Harper and Graham get it done for New Brunswick

Stephen Harper was in New Brunswick today, providing $210 million for road improvements across that province.

Tuesday Harper will be in Thunder Bay, announcing $15 million in funding for a molecular medical research centre. This is one of several projects that are estimated to create 400 jobs in the region. (Not to mention that Harper will welcome one time Liberal, Joe Commuzi, to the Conservative Party)

My guess is that this summer, Harper will criss-cross all over Canada, announcing funding for this here, that there...money for major projects everywhere...except for in NFLD and Nova Scotia.

You think major projects requiring federal funding in those provinces may find it a little sparse?

Newfoundland already gets $2,325 per person from the feds each year, and Nova Scotia gets $2,838 per person, in transfer payments. That is $4 billion each year, before any additional transfers for road work, port improvements, or other infrastructure projects which are funded by the federal government. Projects that create jobs and pump money into the local economy.

Through belligerence and petty politics, Premiers Williams and McDonald (to a lesser extent) are putting those extra monetary benefits at risk.

Those that take the greater federal largesse for granted, would do well to look at the bigger picture, and what the federal government already provides, before going to war with them over a $100 million dollars.

--

The political philosophy of retreat -- explained

--

Will Denis Coderre show his support for Canadian troops?

We know that Denis Coderre likes parades. In fact, just last summer he marched in a parade that called for Israel to stop its war against the terrorist organization Hezbollah.

But will the aptly named Liberal defence critic attend a parade of Quebec's finest when the Vandoos Regiment parades in Quebec city on Friday before shipping out to Afghanistan to fight the Taliban terrorists?

Even if Coderre does attend, which side of the line will he stand on?


--

The daily "Who gives a crap?"

I'm an urban voter, and hell, I'll go so far as to admit that I voted Liberal provincially in the last election. Urban/rural, doesn't matter, all we want to do is to elect someone that is going to represent our interests.

Which leads me to this Randy Hillier that Warren Kinsella has such a hate on for...and I don't get it. Is Hillier outspoken? Sure. Does he speak for me? No. But does he represent the views of some of the people in the area in which he lives. You bet.


I know that rural and urban folks have different priorities, even different outlooks on life. But Hillier does speak for a large number of people from his area, and he is likely to get elected to represent them. It's democracy, and it's the way things should work.

Warren's a known political operative, a "pit-bull" even, but I don't think his attempt to change the channel from McGuinty raising taxes, by trying to silence/ridicule/demonize a rural voice, is going to work. It might have in the 90's, but people have seen this before with Harper and his scary secret agenda. Voters have been there, seen that, not scary.

Kinsella's ravings about Randy Hillier won't make me vote against John Tory. No sir. But Dalton McGuinty's bold faced lie about not raising taxes, then raising taxes, guarantees I won't be voting Liberal this fall.

Urban voters aren't so dumb as to think that some outspoken fella from out on the farm running for the Tories is going to mess with their way of life. It's just not going to happen. People, especially those in Ontario, are open to others having different views than their own. It's what makes this most multi-cultural of provinces work so well.

And the story here of Warren attempting to pit rural citizens against urban ones, well that just ain't cool man.

I genuinely believed that McGuinty was going to get re-elected, now I'm not so sure. I sense a bit of fear and desperation in the Liberal camp with this whole Hillier schtick.

It's almost as if whoever advised McGuinty to raise taxes is starting to feel the heat.

--

Atlantic Accord battle all blow, no show..

It seems, conveniently, that the "fight" may be over.

I have been of the opinion for quite some time now that this whole Atlantic Accord Affair is a political set-up. And the entire, Danny "Apoplectic" Williams, Rodney "Fight or Die" MacDonald, and Bill "Martyr to the Cause" Casey, crew are in on it.

Let's face it, if a new deal has been signed and there is federal/provincial peace. All sides are going to come out ok.

Peter MacKay and Gerard Keddy will have won the "let's work for Nova Scotia from within the Conservative Party" vote, and Bill Casey has wrapped up the Nova Scotia nationalist vote. Should it be successful, watch for the same thing to happen in NFLD.

By being the provincial strong man, standing up to Ottawa, both Williams, and now MacDonald, have locked up provincial Conservative majority legislatures in their next election.

And by "giving in" and making a new deal, there will be lots of love and votes directed to federal Conservatives in the next federal election.

What we are witnessing is political strategy at its finest. Sink low..then rise above.

Now I think this whole thing is a set up, and I believe Bill Casey will be re-admitted to caucus in a big show of party solidarity.

Even if, somehow, none of this is a brilliant political construct from the depths of the strategic mind of Stephen Harper, Casey should still be let back into the Conservative caucus. He's a Conservative lifer, and a classy guy, and deserves to be given a free pass.


--

Aibus barking up a catless tree

In an attempt to bypass the Department of Defence, Airbus is soliciting MPs directly trying to reopen the bid for transport aircraft for the Canadian military.

Airbus is talking about fairness in the procurement process, and how the sole sourcing is undemocratic. Nice sentiment, but it's not going to change any minds.

The fact is, the Airbus A-400 has yet to be built. No Air Force in the world has them in their fleet.

Canada is buying 16 C-130J Hercules, because they are reliable, available, and serving in dozens of militaries all over the world.

Advice to Airbus. Forget what's fair, and open and transparent.

You want Canada to buy your airplane? Then give us 25 A-400s for the price of 16 hercs, and the first 8 off the assembly line.

Anything less and your chances are less than zero.


--

Take advice from Scotty Reid? No thanks.

Stephane Dion is a weak, ineffectual leader. So it stands to reason that Scotty "Beer and Popcorn" Reid might be able to weasel his way into Dion's confidence.

Scotty is in fine form today in the Star, telling Dion to pull the rug from under the Conservaitves in the fall and trigger a general election.

Lets hope Dion's smarts are able to make up for his lack of leadership, and he keeps the requisite ten-foot pole between himself and any of Scotty's sage advice.

Because let's face it, with Dion skidding along the bottom in personal support numbers, including a distant 4th place finish in his home province of Quebec (behind Jack Layton even!), unless Harper is found in a closet with hookers and hamsters over the summer, the fall is not the time for Dion to try and go to the polls.

I think this advice has more to do with the Scott Reid wanting to get rid of Dion, so the horse he backs (Ignatieff?) can become leader, than it does wanting to see Dion succeed.

Scotty obviously does not have Dion's best interests at heart.

Remember that banning people from the Liberal Party for life that Scotty and his crew introduced? Well maybe Dion should look into reviving that.

With advisors like Scotty, who needs enemies?


--

Space case Denis Coderre claims UFO sighting!

Awesome. He MUST have been kidnapped, and they tinkered with his modesty and inherent human goodness. It explains a lot.

Young Denis describes his UFO sighting





--

Conservatives take lead in Quebec, next...the world! (or Ontario anyway)

What may be the last of the relevant polls we will see until the fall was released over the weekend, and the headlines seemed to trumpet it as a return to where we were at last year's election. (37-31-16)

But there was one interesting fact in the results that I am quite surprised did not receive more play.

The Conservative Party is leading the polls in the Province of Quebec. Leading the Bloc by four points, and the Liberals by eight. (28-24-20)

Stephane Dion's Liberals have no real chance to claim any of the ridings currently represented by the Bloc, so the Conservatives are well placed to have a HUGE breakthrough in the province.

This is especially surprising as the opposition has labelled Quebec as queasy and uneasy about Canada's involvement in Afghanistan, and they feel that any deaths occuring when the Vandoos regiment is rotated to Afghanistan will destroy the Tories. I don't think that will happen at all. If anything, I think it will put the people of Quebec more solidly behind the mission than ever.

The Conservative Party is well placed, and the longer they are in power, more of the federalist vote in Quebec will realize that the Conservative Party is a real alternative. And with that, more and more erstwhile Liberal voters will cross the divide and enrich the Conservative seat count.

We have all seen over the years that a switch in Quebecoise political tastes soon transfers over to Ontario as well, putting the Conservatives in position to clean up in Central Canada in a 2008 spring election. (Or this fall if McGuinty gets trounced at the polls)

The Liberals being in the 30s in this poll is an indication of the strength of their brand, not Stephane Dion. I am still convinced that the Conservatives could have received their majority had they gone to the polls this spring. In a direct Harper vs Dion comparison, there is no comparison. As one elderly fellow said to me after meeting Dion at an event this weekend, "what a nerd". No one has been exposed to Dion for an extended period. At the end of a campaign the Liberals would have fallen to the low 20s in popular support.

The Conservatives should use the summer to get their legislative act together (it has been a little sloppy recently), come back in the fall looking like a party ready to lead the nation, and the people will give them their majority. They need to draft a clear and concise message, stay on that message, and the votes will come their way.

And maybe kick the unelected and unaccountable Senate a couple times for good measure.


--

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the next President of the United States of America

Mr. Fred Thompson

In his speech, Thompson criticized Democrats as he discussed terrorism, Iraq and national security. "Our choice is not whether or not we're going to fight. Our choice is where we're going to fight," Thompson said. "And the only debate going on right now with regard to this most important issue facing our country on the Democratic side of the aisle is the date of our surrender. My friends, I don't think that the American people are going to turn the keys of this country over to a party that invests their political capital in defeat.""


Just putting it on the record. Am willing to wager.



--

Two-step Duceppe wusses out

One bad poll. That's all it took for Gilles Duceppe to start running for the hills.

A CROP poll on Saturday showed Duceppe may have had a challenger for the PQ crown in one Pauline Marois. Ms. Marois was defeated by Andre Boisclair in the last PQ leadership race, and was set to make another run.

This poll showed Marois favoured by a margin of 45-21. So did Gilles wait for the next poll before doing something rash?

No.

Gilles decided, based on one early poll result (the first in fact) to "take it back" and not run for PQ leader after all.

"I quit"

Had he not referenced any other polls before making this momentous decision? Did he only enter on a hunch? Did he not think he might have to FIGHT..to lead the Parti Quebecoise? C'mon..

By stepping out of the PQ leadership race within 24 hours of his entry into it, Gilles Duceppe may have ruined his career, and the chances for the Bloc in the next election.

Gilles "No stomach for a fight" Duceppe will be subject to ridicule for the rest of his time in the Commons. He will no longer command the respect required in the House to be taken seriously.

If the Bloc does not remove Duceppe from his leadership position soon, it will be tarred with the same brush full of wussyness.

And no one votes for a wussy.

--

Harper, take it to the airwaves

The opposition has had a field day of sorts in the past few weeks with their constant bombardment of the Conservatives over the treatment of terrorist/insurgent detainees in Afghanistan.

The Bloc would like to see these prisoners offered a get out of jail free card, the NDP wants them to be included in some sort of restorative justice program, and the Liberals would like these criminals kidnapped from their native land, and jailed in Canada.

The ungodly Conservatives want Afghan prisoners to be (gasp) imprisoned in Afghanistan.

So how is it that out of these four options, the Conservatives ended up wearing this mess? The appearance of inconsistent messaging, that is how.

Any little alteration of message by a Conservative MP was picked up by the opposition parties and the press and distorted to the max.

As the opposition picked away at this issue for weeks upon end, it was obviously of great importance to them, and through them their constituents, who represent a majority of Canadian citizens.

On a matter that important, it falls to the Prime Minister to go directly to the people and explain the situation. Harper should have done a prime time address on national TV, and laid out the situation once and for all, without the usual media filter.

After all, if Paul Martin can go to the airwaves in a freak-out over the chance he might lose a confidence vote, surely Stephen Harper can go to the people when the representatives of 60% of the Canadian population are foaming at the mouth demanding answers?

Perhaps it is too late now, but as Harper's previous skirting of the press gallery by going to the local press showed, if your message is being purposefully distorted, there are other ways to get your message out. One well timed address to the Canadian people on our role in Afghanistan, the treatment of terrorist/insurgent prisoners, and the absurd solutions offered by the opposition, would have taken the air out of all this, and quick.


--

More than a little shocking

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- When asked to raise their hands if they don't believe in evolution, Sen. Sam Brownback, Gov. Mike Huckabee and Rep. Tom Tancredo all said they do not.

"I believe in evolution," Sen. John McCain said. "But I also believe, when I hike the Grand Canyon and see it at sunset, that the hand of God is there also."

-- CNN Associate Producer Lauren Kornreich


I'm sorry, but belief in evolution should be a Presidential prerequisite. And yes, I know that means Myron Thompson can't be President..so spare me.

UPDATE: Interesting that the picture used in the CNN story..is a screencap of MSNBC! Where do CNN producers get their news? MSNBC apparently.. ha, ha..

--

Is the Enviro-craze coming to an end?

Tonight...on The National (where the CBC's just apologized for using footage of Canadian soldiers in a story about Bush and Iraq ((that's what, the fifth time in the last month that the CBC has had to apologize for some error of bias?))), not one mention of Climate Change, Climate Crisis, Death of our Planet, etc..for the first time in forever.

Could this be the sign that fascination with the environment is on the wane?

The main stories were on Shane Doan, and Afghanistan. Better for the Conservatives that the voters are focusing on hockey and Afghanistan than on the environment. A majority of Canadians support our troops in Afghanistan.

With all economic indicators predicting, at the least a mild economic recession, citizens will soon be preoccupied with the necessities of life: jobs, mortgage payments, and taxes...not the environment.

Moral of the story? Stephen Harper should not seek an election this spring. Wait it out.


update: I was wrong, but right. The environment came up at 54 minutes past the hour. When Rex Murphy called the exaggeration of the climate situation loony. It's over, and the blowback has begun. Thank Elizabeth May.


--

Turn up the volume on Denis Coderre's hate-on for Captain Canada

Liberal members of Parliament want to haul Hockey Canada officials, including Steve Yzerman and other hockey greats, before a Parliamentary Committee so they can "explain" why Shane Doan of the Phoenix Coyotes was made Captain of Team Canada at this year's world championships.

Shane Doan's supposed crime? Belligerent Liberal MP Denis Coderre says Doan once called a hockey linesman a frog. Doan denies the incident ever happened. Doan has even gone so far as to take Coderre to court to get him to retract his accusation, and be compensated for the resulting impact on Doan's reputation.

So it was no surprise when this issue surfaced in Parliament with Coderre henchman, Liberal MP Marcel Proulx, carrying the torch for Coderre, who can't comment on the matter (conveniently) due to ongoing litigation.

So why does all this matter? Well first off, it's stupid.

Secondly, the Conservatives are currently getting grief from all the media focus on their embattled Defence Minister, Gordon O'Connor. So what do you do when you are catching flak from one controversy? You change the channel by creating another controversy.

There will be plenty of Canadian media interest if Yzerman et al appear before the Committee. The Conservatives should be a loud voice of reason on this issue, and the defenders of Canadian hockey. Video clips of the proceeding would see petty Liberals picking on hockey greats, and Conservatives decrying the waste of taxpayer dollars such an exercise will surely be.

I'm sure the politicians might be startled to know this, but the NHL playoffs are on, so Canadians aren't very interested in what is happening on the Hill right now. What they would be interested in however, is a Liberal attempt to mess with Team Canada's ability to win the World Hockey Championship. And they would certainly take notice if the Conservatives raised the volume on this issue, and painted the Liberals as haters of everything hockey.

The Liberals have given the Conservatives a great opportunity here to draw attention to the Liberal anti-hockey hysterics, Coderre's petty vendetta against Shane Doan, and in the process lock-up the hockey vote and move attention away from the Defence Minister.

That all this is happening while there are still two Canadian teams in the playoffs, and the Shane Doan led Team Canada is likely to bring home the gold...is too good an opportunity to miss.

--

Global warming? Sure, but not why you think

Climate change hits Mars

Mars is being hit by rapid climate change and it is happening so fast that the red planet could lose its southern ice cap, writes Jonathan Leake.

Scientists from Nasa say that Mars has warmed by about 0.5C since the 1970s. This is similar to the warming experienced on Earth over approximately the same period.

So is global warming actually caused by a periodic cycle of heightened sun activity, one that affects the other planets in the inner solar system as well?

Perhaps the real danger to the environment is the hot air currently being spewed by so many eco-lunatics.

--

New Brunswick gets down to bidness, and starts romancing Alberta

In January, New Brunswick premier Shawn Graham paid a long overdue visit to the economic heartland of the maritimes, Alberta. Well I've heard that since that visit, the NB government has been very persistent in pushing Alberta firms to create positions for NBers.

What? Alberta?, you say. Well, if you did not know, there are already a large number of Nova Scotian and NFLD expats working in Alberta, but they do not live there. Sure they pay to share an apartment, but the bulk of the money they make gets sent back to their loved ones at home, and is spent in the local economy.

This speaks to the passion and commitment Atlantic Canadians have to their home provinces.

There is also a tertiary benefit to the east coast from having so many of their citizens working in Alberta. With so many people working in Alberta, inevitably a large number will move into management roles.

Now who do you think these managers are going to want to do business with? Well, they tend to deal with firms from back home.

So the other Atlantic provinces DO have pre-existing business with Alberta, and to their benefit. And until recently, it appeared that NB had no interest at all in the vibrant Alberta economy.

For some reason Bernard Lord did not latch onto the send-home revenue, or the possibility of future business. So Lord never encouraged long distance commuting, or even any business development with Alberta.

As a result, New Brunswick is way behind NS and NFLD in these revenue producing areas.

Rome wasn't built in a day, and New Brunswick can't be expected to eclipse NS and NFLD in the near future. But the steps Shawn Graham is taking are the necessary first steps in building a productive and prosperous relationship with Alberta.

Good on him.

--

Protest vote my ass. That's a revolution.

With an Action Democratique win, Premier Dumont will lead anything but a silent revolution in Quebec.

Even if he ends up a close second, Dumont will control the rudder of Quebec politics.
What a night!

Premier Dumont?

--

The Birth of the Community Surgery Centre©

CP - John Tory said he's sticking to his guns but welcomed the opposing viewpoint – and the interest his position has generated. ``I think people recognize I'm prepared to take a stand on an issue,'' Tory said. ``I don't apologize for the fact I say I would explore and embrace (private knee surgeries) because I think we have to think outside the box.''

What Tory said here takes real cahones.

I'm not that interested in Ontario provincial politics, but I believe there is an entire segment of Ontario's middle class that wouldn't mind spending a little extra money to have a procedure done more quickly at a Community Surgery Centre© (aka a pay-for-care hospital).

What if Tory start talking about how the entrance of private facilities would free up public hospital space so they could focus on more of the vital surgeries? Or what if he pointed out that Community Surgery Centres© would create more spaces for doctors? Our schools would be able to train and graduate more surgeons, and we'd be able to accept more foreign physicians. There really do seem to be some advantages in pairing Community Surgery Centres© with the public health care system.

And what would happen if Tory's Tory party suggested this surgery alternative possibility as part of his platform? I think a number of middle class Liberal voters might actually go for it, and vote Blue. And the left end of Liberal support would cry out in horror, and run to vote for the one-public-health-care-system-come-hell-or-high water NDP, thereby splitting Liberal support.

Would some Tory support move left to the Liberals, definitely, but enough to turn the tables? I don't know. But it might be worth the gamble.

At the very least, if he proffered a limited form of what might, in some circles, be known as two-tier health care, you know everyone in the province would be talking about it during an election campaign. And if they are talking about you, they are more likely to vote for you.

(the author of this post is in no way a supporter of any facility that would operate in contravention of the Canada Health Act©)


--

Election signs or electoral gold mines?

I'm not planning on being a political candidate for any national party. Not yet anyway. But if I do run (or you want to) here's a great way to gain attention and votes.

In any federal election, when you drive through a business district, you inevitably see signs for: this, that, or the other candidate. In some shops you'll see signs for three or more local candidates.

A store that will put your sign in the window is a valuable asset. But they also hold a hidden treasure you can use to your benefit...their inventory or services.

As a local candidate for federal office, I would assign a member of my campaign team to enter into free advertising arrangements with local stores. And rather than hand out a boring old one page folded photographed brochure, I would spend a little bit more and develop high quality glossy handouts that included rebate and discount coupons for these local merchants.

It could include:

Factual information on yourself, your ideas, your convictions..not to mention some great pictures of you connecting with constituents.
A coupon for 2 for 1 meals a local eaterie.
Discounts for family haircuts.
1/2 off your next Oil Change.
10% off your purchase at a clothing store.
Free vacuum with any car wash.
A map indicating the establishments that have provided discounts....no end of possibilities.

This way you are providing information on you, and your party's platform in a professional package, and that good aura will rub off on you. At the same time you are providing proof positive of your commitment to serve the community. You've already delivered money saving discounts constituents just by running, imagine what you could do if you were elected!

This section sponsored by: Openness and Transparency.

Here's the caveat. I'm not sure this practice would be in line with Canada's election laws. If someone is more familiar with the Election Act than I, please enlighten me.

At the same time, you are not accepting donations from these merchants. You are merely allowing them to offer great discounts to the individuals that receive your campaign literature. And recipients do not have to promise to vote for you to use the coupon, they are available for use by anyone.

If this thoughtful act reflects positively on you that is fantastic marketing, last I check fantastic marketing is not mentioned in the Elections Act.


--