Tim Hudak, Ontario's Next Premier

Congrats to Tim Hudak for your win! It's time to saddle up, and get ready to win in 2011. Absolutely LOVE the comment I saw quoted today about the union crybabies... I'm looking for the exact quote, something along the lines of "They should be greatful they have jobs."

Tim, like I promised you when this race began, a deal is a deal... ;-)

Ladies and Gentlemen, please turn your attention to the top right corner of this blog...

"The King (of Pop)" is dead

And I guess thanks to his enduring mark on the music industry, we can use that old saying, "The King is dead. Long live the King."

Can't say I was ever a fan, but he was a part of my childhood, growing up in the 80's. But you know it's a pretty big thing when it even makes conversation in my Thursday night Prayer meeting.

I mean, come on... who amongst us doesn't remember "The Moonwalk"?

Party unity begins NOW

Never did I think I'd become a lightning rod in this Provincial leadership campaign. All the accusations of spin, and attacks for simply calling it how I see it have been pretty unbelievable.

Obviously, tensions are running high as we approach the finish line. People have been asking me to call this one, who's going to win, final order on the ballots, etc. I really don't think I can, nor do I want to, try and make a prediction on this one.

All I'm going to say is that I've said what I need to say. I'll make up my mind, and will place my vote tomorrow, and then stand behind the winner as we prepare to defeat Dalton McGuinty in 2011.

I don't want to be accused of causing any further division, so I will be keeping my eventual decision to myself, and to a few close friends. May the best man (and I mean that in it's non-gender specific manner, so get lost all you politically correct types... I'm referring to all four candidates) win the day on Saturday.

And thanks to the guy who called me about half an hour ago... yes, your voice does carry weight with me. We need to stick together if we're going to have any hope of winning in 2011. I do have many friends in just about every camp, and we need to be able to come together after this to rescue this province from the Liberals.

A couple of points that I'd like the winner to consider. Obviously, we need to come together as a Party, as there are some significant divisions that have been exposed. We need you to:

1) Listen to and take heed of the concerns of the far-right Libertarians, and seek to address their needs, without making our message unpalitable to the rest of the province.

2) Ensure that the disaffected SoCons within our ranks are brought back into the fold. There are many who have walked away, feeling that the issues that are important to them are being ignored, while they're still being expected to show up and carry the banner for the Party. Many simply stayed home in 2007, and we saw the results. It wasn't just Faith Based Schools, it was the fact that the Party had moved too far to the left for them to lend their support in good concience.

3) Remember who we are... we are Conservatives. Reak Conservatism, when not presented in a "Liberal-lite" fashion, DOES resonate with Ontario voters. Mike Harris won with a BIGGER majority in 1999 because he STUCK TO HIS GUNS. He had told the people in 1995 what he intended to do, and then he did it. We need to present a relevant and genuinely Conservative platform in order to provide a viable option to the people. Dalton has managed to capture the centre with moderate policies, even somewhat "conservative" in some respects... we need to win them back.

4) When you're building your team, don't be afraid to disappoint some of the folks who expect jobs when this race is over. Take your time, don't rush, and really examine the membership of the other teams. Talk to your fellow leadership rivals, and get their input on who their stars were, and why. I've got a few ideas on that, in no particular order, and from every campaign. Take a serious look at Randy's web guys, Tim's local ground organizers, Christine's "Path to Victory" authors and upper organizers, Frank's issue and membership people... those are a couple good places to start, but I'm sure I've missed a bunch.

5) Adopt a large degree of, if not the whole thing, of Christine's "Path to Victory" document. I think it's a great place to start to rebuild and prepare the entire organization, from the top right on down to the local membership, to return to the Premier's office.

6) Discuss key critic posts with your fellow leadership rivals, and give them some latitude on where they end up. Obviously, in some cases they can't expect to just have their pick of portfolios, (perhaps putting Randy in Health wouldn't be such a great idea...) but their input should be strongly considered in order to gain some insight from their perspective.

7) Above all else, don't spring any policy surprises on the membership. If they don't know what's coming down the pipes, don't expect them to be able to sell it for you at the door.

8) KEEP IT SIMPLE!!! Ensure that our genuinely Conservative policies can be understood by anyone and everyone. Things the public can latch on to, ideas that they can clearly see the benefit of to their everyday lives. Make it about THEM, because that's exactly who we seek to serve.

Of course, I'll be watching this all unfold from a distance. I'll likely be tuning into the radio to get my updates, as I'll be off in the woods all weekend. And once I get back, I'll be paying close attention to the moves made at Queen's Park. You'll all recall how quickly I became one of John Tory's biggest detractors, to the point where I was being consulted by the media regularly. I'll be there, standing behind you and supporting you. Stay focused, get down to business, and bring this Party back together again.

We're all counting on you to bring this province back from the brink... from every camp.

Ontario: Ours to Recover. (it's always nice when you can beat those lefties over the head with their own slogans... I say we swipe this one from the Harris era Teachers Unions, eh?)

Maybe now the Libs will work with us on crime?

Congrats to all you "soft on crime" ninnies... we're one of the world's biggest drug exporters.

New strategy... how about, you know, actually "punishing" the offenders? Like how about significant "mandatory minimums" for producing and/or trafficing?

I'm thinking 10 years, MINIMUM, without parole if you're caught producing. I'm thinking we need to grant the police more powers to deal with people they know are producing, but they don't have enought to get a warrant. I'm thinking like 5-8 years for transporting over 500g of "E", because if you're moving that much product, your intent is to sell... that's not for "personal use".

We're the laughing stock of the world now. It's time to saddle up, and lock'em up. We could sure fight a winning campaign on this one.

Oh yea, and no house arrest.

Looks like I'm not the only one

Another bandwagon jumper, from Hudak to Elliott... this one high profile. Looks like I'm not alone...

Former Mike Harris Policy Chief Switches Support to Christine Elliott

For Immediate Release

Toronto, ON – Ontario Progressive Conservative leadership contender Christine Elliott gained a new high-profile supporter today, as she left a rival candidate’s campaign to endorse Elliott.

“Christine speaks to the Progressive Conservative in me. We are fiscal conservatives but we can’t lose sight of our social responsibilities,” said Denise Cole, former Premier Mike Harris’ Director of Policy. “What I have seen from Christine throughout this leadership race is clear, thoughtful policy that will appeal to all Ontarians, not just some.”

Cole supported leadership candidate Tim Hudak before switching her support to Christine Elliott today. Cole is a long-standing Progressive Conservative Party member and volunteer and has a strong history of community involvement.

“Christine has taken an intelligent approach in saying we must fix, not scrap, Ontario’s flawed human rights tribunals,” said Cole. “She has articulated a clear policy that will not impede our party’s ability to win in 2011.”

Elliott launched her campaign on April 3, 2009, citing the need for an alternative to Dalton McGuinty’s failed leadership in the face of economic crisis. On April 16, she unveiled the Path to Victory, a comprehensive, tactical plan to build the PC Party and defeat Dalton McGuinty in the next election.

“I am delighted to have won Denise’s support,” said Elliott. “She has been a crucial part of a successful era for Progressive Conservatives and can help us apply those lessons in 2011.”

Christine Elliott is the twice-elected MPP for Whitby-Oshawa. As an elected official and long-time volunteer for the PC Party of Ontario who has loyally stood by its leader, Christine has fought for the things Progressive Conservatives believe in: lower taxes and a government focused on delivering high quality public services like hospitals, schools, roads and a tougher approach to crime. With a demonstrated record of compassion for the most vulnerable in our society, Christine believes strongly in her party’s legacy of helping those in need.

-30-

For more information:

Catherine Pringle
Tel: 866-944-6497
Email: info@votechristine.ca
votechristine.ca
twitter.com/votechristine

What's really funny is how some Hudak supporters have been accusing me of becoming a "shill" for the Elliott Campaign, or saying how I've been "spun" by various paid members of the Elliott team.

Truth is, I honestly haven't made up my mind yet. I've been trying very hard to be impartial and simply chronical the leadership race as it's been unfolding.

Of late, the BIGGEST story in this race hasn't been the various policy positions, or who's ahead, or anything like that... it's been the absolute collapse of the Hudak Campaign. And it's really sad to see, because of the four contenders, I think Tim would make the best Premier, end of story. But my biggest concern is that with the people he's got surrounding him, and whispering in his ear, I'M AFRAID HE'LL NEVER GET THE CHANCE.

And I really REALLY want to beat Dalton McGuinty! So because I've been left with the strong impression that Tim's Team simply isn't up to the task, I was forced to start looking around for a group, a team, who CAN put together a winning campaign. And I've come to the conclusion that it's Christine's Team who can do that.

Have I made up my mind yet? Not a chance. But make no mistake, I'm not alone. I know of a significant number of higher profile people who had planned to vote on Sunday, but who have opted to take a few more days to think about it instead. Some have indicated to me that they "were" Hudak supporters, and may (and are likely to) still vote for Tim. Others didn't indicate to me what their intentions were, but have decided to delay their decision until Thursday. And we're talking mid-level organizers, current and former riding Presidents, the people who are the movers and shakers at the local and regional levels... the folks without whom this Party simply can't win.

This race really is FAR from over folks.

Klees campaign "Furious" over Hudak antics

Stephen Taylor's got the scoop on this one.

The Klees campaign characterizes the McCreadie letter as “arrogant”, “pious” a “smear” and “not true”. The Klees campaign argued that while McCreadie and the Hudak campaign initiated the complaint, McCreadie himself was 45 minutes late to the three hour meeting to decide the complaint, which he ultimately lost. Further, the Klees campaign accuses the Hudak campaign of salting the earth, “what is this, winning at all costs?” Further, it was explained that all candidates want party unity and that it is “arrogant” for the Hudak campaign to think that only they hold that card.

Ouch.

And you've got to be a completely inept political moron if you think that they're not letting their supporters know how they feel about it... which is going to translate into lost 2nd ballot support for Tim, end of story, full stop.

And dispite what some folks think, Klees supporters don't have to "move" their second choices from Tim to Christine to send the Hudak campaign a message... all they have to do is vote ONLY for Frank, and thereby deny Tim the 2nd choice vote they'd intended to give him.

If Tim loses over this, then perhaps it's for the best. His "team" will have lost this one for him, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory...

Hey, does that SOUND FAMILIAR???

Did Team Hudak just give the win to Christine?

Okay, so the Party says it wasn't the Klees Campaign who paid for that push-poll last week, as they've dismissed the Hudak Campaign's complaint as being "without merit". I know it wasn't the Elliott Campaign, from the folks I've talked to. (serious folks, I trust my source) So just who paid for the anti-Hudak push-poll last week?

Here's my analysis of the situation... the Hudak Campaign may have just given the win to Christine Elliott. Think about it... they accused Frank's team of some serious stuff. With only days left to go, the Party has said, "Nope, you guys got it wrong". Now there's a whole bunch of really ticked off Klees supporters, who in all likelihood had initially planned to vote for Tim as their #2 pick.

You think those #2 votes are gonna hold? I'm thinking not so much... and I think Tim needed those 2nd votes to win this thing.

It's right down to the wire, and things just got real interesting...

A Happy Father's Day indeed!

So let me tell you about this friend of mine. He's working two jobs right now, long story. He's a great dad, and always willing to lend a hand when he can... just a great guy.

So his wife hears about this Father's Day contest for the best dad around, and fills out the entry forms with a write-up of why my friend should be recognized as a great father.

They just found out he won 3rd Prize. So what did they get? A brand new 40"LCD TV, along with a BlueRay player.

Of pretty much everyone I know, I can't think of anyone who deserves it more. Congrats man, and Happy Fathers Day to all the dads out there!

BIG blunder by WalMart

Okay, so I'm in WalMart half an hour ago, and I saw something that got my blood boiling pretty quick. It may well have been a complete oversight on some employee's part, but I don't know how you can mess this pretty easy one up...

I'm standing in the checkout isle, and low and behold, next to the Maltesers candy, what do I see? An entire section of rainbow pack TROJANS... yes, as in condoms.

Now, the sight of condoms in general tends to send my blood pressure north, but seeing them sitting at a child's eye level, right next to the candy? I'm sorry, but that's one royal screw up by someone. Just what sort of message are we sending our kids these days anyway?

So I pointed it out to the Assistant Manager on duty, and I got the impression the he was surprised to see that. He said he'd get it looked into right away. Good on him, but I'm thinking this one needs to be brought to the attention of corporate. It was one of your stores in the KW area, it's currently under construction, if that helps you narrow it down.

CLARIFICATION: Someone asked me about the line "the sight of condoms in general tends to send my blood pressure north"... just to clarify, I tend to associate them with pre-martial sex, which is a no-no in my books. Just so I don't offend any of my married long time readers. ;-)

I expect to see this corrected immediately, and will be checking in there in the next few days. (with a camera, if need be)

Any further inquiries from WalMart corporate can be left in the comments... I just won't publish them.

Team Hudak sends a shot across Frank's bow

Ouch... this one's a big one, with the first day of voting just two days away.

Team Hudak has accused the Frank Klees Team of being behind the push-poll from last week... ironicly, the very same push-poll that various Hudak supporters (on various locations online, and in conversations I've had) were accusing the Elliott folks of being responsible for. (Just for clarity, note that I'm NOT talking about the HRC related Angus Reid poll that WAS from the Elliott campaign)

As I indicated yesterday, it's stuff like this that I really don't like... the cultist "group think" said that the anti-Hudak push-poll was obviously Christine's fault, and that Christine's team were playing "dirty tricks". Now the folks at the top of the Hudak Team are quitely saying it was in fact someone else, but have failed to mention it to their supporters... therefore letting them continue to spread the rumour right up until the ballots are cast.

Well that's not cool, if you ask me. Yes, a stratgeic move, but there should be full disclosure on all sides regarding this one.

Again, it's another strike for me... and I say this as someone who was fully committed to voting for Tim up until just a few days ago. In fact, I may still vote for him, I think it's going to come down to the last moment for me on Sunday... kinda like the 2007 election itself, when I hesitated, albeit briefly, and thought about voting Green. (hey, we had a stellar Green candidate, what can I say)

My vote's still up for grabs, so watch your comments folks.

I'M BACK TO UNDECIDED

It's not your fault Tim, I still love ya, and the deal's still on if you win... but thanks to some members of the organization, and the various online antics of some supporters, I am once again in the "undecided" column.

So much for the "11th Commandment"... I've seen more violations of that sacred tenet from Tim's supporters than I've seen from any other camp. Add to that this whole scrapping the HRT (not HRC, as I've been corrected) issue, and you may see why my support has wavered. It's the Third Rail folks... ZAP!!!

To commenters who support Hudak, be careful what you say here today... you may push me over the edge to Elliott. In fact, it's thanks to you, in large part, that I'm now undecided once again.

If there's one thing I can't stand in politics, it's the cult of "group think". It's the standard diagnosis of most Liberal supporters, and I find it repulsive. If you're going to support someone, you'd better be able to articulate why. But don't dare tell me you're supporting someone simply because you want to stop the other guy, because that's the standard line a Liberal would give me as to why they're a Liberal... "To stop Harper and the scary Conservatives".

If you're wondering why I've "fallen off the bandwagon" as it were, here's just a couple of reasons...

1) The rumours, the inuendo, and the outright lies I've been seeing online about the various other campaigns... predominantly coming from Hudak supporters. It was the MAIN reason I could never support the likes of Ron Paul in the States, or Randy Hillier during this Leadership race... because many of their supporters were/are rabidly partisan nutcases. [To my Faithful Fergus Follower, I'm not talking about you here... you've been doing much better now that you're taking your meds... just kidding! ;-)]

2) Many Hudak supporters have been running around online and openly accusing the Elliott camp for the push-poll that occured the other week. Well kiddies, keep your eyes on the news, cause you're all in for a surprise... did I mention I don't like folks who spread stories without a shred of evidence?

3) The comedy of errors that has been the Hudak Campaign... no fault of Tim's, I must say though. I've talked to Tim several times, met with him once, and I was impressed forwards and backwards. I really like Tim, and I think he'd make an excellent Premier... however, he made the same mistake as John Tory, in who he's listening to for advice. It's been like watching the 2007 election all over again, and it ain't been pretty. I know several of Tim's people, and his organizers, and I love'em... but I'm really concerned about some of the upper level folks who have been calling the shots, the folks who are whispering in Tim's ear. Again, if Tim wins, I'll be fine with that, so long as some serious house cleaning gets done at the top levels, with certain folks being brought on board for the 2011 Campaign. Adopting Christine's "Path To Victory" document would also be a good idea. I'll be keeping an eye on the makeup of the 2011 Campaign Team, and that will assist in determining my level of support for the election.

Go ahead, comment away, I'm open to discussion... but behave, and let's talk rationally and positively, or you'll go pushing me over the edge.

Best line of the day on Iggy's abstention

Buddy of mine sends me a note today, BEST line of the day on Iggy's climb down... "So it looks like the Professor is going on sabbatical"

So what's a blogger to do?

I've heard it's not good to post late at night when you're tired, but we'll see what happens with this one...

I'm having a problem in regards to the Ontario Leadership race. I've picked the guy who I want to be the leader, but from what I'm hearing, many of the folks around him are the same buffoons who had been around John Tory. I've heard from loads of people who are just plain shocked at the lackluster campaign that's been run by the Hudakites. I've even been hearing from mid-level Hudak organizers that they're getting concerned.

Bottom line... should Tim win, he CAN'T continue with the current team that's around him. I've said it before, and I have no reservation in saying so, he should be surrounding himself with the folks who have run the Elliott campaign. With just a week left to go, I think it's pretty clear that Christine has the best team around her.

So here's my big problem... how can I stick with the guy who's the best option we have for Premier, when I want someone else's team to be running the show? Unfortunately, I can't mix and match, so I've got to pick one or the other.

So here's how my ballot stands, in reverse order... Hillier, Klees (though I thought he had lots of good things to say last night), and then ? ? ?

It's still bothering me, I thought it had been all sorted out, but I heard Tim talking about the HRC issue again. To me, it's the third rail of this race... you touch it and you're dead. I know it's an effort to appeal to Randy's supporters for their second ballot support, but again, it's the Third Rail issue for me.


UPDATE: Thanks to all the Hudakites that have commented, MSNed, e-mailed, and Facebooked. Keep encouraging the team to A) SHUT UP about the HRC's until AFTER Tim's elected Premier, and B) get a commitment that key members, NOT TOKEN APPOINTMENTS, of the other campaign teams are brought on board for the Election campaign team... I've got a couple names that ought to be included.

Liberal Senate spending scandal?

Oops... I guess the Liberal Party forgot to tell their Senators that they're not allowed to use their taxpayer funded Senate Budgets to pay for partisan software.

It turns out that Liberal Senate Caucus has been consipring to buy some American political software, software which is designed strictly for partisan purposes, with funds allocated to them from the Canadian taxpayer... with our money. From what I understand this software package is basicly the "Obama Suite" they used during last years election down in the States.

Of course, it's also one of those hypocrisy things... when we consult with American political types, they accuse us of treason. When they do it, it's all peachy-keen.

h/t to Fildebrant.ca

With Frank Klees

Must say I'm impressed. He's got the right idea on the HRC's, they need to be reformed, not abolished, and the Liberals are just waiting in the weeds with glee thanks to all the politically inept folks in our Party who have jumped onto the abolitionist bandwagon.



Oh, Frank is starting his official talk... BRB

--------------------------

Sent using BlackBerry

UPDATE: Okay, home on the laptop now. It was a good chat... not a speech, a chat. Felt very intimate and personal, very "grassroots" if you will. Honestly, he doesn't have, in my opinion, the public persona to be Premier, but based on his background and steadfastness, I think he's my pick for Finanace Minister. He's got some great insight on what we did right in the 90's when we took power, and on what things we didn't do that we should have, that would have left the province in much better hands when the McGuinty Liberals took over in 2003. Based on his work ethic, his personal background, and his experience, he's the sort of guy that I want watching our Premier's back, and keeping him accountable to the grassroots.

He also admitted that our greatest sin as a Party was to forget about the grassroots. We let power get to us, and the folks in the upper ranks took on a "we know best" attitude, and as a result, lost touch with those who got them where they were, and who they needed to keep them there. In essence, they didn't "dance with the one who brung'em".

Like I said, I think he locked up my #2 spot. Still a few days to go, and who knows what may happen between now and then.

CTV's Tom Clark ZINGS Ignatieff

Okay, best line of the day goes to CTV's Tom Clark, and I hope he's right...

CTV Anchor: "What did you make of that Press conference Tom? What did you make of what Mr. Ignatieff had to say?"

Tom Clark: "I think that Michael Ignatieff took a big stick and he drew a line in the sand... and then he took that stick and erased parts of the line big enough that you could drive a Prime Ministerial limousine through Dan... I... ah, there's not gonna be an election outta this."

Iggy to force an election

Listening into Iggy's press conference, he appears set to force an election. He's demanding immediate changes to EI, changes that the PM has already rejected as being unaffordable.

Unless Iggy blinks, it looks like we're going.

UPDATE: Furthermore, Iggy clearly stated that unless the PM moves, the Liberals will vote against the Estimates on Friday, which will effectively kill the stimulus package from this year's Budget.

UPDATE II: Personally, I think the PM should approach the BQ or the NDP with an offer they can't refuse, not for their support, but to NOT vote against the Estimates.

Of course, I have another theory on how we get out of this mess, and it's Jack Layton that's holding all the cards right now. If the NDP really want to stick it to Iggy and the Liberals, they should come out saying that Iggy's strategy will kill the current stimulus package, so the NDP will abstain from the vote, allowing the Budget Estimates & current stimulus package to pass, so long as the Conservatives meet some reasonable demand. Iggy looks like a fool, the NDP looks like they're "making Parliament work", and once again prove that they're the "Effective Opposition" by getting reasonable consessions out of the Government.

Looks like once again, I'm a Layton fan today... and yes Steve L., if that makes me out to be a "raging socialist", then so be it! (as you can see Steve, I got your message...) ;-)

"The Arrogant Minded Professor"

Nice job by "ace" in my comments section... now you've gone and made me mad. Thanks to you, I'm going to recount this little tale that I had been planning to keep to myself...

So someone I know gets invited to an small and intimate dinner with Michael Ignatieff and just a couple other people. You know what the feedback from this Liberal-leaning person was? They said they really WANT to like Michael Ignatieff, but they just can't bring themselves to do it.

Why? Because apparently, even in an intimate small group setting, he's still "an arrogant jerk"... and those aren't the words folks, that's a direct quote from someone who's spent time with the Liberal leader.

Just another Liberal mole, perhaps... and no, don't bother asking for names, I prefer to keep my source close to the inside.

See what happens when you make me mad "ace"? Now don't do it again.

The things you find when moving... Iggy's GQ article

A former co-worker of mine is moving, and came across this the other day... it's the 1990 British GQ article entitled "Why is this man smiling?" about Michael Ignatieff. Interesting stuff... seems that his ivory tower aloofness and arrogance is just who he is.







UPDATE: Well, seeing that Macleans.ca has picked up on this post, I'd like to welcome all the visitors coming over from there. I'll post my response to Mr. Wherry's somewhat personal attack in his post...

Mr. Wherry, while I appreciate the increased traffic sent to my post, I do think your comments are somewhat unfair... I posted the article in the context of "well isn't that an interesting coincidence" because my co-worker, in all honesty, just happened to come across a copy of the article in question that he's had filed away for years as he's packing up to sell his house. For the record, he's not a political animal of any sort, but he thought I'd find it of interest. In the present context of Ignatieff's installation as Liberal leader, of course it's of interest!

In reading the article, the one thing that struck me was the first page, specifically the parts about his being aloof and a somewhat "snobby" intellectual. I think it's highly relevant, as Canadians are in the process of "getting to know" Michael Ignatieff, to point out that some of the things people have been saying about him are no different than things that people who've known him have been saying about him for years, and years, and years... that he's aloof, and not a very personable fellow.

Of course, I did also read with interest his recounting of helping out that elderly gentleman with his groceries... and good for him for doing that. Instead of simply relying on the Government to take care of the less fortunate, he got his hands dirty and chipped in himself. That's great, but having done that sort of thing myself for years, it didn't jump out at me as something extra-ordinary to comment on... aren't we, or at least shouldn't we be, all doing this sort of thing regularly anyway? Are you telling me that this is somehow unusual for people to do? It's certainly not amongst the Christian and conservative circles I hang amongst.

As for being aloof and cerebral, if memory serves, is the same thing that the Liberals have been commenting on negatively about Mr. Harper for years. Of course, it's a point I disagree with, as seen at the Q&A session the PM had in Cambridge, which few in the media covered. The PM was quite personable, and having met him a few times myself, he's not the cold fish that you folks in the media make him out to be.

Even though you brought attention to the article by attacking me personally, I suppose I should at least be grateful for the fact that at least you're bringing further attention to the unknown person of Michael Ignatieff, rather than sticking with the sickening media love-in we've been seeing for weeks since his installation as leader.

UPDATE II: Guess I should have posted this the other day, totally forgot... Aaron and I cleared it all up via e-mail, and I'm happy to say that it turns out I was just a little over sensitive about the whole thing.

When it's your time to go...

...it's your time to go, and there's no avoiding it. My heart goes out to the family, who must have been overjoyed to learn that their loved ones missed the doomed Air France flight, but who are now suffering the anguish of having lost their loved one anyway.

Reminds me of the 9/11 survivor who went down in that New Jersey crash shortly thereafter... almost spooky.

Woman dies in car crash days after missing doomed Air France flight
Last Updated: Friday, June 12, 2009 | 10:23 AM ET
CBC News

An Italian woman who missed the Air France flight that crashed into the Atlantic on May 31 has died in a car accident in Austria, according to an Italian media report.

Johanna Ganthaler, an Italian senior citizen, had been vacationing in Brazil with her husband, Kurt. They were due to take Air France Flight 447 from Rio De Janeiro to Paris on May 31, but missed it after arriving late at the airport.

The plane crashed into the Atlantic four hours after takeoff. All 228 aboard lost their lives.

The Ganthalers flew to Germany the next day. Upon landing in Munich, the two rented a vehicle and decided to drive home, Italy's ANSA news agency reported Thursday. While driving through Kufstein, Austria, their vehicle swerved into the opposite lane, hitting a truck.

Ganthaler died at a local hospital, while her husband remains in critical condition, ANSA reported. It was not immediately clear when she died.

Paul Wells: "Off Probation"

To be honest, I'm not a big reader of the various "big guns" of Canadian political commentary, like Paul Wells, Andrew Coyne, Katie O'Malley, Gloria Galloway, etc. I just really don't have much time, and I prefer to form my own opinions anyway.

That being said, last night I happened across Paul Wells post at Macleans.ca, entitled "Off Probation", where he pretty much mocked Michael Ignatieff for talking alot without saying anything, and pointed out that Iggy has backed himself into a bit of a corner... "Now here’s the thing about probation. It is a daily state of binary possibility: Pass-fail. If I’m the opposition leader and I have Put The Government On Probation, then every day I do not announce the government’s failure is an endorsement." Then after calling him the "Paper tiger" that he is, he concludes with this ZINGER of a line... "That’s how Michael Ignatieff messes with you until he’s done."

Give his post a read for yourself... and I love the pic he used for it...

Inkless Wells - Written by Paul Wells on Thursday, June 11, 2009 14:28
Off probation

Wow, does Michael Ignatieff ever talk a lot when he has nothing to say. There he is on the TV as I type, taking his tenth or 15th question in a scrum in Montreal, jousting with reporters, a strained smile on his face because they keep asking him the same thing and how many different ways can he say he hasn’t made a decision yet? Not a lot of different ways, it turns out, and yet he won’t back away from the microphone. So he’s having to say them again and again. And it’s making him testy. But he won’t stop. So he repeats himself. And then the reporters do. And still he won’t walk away.

There. He finally stopped. He’s gonna read the thing tonight and make a decision. Except all week I’ve been hearing from Liberals about their vacation plans. Those plans don’t involve door-knocking and debate prep. So if this whole election thing is still a live option, somebody forgot to tell the party.

Let us strain past the limits of this town’s attention span to recall a few simple things. The reason Stephen Harper was in Cambridge today was to update the country on the status of budget implementation. Excellent idea! Whose was it? Michael Ignatieff’s. The Prime Minister didn’t mention that, and yet it was really not long ago — the end of January — that Ignatieff cooked up this whole “probation” scheme. He’d vote for the budget, but he didn’t have to like it. In return the feds would have to report in March and June and December. There’s even a website. So you know it was a serious deal.

Now here’s the thing about probation. It is a daily state of binary possibility: Pass-fail. If I’m the opposition leader and I have Put The Government On Probation, then every day I do not announce the government’s failure is an endorsement. Tomorrow Michael Ignatieff will find a microphone somewhere and announce, at extravagant length, that he is endorsing the government again. The NDP and Bloc will announce they were ready to vote yet again to bring this government down, but yet again the Liberals have chickened out. It’ll all work out precisely as Ignatieff designed it to.

I now believe the opposition parties will not get their act together to vote the government down until after it delivers its next full budget. Of course that’s the worst possible time from the opposition’s point of view, because a budget is a chance to spend $200 billion: it’s the moment of maximum strength for any government.

But there’s always a reason not to make a decision. Was it 10 days ago the opposition parties, led by the Liberals, were demanding the finance minister be fired because he’d dug a $50 billion deficit? Stephen Harper ignored them. They did nothing in response. Paper tigers. Now they will wait until the recovery is in full swing and force an election on a good-news budget. That’s how Michael Ignatieff messes with you until he’s done.

Tags: Budget, Michael Ignatieff
Posted in Capital Read, Inkless Wells | 84 Comments

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http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/06/11/off-probation/ printed on Jun 12, 2009

At today's Economic Update

Some wondered what today's "fun" post that I mentioned yesterday was going to be... I got to attend today's Economic Update in person, that's what.


The Prime Minister was at his best today, especially the Q&A session he did afterwards. He's always on top of his game when he does Q&A, even unscripted with the media... memo to the braintrust, let him do it more often! I really hope someone posts the footage of that, because it was great stuff, and the Prime Minister was much more of the easy-going and personable guy that very few Canadians ever get to see.


His speech was great, he conveyed a lot of good information about the stimulus package, information that the media hasn't been relaying to Canadians. (whether that's intentional or not, I don't know, but I do have my suspicions) One significant piece of good news is that housing starts, a key indicator of the economy, were up by 10,000 units last month. Several of our Budget initives are having an effect, as new home buyers are taking advantage of low interest rates and new programs to jump into the market.

One interesting thing in noted in watching CTV Newsnet's reporting of the event was that they deliberately cut off the Q&A session. CTV was talking to Craig Oliver, and the anchor made the comment, "I see the Prime Minister is doing a Q&A session, do we have time to go to that? ...no, okay, we don't have time.", and they moved on instead. Yea, RIGHT, you don't have time... a 24-hour news channel, and you don't have time to cover the PM? Uh-huh... I'm thinking it was a deliberate SNUB because he wasn't taking questions from reporters. For the record, the questions were direct and hard hitting, they weren't softballs.

First question: "What will happen to the stimulus money if an election is called?" Okay, that one was kinda a softball, but he leveled a very direct challenge to Michael Ignatieff, pointing out that because the Business of Supply has not been dealt with by the House, THE STIMULUS MONEY WILL BE FROZEN AND/OR GONE IF THE HOUSE FALLS. I'm betting Iggy and the Liberals DON'T want Canadians to know that minor little detail, eh? Make sure Canadians know that... if Iggy brings the House down, it's because they're only looking out for themselves, NOT Canadians.

Second question: "You said during the election, 'No Deficits', then we went into deficit. Can you explain to me why?" The PM nail this tough one, discussing some of the decisions made by the G20 as a collective, and elaborating on why we can manage this. The Prime Minister also expounded further, and was very clear about the differences between ideology of our Government and the Opposition parties... ALL OF THEM, without exception, want to increase spending on a permanent basis, which dispite their best assurances to the contrary WILL involve tax increases. We, however, recognize that the best approach for the Canadian economy in the long run is targeted and short term stimulus that will END in the near future, allowing Canada to return to a surplus fiscal situation. He also pointed out that it was because Canada had been paying off our debt during the good years that we're in the most enviable economic position of all the G7 countries.

All in all, it was a great event, and if the media simply reports what happened there, the feedback will be positive. Of course, if they're only offering up portions and then spinning it, well, that's another story.

To that end, I encourage the media to offer up the footage of the PM's Q&A session on their websites, so Canadians can see what the PM is really like, and that he's not the wooden pre-concieved image that they choose to feed Canadians.

No, I'm not dead

It's nice to know people notice when you're not posting...

Been way to busy to even read the news over the last two weeks, and haven't even had time to bother posting my Ottawa pics from the other week. All my time has been consumed by my Blackberry... it's not mine per se, it's just a loaner, but getting it to interact with our new Exchange system has been a real interesting adventure... especially since the troubleshooting documentation from RIM regarding the new Business Professional Server is, well, WEAK. (and that's being GENEROUS) All of their documentation is for their higher end Business Enterprise Server, so I had to take bits and pieces from here and there and pretty much troubleshoot my issues on my own. Not much fun, needless to say.

However, it IS pretty fun when you eventually do get it figured out, and then get to show it off to the boss. ;-)

Likely back in the loop next week... oh yea, and will be posting something "fun" tomorrow.

I'm thinking no summer election

After reading that the former Director of the Quebec Liberals has plead guilty, and that he's going to start naming names, I'm thinking that we're not having a summer election.

Blowing the whistle?

A judge ordered a pre-sentencing report for early September. The Crown wants Corbeil to do jail time but Corbeil's lawyer says he should stay out of jail because he never made a penny from the fraudulent transactions.

However, Corbeil says he will reveal who profited from the scam, suggesting more names will come out in connection with the scandal that helped to bring down Paul Martin's minority Liberal government in 2006.

Also interesting in that article is the suggestion that these charges were NOT in relation to the Sponsorship Scandal... which could imply a whole new can of worms is about to get opened up into the inner corrpution of the Liberal Party of Canada. Pass the beer and popcord.

And after reading about Jim "Teflon" Flaherty, and Lisa "They're not my briefs" Raitt, and that most Canadians don't think EI is worth fighting an election over, I'm thinking more and more that the trigger won't be pulled over the next couple of weeks.

Horray! Monte is blogging again!

Somehow in all my recent insanity of work, I missed the fact that one of my all time favorite bloggers, Monte Solberg, has returned to blogging! Woo Hoo! We missed you Monte!

http://www.montesolberg.ca

You'll have to forgive me if this post is messed up, it also marks a historic occasion... it also marks my first post from a Blackberry! Go figure... Me, Mr. Techie & Politico, and I STILL don't have a Blackberry. And this one doesn't really even count, since it's just a loaner while I get our new system online... Oh well, someday perhaps...
Sent from my BlackBerry device on the Rogers Wireless Network

POLITICAL JOKE: The Barber

From a co-worker of mine...

One day a florist goes to a barber for a haircut. After the cut he asked for the cost and the barber replies, 'I cannot accept money from you. I'm doing community service this week.' The florist was pleased and left the shop.

When the barber goes to open his shop the next morning there is a 'thank you' card and a dozen roses waiting for him at his door.

Later, a cop comes in for a haircut, and when he tries to pay his bill, the barber again replies, 'I cannot accept money from you. I'm doing community service this week.' The cop is happy and leaves the shop.

The next morning when the barber goes to open up there is a 'thank you' card and a dozen donuts waiting for him at his door.

Later that day, a college professor comes in for a haircut, and when he tries to pay his bill, the barber again replies, 'I cannot accept money from you, I'm doing community service this week.' The professor is very happy and leaves the shop.

The next morning when the barber opens his shop, there is a 'thank you' card and a dozen different books, such as 'How to Improve Your Business'
and 'Becoming More Successful.'

Then, a Member of Parliament comes in for a haircut , and when he goes to pay his bill the barber again replies, 'I cannot accept money from you.
I'm doing community service this week.' The Member of Parliament is very happy and leaves the shop.

The next morning when the barber goes to open up, there are a dozen Members of Parliament lined up waiting for a free haircut.