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Canada's 2004 Election


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Tonight on CBC's the National with Peter Mansbridge, there will be an expose on the latest details of this growing Martin Liberals scandal in BC.

Today we learned that a federal Liberal riding executive was arrested in connection with the RCMP probe into drugs and organized crime.

This same federal Liberal riding executive, is related to the Victoria Police officer, who has been suspended, in connection with the 20-month long RCMP investigation.

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Premier Scrambles to 'Restore Trust'

'Gordon Campbell's dance with the media yesterday at one point defied credulity, and left all the big questions unanswered.'

By Barbara McLintock

TheTyee.ca

http://www.thetyee.ca/News/current/Premier...store+Trust.htm

'Brave faces, deep tentacles'

'And despite the brave face being put on events by federal Liberals in B.C., there seems little doubt that at least some tentacles of the investigation are going to lead back to them. There is no other rational explanation for the fact that the police also acquired (either voluntarily or through search warrants) documents from Mark Marissen, the head of the Martin campaign in B.C. (as well as the husband of deputy premier Christy Clark), from Bruce Clark, the head fundraiser for the Martin campaign in B.C. (as well as the brother of Christy Clark), and from Eric Bornman, the operations manager for the Martin campaign in B.C. '

Edited by maplesyrup
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'Harper launches campaign, takes aim at Martin'

http://www.torontostar.com/NASApp/cs/Conte...ol=968705899037

'He said the new Liberal prime minister is "on every side of every issue and flits from trend to trend, one set of polls to the next . . . . Ladies and gentlemen, Paul Martin commits to positions like Britney Spears commits to marriage," he said in his election-style speech, which could just as easily be delivered after the election writ is dropped.'

'Today, one leadership rival bowed out, the campaign of another appeared to be fizzling, and a pair of high-profile MPs seemed on the verge of quitting.'

It's worth reading this Canadian Press story as it appears that quite a few political events are coming down the pipes in the next few days for Conservatives, which include Keith Martin, MacKay, Stronach, Strahl, and Andre Bachand

Harper's speech was fine, covering all the Conservative bases, taking lots of shots at Martin, and copying a strategy used by the NDP's Jack Layton, representing himself as an ordinary Canadian.

At least Harper has the brains to realize that the Liberals are the Conservatives target, not the NDP.

Edited by maplesyrup
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What is going on?

Why did Keith Martin actually bolt the new Conservative party?

Now people are leaving from the Alliance side as well.

What does he know that the rest of us don't?

-from CP

'New Democrat Svend Robinson issued a news release citing Keith Martin's past statements advocating private, for-profit medicine and said his defection is a sure sign of the right-wing drift of the Liberals under Prime Minister Paul Martin.

"The obvious ideological attraction of Paul Martin's right-wing agenda is a good fit for an unabashed supporter of for-profit privatized health care like Keith Martin," said Robinson.'

How many more defections are coming up over the horizon?

Yesterday I saw on the news MP Rex Barnes saying some not very favourable comments about Stephen Harper.

Is he going to leave too?

Are there going to be any PCs left in this merger?

How many Independents are there now sitting in the House of Commons?

It appears that Peter Mackay's renegeding on his very public agreement with David Orchard to secure the PC leadership is coming back to haunt the new Conservative party.

How in the world did Peter MacKay ever get the leadership of the PCs?

Just saw an interview with Jm Prentice and he said it would take $1 miillion for the leadership run and he doesn't have it. The government (our taxes) are now heavily involved in the funding of our political parties. Maybe, especially because of the power in the PMO, we need to now look at how political parties leadership campaigns are funded.

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'Prime minister not 'wedded to Canada Health Act' says newest Liberal'

http://www.canada.com/search/story.aspx?id...8f-4e73e52c8f03

'A former Canadian Alliance MP says he wants to pitch private Canadian health care to new Liberal Prime Minister Paul Martin.

And B.C. MP Keith Martin believes he'll have a receptive audience. "The exciting thing on health care that Paul Martin has said is that he hasn't trumped up and said he's going to be wedded to the Canada Health Act," Keith Martin, a medical doctor, said Wednesday.'

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Now it not just BC where the Liberals have membership rule problems.

Ontario membership people are depriving Sheila Copps of membership forms.

And Copps just said on CBC Newsworld that she is being forced to be fingerprinted by the Paul Martin Liberals.

The CBC reporter siad to Copps "you not really considering running for the NDP, are you?"

Copps responded: "You are putting words in my mouth."

Copps stated she wants to run for the Liberals, but she was keeping her options open, including the NDP.

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This is a very unique situation in Canadian politics. Have we ever had a situation where the three political parties all have, or will have new leaders, within one year? Maybe that is why things feel unsettling.

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This week has been a very good week for the NDP with l'affaire Sheila Copps.

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A question:

Will the new Conservative party be able to hold its Western base, if as I suspect, the new leader comes from Ontario?

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I'm quite disappointed about what happened to Chuck Strahl.

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Bachand, I can accept what he did.

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Keith Martin, that's another story. What a strange fellow.

Edited by maplesyrup
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Word on the street (from Right On, the New VI television show on Vancouver Island this evening), is that prospective new Liberal candidate Keith Martin will not win his seat in Esquimalt- Juan de Fuca, for a couple of reasons.

First, is that Martin is supportive of two tier health care.

Second, because of his inconsistencies with political parties.

Initially Keith Martin stayed with the Alliance/Reform for 10 years, including running for their leadership, and then at the moment they are moderating their policies by merging with the PCs, he decides to join the Martin Liberals, who are to the right of Jean Chretien. :lol:

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'Searching for the treasured centre of Canadian politics'

by Roy MacGregor

http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/story/...Story/National/

'For years now, it has been easy to dismiss the NDP as a party whose time once almost came but has long since gone, particularly so as this party of intervention tried to come to grips with a country that had long since run out of walking-around money.

Suddenly, however, the old realities of the country seem rather tired. If the original two solitudes had to do with language, the new one has to do with addresses, East versus West and urban versus rural. If provincial appeasement and bashing were the reads of the past, today's story seems far more about cities, a force the federal government seems somewhat mystified by.

Layton is clearly making inroads here. He comes from a city, Toronto, where traditionally "national" politicians pay a price, and yet today that verges on an advantage. As a former councillor and one-time president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, he has new allies out West in those cities that, like Toronto, are desperately in need of intervention.

Last May, when he was campaigning to become Liberal Leader, Martin told a meeting of mayors in Winnipeg that "we will act" on getting a portion of the fuel tax to cities, but there has been little but confusion since Martin actually became Prime Minister.

Layton, who seems to have a particular knack when it comes to goading the new Prime Minister, is clearly a leader with an upside, even if he has no seat in the House of Commons. The NDP, however, is still ahead of the new Conservative Party, which does not even have a leader.

It does, however, have opportunity, and finds itself in the surprising position this week of actually engaging the Canadian attention after two leadership races — Stephen Harper's victory in the defunct Alliance Party and Peter MacKay's in the old Progressive Conservative Party — that garnered next to no national interest.

The reason, for better or for worse, is Belinda Stronach, who will enter the leadership race this week. She will be both be dismissed as Paris Hilton starring in The Simple Political Life and embraced as a fresh, smart, young new face who can dramatically change the fortunes of the new party whether she wins or loses.

Until the leadership of this third national party is decided on March 20, no one can say what new shifts will take place or even where, exactly, the treasured centre of Canadian politics is located.' :D

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Pretty sad if you are suggesting that 1. the NDP is relevant - it is not and that 2. The Globe has become so dysfunctional that is actually believes that the NDP has anything to offer Cdns - it doesn't. It is anti-everything, including anti-reality. IT should disappear - and if you look at the NDP's votes you will be surprised to know that:

-more private union members supported the CA than NDP

-more public union members supported the CA than NDP

-more young professionals supported the CA than NDP

Basically the NDP can't even win its supposed core base.

ref; Elections 2000, J. Simpson Globe and Mail [just to be consistent with the crappy article you posted].

The NDP should just go away and die somewhere.

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Another big screw-up for the Martin Liberals?

There are problems with the figures in the article, however I gather that there is a 5% spread in favour of Sheila with the voters in her riding. I recommend reading this entire article as this issue is not a local issue any more, and is starting to take on importance in other parts of the country.

'Voters want Copps, not Valeri: survey

'Sour' fight for Liberals: On outs with PM, she enjoys five-point edge with public'

by Allan Woods

National Post

http://64.4.36.250/cgi-bin/linkrd?_lang=EN...%2d28DD8791D70A

'Voters in the Hamilton riding where Sheila Copps is battling Tony Valeri, the federal Transport Minister, for the Liberal nomination want a Copps victory, a COMPAS poll has found.

While 59% of decided voters said they would vote for Ms. Copps if she were the Liberal candidate in Hamilton East-Stoney Creek, 54% said they would vote for Mr. Valeri.

Ms. Copps has alleged Liberals loyal to Paul Martin, the Prime Minister, are co-ordinating a bid to oust her from the party. She is thinking of defecting to the New Democratic Party if she loses.'

'"The greatest risk is a pyrrhic victory for the Martin forces," COMPAS president Conrad Winn said of the dispute, noting that Ms. Copps enjoys strong support in Quebec.

"It might leave a sour feeling that, nationally, will see the Liberals end up with fewer votes than they might have won."'

2000 election results

Hamilton East (LIB 10,121)

xSheila Copps LIB 16,477

Joshua Conroy CA 6,064

Jim Stevenson NDP 4,123

Steven Knight PC 3,359

Michael Baldasaro MP 573

Salvatore Sam Cino IND 290

Bob Mann COM 144

Julie Gordon ML 116

Helene Darisse-Yildirim NL 97

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I hope the Liberals allow her to run for them. The rest of the country (outside Hamilton, I mean), will see that it IS still the same old Liberals that have angered so many.

On the other hand, if she defects to the NDP, facing unofficial expulsion from the LPOC, it could signal that the old party is gone, and this is PM's Liberals, not Chretien's. Which would be a big relief to many, to see the last hangers-on leave.

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Trouble Ahead for PM Paul Martin

Yesterday was a very bad day for PM Paul Martin. And it is only going to get worse.

First, due to the pressure generated by Canada's opposition parties, and mounting public criticism, Martin had to reverse his decision on Maher Arar, and set up a public inquiry, in order to try and get it out of sight, to avoid questions, prior to the rumoured upcoming election.

Second, Martin ran from the politically divisive same-sex issue, and referred it to the Supreme Court, once again attempting to get it off the front burner, for the probable spring election.

It was interesting watching Public Safety Minister Anne McLellan, and Justice Minister Irwin Kotler, twisting and turning in the wind, as they both tried to explain the rationale for their respective portfolio decisions.

Third, Martin again was rebuffed in his efforts to manipulate former Deputy Prime Minister Sheila Copps, into toeing the line in the new world order of the Martin Liberals.

Martin's putsch which dislodged former Prime Minister Jean Chretien, followed by Martin's continuing efforts to rid the Liberal Party of anyone that was supportive of Jean Chretien, continues to build resentments, and enemies, for himself.

Instead of being magnanimous in his victory, Martin is showing his meanness and arrogance,

a side of himself unfamiliar to most Canadians.

Well known Toronto Star national affairs journalist Chantel Hebert, suggested yesterday that Martin could have difficulty surviving as prime minister, if he ends up with a minority government, in the next election.

The real reason for all this busyness on Capital Hill yesterday however, was an attempt by Martin to create a smokescreen for the release of the money details, that Martin's company Canada Steamship Lines (CSL), had received from the Canadian government, while Martin was the Finance Minister.

CSL received over $160 million over the past 11 years, not the $137,000. that was initially reported.

Will anyone's head roll for originally providing such a misleading figure. I doubt it.

Now at least Canadians are afforded a rare glimpse, into some of the reasons, why people go into politics.

Should there be an independent investigation into this?

Absolutely.

Will it happen?

Fat chance.

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