SpankyMcFarland

I looked up a few links and it is intriguing although I would probably prefer bigger places - ideally, indoor tennis would be close by. I am considering options along the Windsor/Ottawa axis. Ontario tends to flat or, at best, bumpy. Scenically, the Eastern Townships are more my kind of place but French would be a problem. BC would be even better in that mountainy regard but it is too remote from family and friends. I have relatives in Detroit which might make the southern end of that shore a good place to be.

I wonder how often has the NDP share been that big in NL polling history? Does it affect the Liberals more? The Lib/PC divide here does not seem based on left/right issues.

Trudeau is a good example, actually. He is the last PM who divided the country as bitterly as Harper has done.

Did you see poor old Rob Nicholson hiding from reporters today? Our Foreign Affairs minister. Sad.

Why should anybody be charged for possessing marijuana for personal use? One is too many.

I am thinking of moving to Southern Ontario eventually to warm up my weary bones so this thread is of personal interest. Many of my friends live in Toronto and love it there. I find it too fast, too crowded and with way too much traffic and concrete. The subway is inadequate, the parks are nothing to write home about and Harbourfront is horribly overbuilt. The thought of living in one of the 'suburban' tower blocks farther out is deeply depressing - Paris with les banlieues and none of the sights. The price of real estate is crazy too which also puts me off relatively benign places like Burlington as well. I am thinking Ottawa might be a better place to live in - more hills, more history, more geezer friendly, lower prices. Am I correct?

Firstly, Harper promised more open government. On this count, he has utterly failed, has he not? And a person who has failed so badly over a decade does not deserve any more time. The other parties deserve a chance to do better.Secondly, it is obvious to many in the British Isles and Canada that the Westminster system is no longer fit for purpose as currently constructed. This is not just a Harper or Canadian problem - it occurs across the world. The legislature has ceased to function in the manner it was supposed to. I am surprised there is not a larger international conversation on this matter. Here, for example, are Michael McDowell's suggestions for reform of the Irish parliament, called the Dail. The Ceann Comhairle is the Speaker. Even the discussion of abolishing the Seanad (Senate) would be familiar to Canadian readers: http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/michael-mcdowell-eunuch-dail-must-be-reformed-29470979.html And here is Andrew Coyne's take on our predicament: http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/andrew-coyne-we-have-the-form-of-a-parliamentary-democracy-but-not-the-substance Democracy is messy and takes up time. The independence of MPs and their committees must be re-established. Fair play to Trudeau for naming his dad last night as the man who started us on the current downward slide to PMO control of parliament.

I think Harper is worse than any of them. His control of the caucus shown that. The lack of a Deputy PM shows that. He does not like dissent or debate. The details of the Duffy trial - it all adds up to paint a picture of an autocrat.

We should not have to depend on verbal undertakings by the PM that he will not carry without a plurality of seats. What happens after an election needs to be explicitly defined so that a losing government has to relinquish power.

Mansbridge is too nice with these people, judging from the Harper interview. I'd like to have seen Terry Milewski give them a proper going over.

Having a criminal record is a serious problem in many careers.

The level of control exerted by Harper on his MPs is greater than any other PM in recent history. That's not even up for debate beyond the Conservative bubble. He has no Deputy PM and no serious rivals in the party after ten years in office. Just compare that to the previous administration or the current govt in Britain.

It's not odd when they are running for a fourth term which is very unusual. Harper is the most divisive PM in recent history. His campaign is aimed at 40% max of the population and the rest he rejects as not worth talking to. Such a person is peculiarly unsuited for a fourth term. With Mansbridge, he made a big deal of not continuing on if he didn't get a plurality of seats. A person as negative as he is should not be allowed continue on unless he has a majority of the seats. The other parties should vote him down and any leader who refuses to do so should be replaced.

So if they brought a law in outlawing alcohol, you would apply the same logic? The law is nonsense on both sides of the border. Some people, mainly poorer people, are getting criminal records for an activity that is ubiquitous. In BC, the law has broken down, is widely ignored by the police and Harper is doing nothing about that because he knows he would lose votes if he does. By any health measure, marijuana is safer than alcohol and causes far fewer social problems. Continuing with these laws makes no sense to reasonable people on either side of the border. The majority of Canadians want decriminalization at least.

No idea.

Business, holidays, relatives.

Iran is not Arab, although it has an Arab minority. That's a straightforward error. The Saudis and Gulf states have a tacit alliance with Israel against Iran at the moment, so the approach of Arabs and Iranians could not be more different right now

People in the Conservative bubble just can't see how alienating Harper is. I don't believe Mulcair will be as bad. And it is Harper's policies that make me feel this way. I have voted both PC and Liberal so I am not a left wing voter at all. Harper's autocratic tendencies are deeply disturbing to me.

Surely, being charged with possession, not even convicted, can stop you being admitted to the US? So it is a topic for any of us that travel.

They are not your Dad's NDP. Mr. Mulcair's socialism is some really weak weed.

Great song. Never heard it before. Reminds me of 'Puttin' on the Ritz'.

Scary and depressing video. What is the point of paying for all these clowns to go up to Ottawa?

The cover-up made it big. And the fact that it is part of a pattern of such bad behaviour in the Senate and PMO. The PM's responses on this matter have even shown to be factually inaccurate on multiple occasions calling his credibility into question - never a small matter.

The narcissism of small differences. Talk to the PFJ about the JPF and you'll get the same response.

I think people will vote how they want, though, in the end, no matter what I say. Or maybe I have powers I am unaware of? So, speaking strictly for me, getting Stephen Joseph Harper's smirking mug off my TV screen matters more than anything else. I was sick of Chrétien by the end but SJH revolted me from day one. I can't find one person in my constituency who will actually defend him. The local Conservatives start shuffling and looking at their shoes when the subject of him comes up. They know how unpopular he is down here in Newfoundland. The local PC MHA is running federally for Mr. Harper's outfit and he will be royally thrashed as he knows full well. In this constituency, the chance of a Conservative sneaking in through a split in the anti-SJH vote is mercifully slim.