Liberal Party of Canada

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Liberals seek to woo West at caucus meeting

The Liberals are going to be in the West this week for both caucus and cabinet meetings but primarily to gain voter support. With the drop in support for the Conservatives, is Canada basically turning into a one-party state? As much as I would prefer to have the Liberals in power as opposed to the Conservatives with their social policies, quite frankly I don't see very much different between them. They appear to be just two groups of Canadian elites fighting amongst each other for power rather than for the people. However having only one party consistently as the government is not healthy for any society.

Yes, the Liberals have been successful politically but at what political price? It is very hard to fathom, I scratch my head about it sometimes, for a country that has often been touted as the number one destination for citizens from other areas of the planet, there are now two groups of people within Canada that seem quite dissatified with the status quo.

I believed that Trudeau's approach with Quebec was the right one, and if what I have been reading recently about Quebec is any indication, separation is no longer on the front burner, Trudeau seems to have prescribed the correct medicine.

As far as the West is concerned, are there really legitimate beefs or are we just hearing more bellyaching from another group of elites? I agree with Peter Newman that the key to power for the West is economic. not political, which appears to be happening. We live in a system where supposedly all our votes are equal, but until the West has as many people as there are in central Canada they will always come out on the short end of the stick seatwise, and rightly so.

The Senate reform idea is not going anywhere, and nor should it, as it is a useless institution and ideally should have been abolished a long time ago. If, as some people say, the breakdown in number of seats in the House of Commons between the provinces in not FAIR because of their populations then that should be addressed. I thought it was. Is there not some kind of boundries commission out of Elections Canada that makes revisions to the seat boundaries every 10 years or so? I would assume the people involved with Elections Canada are unbiased neutral civil servants.

Anyway we are rapidly approaching the end of the summer doldrums. It will be interesting to see what proposals the Liberals are going to offer up this week to appeal to Western voters.

[crazymf]

It will be interesting to see what proposals the Liberals are going to offer up this week to appeal to Western voters.

Mass suicide in Ottawa perhaps would be appealing.

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Since when did the Canadian Taxpayers Federation represent anyone except the wealthy in this country? They are a joke and sound like a broken record of failed policies! Their constant mantra publically is lower taxes, but privately it's lower taxes for the rich. CTF policies are what destroy nations, not build them.

PM's trip aimed at soothing West, signing deal with Saskatchewan

Goodale said in a televison interview on Sunday the caucus and cabinet sessions are "a real, tangible demonstration that we are in touch, and we do get it, and we want to be a close ally of Western Canada."

Saskatchewan will join several other provinces, including Ontario and Alberta, that have signed gas-tax sharing agreements with Ottawa. The deals have been criticized by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation and other groups because the money is aimed at environmentally friendly projects instead of basic road repair.

"It's completely out of whack with what the average taxpayer out there is looking for," said David MacLean, the federation's director in Saskatchewan.

"The average taxpayer wants their potholes filled, their roads maintained, their sidewalks maintained, and under this deal that just isn't happening."

But a spokesman for Goodale said the program has enjoyed overwhelming support from groups like the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.

"The FCM (and) all the mayors we've talked to have been nothing but positive," said John Embury, Goodale's director of communications.