madmax

Sounds like Del Mastro is going to be on the hot seat. From tonight's Citizen: Elections Canada has time-stamped logs detailing between 25,000 and 30,000 phone calls — including 7,500-10,00 “connects” — all of which were made during the election campaign, someone familiar with the documents said Monday. “All of this work was conducted solely during the writ period,” http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Voter+contact+records+show+work+listed+Mastro+election+spending/6765471/story.html

I saw how you structured your answer when questioned on this. It would appear you were outpointed by Waldo. LOL.....

It would seem so. However she has always liked to hobknob and the Green Party took on the Progressive Conservative Big Business Enviro tune when the PCs merged with the CA.

Already being discussed in the Original Election Fraud thread. http://www.mapleleafweb.com/forums//index.php?showtopic=20400&st=2250

I fully and completely disagree with you. If they were banning exotic entertainment you might have a case. If you understood the business, the players and those being exploited, it is NOT the rose picture you present. There are plenty of women who live in Canada and can consider exotic dancing as an occupation. They have rights and are less likely to be exploited and can negotiate fair wages/perks. When a FLOOD of Eastern EuroPean Dancers sweep across Canada and one knows the history of Eastern European trafficking and criminal activity, the opportunity to exploit Canadas Visa requirements and these Women are compounded by our own legal process. Strippers are not being banned. And there is no justification to bring in Exotic Dancers from other countries just to sit in the back of a small cubicle performing other services.

1) You need to quote where he says he doesn't support a West Pipeline? 2) Would a West to East pipeline not generate jobs as well? 3) I also believe he has said that the processing of the Bitumen should occur in the West. Would that also not create jobs? As Eastern Canada never sees a drop of Western Oil and Western Canada is looking for new markets to sell their oil this is an idea to consider that is long overdue. Is only the US and China allowed Western Oil? The normal market forces won;t create this pipeline anymore then they did a railway or canal. Thus it would require a government initiative. The same would be said with the initial costs of the Refining in Alberta. I can't say as I am in agreement with this whole proposition, however I can say I am not in agreement with the current subsidization of our oil in order to sell it off at a lower rate to china.

Hold on here... Manning states he supports a Carbon Tax and Cap And Trade. Which stunned me.

Rock On Army Guy Agreed. Agreed I doubt that will ever change. I think its the nature of the beast. Sure enough, and I think our soldiers did their part and we could say that many years ago. Eventually you have to go home. How is reviewing the cost of the F35s affordable or sustainable and imho, it guts our core military strength by taking long term valuable dollars away from the rest of the armed forces. How is questioning the process of the Defence Bureaucrats gutting our military. Either the purchase can be cost accounted for and presented with good fundamentals or it can be presented as it currently appears. An open chequebook to a military contractor. You agreed above it has a purpose and I will leave it at that. As for long term effects, the most current study in the US is showing a casuality rate from Suicide higher then the rate of combat deaths for those coming back from Iraq. I believe in taking care of the soldiers after they return. I believe in providing all the necessary equipment to do the task agreed upon. Regardless, we are known McGuyvers... That is why Realpolitik is required BEFORE engaging in any mission, be it Peacekeeping or Combat. As many of my friends did retire during this period I am not surprised. And as for stories. I got plenty including US forces engaging in human trafficking, thus being no better then the rapists.And you should know as well as anyone, Canadian forces have stood by in Afghanistan while rapes occurred. Afghan women go to jail if they have been raped. And I heard many "Friday Jokes" In a story published yesterday in the Star, former Canadian soldier Tyrel Braaten said that during his tour of duty in Afghanistan in 2006, he witnessed Afghan interpreters bringing young boys inside buildings at Forward Operating Base Wilson, a remote Canadian base outside Kandahar. The boys were then sodomized by the interpreters and Afghan soldiers, Braaten said. Other Canadian soldiers have complained to chaplains and military medical personnel that officers told them not to get involved because the sodomy was tantamount to "cultural differences." As for ethnic cleansing and the lot. In Afghanistan there is enough "Bad Actors" on the government side to put your comments to shame. To turn a blind eye towards. That said, while you talk about building wells and such, Afghan soldiers have turned their weapons on our troops when certain clans weren't allowed to perform the work. All of which I have linke on MLW within the last 2 years. Not sure what the issue is here regarding the NDP. As you have cited nothing from them. But the comments you make are what we as a country need to know about and support as well as find solutions. I find that there has only been 2 choices of the past 30 years. Shoestring solutions and cuts (My Era) And Corporate Entitlement to Military Contractors. The direction we are trending.

All valid points.

You realize you're merger theory has just gone down the toilet with this comment?

How about they all just meet in the Conservative "Border Security" Gazebo.

There is intereference in business and their is good public policy that benefits strong stable business. Many of those extreme NDP/CCF ideas were adopted and created the stabile and strong society we have today and a strong middle class. The rightward shift of the past 15 years suggesting business can do no wrong..... is creating some interesting and unstable market conditions along with some extreme and radical ideas from individuals and corporations more interested in pyramid schemes and explotation rather then solid business foundations. After watching some of the worst abuses in corporate greed not seen since the 20s, one might be concerned that no one should be interefering. Argus made a good point in another thread. The US Banking Institutions have learned nothing and will carry on in their arrogant ways, and await another bailout. A situation similar to Greece. But far more dangerous to our economy and one can thank the NDP budget intervention and Paul Martin having a change of heart in moving towards more deregulatio of our banking industry. There is stupid intervention and responsible intervention. Currenty there is little or no responsible intervention but that doesn't prevent out government from giving away monies with no strings attached. There is always room for improvement and room for dialogue in what regulations are necessary. Some would suggest that the Red River is just fine today. Some woudl argue that the markets have corrected themselves and its collapse hsd no criminal element to them. Of course others of us see that there is more then one Enron and WorldCom out there. Perhaps the bigget difference is the NDP is starting to push the Conservatives towards addressing corporate crime. That is interfereing for the good of the public. Conrad Black and his ilk may disagree.

You do realize that would equal a net loss in support? TO which party would the displaced 40% go? Oh, probably either to the Conservatives or towards a new 3rd Party. There is more in common with the Liberals merging with the Conservatives and if a poll was done, you would see similar results of between a 50/50 split and a 60/40 split. The poll shows nothing that all parties have known for decades. History has shown that Conservatives and Liberals have gotten together more often to create a party to displace the NDP. The reverse has never occurred. The NDP history is very different from the Liberals. If the Liberals were to fold up their tent 2morrow, you would see the CPC increase to close to 50% or more support and the new 2nd party might get into the mid 40s for a short time. But what will happen is a new 3rd option will arrive because Canadians are always seeking choice and options. Tweedle dee and tweedle dum are good, but its always nice to have a 3rd opinion.

As the feds collect taxation from all Canadians across this country. This should come as no surprise. You want a military you have to pay for it. You want waste and incompetence in the military bureacracy, then continue to change the subject.

If he lives long enough, he will run for the Conservatives next.

If Bob Rae was the Premier of BC in 1973 or MAN in 1971 those provinces would not have Public Auto Insurance. It was not me who dare suggested Bob Rae was a fighter. I compared him to a real fighter. Dare I lower the bar..... If you like I can compare Rae to other fighters like Grant Devine or Ujjal Dev Singh Dosanjh or Gary Filmon. But its best to leave Bob Rae to be judged on his record in Ontario.....

Sierra Leone was successful. Burundi was successful. Haiti... well thats open for debate. but if you are suggesting you could successfully tame haiti with combat missions, I believe you are sadly mistaken. All combat missions require keeping the peace to achieve victory. Thus even in countries where they have gone to war, the end result is a followup by peacekeepers to maintain the fragile end to combat activities. It doesn't take much for an incident to occur and reflare up a volatile situation. What I will say, having suffered through the Liberal Era of Military cutbacks, is that if the Conservatives maintain their level of fiscal incompentence and allow these kinds of bureacratic and corporate decisions to rule the department of defence..... you will see a backlash to failed and foolish military spending.

PeaceKeeping missions are not useless. Enough of my friends did multiple tours and useless is not the term they came back with. Some were from the gravy era and some were from the more difficult 90s. If anything Burnout was a huge factor. There is definitely a place for peacekeeping missions. Of course there are always those who suggest different. I expect that in the military. There is always the Gung Ho types. (Beware of fratricide) Peacekeeping and Peacemaking missions can be successful or a debacle. We have seen both. And yes the NDP were for Removing the troops from Afghanistan early. I could never understand how one things 800 frontline combat troops are going to tame a country of 25 million that has been fighting since the mid 70s. How long should it take to train a nation of nationalistic fighters to defend their government? If you can't trust those you are protecting, what are you doing there? If you can't bridge the path to peace and stable government, you are left with running around for months on end with endless taskforce missions and no endgame. That said.... Setting goals is imperative in any operation. Be it peacekeeping or combat. There is a time to switch from Combat to Peacemaking. I believe the 3 block strategy has proven to be a flawed and failed strategy. I also believe anyone involved in combat during a peacemaking mission needs to be treated as a combat veteran. imho.

I thought the same thing... Links don't say or suggest anything. Ironically the one link suggests Ontario should receive MORE in equalization. Basically it just wants to tinker with the formula. And by the look of it is would give more provinices equalization payments, or in a nutshell more of its own money back. The first link states how equalization works which supports what I have said earlier.

No he isn't a fighter. If Bob Rae had been the CCF Premier of Sask in Tommy Douglas Era, Public Medicare would never have seen the light of day in Sask let alone Canada. Tommy Douglas was a fighter. He was a poor kid, knew the value of money, had principles in his upbringing and actually did Box! Bob Rae has a silver spoon and silver tongue.

If he doesn't pull his socks up , he is going to become the next Bob Rae. I would suggest that NDP supporters in NS get on their phones, emails etc and get the message through to the government exactly why they were elected. Perhaps Dexter believes he knows best. So did Rae and he abandon many NDP policies and values while leader, only to have it bite him in the butt. (Of course he was more Liberal minded then anyone knew at the time) And while you shouldn't govern by polls, one should as why the polls are 2nd guessing your actions.

I believe this is a teacher speaking out and his association also agrees with him, but know they cannot win a appeal. There are way to many restictions on teachers marking. I see Alberta is just as messed up. Alot of this has to do with Provincial Funding Formulas and is also a problem in Provinces that have adopted American originated Standardized testing. I got zeros when I was in school. The world did not come to an end.

I am totally against your temp worker apologist proposal. Why should anyone be allowed to work as an electrician in Fort McMurray for $600 a month?

Well Signals... I don't knwo what the problem is here.. it looks good considering this is the NDP platform from the last election. I will say that there is a level of fiscal incompetence showing and Peter McKay has been lame. Then we saw the poor peformance of Anders to those ironically card carrying conservative veterans. This below is actually pragmatic sound policy imho. thanks for linking it above.... -------------------------------------------------------------- 6.4 Charting a New Course for Canada’s Defence •We will give the men and women of the Canadian Forces, who put their lives on the line every day, the best equipment to do the job with, proper support and benefits; •We will focus Canada’s military on three main priorities: defending Canada; providing support for peacemaking, peace-building and peacekeeping around the world; and assisting people facing natural catastrophes, including floods, earthquakes, forest fires and other emergencies, both at home and abroad; •We will ensure the Canadian Forces are properly staffed, equipped and trained to effectively address the full range of possible military operations arising from these three priorities; •We will maintain the current planned levels of Defence spending commitments, and we will equip the Canadian military to resume leadership in United Nations peacekeeping operations, with major new missions reviewed and approved by the House of Commons; •We will improve search and rescue capability to international standards within the current budgetary framework; •We will draft a Defence White Paper, redefining our military’s role, its priorities and needs, to be completed within 12 months. During that time, all major defence projects will be reviewed; •We will implement a fair and open process where competitors can offer industrial deals and benefits. Such an open process ensures Canadians get the best price, the military gets what it needs and Canadian industries get the best spin-offs; •We will review the proposed F-35 purchase as part of the Defence White Paper; •Within the existing budget, we will establish an annual fund for government shipbuilding. This would provide stability to the industry and include construction of new ships for the Navy and the Coast Guard. Back to top 6.5 Fulfilling Commitments to Honour our Veterans •We will respect Canada’s obligations to our military veterans by: •Ending the unfair reduction of pensions for retired and disabled Canadian Forces and RCMP veterans; •Stopping the unjust cuts to the Service Income Security Insurance Plan (SISIP) for medically released members of the Canadian Forces and former RCMP members. Ending these claw-backs will improve the lives of over 100,000 veterans in Canada; •Overhauling the Veterans Review and Appeal Board; appointing its members from military, RCMP and medical personnel, and ensuring that veterans’ appeals are fairly reviewed by their peers; •Introducing a “Helmets-to-Hardhats” program to help veterans transition to construction and shipbuilding trades; •Responding to veterans’ organizations, spouses and widows, and others and initiating a public inquiry into toxic chemical defoliation at CFB Gagetown.