Keepitsimple

Yup - things do not appear to be too rosy for the Conservatives BUT there area number of factors that point to a comeback that might disappoint the new NDP fan club and the anti-harper club: 1) Incumbent governments are often behind in the polls until the rubber hits the road. One of the best examples was the last Ontario election where the Conservatives (pretend they are the NDP) were out in front by a mile - yet the Liberals - even after 10 years of incompetent, corrupt "governing" - ran away with the election once people entered the voting booth. 2) The Liberals will not be making a comeback - they'll be fighting for their lives to even have a chance to be the official opposition - so they desperately need to attack the NDP or they will continue their descent into irrelevance. 3) The Conservatives have not completed presenting their platform - pretty sure there will still be a surprise or two. 4) Once the light is truly shining on NDP policies - $15 a day daycare, repealing the Clarity Act, anti-free trade ideology ......it puts them on the defensive - the free ride will be over. 5) The Conservative war-chest is full and they have not yet begun the fight. When you start to throw all those things together, there's plenty of room for voters to be a little shaky when they have to put their X on the ballot. It all leads to an incredibly interesting election. As much fun as we're having. all of our blabbing means nothing......but I'm really looking forward to enjoying the ride.

That's exactly the context that any discussions about Canada's "responsibility" should be conducted in - and it's precisely this type of information that Canadians are shielded from. All this talk that Canada should be "a leader in the battle against Climate Change" is a steaming pile of fertilizer. We're the flea on the elephant's back. It doesn't mean that we can't - or won't do anything - but it reinforces the fact that it's insanity to self-flagellate for no purpose other than....... what?

It's often bad for the incumbents - until voters have to really take stock of the alternatives and get into the voting booth.......look no farther than the Wynne Liberals, arguably the most incompetent, corrupt government in Canadian history. They make the Harper government look like Choir Boys and economic wizards.

You won't hear much "outrage" with the attacks coming from the Left. That said, it's a slippery slope if government were to try to inhibit messaging by banning attack ads in some fashion through legislation - it has the very real potential to inhibit free speech. With fixed election dates, I might be inclined to push the spending limits back to cover say, 4 or 5 months prior to the election. I'd also really like to see each commercial/attack ad preceded by......The following advertisement is brought to you on behalf of "The Public Sector Unions of Canada" (for example).......not some sped-up afterthought at the end, or some euphemism like "Working Families Coalition". I think it's fair that the public know exactly who is sending the message.

And here come the Unions again: Link: http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2015/07/14/public-sector-union-launching-anti-harper-ad-campaign.html

You can't fool the credit rating agencies.

Your Liberals have been taking a beating for some time. Any suggestions as to how Trudeau can turn things around?

There is no doubt that Mulcair has done a terrific job in attacking Harper in Parliament - but lets not lose track of what Question Period really is - it's a forum where the opposition gets to take free shots at the government. When we get to the debates, Mulcair will have to defend his own platform against the LIberals - who are fighting for their lives - and also the Bloc who are fighting for their lives as well. Both would be well-advised to train their guns on Mulcair as much as they do Harper or they risk further irrelevance. And of course, Harper will be throwing gasoline on the squabbles that will ensue - the cat amongst the canaries, so to speak. And then we also have the specter of the "Consordium" holding a debate without Harper - we can only hope that mean old Tom doesn't make Justin cry. Darn, it's going to be so interesting.

If there is any BS going on - it's Trudeau's position on C51 - one more reason why voters are leaving the Liberals in droves for the NDP.

Back to the Future - because the future is holding for us what the pre-Harris NDP government did to us back then. Debt costs are continuing to rise as the credit-rating agencies refuse to swallow the "strong fiscal plans" of the Wynne government. But the worst legacy of the McGuinty/Wynne tandem (so far) is the effect of their disastrous energy policies on individuals and businesses. Take a look at the price of power - forget that the chart is in "pennies". The reality is that Ontario's electricity - arguably a manufacturer's biggest operating cost - is as much as two to three times as expensive as competing juristictions Link: http://news.nationalpost.com/news/824051

You guys are hilarious - and hypocritical. On one hand, you cheer when Judges accuse the Harper government of over-reaching with their Law & Order agenda. But now - you're saying those same judges would over-reach and allow the CBC and other networks to be charged and jailed under C51. Surely you can see the hypocricy in your argument. No? didn't think so......that Harper-hating mentality gets in the way.

Pretty poor attempt at "wiping them out"! There are over 600 First Nations, their population has doubled over the last 20 years and like all Canadians (although they don't consider themselves that), they have access to Healthcare and Education. From fragmented pockets of poverty as recently as 50 years ago, they have finally been making strides towards developing some form of common voice - yet their leadership still maintains that they are not Canadians and that our governments are "not their governments". But shamefully, that same First Nations leadership allows those isolated pockets of poverty (like Attawapiskat) to fester and wallow in despair as political sacrificial lambs.

Says who?

Do you have any cite or reference to that "fact"?

Nothing dead about that horse......when you use the word "genocide" for anything less that the intentional killing of a "people", you do an injustice to all those who fell victim to such atrocities through too many years.

Are you jumping on board On Guard's bus to Paranoia - and saying that the CBC and other networks would be charged under C51?

Now you're saying the CBC might also be charged under C-51 for showing still images of ISIS propaganda? That's just paranoid! You should spend more time trying to say some good things about your idol, Rock Star Justin and his LIberals......instead of perpetuating your anti-Harper, drive-by smears, over and over and over. It's tiresome - but still a little bit comical.

Especially French - and especially at a younger age. Being one of the "Romantic" languages rooted in Latin, if you can learn enough to converse, you can pick up Spanish and Italian fairly easily - at least enough to make yourself an effective tourist. Montreal has a large Italian community for example and they pick up French quite quickly. Knowing what I know now - I wish I had worked a little (lot) harder in my French classes.

Wrong again. The images were taken from standard Canadian network news coverage. But at least you're now admitting it's not a video. You're making progress.

Repeating your falsehoods over and over doesn't make them anywhere closer to being true. The Conservative ad did not show an ISIS video......it showed a single "still" picture - much tamer than the networks showed. There is enough REAL fodder for your anti-Harper rants without fabrications. Whether or not one likes that particular ad is open to honest opinion - but hey - all you seem to be capable of is exaggerated gibberish.

There was no "beheading" video. There was a picture of some captives in orange suits - not as bad as what was shown on the networks like CBC - but clear enough to invoke the ominousness of it all. If people find the CBC pictures squeamish - good - because that's what these monsters are all about - and why we are joined with our allies in doing our part, no matter how mall that might be - to help fight this scourge on humanity.

Ditto.

For a couple of years now, the rhetoric breathlessly coming from people like yourself - was that the Conservatives had already committed to spend $45 billion in the F-35 "scandal"!!! You mean we haven't yet spent that money? But I was sure there was a scandal there somewhere. Where did it go? Oh I see, we're on to Nigel Wright now......better luck with that one.

The common thread for successful Finance Ministers is leadership - in the form of knowing how to give clear guidance, examine all the information provided to them, and making intelligent decisions. That means having experience in leading companies and/or other significant portfolios within government - and underpinned by significant education. There is a lot of brainpower within the Finance bureaucracy - harnessing that brainpower in an effective manner is the mark of an competent Finance Minister....being able to coherently communicate your decisions and reasoning is the mark of a good Finance Minister. Oliver is competent. Flaherty was good. Being a journalist like Frieland - or an assistant to a Labour Leader like Peggy Nash with only a BA in French as a foundation?.....well, they don't come close to cutting it.

You keep being shown why you're wrong, and then you fall back on your same talking points.