Ricki Bobbi

Why? There is a significant proportion of the electorate that will vote based on the environment and definitely won't vote Conservative. If the NDP take the lead from the left they can make gains at the expense of the Greens and the Liberals.

But this could form the basis for a major campaign platform for the Conservatives. Seems like people are buying the first two E's of triple E (Elected and Effective) use that to leverage Equal and turn the election into a quasi-referendum on Senate reform. They can't enact meaningful change to the Senate before the next election, but they can put forward a meaningful plan and let the people decide.

So the only answer is to let the serve another years and judge them from there actins, not their "capabilites" as you see them...

What does "leaves an opening for defeat" mean? Any budget can be defeated. I'll reply with the equally vague I'm sure the Conservatives won't leave an opening for defeat, unless they want to.

The abuse of the system at the start of this thread is evidence of the need for changing the system and creating a set of rules that aren't open to abuse. It is not a call for complete privatization of the system. Government should have some role to play in our lives. Not as much as many dippers would like, for me. But the tradeoff with complete privatization of the system is that many, many innocent people would be left without access to even basically adequate health care.

This part of the post is a little unclear. Are you saying one minister with far from stellar results and an answer from the the Prime Minister that is far from clear on a very complex issue is demonstrable proof of incompetence? By that standard, have we ever had a competent Government?

Do explain...

Even if your view of competence were correct it is still a different issue from lack of ethics. You really don't get the issues the Liberals have with ethics. Again, make the central issue of the election ethics in Government. That would be a winning strategy.

It isn't out of the question for there to be a Liberal government in the spring. It also isn't out of the question for the Liberals to fall to third party status in the House. If the Conservatives and the NDP come up with a serious plan for the environment that both can agree to it's lights out for the Liberals. Right leaning Liberal voters move to the Conservatives. Left-leaning Liberal voters "lend" their vote to Jacko. 3% to the right, 5% to the left. ..... Hello third party status!

No wonder you cut off the article. Those appointments are far from the level of stench and corruption seen by the Liberals. Go ahead. Make the next election about ethics and accountability in Government. The Conservative appointments are all qualified people who are actually doing work that needs to be done and getting paid for it. That you could even post this article shows that the Liberals still really have no clue ... Good on you.

The tax promise probably wasn't as solid as you tend to believe. It was a broken promise but look at the actual promise, to protect and help seniors. Which they did with income splitting and other measures. Regardless of the change to income trusts Canada does not have the political environment conducive to the stability you seek. Minority governments just don't allow for that. This question leads into the next quote. Did you ever consider yourself a *staunch* Conservative supporter? Something tells me that come election day you are likely to hold your nose and vote Conservative ... just a hunch though. Hmmm typical histrionics. Refusing to ever vote for him again? I think you are over-stating that one just a little.

The Conservatives are only defeated on the budget if they want to be. It is pretty easy to make enough changes to a budget before hand to appease at least one party. Although it will still be touch and go if that party is the NDP....

Brilliantly said. Harper can point to that difference on the campaign trail. He has been Prime Ministerial at all times while in office. Much better a control freak than a ditherer...

Examples of the improvements necessary? Pretty clever pun "Bad Air Act". Wow guess you gotta be super smart to think of something so witty. Wouldn't Dirty Air Act have been wittier? Oh wait, that would have brought up too many memories of the Liberals ethics in government. BAH!

Hey Geoffrey, given your never-ending hatred of the Conservative's over the issue how about answering this question that you have ignored a few times? What is the value on the money you had invested in income trusts on January 23rd? Could it be that you refuse to answer because it shows how hollow your cries of indignation over the issue are?

Here's one I'd love to see swing, which could switch as part of a big move to the Conservatives. Ajax-Pickering Mark Holland - Liberal - 25,556 Rondo Thomas - Conservative - 16,997

Let's look at the situation the Conservatives inherited. After 13 years of Liberal grandiose talk and inaction on the environment our Kyoto targets become unattainable. So the only way this Conservative Government could have honoured our Kyoto commitment was to ship billions of dollars overseas. Instead of following this, less than wise, course of action the Conservatives are working to chart a new course. Look for our new Minister of the Environment to reach out to the opposition to come to an agreement that is better for Canadians now and in the future than Kyoto.

You'd probably want to add the interior of BC and significant parts of Manitoba and Saskatchewan to that power base of the Conservatives.

Of course there won't be any legal significance. Through a motion in Parliament the Chretien Liberals recognized Quebec as a distinct society. That hasn't been an issue since. The Quebec nation motion is very significant. It lays the groundwork for Harper to start making gains in Quebec again. He has a long way to go to even hold onto the seats that he won there in January. If he can do it, or even make gains, look to this motion as the starting point in Harper's *comeback* in Quebec.

So there is no credence to your "drive by smear" *implication* but you can neither admit your mistake nor give up the partisanship long enough to refrain from becoming shrill. tsk tsk tsk

What *star* candidates could they attract? Trudeau Jr.? Gerard Kennedy? Marc Garneau? Avi Lewis? Jaggi Singh? Interesting how Trudeau, Garneau and Liza Frulla are all fighting over the uber-safe Liberal seat of Outremont. Could it be that they are afraid of a having to face the electorate in face of the surging Bloc? As successful as it was in 1997, 2000 and 2004? or 2006? While I trust that the Conservatives will bring more to their campaign than the Paul Martin brought to the Liberals' in January, it would be wrong of them to not mention Dion's shameful record as Minister of the Environment or how he was a member of the cabinet that approved the misspent funds for Adscam.

So the story was updated? So I guess that means you didn't misrepresent the story... Hmmm, but wasn't Mike Chong named the Minister for Intergovernmental Affairs when the Cabinet was announced? Didn't Peter Van Loan take over the portfolio the day Chong resigned from Cabinet?

From the November 6, 2003 Globe and Mail. Page A1. Sorry no link, pay access only.

Good analysis. That's the reason why I think the Conservatives and Dippers might come up with a deal they can both live with on the environment. If they could really agree to something significant they would be able to seriously squeeze the Liberals. If all that 5% stayed with the NDP, rather than moving to the Liberals like last time, you could very well see them form official opposition with a much stronger Conservative minority. OMG what a shock that would be to the Natural Governing Party!

Hmmm, the story you linked to says she is going to be moved to Intergovernmental affairs. How do you consider that "dumping" her from cabinet?