Why is Harper keeping Fantino?

[Topaz]

Many are asking that question and the only thing I can think of is Harper NEEDS him for the election and again this shows poor judgement on Harper's part as far as the rest of the country is concern but the Tories are defending him. One sad point about Fantino is , he was born in 1943 in Italy and he just return from there with Canadians vets who fought for his country, so his family could be free and move to Canada and this is the way he treats the VETS! Shame. http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/harper-defends-fantino-amidst-ndp-accusations-of-third-party-management-1.2129629#

[Argus]

He's Italian. And the Italians seem to still think he's an amazing fellow without flaws or faults.

[Moonbox]

/yawn

The fact that Fantino was in Italy when the report came out is hardly the news that Mulcair would like it to be. Mulcair is just desperate for attention as he watches NDP support tank.

[Argus]

/yawn

The fact that Fantino was in Italy when the report came out is hardly the news that Mulcair would like it to be. Mulcair is just desperate for attention as he watches NDP support tank.

I wasn't talking about Italians in Italy. Apparently there is a large Italian population in his riding and there seems little chance he won't be re-elected.

[Moonbox]

I wasn't talking about Italians in Italy. Apparently there is a large Italian population in his riding and there seems little chance he won't be re-elected.

Yes, you're right. I was more commenting on Topaz' "Harper burnt his toast" comment of the day. It's not just Fantino orItalians though either. Voters are racist.

[The_Squid]

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2014/12/01/stephen_harper_aide_takes_over_as_chief_of_staff_to_veterans_minister_julian_fantino.html

An aide to Prime Minister Stephen Harper has taken over as chief of staff to embattled Veterans Affairs Minister Julian Fantino as opposition MPs call for his resignation.

Stephen Lecce, the director of media relations for Harper, will now also serve as interim top aide to Fantino as the Conservative government struggles to get a grip on a file that has turned into a political nightmare.

The staff shuffle comes just weeks after Walt Natynczyk, a retired top general who headed the Canadian Armed Forces, was named deputy minister of Veterans Affairs after a short stint heading the Canadian Space Agency.

Fantino is incompetent and a liar. He should be turfed immediately.

[The_Squid]

It's very telling that Harper sent a "media relations" expert to help Fantino and his department. Perhaps Harper should send someone to that department that actually knows about running programs for veterans, not just some guy to give us more spin.

[On Guard for Thee]

It's very telling that Harper sent a "media relations" expert to help Fantino and his department. Perhaps Harper should send someone to that department that actually knows about running programs for veterans, not just some guy to give us more spin.

Kind of interesting that his media relations expert harks one back to the Duffy scandal. However he has put Walt Natnczyk in as deputy minister, who does have some good credibility. It's certainly a lot of damage control heading into an election cycle, but they know this whole VA mess is hurting them a lot.

[Smallc]

It's very telling that Harper sent a "media relations" expert to help Fantino and his department. Perhaps Harper should send someone to that department that actually knows about running programs for veterans, not just some guy to give us more spin.

The former Chief of the Defence Staff is also now working as Deputy Minister, but you didn't bother to point that out, did you?

[Moonlight Graham]

I wasn't talking about Italians in Italy. Apparently there is a large Italian population in his riding.

True. In order to win that riding, you need to be Italian. They'll need to replace him with a quality Italian politician, because (looking on Wikipedia) he's not a shoe-in at the voting booth, he won by just a hair over the Liberal candidate last time he was elected (who was also an Italian of course).

[On Guard for Thee]

The former Chief of the Defence Staff is also now working as Deputy Minister, but you didn't bother to point that out, did you?

I'd bet Harper is gnashing his teeth trying to figure out whether to throw Fantino under the bus altogether and letting Walt take over the ministry, which would be an indicator of yet another bad choice, or hoping that Walt can give the current minister some way to backtrack and become in some way appealing to vets. Abusing vets is bad business.

[Derek 2.0]

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2014/12/01/stephen_harper_aide_takes_over_as_chief_of_staff_to_veterans_minister_julian_fantino.html

Fantino is incompetent and a liar. He should be turfed immediately.

To add, Walt Natynczyk (former head of the Army, then CDS, then head of the Canadian Space agency) was recently named Deputy Minister of Veterans Affairs....

[On Guard for Thee]

Let's see, between the interview in Ottawa today with the former soldier who had both legs blown off in Afghanistan and is now having his pension gutted, to the law suit against veterans affairs by 6 former soldiers getting similar treatment in BC, could it look much worse for Harper? Well yeah it could when you add in Susan Agluukark having to apologize for reading a newspaper during QP whilst questions were asked about her constituents having to probe the garbage dump for food because of the failed " Nutrition North" program. Talk about a government in disarray!

[Smallc]

First of all, that's not the ministers name. Second, Nutrition North isn't her program. It has little to do with her other than the fact that it happens in her riding.

[Argus]

True. In order to win that riding, you need to be Italian.

Imagine if someone said 'in order to win that riding you need to be English'. I'm unaware of any riding like that in Canada. But it's a well-known if little mentioned fact that all sorts of ethnic groups will enthusiastically rush out to vote for one of their own no matter how disreputable the individual is or what party they're running for. My own theory is these are people not ready to be real Canadians.

Edited December 4, 2014 by Argus

[The_Squid]

Imagine if someone said 'in order to win that riding you need to be English'. I'm unaware of any riding like that in Canada. But it's a well-known if little mentioned fact that all sorts of ethnic groups will enthusiastically rush out to vote for one of their own no matter how disreputable the individual is or what party they're running for. My own theory is these are people not ready to be real Canadians.

I find that completely bizarre as well. I am a 1st gen Canadian, but I would never vote based on my parent's nationality! What a strange mentality.

[guyser]

My own theory is these are people not ready to be real Canadians.

In the case of Woobridge-Vaughan, these people are already Canadians and likely for the most part have been for a couple of generations.

[Moonbox]

What being Canadian means is very different from person to person. I'd never consider myself anything but Canadian. My background is some mixed bag of Irish/German/Swiss but I'd never identify with any particular group. When someone identifies themselves as Italian-Canadian (tons of then in Guelph), they are identifying themselves as something separate and acknowledging/affirming that this is an exclusive community.

[On Guard for Thee]

First of all, that's not the ministers name. Second, Nutrition North isn't her program. It has little to do with her other than the fact that it happens in her riding.

Oops, my bad, how about Leona Aglukkaq?Feel better now?

[Bryan]

Yes, you're right. I was more commenting on Topaz' "Harper burnt his toast" comment of the day. It's not just Fantino orItalians though either. Voters are racist.

Happens all over the country. In my riding, there's no chance of you ever getting elected unless you are a native french speaker. That is FAR more important than what your platform is, or what party you represent. And no, I don't live in Quebec either.

[Argus]

Happens all over the country. In my riding, there's no chance of you ever getting elected unless you are a native french speaker. That is FAR more important than what your platform is, or what party you represent. And no, I don't live in Quebec either.

The reason this happens is most Canadians don't give a damn about the ethnic background of the candidate. So if an 'ethnic' candidate can get 90%+ of the votes from an ethnic group which makes up, say, 25% or 30% of the riding, they've basically got to be almost a drunken child molester not to pick up enough votes from the rest to win the riding. It pisses me off, and, frankly, makes me think a lot less of those ethnic groups.

[Bob Macadoo]

Imagine if someone said 'in order to win that riding you need to be English'. I'm unaware of any riding like that in Canada. But it's a well-known if little mentioned fact that all sorts of ethnic groups will enthusiastically rush out to vote for one of their own no matter how disreputable the individual is or what party they're running for. My own theory is these are people not ready to be real Canadians.

Ummm how about Grey-Simcoe or Muskoka or any other rural riding with inherited money?

[jacee]

True. In order to win that riding, you need to be Italian. They'll need to replace him with a quality Italian politician, because (looking on Wikipedia) he's not a shoe-in at the voting booth, he won by just a hair over the Liberal candidate last time he was elected (who was also an Italian of course).

So no real concern there for Harper in dropping Fantino for a better candidate.

/veterans_affairs_minister_julian_fantino_must_go_editorial

Its hard to imagine anyone less suited to the job than Julian Fantino.

It is past time Prime Minister Stephen Harper cashiered this arrogant, abrasive and inept minister.

[On Guard for Thee]

In one way I hope Harper keeps Fantino. Not because I want to see further deterioration of the VA ministry in the short run, but with him there the vets vote will continue to swing further away from the cons. and we can get rid of the whole lot of them, and things will be better in the long run.

[Derek 2.0]

In one way I hope Harper keeps Fantino. Not because I want to see further deterioration of the VA ministry in the short run, but with him there the vets vote will continue to swing further away from the cons. and we can get rid of the whole lot of them, and things will be better in the long run.

There is no indication that the "Vet Vote" is swinging away......of course, as said before, the current Veterans Charter was tabled by the previous Liberal Government, and supported by both the Tories and NDP and is only opposed by a fraction of Veterans and members of PSAC........likewise, current serving members (the next generation of Veterans) understand all too well the implications beset upon the Canadian Forces by a Liberal and/or NDP Government.........