Blue Like You

Archive for the ‘Canadian Politics’ Category

I’m starting to panic a bit now about my Christmas to-do list, so this will be an open thread.

Here are a few topic suggestions:

CTV Interview with Prime Minister Stephen Harper, which will be rebroadcast today. Video links at right hand side of site.

Hunter has a post on the above.

BBS’s choice for Blogging Tories Site of the Week - ChuckerCanuk’s Canadian Christmas Carol series. Just make sure you read them in order. I am anxiously awaiting the rest of the story. Feel free to place your bets here on who’s going to be the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.

Alberta Girl mentioned this link in the previous post. Please check it out via SDA - “We don’t know. We have to wait until Obama tells us”.

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This is a great resource - 2008: The Year on the Hill. I was thinking of trying to do something like this myself, especially regarding the events of the past couple of months. Hasn’t it been a whirlwind?

Thank you Winnipeg Free Press:

NOVEMBER

20 House of Commons opens a new session. Despite promises of more collaboration, MPs heckle, holler and hurl insults.

26 Word leaks out the government’s financial update will include a plan to end public subsidies to political parties. The NDP warns this could lead to the defeat of the Conservatives.

29 Facing backlash, Con- servatives cancel the plan. Then they retreat on a proposal to suspend the right to strike of public sector unions.

DECEMBER

1 Dion, NDP’s Jack Layton and Bloc Quebcois leader Gilles Duceppe announce a formal pact to topple the Conservatives and form a Liberal-NDP coalition government supported by the BQ.

3 Harper addresses the nation on the proposed coalition. Dion offers a rebuttal in a poor-quality videotape, delivered late to television networks. His leadership skills come under fresh challenge.

4 Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean grants Harper’s request to prorogue Parliament until the new year, avoiding the defeat of his government.

5 Canada’s soldier death toll in Afghanistan reaches the grim milestone of 100.

7 Dion steps down as Liberal Leader. Three days later, Michael Ignatieff is named interim Liberal leader, after rivals Bob Rae and Dominic LeBlanc bow out of the race.

10 Officials reveal Harper’s plans to appoint 18 senators, despite longstanding commitment to an elected body.

16 Harper warns Canada’s economic outlook is “worsening by the week” and 2009 will be “a very tough year.”

That’s what Iggy would do. A regular reader just sent me a link to Stephen Taylor’s latest post - Bombshell: PM Ignatieff may hike the GST in the future.

Of course, the only ‘bombshell’ here is that the Count’s political acumen may not be as elevated as his worshippers were hoping. We all know that Liberals love to spend, pad the public service and raise taxes. That part is a no-brainer.

However, City News reporter Richard Madan seemed a bit more politically savvy than Sir Iggy, when he marveled at the revelation on his blog:

…but there is political danger for him by even suggesting it.

The Conservative spin machine could pick up on these comments and paint Ignatieff as a modern-day tax-hiker who can’t be trusted to keep taxes down. Ignatieff risks being defined by Conservatives before he has a chance to define himself.

Yes, Richard. That could very well happen.

I suppose when you’re a professor you don’t have to worry about thinking three steps ahead - like maybe if you end up leader of the Coalition of Catastrophic Results.

All you really need is a calm, quiet, determined determination to get through to the commoners.

I just caught the end of Robert Fife’s report on tonight’s National.

In case you missed it, there does seem to be an air of cooperation among the Liberals and the Government lately. We saw progress today with the meeting between Finance Minister Jim Flaherty and two Liberals, Scott Brison and John McCallum.

We may now know the reason for the Liberal party’s apparent desire to back off from the Coalition - Fife reported tonight that the Liberals have been consulting with Constitutional experts and it seems that the Governor General would very likely call an election if the Harper Government fell over a vote of non-confidence, rather than allow the three opposition parties to take over. So obviously the Liberals are now getting cold feet because they know that they would be decimated in an election, if recent polls are any indication.

I hope to get some kind of link up regarding this gem from Fife. If anyone else happens to see it, please let me know if I’ve interpreted the report correctly.

Lloyd Robertson said that this could be a win-win. Well maybe so for the two major parties and Canadians in general, but certainly not for Jack Layton. Industry Minister post goes poof!

And Duceppe will probably just shrug.

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Tuesday Update: CTV has the clip up now with Robert Fife.

10:25 Update: Jack Layton was just saying on Hamilton’s CHML (Bill Kelly show) that the Coalition is alive and well, and that there is no possible way the GG would allow an election if the Government fell at the end of January. Period. Case closed. He said it would be constitutionally impossible!

So somebody is either misinformed or lying here…

You know what to do, Blue Nation!

Siscoe - Layton being Layton.

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Welcome Jack’s Newswatch Readers!

Vancouver Secrets has important browser information!

Via Capital C: Voice your opinion on what should be in the budget.

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Evening Update: Planning to take a bit of time off here to get ready for Christmas. I’ll be posting if there are any major developments, but I think it’s good for all of us to get away from politics for a while. We’ll need lots of energy and enthusiasm in January.

Merry Christmas!!

And I want to send my regulars readers an extra special wish for a Christmas full of peace and joy. You know who you are. Thanks for making my job here such a pleasure. I wouldn’t do this without your feedback and support.

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Thursday Update: Welcome, Newsbeat 1 readers!

It sounds to me like Jack Layton is backing down just a bit.

Maybe it really is the Season of Miracles.

Meanwhile, Alberta Girl asks Raphael, "…how he can "stack" the senate when there would still be a majority of Liberal senators??"

Things that make you go hmmmmm…

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Update: This Canadian Press release has more:

…Harper has contended if his government falls the proper course would be a new election, rather than installation of a Liberal-NDP coalition.

Layton, however, maintained it would be unprecedented for the Governor General to send Canadians back to the polls so soon after the last election Oct. 14.

"That’s a virtual impossibility," Layton said Sunday.
"I think virtually everyone who knows the Constitution would tell you that."

That sounds like a dare to me.  Time for more letters, folks. Snail mail is best.

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Monday Update : Still with the Christmas theme, please check out Monte Solberg’s Bah, Humbug!

This morning we have two sets of polls results to ponder, which appear to be contradictory at first glance.

A Toronto Star/Angus Reid survey declares Ignatieff, Harper virtually tied in poll:

Newly appointed Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff is in a virtual tie with Prime Minister Stephen Harper as the person Canadians think would be the best to lead the country, a new poll exclusive to the Star reveals.

Ignatieff tops the list of party leaders Canadians would prefer as prime minister, with 28 per cent of respondents naming him the best head of government, according to the Toronto Star/Angus Reid survey.

Harper came in at 27 per cent – a virtual tie because it’s within the margin of error, but the first time the Conservative leader has polled below 30 per cent in two years…

However, the National Post just published the latest Ipsos Reid results stating that 65% back co-operation, and only 27% feel that Iggy should "stick with the Liberal-NDP coalition."

The Post also points out that Stephen Harper has little to fear with the crowning of Count Igula as LPC leader:

…The poll also said the Conservative party would garner 45% of the vote and score a majority victory if an election were held today.

"All of a sudden, Stephen Harper’s hand has got a lot stronger," Darrell Bricker, president of Ipsos Reid, said yesterday. "There is no reason for him to fear an election."

The survey results said the Liberals have not improved their electoral prospects — so far– by picking Mr. Ignatieff this week to replace the unpopular Stephane Dion. Those surveyed favoured the Conservatives over the Liberals by 45% to 26% when no leaders’ names were mentioned. The 19-point gap was repeated when the question was rephrased to name Mr. Ignatieff. The New Democrats trailed at 12% and the Green party came in at 7%. The Bloc scored 39% in Quebec, and 10% nationally.

Mr. Bricker said he is surprised the Liberals didn’t get a bump from Mr. Ignatieff’s selection, and that the results don’t bode well for the future of the proposed coalition.

"The Liberals have played their one big card, which was changing their leader," Mr. Bricker said. "At the end of the day, it turned out to not be about who their leader really was. Really, it continues to be the whole concept of the coalition that bothers Canadians."

(Note: Comments are worth checking out at the on-line version.)

So how does one reconcile the differences other than to attribute the results to the possibility of biased polling and leading questions?

Here is my theory. Canadians hate the idea of a Liberal-NDP-Bloc coalition - especially when it is forced on us rather than through a proper election.

When the prospect of a coalition is removed from the equation, then I think the majority might possibly see Ignatieff and Harper as fairly well matched in terms of intelligence, communication skills and capability.

If my theory is correct, then Ignatieff would be wise to disassociate himself from the coalition post-haste, because otherwise he and his party will wear this disastrous ploy in the next election.

Trust me. Canadians will not forget. This ridiculous games-playing has slowed down the government’s ability to address our economic concerns. People are losing jobs and all these clowns care about is power. Canadians have lost confidence in the opposition parties - not in the Harper Government!

The sleeping giant has been awakened and it is angry!

Bring on the election.

Update: More at Canadian Sentinel and SDA. Steve at Far and Wide has a somewhat different view of the situation. He seems to think Iggy is smart to keep the coalition in his back pocket.

The Star has the Ipsos poll up now - HARPER TORIES KEEP BIG LEAD IN POLL. (H/T Cantuc)

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I’m going to try to catch up on email and readers’ comments for the rest of the weekend. Many of you have addressed questions and comments to me directly, and I would like to take the time to answer them.

With the flurry of activity over the past week or so, the number of comments has been almost too excessive to handle, but I’m not complaining.  Please accept my gratitude for your participation in the discussion and my apologies for taking so long to get back to you.

Your feedback and involvement is really why I do this. Thanks.

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Sunday Update: Congrats to SDA - Best Conservative Blog.

And thanks to everyone who voted for Blue Like You. It certainly was an honour to be included in the top five of all the blogging heavyweights in the Conservative blogosphere.

But it’s necessary.

Raphael has written a very thoughtful and non-partisan piece about the brouhaha over Harper’s plan to fill 18 empty Senate seats before Christmas. He seems to be excoriating the Prime Minister for not being any better than the Liberals when it comes to patronage, and even appears to be echoing the media’s and opposition’s attempts to stir up a movement within the CPC to challenge Harper’s leadership:

…But this party needs a new direction of leadership as it heads forward, a leader which puts country ahead of personal prerogative and partisan pursuit of power. The fact is that the slogan shouldn’t be "better off with Harper". It should be "we can do better".

Well my gut feeling is that at this point we need to throw out the optics and be totally pragmatic. If the Coalition becomes Canada’s new government next year, you can be assured that the Senate would be stacked with progressives if there are any empty seats left. This would further unbalance the current situation which is already heavily weighted in favour of the Liberals.

Also, any Senators being named by Harper would have to agree to certain conditions - especially to being favourable to the concept of Senate reform. It truly is a chicken and egg dilemma.

These are desperate times and I am 100% behind Stephen Harper. If others want to jump ship, that is their choice.

We can do better, Raphael. But a new Conservative leader isn’t the path to that end.

All politicians need to start working for Canada, instead of themselves.  That involves a fundamental and introspective shift from self-interest, to a commitment to the greater good and what is in the best interests of all Canadians.

Don’t you just love the irony?

NDP MP Paul Dewar said the move to "stuff the Senate" proves the Conservatives have abandoned democratic reform.

"What Harper is practising is old politics, desperate politics, and quite frankly, pathetic politics," he said. "He has thrown out any credibility for the Conservatives in terms of being honestly democratic and wanting to do things differently.

"It’s sad, tired politics. You can’t appoint someone to an undemocratic institution then claim it will eventually be democratic because you say it’s so."

This from a man who is part of a Coalition designed to overturn the results of the last election, and which would have likely allowed the Senate appointment of Green Party Elizabeth May in exchange for her support of Stephane Dion, had Parliament not been prorogued. This from a man who props up a party that just had a coronation for leadership rather than consult the grassroots membership, and has thereby been complicit in the undemocratic installation of Michael Ignatieff as coalition leader.

You can’t blow and suck at the same time my friend. Well you could try, but you might have a brain fart.

Meanwhile, SDA reader VanIslander nails it:

As soon as the inevitable uproar comes he ought to just stand up and say - "This is the system that is in place and what I have to work with. No, it’s not a ‘fair’ system just as it wasn’t fair when the Liberals appointed all their cronies. It needs to be changed but every time the issue of change gets raised you all go crazy about that too …well it is time to put up and shut up or let the process of revamping the senate move forward."

Meanwhile, we have the predicted ‘outrage’ from the usual suspects .

ZZZzzzzzzzzzz…

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Update: Sandy is taking suggestions for Senate appointments.

Raphael doesn’t seem to be impressed -  Harper’s logic: Democracy through patronage .

And ChuckerCanuk for Senate. I agree.

So Count Igula has been coronated.

Where does that leave the coalition? This is important on a number of critical levels. The more Canada’s political future is perceived to be in a state of crisis and flux, the worse for our economy.

Also as J. L. Granatstein points out, our whole relationship with Obama and the new U.S. administration could be in serious jeopardy if the Coalition were to take power, and then send out a message that the Afghanistan mission will not be properly funded in terms of equipment and government support.

Iggy seems cool to the coalition idea for the moment, but the two other heads of the hydra are reminding him of his signature on that document.

Ignatieff is now in the unenviable position of having to square his own concerns about the Coalition with the fact that his signature is on that piece of paper. And he is intelligent enough to understand that most Canadians are not in support of government comprised of a Bloc-backed Coalition government whose Liberal component denied the concept as unworkable and out of the question during the last election campaign.

So now it all comes down to an issue of trust. Whatever decision the Count eventually makes, someone is going to feel betrayed - It will either be the Bloc, the NDP and the radical left-wing element of the LPC, or Canadian voters.

Meanwhile, donations to the Conservative Party are pouring in to fight the Coalition threat:

The prospect or fear of a coalition government has fired up the Conservative base so much so that the party raised $600,000 on [sic] one day last week alone.

(All of which is somewhat ironic considering the opposition’s outrage to the original poison pill in the economic statement regarding taxpayer-funded party subsidies.)

Maybe Dion was right after all. You think it’s easy to make priorities?

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Update: Welcome, Jack’s Newswatch readers!

Iggy’s first day - Andrew Coyne:

…Put it all together — a centrist party, open to compromise with the government, reluctant to defeat it, focused on rebuilding, respectful of the West — and it sits uneasily, to say the least, with the ambitions of its coalition partners. Which is to say: the coalition is now a polite fiction. It exists solely on paper. He has no intention of becoming Jack Layton’s puppet. To which I say: huzzah.

Well personally, I don’t think Jack will give up on his dream that easily.

More evidence re: the above on MDL tonight - Joy MacPhail :

… and so I say hurrah to Mr. Ignatieff joining with the BQ and the NDP. Now let’s get on with it …"

Over to you, Count Iggy.

Welcome, Newsbeat 1 readers!

Via Halls of Macadamia - a link to a great Lorrie Goldstein column:

Last week, they said Dion was fit to be our prime minister. This week, they say he’s not even fit to be their leader.

But party solidarity before country, right?

Via Sammy in comments:

…the big interview is at 3:45 eastern. cbc has been putting up the reminder frequently. Anyone gonna blog it for me?????

Well? Any Blogging Tories planning to live-blog the interview?

Readers are invited to live-blog in comments.

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Update: From Potato in comments:

"I can’t watch the interview right now, but judging by the comments here it’s obvious that Harper is making Mansbridge interrupt him."

Because everything is always Stephen Harper’s fault.

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A great post here from Conservative Reporter: Well done Mr. Prime Minister…

And in case you missed it - Prime Minister Harper given International Leadership Award.

The National Post has some choice quotes posted from the CBC interview.

Because you can’t threaten the Prime Minister of Canada and then hide behind "Freedom of the Press".

Scott Reid, take note.

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Update: Apparently Stephen Harper is also responsible for sore ovaries. Is there any evil in the history of the whole world that can’t be directly attributed to Stephen Harper?