Michael Bluth

Very interesting post for that gc1765. Thanks for that. This is the first sign I have seen that we might have an early election. Doesn't really make sense to announce such a huge plank of a potential platform without the intention to go to the polls relatively soon. Even a fall election would be tactically unwise. The carbon tax is the first real issue Dion could run on. Not necessarily a winner for him, but at least gives him a fighting chance. Which side can sell their vision better? ETA, So it appears that Dion is planning to 'sell' the plan over the summer? Wow, he just doesn't get it. Why not release the plan and force an election over the issue ASAP? A summer's worth of dissection and contrast by the Conservatives can only hurt the Liberals. Plus with record high gas prices expected this summer, perhaps not the best time to be touting a plan to raise gas taxes...

Well said. Creating a floor for Quebec seats in Constitution Act 1982, as well as enshrining the Senate floor provisions is Trudeau's 'legacy' as it applies to this thread.

Were you trying to be partisan or were you joking? Your inconsistency and flexible truth is so very ..... Liberal.

The leaders of the other three parties in Parliament have stated their preference. The NDP and Bloc want an election ASAP. Harper made a promise for fixed election dates and he is keeping it. He promised a fixed election date. He has set it for October 19, 2009. Dion is willing to bluster about how terrible the policies of the Conservatives are. Yet when push comes to shove, the Dion and his cheerleaders bend over and accede to whatever the Conservatives want. Why would the Conservatives force an early election when Dion is allowing them to govern as if they had a majority?

A revenue neutral set of tax cuts? How will Dion pay for all his priorities? Oh that's right he hasn't made any because it isn't an easy thing to do!

He's had a multitude of opportunities to do so. Perhaps he could call an election on the cost of renovating the residency?

Well said. I hear a lot of people griping about the potential for $1.50 a liter or $1.60 a liter gas at the pumps. What would a carbon tax push the price up to? $2.00 a litre? $2.50 a liter? Yeah, really winning strategy Stéphane. Get right on that. Please! Pretty please!

Perhaps it's simplistic to stay with 105 Senators. Why not 6 per province and 1 per territory? Is that dynamic closer to the 2 senators for 50 states?

It's probably the editor who was responsible for the inaccurate headline. Alas, the thread title gives the incorrect impression as well.

If you were trying to be humourous, why follow up with your 'right' to be partisan? Seems like retrospective arse-covering when the vast majority of posters expressing an opinion looked down upon your actions. Or maybe I'm just trying to be funny!

You won't see major reform of the Senate without elections. As for your idea about Senators representing certain parts of a province. That is officially how it works now. Nobody really cares because the Senators are appointed thus have no legitimacy. Perhaps a reform package that includes an equal number of Senate seats for all provinces would be enough to ensure the principle of one man one vote for election Members of Parliament.

That's an interesting take on things. What do you see as the benefits of senators elected for ridings within a province?

I think it's worth the money to build a new residence for the PM. Very constructive addition BM. Did you add anything of value at all to the thread? Four posters took offence to the partisan highjack attempt. Why was I singled out for your attack? When you become a mod please feel free to tell me how to behave...

From the forum rules. What exactly was the constructive purpose of your past three posts?

What a tremendous addition to the discussion. First poster guilty of a partisan and pointless attempt at highjacking the thread a second time, survey says ... you guessed it

What a tremendous addition to the discussion. First poster guilty of a partisan and pointless attempt at highjacking the thread, survey says ... you guessed it I agree with August. Keep the shell and gut the inside. Let's have our PM living in the manner the head of government of a first world nation should.

If the person you are debating with won't concede that 65% of the people supporting any one choice in an opinion poll is not a "vast majority" than you are wasting your time in trying to have an honest debate.

So you want valid, high profile measures to assist Ontario, while remaining fiscal credibility but don't have any ideas. Perhaps because what you are asking for, all while remembering the rest of the country, is far easier said than done. And it wasn't that easy to say. Any appeals to the public have to be low-key. Harper has consistently stated his desire to govern to the fixed election date. Any high profile pre-election posturing at this point hurts his credibility on fixed election dates. Baird is not well known? He is one of the party's highest profile ministers and a former provincial cabinet minister. What more would he have to do to be high profile? Lacking in charisma? Well, maybe charisma ain't all it's cracked up to be. Completely agreed that any CPC gains in Ontario will have to come from outside the GTA. Harris? A little politically toxic after the Ipperwash inquiry. Not sure if he wants to offer advice to Harper. CBC NW documentaries. Bah!

"Help me damnit! I'm not sure how, but I want some help now!" Hmmmm, how to come up with a reasonable response to an unreasonable request? Link? Can't comment on these stats without seeing them. Flaherty's measures have been too esoteric? Never heard those complaints before. GST cut aimed at the average man. Tax credit on transit passes, kids fitness credits, textbook credits. None of these measures were esoteric. All aimed at the average voter. The only people complaining about those measures were the Bay Street and silver-spoon socialist crowd. The Conservatives and McGuinty called a truce a few weeks back. You're making recommendations that the Conservatives have already implemented. As a self-proclaimed political news junkie I'm surprised you weren't aware of that. We aren't in an election. The Conservatives have set the election for October of next year. Harper's Ontario lieutenants? My guess is Jim Flaherty, John Baird and Diane Finley are in their ridings meeting with constituents. The Conservative already hold the majority of seats in Ontario outside the GTA. By taking Toronto out of the equation, there isn't that much room for growth in Ontario for the party. An Ontario version of Ralph Klein? I believe that Mike Harris does have a good relationship with Harper. Can't think of anyone else in Ontario closer to Ralph than Harris.

Your definition of 'hand in the till' is an interesting one. Most people would assume it has something to do with financial malfeasance. If a three plus month old story on an alleged misuse of power is the best you can come up with on having their hand in the till then I think the Conservatives are keeping their hands pretty clean.

When the Conservatives get caught with their hands in the till let me know.

Just as Coyne went after Martin as PM. A fact conveniently ignored in the post you replied to. Seeing as you aren't a partisan one and all.

Surely their governments don't lie to the U.N. Only strong democracies like Canada do that!

Non-partisan or not it is board policy. HarperCons Lieberals/Libranos Taliban Jack We can use demeaning names for all the parties and/or leaders. None of them really have a place here.

How do you define 'tainted'? Those issues obviously haven't helped, but I don't think they will be deciding factors in the election. If they could have been Dion should have forced an election over an of the issues. Liberals crooks/Conservative clean wasn't THE Conservative strategy in the election. If it was the focus of the campaign, the Liberals would have done much better than they did. If it was you wouldn't have seen the GST cut promised on the second day of the campaign. The strategy was to provide an alternate vision for governing the country. A vision that proved a contrast to the unfocused Martin regime and dealt with the *scary* *scary* *scary* issue. Yes, the accountability act was part of the five priorities. It was only one of them. Expedience wins out unfortunately in politics. In 1997 Jean Chretien called an early election that ignored the serious problems Manitobans were dealing with as a result of the devastating Red River flood. Preston Manning did what he felt was the 'right thing' and did not make it a campaign issue. A politically strategic move to make an issue of the Liberals indifference to the concerns of Manitobans would likely have swung enough seats away from the Liberals to hold them to a minority. A minority would have been the death knell for Chretien and Paul Martin would have become leader four or five years earlier than he did. Something that probably wouldn't have been good for the Liberals. I will say that Flaherty is no where near the big spender that Ralph Goodale was, or would have continued to be, had the Liberals won in 2006.