fellowtraveller

Black has nothing to worry about, he has hired Paul Coffins lawyer. At worst, a few lectures about ethics, a contrite look for a few months, then back to the Caymans and a lifetime with Barbara. Wait, maybe that cell doesn't look so bad after all......

Oh, our lad Chuck did far worse than that. He has unbounded energy for a plump middle aged civil servant. But don't take my word for it, you're going to hear it every day from the Liberal campaign strategists.

Who is 'we'? One of the least understood (by the ROC) bits of fallout of the last few years, and capped by Gomery, is that simulataneously there is nobody credible on the federalists side to speak to Quebec, while there are ever- fewer people listening in Quebec to the federalist message. This is the main 'legacy ' of M. Chretien. At the moment and for the foreseeable future, there is nobody to speak for Canada. The Liberals are discredited at the worst possible time, and the Tories and NDP are irrelevant in Quebec. Meanwhile, the final pieces of the puzzle are falling into place for the separatists. If the PQ handle their young, energetic, photogenic new leader properly - the trend to separatism must become a juggernaut. I noticed they have already made one clever move - Boisclair will not be running in the upcoming byelections, even though a safe seat is available. Good move by the PQ, he won't have to endure the trial by fire of the National Assembly until it is time to take control.

Chuck Guite is the Lone Gunman. All the rest is simply unwarranted persecution by the power - mad Tories.

The speech in the link is an astonishingly frank and political speech at that level. I'm surprised.

Just imagine what our country would look like if we were not spending $27 billion every year on interest payments on the national debt. $27 billion. Every year. Hey, we could ask Alberta how it looks.

If I could I'd vote for the plant, the bastard couldn't run away and hide when the questions get tough. I've heard that Pixelle is a bit of a whiner.

Fiscal belief #1 of the NDP: there is a bottomless supply of taxpayers money to pay for whatever social programs you want. Even if the supply runs out, there is always credit. No wait, that is a Liberal fiscal belief.... It's all so confusing.

Supose Michael DOESN'T win the "Beautiful Minds" competition .... who else is waiting in the wings? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> My money is on Frank McKenna, with Brian Tobin as a dark horse. Win or lose, Martin is gone. He has way way too much baggage now, and he is also getting too old at 67.

Canada is run from the PMO, not from the House of Commons. The Green Party could elect 50 MPs and it wouldn't make any difference in government policy.

You can be sure Layton is also talking to Martin privately about which Cabinet seats the NDP will get in a Lib-NDP coalition. Martin is gone gone gone soon after the election.

Is it true that 20% of the provincial revenue stream in Maintoba comes from equalization payments? Are Manitoba citizens proud of this dependence, and of the government that delivers it?

I've lived in many places in Canada, and visited most of the rest, and Saskatchewan is the most racist place in Canada in my experience. All directed at First Nations people of course. Alberta has rednecks, Vancouver has hate-the Asians covens, Ontario has hate -the-immigrant sectors- but SK takes first prize easily. Too bad really, the people were uber friendly to me, as white as a fishbelly. I was saddened to learn that my skin colour mattered that much.

A couple of questions: When is the Quebec election? I know it is planned for 2007, but when in the year is likely? Can Charest delay it for a few months or a year? As I understand it, all the PQ leadership contenders are committed to a unilateral declaration indepence via a quick referendum. How soon after the election is that likely?

We're all just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Canada has many high quality jobs dependent on the NA auto industry, which is in a major downward spiral with no end in sight. We can expect major US government intervention soon, and it will no doubt involve less jobs for Canada, more jobs for the USA. That protectionism will inevitably affect Canadian operations for Japanese carbuilders, since their plants in Canda mainly serve the US market, not ours. Buzz doesn't want to talk about that, or add it it to his plan though.

It is not the end of politcs, but Canada has long been a country that is run by the Prime Ministers Office. It is that simple. Not only are the Opposition Parties and the Senate irrelevant, the rank and file of Liberal MPs serve only to rubber stamp the decsions made by the PMO. The possibility of federal reform is made imposssible by the structure of our much ballyhooed Constitution, and reinforced by the unwillingness of Ontario and Quebec to initiate reform, each for different and selfish reasons. Our country is now passing, largely unnoticed, into the realm of separation. Quebec will be gone within 24 months, perhaps less. The aftermath will be the next opportunity for major reform of the leftovers. The sad part is that we have no federalist national leadership, none, that will even identify this as a looming issue. They are too busy arguing about election dates, and we can expect Mr. Martin and his opponents to spend their time in the campaign arguing the details of things that do not matter. Nero fiddles while Rome burns........

Conservative -Bloc? Never happen. The Bloc typically is interested in economic agendas that specifically benefit Quebec, actually agendas that favour Quebec. In reality, at this point in time, the Bloc would favour agendas that do not favour Quebec since they are the quickest route to independence. The Bloc must take advantage of Gomery and a series of weak federal govts and weak federal leaders. The timing could not be better. In knowing this, the Tories cannot be seen to be playing footsie with the Bloc, it would poison them forever. Really they have little in common anyway. It is true that the Tories favour decentralization, but they want it for all provinces while old line Quebec wants autonomy/favoured staus only for Quebec, not for everybody. New line Quebec just wants out, and the Bloc is certainly in that camp. IMO, Martin is gone gone gone in the spring no matter what happens in this election.

This made me laugh out loud. How pathetically true and insanely Canadian is that comment? The worst thing is : it will probably work.

It will end up with fewer Liberals, more Tories, more NDP, more Bloc and a formal NDP-Liberal coalition government that can cheer on the sidelines while Quebec does their swan song in Canada. The Tories can only gain a minority at best, have no coaltion partners, and will generate another election soon after. Lib-NDP coalition.

I agree, except that this time the Libs will have fewer seats, the NDP will have more and we may have an actual coalition, with some NDP Cabinet Ministers. It is unlikely that the CPC can form any alliances with any Party, and their life as a minority would be short and cruel. All of this of course plays totally into the Bloc/PQ hands. They must be dazed with wonderment at all this manna from heaven. Best of all, they face a trio of weak and crippled 'federalist' parties for the foreseeable future. Bye bye Quebec. Let the handwringing begin.

Canada has always had two levels of health care, defined on economic lines. Absolutely nothing prevents any Canadian with $ from going to the US, Europe or more recently Asia to obtain major treatment or surgery. For many years Iraq was a place to buy a new kidney (cost about $25K US, excellent private hospitals). None of that will change , no matter what, unless Layton gets his wish and reduces everybody and everything to the lowest common denominator. Crap care for everybody is his solution. Many countries have two tier care. France has user pay fees(extra billing) and a two tier system and it works well, generally acknowledged as one of the best in the world. The UK has a two tier system, and the public system is lousy. There are so many variants, the question as posed has little meaning.

Well, them's the facts. He is certainly not trusted by his Opposition 'partners', and for good reason. It's his call. Layton has a lot at stake now. If he ends up dealing with Martin now and supporting the government - as he so very desperately wants to do- it will cost him in the April election.

I agree that a Liberal win will give even more impetus to a referendum and separation. My prediction is that there won't be an election until after the final Gomery report, because the Libs will make a deal, any deal, with the NDP to reatin power/delay. . They can always back out of any deals anyway. And if we don't vote until April - the Liberals will win at least a minority, with only a couple of seats in Quebec. It depends on where you think we are in the process of establsihing an independent Qubec. I think we are well into it, and indeed approaching the endgame and still accelerating.

Smiling Jack is really saying " We won't support the Liberals in a confidence motion unless....... they roll over and play dead, again" And you know the Liberals will debase themselves in whatever way is necessary to delay an election long enough to lull the voters into another Liberal /NDP minority. So, Duceppe and Harper are doing exactly what any sane person would do : not trust Jack Layton. Note that Layton has not said: "we intend to introduce a motion of non-confidence at the earliest opportunity....." He is still dealing with the Liberals, and will chop his Opposition 'partners ' off at the knees without a second thought. It's the only thing that keeps Jack on TV after all.

More pathetic gamesmanship from Smiling Jack. You can't prop up the Liberals while at the same time condemning them for corruption. It demonstrates contempt for the public, and the NDP will pay for that cute little game. link