Premier McGuinty: Open Those Doors!

Reposted from Blue Like You Nov. 2, 2012

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Tom Adams has been doing a yeoman's job trying to shed some light on the recently-released Gas Plant disclosure documents.  You can read all about it at his website Tom Adams Energy and specifically the section labelled Gas Busters. Many in the media are picking up on his fine work including Terence Corcoran. Adams has been hitting the talk-radio circuit too. I had a chance to listen to Gary Doyle interview him yesterday on 570 News. Please take the time to check it out online. Whereas his website can be a bit heavy to wade through, Adam's passion shines through in the interview. At one point Adams talks about the bureaucrats trying to understand the deal and how they expressed concern about the impact on ratepayers (around the 4 minute mark). They get "overruled by the Premier's Office" says Adams. After the interview Gary Doyle invited listeners to call in. I was so outraged I tweeted Tom Adams, When do we call in the police? His response was:

First steps: Recall the Legislature, put the Auditor General to work, and give the bureaucrats freedom to tell the whole truth.

I sent this info to Gary (who seemed as if he was in denial about the whole thing) and he read it on air. So the question now is: How do we convince Dalton McGuinty to reopen the legislature? Public pressure would help. I bet that Liberal MPPs would start getting concerned if they were overwhelmed by emails and phone calls from their constituents threatening to vote them out in the next election. Let's help Tom Adams get to the bottom of this scandal! It's your money and your Legislature. Let the sunshine in!!

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Update Of course McGuinty disagrees with all of this: McGuinty rejects report estimating $1.3B price tag for scrapping gas plants - Windsor Star Dodging a $1.2-billion bullet - Terence Corcoran. Ontario’s Power Trip: Dalton McGuinty, power puppeteer - Parker Gallant:

The 56,000 pages of documents associated with the Ontario government’s decision to kill two gas plants originally planned for Mississauga and Oakville show clearly the top-down role of politicians, both in the decisions made and in the attempts to hide the costs. They show, in numerous instances, how Premier Dalton McGuinty was in absolute control through his cabinet ministers to the officials he had appointed to the agencies involved. As I read the documents so far, including board briefings and emails among the many players, it’s the Liberal strategists attached to the Premier’s Office and Ministry offices who are invested in hiding the mess the gas plants created. As energy consultant Tom Adams suggests in his review of the documents, the evidence suggests the total cost of plant cancellations is likely greater than $1.3-billion, the burden to be borne by electricity consumers. The documents show that McGuinty strategists managed the gas files to benefit the Liberal party rather than taxpayers and ratepayers. Once the plants were cancelled, in October 2010 and September 2011, the top-down political influence is very noticeable. Post-cancellation negotiations to cover the costs of breaking contracts fell to Liberal party officials who tried to cover up the mess, not to energy experts...

Please read the whole thing - if your blood pressure will take it. McGuinty should reverse prorogation action - Globe (!) Ontario Liberals were stumped over how to kill power plant - Karen Howlett and Paul Waldie (Globe):

...The documents shed light on why it took nine weeks to stop construction on the Mississauga power plant and why the tab kept growing for taxpayers during the 10 months it took to settle the matter. Project Vapour Lock, as it was known inside government, consumed the attention of Mr. McGuinty himself, as well as officials in cabinet office and in the ministries of the Attorney General and Energy. This is not to be confused with Project Vapour, the code name for the cancelled Oakville plant, where construction had not yet started...

Gender Selection Hypocrisy in Canada

Reposted from Blue Like You - April 29, 2012:


Canada's Minister for Status of Women Rona Ambrose was outraged about a Canadian cultural publication carrying an ad for gender selection in the U.S. (Globe):

Rona Ambrose called on the Indo-Canadian Voice and other publishers to reject such ads, noting that the practice of pre-conception gender selection is illegal in Canada and perpetuates discrimination against girls that is prevalent in some cultural communities. “At the end of the day, we are fighting sexism here,” Ms. Ambrose said in an interview Monday. “We’re fighting this perception that girls are not equal to boys.”

Canada prohibits sex selection of an in-vitro embryo, except in rare cases, via the 2004 Assisted Human Reproduction Act. And yet gender selection post-conception [aka abortion] is perfectly legal; albeit not necessarily socially acceptable. But of course that would involve a moral judgement, and who has the right to inflict their moral values on others? But how can we logically ignore the obvious? It still sexism when females are deliberately eliminated due to a preference for males. And so in Canada we have a situation where the mere thought of pre-conception gender selection is abhorrent, but post-conception termination of a female fetus is a woman's right! How does anyone square that circle? And please don't tell me we need a law to ban the medical community from revealing the gender of a fetus. The Courts would challenge that in a heartbeat [see end of article], and the U.S. Medical Tourism industry would be only too happy to fill in the gaps.

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Related Forced into abortion 6 times, woman turns whistleblower - Times of India.  Ah I know what you're thinking - that could never happen here. Just like Honour Killing. Is a Fertility Clinic’s ‘Gender Selection’ Ad Really So Bad if the Result is Fewer Abortions? - Babble

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Tuesday Update A Debate Worth Having - SNN (Ezra & Stephen Woodworth)

No one is smelling like roses

Reposted from BLY March 10, 2012

I'm very grateful that we have at least a handful of ethical, objective journalists in Canada, and John Ivison is certainly among that chosen few. Last night Ivison broke the story of the Liberal robocalls in Guelph complete with audio file - New Guelph robocall attacks Tories, listen to the phone message here. He makes the point at the end that "no one in politics is going to emerge from this dung-storm smelling of roses." The RoboFembot did not identify herself as being funded by the Liberal party, which caused Liberal MP Frank Valeriote to hastily explain that it was an 'oversight'. Granted there does not appear to be anything criminal here - unethical or mean-spirited perhaps considering the nature of the call.  But it does allow some perspective on a story that most media prefer to skew against the Conservatives -  instead of waiting for Elections Canada to finish the investigation. A Liberal MP admits his campaign made a mistake by not identifying as the party behind the call. He has 'apologized'.  Is that good enough? As Preston Manning stated yesterday, voter suppression is 'deplorable'. However he also pointed out, “If you try to link these things to any one party, it’s a mistake.” But most media outlets seem to be reporting by Confirmation Bias which is deplorable in itself. Facts are facts but some seem to be selectively depressed, while others are torqued up to promote a certain agenda. (Of course here we also need to make a distinction from 'news' coverage vs. editorials or opinion articles.) In any case, let's encourage the few credible journalists we have left - and make sure they know their efforts are appreciated. For the sake of democracy we need fair reporting.

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Related I would also like to mention some of my fellow Blogging Tories who have done some amazing work on this file. Please check out: A CAW Worker's Voice Of Reason (Paulsstuff is on fire!) BC Blue Spin Assassin The Iceman And Stephen Taylor is documenting the apologies. I know there are more and I invite you to leave links to your posts in the comment section. Thanks. We have a terrific team!!

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Update Andrew MacDougall sets the record straight regarding Elections Canada rules on Guelph Liberal robocalls.

About those 'American Style Dirty Tricks'

(Reposted from BLY March 8, 2012)

Glenn Beck has a warning for Canada regarding the Robosmear - Watch out for the influence of George Soros and his minions especially now that there is a Conservative Majority in Canada (H/T Soccermom).: Spin Assassin has more. Certainly some of the allegations (especially in Guelph) needed to be thoroughly investigated, but the massive pile-on from the left to push for a public inquiry seems rather suspect. JR has a novel approach - He is using Leadnow's own form to fight back! Since the previous post has passed the 300 comment mark, perhaps we can continue the discussion here.

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More at The Blaze.

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Update

But Glenn Beck is the Crazy One - SDA John Ivison: Closing in on Pierre Poutine - National Post (H/T Fh) Can A Person Living In Nipissing Get A Robocall In Quebec - Great investigative journalism by Paulsstuff! Radical budget in the wings - Michael Den Tandt:

...Each piece of the puzzle is intriguing. Taken in its entirety, it is breathtaking. It marks a big change in direction, both for the Harper government and for Canada. Will the ensuing debate prove important enough to push the opposition, and the government, past the daily cut-and-thrust of charge and counter-charge, over robocalls? My guess is yes. Small wonder the anticipation, on the government side, is building.

John Ivison: New Guelph robocall attacks Tories, listen to the phone message here - National Post (with intriguing update). Yeah nobody is smelling like roses here. Thank heavens for John Ivison.

Let's all take a breath

Reposted from March 3, 2012

As Michael Taube opines in today's Ottawa Citizen, it just doesn't make any kind of sense that the Robo-Call 'scandal' was directed from the upper echelon of the Conservative Party (Top Tories would never risk all to steal an election). At this point it seems that there is little doubt that something went horribly wrong in Guelph. Many Conservative spokespersons have conceded that and hope that Elections Canada can ferret out the guilty people as quickly as possible. But to seriously think that Stephen Harper would condone such nefarious tactics as voter suppression just defies logic:

While some party tactics have been the subject of serious debate, especially the "in-and-out" election spending debacle, stealing an election is a completely different matter. The Tories have worked too hard, and struggled for too long, to simply throw away their good name and reputation in one swift, selfish grab for the prize of a majority government.

In fact Guy Giorno was tasked with the mission of maintaining a squeaky-clean campaign according to a recent column by John Ivison:

Another Tory operative said he couldn’t understand the motivation for electoral fraud. “Why take a risk in a risk-averse environment? You’d only do it where the risk has a high return, which it doesn’t here. The culture of the party is not one conducive to freelancing. If you do, you get frog-marched out of the door and dispatched for life.” Both said Guy Giorno, the Prime Minister’s former chief of staff, who acted as campaign manager last year, would not have tolerated such tactics. Mr. Giorno is said to have employed a full-time compliance officer to ensure the party didn’t break any electoral rules.

Unfortunately the opposition, media party and many left-wing advocacy groups are using this as a golden opportunity to tarnish the image of the CPC (and likely increase donations.) Some are already planning for the next election with the notion of 'co-operation' among the opps and then instituting electoral reform. For now let's allow Elections Canada to do their work, but let us also keep an eye on those who would most benefit from this type of smear campaign.

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Related

Retraction and apology - National Post:

An article published in the National Post on March 2, 2012, referred to Responsive Marketing Group Inc. and stated that former employees of RMG have alleged that they were asked by RMG to direct voters to the wrong polling stations. That report was incorrect. No allegation has been made that RMG asked its employees to direct voters to the wrong polling stations. The National Post apologizes to Responsive Marketing Group Inc. for the error.

RackNine files $5M lawsuit against NDP and MP Pat Martin - Jack's Newswatch (with link to Deb Simms' conspiracy theory which merits a look.) Racknine says Pat Martin defamed company - Stephen Taylor (with docs) National Post forced to issue apology over robocall story - BC Blue Media Thinks Online Petition Is A Complaint Filed With Elections Canada - Paulsstuff 31,000 contacts to Election's Canada on Robo Calls. I think I, and the NDP, might know why. - Alberta Ardvark Something to keep in mind here (as tweeted by Stephen Taylor):

Difference between "contact" and "complaint" is signing a petition vs. detailing specific personal story re voter suppression. — Stephen Taylor (@stephen_taylor) March 3, 2012

  Dear Media Party - Please take note! The language is not interchangeable. ROBOCALL WAKE-UP CALL - Ezra Levant

Another Wafer Chase

(Reposted from BLY - Feb. 24,/12)

  John Gormley's column in today's Leader Post (Harper's critics need to chill) takes a look on the consistently over-the-top attack on the Conservative Government (H/T NNW): This tendency by opposition parties and the Bandwagon Media to resort to spurious allegations and hyperbole has been dubbed Wafer-chasing by reader Wilson. Pat Martin suggested that the latest scandal du jour is our Watergate moment. He is sure that the crank calls were orchestrated from the top rather than the actions of some rogue campaign workers. (And FWIW I agree that anyone found guilty of trying to obstruct the voting process should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.)

The NDP's Martin said the Tories are "laying the foundation for throwing some kid under the bus" when it's clear there's been "a massive conspiracy to defraud the electoral system."

A massive conspiracy... At least John McCallum has the sense to point out that there is no proof of that, but then he goes on to weave his conspiracy theory anyway (from the WFP link above):

"We don't have a smoking gun pointing to Stephen Harper and the Conservative party, but we do know that these actions benefited the Conservative party and we do know this strategy has been in their tool kit for some time. So there are definitely suspicions."

  Tonda Maccharles includes a response from Elections Canada in her somewhat-more-balanced report in the Spectator:

All Elections Canada spokesman John Enright would say is that federal elections commissioner William Corbett reported to Parliament that his office “is looking into several complaints surrounding crank calls designed to discourage voting, discourage voting for a particular party, or incorrectly advise electors of changed polling locations.” However, in the initial two weeks after the election, long before November when investigators apparently linked RackNine to the calls, Commissioner William Corbett appeared unworried that massive electoral mischief had occurred...

  The problem with resorting to these kinds of histrionics is that eventually people tend to tune out - especially those outside the Ottawa bubble. But for now let's allow the proper authorities examine the evidence and proceed accordingly. We're still living in a country where innocence is presumed until proven otherwise - at least in the real world.

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Update Conservative government aide loses job over fraudulent ‘robo-calls’ - Toronto Star Michael Sona Fired: Conservative Staffer With Ties To Guelph Riding Let Go - HuffPo Stephen Harper and the Scandalettes - Adrian MacNair

Don Drummond's Bad Cop Report

Reposted from Blue Like You (Feb. 16, 2012)

Back in November of last year I alluded to the possiblity that we were all being set up for a Good Cop Bad Cop scenario with Don Drummond. Reader Jon has fleshed out that theory in light of yesterday's release of Drummond's report:

...The economist gives his advice on how much needs to be cut knowing that the premier is not going to adopt all of those recommendations and, as a result, instead of having McLiar’s 7 or 10 or even 12% compared to the 3.9% spending cuts brought in by Harris, whom he so viciously attacked from the opposition benches, he will compare his cuts to the 16% recommended by Drummond. This will also establish a narrative for the Consensus Media to run with. Instead of emphasizing how the cuts are double or even tripple that of Harris’, they too will compare it to Drummond’s recommendations, joining with McLiar in saying “things could be worse, the cuts could’ve been deeper, you know!”

Jon has much more available at the link. Please check it out and discuss here. Have we all been 'had'?

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Update Brutally frank column by Kelly McParland - Don Drummond catalogues the McGuinty mess in meticulous detail. (H/T Newsbeat 1) Was Don Drummond merely a pawn? Read this Star column by Robert Benzie:

...But Liberal insiders told the Star the report presents a “worst-case scenario” that could give the government political cover when less dramatic cuts are made later this year. That is not what Drummond wanted to hear. “This is not a smorgasbord from which the government can choose only the tastiest morsels and ignore the less palatable,” he said.

Terence Corcoran has a must-read column in the FP - The Big McGuinty switch. Did Don Drummond know he would be part of a shell-game?

Those cold, heartless Conservatives

(Reposted from BLY - Dec. 27/11) Who knew Social Justice was part of the Harper 'hidden agenda'?

Server problems at BLY today.

Thanks for your patience.

Server Update

Blue Like You is now on hiatus for the summer.

I may add a few backup posts to this site at some point. Also please remember that BlueLikeYou2 is an alternate site if we run into server problems again.

Have a great summer!

New Server being set up

If you clicked on your Blue Like You bookmark and ended up here, please don't be alarmed. It is a temporary situation until things are set up on a new server.

Please feel free to use this post to discuss the budget, etc.

Thanks for your patience.

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Update

The new server may be ready soon. Hang on for the ride!

Of protests and civil disobedience

(Reposted from Blue Like You June 6, 2011)

At first I was planning to protest Brigette DePape's protest by ignoring it, but some interesting angles are aligning.

Namely we have a front page story in today's National Post about 62-year-old Linda Gibbons who has spent 10 of the past 17 years in jail for being too close to abortion clinics. She has just been released and is trying to behave long enough to be able to visit her elderly mother. Then she vows to continue her protests and civil disobedience and will probably end up back behind bars as a consequence of her actions.

And what happened to Brigette DePape as a consequence of her protest and advocacy of civil disobedience in order to 'Stop Harper'?

She was immediately fired from her job as a Senate Page which was due to end in two months anyway. Now the job offers are flooding in, including one from Public Service Alliance of Canada. and even one from Michael Moore! Well I guess that's not so surprising.

I would love to ask both women how they think their protests will accomplish their respective goals?

In Linda Gibbons' case I suspect she is hoping to save one tiny life at a time; possibly by offering counsel to women on their way in for abortions.

But Brigette DePape is not happy with the election results and wants to "Stop Harper". I assume she realizes that this is a majority mandate and that there won't be another election for four years.

So how exactly does Ms. Pape intend to "Stop Harper"? Is that not some kind of implied threat? I hope some brave journalist out there has the cojones to ask her that one.

Issues with BLY

Another outage today at Blue Like You.

No idea what the problem is now but thanks for your patience.

Update: May have to find a new server. Could be down for a while.

This is what strong leadership looks like

(Reposted from BLY - May 27, 2011)

Prime Minister Stephen Harper continues to be unequivocal in demonstrating Canada's support for Israel - (via MSNBC) - Canada takes firm pro-Israel line at G8 summit:

...Diplomats involved in Middle East discussions at the G8 summit said Ottawa had insisted that no mention of Israel's pre-1967 borders be made in the leaders' final communique, even though most of the other leaders wanted a mention.

"The Canadians were really very adamant, even though Obama expressly referred to 1967 borders in his speech last week," one European diplomat said...

There are times when straddling the fence simply isn't an option, and a firm stand must be taken - even if it means standing alone and losing a seat at the UN Security Council.

And as L. Ian MacDonald points out, Prime Minister Harper has real street cred now.

Let's hope some of the other world leaders learn by example.

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Update

PM announces new maternal, newborn and child health initiatives - PM's website

PM attends the G-8 Deauville Summit in France - Great pics on flickr

MUST-WATCH! Janice Stein on Power & Politics - around the 7 minute mark. (H/T Fay) Actually the whole clip is worth watching.

PM plays key role at G8 summit - Tim Harper, Star. (With a great pic of the PM going barefoot in the sand! - Was he drawing a line?)

Lieberman thanks Canada PM for objection to 1967 borders at G8 - Haaretz

Green Energy Act a #Failure

(Reposted from BLY - May 17, 2011)

In today's Financial Post, Ross McKitrick logically explains why Dalton McGuinty's Green Energy Act is doomed to failure on two fronts - job production and environmental:

The pledge by Ontario PC leader Tim Hudak to roll back key provisions of the Ontario Green Energy Act is a courageous move and deserves to be applauded. It will likely spark intense debates as we head into the upcoming election. It is hard to say whether public opinion will be on his side, but the facts certainly are.

The Green Energy Act (GEA) was proposed as both an environmental policy and a job-creation policy. It is misguided on both scores...

Some of the money quotes:

...An industry that depends on subsidies for its survival is not a net source of jobs. The funds for the subsidies have to be raised through taxation, and the burden of taxes kills more jobs than the subsidies create. This is as true for wind power as it is for greenhouse cucumbers, and it doesn't matter if the taxes are visible or are hidden in the form of feed-in tariffs and artificially inflated electricity bills...

...expanding the renewables portfolio is redundant since 75% of Ontario's electricity comes from nuclear and hydro power, which do not generate emissions. Twenty-two per cent comes from coal-and natural gas-fired power plants. Ontarians have paid hundreds of millions of dollars for installation of advanced emission control devices on those plants. As a result, Ontario air pollution levels have fallen dramatically since the 1970s and 1980s, a point easily confirmed by consulting any edition of the government's annual Air Quality in Ontario report...

...Whether the goal is to create jobs or protect the environment, the GEA is a failure, and the provincial Tories should be applauded for taking on the challenge of phasing it out.

This is a MUST-READ column on so many levels (H/T Lorrie Goldstein via Twitter).

Now all that remains is for Dalton McGuinty to come clean on the penalty question in the secret Samsung deal. Does one actually exist, and if so how much is it?

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Related

Matt Gurney: McGuinty, self-styled bargain hunter, will better any union offer - Full Comment

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Wednesday Update

PC Leader Hudak bringing in some big names - Adam Radwanski, Globe:

...along with Mr. Denley, Mr. Rossi and Mr. Gaudet are at least a few other high-profile candidates – among them former North Bay mayor Vic Fedeli, Hamilton television personality Donna Skelly and Ben Shenouda, the president of the Independent Pharmacists of Ontario. And it’s expected that there will be a couple more quasi-star candidates unveiled in the near future, including at least one member of the business community.

Ontario ready to rebel against Premier Dad?

(Reposted from BLY May 14, 2011)

With an election looming in Ontario and several other provinces this fall, today's Chantel Hebert column is very pertinent - Shifting provincial politics gives Harper the upper hand (Star).

She explores the historic changes in the recent federal election and speculates on how they might impact the upcoming provincial elections - and the eventual working dynamics between the premiers and Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

What particularly caught my interest in Hebert's column was her mention of an apparent mood shift against elitism and towards populism which could very well explain what happened in Toronto:

...Looking at the May 2nd results, it is impossible to completely divorce from Mayor Rob Ford’s victory the return of the federal Conservatives to the city after a two-decade absence.

An attraction to populism rather than an ideological swing to the right may have tilted the balance in both outcomes. But the fact remains that twice over a six-month period, a significant section of the Toronto electorate embraced a less elite-driven less activist approach to governance.

The NDP was not totally immune to lingering Toronto municipal dynamics either.

Jack Layton — who emerged as the main opposition option in the days leading up to the federal vote — is closely identified with the opposition forces at Toronto City Hall. He sat on the municipal council in a previous life; last fall he campaigned on behalf of son Mike and some of his left-leaning seatmates.

On May 2nd in Toronto, the NDP did well where Ford had not while the Conservatives made their biggest inroads in the periphery of the downtown core.

Hebert suggests that the McGuinty Liberals might therefore have reason to be fearful, but may also cling to the "hope that voters stick to their longstanding practice of not putting their eggs in the same basket at Queen’s Park and in Ottawa when they go to the provincial polls next fall."

This is where things start to get interesting though. First of all, the federal Conservative Party of Canada and provincial Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario are entirely different not only in jurisdiction but also in philosophy. I would argue that policy-wise the PCPO is very close to the OLP.

However what differentiates them is the Top-down elitist approach in which Dalton McGuinty uses/abuses his power. This is where I think Tim Hudak and the PC Party can make some traction.

Premier Dad has been telling us what to do for eight years now. The Nanny State of Ontario is a mess. There is little respect for the taxpayer and the average working family. It's all about secret deals like Samsung and financially-crippling environmental policy being shoved down our throats.

Tim Hudak needs to exploit Dalton McGuinty's arrogance and Father-Knows-Best attitude for all it's worth. The working people are getting sick and tired of elitists. It's time to rebel.

Eight years of Dalton McGuinty's stifling parental approach is enough!

Let's show him that we're all grown up now.

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Related

Merriam: McGuinty's Liberals likely next victim of 'vote-against' wave - Toronto Sun:

...There's little likelihood voters will be in any better mood by then. And the Dalton Gang has provided an abundance of reasons why people will choose to show them the door.

The latest is the secret 1% deal with one public sector union, while government leaders were talking about wage and cost controls.

Not only is a secret deal anathema to a democracy, but this one also illustrates a government with the backbone of a garter snake. The Gang was willing to freeze the wages of non-union workers, where they knew they'd face little opposition.

But they ran scared of the unions doing nothing to control either negotiated or arbitrated wage settlements. The secret deal shows things were even worse than imagined.

The Gang has done other backroom deals, such as the one involving offshore electrical giant Samsung. The company is to bring green-sector jobs to Ontario, in exchange for sweetheart pricing and years of bonuses.

This deal is part of the green energy imbroglio in which the government finds itself. Even supporters of green energy don't understand the above-market prices paid for power that regularly is sold out of province at discount rates because it isn't needed...

Ontario's Liberals look for a way to win - Lee Greenberg, Ottawa Citizen:

...In framing the discussion about energy in terms of health and education, the Liberals are relying on their two core policy strengths, both areas where voters have traditionally favoured them over their opponents. (Conservatives are typically trusted more on economic issues, including taxes.)

But Nanos says those hard and fast rules of past elections should be thrown out the window.

According to his latest poll numbers, the Conservatives are nearly tied with the Liberals when respondents were asked whom they trusted on health and education. An additional 30 to 40 per cent are not yet sure who to turn to on those issues.

And the negative signs are mounting...

Toronto Tory has more.

Ontario Liberals helped hospitals hide embarrassing information: critics - Social Policy in Ontario

Canada Wins!

(Reposted from BLY May 3, 2011)

Last night's election results are the very best thing that could have happened for our country, and for each individual party except the Bloc and the ABC Press Party.

Obviously I am thrilled that we now have a strong, stable Majority Conservative government in Canada. The implications are excellent for our economic future.

But as John Ivison points out there are benefits for other parties as well - notably the NDP:

...This is the best of all possible worlds – our politics have been transformed by an energetic, young party and the election of the country’s first Green MP; the separatists have been reduced to a rump; and, the country is still in the hands of the most experienced and competent of the men who were running for the job of Prime Minister.

(John Ivison's back in my good books again.)

Yes it was a historic night for the NDP and Green Parties too.

And the Liberal party now has much-needed time to reinvent itself from the bottom up instead of constantly needing to be battle-ready, and lurching from one failed leader to the next.

Last night's biggest winner was Canada.

Lots more to discuss but I just want to savour the moment for now. Readers are welcome to share their emotions and stories as always.

Oh yeah. Congratulations Stephen Woodworth and other Conservative area incumbents. Woo-hoo! And a big shout-out to everyone who worked so hard on the campaigns. Every donation, every footstep, every phone-call, every sign - it's all so appreciated.

One big final thank you goes to the Coalition that caused this election in the first place!!!

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Right Place at the Right Time

(Reposted from Blue Like You - April 27, 2011)

This morning my husband and I had the privilege of attending one of those closed-door morning presser-announcements with Prime Minister Stephen Harper at Sport Systems Unlimited in Waterloo, Ontario.

How this started out was my husband being at the local campaign office yesterday when they were looking for a few supporters to be at the event, and our names went on the list.

As we arrived this morning I was concerned we might be a bit late, but as it turned out the whole schedule was delayed due to bad weather last night which forced the plane to land at Pearson in Toronto instead of Kitchener.

We had no problem putting in the extra hour or so waiting for the Prime Minister because there good supply of coffee and pastries, and lots of animated discussion.

Gradually the press arrived and set up. We recognized Terry Milewski, John Ivison, Craig Oliver, Bob Fife, and some local CTV personalities.

This was a rare opportunity to see some behind the scene action as to how these pressers are set up, with CPC officials milling about and performing their various duties, RCMP keeping an eye on things, and the general stage area getting set up with lights and a backdrop of factory workers who seemed quite enthused to be there. Some of them were standing for well over a half hour waiting for the PM to arrive but they all seemed in good spirits.

It was also interesting to observe Terry Milewski and Dimitri Soudas share a few lighthearted words. That exchange made me think that maybe we are too quick to judge those media types that always seem to be slagging our side. For them these campaigns must be such a exhausting ordeal - as they would be for the leaders as well. That was just a bit of personal insight for myself to try to be a bit less judgmental.

While we were waiting I heard a crack of thunder and said a quick prayer that any power outage would hold off til after the event was over.

O.K. I don't want to make this an epic novel so I'll cut to the chase. Finally Stephen Harper arrived to his campaign theme song Better Now by Collective Soul. Everyone was so excited - clapping and cheering. Laureen accompanied him and she looked radiant in her fashinable outfit and long black boots (photo here.)

Even though she and Prime Minister Harper couldn't have had much sleep they both looked so fresh and energized. I won't go into his speech because the press will have covered it but the main points were about assisting business by minimizing red tape and creating a favourable environment for small businesses to prosper and create job opportunities.

PM Harper warned about the inherent risks involved with a "collection of oppositions" in charge of our country.

Questions from the press followed and to me they seemed a little less snarky than unusual. The finally it was over and Prime Minster Harper and Laureen were milling about shaking hands. It was hard to get near him so I just hung back and chatted with a few people including John Ivison who is very, very tall in real life and quite charming.

People were heading out so my husband and I made our way towards the door but it was really teeming by now. I'm talking floods. We headed outside but a huge fork of lightening appeared out of nowhere followed immediately by a deafening crash of thunder. We felt like sitting ducks in those giant puddles so we ran over to an open doorway leading to a loading dock bay and huddled against the wall to wait it out.

It was then that we realized we were standing in the area where the Prime Minister would be exiting. Only folks with accreditation were around. Nobody told us to leave so we just stood there watching as Stephen and Laureen posed for pictures with the employees in the factory. Laureen then smiled and chatted to a few other people before rushing off in her stylish boots through the puddles to the waiting bus.

Prime Minister Harper eventually made his way to where we were standing and we shook hands. As he released mine I told him I would pray for him. He looked back at me, smiled and asked if we wanted our pictures taken with him. Of course we agreed and thanked him. We were both still standing there stunned as he departed for the bus.

What a crazy morning. What an amazing time.

Oh yeah. One more thing. That same gigantic lightening flash also caused the power to go off just after the event ended.

The choice is clear

(Reposted from Blue Like You - April 14, 2011)

We are at a pivotal moment in Canadian history.

You can either vote for (A) a stable, competent government by giving the Conservatives a majority or you can vote for (B) the following:

- a coalition that would present a comprehensive alternative program that challenges corporate domination, putting the interests of working people and our environment ahead of the pursuit of profit.

- a platform based on the key objectives of peace, jobs, sovereignty and democracy.

- a federal strategy for full employment. This must include action to stop and reverse the loss of manufacturing jobs; a massive program to build new social and non-profit housing; expansion of health care, education and social programs; a major investment in urban mass transit.

- tax reforms that place the burden on corporations and the very wealthy.

- a foreign policy based on peace, disarmament and global environmental justice. in order to combat the frightening agenda of the Harper government which is determined to weaken and even remove the civil liberties of Canadians, under the guise of its so-called "law and order" campaign.

Broadly speaking that pretty much sums up the combined policies of the opposition parties, right?

Well if you find yourself agreeing with Option B rather than Option A, the Communist Party of Canada will be very happy to accept your vote.

Wish you were there

(Reposted from Blue Like You - Apr 8, 2011.)

Fantastic time this evening as Stephen Harper was warmly welcomed by a noisy and packed Tri-cities crowd in Kitchener

Incumbents Stephen Woodworth, Peter Braid, Gary Goodyear and Harold Albrecht were there as well as Guelph CPC candidate Marty Burke.

I'm just going to throw out my impressions here while they're fresh in my mind.

The excitement seemed to increase relative to the number of people pouring into the room. All available seating filled up in about 15 minutes and then it was standing room only. Music started to warm up the crowd and we played balloon volleyball for a while. People were shouting Harper, Harper and getting very excited. It was like waiting for a Rock Star to appear at a concert.

Finally Stephen Harper was introduced by the area MPs and made his appearance to a hugely enthusiastic pack of supporters. Thundersticks were booming and frenetic shouts of "Harper! Harper!" filled the room.

I glanced back at the media folks and their expressions were blank. This was all business for them.

But I reflected on what a great country we live in where we have the privilege of elections and the excitement of being with like-minded citizens who see Stephen Harper as such a competent leader.

His rally speech was warm, humorous and genuine. He seemed to really appreciate the enthusiasm of the supporters.

I'm not doing the experience justice here, but my message to you is to try to get to a rally this election - it's so incredibly energizing.

You will get so much out of it and appreciate how blessed we are to have had Stephen Harper for our Prime Minister these past five years, and how much we need him moving forward!

Please help us get that Conservative Majority.