fellowtraveller

My local Can West newspaper is riddled with spelling mistakes and basic errors in grammar. I doubt that any human reads or edits any of it, except the advertisements, before it is printed.

If you are Canadian and believe such a scenario is possible, it seems to me the sensible thing to do would be to base the missile defences in central Quebec and shoot down the incoming weapon over Hudson Bay (population +/- zero). Of course, you'd have to put up with the curse of somebody else paying you for developing, deploying and maintaining the system on your soil.

I'm speaking in terms of popular vote. The Bloc and NDP are pretty close right now. It's very unlikely IMO that the NDP will do better than 35 seats. The Bloc and Liberals will obviously do much better than that. Libs and Cons fight for majorities. The NDP is, as always, relegated to a fight for survival - though in 2004 they had a real role for the first time on the national stage. It is telling that they have not and will not translate that into any real increase in their popular vote, much less into a big bump in seats. The NDP are praying for a minority, any minority, so they can have some relevance, influence and exposure. If the Cons win a majority, the NDP will be in very major trouble next election as the media will go back to the usual state of ignoring them for four years.

It gets worse. The Liberals will be having a leadership campaign soon, which will suck up any extra dollars that may have gone to the Party, now being donated for several individual leadership bids. People might toss $100 towards the Liberals, but they are not gonna give the same money to both Frank McKenna and the Liberal Party. On the same note, can anybody pleeeaasssse tell me if the Liberal Party has actually paid the $1.14 million they promised to repay over Adscam? Has a cheque to the Receiver General been written?

To say a vote is a wasted vote is insulting to our democractic system and the electorate as whole. Doesn't matter who you vote for, a vote is a citizen's right in a democratic society like Canada and there is never such thing as a wasted vote. And to your assertion that a NDP is wasted vote; this is typical of Conservative and Liberal's scare tactics to stop people from voting NDP. I believe that the NDP is a best alternative to the corrupt Liberals and the right wing agenda of the Conservatives. Fair enough. I had fallen victim to Hargroves contention that it was wasted, that I should vote Liberal. Vote for whomever you please, even if it is wasted on a party that cannot get out of the teens in public support in Canada. It looks possible that the NDP may do better than the Bloc this time though.

I've never seen CAW ads in a Western Newspaper before.

Is this because Quebecois 'hate' Harper? If so, the polls reflect they must really 'hate' the Liberals! No, it's because the time is still right for another referendum. The Bloc will likely increase their Commons seats. People in Quebec are pissed at Canada. Because the PQ have a young, charisamtic leader. Because there will be an election in Quebec next year, and the PQ will likely win. When they do, they'll hold a referendum. They might win. If they win, they'll leave Canada, and leave very quickly indeed. That is why. There are a few 'ifs' in this scenario, starting with the results next Monday. The path is not quite as easy for Duceppe as it was a couple of months ago. But nothing really has changed. Within 12 months, the headlines will be national unity 24/7.

No stress. What I am beginning to feel is a sense of optimism about the future of Canada. Haven't felt that for a while. The most exciting single thing about the likely Tory minority win is the resurgence of federalism, especially in Quebec. Duceppe knows the open road to a referendum handed to him on a platter now has some serious speed bumps.

It just occurred to me that Buzz Hargrove may be a Conservative plant, a mole in the Liberal machine. How else can this stuff be explained? Surely some union members must be realizing that their NDP vote is wasted, their Liberal vote means endorsing the increasingly irrelevant and embarassing Hargrove. What does that leave them?

Unquestionably deliberate , and the proof arrived on my doorstep this morning. The front section of the newspaper has a large anti-Harper ad from the Canadian Auto Workers. It's filled with the usual hysterical nonsense, about what you'd expect. No doubt the comments from Hargrove yesterday were intended as an opening salvo, an introduction to the end game. No doubt the massive ego of Hargrove forced him to stray from the script yet again. No doubt poor Martin is yanking what little hair remains on his aged head, mumbling 'Buzz, deliver the message and then shut up!'. Buzz Hargrove is the new Sheila Copps. All mouth, no brain.

I agree for the most part with the demSpace numbers, but there will be some variations. I do not think that the Cons will get 6 seats in Quebec, 2 or 3 is more likely, and they may get a few extra in Atlantic Canada. The two will be a wash. I don't think the NDP will get 33 total either, they will lose a couple in Ontario to the Liberals. Ultimately, the Cons will be well short of a majority. The trumpeting of the M word is an old Liberal stunt, usually it works - but not this time. It must take them aback that few of the tried and true tricks are working -this time.

Yes, and the NDP will vote with the CPC on nearly everything for the first few months or longer. I don't think Harper will extort easily. The Liberals will be absorbed by a leadership convention for much of 2006, the Bloc will be preparing for a third referendum, and Layton knows he will be seen in a poor light if he takes Canadians to the polls anytime soon. Fingers will be pointed if we have a third election in three years. Clearish sailing for Mr Harper, for a while. I think Harper may try to narrow the definition of confidence votes by expanding the use of 'free' votes, and perhaps avoid early defeat that way.

Maybe the simplest explanation is the correct one: women are just smarter than men, and avoid politics.

Despite having absolutely prime prime circumstances - a year in the spotlight, a hated Liberal govt, tons of media attention and so on - Layton will still only capture 30 or so seats, still get voter support in the teens. Jack knows this is not good, not good at all. What to do? Bring down the Tories at the earliest opportunity, only to repeat the same result, or huff n' puff for the cameras, then stick around by supporting the CPChich also keeps Jack in the spotlight somewhat. Easy choice for Jack. No choice really. Minimal conditions? Not really.

You can be sure that they will all be subordinate to national unity before the year ends.

Here is the difference: taxpayers pay for only one of these netwroks. Can you guess which one?

Yes, of course, a glimpse at a map or globe illustrates that reality. 'Twas ever so - note the location of the old DEW and Pinetree lines of defence, and the new single line of northern radar/electronic eavesdropping stations. They are almost all, today, in Canada.All it would take for Canada to come out foursquare behind a Ballistic Missile Defence scheme would be the hint of a big contract going to Bombardier.

I think of it from the other side. Mr. Ng already had a valuable friend in government - Valeri- and it was time to reward him for his 'friendship'. It sounds like old Mr. Davis got fair market value for the property, which means it was massively overpriced when Ng bought it.

Isn't that the very foundation of the system in Canada, outside of public hospitals? Every single doctor I've ever known was a private, self-employed deliverer of health care- paid from the public purse. Is that what Layton wants to end?? Does he wish to make all doctors publicly employed and publicly paid?

In reality, Quebec is far and away the leader in services being provioded completely outside the public system. BC and Ontario follow, Alberta is in the middle of the pack. Nobody from Ottawa says much about Quebec because of the asskissing nature of the relationship. The unwarranted invective against Alberta is made out of ignorance and meanness. For the record, Alberta leads the country in public health expenditures per capita, their regional health boards are among the best managed in Canada, they have such groundbreaking initiatives as the recent joint replacement triumph(all within the public system). Like Newbie, I blame Ralph Klein for this.

Anne McLellan, Edmonton Centre. I thought this was finally safe for Landslide Annie, but maybe not now.... Her CPC opponent again is a guy called Laurie Hawn, who is a 30 year Canadian Forces veteran. He is making some hay over the Lberal attack ad featuring the miltary in Canadian cities, going the personal indignation/personal insult route. This has followed a Hawn stunt which features an envelope sent to homes in the riding which has a note inside saying "If this envelope was from the Liberal Party, it would be stuffed with cash". Obnoxious or funny, depends on your perspective..... CPC in a squeaker How is Belinda Stronach doing in her riding?

There has been a strong backlash today in the letters sections of my CanWest rag, normally gungho Liberal supporters. Many letters from veterans, angry at the ad that was not broadcast. They are pissed because they feel their intergrity as Canadians has been challenged, upset that the Libs are implying they are attack dogs to be turned against fellow Canadians at the whim of a Tory govt.

Yet another example, like we needed one, of why provincial/federal relations are so confrontational and often adversarial. The Liberals just cannot help themselves from interfering. "When will you get it thawed out?" Thanks for that Eureka, a couple more moments like that and you'll have me believing in your humanity.

Leafless, by 'votes', I meant that generations of Prime Ministers have done anything and everything to get Quebec to vote for them. They represent 25% of the seats available, and - to an extent not experienced anywhere else in Canada - the electorate of Quebec are aware of the realpolitik of strategic voting. It is not a Constitutional issue, but a practical matter.

Kind of like how Martin refuses to realease the names of the MPs and their ridings in Quebec that received cash payments from the bagmen. Enquiring minds would like to know the litttle amounts that add up to his claim that the Liberal Party of Canada owes taxpayers exactly $1.14 million. This can only work against him. Oh wait, it is working against him. Can't blame him, he does have something to hide.