Roger Steele

By the looks of the polls this morning we appear to be headed into yet another minority situation. However if the polls reflect the true voter situation the Liberals are going to take a big hit and the NDP will be in position to form the opposition. I see another election in short order as this one looks like it is going to be a big waste of money that is going to resolve nothing. Just another few months with nobody at the helm of one of the Greatest Nations on the planet. Good luck to everyone and hang on, this is just the beginning of a very rocky time in Canada's political life.

There was much talk of separation in the Trudeau era, especially after the implementation of the National Energy Program. During the 70s Alberta had a huge budget surplus which was put into the Alberta Heritage Fund. The last I heard there was over $15 Billion in the fund and the bulk of it was loaned out to other provinces.

I don't think Harper is that bad as a Leader. He has led the coalition government through one of the roughest economic times since the 30s. Some say it was worse than the 30s and yet Canada is leading the way in the developed world. Showing what actions a country requires to dig out of the huge hole the planetary economy fell into. He may not have done as well with a Majority Govt. but we will never know. You also must consider that as the leader of the party it is not "his" policies that he brings forward but those of his advisors. I think it is funny that you made the Dictator comment as I have always said that in Canada we have an Elected Dictatorship. We elect in a Party. They appoint the leader and in theory it could change a few weeks after the election if the party feels it is required. The elected party, if they have a majority, can pretty much do what they want until the next election. In most of the parties the members are required to vote "yea" for all party policies put forth. They are not allowed to vote the way their constituents would want. Even if we hold a country wide referendum, the government does not have to vote the way the Canadian people voted. They may pay for it in the next election if the people still remember the issue. We do not have any true checks and balances in our Government. In the US Policies can be vetoed by their "Elected" Senate or their elected House of Representatives or it can be vetoed by their "Elected" President. Our Senate is little more than a place for the current Prime Minister to reward his friends and supporters with a hefty paycheck until they turn 75 at which time they receive a pension. I believe they have the power to veto a bill but I don't know if it has happened often. So our political system runs more like an Elected Dictatorship than a Democratic Government.

To me this is just someone trolling for a response. A total NON-ISSUE. For years I had a job that cycled from hours or days of desk work, then days of manual labor in a wood products plant. There were many times when a good massage was not only good for what ailed me it was recommended and prescribed by my family Physician. Over the years I have utilized over a half dozen therapists. Some male and some female. For full body massages it is common practice to remove all of your clothes then cover your private areas with towels. While there are some massage parlors that offer more personal services, the majority of them just do massages. Get your mind out of the gutter. If this is all you can find on Layton he must lead a pretty bland life.

I don't really find this to be all that strange. It is only showing this in the polls. In the mid to late 80s we had similar polls showing the NDP and Cons far ahead and the Libs far behind. It looked like we would have a whole new political picture come election day. But on election day the Libs got some of their votes. Not all of the NDP support showed on the ballot and the Cons won a Majority.

In some ways the polls for this election take me back to the mid to late 80s. The NDP had a very good showing in the polls but come election day things didn't develop. In the 80s the NDPs weakness was in leadership. The country was in turmoil, unemployment was high, inflation was high. Trudeau had run his course and driven the country into the dirt. Had the NDP had a strong leader I believe they could have at least attained a minority government. Ed Broadbent had several years of leadership behind him but I don't think Canadians had enough faith in him to elect him into power. It really wasn't that Broadbent himself was weak he just couldn't compete with the leadership of the two main parties. I don't know that it would be all that bad to have the NDP have a very strong showing. While I am not an NDP supporter I would sooner have them in power than the Liberals. This is sending a very strong message to the rest of the Federal parties that Canadians have had enough and want a change of policy in Ottawa. I personally don't see them winning more seats than the Conservatives but I believe it will be very close. The big losers will be the Liberals in most of Canada, primarily due to Ignatieff. As others have stated in Quebec the Bloc will take a hit. I May be totally off base but I think the glow is off the Bloc in Quebec due to a shift in the generations. The Bloc is devoted to the interests and sovereignty of Quebec. I think they may be comparable to the Alliance party in the west. They made a statement, they were heard and made good headways, but I believe the younger generation wants representation in the governing party in Ottawa. I think Stephen Harper's minority Government has done an excellent job of managing Canada's interests over the past few years and has brought Canada to a position that is envied by most of our international partners. If the Conservatives do not form the next government I would far sooner have Jack Layton representing Canada on the international stage than Micheal Ignatieff. I see the Conservatives getting about 10-20 more seats than the NDP and the Liberals taking a real thrashing.

August 1991 On average in Canada 1/3 of the price of gasoline is tax. The Federal Excise Tax is a set tax of 10 cents per liter. The Provinces and some Municipalities, Montreal, Victoria and Vancouver, also add excise tax to fuels. Only the City of Vancouver adds enough excise tax to gasoline (15 cents/L) that would suggest they are encouraging people to use mass transit. However even the majority of Canada's cities, including Vancouver, do not have transit systems that would encourage regular use by a large percentage of their population. The Federal Government and Provincial & Territorial Governments have been applying these taxes at the pumps far longer than any global discussions of CO2 emissions. I'm not sure exactly when Canada applied the tax to our fuels but I do remember back in the 60's there was discussion on these taxes and at that time it was stated that these Federal and Provincial Taxes were collected to help pay for the building and maintenance of our road systems. During the Trudeau era the Federal Government applied a Carbon Tax on the Petroleum producers which caused a severe reduction in drilling and exploration, many smaller oil companies in Alberta and Saskatchewan collapsed. It was called the National Energy Program, which stripped an estimated $50 billion to $100 billion in provincial GDP from Alberta's economy from 1980-1985. At the time inflation was running at 9 and 10% annually and unemployment was high in the Liberal stronghold of Eastern Canada. The liberals instituted the tax to "...redistribute revenue from the [oil] industry and lessen the cost of oil for Eastern Canada...". The program essentially backfired. The producers neither were charged full world prices for the resource, nor were the consumers. These subsidies had a number of side effects, including larger trade deficits, larger federal budget deficits, higher 'real' interest rates and higher inflation. Here is an excerpt from the Canadian Encyclopedia "The National Energy Program (NEP) was introduced on 28 October 1980 as part of the first Liberal budget after the 1980 election. Coming in the wake of the 160% increase in world oil prices in 1979-80 and the prolonged stalemate between the federal government and Alberta over energy pricing and revenue-sharing, the NEP was a unilateral attempt by the federal government to achieve 3 objectives: energy security, by which was meant oil self-sufficiency; a redistribution of wealth towards the federal government and consumers; and a greater Canadian ownership of the oil industry. To reach these objectives, the government adopted a wide-ranging set of measures. Among these measures were grants to encourage oil drilling in remote areas; grants to consumers to convert to gas or electric heating; new taxes on the oil industry; an expanded role for the Crown Corporation PETRO-CANADA; and a 25% government share of all oil and gas discoveries offshore and in the North. These measures were all promised on the expectation that the world oil price would continue to rise indefinitely. When it did not (the price started to fall in 1982), any justification for these interventionist policies evaporated and the NEP itself was shown to have been ill conceived." Ignatieff and the Liberal Party are ready to apply a similar tax if they come to power.

I don't think it matters how bad the Liberals currently are, there are still too many died in the wool, Liberal party supporters in Ontario for us to get a Majority Gov't in the upcoming election. Having grown up in the West we used to be very frustrated come election time as none of the votes west of Winnipeg ever meant anything, as it was all over but the crying once the polls closed in Quebec and Ontario. With strategic spending over the previous four years the Liberals knew they had Quebec, Ontario, and most of the Maritimes in their back pocket and could waltz to the ballet box knowing that they had no worries because all the tax dollars they had spent guaranteed them a majority every time an election came around. It got so bad for us Westerners in the Trudeau era that Pierre could give us the finger on his way through Alberta on the campaign train and still laugh all the way to 24 Sussex Drive. I never thought I would live long enough to hear serious conversations about the questionable future of the Canadian Liberal Party. Allow an Old Canadian to ramble for a few minutes. I think a combination of several factors has brought the Liberals to the situation they are in at this time. The first has to be the Bloc which took away their lock on Quebec. I think the population of Quebec had been unhappy with the Federal Government for many decades, but with Trudeau and then Chretien patronizing them they were happy to keep the Liberals in power. But as Chretien came closer to retirement I think they too saw the writing on the wall and now as a new generation comes to the polls in Quebec even that province is voting much different than just a decade ago. Then I think the Liberals have serious problems with leadership. The party failed to bring up a new leader within their ranks. The squabbling between Chretien and Martin seems to have kept them from looking into the future. For many generations the Liberals brought their future leaders up through the ranks but they were caught wanting when the party started circling the drain with the Sponsorship scandal and Paul Martin retiring. Perhaps they thought Martin would be around longer but either way they were left short handed. They must have thought they had another Trudeau when they parachuted Ignatieff in to lead the party, but times and the Canadian population had been changing. The majority of Canadians are better educated than they were in the Trudeau or Chretien days. The Internet brings news to our fingertips almost as it happens and before the traditional News outlets can put their spin on it or the powers that be can filter out the items that can cause them damage. With a few key words typed into a search engine most Canadians can quickly educate themselves about current affairs and with social networking Canadians have never been better informed about a Party, it's policies, it's leader and it's dirt. Lastly I think the Liberals have not changed with the times. They are still the best friend Big Business ever had and they think they can buy their way into the hearts of the Canadian populace. But we aren't as gullible as we used to be and a lot of Canadians can no longer be bought with our own tax dollars. If this election goes the way of a majority it's likely the last election I will see, but I fear we will be going to the ballot boxes again within the next 18 months and then the crap is really going to hit the fan.

I agree. The transformation only works the other way. Leader of the federal opposition gets tired of losing on the big scene and goes provincial so the loses aren't so wide sweeping. A Premier could never run for the leader of a Federal party as you say they have way too much baggage and dirt on them. Sort of the same problem Ignatieff has, too many quotes that make him more American than Canadian and too many public appearances with his foot in his mouth.

Only someone who has spent their entire life in one of our major cities would compare us to Europe and that is only because they do not know any better. As Canadians we are in a very unique and taxing (pun intended) situation. We live in one of the largest countries in the world with likely the lowest population per 100 square kilometers of most countries in the world. Our resources are spread out across this vast land and because of this some of our population must also be spread out. We are located at a Latitude that causes most of us to endure many months of cold harsh weather. This results in our transportation systems leaving a very large carbon footprint. Because we are so spread out and sparsely populated, rapid transit is not economical for 99% of the country. Smaller more densely populated European countries have the opportunity to develop high speed rail systems to economically transport their populace to work, to shop, to visit and vacation leaving a very small carbon impact. That would only work for Canada in a few of our larger cities, while the other 99%+ of our country is relegated to the humble automobile. While hybrids and Electric vehicles will work for those in the major cities, again the rest of Canada is 100 - 200km away from essential services and for the foreseeable future must rely on old fashioned automobiles to get around. I have been ill for over 5 years and I would love to be able to hop on a high speed train and shuttle off to the nearest city to visit my Doctors, but instead I must endure a 2 1/2 hour drive in the dead of our Canadian winter to visit the specialists, as do Canadians all across this great land. Yes the excise tax could be called a Carbon Tax but we will be saddled with it until someone invents a vehicle that can traverse long distances in -30 to -40 C weather without having to stop to plug in every 90 minutes, or a fuel source that can keep us warm while we travel across this great country without producing CO2.

I don't know how many Junior hockey games you've been to if you think they are attended mostly by Men, Junior hockey is a family thing. Most games I've been to has had as many or more mothers in the crowd.

There has been a lot of animosity towards Canada's Immigration Policy and the number of Immigrants coming into our great country over the past few years. I was embarrassed to hear my mother make a derogatory remark about immigrants a couple weeks ago while having lunch in a local restaurant. The reason it bother me was some of the stories I had heard from her over the years. Like the fact that when her youngest brother William started school the entire family had to start speaking English around the house to give William the best chance to learn the language more quickly. That’s correct; My Grandparents were not from Canada. My Grandfather had been born in a small village of Germans living in a community in the USSR called Rosenthal. Due to political unrest in the USSR at the turn of the century the entire village of German speaking people packed up and were selected to come to Canada. My Grandmother was born on the ship over as such she became the first Canadian in the family as being born on ship she receives the citizenship of the first country the ship sets port in, good old Canada. So here is my mother, granted she’s in her 70s, but complaining about immigrants, when her own parents had been immigrants. Now the big difference between my Grandparents coming to Canada and some of the new immigrants to Canada in the past 30 years or more is attitude and future plans. My Grandparents and their families came to Canada to become Canadians in every sense of the word. They learned the language, developed the land, followed the laws, contributed to the local economy and did everything they could to look, act and sound like the proud Canadians they were becoming. Not all but far too many immigrants today insist that Canada needs to change so that they will feel comfortable and not embarrassed or insulted in any way. They have wanted the bible and prayer out of the school system, they have wanted the RCMP to change the dress code, which has been a uniform recognized around the world for a very long time. A lot of them do not care to learn our language. For the most part they have no wish to be Canadians they want Canada to change to suit them. They want to build their own little communities within our Canada. When I was growing up we were called the melting pot of the world. I went to school and became friends with a fellow from France and fellow from the Ukraine and they and their families were just another family next door. Some of the new immigrants want to be “whatever nationality they are who just happen to live in Canada” I do not believe there is one nationality that is worse than any other. It’s just certain individuals in these groups who I believe are moving here for all the wrong reasons. It saddens me that some of these new immigrants do not want to be true Canadians. We are some of the friendliest people on the planet. We are well liked by almost every Country in the World. When a disaster strikes we are always there to help out. I personally enjoy people from other nationalities. Most of them are fascinating people with some wonderful stories to tell and I have learned a great deal from the ones I have had the honor to call friend. I am not familiar enough with the current immigration Law, but I know it is not working the way I think it should! People should only be allowed in our Country if they plan to become Canadians, if they come with the intention of changing the country to fit their liking, I feel they are knocking at the wrong door.

I don't recall the Liberals throwing out any leaders? Most of their leaders have had long successful terms and retire fat and happy. This is the first time in recent history that the Liberals have not bounced back after a brief weak period. I do agree that they need to find themselves a decent leader. Someone humble enough to handle a few losses and strong enough to steer the Liberals in a new direction.

For the most part I would agree however historically their have been a couple Liberal seats in Alberta almost every election until just recently.

For such an intelligent individual Ignatieff has a very bad habit of putting his foot in it.

Even with a strong leader I think there is a much deeper problem with the Liberal party. The Federal Liberals are a party stuck in a time warp. I think if the party does not make some huge fundamental changes it will be relegated to the side lines and eventually fade out of existence.

I tend to agree. Perhaps Canada and the world has changed so much that we no longer need the Federal Liberal party.

Michael Ignatieff is his own worst enemy in this campaign. For such an intelligent person it's too bad he doesn't think before he talks. Do we really want a Prime Minister who shoots from the lip?

The last thing Canada needs is an extremely bright, controversial man as Prime Minister. We have suffered our share of those already.

You are most likely from Ontario. Where the liberal votes are bought and paid for with the tax dollars from the rest of Canada.

While the Country as a whole has done fairly well and gotten a lot accomplished with coalition governments in the past, it could be political suicide for the minority parties if we end up with a minority situation two terms in a row. The PCs leading the coalition this past term have done a fantastic job at pulling Canada through these hard economic times. I'm afraid many of you are correct, too many Canadians vote with their heart instead of their heads. I know my Dad was always a party man no matter what candidate was running or what was happening in the Country. I have personally voted for three different parties federally over the past 39 years. Our future is too important to fall in love with a political party. The polls are definitely looking like we are going to have a very different looking government come May 3rd. I'm just afraid it's going to be another minority situation and that's not going to solve much!

I think the Liberals have been in trouble for several years. I believe when they did not have a replacement for their leadership within the party and had to parachute in Michael Ignatieff, their days were numbered. Mr. Ignatieff has not done the Liberal party any favors either. Both the PCs and the NDPs have not had to look very far to find fault with Mr. Ignatieff as is pointed out in both parties TV ads. I think both the PCs and NDPs will have ex-Liberal members joining their ranks in a few weeks.