Pro-life protesters jailed... Shame on Carleton University

A disgusting display of hypocrisy by Carleton University... a place where thug-like tactics of the left are rewarded, and where peaceful and meek protectors of the unborn are thrown into the back of the paddy wagon.

I am privileged to know Nicholas, one of the young men arrested today.

Time for a new centrist party in Canada?

With Iffy taking a hard left turn, maybe it's time to shake things up a bit... maybe it's time for a new federal Party.

I know, it's just crazy talk, but hear me out on this one... there are a whole lot of socially conservative Liberals who are being systematically pushed out of their own party. Just look at the recent vote on abortion, and Iffy's new orders to vote in favour of keeping the Gun Registry. There are Liberals who know full well that they're going to lose their seats on these two issues alone. I've even been hearing rumblings from supposedly "safe" Liberal seats that their MP's are at risk over their votes in these recent fiascoes.

But I also know full well that there are a few "progressives" who are still with us over here in the Conservative Party of Canada, who have never quite fully integrated within the new Party. Also various activists too, who whine and complain about our positions on various issues, but who hold their nose and vote for us when it comes time at the ballot box.

So, what's the solution? Perhaps it's time for a few of the "Red Tories" and the "Blue Grits" to start talking... perhaps it's time for a new truly "centrist" voice on the political landscape.

Quite frankly, there will probably never be a better time than this to shake up the political landscape in Canada. The creation of a small "centrist" coalition, founded by a core of existing MP's, from both the Liberals and the Conservatives, could shake things up fairly dramatically. They could become the "independents" of the Canadian political landscape, the group to which the other main parties would have to make significant overtures in order to form a Government.

Stop and think about it for a minute, in all seriousness. The Conservatives have no natural allies from which to form a coalition. Likewise neither do the Liberals, due to all the animosity that exists between them and the NDP. The formation of a core centrist "rump", if you will, would allow Canadians to raise their voices on the issues and say "We want something somewhere between both of you guys", which is what I believe a significant amount of Canadians are saying these days.

Of course, I'm not advocating for the formation of a new Party who should make the PMO their goal. What I'm talking about is the formation of a group of MP's who are better able to reflect the views of their constituents, by allowing them to place themselves somewhere ideologically between the two major parties, and allowing them to negotiate on issues between themselves and the other two major parties, thereby allowing them hold some of the cards when it comes time to decide who gets to form the Government after an election.

Yes, it would introduce a degree of uncertainty in our system... but in reality, no more so than currently exists, as I think we're set for a series of minority Parliaments for a number of years to come. I just think that now would be an ideal time for such an initiative to fly, even if it's just a short lived endeavour that lasts only for the next few election cycles. And I think it's something that has a genuine chance to work right now, with the current polarization that's going on within the mainline parties, and the rump of MP's on both sides of the isle that fall somewhere in the middle of all this. I can name off about a dozen MP's who fall into that category, lower profile MP's who could make their mark on the Canadian political system for years to come by pursing such an idea.

My two cents on things. Of course, for the record, I'm not planning on giving up my CPC membership anytime soon... though I certainly would have to give any such new group an honest listen before casting my ballot...

Ignatieff's abortion plank changes the channel, and earns him more critisim

We all are aware of Iggy's crass partisan move(*) this week, a move that was intended to smear Prime Minister Harper and paint him into a box on the divisive issue of abortion.

Well, it looks like this one's really gotten away from him and blown up in his face, first with one of his own MP's rebuking him, and now with several Catholic leaders publicly condemning him for playing politics with the important issue of women's and children's health abroad.

And they don't mince their words either...

Calgary Bishop Fred Henry yesterday called Mr. Ignatieff's proposal "pathetic," while on Thursday Archbishop Thomas Collins of Toronto labelled the Liberal leader's position on abortion and the developing world "sad."

"In light of the many positive contributions that Canada can make to the improvement of maternal and child health, it is astonishing that the leader of the Opposition has issued an official statement advocating contraception and abortion as fundamental elements in addressing this important issue," said Archbishop Collins. "Even those who think that abortion should be allowed do not, however, propose it as a positive contribution to the good of society."

Bishop Henry was even more blunt.

"I thought it was pathetic for a political leader to suggest that abortion is somehow tied to the health of women and children," said Bishop Henry. "It was a particularly crass remark in light of all the orphaned children we now see in Haiti. It was absolutely incredible that he would say that and he is alienating religious people with these comments. This will not win him votes."

Opening up this "Pandora's Box" has also had the effect of forcing him off message for the last few days, because instead of being able to answer questions about other Liberal issues while on the road, he keeps getting hammered with questions from the media about abortion, and about the fallout he's getting over it. He's been forced to react for two days now, instead of being able to put forward the ideas being generated from the various round tables the Liberals are hosting in various cities.

Rule number one... when your opponent is on the ropes, and you have control of the agenda, you DON'T do anything to change the channel. And that's what Ignatieff has gone and done with this one. In trying to score a political cheap shot on Harper, he cleanly missed, and has ended up taking a few blows himself. What's more, is that he's gone and changed the channel for Harper... without Harper even having to say a word on the issue. His caucus has been smart and not put their foot in their mouth, and left Iggy on the stage all by himself on this one... where he's started a fire that he can't seem to put out.

And on that note, I'll say this... thanks for the helping hand Iggy! Oh, don't worry... we'll be surely making use of your remarks in some of those ridings where we were losing support, and where you were starting to make headway. As this one will fire up some of our base that was starting to become apathetic, you just reminded many Canadians of faith why they DON'T want you to become Prime Minister... with an issue that we could never talk about. But you did that for us, so thanks again!


* So much for not using "the politics of division" there guys... wasn't that supposed to be one of you hallmarks Iggy?

U of Guelph's CSA backs down on pro-life ban

The University of Guelph's CSA has quietly decided to return to reason... they have re-granted status to the pro-life student club on campus.

Good to see this reversal of their earlier and poorly thought out decision. Of course, they still have several other issues to deal with, such as their support of the attacks on General Hiller, or their fundraising for the legal defence of criminal activity... but it's good to see them taking baby steps towards sanity.