Blue Like You

Archive for the ‘elections’ Category

O.K.  The following may sound a bit strange considering that in the last post I was talking about how nauseating it was to have Obamamania force-fed to us by the Canadian chapter of the MOB (thank you Lorrie Goldstein), However, that doesn’t mean we can’t take advantage of the situation here.

So yesterday Stephen Harper called Barack Obama and congratulated him for his historic victory and expressed how he was looking forward to working with the President-elect for the mutual benefit of their countries (CTV):

"In a warm exchange, the two leaders emphasized that there could be no closer friends and allies and vowed to maintain and further build upon this strong relationship," said an email about the call between the two leaders from the Prime Minister’s office.

As the CTV link explains, the significance of this event was captured yesterday on MDL:

Experts say that Harper stands a better chance of having Obama’s ear than other world leaders.

"We are one of the few voices in NATO the Americans are prepared to listen to because we are on of the few in NATO actually doing the heavy lifting in Afghanistan," James Blanchard, a former ambassador to Canada, told CTV’s Mike Duffy Live on Thursday evening.

Blanchard added that the fact the two North American leaders appear to have had a good conversation is a promising indicator.

"Every leader in the world wants to talk to Barack Obama. I doubt very many have, so that’s a really good sign," he said.

And as Chantel Hebert points out, Harper and Obama aren’t really all that far apart on the key policies of Afghanistan, energy security and climate change.

Yes, ironically Obama’s win will actually benefit Harper more than McCain’s would have. He is now free to enter a closer working relationship with the U.S. without being labeled an Obama lapdog. Because as we all know, Obama can do no wrong, right? So it follows that being friends with the U.S. President is now acceptable.

In any case, I am proud to have the very articulate Stephen Harper as our Prime Minister in this ‘new era’, as Globe MOB member Lawrence Martin calls it.

Had the Liberals won the last election, imagine how a similar conversation between Obama and Stephane Dion might have gone…

"What do you mean, what would I have done different about Kyoto as an environment minister? I am the Prime Minister! I don’t understand your question. Are you asking about my dog?"

"Can we start again please?"

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Update: It seems that the last bit gave Erwin Gerrits an idea - Did we make the right choice?

Sunday Update: Harper starts the ball rolling with President-elect Obama - L. Ian MacDonald (Gazette).

So we finally get through the Canadian and U.S. elections and now we hear via the Globe’s Gloria Galloway that the opposition parties are prepared to dig in their heels on the Conservative plan to get tougher on criminals:

Opposition MPs, including Liberals who have worked on justice issues, say they would plunge the country into another federal election before agreeing to a slate of Conservative proposals that would see convicted criminals treated more harshly…

Victims’ rights seem to be of little concern to progressives. But we must not harm a hair on the heads of those poor criminals! (Especially don’t laugh at anyone who rapes and murders little girls and torches their bodies. That is a very big no-no.  You might hurt their feelings!)

However, this could be the Liberal Leadership hopefuls’ worst nightmare - Stephane Dion leading yet another charge at Harper - with no money in the bank.

Good luck with that.

And to the Conservative Government: When you introduce this legislation, please spend a little time educating the public on what exactly you are proposing, so that the opposition parties are unable to spin the story out of control with ridiculous hyperbole and fear mongering.

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Update: Halls of Macadamia - Ready for another election?

PLEASE NOTE: (1:05 pm Standard time) Please bear with me as I try to fix the time change problem. Thanks.  Comments may be out of order for a while.

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Thursday Update: "I want life to mean life" - Dust My Broom. (H/T Mary T)

Unambiguously Ambidextrous - That dog won’t hunt.

Toronto Sun Editorial -  Compromise needed on crime bill.

Globe - No more free rides, Dion warns Harper. Yeah, right:

…However, since the Conservatives won a stronger minority in the Oct. 14 election, it would take only a handful of opposition no-shows to ensure the government survives…

Saturday Update: Senior vows to post young offender’s name -  Chronicle Herald.

Premier Pinocchio, er, McGuinty says this time he’s telling the truth when he promises not to raise taxes:

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty promised yesterday that he would not raise taxes if he is re-elected this fall and insisted he means it this time.

The Premier, who ran on a no new-taxes platform in the 2003 election and then introduced one of the largest income tax increases in provincial history, said Ontarians should believe him now “because I’m in charge.”

Well, there is some rock-solid logic. Try that in your next debating class, kids!

Anyway, at least McGuinty has given up trying to convince us that the health tax was not a real tax, but rather merely a “premium”:

“I didn’t raise that health tax in order to raise my popularity. I did it because we needed to raise money for our health care system,” he said. “Now we’re on track to balance the budget for five consecutive years.”

Well, at least he’s stopped trying to insult us with the euphemism.

He also maintains that “The Conservative party is adamant about creating another multi-billion dollar hole in the budget. We’ve seen that movie before…”

Well golly gee, Dalton. You’re talking about the Harris-Eves years. There’s a new sheriff in town now. And anyway, we’ve seen your movie before too, buddy. It’s not worth a second viewing, trust me. Not even if you throw in free popcorn and beer.

Personally, I’m not overly enthralled with any of the provincial party leaders but so far I haven’t heard John Tory lie yet. He has promised to phase out the health tax. Would it destroy the economy, as Dalton maintains?

I’m willing to take that chance.

Last night’s Quebec election results show some interesting shifts in the attitudes of the Quebec population.

1. In spite of an obviously disappointing performance, Jean Charest’s Liberals have still managed to cling to power in what has ended up being a minority government.

2. The ADQ’s Mario Dumont has clearly inspired a message of family values that is resonating more with voters than the old separation debate. And as Stephen Taylor notes, the results couldn’t be better for the ADQ since it will give them an opportunity to learn and mature in opposition. An ADQ goverment at this point may have been too much too soon for their own good (and Quebec’s).

3. The PQ is in third place and may very possibly be in danger of becoming irrelevant, which does not bode well for the BQ.

4. The strong federalist support suggests greater potential for seat pick-up by the CPC and to a lesser degree by the LPC.

All in all, the best possible outcome for those who wish Canada to stay intact.

But my loyal reader Gabby mentioned in my nuclear waste post (which I morphed into a politics debate), she is a bit leery about assuming that the the PQ is dead:

The one bright light is that the PQ has lost some support. The ROC should not cry “separatism is dead” though. It is simply undergoing a transformation.

Chantel Hebert suggests that although this likely means the end of Boisclair’s leadership, the separatist movement will carry on:

Given a choice between pondering whether that reflects poorly on its core cause of sovereignty or on its leader’s skills, the party will almost certainly zero in on the latter. It is ultimately easier for the PQ to keep on replacing its leaders than to give up on its dream of an independent Quebec.

I tend to agree that we should not let allow ourselves to become complacent.

BTW, congrats to ChuckerCanuk for a fascinating and entertaining “Live Blog” event last night! I certainly enjoyed the party.