Keepitsimple

It's now up to $2.5 million. They also paid a million to the Catholic School Board union and $500K to the French school board. These are taxpayer dollars - being used as bribes.....but the politically correct term is "sweeteners". ....and even if you believe that unions should be paid for the "extra" time that it took to negotiate a deal.....how much is "extra"? Let's take an inflated salary of $100K. For a normal person working a 40 hour week with some vacation thrown in - that amounts to about $50 an hour. $2.5 million gives you 50,000 hours of work.....and again, how much is "extra"? Two hours a day? But here's the kicker - through most of the negotiating period, there was a stalemate - few people did anything. And where does the money go? Well if none is siphoned into crooked pockets, it goes right back into the Union Fund for the next round of blackmail. Insanity.

Good old practical Canadians......an interesting update on Fusion Power: Link: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/partners/thomsonreuterscapitalize/advtrtechnology/bc-tech-firm-aims-to-save-the-world-with-nuclear-reactor/article22760798/

What's not true - that they finished a distant and dismal 4th in virtually every riding outside of BC - or that they finished last in most ridings in BC as well? I've already acknowledged the win in Saanich, the second place in Victoria and I believe you've pointed out another 2nd or 3rd in Esquimalt.....but 3.6% of the votes with most concentrated in a few pockets of BC.....let's get serious. These guys should try to get elected as a legitimate Provincial entity and show people that they can be serious.

Yes - a respectable second place. I looked through a riding-by-riding results map and that appeared to be the only one.....all others in 4th place - by a lot.

I scoured riding by riding and couldn't any support anywhere except that modest amount in BC. Except for May's riding and Victoria - where the Greens finished a respectable second - they finished a dismal and distant fourth in every other riding across Canada.

He promised - FPTP gone by next election. It's a clear promise......but don't hold your breath.

Hopefully, we'll see the media-driven legitimacy of the Green Party come to an end. Does anyone know - other than May's riding - whether the Green Party placed 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in any ridings and if so, how many? The only one I've found is Victoria where they finished a strong second.......I believe everywhere else, they finished a dismal and distant 4th.

I sure hope so.....then I shouldn't have anything much to worry about on the fiscal front.

Canadians spoke loud and clear. Perhaps now it will start to become somewhat clear as to what the Liberals actually plan to do. I can only hope that there are some influential voices of fiscal constraint behind the curtain....because in addition to the planned deficit of $10 billion per year, there are issues and promises that are clamouring for big dollars: Climate Change, First Nations, Provincial Talks demanding money because Provinces don't want to raise their own taxes (AKA extortion), CPP expansion (AKA Kathleen Wynne payback) to name only a few.

Conservative - would have considered Liberal with Garneau as leader.

Trudeau was never a moron - never an idiot.....but the jury is still out on how shallow his grasp of the issues is. He was anointed leader - and his background shows no experience or ability to personally build and direct a team - to glean information from that team and make decisions. That's not partisan sniping - it's just a fact. That's why Gerald Butts and a few others will wield so much power if the Liberals gain power. Will that be a good or a bad thing? ......that's where the comparison to Ontario comes into play - where Butts and other Trudeau advisors come from......and you are bang on - voters saw Wynne as the least bad decision.....and are now paying a heavy price for their choice. Harper is no Tim Hudak - there is a choice. 24 hours and we'll know a lot more.

You were the one who thought he was.......

I don't know if you could ever call him an idiot - but he certainly was challenged on substance and his ability to put coherent sentences together. The turning point in the campaign was to acknowledge that fact - and to counter it, they broke with tradition and had Gerald Butts tutor him every single day. For better or worse, Trudeau is simply the figurehead - and we will be living with the huge political influence of Butts.....the man who guided Dalton McGuinty and Kathleen Wynne.......and only if you live in Ontario, can you truly appreciate the long-term damage that disastrous team has done to its citizens. Link: http://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2015/10/18/justin-trudeaus-smartest-campaign-move-hepburn.html

Sounds like that's who you should vote for then......all anyone can ask in an election is for people to actually consider the alternatives.

It's not necessarily the platform itself - which is a mile wide and an inch deep - it's the influence behind the party. It should be apparent to all that Trudeau is just a figurehead. I live in Ontario and have suffered through the McGuinty/Wynne years - where General Butts was a leading figure behind the scenes. Butts has been Trudeau's principal advisor - and will continue to be so. That's a huge red flag. The ORPP/CPP issue is another flag. Jumping out in front of the US to be a "leader" on Climate Change is another. Throwing more money indiscriminately at First Nations, another. Refusing any combat roles as part of an alliance with Western countries, another. I have absolutely no confidence that Trudeau has the intelligence to manage Butts and the backroom boys. If you think the PMO has too much power now - just watch what would happen under Trudeau. There is no leadership. That's what's not safe.

The endorsements (except for the Star shills) serve a purpose for those who care. In spite of all the Conservative foibles - imagined or real - the Liberal platform and especially it's leader are just not "safe" enough to make a change. The direct criticism (slagging) of Harper sends him a clear message that it's time to pass the baton - something that was highly likely to happen anyways - unless he won a resounding majority - which is a near impossibility. In other words - Conservatives = best alternative (of a bad lot), Harper = gotta go, Liberals = shaky bet, Trudeau = not ready, Mulcair = in the wrong party.

It may sound tongue-in-cheek but I wonder if the Monday Blue Jays game will affect voter turn-out - especially among younger voters.....I really do think it will be a factor - how much so is anybody's guess. The viewing audience for the ALDS was immense.

The purpose of bringing up Obama's lack of accomplishment is proportionality. Canada has taken in over 1000 Syrian refugees and been harassed for it - yet the US - 10 times our size has only taken in only 1500! Although I doubt it, perhaps I've missed your cite that says that the US will be changing it's refugee policy so that 25% of all refugees will be Syrian in 2017 and 40% in 2018. Could you please supply a post# or a link. Thanks.

No - cite has not been provided. With the US intake of all refugees rising to 100,000 in 2017, you still have not provided any cite that supports your claim that Syrian refugees will comprise 25% of all US refugees in 2017 and 40% in 2018. It's a ludicrous claim, especially when compared to what the Obama administration has actually accomplished - again, from your own article:

After all the breathless fear-mongering, divisive accusations being hurled at the Conservatives - you don't see the irony in your comment?

Once again Waldo - do you have any cite to support what you are claiming? Please don't try to mix Syrian refugees with the US world-wide refugee quota. I can only work with the facts - from your own article....a target of 10,000 in 2016 and maybe more in 2017.

That was not mentioned in your original September 20 article......do you have another cite what you've claimed?

Waldo - you were wrong back then - and you are still wrong today.....an acknowledgement of that fact would be appreciated, but not expected. From your own linked article:

Meanwhile - that great example of openness and tolerance - Barack Obama......can't even keep up with Stephen Harper. Is Obama a racist? Is he cruel and heartless? Is he completely ignoring the plight of Syrians? Canada has been much more generous than the US and yet, and yet......oh what the heck, it's politics and it's election time.

Speak your mind - don't beat around the bush!