Alberta votes to keep the right progressive. With the Federal Conservatives looking more like the Wildrose party and working to help the party, and not the Progressive Conservatives, has the relationship been strained?
Posted in Alberta, election, News, politics
Tagged Alberta, alberta election, alison redford, canada, Conservatives, Danielle Smith, election, Majority, only 20 seats, PC, Personal computer, politics, progressive, Progressive Conservative, Progressive Conservatives, right-wing, wildrose, Wildrose Alliance Party
Danielle Smith and the Wildrose Caucus, (R to L) Guy Boutilier, Heather Forsyth, Danielle Smith, Paul hinman, Rob Anderson (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
In an interesting twist of fate Alberta, long a stronghold for the Conservatives, is going through some family issues. Till death do us part is not the motto for conservatives today. Alberta is going through growing pains. With an influx of Canadians, of all stripes, change seems to be affecting the province as a whole. The Wildrose party has surged in popularity, but will it last? Cracks in the foundation are already apparent; with Wildrose members sounding both intolerant of immigrants and out of step with Canadian values. In some sense we can draw a comparison to the Republican Party in the United States. With forces split between what is seen as moderates, like Mitt Romney and The Tea Party elements of the Republicans. I sense that this is more of a protest vote; similar to the ADQ in Quebec. The Progressive Conservatives are holding true to the name “progressive”, but will the residents of Alberta give them another chance. With the election near Wildrose party members are under close scrutiny. Can the Wildrose Party grow into a sustainable political force? Or will they continue to bloom and show their true colours?
An interesting game of poker is taking place in Ontario and it seems that the Liberals may have the best hand. Who has the most to lose? At the moment it’s the NDP. No one wants an election and I suspect that if one is called you can kiss all of those NDP seats goodbye. Both the NDP and the Tories cannot afford an election at the moment. In a funny sense if the NDP votes against the budget I am sure the Tories will end up having to support it. The Liberals be in the best position if an election is called. So who will blink first?
Posted in News, Ontario, politics, The Economy
Tagged budget, Conservatives, Dalton, Liberal, Liberal Party of Canada, Liberals, NDP, New Democratic Party, Ontario, Ontario New Democratic Party, PC, politics, Tories, Tory
Harper wins big in the election
OTTAWA — Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Wednesday he will reach out to all parties during the global financial meltdown after his Conservative Party won in national elections but fell short of a parliamentary majority.
Harper had called Tuesday’s elections early in hopes of getting his party a majority, and in doing so he became the first major world leader to face voters since the financial crisis.
Instead, the Conservatives will once again be forced to rely on opposition support to pass budgets and legislation — as it has had to since a 2006 election victory.
Harper sought to put a good face on the results Wednesday, pointing to an increased number of seats and pledging cooperation.
“We have shown that minority government can work and at this time of global economic instability we owe it to Canadians to demonstrate this once again,” Harper said. “We hold out a hand to all members of all parties asking them to join together to protect the economy and weather this world financial crisis.”
With nearly all the returns in, Canada’s election agency reported on its Web site that the Conservatives had won or was leading in races for 143 of Parliament’s 308 seats, an improvement over the 127 seats the party had in the previous Parliament.
The Conservative Party needed to win 155 seats to govern on its own.
The Liberal Party, long Canada’s top party, suffered a severe drubbing, dropping to 76 seats from 95 in the previous Parliament, according to the election agency. Bloc Quebecois won 50 seats, the New Democrats 37 and independent candidates 2.
Liberal Party leader Stephane Dion, in his concession to Harper, offered his “full cooperation in these difficult economic times.”
The party winning the most seats generally forms the government, with its leader becoming prime minister. The opposition parties could unite and topple Harper if they won enough seats for a majority, but analysts said that was unlikely because the parties have no tradition of forming such coalitions.
The opposition Liberals have typically been the party in power, forming the government for most of Canada’s 141 years. But the left-of-center vote was divided among four parties, giving an edge to the Conservatives.
Dion’s campaign was hindered by his unpopular plan to tax all fossil fuels except gasoline and by perceptions he is a weak leader. A former professor from French-speaking Quebec, Dion also suffered in other regions because he frequently mangles English grammar and his accent makes him hard to understand.
Dion said Canadians have asked him to be their official opposition leader, a signal that he’s not ready to step down at this point.
If Dion was ousted as leader after a loss, he would be just the second Liberal leader to fail to become Canada’s prime minister. The only other was Edward Blake, who led the party to defeat in the 1882 and 1887 elections.
Many Canadians complained Harper was slow to react as the global credit crisis worsened. He hurt himself by saying during a debate that Canadians were not concerned about jobs or mortgages. A few days later, he said stocks were cheap — just before Canada’s main stock exchange had its worst week in almost 70 years.
Harper later said he knows Canadians are worried and stressed that Canada’s economic and fiscal performance contrasts to the more dire situation in the United States.
Voter turnout Tuesday about 59 percent, the lowest in Canadian history. It was unclear how much stringent new proof-of-identity requirements affected the turnout.
Posted in Canada, GTA Issues, GTA Politics, News, Ontario, Toronto, World
Tagged Bloc, canada, Canadians, dion, economy, Edward Blake, election result, elections, Green party, Harper, History, Layton, leadership, lowest in history, May, missed a majority, NDP, politics, proof-of-identity, requirements
Make sure you vote!
In my estimation, these are the errors each leader made during this campaign. They are in no particular order, however I welcome your comments.
1. Called the election in the first place, knowing that Canadians wanted the minority government to remain, as is. We wanted everyone to work “together”.
2. The perceived indifference to voters and the electorate during these tough economic times.
3. Hoping to get the election done, before the market meltdown, the Conservatives hoped to get a majority government.
4. Telling Canadians that there were “good deals to be made on the stock market now”.
5. Trying to give leeway, albeit the judges, and more options in allowing 14 year old criminals to be placed as adults in court or placing them in jail for longer periods of time.
6. Cutting off Arts funding and then flip-flopping on that plan. He totally misread the importance of this issue, and the crime bill, in Quebec.
7. The “optics”, no matter how true it may be, of telling Canadians that the “fundementals are sound“. A leader must be able to tell Canadians that he/she will do something, even if nothing is to be done. Canadians need that assurance, however you may feel about that situtation.
8. Offering no ease to the manufacturing section or some kind of plan. People are hurting and loosing jobs in Ontario and Quebec. The perception is that he is uncaring. I know that this is not true, but the the optics are bad.
1. The Green Shift. You may agree with it, however it needed to be implemented in a different fashion. The economic meltdown has destroyed this plan (albeit unfairly). You need to explain it in layman terms. Just give us the basics. They allowed the Conservatives to control the message. Carbon taxes are not a bad thing and even conservative economists believe it is the best way to deal with taxes. This reminds me of the religious school funding issue in Ontario and how it played out.
2. The unfair perception of Leadership in this campaign. Somehow the Liberals needed to fix that.
3. Not offering clear and precise answers to Canadian voters.
4. Again restoring to “don’t split the vote and vote for the Greens or NDP“. The scaremongering was low! Yes, they just came to my door and told me that and it really pissed me off! This is a democracy, I will vote based on the issues and who “I” feel is the best option for Canada. I do not vote based on fear.
5. The anybody but Harper campaign. I am starting to wonder, can you not offer anything better than that? Old tactics, which makes me believe that they are worried about Jack Layton.
1. Should have “never” tried to stop Elizabeth May and the Greens from appearing in the debate.
2. They should have got their message out even more in the media. Tell people what you are going to do.
1. Going after a blogger for trying to post a video/audio of her telling Canadians that they were “too stupid”. If you listened to the entire phrase you would understand that she was actually making sense. However, this is a free Country and threatening a mere blogger is a pretty junior mistake. let people decide for themselves.
1. There biggest mistake is ignoring the NDP in Quebec. They may be in for a surprise come election day.
2. Not running candidates outside of Quebec.
3. Instead of looking for a way to break up the Country, find a cause of unify the country with Quebec culture. I will never understand, if we are a bilingual country, why we were not ingrained in learning French while growing up. Look at some of the European countries and how successful those strategies are.
In the end I cannot tell you who will win and loose. It is too close to call. I know what would happen if people voted how they wanted to. I can only say that Elizabeth May and Jack Layton seemed to perform the best. They had the least amount of gaffs and missteps. The Dion and Harper have not looked good through this election. I sense that the electorate would love to punish both of them and send the NDP and Greens to Parliament in force. However I sense the fear. Even though they want to vote Green or NDP they fear giving the Liberals or Conservatives a majority. The Liberals have done a good job and swaying voters in that manner. That is not a democratic ideal. Our soilders fought in wars for YOUR FREEDOM TO VOTE, so use it! Vote you conscience! Canada will go on no matter which major party is in power. Although I do not agree with his policies, Harper is NOT the devil.
You should not fear making any mistakes when voting. There are no mistakes when you vote based on your conviction and what you believe makes Canada better. If you want to vote Green than do so. If you want to vote for Jack Layton and the NDP, than do so. For the day we start voting based on fear, it is no longer a democracy! it is not longer Canada.
By: Andy MJ
a.k.a The G.T.A Patriot
Posted in Canada, election, News, politics, Quebec, World
Tagged Bloc Quebecois, Campaign, Conservatives, Decima Poll, democracy, dion, economy, Elizabeth May, green, House of Commons, how to vote, jack layton, jobs in Ontario, Layton, Liberals, Majority, May, Michaëlle Jean, minority, mistakes, NDP, not voting, October 14 election, please vote, politics, polls, Progressive Conservatives, Stéphane Dion, The election, The Green Party, Trudeau, voting
OTTAWA – A new poll suggests the federal election race is tightening as party leaders head into the home stretch.
With just over a week until voting day, a new survey suggests Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservatives have dipped to 34 per cent in support – still 10 points ahead of the Liberals but short of levels needed to win a majority.
With just over a week until voting day, a new survey suggests Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservatives have dipped to 34 per cent in support – still 10 points ahead of the Liberals but short of levels needed to win a majority.
The Canadian Press Harris-Decima survey put NDP support at 20 per cent and the Greens at 13 per cent, while the Bloc Quebecois had eight per cent nationally and was leading in Quebec with 33 per cent.
Harris-Decima president Bruce Anderson says the latest results suggest Tory hopes for a majority are dimmer than at any time since the campaign began a month ago.
The rolling survey interviewed 1,236 people Wednesday through Saturday and is considered accurate to within 2.8 percentage points, 19 times out of 20 – though the margin is higher for regional samples.
More information on the poll is available at www.harrisdecima.ca
A new poll suggests the Conservatives have solidified a substantial lead over their closest rivals, thanks at least in part to a lack of confidence in Liberal helmsman Stéphane Dion. The Canadian Press Harris-Decima poll, conducted Sept. 10-13, gave the Conservatives 40 per cent support across Canada, followed by the Liberals at 26 per cent.
Posted in Canada, election, GTA Politics
Tagged ads, canada, Conservative, Conservative Alliance, Conservatives, dion, Harper, money, NDP, Ontario, Ontario Progressive Conservative Party, PC, politics, Prime Minister, Quebec, Reform Party, Stéphane Dion, Stephen Harper, Tories, Toronto Conservatives, Tory
Published: Monday, September 08, 2008
The Green Party of Canada
OTTAWA – Elizabeth May said her party will pursue legal action against a consortium of TV networks, which decided Monday to exclude the Green leader from the televised leaders’ debates on grounds that three other leaders said they would boycott the show if she were allowed to share the stage.
A defiant May accused the party leaders of preserving a tight “old-boys club” and the networks of turning their backs on democracy instead of calling the leaders’ bluff on their warnings of being no-shows.
“Day 2 of the Canadian election and democracy has taken a nosedive,” the May told a news conference on Parliament Hill.
May said the Greens intend to go to court, likely Tuesday, to challenge the networks for shutting her out of the debates when her party is running candidates in all federal ridings but one, had one MP at dissolution and secured 4.5 per cent of the vote in the 2006 federal election.
“This is anti-democratic, closed-door decision making . . . to keep out the one woman of a political party,” said May.
Read more at the link below:
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=e726c5b9-aa01-440a-8cdc-6711890656fc
Posted in Canada, GTA Politics, Ontario, politics, Toronto, World
Tagged canada, Change, Debate, democracy, dion, election, Elizabeth May, fear, federal election, green, Harper, Layton, old boys network, politics, Poverty, Public Transit, seats, the end of democracy, The Green Party, The time for change, Votes, why are they afraid
Light-rail for the Eglinton crosstown route
Leave the Transit City plan alone and do not attempt to hijack the Eglinton-Crosstown line or any other part of the Transit City plan. Who am I speaking to? Well none other than Metrolinx. The organizational body in charge of coordinating transit plans across the city. The Eglinton-crosstown line will meet the needs of Toronto. I will not go back into my opinions on the ill-fated and wasted expense of a subway extension to Vaughan and the political interference in that situation.
The Eglinton-crosstown line will essentially be underground from the Leslie area, through the mid-point of the city. The question is should it be upgraded to handle a full subway or should it link to the Scarborough RT and its “upgraded vehicles”. Its starting to sound like the same old political interference that happened when the original RT was supposed to be a streetcar/LRT on a dedicated ROW. We ended up with those wonderful mini-trains (UTDC), which of course can barely handle a Canadian winter. I do not have all of the details, however you can read more on The Toronto LRT Information Page. Sure it is not a full subway, but we do not need one on Eglinton. The character and charm of light-rail can work, if it is done right! The Eglinton line will be just fine, as long as there is no political and 3rd party interference. The danger, as always, is that if we leave it to the politicians, we may end up again with something we cannot afford or a half completed job. If you really want to get to the airport, I doubt you will be taking the Eglinton line anyway. Maybe Metrolinx should concentrate their time and effort on other solutions or GO Transit? However, don’t take my word for it. Check out the following link for information on LRT (light-rail transit) and get informed. We do not need more empty promises. We do not need another group attempting to undermine a good plan. Keep it simple and lets just get something done for the city of Toronto and now!
By: Andy MJ
a.k.a. The G.T.A Patriot
More information on LRT (Light-rail) is available at http://lrt.daxack.ca/
Posted in GTA Development, GTA Issues, GTA Politics, Ontario, Public Transit
Tagged David Miller, Don Mills, Eglinton, Eglinton Crosstown LRT, Eglinton Line, jane, Light Rail Transit, Light-rail, LRT, Metrolinx, plan, politics, Public Transit, Sheppard, streetcar, Subway, Toronto, trams, Transit City, TTC, Vaughan
The fledgling Reform Party of Ontario is appealing to Progressive Conservatives disillusioned with party leader John Tory to join their right-wing ranks. In an email appeal apparently sent to thousands of Tories in recent days, the new party claims Reform is “the new home” for people who support the policies of former premier Mike Harris.
“Mike Harris brought sanity to Ontario with two majority governments. Sadly, since Iron Mike retired, we’ve seen Ontario slide badly,” says the missive, which invites people to a June 21 meeting in London.
“The Liberals, bolstered by the ineffectual opposition of John Tory and (NDP Leader) Howard Hampton, will continue to bring Ontario more of the same,” it continues.
“There is an alternative. The Common Sense Revolution didn’t die. It just has a new home … the Reform Party of Ontario.”
A source close to Harris emphasized the former premier has nothing to do with the group and did not give permission for his name to be used.
“During the early 1990s, when Reform was growing federally, Mike Harris was successful in keeping Reform out of provincial politics,” noted the Harris confidant.
Reform takes its name from the defunct Western-based party that splintered from the federal Progressive Conservatives and enabled the Liberals to govern for 13 years until Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s reunited Conservatives took power in 2006.
Andrew Long, the party’s chief financial officer, said he is not worried about the same thing happening in Ontario. Long said the party is home to former federal Reformers as well as provincial Tories and Liberals, and members of the radical rural group, the Ontario Landowners Association.
“I am not happy with John Tory whatsoever,” he said, noting Tory “single-handedly lost the election” last Oct. 10 with the controversial pledge to expand funding of faith-based schools.
While Reform ran two candidates in that election, the party hopes to field a larger slate in the 2011 vote.
Party leader Brad Harness, a former federal Reform member, said yesterday word of the burgeoning movement has spread through the Internet.
“We’re really pleased by the response,” said Harness.
Posted in Canada, GTA Issues, GTA Politics, Ontario, Toronto
Tagged Common Sense, Conservatives, Iron Mike, John Tory, Mike Harris, Ontario, PC, politics, prejudice, racism, Reform, Reform Party of Ontario, Republicans, right-winged, Tory, Traitors
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