Election 2011 Day 6 Liberal Gains Continue

Michael Ignatieff and the Liberal party have a lot to be happy about. His campaign is going well. Tory lies have no effect, and as an added bonus, they have gained 5 points in the polls in the last week – indicating that a Harper majority is out of the question. While it’s still the first week, if the trends continue, the Liberals may have a good shot at forming the next government.

Breaking Down the Numbers

While it is soon in the campaign, the trend lines that can be formed by recent events pit the Liberals as having a large amount momentum. If it sticks, the Liberals could overtake the Conservatives and possibly form a narrow minority government of their own.


The latest trends give the Liberals a large boost in momentum in every province but Ontario. As the numbers continue to be plotted, the NDP seems to be losing the bulk of its support – mainly due to its questionable relevance as a party that realistically cannot win the election, but instead poses as an obstacle for any party that tries to de-seat the Conservatives which seems to be the goal in the numbers. Conservative support is steady – these are Conservative loyalists and the shift is mainly seen in opposition numbers. In Ontario, the Conservatives probably will make gains but at the expense of the Prairies which has long been a Conservative strong-hold. While Conservative support remains strong in the west, a noticeable spike in Liberal support can be noted.
The Liberals still have a lot of work to do to maintain their narrowing of the gap, along with gaining enough support to form the government. But of all the parties, the Liberals are fairing the best in terms of the polls.

Party Standings

Steady sailing. Large drop in the Prairies. Modest Gains in Ontario. The bulk of the support is constant.

Noticeable increase. Steady in Ontario. Consistent Growth out west. Take-over out east. Gains have come from the NDP.
Noticeable decrease. Dropped in all regions. Sharpest drop in British Columbia and Ontario. The bulk of the losses went to the Liberals.

Noticeable decrease. Dropped in Quebec – most of the support shifted to the Liberals. The bulk of the losses went to the Liberals.

Steady sailing. Largest drop in British Columbia. Steady but small growth in Ontario and Quebec. The bulk of the support is constant.

Election 2011 Day 5

A new Nanos poll that took place from March 15 to 29 for CTV News and the Globe and Mail may show the Conservatives in the lead, but Conservative support is on the decline. Within a week, the Liberals have gained the most support off the backs of the Conservatives and NDP. If this trend continues, this election may be a close one.

Other highlights in this article:
A glimmer of hope may be arising for the Liberal Party as polls favor them and an NDP candidate has resigned and given his support to the Liberal Party.


Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff makes promises pertaining to the Canada Pension Plan that gets praised.

Canadians value Healthcare and the Environment above all.
Two more Conservative staffers fired due to Corruption in Campaign HQ, Harper claims that he knew nothing.

Liberals Make Modest Gains Nationwide; Gap Closes

Nationwide support for the Liberals is on the rise at the expense of the NDP and marginally the Conservatives.

Liberal support is on the rise in every province but Quebec and the Prairies. New region-based Data from Nanos suggests that the Conservatives and NDP took a large hit from March 15 to 29.


These polling numbers suggest a Liberal take-over in Atlantic Canada, modest Conservative losses in all of the provinces but British Columbia, a major NDP loss to the Liberals in British Columbia can also be noted.

The Prairies and Quebec have made up their minds on who they will vote for. The Prairies will go Conservative as traditional, and the Bloc Quebecois will narrowly hold Quebec as the NDP make in-roads on the Liberals and Conservatives.

Ontario, a riding that could very well decide the next government shows a large shift of NDP votes to the Liberals while the Conservatives experience a marginal decline.

What may be the most surprising in these polls is the manner at which the NDP have dropped, especially in British Columbia but in the East, they are making large gains. In Atlantic Canada, the NDP and Liberals seem to be making the same gain at Conservative loss – enough for a Liberal take over.

In terms of leadership, the Liberals experience steady growth at the expense of NDP decline. The Conservatives remain consistent.


While it is still the beginning of the campaign and the Conservatives maintain a 10 point lead instead of a 13 point lead – as Liberals gained 3% points while the Conservatives stay constant at 38% nationwide, unlike the events of the 2008 election, Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff may see a glimmer of light shine as the clouds start to break.

NDP Candidate Bails and Endorses Liberals to Prevent Conservative Win

The glimmer of light expanded today as one of Jack Layton’s candidates in Ontario resigned his candidature and endorsed the Liberal candidate. Ryan Dolby, NDP candidate for Elgin-Middlesex-London, Ontario endorsed the Liberal candidate Graham Warwick on a Wednesday Radio show.

"I think it's the best decision on behalf of my family, my community, and my country to do whatever I can to make sure there isn't a Conservative victory, especially in this riding."
Ryan Dolby told AM980 radio

Canada’s Top Priority

In the same study, the Healthcare system and the Environment top the priority list for Canadians this time around.

Ignatieff: Plan to Strengthen Pensions to Support Canadians

Meanwhile, Ignatieff announced that he would strengthen the public pension system by creating a new low cost, low risk, tax deductible system that would allow pensioners to invest up to 10% of their income. Ignatieff also pledged $700 million for a guaranteed income supplement and improvements to the existing Canada Pension Plan System.

Ignatieff proposal was praised by the Canadian Association of Retired Persons who said it would be an “important promise.”

"What's important for us to look at is that we should have a benchmark that says it doesn't matter whether it's income supports or reducing expenses, affordable housing or drug coverage, to make sure that no Canadian senior lives in poverty in Canada. We have way too many people who are having trouble making ends meet today."
Susan Eng of the Canadian Association of Retired Persons told CTV’s Power Play

This promise comes a day after Liberals promised a give away of up to $4000 for students who are committed in their studies and $6000 for students who live in low income families. The plan would cost $1 billion – which is roughly the equivalent of the cost of 1 G8/G20 Summit, 1/56 Fighter Jets, 1/36 Super prisons and 1/6 of the Corporate tax cuts that the Conservatives have been putting in place – each of these are expenses that the Liberals have pledged to scrap once elected.

Conservatives take another Hit

For the second day in a row, the Conservative campaign has lost a candidate due to illegal practices.
With this event happening, Harper announced another promise for his campaign: The Conservatives will no longer take questions about the party’s 308 candidates.

Giulio Maturi, the man who started another wave of controversy and trouble for the Conservative campaign was accused of receiving cash-stuffed envelopes during the Montreal municipal elections.

Tony Accurso came under scrutiny when both of his companies were recently convicted of tax evasion.

For a man who promises that he has everything under control, Harper told reporters that he knew nothing. "On that guy, I don't know the details. They tell me he's no longer a volunteer in our campaign." You would think that as the leader of the Conservative Party, he would be able to keep his staff under control and well behaved, something he mocked the Liberals for last time around.

Election 2011 Day 4 Ignatieff Pledges Money For Students

The Liberal Party of Canada unveiled its Canadian Learning Passport which promises money for students going to high school, cegep and university. The new program would cost the equivalent of Harper’s G20 summit and give young Canadians the boost that they need to be competitive in the work force. Harper continues with his fear campaign. Layton attacks credit card debt head on.

Ignatieff Offers Hope to Students in Need

Michael Ignatieff unveiled his billion dollar post-secondary education program what he said would be a “real revolution” in learning and training.

The Details of the promise include:

A tax-free gift of up to $4000 to every student who chooses to go to college, (cegep in Quebec), or university and will be distributed in up to four annual payments of $1000.

For post-secondary students who live in low income families, the gift will value as much as $6000 and be paid in up to four payments of $1500 annually.

This program will be given in addition to the already existing tuition tax credit, Canada Students loans Program and Canada student grants program.

"I can say without exaggeration that this is a real revolution in learning and training in Canada. And that will give us the means of becoming the most competitive society in the world."

Michael Ignatieff

In an afternoon briefing, Liberals said that no money would be given to the student unless they could prove that they were enrolled in post-secondary studies.

If elected, this new policy would take place immediately and students would receive their first $1000 this year.

If the student completes schooling before the benefits are fully paid out, the remaining money would be in the bank for whenever the student decides to go back to school.

Meanwhile, Harper warns that this new policy means tax hikes. Did Harper ever consider the possibility that a Liberal Government would scrap Conservative waste? This new policy approximately equates to 1/6 the cost of Harper’s corporate tax cut, 1/56 the cost of Harper’s new fighter jets, 1/30 the cost of Harper’s super prisons. The Liberals maintain that they will not raise taxes.

The Conservatives also said in a press release:

"Michael Ignatieff proposes to have the federal government give them $1,000 per year, but they would lose $1,200 per year from Canada Student Grants.”

Conservative Press Release

Liberal briefers re-iterated that their new program would not effect eligibility for student loans or grants.

Layton: Canadians Pay too Much for Credit Cards

Jack Layton lead the charge against what he calls the highest credit card interest rates in the world. His plan is to cap the interest rate to 5%.

Layton pitched his new policy saying, "It will allow banks to recoup a profit while keeping family debt loads manageable.”

He also took a jab at Harper stating, "And unlike Stephen Harper's latest idea, my plan will help Canadians families now — not in 2015."

A Liberal Party statement states that Layton’s legislation was poorly thought out and could hurt low income Canadians arguing that evidence from other countries have demonstrated how credit card companies would find other methods to get the money that they would lose with Layton’s proposal. This would include increasing monthly fees and charging larger late fees. Low-income customers, Liberals say, could be out right refused due to their high-risk when it comes to making a profit.

Michael Buzanis, New-York based Moody’s vice president and senior credit officer in Toronto said that Canadians are much better off than Americans. CBC reports that he said that we pay 32.8% of our balance every month in comparison to only 20% by Americans to their balances.

"We don't see the high consumer debt levels so far morphing into a credit problem. The performance of credit cards and the performance of mortgages doesn't evidence stress yet."

Michael Buzanis

The NDP made similar pitches in the 2004 and 2008 election campaigns.

Layton defended his policy stating that "We have very large banks in Canada. There is not a lot of competition one to the other. The result is you need to have a government standing on the side of the people."

Election 2011 Day 3

The third day of campaigning sees a change in tide in opposition tactics, but Stephen Harper plays the coalition like a broken record. Stephen Harper won’t let go of the coalition and risks losing his seats in the Quebec City region. Meanwhile, Michael Ignatieff went grocery shopping and took aim and Conservative tax policy. Jack Layton pleads for strategic voting. Gilles Duceppe vows to make his campaign about Quebec Independence.

Tories Play the Broken Record

Harper won’t let go. The coalition may be the only thing we hear from him the whole election – apart from this drafted tax credit for families.

This tax credit has a nice catch 22 – it will only be done if and only if you elect a Conservative majority and the budget is balanced. In other words, don’t count on it happening. Jim Flaherty said on Question Period on Sunday that spending for social programs would kill the economy. Social programs are government funded programs that indirectly give money back to Canadians in the form of services, and for the poor, it offers affordable housing and employment insurance. However, every time Flaherty tells us that he has no choice but to cut our social programs, we must always remember that by cutting the social programs, he made room for the extra spending in generous corporate tax cuts, super-prisons, fighter jets, a fancy G8/G20 summit, and all the other reckless projects they took on that are expensive and don’t benefit Canadians. So if social programs are so bad for the economy, why would you purpose one and put the “if we get a majority government” clause on it?

Harper will try to dodge many issues during this campaign, but don’t forget that Harper too favors coalition governments!

Are my eyes and ears functioning correctly? Did Harper just say that he wanted a coalition to replace the Martin Government? This takes hypocrisy to a new level.

So again Harper tries to scare people with the lie that he concocted because he can’t seem to find any other way to campaign – wait, that was in his release to the parties, he thinks Canadians are “uninformed and apathetic.” Be sure to read Stephen Harper’s Campaign Handbook and see what his campaign strategy really thinks about you.

Voters in the Quebec City region will not be so generous to the Conservatives this time around according to an article on CTV. The Conservatives currently hold 11 seats in the region and their decision to decline an arena may very well have cost them the 11 seats. Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff promised the stadium for them, so it is likely that the Liberals will reap the gain from the Conservative loss if these ridings don’t join the rest of the province under the Bloc banner.

Liberals keep on Rolling

The Liberals kept up their campaigning and have so far been doing a decent job at it. So far, the only party that is really under attack by the media, and the country is the Conservative Party – with good reason – and Ignatieff now started doing something that Harper doesn’t like… discussing policy, Harper’s policy.
Ignatieff accused Harper of holding the family tax credit as a ransom charging at a press conference in Toronto, "It's like he's saying to middle-class families: take a number and come back in five years and we'll see what we can do for you."

“That's what you get, that's the policies that you get if you put banks, insurance companies and oil companies first and leave Canadian families at the back of the line."
Michael Ignatieff

Ignatieff also promised not to raise any business, personal or income taxes if elected and slammed the Conservative record.

"If you spend billions on fighter jets, on mega-prisons, very quickly by 2014 we'll reach a point where there's not enough money to work with the provinces in order to save the universal, accessible health system we have."
Michael Ignatieff

Jack Layton from the NDP joined Ignatieff’s charge stating, "This is exactly the sort of cynical move Stephen Harper used to denounce.” He then read a quote that Stephen Harper had made during the 2005 election that criticized the Liberal pledge to commit $10 billion over 10 years into childcare at the time.

Harper said, “Why not $100 billion over 100 years? In our system, you actually have to get a mandate from the people. You can't just declare that you're going to govern for 10 years."

Jack Pleads for Strategic Vote

Maybe Jack Layton realized that his charge to go from fourth party to government wasn’t such a smart goal. Seeing as how he would split the vote and give Harper another mandate, he asked for a strategic vote. In Saskatchewan, the NDP are very strong, so the idea is valid, but otherwise, if the vote NDP bandwagon spread across the country, the NDP would be the cause for Harper’s return to power.

Layton reached out saying, "Here in Saskatchewan, just like in British Columbia, just like in Alberta where we've been to launch this early part of the campaign, the only way to do that is to vote for your New Democrat candidate.”

So far, Layton has been reluctant to criticize the Liberals – which is new – and focused all of his attention on the Tories. Of the opposition parties, Layton is the only party that said that he wouldn’t mind a coalition and by his strategic method of trying to get the ridings where the NDP have better chances to win, the next government may need a coalition partner to survive.

Gilles Duceppe Makes the Case for Quebec Independence

Duceppe’s slogan for this election is “Parlons Quebec” which translates to “Let’s talk about Quebec.” When asked about the seemingly dropped word sovereignty, Duceppe defended himself with the following statement.

"I did not delete (the word 'sovereignty'). "Come on, come on. We're a sovereigntist party and I speak about sovereignty in every one of my speeches.

People know. There's no problem. I am happy and proud to be a sovereigntist and we're going to talk about it throughout the campaign."
Gilles Duceppe

He then said that he will talk about sovereignty and that his standings are well known. He took a stab at the rest of the question asking, "Do the Conservatives call themselves the federalist Conservative Party of Canada or (is there a) federalist Liberal Party of Canada or the federalist New Democratic Party of Canada?"

Duceppe then concluded, "We're going to talk about sovereignty. I'm not hiding anything."
The Quebec provincial government didn’t add any steam to Duceppe’s campaign. Despite Jean Charest’s pledge to remain neutral, his Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Pierre Moreau attacked Duceppe stating, "I think that at this point, in this context, Quebecers should be advised to let a federal party represent them."

From Typical Politics to Transportation

The Toronto Board of Trade stated on Monday that the under-investment in Canada’s infrastructure is "putting Canada's long term economic growth at risk" and that congestion "continues to choke our cities." Studies have found that it takes the people of Toronto 24 minutes longer than Las Angeles's 80 minutes to commute.

The board said that it was important that infrastructure be prioritized for the economy stating, "If employees and goods can't get to their destination on time, productivity will be negatively impacted.”

In terms of transportation, no party has yet responded to the board, but as the Champlain Bridge in Montreal falls apart with the rest of Quebec infrastructure – a Montreal over-pass collapsed in recent history, the Liberals and Conservatives have took their positions.

The Conservatives would patch up the aging and brittle bridge. The Liberals would replace it all together. In the end of the day, the Liberal Plan is safer for Canadians – we cannot neglect the safety of our people.

Stephen Harper’s Campaign Handbook

It is always good to be prepared in a campaign. As Stephen Harper noted in his campaign sheet back in his Reform days, “most voters are uninformed and apathetic.” The key strategy was to dodge policy debates, ignore external questions and always distract the opposition and keep them on the defensive before they can comment or introduce their campaign and their agenda.

Below is the document that Harper made that is published in the University of Calgary Archives:

Open publication - Free publishing - More apathy

In the document, he instructs his MPs to ignore Medicare in particular and to address it as a provincial issue and claim that they have no stance on it stating:

“To avoid problems, stick to the themes and the Party priorities. Do not talk about Medicare – that is a Provincial issue. Because Medicare is not a Federal issue, the Reform Party does not have a position on it.”

He also cites Preston Manning’s tape as his main source.

He also advises his candidates that:

“The biggest problem candidates will have is when they get off our themes. Don’t fight the issues that other parties bring up. Make incumbents defend their party’s record rather than debate Reform proposals.”

This kind of outline that determines the voice and direction of a typical Harper campaign screams hidden agenda. It screams that they don’t want to address the issues because their stances are not popular – especially Medicare.

This document proves that there will never be accountability in the Conservative Party based on one fundamental statement; “Make incumbents defend their party’s record rather than debate Reform proposals.”

This is what Harper has done every time. If there wasn’t an issue to debate, create one. The iPod tax and the coalition are just examples of how the Conservatives plan to throw off their opponents in order to dodge the bullets that are aimed at them. Try talking about their scandals and they will yell, "Don’t come talking to me about integrity when you are just as scandalous.”

This method of campaigning and conducting a party and government is distasteful and Stephen Harper should be ashamed of himself and the lies he puts forth. It does Canada no favor to go into an election campaign where parties cannot plot a map for Canada’s future and have Canadians choose the Canada they want rather than always be forced to put up with bogus Conservative claims and the falsehood of their agendas.

It is time Canadians demand better and oust the Conservative/Reform movement before it’s too late.

Election 2011 Day 2

As Stephen Harper continues to try to convince Canadians that Michael Ignatieff has a hidden agenda to for a coalition government, Michael Ignatieff attacked Harper’s “abuse of power” while he was in power. After a series of scandals and a series of actions that proved that the Conservatives don’t respect democracy, the Conservatives were found in contempt and defeated.

In Montreal, Michael Ignatieff told the crowd, “This is a government that is out of touch and out of control.

"This is a government, a regime, with a basic objection with democracy. That's what Canadians are finding difficult, that's what Canadians are finding difficult to stomach, that is what Canadians want to replace."

Ignatieff took full aim at Harper’s top advisor Bruce Carlson, who is being investigated by the RCMP for influence peddling, and Harper’s two cowardly shut downs of parliament when things didn’t go his way.

"Does that inspire trust in you? It certainly doesn't inspire trust in me," he said.

Once he finished attacking Harper, he pledged to protect the environment, strengthen healthcare and help students get post-secondary education if elected as Prime Minister.

Ignatieff is set to visit Justin Trudeau in Papineau.

Even as Ignatieff made it crystal clear that there wouldn’t be a coalition, and even though Stephen Harper was an advocator of this in 2004, he continues to press on the charge that his opposition are only intent on forming a coalition. Gilles Duceppe didn’t take Harper’s accusations lightly demonstrating – with the actual document that Harper wrote and signed – that the same set up was to be formed in 2004 with Harper to take out the sitting Martin government. And Harper calls Ignatieff a hypocrite…

In Brampton Ontario, Harper told his rally that, "They don't think they need to win this election. Just hold us to another minority and they will move with lightning speed to recreate and impose their reckless coalition on Canadians." At this point, a coalition would be much more appealing than a government that lies, peddles influence, and can’t even be true to their crime agenda when they are constantly investigated for crimes left, right, and center.

After being the cause of the largest deficit in Canadian history and spending like a drunken sailor, Harper said, “That is what this election is going to be about, creating jobs and financial security and keeping our economy moving in the right direction." In other words, the right direction is a fake lake and billions in luxury bonuses for his G20 friends, billions for unneeded prisons, billions for fighter jets and millions for his ad campaigns.

Duceppe meanwhile went to Laval in an attempt to keep a historically strong Liberal riding under the Bloc wing as it fights to keep its 47 seats.

Jack Layton is targeting ridings that it lost to the Conservatives. Today they were in Surry, BC to hold a rally and meet with business owners.

A tip to making the right decision come election day:

The Conservatives have an extensive list of problems and their policies are out of touch with Canadians. The reason why they are in power is because they’re minority support group voted for them no matter what happened and as the opposition supporters stayed home, Harper raked in the votes that 59% of the population gave.

Voting for the NDP, Bloc Quebecois and Green is the same thing as voting Conservative. The reason is that they take votes from the Liberals – and let’s face it, none of them can take every Liberal vote and win enough ridings to form a government. Therefore, if you are fed up with the current situation in Canadian politics, you have no choice but to vote Liberal and stop the vote split by getting your friends and people to know what is going on.

This election is a choice: Liberal or Conservative. If you don’t want Stephen Harper and his policies, you have no choice but to vote for Michael Ignatieff and his Liberals. Not voting will result in a Conservative Majority government – a government that is out of touch with Canadians and has already been dismissed as one of the most corrupt regimes we have ever had.

Therefore, if you are fed up with Harper and his disrespect for Canadian democracy, send a strong message, vote Liberal.

Liberals and Conservatives Release New Ads

The two main federal parties will be battling it out until May 2 and both have come out with a pair of ads each. The campaign style is different from the last election, but is similar to that of 2006, but reversed.

Liberal ads show a positive light on the potential of Canada while Conservative ads try to scare people from voting Liberal. In 2006, the process was reversed. But if something is noteworthy, it is that the Conservative ads aren’t as truthful as they should be – but that can’t be surprising considering all their scandals.

Liberal Ads

The Liberal Party of Canada released ads promoting their agenda for the country. A stark contrast from the ads they made in the 2006 election where they were using fear tactics. It appears that this time, around, the 2006 election has been flipped as the Liberals are using a similar style of ads that the Conservatives did and won with before they became petty.

The first ad is aimed at Quebec. Ignatieff speaks about its strong people and its strong views and uses a soft and upbeat tone to the commercial.

Ignatieff invites Quebecers to join him and his party.

The second ad promotes Ignatieff’s agenda for families. In this video he speaks to the people directly and uses a soft and gentle tone.

Ignatieff says that Canadians deserve better from the Government they pay for and promotes families.

Both these ads are in contrast to the ads that we have seen from both the Liberals and Conservatives in the past which promoted fear and used sharp and choppy tunes to grab attention.

Conservative Ads

The Conservative Party of Canada launched ads that attacked the Liberals and claimed that they want a coalition and the election will be for Michael Ignatieff. Most of what the Conservatives say in these ads, however, are contradictory to the reality and to their own views as well.

Conservative ad claiming that a vote for the Liberals is a vote for Ignatieff. Let us not forget that Harper scripts the members that he doesn’t muzzle.

The new Conservative ads also try to stake the claim that despite their scandals and mismanagement of Canada, they still deserve a shot to govern stating that we should not “risk changing course.”

Conservatives try to glorify themselves–one thing to note: The recession still happened and was averted due to a strong banking sector built by the Liberals, Nothing has been done for families, except for corporate tax breaks, and the Harper regime will assume that everyone is a criminal before giving them a fair shot.

It appears that Harper will be using fear tactics in this election, using the “coalition” and economy as his centerpieces – just like the Liberals used the military in the streets in 2006. In the end of the day, let us hope that he does not go as far as the Kim Campbell Tories in 1993 which gracefully gave Jean Chretien a Liberal majority government after that famous ”Face Ad.” However, seeing the Conservative style, it is bound to happen and the opposition has yet to reap the benefits.

Progressive Conservatives distance themselves from their personal attack ads in 1993 election.

Harper’s ads take the Liberal leader out of context several times. For the coalition, Ignatieff said that he wouldn’t mind one, not that he wanted one. A coalition isn’t that scary either, Harper should know, he wanted to topple the Martin government in 2004 and replace it with a Conservative-led coalition featuring “the socialists and separatists.”

Election 2011 Day 1

Today commences the election campaign that may or may not change the status-quo in Canadian politics. All of the political parties are trying to get their message across, but will their messages effect the outcome of the upcoming election?

In the 2008 election, only 59% of Canadians voted marking the lowest voter turnout in Canadian history. Today’s announcements proved that Harper was a broken record and that the opposition has a firm grip on the direction that this election will take.

Throwing out the Conservative rhetoric, Stephen Harper starts attacking the concept of having a coalition which he supported back in 2004.

"Canadians need to understand clearly, without any ambiguity: unless Canadians elect a stable, national majority, Mr. Ignatieff will form a Coalition with the NDP and Bloc Quebecois. They tried it before. It is clear they will try it again. And, next time, if given the chance, they will do it in a way that no one will be able to stop."

Stephen Harper

The Liberals pounced on the Conservatives agenda and also ruled out the possibility of a coalition government.

"This election is about choosing the kind of Canada we want to be. A Conservative vote means $6 billion for more tax breaks for the largest corporations, $13 billion to build U.S.-style mega-prisons, and $30 billion dollars to buy stealth fighter jets -- all of it with borrowed money on Harper's record deficit."

Ignatieff then offered his alternatives which included healthcare, education, the elderly and families.

When a reporter said that the Liberals were doomed from the start because they did not release a statement sooner, Michael Ignatieff and his party laughed and Ignatieff said that it was the first time he comes on in a campaign mode and that the media was already putting him down for the count. Unfortunately, this shows a bias in mainstream media which cannot be ignored.

The New Democrats had an a coordinated rally where Jack Layton spoke about pocketbook issues such as healthcare, jobs and pensions, and slammed the Conservatives as a whole.

"After five years, Stephen Harper has failed to fix what's wrong in Ottawa. In fact, he's made it worse."

Jack Layton

The Bloc Quebecois kicked off their campaign bashing Harper and the concept of a Conservative majority government. Stay tuned for a feature article on that idea called “Who is Stephen Harper” which will be coming shortly.

"The leader of the Conservatives wants to obtain a majority to impose his ideology without any limits. To get there the Conservatives won't hesitate to repeatedly assault the very principles of democracy."

Gilles Duceppe

The Green Party also made an announcement this morning. Not so much a vote for me, don’t vote for the other guy routine, but a plead to vote and explained how important voting is at this state in time. She referenced the environment in doing so saying “Extend Earth Hour to May 2.”

At the end of CTV’s coverage, they showed a family from Calgary and asked questions concerning the want for an election and who they would support. With no surprise, they backed the Conservative views… Go figure. What is distasteful about this is it shows a narrow view of how youth see politics. Youth either want to get rid of Harper or just don’t care.

The election has started – not without controversy and will continue to May 2, the day of the national vote.

Harper Government Defeated on Contempt

In a Liberal motion of non-confidence, the standing Conservative minority government was defeated. The motion attached clauses from the committee report that found the government in contempt.

The government fell as 156 MPs voted to defeat the government while 145 MPs voted against the Liberal motion. This means that the fortieth parliament will be dissolved and the fourth general election in seven years has begun. Tomorrow morning, the Prime Minister will visit the Governor General and request an election on the date of May 2 or May 9. Meanwhile, the Liberals will hold their first rally in Ottawa.
On dissolution, here are the standings of the house:

Stay tuned and watch as this election unfolds.

And London Bridge Came Falling Down…

Just a mere few hours will determine the fate of Stephen Harper’s minority government, one littered with corruption and deceit. The campaign is going to be rough and the vocal points have already been decided. However, according to Nanos Research, the opposition could have the upper hand.
The campaign will focus on the economy or ethics and accountability.

“Pocketbook issues drive elections, they’re boring. Ethics and accountability and some of the sensational things that have happened in the last week could garner people’s attention – and if they get angry, it could be bad news for the Conservatives.”
Nik Nanos, Nanos Research

With recent polls favoring status-quo, Nanos told CTV, “The same poll showed that 22% of Canadians were undecided … We’ll see movement [in the polls], especially in the first part of the campaign.”
If the government doesn’t fall on the budget as expected, it will fall on a Liberal Non-Confidence Motion concerning the finding of contempt of the Harper Government.

If the government be defeated, Harper will have no choice but to go to the Governor General and drop the writ calling the fourth election in seven years.

Anything can happen in this election. Either Harper wins a majority or the Liberals replace him.
 

Contempt

The Conservatives have been found in contempt for misleading Parliament on costs for the ‘Tough on Crime’ agenda and on the word “not” that was inserted in a CIDA document. This motion of contempt would join the slew of misfortune for the Conservatives which include RCMP investigations into senior members and party organizers, the law suit for overspending and using a fraudulent method of transferring cash.

Feel Free to read the feature on the Harper Government for all the details.
 

Budget

You know a budget is bad when the Finance Minister goes and makes a photo-op about how his shoes will be repaired. It goes to show that the Conservatives have spent like drunken sailors as they always have and Canadians are feeling the tough Tory times.

Food prices and item prices are on the rise. A basic list of items that used to cost $15 five years ago now costs around $25 – $30.
If the Conservatives dropped their high propaganda, fighter jets, corporate tax cuts, billions in new super prisons, maybe they would have room for senior care, healthcare, and education improvements. However, the only reason why these improvements barely appear in the budget is because they’re desperate to hold onto power. Let us not forget that they filled the senate with salaries to pay and in the end of the day, the conservative bureaucracy reaps the benefits over Canadian losses.

You don’t need a formal document to be in your hands to know that the price of living is rising under Harper and he and his government have no intentions of making the prudent economic choices to reverse or subsidize it.

Maybe once every Canadian has lost their job or home as the pressure mounts, they will allow citizens to seek refuge in those brand new super prisons for criminals that don’t exist. Why lock up a criminal when you can prevent one from forming?

Let us not forget that we were dug into $56 billion deficit and like in Mulroney’s times, Tory times are going to be tough times. Therefore, the economy will not save Harper as people can’t possibly afford a government that doesn’t support its people – democratically or financially.

Harper contradicts himself on coalition issue.

Overall, when the Conservatives scream that we’re going to be faced with a coalition if we let the opposition have a shot, let us not forget that they did the same when they were in Ignatieff’s current position 5 years ago – but at least, Ignatieff is willing to fight this one even if the polls aren’t in his favor.

Mark Your Calendars… May 2

With scandals becoming a day to day News topic and the loss of confidence of the opposition parties, it is now more than certain that the government will fall next week. There are two opportunities in which the government will fall, the budget, and the inquiry into the conduct of government practices. However, regardless of the day that is chosen, the government will fall as it seems more and more likely that for the first time in Canadian history, the Government of Canada will be found in contempt.

For now, there are two days to look at closely. The budget on Tuesday March 22 and the Contempt Report on Friday March 25. The opposition would prefer to set the tone of the election on ethics which is what Harper’s Conservatives did back in 2006. Either way, this would cause an election to be set on May 2. It is an election that can go either way. Either Canadians will give the Conservatives a majority as polls suggest or oust the Conservatives in outrage over their misconduct and broken promises.

Recent drafts by the committee that is looking into the charges of broken parliamentary laws have been reported to find the Harper Government in contempt. The hearings on the actual costs of Tory crime bills didn’t convince the opposition.

“Why shouldn’t Canadians find [this] government in contempt?”

Liberal House Leader David McGuinty

At this point, Harper has been cornered and it will be up to the Canadian people to decide his fate. If he manages to win the next election, he will be the first prime minister to be reelected after being the first prime minister to be found in contempt in Canadian history. If ousted, it goes to show that Canadians will not stand for abuses to their democracy.

Another Conservative Added to The List

Bruce Carson, a former advisor to Stephen Harper, has been accused of using access he had to senior members of the Conservative government to sell water filtration systems to aboriginals. His fiancée Michele McPherson was set to receive 20% of gross revenues of the deals. She worked for H2O Pros, an Ottawa-based filtration company.

The Aboriginal People’s Television Network has broke the story and Constable Julie Morel said that the RCMP is now trying to determine whether a criminal investigation is necessary.

Carson can now be added to an extensive list of Conservatives that were accused and now being investigated for breaking the law – something that will tarnish Harper’s ‘Tough on Crime’ agenda as his members can’t be elected or conduct their jobs without engaging in wrongdoing and blatantly breaking the law.

On Monday, Public Works Minister Rona Ambrose raked in Sebastien Togneri, a former aide to Christian Paradis, the Natural Resources Minister for interfering with an access-to-information request at the Public Works Department.

The lobbying that has taken place also infected John Duncan, the Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs who listened to Carson’s pitch to sell his filters.

Within the company, he sent several emails, that the APTN got a hold of, stating that his influence and meetings with the Prime Minister would see the company’s successful sale of filters.

Carson isn’t a stranger to the scrutiny of being investigated by the law. According to The Globe and Mail, he was debarred in 1981 and sentenced to 18 months in jail in 1983 after pleading guilty to two counts of theft over $200. These charges were apparently related to a real-estate deal gone bad.

This Conservative to be added to the black list adds even more fuel to the opposition fire to find the government in contempt.

More on the Elections Canada Scandal

In the beginning of the March. The Canadian Press reported that David Marler, a lawyer that who ran under the Conservative banner in the 2006 election was one of the only members to refuse to take part in the in-and-out financing scheme that is now adding misery to headache for the Party.

He announced his gratification that the Federal Court ruled against the party he once ran for stating, "It is gratifying to note that the Federal Court (of Appeal) has come to the same opinion, which always seemed to me to be obvious. I think they're doing the right thing by prosecuting the alleged offenders."

"It always seemed to me that the in-and-out was irregular and illegal."

David Marler – The Canadian Press

To add even more fuel to the fire, Marler attacked the government saying, "To think that we live in this country in which our government behaves in such a manner, has such a disregard for ethics, manners and respect, in what they do and how they do it..."

The Canadian Press also reported that Marler was joined by former MPs Inky Mark and Helena Guergis shortly after.

Liberals Release New Ads

Michael Ignatieff’s Liberals released two new attack ads today aimed at attacking Harper’s corrupt handling of public office and reaching out to Canadians to be the voice of a new direction. Each ad is 30 seconds long and either depicts news clippings showing Harper’s scandals or, as a novelty, displaying himself in his own ad.

This isn’t new in Canadian politics, in 2006, Stephen Harper’s Conservative Party waged the war against Paul Martin’s Liberals when the sponsorship scandal came out in the open. In their slew of ads, they featured ads attacking Paul Martin on accountability and integrity while bringing ads featuring Harper explaining the changes he wanted to make.

The new ads can be seen on the Liberal YouTube Page or on Michael Ignatieff’s Facebook page. They come at a time when a spring election seems imminent and we may very well see the 2006 election happen all over again, just this time, it is the Liberals waging the Conservatives.

The First of two new Liberal Ads released today, this one exploit’s Harper’s seemingly scandal per week government.

The second of the ads depict how Ignatieff wants to change the direction of our country’s economy and “change priorities in Ottawa” to take the people into account.

For the past 5 years, Harper’s Conservatives have been hammering the Liberal’s with personal attack ads. This isn’t a new tactic either. When the Progressive Conservatives in 1993 knew that they were going to lose to Liberal Leader Jean Chretien, they released ads that mocked his ability of being a leader and even  his appearance. At the time, the PC’s apologized and distanced themselves from the ads but in the end, Chretien won a majority government.

Progressive Conservative ad in 1993 against Jean Chretien.

In 2006, the Liberals used negative attack ads while the Conservatives used similar ads to those that Ignatieff’s Liberals have been using. Even though the Liberals maintained polls that stated them as having a majority government throughout the election, the Conservatives managed to make a break through and took power after the 13-year Liberal administration.

However, if there is one thing that history has taught us, it is that it repeats itself and while the current ads depict a Conservative majority on the horizon, anything can happen at this point, if an election be called.

The Harper Government

There comes a time in every government’s standings when an event or series of events dominos to their defeat. Brian Mulroney got defeated on the deficit and implementation of the GST, the tax that we pay on almost everything we purchase. Jean Chretien got defeated when tyranny struck the inner core of his party. Paul Martin got defeated due to the sponsorship scandal. Stephen Harper has yet to be defeated, but for a man who campaigned on a platform of accountability and trust, his government’s actions have been anything but.

CBC recently reported that Peter Milliken, Speaker of the House of Commons, ruled that there was a “prima facie breach of privilege” in the government. This means that there is sufficient evidence to suggest wrongdoing in the current government.

The issues were that the government was refusing to give financial information about the costs of their Tough on Crime agenda and International Co-operation Minister Bev Oda misled a Commons committee after having admitted to telling her staff to doctor a document that denied $7 million in funding for aid organization Kairos.

The Globe and Mail reported on March 9 that the government is planning to spend $4 million in tax payer money to promote its 2011 budget. This added spending comes as Conservatives defend themselves after CTV reported that Elections Canada has charged them for spending $1.3 million more than the $18 million allowance in the 2006 Federal Election.

As a result, four important Conservative Party members face fines of $2,000 each for each charge and possible jail time while the party faces two charges with fines of $25,000 each.

Harper’s response to the issue was, “Our position’s been very clear. We respected the rules that were in place at the time.”

This $4 million addition also adds to the $65.4 million spent in government ads for the fiscal year that is set to end on March 31. Last year, $85 million went on ads where $15 million of which was spent specifically on the ads promoting the Economic Action Plan.

Thomas Mulcair, New Democratic Deputy Leader said, “They’re going to brazenly take $4-million of taxpayers’ money to try and brainwash the public about how good they are. Doing that in this highly-charged atmosphere, as we’re heading into a quite-possible election this spring is, I think, beyond the pale.”

On March 7, CTV reported that the Conservatives have become defensive after replacing the term, “Government of Canada” with “Harper Government.” There are about 300 references of this nature on the government website – each being asked to be dropped by a petition that got 14,000 Canadian signatures by that afternoon.

Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe said, “It is sad when we’re looking at a government using the state as if it was its own thing.”

The Star reported on March 3 that a member of Immigration Minister Jason Kenney’s staff resigned after Kenney was accused of using his MP status to raise funds for his campaign. This is against parliamentary rules.

The letter asked for “an additional $200,000 of financial commitment.” It also stated: “Given the current political environment, we hope to have commitments by March 11, 2011.” As a result, a Tory staffer resigned.

As a second blow to Kenney’s office, Global News reported on March 8, that a “minister’s award for excellence” which was given to a Chinese restaurant in 2009 had the Conservative logo watermarked in the center. The Certificate was signed by “the Honorable Jason Kenney” and identifies him as both a member of the Conservative Party of Canada and the minister in charge of citizenship, immigration and multiculturalism.

Christiane Ouimet, former Public Sector Integrity Commissioner resigned on October 14, 2010. Four of her employees have reported to CTV in outrage how unfair the circumstances are for them. When Ouimet resigned, she received $354,000 for a separation allowance, $53,100 in lieu of forgone benefits and an extra 28 weeks of severance pay worth about $137,000. The departure agreement took place 10 days before Auditor General Sheila Fraser initiated an audit on Ouimet’s office. Ouimet’s staffers did not receive the benefits that she did, instead, they got penalties.

Fifty-nine-year-old Normand Desjardins, a former chief investigator with the commission quit after being screamed at by Ouimet in 2008. He told CTV, “I retired before age 60. So I was penalized by roughly one-fifth on my pension. It is very ironic. I get penalized and she got a half a million dollars to resign because she couldn't do her job.”

Ouimet was described by her former co-workers as a bully. In Fraser’s report, employees said that Ouimet “yelled, swore and also berated, marginalized and intimidated certain Public Service Integrity Commission employees and that she engaged in reprisal actions.”

Ouimet was forced to resign after Fraser saw that during Ouimet’s three years of work, all of the 228 allegations of public service wrongdoing or reprisals against whistle blowers that were brought to her office were dismissed shortly after.

A former staffer told CTV, "The commissioner used her discretionary power not to investigate. She should have done the opposite."

The commission was set up in 2007 with the aim of protecting public servants who blow the whistle on wrong doing within the federal government. During its creation, Ouimet was appointed to the head position.

On April 26, 2006, CBC reported that Harper’s government brought the Accountability Act into law. In a news conference in Ottawa, Harper said that the legislation would “replace the culture of entitlement that took root under the former government with a culture of accountability.”

 

Tory Offices get raided by the RCMP, a stark Contrast to Harper’s speech on Accountability

However, this statement would become completely irrelevant on December 2, 2009 when CanWest News Service would report Harper’s claim as, “The government of Canada has taken all necessary actions in all instances where there is proof of abuse of Afghan prisoners. I think the opposition has nothing to do when it is talking about something that happened three years ago,” as he and his government were reluctant to divulge information on what was happening to detainees in Afghanistan.

After a battle between the government and the people of Canada on the conflict between ‘National Security Secrets’ and the ‘Right to Know’, Milliken ruled on March 22, 2010: “The chair must conclude that it is within the powers of the House of Commons to ask for the documents,” as was reported on March 27, 2010 by City News Toronto.

The situation became so serious that Milliken said that a vote to find the government, Defense Minister Peter MacKay, Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon, Justice Minister Rob Nicholson, in contempt of parliament. A motion of contempt would have stripped the government and members of power and lead to an election.

As a result, the government gave the documents – censored. On November 27, 2009, The Globe and Mail reported that a Canadian diplomat by the name of Richard Colvin, who served 17 months in Afghanistan, said, “We detained, handed over for severe torture, a lot of innocent people.”

“Many were just local people: farmers; truck drivers; tailors, peasants – random human beings in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Colvin said.

Robert Walsh, law clerk of the Commons, replied that view of the government on keeping the documents on the detainees private "fails to recognize the constitutional function of the House of Commons to hold the government to account and does not adequately address parliamentary privilege as part of the constitutional law of Canada."

CBC reported on March 5, 2010, that University of Ottawa law professor Amir Attaran said, "If these documents were released [in full], what they will show is that Canada partnered deliberately with the torturers in Afghanistan for the interrogation of detainees.

"There would be a question of rendition and a question of war crimes on the part of certain Canadian officials. That's what's in these documents, and that's why the government is covering up as hard as it can."

But on October 16, 2009, Harper said in an article on CBC, “There were allegations of Canadian troops involved in torture. We’ve been very clear that's not the case."

From torture to checks, Reuters reported on October 15, 2009, that the Liberal Party of Canada filed a complaint after the Conservatives put their logo on checks that were being given to businesses as part of their stimulus package.

“Mr. Harper is showing that his first impulse when he is in trouble is to shut down Parliament,” Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff said.

In an attempt to dodge defeat by a coalition consisting of the Liberals, NDP, and Bloc Quebecois, Stephen Harper shut down Parliament for a second time on December 30, 2009. The shutdown of Parliament would dissolve the inquiry into the Afghan detainees, stall government bills, and allow Harper to shove enough senators into the senate to take control of it.

The Montreal Gazette reported on January 18, 2010 that the last time Harper prorogued Parliament was in 2008 when he was trying to avoid a confidence vote on the detainee issue. At the time, he passed it off as a time to “recalibrate” his government.

On January 23, 2006, Stephen Harper won his first minority government. He won on the basis of accountability. He won with the lack of it. Every leader has an event or series of events that leads to their defeat. It is just a matter of time before this series dominos. Will you let Stephen remain standing in the end?