Passport Canada

[jdobbin]

IOW, Liberal wrong-doings do not NEGATE Harper's. Answer that, if you can.....

It is probably why the Tories are at 30% in the latest polls.

[Argus]

Thanks for proving that you are a hypocrite. You started off with this statement comparing CPC with the LPC yourself, and then, what, are surprised when people comment on it?

I've explained my point to you a couple of times now, just because you don't like it, it doesn't mean your interpretation of it was correct. The point was that within such a short Ttime-frame, the Tories have managed to pretty much catch up to the Grits in making false-promises and especially about accountability.

Absolute bullshit.

[Michael Bluth]

IOW, Liberal wrong-doings do not NEGATE Harper's. Answer that, if you can.....

It is probably why the Tories are at 30% in the latest polls.

Again with the selective reporting of the polls. What's up with that?

[sharkman]

IOW, Liberal wrong-doings do not NEGATE Harper's. Answer that, if you can.....

It is probably why the Tories are at 30% in the latest polls.

I've got some data for you: brace yourself, the Tories are not at 30% in the latest polls, or any polling organization save one. Since at least 4 organizations place them higher, you are clearly clinging to a poll result that is skewed.

Can jdobbin face the truth?

[jdobbin]

I've got some data for you: brace yourself, the Tories are not at 30% in the latest polls, or any polling organization save one. Since at least 5 organizations place them higher, you are clearly clinging to a poll result that is skewed.

Can jdobbin face the truth?

Can you face the truth the latest poll was Decima's and it had the Tories at 30%?

Try not take things so personally and blow a gasket at the information.

[Michael Bluth]

I've got some data for you: brace yourself, the Tories are not at 30% in the latest polls, or any polling organization save one. Since at least 5 organizations place them higher, you are clearly clinging to a poll result that is skewed.

Can jdobbin face the truth?

Can you face the truth the latest poll was Decima's and it had the Tories at 30%?

You gave one poll and reported it as the trend of recent polls.

Why misrepresent the facts? Does it make you feel better? Does it make you feel less resentful for being supported by the Government?

[sharkman]

Yes, because Ipsos Reid, Leger Merketing, SES research and Strategic council all place the Tories higher than 30% Decima is wrong. You can't seem to face the facts though.

[jdobbin]

Yes, because Ipsos Reid, Leger Merketing, SES research and Strategic council all place the Tories higher than 30% Decima is wrong. You can't seem to face the facts though.

Decima is wrong? Why because they have the latest poll? Because you don't like them as pollster? Or because they have the Liberals ahead?

Why is Decima wrong and other pollsters right?

[sharkman]

The Decima results are skewed for some reason. Their result is in disagreement with all of the other ones. In statistics, it's called being skewed.

[sharkman]

In fact, when you compare their results with all the others, they are always reporting lower results for Tories than anyone else. Obviously they are playing with the numbers, as probably the polster who has the Highest results always for the Tories.

[jdobbin]

The Decima results are skewed for some reason. Their result is in disagreement with all of the other ones. In statistics, it's called being skewed.

I just call it the latest poll. A few others were showing a downward trend leading to this one. So go figure. Maybe they'll stabilize, maybe they'll go down further, maybe up. But this very last poll had them below the Liberals for the first time since the election. That has to be a blast of cold water.

[jdobbin]

In fact, when you compare their results with all the others, they are always reporting lower results for Tories than anyone else. Obviously they are playing with the numbers, as probably the polster who has the Highest results always for the Tories.

I don't believe any of the pollsters who conduct polls by phone play with the numbers.

I only question online polls like Angus Reid Strategies. I still don't think those type of polls are random enough.

[Wilber]

I got a passport last year this time. I knew of the deadline. I had no problem. I hope these people enjoy waiting. I'll be sitting on an Italian beach in about three weeks.

I'd have to chalk it up to civil servants. If the Passpord Office knew of the deadline, why didn't they initiate change well before the deadline. This seems to be an internal thing.

Tell that to people who require passports for their jobs and have been keeping them up to date for 20 years or more, like aircrew who are unlucky enough to need new ones now and are wondering whether they can get one in time to do their next months flying.

I agree it is an internal thing, they are now the victims of the bureaucratic hurdles they built themselves and it looks good on them. Trouble is everyone who needs a passport is getting screwed because of it. It's a system that has been evolving over several governments, you can't pin it on just one. The present government did drop the ball to a degree and must wear it for part of the chaos but they didn't build the present system.

Why, do we need a new passport every 5 years and a new application must be made each time? The US and Britain have 10 year documents, renewable.

You can apply for a US passport at any post office. What's our problem?

Why, must we turn in our old passports and do without until our new one is ready, rather than just exchanging old for new when it is ready?

These are some of the questions I have asked them in the past (the last two governments) without getting any answer other than that's just the way we do it.

Canadians need documents to travel. It is the government's duty to provide them. They are not doing you a favour.

[scribblet]

I always renew my passport 6 months in advance as some countries (Mexico is one) require that the passport not be close to expiring.

Last year I renewed ours as usual and was given a hard time by the little beauracrat about renewing it early. Other than I guess I was fortunate, it took all of about 20 mins. and 7 business days in the mail.

[jdobbin]

Why, do we need a new passport every 5 years and a new application must be made each time? The US and Britain have 10 year documents, renewable.

You can apply for a US passport at any post office. What's our problem?

Why, must we turn in our old passports and do without until our new one is ready, rather than just exchanging old for new when it is ready?

These are some of the questions I have asked them in the past (the last two governments) without getting any answer other than that's just the way we do it.

Canadians need documents to travel. It is the government's duty to provide them. They are not doing you favour.

All good points. Sooner or later anyone who travels requires one of these. It shouldn't be the chore it has become.

[normanchateau]

Hey, don't vote for the Tories all you want, but smearing a party just because you don't like them belittles you arguments.

How did she smear the party? She merely pointed out some of their actions during their brief time governing.

For example, Harper, who campaigned on a feigned promise of accountability, did appoint his former campaign manager Fortier to the Senate then to the Cabinet within days of being elected. He did break the income trust promise. Conservative Emerson did let the US keep a billion dollars in illegally obtained duties that he had refused to allow when he was a Liberal cabinet minister.

[jdobbin]

How did she smear the party? She merely pointed out some of their actions during their brief time governing.

For example, Harper, who campaigned on a feigned promise of accountability, did appoint his former campaign manager Fortier to the Senate then to the Cabinet within days of being elected. He did break the income trust promise. Conservative Emerson did let the US keep a billion dollars in illegally obtained duties that he had refused to allow when he was a Liberal cabinet minister.

I think a smear is an unfounded accusation. Emerson coming into cabinet was no small thing. The Tories were very vocal about how wrong they thought it was when Stronach left the Tories to join a Liberal cabinet.

Seeing every criticism as a smear is a little bit ridiculous.

[Argus]

Why, do we need a new passport every 5 years and a new application must be made each time? The US and Britain have 10 year documents, renewable.

You can apply for a US passport at any post office. What's our problem?

Why, must we turn in our old passports and do without until our new one is ready, rather than just exchanging old for new when it is ready?

These are some of the questions I have asked them in the past (the last two governments) without getting any answer other than that's just the way we do it.

Canadians need documents to travel. It is the government's duty to provide them. They are not doing you favour.

All good points. Sooner or later anyone who travels requires one of these. It shouldn't be the chore it has become.

Under the Liberal Party, you mean, since to my knowledge, all the current procedures and charges were set up by them.

[jdobbin]

Under the Liberal Party, you mean, since to my knowledge, all the current procedures and charges were set up by them.

And remain unchanged under the Tories when it comes to these points.

[Wilber]

Under the Liberal Party, you mean, since to my knowledge, all the current procedures and charges were set up by them.

And remain unchanged under the Tories when it comes to these points.

Bet they don't stay unchanged. This is just what the system needed. Too bad so many have had to suffer before it could happen.

[August1991]

Again, the result was the same under the Liberals and the Conservatives. Until some government puts a bomb under this branch of the bureaucracy, they won't change anything.

This isn't a partisan political issue, it is more of a civil service empire, bureaucratic inertia issue.

Exactly my feeling.

The average Canadian has very little direct contact with the federal bureaucracy except to pay taxes and to get a passport. In both cases, the experience is not pleasant.

What does it take to issue a passport? Despite all the so-called security checks, they still managed to issue a passport to a Russian spy - and that's only one case that happened to become public knowledge.

[normanchateau]

Under the Liberal Party, you mean, since to my knowledge, all the current procedures and charges were set up by them.

And remain unchanged under the Tories when it comes to these points.

Despite the Tories being warned by the Auditor General in mid-2006 that they were unprepared for the 2007 onslaught of applicants.

[August1991]

Despite the Tories being warned by the Auditor General in mid-2006 that they were unprepared for the 2007 onslaught of applicants.

If this is an indication of the Liberals' strategy in the next election, it will go nowhere.

Reminding voters of the incompetent federal bureaucracy and trying to somehow blame the Conservative government is not a winning strategy. First, (as other posters have noted), the Conservatives haven't been in power long enough and second, the strategy will just drive more voters to the "anti-government Conservatives".

[jdobbin]

Bet they don't stay unchanged. This is just what the system needed. Too bad so many have had to suffer before it could happen.

I'd love to see the changed you detailed but have seen no indication that they are going ahead with them.

[jdobbin]

If this is an indication of the Liberals' strategy in the next election, it will go nowhere.

Reminding voters of the incompetent federal bureaucracy and trying to somehow blame the Conservative government is not a winning strategy. First, (as other posters have noted), the Conservatives haven't been in power long enough and second, the strategy will just drive more voters to the "anti-government Conservatives".

Nor will it gain anything for the Tories to blame the Liberals about the problem.

I didn't know there was any anti-government Conservative voters left. They're all big government Conservatives now.