SpankyMcFarland

On revoking citizenship of dual citizens, what if the other country gets wind of what's going on and revokes it first? I suspect they are in no pressing need of more jihadis. I heard two lawyers, Jackman and Taub, debating the issue on CBC radio. That poor lady Taub sounded very doddery and made a bunch of irrelevant statements about the Holocaust. A new spokesperson should be sought.

It's all Harper talks about in Quebec any more. And a nice person translates it into English as well.

Parties should not pander. They should put out a platform based on their core beliefs and see who wants to vote for it. Far more objectionable is promising one thing before an election and doing something different afterwards. For the NDP and Liberals, this is a matter of principle, defending pluralism and tolerance in Canada. They know full well they will lose votes because of it. I admire anybody who does that. And I see Andrew Coyne doesn't think too much of this debate either:http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/andrew-coyne-to-uncover-or-not-to-uncover-why-the-niqab-issue-is-ridiculous

Andrew Coyne's take: http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/andrew-coyne-to-uncover-or-not-to-uncover-why-the-niqab-issue-is-ridiculous

It's a dreadful system, no matter who is in power. It encourages apathy and cynicism and makes incumbents arrogant. Look at the Anders fiasco. Imagine if you are a party loyalist but can't stand the local MP. Under STV, you can vote for another guy in the the same party.

I hope the election is not won on the niqab. That would be a very sad reflection on the maturity of the electorate.

Sona was a patsy who took the fall for others - a much more serious case IMO than Del Mastro's who refused to reach a reasonable deal. Re Duffy, the PMO had to get caught doing something wrong eventually given that it runs the country now, which is the real scandal.One example from too many of a lack of accountability - oversight of CSIS. C-51 was a chance to put the Porter years behind us but the Conservatives blew it. An extraordinary amount of information can now be shared among various agencies and the public has no way of knowing if this will be done appropriately. Only the government will have its privacy protected.

If you have a losing coach, you fire them. You don't say, well, the alternative might be worse. That's a really lame argument for a sports team or a country. Harper has failed UTTERLY to make government more accountable or open. There can be no argument about that. He has definitely made things worse in that regard. Somebody else now deserves a chance. I dislike the phrase 'everyday Canadians' - it is often used in a patronizing way to imply that your average prole doesn't need to concern himself with the big picture. All citizens are affected by a diminution in democracy and that is what we are seeing right now. So after ten years of failure, I am prepared to take a chance on somebody else.

I have done as well financially under Harper as I did under Chretien. I ascribe that to the fact that Canada is a well run country no matter who is in charge. We have had a broad economic consensus on how to run the country since Michael Wilson's time and I expect that to continue regardless of personnel. Then again, my own prosperity depends as much on provincial politics as the federal variety. Ottawa is quite remote from my concerns. What annoys me most about Harper? I have a very long list starting with the PMO and omnibus bills - the usual stuff. My basic concern is the quality of our democracy. I think our parliamentary system is slowly dying.

It's generational. Younger people see social media like talking. To stay away is social death. When enough of them run the parties, such remarks will be viewed more indulgently.

Only a loyalist like yourself is blind to the change in Canada under Harper.

You want ludicrous? Good economic news - look what our great leader has achieved. Bad news - global markets. Now is not the time blah blah... This is the nonsense we have all had to listen to for ten years now. It's the incessant campaigning that drives me mad. EVERYTHING is about getting him re-elected indefinitely.

Read the comments in the Toronto Sun some time and hear what the Harper chorus sounds like. His whole campaign is based on division, riling up the minority who will vote for him, the Cowans of this world. He knows the majority don't like him.

Having a PM is who is not likeable is an issue. We've put up with this for a decade now.

He is an angry man as many who have had to deal with him can attest e.g. Danny Williams. The placid guy facade doesn't even survive a few minutes of Mansbridge.

I'm in lots of things. The only bright spot is US dollar investments because our dollar is tanking as well.

Those remarks are pretty harmless in my book. Where will this PC stuff end? Political candidates should be asked to watch they say once they get into politics but are entitled to a normal life beforehand. Otherwise, we are going to exclude a lot of good people.

And as for brilliant economic management, my investments are tanking right now. The guy should know it's time to go.

Your reply says it all. On every issue, he expresses anger and attempts to incite it. We saw that last night. Go after the foreigner. He appeals to the darker side of people's natures.

Harper is just too angry for me. A Nixonian figure, he has poisoned debate in this country as this thread makes very clear.

A spendthrift Liberal. Like Chretien. What I want is somebody who is not brow-beating me the whole time about campaign issues that are years away. Somebody who tries to unite the country, not divide it.

Trudeau is the best of the three on the stump, meeting floating voters. The other two are old and fusty; Justin has a bit of optimism and energy - 'what we need for tomorrow' - about him. The debates are his most vulnerable place and he has managed to do fairly well in them, certainly exceeding the expectations that endless Conservative ads have drummed into the minds of the electorate. The anarchic format has aided him as well, compared to the HoC. He's able to keep moving.I am a Blue Liberal, former PC voter as well, and I would never vote for Harper. I would consider the Tories under different management but it would have to be a big change in style.

No Conservative spokesperson provided this morning for The Current to speak with Kevin Page. That's the Conservative way.

What a pity we can't turn over more of the planet to animals entirely. The Korean DMZ has seen similar benefits.

Of course. Radioactivity is a thing to be minimized but it has been less dangerous to animals in the region than was first thought.