Progressive Tory

Mr. Canada. Sometimes I think you're a few beads short of a Rosary. You claim to be Catholic, but I was raised Catholic and have never ever heard any Catholic spew such hatred and intolerance. If you had asked me 30 years ago what my religion was I'd have said Roman Catholic. 20 Years ago - Christian. 10 years ago - Agnostic. But today, I'm a full blown card carrying athiest and not at all a Secular Socialist. I don't even think you know what the term means, since you think Liberals, who are mostly Christian, are Secular Socialist; out to get fellow Christians, because they want to separate church and state. I assume you know what the Rosary is, and perhaps have heard the prayer of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Fatima (every 10 beads) "O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who have most need of your mercy." Where's your mercy? You can't force children to pray because it means nothing. When I was young Mass was in Latin and my favourite part was R. Deo grátias. "Thanks be to God", only because it meant it was finally over. My gov't did not turn me away from Christianity...it was Christians who did that, mainly because they justified War. Both World Wars were Christians against Christians. The Crusades were the brutality of Christians against Muslims for gold and precious gems. 100 Years War, French/English Wars, US Civil War - all Christians against Christians. Religion should inspire and if you are really devout, no matter what your gov't tells you, you will STILL BELIEVE what you believe.

There is definite proof of your views Drea. The Conservative character assassination of Dion resulted in complete annihilation. But where did the Liberal voters go who didn't like Dion? From 2006, the NDP was down by 72,662 (From 2,589,597 to 2,516,935); The Bloc was down by 175,568 (From 1,553,201 to 1,377,633) and the Conservative vote number dropped by 169,603 (From 5,374,071 to 5,204,468). Only the Green Party showed an increase of 276,616 (From 664,068 to 940,684) Those who couldn't stop vommitting from the dreadful Karl Rove campaign style of the Conservatives, stayed home. The Cons did not inspire. They lost supporters from 2006. We had no Obama to rush us to the polls. Harper only showed that nobody running deserved the job. We now have OUR Obama in Michael Ignatieff, and when he says he doesn't care what the Tories call him, he means it. McCain went through the whole Cons repertoire: 'Elitist', 'Socialist' and even 'Terrorist', but none of it worked. Ignatieff is Harper's worst nightmare. He is centre in all matters that appeal to small 'c' Conservatives, or Red Tories; without the social conservative agenda of the CP. It's always been that, that has stopped a Harper Majority. On the other hand, Ignatieff is left in the things that do matter to Canadians. Women's Rights, Human Rights (remember he headed the Human Rights department at Harvard), Aboriginal Rights, etc. We no longer have to choose between right and left; because he's in the centre. Canadians have found their star.

"Newly minted Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff has snagged a senior adviser right out from under Prime Minister Stephen Harper's nose. "While secrecy oaths will prohibit him from divulging any confidential information in his new role in the Opposition leader's office, he will take with him an in-depth knowledge of the way government works. Of more particular interest to Liberals, he'll bring an insider's view of the Harper regime's style and operations." This is going to be very interesting. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/01/14/...tieff-chan.html

Hmmm...yes and American's standard of living has improved so much in the last eight years...oh, wait a minute... Like I said before, lowering taxes without reducing spending, doesn't work. We've seen it. Not only did the Cons blow a 13 billion dollar surplus but the economic statement only gives us a small surplus if we sell 12 billion dollars in assets. 13 billion and 12 billion...25 billion dollars spent above what was collected. This is not going to put money in our pockets and the recent and projected job losses are only going to reduce revenue further, while draining EI. Can't see how any of that has or will put money in our pockets.

That is actually the so-called 'hidden agenda' of Stephen Harper. A new federalism with the central government looking after only the military and foreign affairs, though I think he still wants federal MPs. I agree to much of his plan in theory, but some provinces would not survive. And of course, I don't want Canada divided up like that.

They made you feel like you could just put your feet up and enjoy their company. Both are so warm, with no pretensions. Not at all what I expected. He wears a sweater not to impress, but that's just how he dresses. I really like them

We definitely need electoral reform, because our system isn't working. This last parliamentary crisis shows how little Canadians know about how our government works. This played nicely into the Conservative campaign against the Coalition, but was kind of an eye opener. I see a real problem when the Bloc gets less than a million and half votes and win 50 seats, while the Green Party get almost a million votes, but no seats. That means that a million Canadian voters have no representation. I think we should be able to elect our Prime Minister independantly, from any Party, with fixed election dates every four years. He or she can choose Cabinet Ministers from any elected MPs; thereby getting the best that Parliament has to offer. We may like our local Green Party Candidate because the Conservative choice is a moron, but like Stephen Harper so elect the moron. On the other hand, maybe our local Cons candidate is great but we hate the party leader, so vote for someone else. This will avoid some of the horrible partisan politics we've had in the past, and Canadians will be able to vote for the best candidate in their riding, based on their own qualifications.

I think Jack Layton is still angry over the personal attacks. I can't really blame him. However, he shouldn't publicly say that he's going to oppose the budget, without actually seeing what the budget has to offer. That's not why he was elected. We'll see.

No, what Topaz believes, and I agree, is that for some strange reason we thought the Conservative Gov't was Canadian. And for some strange reason we thought they would make an extra effort to SAVE CANADIAN JOBS. Silly us. It makes much more sense to pay Canadians EI, than collect income tax from Canadian workers.

Very funny. I hope he's going to pay for that TV set.

I loved last night's show and was so glad I found this. In case you missed it: http://womanatmile0.amfresh.ca/?p=3301 Mr. Ignatieff came off as the wise father figure...caring for Stephen Harper's children. I think this will resonate well with Canadians. He may be a brilliant man but very down to earth.

I'd love to see a sting on a 'Mr. Big' operation. We have a tape where he claims to be a mob boss and starts confessing to crimes. He has loads of cash caught on tape, bribing someone to break the law. Only in Canada, because most civilized countries would find the practice abysmal, and in fact they do....and illegal...and unconstitutional. I was ashamed when I first learned of it.

I know. He's even been sending me secret messages in my sleep. I've called an exorcist but he says the forces of evil are too strong. I've tried playing his speeches backwards but they still come out the same. 'Everything I tell you is lie'. Oh well, he won't be around long so I'm not worried. Love his posturing over the Arctic though. Ha ha ha ha. I needed a good laugh.

Neither side is right. Israeli soldiers are even firing on Red Cross ambulances. http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianp...OQ-knFJgpkH5aiA These are crimes against humanity.

Nothing to be proud of. Israel and Palestine must recognize each other's right to exist. Too many children are becoming collateral damage. Big shock that Harper is backing the US though....NOT!

DNA evidence cleared them. Again, a taped, coerced confession cannot be enough. It is very compelling for a jury to hear the words of the man or woman, charged with a crime, saying they did it. If it can be backed up with a legitimate, legal confession or enough physical evidence to remove reasonable doubt, then allow the tape into evidence. Otherwise, it is simply NOT ENOUGH! If they had actual evidence they wouldn't need 'Mr. Big.'

Maybe he'll have him arrested as a 'Separatist'.

A taped 'confession' from a defendant carries a lot of weight with the jury. "It's up to a judge whether these alledged criminals go to jail or not." That's not the case. My point is that the judge should be throwing out these confessions unless they can be backed up with strong physical evidence. These are jury trials and it's to the judge to determine what the jury is privy to. A coerced 'confession' is not enough, unless they later follow it up with a real confession, to people they know are police officers and with a lawyer present (unless they waive their rights to one). This isn't a TV show. It's real.

Exactly. Harper is in Calgary this week so this may be an attempt to create a 'crisis' where there isn't one; hoping Canadians will say, 'but we can't change our PM now'. Glad to learn that Santa is a Canadian citizen. That was cute. Does this mean he needs a passport to travel outside of the country? Does he pay taxes? Is he a Socialist? I mean he does give stuff away.

What's interesting is that when you read the same press release from Washington, we are given a different take. They don't even mention Canada as an obstacle. "President George W. Bush on Monday issued a directive spelling out the U.S. interest in the vast oil and natural gas resources held in the Arctic. The directive contradicts Russia's claim to a bigger chunk of the Arctic and its energy supplies, and says the United States wants to work with all countries that have territory in the region to settle disputes over boundaries. "When it comes to energy, the notion isn't a race to the Arctic to put our flags down," said Benjamin Chang, deputy spokesman for the National Security Council. http://www.javno.com/en/world/clanak.php?id=223560 So we could have icebreakers or icecream makers. They might wave and say 'hi', and that will be the extent of our involvement. We're not even given honourable mention. "In addition to Russia and the United States, the other countries that claim territory in the Arctic are Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland."

"The RCMP has found a way to gather evidence without resorting to torture and we are safer because of it." That's just the point. They only do it when they have NO or NON-SUFFICIENT evidence for an arrest. In the case of Ms Burn's brother, the boys had been at the show, returned home and found the bodies, then called 911. They agreed to a complete search and a lasar that is said to find blood evidence no matter how much you try to clean it off, showed they had none. None of their DNA on the bodies, none of the victims' blood on them, despite the brutality. Kind of a lot to pull off for a couple of teenagers in such a short period of time. Another fact was that in the so-called 'confession' the boy was coerced into saying he put his mother's scarf over her head after killing her to hide his shame, because that was what the RCMP believed. However, the blood spatter (or lack thereof), evidence actually proved that the scarf was on her head when she was killed. The only thing the RCMP need are the words of the 'confession', and not what led to it. For all we know they could have asked them to read a scene. These confessions should not be allowed into evidence unless the RCMP reveal their identities beforehand and the suspect waives his rights to an attorney. They make us look like a police state where citizens have no rights.

Plays to his strengths? His only strengths are bullying and deceipt. Neither will work here. We need diplomatic strengths, so hopefully it will be about Obama and Ignatieff. Either way, we don't have the military to fight American 'sea power', nor do we have the backing of other countries who appear to side with the U.S., to dispute our claims.

"OTTAWA — In his final days in power, President George W. Bush asserted U.S. military "sea power" over the oil-rich Arctic on Monday, in another forceful rebuttal of Canada's claims of sovereignty over the Northwest Passage. The White House formally released the text of a sweeping new directive on the Arctic, two years in the making, just eight days before Barack Obama is to be sworn in as the 44th U.S. president. Key elements of Bush's policy challenge the ambitious Arctic sovereignty agenda put forth by Prime Minister Stephen Harper that includes bolstering Canada's military presence and fostering economic and social development. The Bush directive reiterates that the Northwest Passage is an international waterway — a rebuttal of Canada's claim of sovereignty over what is emerging as a major global shipping route because of the shrinking polar ice cap — and it highlights the boundary dispute in the resource-rich Beaufort Sea." http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Bush+ass...9847/story.html Do we really want to take on the US over this? So much for the budding Harper/Bush friendship.

It's not only crappy evidence but should be stopped. A gross violation of rights.

When does that happen? We have a class system but it is not written in stone. Anyone can be rich and even the rich can become poor. I was one of seven who grew up poor, and with exception of a sister sho got pregnant at 15 and spent a few years on the skids; we all rose above our 'station'. That sister went back to school, with the help of one of those damned social programs everyone complains about, and now works with disabled adults. She also spends hours doing volunteer work, so is giving back, and pays taxes.