Is Harper a sell-out?

[geoffrey]

I'll probably end up voting for the Green Party, but I highly doubt they'll win a minority, maybe a few seats. According to the last poll I saw their support was highest in Alberta, and it was actually nearly eclipsing the Liberal's.

The Greens at 15% support are still unlikely to win a seat until the NDP crashes and burns. 15% in every riding in Canada gives you nothing. Which is good, keep one track fringe parties out of the way for real work to be done.

If the Greens get 30% in Alberta, they're not going to win anything.

Again, good.

[Canadian Blue]

Depends on where that support is built up. I think even if they come up in second place in a large portion of the ridings it'll be considered a victory for them. As well, you never know Edmonton Strathcona could be lost to the Green Party.

[Keepitsimple]

I think Harper has laid the groundwork for what many Canadians want to see....and that is "Sorry Pals - we love ya but enough is enough - if you can't be happy, it's time you left". I believe that's whats in the back of Harper's mind - poop or get off the pot. So he's balanced the field - and nobody can say that it's not in Quebec's favour. Jacques Parizeau once said that Quebec's push for sovereignty will be "like a never-ending trip to the dentist". Well, one way to stop the pain is to pull the tooth. So we'll see what transpires but my guess is that the gravy train for Quebec has just about run out of steam.

[August1991]

I think Harper has laid the groundwork for what many Canadians want to see....and that is "Sorry Pals - we love ya but enough is enough - if you can't be happy, it's time you left". I believe that's whats in the back of Harper's mind - poop or get off the pot. So he's balanced the field - and nobody can say that it's not in Quebec's favour. Jacques Parizeau once said that Quebec's push for sovereignty will be "like a never-ending trip to the dentist". Well, one way to stop the pain is to pull the tooth. So we'll see what transpires but my guess is that the gravy train for Quebec has just about run out of steam.

Some truth in this.

Trudeau used to say that he got involved to ensure Quebec didn't leave Confederation - and to ensure English-Canada didn't push it out.

Harper's latest statement that he wouldn't negotiate tax points (specifically, the federal government's power to spend) with a non-federalist Quebec government has raised the ire of Boisclair and all the pequiste types. Blackmail! Harper is threatening Quebecers! Harper is anti-democratic! He refuses to respect the democratic wishes of the Quebec peopel!

The idea that a federalist PM of a federal state would defend federalism in Quebec is lost on them. It's as if, in their own minds, Quebec is already a separate country (even though it's not and it just received a whack of cash as evidence).

I think Harper - a WASP Canadian - is setting this one up to call the PQ bluff. This is already apparent to ADQ voters and their general feeling is that they don't want any more of these PQ temper tantrums or referendum shenanigans. About 70% of Quebecers don't want another referendum which means that about 30% do - and they're the PQ voters now.

IOW, about 30% of Quebecers want Quebec to get out of confederation and they don't care too much about the details.

The popular vote in this Quebec election will mirror closely Quebec's popular vote in a federal election. Harper will look closely at where the ADQ does well.

[Mad_Michael]

So, is Harper a sell-out?

Harper is a professional politician.

Ergo, calling him a "sell-out" is redundant and pretty much meaningless.

[hiti]

Harper is not a L(l)iberal, nor is this a Liberal budget.

Steve has spent the entire surplus in pre-election goodies to buy votes. His budget as presented by Flim Flam is on the brink of exhausting its budget surplus with politically motivated pre-election tax-cut and spending promises. Steve may soon find himself having to choose between putting the nation back into deficit or slashing programs.

And this budget does not address the needs of ordinary Canadians. It is a budget for the rich. Just as the cancellation of the Liberal Eco Fit program was for poor and lower income Canadians and was canceled by Steve and replaced with his own version that benefits the rich. My income tax rose by a quarter percentage point last year and again this year. My personal exemptions were lowered last year and the measly $250 times 15.5% or $38.75 does not make up for the hundreds that Steve has stolen from me and fro mthe majority of Canadian taxpayers. And Steve still is keeping $51 billion in EI surplus that he ranted and raged against the Liberals about. At least Paul Martin did decrease the EI premiums year after year.

This budget and it's projections have used up all the surplus for the next three years with nothing left over for the needs of ordinary Canadians... no tax cuts for the working, no early childhood development programs, no affordable housing, no help for First Nations, no equality for women, literacy programs gone, no help to ease students debt load... and the list goes on.

No way, no how is this "new" government even remotely comparable to the previous Liberal governments.

I agree with Cupe that this budget is just a bag of tricks. http://www.cupe.ca/bagoftricks

[ScottSA]

Harper is not a L(l)iberal, nor is this a Liberal budget.

[snip]And this budget does not address the needs of ordinary Canadians. It is a budget for the rich. [snip]

Thanks for rehashing Layton's speech and presenting it to us. Here are a few of the elements that make Layton and Cupe and the Libs look silly when they claim its a budget "for the rich". That's such a tired old refrain that I'm surprised the NDP, at least, doesn't just put itself out of its misery and join the Greens or shoot itself in the head or something:

Excerpts from the budget:

$550 million a year to establish a Working Income Tax Benefit, known as WITB.

$140 million over the next two years to establish a Registered Disability Savings Plan, similar to an RESP.

$2.6 billion in new health-care investments, as well as an increase in health transfers.

$300 million to provincial and territorial governments to introduce cervical cancer immunization programs

$150 million in donations of securities for hospitals and health care. More than $50 million for education, and $20 million for the arts.

$2,000-per-child tax credit for children under 18

A single-earner family with two children with an income of $37,000 per year will save $620, a 23 per cent reduction in their federal taxes.

Increase of the spousal and dependant amounts to the same level as the basic personal amount.

An end to the practice of corporations borrowing in Canada to fund business operations abroad, then using the interest deductions to offset Canadian income.

Funding to detect tax avoidance through offshore tax havens, and to ensure that every company pays its fair share of tax.

$1 billion in new direct assistance to farmers, $4.5 billion in new assistance to Canada's farmers in the last two budgets.