You don’t need to read tea leaves or hire an expensive political think tank to read how much Stephen Harper is salivating for his majority government, and Spring is his time.
The rosy red buzz of the Olympics; the fumes of spending from the stimulus; funds that have been delayed strategically; and hopefully an economy that isn’t sliding into the toilet as the US stimulus impact dissipates.
These are the conditions our Minority Prime Minister is hoping for. Mix in a struggling Michael Ignatieff, a stranglehold on much of the media, and Jack Layton and the NDP gunning to be official opposition thus splitting the center/left vote could be a recipe for a Conservative Stephen Harper majority government.
Proroguing also hides the Afghanistan torture mess as much as possible also. So two questions, probably more, are Canadians that forgetful? Do they care that much about the Olympics? While the press has been chipping away at Mr. Ignatieff he himself has been quiet. Methinks he hasn’t been catching up on romance novels and gazing at the deer hopping through the snow covered fields.
This Spring should be showtime. I can’t see this minority government dragging on much longer. In the Art of War it’s said that when you are the weaker foe choose the time and place of battle. That’s going to be the question come March.
What do you think Cornwall?
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Definetly not a general election but how about a bi-election just in SD&G? Can we do that? Please, please, can we do that?
Bring on an election! Time to send a message and take out the trash!
So Glassbowl, who do you want to win the next election?
Sorry guys, you’ll have to wait until March for the election thats going to be forced upon us by Ignatieff and the Fiberals. Then we can all celebrate with a MAJORITY Conservative Government! SD&G will continue to be held by our one-and-only ti-Guy Lauzon.
(Just a thought, since Ignatieff spent more time in the U.S. than in Canada, do we now have to pronounce his name as EYE-gnatieff?)
I wouldn’t mind seeing a Liberal minority. If nothing else to send a message to Harper that being a lazy ass isn’t the way to go!
Stan the only politician itching for an election right now is your own Stephen Harper. It’s all a hustle.
Admin: I agree with you that Stephen Harper would love an election right now, but he will never call an election. He’ll leave that up to the greedy Fiberals who are presently salivating about their next non-confidence vote to come in the March 2010. Don’t you just love it!
If we were like Europeans there would be a lynch mob after his hide. But as most Canadians we just stand by and watch. WE are afraid to protest. It’s shameful as is Harper.
Yes, I think we need an election as soon as possible, and all people who care about justice, peace, the environment and democracy, must realize that it is important to unite now and defeat our aspiring dictator. The Canada that we love is dying. Let’s wake up!
How long will we tolerate a Prime minister elected with a little bit more that 35% of voters who acts as if he owned Parliament? How long will we tolerate a Prime Sinister who tries to strongarm a public service into becoming accountable not to Canadians but to the Conservative party of Stephen Harper? How long will we tolerate a Prime Minister who has transformed a big budget surplus into a huge deficit by overspending on defence while changing the country we love, a country respected internationally for advancing peace and justice, into another war mongering nation? How long will we tolerate a Prime minister who runs away from democracy anytime he has a chance? And the list could go on and on.
Come on Canada, let’s kick Harper and his mafia out ASAP and come back to a sensible, honest government for all Canadians, before it is too late. Because the clock is ticking. Fast!
Couldn’t agree with you more Pierre!
Pierre: You talk about getting rid of Harper and his mafia, yes, lets go back to a “sensible and honest” government who will bleed us dry with their “entitlements” as they did before. It doesn’t matter how many people voted for him in the last election, Stephen Harper is the man in charge! He didn’t turn us into a war-mongering nation, Jean Chretien and the Liberals put us in Afghanistan long before the Conservatives came along. Wake-up and smell the coffee Pierre.
Joshua: I haven’t heard of any Europeans having lynch mobs to get after their Prime Mininsters, I don’t know which newspapers you read but I suggest the Cornwall Free News if you want reality. True, as Canadians we are apathetic and we are known to complain a lot! We are still and always will be a great country!
Stan it’s Stephen Harper that has blown the deficit right up here in Canada. It was the Chretien government that had us in surplus. If they were “bleeding” us as you just stated then we damn well need them back.
Any government that can put us in Surplus while “bleeding” us surely is far more talented than the current crew who according to you while being allegedly “lily white” have us in deficit. Could you explain that particular talent to our readers?
Yes it’s true that the Chretien government had us in surplus for a while. Thats an easy one, you cannot siphon-off money out of a deficit. I think we’d all be shocked if we knew the real numbers of the cash that was “stolen” by the Fiberals! We certaily don’t need them back with all their “talents”.
You say it’s Harper that has blown the deficit, but let me remind you that Harper is governing during a very hard recession that he DID NOT bring on himself. Give him a little credit……PLEASE!
No Stan, I think you have it wrong. Harper received a surplus from the Paul Martin government. As you well know I’m sure Mr. Martin was Mr. Chretien’s finance minister who oversaw the surplus.
Mr. Harper enjoyed the surplus right up to the point of denying the recession. Frankly, and I’m not agreeing with you in any fashion or suggesting even a hint of truth to your statement, but I’d rather see a politician steal with a surplus than waste in any situation.
Mr. Harper has spent BILLIONS of dollars trying to BUY a MAJORITY since the last election. Those dollars are far more than any of the examples you’ve used and a total and complete waste of money. My money, your money, and future generations of Canadians money.
That’s robbing our future to try and grub a speck of time to lead a country that Mr. Harper is doing his best to divide.
The Liberals may have flaws, but you don’t see voices squashed and iron grips. I don’t know about your family, but mine have fought in wars to protect our society from that kind of behavior. I bet some of your family did too at some point.
Our Canadian soul is essentially at stake right now. I don’t want a money grubbing, oil sand sucking, sweater wearing, nasty who’s salivating to shut down the CBC, butcher Medicare, and probably sell Canada to the US for PM.
And like a good Canadian I still will respect your right to now agree with me 🙂
Money-grubbing, oil sand sucking, sweater wearing, salivating to shut down the CBC, sell Canada to the U.S…….sounds like a businessman to me, but at least the moneys not going into his pockets like his predecessors.
The “butcher Medicare” you will have to explain to me and lke a good Canadian I still respect your right to your opinion, flawed as it may be.
Stan Mr. Harper is not a friend of the concept of Medicare as created in Canada. Privatization of medical services is not the direction that most of the world is travelling. Hope that answers your question.
This is getting to sound more and more like the crap served up by the Toronto Red Star or the Communist Broadcasting Corp.
You Lieberals just can’t accept the fact that you got caught stealing from taxpayers and lost the subsequent elections.
Questiopns of the day:
Where is Mr. Ignaseous? Oh yeah, somewhere in the South of France at his villa.
Where is Wackie Jackie? Oh yeah, snorkeling in Belize.
Where is Harper? Oh yeah, in his office on the Hill working.
What is the colour of the sky in Pierre Béchard’s world?
Formerlib – Why do I get the hunch that you sir or madam were never a Liberal? Perhaps better quality undergarments and some vitamin D tabs would take some of the anger and venom out of your posts? This isn’t the Lowell Green show.
Thanks,
Jamie Gilcig – Editor – The Cornwall Free News
Yes, I was a Liberal until I could no longer stand the lying and stealing from the Chretien and Martin crowd!
I don’t understand what the underwear and vitamin D tabs remarks are supposed to mean, but gee if you don’t like a little heat once in a while, I’d suggest you limit your publication to covering Bridge and Euchre Parties or maybe the Darts League at the Legion and stay away from political discussion.
Have a nice day, unless you have other plans.
Actually we’re looking for someone to cover Bridge, Euchre and darts in the area if you’re volunteering….
Thanks for the offer, but I really don’t think you would want anyone but a card carrying Liberal to be in your employ.
Besides, any articles I wrote would have to be accurate as I really cannot tolerate revisionism. That seems to be the norm in what I see from yourself and many of your contributors.
Oh, and by the way, the number of former Liberals is growing day by day by day!
Scary, eh?
A long time ago I used to be a Liberal too. I have letters from Iona Campagnolo to prove it. Don’t ask why I quit, you’ve heard it all before!
See alleged formerlib, that’s the difference between this site and many others. We do allow other voices. There are people who support and participate of all political persuasions. We do not preclude ideologies. I personally however have a distaste for the tone that you seem to be posting in, of attacking and being rude.
Can you not debate or share your beliefs without attacking people or is that simply the Stephen Harper Conservative in you? I feel bad because I in my past have voted Conservative (Yes, I voted for Brian Mulroney) and have many Conservative beliefs.
You may want to consider that when you post the way you do you reflect more against Conservatives than for them. We’re not here to combat Conservatives, simply some of the issues and actions of the Harper government. And we’re 100% willing to post content of a Conservative nature and have posted kind things about the Harper government even; when they warrant it.
Politics is a blood sport, but I think personally, one of the things that has always attracted me to the Liberal Party compared to what the Conservative Party has devolved into is that Liberals have more style and ability to communicate ideas as opposed to bullying and pounding their fists until they get their way. That’s just way to 30’s for me.
Feel free to post your ideas. They’re welcome here and we’re even happy to debate you, but please lose the Lowell Green act.
we need to get rid of that lame ass XXXXXXX that harper is…. taking long vacations not doing anything good for our great country i wish he would just chock to death on a big juicy peace of meat!!! I HATE YOURXXXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX!!!! XXXX HARPER WE DONT NEED AN IMBECILE LIKE HIM AT THE HEAD OF OUR BEAUTIFULL COUNTRY
Stan are you a retard??? first of all harper wwas refusing to admit we even had a problem while in election… total bullshit lie…. second instead of spending millions on millitary bases and sending our proud troops to fight a fight that isnt even ours to start with… wow nice way to manage your budget,… harper is an asshole thats all he is. He will drive canada to bankruptcy and then blame it on passed administrations as he always does….. just look at the kyoto protocole and how he’s been doing absolutly nothing to protect our country from pollution and global warming… I HOPE HE DIES!!!!!
To Eric and others; please do not swear on our site. We believe in free speech, and as much as we love words we choose to not allow certain ones on our public forums. We appreciate that they are not unique and fully believe and support your right to use them, but simply wish to be courteous to other readers.
eric, you ask if I’m a retard and I’ll have to say no. After reading your post though, if you stand in front of a mirror and stare at the reflection, you will see the biggest retard of all!
Stan: Jean Chrietian said no to going into Afghanistan, it wasn’t until harper took over the reigns that the troops were sent out waiting to bleed with Bush’s ignorant concepts and ideas.
It’s obvious where the retards are posting, Eric you need to get a life!. Both Eric and Melissa are so uninformed. It was Jean Chretien and the Liberal Party in government that sent our troops to Afghanistan in the beginning! Long before Harper came onto the scene. What Chretien refused was to send troops to Iraq though our troops operated all around Iraq but not in. Please ensure that brain is engaged before popping the clutch on your mouth!
Afghanistan broke Russia and will now do the same for the US and quite possibly us as well. Leave them alone and protect our own borders
My hat is off to Pierre Bechard. Here’s why: he sticks to facts and asks the key questions.
Also, Pierre implicitly recognizes a trap in the Information Age: namely, our attention span has shrunk and consequently we become easy prey to spin and propaganda—the stock in trade of the Harperites. That’s why Pierre says “Let’s wake up.”
The question I would add to Pierre’s list: How long are we Canadians going to tolerate a bully for a PM?
PJR, like in life, bullies get tolerated until someone stands up to them. The question should be pointed at Mr. Ignatieff.
admin, I totally agree. Sadly, Mr. Ignatieff doesn’t cut it, and Canada loses.
Admin
Chretien put us in a surplus but that was not during a recession.
If we listen a look at most other countries Harper and Canada is faring out better much better economically. Unfortunately in a recession most expenditures are on infrastructure. Though it is good for a local growth but provides little revenue in return at higher levels of government. Especially when they give out millions for small jobs and only a portion is utilized and the rest is kept in the municipal coffers.
You have to quit blaming Harper for the problems; this is what he was left by his predecessor. The liberals had seen the recession coming, and manipulated parliament leading to the last election. It is there common tactic when time becomes tough they run or blame someone else.
As for bullying tactics what would you call
Goods and Services Tax
The retooling of the Goods and Services Tax (GST). It was eventually replaced with the Harmonized Sales Tax in three Atlantic provinces. Chrétien claimed that the fiscal situation was far worse than expected. He knew the economic situation before the election yet still lied about the GST.
Lawrence “Laurie” Martin ““Yes indeed. I got into great trouble with the Liberal hier-archy and the Southam publishers because they went at Shawinigate and related semi-corruption-related stories involving the Chretin government with considerable aggressiveness.
Sea King Helicopters
spoke against the Conservative wanting to spend millions on keeping out troops safe, but Chretien refuted it so the liberals could have sikorsy take the deal and prevent AgustaWestland. Was a corporate situation. He wanted his liberal cronies getting rich, part of out biggest problem in Canada, french liberal political inbreeding
Grand-Mère Inn
he acknowledged having lobbied the Business Development Bank of Canada, owned by the Government of Canada, to grant a $2 million loan to Yvon Duhaime. Duhaime was a friend and constituent to whom the Prime Minister stated that he had sold his interest in the Grand-Mère Inn, a local Shawinigan-area hotel and golf resort,
Sponsorship Scandal
Which involved hundreds of millions of dollars distributed from the Prime Minister’s Office to Quebec’s federalist and Liberal Party interests without much accountability.
APEC confrontation
Smee Canada is a resource nation which had a very strong team managing the ship until Mr. Harper came to power. His record when it comes to our economy is simply disastrous.
Our relations with our neighbors is not stronger. Our perception in the world has not been enhanced.
Hopefully his period of governing will come to an end soon. I mean, most Progressive Conservatives can’t stand him, never mind whatever today’s concoction of Conservatism is.
If it wasn’t for the cloud hanging over the Liberals since Paul Martin neglected to wait his turn do you really think Canada would be in the mess it’s slowly falling into? Do you really think Mr. Harper would still be in power if someone like Frank McKenna were at the head of the party instead of Mr. Ignatieff and his prickly pear sensitive team?
Methinks not. Mr. Harper’s had a long run not because of his positive points or accomplishments; simply that the alternative hasn’t looked good enough for change.
I give him credit, like I think many other Canadians do, for keeping his ship tight, but he is not the true choice of the Canadian people and I doubt will ever win that Majority he so seeks.
I think he knows that too which is why we’ll probably see an election call soon. Power is intoxicating and 4 or 5 more years of minority power is better to Mr. Harper and his team than potentially losing their grip on the wheels of Canada.
The left doesn’t need to unite. The Liberals need to unite as a team and make this a two horse race instead of looking for reasons to not get beat up by the Big Blue Machine.
Then I ask admin
Why do the liberals leave iggy in charge? Is it perhaps because they have not the resources to do any better with names you metnoined, or perhaps they still need a better team to right the sinking ship.
As well do you honestly think the status of Canada is solely the responsiblity of Harper?
If that is the case then I suggest you travel a bit. Since Trudeau we have been on a slide, freedoms with out responsibility, no accountibility by government just to name a few.
Take a look at what I have posted from Chretiens and the lliberal legacy, it leaves an odour in the air which anyone in their right mind cannot expect a new group to clean in a short time.
“Why do the liberals leave iggy in charge?”
for the same exact reason Mr. Harper is still in charge of the Conservatives when not too many of them think he’ll ever win a majority.
Can’t believe this has been around for a year. Just wanted all of you to know the above comments by Eric are not mine, the sober second thought guy.
Not having a viable second choice is a part for some voters, however, perhaps people are stating notice where additional tax requests start…..and that push for bilingual supreme court justices and the police along the entire trans Canada being bilingual…..
smee said:
“Goods and Services Tax
The retooling of the Goods and Services Tax (GST). It was eventually replaced with the Harmonized Sales Tax in three Atlantic provinces. Chrétien claimed that the fiscal situation was far worse than expected. He knew the economic situation before the election yet still lied about the GST.”
GST, brought in by Mulroney (PC) is the only thing I point at Chretien for is not getting rid of it like he said he would. However, the HST applied on Ontario is truly the brainchild of Jim Flaherty, dangling the carrot in front of McGuinty and giving 4.3 billion dollars to the province of Ontario only if they (McGuinty) were to replace the GST with the HST instead. The only mistake McGuinty did was to apply it to so many things instead of telling Flaherty to go take a dump somewhere and not implementing the HST in the first place.. That’s what should have been done..
I also laugh at Harper’s promise to eliminate the GST when he knew that the HST would soon be applied to replace it instead. Harper looks like he lived by his promise, shaving 2% off the GST. (and about $1500 off the price of a Hummer), but then we got socked with the HST and Harper is laughing all the way to the banks and still trying to get his majority after breaking yet another promise of fixed elections, and still cannot manage to get a Majority after how many elections? He needs to go take a dump like Flaherty too.
Interesting, Alberta has no provincial sales tax, and they still pay GST, and in the meantime, due to Harper/Flaherty/McGuinty, Ontario gets socked with the HST, and there is talk about Alberta (Harper’s home) wanting to separate now instead of Quebec.. I wonder why?
And, getting back to “Fixed Election Dates” which Harper promised and broke, if Harper and the Oil Industry truly had their way, elections would really be “fixed!”
smee said:
“Sponsorship Scandal
Which involved hundreds of millions of dollars distributed from the Prime Minister’s Office to Quebec’s federalist and Liberal Party interests without much accountability.”
No, it involved 125 million approximately, of which only 34 or 39 (not sure) million was actually unaccounted for, and heads rolled for that (cannot say the same about anything conservative so far except for Helena Guergis and her sad excuse of a coke sniffing, drunk driving, speedracing husband – which he got away with). 18 million a year for the Federal Integrity Watchdog (Catherine Ouimet who ran like a dog with her tail between her legs at the first sight of the Auditor General), 4 years into her 7 year mandate, with absolutely no findings of wrongdoing on the part of the government (who appointed her in the first place). 72 million spent on a department that was supposed to show us how transparent Harper’s government is. This alone seems to make ADSCAM pale in comparison – a department that our money was blown on that returned absolutely NOTHING. In the meantime, ADSCAM or what little unaccountable part of it there is, at least held our country together… At least that was the whole point to that spending in the first place. The ADSCAM scandal also happened to be brought to the public’s attention by Paul Martin (A Liberal).
Quite frankly, any money spent on that “Appointed Watchdog – appointed (another broken promise)” should immediately be paid back to the country and everyone should get a bonus on their income tax or something. Harper should be personally apologizing for her actions to all of Canada… Yet watch, she’ll get away with it, and its people like you smee and Harper, that will let it happen, and continue to point fingers at the Lefties as usual.
I did however enjoy your response to Bill C-36, but didn’t have time to comment on it. It was much more detailed then what anyone else has pointed out about it and I am researching the details of that posting. Thanks for that 🙂
Quite personally, at this point, there are all sorts of wrongdoings on all parts of government over the past years. WE, the people of Canada, let our government walk all over us. The 2 major parties both do it, that can be agreed upon, and they both have different ways of covering things up in the name of the better good for Canada. We should turf all these bozo’s, and get some truly progressive people, actually working for the people of this country. But alas, that would be too Robin Hood-esque, and unfortunately with the massive social engineering hack and how complacent our Canadian civilization has become, how will the people of this country take our country back? I truly wonder if there will be some sort of revolution in the near future when all the people of Canada say “f-that, we’re taking our country back!”
And still, regardless of this all, Merry Christmas smee.. 😉
Grimalot
Is true our governments ooze with corruption. In part we the people are responsible. We pay more attention to self interest issues then national issues. Referendums and political actions taken for language and gay rights CPP hands outs to newly landed immigrants. Yet we never hold a rally or referendum to improve health care, taxes and a reduction in preferential pension plans (my two favourites is the Teachers pension plan and part timers in government like out two locals in both provincial and federal levels). However in BC an attempt is being made to remove the HST via referendum. I have not followed up on it but a referendum was to be held Sept 2011. Time and date not the issue, the issue is the people are doing what has to be done, revolting in a democratic manner against a toleration Government
Do you not think the liberals spend the same on their watch dogs?. It allowed a government already in power and which is responsible for the scam to establish and operate the Gomery Commission. This was Jean Chretien. I wish I could hire and operate the judicial system if ever I was accused of a crime.
In your research regarding the discussion on bill c-36, I would suggest you review a little of Canada’s governing parties. History dictates each time we have economical melt down the liberals always leave the house and usually to a minority government. This allows them to maintian some control of when the next election will arise as well as eliminate any major change to government which would impeded their controls. When times and the economy improve they force another election and then accuse their predecessors of screwing everything up. They are the skiff ( look up what a skiff is all about) political party, they sail well in smooth inland waters , but when the storm arise usually turn turtle or head for shore.
“However in BC an attempt is being made to remove the HST via referendum. I have not followed up on it but a referendum was to be held Sept 2011. Time and date not the issue, the issue is the people are doing what has to be done, revolting in a democratic manner against a toleration Government”
We could do this here, but McGuinty wrote in a non cancellation clause, and if it does get cancelled if people tell McGuinty where to go, then we have to pay it back to the Cons.. that was the whole deal, both parties were just as complacent at putting this HST on us.
I don’t care for the Liberals either smee. Both parties have done their damages to the country.
I just want for everyone to have their true freedoms instead of this political guise of a stranglehold on us all. As I watch Harper flush more of our rights down the toilet, I don’t care who replaces him at about this point, so long as its not harper and his benign dictatorship that are in power.
We are living in dark times, the belt is tightening, and I don’t view either the cons or the libs as being able to save this country right now. I truly do see a revolt coming up in the near future if these governing bodies don’t start doing what they’re supposed to do, and that is WORKING FOR THE PEOPLE, NOT THEMSELVES, NOT FOR THE OIL COMPANIES, or BIG PHARMA!
Just look what happens when people demonstrate. The G20 summit showed all of us how little freedom we actually have. We must, however stand up and protect,revolt,or protest to save our health-care.
willie
I was in Toronto when the summit was going on, the situation was blown out of proprtion by media.
However had something happened say a violent revolt in which people were killed and major property damage would you have said the police failed?
In this situation they were dammed if the do and dammed if they don’t.
Grimalot as you brought up provinciall issues
Mc Guinty, with and smitherman decided it was better for our healthcare to cover the costs of gender re assignment instead of insulin pumps. Just to name one act of self preservation for a gay health minister.
Iron Mike Harris let me see, he told Quebec construction officials that if Ontario workers were not allowed in Quebect to work he would put the kybosh on Quebecers coming into Ontario.
He asked for a reduction to pension plan payments and wanted to upgrade the education system. The only reason he lost out in the end is he pissed off all the liberal inbred positions. Same can be said for Harper just look at Jamie’s opinion for one somebody with actual leadership skills he considers a bully.
Oh and by the by Ontario construction workers under Mc Guinty have no support in Quebec anymore, however Quebecers can still come here and take out jobs. Liberal self serving democracy at its best
Smee I covered the G20. I was there. I walked into the March and right through it. I can tell you the media portrayal was a gross injustice that failed to show how futile it can feel in this world and that when you don’t have your voice heard Democracy is in danger.
Living through that experience made me very frightened. Reality is being manhandled by media. Follow the money and follow the benefits and most people don’t even care….
The media didn’t blow the G20 out of proportion, the police did. I have seen so much video, as well as live as it all happened. The Toronto Star is trying to bring justice for those assaulted by the Toronto Police.
Democracy? When you crash someone elses party to have your own voice heard you suffer the consequences! If you want to be heard then make your own party and you will be heard!