Dave_ON

Indeed but how do we really achieve this? Truth is democracy is effort and our society is so convenience driven I sincerely doubt those who are ignorant of our system of government would seek to educate themselves. This combined with the government obfuscating various facets of our system only exacerbates the situation. We need look no further than the buzz surrounding the coalition and what a hornet's nest that was. I can't count how many people used the term "coup" to refer to it, and how the conservatives actually encouraged this type of thinking. So you combine a generally ignorant populace with a self serving government that obfuscates and twists the truth and you've got a recipe for our current state of affairs. I for one certainly hope the speaker sides with opposition on this one. We need this issue resolved, and we need some semblance of parliamentary democracy restored. What's truly frustrating for me about the situation is there is a silent revolution going on. We are slowly but surely moving towards an absolute monarchy again, the only difference is we indirectly elect this one. We're in a constitutional crisis and most people are either unaware of the situation or are apathetic towards it. Nothing will change so long as so few realize/care that there is an issue.

Interesting indeed, though I don't think we'll see the full effects of this until the next poll. This one ended before the bomb dropped on Guergis.

And the plot thickens... http://www.cbc.ca/politics/story/2010/04/15/guergis-ethics-commissioner.html Hmm so now it's not just drug use but it's also stock fraud and possibly tax evasion? It's interesting because her lawyer was maintaining that she was never informed of thes allegations until just today. What's also interesting is this... I guess this story may very well have more longevity than I originally thought. You can't make stuff this good up.

I'm not convinced at this time that this will truly hurt the CPC over the long term. It's my general impression that most folks, and rightly so, see this as one member of a party "acting out". Having said that it does call in to question Harper's judgment in terms of his choice of ministers, that aside there's always one bad apple in every bunch. This isn't really a long term political ace up the sleeve.

Why is it that folks always do this. "Yeah but the LPC is worse", as if being no more slimy then the next guy is some kind of virtue.

It logically connects in as far as Argus post was implying that former members of the CPC ran afoul of drugs. This statement implies they left the CPC and THEN ran afoul. I was simply setting the record straight that it occurred WHILE they were in the CPC. The devil is in the details as it were. I was making no inferences, simply stating fact.

They are all also politically insignificant as PM's. In almost every case they were the "fall guy/gal" for the previous PM's making their timely egress from political life. Clark of course was the exception and was ahead of his time. He tried to operate as a majority in a minority government. This was a mistake because the LPC was strong and thoroughly whipped him in an election. Harper has managed to maintain his minority power quite nicely due in no small part to the relative weakness of the LPC. Say what you will about Chretien, Mulroney and Trudeau. Truth is they all did good things for this country. I'm no Harper fan and even I have to admit Harper has done some things I agree with. Seems the PM's we hate the most and are somewhat infamous for one reason or another are the ones that have the most impact on our country. The ones we don't mind so much are the ones that face to relative insignificance.

Save that they ran a foul of drugs while still a member of the CPC.

Indeed but we do our level best to forget about every other one in the last 30 years. Martin, Campbell, Turner and Clark. Thanks for rubbing salt in the wounds

Is anyone able to provide a link to what the Bill actually contains? I sincerely doubt this bill will make it past second reading. Given the current situation with Guergis etc. I don't think the CPC really wants another $h1t storm on their hands. Especially not one the likes of another abortion debate would generate.

Police are bound by due process just like anyone else. There was no good reason for the OPP to not allow Jaffer to speak to either of his lawyers. The issue is not refusing the test; the issue is not allowing him legal counsel of his choosing prior to administering the test. This was a screw up on the OPP's part plain and simple. Strip searches need to be justified and possible drug possession is not justification enough. Not to mention logic should win the day. Let's be reasonable about this, do you honestly think if Jaffer was carrying blow around in his coat pocket he'd also hide it in a body cavity? Is that reasonable or even realistic? I'm upset about this miscarriage of justice as much as any other citizen of Ontario. But the blame lies with the OPP for not following due process. It has nothing at all to do with his connections or wealth. In fact given that he was a former MP should have caused the OPP to be that much more compliant with due process.

So now we're finally getting some details on why Jaffer got off so easily. Turns out it was two major mistakes made by the OPP that forced the crown to plea bargain. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/04/13/rahim-jaffer-plea-mansbridge.html And to make matters even worse they give him the latex glove test...

Let me be the first to say, wtf?

Indeed, as am I. I can't help but wonder what does Mr. Harper know that would cause him to react so strongly to the situation. A minister resigning is no small matter, but being removed from caucus makes it all the more serious. Mr. Harper is not one to over react and he's anything if not circumspect in his political dealings. He wouldn't cast off a minister if their position weren't relatively indefensible. Clearly it’s serious enough to warrant such drastic counter measures, which just ignites one’s imagination all the more. It’s unlikely to hurt the CPC over the long term though it does cast doubt on Mr. Harper’s ability to select ministers. This isn’t some CPC back bencher we’re talking about after all. I should hope they come clean with the allegations and soon, not simply because I’m insanely curious, but also because people’s imaginations and innuendo can do far more damage to the CPC then the truth ever could.

Oh interestingly enough Mr. Harper has asked Guergis to sit outside of the Tory Caucus. http://www.cbc.ca/politics/story/2010/04/09/guergis-leaving-cabinet.html This voluntary resignation is looking decidedly less voluntary all the time.

I think you'll find that the women that are inclined to do so, you'd prefer that they didn't. Much like most men who exercise this freedom.

My guess is she'll resign under the firm advice of Mr. Harper. A resignation is always preferable as it leaves the leader "blameless" as it were, like you said however, this should have happened weeks ago as it would have saved the CPC bad press.

This is absolutely the true issue at hand. Many people mistake the unemployment rate for a lack of jobs. Such is not the case; many of the jobs that were lost over the past few years have been in the manufacturing industry. I have a friend in his late 40's that worked at a parts plant his whole life. It just recently shutdown, he doesn't even have his high school diploma. He's currently working on that much through an EI sponsored program. My suspicion is that many of the folks that were in some type of manufacturing job are in similar situations. It was a different time 30 years ago and you could get by with less education and skill and still have a relatively comfortable living. The issue isn't a lack of jobs in Canada the issue is lack of skill in our work force. There are various government programs that are working to offset this but it will be many years hence before we see the effects. We really need to focus on our current high school students and start preparing them for the reality that is to come. They need to shift the focus away from trying to encourage everyone to go to university. They should focus on getting students to look at picking up skills, trades, or post secondary education that will actually benefit them and our society as a whole. We need skilled labourers, and trades people every bit as much as we do Doctors and Lawyers. BA's are becoming as common as high school diplomas but many of them are in useless disciplines that won't get them a decent job.

My question is then, why the stoic silence from the "tough on crime" CPC? Let's face it regardless of whether or not the CPC is directly involved or not, they are tied to it via his charming wife; yet nothing from the CPC. I would expect they would use this opportunity to prove how committed they are to their "tough on crime" stance especially give their stance on drug related crimes. What better chance to prove how very sainted they are than to castigate one of their own former MP's. This would be perfect ammo for them to make their point. A drug addict, alcoholic, endangering the public got off with a slap on the wrist. See how "liberal" the laws in Canada are? Support the CPC and we'll change that. Alas this golden high profile opportunity just slipped through their fingers.

Best guess? Federal Politics is the first forum in the list. Many posts get dumped here that shouldn't be.

This is a good thing. It's utterly impractical for NATO forces to stay there indefinitely and if we don't train the Afghan troops to stand on their own, then the entire mission will have been for nothing. Granted Karzai is probably one of the most corrupt politicians and I doubt he'll last long after NATO pulls out. That is if he doesn't decide to make good on his threat to join the Taliban. Overall 90 additional troops aren’t really that many, and their purpose is a good one. Train the Afghan army and police to handle their own affairs and maintain order without NATO assistance. Perhaps then some semblance of order and stability can be brought to the region. I guess the question is can the corrupt administrators of this budding "democracy" keep things running smoothly after we leave?

I was agreeing with her. She's pointed out on several occassions in this thread how absurd many of the postings are. Sarcasm doesn't always translate very well in the written medium I suppose.

See now you went ahead and ruined a perfectly good thread that is full of baseless and broad assumptions with your insistence on applying logic and research. For shame.

As I understand it the manufacturers sales tax was passed on to the consumers anyway in the pricing of their products. The advantage of the GST is that at least now we know how much we're being taxed whereas before the tax was "hidden" in the price.

I see, so rather than offering well thought out counter arguments you simply call it stupid. Because you say it is stupid, in spite of arguments to the contrary, it must be so, Abe Lincoln once said "To say a sheep has five legs does not make it so." He was likely just being stupid as well.