BigGunner

SES poll of the day Liberals, 32% Cons 32% NDP 21% Green 4% NDP up 3 points....this is after the debate that Harper allegedly 'won'... hmmm

HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

State-owned hydro corporations that still exist in Canada often have rates that are far below what a private sector generation facility can offer. Case in point - Ontario. Privatising hydro ended up costing the ratepayers thousands more per household, then it cost the taxpayer billions when McGuilty decided to impose a rate freeze with a subsidy cheque for the newly privatised facilties....then it cost even more for ratepayers when he unfroze the rates... Private hydro companies cost more because they have no choice - they must make a profit (they have shareholders to answer to).. State-owned facilities can often produce hydro at or near cost. This is almost a hidden tax cut of sorts since the citizens and businesses purchase hydro at rates that are cheaper than other jurisdictions. Look up the rate differences between BC Hydo and other private firms in other provinces. When the NDP says it wants 10,000 windmills across the country, they suggest this so that we can increase supply of hydro from a free and unlimited resource, without burning even more fossil fuels. It's a plan that makes sense, is ethically right, and will prove itself over time far more profitable for taxpayers and citizens alike.

There you go...a local election in which race wasnt a factor. If the majority Chinese-Canadians of Richmond can defeat "one of their own" then I guess it isn't so bad after all. If I am not mistaken, the 2000 federal election in Van-Kingsway, three of the main parties had candidates with the last name of Wong. Lets leave this race/politics issue alone now.

Propeller driven wind mills are not the only kind that produce power... I have seen ones that are built in the shape of a cylander and are less of an eyesore, are more efficient, and cost less to install... The technology is there.. And, yes, windmills in concentration can produce power to light up cities and towns across the country... We also need to do our part as consumers too. If we make our homes more power efficient, and are wise about our driving habits, we can lower the demand for power too.

We need to stop with the stereotyping and generalizations... In Richmond BC, where almost half of the entire population is of Chinese decent, all the major parties end up with Chinese-Canadians on the ballot... In my riding, all of the contestants are white...that is the general make up of my seat...that doesnt mean that everyone is white, but that is the overwhelming reality. The ethnic make up of the ballot is usually representative of what the community is.. Speaking of Chuck Cadman, that scenario you talk of might have done him in...but in a riding that he is so overly popular, why didn't he compete and sign up 4000 of his own supporters? His margin of victory in 2000 could have produced enough supporters for that cause. Nonetheless, thanks to that stunt, the conservative candidate is looking at a 12% vote share according to a Compass poll done for 12 key ridings...that means that the people are not fooled and will likely support Chucky..

I don't know whether to hug you or slap you... Seriously though, this country was built on immirgration...firstly from Europeans fleeing oppression and persecution, then by peoples of other non-european nations looking for a better life. It was only a matter of time before non-white citizens discover that public office is a right they can persue as well, and party politics can be an effective way to achieve change. Instead of ranting against some indo-canadians who organised themselves into helping a friend seek federal office, do something productive. Seek office yourself and launch a membership drive of your own. The party (whomever they are) would never protest new, paid up memberships, and you get a pool of supporters that would help you in a campain, doing all the crappy jobs like erecting signs or calling voters...etc It IS racist to suggest that those of non-european cultures be forced to give up their language or customs. As long as everyone pays their share of taxes and obeys the laws, then its non of your or anyone elses business. Period Imagine what the natives thought at the first sight of the white man, 500 years ago. Instead of being turned off by non-whites, open your eyes and ears, and mind...you might notice that they are interested in much the same issues that everyone else is.

I cannot beleive you wrote that racist crap. As a white male, you do not speak for me, and I 100% disagree with your viewpoint. I obey the laws, pay my taxes, and am comfortable in the company with any ethnic minority - whether they are white or not...christian, islamic, buddhist, or whatever.. What ethnic groups would you be referring to, btw? Do you think that perhaps these non-white CITIZENS are also concerned about healthcare, education, infrastructure, taxes, and just about every other issue that is important to every other white Canadian? What I do realise though is that many foreign born Canadian citizens cannot wait for elections...its often a right that they were denied in the old country that they came from - or that the election process was often deadly.

You will be happy to know that according to Compass polling firm, Independent Chuck Cadman is leading in Surrey North with 40% followed by the NDP at 25%. Compass even went as far as polling people to find out what their generic voting pattern would be, and if Cadman wasn't running, it would be an NDP seat (37% NDP, Cons and Libs at 25% each) Cadman will likely keep his seat because of a local multi-partisan groundswell of support against the kind of tactic that was used to oust Cadman in the 1st place. I wonder though, if this kind of outrage would exist if other ethnic minorities used the political process in the same way the CPC candidate used it when he corralled a lot of indo-Canadian voters? Meaning, what if it was white coloured Portuguese, or Italian, or German communities that rallied behind 'one of their own'? It just seems that because the CPC fellow is East Indian, and obviously non-white, that the whole process must be corrupt...(sarcasm) Here is the Compass Poll that identifies 12 key ridings, including Surrey North and Chuck Cadman

If you think that so-called "leftists" have contributed to degrading the quality of debate in this forum, take a look in the mirror. You, personally, have penned some potentially libellous and defamitory comments too. You have attempted to paint people like Svend Robinson as some kind of spokesperson for NABMLA and is somehow sympathetic to paedophelia. ...and I have reported such comments that you have written to Greg. To everyone in the forum...we can keep the debate civil and healthy by keeping to one simple principle - "challenge the issues and politics, not the person"

Frequenting an ally behind a gay bar night after night waiting for homosexuals to bash is in a different league than a mugger. The intent is to terrorize a community. (Impart a feeling of terror.) Therefore, it's a terrorist act. Don't try to make the act of gay bashing any less than what it really is, although that is the good Christian thing to do. Right on! REAL Christians oppose violence in all forms. While they oppose gay sex for the acts themselves, real christians do not hate gays and lesbians. One has to remember that the CCF and NDP came from the evangelical christian movement. It was the reverends JS Woodsworth and Tommy Douglas that used the gospel to preach equality and social justice. It is not the 'christian thing to do' - gay bash. Acts like that are pure hate, and should feel the full fury of the law as a hate crime.

Reagan was elected twice with some of the most lopsided victories in American elections in recent memory. Unlike Bush, who didn't actually win.. In the cold war, Soviet Communism was indeed the enemy. It was cut and dry. Communist regimes were oppressive and hostile to anything western or democratic. In this war on terror, one has to ask, how much has American foreign policy had to do with the anti-American wave that is alive and well today and even before 9/11? Bush is not Reagan. Reagan united a nation that was devided. He was a hard line social conservative, but in that era, many Americans were too.

Duceppe just wants a headline or two.

Unfortunately, the financial impact of 9/11 lasted 6 months. The mini-recession it created is supposed to be over. The tax cuts failed to generate more jobs. The tax cuts however did inflate the off-shore account holders of America's super-wealthy. But thanks to some idiotic amendment that George Bush's admin. brought it, corporations now get a tax break when they EXPORT jobs to other countries, such as India or Indonesia. This is something that Harper needs to avoid like the plague. Bush's tax cuts created the largest deficits in American history - $500 billion this year alone...and balooned the USA debt to its worst ever at $7 trillion dollars. This is the kind of trickle down economics that Gordon Campbell has attempted here in BC...and met with the same painful results. The largest deficits in BC's history, and $10 billion in new debt in less than three years. This unfortunately is the kind of electoral bribery being attempted by Harper and the Conservatives. Tax cuts...bought and paid for by Canada's hard working people by user fees and $13 billion in service cuts. Harper is running for election on the WRONG COUNTRY.

Once again, you spin the idea that challenging American foreign policy is equal to anti-Americanism. Wrong on all counts. Not all that America does is bad or wrong. Going into Iraq the first time was legitimate, and right. Going to Korea to fight, and WW2 were all justified in their day. But the current American administration is on the wrong path, and Harper would be wise to condemn the policy too. To this day, the only country that thinks the Iraq war was justified is America....and polling is showing that more and more Americans are getting second thoughts on that. But then, some Americans think that Iraq bombed the WTC on 9/11. I'll write anti-Harper stuff all I want. I'll also write anti-Bush stuff too. I do not write anti-American stuff, but I am certainly allowed to disagree with their foreign policy. But the more you defend Bush, and his foreign policy, and promote the idea that it should become our policy, the more I think that you are loyal to the wrong country.

Did you not follow the link and read the article on how Harper would merge the RCMP and CSIS?

Simple...members of both parties clearly understand that passing such a policy is supremely unpopular in Canada and that they would lose loads of support in the cities. Same sex marriage question is a 50/50 split. Consider that its not even close in America. Kyoto is a set of principles that every member-country must find its own way to achieve. In Canada, cutting car exhaust emmissions would be a good start, as would finding rewnewable energy as opposed to buring coal for hydro power...to start with. Wind farms in the praries or coastal regions would produce enegy with little or no impact on the surrounding landscape, and produce zero pollution. And the air is free - no need to dig it out of the earth or refine it with chemicals, etc. 1. Massive tax cuts...Gordon Campbell style. Just like George Bush, the massive tax cuts have created massive deficits, and ballooning debt. 2. Massive military buildup...this will make AdScam look cheap by comparison. And deficit spending has long been dismissed by economists 3. Cutting social service funding...the conservative platform calls for $13.1 billion in spending cuts.

Do these Chinese pay taxes here? YES Do they obey the laws here? YES Are they not citizens? YES THEY ARE Then why would you care if a large ethnic minority congregate in an area and do the best to make themselves happy? If they have no interest in being Canadian than I have no interest in having them here. How many millions of "foreign" Canadians do you want here? Will you be happy when BC seperates from Canada because the great majority of the citizens there have no interest in the rest of us, more in common with China, and can't even speak our language? Oh, that can't happen? Why not? It has everywhere else on the planet throughout history. You mean become Canadians? Yes. Very much so. Or don't you give a damn what happens to this country and its culture and traditions? Last time I checked there was more freedom in the US. More importantly, there was far more unity, far more pride to be American among immigrants who are eager to fit in and take part in the American experience. What exactly is Canadian thinking, hmm? Does it arise from some kind of shared sense of cultural values and traditions? But you seem happy to have millions of people who share none of that with you, and can't even speak your language. How do you know your thinking is the same as their thinking? Oh, that doesn't matter, right? And yet, I can't utter thoughts you consider "un-Canadian" because uh... help me out here. First of all, I live in BC. If we ever separate from the rest of Canada, its because of the arrogance, corruption, and abusive bahaviour that the federal government treats my home province with. When talking about immirgrants, remember one thing...we are all immirgrants at one time or another. My ethnic heritage comes from northern Europe/Scandinavia, and it came over almost 200 years ago. Today, other peoples are coming over from other parts of the world that also speak a different language and often have a different skin colour. Why the hell would you exclude a non-white immirgrant from enjoying a new home and live in freedom? Freedom, democracy, peace are not exclusive to white-skinned former European linked Canadians. I was wrong though... Your comments were indeed racist tripe. But you are free to express that trash. Thousands of Canadian war heroes died to protect your freedoms too...as distasteful as your views are.

As opposed to you anti-Americans who want to go against American policies for the sake of going against American policies? None of you have mentioned a single reason why cooperation with the Americans so distresses you. Instead you've simply howled in horror at the thought of cooperating with the Americans. Since logic and reason do not seem to enter into your opposition I see no need to employ them to counter your emotional outbursts. Why is that any time a person criticises an American policy, they are accused of Anti-Americanism? I am not anti-American, but I am very pro-Canadian. Being pro-Canadian means that I want my nation to have an independent foreign policy. It means that my country wants to protect the environment, treat all citizens with equality and dignity, house the homeless and treat the sick. I could care less about America's policies, but when Spain followed them, they got a commuter train destroyed in Madrid's rush hour. If we should follow another nations foreign policy, what mass transit system in what major Canadian city would you like to see destroyed by a terrorist attack? Is this somehow acceptable? Or...should Canada follow her own path and make friends around the world and keep out of the crosshairs of those who cause trouble for the sake of causing trouble?

Two opposing factors are at work in this election.. 1. A desire to punish Martin and Liberal party corruption; 2. The progressive nature of an overwhelming majority of Canadians Point 1 Martin signed the cheques as finance minister. The buck should have stopped at his desk, but he refused to allow the light of day shine down on the facts surrounding the AdScam and other Liberal stunts. The Liberals have been in power since 1993 and oversaw the worst cuts to health and education ever since this country has had public healthcare and education Point 2 Canadians are Liberal minded. Speaking in a pure generic term, Canadians are Liberal on social policy. They are pro-choice, they are warming up to same-sex marriages, they are pro-peace/anti-war (aggressive war), they support the notion of an adequate social safety net, and measures to protect the environment For the Conservatives, point one works in their favour. The tories have always been identified as the other natural governing party in Canada. Or at least the entity that used to be the Progressive Conservatives had that identity. But point number two completely works against the Conservatives. Most of the conservatives are not progressive at all. Most are pro-life, most are opposed to same sex marraiges, most would have wanted Canada to participate in the Iraq war, and most have no use for Kyoto despite the fact that Canadians support Kyoto by over 70%. There is very little left of the progressives of the old PC party that are a part of the inner circle of the new Conservatives. But Canadians aren't that willing to run back to the Liberal party to stop this Conservative party (US Republican farm team) from winning. Instead, progressive from both sides have left the Liberals and Conservatives and are finding new homes in the NDP. For Conservatives to campaign on similiar themes as George Bush will not get them victory.

God forbid two nations that share the same land mass should have a similiar plan to deal with security. How terrible that the number one and number five nations on an enemies hit list should work together to defeat them. Some would like Canada to emulate China, France , Russia, you know, the losers of world history. Those who do should leave Canada because this nation does not deserve to shift to the likes of those countries. Did it ever occur to you that America's national security problem is directly related to their foreign policy? If Harper is elected, then we will probably need our very own version of the KGB since Harper would be so eager to jump on the Empire-building bandwagon of George Bush.

WTF? Read the article here If Harper likes America so much, then he should leave Canada. :angry:

I just love how they spice this up to make it sound like they have uncovered the hidden agenda. Would this be like a super state police agency? A conservative version of the KGB?

Perhaps they are being painted as the Republican farm team that they are, but remember that the Liberals themselves do not deserve re-election. One blip in the polls is just that. I'll reserve judgement on the conservatives trend when a trend is more clear.

This is why the conservatives are in trouble on this topic, especially in progressive urban centres.. Canadians are opposed to state-imposed regulation on private affairs of citizens...whether its abortion, lifestyle descrimination... 80% of Canadians live in urban centres. The conservatives have done well in most rural areas, but the battles are won and lost in the cities - where most of the voters are. Bringing up so-called 'free votes' on abortion rights issues or womens rights is the red flag that the conservatives should not have raised. Urban Canada is not "Conservative" they are progressive, even "Liberal" (using the generic term of course). Feel free to argue this all you want (to: conservative party apologists) but the more you try to defend the conservative social agenda, the less that Canadians will vote for it.