playfullfellow

No matter what, immigration is a very sticky topic and one many people feel very impassioned about. There needs to be guidelines on who would qualify to enter Canada. Any person wishes to enter Canada should be able to speak basic English, or at least one person of a family entering. I also feel that each family or individual should have a certain amount of money in their pockets to survive the first year or so. I also feel the family sponsorship porgram should be done away with. The only sponsorship program there should be is an employer one. If ones parents want to immigrate to Canada, then they should be able to pass the criterea. There should also be an absolute zero tolerance for immigrants who break the law. You break the law and away you go back to where you came from. Any immigrant should also be gainfully employed for at least the first 3 years they are in Canada. Since immigrating to Canada 27 years ago, not a single member of my family has been on unemployment, thats not say that immigrants should not be able to apply for EI after 3 years.

Hmmmmmmmmm, so you never broke the rules of the house as a teenager? I am sure your parents are glad you were an angel. I have seen some of the most well brought up kids make mistakes. I have also seen old guys go after young girls because they were very impressionable. Actually we did it for 8 years to make sure our kids are raised right. Not to be able to buy our own place, we both have to work but our kids are old enough now to understand. We also spend every spare minute we can with our kids. Money is tight but who needs money to go for a walk with the kids. Video games are very controlled and basically limited to racing games or duck hunt. We do not ask anything at all from the government and pay very close attention to our kids education. I am a conservative by nature and am proud of it. I only ask for laws that allow me to protect the samctity of my family. We made the sacrifices for our kids and will continue to do so. So when I ask for laws to protect my kids, don't give me any sanctimonious crap about me being a bad parent.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm, can't really recall any conservatives asking society to raise their kids. I think the opposite is true. Conservatives do ask for laws that will protect thier kids from creeps and freaks but aside from that, would rather have society stay out of how they raise their kids. So in your opinion, if a 45 year old was having sex with your 14 year old daughter would not be considered abuse? Please define what you would call this then? So in other words, just because we have less kids now a days and have less disease, we love our kids more now? We have turn key kids who basically raise themselves because both parents have to work to make ends meet. We have infants who are raised in childcare facilities because Mom has to go back to work as soon as her maternity leave runs out or they lose the house. We have family services who take kids from good homes yet let others live in drug infested squalor. We have 14 year olds as prostitutes and drug addicts in our cities yet society turns a blind eye but rather yells and screams when laws are enacted that force these kids to be taken off of the streets. Yeah, as a society as a whole, we have more freedoms now but that is not always a good thing when you consider the next generation coming up was raised on Nintendo and Xbox.

Well that would settle a lot of the countries problems wouldn't it? We have a whole generation now that doesn't even know who the current PM is and you want to let them vote? Makes more sense to raise the other ages. But if we did it your way, we could always let Barney run for PM and sing "nice" songs.

Team Martin figures that what worked in the past will work in the present so they will try the smear campaign again. It worked very well with Day nad even managed to split the party itself. The only reason that the Libs are not attacking the NDP in the same way is that they do not fear the NDP as being a threat. If the NDP was in the position of being a serious threat to the Libs, then you would see Layton smeared the same way. Right now the Libs are not saying anything about the NDP because if they end up with a minority government, then they will need the NDP. Is the average Canadian going to fall for this crap again? I doubt it because the Liberals look openly dishonest right now and will receive some backlash from the public at election time. The public debates is where the politicians will make or break their political futures and with 3 green (newbies) guys at the helm of each party, it should be interesting to watch. Websites that are about what he said and what they said are a small portion of the whole election campaign. It is just another smear tactic. Just as an example, MS has his own personal Consevative smear campaign going here. Does anyone here take his opinions seriously? (that was not meant as an insult) BUT MS does open some very interesting threads to discuss from all angles and we do see a very wide variety of opions due to MS's view and smear campaign. It is all a matter of who has the best offence and defense like a good nail biting hockey game. In the end, people will vote for whoever they feel will benefit them the most via the wallet.

My family and I immigrated to Canada from Europe in the late 70's. My mother was the only person to speak English but the rest of us learned extremely quickly, it was a matter of survival. Going through school, we adapted quickly to the Canadian way and essentially became Canadian. We have never been on un-employment and have never used welfare. We work, pay our taxes and vote at election times. We still keep some of our traditional European customs but do not require that other do the same as us. We teach our kids those traditions but thta is more of a matter so they learn a bit about their heritage. We are all very proud Canadian citizens now. The emphasis on immigration has changed more from bringing in people who can help this country to people who this country feels it should help. I have no problem with this aside from the fact that it generally does not bring in skilled or professional people. I also feel that all immigrants should be able to speak english (or french) within a certain amount of time after immigrating. Bringing in people on a refugee status is too much of a grey area and needs to be updated. If someone "accidentally" flushed their papers on the way to Canada, then they should not be allowed to stay. They had to have papers to get unto the plane in the first place. But as stated by several people in this thread, immigration is a third rail. Anyone who is not very careful when approaching it gets fried.

At this point it is going to be hard to say what is going to happen in the next election. Even in Ontario, there may be some voter backlash to the federal Libs because of the new provincial budget with tax increases and service fees. A lot of people will make up their minds once an election is called and (hopefully) decent debate about policies and spending projections. A lot of people have lost faith in the Liberals but may just not vote because they have always voted liberal just because they have always voted liberal.

The needle of the compass is spinning out of control with no apparent direction it wants to take. Just one example is that we have freaky pedophiles claiming in court that the child porn and disgusting literature they have is an art form. WTF gives with that? If this keeps up, the only direction the moral compass will point is straight into the crapper!

Guess you are allowed to make up your mind but anyone who disagrees with you is just wrong and stupid. That is just the impression I get from all of your threads.

Ummmmmmmmmmmm, I dont really see any definate plans from the NDP on how they plan to increase social funding while still keeping a balanced budget. The only way they can do this is to increase taxes. What the hell will I get for those extra taxes, nothing because I am the working middle class. You can't solve all the worlds problems by throwing more money at it. The Liberals won't get my vote because who can trust anything they say. It seems the Liberals like to spend a lot of time and money on mondane issues. You hear a lot of double speak but nothing ever gets solved. I guess that leaves the Cons. I might not agree with all of their decisions but now that the likes of Joe Clarke are gone, well I feel they are worth having a look at. As for Ralph Klein, well he does say it as he sees it. Alberta has had good oil revenues and has prospered because of it. But Ralph had started changing things before the oil prices rebounded. Things are not in a shambles here in Alberta like the rest of the country likes to believe. We pay the lowest taxes, pay no sales tax and enjoy a rather good lifestyle. While Ralph was balancing the books, the Liberals and NDP were screaming bloody murder that the cuts were too deep. Once the phiscal books looked better, Ralph increased spending, now we hear that he only increased the funding to buy votes. We have also heard that he is not being phiscally responsible enough. WTF gives, people just have to complain about anything that might make another person look good. Let's see some definative answers as to how these guys plan to run this country and I might be convinced otherwise. The wish lists that they call their handbooks make no attempt to explain how they will increase social spending, keep the books balanced and no one ever tries to explain how you can do this without increasing taxes.

I have to disagree with this statement. If you do not run a country like a business, then you are going to bankrupt it. If you keep spending with no definate agenda or game plan, then we may as well kiss the rest of our paycheques goodbye. Each and every decision the government makes is an investment in our future, good investments give us better returns, bad investments cause us to lose. If there is no definative game plan from a political party on how they will achieve their goals, then I will not even consider voting for them. I have lived in a Socialist country and it is not a pretty sight seeing 18 percent unemployment and tax rates at 40 percent plus. Do we need social programs in this country? Yes we do but I think we can do a lot better job of getting help to people who actually need it. Do we need healthcare in this country? You bet we do but I think we need to look at alternatives to make it more efficient. Do the Liberals need to be taught a lesson? Definately, they have become way too cocky and feel they can get away with whatever they feel like. Their opinions feels like "eh, who cares, it isn't our money". The Liberals talk a good talk but never seem to walk that talk. As for who is a better alternative to lead this country, I like the Cons but that is my choice. I do not need to attack policies of the NDP or Liberals but I can disagree with them. That is my choice as this is still a free country and I am allowed to have my opinions.

I never did say that Quebec sits around and tries to figure out how to screw the rest of the country. Quebec more or less wants to be left alone by the rest of the country, not a prob as far as I am concerned. Does Ottawa suck up to Quebec, you bet your bippy they do. Do I care, well I wouldn't as long as what applies to Quebec applies to the rest of the country.

I have been following this thread for quite a while now and have really enjoyed all the different opinions people have expressed. What I find most interesting is how this thread has gone from right to work laws to automation. I agree with August in that technology is not a bad thing, usually. I work in construction and have found advances in technology to our and our customers benefits. Has this technology put people out of work? Not likely, people that may have been a hammer swinger before have become people who keep this new technology up and running for us. One problem with technology is that it does not always work and needs constant care, we need people to do this. We also need people to distribute this technology to us working class joe's. I think this is true across the board. People will always diversify when need be. I also feel that people should be able to work where ever they please and qualify to do so. Belonging to a union should not be a prerequisite to do so. A person should be hired on their merits and then the choice should be theirs to join a union or not. Another thought in this thread is that outsourcing to another country with lower wage levels costs jobs in this country. Well, yeah, this is true because of wage levels and taxes, companies can not produce some products as cost effectively here as else where. Do I blame them for doing so, nope, it is the same as me taking the job that gives me the biggest return. As August stated, these countries produce products we use but they also need products we produce. As a country with vast resources, we need to promote production. Canada could be one of the richest and most diversified countries in the world if we play our cards right.

Quebec has enjoyed doing their own thing for years. I don't really care if they do as long as the rest of the country can do the same. Why shouldn't each province be able to do what is best for the people who live there? Biligualism should not be a "swear word" but it has become such because we do not really have a choice which language we want to learn. As a person who is EASL, I am bilingual but do not speak French. I am proud to know two languages and wish for my kids to learn a second language but I feel they should at least have choice as to which language to learn. But anyways, I think Ottawa should stop sucking up to Quebec but as stated by others, it is kind of a necessary evil. Maybe if other provinces started acting like a spoiled child, then we would see some better representation but I doubt it. Political reform is one option, provincial revolt is another.

The Liberals used the smear campaign last time with pretty good success so in their arrogance, they figure it will work again. They forget that Harper is not Day and that Harper will not ba as easily goaded into a mudslinging fight which this time around would be easy with all the recent scandals. I guess the Liberals are scared to run on their record this time around. Generally we always see the street bully resorting to dirty fighting when they are scared. For the first time in many years you see the Conservatives and the NDP fairly well organized with stable leadership. I look forward to any and all debates because for once, all candidates have to be taken seriously (whether you like it not) because we have a very good chance of seeing a minority government. The Liberls know this and hope fill peoples eye with mud so they can not see through this tactic. As the saying goes, "fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me".

As I may not totally agree with the US sending troops into Iraq and I wonder why they still have their troops there. The above kind of drivel though is way out to lunch. People doing attrocious things during the time of war should be charged but the everyday soldier is your next door neighbour just doing his job. I wonder if people with the above mental capacity had lived in Hitlers Germany, Stalins USSR or Saddams Iraq would have the same attitude towards the US as they do now? If not for the US, Europe would be all speaking German, all of Asia Japanese and so forth. Does the US always do the right thing, no but we are all only human. Such as the above drivel does nothing to impress the average person but it sure makes me wish the education system was better at lustrating to the average person atrocities of nuts like Hitler, Stalin ect. I have seen the concentration camps and you feel nothing but pure evil there, I have been to the US, I sure dont feel the same way there. So if you have nothing intelligent to add but drivel, please keep your pie hole closed.

Thanks August, was pretty interesting to see where I fell in a test like this. Definately thought I was more economic than this but then again, we should learn new things about ourselves all the time. Thanks again for the chance at a look at ourselves.

Looking at what August has to say, I guess I have never really thought of it before but we have in fact had many catholic PM's. I do not know whether this has any bearing but for years it seems that the majority of private schools were catholic. I think it would be interesting to see what school systems our PM's have gone to. I also want to know where a polititians base belief comes from. At least knowing where a persons basic religious belief is, then you can get a fairly good idea of what to expect from that person. There is nothing wrong with a political person being religious as long as he follows the wishes of his constituents. If an area has a majority of church going people, why should they not be able to elect a person who has a religious background? If a person is an agnostic, then it is extremely difficult to see where they are coming from aside from what they say in public.

I think the world has grown a lot more impatient than post WW2. Instead of waiting 30 mins for a meal in a restaurant, we will only wait a few minutes in a drive through or we get upset, houses have to built in 6 weeks instead of 3 months and we want our information in seconds, not days. The other difference is that Japan and Germany unconditionally and formally surrendered to the Allies. Iraq's military leaders will have to formally surrender and have decent control of all factions for the changes to start. This will be extremely hard because Iraq is still full of tribal or rather religious factions that do not follow one leader.

I think this point is very well stated. I also think that Harpers silince may be a case of let's sit back and see where the Liberals are going with all of this. Come out of the corner a few times, throw a couple of jabs just to let the crowd know you are still in the fight and then save your strength for the final round. Harper will have to be extremely careful in what frays he gets into in the next little while and not be led into a cat fight like the Liberals did to Stockwell. The Liberals are good at provoking fights that may confuse the voters. Martin and his team are well seasoned and know how to put on a good show.

LOL, thanks August, you started my day out with a good chuckle. And to answer your question, yes, there is a bar across the street and down the block a bit. Can't remember the name as I don't live down that way anymore. Also, Red Deer isn't too terribly boring but you have to kind of know you way around or all you will see is strip malls and KFC.

Well have Don in the house would certainly liven things up. I doubt he would be one of the better polititians but question period would sure lead to a rucus. I wonder if face shields would be optional or mandatory? If the US can have an actor and a wrestler as governors, they why shouldn't we have a hockey figure as an MP?

I have been to the bar in question a few times and have rather enjoyed myself there. It is more of a pub than a bar. The owner meets and chats with the patrons, the atmosphere is very relaxed. The majority of patrons are what most would consider working class. Sports clubs also enjoy a draft there after a game. I have not noticed whether the people there were straight or what. It has not been much of an issue until now. The owner runs a quiet, decent business. If he does not want certain behavior in his place of business, then it is his place to decide. If the ladies in question do not like his choice, then they can go somewhere else, which is what they did. If other gay or straight people want to boycott this place of business, then so be it, that is their choice. This should not be a matter decided by an outside tribunal, all this will do is piss off the regular patrons of the pub towards gay people. One thing to remember about "rednecks" is that they are generally pretty quiet until you get in their face. "Rednecks" just want to work, make a living and be allowed to live life without enforced morality.

This is just what I see and hear on the news. The articles does say that the decision has not been made yet whether to use the fear-mongering ads. I guess it will come down to how scared the Liberals are of Harper and if they want to air their own policies first or try to win the election and then air their policies, if they have any.

From what I see in the papers and hear on the radio, I think this election will be just a repeat of the last one. The Liberals will try to scare monger Canadians again that if they vote for Harper, our healthcare system will get dumped, social programs will be decimated and our troops will be sent off to fight in any war the US engages in. They did the same things to Stockwell and they figure it will work again with Harper. I think the debates could get rather interesting if all party leaders actually talk policies instead of slinging the mud.