Stephen Harper's new game: Hide-the-Priority

[gerryhatrick]

Stephen Harper's new game: Hide-the-Priority

What happened to establishing a wait-times guarantee? That promise has disappeared

PAUL WELLS

This week's tale is really quite odd.

I have here the July issue of Report Magazine, a conservative journal published nine times a year out of Edmonton. The magazine's president, Curtis Stewart, told me its paid circulation is about 10,000 and it has several regular contributors. One of them is the Prime Minister of Canada.

In his latest column, Stephen Harper offers an update from Ottawa. "It's been quite a ride," the PM reports. Since the election, the new Conservative government has made progress "on all of our five priorities -- from cleaning up the federal government, to cutting taxes, cracking down on crime, supporting families, and strengthening our country at home and around the world."

Read that list again.

Notice anything?

Maybe not if you don't live in Ottawa. But in the capital, everybody who read that list spotted it immediately. Harper is playing Hide-the-Priority. And he's being pretty clumsy about it.

The fifth item in his list was never among the five priorities the Conservatives campaigned on. The fifth Conservative campaign priority was: "work with the provinces to establish a Patient Wait Times Guarantee." Harper has replaced it with this business about "strengthening our country."

http://www.macleans.ca/switchboard/columni...4_130433_130433

What is Steve thinking? Was it an honest mistake, just like him telling reporters that he'd handed over documents requested by elections canada when he hasn't?

[Jerry J. Fortin]

Ole Steve is just another politician. You can tell when he lies because his lips are moving.

[gerryhatrick]

Ole Steve is just another politician. You can tell when he lies because his lips are moving.

Perhaps, but they don't usually engage in such clumsy bait & switch as this. This isn't lying so much as an Orwelian re-write.

[Jerry J. Fortin]

Who knows, it could have been an oversight! I could have been planned! I guess what I am trying to say is that he is no different that the regular run of the mill elected official. Our partisan system of government brought us a minority position where the guy has to tap dance or watch his government fall. I guess it will depend on how good of a dancer he is. The long and the short of it is, I think he wants another election and is actually working to get a confidence motion on the floor so he can get his election. I don't think he wants it to be obvious, I think he wants the opposition to call a vote so he can claim it was forced on him.

[MightyAC]

So the military wasn't one of the 5 priorities either? wow..they spent many billions on it. I guess that's why they had to swap in that new priority so it looks like they're still focused.

They've slashed spending on environmental initiatives like the successful EnerGuide program claiming that the environment wasn't one of the big 5 and they will come up with a "made in Canada" solution in the future. Anyone else sick of the phrase "made in Canada solution"?

[Jerry J. Fortin]

I kind of like it. It means that years will pass before the dummies will do something wrong!

[gerryhatrick]

This news has now been picked up by CP.

So far I see it appearing in Winnipeg Free Press, Canada East, CBC, Toronto Star, and 940 News.

Link:

http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/st...11708be&k=86295

And before anyone starts crying about the Liberal press PLEASE learn the difference between news and bias...THIS IS NEWS.

edit: changed link from CBC to National Post version to spare geoffrey's emotions.

[geoffrey]

Still a priority gerry: http://www.pm.gc.ca/eng/feature.asp?pageId=45

I'm sorry your CBC doesn't think so. Not everything can be done in less than 2 months, considering nothing was done in the last 13-16 years (oh don't worry, Mulroney is included).

The guy slipped up. But you've never made a mistake in a sentance before so I guess that's why your upset.

Oh well, when the website changes and nothing is done on health care before an election, then I'll side with you. But right now, your being ridiculous.

[gerryhatrick]

Still a priority gerry: http://www.pm.gc.ca/eng/feature.asp?pageId=45

I'm sorry your CBC doesn't think so.

Not the CBC geoffrey. Try to look at things a little bit before posting so I don't have to waste my time explaining simplistics to you.

It's a Macleans story, and they reported that it's still on the government website.

Since the Macleans story, it's was written up by the CP.

CP, not CBC.

And that story has been picked up by The National Post (that bastion of liberal media), Canoe.ca, Winnipeg Free Press, Canada East, Toronto Star, and CJAD.

I know when you guys see the letters "CBC" your brain switches off!

The guy slipped up. But you've never made a mistake in a sentance before so I guess that's why your upset.

Oh really? A slip up, huh? You really that gullible?

Read the story. Read BOTH stories, the Macleans and the CP.

From the Macleans story:

And it's not a typo. He lists his priorities, newly amended, at the top of his column. Then he lists them again further down.

The guy slipped up, huh? Don't be ridiculous.

[geoffrey]

I guess he forgot to update all of his materials too on the CPC website and on the PMO website. That silly Harper...

[gerryhatrick]

I guess he forgot to update all of his materials too on the CPC website and on the PMO website. That silly Harper...

Which makes it all the more interesting a news story. Given his obvious propensity to follow the teachings of Frank Luntz, it makes one wonder what his thinking was.

Surely you're not suggesting he's so stupid to have listed his priorities incorrectly not once, not twice, but THREE times in an article he wrote? Is that what you're suggesting?

[jbg]

More Harper-bashing I see. For a minority PM he seems to have accomplished a lot.

[Topaz]

I hear HArper is practicing what the Cons in the US do. keep telling the country how bad the opposition parties are and how good you are. Use the radio and TV programs to keep sending the message over and over again, and if the people keep hearing it, maybe then they will believe it..NOT! NOT this country! At this point, I don't think ANY party should have a majority government, especially this one! Maybe we should keep tabs on how much money this guy is spending and for what.

[jbg]

I hear HArper is practicing what the Cons in the US do. keep telling the country how bad the opposition parties are and how good you are. Use the radio and TV programs to keep sending the message over and over again, and if the people keep hearing it, maybe then they will believe it..NOT! NOT this country! At this point, I don't think ANY party should have a majority government, especially this one! Maybe we should keep tabs on how much money this guy is spending and for what.

Oh really? Harper and/or Bush controls the (hostile to them) media?

[geoffrey]

I guess he forgot to update all of his materials too on the CPC website and on the PMO website. That silly Harper...

Which makes it all the more interesting a news story. Given his obvious propensity to follow the teachings of Frank Luntz, it makes one wonder what his thinking was.

Surely you're not suggesting he's so stupid to have listed his priorities incorrectly not once, not twice, but THREE times in an article he wrote? Is that what you're suggesting?

The priority is probably the easiest to pass, so I don't see why he would take it out. I'll bet you a beer that it will be passed before an election (as long as the government doesn't fall on softwood).

[gerryhatrick]

The priority is probably the easiest to pass, so I don't see why he would take it out. I'll bet you a beer that it will be passed before an election (as long as the government doesn't fall on softwood).

I'm not sure if there was a wait time schedule as part of the platform, but I do know they said if anyone can't get a medical procedure within a set wait time they would be transported to a jurisdiction that can provide the procedure.

That's not a cheap proposal.

My point is, I don't see it as the easiest thing to do at all.

Like you, I don't know why he would take it out. Evidently, they haven't taken it out since it still appears on the websites. He must have had a severe brain cramp.

And it's not something that can be "passed" as far as I know. The pledge was to work with the provinces, so it takes some cooperation and inventiveness. I doubt they'll get it done, so you're on.

[jdobbin]

The priority is probably the easiest to pass, so I don't see why he would take it out. I'll bet you a beer that it will be passed before an election (as long as the government doesn't fall on softwood).

How will he make waiting lists disappear?

[uOttawaMan]

So the military wasn't one of the 5 priorities either? wow..they spent many billions on it. I guess that's why they had to swap in that new priority so it looks like they're still focused.

They've slashed spending on environmental initiatives like the successful EnerGuide program claiming that the environment wasn't one of the big 5 and they will come up with a "made in Canada" solution in the future. Anyone else sick of the phrase "made in Canada solution"?

The military should be a priority. It was left to rot so badly, something had to be done.

[August1991]

These were the FIVE priorities:

Accountability

Lower Taxes

Crime

Child Care

Health Care

All done except for Health Care (a provincial issue) and so Paul Wells (desperate for circulation) raises the point because it doesn't seem to have been dealt with. For gawdsakes paul, harper was elected in january.

As a Federal PM, the health care issue is really about showing the provincial health ministries a new way to approach the problem. It's called an "incentive".

Mr. Wells? Paul Wells? Please pick up the courtesy phone in the lobby for an important message: Stephen Harper is doing things differently.

[Jerry J. Fortin]

This should be a priority, and that should be a priority and so should....

Look the place came unglued years ago and now people think somebody can come by and snap their fingers and shazam all will be super cool in the great white north. Sorry, it just doesn't work that way in the real world. What would be nice is a clever solution to government spending, like maybe slow down on spending tax dollars until the debt is covered. Look people, the budget surplus is money you were personally overtaxed and that money can go to buying off the debt penny by penny. Once the debt load is covered the sad billions of dollars that are spent servicing said debt don't have to be handed over anymore and then the fed can lower the freaking tax rates!

Lose the nanny state mentality of tax and spend, get into the habit of covering the debt with every available dime until it is retired. The damned politicians love to be able to buy your votes with your own tax dollars, we need to change our attitudes if you have any realistic hope of getting the national act together. We need to find 50 billion dollars a year for 25 years to cover the current debt. In one generation this stupidity can come to an end, provided the country act now to actually do something. Continue to spend and it will never go away.

[jbg]

The priority is probably the easiest to pass, so I don't see why he would take it out. I'll bet you a beer that it will be passed before an election (as long as the government doesn't fall on softwood).

How will he make waiting lists disappear?

So the military wasn't one of the 5 priorities either? wow..they spent many billions on it. I guess that's why they had to swap in that new priority so it looks like they're still focused.

They've slashed spending on environmental initiatives like the successful EnerGuide program claiming that the environment wasn't one of the big 5 and they will come up with a "made in Canada" solution in the future. Anyone else sick of the phrase "made in Canada solution"?

The military should be a priority. It was left to rot so badly, something had to be done.

There is no such thing as a free lunch. Any system based on "free" anything cannot abolish waits. SH knows that. He has to figure a graceful way out on this.

Privatization?

[geoffrey]

The priority is probably the easiest to pass, so I don't see why he would take it out. I'll bet you a beer that it will be passed before an election (as long as the government doesn't fall on softwood).

How will he make waiting lists disappear?

Privatisation European style (read up on Sweden or France), user access fees and more doctor positions in schools would be a start.

Anything within the current system is just a temporary waste of our time.

[Jerry J. Fortin]

There is potentially more money in healthcare than in bombs and bullits............

[jbg]

There is potentially more money in healthcare than in bombs and bullits............

Trouble with healthcare is that the potential demand is almost unlimited. There are some people that seem to live at doctors' offices and use those offices more as places to go, or people to talk to. Also, for many aches and pains, there just isn't a cure.

On the "major illness" side care being totally free removes all incentive to conserve, be careful with its use.

[jdobbin]

Privatisation European style (read up on Sweden or France), user access fees and more doctor positions in schools would be a start.

Anything within the current system is just a temporary waste of our time.

So, why doesn't he do that?