Harper spends ONE BILLION in ONE week.

[Topaz]

The PM has been busy in his week off from Parliament, busy...spending one billion and 504 mil of going to Quebec. Ontario and Quebec Harper is spending in hope to buy the voters. Some of it is new money, some of it,they say , was planned for, but who really knows? The Tories haven't change and if we are in another war, economy still not back, this is very immature on Harper part to go spending. This is definitely about HIM and the election, id it comes. http://www.timescolonist.com/life/Conservatives+announce+worth+funding+week/4472072/story.html

[GostHacked]

The PM has been busy in his week off from Parliament, busy...spending one billion and 504 mil of going to Quebec. Ontario and Quebec Harper is spending in hope to buy the voters. Some of it is new money, some of it,they say , was planned for, but who really knows? The Tories haven't change and if we are in another war, economy still not back, this is very immature on Harper part to go spending. This is definitely about HIM and the election, id it comes. http://www.timescolonist.com/life/Conservatives+announce+worth+funding+week/4472072/story.html

Probably the only way to suck up to Quebec to get votes in the upcoming election. An attempt to get enough votes for a majority government.

[GWiz]

Probably the only way to suck up to Quebec to get votes in the upcoming election. An attempt to get enough votes for a majority government.

While I think a CON majority has gone pretty much out the window it's also simply campaigning on the back of taxpayers which has become a CON trademark for fiscal irresposibility just like the $26 Million of self serving, tax payer paid for, ad campaign...

[GostHacked]

While I think a CON majority has gone pretty much out the window it's also simply campaigning on the back of taxpayers which has become a CON trademark for fiscal irresposibility just like the $26 Million of self serving, tax payer paid for, ad campaign...

A CON it definitely is.

[Wilber]

Pork barrel politics, a time honoured Canadian tradition. I would be more surprised if it didn't happen prior to an election.

[Saipan]

Nothing beats Sponsorgate and direct kickback to Liberal party.

And jail sentences are the evidence.

[nicky10013]

Nothing beats Sponsorgate and direct kickback to Liberal party.

And jail sentences are the evidence.

Anything to change the channel, eh?

[GWiz]

Pork barrel politics, a time honoured Canadian tradition. I would be more surprised if it didn't happen prior to an election.

Me too... But I don't think it should be a race to see which party can set the record...

Personally I think Harper would win that race running backwards...

[ToadBrother]

While I think a CON majority has gone pretty much out the window it's also simply campaigning on the back of taxpayers which has become a CON trademark for fiscal irresposibility just like the $26 Million of self serving, tax payer paid for, ad campaign...

Campaigning on the back of taxpayers is a political trademark. Are you seriously under the impression that only the Tories throw money around at election time?

[nicky10013]

Campaigning on the back of taxpayers is a political trademark. Are you seriously under the impression that only the Tories throw money around at election time?

No, but is it so wrong to point out the hypocrisy of the people doing so seeing as how they pledged to do the exact opposite only 5 years ago?

[Wilber]

No, but is it so wrong to point out the hypocrisy of the people doing so seeing as how they pledged to do the exact opposite only 5 years ago?

Not as long as you are consistent about it.

[ToadBrother]

No, but is it so wrong to point out the hypocrisy of the people doing so seeing as how they pledged to do the exact opposite only 5 years ago?

But that's not what he really said. He indicated the Tories alone were the party that would do this, when in fact, buying votes with voters' money is as old as democracy. He put forward a fundamentally partisan and fundamentally false statement. I tend to find most partisan claims are, on one level, and often more than one level, simply lies.

Edited March 21, 2011 by ToadBrother

[Saipan]

Anything to change the channel, eh?

Fear of ANY comparison?

[capricorn]

Nothing beats Sponsorgate and direct kickback to Liberal party.

Actually Saipan, I think this is what many Canadians are thinking right about now. It appears the fact that Adscam involved the Province of Quebec is contributing to many Canadians, inside Quebec and in the ROC, from forgiving the Liberals for their past sins.

A poll released today is very instructive and serves to support my thinking.

Conservatives most trustworthy party: election poll

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Ipsos Reid president Darrell Bricker said the poll shows the Liberals were right to identify the correct issue for the campaign, but apparently neglected to ensure it would be a political winner for them.

“You can see people want to have ethical government. They’re not wrong about that. What they (the Liberals) are wrong about is seeing themselves as the people who are capable of delivering it. The proof is not there for the public.”

Bricker said it appears the Liberals are still haunted by the sponsorship scandal, also known as “Adscam,” that blew up in the dying days of the Chretien government several years ago.

In the scandal, it was revealed that Liberal-friendly advertising firms in Quebec were receiving funds for work that was either questionable or non-existent. Furthermore, there was evidence of kickbacks in which firms that received government money contributed funds to the Liberal party.

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“The legacy of Adscam is still there for the Liberal party, in spite of the fact that they have changed their leader, in spite of the fact they have gone through purgatory through two election campaigns,” said Bricker.

“They have not been able to distinguish themselves as any better than anybody else on ethics.”

---

When it comes to the party that can do the best job at “making sure our economic recovery continues,” 37 per cent chose the Tories, while significantly fewer believe the Liberals (20 per cent), NDP (14 per cent) or Bloc (six per cent) are best positioned to do this.

---

Thinking about which party would “keep taxes under control,” 36 per cent believe the Conservatives are best able to do this, while fewer believe the Liberals (17 per cent), NDP (16 per cent) or Bloc (six per cent) are best positioned to do this. Twenty-five per cent think that some other party would do a better job with this.

One in three (33 per cent) believe the Conservatives would do the best job at “spending taxpayers money wisely,” while others believe the NDP (18 per cent), Liberals (16 per cent) or Bloc (six per cent) would do the best job of this. Another 27 per cent don’t believe any of these parties would do the best job at spending taxpayers money wisely.

http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/Conservatives+most+trustworthy+party+election+poll/4474175/story.html

When they see Harper spending money in Quebec they're probably thinking at least he's doing it openly and his party is not collecting kickbacks unlike the trickery pulled by the Liberals. The Conservatives have pulled stunts that have rightly raised eyebrows and attracted much criticism but on a much lower scale than Adscam. In spite of the actions of the Conservatives, not once did the Liberals overtake the Conservatives in the polls.

Finally, about the HST compensation to Quebec, a deal has been in the works for a while and other provinces benefited from a similar federal payment. So I fail to see why this would work against Harper.

And jail sentences are the evidence.

Too few in my opinion.