Jerry J. Fortin

You are the one reaching. Show me where I said any political party was involved. I said the government.

Statscan is an arm of the government that provides data with respect to the framework of a question posed. Any fool knows that statistics are a means of manipulating facts in order to produce a result of a designed nature. Isn't this just like saying that Canada produced hundreds of thousands of jobs last month. What they don't say is how many jobs were lost with what total of lost income, and what rate of payment for what total income replaced those lost jobs. That would be a far more accurate economic picture would it not?

Harper is free to say what he wants, as we all are. However the Prime Minister is able to sway the opinions of others. He has something to gain from the effort as does Mr. Buffet. The reality here is that the vast majority of players in the market are simply small time investors with less than a few hundred thousand dollars at stake. There is a substantial difference in the loss of 40% of a portfolio of millions that are in truth not needed by the holders of those portfolios and the meager investments of the majority of citizens that depend on those market holdings for their pension plans in order to retain some form of income. The more affluent of citizens can afford to take the hit and survive but the same cannot be said for the less affluent. In order to bolster the markets the affluent need the majority of investors to remain invested in the market to support stock values and avoid losses. So what these few affluent citizens want is for those less able to take the loss. Not exactly the best interests of a majority of citizens that is being looked after, is it?

I am a unionized employee and have not in the last 28 years received a contract that even matched the rate of inflation during the contract year it was negotiated. I cannot speak for others but I myself got a three percent raise this year.

Life is all about choices. Life is an experience to be realized through those choices made. In our modern times those choices have been determined to belong to the individual not the group and certainly not the government. Governments, that is organized administration for groups are the root cause of nearly all of our problems. The only solution to those self created and imposed problems is to reform governments in order to provide the empowerment of citizens through the exercise of free choice. If we desire to advance the social evolution of mankind we need to realize the significance of the individual. The individual is the paramount consideration for the advanced society. It is the individual that makes the difference and we need to recognize that through constitutional means and design a means of administering the public that promotes and protects the individual. This is not a matter of political-economical disposition as in some ideological struggle between capitalism and communism, it is simply a matter of the right of individual verses the right of the state. Our society needs to be predicated upon the individual and all of the rights that relate to the individual.

Good luck with that majority power play Stevie Boy.

Conservatives....132 Liberals..............130 Bloc Quebecois....28 NDP................... 18 Green...................0 Total.................308 Surprise time Mr. Harper, he wins but he does not. A coalition is form!

What is the source of national pride? If the answer is some sort of sense of self protection capability then our national pride was indeed injured was it not? Consider just how much our defense forces require and what the size of that expenditure is. Now those dollars leave the national economy and as a result we suffer an economic injury as well. Yet even that ignores the change to our national technological capabilites. The harm was immense.

Harper lacks style and he lacks class. Of late my biggest bitch about him is the recent revelation about his speech in 2003. Now I know he is a fraud, I had my doubts about him before but that nailed it down pretty dam well.

The harsh reality is that the act of plagarism hurt him badly. The harsh reality is that the position on arts funding hurt him badly. The harsh reality is that this election was called to give him a majority based on flawed polling from Quebec which lead Harper down a path of his own design.

A few points to clear the air. 1) There never was a prototype the CF105 went from the drawing board to production. A Canadian first. 2) The Arrow was far ahead of its time in many areas, it was not obsolete. In fact the Bomarc Missile we bought from the Americans was. 3) The Arrow program cancellation was responsible for a very real brain drain. We lost 25,000 jobs overnight and billions in our economy. 4) The current position of the government of Canada is to out source defense department procurement to other nations and that costs the tax payer millions In short, the chief ended our climb in technological terms. Aerospace efforts are at the leading edge of technological advancement. I voted no.

I am very pleased with the direction of public opinion. If in fact the current poll is translated into reality on election day, we may see a new government. If Dion can form a government without an NDP coalition I will suggest that he becomes a one shot wonder and losses at the first chance the Conservatives can find to oust him. On the other hand, should the Liberals in fact be in possession of the necessary faculties required to hold the reins of power in the current political environment then the NDP will find themselves as part of the government in fact not merely as a support function during legislative effort. A coalition government, a group of individuals working across party lines would be a first in my memory within this nation. That is what I desire, a multi-partisan effort at governance.

A partisans factions political policy platform designed for an election campaign should reflect the basic principles found within the group. In the case of the new platform announced by the Conservative Party of Canada, it can be summarized as a lack of substance. Now whether or not that was the intent of the platform, that is the impression it left me. Details are very important in politics, and this represents the essence of the public face of the ruling party. The platform has no timetable and forms no substantive agenda for Canadians.

Born there, yes.

Canadians had better wake up quickly. Russia is seeking control of the Arctic, not for mere political reasons but for the economic reality of the resources that are KNOWN to exist there. Russia is cash starved, so the development of those resources means a great deal to them. This nation of sheep needs to realize just exactly what is at stake in this matter. There are trillions of dollars at stake in the development of the Arctic. We could well find ourselves divested of control of vast amounts of mineral wealth should we fail to consider the realities at hand.

There is nothing to unite us because the folks in politics don't want us united! The trail we are walking down leads to us being gobbled up by America. That will suit all the politicians needs wants and desires. More power, more privilege, more money.

The election is a long ways off yet, and with a little luck the Conservatives will continue to hinder their own efforts. I don't think anything else will stop them.

Quebec is astute to jump on the Conservative wagon! They will benefit greatly from such an endeavour. Yet the rest of the nation will pay for the political support that Harper is gathering. Quebec will support any party that can form a government because that way they can get what they want with the threat of withdrawn support. They have used this tactic since entering confederation and will continue to do so because it benefits them.

Our problems are far greater than simply a left or right political direction. It is time to recognize what is truly happening with this nation. We never really escaped the hewers of wood and drawers of water status in real economic terms. Now it seems that we are going to remain inside the box as a vassal of the United States. It is a safe direction to undertake, but one which denies us our birth right and ignores our true potential. This nation needs to grow a spine and start acting like an adult country in a very real world of political manipulation and economic servitude.

Wait for it. " Its all about the economy stupid. " Harper will win this election, and he will do it without my vote. Ontario is in a shambles, and that folks is Canada's economic heartland. I am a westerner and I can say with some confidence that it simply doesn't matter how well Alberta and the rest of the west are doing. When more than a third of the population lives in central Canada and they are experiencing economic difficulty and the public is looking for solutions, in democratic terms the west doesn't count. If Harper picks up support in Quebec and Ontario he wins, nothing new there. What is new is the crisis in the USA and the spin off impact to Canada. If the government thinks for one minute that the nation is immune from the effects of a downturn in the US economy it will be in for a rude awakening. Ontario relies on the auto industry, almost to the extent that Alberta relies on the oil industry. Here comes India and China who will very shortly begin selling cars here. Don't expect them to start building auto plants here folks. They may, if the government reacts harshly, but if the government is Harper's I have news for you. There will be no protectionist attitude, there will be no investment assistance. There will be even more trouble. The government does indeed need to spend a lot of money on infrastructure, but again don't expect Harper to do it. This is where citizens are in error, because there is a large difference between deficit program spending which yields not a dime in revenues and infrastructure spending which draws investment to take advantage of it. The current "fiscally conservative" attitude has much support, yet it gets that support from an uneducated public. A manipulated public is actually the case, their opinions being formulated by extreme effort on the part of politicians. Harper called this election because the economy is about half a step from the abyss and he knows it. He knows he will be the one to take the heat over it and doesn't want a political campaign during the firestorm because that would be an uphill battle. So he calls an election prior to the first effects are being harshly felt. Astute call on his part. This election is not about economic direction, yet it should be. It is about Harper retaining power. The truth is that in the best interests of the nation his government should fall, but it won't. We are about to enter a new phase in our development, one in which Mulroney was very key in creating. With both the US and Canada in economic freefall the entire concept of a North American Union becomes more and more viable. That is so because between the two nations we would have sufficient resources and productive capacity to actually turn our economies around. Pie in the sky you say? Time will tell.

I surely do wish that this election was about taxes. God knows we all pay too much tax.

The Conservative partisan effort deserves far more credit that it has in the past. However, having said that the Liberals have received far more credit than they deserve. In addition the far right and the far left serve their purposes as well and yet very few citizens recognize the most harsh reality of the nation in political terms. That is the cold reality that our system of government is itself flawed and antiquated. What this nation needs is not more policy but a means of effective government. There lays our greatest problem. Confederation is a complex government model that fails to balance the needs of the regions with the needs of the citizens. The partisan platforms all seek to nitpick policy alternatives for the duration of the election and yet upon a public declaration of support those same partisan positions have no obligation to implement the policies they campaigned on. Further to that the public has no means available to hold those responsible for the fraud to be held in any way accountable. So the question needs to be asked what difference alternative policies really have during election campaigns? The problem before us is not one of merely choosing a government to implement policy but determining a means of attaining a responsible and effective set of public representatives. This plays into the trust factor of candidates and parties. Citizens deserve a set of representatives dedicated to the reform of government. Citizens need a government intent upon providing the services and programs that the public desires. Citizens need a government that is accountable to the public and acts in a manner that would be considered obedient to the will of the public. The long and the short of the problem is that citizens need representatives to be sent to Ottawa not partisan hacks.

Vote the way you want Bryan. The simple fact of the matter is that in my mind Harper is no better than Dion, and that is less than a vote of confidence in the leadership qualities of either one of them. I applaud the fact that folks in this country can choose to support whom ever they please. Yet there are those of us who simply do not participate in the democratic system of choosing our government. You are entitled to your opinion and choice, that is a good thing. Can you imagine not having that choice? For me the whole thing is about choices for citizens and that is why I personally support the concept of direct democracy in which the politicians propose legislation and that legislation requires a ratification vote of the public before coming into effect. I want the choice, and Harper does not see things that way and therefore I choose not to support him. The Liberals are much the same as the Conservatives with the possible exception of their support base being citizen orientated instead of business orientated which is why the last vestige of Liberal government got the federal finances in order and eliminated the deficit financing method. Harper seems intent upon handing out corporate welfare at tax payer expense, witness the 50 million handed out to GM and moments later the company closed the doors on yet another auto plant. That was a business decision without doubt, and yet it smells of special interests doesn't it? I am a westerner from Alberta. Steve was a hero here at one time being one of the authors of the Alberta firewall letter. He soon changed his tune when he sought political power. In order to gain the power he desired he sang a different tune. Look at how that all came about with David Orchard being betrayed by McKay and then in turn Harper rolling him over. A long fought and hard won political battle that was all about attaining power in a federal format. His western origins were soon forgotten and almost as soon as he became the big cheese he taxed the income trusts that were designed to take small production wells and create tax shelters for investors. His position and the position of his party were opposed to such an act of taxation, and yet eastern Canadians favoured it. Where are the power brokers in this nation I ask you? He traded his values for power. Further to that he makes deals and promises during election campaigns and then backs away from them, if you doubt this look at the entire debacle of the Atlantic Accords and their attending promises. The First Nations have the odd bone to pick as well. There are many that do. Again, I will support the NDP with the hope that they will do as they say, they at least are all about the little guy. With the Liberals and the Conservatives in place little actual harm could come to the economy and the citizens would get a break. Even so, I would love to see income taxes abolished, fixed election dates, MP recall, and elected judges. I would like Senate reform to balance the will of the regions against the will of the population. I would like to see major constitutional reform and real human rights instead of rights that applied only to minority groups. I would like to see citizens elect leaders instead of partisan hacks. This nation needs major work. Harper won't fix the problems we face, he will fix the problems he can make political points from. There is a very real difference.

Now there is some food for thought! As a matter of fact I just made up my mind, and will vote NDP just to bump their popular support! I would truely love to see both the Liberals and the Conservatives suck it up! They certainly deserve some humble pie.

Harper has proven that he can not be trusted. He word is worthless. This campaign should be about who we can trust to do what they say. There are numerous examples of Harper's lies, ask the Premier of NFLD and Lab. about the realities of Harper. The man is a self serving meglomaniac who changes his colours like most people change their shorts. A man concerned with unity? What about the Alberta Firewall letter? No new taxes? What about income trusts? Fixed election dates to avoid political manipulation of the democratic system? Yeah right. Lets look at how he handles his own people. He doesn't allow them to speak for themselves very often now does he. You can see why, when all of those yes people answer questions from the press they make Harper look like an idiot.