Bourque picks up on FCM/Dion story

This story just won't go away, and now Bourque has picked it up. Apparently, the Liberal party did issue some kind of statement over the accusation that Mr. Dion had something to do with Ms. Kovach's ouster, though I have yet to see anything in print myself.

Did Dion and the Liberals exert overt influence over the Board of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, a supposedly "non-partisan" group? And why did they seek to have someone with a CPC connection removed, only to install a known Liberal to her position? To me, it appears that they may well have been caught meddling with this group... and if so, I think both groups just lost a whole lot of credibility.

Why on earth would the FCM toss someone who would appear to have good connections to the government of the day? Why would they deliberatly cut off a good channel to have their own voices heard? Seems counter productive, if you ask me. Like I said, it appears to be really simple... in the circles of the ruling elites of this country, Conservative = BAD, Liberal = GOOD.

Still waiting for the MSM to pick this up.

Is Dion giving marching orders to the FCM?

Wow... if there is any truth to these allegations, this could be very damaging to Mr. Dion, and to the "non-partisanship" of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities...

"Coun. Gloria Kovach says she plans to seek legal advice related to her ouster as president of the Canadian Federation of Municipalities, which she charges was caused by Liberal leader Stephane Dion.

She said the trouble began soon afterwards when she met with Dion for prebudget discussions. With her at that meeting, her first with the new Liberal leader, was FCM first vice-president Gord Steeves of Winnipeg.

Dion "was not very engaging. He did not have a lot to say to us," Kovach said.

Soon afterwards, FCM staff told her that Dion had contacted FCM and the Big City Mayors Caucus "to say he would not deal with FCM with me as president," she said in an interview Wednesday."

I posted on the ouster earlier this week, thanks to a tip from a friend in the riding... but this makes things stink a whole lot more.

I thought the Federation of Canadian Municiplaities was supposed to be a non-partisan group?

Consider this... yes, Ms. Kovach does have a CPC connection, but who was installed to replaced her? Gord Steeves... a failed Manitoba provincial LIBERAL candidate. Yep, like I said earlier this week, looks like Conservative = BAD, Liberal = GOOD.

Was there political pressure on this "non-partisan" group from the Opposition Leader's Office?

h/t to Small Dead Animals

Holland Document Scandal grows legs

Looks like this is one story that's not going to go away quietly... now if the MSM would start paying attention to what's turning into a major scandal.

The Speaker of the House has been formally asked to look into this matter by Conservative MP Scott Reid, on a Point of Privilage. Speaker Peter Milikin has indicated that he will await a response to these accusations from Mark Holland and Marlene Jennings first before he wades into the matter. He could have rejected the Point of Privilage outright... the fact that he hasn't likely means that Mr. Holland and Ms. Jennings could be in a whole heap of trouble if they don't appologize pronto.

Steve Janke's update
Right On Course's update
Stephen Taylor's original post

In other news, looks like the Liberals don't much like having their leader's statements recorded by our staffers... so they had security lead two of them away. Well, what else are you going to do when your "leader" is "not a leader"?

Ethics Czar Shapiro to step down

This one almost got completely missed... looks like Bernard Shapiro will be stepping down as Canada's ethics commissioner.

Spotted by an astute commenter ("Fred") on Right on Course's blog

Ontario Liberal MPP jumps ship

Even Liberals know that Dalton is in trouble in the next election... and this guy is of the Peterson Liberal pedigree! Liberal MPP Tim Peterson is leaving the Liberal caucus to sit as an Independant until October... at which time he will run for John Tory's Tories.

I'm curious to see how Warren spins this one... ;-)

h/t to A Step to the Right

Liberals in violation of Parliament of Canada Act

Steve Janke has a killer post on the Holland Document scandal... it would appear that the Liberal Party of Canada may be in violation of the Parliament of Canada Act, Section 56.

The Parliament of Canada Act
52.6 (1) The Board has the exclusive authority to determine whether any previous, current or proposed use by a member of the House of Commons of any funds, goods, services or premises made available to that member for the carrying out of parliamentary functions is or was proper, given the discharge of the parliamentary functions of members of the House of Commons, including whether any such use is or was proper having regard to the intent and purpose of the by-laws made under subsection 52.5(1).

The authority to move those boxes is vested in the Parliament of Canada Act, and Mark Holland's, or more accurately, the Liberal Party of Canada's, possession and use of those documents may have been unlawful, as they were to be held in trust by the Parliamentary movers... this trust was violated when Mr. Holland, or more accurately the Liberal Party of Canada, came into possession of those documents.

Basically, it would appear that the Liberal Party of Canada is showing complete and utter contempt of Parliament, it's rules and regulations. This isn't a case of leaked documents showing up on their doorstep... this is a clear violation of Parliamentary procedure, and they know it.

Ironically, the head of the Board of Internal Economy (who has jurisdiction over these matters) is the Speaker of the House, who happens to be a Liberal MP... Peter Milikin. It will be interesting to see how he deals with this matter, as he most certianly should. I have faith in him, as he is very aware of Parliamentary procedure and laws, and has always dealt with Parliamentary matters with a great deal of professionalism, even when it may not work in his party's favour.

I'm interested to see how the Liberal Party deals with this one now... since they're the ones who brought this all up.

Liberals... not just stealing money anymore

Looks like they've moved on from overstuffed brown envelopes (filled with Canadian's hard earned tax dollars), to stealing entire skids of boxes...

When will Canadians clue in? Once a thief, always a thief!

Anyone called the RCMP yet? The documents are clearly marked to be moved... how did Mark Holland come into posession of them? How long did the Liberals have them? There can be no doubt that the Liberals had them in their posession, thanks to their own video of Mark, Marlene, and the documents. And since they clearly had no legal right to them, (as indicated by the Parliament moving stickers clearly placed on the boxes) can they be charged with theft? Invasion of Privacy? What other Criminal Code offences did they commit in their eagerness to score political points?

Here's a statement from their own website... "The Liberal Opposition is currently examining these documents and will turn them over to the RCMP and other relevant officials if further evidence of criminality or breach of ethics rules is found." Excuse me? Who gave you the right to go through those files? Especially considering the overwhelming evidence that you came into posession of those files in an illegal manner! Besides... "if" you were to find any such documents, they would be thrown out of court because they were illegally obtained... and you know it!

Hey, you know what? They loved pulling those files out in front of the media... what's say we get a warrant, invite the cameras back, and let them take some footage of the RCMP escorting Mr. Holland and Ms. Jennings into the back of a cruiser! LOL!

This issue might just gain some traction... posts on the theft so far:
Right On Course
Splatto
Steve Janke
My previous post

Did the Liberals steal the "Day Documents"?

According to Stephen Taylor, that may be the case!

If so, they'll be thrown out of court as evidence... so then can we turn this around and have Mark Holland charged with theft? ;-)

President of FCM Ousted

Why? Apparently, for simply being too conservative.

A friend who lives in the riding sent me this article in today's Guelph Mercury... sad but true.

Kovach stunned by ouster
Councillor removed as president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities
BRIAN WHITWHAM
GUELPH (Mar 27, 2007)

Gloria Kovach is stunned after being severed from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities just two months before the end of her term as president.

The Guelph councillor said the national lobby organization made a "politically motivated" decision to remove her from her post last Wednesday. It happened the day after she lost a bid for the local candidacy with the federal Conservatives.

Gloria Kovach, now "ex-President" (according to the article, they won't even acknowledge her as their "Past President") of the Federation of Canadian Municipalites, was ousted after a closed door meeting last Wednesday. Gloria is a long time councillor for the City of Guelph, and back in February, announced that she was seeking the nomination for the federal Conservatives in her home riding of Guelph. She apparently lost that nomination last Tuesday... and to add insult to injury, the FCM decided to toss her the very next day.

In her place, they have named Gord Steeves, a City councillor from Winnepeg. Hang on... you mean THIS Gord Steeves? The one who ran for the Manitoba Provincial Liberals in 1995?

Humm... yep, that's right... apparently, according to the FCM, Liberal = Good, Conservative = BAD.

Let's, just for fun, take a look at the other members of the FCM's Executive, shall we?

Aaron Dinwoodie, former Provincial Liberal nomination canaidate in 2000.

Or how about Barry Vrbanovic? Yep, that same one who failed to win the riding of Kitchener Centre for the Ontario provincial LIBERALS in 1999.

Basil Stewart... well, he ran for the Federal PC's in PEI in 1993. One out of four. Can't find any other connections right off the bat. Feel free to continue the search!

UPDATE: A commenter noticed this one... "You can add Ann McLean....married to former Liberal Premier and current MP Russell MacLellan"

Boisclair: "Sovereignty... it's not realizable"

Well, at least not in the short term, goes the rest of the quote. But it's a money quote...

Boisclair conceded his party overestimated Quebecers' appetite for the PQ's platform and its plan for independence.

"Sovereignty is something to wish for, but in the short term, it's not realizable," he said.

Thank you, "Super Mario"... THANK YOU!

NDP eating out of our hand

With last nights Quebec election results, and their recent fall in the polls, the NDP is quaking in their seats, absolutely terrified of the prospect of an election being called.

As such, it looks like they are eating out of our hand... who needs an election when the very threat of an election is letting you get things done?

Tory gun bill likely to pass
Threat of law and order agenda as election trigger fades
Janice Tibbetts, CanWest News Service
Published: Tuesday, March 27, 2007

OTTAWA - A bill to automatically jail people for more than one dozen gun crimes appears to have enough support to pass the Commons, weakening speculation the government could trigger an election by painting the opposition as obstructionist on anti-crime legislation.

The NDP is planning to team up with the Conservatives to vote for the proposed legislation -- a centrepiece of the Conservative justice agenda -- giving it the backing it needs in the minority Parliament.

Now that's a twist for you... a Prime Minister using the threat of the House falling against the Opposition! Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?

You gotta laugh at that one!

Why Dumont's win shocked the media

Simple... "Quebecois don't vote for right wing parties"... or so goes the leftist media group-think.

Hang on to your hats, my dear media elite... the next Federal election is going to be one to remember... whenever it is called.

This is the stuff we junkies live for

First of all, thanks to the CBC for stating the obvious!

Secondly, take a look at this snapshot... 0.02% seperating the Liberals and the ADQ!!! Talk about too close to call!

Put it this way... I'm paying more attention to the live results coming in than the new episode of "24" that's on right now... and I love "24"...

Did you ever think...

...that my various random thoughts and rantings would attract 47,000 visits over the course of eleven months?

Neither did I... but my stats counter hitting that mark today proves otherwise.

Boy, did Amazon ever get this one wrong

Got this nice little e-mail from Amazon.ca... that based on my past history, they recommend that I consider purchasing this...
Boy, did you guys at Amazon.ca ever get THAT recommendation wrong... of all the guys to send it to, they send it to me! One of this nations biggest Kyoto opponents!

(all because I was a nice big brother and bought "Gorillias in the Mist" for my younger sister with my credit card...)

We're Winning Afghan Hearts and Minds

Listening to the news on CBC Radio this morning, I heard this little report... I'm still looking for the web report... "15 Canadian soldiers came under attack by insurgents this morning in Afghanistan... the Canadian soldiers were assisted in repelling the attackers when local villiagers came to their rescue."

I don't know about you, but that makes it sound like the hearts and minds are well on their way to being won.

Then I also read this report on CBC... looks like Pakistani villiagers are getting sick and tired of the militants too...

Militants under pressure from Afghan forces, Pakistani tribesmen

Local forces on both sides of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border have killed as many as 200 militants without the active backing of Western soldiers, reports said Friday.

Afghan security forces killed at least 49 militants in Helmand province without the participation of NATO troops, Afghan officials said.

Pakistani villagers had killed up to 160 foreign fighters in the lawless border area between Pakistan and Afghanistan, a Pakistani provincial governor said.

There were smaller number of casualties among the Afghan forces and Pakistani villagers.

To quote Shania Twain...

"UP UP UP"... That's the direction the polls are taking these days for the Conservatives.

The Tories are polling at 43% in Ontario... a full 10 point spread over the Liberals, on their home turf. That's "winning seats in the GTA" kinda numbers. We're also in a dead heat in Quebec.

There's a couple of little gems burried in the The Strategic Counsel poll, from the Globe and Mail... "The Bloc Québécois continued to fall, hitting a postelection low of 33 per cent in Quebec, down three points from last week." And this one... "Quebeckers are also far more likely than other Canadians to support the budget, with 56 per cent saying they have a favourable impression of Finance Minister Jim Flaherty's spending document outlined on Monday."

We were still a significant number of points behind the BQ on election day 2006 (42% for them, 25% for us). With those numbers, we still managed to win 10 seats. This week? We're only nine points back of them. Of course, the Liberals appear to have picked up most of the BQ slide, but here's something to think about for you... our surge last election was due to disenchanted Liberals supporting us. Now, most of those Liberals have moved back to their own party... and we're the ones bleeding support from the Bloc. If Charest wins a minority on Monday, with an ADQ opposition, or PLQ government minority propped up by the ADQ, the seperatists will be crushed... and look for support to slide even further if a Federal election is called anytime soon.

But overall, the only real way to describe the Liberal support, especially in Ontario, is to use the word "collapse".

You hear that Mr. Dion? Do you really want an election to "get back to power as soon as possible"? I think I'll quote Dirty Harry here... "Go ahead... make my day"

h/t to Greg Staples

Another Liberal to move on

This one should please the lefties in the Liberal caucus... Tom Wappel is not planning to run in the next Federal election... whenever that might be.

That brings the total to a Lucky 13.

h/t to ChuckerCanuck

Clean Air Act NOT Confidence Vote... yet

BOO!!! HISS!!! Mr. Harper has said the Clean Air Act will NOT be a vote of Confidence when it comes back to the House for a vote. "Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said the clean air act will not be declared a matter of confidence when it comes up for a vote."(despite what I suggested last week) Oh well... we're ready if we go, but he's the boss.

Of course, with the mass of Liberal ammendments proposed to the Bill just YESTERDAY (nothing like leaving it to the last minute guys) this may change, as apparently the LIBERALS are trying to tie money to this Bill... which would MAKE it an issue of Confidence. "But one environmentalist said the Liberals want to turn the proposed legislation into a money bill, which means the federal government would have the power to spend money to curb greenhouse gas emissions in Canada.

"What I think is really happening is an attempt by the Liberals to ensure that money can be spent to protect the environment," John Bennett, executive director of the Climate Action Network, said in Ottawa."

And people are accusing Mr. Harper of wanting to go to the polls? This is direct evidence to the contrary! It's the LIBERALS trying to force the election! Opposing the budget before they see it (save for one respectable FORMER Liberal MP), and now forcing these money related ammendments into the Clean Air Act to ensure that it's a Confidence vote.

Like I said before, my dear Liberal friends... Mr. Harper is not trying to force one, but if you want an election, BRING IT ON.

Liberals and Paul Martin

Anybody bothered to check out the Right Hon. Paul Martin's website lately? Wow, the Liberals really seem to want to forget about the man, and distance themselves from him completely... NOT ONE LIBERAL LOGO, OR LINK TO THE PARTY, ANYWHERE TO BE FOUND.

Notice to the Party

UPDATE: It seems Harper today said he rejects buying foreign credits. Looking for text to confirm.


I just read this DISTURBING quote in the National Post...

The latest eyebrow-raising move was Mr. Baird’s admission last weekend that the Conservatives may let Canadian companies buy foreign credits if they exceed their greenhouse gas emission targets. Previously, the Conservatives have dismissed foreign projects as "hot air credits."

I'll put it to you this way... I DON'T THINK SO.

Don't go down that road... don't even think about it. Opposition to purchasing Foreign emmission credits is a hill I'm prepared to die on.

A majority is an impossible prospect if the base has been alienated... and this is one file that the base will stay home on. In fact, it'll be enough to give 24 Sussex to Mr. Dion.

I really hope it was a misquote.


UPDATE: Feeling a little better after Harper's speech today, still looking for the text to post... "While some environmentalists say the only way Canada can meet its Kyoto targets is by sending money to other countries to help them reduce emissions, Harper rejected the idea."

New song from "The Voice"

CBC's "The Voice" had a great and catchy new song today on the opening of CBC's "The Current", regarding Dion's decision to kick out Joe Comuzzi...

100 Liberal MP's in the House, 100 Liberal MP's
if one of those Liberals should happen to grouse,
99 Liberal MP's in the House.

99 Liberal MP's in the House, 99 Liberal MP's...

I think you can figure out the tune. ;-)

Liberal MP gets the Dion boot over budget

It's official... Dion just tossed (former) Liberal MP Joe Comuzzi for supporting the 2007 Conservative Budget.

Welcome to "the dark side" Joe.

Clean Air Act... the Election Trigger?

We know the Budget will clear the House... but will the Clean Air Act?

The Opposition parties have inserted several amendments which are unpalatable to the Government... namely embedding the unattainable Kyoto targets into the legislation. All of our attempts to modify the amended bill and bring the Opposition parties into the light of reality have failed.

It now stands to go back to the House... where it could be voted on as confidence measure. Since it's one of our key pieces of legislation, with various spending initiatives included therein, I don't see how it couldn't be considered one. Of course, if the Opposition want's to avoid an election, they can just allow us to put a dose of reality back into the Bill.

Of course, if they want to fight an election over it, we will... the prospect of tens of thousands of lost jobs due to Kyoto will be a pretty good card in our favour, don't you think?

Our riding now has a candidate... we're ready to go... Dion, if you want to go, bring it.


UPDATE, March 23: BOO! HISS! Mr. Harper has said the Clean Air Act will NOT be considered an issue of Confidence. "Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said the clean air act will not be declared a matter of confidence when it comes up for a vote."

"Liberal says he may support budget"

Looks like Dion is once again having a hard time keeping his crew together and focused... sounds good to me!


(UPDATE: Make that TWO Liberal MP's... see bottom for details)

UPDATE II: Dion just gave MP Joe Comuzzi the boot!!!


I love this little bit from the article... "Voting against his own party on a budget - the ultimate matter of confidence - could result in expulsion from the Liberal caucus. Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion refused to entertain the possibility of a caucus member siding with the government.

"All of us will vote against this budget. We will," Dion said."

Remember what happened last time he said something like that about one of his MP's? What was his name again? Oh, right, it was this guy...

(who I had the pleasure of meeting last week at a CONSERVATIVE event)
What was our slogan from those commercials? Oh, right... "DION IS NOT A LEADER"

Liberal says he may support budget
Thunder Bay Liberal MP says research cash likely to help his riding get cancer centre

OTTAWA (Mar 21, 2007)

The Liberals blasted the scattered "shotgun" approach of a federal budget that was eagerly embraced yesterday by their campaigning federalist cousins in Quebec.

While Liberal Premier Jean Charest grabbed the budget's cash transfers to make an election promise of $700 million in tax cuts, another well-known Liberal mused about supporting the government.

Ontario MP Joe Comuzzi threatened yesterday to break ranks and support the budget because he said its promised millions in research money might help his northern Ontario riding.

The 73-year-old former cabinet minister said he will vote against his party if he determines that some of that new money ends up funding a Thunder Bay cancer institute.

"That's important to me, and it's important to Thunder Bay," said Comuzzi, who added that he is consulting the government and expects to know this week whether that money will help his riding.

"If they can find that in the budget -- which I suspect very much (they can) -- it would be silly of me to vote against that. I'd be voting against my constituents."

Voting against his own party on a budget -- the ultimate matter of confidence -- could result in expulsion from the Liberal caucus. Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion refused to entertain the possibility of a caucus member siding with the government.

"All of us will vote against this budget. We will," Dion said.

The official party position on the budget is that it lacks vision and long-range planning, and does little to improve the country.

"This is a shotgun budget," Opposition finance critic John McCallum said.

"It's as if the finance minister shut his eyes, held a shotgun into the air, pulled the trigger, and hoped that he hit as many targets as possible.

"It's an unfocussed budget, it's a directionless budget."

The budget has been relatively well-received in the media but has been hit with criticism from economic analysts, including some traditional Conservative allies such as the National Citizens' Coalition.

But the man who once led the coalition -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper -- shot back and challenged the Liberals to name a single measure they don't like.

"This contains popular and desirable social, environmental and economic measures that have been demanded by Canadians," Harper said during question period.

"The leader of the Opposition doesn't single out for criticism any single initiative in this budget. But he's going to vote against every one of them because he already made up his mind before he read it.

"That's something he'll have to explain in the next election."

The budget included several tax breaks for families with children, and measures targeted at some seniors, fishermen, farmers and people who buy fuel-efficient cars.

But for the second year, the Tories did not introduce broad-based income-tax cuts. Last year, the Tories erased a half-percentage-point cut that the Liberals had introduced on the first $35,000 earned.

"The only time this government has engaged in broad-based tax changes, it moved in the wrong direction," McCallum said.

"Despite its enormous surpluses, the government saw fit to maintain that higher income-tax rate."

He also lamented that the budget does little for the most vulnerable Canadians, including aboriginals.

The budget will pass thanks to the support of the Bloc Québécois, though that support appeared lukewarm yesterday.

Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe said the government has a long way to go to eliminate the fiscal imbalance, even though his province received the lion's share of new transfer money.

UPDATE:Views on the Budget:
Keith Martin, Liberal, Esquimalt- Juan De Fuca

"It's an uninspiring budget filled with missed opportunities, especially in the areas of productivity, personal income-tax reduction and help for the poor." (Nonetheless, he plans to support the budget and address that with Liberal Leader Stephane Dion today.)

h/t to SDA for the update.

Both MP's, Joe and Keith, are apparently known as "Harper Liberals", and despised by many in the left wing of the Party. Hey guys, we're recruiting... it's a pretty short walk across that isle... (especially for you Keith! You've done it before, you can do it again!)

CPC Training Photos

Well, now it's okay to talk a little more about the CPC Training Conference this past weekend.

It was a total blast. Lots of good sessions, prep information, all to get ready for the next election... whenever that might be. And NO, for the record, no dates for the next election were discussed... because we really don't know. We just want to be ready when it does come... next week, next month, or next year.

And, LOTS of photo ops! Here are some of my favorites!

First Cabinet Minister I had the chance to meet was the Hon. Lawrence Canon, during breakfast on Friday.

Anyone recognize this guy?

Lots of people like to give this guy a hard time... I like him, and think Mr. Harper made a good choice putting him in Cabinet. He's done a lot of work cleaning up his department, and Canada will be much better off when he's done. He gave an insightful talk on his file.

This Irishman had a bit of a twinkle in his eye on Friday... either it was because St. Patrick's day was the next day, or because he's about to put forward a really good budget on Monday...

Another cool guy... people had him written off years ago, but he keep proving himself to be a really sharp one, ranked the most surprising performer in Harper's Cabinet.

I really like this guy... and I had to stop for a minute to admire his chair, as I work with people with his style of equipment every day.

Did you know that Rahim was the first ever Muslim named to Canada's Cabinet? Pretty styling guy too.

Peter Kent... I was really disappointed in his loss last time around. He's just been nominated in Thornhill... one of the beachheads we want to take in the GTA next time around! He would make an incredible face for the media in the next government, a face Canadians know and trust as a straight shooter. Go Kent Go!

And here's Jason Kenny, about 30 seconds before I busted him up in laughter!
He had taken a couple of joking shots a Stockwell in the previous session, accusing him of being culturally insensitive because he wasn't wearing any green on St. Patrick's Day. Then he made an offhand comment, pointing out a couple of people in the front row saying, "Well, I see a couple of orange ties here in the front row...", which got a laugh and a couple of replies of feigned anger from the audience. I was tempted to go to the mike during the Q&A part and make a crack, (being decended from the Protestent north) but I didn't get up the nerve. So I go up to him afterwards, shake his hand, and with a smile and an Irish twinkle in my eye say, "Pleasure to meet you sir, but I would like to demand an applogy for your afront to Protestents from the north here in the Party," to which he replied with a great big hoot and a laugh, and said, "Hey now!" Of course, I pointed out I was wearing green too, and we had a good laugh.

And I have to save the best for last... I love the almost defiant look on both of our faces! I let him know that I was 100% behind his decision to cross the floor, and he seemed genuinely greatful.He had one of the best lines of the weekend too... when he took the mike during a session, he said, "I just want all of you to know that it feels really good to be with you all this weekened... I just wonder why it took me so long." That got a good round of applause!

More to come, stay tuned!

5,000 Attend Harper Rally in Toronto

And that 5000 people includes moi... oh yea, Harper was dead on tonight. Pre-election speech alright. Here's a couple of quotes that I said would make the news... and I was right...

He described the middle as being made up of "hard-working people who don't have the time to stage protests or the money to hire lobbyists."

They are as "the quiet people you don't see on the nightly news ... Canadians in the broad middle, Canadians who for far too long were ignored by the political process. Canadians see them, Conservatives see them, Conservatives hear them -- Conservatives are them.

"Let the NDP defend the vocal interests. Let the Liberals defend the vested interests. Let the socialists promise tax increases. Let the Grits protect tax loopholes," he said.

"We cannot worry about what they say about us around boardroom tables but we must care what they talk about at the kitchen tables."

CBC carried a couple more of the money quotes...

"We took action to introduce mandatory prison sentences for gun crimes, a crackdown on violent, dangerous offenders, and reverse onus on bail applications involving firearms offences," he said.

"Our opponents continue to obstruct these bills. They do so at their own political peril."

The speech, punctuated by applause and cheers, made reference to St. Patrick's Day on Saturday.

"Legend says that St. Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland. And last year, you, the grassroots members of the Conservative party, drove the Grits out of Ottawa. Now that's something worth saying cheers to," Harper said.

CHEERS!

And I love how canada.com opens the story...

A ready-for-action spirit hung in the air — two days before the federal budget is to be tabled — as Prime Minister Stephen Harper told fellow Conservatives to plan for an election that could come "at any time."

My speculation? Based on the speech, and the quote, "Our opponents continue to obstruct these bills. They do so at their own political peril", makes me want to make a prediction... that we're going down SOON, and it may even be within the next two or three weeks.

Long day in Toronto

Out the door at 6:00am, back home at 10:30pm. Long day. Back to it again tomorrow. In the meantime, you know trouble must be brewing when these two characters are in the same vicinity...

More photos to come... LOTS more...

Off to Toronto

Won't be blogging much over the next couple of days... that's cause I'm going to be in Toronto. Any care to guess why? ;-) Hope to see some of you on Saturday night.

Was it something I said?

A boatload of visits from "gov.on.ca" here on my blog today, all searching on the same word... "deseronto", the other Caledonia-like situation currently going on in Ontario.

Was it something I said?

My lunch with Minister Prentice

Well, I can spill the beans now... The Honourable Minister Jim Prentice was the "VIP" I was talking about having lunch with today. And, for the record, it was NOT on the taxpayers dime... we're Tories, not Liberals!

So I figured I'd be a nice guy and pick a seat about midway down the table, figuring that the Minister was going to sit at the head with our EDA President and his staffers. What does he do? Goes and pulls up the chair beside me! Not that I'm complaining... got me into the middle of most of the conversations. It's kinda funny too... he orders his lunch, and I get to say "I'll have what he's having", since he goes and orders what I already had my eye on.

We had some really good conversations... we talked about the possibilty of an election this spring, he asked a lot about our view on the riding and what our chances were in that upcoming election, and our current Liberal MP... and about how he had to look up her info before he came, because he didn't have a clue who she was. Not that he didn't know her name, but that he could not picture her face, where she sits in the House, or remember anything she's said or done since he's been in Ottawa. However, we told him we weren't surprised, since none of us can remember anything she's said or done since she got to Ottawa... fourteen years ago.

And, maybe I'll surprise many of you for having asking it, but I got a chance to ask the biggest question that I had burning in my mind... "What can you tell us about what's going on in Caledonia?" Interesting thoughts shared all around. And nice to hear that, despite what some people want you to think, that the Conservative government is actively seeking to, and wanting to, deal with this and other outstanding issues in a satisfactory manner.

And, of course, I got my pic to add to my Ministers collection... collect them all! Now I've got Mr. Harper, Solberg, Baird, and Prentice.

Great lunch, great conversations, and a great break from our massive server upgrade at work. Which, if you're at all interested, we're pretty much DONE!


UPDATE: (June 12, 2007) Well, I can now spill the beans... the Prime Minister has just announced an overhaul of the Native land claims system. We got wind that this was in the works over my lunch with the Minister, but of course, couldn't say anything until now.

ALMOST Done

Spread out over the last five days, testing done on various apps, gigs of data moved, 20 some odd pages yesterday, 30 some odd pages today, nine days of working in a row (a couple hours on both Saturday and Sunday), two 12 hour days in a row, three pretty sleepless nights, AND OUR WINDOWS 2003 R2 SERVER MIGRATION IS ALMOST DONE!

As you were.

Election Rumors... Soon?

Word on the street (or, at least in some of the backrooms... or so I hear... thirdhand...) is that the Liberals are going to drop the House end of March, or first couple weeks of April.

This is, of course, just a rumour... but one that seems to fit the facts. Feel free to debate and discuss.

In other news... things have been quiet on this little old blog, been busy as a bee. Right in the middle of a massive system change at work all this weekend... moving from two overworked six year old Windows 2000 servers to eight brand new Windows 2003 R2 servers. In the process of moving the data over today, and ensuring the permissions are correct. Lots of fun. It's been really cool though... it's my first time ever building an entire infrastucture from scratch. So far, so good, only one or two minor bumps. We'll see how it goes today. Monday is going to be loads of fun, that's when we re-setup the vast majority of our users. Also Tuesday, though things are on track to only have a couple of users left by then.

It's shaping up to be a busy rest of the week too. Midweek, a bunch of us are having lunch with a "VIP" here in the riding, and then on the weekend, I'm in Toronto for some "training". Then, we're right into the Nomination meeting for our local CPC candidate... I'm helping in various ways at that, which is why there have been no candidate endorsements here. I'm trying to remain pretty neutral, so I can help out the eventual winner more effectively when the writ gets dropped... which, as I indicated above, may be sooner than most people realize.

That's all that's up with me... that is, of course, assuming that you care. ;-)

Well, I'm headed back to work to do some more data moves... you all behave yourselves in the comments while I'm gone.

Missed a retiring Liberal MP...

... and it looks like I listed a CPC MP as retiring in error!

Nancy Karetak-Lindell, Liberal MP for Nunavut, announced her intention not to run way back on Decemeber 22, 2006. That brings my total to eleven Liberal MP's stepping down.

I had also previously reported that CPC MP David L. Anderson had announced that he is retiring... it seems I may have confused him with previously retired Liberal MP David Anderson. Whoops... my bad.

I've removed him from my list until I can verify.

Two more down

Two more Liberal MP's announce they will not be running again... Toronto MP Jim Peterson and PEI's Joe McGuire.

That brings the current known total to at least 10... anyone else know any others I'm missing? (or any Tories that I've missed?)

Liberal MP Andy Scott to Retire

Add another one to the class of '93 who won't be running again.

It came down to just 3300 votes last time around... and the Tories in 2006 halved the difference from the 2004 election. I don't know who we've nominated in Freddy Beach this time around, but Andy's retirement may have just put Fredericton into our "WIN" column come election night!

"Harper decisive... like Atilla the Hun"

Excuse me? Hey, Ralph Goodale said it, not me...

"On the one side people might say 'Well Mr. Harper is decisive,'" Liberal House leader Ralph Goodale said in an interview. "On the other side they might say 'Well, so was Atilla the Hun.'

That's what I call taking "Fear and Smear" to a whole new level...

What Would Chrétien Do?

The Toronto Star asks today, "How soon will PM move in for kill on Dion?"

I LOVE the answer they give at the end of the article... "The Liberals already know the answer. If Chrétien were in Harper's shoes today, he would move in for the kill."

The Star's article on Church giving

Well, Robert McLeftie and Co. seem to have their knickers in a knot over a Toronto Star article regarding churches and giving... or, more accurately, how the given finances are used.

For once, I'd have to sort of agree with Robert... I agree that church pastors should not be getting rich through their position. For me, if you're a pastor, you shouldn't be owning a couple of Lexus, BMW's, etc. You are to be THE BEST STEWARD amongst your congregation of what God has given you... an example to everyone. Thus, a Toyota Camry should do you just fine, you don't need the extra expence of a Lexus.

Robert and Co. seemed to miss one all important, key section in the article...

"John Pellowe, head of the Canadian Council of Christian Charities, said laws don't compel churches to be open about their finances. Speaking in general terms about accountability, he said church members must themselves press their boards for transparency: "Are they doing what they said they would do with your money?" Pellowe's group conducts audits of council members who voluntarily provide their financial information. The Prayer Palace is not a certified member of the group."

All the churches and organizations that I have been involved with for the last 15 years have been members of the CCCC... including the church who's Board I sat on for two years.

I don't like it when people use "God's Work" for personal gain... or when people look at being a pastor as a "vocation"... it's a calling and a ministry, not "a regular job".

Please don't lump us all in together Robert... but please, feel free to expose the frauds for what they are.

Dion - "Flipper"?

Is the name going to catch? Well, once again, Rick Mercer (or at least one of his Photoshop Challenge contributers) is ahead of the game...

Dion: Another Flip, Another Flop

"Okay, so maybe now I think a carbon tax is a good idea."

Another day, another flip flop.

Just for the record Mr. Dion... "There will not be a carbon tax but there are many other environmental taxes that other countries are using that we are not using in Canada."

Don't believe me? Man, I love screen caps...


However, I think Rick Mercer said it best when he posted the best screen cap of them all...

WOAH... Today's Angus Reid Poll

Man, and I thought the Decima poll looked bad for the Liberals... the Angus Reid poll puts the Liberals THREE POINTS LOWER, AND THE TORIES FOUR POINTS HIGHER THAN THE DECIMA POLL!!!

Conservatives: 40% (That's MAJORITY TERRITORY folks)
Liberals: 26% (that's LOSING A LOT OF SEATS TERRITORY folks)
NDP: 14% (likely down seats)
Bloc: 10% (likely down seats)
Greens: 8% (possibly winning a seat)

(this poll puts the Libs and Tories in a tie at 22% in Quebec)

Hillier - "I'm no prop"

The good general fires back at the Liberal "Conservative prop" accusation.

Political 'prop' accusation worst insult ever, Hillier says
Last Updated: Thursday, March 1, 2007 | 10:36 AM ET
CBC News

Canada's top soldier is slamming back at a Liberal MP who called him a political "prop," saying he considers it a worse insult than being shot at or targeted by suicide bombers.

"I've been shot at. People have attempted to blow me up. I had a suicide bomber targeted against me when I was the commander in Afghanistan. And I've been called every name in the book, I'm certain," Hillier said. "I don't think I've ever been so insulted as to be called a prop for a political party."

He said he was not being political, but only talking about the state of the Canadian Forces.

"I'm not a politician. I'm a soldier and I call things the way I see them, factually, and I try not to put the slant on that," Hillier said.

"I do that because I think the government of Canada needs that honesty from the chief of the defence staff."

Liberal lawsuit... ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

Oh, now THIS IS RICH.

The Liberals are taking a Conservative MP to court... for insinuating that the Liberal Party of Canada has an "extreme left-wing"?

Wow... does the word "hypocrisy" come to mind?

How about we launch our own suit for the Liberal's use of following phrases? "Extremist", "Right-wing", "Neo-Conservative", "scary", "mean spirited"? There's ample evidence for a case... and straight from www.liberal.ca, no less...

January 12, 2006
http://www.liberal.ca/news_e.aspx?id=11379
"Stephen Harper Raises Funds for Radical Right-wing Organization"


January 18, 2006
http://www.liberal.ca/news_e.aspx?type=news&id=11420
"The Hidden Conservative Platform: Rondo Thomas and his Extremist Views"


January 19, 2006
https://www.liberal.ca/news_e.aspx?type=news&id=11439
"Conservative Leader Stephen Harper has declared Canada’s Supreme Court an obstacle to him implementing his neo-conservative views, Prime Minister Paul Martin says."

“The reason Mr. Harper regards the courts with such suspicion is that they stand between him and the most socially conservative agenda that has ever been this close to forming a government,” said the Prime Minister. “Fortunately, the vast majority of Canadians don't share Mr. Harper’s neo-conservative views.”


Jan 20, 2006
https://www.liberal.ca/news_e.aspx?type=news&id=11451
"Stephen Harper has shown in the last few days that he had a social agenda of the extreme right"
"The Prime Minister said that leaves the Liberal party as the only alternative to Mr. Harper’s extreme right-wing agenda"


Jan 22, 2006
https://liberal.ca/news_e.aspx?type=news&id=11458
"This election is about our values. It is about the kind of Canada we believe in; the kind of Canada we want.

On the one hand, we have Conservative Leader Stephen Harper offering a socially conservative agenda with tax cuts for the wealthy and extreme right-wing views on the social values that Canadians hold dear."


May 9, 2006
https://liberal.ca/news_e.aspx?type=news&id=11597
Liberal MP Mark Holland took Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Conservative government to task yesterday over recent meetings with U.S. Republican pollster Frank Luntz at a conference organized by a radical right wing group.

“Since the Prime Minister muzzles his MPs and hides from the press, is the Civitas Society where we need to look to uncover the truth about this government’s real agenda?” Holland asked in the House of Commons Monday.

Mr. Luntz, a republican strategist who helped draft Newt Gingrich’s Contract with America, spoke in Ottawa at the 10th Annual Conference of the Civitas Society, a radical right-wing group closely linked to the Reform/Alliance wing of the Conservative Party of Canada.

Mr. Harper had a private meeting and posed for pictures with Luntz.
(Oh shock! Oh horror! He had a picture taken with him! LOL!)


June 13, 2006
https://www.liberal.ca/news_e.aspx?type=news&id=11678
Mr. Coderre says now that the program is behind him, he will devote himself to rebuilding the Liberal party across Canada and continue his aggressive attacks against separatists and educate Canadians about the hidden agenda Stephen Harper’s Conservatives are trying to sneak past Canadians.


Aug 25, 2006
http://www.liberal.ca/news_e.aspx?type=news&id=11845
“The Conservative grassroots community is actively campaigning for the demise of this important agency which promotes the rights of women in Canada,” said Ms. Minna. “Ms. Oda must come clean and reveal whether or not she will bow to the pressure of these extreme right-wing groups or if she will take a stand and publicly distance herself from their position.”


October 17, 2006
http://www.liberal.ca/news_e.aspx?type=news&id=11975
"The Conservative minority government is not telling Canadians the truth in order to stealthily impose its right wing agenda, the Liberal Opposition charged today."


December 4, 2006
https://liberal.ca/news_e.aspx?type=news&id=12098
“When the government is posting a multi-million dollar budget suplus, thanks to the previous Liberal government, why has the Prime Minister chose to cut 12 of the 16 status of women offices across Canada, if it is not to cripple those who dare challenge his government’s neo-conservative agenda?,” he asked after receiving a standing ovation in the House of Commons.


December 12, 2006
http://www.liberal.ca/news_e.aspx?type=news&id=12119
“Why does the Harper government continue to insist on these damaging neo-conservative cuts? When will they stop?”

A government briefing book obtained by the Liberal Opposition through Access to Information revealed that the Harper government is continuing to slash programs and services vital to the growth and sustainability of the country.


December 13, 2006
http://www.liberal.ca/news_e.aspx?type=news&id=12123
"The minority Conservative government’s mean-spirited cuts are just the latest example of their divisive, small-minded vision for Canada, the Liberal Opposition said today."


December 20, 2006
https://liberal.ca/news_e.aspx?type=pressrelease&id=12141
"We are pleased with this victory and committed to preventing Mr. Harper's narrow-minded minority government from abandoning society's most vulnerable," she added.


December 21, 2006
http://www.liberal.ca/news_e.aspx?id=12146
"A united Liberal Party will offer Canadians a real alternative to Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s narrow-minded, right wing approach for the future of this country, Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion said today."


February 16, 2007
http://www.liberal.ca/news_e.aspx?type=news&id=12259
“The Prime Minister has finally admitted that he's stack the judicial system to suit his right-wing ideology,” said Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion. “On Wednesday, he told Parliament that he wanted to make sure that the selection of judges adheres to his right-wing agenda.

“How can Canadians trust this Prime Minister to respect their rights and values when he admits that he intends to manipulate the judge selection process?”

In a short period of time, I dug up FOURTEEN seperate press releases that used various combinations of those few words... including AT LEAST four uses of the word "extreme" or "radical".

Now, my Liberal friends... care to withdraw your little temper tantrum of a lawsuit?

Here's what we need to do... HIT BACK HARD. Shove this lawsuit right back in their faces, and make sure the entire nation clearly sees their hypocrisy here. Make sure that everyone in this country can see that the Liberal Party of Canada is nothing but a bunch of cry-baby hypocrites.

But make sure we do it in such a way as to be just laughing it off... with a smile for the cameras. Maybe Mr. Harper can say something like, "Well, if we'd launched a lawsuit every time they called me an extremist..." Say that with a twinkle in your eye Mr. Harper, and let the media take care of the rest for you!


h/t to Prairie Wrangler

Even the CBC has to to admit it

You know that when THIS is the lead story on CBC.ca, it's undeniable... because they'd rather lead off with ANYTHING but this!

It's such a monumental moment, that I had to take a screen cap...

Tories widening lead over Liberals: poll
Last Updated: Thursday, March 1, 2007 | 3:06 PM ET
CBC News

A new poll suggests Stephen Harper's Conservatives are surging ahead of the Liberals, even in the crucial province of Ontario, where Liberals have long held an advantage.

In Ontario, the Tories also surged to 40 per cent support this week, compared with 32 per cent for the Liberals, 15 per cent for the NDP and 13 per cent for the Green Party.

The numbers suggest the prime minister and his party are succeeding in convincing women, urban and Ontario voters that the Tories are a moderate rather than hard-right government, Decima CEO Bruce Anderson said.

Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey... GOODBYE!


UPDATE: I really like how CTV puts it... "the Conservatives appear to have opened up a big lead over the slumping Liberals" BOO-YA!

UPDATE II: Warren put it best, I think..."Anyone willing to dispute the contention that so-called attack ads work? Anyone?"


h/t to Uncommon Truths

Christ's "New" Tomb

I wasn't even going to dignify this garbage with a response... however, Warren has put forward a good response to the whole thing.

Thanks Warren.