Dennis

It does nothing of the sort. It has as much chance at reality as does Canada having an aircraft carrier. The whole idea of getting rid of the provinces is as anti-Canadian as anything I have heard in recent memory. But the Left seems to only care about what is Canadian when it involves their Big Government ideology. Getting rid of the provinces. Hey, why don't we just get rid of the beaver on our Nickels, or just say that Jack Layton was our first Prime Minister instead of John A. What extremist nonsense. And it has NO chance at reality. ZERO.

Hey, why don't we just rip up the Constitution and burn our flag while we're at it? It never ceases to amaze me how the same people who consider themselves guardians of what it is to be Canadian feel not the slightest hesitation to throw away our history and our heritage if it advances their Leftist Hidden Agenda to have everyone subservient to one Big Brother Governmnet. Amazing!

I guess you just had to throw that in there, didn't you? This latest attempt to label a Conservative government in this country as 'dangerous' is so intellectually lame that it sais a lot about the ideology of those people perpetuating it. When are Conservative opponents going to come up with ACTUAL reasons to vote for parties other than the Conservatives?

Nice work, August . Love seeing that NDP cheerleader knocked down a notch or three. According to maple, the NDP is the best thing that's happened since Confederation. A little bit of reality showered upon that socialist world might do some good. Or the cheerleading might continue unabated, knowing the NDP.

Remember when Jack Layton started the campaign claiming his party would be the only one offering positive ideas for the country? Now, all of a sudden, once he sees his party stalled in the polls (and it's been that way for a year, btw) his campaign of 'positive ideas' has turned into bashing Bush and the other party leaders. Stephen Harper is the only leader who has yet to go negative. Yet he never promised it, like Jack did - who called Paul Martin a killer too. The NDP's slogan is New Energy, A Positive Choice (something like that, it's not very catchy). Don't think so.

Looks like the NDP has joined the Liberals in a campaign of lies. Nowhere in the passage maplesyrup posted does it say anything about Stronach distancing herself from Harper. But to struggling Leftist parties who apparently have nothing to offer voters, these kinds of tactics seem necessary for survival. Good thing Harper is smarter than both Martin and Layton. He can stay above the fray in order to become Prime Minister. We need honest leaders like that, not the stuff that's been coming from the NDP and the Liberals.

Hebert's article had an impact on me as well, but in a slightly differernt sense. And I do think it revealed her liberal leanings on policy issues, especially because I don't think Chretien would have as easy a time in place of Martin as Ms. Hebert assumes. I think Stephane Dion came out today making the bold statement that Chretien would have jumped on the recent emplyoment and economic growth numbers as part of the ongoing campaign. I know Clinton would have done the same down south, and he was a master campaigner. However, I think people only have so much tolerance for the so-called abortion and social values bombs that get dropped every time right-wingers seek office in this country. Even the economic arguments become tiring if seen as a distraction from other important matters, or if voters believe the economy will do just fine with new leadership, like they did with Bush in 2000. This election is about getting a government which people feel they can trust. I don't think the Canadian people trust Jean Chretien any more than they do Paul Martin. In fact, they may even trust him less. Much of the cynicism people have towards government today is the direct result of what people think Chretien did with it for the last decade. So, yes, Chretien might have done a better job at focusing on the kinds of things that won him elections throughout the nineties. The question remains, just as it does with Paul Martin today, whether or not people would accept it as a consolation for arrogant and distant governance. I'm not sure they would. Let's also not forget that Jean Chretien recieved high approval ratings when there was no meaningful governing alternative to speak of. I believe much of his popularity came from the comfort people had with a veteran politician carrying a party brand name people valued over the Alliance, Bloc, once glourious PC's, and the NDP. Furthermore, I think Ms. Hebert falls into the same kind of psychological trap that many elites do in this country. They may think social issues like abortion and gay marriage are a matter of life and death, many Canadians probably don't. Which might explain why, despite all this talk about abortion and social values, the Conservatives are still rising in the polls, and the Liberals are slip-sliding away.

This characterization isn't apt. Layton is fiscally to the right of any NDP leader yet, maybe even to the right of Mulroney ! Complete nonsense. To say Layton might be to the right of Mulroney is politically ignorant at best. He's also not even close to being more right than other recent NDP leaders. Have you actually read the NDP Platform Manifesto? Let's get serious, please.

A sample size of 1000 is ok. Ipsos is one of the major polling firms in Canada. I think they stick to that number because they come out with new polls more frequently than the others do. Besides, the Leger poll, with a sample size of over 3000, pretty much had the same results as Ipsos' previous poll - 35 Lib, 30 Tory. And, quite frankly, I don't know what Paul Martin can do to turn this around. He has already tried to implement a number of different strategies, and the numbers keep going down for him - even personally. In my opinion, Martin might have lost this election even before it started. He wasn't able to set a positive agenda while he served as Prime Minister for the past five months, and going negative - which he has already done - only serves to highlight even further to the voters that the Liberals bring absolutely nothing new to the table. I hear they might try to bring up Iraq. I think it will have the same effect as all the other stabs in the dark. Harper comes out with his full platform tomorrow. My guess is that some economists will have problems with the numbers. So, they might try to make some hay with that issue. However, I think Harper has already prepared a rebuttal which will have something to do with a lack of credibility the Liberlas have on being honest about the way they spend money. If Harper wins that debate, I think it will be a question of Conservative minority or majority. And, so far, Martin has NOT been able to maintain a consistent message, or defence, on anything. It's getting good.

The only thing that's disguisting is people who use the tax issue to pass a hidden socialist agenda. And, if you're only paying 8% taxes, as you claim, then what's preventing you from paying more? Not me. Leave it to Leftists to use taxes in order to spew venom against people who have a problem with high taxes. As for this claim that rich people aren't paying their fair share, that's a load of bull. They pay more than their fair share, and you Leftists take every opportunity to make sure they pay even more. The only people who have an agenda of hate against others are Leftists. cgaret's invective against people who don't share his world socialist view is just the latest example of that.

Let's not forget, this is the guy who said he was going to get to the bottom of Adscam "Come Hell or High Water." Yet, here we are in the middle of an election campaign and we still don't know what the heck went on in that scandal, nor do we have any sense that we will get any answers from the politicians responsible. I have really been surprised at how willing Paul Martin is to say anything on any given day to try to score short term politcal points. He sais one thing one day then he completely contradicts himself a few days later. And I think people see this. Martin's numbers were going down well before the Ontario McGuinty budget. And even on that topic Martin has tried several different strategies - never sticking to one sincere view on the matter. It has been this way for Martin since he became Prime Minister. Even Paul Wells has entered the fray, ridiculing the Martin team for having cabinet ministers stalk Stephen Harper on the campaign trail today. Team Martin has been spinning its wheels for months now. And the latest polls show this trend hasn't stopped during this election campaign.

You really think Dion is the next leader of the Liberal Party of Canada? Well, apparently, he is an underestimated force. But I don't know if I see party leader in him. People have been bouncing around the name of Frank Mackenna, but he's not really a francophone. I'm not sure if the Liberals can hold on to that rule of theirs, especially with Manley and Tobin waiting in the wings. But this kind of speculation is way too early. Still need to see how Paul Martin manages the mess he's gotten himself into right now.

Actually, the NDP is down to 14% in BC. Before the election, some were predicting a Conservative sweep of the province. This poll might confirm that analysis. And Martin has already tried to go negative, with disappointing results. He tried painting Harper as an American, while styling himself as some kind of protector of Canadian health care. Nobody bought it. Apparently, he is finally bringing in some Chretienites for advice on the campaign. Looks like they are trying to develop a more targeted message, either promoting Martin's record on the economy, or trying to define what kind of change Harper would bring. I think that going negative would be a big mistake, especially if it's yet another wild attempt to attack Harper. Alternatively, maybe running on the positives of your own record ain't such a bad idea, especially when it comes to the economy. Only problem with that, for Martin, is that he has been running away from the Chretien record for a long time now. Moreover, you can't simply run on one aspect of it without reference to such things as corruption and wasteful spending. Harper is also an economist, who might have some positive replies himself. I think Martin's options are getting increasingly limited as time goes by. That's what happens when you are an empty leader leading an empty party. I don't know what kind of strategy can change that. The Liberals are good at campaigns. At least they have been in the past. We'll see if they have anything else left in them. If not, their downward slide will likely continue, and the prospects of a change in government will become an increasing likelihood. Can you say, Prime Minister Stephen Harper?

Yes, here it is Grits 34, Tories 30, NDP 16, Bloc 15 ahead in Que. The Liberals are, so far, trending downwards, while the NDP is still mired at about the same level they have been for the past year. The Liberals and Tories are about neck-and-neck in Ontario, while the NDP has slid significantly in BC. Yes, this is a good news poll for Stephen Harper indeed.

Apparently it's coming this week from Harper. He's spending most of it in Ontario, where he will release the party platform and campaign heavily on the issue of integrity in government. He used the first week to allay any fear anyone might have regarding his agenda. But I think Harper can get far by doing as little as possible, actually. All the indicators point to a continued drop in the polls for the Liberals. If Haprer plays it safe, without running away from the electorate, he'll be in a very good positon come election night. He's a very good debater, which will come in handy given that the debate is probably the single most important part of the election. And I think he knows what he's doing. He doesn't fall on his own sword, and he can dish it out when he has to. He did it during the leadership runs. He also did it a few times this week, when he defended himself against Martin's America scare tactics, as well as some of Martin's glaring inconsistencies in attacking others. I think Harper will be fine. He'll do enough to silence people who say he's not coming out with any ideas of his own. Heck, he IS an ideas man. Has been throughout his career. Again, I think he'll be fine. Martin's self-destruction shouldn't be tampered with too much.