Iffy's Problems Just Won't End

Iffy's woes just won't end. With everything else, now Iffy is having candidate problems.  A few days ago the Liberal Candidate in Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke quit, I think that made it about the 6th in a short time.
Now we have this Liberal candidate bombshell     BTW.  I don't see many members of MSM reporting on this, another example of covering for the Libs.  A CPC candidate on the other hand it would be plastered all over the place.   

A city councillor and federal Liberal candidate in Chatham-Kent, Ont., has been charged with forcible confinement, assault and four counts of uttering threats.Chatham-Kent police arrested Steven Pickard, 40, on Monday afternoon. 

What will Iffy do with?  I would say he has no choice but to let him go and search for another but then again what has he done with Pablo Rodriguez.  After Pablo  was charged with  refusing a breathalyzer test, Iffy has been more or less silent and has done nothing about his member.

Iffy has had a lot of problems. Candidate problems is just one example of a litany of woes the Liberal leader has, it's a party that has unity problems  mainly the Bob Rae camp breathing down his neck,  a party that has trouble raising funds, no policy, and don't know what they stand for, "coalition if necessary but not necessarily a coalition,"

Mr. Iffy can't get any traction with voters.  He will once , spend the summer touring the country this time in a bus to introduce himself once again and to try to connect with Joe and Mary sixpack.  I think Joe and Mary have pretty well made up their mind. 

While Iffy is floundering  trying to rectify his problems, PM Harper is doing very well. He just concluded a successful G8/G20 summits hosting world leaders, and now hosting the Queen and her husband Prince Philip. Yes PM Harper is class act and is getting things done for Canada.  We are in good hands!  I think Joe and Mary can see that and in due time they will get to make a choice.

Summits Put Nation Sovereignty Back In Style

These summits were a win for the PM. It seems that nation sovereignty is back in style. The UN could very well be loosing it's influence. Thanks to PM Stephen Harper ,with his competence,statesmanship and common sense, has been able to influence world leaders to see  that one size does not fit all. Each country should tailor their responses to the different challenges they face according to their resources and needs.They all agreed to deficit and debt reduction but to do it in their own way.
Another example is the Copenhagen Climate Change Summit.  There was no consensus, each country went away more or less to cut their so called emissions in their own way voluntarily.

The Globe and Mail. talks about how the nation-state is back in the light of the G8/G20 summits. 

The nation-state is back, or rather, it never really went away. In the context of the G8 and G20 summits, sovereign states have now clearly resurfaced in a new form, with numerous complex groupings and linkages among states. The International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organization will continue to furnish particular services, but large, unwieldy, all-inclusive multilateral bodies on the United Nations model will not be the way forward.
It was notable at the Toronto summit, for example, that the United States and South Korea strengthened their bilateral trade and military relationships, and that Canada and India entered into a nuclear agreement. By contrast, the schedule for the completion of the international Doha Round trade negotiation was left open-ended.

.                                            **********************************

The middle-power theory of Canada was a concept of the comparatively idealistic Pearsonian period. But it may apply even better in the more perplexing multipolar world in which Prime Minister Stephen Harper has shown some deftness in positioning Canada.

Canada is no longer a country with little or no influence. We have been punching above our weight and are being noticed again.  PM Stephen Harper is in large part responsible for that and we should be proud.. We are no longer moving in concert with what the UN (Israel, global warming etc), or special interest  dictates. We are all sovereign nations and it should stay that way. 
These summits were clearly a win, win for everyone. That's what makes all the socialist, one world lefties all in a tizzy.  They are losing.  The losing on global warming.  They losing on one world wealth distribution.  They're losing on providing abortions for everyone.
That suits me quite fine.

Kudos to John Ibbitson for Kudos to the PM

John Ibbitson from the Globe, unusually gives the PM kudos this morning for accomplishments that were made at this weekend's G8/G20 summits.

While much of the chatter around the G20 summit has focused on fake lakes, billion-dollar budgets and burning police cars, the greater reality is that Stephen Harper guided the leaders of the world's largest and most influential economies to an accord – call it the Toronto Consensus – that surprised even the leaders themselves.

The leaders agreed on targets for deficit and debt reduction, maternal health initiative, and the best of all was killing the global bank tax.

Mr. Ibbitson then takes on the detractors.

Opposition politicians – and those who just don't like Mr. Harper very much – will continue to lament these blemishes. Otherwise, they would have to acknowledge what the Prime Minister has accomplished over the weekend, both at the G20 and at the G8, where Mr. Harper secured an agreement to increase funding for maternal and child health.

The way I see it, these back to back summits were a resounding success if you take out the thugs who caused all the chaos in downtown Toronto. We should count our blessings that we have PM Harper at the helm of our country.  PM Harper is a true statesman,works well with and is very well liked and respected by his counterparts.
 Thank you to Mr. Ibbitson for the unusually  positive  piece on PM Harper and his accomplishments.

Speaker Miliken to Step Down?

Rumors are floating around that Speaker of the House, Peter Miliken is going to step down..

Local Liberals are tight-lipped about whether Peter Milliken's traditional summer barbecue for his supporters is going to be his last. 
Milliken has called a news conference to follow the annual members-only barbecue at his house near Elginburg.

Milliken has not only never held a news conference after the annual garden party, but no Kingston reporter can recall him holding a news conference, ever.
Even when he chooses to run for re-election, he makes his announcement with a written statement.

Local federal Liberals have been selling party memberships for weeks and there is only one reason they would be doing that -- to elect a successor if Milliken has chosen to step aside.

He could announce that he will not stand in the next federal election, but that may not be until 2012

 Does the CPC have chance at winning that riding?  Possibly, I don't know.   Will he announce he's stepping down or he is going to say?  What is this mysterious newser going to be about? Stay tuned folks, it will  be interesting to see!

Wildrose Alliance Convention

This weekend is a major milestone for the Wildrose Alliance Party, a true conservative party in which policy will be set. It will be the first Annual General Meeting since Danielle Smith took over as leader late last fall. The party has been steadily growing in numbers, funds and popularity. So much so that it has become a real threat to Ed Stelmach's PCs.
  This weekend in Red Deer, policy will be debated and voted on as they get ready to gear up for a general election that is expected to be held in approx. 2yrs.
Members will also get a say in how Danielle Smith is doing as leader.  I know as a member but not able to attend the AGM, think she's doing a great job as leader and will make a fantastic Premier. I believe change is in the air and Albertans are going to throw the PCs out after 40yrs in power.

As the Wildrose Alliance's members decide what policies will guide it toward the next provincial election, Smith will have to navigate a balance between far-right and moderate voices and show the party is about more than oil royalty issues.

I  hope the policies that are decided on will lead us into the next election with a win in the end.  Good luck guys!  I'll be there in spirit.

Sidenote: Former PC MLA for Fort McMurray, Guy Boutilier has joined the Wildrose Alliance caucus.
Welcome aboard, Guy!

Heads Should Roll

Should it be CBC heads or CSIS Director Richard Fadden? Norman Spector points out that CBC sat on that interview for some time.

Here in Canada, on the other hand, we’ve just seen the worst in journalism, with the CBC’s broadcast of an interview in which CSIS Director Richard Fadden states that a number of Canadian politicians are influenced by foreign states. Now, politicians and pundits are criticizing Mr. Fadden for making this statement. And calls for his resignation are being heard across the land.
How does the broadcast of this interview reflect the worst in journalism, you ask?
Buried within Colin Freeze and Ian Bailey’s fine report of the interview fallout in Thursday’s Globe and Mail, we read: “The timing of the CBC interview was not Mr. Fadden’s choice. This spring, CBC approached him to repeat remarks he had made at a private, but videotaped, speech at the Royal Canadian Military Institute. The public broadcaster kept the interview in its back pocket until it broadcast the exclusive this week.”
In other words, CBC sat on the explosive interview for weeks, if not months. And it chose to make the interview public on the eve of a state visit to Canada by China’s President Hu, and on the eve of a summit to be attended both by him and by the Prime Minister of India.
Shame on the people who made that judgment. Heads should roll all right – heads at the CBC.

Even though CBC had sat on that interview, Fadden shouldn't have made a statement like that in public that he later backtracks on.
Makes you wonder why CBC waited to to air that interview on the eve of the G8 and G20 summits. Worst in journalism? Norman Spector is right on.
Heads roll? You bet! Again, Norman Spector's got it right, heads at CBC should roll. CSIS director Fadden? I think so. He's got some splainin' to do so does CBC for that matter as far as I'm concerned. Kudo's to Globe and Mail and Norman Spector for calling CBC out!

Update: Dave Rutherford talks about this on his show. It is a must listen. Starts about 9:00am goes to on after the bottom of the hour news.

PM Harper's One on One with David Akin

PM Harper had a one on one interview with the Sun's David Akin.  It's a prime example of how an interview should be conducted.  No gotcha's, no fluff, no frivolous topics.  It was professional, substantive, informative and respectful.  Here is just a sample:

AKIN: I wanted to begin with some broader foreign policy stuff. I had a chat with [former Foreign Affairs deputy minister] Peter Harder the other day and it was his impression - probably mine, too - that when you and the Conservatives took office, you might have been skeptical of the value of summits. And Peter actually found you - and this is his phrase - “incurious” about the world but, as he watched you, he found you engaged in summits and that you’d become a master of whatever happens at these summits and you now see a value about them.
HARPER: My observation would be that, generally, opposition parties are almost exclusively concerned with domestic policy. I think if you look around the globe, David, that’s what you’ll find. And then when you become government, foreign policy becomes a much bigger part of your reality. I would say the one thing that has really struck me in the last four years has been the degree to which everything is international. There are just so many important issues . Economy - the biggest one - climate change, you just go through the list, even sport with Canada hosting the Olympics. Everything now has such important international dimensions. The economy especially. There’s lots we’re doing in Canada to improve the relative performance of the Canadian economy. And we talk about how we’re doing better than the Americans or better than other Western developed economies but nevertheless the trajectory of our economy is still determined by what’s happening globally because we’re in a global economy.
So that would be my biggest observation. The military is another thing - Afghanistan, our defence and military policies are all part of an international system. So we really are in a global world. There’s not much that can’t be done without reference to foreign policy - especially in Canada - without reference to the United States because obviously we’re in a very integrated economy.

Read the rest of the interview here.

Kudos to Mr. Akin for showing how to conduct a respectful interview!   Other so called journalists should read this interview and take lessons.

The GG's New Gig

Governor General Michaelle Jean's term will be up in September. Apparently she already has a new job lined up. Thanks in part to PM Harper.

Governor General Michaelle Jean is headed to the United Nations, CTV News has learned.
Jean will be appointed special envoy for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, CTV's Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife reported Monday night.
"Her main goal is to fight poverty and Haiti's appallingly high illiteracy (rate)," Fife said. "She'll not only spend time in Haiti, but also travel the globe to keep the world's eyes focused on Haiti and to raise funds."
The prime minister "went to bat to get her this high-profile job," which starts in late September, Fife said.
UNESCO, as the agency is known, has a broad mandate.
"UNESCO's mission is to contribute to the building of peace, the eradication of poverty, sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, the sciences, culture, communication and information," says a statement on the agency's website.
Canada is one of 182 member states to have a permanent delegation with the organization.

Video report by Bob Fife here.
PM Harper has been lobbying on behalf of Michealle Jean for this new job. Will Mr. Ziffy approve?
Anyway she has been a fantastic GG and I will miss her. She will do an extraordinary job helping the people of Haiti.
Even though I had miss givings at first, she has grown on me and has exceeded my expectations. I quite admire her for what she accomplished as Commander in Chief.
I pray God's blessings on Ms. Jean in her new venture! She has served our country well! I thank Ms. Jean for her service to our country!

Update: PM Harper congratulates Ms. Jean on her new post.

Libs Can't Take It Back

Coalition/merger talks in the last little while have tainted the Liberals for good, Andrew Coyne  has concluded.  They will never be the same.  They can't go back.

"There are some things you say that you can never take back. It doesn’t matter whether you meant what you said. You said it, and from that moment things can never be the same. This is how it is now, I think, with the Liberal Party of Canada."

Implications of coalition of the losers would be that voters would scatter.  Imagine Libby Davies and Pat Martin with a cabinet post.  Shutter the thought!  I think more right leaning voters would go Conservative.

"Consider first the implications of a simple coalition—a coalition struck not in the chaotic aftermath of an indecisive election, but anticipated well in advance. For left-leaning voters tempted to stray into the NDP camp, there is no longer any reason to stick with the Liberals, as they have been traditionally admonished, just to keep the Conservatives out: the coalition can see to that now. Indeed, as Chantal Hébert has pointed out, all the more reason to vote NDP, to strengthen its hand in coalition talks. Meanwhile, right-leaning voters will consider the spectacle of a cabinet filled with the likes of Libby Davies and Pat Martin, and recoil.The same split between left and right will be played out within the party. The Liberal party is not a party that forms coalitions. It is one. It is not a party of the left, but of the left and right: a cumbersomely broad tent that, so long as the party remained in power, or near it, could nevertheless be kept aloft. The likelihood of an extended stay in opposition, with the attendant need to define itself more sharply, could be predicted to expose the party’s divisions. But so stark a choice as a coalition-merger with the NDP is sure to crack them wide open.
And as Liberal support continues to bleed away, this can only grow worse. The left will take this as further evidence of the necessity of striking some sort of deal with the NDP. The right can be expected to push back just as hard: though it is unlikely to prevail, it can probably forestall any decision until after the election. But what are the party’s chances in an election in which it is so painfully divided?"

 The Libs have to decided to unite behind their leader.

"One seasoned Liberal says it's not so much that Grits are lining up behind Michael Ignatieff, but that the alternatives are 'just not palatable.'' 

But it may be too late according to Coyne.

"It is a dismal fate for Liberals to contemplate. But by not firmly quashing any talk of coalition as soon as it got started, Ignatieff has lost control of events, as surely as he has lost control of the party. I fear it is too late now."

One thing Andrew Coyne I think forgot to point out was that all the Liberal members including their leader, Michael Ignatieff signed on to the coalition agreement with their partners in the NDP and the Bloc in 2008. It doesn't matter what they say about now, they can't get away from that one.  There will reminders come next election.  Count on it!  If not from the CPC war room, it will be from  bloggers.

Progressives, What Are They?

Dan Gardner seems to have trouble with what "progressive" means.  He admits he dislikes PM Harper and wants the  defeat of the evil Harper Conservatives.  He's calling for the "progressive parties to get together to do just that.

I'm curious about this "progressive" thing we hear so much of these days. Apparently that's what all the federal opposition parties are, at least according to those who are trying to get the parties to merge or form a coalition of some sort. We're not like those nasty Conservatives, advocates say. We're "progressive." Let's unite all the progressives, oust the Conservatives, and bask in the warm sunshine of a progressive government.

Which sounds pretty good to me. I'm not Stephen Harper's biggest fan, as readers may have noticed. I'd give serious consideration to voting for a party of anarcho-syndicalist chimpanzees if it could win.

OK, it's his prerogative.  He has that right but if he's interested in the "Progressives" he needs to do his homework.
Progressives are socialists as we see here.

 The term progressive is also popular in Canada, since many are further left than the Liberal Party of Canada. Most supporters of the old Progressive Conservative Party of Canada did not consider themselves progressive although arguments have been made that the Mulroney government implemented progressive environmental policies. The David Orchard wing of the old PC Party was progressive in nature while the Red Tory faction, which included former Prime Minister Joe Clark, was less so. The New Democratic Party

Some of the New Democrats' more progressive stances are:

Gay rights and gender equality.

Fully socialized healthcare.

More progressive taxes.

Greater welfare benefits.

Electoral reform.

Environmental protection.

Labor and Aboriginal rights.

The elimination of child poverty.

The Progressive Party of Canada briefly rose to prominence in the 1920s. The Progressive Canadian Party, composed mostly of anti-merger Progressive Conservatives, was formed several months prior to the 2004 general election.

Sounds good right? Wrong! 
Socialism is linked to Marxism
Karl Marx was the father of communism.  Part of  Karl Marx's basic philosophy was socialism.

Marx’s Philosophy

These two works were written by Marx just at the beginning of his political career:

Theses on Feuerbach
Idealism and Materialism from “The German Ideology”

Socialism: Utopian and Scientific was written by Engels 35 years later, in an effort to popularise Marx’s ideas.

• Utopian Socialism
• Dialectics
• Historical Materialism

Is Dan Gardner really sure he wants that? Mr. Gardner better careful of what he wishes for because to quote Glenn Beck,"it always ends badly."   Old Soviet Union, Maoist China,North Korea anyone?

Don Newman,Take Note of Lindsay Blackett, Canadian TV is Crap!

Lindsay Blacklett, Alberta Minister of Culture says it like it is.

"I sit here as a government representative for film and television in the province of Alberta and I look at what we produce, and if we're honest with ourselves … I look at it and say, 'Why do I produce so much shit? Why do I fund so much crap?'" Blackett told the panel, to ripples of laughter.

I bet Don Newman strongly disagrees with Mr. Blackett. Canadian TV IS crap! Especially CBC pushing the left wing agenda. Why do you think Canadians turn to American television and the internet for news and entertainment?
Don Newman yesterday on P&P tried defend why we still need "crap" on our Canadian TV and not something of quality like Kory Teneycke of Quecbor is spearheading, a new kind of media,Suntvnews. A new news source that will bring balance and patriotism. Something that will engage the public and not be boring like our current media. Finally something I'm sure Canadians will turn to and not the CRAP we have now.

More from Dave Rutherford about this on the 9:00am segment of his show today.

I don't often agree with many ministers in the Stelmach government but Minister Lindsay Blackett should be commended for stating the obvious. Go Lindsay!

Update: Dave Rutherford speaks to Minister Blackett himself on the above statement he made. Stands by it except for maybe using the "S" word. Listen at about the 10:40 am mark after Stockwell Day on the Air India Inqiry Report. Dave also talks to Chris Waddel and Kory right after the 10:00 am news about Suntvnews.

The Sky Is Not Falling

Gloom! Doom!  Arctic ice is melting at an alarming rate is what global warming alarmists at least would have you believe.  Well, the sky is NOT falling

Scan of Arctic ice dispels melting gloom, scientist says

International team uncovers plenty of old, thick ice in extensive survey

An electromagnetic "bird" dispatched to the Arctic for the most detailed look yet at the thickness of the ice has turned up a reassuring picture.

The meltdown has not been as dire as some would suggest, said geophysicist Christian Haas of the University of Alberta. His international team flew across the top of the planet last year for the 2,412-kilometre survey.
They found large expanses of ice four to five metres thick, despite the record retreat in 2007.

  More seems to come out almost every week to discredit and expose the global warming scam but some still want to scam you regardless.

About Time But Still Not Good Enough

According to Gloria Galloway, MPs will open their books to Auditor-General.

Members of Parliament are ready to let Auditor-General Sheila Fraser conduct a review of Parliamentary spending that would include and examination of how the politicians spend their own allotted sums.
At a press conference, Ms. Fraser said she would be looking at some specific expenses incurred by MPs but would not be reviewing their overall office budgets, nor would she be calling our individual members on their spending practices.

That's not enough, she needs to take a look at  the MP's office budgets and their spending practices.  It's OUR MONEY!  The taxpayer has a right to know what the MPs are spending our money on.
MP's from ALL PARTIES, open your entire books!  Voters WILL remember come election time!

Congratulations to Stephen McIntyre and Ross McKitrick

They both will be receiving an award from Competitive Enterprise Institute for revealing serial climate fraud. h/t newswatchcanada.ca

Thursday night, Steve and Ross will be presented with the Julian Simon Memorial Award at CEI’s annual dinner. The dinner will be held on Thursday, June 17, 2010, at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

                                              *************************

 Two important figures at the heart of the ClimateGate e-mails, Canadians Stephen McIntyre and Ross McKitrick, will provide key information on the remarkable revelations in thousands of e-mails and files that were leaked from the University of East Anglia’s Climatic Research Unit in November last year

McIntyre and McKitrick are real  Canadian heroes.   Way to go guys!

Those Who Malign Fox, Probably Don't Watch

All the buzz the last few days has been around a new 24hr. news network that is going to be a Foxnews like broadcaster.  Many against this new venture by Quebecor that hasn't even broadcasted one show yet probably don't watch Foxnews.
At least that's what Peter Worthington is speculating.

It may be too much to hope for a TV channel that has few sacred cows, but using Fox News as a guide, is not a bad start. Those who malign Fox, tend to be people who don’t watch it, but regurgitate what they’ve heard from such as Christopher Dornan and think-alikes.

 I wonder if Don Newman or Craig Oliver ever watch Foxnews, hmmm...... I highly doubt it.  I watch Foxnews alot and do find it fair and balanced and rather entertaining at the same time. 

It's high time we had an alternative in a TV news source to the left wing bias that comes from CTV and CBC mainly. 
It will be nice to have something that's fair and balanced for a change. It will be a breath of fresh air. Can't wait to hear more about it.

Oh,oh, Look Who's in Trouble Now!

Yup, none other than NDP Deputy Leader Libby Davies. What will her leader do?  Will she be disciplined?

OTTAWA — New Democratic Party deputy leader Libby Davies is in hot water in her own caucus over controversial comments she made this month at an anti-Israeli protest when she appeared to question the Jewish state’s right to exist, while also suggesting that she believes it should face a boycott and sanctions.

Hear her for yourself.

Nightmares of the Coalition of the Swilling

 Next election voters will have the choice between the Conservatives who provides a stable, secure even though not perfect, a fairly decent government or a coalition of a bunch of buffoons who would provide an unstable, nightmarish kind of government that wouldn't know what they're doing half of the time that would be fractious and fighting with themselves.

Monte Solberg explains how fractious the coalition of the swilling would be. The coalition would be very unstable because the fractures within the NDP and the Lib parties as of now re-gun registry, immigration etc.

Consider that these days Liberals are falling out with Liberals on refugee reform. Both the Liberals and the NDP are fractured on the long-gun registry. This suggests that if there ever was a coalition government that it would be held together by the flimsiest and most fleeting of ties. It’s easy to imagine that with the first tough decisions it would blow apart like a BP drilling rig.

Then he compares it to the so called  "grassroots Facebook  petition against prorogation."

As you may recall last January, some seers were confident that a great grassroots movement had been set in motion by the prime minister’s decision to prorogue Parliament. They told us that the people would soon rise up as one and smite the government, led I suppose by Che Guevara in a toque. We were supposed to be so excited they had a Facebook petition that we would forget that they had no ideas, plans or leaders.
In the end, there was no revolt because regular people would rather Parliament pause then hand the keys to the same people who today whisper the word “coalition”. They knew that the Conservatives were still mostly on the right track while they feared the opposition would tie them to the track.
This coalition idea suffers from the same fatal flaw. It has every appearance of being craven instead of serving the people, and the public will smell that a mile away.

Then you have David Olive who describes what the cabinet would look like.
Gerard Kennedy as PM,
Layton as deputy PM.
Ralph Goodale, Finance
Ken Dryden, Consumer Affairs
Bob Rae, Urban Affairs
Stephane Dion,  R&D
Thomas Mulclair, Environment and coalition political leader for Quebec
Pat Martin,  Agriculture and the Canada Wheat Board
Olivia Chow  Immigration,
Peggy Nash  Alternative-energy minister;
Ed Broadbent might be convinced to challenge Jim Flaherty in Broadbent's old Oshawa riding, and impose a needed renaissance on Foreign Affairs
Roy Romanow Health

Yikes! Nightmare city! The thoughts that cabinet would be enough for voters to run to the hills. A far left socialist dream come true! God Help Canada if  these bunch of buffoons ever get their hands on the reins of power! Count Canada becoming another Greece in short order.

 Surely these clowns can't be that stupid to think they can actually pull this off and the public be OK with it!  The best way to prevent this kind of thing happening is to elect a majority Conservative government next time round. Four years if  a decent stable government and four years for the others to come to their senses.
I think the choice will be no brainer.  

A Coaltion Between the Liberals and Conservatives?

At least that's what the Star's Thomas Walkom is musing about.

 In Ottawa, all the talk is of a potential Liberal-NDP deal to form a united left. But surely the only coalition that makes sense is one that joins the Liberals and Conservatives.
This is not as far-fetched as it sounds. Rhetoric aside, the Liberals under Michael Ignatieff are far closer to the Conservatives than they are to Jack Layton’s New Democrats.
The governing and official opposition parties may quibble over details. But in broad terms, they are on the same page.

Umm........... I don't think so.  Maybe some blue Liberals could join in with the Conservatives but as a whole, I don't think it would  work. Liberals used to support corporate tax cuts, they don't no more. They support the NDP stance which is stop the tax cuts and maybe even to raise them.
Maurizio Bevilacqua Liberal Immigartion critic had been working with Immigration and Citizenship Minister Jason Kenny for months on reforming the refugee system. They had made some progress until is was kiboshed by the others in the  party.  Jason had to find others to work with.  

Also, the Libs have been leaning left in recent years with the infilitration of the NDP, take Bob Rae and Ujjal Dosanjh for example both former NDP premiers who didn't do much good for their provinces.
National Day Care, gun registry program, Kyoto, for instance are not exactly right wing policies. Those policies are more in line with the NDP not the CPC.
In fact the Libs are desperately trying to save the long gun registry right now that Conservative MP Candace Hoeppner is trying to scrap through her private members bill through some kind of procedural motion.

So a coalition with Libs and CPC, NO!  Mr. Walkom has it  wrong.   Besides, the coup attempt in Dec. 2008 with the Dippers and the Bloc to overthrow the newly elected Conservative government has tainted the Libs for any collaboration with the Conservatives in a coalition or merger probably forever.  

A Story the MSM is Not Reporting

Amid "Fake Lake Gate," Guergis/Jaffer, WK vs Alf Apps Liberal NDP merger talks is this little tid bit I just ran across in my search for a topic to post about.
Allegation CBC's Richard Stursberg aware of 'Mediascam'
Seems like there are allegations of of VP Exec,Richard Stursberg has known of systemic corruption at the CRTC.

Allegation CBC's Richard Stursberg aware of 'Mediascam'

TORONTO, June 10 /CNW/ - A former Canadian broadcasting insider has claimed that CBC executive vice-president Richard Stursberg is aware of a long-term case of systemic corruption at the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).
The allegation by Keith Mahar, formerly employed in a managerial position by CHUM limited, is posted on his blog www.mentalympian.wordpress.com.
Several documents related to this same CRTC matter were provided to Prime Minister Stephen Harper by FedEx on 3 June 2010, including correspondence from Mahar's legal counsel, Paul Armarego.

More here.

Prime Minister Harper notified of billion-dollar CRTC scandal

TORONTO, June 3 /CNW/ - Less than 72 hours after the release of Justice Jeffrey Oliphant's report revealing "inappropriate" business dealings by former prime minister Brian Mulroney, Prime Minister Stephen Harper has been notified of an alleged long-term case of government corruption at the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, one which reportedly started during Mulroney's final month in office by commissioners that he had appointed to the CRTC.
The allegations have been made by Keith Mahar, a precedent-setting public interest litigant (Mahar v Rogers Cablesytems Ltd.) who was formerly employed by CHUM Limited for his specialist knowledge of the cable television industry and its regulation by the CRTC
Mahar's lawyer, Paul Armarego, notified Prime Minister Stephen Harper of the affair earlier today and provided him with copies of a number of related documents by FedEx courier. It is alleged that the case of corruption has cost Canadians a total of more than $1.2 billion through an illicit accounting scheme for cable television rates.
A copy of Armarego's submission to Prime Minister Harper has been provided to John A. Honderich, Chair of the Board for Torstar Corporation, owner of the Toronto Star.
Prime Minister Harper has been informed that Mahar plans to address this case on his blog: www.mentalympian.wordpress.com.

Why is the MSM not reporting this story? Nevermind "Steve's billiondollar boondoggle", this could be a real billion dollar scandal! Should this not be what our parliamentary committee should be investigating instead of Guergis/Jaffer or Afghan Detainees?

Let's Hope This Becomes a Reality

 Can't wait for this, I pray it comes to pass.
 Quebecor eyes Fox News-style TV for Canada 

 The former chief spokesman for Prime Minister Stephen Harper is spearheading a bid by Quebecor Inc. to set up a Fox News-style TV station in Canada with an unabashedly right-of-centre perspective.

Quebecor has filed an application with the CRTC, Canada's broadcast regulator, to operate an English-language news channel. The application has not yet been made public but a source says an announcement on the venture is “imminent.”

One thing is for sure, we need something like this. 

Another Unhappy Liberal

Liberal blogger, Jeff Jedras expresses how unhappy he is.

Sure, we’ll tank the next election. But then, new leader! Valhalla! Small price to pay!
I’ve had it. I’ve had enough. I’ve had it with the petty games and the back-stabbing and the power-plays. We’ve been running on this same hamster wheel of bull since the 1980s, so you think we’d get a freaking clue at some point. But I’m sure they’re convinced no, I thought it was wrong when Chretien’s people did it to Turner, or Martin’s people to Chretien, or everyone’s people to Stephane Dion, but me, ME, no I’m on the side of the angels! I’m the righteous one!
No. You’re not. You’re really not.
We have a leader. His name is Michael Ignatieff. And unlike some people, I stay loyal to our leader, whether he was my guy or not. And let’s face facts. Had we finished a proper leadership race Ignatieff would have won it handily. Yes, he hasn’t performed well. Frankly, he has disappointed me too. He has made mistakes. But he’s showing signs of learning, of making the right decisions on where we need to go, and how we need to get there. But make no mistake: it’s going to be a long road. And no leader can get us there alone.
The only way we’re going to get there isn’t through the Hail-Mary quick fix of a merger, or those that hope to exploit such talk because they think they, somehow, can do better, or just think it’s their turn. We’ve been looking for easy answers for years now. THERE ARE NONE. If someone says there are, they’re lying to you.
What it’s going to take is long, hard work. What it’s going to take is everyone on board, on the team, rowing in the same direction. And if you don’t have the patience to do the hard work, or if you think your personal ambition is more important than the team, then I don’t have time for you, because you are part of the problem.
Lead, follow, or get the hell out of the way.

Yikes!  Jeff is really an unhappy Liberal camper! Wow, if they're more Liberals out there that feel the same way, that party IS in trouble!

Liberal NDP Merger Talks

There are all kinds of musings out there about a merger between the Liberals and the NDP. CBC is reporting that talks are going on to form a new party. On the other hand there is a least one Liberal who doesn't like the idea. Mark Marissen thinks that the Libs should not be talking about a merger or coalition but instead concentrate on winning.

Third, coalition talk is loser talk. Liberals should focus on winning, not losing. You need to have faith in yourself if you want to succeed. It may seem crazy with current polls, but Liberals have had tough times before, and rose again to offer strong, effective government for Canadians.

"Coalition talk is loser talk " sounds a lot like what PM Harper was saying last week when he was in London to meet with the new British PM, David Cameron.

I wonder how many more Liberal supporters hate the idea of getting together with the NDP to form a coalition or a new party. I bet it would be more than we suspect.
How many blue Liberals would cross the floor to join the Conservatives? How would the grass root Dipper supporters feel? Who would lead such a group, Bob Rae, Jack Layton? So many questions.
Steve Janke muses about possible "Armageddon scenario" for the Liberal party and all the chaos that could occur in this so called merger.

With all the merger talk of the two parties, many compare it to the merger of PC's and the Alliance in 2003 but there is a difference. That merger was actually a family reunion with similar ideology. The right had split and formed two the parties. On the other hand the Libs and the Dippers are of really two different ideologies.

The Liberals were more of a party of the center but lost it to the Conservatives by drift more to the left in recent years. The Dippers are socialists which will probably not appeal to many Liberals. Would it work?, Who knows.

At least it will be interesting to watch what happens.


Update: Liberals and NDP deny coalition talks So is this just a rumor or are they not telling us the truth? Like that's hasn't happened before! Guess we'll have to stay tuned.

Liberals Can't Win For Losing

Don Martin  writes about all the Liberal woes and how they're adding up.

The lengthy list of missed opportunities, policy reversals, leadership snafus and crazy NDP coalition talk that plagues the Liberals is about to grow a bit longer, even as internal party morale plunges, polling support flatlines and their reason to exist gets watered down into policy mud.

Then the Globe criticizes Mr. Ziffy and the Liberals for not supporting the Conservative government's Refugee Reform Bill. 

Liberal refugee policy: if it's broke, don't fix it 
 The Liberal Party is failing the test of leadership by opposing the Conservative government’s proposed fix for the country’s horribly broken refugee-determination system.

 Then you have this that will surely tick off the Sikh community

Michael Ignatieff Says Systemic And Organized Killings of Sikhs, Rape of Women In 1984 In New Delhi Is Not A Genocide!

Shame On You Michael Ignatieff

It seems at every turn these days they do something to flub things up for  and nothin' is workin' out for them.   The implosion of the Liberal Party is happening in front of our very eyes and it couldn't happen to a nicer bunch. 

On a side note: In referring back to Don Martin's column, is buried this:

Kevin Page may well quibble at the premium for deploying RCMP officers when Canadian soldiers could’ve been used without overtime costs, but he tells me his initial scan hasn’t spotted anything severely out of whack with hosting costs in other cities.

Coalition, Merger or Back to the Future, Liberals in Panic Mode

Wow, Liberals are having big troubles! There have been musings that the Liberals and the NDP should get together. Bob Rae has been aching for a merger/coalition for a long time. Mr. Ziffy is musing about coaliton and has changed his mind again. He's been against a coalition then for then against again. "Coalition if necessary but not necessarily a coalition

Upon taking over from Dion, Ignatieff briefly maintained the coalition threat — coining the phrase "a coalition if necessary but not necessarily a coalition" — to wring some budget concessions from Harper. But he eventually abandoned Dion's deal and has seemed opposed to the idea ever since.

But apparently according to him he can't remember ruling out a coalition.

In the interview, Ignatieff said he can't recall ever having categorically ruled out a coalition. He said he continues to adhere to the "coalition if necessary, but not necessarily coalition" line.

Senior's moment? Can't make up his mind.What is it? Flip,flop.
Some even are musing about "da little guy from Shawingan", Jean Chretien coming back as an interim leader which is a total joke.
Liberals seem to be totally lost, desperate and panicky. They desperately want back at the reins of power and don't know how to get there. They know they can't win an election on their own in the near future and are in tizzy.
One wonders who's really running the show in the OLO. It's obvious is that Liberals have a lot of work to do that could take years. In the mean time PM Harper's government continues to work hard and achieve successes for the country.

BTW. Thanks to Dan Cook for this little reminder.

Rae or Iffy, Who is the Leader of the Liberal Party?

One wonders these days. The Liberal party is adrift and who knows who's really leading the party. Tim Powers is musing about this as are many lately. You have the Rae camp and the Iffy camp. I don't think anyone in that party knows what in the heck is going on. Confusion and chaos is what the Liberals are all about right now. They are united on one issue though, that is power. It's how to get there that's the problem for them. The fact is they don't have any leadership in that party right now.

They need to decide who and/or what they want. An election could happen at any time and will very well get trounced again. Who is going to vote for a party that wants to govern the country that can't even govern itself? Beautiful!

Btw, they still haven't paid off their leadership debts from 2006. Don't think they can be trusted with the country's finances if they can't pay off their own debts either.

Is The Libs Only Hope A Coalition?

Liberals are at a conundrum. They were once touted as "Canada's Natural Governing Party." Not so anymore. They have more or less become a rump of Toronto and Montreal. They are no longer the party of the past where they were strong in virtually every part of the country. They are a party divided, don't know what they stand for and they have a leader who was anointed that hasn't been able to bring back the party out of it's slump and can't connect with the voters.

Chantal Hebert compares this Liberal party and their leader with the PC's and Kim Campbell of the early nineties.

If Ignatieff is to be compared to any of the leaders running in 1993, it would be Kim Campbell, a leader selected because she represented a clean break with the unpopular recent Tory past but who simply could not sustain a three-pronged attack at the hands of three more seasoned opponents.
As post-1993 events demonstrated, leadership was not the main Tory problem. In Campbell’s wake, Jean Charest and Joe Clark also failed to steer the Progressive Conservative ship out of the backwaters of opposition. It had simply lost too many sails to make it to the open sea on its own wind and the Liberals today are increasingly in the same predicament.

There have been more and more musings of a coalition/merger with the NDP everyday. Barbara Yaffe thinks that a coalition for the Libs is not the answer to their problem.

But a coalition is not the answer to the Liberals' problems.

Unlike the Tories and Alliance parties, which shared the same roots, Liberals have never walked in lockstep philosophically with New Democrats.
There's every reason to believe an opportunistic joint venture would be too fractious to survive.
Liberals have been sufficiently strong to form government in the past and they'll be sufficiently strong to do it again.
What they need to do is fairly straightforward.
They must give Canadians good reasons to support them over the Harper Conservatives.
Since the party lost power in early 2006, they've done a rotten job in this regard.
Which suggests they don't deserve to form government, with or without a manipulative boost from the NDP

Yaffe is right in the sense that the merger between the PCs and the Alliance was just a family reuniting. That's why there is a stable party today that is able to govern quite competently. That would not be the case with the Libs and the Dippers, it would be very fractious. Then if you factor in the Bloc, it would be a total disaster. The country would end up in horrible shape.

What are the Libs to do? It looks like at least in the foreseeable future they can't win an election on their own. Do they team up with the NDP and potentially the Bloc? Do they conceed the next election to the Conservatives and take their time to rebuild from the bottom up. Their problem isn't just with leadership, it's a deeper problem. It will take years to rebuild and reinvent themselves. Then they could challenge the Tories again.

Either way, no matter what course the Libs take, it will be interesting days ahead. While the Libs are deciding what to do, I can see the Conservatives continue governing for quite awhile yet. Next election voters will clearly see that the Libs no matter what configuration will not be ready to take back the reins of power and as Yaffe points out, don't deserve it.

The whole coalition talk speaks of desperation from some Libs and the Libluvin media. The next election will no doubt be a fun one. Bring it on!

Libluvin L Martin Finally Has Admitted, PM Harper Has a Sense of Humor

Has Lawrence Martin come to his senses or is the world coming to an end? Maybe he sees Mr. Ziffy as a total dud. A condescending,boring, stuffy,elitist who was out of the country for 34yrs and doesn't have a clue. Watching paint dry is more exciting than the visiting professor. I don't know but he has written a relatively positive piece about PM Harper's image. He admits PM Harper really does have some personality and is not rigid like what has been previously reported.

Mr. Harper has recently had Bryan Adams and Nickelback over to 24 Sussex – and it wasn’t for talks on a new equalization formula. Rather, for live sessions (with Adams at least) with the Prime Minister at the keyboard. He’s got a music room set up for visiting virtuosos. Son Ben joins in with some wicked guitar playing.
This is the same father who was once pilloried in the media for a scene outside of his son’s school. He shook Ben’s hand while dropping him off, which was said to typify the Harperian rigidity.
The rigidity is overstated. Behind the scenes, the Prime Minister is not, as it often appears in public, in need of a blood transfusion. He has a piercing sense of humour that on a good day, aides attest, could give Jon Stewart a run for his money. Another unknown talent is his capacity as an impersonator. Mr. Harper cracks up his cabinet on occasion with splendid imitations of those across the floor facing him in Question Period.

There's a time and place for everything. Time to work and time to let your hair down. Politics should not be a popularity contest. The PM does have a great sense of humor and does let his hair down once in awhile.but is serious when it comes to tackling the problems this country faces and gets the job done.
You'd think from the central media, he's nothing but a controlling,stiff meanie who doesn't have humorous bone in his body.
Canadians want a strong leader who buckles down and gets the work of the nation done. They don't want a leader who is seeking to be a celebrity and doesn't have clue and can't get the job done.
I think the PM has struck a good balance.

Is There Trouble Brewing in The Liberal Family?

Oh,Oh!  Trouble brewing over a possible coalition/merger with the Dippers.  Rae vs. Ziffy camps.  Rae is hot for it, Mr. Ziffy, um..... not so much, at least for the moment.

Now, trouble is brewing once more, as Liberal support continues to slide and some of Mr. Rae’s advocates openly agitate for a debate about a coalition with the NDP. One influential supporter said that if the Liberals don’t take the idea seriously, they have no chance of governing the country in the foreseeable future.

However, supporters loyal to Mr. Ignatieff are hitting back, arguing that a deal with the NDP would sacrifice the Liberal party’s history and identity.

 How will it all end up?  Who knows? Will Buffalo Bob get his way? Will Mr. Ziffy get his way?   Stay tuned!  It's beer and popcorn time! Enjoy!
Meanwhile PM Harper and his government will continue working for Canadians getting things done.

Finally An End To Inmate Pensions

Today the government will introduce legislation that will bring to an end OAS and GIS that were being paid to long term convicted criminals that are incarcerated. They shouldn't have been receiving pension in the first place.  Child killer, Clifford Olson, say goodbye to your $1,100 pension monthly cheques. 

Inmates don't need the money anyway. What are they going to spend it on?  Pretty well everything is supplied for them at the auspice of taxpayer anyway.

 It'll be interesting to see how the opposition will vote on this. You would think that this should pass unanimously.   It's really a no brainer.         
We shall see.
Kudos to Sun colmunist Peter Worthington in bringing this to light in March and Human Resource Minister Diane Finely taking such quick action seeing how slowly government usually operates at snails pace.