Harper: "NDP brings bad ideas.. where Liberals bring none"

Full story here.

In the 90's, back in my U of A political club days during the annual Model Parliament, I noticed how easy it was for us on the Reform/Canadian Alliance opposition bench to debate the Liberal gov't (who were the gov't in power during that time).  They lacked any real passion other than happy they were in power.  But more significantly, they lacked ideas.  They even admitted it to me in the evening parties that their party was not about original ideas, it was about taking them from the left or right and being pragmatic to the n-th degree.  It was classic linear ideology 101.

As I mentioned in a previous post, the Liberals were the most successful political party in the the democratic world.  They were masters of balancing the politically astute ideas from the left and right, whether good or bad, whether it solved anything or not, and sold them to the public as sound policy all for one primary purpose... power.  NDP came up with universal health care, Liberals enacted it.  Chretien tells everyone he's getting rid of the GST, but keeps it, although it was good Conservative policy.  Oh sure, the Liberals had their Red Book of 1993, but really, it was more for show that they did have ideas.

The Liberal party of the last 10 years or so has had a massive policy vacuum, even if that policy means stealing them from the left or right, they don't appear to agree with either side.  The only real original idea came from former Liberal leader Stephane Dion with the carbon tax.  Sure it was supposedly original, but Canadians rejected it as a bad idea and elected the Conservatives again instead.

The Liberals continue to swoon for a dauphin leader to pull them out of the vacuum with some grand ideas, when their ideas should be coming from their membership or at least enhanced ideas from the left or right,  it is seemingly so that Liberal support across Canada (and other western nations) appears in a hole.  It will take much more than young Trudeau to save them.  At least his father had ideas, although very bad ones.

With the NDP seemingly moving to the centre and the Conservatives having moved to the centre a while back, the Liberals got pushed out... especially on ideas.  And so Prime Minister Harper is bang-on:  “The one difference between the NDP and the Liberal Party is at least the NDP brings bad ideas to this debate, whereas the Liberals bring none.”

Redford's PCs are not your father's PC Party...

In light of Premier Peter Lougheed's death, the father and grand statesman of the PC Party of Alberta, lest I remind all the current supporters and voters of the Redford PCs that they basically campaigned against that era...

From a photo I took of an ad in Vue Weekly magazine from this year's campaign and submitted to Sun News Network, who then ran with it...

The current PCs will NEVER be like my father's PC Party... you know, the one where Mr. Lougheed was leader and Premier of Alberta.

Peter Lougheed

The man who in 1971 started one of the greatest political party legacies in political history shall be remembered forever in Alberta's archive.

That said, his vision became the foundation for the future of my province and we should be thankful of his leadership. He brought us out of an era into the forefront of Canadian power. And because of him, Alberta remains one of the greatest places to live in history.

He was a true gentleman, and a brilliant statesman, not just in Alberta, but in Canada.

Rest in peace, dear Premier. And thank you, Sir.

Debunking a letter regarding Harper and the senate

Here's a letter published to the Toronto Star regarding Harper's recent 5 senate appointees.  My comments are below each paragraph.

Harper appoints five new senators, Sept. 8 - Edward Carson, Toronto

Critics are correct in pointing out the contradiction as Stephen Harper repeatedly appoints a growing majority of right-thinking Conservatives to the Senate, as opposed to launching free elections as he’s often promised, but they miss the more salient point of his actions as well as the longer-term impact they will have on democracy in Canada.

How do you know they are "right-thinking"?  As well, Harper or the government alone cannot launch Senate-elections.  This is up to the provinces.  This letter doesn't make any mention of that.  "longer-term impact they will have on democracy in Canada"... oh and the Liberals who dominated the Senate for 15 years?  I guess they had no impact.  Liberals have never appointed an elected senator.  Conservatives have. So who's impacting democracy more?

In the short term, Harper represents many things, threatening and supportive, to left-and-right-leaning political groups in this country, but he’s nobody’s fool. Harper’s game is the long one. He’s well aware that, as history teaches us all, sooner or later the political and electoral winds will swing away from the ideological right and a new progressive political agenda will begin to take hold, some of which will involve undoing much of the divisive political, social, health, and environmental legislative damage presently being inflicted on Canadians.

You're obviously bias.  I don't wish to point out the zillions of things I thought the Liberals did that were divisive politically, socially, health-wise, and environmentally.  The list is way too long.

Not long after Harper has gone from power, Parliament will once again move back toward a more truly constitutional centre where it is meant to act as an enterprise of co-operation, as well as a place of sober second thought, endeavoring to link and better balance both corporate and the public interests.

Really?  What constitutes "a more truly constitutional centre"?  Oh, must be Liberal.  But what was "the centre" many years ago?   It can be easily argued that the Conservatives of today are at the centre and Laurier's, King's, and St. Laurent's Liberals were to the right of Harper.

But waiting to block much of this will not be the will of Parliament and the people, but the will of a right-wing, unelected Senate ideologically predisposed to protecting and maintaining the legislative agendas from the Harper years.

So what do you suggest then?  I recall the Senate being left-wing, unelected, ideologically predisposed to protecting and maintaining the legislative agendas form the Chretien/Martin years.  AT LEAST HARPER IS TRYING TO REFORM THE SENATE.  No other Prime Minister in history has made the inroads on this issue, which completely invalidates your points altogether.

We only have to look south of our border to see the enormous harm and mischief resulting when a country’s political arms are divided, one being driven by unthinking ideology rather than by facts, common sense, and, ultimately, the decisive will of the people.

But south of our border there exists an elected AND equal senate... you know, the decisive will of the people?  If anyone here is not driven by facts and common sense, it's you and your unthinking liberal ideology.

Liberalism is dying in Canada and around the world because the left is seeing some merits of the right and moving toward the centre and conversely, the right is seeing merits of the left and moving to the centre, squishing out the muddy middle of the Liberals, who were masters at seeing merits of both the left and right and balancing them out somehow.  That's what made the Liberal Party of Canada the most successful party in the democratic world.

Now, as they try to rebrand themselves with dauphins, they will continue to fail at what they were once good at--policy and vision, not platitudes and planks.

To the author of that letter, your point is moot.

Harper v. Obama

With attention on the U.S. conventions and the Quebec election, it's been a busy week for Prime Minister Harper.  He goes to APEC Summit in Russia, inks a deal with China to protect Canadians doing business with China, opens talks with Japan and South Korea on a future free trade deal, and pulling diplomatic ties with Iran.  Meanwhile, he appoints five folks to the Senate, with them confirming that they support democratic reforms.  Conservatives now have 62 seats in the Upper Chamber compared to the Liberals with 40.

While the USA continues to post huge deficits and its job numbers continue to lag (with most jobs added being actually lower-wage jobs) Canada is quietly shining economically.

For Obama and the Democrats to think they deserve another term while next door, Harper and the Conservatives in Canada have proven that an economic recovery can happen under proper watch, is wanting.

The question for my non-partisan American friends is this.... will electing Mitt Romney really change the dangerous economic course the U.S. has been on for years?  Has he convinced you yet?  But further, has Obama delivered on his promise to go through the budget, line-by-line?

Regardless, the partisan U.S. media is out in full force, pulling the truth far from reality, it's become more difficult for the average American non-partisan voter to know who's right.

And because of that, the real threat to America is not terrorists, or China, or the climate.

It's themselves.

The Bloc strike back but cry wolf

Quebec has 125 seats in their National Assembly.  As the results come in as of 9:50PM EDT, the PQ have 59 seats and are 4 seats short of a majority.  The Liberals have 46, and the CAQ have 19.

Ok, I'm going to say it.  I can't stand the PQ and how they continually put a gun to Canada's head.  But that's why I hope they win a majority and call a referendum.   There's no way a majority Quebeckers will ever vote for independence (or "sovereignty" as the like to soften it up as).  But I want this bloody issue put to rest.  Bilingualism has cost this country hundreds of billions while at the same time the Quebec language police are in full force against anglophone businesses.  Equalization is anything but equal.  Quebec students continue to pay the lowest tuition in North America and yet they complain and some riot about a tiny increase.  Charest was very weak on that issue and why he lost.

Premier-elect Marois has already been demanding more powers for Quebec.  Her plans to demand businesses with only 10 or more employees to operate in French is plain fascist.  

I don't know about you, but I hope Prime Minister Harper tells her to shove it.  Go ahead Pauline, have your referendum.  Let's put the issue to rest.  If you leave or stay, Canada still wins.  If you leave, we'll have billions saved in not having to prop you up.  Not only that, your debt is enormous. Good luck paying that off without our help.  Businesses will leave in droves to Toronto and out West due to your high taxes and draconian language laws.  If you stay, as long as we don't continue to shovel billions of cash your way into a bottomless pit of corruption and entitlement, we win.  Even still, we win, because we know you'll just whine and cry wolf and the rest of us won't be listening anymore.

Alberta .05 law in effect today

Science has proven that .08 blood alcohol means someone is very likely impaired and therefore unable to drive.  In Canada, if a driver is found with a .08% blood alcohol concentration and deemed impaired, a criminal charge is given.  Then after that, the driver has the right to challenge this in court.  Even still, the driver still gets to keep their vehicle as it is not impounded, although they don't get to drive it.

Not with the new .05 law in Alberta.  Officers can now determine with a roadside breathalyser, although are prone to error, that you are over .05 and seize your vehicle on the spot.  You have no chance to appeal or challenge.  Police are now judge and jury.

Further to that, drunk driving deaths happen when drivers are way over the .08 limit.  This law will do nothing to curb that.

This is grossly unconstitutional and I hope some good lawyers out there challenge this useless, stupid law.