Keepitsimple

You're spinning like a top. How would the coalition gain the confidence of the house without the Bloc's active/direct support? Your "coalition" would be stillborn in Rideau Hall. Tell me how this is a lie. Tell me how the Liberals and NDP could march into the GG's office with fewer seats than the Conservatives and ask to form a government in place of the Tories?

Spin it all you want Waldo....Canadians do not want the Bloc anywhere near the levers of government. Your beloved coalition could not have existed without their support.

So you thought the Stephane Dion led coalition, supported by the Bloc would have been better for Canada? As insane as that would have been, you're entitled to your opinion..... but I'm glad that Harper was as forceful as he was in denouncing the farce that it was. And hey - Canadians know very well what a minority government is - just don't ask them to accept the Bloc as part of their government. In short - if the Liberals, NDP and Greens can collectively win more seats than the Conservatives - go for it. That's fair.....but again, be careful what you wish for.

It never went to the GG......so it may indeed have proven to be anti-democratic. The "Coalition" of Liberals and NDP did not have enough seats. If the Bloc was not part of the coalition, how could a government be formed? The Governor General would likely have said to the Bloc - either you are in - or you're out. The Bloc did not want to be part of the coalition because they did not want to be viewed as part of the Canadian government - something they were fighting to separate from. And you seem to think that this farce was not only democratic - but the right thing to do?

I think Kathleen Wynne may very well be the wild card......her unpopularity does not yet seem to have affected Liberal support in the Nanos poll......but there's a good chance that it will now that she's high-fiving Trudeau at every turn. If she keeps talking, the Conservatives may gain another majority through Ontario. Ontario usually votes for the opposite party at the Federal level - and if there was ever a case to do so, it's in this election.

Technically, you are right.....but at the time, over 70% of Canadians did not approve of that technicality. Our founding fathers never foresaw - or could even imagine the day that a party like the Bloc - whose over-riding purpose was to promote the break-up of the country - would hold the balance of power in a coalition government. If the Bloc had not existed - or the NDP and Liberals had enough MPs to form a government on their own - Harper's arguments would not have held water - but that wasn't the case. Canadians spoke on the matter - loud and clear.

Oh my Waldo! Oh my! What lies were these? The fact that the Bloc Quebecois would hold the balance of power - because even combined, the Liberals and NDP did not have enough MPs? The fact that the premise of the coalition was based on wanting more stimulus.....and that the coalition did not want to lose their taxpayer-funded per-vote subsidy? Oh - and besides that, the PM would be Stephane Dion! Can you even begin to imagine what might have unfolded for Canada in the face of the economic crisis and global security issues? Canadians overwhelmingly saw through the charade - but it seems that a cloud of cognitive dissonance still engulfs you!

I did as you said - kept an open mind - and am very confused.....are you saying you are opposed to same-sex marriage, opposed to safe-injection sites, and favour using the notwithstanding clause? This guy has been out of government since 2006 and was obviously a loose-cannon long before that. Country and kids? Good God - who would this guy change his vote to?

Waldo - only love can bring out such defensive passion! You're in love with JT. Oh my!

The only "analysis" is by apologists like yourself. As I said, economic growth is only half the equation - the revenue side. The discipline comes on the spending side - and with Justin joined at the hip with Kathleen Wynne, the budget clearly won't be "balancing itself". It's a silly, naive statement to make for someone who wants his grasp of the economy to be treated seriously.

I've said before - she'll be an anchor around Trudeau's neck. Her personal popularity is below 30%. Talk about buyer's remorse....Ontario held their noses in the wake of Hudak's incompetence and the millions spent by unions to support the Liberals......hoping that the Liberals would do no more harm.......but it's now clear to everyone that Wynne's ideological socialist roots and incompetent, corrupt government will continue to drive Ontario into the ground. And Ontarians would want more of that with Trudeau? You want Trudeau? You get more Wynne. That's the message - and that's why the Trudeau gang will fail miserably in Ontario.

Oh my! Quite the apologist! Your mysterious "qualifier" is nonsense. Budgets don't balance themselves. Economic growth is only half the equation - the revenue side. The discipline comes on the spending side - and with Justin joined at the hip with Kathleen Wynne, the budget clearly won't be "balancing itself". It was a dumb statement to make - a gaffe......and continuing to high-five Wynne is another gaffe.

Sorry - you're right.....I was wrong.

No it's not. It's about Federal NDP policies. It's the "NDP Socialist Caucus" that's really not relevant - it's not a federal entity (see the website) - it's more of a "cause".

We are indeed very fortunate......and really, when our selection of government proves to be "misguided", we get a chance to do it over again in the next election - in the case of minority governments - sometimes fairly quickly. Can't wait for the next one here in Ontario!

There's a very big difference between the almost 1200 "delegates" and the NDP caucus (elected MPs). Since the majority of elected MPs are in Quebec - the most socialistic of our provinces by far, you can bet the farm that the vast majority have strong socialist leanings. So they do have a strong voice in the party - unless you're ready to accuse Thomas Mulcair of being worse than Harper - and muzzling all of them!

I thought it was a thoughtful post. Considering voting for a Libertarian or Conservative candidate is far from "wanting a welfare state so badly".

Pretty simple. "We" is all the people in the PMO who didn't know about Nigel Wright's $90,000 cheque. There are almost 100 people who work in the PMO and as Harper has said, the "vast majority" didn't know. Let's not lose complete perspective....on any given day, there are a lot more serious issues going on in Canada and around the world than the Duffy affair. Until it all blew up, it shouldn't have even been on Harper's radar. ISIS, the Ukraine, Trade agreements, pipelines, the economy.......and at the time he should worry about.....Duffy?

No it's not. No charges were laid against Wright that he "bribed" Duffy........and as slippery a character as Duffy is, it looks very doubtful that Duffy can be/will be convicted of receiving a bribe.

Ask yourself why - why on earth the NY Times would publish something so poisonous from a nobody named Stephen Marche - A novelist and a columnist at Esquire Magazine who lives in Toronto who writes about "culture". It's disgusting - and I would be just as disgusted if they would have picked Trudeau or Mulcair apart. It's simply not done.

Another reason to vote Conservative.......Harper's actually got a pretty good sense of humour! Link: http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/canadian-politics/the-secret-side-of-stephen-harper-the-staid-prime-ministers-quick-wit-is-lauded-by-friends-and-foes-alike

That's an interesting point for people to dwell on. If we don't sign on to the TPP - for example because the NDP want to "protect" our dairy industry at all costs, what would happen? Just as a huge number of people shop at Walmart and Costco for the best price - market demand will end up leaving Canada - with its "protected" industries - out in the cold. But it gets worse.....when TPP countries maintain their tariffs on Canadian products - but eliminate them for their TPP counterparts - our products are immediately over-priced. How do we compete? Reduce the price. How do we reduce the price? Reduce the wages of the people who provide the product. What if they are already low-paid? Lay some off. What if you still can't make ends meet? Close the business - or move somewhere else. The NDP has never been in favour of Free Trade. Think about it.

.....and what does that have to do with the post? It was about the Liberals' fresh face of hope and change - already tainted by Trudeau's knee-jerk, autocratic style - and policies that are still driven by the Backroom Boys. The Tories may finish first second - or even third......but I'll keep saying - be careful what you wish for. Chances are that the Federal Liberals would give us something akin to what we have in Ontario - a government that has driven Ontario into a ditch that will take decades to recover from. Imagine that level of decimation on a Federal scale! It's not fear-mongering - Trudeau and Wynne are each other's cheerleaders - ideologically, what you see in Ontario is very close to what you'd get on the Federal scene. Why should one think differently?

Yep it looks like right now, the Tories are down in the polls. Amazing how smug the Harper-haters are, cheering on like kids in the schoolyard. They've been told time and again it's a long way to election day. Sometimes they're up, sometimes they're down. Polls mean very little this far out. But enjoy it.....maybe it'll last, maybe it won't.

What do you think they'll "sell out"? While you're at it, what do you think the other dozen countries will "sell out"?