BigGunner

Your kind of Canada is a Canada where immigrants can come here and learn nothing about Canada, can stay in their own Chinese communities, read Chinese language papers and magazines, watch Chinese language TV, listen to Chinese language radio, work in Chinese businesses which cater to Chinese customers. And call themselves Canadians. And have political weasels make promises to them which are in their interests but not in the interest of the country as a whole. Lovely. 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? Would you be happy if they scattered themselves across the country and lost all cultural links to their ancestors? Prefer to see them wipe out their language? This is not America... Last time I checked, this is a free country. I really hope your comments were not intended to appear as the racist tripe that it looks like....that kind of thinking is un-Canadian.

Considering the NDP's 2000 performance, I'd conclude that they have increased more than lost.. I guess I have a problem with the seat projection model that Ipsos-Reid is using.. Consider that the Alliance won Prince George-Peace River with almost 75% of the vote in 2000...there is no reason to expect that the cons. will lose that seat at all, but if Ipsos-Reid puts conservative support at only 37% in the entire BC Interior, and the NDP second at 27%, then the conservatives can expect to keep their hard-core seats like PG-Peace Riv. and Kelowna area seats, while the rest of the Interior is up for grabs...and the Liberals are third at 23%, so its quite a horse race actually. This drama will be played out in every region of BC, because thats just how it works. Every party has concentrated support in certain areas, but Ipsos-Reid is using regional averages to determine seat projections. On Vancouver Island. The Conservatives are likely ahead in Saanich and the Islands, and North Island - by substantial margins, but the NDP has support concentrated in the other 4 Island ridings...the NDP could gain 4 seats just from the Island. In fact the poll indicates a close battle (30% Cons, 26% NDP, 22% Liberals, 18% Green). And Vancouver area. The NDP hasn't got a chance in Van. Quadra, but are extremely competitive in just about every other seat...in Van. South, the NDP is in second place with 28% (behind Ujjal) when in 2000, the NDP got only 7.6%. If the Vancouver region is 38% liberal, 32% NDP, and 21% conservative, then the NDP is far ahead in Van-East, Bby-Douglas, and is poised to take Van-Kingsway, and perhaps Van-Centre...since the cons are off the map now. As the election approaches, I'd expect many of the Greens to vote for the NDP, to avoid a BC/2001 scenario, and many of the progressive Liberals do the same. Glad to see a more in depth poll though, and thanks for posting it

I am in favour of a carbon tax. I am also in favour of toll roads such as the 407 in Toronto or road tax used in London, England. These should be permanent taxes and could eventually replace income taxes. If you expect government bureaucrats to identify the next great energy source, you are sadly mistaken. That argument is absolutely specious. Every dollar I spend gets back to some criminal at some time or another. Natural resource royalties are complex. Is that what you are referring to?Duceppe wants the federal government to subsidize the aeronautics industry and Layton wants the feds to subsidize the auto industry. They want to give taxpayers' money to those awful, psychotic, rogue corporations. BG, do you agree? Duceppe wants more federal subsidies for Bombardier and other Quebec based corporations...there's nothing new about his plea for more cash.. As for Layton, its not the auto industry in general that he wants helped out, but perhaps tax and regulatory incentives to produce cars and engines that produce lower emmissions/pollutants. Since Canadians are unwilling to give up their cars, we may as well make the cars and trucks of the country have less of an impact on the air we breath and the water we drink...this is not a bad idea at all. Road tolls, I agree with...but not as a cash cow - but as a incentive to use mass transit. Replacing income taxes with road tolls will hurt commuters and truckers more than anything...income based taxes are still the way to go. Government is not the source of new ideas...those come from well educated scientists and engineers...helping heavy industry convert over to green energy (etc) may be expensive in the short term, but over the long haul it is a bargain compared to the horrid cost to our water, air, and healthcare for those adversely affected by pollution. Natural resource royalties are complex...and unfair...provinces own the underserface rights on land, but the federal gov't owns those rights off-shore...and often private land owners get squeezed out.

Arguing about the abortion topic is fine, but Canadians are overwhelmingly pro-choice. Most of them also agree that abortion fees and costs be paid out of the provincial healthcare plans in every province. I think the pro-choice comes from the angle that most people believe that an individual woman is the only one that can make a choice about her body...period.. Minority viewpoints are certainly welcome to be shared here, but politically speaking, its a hot potato that the conservatives should have avoided...they will pay. Since the pro-life movement is far smaller in Canada than America, it really is a minority viewpoint. A view that is largely shared by the evangelical Christian fundamentalists. Since Canadians are probably more in tune with the notion of the separation of church and state, ANY talk of reversing this trend rings alarm bells with many citizens. Canadians are socially "Liberal". That is a fact. That is why gay marriages, the pro-choice movement are more accepted here than America. By opening this political Pandoras Box, the conservatives just gave the Liberals and NDP a weapon to hit the cons. with. No wonder that Harper has imposed a gag order on his candidates....put out the fires before they start.

I'm afraid that it is impossible to conclude this with one poll showing a decline for Harper's Tories. I do agree that the social agenda of many of the Conservatives and their former Alliance party core is their liability, considering the moderate-to-'liberal' social views of a vast majority of Canadians..

Layton in the Toronto Star The last thing we want is to follow the Soviet model of economic development. Governments cannot pick winners. They should certainly not be in the car business. Was it not David Lewis who invented the phrase "Corporate Welfare Bums"? At heart, Jack Layton is an entrepreneur. He wants to get involved and fix things and make them work. He is an activist. But by all accounts, he doesn't see the limits to government. Despite his apparent intelligence, he seems to have drawn no conclusion from the experiences of the past century. Are you opposed to using the tax system to reward and/or encourage green energy development? If you answer yes, then you should be equally be opposed to the hidden subsidies that exist for big oil and large scale polluters. Moving away from traditional oil/gas engines and technologies isn't just an environmental issue...its a national security issue too. Every dollar you spend at the pump somehow makes its way back to a Saudi oil baron who funnels it to some terror group or another. If you think our fuel costs are high, consider what they pay in most European countries...it would make our $1/litre prices cheap by comparison. I oppose on-going corporate subsidies...such as the very generous banking laws and lack of corporate accountibility laws that we have in Canada. I am somewhat supportive of temporary measures designed to launch a new industry (such as green technology and renewable enegry) with a clear expiry clause...so that its understood that in time, everyone pays their fair share of taxes.

Eh... I don't know how reliable the SES poll is. They use a 200 person random sample, whereas other polling firms will poll between 1200 and 2000 people for a more scientific poll result. If anything, SES measures a trend...and the trend shows that its ontario where the fight is right now and there is no real consensus out there. A one point drop overnight for the tories can be a trend, or a blip. I'll wait to see some more polls before i can make a judgement on that.

I agree, but there isn't much to say other than the guy made a racist anti-White, and suspiciously anti-Semetic post ten years ago. Has he grown up and changed? Perhaps. But the Liberals and NDP are doing their best to feed us every word Harper ever said that can be construed badly so I don't see why we should overlook this. Who is overlooking this?! The NDP candidate already apologised over this, but Layton already suggested that it isnt good enough and wants the fellow to personally make amends to the Jewish community. What more should be done? Perhaps a public execution in the town square? What Martin and Layton are doing as far as making Harpers past comments a campaign issue is totally legitimate. Just as it would be fair game for Harper to dig up past inconsistencies on either Layton or Martin. Voters need to make up their minds based on the issues and if Harper has come out in favour of a viewpoint that is opposite to the mainstream of society, then Harpers political adversaries have every right to campaign on that.

We are WAY off topic here.. The NDP candidate in Edmonton opened his yap 10 years ago and wrote some very controversial comments. Bigotted or not, they were wrong...he has apologised, and Layton has ordered the fellow to personally make amends with the Jewish community...he didn't waffle on it, he cut to the chase and dealt with it. On the Israel Vs. Palestine argument that this seems to have evolved into, both sides have blood on their hands. Unless some members are blind or just plain stupid, both sides have done things that would normally constitute a war crime. Both sides need to stop the killing, and start the talking. Terrorism and counter attacks do little but harden the already hardline positions. One death is too many...no matter if it is Jewish or Islamic blood. Its also unfair to paint all peoples with one brush. There are a great many Jewish AND Israeli citizens that are completely horrified at the actions of their own government and want a settlement with their palestinian neighbors...likewise, there are Palestinian youth that really are not interested in becoming suicide bombers.

Acts of terrorism and murder are wrong no matter which side is committing it.. Palestinian suicide bombers are no less guilty than Israeli commanders that order troops to bulldose palestinian homes and burn palestinian crops and drop rockets and bombs from the sky and kill off innocent bystanders... There is no difference in my mind...both sides are using terror to win an unwinnable battle.

Only a true believer can find good news in placing third. Clearly the NDP poll numbers are bouncing around a true number of about 18%. This returns the NDP to its 1980s, pre-politically correct leaders. The NDP will likely get around 35 seats and probably won't have the balance of power alone. As to the main Lib vs CPC argument, I suspect this poll reflects the situation several days ago. The rolling SES poll is smaller but more accurate as voters decide. To the NDP diehard, 19% is great, considering that they got 11% in 2000, and only 9% in 1993.. It represents a dramatic seat gain and perhaps kingmaker in many other ridings. At 19%, the NDP is 6 points away from where the Alliance party finished in 2000. its all in perspective

Malcolm Azania's comments, if not racist, were clearly of low taste. That said, Layton gets full marks in my books for coming against the comments (even if they were written 10 years ago) and warning that the Edmonton-Strathcona NDP candidate will make full amends to the Jewish community.

So, who have you switched you vote to? If you don't mind sharing with everyone...

Stabbed in the back ? How so ? It seems more the other way around, as Chretien left the steaming pile of adscam on his doorstep. And who signed the cheques?

The liberal platform is the typical red-book/1993 agenda that they used well to defeat the PC's and romp to a massive majority. The problem is, that most of this years platform is from that very 1993 book...in other words, their promises from 11 years ago were not worth the paper they were written on. I think Ontario voters just for a dose of this Liberal medication just recently. They promised a national daycare program in 1993 too. The nation needs to dismiss this platform as a book of lies. They never delivered in 1993, they certainly won't deliver this one either. Martin will be recorded in history as the Liberal to stabbed his party in the back, and squandered a huge advantage left to him by Chretien. Idiot.

You cannot impose a culture. Especially in BC. BC is THE most culturally diverse area of the country, and french is one of them. Imposing a culture or language is a can of worms that would be very stupid to open. This kind of thinking comes from the right, not the left. Only rightists would impose a culture or religion on someone.

Oddly enough, I agree The provinces, and perhaps the cities themselves have a better idea of what language requirements are needed for government services...instead of a politically appointed bookworm in Ottawa.

This gaffe will hurt the conservatives, especially in Quebec. Quebec is a province that the tories need to win seats, if not an outright majority if ever they want to sit on the governing side of the HOC. With this blunder, the tories can forget any kind of working arrangement if they were in a position to form a minority gov't. This won't play well in bilingual communities in Ontario and the Maritimes too...where they might have been looking for an alternative to the liberals, now I'm sure they will look away from the tories and perhaps to the Montreal born Jack Layton. The Jack Layton/homeless/Martin rant might be more outrageous if it wasn't true...but most people understand that Paul Martin cut the federal housing program and it did lead to a sharp increase in homelessness...death by exposure to the extreme elements is a natural byproduct. Liberal spin doctors attempted to pin this on Mulroney, but it was infact Martin who shut the program down. I don't know about the eastern media, but out here on the west, it was a positive story for Layton as the media went to town and also blamed Martin for shutting down the housing program. I predict: Layton bounce in the polls.

What evidence do you have of that?A part from any "gap", by historical standards, the poorest in Canada today have never been richer. If you want non-statistical evidence, peruse some old family photos or photos from the 1920s. All four of my grandparents were born into houses without running water nor electricity. None finished high school. One was barely literate. Two died young; one for lack of decent medical care. For the period, their lives were quite typical. Compared to their neighbours, they would have considered themselves "average" to "well off". There is no comparison between poverty today and poverty in the past. No, there is no direct comparison from 1920's poverty to 2004 poverty...but you can certainly thank the progressive left politics of every era that has pushed for, and largely been successful in creating the conditions for this better society we now live in. It was J.S. Woodsworth that was largely responsible for the CPP that we now enjoy. It was pressure from the CCF and its growing popularity that created public healthcare so that no one would be without affordable and accessable care, unlike generations ago... If anyone thinks that these are permanent programs, all you need to do is look at the external pressures today and even some of the rants of some of the more outspoken anti-left people on this forum, and you could understand that everything that has been gained can be lost too. AF even suggested that the poor and homeless rely on charity rather than gov't programs. The pressure to scrap the Canada Health Act is stonger than ever, and with NAFTA, once its gone, we will never get it back. You can thank the left and progressive over generations for the improvements in society...public education, public healthcare, a national pension program, unemployment insurance...all of which have taken a pounding at the hands of conservative Liberal PM, Paul Martin, and former PC PM Brian Mulroney.

With the gap between rich and poor at its biggest in recorded history and the tax loopholes that millionaire PM Paul Martin installed in the budget laws, there are far more people in dire need of charity and social programs than ever before. Paul Martin's own company is registered offshore and does not pay taxes in Canada. Perhaps you can lead by example AF...let a homeless person live with you.

Gordon Campbell wanted to crack down on so-called welfare fraud...those who were deemed employable but collecting a cheque... only a handful were found.. The overwhelming majority of welfare recipients are on the dole for legitimate reasons, and if you think a $550 per month cheque is the high life, then you are way off base. The NDP's tax cuts would amount to $1100 for you too, plus a roll back of GST on family essentials for the rest of your family.

The gap between the NDP's proposed $15,000 income exemption and the current $8012 is $6988...at the federal tax rate of 16% for the bottom income tier, that is a tax cut of approximately $1100. That might not be much to a person earning $250,000 but to just about everyone else, that amounts to nearly $100 back in their wallets at the end of the month. That makes a difference...double up on a credit card payment or some groceries, or car insurance.

A word about voter concentrations in BC.. Liberals enjoy support in affleunt areas of Vancouver. Such as the west side, Richmond, Delta, possibly even the North Shore. Conservative support is concentrated in BC's Bible-Belt of the Fraser Valley, other uber-wealthy areas, and farming country (whats left of it) in the lower mainland (Abbotsford, Chilliwack, West Vancouver), plus Kelowna area and the far north around the Peace River part of BC. NDP support is concentrated on Vancouver Island, east side of Vancouver, and parts of the interior of BC (Kamloops, Skeena). That puts a handful of suburban Vancouver and Victoria up for grabs as swing seats. This is also why the conservatives are in trouble. While if they poll around 27-29% federally, they can still lose seats. The Alliance and its huge concentration of support was miles ahead of anyone in 2000...it scored a near 50% popular vote in BC. If polls put the conservatives in BC at 35%, its a shocking loss of 15 points, and nearly all of it comes from its NDP pick ups from the 1993 campaign. But if polls are true, and the 15% that left the conservatives to support the NDP, that would only put the NDP at 26%...in other words, Layton has grabbed some swing support and left-ish liberals too. 36% of BC voting NDP is the kind of pounding that Ed Broadbent delivered to Mulroney in 1988.

The federal government has been doing this for decades as low interest loans (below cost).. Loaning out a limited amount of CPP funds is certainly repayable, and at market rates. It would actually be a smart idea to expand CPP and make it stronger for a large soon-to-be retired generation. Good thinkin, Jack.

Aren't provincial governments elected to govern areas of provincial responsibility? Electing a strong premier does not necessarily mean a strong voice at the federal level. I certainly have no confidence in Gordon Campbell representing me at the federal table...he's sell out everything for the almight dollar if he could. And what about Ontario voters - is Dalton McGuinty the best person to stand up for Ontario on federal issues? Given his performance, I think not. I'm not a huge defender of America's electoral system, but they had a point in making the Senate representation a counterbalance to the house.