On many vital issues, the NDP have been on the mark

[madmax]

It nice to know that those more educated, left leaning people still make spelling errors and typos...just like the rest of us.

George Bush was well educated. Not that it did your country any good.

[wyly]

The sky did not come crashing down, but that doesn't mean that the right-wing predictions of less than stellar economic performance, and individual opportunity reduced by committee decision-making/ collective action, were not accurate.

One need only compare Saskatchewan to Alberta to recognize that there are serious up- and down-sides to the choice.

"right-wing predictions of less than stellar economic performance" short memory? who was it that told Canadians in a leaders debate late last year Canada would post a surplus this year? there would be no recession? no deficit? ...ya that was our financial whizz PM....

Alberta has oil that it gave away Sask refused to sell it's oil at give away prices...Sask's conservative government of today was handed a financially sound economy by the preceding NDP government unlike the bankrupt situation the NDP was handed by the conservative Devine years...

"committee decision-making/ collective action", name me a government in Canada of any political party that makes decisions differently?

[wyly]

I love this approach, the righteous arrogance it embodies ensures that the NDP will remain where it has always been, on the fringe and never able to form a national govt. It also overlooks that the 'younger' voters will soon become 'older' voters and abandon the lefty claptrap.

It is also amusing to think of any national party in Canada as being 'right wing'. Centrist is about as close as we get to right.

NDP is always ahead of the curve and always will be, the other parties get dragged along...with each generation our society becomes more socially liberal, more secular and more socialist whether you like it or not, you can't stop it...like the dinosaurs todays conservatives are headed into extinction...today's socialists are tomorrows liberals and today's liberals are tomorrows conservatives...

[Jerry J. Fortin]

The NDP are ahead of the spend tax dollars as fast as you can get your hands on them, that I will grant you. If these folks are so ahead of their time they should have been recognized as visionaries long ago, and they should be in power now. That of course is not the reality.

[wyly]

The NDP are ahead of the spend tax dollars as fast as you can get your hands on them, that I will grant you. If these folks are so ahead of their time they should have been recognized as visionaries long ago, and they should be in power now. That of course is not the reality.

course your claim is not the reality...which federal party has us in debt by billions right now??? which party in alberta spent it's surplus money like there was no tomorrow and now has serious budget problems?

[Molly]

Alberta has oil that it gave away Sask refused to sell it's oil at give away prices...Sask's conservative government of today was handed a financially sound economy by the preceding NDP government unlike the bankrupt situation the NDP was handed by the conservative Devine years...

Yes.... hoard the resources, and gut the communities. As one of those who paid for that financial soundness, I'm quite familiar with the strategies that led to it. I rarely go back to visit, because the destruction is difficult to bear.

[Jerry J. Fortin]

course your claim is not the reality...which federal party has us in debt by billions right now??? which party in alberta spent it's surplus money like there was no tomorrow and now has serious budget problems?

The Conservatives have been mismanaging Alberta's revenues for more than three decades. What is your point?

[Jerry J. Fortin]

Yes.... hoard the resources, and gut the communities. As one of those who paid for that financial soundness, I'm quite familiar with the strategies that led to it. I rarely go back to visit, because the destruction is difficult to bear.

Under the dippers how many citizens left the province? How much business development was there? How much debt was stacked up? Come now, the NDP was elected because the PC's were literally put in jail! They will not vote Liberal, so they got a hybrid party of used to be liberals and wanna be conservatives to form the government.

[wyly]

Yes.... hoard the resources, and gut the communities. As one of those who paid for that financial soundness, I'm quite familiar with the strategies that led to it. I rarely go back to visit, because the destruction is difficult to bear.

hoard the resources lol...it's called getting paid the true value for non renewable resource, and they are getting it now...it's sound business sense...last I heard Sask's economy is still going well and not having the issues alberta has, and they can thank the NDPs financial planning for that...

[Jerry J. Fortin]

hoard the resources lol...it's called getting paid the true value for non renewable resource, and they are getting it now...it's sound business sense...last I heard Sask's economy is still going well and not having the issues alberta has, and they can thank the NDPs financial planning for that...

Alberta's issues stem from expanding infrastructure and improving hospitals and schools. Drive over to Sask. and take a peek for yourself, they are way behind the curve, but there is at least a plan to catch up.

[wyly]

The Conservatives have been mismanaging Alberta's revenues for more than three decades. What is your point?

the point is people accept what ever the media and political party propaganda is spewed out...the NDP is no worse than any other political party for financial management, each is party capable of screwing up...

the NDP in both Sask and Manitoba have both been very financially responsible governments working with what modest resources they have in comparison to alberta's.... Alberta's conservative governments have been financial idiots who only looked good because of massive oil revenue, this recession has revealed what poor money managers they really are...

[wyly]

Alberta's issues stem from expanding infrastructure and improving hospitals and schools. Drive over to Sask. and take a peek for yourself, they are way behind the curve, but there is at least a plan to catch up.

sorry I lived in Sask for many years healthcare is better there...there is no plan to catch up with healthcare here, as King Ralphie said "we have no plan"...there is a medical hiring freeze, we have hospital wards that can not open because they won't hire nurses, we have doctors that cannot practise because there was no money allowed for offices or support staff...nurse training was increased but there are no jobs so the the nurses are leaving the province for work elsewhere...there were plans for more MD training but no staff to train them...that's some plan the cons have put together....

[madmax]

They run because they believe in what they believe in but you have to realize that they can say what they think because they realize on their platforms, they'll never have a chance at winning government because most Canadians are simply not that far left. They can sound more honest than the next guy but to win they've got to run on a Liberal platform.

Erm, the Liberal Platform is usually a direct copy of NDP policy. The LPC hold policy conventions and discuss no policies.

The LPC campaign on the Left and Govern from Centre Right. It has been successful. The problem is clear. Harper now occupies Liberal Turf. While not nearly as fiscally competent as when Martin was Finance Minister, more importantly the LPC drained most of the EI fund, and the CPC had less to give out to their friends and show a balanced budget.

However, the NDP are the most fiscally sound money managers, and that is a fact, including their most useless former Premiers now residing in the LPC poor house for silver spoon socialists.

So, how did the LPC loose this advantage? For one, they elected an IDIOT named DION to lead them, who choose not to borrow from the NDP, but to borrow from the Green Party Platform. All fiscal responsibililty was ignored.

The LPC are now labelled as fiscally stupid and thieves to boot.

The other problem with the LPC campaigning on the NDP platform is that in 13 years, of Majority Government, they continued to Campaign as New Democrats, and Govern as Fiscal Reformers. Thus the money was tight, programs campaigned upon were not delivered and Provinces were short changed.

There is no "Liberal" platform for the NDP to run on.

There is no Liberal platform for the Liberals to run on unless they intend to take if from the CPC or the NDP.

As the article says, the NDP got it right on these issues. There was no reason the other parties couldn't have chosen these positions, other then they disagreed with them.

[Guest RossP]

I think he implying that media is on this Harper bandwagon to blame everyone but Harper for the election. So when Harper refusing to give anything he should be blamed for the election not the other parties but the media refusing to say that.

It should be pinned on Harper - no?

[punked]

It should be pinned on Harper - no?

I think when he works and gives the other parties something he gave the NDP on EI no it shouldn't. I think when he freezes the other parties out in a minority it should. I am all for parliament working.