Ignatieff vaults Liberals into tie with Tories: poll

[Barts]

Except the Liberals have fools like Justin Trudeau and Pablo Rodriquez as MP's.

Still no LPC votes from this cowboy, the CPC still appeal to me.

Are there no fools in the CPC? Harper comes to mind. He's put his party in the position of being at the mercy of the Opposition for no good reason. Seems to be almost a definition of a fool, wouldn't you agree?

Edited January 9, 2009 by Barts

[Smallc]

Except the Liberals have fools like Justin Trudeau and Pablo Rodriquez as MP's.

Because there are no fools in the Conservative party, right? I already know how I will vote in the next election, baring some strange turn of events.

[blueblood]

Are there no fools in the CPC? Harper comes to mind. He's put his party in the position of being at the mercy of the Opposition for no good reason. Seems to be almost a definition of a fool, wouldn't you agree?

That's funny because Ignatieff is trying his damndest to get as far away from the coalition as possible. Harper may be arrogant, but he is definetely no fool. Harper puts himself in positions where he comes out ahead no matter what the opposition does.

IMO the Liberals have bigger fools than the CPC, hence my voting intentions.

[blueblood]

Because there are no fools in the Conservative party, right? I already know how I will vote in the next election, baring some strange turn of events.

Coming from Waterhen and living in Winnipeg I wouldn't be surprised.

[ToadBrother]

That's funny because Ignatieff is trying his damndest to get as far away from the coalition as possible. Harper may be arrogant, but he is definetely no fool. Harper puts himself in positions where he comes out ahead no matter what the opposition does.

IMO the Liberals have bigger fools than the CPC, hence my voting intentions.

Yes, this explains why Harper had to run like a little kid to the GG to prevent his fall.

You're talking BS that isn't borne out by what happened and by what's happening now. He's going to put out a budget so full of largesse that even Layton will go "Yeah, that's the ticket!"

[Smallc]

Coming from Waterhen and living in Winnipeg I wouldn't be surprised.

I come from a very Conservative and hard working family. As I said, if you've been to Waterhen, you've most likely been to my parents business. Most people in my family will not agree with me.

I am a middle of the road person for the most part. I like compromise. I like a lot of conservative things as well as liberal things (although I admit that there are probably more liberal things about me).

[jdobbin]

I disagree for the reason that as Prime Minister, Ignatieff would have all the levers of power necessary to maintain party discipline and increase party support.

I was referring to whether Ignatieff had won over Dion. I think he would have still faced some leadership issues.

I was not referring to an election thereafter.

[Melanie_]

Except the Liberals have fools like Justin Trudeau and Pablo Rodriquez as MP's.

Funny, I was just thinking the same thing about the Conservatives. Rod Bruinooge comes to mind - and since he is currently my MP, I won't be voting Conservative (OK, I probably wouldn't anyway, but Bruinooge has done nothing to garner my vote).

[jdobbin]

Still no LPC votes from this cowboy, the CPC still appeal to me.

I can't imagine you voting for any other party.

[jdobbin]

Rod Bruinooge comes to mind - and since he is currently my MP, I won't be voting Conservative (OK, I probably wouldn't anyway, but Bruinooge has done nothing to garner my vote).

I think if it had been known that he was going to push the abortion agenda in the last election, he might have lost.

[Melanie_]

His abortion agenda is certainly a factor for me, although not the only issue I disagree with him on. But the idea of him chairing a secretive all party caucus doesn't sit well with me - who else is on this caucus, and how much priority does this issue have for him? Presumably, if he is chair, he is devoting time to a personal agenda rather than representing the interests of South Winnipeg on issues that actually have a chance of seeing the light of day.

[blueblood]

Funny, I was just thinking the same thing about the Conservatives. Rod Bruinooge comes to mind - and since he is currently my MP, I won't be voting Conservative (OK, I probably wouldn't anyway, but Bruinooge has done nothing to garner my vote).

Bruinooge should be punted for opening this can of worms. The last thing the party needs is going back to the scary scary nonsense.

[blueblood]

I think if it had been known that he was going to push the abortion agenda in the last election, he might have lost.

Considering his riding consists of the UofM, the last thing the tories need in such a toss up riding is an uber religious idealist such as him.

[gordiecanuk]

The greater problem is that there is no way to tell who these people truly are until they govern from a majority.

I actually prefer minority governments...majorities lead to scandal and abuse, we need only look to Adscam with the Libs under Chretien/Martin and enevelopes stuffed with $$$$ with Mulroney and the Tories.

A majority might give us some rest from voting every year...but that's a small price to pay for effective government.

[gordiecanuk]

Bruinooge should be punted for opening this can of worms. The last thing the party needs is going back to the scary scary nonsense.

Active Christian church goers voted overwhelmingly Conservative in the last election...and they expect to have their issues addressed. Harper may realize that its electoral suicide to touch issues like abortion and same sex marriage in a minority situation...but not all his followers and MPs are as politically astute. For many its not about politics but about right and wrong.

[jdobbin]

A majority might give us some rest from voting every year...but that's a small price to pay for effective government.

Has it been effective? We are headed for a deficit in part because of overspending the past two years.

[gordiecanuk]

Has it been effective? We are headed for a deficit in part because of overspending the past two years.

I don't think it was overspending so much, but misguided and ultimately meaningless cuts in the GST. For most Canadians it meant a couple pennies saved at Tim Horton's...for those making big ticket purchases, okay it could mean hundreds or thousands, but for the majority of ordinary Candians it meant bupkiss.

Regardless though...I think it would have been worse with a majority.

[capricorn]

I actually prefer minority governments...majorities lead to scandal and abuse, we need only look to Adscam with the Libs under Chretien/Martin and enevelopes stuffed with $$$$ with Mulroney and the Tories.

Only in a majority position does a government show its true colours. If Canadians don't like what they see and get, they work up the fortitude to defeat that government. Voters are more astute than what they are given credit for.

A majority might give us some rest from voting every year...but that's a small price to pay for effective government.

I don't believe that all majority governments are corrupt. Being a capricorn, I am the eternal optimist.

[jdobbin]

I don't think it was overspending so much, but misguided and ultimately meaningless cuts in the GST.

The Parliamentary Budget Officer blamed both GST cuts and spending.

Regardless though...I think it would have been worse with a majority.

For a Tory government you might be right.

The Liberals would probably have had a large budget surplus cushion.

[blueblood]

The Parliamentary Budget Officer blamed both GST cuts and spending.

For a Tory government you might be right.

The Liberals would probably have had a large budget surplus cushion.

Not from PMPM's massive promises in the 06 election...

[jdobbin]

Not from PMPM's massive promises in the 06 election...

Perhaps. Hard to say if it would have burned through as much revenue as the Tory tax cuts and spending.

Edited January 10, 2009 by jdobbin

[blueblood]

Perhaps. Hard to say if it would have burned through as mush revenue as the Tory tax cuts and spending.

That will be one of life's little mysteries...

[normanchateau]

Harper may be arrogant, but he is definetely no fool. Harper puts himself in positions where he comes out ahead no matter what the opposition does.

Whether or not he is a fool, he is definitely stupid.

In the 2007 federal budget, he promised Quebec an extra $3 billion per year annually in social programs, infrastructure and equalization payments. He squandered the surplus and furiously shovelled money from the rest of Canada into the pockets of Quebecers such that Charest was able to lower provincial income taxes. Duceppe voted for the billions-to-Quebec budget, Layton and Dion opposed it.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/stor...me=&no_ads=

Harper then called a $300 million election for October 2008 and with incredibly stupid timing decided to cut the $4 billion per year Canadian federal arts budget by a paltry 1% with cuts which had the greatest impact on Quebec, handing Duceppe political manna with a bogus arts funding issue. Harper's timing for the trivial arts cuts, given that he pulled the plug on his own government and chose the date of the election, could not have been dumber.

Effectively, he completely wasted the billions annually that he threw at Quebec in 2007 at the expense of the rest of Canada.

Let's look at your side-splitting claim that "Harper puts himself in positions where he comes out ahead no matter what the opposition does." Now that Ignatieff has replaced Dion (thanks entirely to Harper's stupidity in December) and CPC remains saddled with the nitwit Harper for at least one more election, here are the party standings in Quebec as of yesterday:

Liberals 39%

Bloc Quebecois 29%

CPC 17%

NDP 14%

http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianp...JQi36UAZwZ1gQDw

In the past 50 years, only one Conservative Prime Minister has won majorities. Brian Mulroney did so by winning in Quebec. Stephen Harper has lost the trust of most Quebecers just as past Liberal leaders lost the trust of most westerners. It's time for CPC to pull the plug on the incompetent Harper just as LPC pulled the plug on Dion.

[Jerry J. Fortin]

So overall the party is making gains. There is still the other side of the equation and that is leadership. This latest poll still gives moral support for Harper. I expect Iggy to be planning a little public relations exercise. Whenever Harper speaks I think that the Iggy staff folks will have a response delivered to the press.

[Topaz]

I think until Iggy has put himself out there and show his, (Lib) ways and not the Tories ways, voters will set on the fence to make up their minds about him and watch and wait. The negative side is, his view on Iraq and his closeness to the US as Harper has. Iggy has to keep showing voters he's 100% Canadian something Harper hasn't done.