maplesyrup

Blaikie breaks from Layton on Clarity Act

Minority governments give Canadians what they like: a lot more grist for griping Wow, what a difference a week makes in Canadian politics!

Harper plans for transition

Lighten Up! How many of you when looking for intellectual challenges from Canada's journalists get so discouraged by a particular jounalist, because you know almost every compliment or attack they are going to make, before you even read their article. Like Lorne Gunthier of the Edmonton Journal, or Larry Zolf of the CBC, for example. How many other broken records do we have in Canada's media? What makes Wells refreshing, and a bit unique amongst Canadian political writers, is that he is not married to one political party. He really mixes it up and dishes it out to all of them. I find Wells is intellectually honest, which is a rare feat these days.

Now an interesting scenario that has been developing for some time now at the Toronto Star is Chantal Hebert's column. Does anyone want to forcast what she will be writing about, which party will be publicized in a positive light, in her column, in tomorrow's paper ?

Language grievances not gone Too bad. Is this going to end up being the rogue issue that bits the Conservatives in the ass?

Qui sont les propretaires du Le Devoir? Is it some kind of collective? Out here on in the Lower Mainland on Canada's left coast we have a weekly called the "Georgia Straight": http://www.straight.com/section.cfm?id=172 It is gratis, and has the best entertainment section in town. The reporting on news articles, (a lot of which CanWest supresses), is quite progressive with Charles Smith, and an New Dem called Bill Tieleman who writes about political events. Recently there is also out of BC a 'net media outlet called "The Tyee": http://www.thetyee.ca/index.htm witch has a good cross-section of news articles that often don't get much, if any, coverage in the daily CanWst pap.

Layton firm on homeless issue, Clarity Act

My impressions of Canada's mainstream media is as follows: Most balanced reporting: Globe and Mail Le Devoir Liberal Rags: La Presse Toronto Star CBC Mcleans Conservatives Rags: CTV CanWest Global which includes National Post & Global TV Sun Media NDP Rags: None that I know of. Of course there are the the exception such as right wing Rex Murphy pumping for the Conservatives on CBC.

IE.....I agree with you. Getting the youth vote

Olivia might be wearing ORANGE on June 28th.

McGill University's Observatory on Media and Public Policy How are the papers covering the campaign? Good article.

These polling results since the last election show: 1 Green Party does not appear to be a factor 2 Conservatives have dropped substantially 3 Liberals have not moved 4 New Dem have risen substantially. Times have changed in Canada, and BC as well. This is not 2000. We have a very unpopular right wing premier and government in power in BC as well. The federal election may well not be decided until it gets to BC on election night.

Layton's wife has spat with husband's rival Another cheap stunt by the lLberals backfires on Dennis Mills.

First of all, can we dispense with a few election myths surrounding what the current polling results are showing for BC, and deal in the facts from Elections Canada: Latest Environics (May 26/04) Regional Polling for BC New Dem: 36%, up 24.7% Cons: 34%, down 22.7% Libs: 27%, down 0.7% Oth: 3% 2000 Election Results for BC - Popular Vote Cons 56.7% Libs 27.7% New Dem 11.3% Grn 2.1% 1997 Election Results for BC - Popular Vote Cons 49.3% Libs 28.8% New Dem 18.2% Grn 2% Now the key question is how will these significant changes impact on seat totals?

WE'VE GOT A HORSE RACE

Layton predicts Liberal 'amnesia' on campaign promises

Liberal party can't be trusted, NDP leader says

Liberals are looking at a minority, Tobin says Minority, but whose minority?

Check this out!!! Polling May 28th to 30th (Random Telephone Survey of 600 Canadians, MoE ±4.1%, 19 times out of 20). Percentages may not add up to 100 due to rounding. Decided Voters (Change from May 25th, 1st Nightly Tracking Poll Results) LIB - 34% (-7) CP - 31% (+3) NDP - 19% (+1) BQ - 12% (+1) GP - 3% (0) *20% of Canadians were undecided (-1) Appetite for Change (Change from May 25th, 1st Nightly Tracking Poll Results) Time for Change - 55% (+3) Liberals doing a good job - 26% (-2) Agree with neither - 11% (0) Unsure - 9% (-1) Best PM (Change from May 25th, 1st Nightly Tracking Poll Results) Martin - 32% (+1) Unsure -22% (-2) Harper - 17% (0) Layton - 12% (+3) None - 11% (-5) Duceppe - 7% (+4)

Just in case you miss it, here's what will happen in the coming election Mclean's Paul Wells forecasting a Liberal minority, short by a few for a majority, and other election related thoughts.

May 29, 2004 Is Warren having a change of heart?

Wise words, bad timing What silly folks we have at the National Post. Someone needs to tell them Canada is a country not a business.

Canadian elections: campaign hype cannot mask popular disaffection No one escapes unscathed in this one.

Canada Company Date--------Li Co ND Bl Gn Leger Marketing 02/06/2004 35 30 17 12 5 SES 01/06/2004 36 25 22 13 5 Ipsos-Reid 31/05/2004 34 30 16 ? 6 SES 31/05/2004 36 26 20 13 5 SES 30/05/2004 34 31 19 12 3 EKOS 28/05/2004 38 30 18 11 SES 28/05/2004 40 31 16 10 3 SES 27/05/2004 42 29 17 10 2 Environics 26/05/2004 38 29 21 11 SES 26/05/2004 41 28 18 11 3 Compas 22/05/2004 39 31 17 11 Ipsos-Reid 22/05/2004 35 26 18 12 5 Ipsos-Reid 20/05/2004 39 26 15 11 5 Ipsos-Reid 15/05/2004 40 24 15 11 5 Ipsos-Reid 08/05/2004 38 26 16 10 5 Compas 03/05/2004 39 27 20 12 EKOS 01/05/2004 41 28 16 Ipsos-Reid 30/04/2004 40 23 18 11 5 Environics 23/04/2004 39 29 19 11 Ipsos-Reid 13/04/2004 35 28 18 10 5 Ipsos-Reid 27/03/2004 38 27 15 10 5 Ipsos-Reid 09/03/2004 38 26 17 12 4 EKOS 28/02/2004 42 32 15 9 Ipsos-Reid 20/02/2004 36 27 17 11 4 Praxicus 20/02/2004 36 28 21 13 2 Ipsos-Reid 17/02/2004 35 27 17 11 5 Ipsos-Reid 14/02/2004 39 24 18 10 5 Compas 03/02/2004 49 19 17 9 SES 02/02/2004 48 23 15 11 3 Ipsos-Reid 24/01/2004 48 19 16 10 4 EKOS 21/12/2003 56 25 12 9 Ipsos-Reid 14/12/2003 48 21 14 9 4 Data copied from another internet website