Post Election Canada

[jdobbin]

His wife was just elected as a conservative MP. That is actually what settles the issue for me. If Cadman's wife really believed that something unethical occurred she would have abandoned the party - she didn't.

Really. Being elected settles all legal issues.

[Who's Doing What?]

So are you equating offers to cover campaign debts with handing out money in a Montreal restaurant and building innumerable canoe museums in Shawinigate, complete with golf courses and leaning on bank managers to give a dicey loan, to the point of getting him fired?

There's a need for some perspective here...

The only people saying the offer was to cover campaign expenses are the CPC. Cadman's wife said it was a $1 million life insurance policy. Which makes sense because Cadman knew he was close to death, and if the govt. had fallen and he died during an election campaign his family would not have recieved the benifits awarded to an MP. Covering his campaign expenses would be nothing.

I see little difference between what the CPC did and what Chretien and the Libs did in Quebec.

[Who's Doing What?]

An offer to cover your election expenses is hardly a reward.

But it is a reward nonetheless. If you believe that is all they offered.

Here, have another glass of kool-aid.

[jdobbin]

A very honest post jdobbin. With many plausible theories.

Thank you.

When I wrote it, I thought the Liberals were headed on freight train to the basement. I was fairly accurate about where the NDP would be. Dead on about the Greens.

My prediction that the economy would be a major issue for the Tories came true sooner than anyone guessed. That, and a few Tory missteps, probably prevented the Tories from taking 40 more Liberal seats.

As for the Bloc: They did indeed come up with fewer seats but seem to have found some relevance for themselves in the election. In other posts, I have called them the New York Islanders of politics (hearkening back to the days of Nystrom). They know how to perform in a campaign.

Has the BQ morphed into a post-Nationalist party geared to getting the best results for Quebec rather than separation? Well, until they get a new PQ government and referendum on the table in Quebec that is what they will need to avoid extinction. I am still not convinced Duceppe will remain as leader. if the next election is in 6 months, he may go again. If it drags on, possibly not.

I said the BQ might go extinct. At the moment, Harper has given them new life.

The Liberals are proceeding with first step of four to recovery. The party might still go bankrupt based on finances. That will be the second step hurdle to overcome. The third step will be to rebuild the organization. A Liberal leadership campaign often brings in new members, new people. This will have to happen in all 308 ridings. The last step will be policy. The Liberals need a policy convention and ideas coming from all sources and not just in Canada.

I said the Liberals might be shattered after the election. They are. Harper put the knife in but he couldn't turn it several times before the economy weakened his argument that the worst appeared to be over for the markets. He was put on his heels just when he was stampeding to a majority. An outside issue breathed new life into the Liberal prospects and might continue to do so.

As mentioned, the Greens won no seats. They may win a future byelection. The Liberals can't afford to be kind to the Greens next time. In other words, the courtesy of not running a candidate against the leader cannot be extended again. And criticism of the Green platform and ideas will be much more direct.

As for the NDP. They are still a voice for the protest vote in many cases. Of all the campaigns, theirs was the best run and most scripted. It still fell short of what Broadbent did. I don't think Layton will be in trouble until we see the results of the next election.

[Riverwind]

Really. Being elected settles all legal issues.

It tells me that there is no substance to the claims.

[jdobbin]

It tells me that there is no substance to the claims.

Because the ambitions of the wife trump her statement that her husband says he was offered a $1 million insurance policy?

I think that it is going to take more than an election for a judge to award $3.5 million to Harper, don't you?

[Riverwind]

Because the ambitions of the wife trump her statement that her husband says he was offered a $1 million insurance policy?

Since she was the source of that claim that means she is either retracting the claim or has good reason to believe that she misunderstood was Cadman was talking about. You cannot build a case based on the testimony of a witness who has since demonstrated that she does not believe her own testimony. This is logic 101.

The wife's ambitions have nothing to do with it. She probably could have run for any party or as an independent and won so you can't argue she needed the conservative support.

The lesser claim of election expenses makes as much sense as accusing someone of driving 10 kn/h over the speed limit in Montreal - it might be wrong in a strictly legal sense but it is not the kind of activity that was intended to be prosecuted by the law and it is unfair to signal out a single driver when all do it.

[jdobbin]

Since she was the source of that claim that means she is either retracting the claim or has good reason to believe that she misunderstood was Cadman was talking about. You cannot build a case based on the testimony of a witness who has since demonstrated that she does not believe her own testimony. This is logic 101.

She hasn't back away from her statement though and verified it before a court reporter. Do you have a statement from her denying what she said previously or for the trial now?

The wife's ambitions have nothing to do with it. She probably could have run for any party or as an independent and won so you can't argue she needed the conservative support.

I'm not so certain of your claim being accurate at all.

The lesser claim of election expenses makes as much sense as accusing someone of driving 10 kn/h over the speed limit in Montreal - it might be wrong in a strictly legal sense but it is not the kind of activity that was intended to be prosecuted by the law and it is unfair to signal out a single driver when all do it.

The election expenses is the Tory defence line. An insurance policy was not election expenses though.

[Riverwind]

She hasn't back away from her statement though and verified it before a court reporter. Do you have a statement from her denying what she said previously or for the trial now?

When it comes to trial she could not rationally support her previous statements. Most likely she will say that she thought he husband said something like that but she has no idea who he was talking to or whether she remembered his statment correctly. BTW - criminal trials require beyond reasonable doubt. it is obvious that Cadman has reasonable doubt so there is no reason to believe that a court would find any differently given the the fact there is no evidence beyond Cadman's word.

I'm not so certain of your claim being accurate at all.

Because you don't want it to be true. Chuck Cadman won as an independent and the media story that would have accompanied any break from the conservatives would have certainly got her elected as a independent too.

[jdobbin]

When it comes to trial she could not rationally support her previous statements. Most likely she will say that she thought he husband said something like that but she has no idea who he was talking to or whether she remembered his statment correctly. BTW - criminal trials require beyond reasonable doubt. it is obvious that Cadman has reasonable doubt so there is no reason to believe that a court would find any differently given the the fact there is no evidence beyond Cadman's word.

She has already made her statement to the court. It supports her statement from earlier on.

Do you have evidence that she is going back to the court to change that story?

Because you don't want it to be true. Chuck Cadman won as an independent and the media story that would have accompanied any break from the conservatives would have certainly got her elected as a independent too.

I don't have any indication one way or the other. You seem certain. Are you a local resident?