Frank's "Incorrect" Nomination Expenses

UPDATE: Seems there must have been a glitch on the Elections Canada database when Right from Alberta took his screenshot, upon which this entire post was founded. When checking today, Frank's correct nomination contest numbers came up, which completely contradicts the entire content of this post. As such, consider it withdrawn... but I'm leaving it up "for the record", as I don't like to delete posts, lest someone accuse me of trying to hide something. A correction post has also been made on my blog. [END UPDATE]


I debated whether or not to blog this one, but I think it's at least worth the public debate.

Right from Alberta posted the other day on Guelph Liberal candidate Frank Valeriote's nomination expenses... or, should I say, his lack thereof. According to his submitted Elections Canada returns, Frank was pretty confident going into the Guelph Liberal nomination contest... so much so, that he didn't spend a single dime on it... nor did he even accept a single donation to his cause.

Here's the official Nomination contest return from Elections Canada:



Now, in Frank's defence, it does appear that he does have all the paperwork in order, as required by Elections Canada. According to Elections Canada, he must:

Provide the Nomination Contestant’s Statement of Personal Expenses to the financial agent no later than 3 months after selection day even if it is a NIL statement

Submit the Contestant's Nomination Campaign Return and related documents within 4 months of the selection date of the contest (if contributions or expenses are $1,000 or more)

So, according to Elections Canada, it looks like Frank did indeed file all the required paperwork... he filed a NIL statement. Meaning he didn't raise, nor spend, a dime on his nomination contest.

Of course, I wasn't there, so I can't prove anything otherwise. However, I do have one question... did Frank have any buttons or posters with his name on them? If so, wouldn't they be considered nomination contest expenses?

And then, of course, there's the problem of his website... you see, according to the WHOIS lookup, Frank's website was originally registered on October 4, 2006. However, the nomination wasn't held until April of 2007. Now I don't have any screenshots archived, but do I happen to know that Frank used his domain name during his nomination contest... a simple Google search on "Frank Valeriote" and "Putting Guelph First", his original campaign slogan, pulls up his link. (that search also pulls up my story on how he had to change his campaign slogan, but that's another story for another time). But in addition to having a nomination website, he also had a phone number set up for his nomination, I remember it being also listed on the website. As such, they also should have been deemed as nomination contest expenses... should they not?

Now you're likely asking yourself, "Why on earth is this idiot bothering with these tiny little details?" Well, that's actually a very valid question! Here's why...

If Frank is elected as an MP, he'll have to regularly file his MP's expenses. Today, I've shared some research I've been able to do with his previous Elections Canada submissions... and brought to light some, shall we say, discrepencies... legitimate nomination expenses he should have claimed, but did not for one reason or another.

So there's a big an important question that arises... he's a lawyer. He should be fully aware of the legal definitions on what is and is not considered a nomination expense. If he's already not correctly filling out the legally required paperwork, what's going to happen if he becomes a Member of Parliament?

Of course, this could all be a simple misunderstanding, and someone else may have simply done the paperwork for him, and didn't correctly submit his nomination expenses on his behalf. As such, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, and wait for him to publicly release his corrected and resubmitted Nomination Expense forms. He has six days before by-election writ... though he may get an extension if a new general election writ drops.

Here's hoping that the local media will also inquire as to his missing and/or incorrect Elections Canada paperwork... after all, he is seeking to represent us in Ottawa.

WARNING: Be smart with your comments folks... I'll publish everything that isn't stupid

Elizabeth May pulls the rug out from under Mike Nagy

When you're running on a platform to become "Canada's First Green MP", it doesn't help when your leader gives that honour to a former Liberal...

Green party announces its first member of Parliament
Last Updated: Saturday, August 30, 2008 | 12:30 PM ET
CBC News

The Green party has gained its first ever member of Parliament — Blair Wilson — a Vancouver-area Independent who quit the Liberal party last year.

Green party Leader Elizabeth May introduced Wilson at a news conference Saturday morning in Ottawa.

From Mike Nagy's website...

Farley Mowat, author, former NDP, current Green Party member - "All Canadians will rejoice when Guelph voters elect our first Green MP"

Scratch that angle...

Looks like Mike's going to have to put togther a whole new political strategy for what looks to be an upcoming Federal election.

Sorta like Frank I guess, when he had to change his campaign slogan from "Putting Guelph First", when it was revealed that slogan was already taken.

Watching Gustav very closely

Let's just say that your perspective changes somewhat when you have family right in the path of the storm... (gulp)

PALIN IS MCCAIN'S VP PICK

CNN has announced that Palin will be McCain's pick for VP.

UPDATE: FOX News and the CBC are confirming the story.

UPDATE II: LOL, buddy of mine had this as his MSN pic already...

McCain on how to steal the thunder

Not even 12 hours after Obama's supposedly "historic" speech, presumptive GOP Nominee John McCain, by waiting until today to announce his pick for VP, has succeeded in stealing Obama's thunder.

From the front page of CNN.com:

Today is not about Obama anymore... it's all about John McCain. What do you think is going to be the lead story on the 6:00 news tonight? Yesterday's news, or today's big story? Obama's not even going to get a full news cycle with his speech.

Now that's what I call good strategy.

UPDATE: Just hit "refresh" on CNN.com, and CNN has announced that Palin will be McCain's pick for VP.

The "Diefenbreaker"

LOL... gotta love the nickname for Canada's newest, and largest, icebreaker, set to replace the Louis St. Laurent in 2017.

Plotting the death of the Liberal beast?

He's playing chess my friends... playing chess indeed.

A former chief of staff to Harper suggests there's more to this seemingly self-evident, benign response than meets the eye.

Tom Flanagan, a political scientist at the University of Calgary, believes Harper would be satisfied to return with a strengthened minority -- a result that would throw the Liberals into chaos, thereby advancing the prime minister's longterm strategy of destroying Canada's so-called natural governing party.

"I don't think Harper has to be thinking about a majority at all," Flanagan said in an interview.

"Strategically, this is sort of a prolonged war of attrition."

As Flanagan sees it, the first major battle in this incremental war occurred in 2004, when Harper managed to reduce Paul Martin's Liberals to a minority. In the second clash in 2006, Harper won his own Conservative minority.

The third skirmish, which Harper appears set to launch next week, likely won't kill what Flanagan jokingly refers to as "the evil empire." But, if the Tories can win a few more seats at the Liberals' expense -- an outcome Flanagan considers realistic given Harper's superior campaign skills and the Tories' fatter war chest -- he predicted that would be enough to throw the Grits into a longterm tailspin that could eventually lead to their demise.

"You can fight a war with some objective less than total victory," he said of the coming campaign.

I've long said that Canada won't be able to reach it's full potential until the Liberal Party of Canada is either ripped appart, or is forced into realignment. Once that occurs, there will be a realignment within all the other parties as well, potentially carving them up into three main players, each with more or less equaul support levels, along with two or three other smaller parties who will hold the balance of power in a minority situation.

In my opinion, it's the only sort of electoral reform that will work in this country, and will allow for coalition governments of various stripes, which will allow Canadians voices to be better heard in Ottawa, and better reflected in the House of Commons.

Who knows... it may even allow the NDP (or it's lefist sucessor) to one day form Government.

h/t to Warren

Looks like a fall election indeed

I've been saying all along, "We'll know for sure we're going when we see the pre-writ ad blitz begin."

And right on cue, here come the ads.

UPDATE: Here it is.

The other side of DNC Denver 2008

Does seem there's still some unhappy campers...

GG not going to China after all

This just in from the PMO...

STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER OF CANADA

August 26, 2008
Ottawa, Ontario

Lieutenant Governor of Ontario to Represent Canada at the Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony

Prime Minister Stephen Harper today announced that His Honour the Honourable David C. Onley, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, will represent Canada at the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, to be held on September 6, 2008.

The Lieutenant Governor will travel to China instead of Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada.

UPDATE: And before anyone asks, the answer is NO, I don't have any additional insights into what's going on... and trust me, I've been watching events all day to get a more clear picture.

US Third Party Attack Ads Begin

Yikes... the first (that I've seen anyway) third party attack ad against Obama has hit the airwaves in the US, and it's causing a bit of a stir.


Word is that Obama's camp and individual Obama supporters are doing everything they can to get it pulled off the air, mostly with Obama supporters calling in to the stations that air the spot and complain about it. Some stations are starting to refuse to carry it as a result.

Even though things do get nasty here in this country, I'm glad we've not stooped that low yet... amm, er, well, nevermind...


(or you can look at this third party ad from the Ontario election as another example)

"Gotcha!" politics... I knew this day would come

I personally like Warren's views on times like this ... by all means guys, keep on firing your attacks my way. And if you don't know what I'm talking about, I suggest you take another look at his books... these amatures could learn a few things from him.

Anyway, I guess it's time to answer a few questions that have been hanging out there over the last few days...

Why have I kept my identity under wraps on this blog? Because, and I'll repeat... "All opinions expressed here are solely my own, and not necessarily reflective of the views of the Party, its leadership, its general membership, my EDA, or my local Conservative candidate". So there.

I chose a long time ago that I would not use any position I held for my own purposes or agendas. When I serve the people of Canada, I do so at their pleasure, and as such, I have a responsiblity to ensure that their veiws are reflected properly. On that basis, I've never indicated any position that I've held on this blog. Yes, I have taken on certain responsibilities over the years in an effort to serve my fellow Canadians to the best of my ability, but I've done so in a manner that reflects the general views of the membership of whatever EDA I've been a part of... and there have been several different EDA's over the life of this blog. You can choose to believe me or not, but that's the truth.

You see, the Conservative Party of Canada is indeed a "Big Tent" party.  I've worked with lots of folks in various capacities... some who are Christians, some Muslims, atheists, agnostics, you name it.  Why are we, all people with differing opinions, working together as we do?  In an effort to make a better Canada for everyone... and not just for a select few, like the Liberal Party of Canada seems to do.

As I'm sure you've noticed by now, my views are not exactly "mainstream"... not even within my own party, despite what some of the liars may try to tell you. As such, I've never openly disussed my real identity. My reasoning is somewhat similar to Canadian Cynic's... I'd prefer not to have any nutbars showing up on my front door. But despite my best efforts, and thanks to some help from Liberal bloggers, I've already recieved one piece of hate mail. Not openly identifying myself has also allowed me to express the opinion of the 5%-10% of the Canadian population who describe themselves as "Evangelical"... people who believe the Bible in a more literal manner, and who view the political realm from that worldview. That worldview, of course, not in step with ANY of the major political parties in Canada. As a member of one of the major parties, and as a Bible-believing Christian, I wanted to be able to express my views, and the views of tens of thousands of other Canadians, in an open manner such as this... views that sometimes aren't welcome in any of the parties, and yet are held my members of both the Conservative and Liberal parties.

For the record, I've never "hidden" my identity. I've just never discssed it openly on my blog, and have been "hiding in plain sight", as it were. That's why I've always been comfortable enough to post my photo. In posting my photo, several local Liberals have IDed me, and I've never attempted to hide anything from them. I've also never had a problem revealing my identity to trustworthy people, including several promanent Liberal bloggers... Jason Cherniak, Warren Kinsella, CalgaryGrit, Stephen Taylor, Joanne Tintor, Dr. Roy, David Graham of cdlu and the Liblogs admin, etc. These are respectful individuals, who are able to rise above the "gotcha" smear politics from which I have sought to stay out of by hiding my identity. They're folks who I felt were able to rise above the partisan bickering, and actually dicuss ideas, and even work together towards a common goal. It was my pleasure to work together with Jason Cherniak and David Graham towards defeating MMP during the previous Ontario election. Several of us, I mean myself and several Liberals at a local Liberal event some weeks ago, were having fun talking about that. Wouldn't it be nice to see more of that on the blogs...

But, of course, I knew that one day, one of those "GOTCHA!" types would figure it all out, and would seek to try and stick my views to someone else. Congrats to Jeff Davidson for confirming my cynical outlook of most bloggers, on all ends of the spectrum.

So, thanks to good old gutter politics, here's my two cents to set the record straight, one last time... my views are my own. They do not reflect the views of the Party, my local EDA, nor anyone else in my general vicinity. I never have used any position I've held for my own purposes, or to further my own agendas. Any position I have held has been solely in the interest of serving my fellow Canadians to the best of my ability... and most of it, believe it or not, is about little more than taking care of all the paperwork.

By the way... some have asked why I refer to my location as being in "the GTA". For most Canadians, or my international readers of which I have several regulars, Toronto is the nearest major city. I've pretty much always lived within the sphere (and smog) of Toronto, and when people ask me where I'm from, I pretty much reply with, "I've grown up in and around Toronto". As such, I still consider myself a "GTAer".

Hope that clears a few things up. Now back to real life, where I've been for the past week or so, and from which I've been so rudely awakened...

One way to sign your own death warrant

Attacking a British flagged ship on the high seas is one way to do it.

Giving the Royal Navy an excuse to get involved is a move that's none too bright, in my opinion.  Before, it was just a local problem... now, it's gone international.

"Rule Britannia, Britannia rules the waves"

Liberal MP withdraws sexist and ageist remarks

Liberal MP Robert Thibault has withdrawn the sexist and ageist remarks he made to a Hill Times reporter the other day, after some non-partisan women's groups agreed with the Tories that the remarks were inappropriate.

"If anything I said can be interpreted as sexist, I unequivocally and wholeheartedly apologize and withdraw my comments," Thibault said.

"I have always been a strong supporter of women in politics and want to encourage, not hinder, their participation in the public sphere."

On that note, I'd also like to encourage the participation of more women in the public sphere...

Liberal MP to senior female Senator: "Go back to serving tea"

Oh no! You almost feel bad for the guy, but it seems he just can't help himself. Already in trouble for insulting seniors the other day, what does Liberal MP Robert Thibault go an do? He goes and fires off yet another insulting remark, this time insulting women with a sexist one!

In trying to defend himself, Robert Thibault said that Government Senate Leader Marjory LeBreton "should go back to making tea for Brian Mulroney and stay out of serious people's business".

Oh man... he only won the riding with a 500 vote margin last time. After first insulting seniors, and now offending women with his little "Go back to making and serving tea, you little old woman" comment, I'm thinking his margin will have just about evaporated.

Well, that's no problem... we're more than happy to pick up another seat in the Atlantic provinces.

Who's "FRARK"?

LOL... take a look at this ad that appeared on the front page of the Guelph Tribune. Do you see what I see?


Now take another CLOSER look at the name...


What does that say? Seriously, is that an "N" or is that an "R"? Cause it looks a lot like "FRARK" to me!!!

His election signs aren't much better, from what I've seen...


Where exactly does the "R", oops, I mean the "N" end and the "T" start? Honestly, after taking a couple of graphic design courses in high school, they're looking like a high school level job to me.

You know what I'm thinking? Maybe it's time for a new graphic design team "Frark"!

(Advance note to Liberals... lighten up guys. If you can't find the humour in this post, then don't even bother commenting...)

What's your "GST" rebate going to be?

Did what the Liberals want me to do, and calculated the "savings" my household would get with their new "Green Shift Tax"... my GST "rebate", if you will. (so not only does Dion want to RAISE the GST, he wants to bring in yet another NEW GST too...)

$520 bucks. That's it, for my whole family. Of course, who knows how much the cost of everything stands to rise with the "new GST" should Dion ever get elected. I have to run two cars back and forth to work, then there's my hydro bill, plus my natural gas bill, and then the cost increase on my grocery bill... and it's already looking pretty tight.

Of course, that's assuming I still have my job...

"Green Shift" = Guelph Shutdown

Been thinking long and hard about how the Liberals "Green Shift" (TM, but not by the Liberals) will play in the current by-elections, especially in Guelph. After looking at some hard facts, and using some common sense, I've come to the unmistakable conclusion that Dion's Green Shift will be devastating to the Guelph economy. In short, "Green Shift" equals Guelph Shutdowns.

Guelph has a vibrant automotive industry, both on the supply and production side. Though no cars are produced there, quite a number of folks who live there work at the Cambridge Toyota plant, so that has to be factored into any discussion of how the Green Shift will play out in the by-election. As for the supply side, Guelph is home to Linamar Corporation, a major parts supplier to almost every automotive producer in the world. They have dozens of factories throughout the City, and their international Head Office is located in town.

Even a cursory glance at the Liberal's "Green Shift Tax" (the "New GST" as Peter Mackay put it somewhere the other day, I love it!) should start ringing alarm bells in the heads of Guelph voters. But just in case it doesn't, here's the relevant facts...

If the "Green Shift Tax" is ever implemented, there will be an immediate increase in the cost of everything... that fact is undeniable. But the hardest hit sectors will be manufacturing, specifically on the materials procurement side.

Just stop and think about it for a second... the use of oil and coal, both forms of carbon, will be taxed. Burning of coal is a major requirement in the production of raw materials like steel, and oil forms the main building blocks of plastics.

Compaines will be directly taxed on their consumption of carbon based products. On top of that, there will be the added transportation costs related to moving the raw materials, and again for the finished goods. Add on top of that the added costs of power to run the plants, and you're forced to admit that there's going to be an added cost per unit of production. These facts are undeniable.

Now factor in the "global economy" in the context of auto-part production. When an auto manufacturer is looking for parts, they put a contract out for bids. Various part producers bid on contracts, coming up with a final dollar figured based on their cost per unit of production.

If Linamar's costs have gone up, so does their cost per unit... and so does their bid. Some American company underbids them, and low and behold, Linamar doesn't get the contract. And if Linamar isn't winning as many contracts due to their increased production costs, what do you think is going to happen to the employees of these now idle plants?

That's right... Linamar starts cutting shifts. People lose their jobs. And all of a sudden, there's a whole lot of folks in Guelph out of work. And why, pray tell, are they unemployed? Thanks to Frank and Dion's new Carbon Tax... that's why.

It's simple economics folks. Cost of production goes up, jobs start going elsewhere. Then of course, to add insult to injury, since Toyota's cost of production here in Canada will be on the rise, they might just start building more of their US cars in the US of A... meaning even more job cuts in Guelph. Which is why I've come up with my new little slogan... "Green Shift" = Guelph Shutdown.

But what does Liberal candidate Frank Valeriote have to say about the "Green Shift"? Well, he seems to like it. Guess he hasn't really stopped and thought about how it will affect Guelph for the average working Joe. Here's a quote from him in the Guelph Mercury on Dion's Carbon Tax...

"We have to support existing industry and our existing manufacturing base, but we must also help them diversify into a stronger, specialty niche, which is our knowledge-based economy"

You catch the code-words in that statement? He said, for all intensive purposes, "I know that my leader's Carbon Tax will cost Guelphites their jobs"!!! Read it again... "BUT we must also help them diversify". Folks, that's code for "We know there's going to be job losses at first, but then we're going to help them find new jobs in the new Carbon Tax economy".

But here's the question... what if it's your job that's on the line? Yea, sure, they're promising other jobs, but are we talking months or years before these new "Green Economy" jobs come on stream? Who in their right mind would vote to be unemployed for a while?

Also, did you notice the phrase we've heard time and time again, from Mr. Dion, and now from Mr. Valeriote? They keep talking about new jobs in "our knowledge-based economy". Translation? They mean non-manufactring jobs folks, plain and simple.

But wait, there's more! Don't forget all the lost non-auto-sector jobs, the trickle down jobs that will be directly affected as Guelph's economy grinds to a halt. Then of course there's the coresponding collapse of property values in the area, as the unemployed try to offload their houses and move to areas where there's work... which, of course, will be in short supply because the Carbon Tax will have had similar effects across the country.

Sound pretty negative? Yea, I don't like the sound of it either. That's why I'm doing my best to make sure that everyone who will listen realizes that Dion's Green Shift is quite possibly the WORST policy proposal that this country has ever seen.

So, you can see why I opened this post with the graphic I did. Thanks to "Blue Zone" for posting it the other day.

For those of you voting in the Guelph by-election, DON'T vote to make Guelph a "Carbon Tax/Job Free Zone". Remember...

"Green Shift" = Guelph Shutdown

Liberal MP to Seniors: "60? Retire already"

Yikes... Liberal MP Robert Thibault went and offended, well, a good chunk of the population the other day while trying to attack his Conservative opponent for the next election.

I quote: ""If they (Conservatives) wanted to take me out, I would think you'd get someone who's looking forward to building a political career, not somebody who's at the age where he's considering retirement," he told reporters. "You're not building for the future here. This is a candidate who's lost provincially, lost federally, and is what, 62, 63 years old?"

Wow. Nice one dude, nice one. Considering you won your seat by a pretty narrow margin the last time, let me be the first to congragulate you on your own impending retirement.

I hear 48 is the new 40... though I'm sure you disagree with that general sentiment.

Guelph NDP on "Green Shift"

LOL... this could perhaps be the BEST description of the Liberals "Green Shift" carbon tax that I've ever heard!!!

From Guelph NDP candidate Tom King, who's known for his colourful stories and analogy's...

[on the "Green Shift"] "So it's sort of like passing money from your left pocket to your right pocket, but I know enough about Ottawa and Ottawa's digestive track to know that if you pass money through it, it doesn't come out the same as it went in," Mr. King said.

"It's like a man who has a horse and feeds hay to the horse and stands under the back end of the horse hoping to get the same amount of hay out that he put in, and it just doesn't happen. So revenue neutral, in terms of Ottawa, is a myth."

I'm no NDP fan, but this guy's got the Liberals "Green Shift" defined to a "T"!!! With the Liberal's "Green Shift", you throw money in, but it sure doesn't look the same when it comes back out!

h/t to m-d/d

Amm, Scott? Where's Frank's news releases?

Good old Scott Tribe tried again to insult Guelph Conservative candidate Gloria Kovach, implying that she doesn't even know where Guelph is in Canada... all because there's a news release in her "Latest Stories" section on her website called "Atlantic Liberals Afraid to talk about Carbon Tax Plan". (which, by the way, they seem to be... but I digress)

Well you see Scott, that section of the website seems to contain the seven most recent items compiled not only from the local campaign, but from some news stories issued by the Party as well. As of this moment, it contains FIVE local items, and just TWO from the National Party.

Contrast that with Scott's candidate, Frank Valeriote. Over on his website, we see the two batches of stories seperated on the right sidebar. But there's one problem... it only contains ONE locally related story. "FRANK VALERIOTE OFFICIALLY OPENS CAMPAIGN OFFICE", dated July 30... that's over a week ago!

But while we're there, let's see what press releases he's got posted... oh, stories from the National Party. Okay, well there's one story on their candidate in Saskatchewan who just suddenly stepped down (hang on, that makes two this week, doesn't it Scott?); one about the Canadian Wheat Board, (that's in Western Canada, right Scott?); one on WHO and InSite (that's in Vancouver, on the West Coast, am I wrong Scott?); one on, oops, Liberals in Atlantic Canada (umm, Scott... Guelph’s in Ontario, not Atlantic Canada); and finally, one on the Taliban-Pakistan issue (Scott, should I even bother pointing out that's on the other side of the globe?)

Yea... amm, real "Guelph-centric" there Scott. Here, let me give you and your candidate a hand with that...

That arrow? Yea, that's where Guelph is. Those places mentioned in all those press releases? Yea, none of them are anywhere near there. No, really... you're welcome. (FULL DISCLOSURE: I should give credit to the provider of the map... thanks for the map Scott)

But, I must say, in his attempted (and I think failed) attack on Kovach, Scott does raise a good question... where exactly are your candidate's media releases? What has your guy been up to recently? What issues has he made statements on? For that matter, are there ANY issues he's put out statements on? Why has he been so quiet on the issues Scott? Any idea?

Meanwhile, let's take a look over at Kovach's News Releases section:

- Defence Minister Peter MacKay to Canvas With Gloria Kovach Thursday
- Agriculture Minister Ritz and Gloria Kovach Attend Guelph Farmers Market
- Agriculture Minister Ritz and Gloria Kovach Host Agriculture Roundtable
- Liberal Frank Valeriote Attacks GST Cut for Guelph Families
- By-election Called in Guelph, Gloria Kovach is “Ready To Go”
- Youth Volunteers and Peter Van Loan in Guelph This Weekend to Help Team Kovach
- Guelph Conservative EDA Opens Office
- Guelph Liberal Candidate Silent on Carbon Tax Scheme
- Liberal Candidate Does Not Support Green Industry in Guelph
- Biofuels bill is good for our environment: Kovach
- Kovach applauds $1-million grant from Ottawa for Guelph Civic Museum
- Kovach says the 2008 Budget is “good news for Guelph”
- Ottawa donates $1 million to help expand market opportunities for agri-business

Wow! So many Guelph-centric items! So many issues touched on! Yea... looks like she's been a busy girl!

So what's your guy been up to Scott? Hummm?

(just for the record Scott, no hard feelings here... I just couldn't let that totally out to lunch post go unanswered. I made this post tongue-in-cheek, not maliciously... hope it results in a smile and laugh. Have a great weekend either way!)

Liberal candidate resigned over Carbon Tax?

When PEI Liberal candidate Robert Morrissey announced the sudden withdrawal of his candidacy yesterday, some reporters repeated our suggestion that Dion's Carbon Tax, with its proposed and significant tax increase on home heating oil, may have had something to do with it. Of course, Liberals asked for proof of that allegation... but mysteriously, his website was immediately taken down upon his announcement. That was pretty quick, don't you think?

Of course, there's always the good old Google Cache... it's a wonderful little thing.

People Need Assistance Now (The Guardian: February 7th, 2008)
Editor:

The fact that many Islanders are having difficulty paying the increased cost of home-heating fuel this winter has been rightfully highlighted in the news.

But the cost of fuel oil is just one of the basic living expenses that some people are having trouble paying. The fact that the price of oil has risen so dramatically is a cause for concern. But the real issue is our existing policies are inadequate. The financial support programs for seniors and low-income families are no longer meeting their needs.

In the face of the multibillion-dollar surpluses that the federal government has been producing over the past few years, it makes no sense that there are Canadians struggling to meet their basic needs.

While this is one of the things a new government will have as its priorities, the need is now. People can’t wait until after an election; there are far too many families who need more assistance from the federal government. There should be an immediate increase in the guaranteed income supplement for seniors and in the income support payments for low income families.

Robert Morrissey,
Liberal candidate for Egmont

For the record, I think his first two paragraphs are spot on. With the cost of oil through the roof, he's quite right in saying, "many Islanders are having difficulty paying the increased cost of home-heating fuel this winter". Of course, he was talking about last winter, when oil was still around the $100 a barrel mark, not the $120+ mark we've been at for the last few months. He then went on and said, "But the cost of fuel oil is just one of the basic living expenses that some people are having trouble paying". Also right on the money.

But of course, it's those very same statements that are in conflict with Dion's new Carbon Tax. If people were having trouble paying for it then, with the added cost they're going to have now with higher oil prices, an additional Carbon Tax on top of that, plus the additional cost increases for production and transportation of home heating oil, he knew that Dion's Carbon Tax just wasn't going to sell, even in a Liberal bastion like Edmont.

Of course, the Liberals will chime in right about now and say, "But there are other tax reductions and incentives that will make up the difference!" I'm sorry, but I can't afford to have to pay for this new Carbon Tax up front... and then waiting until tax time to see if I qualify for these rebates and reductions. That scheme just doesn't cut it for me, nor for most pay-cheque to pay-cheque Canadians.

Oil is a major means of heating homes in the Atlantic provinces. With Mr. Dion proposing a massive direct tax increase and indirect additional costs, maybe, just maybe, Liberal candidate Robert Morrissey realized that the "Green Shift" wasn't going to get a green light amongst Maritimers.

Trying to "Green Shift"(TM) the issue?

Liberal supporters are up in arms, get this, because the media is doing its job! Go figure!

The Guelph Mercury, the main paper in the by-election city of Guelph, mentioned on one of their blogs that they were going to be interveiwing Jennifer Wright, the owner of "Green Shift"(TM). Here's exactly what they said:

"Mercury staff will also be meeting with Jennifer Wright, "the founder and chief environmental activist of Green Shift."

"Green Shift™ has launched an $8.75 million suit against the Liberal Party of Canada for infringement of trademark because of the Party’s unauthorized use of the Green Shift name for their proposed carbon tax program," her press release says.

Now, of course, what do the "champions of the press" Liberal bloggers think about that? Well, looks like it's thrown them into a bit of a tizzy!

Here's just a sampling of what the Liberals had to say about it...

From "Jeff", who posted this comment on the Mercury's by-election blog: "I'm quite curious, could you clear something up for me? Was it the Mercury that sought out Jennifer Wright for an interview, or did she want to talk with your paper? If it's the former, then one has to wonder why the Merc finds it necessary to interject this issue into the campaign. If it's the latter, then it would appear Jennifer Wright actually is political, despite you assertions to the contrary, attempting to influence a by-election with her lawsuit. Which is it, neither seems particularly relevant to the people of Guelph in the grand scheme? I'm sure Conservatives and NDP supporters will disagree, which sort of says it all, doesn't it?"

Or from blogger "Liberal Arts and Minds": "So isn't it a bit strange that she will be visiting Guelph today? Yes that's right. Smack dab in the middle of a federal by election, Ms. Wright thought it would be a good time to speak to a newspaper about her non-political stance and her fight with a political party. Unbelievable. Anyone care to tell how she's not gaining publicity for her company?"

Then there's the Liberal candidate's relative, Steve Valeriote, who commented on the above post: "What I don't understand here, why JR finds it necessary to interject herself into a by-election, which makes her political, which implies that she is trying to hurt the Liberals in this riding. Now, no matter your opinion of her lawsuit, surely any fair minded observer can see how the timing here isn't exactly pure, how this goes beyond her lawsuit, how she effectively politicizes herself with this sit down. Now, all this is mute of course,if it was the Merc that contacted her, although that suggests other motives. And, why not a phone call, why does she physically need to travel to Guelph to "discuss"?"

And finally, we have Scott Tribe: "I’d be interested to hear who exactly it was that invited Ms. Wright down today to the Guelph riding; was it the CPC? The NDP? The Guelph Mercury? I’ll also be very interested to see in her talk to the Mercury how much she injects herself into the political campaign in Guelph."

You notice a couple of similar themes running through these comments? Yep, you probably spotted them too... a hint of character assasination, some deflection of the issue at hand, and even attempts to blame the other parties for this Liberal mess!

I'm looking forward to reading what the Mercury has to say on the issue. It's quite simple, really... the Liberal Party of Canada is trying to get away with trademark infringement, just because they came across what they thought was a catchy phrase for their downright idiotic "plan"... a plan that stands to do nothing but reduce the amount of "green" in people's wallets.

Being a lawyer, you'd think that Guelph Liberal candidate Frank Valeriote would be more aware about the dangers of trademark infringment. But instead, he's made the mistake of linking himself and his campaign to the lawsuit by putting the "Green Shift" on his own campaign liturature. I saw it with my own eyes when I went down to the Guelph CPC campaign office... the back page of Frank's huge campaign flyer is dedicated to Mr. Dion's new Carbon Tax.

But by doing so, he's made the huge mistake of dragging himself into the legal debate with Ms. Wright about the Liberals trademark infringement. So I guess the answer to the above Liberals questions on who invited Ms. Wright into the debate has been answered... by using the Green Shift in his campaign, it was Frank Valeriote himself that opened the door for Jennifer Wright to wade into the Guelph by-election debate.

I'm sorry guys, but he made his own bed on this one... now he has to lie in it. Ms. Wright has every right to wade into this debate, because she's been dragged into it with the Liberals continued use of her trademark.

You know the Liberals are in trouble when...

... when two men who have been members of the party for only three years are referred to as "Senior Liberals"!!!

In today's Globe & Mail... "Senior Liberals, such as foreign-affairs critic Bob Rae and deputy leader Michael Ignatieff, have been quiet over the summer, staying away from election speculation."

Also from the same article, more bad news for the Liberals. Looks like another one's bit the dust... "Months of uncertainty about the timing of the next election has started to cause some problems for the Liberals. Yesterday, the candidate in the PEI riding of Egmont said he could no longer stand as he has taken alternative employment."

Media picks up on Guelph Liberal mudslinging

Liberal MP Scott Brison was taken to task by the Guelph media today over his mudslinging comments directed Conservative candidate Gloria Kovach.

I'm very glad to see that the media in Guelph have picked up on the level of negativity coming out of the Frank Valeriote campaign. While they may say that they want to run an issue driven campaign, their actions reveal otherwise.

If you have nothing nice to say...
August 06, 2008
BRAD NEEDHAM

My mom always said, if I don't have anything nice to say, I shouldn't say anything at all.

So, I'd like to start with something nice. Guelph is lucky this byelection. We have four fantastic candidates. All would represent the city well in Ottawa.

That said . . .

Liberal MP Scott Brison should try out a career as a ventriloquist. I figure if he can talk out of both sides of his mouth so well, ventriloquism is the next logical step.

On a recent visit here, Brison came to throw some bigwig political weight around for Guelph's Liberal candidate, Frank Valeriote.

Brison talked about keeping the campaign on the up and up and focusing on ideas. He was reiterating earlier comments by Valeriote that he wants to run a clean campaign.

Brison's keeping-it-clean comments were followed with a comment about Gloria Kovach, Guelph's Conservative candidate, that had little to do with ideas.

"Her fear of saying what she really thinks on the Truscott affair . . . qualifies her to be part of Stephen Harper's flock of sheep," Brison told reporter Jessica Smith, referring to Kovach's skirting of the question of how Stephen Truscott's compensation should be dealt with federally.

A retired provincial justice recommended that Steven and Marlene Truscott be awarded a total of $6.6 million this summer. The province accepted the advice, chose to pay the money and has asked Ottawa whether it will share the costs. We asked Guelph candidates last week whether Ottawa should pay some of the compensation costs and Brison seemingly didn't care for Kovach's answer (she deferred the query to the Prime Minister's Office for comment).

If ventriloquism is not Brison's thing, perhaps he should try mud wrestling. He's proven he can sling mud with the best of them.

Liberal lawn sign shenanigans?

Oops... Several residents in Guelph returned home after the long weekend to an unexpected surprise... Liberal candidate Frank Valeriote's sign on their lawn. The problem is, they never requested one!

Looks like another "oops" in the Guelph Liberal campaign... seems like they've been caught in a little signage fraud! Well, "fraud" might be too strong a word to use... but with the number of complaints piling up, one has to wonder if there's something more organized to it. (Got this little tip from one of my many sources in town)

But wait, it gets even better. Instead of calling the Valeriote campaign to have the sign removed, they did the next best thing... they called the Gloria Kovach campaign office, and asked them to replace Frank's sign with one for Kovach!!!

First By-election YouTube video

Even I've got to admit, this one's pretty slick. Hits all the "Green" buttons, people arriving via mass transit on trains and busses, car pooling, driving hybrids, or cycling to the Green Party's campaign office.


Nicely done.

Guelph unions to be "King"-makers?

Organized labour groups in Guelph have announced that they'll be, for the most part, supporting the NDP's Tom King.  That gives Dion's Liberal candidate, Frank Valeriote, what may be a fatal body blow in his efforts to keep the Guelph riding from slipping out of their grasp.

NDP's King gets union bump
August 1, 2008
Jessica Smith
GUELPH

NDP candidate Tom King is campaigning for the federal byelection with the weight of labour behind him, while all of the candidates highlight the kind words of their more personal endorsements.

"The labour movement, or the labour council in Guelph, is supporting Tom King," said Terry O'Connor, president of the Guelph and District Labour Council and a member of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada (CEP).

"Union affiliates are going to try and get their membership, through letters and phone calls, get them out to work for Tom and get him elected," O'Connor added.

The CEP sent letters dated July 28 to Guelph-area union members promoting King, suggesting they volunteer with or make a donation to his campaign.

The Steelworkers local is not formally endorsing King, but asked its members at a membership meeting to support his campaign, said local Steelworkers president Margaret Carter, adding King and federal NDP Leader Jack Layton visited her union this week and have offered to assist them with their upcoming labour dispute with the University of Guelph.

Organized labour, thanks to Buzz Hardgrove, have been typically backing the Liberals in recent years in an effort to "Stop Harper".  But with this being a by-election situation, the Prime Ministership isn't up for grabs... and as such, organized labour is free to vote for their ideological preference, instead of voting for the "lesser of two evils", as they've put it while voting for the local Liberals.

With these public endorsements of the NDP in Guelph, this large block of voters could well swing the difference on who becomes Guelph's next Member of Parliament.

Guelphites reject negative Liberal campaign

Just got this via my Guelph by-election Google Alert... it looks like the citizens of Guelph are also picking up on the negative vibes coming out of the Valeriote campaign.

This Letter to the Editor was published in today's Guelph Mercury...

Stop negative attacks on Gloria Kovach - August 02, 2008

Dear Editor - Well, so much for hoping for an issue driven, positive by-election.

We're just over a week into the campaign and what do we see? Supporters of the local Liberal candidate calling Gloria Kovach names, and sending pictures around the Internet comparing her to trained animals, or implying she's just a Stephen Harper sock puppet.

Well that's not the Gloria I know. Before I'd even met her, I'd heard her name frequently around town.

She's been her own woman on council for a long time now, always speaking up with what's on her mind, and she's never been one to take orders from anyone.

It's no wonder the residents of Ward 4 have sent her back to council over and over again, even when various council slates have been wiped clean.

If this is how the Liberals plan to run this campaign, they're in for a big surprise. The residents of this city are just as vocal and independent minded as Gloria and don't take kindly to negative smear campaigns like this.

We know Gloria, and many of us like Gloria. Attacking her like this, with a baseless attack no less, isn't likely to endear us to Frank Valeriote any time soon.

Shame on his campaign for stooping so low so early in this election race.

Is crime really down? Down from WHEN?

Missed this one, so thanks to a commenter at Garth's blog who reposted it there.

All the "soft on crime" folks like to tout the stats that say "crime is down", but most of us average Joe Canadians have known all along that something wasn't right about those numbers. Here's perhaps the reason why... since 1962, violent and property crime is WAY up... it peaked in 1991, and has only SLOWLY been coming down since then.

Personally? When I'm talking about crime, I want to get back to the 1962 numbers...

Stats are a crime
The real numbers on Canada’s crime rate tell a shocking story
By LORRIE GOLDSTEIN
July 31, 2008

Today let’s take a break from the BS we’re being fed about global warming to examine the BS we’re being fed about crime statistics.

Specifically, about how “low” they are today compared to the past, how anyone who believes otherwise is paranoid and how the best way to make the crime rate even lower is to go even softer on criminals than we already are.

First, let’s examine what the crime rate actually is compared to years ago, as opposed to what we’ve been told it is.

Here are some figures you probably didn’t see widely quoted in the media earlier this month when Statistics Canada released its 2007 data on falling Canadian crime rates.

- First, violent crime is up 320% since 1962, when modern records first started being kept.

- Second, property crime, which many victims don’t even bother to report anymore, is nonetheless up 75%.

- Third, the overall crime rate is up 152%.

What, you say? You’ve been told, ad nauseam, by soft-on-crime politicians, media, criminal lawyers and prisoners’ rights groups that crime has been going down for years?

You’ve been told people who think as you do — that our streets aren’t as safe as they used to be — are suffering from paranoid delusions fuelled by right-wing politicians and irresponsible media?

Okay, let’s look at the actual numbers from Statistics Canada.

Canada has been keeping uniform crime statistics since 1962.

- In that year, there were 221 reported violent crimes per 100,000 population. Last year there were 930 — a 320% increase in the crime rate compared to 1962.

- There were 1,891 property crimes per 100,000 population in 1962, 3,320 in 2007, a 75% increase.

- The overall crime rate was 2,771 incidents per 100,000 people in 1962, 6,984 last year, a 152% increase.

Any graph that accurately tracks crime rates shows a steep increase throughout the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, peaking around 1991, then falling relatively slowly ever since.

The key word is slowly. While it’s true the crime rate has been decreasing since 1991, it has never returned to anywhere near the far lower rates of 45 years ago, particularly for violent crime, the category law-abiding people most care about.

No one knows why the crime rate peaked around 1991, not just in Canada, but the U.S.

Some argue it was due to the gradual aging of the giant baby boomer generation, particularly young males who, as a group, commit most crime. Another controversial theory cites the increasing availability of abortions, meaning fewer unwanted, neglected children.

Whatever happened, the hug-a-thug crowd today uses the relatively small post-1991 drop in the crime rate to argue that since crime is going down, we don’t need to toughen laws or impose stiffer sentences. In fact, they say, we should do the reverse.

Nonsense. One could just as easily argue the skyrocketing crime rate we experienced throughout the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s to levels which essentially still exist today for violent crime, was the result of the soft-on-crime attitude of both federal Liberal and Progressive Conservative governments.

REHABILITATING OFFENDERS

That attitude was best summed up in a 1971 speech to Parliament by then Liberal solicitor-general Jean-Pierre Goyer. Complaining about the high costs of keeping criminals incarcerated, he said: “The present situation results from the fact that (the) protection of society has received more emphasis than the rehabilitation of inmates. Consequently, we have decided from now on to stress the rehabilitation of offenders, rather than the protection of society.”

Yes, you read that right.

Remember it the next time someone from the hug-a-thug crowd tries to tell you the crime rate is down.

G&M - "A new vision for the country?"

The Globe & Mail's Lawrence Martin as an interesting piece in yesterday's paper, entitled, "A new vision for the country?", where he offers his two cents on the apparent Conservative plan to correct some of the "political imbalance" (my own new word) that has existed for far too long... where Ottawa has been controlled by Toronto's wishes and interests, rather than the interests of the country as a whole.

An interesting section:

"But do these long-held harmonies [the usual Liberal attacks on decentralizaion] still hold? Or are they outmoded, in need of overhaul? Has the country not moved beyond its vulnerable adolescent era to the point where now, like a normal family, it can entrust its members with more responsibilities? After 141 years, is there not a new sense of trust and maturity in the land?

Identity? History is identity. If you don't know who you are at 141, if you still think some provinces have stars and stripes in their eyes, the shrink is in the waiting room.

Now even Liberals don't think the new Canada is as dependent on the centre as the old. The old parts were fragile, in need of nurturing, in need of national and protectionist policies. But now there is more wealth and more equality, a levelling of the braying fields. Little guys like Newfoundland and Saskatchewan, with their newfound riches, are no longer little guys. They are not as beholden and their new level of maturity requires new thinking in Ottawa. Treat them like teenagers and they'll be more inclined to rebel. Give them space and they'll be more inclined to be part of the whole.

[...]

All part of growing up. But now? Noteworthy is that while in more recent times we have seen a trend away from centralized powers, unity is now well intact. Many would argue the country is more unified today than at any time since 1967.

The big centre is still needed. It's still needed for infrastructure, uniform social programs, defence and multifarious other initiatives. But, with the old family having a better sense of its bearings, it isn't needed the way it was before.

For more on the proposed Conservative initive, read this article in Wednesday's G&M.

Maclean's agrees, Guelph campaign is nasty

So it looks like it's not just me... Maclean's blogger Aaron Wherry says that if the current Guelph campaign is any indication, the next national campaign looks to be a nasty one.

Which is a real shame, because I know I was looking forward to a substantive, issues driven campaign.  Unfortunately, with the Guelph Liberals and their supporters "going negative" right out of the gate, any chance of that has been pretty much vanished.

The Maclean's post links back here to my blog, and for those of you visiting from that link, please review the following posts from the last few days, "Guelph Liberal supporters on the attack", "Guelph Liberal supporters continue the negative attacks", and today's post, "Guelph Liberals continue a negative campaign".

I came across the Maclean's link via the Guelph Mercury's "GuelphVotes" by-election blog, who have also picked up on the negative vibes.  Mercury reporter Magda had this to say about the Maclean's posting: "I've got to say I'm not really sure what he means... perhaps he's suggesting the campaign is a dirty one?"

I think that's what he's getting at... because all evidence points to just that, that the Guelph campaign is already looking pretty dirty, thanks to all the mudslinging from Valeriote, Brison, and their supporters.

Beyond all this, one significant question remains... will Liberal candidate Frank Valeriote apologize for this disgusting negative tone the campaign has taken, and will he distance himself from his supporters who continue to engage in these tactics?

UPDATE:Bumped cause one of the aggregators I'm on pushed this to the bottom of the list.