robert_viera

The Bloc doesn't need to raise as much as the other parties. They only run candidates in 75 ridings.

People who vote for the Bloc pay taxes. Perhaps it makes them sick to think of their tax dollars subsidizing federalist parties. Have you considered that?

There's nothing voluntary about the taxpayer having to subsidize up to 75% of a federal political contribution.

For every $10 donation, the taxpayer kicks back $7.50 in the form of the federal political contribution tax credit, so the donor is only out $2.50, yet the party gets the full $10, courtesy of the taxpayer. The taxpayer is actually contributing more to the party than the donor!

5 MPs do not give their age: http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Parlinfo/Lists/ParliamentarianAge.aspx?Language=E&Menu=HOC-Bio&Chamber=03d93c58-f843-49b3-9653-84275c23f3fb

More than one: http://www.arts.uregina.ca/node/1205

Number of soldiers killed in Afghanistan under 30 years of age: 88/141 (62.4%) Number of Members of Parliament under 30 years of age: 2/303 (0.66%) Number of soldiers killed in Afghanistan 40 years or older: 12/141 (8.5%) Number of Members of Parliament 40 years or older: 268/303 (88.4%) Perhaps if young people were better represented in government they wouldn't be so well represented among Canada's casualties.

Seeing how half of the Canadian soldiers that have died in Afghanistan were aged 26 or younger, why don't we bring our young men and women back home and give them free tuition and send the old men and politicians who tell us war is 'heroic' to Afghanistan in their place?

Since I started collecting ten-percenters, I've received 23 from my Conservative MP and 3 from Liberal MPs in other ridings. You can see them by clicking on the link in my signature. Even if the Conservatives respect this motion, it won't make much of a difference in my mailbox because most of the junk comes from my own MP. He has also run front page ads that include the Conservative Party logo in the local paper for years which I believe are paid for with taxpayer dollars.

I live in Barrie and the Conservative MP here has sent mailers to St. Paul's: Source: Last-minute mailings by Tory MPs draw election scrutiny; Speaker cautions parties about rules for expenses, Tonda MacCharles. Toronto Star. Toronto, Ont.: Sep 13, 2008. pg. A.16Note that these mailers actually arrived during an election campaign. I believe that Brown is actually from St. Paul's and his parent's home is there. While we're on the subject of St. Paul's, did the police ever turn up anything in their investigation of campaign vandalism, cut brake lines, etc., that happened to people with Liberal signs on their lawns in St. Paul's in the 2008 election? Some in the media keep repeating that, but I haven't found anything that says ten-percenters are mailers that are sent outside an MPs riding. The best information I have found is here: Source: http://reports.fja.gc.ca/eng/2006/2006fc1544/2006fc1544.htmlIt's an excerpt from the Members' Allowances and Services Manual. Only the form and the quantity of the mailers in addressed. It says nothing about where they go.

From Hansard for the Ontario Legislature for April 3, 1996: Source: http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/house-proceedings/house_detail.do?Date=1996-04-03&Parl=36&Sess=1&locale=enPerrin Beatty, of course, was a cabinet minister in Brian Mulroney's Conservative government. The Minister of Health at the time of the above quote was Jim Wilson, who is the Conservative MPP in Helena Guergis' riding. Judge Maund was appointed to the court on October 4, 2000. Source: http://www.ontariocourts.on.ca/ocj/en/reports/annualreport/05.pdf Jim Flaherty was the Attorney General of Ontario in 2000. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Flaherty#Cabinet

Rahim Jaffer pleads guilty to careless driving charge: Source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/rahim-jaffer-pleads-guilty-to-careless-driving-charge/article1494775/

If Helena Guergis thinks she's entitled to special treatment because she is a 'VIP', put her on the 'no-fly' list. I'm sure that would make her feel special.

What's the matter? Aren't you going to criticize CTV or the Canadian Press or the Globe and Mail for continuing to follow this story? It seems that Jaffer's own lawyer announced this 'resolution' to the press. This would no doubt have been done on Jaffer's instructions. I wonder if Jaffer will get one of those deals that conservative law-and-order types like to get outraged about?

If you think that's the case, then by all means go ahead and show us a list of Liberal, NDP, and Bloc supporters who have received appointments. I bet it's a short list.

The point isn't that these people 'bought' these appointments. The purpose of listing contributions is to show that these people are Conservative supporters. The purpose of patronage appointments has been to reward the party faithful. The problem is that these are supposed to be government appointments, not partisan rewards. The Conservatives campaigned on a promise that they would end this practice.

For one, I live in Barrie, which is not far from where Jaffer lives. If he is guilty of drunk driving, I'd like to know that he won't be allowed back on the road. Second, I'd like to know if someone who was in a position of power may have had their judgement impaired by drug abuse or alcoholism. Third, I'd like to know if someone in a position of power was associating with criminals. You don't get cocaine at the corner store.

From section 486(1) of the Criminal Code: There are circumstances under which judges can order a publication ban, but I can't imagine why that would be necessary in this case.

Irrelevant. He is facing criminal charges and the public has a right to know.

Some of the latest appointments: Brad's father, Ronald Hanmer, gave $550 to the CPC in 2008 and $420 to the Regina-Lumsden-Lake Centre Conservative riding association in 2007. Jean-François Béland gave $1,000 to the Louis-Hébert Conservative riding association in 2007. Florence Minz gave $1,000 to the CPC in 2008 and another $1,000 to the CPC in 2009. She also gave $1,100 to the Thornhill Conservative riding association and $500 to the Trinity-Spadina Conservative riding association in 2008. She gave $216.98 to the Toronto Centre Conservative riding association in 2007. Kenneth Atkinson is (or was) a director of the St. Catharines Conservative riding association. Marc Nadeau is the CEO of the Sherbrooke Conservative riding association. Robert MacArthur gave $297 to the Charlottetown Conservative riding association in 2006. Patrick O'Neil gave $400 to the CPC in 2008 and another $400 to the CPC in 2009. He also gave $400 to the Essex Conservative riding association in 2007. Valerie's husband, Thomas Parker, gave $637 to the CPC in 2008 and another $637 to the CPC in 2009. He also gave $672 to the Whitby-Oshawa Conservative riding association in 2008. Colin Hume gave $420 to the Ajax-Pickering Conservative riding association in 2008. Patrick Lebreux gave $400 to the CPC in 2009. Vikram Khurana gave $1,100 to the Parry Sound-Muskoka Conservative riding association in 2008.

I believe Rahim Jaffer had a court day today. Has anyone heard if he showed up?

I wasn't aware that James Moore was French?

The last time that Chretien prorogued, Nov. 12, 2003, the Leader of the Opposition was a Canadian Alliance MP named Stephen Harper. They didn't put up to much of a fuss over prorogation because they were too busy fighting amongst themselves over their merger with the Progressive Conservatives. While Parliament was prorogued, Stephen Harper quit his job as Leader of the Opposition so that he could run for the leadership of the new Conservative Party. Parliament resumed on February 4, 2004 with Grant Hill as Leader of the Opposition. Stephen Harper didn't return to Parliament and his job as Leader of the Opposition until March 22, 2004. Here is an excerpt from Hansard for March 22, 2004: "Mr. Stephen Harper (Leader of the Opposition): Mr. Speaker, I have to ask if anything happened while I was away."

54,745 people in B.C. reported French as their mother tongue in the 2006 Census: http://www40.statcan.gc.ca/l01/cst01/demo11c-eng.htm 24,130 of them are in Vancouver: http://www40.statcan.gc.ca/l01/cst01/demo12g-eng.htm No one cares about the views of bigots.

From the IOC Charter: http://www.olympic.org/Documents/olympic_charter_en.pdfI guess the organizers can do what they want, but it doesn't look very good on the international stage when we can't manage to put on an opening ceremony in both of the official IOC languages, despite the fact more than one fifth of our population speak French. I liked what Jacques Villeneuve, who took part in the opening ceremony, said when some in Quebec objected to him calling his restaurant "Newtown": http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2001/06/05/newtown_french010605.htmlThe whole world is watching. Let's hope the organizers will see further than "the tip of their noses."