Big Guy

I guess my point is what should trigger a referendum and how should it be worded into a yes/no response?

You want privacy - stay in the private sector. A released tax return tells the public objectively about the finances of those who are applying for the job of representing them. A tax return may verify (or put at question) a potential candidates views. Don't want to do this? - don't run for office!

And Big Guy will too. In fact, I think the Israelis are entitled to kill as many Palestinians as the Palestinians kill Israelis - and vice versa! That sounds fair?

The Israelis continue to kill anybody and anything they deem as a threat: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/05/israel-killed-25-palestinian-children-months-160514140833141.html The world in the form of UNICEF condemns the killing yet Canada continues to deal with these war criminals. Time for Canada to break all ties with this Israeli Zionist regime of war criminal Bibi Netanyahu!

What !!!!??!!! I just got a 3 dollar bill as change from a $20 to-day when I bought some smokes and some gas on the reserve. You mean its bogus?

Oh, you mean like Senators. When they are working on (what they consider to be) government business then she uses her government assistant and when she is on non-government business then she uses the assistant paid for by the Liberal party. I wounder how that would work out. As to muddying the water, that may be far better than the cesspool being created by the usual knee-jerk insult crowd. Just another issue with which to hit each other over the head. But an updated approach - my guys wife is better than your guys wife.

Why not have a referendum on the issue?

I follow the law. I am interested in politics and am very interested in what information and specifically what each party is sharing with their members. For that reason I pay for access to that information by becoming a member. As to - "While I don't have a problem with someone holding membership in many political parties, the parties themselves do." The parties can have whatever attitude they want to. Political parties do not tell me what I can and cannot do - the law of the land does. Last I saw, any Canadian has the freedom to do what they want within the confines of the law. There are places and situations where an application will request your SIN. I choose to not give it. Since it is NOT illegal to maintain a membership in all Canadian political parties, I then accept their directions as suggestions which I choose not to follow. BTW - I also hold a "membership" ($10 American) to a White Heritage (KKK affiliated) organization based in the USA using an alias and a third party e-mail address. I receive their weekly digital newsletter to the "insiders" and find them very informative. I believe that you will never defeat your enemy unless you get to know and understand them.

Thank you for a sense of reality. The partisan backbiting here sometimes gets sickening. No matter what this active spouse of our current PM might or might not do will continue to be a source of venom from the pitchfork crowd. The simple solution is for the Liberal Party to hire whatever assistance Sophie requires to perform what she considers her duties as the wife of the PM. But you know the howling that would start about influence peddling, preferential treatment of pro-Liberal organizations etc. I am a Canadian first and a party member sometimes when a party satisfies my vision of governing. (Although I am a paid up member of every major Canadian political party). I have watched Trudeau on the International stage and am proud of him (and his wife) and the way they represented Canada - the same as I was proud to see Mulroney and Reagan singing "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" on stage in 1985. The more positive and realistic light than can be focused on Canada the happier it makes me. Canada must be one of the few countries whose citizens seem to go out of their way to tarnish the image of someone they have chosen to be leader. Canada, what a wonderful place to live!

Many leaders of political parties, when in the leadership role, get funding from their party. I find this response interesting - So if the Liberal Party pays for 2 assistants and Sophie only shows up at Liberal fundraisers or at charities that the Liberals support then that would be OK. But if the Liberal Party paid for 2 assistants and Sophie attended all requests, no matter if they favored the Liberal Party or not, then it would NOT be OK? I hope I am misunderstanding your position.

The rest of the world, in the form of a UN committee, criticizes the way Israeli deals with Palestinians: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/05/panel-warns-excessive-force-israel-160513132515114.html It is time to convene a World Court and charge Israel with war crimes and allow Israel to try to defend what the rest of the world sees as atrocities.

So would the critics here be OK with the Liberal Party paying for extra assistants?

The argument against increased funding for the role of the wife of the PM is that it is really publicizing the Party rather than the country. It also appears that she is more popular than others in that position in the past so that is her problem. Her reps respond that any appearance by her at an event increases the attendance at the event and the financial support for the organization. That is a fact as any charity asking for her presence will tell you. One resolution would be that she request to be payed for attendance at an event and use those monies to pay for assistants. That would be red meat for the carnivorous opposition critics. Another solution is that she cut back her appearances to coincide with her current abilities to attend. That may or may not negatively impact Canada's reputation. Since the critics feel that her appearances are based on Liberal Party promotion then the Liberal Party should fund the additional staff that she requires. That is the solution that I would suggest. The Liberals could fund raise on that issue. I believe that she has a good argument and would be prepared to contribute even though I am not a fan of Liberal policy. I also feel that critics and supporters unfortunately follow party lines. These are those folks whose opinions based on individual issues are based on which political party suggests an issue rather than the issue itself. I also believe that what the spouse of any PM does to assist Canadian organizations is good for Canada and should be financed by the country.

Little by little, outside world view, the Israeli Zionist cancer continues to absorb Palestinian land: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/05/israel-forces-palestinians-jerusalem-160504063755669.html Shame on Canada having any association with this genocidal regime!

Bibi Netanyahu decided to take his policies outside his office for discussion. He actually asked people what they think of his policies: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/05/benjamin-netanyahu-ridiculed-twitter-qa-160512095845756.html Looks like opening his views to the world is a mistake.

When a natural disaster takes place and the government gets involved in helping those who had no insurance, is the government then penalizing those who were prudent to satisfy those who were not?

Just finished watching the game. Bases loaded, pitcher in a 3-0 situation. Throws another ball to lose and end the game. How can a pitcher completely miss the strike zone? He could have lobbed it over the plate!

It was important that each evacuee register since the allocation of funding is being based on registrants. I believe that the first installment is $1250 per adult and $500 a child. If you did not register then how will people know that you are eligible?

This what "old stock" means to the leader of these bigots and racists: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-election-2015-harper-debate-1.3233785 I thought we got rid of that crap when we got rid of their leader but like zombies they appear to be able spew their hate even as they wander through normal society.

It has been common knowledge for years that Canada's fertility rate was below 2. http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/11-630-x/11-630-x2014002-eng.htm Despite some fluctuations, the total fertility rate in Canada has been below the replacement level for over 40 years. In fact, 1971 was the last year the replacement-level fertility of 2.1 children per woman was reached—meaning that couples, on average, had produced enough children to replace themselves. In 2011, the total fertility rate was 1.61 children per woman, up slightly from the record low of 1.51 about a decade earlier. Fertility patterns—specifically the number of children born and the average age at childbearing—affect the dynamics of population growth and the age structure of Canadian society, as well as family formation and household composition.

Sorry - A more accurate report: The following is the text of a statement read by Jian Ghomeshi in court: “I want to apologize to Ms. Borel for my behaviour towards her in the workplace. In the last 18 months, I have spent a great deal of time reflecting on this incident and the difficulties I caused Ms. Borel, and I have had to come to terms with my own deep regret and embarrassment. “I enjoyed a position of privilege in my job at the CBC as host of a program I loved. I was a person in a position of authority and leadership, and I did not show the respect that I should have to Ms. Borel. I did not always lead by example and I failed to understand and truly appreciate the impact of my conduct on Ms. Borel’s work environment. That conduct in the workplace was sexually inappropriate. I realize that there is no way for me to know the full impact on her personally and professionally. “I now recognize that I crossed boundaries inappropriately. A workplace should not have any sexualized tone. I failed to understand how my words and actions would put a coworker who was younger than me, and in a junior position to mine, in an uncomfortable place. I did not appreciate the damage I caused, and I recognize that no workplace friendship or creative environment excuses this sort of behaviour, especially where there is a power imbalance as there was with Ms. Borel. This incident was thoughtless and I was insensitive to her perspective and how demeaning my conduct was towards her. I understand this now. This is a challenging business to be in and I did not need to make it more difficult for Ms. Borel. The past 18 months have been an education for me. I have reflected deeply and have been working hard to address the attitudes that led me, at the time, to think that this was acceptable. “I apologize to my family for letting them down and in particular for the impact that all of this has had on my dear mother and my sister. I apologize for the burden my actions have placed on those dear friends who have stood by me throughout this difficult time. I regret my behaviour at work with all my heart and I hope that I can find forgiveness from those for whom my actions took such a toll.”

According to the allegations, Ghomeshi grabbed Kathryn Borel, a former CBC employee, from behind at work in 2008 and ground his pelvis into her. Borel consented to waiving a court-ordered ban on publicly identifying her. THE APOLOGY “I want to apologize to Ms. Borel for my behaviour toward her in the workplace,” Ghomeshi said. “I now recognize that I crossed boundaries inappropriately. I did not appreciate the damage that I caused. I understand this now.” Issue resolved.

The latest news is that Ryan and Trump are to sit down and see if they can resolve their differences. In an interview, both Ryan and Rubio said that they have pledged to support the Republican choice of President - that is the disarming part. For these folks the Party is more important than the country. They are saying that whoever ends up candidate will get their support - even if it is to the determent of the USA. That is just plain nuts!

I cannot speak for anybody but those with whom I have shared some refreshments. While generally, it is discouraged to discuss current conflicts and military involvement in a Legion there are points of view shared by those who get upset with political decisions. My experience has been that those who have seen conflict believe (d) that there better be a very good reason to send Canadian troops in to a war - and that Afghanistan did not satisfy that threshold. I think they were correct.

Russia appears to now be in control of Syria and by implication most of what is going to happen in those civil wars. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2016/03/29/how-russian-special-forces-are-shaping-the-fight-in-syria/ The danger now for Canadian troops is that somehow we end up on the wrong side of a firefight in which Russian troops are involved. I thank Putin and his boys for his involvement in these civil wars and wish him well in the next few years where he relives Afghanistan. I hope that Canada sees what is happening, pull our people out of there and allow the Russians to get mired in this building quagmire that the USA has created. I find it ironic that the USA got involved in Afghanistan after Russia got its ass kicked and got its own ass kicked. Now, it looks like Russia will get involved in Syria/Iraq after the USA and Canada is getting its ass kicked. Good for Putin! Good for Russia!