Globe And Mail Proves It's Hypocrisy In Less Than 24 Hours....

Yesterdays G&M headline: Unelected Tory senators kill climate bill.

Today's G&M headline: Tories fail in attempt to fast-track Senate reform

Really. You can't make this stuff up. Shouldn't today's headline read Unelected Liberal Senators Kill Senate Reform Bill? To further prove the point of the Globe and Galloways hypocrisy, they changed the headline to now read "Tory senators kill climate bill passed by House. (google unelected Tory senators kill climate bill, which still shows the original headline.)

And Galloway is still too thick to realize why the PM doesn't want to give her and her msm buddies the time of day. Perhaps someone from the Globe might want to fill me in on the difference between an unelected Conservative senator and an unelected Liberal senator.

Jack Layton: Corporate Tax Cuts Are OK If I Get A Cabinet Seat.....

Again the Conservative communications message is sadly lacking. NDP leader is running around slamming the Conservatives for the upcoming round of corporate tax cuts, meant to lower Canada's rate and making us more attractive and competitive to business investment. Layton is now being joined by Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff demanding these tax cuts be abolished. Meanwhile, Conservative strategists In the msm struggle to counterpoint both the Liberal and NDP talking points. Guys, come on! This is a no brainer to defend. Start off asking Layton what his price is for allowing the tax cuts to stand. During the 2008 election, Layton ran a platform to repeal corporate tax cuts. Of course after seeing Stephen Harper and the Conservatives win another election, Layton's coalition attempt saw him sell out those same principles for a seat in cabinet:

"On Monday 1st December, just before 5pm, Dion, Layton and Duceppe presented their agreement for a Liberal-NDP coalition government backed by the Bloc Quebecois.

1) Troops remain in Afghanistan.
2) The $50-billion corporate tax cuts stand.
3) No NDP member to have any influence over Finance.
4) Prime Minister Dion selects which 6 NDP MPs will enter cabinet."

And then there is the Liberal party under Michael Ignatieff. Despite Bob Rae's lie, err, denial that Iggy had signed the coalition agreement, that same agreement included those $50 billion in corporate tax cuts standing. Liberals said it was necessary for the Canadian economy.

So there are your talking points guys and gals. Feel free.

Name Smitherman's Soon To Be Appointed Position In The McGuinty Government...

Smitherman didn't just lose, he took a severe beating. I'd be surprised if the guy can even walk in the morning. Which begs the question, how long and what position will Dalton McGuinty appoint Smitherman to? Guaranteed it will be a six-figure salary, probably an expense account.

So give your predictions in comments.

Biggest Loser In Race For Mayor Of Toronto? Ipsos-Reid's Credibility

Contradicting most pollsters late in the race, Ipsos-Reid had Ford and Smitherman in what they called a dead heat, with Smitherman holding a lead within the margin of error. Looking at Ford's convincing win tonight, one must wonder exactly what they were doing when polling. Ford's internal polling showed him with a 9+ point lead heading into the final weekend.

Which leads me to wonder why any pollster is given any semblance of credibility. During the last federal election, Nanos had a close heat between Harper and Dion, and then did an about face on the last night polling could be done. Ekos headed by Frank Graves? Nuff said.

So a deep and heartfelt congratulation to Rb Ford, Mayor of Toronto. Man that sounds good.

Dalton McGuinty's Legacy- Ontario The Have-Not Province

Seems Dalton McGuinty still thinks Mike Harris is premier of Ontario. In addressing the Liberal convention McGuinty attacked the record of the previous PC government. Of course one would think that nearing the end of his second term he might instead want to boast about what he has done for the province of Ontario during his tenure as premier. He might not want to go there.

Taxes on everything under the sun, eco fees, scandals such as E-Health and the OLG, utility prices through the roof, seriously affecting the well being of the most vulnerable. Huge job losses, especially the manufacturing sector. Cities and towns being an eyesore due to his ill thought out pesticide ban. Bloated bureaucracy, most recently his payback to the teachers unions with all-day kindergarten. He's screwed Torontonians into the ground by granting extra tax powers to a socialist mayor and city council.

All these things are reason enough to turf McGuinty and his Liberal party packing in the next election. But think of this. All politicians, be it federal, provincial, or municipal, want to be known for some sort of legacy, something they did that left a mark on the people they represented. So come next election, voters should think long and hard what Dalton McGuinty's legacy is as premier of Ontario.

My guess, turning Ontario into a have-not province in less than 7 years. That's quite a legacy. Taking the province that was long regarded as the engine of the Canadian economy, and driving it off the tracks and over a cliff.

Come the next election, remember this. Dalton McGuinty, the Have-Not premier. That should work in nicely with my idea for the next PC slogan for campaign ads.

Dalton McGuinty-HAD ENOUGH!

Dalton McGuinty On Crime- Not A Clue Of His Own Policies..

Chronicle Herald: Chretien PMO Manipulated Media And Had Journalists Fired....

With the releases of Lawrence Martin's book Harperland, the usual Harper bashers are all doing their best to give credibility to both the author and what the book alleges about both PM Stephen Harper and the PMO. The latest comes from trash journalist Stephen Maher of the Chronicle Herald, a newspaper that makes the National Enquirer looks like a legitimate news source.

But the part I really enjoy about journalists like Maher is that in trying to aid Lawrence's cause, actually cast quite the cloud over former PM Jean Chretien. The guy the Liberals brag won three majority governments, seems to have been quite the vindictive leader. According to Martin and others, Chretien's PMO placed pressure on various news outlets not to give bad press to things like Shawinigate, with allegations that the then PMO under Chretien had journalists fired from their positions for daring to write on controversies surrounding Chretien.

Of course anyone aware of what happened to the former head of the BDC, Frances Bedouin, and his victory in a lawsuit that claimed he was attacked both financially and emotionally for coming forward with Chretien's involvement in getting a questionable loan for someone wouldn't be surprised by this. I myself can't wait for the Fifth Estate on CBC to run with this story about political interference in the reporting of news to Canadian's (sarcasm on). So without further adieu, here is Lawrence Martin's quote from the Chronicle Herald article written by Stephen Maher.

"Q: In spite of your efforts to balance the book, Harper’s spokesman, Dimitri Soudas, referred to you as a "Big-L Liberal." When you worked at Southam News, as a columnist, I don’t think you were very popular with the Chretien government because of your many columns on the Shawinigate scandal. Did that have anything to do with your departure from Southam?

A: 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.

This, as I say, resulted in a lot of difficulty for me, to the point where I was eventually dismissed by the Aspers, who ran Southam. I was told, and many others were told, that pressure was coming from the Chretien PMO on the owners of the papers to get rid of me and to get rid of Russell Mills, publisher of the Ottawa Citizen, who was let go also, because he gave credibility to Shawinigate and those types of stories.'

Warren Kinsella Great Defender Of The Long Form Census?

Update: Video Added H'T Wilson In Comments.


Just saw Warren Kinsella on Evan's show, along with Monte Solberg and Peggie Nash. Seems like Warren has had an epiphany in regards to the census being mandatory. Absolutely there is no doubt the Conservative government has mishandled the communication of this decision. But what's up with Warren? He ridiculed the governments position to scrap it, and mocked Monte for saying the census was an intrusion. Thing is, I remembered Warren being against the long form being mandatory. In fact, I read it on his blog: http://warrenkinsella.com/2010/07/leakage/

"I refused to fill out the long-form census thing, as I have written below, because (a) the questions were pretty intrusive and (b) I don’t believe governments are sufficiently careful about sensitive, private and/or personal information. They’re sloppy as Hell, in fact.

On the latter point, various commentators have taken me to task, huffing and puffing that reputable government agencies – like StatsCan, I guess – never, ever let sensitive info leak out.

Ever, ever!"

He also did another post here:
http://warrenkinsella.com/2010/07/senseless-census/

And here:
http://warrenkinsella.com/2010/07/census-senselessness-from-todays-hill-times/

And here:
http://warrenkinsella.com/2010/07/its-the-long-form-census-election/

If It Saves One Life It's Worth The Cost....

So say the opposition parties and Lefty media when arguing for the Long Gun Registry. But is a life saved by a gun registry (which they can't prove) more valuable than a life saved by keeping violent and chronic offenders incarcerated? Well, according to those that support the gun registry, the answer is yes. They ridicule the costs of more jails and stiffer sentences, led by Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff. So I think it's time to use the socialist mantra of if one life is saved and use it to bolster stiffer sentences, longer sentences, and tighter bail and parole. The beautiful thing here is you can actually say these people wouldn't have been victimized of the accused had been in jail where they belong. This will be part 1 of an ongoing series. Feel free to provide links or mention cases you are aware of.

"A man accused of slaying two women in their east-end home Monday morning had been out on bail since March while facing charges of sexual assault, a police source said yesterday.

Nathaniel O'Brien, 31, was released from jail last spring but is scheduled to appear in Superior Court in May next year to answer to six charges, which include two counts each of aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault with a weapon and attempted choking, court documents show.

O'Brien was arrested earlier this week in connection with the deaths of his neighbours, Saramma Varughese, 65, and Susan John, 43, and an attack on John's 20-year-old daughter, Sara.

The two older women were discovered suffering from stab wounds after an intruder broke into their Rotary Dr. home just before 7 a.m.

Sara, a York University student, is in hospital recovering from injuries. Neighbours said she ran from her house early Monday screaming for help.

In 2006, O'Brien was charged in connection with two incidents, the first when a woman was attacked and anally raped on June 11 as she was walking out of a bar near Kingston and Manse Rds. in the city's east end, the source said.

She was hit over the head with a brick in the early morning darkness.

O'Brien was charged again after a woman in her early 20s was raped near Dean Park and Meadowvale Rd. on June 13. The perpetrator tried to strangle her with a rope, the source said.

"But a good citizen interrupted the attack and he fled," the source said.

Last year when O'Brien was convicted of assaulting his mother at her Durham home, his DNA sample was added to the national bank."

Why Canadian's Need Sun TV.....

Can you just imagine the outrage if PM Harper pulled something like this?

http://www.canadafreepress.com/2005/cover050905.htm

Not sure why but I remembered Kate at SDA blogging about this when it happened. Over the next little while everyone is encouraged to provide info and links about news stories the Canadian media refused to report on, most notably the CBC.

Media Silent On Unreported Lives Saved By Gun Registry...

Remember the media frenzy when Stockwell Day mused about needing more prisons for unreported crime? Those in the msm and opposition parties ridiculed him for days, taking him to task for something that has no way of being measured.

So now we have media personalities and opposition leaders railing on about the untold number of lives the gun registry has saved, while mentioning there is no way to prove the numbers. Seems Kady and the others don't think this is a flaw in the pro-registry argument.

We also hear of the story of a Liberal MP who has changed his vote from against to for the registry due to the fact his father committed suicide earlier this year using a long gun. Any suicide is a tragedy, and my condolences go out to this man.

However, he is on record as saying that if the registry saves one life it's worth the cost. So here is something to mull over. All the opposition parties or coalition party if you will, are on record as being against longer prison sentences. Ignatieff has made it a point to ridicule the fact the Conservative government wants to spend money on more prisons and incarcerate convicted felons longer, as well as make it tougher to get quick parole.

We regularly hear of stories where a person has been released early, or granted bail despite a history of violence, only to go and murder a spouse. Will any of the opposition parties still stand by the quote "if it saves one life it's worth it", and support the Conservative call for stricter sentences and tougher parole.

Conservative Communication Strategy Still Abysmal...

Just finished watching Power Play, and I gotta admit, Dan Matheson makes Tom Clark look like a Conservative partisan hack. What was sorely lacking was the failure of any Conservative on the show to address Matheson's incessant rant about "we register our cars" when talking about the long gun vote. So guys, allow me to lend a hand again. And feel free to use these talking points whenever Matheson or others bring up the car registry as a talking point.

1. Duck hunters don't take their rifles to get a bag of milk at the corner store.
2. Cars are registered as chattel, meaning it allows a lender to track and place a lien on the vehicle.
3. Cars are the second biggest purchase most people make, next to a house. Purchasers need to know they are getting possession with a clear title.
4. Cars need to be legally insured. If someone has an accident in say a 2010 Camaro, the insurance company uses the registration to verify it's the vehicle that they are insuring.
5. Cars must be legally registered with a vin, so the government can tax them at any point of sale, as well as issue a tax credit when a vehicle is scrapped during manufacture.
6. Knives kill people, and can be as deadly as a gun. Why no knife registry?

Edmonton Journal Writer Must Be An Illiterate Sun Reader...

Well hey, I guess this journalist should get top marks for showing their bias against the PM. It's just such a shame she is that ignorant, oops, make that uninformed as us Sun readers are called, to simply know the facts before actually putting something in print:

"Last week, a mystery was solved in my household. For about the last month-and-a-half, Caller ID has identified an Ottawa number which continues to call my home but not leave a message.

I happened to be home when the call came through one afternoon, only to discover it was a fellow working for Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

He told me the call was to provide support for the prime minister. I was quite irritated and relayed this to the caller.

I asked why they had been calling my home for the past month-and-a-half and why no message was left. He told me they are not in the habit of leaving a message.

I explained that I am not a fan of Harper or his party and would he please stop calling my home. He responded that indeed they would now that they had actually spoken to me.

They must have lots of time and money as well as a better long distance plan than I do.

Funny that there is a plan in place to stop telemarketing, but the Prime Minister's Office uses this tactic without a qualm."

Lorraine O'Brien, Edmonton

You see Lorraine, it's kinda like this. To stop telemarketers from calling, you first need to register your phone number. Secondly, and more importantly, if you are going to whine about something, try educating yourself on the actual rules first:

"If I register my telephone number on the National DNCL, will I still receive telemarketing calls?

When you register on the National DNCL, you will receive fewer telemarketing calls, but there are some exceptions including:

•registered charities
•political parties and candidates
•opinion polling firms or market research firms conducting surveys
•newspapers calling to sell a subscription
•organizations that have a business relationship with you, for example:
◦you’ve done business with the organization in the last 18 months
◦you’ve inquired about the organization’s products or services in the last 6 months

Smitherman Still Completely Out To Lunch....

Mayor hopeful George Smitherman's latest policy gem:

"Hoping to capitalize on frustration over road repairs, George Smitherman is promising merchants a “money-back guarantee” for project delays and to fire city managers who don’t work together to avoid them.

Smitherman, a mayoral contender, made the announcement Tuesday on Roncesvalles Ave., which is being torn up for the second time in two years.

The former deputy premier said he would have the city build into construction contracts a clause that would force contractors to pay a financial penalty if they cause a delay in road projects.

Instead of the penalty flowing to the city, the money would go to nearby businesses hurt by delays, like the many on Roncesvalles hurt while the popular shopping street has been torn up, he said."

First thing that comes off the top of my head is the fact many road repairs are delayed due to inclement weather. Does Smitherman really think contractors should be on the hook for Mother Nature?

Secondly, even Curious George should know that all the contracters will add in extra cash to cover uncontrollable delays when tendering contracts for Toronto. It's done on time and they reap a financial windfall, delayed and they still come out with whatever they were looking to make.

I could go into the fact about how you decide an equitable way of distributing said cash penalties. I'm thinking a store bringing in $100,000 weekly might think they deserve more than one taking in $10,000.

Maybe Smitherman should stick to things he's dealt with in the past. Maybe put forth a policy plank about setting up computerized health records for Torontonians.

Oops, never mind.

What Does Rocco Rossi Think Of Toronto Sun Readers?

Remember that old saying? You can tell a lot about a person by the company they keep? Well, I decided to google Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff's chief of staff Ian Davey, who made some rather unfavorable comments about Toronto Sun readers being unable to read. What I immediately noticed in the search results was the name Rocco Rossi kept popping up. Of course Rossi is running in the upcoming election for mayor of, wait for it, Toronto.

So seeing as Rossi and Davey seems to have a political relationship dating back some years, perhaps someone in the media, say from the Toronto Sun for example, might want to ask Rossi his opinion on Toronto Sun readers, and what he thinks of Davey's comments. Hope Kinsella is available for crisis consultation.

Former Ignatieff Chief Of Staff Gives A True Glimpse Of The Intolerant Liberal Mind....

Liberals, the supposed party of tolerance. Hmmm, what to make of former Iggy aide Ian Davey and his comments on tv today:

"The Toronto Sun is a paper for people who can't read. And that probably applies to the whole chain," Ian Davey said on CTV Question Period."

Wonder what Ignatieff thinks of such a comment. Is this the new respect and way of doing things he says the Liberal Party is doing? Davey has confirmed in one sentence what Atwood, Soros and others think refuse to say publicly. Those that don't agree with their viewpoints don't deserve a say or to have their thoughts and ideas out there in the public eye.

Pretty pathetic and arrogant, even for a Liberal. Maybe Kady, who seems to be consumed 24/7 with the Sun Media application might want to ask Ignatieff if he shares the same views as his former chief of staff.

George Smitherman Switches To The Mini-Me Campaign Strategy

In what has to be one of the lamest attempts by a politician to gain credibilty and votes, George Smitherman has now become to Rob Ford what Mini-Me was to Austin Powers. Realizing Rob Ford is making sense to a lot of Toronto voters, Smitherman is shameless in stealing Ford's platform.e

"George Smitherman is promising, if elected mayor, to freeze Torontonians’ property taxes for one year while he puts a clamp on city spending.

Portraying himself as a tough but safe alternative to arch rival Rob Ford, the former deputy premier told reporters Tuesday he would also freeze city hiring, with few exemptions, for one year.

And Toronto would embark on no new spending initiatives while he personally leads a 100-day, line-by-line review of the city’s $11.7 billion in annual operating and capital spending. He would take the results to meetings in all 44 wards for a “full public flogging.”

“It will be back to basics at City Hall . . . The era of waste and abuse is over,” Smitherman declared, adding his various freezes would also extend to city user fees, the mayor’s $167,769 annual salary and councillors’ $99,620 pay packets.

Smitherman’s tax pledge comes only days after he announced a $10 million youth job-creation plan to be supported by a hike in business property taxes, followed hours later by a statement that there was a miscommunication and the plan doesn’t include a tax hike.

Asked how he’s different from Ford, who surged past Smitherman to the top of opinion polls while vowing to slash city spending, Smitherman said: “Mine is a responsible, challenging approach and his is a nearly impossible one … unless he’s got some agenda around massive cuts to services.”

The guy who blew a billion dollar$ in the E-Health scandal is now Captain Fiscal Responsibility. Riiiiiight. Of course this announcement came just days after revealing a major plank of his platform. TO HIKE BUSINESS TAXES!! What a buffoon. You can't make this stuff up. Nobody would believe you.

What next George, a business tax to support a diaper subsidy?

Vancouver Sun- Lazy Ass Pathetic Partisan Journalism At It's Worst..

An excerpt from the current lead story on NNW via the Vancouver Sun:

"OTTAWA — Hundreds of federal compensation advisers in Ottawa are braced to see if the government will abolish their jobs and recruit new employees after consolidating their work at a new $300-million pay centre in Miramichi, N.B.

It’s been several weeks since Prime Minister Stephen Harper stunned 2,100 compensation advisers working in 110 departments across the country by announcing that their jobs would be moving to Miramichi, and they still don’t know their fate.

The government offered few details on how it plans to manage the move to a state-of-the-art, centralized, self-serve pay system for public servants and that is fanning fears that workers will lose their jobs in the political trade-off the Conservative government made in order to shut down the long gun registry based in Miramichi.

“What do they expect — the government makes an announcement without details which involves people’s livelihoods and panic and fear are created,” said John Gordon, president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada.

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Hundreds+federal+employees+remain+limbo/3485551/story.html#ixzz0yhWU7Mm1

That's just more of that tyrannical bully Stephen Harper, right? The thing is, those jobs in Miramichi don't actually start for 6 years. That's right, six years. "The government will set aside the nearly $300 million over the next six years, creating new IT jobs in the national capital region where the systems and processes will be modernized and the 550 jobs in Miramichi by 2015-2016. Prime Minister Stephen Harper arrived Thursday to announce the new centre would be moving to the New Brunswick community by 2016.
I'm pretty sure 5 years notice will comply with labour laws across all regions of Canada.

Of course the other glaring error in the Vancouver Sun story is the fact Public Works has already stated no current workers will lose their jobs. "Public Works officials offered few details, but said no existing compensation advisers will lose their jobs because any reductions would be handled by attrition."

Toronto Star Confirms My Previous Post Was Accurate...

My most recent blog post was in reference to a Bloc MP accusing the PM of propaganda for sending students in Quebec, as well as the rest of the country, letters encouraging them to visit our National Parks. I mentioned the silence of all the opposition leaders, as well as the MSM on the outrageous statements made by the separatist MP. Well, it turns out the Toronto Star has finally ran an editorial on it, but just bashes the PM rather than call any of the other federalist politicians on their silence.

"When Quebec separatists stumble and provide a political gift to the federalist cause, it’s part of the Prime Minister’s job description to make the most of it — not for himself, but for Canada.

So when Bloc Québécois MP Carole Lavalée put her foot in it this week by accusing Ottawa of mounting a federalist propaganda campaign with invitations to students to visit Canada’s national parks for free, Stephen Harper should have been able to hit a home run for the cause of national unity.

Jean Chrétien, Brian Mulroney and Pierre Trudeau would have stepped up to the plate, regardless of their partisan stripes. Separatism may be quiescent in Quebec these days, but this is also a time of political tumult in the province, where the federalist banner is in retreat because of recent stumbles by Liberal Premier Jean Charest. The Parti Québécois seems poised to regain power after the next provincial election.

Against that backdrop, any Canadian PM would move in for the kill and belittle the Bloc for displaying such paranoia over the attraction that Banff’s rugged beauty might hold for the malleable minds of young Quebecers seduced by free admission into national parks.

Harper’s killer instinct, however, is more partisan than patriotic. To be sure, he beat up on the Bloc — but only enough to make the larger, improbable point that Canada’s opposition parties can never be trusted with national unity. The Liberals and New Democrats, Harper argued, have been and always will be in bed with the Bloc and should thus be disqualified from ever wielding power.

The PM seems unable to resist dredging up the abortive Liberal-NDP coalition plan of late 2008, in which the BQ merely agreed not to vote to bring down the government for a specified period — even though Harper had sought a similar understanding when he was opposition leader.

Apart from the partisan pettiness, this is the equivalent of scoring an own goal in soccer. Rather than trying to drag down the opposition, Harper should be using this BQ gift to talk up Canada in Quebec."

As for the Star's praise of Mulroney and Chretien, and their supposed superhero powers against the separatists, I suggest the Star look up the origins of the Bloc, particularly one Lucienne Bouchard for the Mulroney connection. And Chretien's dismissive attitude in the 1995 referendum almost split the country up forever.

Ignatieff, Layton and MSM Silence On Bloc MP's "PM Propaganda Accusation" Deplorable...

Enough time has passed since a Bloc MP's comments first appeared in Quebec media accusing the PM of spreading propaganda by sending students letters encouraging them to visit Canada's National Parks. Coming from a Bloc MP, it's easy to dismiss the statement as being completely ignorant in fact. What is completely disgusting is the fact none of the leaders of the other parties saw fit to comment and support the PM, and more importantly, support Canadian's and our great country. Have Ignatieff, Layton, and May become so partisan in seeking Quebec votes that they allow something like this to pass? Accusation

Even more complicit in the Bloc's comment is the MSM, most notably Canadian-taxpayer funded CBC. But no, seems CBC is more worried about American petitions and SUN media. Kady O'Malley is more worried about who signed a petition Snuffelufugus than the fact a Bloc MP is herself spreading propaganda. Then there is her infatuation with Guy Giorno stepping down at years end.

Looks like the Coalition including the Bloc is alive and well, and supported by the CBC.

Dalton McGuinty As Culpable As Miller In Torontonian's Plight

It's great to see that residents of Toronto have finally hit the tipping point as to how much over-taxation, waste, and socialist policies have destroyed the city and left them broke. Rob Ford is riding the wave of voter anger in his bid to be mayor of Toronto and restore financial responsibility to it's taxpayers. The media pundits point to David Miller, Howard Moscoe, and Adam Vaughan as some of the reason Ford is enjoying such popularity. But there is one person who needs to be dragged into this, as it was the Ontario Liberal government led by one Dalton McGuinty that really allowed this long festering wound to put the City of Toronto on it's deathbed:

"Miller salivates at new taxing powers
By Arthur Weinreb

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Toronto mayor David Miller has announced that he is considering using the new taxing powers that were so graciously given to him by Dalton McGuinty and the Liberals with the passage of the City of Toronto Act. Miller is thinking about imposing a parking surcharge in the downtown core as well as at North York City Centre; areas of the city that are well serviced by public transit. This is not just a money grab for the overextended city you understand; the idea is to cut down pollution by “encouraging” more people to use the TTC, the alleged better way.

Now none of this is for sure. Miller is simply floating a trial balloon, but much like the drunk who ponders what he’ll do when he gets inside the bar he’s walking into, we all know what will ultimately happen. Taxes will go up.

What is absolutely shocking about Miller’s pronouncement is not what he said but the timing of his statement. He wasted no time in telling Torontonians that he will use the powers that he skillfully downplayed during the election campaign. It’s still November; only two weeks since he was easily re-elected. The smart money said that he would wait until at least December before making a tax grab using the City of Toronto Act (I had December 7 in the pool). You can say this for our David; despite the fact that he has been criticized for not doing anything, the guy’s no slacker.

Newly elected councillor Adam Vaughan had an even better idea. He suggested that people who park should be taxed according to what type of car they drive. Those with gas guzzlers should pay more to park than those with environmentally friendly hybrids. The mind boggles at how many overpaid union bureaucrats will be employed in analyzing and categorizing all the various vehicles that park in the city. Vaughan hasn’t even taken his seat yet and he’s attempting to out-Miller Miller (look for Adam to run for the top job in 2010). There is however one good point about Vaughan’s suggestion. Lower income people are more likely to drive gas guzzling old clunkers than the beautiful people who buy electric cars in order to save not only the city but the planet. And it’s about time that the poor in this city pay more; why should the rich be the only ones forced to pay for new street furniture?

Of course a major plank of Ford's platform is the cancelling of the land transfer tax and vehicle plate renewal taxes, both of which could not have been implemented by Miller without McGuinty's granting of additional powers to the city.

An Open Letter To Michael Ignatieff

With the vote to scrap the gun registry getting closer, we are being inundated by the MSM with groups against scrapping the registry. National Newswatch has something up almost every day, including hospital personnel. So in fairness and a non-partisan way, I think National Newswatch or other media outlets should provide links to persons or groups in favor of scrapping the registry. Allow me to help out with a link from one group: http://www.ofah.org/news/index.cfm?ID=131


Open Letter to Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff on Bill C-391
OFAH FILE: 401-8
June 2, 2010

Honourable Michael Ignatieff, M.P.
Leader of the Official Opposition
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6

Dear Mr. Ignatieff:

On behalf of the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (O.F.A.H.), the largest nonprofit conservation-based organization in Ontario, our 100,000 members, subscribers and supporters, and our 670 member clubs across the province, we are writing to express our profound disappointment over the motion submitted by Liberal M.P. Mark Holland yesterday at the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security.

Despite your recent public pronouncements about a Liberal "compromise," Mr. Holland's actions on behalf of the Liberal party clearly demonstrate that your understanding of the word differs greatly from that which is commonly understood.

Mr. Holland's attempt to completely derail the bill at Committee clearly demonstrates a lack of conviction in your own words and on the part of the Liberal party, and sends a clear message to the millions of anglers, hunters, recreational sport shooters, farmers and First Nations across Canada who support Bill C-391.

The fact that the Liberal party had to whip the vote when Bill C-68 was passed to ensure that party members stayed in line, and will again whip the vote on C-391, a private member's bill no less, is a clear indication that despite all of the rhetoric, that unanimity does not exist within the Liberal caucus. Instead of recognizing the rights of individual members to vote their conscience, and more importantly, their right to vote in the best interests of their constituents, they are forced to toe the party line and continue to support a badly flawed, horrifically expensive and highly divisive long gun registry that has not saved lives, and has not enhanced the public safety. This win at all costs/scorched earth policy ignores all of the obvious signs that the program has been a dismal failure, and demonstrates conclusively that common sense and fiscal responsibility have been sacrificed at the altar of philosophical adherence.

There is no empirical evidence to demonstrate that the long gun registry has fulfilled its mandate, while a plethora of factual evidence exists to support the contention that it has failed. The continued support of the Liberal party for this albatross is not only disappointing, but flies in the face of public opinion and fact.

If Mr. Holland's actions are indicative of what you call "compromise," the eight Liberal members who supported Bill C-391 on Second Reading have themselves been "compromised" by being forced to support a rigid and highly unpopular stance in many areas of the country, with the exception of downtown Toronto and a few other major urban centres.

Other jurisdictions, notably Baltimore, New York, Virginia, and New Jersey, have found that the creation of a "prohibited offenders" registry, much like the sex offender registry, which targets those who are prohibited from possessing firearms by virtue of past offences, or those most likely to offend, has made a significant difference. If you truly believe in "compromise," stop the blatant attempts to derail Bill C-391, and allow your members a free vote on Third Reading.

The gun registry did not save the victims at Dawson College where all of the firearms used were registered. It did not save the lives of four RCMP officers at Mayerthorpe where a prohibited offender used three unregistered firearms and one borrowed registered firearm to kill. Nor will it save other officers who place their faith in the system.

It is time to look for other answers -- acknowledging the failings of the long gun registry and working to achieve a system, which targets the offenders and not the legal, law-abiding firearm owners in this country is. If you have the courage of your conviction, and meant what you said when you used the word "compromise," withdraw the motion at Committee, allow a free vote, and work with the government in support of the creation of a registry that targets the 400,000 high-risk individuals entered in CPIC, including the 254,949 who are prohibited from possessing firearms and the 36,000 with restraining orders against them, something that has been proven elsewhere to have a significant impact on public safety.

Bill C-391 is a simple and straightforward piece of legislation that does one thing, and one thing only. It does not touch licencing, which we strongly support. It does not impact on mandatory background checks, which are not currently done for every application, but should be. It does not affect mandatory registration of restricted and prohibited firearms. It does not change the requirement for mandatory firearms safety courses, and does not change the need for safe storage or transportation. All it does is scrap a program that has clearly and factually been proven to be an abject failure.

Yours in Conservation,

Greg Farrant
Manager, Government Relations& Communications

Record Sockeye Salmon Run Confirms End Of Global Warming, Right Mr. Ignatieff...

The biggest problem for those pushing the global warming mantra, is that they try and use weather and events to prove their cause, rather than accept events as a normal ebb and flow in the planets life. Case in point, Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff on last years poor salmon run on the Fraser River:

"We’ve just seen an entire Fraser River sockeye run evaporate. Millions of salmon just didn’t show up. ( sounds like a confidence vote in the House and Liberal MP's)

Ask upstream communities about the consequences. Ask Aboriginal communities. Ask fishers. Experts are already talking about a connection with climate change.We need an urgent, independent public inquiry, using the best ocean and climate scientists to figure out what happened, and how we can to keep it from happening again.

We’ve also seen B.C.’s forest landscape scarred by the Mountain Pine Beetle. We aren’t getting the cold snaps up in the Interior that we’ve had for thousands of years, and it’s killing our forests, leaving us more vulnerable to fires in the summer.

So for British Columbians, climate change is not a distant abstraction. It’s here, and it’s hurting, right now.

Under the Conservative government, we’ve had three plans on climate change, and no action. We’ve wasted nearly four years of vital time."

To be fair, Mr. Ignatieff is not the only person to use this line of attack, enviromentalists are also guilty. Takie biologist Barbara Morton:

"Biologist Alexandra Morton has been working for years to save the salmon. She said that she first got involved in the fight to protect BC's salmon when she realized there was a link between the whales and the salmon disappearing. In an open letter to Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff, published in the Pacific Free Press, Morton said

If you are serious reversing climate change you need our salmon to grow the forests that stabilize climate and suck carbon out of the atmosphere. Someone in Ottawa has got to take the loss of this essential living powerhouse seriously.
Wild salmon are food security, a powercord between the open ocean and the Province of BC; they are an economic generator; they belong to the people."


Even the Globe and Mail is onboard:

"MARK HUME

October 4, 2007

VANCOUVER — Salmon in British Columbia will need human help to adapt to changes being brought on by global warming, but some streams may simply become uninhabitable to the cold-water fish, a government advisory body declared Thursday.

“Big changes are happening, creeping forward inexorably,” Paul LeBlond, chairman of the Pacific Fisheries Resource Conservation Council, said as he released two new reports.

He called on the provincial and federal governments to do more to help salmon survive climate change.

“Our lakes and rivers are warming up. The freshwater flows are changing in rivers. The rain and snowfall patterns are changing. Salmon have to adapt to this. Every one of their life phases is affected,” Mr. LeBlond said.


(John Lehmann/Globe and Mail)

“The adults face warmer rivers when they are swimming upstream. What's comfortable for us for swimming is lethal to the salmon. The fry and the juvenile salmon live in warmer waters and face the direct impact of climate change. They face changing conditions of warming oceans, more acidic oceans, different predators and food shortages. The whole nine yards of problems.”

He described salmon as “a valuable gift from the sea” that need protective action now, not after stocks have collapsed.

Mark Angelo, vice-chairman of the council and an environmental instructor at the B.C. Institute of Technology, said climate-change impacts are different across the wide sweep of the province, but the overall trend is for warmer winters and drier summers. He said that will result in warmer rivers in the summer, affecting migration timing, and winter floods, which will scour spawning beds.


Now I guess these global warming alarmists thought they were safe in using low fish stocks to champion their cause. The problem is many who really are experts said there is a 4 year low stock cycle that appears every number of years. Combine that with this news and I guess global warming really is in the past:

"Massive sockeye salmon run hits Fraser River

Fishermen at the mouth of B.C.'s Fraser River are preparing for one of the biggest runs of sockeye salmon in nearly 100 years, but it's unclear what will happen to all the unexpected fish.

On Tuesday, the Pacific Salmon Commission announced it expects as many as 25 million fish will return to the Fraser this season.

That's the largest return since 1913 and more than double what was forecast just a few weeks ago.

On Tuesday night, fisherman were down on the docks preparing for what may prove to be an epic fishing trip.

Stewart McDonald said he does not plan to sleep for the entire 32-hour stretch.

"It's probably going to be the best fishing of our lives…. They're just coming in on hordes, it's amazing to see," said McDonald.

Phil Eidsvik with the B.C. Fisheries Survival Coalition said it's great news for the industry that works the river mouth south of Vancouver.

"We're not surprised that the run size was increased. We've been seeing lots of fish in the river and very large test sets in Johnstone Strait and we're still hearing reports of sockeye being caught in the Queen Charlotte Islands, on the northern tip, so we expected it to be upgraded," said Eidsvik."

PM Patronage Appointment Rate 20% Compared To 50% InLiberal Era

Ya really gotta love Liberal MP Wayne "DOORKNOB" Easter. He thought it was a good idea to hold a news conference today slamming the Conservative government for the fact 20% of all patronage appointments were to Conservative supporters. It's just a godarn shame Easter never really gets his facts straight before embarrassing himself. Why? Well let's take a look.

1. Easter slams the PM for supposedly breaking a promise to lower patronage appointments: "The PEI Liberal stressed that Mr. Harper came to office by campaigning against Liberal largesse. “He said he would do certain things, he hasn’t done them". Well he is correct the PM made that promise. The problem is the PM has kept that promise. Under Liberal MP Jean Chretien, patronage appointments to Liberal supporters were in the area of 50%

"'The king of patronage'
Seven years after vowing to review the appointment process, the Chretien
patronage machine is humming along, beating even Brian Mulroney at
the political 'game of friends.'
Jack Aubry

One sunny July day this past summer, Prime Minister Jean Chretien joined his cabinet to hand out millions of dollars worth of federal jobs, with half going to supporters of the Liberal party.

That job finished, Mr. Chretien hopped into a helicopter for a whitewater raft ride on the Ottawa River.

Ten years ago, the Citizen examined a similar summer day's worth of appointments made by then-Progressive Conservative Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and his cabinet.

The high rate of Liberal patronage on July 27 surpassed Mr. Mulroney's one-in-three patronage ratio.

Mr. Chretien has said the upcoming election would be partly fought over protecting "Liberal values" -- the values espoused by the late Pierre Trudeau. But the Citizen review may remind Canadians of the darker side of Mr. Trudeau's legacy, including a particularly infamous spate of patronage appointments he made John Turner fulfil in 1984. That list helped hand the 1984 election to Mr. Mulroney.

Mr. Chretien defended the appointments during the 1984 election, arguing that by naming so many sitting MPs to the patronage posts, Mr. Trudeau had saved taxpayers money. Instead of drawing big pensions, Mr. Chretien rationalized, the appointees would only earn their new salaries.

Later as Opposition leader, Mr. Chretien and his Liberals were highly critical of Mr. Mulroney's appointments.

And in the 1993 Red Book of election promises, the Liberals vowed to restore integrity to government and review the appointment process to ensure jobs were filled on the basis of competence. Seven years later, the famed Grit patronage machine is humming along, apparently cranking out Liberals for one out of every two new appointments -- if July 27, 2000, is any indication.

On that day, about 40 of the 80 appointments made by the cabinet were filled by Liberals who either contributed money to the party, ran as party candidates in previous federal and provincial elections, or worked on Liberal election and leadership campaigns. The total annual salaries of the 80 jobs filled is more than $3.8 million.

The appointments included Chretien cronies, former Liberal MPs, some defeated candidates, and in one case, the daughter of a Newfoundland Liberal member of the provincial legislature.

There were a handful of noteworthy Liberal appointments including Robert Fung, the man who brought Mr. Chretien to a Bay Street brokerage house as a well-paid "special adviser" when Mr. Chretien left politics in the mid-1980s.

I dunno Wayne. That kinda damages your rant of the day. But maybe you need further proof. How about this? This actually kicks it up a notch to 60% with this round of appointments:

"Interviews with well-connected members of the legal community, including Liberals, a search of news data bases, and Elections Canada political contribution records, establish that in the past five years a majority of the 93 lawyers who were appointed to the Federal Court, the Ontario Superior Court, and the Courts of Queen's Bench of Alberta and Saskatchewan had associations with the governing Liberals.

More than 70 per cent of those appointed since 2000 to the Ontario Superior Court by Cotler and his predecessors, Anne McLellan and Martin Cauchon, donated money only to the Liberal Party of Canada. Forty of 56 lawyers gave just to the Liberals...

...The situation was similar in Alberta. Seven of the 13 lawyers (54 per cent) appointed to the federal bench in 2000 or later donated solely to the Liberals. None of the lawyers appointed donated solely to the Conservatives...

...High-profile Liberals appointed to the Alberta Court of Queen's Bench included John J. Gill, co-chair of election readiness in Alberta for the Liberals in 2004; Vital Ouellette, who ran unsuccessfully for the provincial Liberals in Lac La Biche-St. Paul in 1997 and 2001; federal Liberal candidate Bryan Mahoney, who lost twice to Conservative Myron Thompson in the riding of Wild Rose; and Liberal fundraiser Marsha Colleen Erb, Calgary co-chair in 1999 of the exclusive Laurier Club, where membership is based on donations of $1,000 or more to the Liberal party. Erb was appointed by her friend, then-justice minister Anne McLellan...

...11 of the 17 judges appointed to the trial level of the Ottawa based Federal Court were found to have ties to the Liberals.




And a little something for your viewing pleasure...

Toronto Star: We found 0 results for "pablo rodriguez failure to provide breathalyzer"

Nuff said!!!

Meet The Liberal Hit List (Part 5 Stephane Dion)

It would be funny if it wasn't so pathetic. Liberals were telling Canadians Stephane Dion should be PM, heading a combined Liberal-NDP-Bloc coalition. Mere weeks after, we were told that Michael Ignatieff would now be Liberal leader. The man who was fit to be PM wasn't fit to be the leader of the official opposition. Upon being kicked to the curb by his party, Dion vanished from the public eye, despite being a sitting MP.

Truth be told, there have been more Elvis sitings since that date.

Meet The Liberal Hit List (Part 4 Conrad Black)

h/t to anonymous commenter on previous thread.

"Newspaper baron Conrad Black has launched a lawsuit against Prime Minister Jean Chretien and the Canadian government.
Black says he suffered considerable embarrassment and inconvenience when he didn't get a British peerage in June. He blames political interference by Chretien for the decision by the British government.

Black was set to become a lifetime member of the British House of Lords but at the last minute, got word that Chretien had advised the Queen against the appointment.

The Canadian government had invoked the Nickel Resolution, a parliamentary resolution passed 80 years ago to put an end to the practice of granting foreign titular honours to Canadians.

Black is suing for $25,000.

A spokesman for the Prime Minister's office told CBC News on Thursday night that Chretien will defend himself "vigorously" against the charges. His officials say he was "definitely not pleased" when told of the lawsuit.

Chretien has always insisted he blocked Black's appointment for valid reasons, not out of spite. But on Thursday his office said it's no secret that coverage by Black's newspaper, The National Post, of Chretien's financial affairs has made the PM very angry.



Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/1999/08/05/black990805.html#ixzz0x6pobXDv

Meet The Liberal Hit List (Part 3 John Crow + Gordon Thiessen)

Andrew Coyne May 5th, 2000.

"Give Gordon Thiessen credit: the man has impeccable timing. In 1994, you'll recall, Mr.
Thiessen stepped into the office of governor of the Bank of Canada over the lifeless body of John Crow, whose appointment the incoming Chretien government chose not to renew.

Mr. Crow is well known as the man who tamed inflation, albeit at the cost of a punishing recession. With a year to go in his seven-year term, Mr. Thiessen has announced he will not seek reappointment -- perhaps to avoid the same fate.

Mr. Thiessen was fortunate indeed to have had Mr. Crow to do the heavy lifting for him, especially since his policies and outlook do not diverge in any marked degree from those of his predecessor. Inflation having been thrown to the mat, Mr. Thiessen had only to ensure it did not get up again. By and large he has done that, and by and large he has enjoyed the support of the government, at least until now.

Which only underscores the scandal of Mr. Crow's mistreatment. It would be one thing for the Liberals to have dismissed the governor over a genuine policy difference. Yet, as we later discovered, they had no more objection to Mr. Crow's staunchly anti-inflationary monetary stance than they did to free trade, or the GST, or cutting spending, though they campaigned vigorously against all of them. Mr. Crow was dismissed, rather, for being insufficiently deferential to Liberal backbenchers; Mr. Thiessen was retained on the grounds that he was not Mr. Crow."

Meet The Liberal Hit List (Part 2 John Nunziata)

In the buildup to the 1993 federal election, Nunziata criticized Liberal leader Jean Chrétien for appointing Art Eggleton over a local candidate in York Centre. He was forced to apologize for his comments, and was excluded from cabinet when the Liberals won a majority government in the election. He was the only member of the "Rat Pack" who was never included in cabinet.

On April 21, 1996, Nunziata was expelled from the Liberal caucus after he voted against the government's budget in protest over the government breaking a promise to rescind the Goods and Services Tax.

Meet The Liberal Hit List (Part 1 Francois Beaudoin )

By Licia Corbella, Calgary Herald July 18, 2009


"But there is another story that got little play by Canada's mostly Liberaladoring media.

What Chretien and his cronies did to Francois Beaudoin when he was president of the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) is a frightening example of abuse of power and process.

Beaudoin was the guy who had the gall to say "no" to Chretien in 1996 and was nearly destroyed as a result. Beaudoin refused to approve a $1.6-million loan to Chretien's associate, Yvon Duhaime, a convicted criminal with a bad credit history and the owner of the Grand-Mere Inn in Chretien's Quebec riding. This is the inn Chretien once co-owned and was adjacent to a golf course Chretien was still owed money for.

Even though Chretien repeatedly denied to the public that he lobbied Beaudoin to give Duhaime a $1.6 million loan, he was later forced to admit that he did. Outraged that he could not control Beaudoin, Chretien appointed two loyal cronies to the BDC--Jean Carle, Chretien's former director of operations became the bank's VP of public affairs, and Michel Vennat was appointed chairman of the BDC.

That's when a $615,000 loan was given to Duhaime, and Beaudoin was given the boot.

But the abuse of power didn't end there. Through leaks and press releases, Vennat and Carle set out to destroy Beaudoin's reputation in what a Quebec judge called a "vendetta" when they accused Beaudoin of "irregularities" and they stripped him of his BDC pension.

Quebec Judge Andre Denis ruled in 2003 that Carle and Vennat's actions against Beaudoin were "an unspeakable injustice" designed to "break him and ruin his career." Beaudoin's home and cottage were searched by BDC lawyers and accountants. Later, Vennat formally requested that the RCMP investigate Beaudoin for "misappropriation" of funds. The RCMP raided Beaudoin's Montreal home and his locker at the Royal Montreal Golf Club. The Prime Minister's Office even tipped off a reporter about the raid on Beaudoin's house BEFORE it happened. Beaudoin, however, was vindicated in court. Denis ruled Carle lied in court and Vennat's testimony was not credible. So, Chretien used the government's deep financial resources, his appointing and police powers to get even with someone who defied him."

Note To CBC, CTV, Toronto Star, CP24, Premier Dad, And George Smitherman...

Rob Ford is kicking your pathetic asses. Listened to radio shows today, checked various polls, and it seems most are onboard with Ford's thinking about immigrants, and more importantly, becoming responsible once again fiscally to the people of Toronto. All those headlines and talk of outrage over Ford's comments in last nights debates is mostly limited to you select few.

Keep up the great work Rob. If the people of Toronto can come to their senses, so too can the people of Ontario.

Liberal MP Displays Uncanny Psychic Abilities...

PEI Liberal MP Wayne Easter displays why the nickname "Doorknob" has stuck with him. Easter thinks the PM is targeting his riding. Imagine that. The leader of one party would like to take the seat away from the current incumbent of an opposition party. Shocked I am. Shocked!!!

"The full agenda for Prime Minister Stephen Harper's trip to Prince Edward Island this week hasn't been revealed, but Liberal MP Wayne Easter believes the visit has something to do with him.

Easter, who has represented the largely agricultural riding of Malpeque since 1993, said Harper wants him defeated.


Now correct me if I'm wrong, but hasn't Iggy's Cross-Canada Broken Bus Tour stopped at a number of ridings held by Conservative MP's? Odd how CBC never saw fit to run a headline about Iggy targeting a Conservative riding. Easter is as bright as a doorknob and the CBC a sack of hammers.

MSM Fails To Report Ridiculous Comments From Ignatieff

As widely reported on various Blogging Tory Sites, including Blue Like You and BC Blue, Michael Ignatieff showed incredible political ineptitude with comments regarding the cargo ship just landed in Vancouver carrying 490 supposed refugees. Ignatieff does a few things with his comments. First off, he completely disses both the government and citizens of Australia. Seems they don't have principles. Next, he seems to think we should welcome possible terrorists here. Just call ahead first please and let us know you are coming.

But what is most appalling is the failure of the MSM to actually report this. Aside from a story in the Winnipeg Free Press, where the author glosses over Iggy's comments with glowing praise of his bus stop, the big boys of Canadian media seem to think it's not worth mentioning. CTV? Nope. CBC? Nope. But they do have a video clip of Bob Rae's comments, which surprisingly seem more onside with the government than Ignatieff.

Of course this comes on the heels of Jane Taber's editorial this week about an exchange between Rutherford and Akin regarding media bias against the Conservatives. Knowing that Akin is a devoted reader of the Blogging Tories, hopefully he reads this and gives the comments by Ignatieff the justice they deserve. In the media, for Canadians to see.

Jack Layton: Over Exaggerator Extraordinaire

Seems Jack Layton is still struggling with reality, letting socialist dreams rule his mind. Layton claims never to have had a complaint about the mandatory census. I might find that a little hard to believe but for arguments sake, I'll give him the benefit of doubt. After all, Canada now has a population in excess of 34,000,000. Laytons riding consists of roughly 103,000.

But here is where Jack blows it:

" Jack Layton has had exponentially more complaints about parking problems from his constituents than he has had about the tyranny and intrusiveness of having to fill out the long-form census. And Mr. Layton hasn’t been in municipal politics for at least a decade.

The NDP Leader made the comments to The Mark in a video interview released Thursday. He was addressing the controversy around the government’s decision to scrap the compulsory long-form census.

Stephen Harper and his government, Mr. Layton charge, manufactured the crisis for ideological reasons.

“I have been an elected person for many, many years and I have never had anyone come to me ever and complain about the census,” he said. “I have probably 10,000 times more complaints about parking than I’ve ever had about the census".

Interesting. Layton's constituency riding has a population of roughly 103,000 people, with 73,000 eligible to vote. Ironically enough, that info is from the 2006 census. So if one believes Layton, roughly 1 in 10 constituents have contacted him to complain about parking.

Sure Jack. And by the way, 10,000 X 0=0

Note To Conservative Communications Gurus...

I'm still both amazed and disappointed at how badly you guys and gals are at putting out talking points regarding policies or spending. By simply pointing out that while removing the mandatory census with penalty of law and replacing it with a voluntary census sent to more households BEFORE the media and opposition jumped on you there would not have been anywhere near the uproar you allowed to fester.

Today we see Stockwell Day fumble the ball on why new spending is needed for jails. C'mon guys. There are so many reasons to justify this spending that I can't believe you fell behind on this one. Here are a few examples. Feel free to use them.

1. The opposition has agreed to change the 2 for 1 time served. That means longer jail time for those convicted.

2. Many correctional facilities are old and in disrepair. The socialists such as the NDP complain about conditions in jails such as the Don Jail. Hit em where it hurts. Tell them these facilities will result in better care and conditions for those serving time.

3. Cost efficiency. Many of the older jails were built decades ago, and use much more energy than a newly built facility would. I'm sure Gore and Suzuki would be in favor of lowering the carbon footprint of convicted felons.

4. Job creation. Jails aren't cheap to build. That's because there is quite a bit of labor that goes into building one. They want more economic stimulus? Use this. Not to mention the permanent jobs that would result from the facility.

5. This is the easiest one, and not one person has mentioned it yet. Even if one believes the falling crime rate, Canada's population has increased by roughly 400,000 people per year since the early nineties. Even with the lower crime rate, an increase of 4-5 million Canadians means that percentage of the increased population will run afoul of the law. Canada's population in the year 2000 was 30,689,000. Up until July of this year the population was 34,160,000. Do the math. By the end of this calender year there will be almost four million more people living in Canada than just ten years ago.

Canadian Press Commits A Freudian Slip?

Hmmm. Seems the Canadian Press admits to a negative campaign of articles and headlines about the Conservative Party of Canada:

"Ottawa — The Canadian Press
Published on Tuesday, Aug. 03, 2010 4:56PM EDT


Three months of bad headlines apparently didn't drive donors away from the governing Conservatives.

Elections Canada says the Tories raised $4.1-million in the second quarter of the year – up from $4-million in the first quarter.

The Conservative donations came in despite negative ink over the Rahim Jaffer-Helena Guergis saga, the Afghan detainee affair and ballooning budgets for the G8 and G20 summits.

The Toronto Stars Leftist Journalism Rears It's Ugly Head Again

The Toronto Star has an editorial today by Michael Byers ripping the Conservative government for the purchase of the F-35 Jets for our armed forces. I won't even bother linking to the editorial because it's the same old drivel from this guy. You can read it at National Newswatch if so inclined. What I do find a joke is how the Star never gives full disclosure on those doing editorials with political ties that go against the government they are being critical of. Today's editorial is a case in point.

Who is Michael Byers? According to the Star: "Michael Byers holds the Canada Research Chair in Global Politics and International Law at the University of British Columbia. He is the author of Intent for a Nation and Who Owns the Arctic?"

But I knew right away who Byers was when I saw the name. Seems the Star never felt this was info that some might find important:

"On July 2, 2008, Byers announced that he was seeking the New Democratic Party nomination for the federal riding of Vancouver Centre, a seat held by Liberal Party of Canada incumbent Hedy Fry since 1993, in the 40th Canadian federal election. At a candidates' debate at the end of September 2008, Byers made the controversial statement that the Alberta tar sands needed to be shut down "to address the global climate crisis". The Liberal and Green candidates claimed that this position contradicted the official NDP platform, while Byers believes that it is covered by the already-passed legislation calling on Canada to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions by 80 per cent by 2050. In the 40th Canadian federal election, he was defeated by the incumbent, coming in third place.

In November 2009, Byers suggested that the Liberal Party of Canada and the New Democratic Party (NDP) "should agree to not run candidates against each other in the next campaign" in electoral ridings in order to prevent the Conservative Party of Canada from forming another minority government.

So the guy was an NDP candidate, pushed for a non-compete agreement between the Liberals and NDP, and is a supporter of the coalition.

Note to the Toronto Star. Some might find that information important when reading a biased editorial in the fairness of full disclosure.

A Giggle For Canada Day

What's The Difference Between a Partisan Hack And An Unbiased Pollster?

$5500.00. At least that's if you use the logic used by Kady O'Malley and the CBC. Seems Kady seems to infer the appointment of D.O. Braley is somewhat sinister because he donated $16,500 to Stephen Harper's leadership campaign. Of course any journalist with a shred of integrity might have pointed out the donations the senator has made, in the millions, to hospitals, universities, and research funds, but I'll save that for another time.

No, what is truly a barrel of laughs is this comes on the heels of CBC clearing EKOS pollster Frank Graves of being a partisan Liberal. Interestingly, Graves donated $11,000 to Liberals, but apparently Kady and the higher ups at the CBC say this does not mean a thing regarding Graves being biased. How much were those contracts Graves polling company got again?

Here's the comment I left on Kady's blog. Let's see if it passes that stringent comment moderation:

"So let me see if I have this right Kady. Braly is a Conservative Party hack and the proof is he donated $16,500. In return for this the multi-millionaire philanthropist bought himself a cushy job making less than $200,000 a year.

To contrast, EKOS head Frank Graves donated $11,000 to the Liberal Party, yet you and the CBC say that doesn't prove he has any ties to the Liberal Party. How many millions did Graves company get again in polling contracts ?

Thanks for being so consistently inconsistent.

Helena Guergis Appears To Have Lied To Peter Mansbridge..

Much is being made of Helena Guergis now playing the victim card. During a televised 15 minute interview with Peter Mansbridge, Guergis says she doesn't even know what the allegations against her are. The PMO quickly took Guergis to task, stating she was less than honest about the conversation the PM had with her when booting her from cabinet and caucus. The problem is this appeared to be a he said-she said type of situation. Just one problem for Guergis. Her lawyer way back on April 15th actually acknowledged they knew what the allegations were. Here is what Guergis told Mansbridge-"I have not had an opportunity to defend myself. What is it that I’m supposed to be charged with? I feel as though I have been charged, I feel as though I’ve gone through a trial, I have been convicted and now I’m been sentenced. And I still don ’t know what it is I’m supposed to have done.

From the National Post April 15th:

"The prime minister's office was made aware of some allegations about the conduct of Ms. Guergis, who was then the minister of state for Status of Women. Within hours of that meeting, Mr. Harper fired Ms. Guergis.

"We are convinced that the allegations are serious and believable as well," Mr. Harper said Wednesday. "It's not up to us to determine whether or not these allegations are true. It's up to the authorities to do that, but to our mind and our opinion, there is enough credibility to give the information to the authorities."

Ms. Guergis's lawyer, Howard Rubel said Thursday: "After days of unfair speculation we finally know what the allegations [against Ms. Guergis] are. More important, we know that the source of these allegations is a report from a private investigator who, apparently while presenting himself as another potential victim of a man currently facing fraud charges, was told these ridiculous ‘boasts' in an attempt to convince the investigator to do business with him. We believe these circumstances speak for themselves.

"Ms. Guergis vigorously denies all of this man's bizarre claims, and looks forward to helping the RCMP demonstrate that they are completely false."

Note to Peter Mansbridge, the CBC, and all the other lazy journalists that comprise our media. It took roughly 6 seconds on Google to find that. Try it next time.

Will Jane Taber Take Ignatieff To Task For Guergis Firing?

I mean after all, he demanded it. Jane Taber now questioning the PM's decision to fire Helena Guergis. Using the old Graves strategy, Stephen Harper hates women, and Guergis is a victim of the PM's control freak tendencies. But wait, let's take a look at a few recent quotes from Michael Ignatieff and members of his caucus.

Ignatieff March 31st: "Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff didn’t hold back in condemning Status of Women minister Helena Guergis earlier Wednesday. Ignatieff accused the Ontario MP of coordinating the letter-writing campaign that had Guergis’s staffers sending anonymous letters of praise about the junior minister to newspapers and magazines (like Maclean’s). “If they have someone make up little letters in my book that’s lying,” Ignatieff said. “And then pretending that you didn’t really have anything to do with it, it was all the staff—that’s lying a second time.” Ignatieff has called on Stephen Harper to fire the junior minister, saying Guergis is not “worthy of the confidence of Canadians.” Along with drawing the ire of members of the opposition, Guergis has reportedly also become alienated from some members of the Conservative caucus after a string of scandals that included a now-infamous tantrum in a P.E.I. airport."

Wayne Easter April 11th: "On Wednesday, Easter stood in the House of Commons and called on Prime Minister Stephen Harper to fire Guergis.
“It speaks to a sense of entitlement and different rules applying,” Easter said. “Will the prime minister do the right thing, accept this responsibility and fire the minister?”

Anita Neville February 27th: "Anita Neville, Liberal critic for the status of women, is calling for the immediate resignation of Guergis.
“An apology is not enough,” said Neville.
“She must resign now.”
Neville said airport security measures are in place for public safety.
“Stephen Harper needs to hold his ministers to a higher standard and go beyond insincere apologies and childish excuses,” said Neville.
“He needs to ask her to step down. Ms. Guergis’s behaviour is completely unacceptable of any citizen, let alone a minister of the Crown.”

Pity poor Helena Guergis. I think for my next post I'll show quotes of some of our most beloved journalists. Say Oliver and Travers to start. Something along the lines of Harper was wrong to not get rid of her sooner. Now it's he shouldn't have dumped her.

CBC: The Great Defender Of Helena Geurgis

It's so pathetic that it can't even be funny. CBC, led by Peter Mansbridge, now is playing Helena Geurgis as the victim. Note to Peter. I watch the At Issue panel that you host. Seems to me you guys wrote off Geurgis long before the PM did. And hey, didn't Wayne Easter, among other notable Liberals, continually demand her resignation over that airport temper tantrum? Could have sworn Suhanna was downright giddy when all the different twists on the Geurgis/Jaffer affair came out in the open.

So excuse me for being a little confused as to why you felt she deserved 15 minutes interview time on The National. Maybe it's because try as you did to tarnish the PM and Conservative Party because of her and her husbands actions, the polls actually showed an uptick in Conservative support, and a corrosponding down tick in Liberal support.

Maybe you guys are on the right track. Pull an audible out of EKOS head Graves playbook and start screaming anti-woman, control freak, hidden agenda, yada, yada, yada. However, I might recommend you ask Paul Martin how that worked out for ya in 2006, or Stephane Dion in 2008.

Heather Mallick Proves Herself Even More Ignorant Than Previously Thought.

Case in point. Mallick's latest, uh, editorial. Here's an excerpt:

"Excellent campaigning. If only our hateful pseudo-human prime minister would meet a nice granny in Kamloops and hurt her feelings. Actually, Harper would knee her in the groin and block her hip replacement, he's that personal in his hates.

Canada has a Conservative minority government right now that does have a core belief. It's that Canadians deserve a good stomping, all of them. Conservatives can't stand people, particularly if they're female, or second-generation Canadian, or educated, or principled, or not from Alberta, which is the home of the hard-right belly-bulging middle-aged Tory male. Watch them at the G8, ostensibly fighting for women's health internationally while blocking abortions for raped Congolese.

Harper cannot get a real majority. If the centre-right Liberals and the centre-left New Democrats would form a coalition, Harper would be toast and we'd get started on what we need: national day care, TGV trains, an economic strategy, a green strategy, oh a strategy for anything, a plan is all we seek."

She also gets in her usual American's are stupid redneck propoganda, along with the usual Conservative voters are stupid. Maybe us stupid Conservative's should let the Gaurdian know what we think of both Mallik and their paper.

Will The Geurgis PI Become Canada's Balloon Boy Story?

It seems like a new twist in the Geurgis/Jaffer every hour now. It seems that those pictures the private investigator had of the couple doing cocaine and partying hard now has toned down to "may have" We have CBC now reporting the investigator had 13 million in debt and was bankrupt. A report that he offered the Liberals the story and information first and they refused to hear it (my guess is Donolo is smart enough to know this whole story is going to blow up, and not on Geurgis and is distancing himself and the Liberal Party).

It's all quite a train-wreck really. But the more twists this PI and his story take, the more I think we might be seeing Canada's version of a bubble-boy story.

McGuinty Liberal MPP Sets New Standard In Partisan Spending

Remember the outrage from the opposition parties and media about partisan spending, referring to those photo-ops with Conservative MP's standing presenting those big cardboard cheques? It seems a member of Dalton McGuinty's caucus has one-upped his federal adversaries in quite an extreme way. Joe Dickson, my MPP here in Ajax seems to be quite photogenic. That picture is the cover of a 40 page flyer, that's right, 40 page flyer, that is being delivered throughout the riding houses in the local paper.

Now if I remember right, a certain Liberal strategist and pal of Dalton McGuinty thought the Conservative photo-ops were way over the top. Well, I counted the pictures in the flyer that contained Liberal MPP Joe Dickson and it's somewhere around 70. I also know that our local paper has quite expensive advertising rates. Just the printing costs of this flyer must be quite high. Ironically enough,Joe Dickson owns Dickson Printing here in Ajax, and it is a highly reputable company. Joe himself deserves enormous credit for his charity work throughout the years, and also that of his family.

But this flyer is one of the worst displays of partisan spending I can remember. I'm all for scrapping those ridiculous 10%ers the federal Conservatives inundate us with, but this is way over the top. Let's look at my top 10 list from this flyer of what critical updates we the people of Ajax-Pickering needed to know.

1) A Pizzeria grand opening.
2) A weight-loss clinic grand opening
3) Coyote Jack bar grand opening.
4) Hair salon opening.
5) A Muslim wedding (also attended by Dan Mcteague)
6) State Farm grand opening.
7) Italian Deli grand opening.
8) A tree planting
9) CIBC Branch opening.
10)SellOffVacations grand opening.

It's nice to see that at a time the province has a $20 billion deficit, our provincial government sees fit to blow cash on partisan spending like this.

p.s. I'll donate $100 to the charity of the persons choice who can verify what this flyer actually cost the taxpayers of Ontario.

Helena Geurgis For Ambassador To Denmark

With Helena Geurgis career continuing to spiral down the drain it's worth noting the contrast in styles between PM Stephen Harper and former PM Jean Chretien. Our PM, having been notified of possible wrongdoing or possible ethics violations, turfed Geurgis not only from cabinet, but also from caucus. He also took the extraordinary step of calling both the RCMP and ethics commissioner to look into the matter. Suffice to say, Geurgis is getting little sympathy for what she seems to have put on herself.

The usual culprits in the opposition parties, most notably the Liberals, and the usual cast of msm journalists seem to think the PM handled this badly. It's funny though. When the Liberal Party was neck-deep in a scandal involving kickbacks to the party, then PM Jean Chretien, rather than turf Alfonso Gagliano from caucus, instead gave him the plum posting of Ambassador to Denmark. Something many in the media called a shrewd move.

So in that vain, my vote goes to Helena Geurgis for Ambassador to Denmark.

Happy 90th Birthday

To my mom.

MSM Math: 6% Conservative Lead Is Dead Heat???

The headline re the latest Ipsos poll: Tories and Liberals still in dead heat: Poll

The story: The Conservatives have the support of 34 per cent of decided voters, down three percentage points from the last poll earlier this month, while the Liberals secured 28 per cent of voters, down one percentage point. The New Democratic Party was in third with 18 per cent of the vote; 10 per cent of Canadians would support the Green party.

Dan McTeague Replies

Received in my inbox from Liberal MP Dan Mcteague. In fairness to Mr. McTeague I have posted his email to me to allow his statement of the facts to be available to anyone wishing to see.


WITHOUT PREJUDICE
March 19, 2010
Paul:

I am contacting you regarding the March 16, 2010 posting on your blog, A CAW Workers Voice Of Reason (located at http://paulsrants-paulsstuff.blogspot.com/), entitled: “Questions Raised Over Dan McTeague’s Education Claims”.
The information contained in the posting contains statements that are erroneous and libelous in nature, and I hereby request that you remove it immediately.
For the record, an error did occur in my campaign literature for the 1992 liberal nomination of the then-called Ontario Riding. Regrettably, it went unnoticed for some time. However, corrective action was taken and a full and very public apology was given by me personally in front of my constituents and the media.
I wish now to advise you of some additional facts:

(1). In 1992, the Liberal nomination candidate referred to in the blog did seek the party’s nod for Ontario Riding as did I. He was soundly defeated and subsequently left the Liberal Party. He ran against me in 2006 General Election as a candidate for the Canadian Action Party. Regardless, since 1992, I can assure you that the individual has used every opportunity – whether in front of the electorate, local or national media - to vociferously attack my personal integrity.

(2). On the first day of the 1997 General Election, front page news in the Toronto Sun and on CTV’s National News was devoted to the issue of my academic credentials. I convened a press conference on that day and in front of the national media and the electorate I apologized for any errors made in any campaign materials. The story ran for several days and if anyone actually believes there was “nary a peep” from the national media they are severely mistaken.

(3).The individual in question has continued to attack my character for over fifteen years but he has not stopped with just me. As court documents note, the individual has been involved in numerous legal actions and activities involving over twenty different people.

(4). In February 2005 the individual was deemed a vexatious litigant by the Superior Court of Ontario. In September 2005, that ruling was upheld on appeal to the Ontario Court of Appeal. As such, the individual was prohibited from undertaking any further legal action against anyone unless first obtaining permission to do so from a Superior Court in Ontario. The individual was also ordered by the courts to pay me substantial awards.
The legal action taken against me that was noted by you was dismissed by the courts. However, there is no reference of that in the blog. Instead, your blog merely states that: “another Liberal candidate for the riding sued McTeague…” This leaves the impression that the candidate in question may have won his case. Moreover, you failed to mention the numerous other court rulings that went against the individual - culminating in the courts deeming him a vexatious litigant and taking away his right to legal redress without prior court approval.

The selective language used in your post can leave the impression that the lawsuit taken against me by that individual was successful. That is not a true reflection of the facts. In addition, I have been advised that the following sentences: “…a Liberal who did in fact falsify his academic credentials.” And “a prominent MP of a sitting government who falsified academic credentials…”, are statements void of substantiating facts and supporting evidence. As such, they are libelous and actionable.

It is my request that you remove the offending posting at the earliest possible opportunity.
Govern yourself accordingly.
Sincerely,
Hon. Dan McTeague, P.C., M.P.

At Mr. McTeagues request, I will delete the blog posting in question. And I will also hope that in the future, members of the opposition parties will hold themselves to the same account, including Mr. McTeague, when trying to smear or sully the reputation of a Conservative MP or candidate.

To take it a step further, Mr. McTeague is free to post here on Rahim Jaffer. It seems members of the Liberal Party , not Mr. McTeague himself,have found Jaffer guilty even though he was not convicted during Question Period a few days ago. Understanding fully Parliamentry Privelage, there is no excuse for the line of questioning from some Liberal MP's.

"Hon. Anita Neville (Winnipeg South Centre, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, members of the government are always quick to comment on any court judgment that does not align with their “get tough on crime” rhetoric. They always say, “You do the crime, you do the time”. What then is the government’s comment on a dangerous driver, in possession of illicit drugs who gets off with no record and a $500 slap on the wrist?"

Is Michael Ignatieff And The Liberal Party Releasing Uncensored Documents For Partisan Gain?

Further to my previous post, it seems more than a coincidence that the two most recent stories to grace the top spot on National Newswatch for a day seem to link back to individuals involved with Michael Ignatieff.

As noted by a commenter at Joanne's blog Blue Like You, Attaran and Ignatieff can be linked back to the Carr Center at Harvard.

And now today's top story at National Newswatch links to another individual with ties to Ignatieff, Wesley Wark, of the Munk Center.

What is most disturbing is that the two individuals claim to have seen uncensored versions of security documents. Perhaps it is just a coincidence, but if I were a member of the RCMP I think I would be questioning both individuals and demanding how and who allowed them to see said documents.

Attaran And Canadian Press Prove Government Wise Not To Release Sensitive Documents

National Newswatch, the new voice of the Liberal Party of Canada, continues to inadvertently show why the government has worries about releasing military documents that are sensitive to national security.

Let's start with the Attaran story:

"If the allegation is true, such actions would constitute a war crime, said University of Ottawa law professor Amir Attaran, who has been digging deep into the issue and told CBC News he has seen uncensored versions of government documents released last year.

"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," he said."

So exactly how was Attaran able to see uncensored documents? A university professor has connections to view documents regarding the government and military? More importantly, who passed along the uncensored documents?

Next is the Canadian Press, another bastion of Conservative hating propaganda:

"A copy of the document was obtained by The Canadian Press.

Military police “were involved in that, but they weren't necessarily involved in interviewing or interrogation related issues; that would be (censored) or some other parade that had special training in interrogation.”

Sources familiar with the unedited version say the blanked-out references are to CSIS.

Intelligence expert Wesley Wark says the revelations are disturbing, partly because CSIS would have had no specialized knowledge of how to elicit information from Afghan prisoners.

“I find that stunning,” said Mr. Wark, a historian at the University of Toronto."

OK, so who exactly are the sources? And again, how is it that a university historian is able to see such documents uncensored. Both of the above noted professors have ties to Michael Ignatieff, Attaran at the Carr centre and Wark at the Munk Cente (Professor Wesley K. Wark, Munk Centre for International Studies, University of Toronto):

"In 2005, Ignatieff was appointed a senior fellow at the University of Toronto’s Munk Centre for International Studies. Prior to that, he served as Director of the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard University for five years."

Perhaps in the next session of question period, the PM might point out to Ignatieff that the reason the government is apprehensive about releasing sensitive documents is that professors with Liberal ties are blabbing about in the the media the next day.

Proof Kevin Page Is An Idiot

"It's a good thing most Canadians are fixated on the Vancouver Olympics right now.

Otherwise we'd have to think about Canada's horrendous budgetary deficit.

Then along comes Kevin Page and wakes us up in the midst of our Olympic euphoria.

Page, Canada's parliamentary budget chief, is predicting a deficit crisis in Canada as our population ages.

Forget today's deficit. With rising health care and social security costs we're looking at astronomical numbers facing us.

His message? Without a strong plan including immediate spending cuts and massive hikes in taxes, we're in deep doo doo.


The Fiscal Sustainability Report released Thursday by Page says without action now -- not 10 years from now -- the deficit will rise to 100% of GDP by 2050-51 from 33.8% of GDP in 2013-14. And if left unchecked, Canada could be running an annual deficit of four times the size of the economy by 2084-85, the report says."

Wow. This guy has some kind of supernatural ability to see 40 years into the future. He must know in his crystal ball what interest rates will be for that period. Imagine being able to predict economic growth 40 years into the future. Or Canada's GDP 40 years into the future. He also apparently knows what will be in the Canada Pension Plan fund, the rates of unemployment for the next 40 years, etc.

2084-2085? Come on, this guy has jumped the shark so bad from being useful and doing his job to being a partisan hack it's beyond the funny stage. Perhaps he hasn't noticed that most economists have upgraded the prospects for Canada's economy and growth this year, which already alters their numbers put out just months ago.

Jack Layton: Canada's Greatest Hypocrite!

So Jack Layton is demanding the PM cancel the upcoming corporate tax cuts and instead spend that money money on aboriginals and the homeless. Says it's the right way to go. One problem Jack, and I'll put it on the record now as I'm sure nobody in the msm will bother to bring it up.

Those same corporate tax cuts you demand be rescinded are the same ones you had no problem passing through in your quest to get you and your wife a cabinet seat and limo:

"Layton referred tangentially to the choice we face when explaining at the press conference Monday why he abandoned his demand that corporate tax cuts be reversed in order to achieve a coalition with Liberal leader Stephane Dion and Bloc leader Gilles Duceppe.

"It's actually done with the notion that people who have had differences of opinion, sometimes quite profound, might be able to find issues and avenues and strategies and ways forward together in difficult circumstances," he said."

So be my guess Mr. Layton, spin away!!!

IS Ekos Head Frank Graves Part Of The Coalition Pact?

It seems the CBC and Ekos release new polls almost daily, with Liberal puppet Jane Taber and Ekos head Frank Graves giving us a rundown on what the polling data means. Of course Graves always manages to put the pro-Liberal, anti-Conservative spin on things, but something he said in his latest explanation of polling data was quite interesting:

"Mr. Graves says it is now apparent that no political party “can currently produce anything approaching a legitimate mandate to govern the country.”

The only way through this, he says, is for voters to start looking at “options like coalitions if they want to avoid fractious minority rule.”


Hmmm. Is this the newest talking point for the Bloc-NDP-Liberal coalition? We've been seeing tell-tale signs in the recent past that indicates the coalition is alive and well. And now Frank Graves seems to be telling us we should be embracing the thought of a coalition as it would avoid a minority Parliament.

And surely Graves knows that a minority government is legitimate. Perhaps he hasn't noticed the Conservatives under PM Stephen Harper have been in power since January 2006. Come to think of it, that's as long as some of Chretien's MAJORITY Liberal governments. The only blip being the 2008 election, where the Conservatives increased their seat count. it's also odd he says we should be looking at a coalition government, while not mentioning having an election to get that exact result.

The thing is I think the only minority Parliament Graves, Taber, Travers and the other useful Liberal media and pollsters don't want is one led by Stephen Harper. If Ignatieff was leading the polls I'm sure a minority government wouldn't be so hard to accept for the usual culprits. Not to mention the fact Liberals would throw their coalition partners to the curb if they thought they weren't needed.

The Olympics-A Great Time To Be Canadian, Unless You work For The CBC

So far the Olympics have been fantastic, The opening ceremony was awe inspiring. Canada has had a decent showing in medal wins so far, including the first ever gold won on Canadian soil by a Canadian athlete. People viewing the Olympics via TV and the net see the scenic beauty that is Vancouver and British Columbia.

And the CBC seems to be doing everything within it's power, not to mention billion dollar budget from Canadian taxpayers, to be the downer of the party. Much of CBC's coverage has been pathetic.

1. Not enough french.
2. Too many white people.
3. Not enough natives.
4. Too much money spent on athletes.
5. Not enough money spent on athletes.
6. PM playiong partisan games paying for own tickets.
7. Michael Ignatieff not playing partisan games paying for own tickets.
8. Canada's fault for death in luge.
9. Canadian luge team to blame for death by hogging practice time.
10. Donavan Bailey not invited to join opening ceremony.

The list goes on. If anybody at the CBC reads this, you can see why the writing is on the wall for your public funding to be pulled. Giving you taxpayer dollars is like funding TMZ. Worthless gossip nobody cares about.

A Challenge To TD Bank CEO Ed Clark

In light of the fact you seem to be kowtowing the Liberal agenda of raising taxes, along with your TD co-horts, let's see how much skin you really have in the game. Here is my challenge to you Mr. Clark.

I'm prepared to post on my blog or a site of your choice any of my personal tax returns for the past six years, with all personal privacy information omitted. In return, you also post one of your personal tax returns in similar fashion from one of the past six years.

If you pay your fair share of taxes based on income you should have no issue in posting said information. I await your response.

A Door To Door Salesman Who Won't Come Back...

My blogging has been sporadic for some time now due to the amount of time I'm spending working. 7 day weeks 60-70 hours is the norm. The good news is in another month things will be getting back to normal and I can spend more time on the blog.

As you can imagine, home time is important to me as I'm spending so much time at the office. Saturday I arrived home, prepared a quick meal, and two bites in the door bell rang. I'm not impressed. Opening the door I'm greeted by one of the morons selling natural gas contracts. I point out the No Solicitors sign on the door and he says he doesn't know what that means.

I then tell him I'm not interested, and regardless he goes into his selling spiel. This happens three times. Finally I tell him I'm not interested, sorry, and shut the door. And what do I hear? Him calling me a F#$@ing idiot. So out the door I go, telling him to watch his mouth and get off my property. His reaction? He shoves me. Big mistake! Despite the fact I'm coming up on 50 years of age and he's in his early twenties, and six inches taller, he quickly finds himself crumpled on the ground.

I again tell him to leave. Now a smarter person would have taken the hint. But him? Nope. Calls me a F%#@ing C!@#sucker and comes at me again. Kick to the chest, knee to the jaw, a few strikes, and he's flat out on the ground.

The moral of the story? Never judge a book by it's cover. While I look far from menacing, 5-foot-6 with grey hair and glasses, I did spend some years doing martial arts fighting long before anyone ever heard of the UFC.

I'm guessing he won't come back.

Jack Layton Gets An A+, Ralph Goodale F

Jack Layton deserves credit for his remarks on Powerplay yesterday with Jane Taber. When discussing the Haiti tragedy, Jane Taber asked about the effect the House being prorogued on relief efforts for the earthquake. Rather than try and score cheap partisan political points, Layton took the high road and stated that the important issue was helping Haitians in the relief effort and assisting the PM in said cause. He also went on to state that regardless of the HoC being prorogued, that the House would not have been sitting until January 25th so it had no effect on the governments ability to provide relief.

Contrast that with Liberal Ralph Goodale, who somehow managed to link proroguement of the House as damaging to relief efforts. Couple that with John "Chevy" McCallum's recent rants throwing Paul Martin under the bus as knowingly handing Afghan detainees over to be abused.

http://thealbertaardvark.blogspot.com/2010/01/john-mccallum-blames-martin-and-graham.html

Peter Donolo must be so proud!!

Opposition Parties Were Against Working For Canadians Not That Long Ago.

It's really kind of pathetic when you think about it. The opposition parties crying about the house not sitting for 28 days. The MSM also frothing at the bit about how Canadians are up in arms about MP's not working (completely omitting the fact they should be in their constituency offices working).

What's really ironic is that when presented with chances to extend hours before, the opposition parties decided to vote against extended sitting hours for two weeks prior to summer shutdown.

"OTTAWA – All three Opposition parties have joined together to defeat a traditional government motion to extend the working hours of parliament for the final two weeks of the session, putting important legislation at risk.

“It’s clear the Opposition are not interested in the hard work necessary to address priorities that matter to my constituents and to all Canadians,” says Battlefords-Lloydminster, MP, Hon. Gerry Ritz. The Conservative government moved to ask parliament to extend the hours of parliamentary business to 11 p.m. for the next two weeks, as is the long-standing practise of the House of Commons. It was defeated Monday evening by a vote of 139 to 114 with all Opposition members voting against.

“Canadians elect Members of Parliament to work on their behalf and they expect them to put in the time required, to show up to vote and to be prepared to attend for longer hours as necessary,” says Ritz. Extended sitting hours were officially formalized by parliament in 1982 as a way to complete or advance business prior to summer break. On 11 previous occasions, the motion has never before been defeated.

Now correct me if I'm wrong, and I'll search for the link, but I'm pretty sure the opposition parties voted against extended hours last year as well. Even more surprising is I think a certain CBC blogger, previously employed by Macleans, blogged that this was embarrassing for the Conservative government because it was the first time that motion had been defeated by opposition parties. And I don't recall her screaming how it was undemocratic, let alone starting a facebook page to protest the lazy actions of the opposition parties.

Update: Yes, my memory was correct. Here is what former ITQ girl Kady thought about the opposition parties refusing to work extended hours in 2009 to pass legislation before summer recess. Perhaps someone could point out where she implies it's undemocratic or unfair for opposition MP's not to follow parliamentry tradition.

"By Kady O'Malley - Tuesday, June 9, 2009 at 12:29 PM
So, do y’all remember what happened last year, when Peter Van Loan achieved the dubious notoriety of becoming the first government house leader in Canadian parliamentary history to lose a vote on a routine motion to extend sitting hours before the summer recess? Well, I’m watching CPAC right now, and it looks like Jay Hill may be about to become the second. I’ll let you know what happens after the vote.

UPDATE: Still voting, but all three opposition parties appear to be voting against the motion, which means that it will come down to which side was able to get more MPs in the House on short (well, fifteen minutes) notice.

FINAL UPDATE: Yup, that’s one dead motion. Expect a snarlingly self-righteous press release from Hill’s office within the hour.

AFTERTHOUGHTDATE: As I just noted to a friend via email, “To lose a routine motion to extend the sitting hours once is a tragedy; twice looks like carelessness.” (On the off".