Nanos National Poll - Canadians' views on minority governments and Harper's re-election a mixed bag

I don't care whether it's minority or majority as long as it's good government.
Efficiency is good only when the government is enacting good laws and governing as most citizens want. In a bad government, like we have now, it would only make matters worse. I like minority government only because it keeps politicians more honest. Otherwise I would choose majority.
For the first question,I would answer somewhat positive.
No. 2 Other, ( I don't see much cooperation)
No. 3 Other
No. 4. Time for a change. Without a doubt. Long overdue.

[updated Sat Aug 22 07:46:24 EDT 2009]

It's interesting that a majority of people support minority governments and feel it's important that the parties work together, but they don't support electoral reform (e.g. a move to a proportional representation system) that would ensure both cooperation between the parties and stability. I think the conclusion is that many people are very misinformed about how our electoral system works. It certainly doesn't help that some parties (especially Harper) are more than willing to spread disinformation when it suits their political purposes.

[updated Sat Aug 22 08:19:05 EDT 2009]

If that many people think it's time for a change and 31% of them think Harper earned his stripes, things are looking up, once all that infrastructure cash causes cranes to appear in the air and the economy begins to fire on all cylinders. Fear causes doubt and wishful thinking like "It's time for a change", an emotional question, whereas shovels in the ground, put the rubber to the road. Here in Hamilton, Ontario we have a crane watch, since there's so many popping up. This is happening from coast to coast and in every community.

[updated Sat Aug 22 10:14:21 EDT 2009]

Obviously I have to accept Nik's polling results. However, if accurate the Canadian electorate amazes me.

They say they want change. To what? We have an official opposition who has not espoused any policies, who has a leader who lived 34 years outside the country and came back for the sole purpose of becoming PM and has shown he really is inexperienced and doesn't understand the country.

The United States wanted change and they are getting it big time. The old adage you better be careful what you wish for is appropriate for them today. Their country is in chaos and their deficits are exploding. In fact there is a real danger that the United States could go bankrupt. A $9 trillion deficit this year alone added to the national debt.

Do Canadians not believe there wouldn't be a deficit today? Even the coalition suggested they would have a deficit of $30 billion which would have skyrocketed given they were all left leaning and believe in big government.

Do Canadians believe that there would be no infrastructure money or that the auto companies wouldn't have been bailed out in an attempt to save all those auto worker jobs that would have disappeared.

The polls suggest that the next government will be a minority government. If the Libs win they will have their ideological sole mates to support expensive social policies i.e. national daycare and we will for all intents and purposes have a coalition government.

The question that needs to be asked is it necessary after one year to spend another $300 million simple to confirm what we have already or to install another minority government?

The fact is minority governments no longer work in Canada. This idea of cooperation while ultruistic is unrealistic. We have three left leaning opposition parties who believe in big government and so will demand big spending which will result in higher taxes for all Canadians. If the government who has all the information knows that it is not good for the country as a whole but simply accedes to all their demands our current deficit and taxation levels will look like peanuts today.

[updated Sat Aug 22 12:23:10 EDT 2009]

Niks polls are well known for being fair and accurate. It doesn't appear that they are all that way.

Source : Globe & Mail
It's not often you'll find Prime Minister Stephen Harper at a media bash. But there he was the other night pumping hands at an Ottawa fete celebrating the expansion of the CanWest Global news organization.

No surprise, therefore, that the Prime Minister showed up. The conservative presence in Canada was being further entrenched -- and in no small way.

The CanWest expansion will secure, among other things, a larger media presence for Western Canada, which has understandably chafed at Eastern bias. "It's almost ironic," said CanWest's CEO Leonard Asper, "that we have a Western-based company in CanWest that has the only national newscast coming out of Ottawa."

The Aspers have made a big leap. After purchasing the Southam News chain and the National Post from Conrad Black, they looked out of their depth and were roundly criticized for their management practices. Now they are growing in strength and impact.

Their continued ascendancy is a major blow -- tilt the message and you gradually tilt the mind -- to the left and to moderates. The Aspers make no bones about their conservative bias. It is evident every day in their national flagship paper, The National Post, which regularly runs the likes of Charles Krauthammer.

Currently, polling is a source of some contention. CanWest has been running polls by Ipsos-Reid, which have consistently been giving the Conservatives a showing five or six points higher than other pollsters. Ipsos pollster John Wright, who says he's been getting heat on this from bloggers, says there is no bias and anyone who makes such a suggestion will be sued. Other pollsters I talked to aren't suggesting any bias. They just find the discrepancy "strange."

You alter the character of a country by changing how it sees itself. You can change how it sees itself by changing the character of its media. Led by the Aspers, the character of Canadian media is changing.

[updated Sun Aug 23 19:05:08 EDT 2009]

Interestingly enough, the numbers on appetite for change almost exactly mirror the Conservative support numbers (32%) Vs the support for other parties combined. Harper is kind of like Kieth's beer... Those who like him like him a lot. The rest of us...not so much.

[updated Mon Aug 24 11:07:05 EDT 2009]

Why is that McKay or Harper never apprise Canadians of how things are going in Afghanistan. Only when asked do they say anything and then it's not dealing with the real situation. The US papers are full of what what Chief of Staff Mike Mullen, and Robert Gates and the new big hero Stanley McChrystal, commander of US and NATO forces are all saying how badly it's going. Of course, we know from lower level speakers for a long time things are not what the governments want us to believe. Even Obama doesn't try to cover up the facts. Harper doesn't like the democracy of letting Canadians know the truth.

I heard a joke from a sports reporter yesterday describing the big important problems facing the two Steves, Harper and Yzerman. Only difference with Yzerman is that he has talent to choose from. :-)

[updated Tue Aug 25 08:50:56 EDT 2009]

It would appear that the Libs are reading a winning election in their tea leaves. Harper is trying to woo/bribe the NDP so he now knows he either coughs up and negotiates something on EI with Iggy or he's dead meat.Negotiating with Libs is not his style and will further weaken him if he does. Iggy has the checkmate move in his hands.

I say he will resign in the coming weeks

[updated Wed Aug 26 04:09:08 EDT 2009]

Harper the failure, coward and hypocrite. Very principled fellow.

Daniel Leblanc

Ottawa — The Globe and Mail
Last updated on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2009 10:02AM EDT

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is set to fill Senate vacancies with some of his closest Conservative backers in the second round of Red Chamber patronage appointments in less than a year.

Mr. Harper’s campaign chair, Doug Finley, and his long-time communications assistant, Carolyn Stewart-Olsen, are set to become senators in the coming days. Conservative Party president Don Plett is also on the list of Senate nominees.

This is the second time in a row that Mr. Harper has appointed senators when Parliament is not sitting, allowing him to escape opposition attacks. He named 18 new Conservative senators to the Liberal-dominated chamber last December, just before Christmas, including party fundraisers and officials.

While Mr. Harper has long been critical of the Senate and its appointment system, and had vowed not to fill any vacancies until reforms had been put in place, he argued last year that he had to start making his own nominations.

Some Tories have said that the Conservatives should make the Senate appointments in case the government was defeated. The Tories survived the threat of a Liberal-NDP coalition, but are again facing the possibility of a confidence vote when Parliament returns next month.

Mr. Harper has failed in his efforts to enact large-scale Senate reform since coming to power in 2006, facing stiff resistance from the Liberal-dominated chamber.

[updated Thu Aug 27 11:13:18 EDT 2009]

Harper's Arctic adventure and sabre rattling a photo-op scam. Nothing more.

Robert Smol: We're not serious about Arctic defence
Posted: August 27, 2009, 8:40 AM by NP Editor
Canadian politics, Robert Smol
There is much discussion these days about the need for Canada to assert its sovereignty in the Arctic. Our politicians are talking tough, announcing new Arctic defence initiatives mainly in the form of capital projects. But just how strong are they from a combat capability standpoint?

By all indications this country's present and future combat military presence in the Arctic remains largely a dog and pony show of soldiers and sailors flying the Canadian flag atop snowmobiles and submarines with the primary objective of placating the public. What these new government initiatives lack are permanent professional operational formations stationed in the Arctic, trained on a full-time basis to fight in the Arctic and able to deploy on a moment's notice, with their base of operation in the Arctic region. Our neighbours to the south have that capability, as do the Norwegians, Finns, Swedes and Russians.

One indication that our military is not taking Arctic defence seriously is the fact that the nominal effort at providing new combat troops for the region is being tasked to our part-time soldiers. Last week, the Harper government announced the formation of a company (approximately 30 personnel) of part-time soldiers to train in the Yellowknife area... to be increased to 120 people by 2019! In addition the government last year announced that army reserve units here in the south are to earmark certain personnel to attend military exercises in the north. That's the army's overall operational contribution to Canadian sovereignty.

In the meantime, no measure of public affairs ink at National Defence seems to be spared in portraying our Canadian Rangers, another component of Canada's reserve force, as a major symbol of Canada's determination to assert its dominion in the Arctic. But in their current state of readiness, the Rangers are a minimally trained group of auxiliaries that no military commander would ever employ directly in any conventional military engagement. Outfitted with Lee Enfield rifles used by the Canadian army in World War II, Canadian Rangers receive a mandatory 10 days basic military training and are required to provide their own personal equipment and snowmobiles for military duties. They are useful for search and rescue, reporting unusual activities and providing winter camping and survival skills to members of the Canadian Forces, but not for conflict.

I do not mean here to denigrate either the commitment or the potential of my former colleagues in the reserves. However in my 20-plus years in the Forces I have never seen a task assigned exclusively to reservists -- either on an individual or group level -- that was considered more important than anything that the regular military might have been doing at the time.

To better illustrate how well we actually measure up, let's refrain from comparing ourselves to military powers such as the United States and Russia. Instead let's compare our efforts at defending ourselves militarily to smaller Nordic countries like Sweden.

The target of much ideological derision among the right wing in this country, Sweden nonetheless maintains a permanent, well-armed and equipped army and airforce presence in the Arctic which, weapon to weapon, and man to man, could easily outgun and outman-oeuvre Canada's current and projected Arctic force (not that this is ever likely to happen).

[updated Thu Aug 27 11:35:04 EDT 2009]

After a summer of unopposed campaigning on the taxpayers dime, the new Ekos poll shows Harper with a 1.7% lead and if an election were called today he would lose 21 seats. The Liberals would gain 32. Why can't Harper break out past his core support? After a two month long unopposed blitz of photo-ops and announcements he cannot make gains on Ignatieff. If Ignatieff were given two months of unopposed campaigning, Harper would be toast. CPC needs a new leader and they are too narrow-minded to see it.

[updated Thu Aug 27 20:39:17 EDT 2009]

What the H3//, New Ekos and Angus Reid polls show the CPC plummets 10% in the polls since last Sunday. CPC and Liberals in statistical tie. Why can't we get any traction? We are pulling out all the stops and...NOTHING! I'm getting pretty ticked off with Harper and I'm considering putting him out of his misery.

[updated Thu Aug 27 20:55:47 EDT 2009]

Harper's new chief of staff on Harper's economic performance:

"It is no contest between the Harper government's spending and that of [former prime minister Jean] Chretien's government; the Grits exercised greater fiscal discipline," Mr. Williamson wrote in an editorial published in National Post in July, 2008." -NP August 27, 2009

[updated Thu Aug 27 21:21:13 EDT 2009]

Harper will say anything to get votes. Everyone knows this is ridiculous, you can't balance the budget on an upsurge in the economy. But I guess it doesn't matter if it is not true as long as he thinks he might get a few votes from stupid people.

And BTW, Steve, you blew that Liberal made surplus before the recession started. More lies.

Canada says tax hikes not needed to balance budget
REUTERS
August 27, 2009
OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada will return to a balanced budget once the recession is over, without resorting to tax hikes or program cuts, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said on Thursday.
"We had a balanced budget, a budget in surplus, before this recession. At the end of this recession we will return to a balanced position," he said in a televised press conference in Quebec City.
"It's not necessary to have program cuts or tax increases to accomplish that. Obviously, we will manage our finances with prudence during better times than now," Harper said.
Canada posted a budget deficit of $12.52 billion in the first three months of the current fiscal year.
Ottawa expects to run a $50 billion deficit this year, which it blames largely on its stimulus spending plans, and has pledged to balance its books by 2013-14.
The Parliamentary Budget Officer and some private economists have expressed skepticism the shortfall can be eliminated that quickly without hiking taxes, particularly if economic growth recovers only gradually.
(Reporting by Randall Palmer

[updated Fri Aug 28 01:01:37 EDT 2009]

Harper misleading Canadians again. No guts to reform the senate, so he turns to sleaze to cover it up.

If Harper really wanted to reform the Senate, he would
Posted: August 30, 2009, 11:22 AM by NP Editor

Reading Stephen Harper’s defence to criticism of his appointment of a slew of his close associates and cronies to the Senate, and a number of editorials from that dastardly Liberal media defending his orgy of pork, the main justification seems to be this: If he wants to reform the Senate, he has no choice but to stuff it with Conservative hacks.

That’s complete nonsense. With apologies to Brian Mulroney, I say this to Stephen: You did have a choice, sir! You could actually make a serious effort to reform the Senate.

But if he isn’t willing to do what’s necessary then he should stop pretending he’s serious about Senate reform, and stop pretending his appointments this week were anything but what they were: an orgy of political cronyism in the best traditions of Canadian politics.

Because it was nothing to do with Senate reform.

[updated Sun Aug 30 23:50:52 EDT 2009]

Harper the partronage king:
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090830/harper_patronage_090830/20090830?hub=TopStories

OTTAWA -- Weeks before Stephen Harper named some of his closest Tory friends to the Senate, his cabinet quietly approved a flood of appointments to federal boards that also rewarded party faithful.

At least 20 of the 111 appointments made Aug. 4 went to identifiable federal and provincial Conservative donors and supporters.

That includes a failed candidate in Vancouver, a top organizer with the Nova Scotia party, and a would-be Senate nominee from Alberta.

The postings come with per diems of up to $450 for part-time positions and salaries of up to $118,000 a year for full-time posts.

Some of the bodies involved were: the Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada Pension Plan review tribunals, employment insurance referee boards, the parole board, coastal pilotage authorities, port authorities and museum boards.

Nearly a third of the posts were first-time assignments and the remainder were renewals of three-year terms set to expire in late October or November.

The rush of appointments followed a little-noticed series of judicial appointments to superior courts across the country in July.

That round brought the total number of superior court judges appointed by the Harper government to 201 since 2006.

It also further fuelled opposition claims that the prime minister has abandoned election promises of transparency and merit-based public-service and judicial appointments.

Conservative appointments to courts, boards, quasi-judicial tribunals and Crown corporations now total an estimated 3,000 since Harper became prime minister.

[updated Mon Aug 31 03:21:19 EDT 2009]

TOTAL CONSERVATIVE MISMANAGEMENT BY HARPER!

Conservative spendapalooza approaches $69 billion
Posted: August 31, 2009, 10:00 AM by NP Editor

Since they won re-election last October, Conservatives have issued 1,582 funding announcements, totalling almost $69 billion.

Whether it's Human Resources Minister Diane Finley announcing the rollout of the $8.3 billion Canada Skills and Transition Strategy or Treasury Board President Vic Toews trying to score a couple of political points with a $1,000 grant for a veterans project in Winnipeg, the federal Conservative government has been more active than ever spending money in its first year in office.

[updated Mon Aug 31 17:41:02 EDT 2009]

Warren Kinsella sues the Tories:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5jISR34fxA0KXZVGhJSMWwZzPUnsA

The Conservatives sued the Liberals last year to silence allegations relating to an alleged $1-million life insurance offer for the vote of Independent MP Chuck Cadman.

But the party now says the cut and thrust of political discourse shouldn't be silenced by lawsuits.

"Democracy depends upon the free and open debate of public policy issues and the freedom to criticize those who exercise power and authority in our society," says the statement."

[updated Mon Aug 31 21:46:56 EDT 2009]

Here's the lastest in Tory hypocrisy:

ISSUE

· Just days after being appointed to the Senate, Doug Finley’s first order of business as a taxpayer-funded public servant was to seek donations for the Conservative party through a viciously partisan e-solicitation that is riddled with personal attacks against Michael Ignatieff.

KEY MESSAGES

· Canadians will be appalled to learn that someone given a $137,000-per-annum taxpayer-funded patronage post by his good friend, Prime Minister Stephen Harper, has made partisan Conservative fundraising his first priority.

· Senator Finley is as big a hypocrite as his political master, Stephen Harper. He claims to be worried about higher taxes, but has no qualms about Canadian taxpayers paying his salary to be a professional political hack.

· In this day and age, Senators should be contributing to the work of Parliament, and not to keep doing the same partisan work as before - only now on the taxpayer's dime.

· Canadians aren't paying Senator Finley's salary to so that he can engage in mean-spirited, partisan and personal name-calling.

To use taxpayer funds to raise party donations is a slap in the face to those Canadians struggling from job losses who need government to be working for them - instead of advancing their own narrow partisan interests.

[updated Mon Aug 31 22:09:10 EDT 2009]

The best words I've heard in a long long time;

“Mr. Harper, your time is up,”

[updated Tue Sep 01 18:04:34 EDT 2009]

Micheal Ignatieff became leader of the Liberal party without an election, hmmmmmmm...

Iggy has signed deals with the other parties before, hmmmmmmmmm...

An election would not be in the best interests of the Liberals, hmmmmmmmm...

Take down the Government, go to the GG, seize power without a costly election, hmmmm...

Harper, your goose may be cooked.

[updated Wed Sep 02 07:49:55 EDT 2009]

What I'm not happy about is , Flaherty allowing China, Chinese Nationals to invest in our Resource companies, it not only Irks the USA (Globe and Mail) it also Irks majority of Canadians, I want Flaherty, Notice ruling to day (Sept 2,2009) Section 13 has been ruled unconstitutional because it prevented freedom of speech, so do not use the racist card if anyone is critical of the China,Chinese Nationals & Communist or Chinese in Canada, or you will be the one in jail.

What do you have to say

Signed Conservative -Reformer

A conservative - reformer is one does not like the Progressive side of the Party, eg Mulroney therefore totally against Flaherty and Clement.

If Conservatives continue to appease China, I will not for them either in a Fall Election

Take Note: The money the Chinese are investing are your tax dollars, that Chretien gave China under the disguise of CIDA and being a 3 world country, what nonsense the Liberals gave us.

[updated Wed Sep 02 16:16:51 EDT 2009]

One thing is for sure I'm not Voting for no Party that allows China, Chinese Nationals and Chinese Communist to invest in Canadian Resource companies! And a message to the Chinese and others on this site. The Human Rights Commission back by the Supreme Court, Section 13 is unconstitutional, it iinterefers with freedom of speech, so if you try to play the race card when others are critical of Chinese and China, it will be you going to jail. Just remember that and same for those in Quebec.

[updated Wed Sep 02 20:45:03 EDT 2009]

Harper is lying (AGAIN) about losing the reno tax credit, coalition back room deals and that an election will hurt the economy to scare voters, because he is in trouble (he saw his support drop in Alberta to the Liberals in todays Ekos poll). He has nothing and it shows big time.

How Stephen Harper came to love that new deck you built
Posted: September 03, 2009, 10:30 AM by NP Editor

Now, while this was a high profile piece of the Conservative budget, designed to bring the stimulus home to Joe and Jane Canadian, the Conservatives haven't actually gotten around to passing it yet. Not in the seven or so months since they introduced the budget. Not in the numerous budget votes and ways and means motions that have passed the House since then.

That doesn't mean the tax credit isn't real. It is. Save those receipts. When the government announces a change to the tax code, it comes into effect right away. That's so people can't unfairly play the system to capitalize on an upcoming change.

A recent example: in the last Liberal budget under Paul Martin, the government announced an income tax cut. It went into effect right away: if you're a payroll employee your employer adjusted the tax withheld on your paycheques, and your take-home pay increased. The Conservative-led opposition defeated the Martin government before the income tax cut could be passed into law and the Harper government decided to cancel the cut (to pay for his GST cut) but when you paid your taxes that year, you still paid at the lower income tax rate up until the point Harper reversed the cut.

Thing is, it's all just political posturing. No matter what you hear in the coming weeks, let's make one thing perfectly clear: you aren't going to have to pay full price for that beautiful new deck. The home tax credit will live one way or another.

Even if that ways and means motion fails -- and by the way the Liberals have already said they'll vote no -- the tax credit will be back in time for you to file your taxes and collect a nice refund. If the Conservatives win the election, obviously, they'll reintroduce the credit. The Liberals are already on the record as well as saying a Liberal government will reintroduce the credit. Heck, if the Liberals hadn't forced the Conservatives into that January budget, there would be no tax credit.

So, one way or another, the home renovation tax credit will survive. But that won't stop the Conservatives from using your new deck as a political football for the next few weeks, and, should it come to that, the next election campaign.

[updated Thu Sep 03 14:53:52 EDT 2009]

Will We Ever Break Out Of Neck and Neck?

The upcoming polls should be fascinating. Someone is about to break from the pack once political reality sets in...most of you know my views.

If you want to debate ideas with me, please pay me a visit:

http://politicalcivildiscourse.blogspot.com/

Again, a warm thank you to Nik for putting up with some of us. You are every inch a gentleman and I look forward to the Nanos polls in particular.

[updated Thu Sep 03 22:31:36 EDT 2009]

Latest AR poll says while Canadians don't seem to like the idea of having to go to an election, they agree that it is time for a change. This is, I think, extremely significant, and tells me that playing up the "Canadians don't want an election, this is political gamesmanship" line won't work much. 42% of Canadians believe it is time for a change in government, compared to 34% who believe the Conservatives deserve re-election.

Time for change.

[updated Sat Sep 05 18:51:15 EDT 2009]

Harper has very little upside, but IMO neither does Ignatieff. If we actually do go into an election this fall, we can call it the Seinfeld election, the election about nothing. Mr. Harper an Mr. Ignatieff are virtually indistinguishable on policy and outlook. Don't go by current announcements, go by past History. Both supported Bush's Imperialist adventures. Both condone the illegal methods of holding and interrogating prisoners. Both are weak on the environment (or strong on defending the Corporations that endanger it)

The NDP are unlikely to make a breakthrough and the Greens are even less likely to elect even a single member.

An election this fall might result only in shuffling a few deck chairs on the Titanic that Parliamnet has become.

[updated Sun Sep 06 00:07:16 EDT 2009]

Hello Nik :
Well an election has not been called yet but that did not stop the Strategic Council to declare the Cons were in the lead .
These are the numbers they polled.

Sample size and margin of error:

* Canada: 1,000 -- 3.1 per cent
* Quebec: 243 -- 6.3 per cent
* Ontario: 383 -- 5.0 per cent
* West: 300 - 5.7 per cent

Doesn't seem reasonable or responsible to declare the Cons in the lead with such a small polling sample .

[updated Tue Sep 08 11:25:34 EDT 2009]

Harper dishonest to the core, either way you slice it.

"If Democracy Watch wins, the Federal Court will rule that Prime Minister Harper is a dishonest lawbreaker because he gave false reasons for calling the snap federal election last September in violation of his own fixed-election- date law,'' Democracy Watch co-ordinator Duff Conacher said.

``If Democracy Watch loses, the court will rule that Prime Minister Harper is a dishonest promise-breaker because he failed to keep his 2006 election promise to pass a law fixing election dates."

[updated Tue Sep 08 13:46:40 EDT 2009]