberal voters often continue to vote that way ‘because their parents did’, but we are facing challenging times. This reminded me of a previous post I did on Voting by Rote. Canadians really need to take the time to assess the leaders, the issues and the current economic situation.

- Canada is now being noticed on the world stage as a country of stability and strength.

- Families: "We believe in families being able to make decisions". How novel. Definitely not the ‘popcorn and beer’ philosophy there!

- Crime and Justice: Serious crime should mean serious time. The tough on crime proposals are targeting serious, violent repeat offenders. Minister Day said that it’s time to start focusing on the rights of people who keep the law. He said if you want to talk about a ’shift’ let’s shift our attention to the needs of the victim. He also said regarding the failed gun registry and talk about gun bans that the Liberals and NDP want to go after the duck hunters, whereas the Conservatives want to go after the criminals.

Well, this is getting long and I may tack on a few more thoughts later. I just want to close by saying that I thoroughly enjoyed meeting Peter Braid (K-W), Stephen Woodworth (Kitchener-Centre), and seeing my ‘adopted’ MP Harold Albrecht (Kitchener-Conestoga) again, who is such a nice guy and so easy to talk too. I just think the world of him.

Stephen Woodworth could end up being a serious challenge for Karen Redman, as will Peter Braid for the Incumbent Andrew Telegdi. (BTW, I enjoyed Woodworth’s closing comments when he thanked Stockwell Day for coming, and referred to his energy, humour, and that a man who has 12 grandchildren could look so young! And indeed he does.)

And if that ‘bench strength’ issue is still a concern for some Canadians, the answer is easy. Elect more Conservative MPs - especially in the major cities.

In addition, I think there are several very talented and hardworking Conservative back-benchers that deserve some extra recognition and possibly a promotion. Harold Albrecht is certainly one of them.

And again, Minister Day, it was a pleasure.

(Stockwell Day on left with Harold Albrecht and PC MPP Elizabeth Witmer)

This story by Randell Denley really touched me - Harper stands by his man McGarry in tough times. (Citizen) - H/T National Newswatch.

Conservative Candidate Brian McGarry offered to step aside in the election race, since his wife has a serious illness and he would not be able to give the campaign sufficient attention.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper wouldn’t hear of it, and told McGarry to just do what he could:

“‘This is what is want you to do. I want you to stick with it, do as much campaigning as you can, but if you can’t do any, don’t worry about it.’

“I left that room — I don’t usually admit to being a softie, but I had tears in my eyes,” McGarry said. “I thought, the guy is hanging in with me. I left there with a weight off my shoulders. I really appreciated his answer.

Mrs. Harper has stepped in to help by having their daughter over to 24 Sussex.

This quiet demonstration of compassion is so inspiring.

I wish the McGarry family all the best and pray for Mrs. McGarry’s recovery.

And perhaps the vandals in Ottawa Centre could look for something more constructive to occupy their time.

H/T to reader/commenter Sol for this Chantel Hebert column from a few days ago - Kennedy put us on this path.

Hebert blames Kennedy for the ongoing Liberal woes, since he was the kingmaker at the Liberal leadership convention.

Jane Taber has him on her Not Hot list, and even quotes a veteran Liberal as calling him a “dead man walking”.

Don Martin tells us this morning that Kennedy is getting tired of having the finger of blame always pointed at him:

The fourth-place finisher at the Liberal leadership convention, whose support for Mr. Dion was considered pivotal in the upset victory, is understandably weary of being blamed as the person responsible for giving Stephen Harper his dream rival.

“I still believe I made the best decision for the party and the party has to reprove itself to Canadians,” he says. “I mean this, there is a Stephane Dion to be seen and appreciated that’s not yet fully on display.”

Really, Gerard?

I would suggest that now would be a really good time to play that card.

(Or is he bluffing?)

Please watch this video which is featured at Wudrick Blog. I have to echo the concerns in the question posed by Aaron.

If you are seriously thinking about voting Liberal, can you still cheer this man on as Prime Minister of Canada after seeing how he handles himself with questions from students, no less?

I mean, I’m embarrassed and I’m not even a Liberal!

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Update: Holy Puffin Droppings!  Well, Warren phrased it differently, but check out the latest Nanos numbers!!!

(Thanks to Paulsstuff as well, in comments.)

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Dion is prolife?

From The Star : Dion stumbled when he identified himself as "pro-life." An aide later clarified that he meant to say "pro-choice."

H/T Take that, eh?

I can’t wait for the debates.