What's Been Going On With Me

Just wanted to let you all know what's been going on with me lately.  I had dental implants placed on my upper arch and have been recovering mode.  All went fairly well until now.

Tuesday had stitches removed and a reline on my denture.  Was OK at first now I'm having a little pain. Am not sure what's causing it.

Then last night my washing machine starting acting up not draining.   I was expecting to be back blogging by now but until I get these issues resolved, that's where my attention will have to be for now. 

I'm sorry for the delay again but I will be back as soon as I can.

Thank you all for your patience!

Be Careful of What You Wish For

We are in the midst of a federal election campaign and the leaders and parties on the left like Thomas Mulcair and Justin Trudeau promising voters the moon.  They don't say much about how these promises are going to be paid for.  They spew lies trying to make you believe that we are living in a country that has gone downhill since the Conservatives took office in 2006.  They want to make you believe we are all suffering as a result. The media party just goes along with that assumption.  IT IS JUST NOT TRUE!

Catherine Swift dissects some of the lies the left has been spewing.

For instance, Unifor, the amalgamation of the old Canadian Auto Workers and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers, has consistently run ads opposing the current Conservative federal government. Their ads have been based on claims that Canada is experiencing terrible economic times as a result of the policies of that government. For example, according to these ads unemployment is at horrendous levels and on the rise.
Yet a glance at the actual data shows that the unemployment rate has been steady at 6.8 per cent for several months – an enviably low rate that most countries around the world would kill for. Another bogus Unifor claim is that the federal government has cut health care transfers to the provinces by $36 billion. In fact, the feds have merely reduced the rate of growth of health care transfers from an unsustainable 6 per cent per year to a more realistic 3 per cent per year, still well in excess of inflation. Facts show that the federal government will transfer $34 billion to the provinces this year for health care, which represents 23 per cent of provincial health budgets, up from 15 per cent in the late 1990s. Over the past decade federal health transfers have increased 70 per cent – hardly a pittance. These fabrications are only two of the many whoppers in the Unifor ads.
In addition to reiterating the false claims of Unifor concerning health care spending and other issues, the union-backed group Engage Canada, which interestingly is an alliance of Liberal and New Democratic Party interests, has made other inaccurate claims in its advertising. For instance, they say tax measures introduced by the federal government will merely benefit the rich. To choose one of these tax measures, the enhanced contribution limits for Tax Free Savings Accounts (TFSAs), the facts show quite the contrary. Currently about half of Canadians have TFSAs, and 60 per cent of those who have maxed out their TFSAs earn less than $60,000 annually – hardly the rich. Also, TFSAs are a great tool for older Canadians for whom RRSPs are no longer useful.
Another falsehood promoted by the left is that Canada has a pension crisis with a majority of Canadians not saving enough for their retirement. As noted by knowledgeable professionals such as tax expert Jack Mintz of the University of Calgary and Morneau and Shepell actuary Fred Vettese, no such crisis exists. Facts indicate that most Canadians are well prepared for retirement and do not need another forced savings plan such as higher CPP premiums or the very flawed Ontario Retirement Pension Plan promoted by the Ontario government. The motivation behind the unions’ and other left groups’ advocacy for more forced savings is that it will mean more taxpayer funds in government hands to spend on even higher pay and benefits for government workers and more funds for pet government programs.

Why all the lies?

 So why all of the fabrication and dishonesty from our brethren on the left? One reason is that the left always thrives on misery and, despite facts to the contrary, must constantly tell people they are doing badly, should be doing better, are ill-treated, etc. 

We live in a global community and there are things outside of government's control that have an impact on us. Like the price of oil for instance, OPEC does that.  Geopolitical events like Russia, Ukraine, the Middle East.

If you consider other places in the world, we have it well off. Why spoil that?
 
 Don't be fooled. Don't fall for the lies! Don't rely on the Mulcair and Trudeau or the media to give you the truth.  Please do your homework.  The truth is out there if you take a little time to find it.   Visit sites like other conservative blogs and The Rebel Media.  There you can find common sense.

Be careful of what you wish for, elections do have consequences.  For instance in Alberta here voters wanted change and we got the NDP.  Now we are starting to suffer with a lot of job losses and higher taxes.
 
On a Side Note
 I've just got finished helping my brother lay his wife to rest after a long battle with cancer. During times like these it makes you reflect on what is really important in life.  Good health and close family and friends are what's the most important.
I don't know how much I will be posting in the coming weeks.  I will be looking out for my brother for a while and I am having some surgery done a week from Monday.  I don't know how I'll be feeling for a while afterward so just bear with me.

Something's Come Up

Just wanted to let you all know that I probably  won't be putting up any new posts until later next week.  I have to take a few days off.  There has been a death in my family.  Until then please visit others like Bluelikeyou and Crux of the Matter.
Also please visit The Rebel Media.  That is a must if you want even a modicum of truth.

Thank you for your understanding.

Thomas Mulcair Has Some Splainin' To Do

 

 Canadians need to have the NDP leader answer some questions.  He has to clarify exactly where he stands.

So first of all we don't really know the real Thomas Mulcair.  He leads a socialist party and has in the past praised the great British conservative leader and Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher.  He also spoke against unions.

Then in 2007 he was making moves to join the Conservative Party of Canada in as an advisor which he now denies.  They offered him a salary of $180,000 but it wasn't enough for him instead he wanted $300,000.

The latest is all his spending promises and how he's going to pay for it all.  He has an $8 billion hole in his plan.

New NDP spending promise when fully implemented. This total does not even include 125 promises not yet costed. But even the NDP’s job killingthe hook for $8 billion. This means the NDP will impose massive tax hikes on Canadian families – on top of the tax hikes the NDP has already promised.

This is just a few items Mulcair needs to answer for.  Then there's the $3 million his party stole for satellite offices they refuse to pay back.  How can we trust Mulcair for the country's top job?  Give your head a shake and take moment to think.

Can Canadians trust Thomas Mulcair with the country's top job? Mulcair's image has been cleaned up by party strategists for the 2015 election, but we've seen enough of his behaviour and attitude over the years to make some judgement.  

Meanwhile back in Alberta here concerning the Notley NDP government, they're already breaking a promise to cut school fees in half and parents are not happy campers.

 Despite an NDP election promise to cut school fees in half and eliminate noon-hour supervision charges, the bills will remain as children head back to school this week and Education Minister David Eggen’s office reviews the annual payments.

Then you have growing number of Albertans getting pessimistic about the provincial economy.

A growing number of Albertans appear to be pessimistic about the provincial economy and view cutting government spending — instead of raising taxes or boosting expenditures — as the preferred option for dealing with the budget deficit.
The Mainstreet Research survey found just 21 per cent of Albertans feel optimistic about the economy in the next year, a drop of 20 percentage points from May. Although 40 per cent said they felt good about their household’s financial situation in the coming months, that number has fallen 12 percentage points in the past three months.

They've already authorized an increase of 50% of debt for this year.

LIFE WITH NDP!

The Polls What to Make of Them

The media party loves reporting a the horse race. The media polls that have come out lately would have you believe that Thomas Mulcair will be the next Prime Minister but wait a minute. We must take them as a grain of salt.  Most of the time they don't tell you the real story.  You have to look deeper to see what's really going on.  Brian Lilley helps make sense of it all.


I post in the past about polls.

Here's how polls can be inaccurate: 

Samples can be too small in size or unrepresentative of the population

It's normally too expensive or time-consuming to survey everyone in population; thus, we must rely on samples to gauge the opinions of everyone. A reliable, scientific poll questions a large enough sample of people to ensure statistical accuracy and includes a representative selection of respondents. Thus, a poll designed to represent American public opinion wouldn't be very reliable if it only included 10 people or included only white males. It's rare that news reports will mention details of the information sample or how the survey was conducted. Viewers and readers usually just take the poll results as fact. For example, what if I reported a poll that said 96 percent of Americans are pro-choice? This obviously doesn't reflect American public opinion, but if the source was a survey of the feminist magazine Bitch readers, the results would be understandable. A clever or sloppy journalist can obscure the source and portray public opinion in an inaccurate way. Think about all the polls that are done today and how easy results can become unrepresentative. Web polls exclude people without web access and those who don't visit that particular site. Polls also exclude those that don't have the time or interest to respond. Think about TV polls. Fox generally has more conservative viewers; CNN generally has more liberal viewers. Thus, their polls results may be skewed to the conservative or liberal side regardless of the issue. The chances for error or bias are endless.

Polls can ask leading questions

Questions can be worded in a way that leads a respondent to an answer that may or may not reflect his true feelings. For example, I could ask the question "Do you want to stop the war in Iraq so the lives of innocent civilians can be spared?" Virtually every American wants to prevent innocent loss of life, so many respondents may answer yes to this question, even if they think the war is morally just. But reporters summarizing the results may say "...95 percent of respondents answered yes when asked if they wanted to stop the war". The questioner can also surround the question with information that biases the answer. For example, "Seventy percent of homeless shelter residents are single mothers and their children. Should the next fiscal budget include an increase in funds to local shelters?" Respondents may believe the money is better spent on other areas, but the extra information points people in the direction of one answer.

Polls can omit some of the possible answers, leading to either-or answers that don't reflect reality

Answers to poll questions are often more complicated that yes-no or among a small list of choices. For example, a poll may ask "Do you support a war with Iran?" The only choices may be yes or no. But many people may say "Yes, but only if they are making nuclear weapons" or "Yes, but only if it is sanctioned by the U.N." Another example is a consumer confidence question that asks, "Do you consider yourself rich or poor?" Many people will want to answer something in between, but that isn't a choice.

People recording survey results may be dishonest or sloppy in recording results

Whether the poll is done in person, by phone, by mail, or by web, a human being usually has to eventually tally & report the results. That causes problems for two reasons. One, a human is prone to mistakes. If you're tallying thousands of responses, you're bound to make mistakes. Even if a computer handles the tally, computers are still programmed by humans. Second, the person may be dishonest and wants to achieve a certain result. For example, assume I'm a passionate advocate for banning the death penalty and am taking a phone survey. A strong poll result showing the public in favor of a death-penalty ban may convince some politicians to take action. When taking a poll, it's easy for me to put some extra chalk marks in the anti-death penalty column even when people are answering pro-death penalty in the phone calls. Eventually, I may just achieve the poll result that I want.

Poll results can be presented in a misleading way

Most news stories don't present the raw data behind a poll and let you draw your own conclusion. Instead, the results will be presented in summary format as part of an analysis article. For example, a poll question may ask "Do you support military action to unseat the Islamic fundamentalist regime of Iran (Yes | No | Unsure)?" The raw data result may be: 29 percent support, 28 percent oppose, 43 percent unsure. The correct conclusion to draw from this poll is that the public generally hasn't made up its mind or needs more information. However, a biased reporter may selectively draw from the results and give the wrong impression. For example, "The idea of military action against Iran is increasingly unpopular. A recent poll concluded that only 29 percent support action, handcuffing the hawks of the Bush administration."

Even if polls are scientifically accurate and are done by unbiased, profession polling organizations, there are still other problems that make polls unreliable.

Also media polls can often be used to form public opinion instead of gaging public opinion.

 We may believe that polls tell us what Americans are thinking. But polls also gauge the effectiveness of media spin — and contribute to it. Opinion polls don’t just measure; they also manipulate, helping to shape thoughts and tilting our perceptions of how most people think.
Polls routinely invite the respondents to choose from choices that have already been prepared for them. Results hinge on the exact phrasing of questions and the array of multiple-choice answers, as candid players in the polling biz readily acknowledge

I'm not saying to discount the polls entirely. What I am saying though is to take a moment and examine them closely to see what they are really saying.

Does the NDP Have a Hidden Agenda?

Oh,oh, seems there are things Thomas Mulcair's NDP doesn't want you to know like the NDP policy manual has been wiped from it's website.  Why?  Well Brad Lavigne claims it's because  it's not in the platform.

“The policy document is not the platform,” senior NDP campaign advisor Brad Lavigne said in an interview.

Here is the manual they removed.  and a few of their resolutions. 

  Along with these resolutions, we have those candidates who deleted anti-oil, anti-pipeline tweets.
Could the NDP be harboring a hidden agenda?  Could be. And they want Canadians to trust them?

They Have No Idea What They're Doing

Kevin O'Leary says the Alberta NDP government has no idea what  they're doing.  He's darn right.


Let's not do a repeat federally come Oct. 19.  Please use your common sense when voting. 

WAKE UP Canada!

 

 Today as some have deemed as Black Monday have stock markets around the world crashing.

At the same time you have Justin Trudeau and Thomas Mulcair prancing around the country with big spending promises.  The media party is Duffy, Duffy, Duffy. 

For anyone with a stake in Canada’s economy – which would be all 35 million of us – the week started off to ugly, ugly news. The stock market route that took hold last week is continuing. Australia’s market lost $60 billion right off the get-go. Investors in China are so enraged at the boss of the metals exchange that they kidnapped him from his hotel. Headlines are rife with words like “panic”, “crash,”, “collapse”, “fear.”
In Canada? In Canada we have an election underway, and the candidates plan another week of blithely promising new programs with new spending, while official Ottawa obsesses over which subordinates in the Prime Minister’s Office knew Nigel Wright was paying Mike Duffy’s bills.

Please voters, Wake up!  Be careful! Think before you cast your ballot on Oct.19.

During this time of huge volatility we can't afford new spending programs.  Do you want the NDP, or the LPC in which both parties are progressives, to spend us into oblivion regardless of the economic conditions.  Or do you want a Stephen Harper and the CPC who will keep spending down, keep taxes down to help us weather the storm as much as possible.

Remember 2008, when the great recession hit us?  Don't forget it was the Libs and the Dippers who forced the Conservatives to spend those billions of dollars that gave us a deficit and increased the debt.  We finally just got out of that deficit and it's the Libs and Dippers who are complaining about how the debt shot up under Harper.  Conservative supporters, please remind your progressive friends and neighbors.

So please I urge each and everyone to go and do your own homework. There's still lots of time. You cannot trust the media to give you the truth and information you need to know.  Ignore them.  Let them obsess over Duffy as much as they please. They're only talking amongst each other anyway.  Severely normal ordinary people outside of the Ottawa bubble just don't care. They're too busy making a living and taking care of their family.

During this time of huge volatility we can't afford new spending programs. 

The Affects If The Resource Industry Was Shut Down

If the Thomas Mulcair, Justin Trudeau, Elizabeth May had their way, God forbid, they would shut down the resource industry.  That you can count on.  If that were to happen, it would have devastating affect on jobs and our economy.   Listen to Michael Campbell of Money Talks for the first seven minutes especially describe what's going on and what would happen if that should occur.

You can hear his comments by clicking here. 

The Media Fiddles While The World Burns

I am going to be frank.  I'm sick and tired of the media party's constant drivel about Duffy.  It's all Duffy all the time.  There's no smoking gun even though the media keep searching under every rock to find one.  It was about $90,000 that was paid back to the taxpayer by a civil servant.

All this Duffy stuff while there are real things going on in the world.  The price of oil is down.  The dollar's down. ISIS is raping, pillaging and beheading people in the Middle East. Now North Korea's loony leader is threating war. 

They ignore NDP and LPC misdeeds like how the NDP needs to pay back $3 million dollars that was stolen to set up satellite offices in ridings there was no NDP MP.  They have refused to pay it back.   The media party won't hound Thomas Mulcair on the campaign trail about it like they do PM Harper about Duffy.

Instead of questioning Justin Trudeau about a candidate who has since resigned over an offensive coat hanger abortion comment on twitter, they come to her defense blaming conservatives.  They're ignoring also Senator Mac Harb who defrauded us to the tune of over $200,000.  Shouldn't the media hounds be dogging Trudeau on that?  Oh but his trial has been postpone until the new year, guess that doesn't count.

The media in this country has become so partisan, vile, and corrupt.  No wonder trust in the media has been going down.

Should Canada Adopt Online Voting?

I know some have purposed online voting in federal elections in Canada.  Elections Canada has even toyed with the idea.

I for one never want to see online voting for the simple reason, voter fraud.  Even with extra security measures I can see the system possibly being hacked to rig an election.  I don't want voting machines either like they have in the US which has been rife with problems.   Some without a paper trail.

I like the paper ballot the best. Is it perfect probably not but at least there is a paper trail. At least having to get off your behind and go to polling station is a real motivator cause you have make an effort.

Brian Lilley has a good summation on online voting.

 

The NDP Needs To Pay Back the Money They Owe Us

 

  It has been shown that Thomas Mulcair's NDP broke House of Commons rules by misusing taxpayer funds to the tune of  almost $3 million by setting up "satellite offices" around the country in areas they have no MPs.

The NDP have been found guilty twice of abusing public money by improperly using their House of Commons privileges for unauthorized, partisan reasons. The first amount, approximately $2.7 million, is related to the illegal use of "satellite offices." The NDP used public funds to hire MP's assistants, but those staff members actually ended up performing partisan work as they were strategically placed across Canada, in many locations where the NDP had no MPs to support.

It was also found out that they misused $1.3 million for "illegal mailings."

The second amount, approximately $1.3 million, is for illegal mailings. All MPs are given "franking privileges" which allow them to communicate with Canadians via mail on matters of national importance in the performance of their duties as MPs. The NDP used their House of Commons resources to mail Canadians requests to donate and volunteer for the New Democrats, and directed them to their party's website. Elections Canada has already launched an investigation into these illegal mailings, since there is the potential of receiving an unfair election advantage by breaking the rules.

Both instances were determined by the Board of Internal Economy,a committee  which is made of members of all parties.

The all-party Board of Internal Economy, backed by non-partisan House of Commons staff, found that the cost for these two illegal operations is a staggering $4 million. The NDP and leader Thomas Mulcair do not dispute that they committed either of these acts, but they claim that they were unfairly judged by a "kangaroo court" that overruled the House of Commons' administrative staff approval of those offices and mailings. (The non-partisan Clerk of the House of Commons denies that her staff ever gave such approval.)

They  need to pay that money back.  Mulcair calls for the voters of Canada to fire PM Harper for
calling Mike Duffy to pay back the  $90,00 that he owed for claiming housing expenses in which did not involve one dime of taxpayers money.  It was Nigel Wright who used his own money to help Duffy pay his dues.
  Well maybe voters should fire Mulcair and his crew for refusing to pay back the  millions of taxpayers dollars they misused.  What a hypocrite!

By the way it's Mulcair and the NDP and the misuse of taxpayers dollars who the corrupt Media Party should be focused on like a laser instead of Duffy, Wright and PM Harper. 

Political Theater

Thats what Brian Lilley calls it around the media circus around the Mike Duffy
trial. The media party will do anything to defeat the PM and the Conservatives.  They believe that the Duffy trial will do it but I don't think so.  Nobody cares outside the Media Party bubble and the NDP and Liberals.  There is NO smoking gun they so desperately are seeking to nail the Prime Minister with.  This  so called scandal is fizzling like all the others the Media Party tried to ignite.  As Brian Lilley so aptly describes this circus, "political theater indeed!

The Media Party Registers As Third Party

If you had any doubts,  Ezra Levant reports that The Canadian Media Guild has registered as  third party in this federal election.
The Media Party should not pretend they're "just reporting" they're campaigning. They're campaigning hard too, since 2006 with their blatant bias.  They hate PM Harper and the Conservatives and are trying their best to defeat him. 

As conservatives our opposition is not the Liberals and NDP, it's the Media Party.   Let's not allow them to win. We need to call them out at every turn.

Justin Copies PM Harper's Policy on First Nations Education

 

 Seems like Justin has stolen a lot of PM Harper's policy on First Nations Education

  Trudeau's plan would invest more per year in First Nations education than what the Conservatives have promised to date, and would accelerate infrastructure spending.

That's not the only thing he's copied, kinda.  Yesterday while campaigning in Regina he came pretty to close to plagiarizing line from a speech President Obama had given in 2012.

 At a campaign stop in Regina on Wednesday, Trudeau said: “We’re proposing a strong and real plan, one that invests in the middle class so that we can grow the economy not from the top down the way Mr. Harper wants to, but from the heart outwards.”
A transcript of Obama’s April 2012 speech at The Associated Press luncheon — which can be found on the White House website — says: “This congressional Republican budget is something different altogether...It is antithetical to our entire history as a land of opportunity and upward mobility for everybody who’s willing to work for it; a place where prosperity doesn’t trickle down from the top, but grows outward from the heart of the middle class.”

This Is How Justin Would Grow the Economy

  

 Justin Trudeau has a totally awesome way to grow the economy.

Taking questions, Trudeau promises to grow the economy "not from the top down, but from the heart outwards."

— Paul Wells (@InklessPW) August 12, 2015

I kid you not!

Trudeau Says Liberals Would Bring Transparency to Government

Justin Trudeau claims if elected on Oct. 19 Liberals would clean up government.  

  “We will make information more accessible by requiring transparency to be a fundamental principle across the federal government,” Trudeau said in Montreal on Day 10 of the election campaign
His plan for the Senate is basically status quo.

Trudeau also said a Liberal government would bring substantial change to the scandal-tainted Senate by bringing in a merit-basedappointment process.

Uh, yeah the Liberals are fine ones to talk about transparency in government.
 Maybe they should pay back the $40 million that the Libs stole from taxpayers through adscam before they talk about transparency and cleaning up government.

Would the NDP Ban Guns?

So it seems the NDP want to make it easier to ban guns over and above reviving the gun registry.  

Meet Your Federal NDP

Others have had to do what the media has failed to do.  Vet the Thomas Mulcair's candidates who have extreme views on certain issues.  So let's meet some of them.

Star candidate Linda McQuaig for instance has called for a moratorium on our oilsands.
It's not just her who is anti-oilsands, it's others too under Mulcair's  wing.

You have  candidates who have come out as anti-Israel as well.

Here is an NDP candidate who is anti-Christian.

 Have a look at this.  It's resolutions from their Montreal 2013 convention.  Even though some didn't pass, it gives a sense about what their members are all about. Take the time to go through it. Some pretty crazy stuff there. 

This is little taste of who the NDP really are.

Hans Marotte, the NDP candidate in Quebec’s Saint-Jean riding; Morgan Wheeldon, who was, until stepping aside Aug. 9, running in the Nova Scotia riding of Kings-Hants; and David McLaren, running in Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound were among the NDP candidates featured, alongside past comments they made, on a Conservative Party of Canada’s attack website titled “Meet The NDP.” - See more at: http://www.cjnews.com/canada/ndp-candidates-under-fire-comments-about-israel#sthash.nLpfDRbb.dpuf

Three federal NDP candidates are under intense scrutiny – and one has resigned – for controversial comments each made about Israel.
Hans Marotte, the NDP candidate in Quebec’s Saint-Jean riding; Morgan Wheeldon, who was, until stepping aside Aug. 9, running in the Nova Scotia riding of Kings-Hants; and David McLaren, running in Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound were among the NDP candidates featured, alongside past comments they made, on a Conservative Party of Canada’s attack website titled “Meet The NDP.”
- See more at: http://www.cjnews.com/canada/ndp-candidates-under-fire-comments-about-israel#sthash.nLpfDRbb.dpuf

Three federal NDP candidates are under intense scrutiny – and one has resigned – for controversial comments each made about Israel.
Hans Marotte, the NDP candidate in Quebec’s Saint-Jean riding; Morgan Wheeldon, who was, until stepping aside Aug. 9, running in the Nova Scotia riding of Kings-Hants; and David McLaren, running in Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound were among the NDP candidates featured, alongside past comments they made, on a Conservative Party of Canada’s attack website titled “Meet The NDP.”
- See more at: http://www.cjnews.com/canada/ndp-candidates-under-fire-comments-about-israel#sthash.nLpfDRbb.dpuf

Hans Marotte, the NDP candidate in Quebec’s Saint-Jean riding; Morgan Wheeldon, who was, until stepping aside Aug. 9, running in the Nova Scotia riding of Kings-Hants; and David McLaren, running in Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound were among the NDP candidates featured, alongside past comments they made, on a Conservative Party of Canada’s attack website titled “Meet The NDP.” - See more at: http://www.cjnews.com/canada/ndp-candidates-under-fire-comments-about-israel#sthash.nLpfDRbb.dpuf

Hans Marotte, the NDP candidate in Quebec’s Saint-Jean riding; Morgan Wheeldon, who was, until stepping aside Aug. 9, running in the Nova Scotia riding of Kings-Hants; and David McLaren, running in Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound were among the NDP candidates featured, alongside past comments they made, on a Conservative Party of Canada’s attack website titled “Meet The NDP.” - See more at: http://www.cjnews.com/canada/ndp-candidates-under-fire-comments-about-israel#sthash.nLpfDRbb.dpuf

Hans Marotte, the NDP candidate in Quebec’s Saint-Jean riding; Morgan Wheeldon, who was, until stepping aside Aug. 9, running in the Nova Scotia riding of Kings-Hants; and David McLaren, running in Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound were among the NDP candidates featured, alongside past comments they made, on a Conservative Party of Canada’s attack website titled “Meet The NDP.” - See more at: http://www.cjnews.com/canada/ndp-candidates-under-fire-comments-about-israel#sthash.nLpfDRbb.dpuf

Maclean's Leaders Debate Postmortem

 

Well last night was the first leaders debate of this federal election so far.  I will try and be fair in my analysis.

Thomas Mulcair was surprisingly weak seeing that everyone was saying he was a great debater using his prosecutor style. I think he played it safe. Actually once in awhile he looked kinda creepy.

Justin Trudeau wasn't that great and he wasn't that bad.  At least he didn't make any big gaffes.  So I guess it's a win for him and his supporters.  His closing remarks was not good at all.

Elizabeth May wasn't that bad either really.  I did notice she challenged Mulcair and PM Harper but she didn't challenge Justin.  I thought that was interesting.

PM Harper was very well I thought seeing that he was being attacked not by three opponents but four.  Paul Wells being the fourth opponent.  He responded to every time with facts.  Basically he was setting the record straight on all that  misinformation that has been put out there by the opposition and the media party.  Of course being the incumbent it's expected that he would be challenged the most.

Paul Wells I thought threw softballs at the Justin, May and Mulcair while going hard on the PM.  If you're hard on one you should be hard on them all.  That;s only fair but then again Wells is a lefty and good friends with Justin.

Overall this debate wasn't that bad. I would say PM Harper won the debate on facts and setting the record straight.  The big loser last night the consortium.

Tonite's Debate

 

 In just a few short hours will be the first debate this election.  It will be hosted by Macleans.

Paul Wells will be moderating.  There will be various means by which you can watch.

WATCH ON TV: 
The debate begins at 8pm EDT. We’re broadcasting coast to coast in multiple languages. In English, on City. In English and French, on CPAC. In Italian, Punjabi, Mandarin and Cantonese on OMNI.
WATCH ONLINE: 
We’ll be live streaming at Macleans.ca/debate, on the Maclean’s Facebook page and the Maclean’s YouTube channel, as well as on cpac.ca and OMNITV.ca. You can also join the social discussion using the #macdebate hashtag.

Will there be any knock out punches?  Not likely.  Knock out punches rarely occur.

Who will win?  My bet is on PM Stephen Harper.   He a well seasoned and very good debater.

Will any voters minds be change?  Probably not.

Will you be watching tonite?  I will most likely be switching between the Maclean's debate and the US GOP Fox debate.