How the Conservatives will win their majority

Born Free · February 2, 2009

What you call "far right" is to the left of center in the U.S.

Interesting. Can you give us some examples?

Jerry J. Fortin · February 2, 2009

If Harper wants a majority, he has several avenues to approach the problem from. The best choice in my opinion s through an appeal to the people, offering them their own money to keep in the form of tax reductions. While on that route he needs to decentralize government and empower the provincial governments.

Harper needs to tell the people why the cost of government is so high, and tell the people how he plans to reduce those costs. Harper needs to begin a phase of deconstructing the power structure of Ottawa and transferring powers and authorities onto the provinces just to reduce the cost of the federal government, those expenses will have to be transferred to the provinces as well and be deemed to be simply the price you pay for greater independence. Harper needs to redesign the federal government to simply function as the heart and soul of our government, not the arms and legs. Foreign policies and defense are the place to hang his hat. Harper can get out of the domestic firestorm with all its attending pitfalls by undertaking this journey.

There needs to be any constitutional debate, just executive orders to initiate these forms of changes. Leave the government in charge of setting appropriate benchmarks and leave the provinces the right to manage. The federal government needs to reorganize itself as a board of directors instead of managing operations.

Should Harper choose to take a step back, he may find himself taking leaps forward.

jbg · February 2, 2009

What hasn't worked? Perhaps it's that a province with barely 10% of the nation's population is unable to impose it's made in Republican Washington agenda on a far too enlightened citizenry. We've had our 3 year respite of Alberta wannabes, it's time to get back on track.

Is your main recourse, when you're losing an argument, to attack Washington and the U.S. Republican Party?

Perhaps the Liberal record, which has brought to the surface all kinds of divisive and expensive issues concerning language and separation could use a look too. Time to get back on track. It will take more than 3 years of minority government to clean up the mess.

blueblood · February 2, 2009

Is your main recourse, when you're losing an argument, to attack Washington and the U.S. Republican Party?
Perhaps the Liberal record, which has brought to the surface all kinds of divisive and expensive issues concerning language and separation could use a look too. Time to get back on track. It will take more than 3 years of minority government to clean up the mess.

Yup that province with the best 10% of the population, and with one of the best finances in the western hemisphere. How about the rest of Canada steps up to be as good as Alberta instead of holding Alberta back?

Smallc · February 2, 2009

How about the rest of Canada steps up to be as good as Alberta instead of holding Alberta back?

Sure, all we'll need is natural gas, oil, abundant farm land, and massive natural tourist destinations.

blueblood · February 2, 2009

Sure, all we'll need is natural gas, oil, abundant farm land, and massive natural tourist destinations.

ROC has sufficient farmland, tourist destinations, some other parts even have oil and natural gas. Here's what Alberta doesn't have; mining, manufacturing, population, proximity to the massive US population, hydro/nuclear power, and deepwater ocean ports. Your telling me with all those advantages, the rest of canada still needs Albertan help to get by? Time for the ROC to pick up its boots.

Smallc · February 2, 2009

ROC has sufficient farmland, tourist destinations, some other parts even have oil and natural gas.

Alberta has huge amounts of farmland...more than any other province (except maybe Saskatchewan). Other provinces couldn't make near the money from that sector no matter what they did.

Except for BC, Alberta probably has a larger tourist potential than any other province. It helps to have the rocky mountains and the badlands...and all of the other things that they have.

Yes, other parts of Canada have oil and natural gas, but not in the numbers of Alberta (except for BC when it comes to gas...and they aren't doing so bad either). Its funny, when you look at the have provinces, aside from Ontario (they'll be have again, no doubt), they have all gotten where they are with either oil or natural gas.

Smallc · February 2, 2009

Your telling me with all those advantages, the rest of canada still needs Albertan help to get by?

Ontario, BC, SK, and N & L don't. There will always be provinces above the line and below the line....otherwise it wouldn't be an average.

Born Free · February 2, 2009

How about the rest of Canada steps up to be as good as Alberta instead of holding Alberta back?

Back from what?

Born Free · February 2, 2009

Is your main recourse, when you're losing an argument, to attack Washington and the U.S. Republican Party?
Perhaps the Liberal record, which has brought to the surface all kinds of divisive and expensive issues concerning language and separation could use a look too. Time to get back on track. It will take more than 3 years of minority government to clean up the mess.

Maybe its time you stop yer bitching about how horrible it is for you to be part of the Commonwealth and do what those dastardly folks who speak French have been saying for so many years.....

Alta4ever · February 2, 2009

Ontario, BC, SK, and N & L don't. There will always be provinces above the line and below the line....otherwise it wouldn't be an average.

Because of the socialist governments that they elect.

By you measure of resource wealth Sask should be an economic juggernaut. Potash, vast amounts of farmland and fresh water. Uranium, not to metion the reserves of Natural gas and oil that rival albertas. So why again were they on the receiving end of socialist equalization payments for so long? Might have something to do witht he welfare mentality the socialist governments of the past. A couple of years under a conservative, Brad wall and wow, they are very close to leading the country in economic growth.

jbg · February 2, 2009

Except for BC, Alberta probably has a larger tourist potential than any other province. It helps to have the rocky mountains and the badlands...and all of the other things that they have.

Toronto, Montreal and Quebec are world-class tourist cities.

blueblood · February 2, 2009

Alberta has huge amounts of farmland...more than any other province (except maybe Saskatchewan). Other provinces couldn't make near the money from that sector no matter what they did.
Except for BC, Alberta probably has a larger tourist potential than any other province. It helps to have the rocky mountains and the badlands...and all of the other things that they have.

Yes, other parts of Canada have oil and natural gas, but not in the numbers of Alberta (except for BC when it comes to gas...and they aren't doing so bad either). Its funny, when you look at the have provinces, aside from Ontario (they'll be have again, no doubt), they have all gotten where they are with either oil or natural gas.

Alberta's farmland is garbage. Ontario has a much more profitable ag sector than Alberta and has better land. Same with Quebec. PEI has a respectable AG sector as well, so does BC.

My point exactly, if Ontario can make it without oil and gas, why can't the rest? Having oil and gas is irrelevant. NFLD had oil and gas for a long time and it was a basket case. MB has oil and it's still on the dole. NS has oil, still on the dole. Given ON and PQ's advantages, they should be eclipsing Alberta in economic terms.

Argus · February 2, 2009

Calling me ignorant gets you no brownie points. It would appear that you arent aware what would be involved in getting it removed from the Constitution or the ramifications of such a move. Nor do you seem to have any sense of history in this country.

I call em as I see em, and clearly you don't know what official bilingualism entails, nor what is or is not in the constitution. Hint. I am not speaking about the government providing services to English and French Canadians in the language of their choice. That makes up about 1% of Official Bilingualism and its associated costs.

It means exactly what it says. Those two items were put to bed years ago. Think of it like the ice age. Harper also knows it too. I dont like him but I also know he isnt stupid either. As for same sex rights, you homophobic reformer types just dont get it...you live in the past.

You know, if you were smarter you would have recognized that I wasn't, in essence, talking about making major chanages, merely the fact that the lefties, like you, simply dismiss as "extreme" any ideas which contradict their world view, even if 30%, 40% or more of the population supports them. It's that utter disdain for the idea that such folks ought to even enjoy ANY representation, the sheer, unadulterated arrogance for differing viewpoints that represents, which makes the lockstep of the federal parties so irritating to so many people. You think you're so much more socially advanced than anyone else, although, for the most part, yet your contempt for the foundations of democracy makes it clear just how small, and narrow is your world view.

Argus · February 2, 2009

Interesting. Can you give us some examples?

Well, Bill Clinton wanted a constitutional amendment to make sure gay marriage never got legalized...

Smallc · February 2, 2009

Because of the socialist governments that they elect.
By you measure of resource wealth Sask should be an economic juggernaut.

Its only in the last few years that they've started to be able to access the oil, that prices made it worth while. Saskatchewan is on its way up....because of resource revenue. Oh, and I wouldn't really call the Saskatchewan NDP socialist.....same as the Manitoba NDP.

Edited February 2, 2009 by Smallc

Smallc · February 2, 2009

NFLD had oil and gas for a long time and it was a basket case. MB has oil and it's still on the dole.

Only got access to most of it recently in the case of N & L. Manitoba still only makes about 22 000 barrels a day...not much....it takes time to ramp up the oil operations. To say that Alberta is rich because of almost anything but oil and natural gas is compltely ignoring facts. Its not some conservative saviour that has brought them to where they are now.

Edited February 2, 2009 by Smallc

ToadBrother · February 2, 2009

Yup that province with the best 10% of the population, and with one of the best finances in the western hemisphere. How about the rest of Canada steps up to be as good as Alberta instead of holding Alberta back?

This bizarre idea that Alberta somehow has this high-flying economy because the Tories keep getting re-elected is so bloody bizarre. When the price of oil is high, Albertans could wipe their a$$es with dollar bills and still have money to burn. But we'll see if the price of oil remains depressed for any length of time, and I guarantee you that the shine will come off the Alberta economy. Alberta lives or dies by the price of oil.

blueblood · February 2, 2009

Only got access to most of it recently in the case of N & L. Manitoba still only makes about 22 000 barrels a day...not much....it takes time to ramp up the oil operations. To say that Alberta is rich because of almost anything but oil and natural gas is compltely ignoring facts. Its not some conservative saviour that has brought them to where they are now.

That's not what saskatchewan thinks. After tossing out the NDP its good time charlie!

Saying that Alberta has good books only because of oil is completely denying facts. Ontario and Quebec better step up to the plate. Ontario and PQ could use a conservative savior right about now.

blueblood · February 2, 2009

This bizarre idea that Alberta somehow has this high-flying economy because the Tories keep getting re-elected is so bloody bizarre. When the price of oil is high, Albertans could wipe their a$$es with dollar bills and still have money to burn. But we'll see if the price of oil remains depressed for any length of time, and I guarantee you that the shine will come off the Alberta economy. Alberta lives or dies by the price of oil.

SK has oil, why did it take so long to join the fat cats club?

I think oil has hit the floor along with the other commodities

Edited February 2, 2009 by blueblood

jdobbin · February 2, 2009

SK has oil, why did it take so long to join the fat cats club?

In part because oil wasn't always as high as it was last year.

Also, it took quite a while to sort out the devastation leftover by the PCs.

Smallc · February 2, 2009

That's not what saskatchewan thinks. After tossing out the NDP its good time charlie!

The good times started under the NDP in SK.

blueblood · February 2, 2009

The good times started under the NDP in SK.

The NDP did a horrible job of advancing their economy. Any rigger will tell you that Alberta had the better system for exploiting oil. SK was pulling ahead in spite of the NDP. Had a centre right party been in during the late 90's, SK would be rivaling Alberta.