Our latest national poll shows that the Conservatives continue to hold a comfortable lead over the Liberals.
Looking at which of the party leaders Canadians believe would make the best Prime Minister, Stephen Harper now leads by a significant, 17 point, margin over over Michael Ignatieff. This represents the widest gap since Ignatieff was elected leader of the Liberal Party.
Factoring the advantage in the ballot box and on the best PM front, the Conservatives currently have the upper hand. The dilemma they face is that their numbers are strong but it is difficult to take advantage of it politically because of the Harper communications mantra that “this isn’t a good time for an election”.
Likewise, with a defeat in parliament at the hands of the opposition parties not imminent, it is hard for the Tories to plead the instability or unworkability of parliament.
Methodology
Nanos conducted a random telephone survey of 1,005 Canadians, 18 years of age and older, between November 7th and November 10th. A survey of 1,005 Canadians is accurate to within 3.1 percentage points, plus or minus, 19 times out of 20, for 814 committed voters, it is accurate to within 3.5 percentage points, plus or minus, 19 times out of 20. Margins may be larger for smaller samples.
Ballot Question:
For those parties you would consider voting for federally, could you please rank your top two current local preferences? (Committed voters only - First Preference)
The numbers in parenthesis denote the change from the last Nanos National Omnibus survey completed between October 10th and October 18th, 2009.
National (n=814)
Conservative 38.0% (-1.8)
Liberal 28.8% (-1.2)
NDP 17.9% (+1.3)
BQ 9.3% (+0.4)
Green 5.9% (+1.3)
Undecided 19.0% (+1.5)
Best PM Question:
Of the following individuals, who do you think would make the best Prime Minister? [Rotate]
Stephen Harper 34.8%
Michael Ignatieff 17.7%
Jack Layton 14.9%
Gilles Duceppe 6.5%
Elizabeth May 4.5%
None of them 9.0%
Unsure 12.6%
What do you think?
Cheers,
NJN
Remember to rate the views of others - to allow us to recognize the opinion leaders in our national conversation.
Individuals with the top ratings make it to Nik’s Leaderboard
Most Read Comments
Highest Rated Comments
It's worrisome that 38% of those polled would vote for the Conservatives. That's... more
Bernie (Ontario) 14 Nov 08:32
At this stage it appears that all Harper has to do is to continue with his progr... more
Tom Good (British Columbia) 14 Nov 04:18
Harper may have put himself in the no election box because he had no idea that I... more
hollinm (Saskatchewan) 14 Nov 09:59
Yes, excellent observation! Frank McKenna has all the qualities to move the Li... more
Laurie58 (Nova Scotia) 14 Nov 13:05
Ronald: AGREED. Bet you cannot get past the dinosaur gatekeepers in Ottawa. G... more
Tom Good (British Columbia) 14 Nov 22:25
Polls Dont Count, I will not defend Ontario's record. That's McGuinty's job. On... more
RonaldODowd (Ontario) 14 Nov 23:12
Comments
Tom Good
At this stage it appears that all Harper has to do is to continue with his programme as it is the only programme that is on the table. Unfortunately, Ignatieff has been Harper's best helper since he caught the D1ON1 virus and has been unable to articulate a Liberal platform giving a choice for Canadians that they understand and may want.
Harper has rather boxed himself in with his "not time for an election" and parliament is "not working"-------parliament is sputtering along quite nicely. But Harper is the tactician. If the Conservative numbers move comfortably into the majority territory of the 40%s, then I would not be surprised to see a bold political move. Harper has called an election defying his own legislation and he pulled "prorogue" out of the hat for new political meaning. Harper is not to be underestimated.
I believe the outcome of the next General Election has been determined in the greater part by the Liberals and not the Conservatives. The Liberals have not learned how to be an effective opposition and now they have a few "in-house" squabbles to further diminish their creditability with the electorate. In the heart of Conservative country, Alberta, the ascendancy of the Wild Rose Party provincially may spill over into the federal camp but I am not too sure of this----need an Alberta observation here.
The Liberal brand name still retains good recognition across the land but CREATIVE leadership / thinking seems to have gone to hell. Their time in opposition, in my opinion has been badly squandered as they have had many opportunities to put forward many original-thinking proposals / propositions for Canada. They have fallen into the trap of becoming pseudo-conservatives thus they are deliberately making themselves politically redundant-----think they have well mastered the art of Hari-Kari. There is nothing wrong with supporting a good government policy and further offering what they would do should they be government. For example, the Liberals should have been shouting their support for Harper's proposal to increase the seats in the House of Commons for the under represented areas of Canada and, at the same time they could have tabled the Liberal target agenda for the governance of Canada for the next 10 or 20 or 30 years----equal representation by population ? ? ? ----Senate reform ? ? ? Council of First Ministers ? ? ? status of the Monarchy ? ? ? and the list goes on and on.
[updated Sat Nov 14 04:18:53 EST 2009]
14 Nov 04:18
40 replies so far. Join this conversationHide this conversation.
Bernie
It's worrisome that 38% of those polled would vote for the Conservatives. That's dangerously close to a majority. As long as Harper leads the party our country will be going backward. I would still have to vote Green.
We have never had a leader of our country or a party in our history who has done as much damage to our country or party as Harper. There maybe some other in the Conservative whom I would vote for but Harper won't allow them to speak for themselves we will never know what they stand for so I don't know one of them that I might vote for under different circumstances.
I would vote for Peter Stoffer if he were leader of the NDP, or Bob Rae if he were Liberal leader.
I know Harper can't be a good PM. I don't think Ignatieff would be either. Layton, maybe, would better than either of them, but still not quite good enough. So that leaves May as the best of a bad lot.
For the most important issue, the environment, Harper has not done one thing for four years. He does not care about young Canadians dying for no good cause in a far off land.I does not care about a 15 year old Canadian boy illegally held in another country, deprive of all his human rights. He disobeys the laws of the land. (even his own law) his is concerned and generous to the rich and powerful but is uncaring and does little for the disenfranchised. He has the destroyed the good image of Canada abroad. He continually lies to and insults Canadians.
Just his attitude toward that poor kid down in Guantanamo reveals what a despicable excuse for a human being he is. How could anybody vote for that.
[updated Sat Nov 14 08:32:22 EST 2009]
14 Nov 08:32
52 replies so far. Join this conversationHide this conversation.
Jan from Whitby
It seems to me that PM Harper is smart enough to not try to trigger an election.He has show to be a good PM for Canada.
[updated Sat Nov 14 08:50:48 EST 2009]
14 Nov 08:50
1 reply so far. Join this conversationHide this conversation.
hollinm
Harper may have put himself in the no election box because he had no idea that Iffy could be as bad as he has turned out to be.
However, while he cannot be seen to force an unwanted election I do think he believes that this is not the right time to go to the polls. While the Conservatives are outpolling the Libs 10-15 pts the Conservative vote is inefficient as the pollsters like to say because of the high support in Alberta and the relatively few seats that the Conservatives can win. So I think Harper has made the calculation that it is better to bide his time and allow the chips to fall where they may.
In the meantime he has the opposition parties stymied. The Libs don't want to support the government because it makes them appear weak. The NDP know they could lose seats if the public decides that a majority government is better than what we have now and decide to move their votes to Conservatives to ensure a majority.
However, I would not be surprised to see Parliament called back in mid January where a budget is presented prior to the Olympics. Despite the budget constraints there will be taxpayer friendly "goodies" and the opposition parties will be forced to make a decision. Included in the budget will be the HST enabling legislation (needs to be passed by March 31st) and the NDP will bail based on their opposition to it. So the Libs will be back in their ever shrinking box and may well have to support the budget if the polls remain as they are.
In the meantime the Conservatives continue to build their brand across the country taking full advantage of the stimulus spending, ensuring Canadians understand that the Conservative government is working hard to minimize the impact of the recession and beginning to tackle some of the thorny issues that the Libs avoided for so many years i.e. immigration.
In the meantime the Libs have once again built up the arrival of Donolo as the next saviour of the Liberal party. Like Iffy who they recruited from Harvard to save them and is failing it needs to be pointed out that Donolo was simply a Director of Communications in the Chretien government, has not been in partisan politics since 1999 and it is quite different being a Cheif of Staff where you are in charge of the whole thing. The skills sets are not necessarily transferrable.
There is no doubt Donolo will bring some organization to the OLO but can he change the image of Iffy? That is the big question and one the Conservatives will be watching closely.
[updated Sat Nov 14 09:59:32 EST 2009]
14 Nov 09:59
23 replies so far. Join this conversationHide this conversation.
Eternally Optomistic
I wonder if it is time for Donolo to start looking at replacing WK as the war room strategist. Seems to me that everyone WK has hung his hat with since Chretien has dropped off the end of the earth.
[updated Sat Nov 14 11:04:53 EST 2009]
14 Nov 11:04
29 replies so far. Join this conversationHide this conversation.
RonaldODowd
Harper: In The Wrong Place At The Wrong Time!
Poor Prime Minister. Out in Singapore, India and China when he should really be in the U.S. preparing to sit down for American Thanksgiving.
After all, it could be either turkey or goose both of which have been sufficiently cooked. Sound familiar?
What to do? Dipping in the Nanos poll as we slowly make our way toward the traditional polling benchmarks. Trouble ahead for that long anticipated Conservative MAJORITY.
Nothing quite like the sound reasoned judgment of the Canadian people. Look at the undecided - it's a case of back to the future with a substantial chunk of voters clearly saying that Harper isn't the man. They prefer to park or yoyo between the NDP and the Liberals.
As the number one Conservative on this board might say: "I-N-T-E-R-E-S-T-I-N--G. Sort of gets you where you live, doesn't it? Bye, bye Conservative majority. The voters regard this PM as competent but they don't TRUST him enough to bestow the keys to the kingdom. Again, back to the traditional perception of Harper.
Sooner or later, people will take a stand. Theoretically, at least, that means either a massive shift to the NDP, or more likely, the Liberals. When that happens, someone will be well on their way to a majority but their name won't be Conservative.
By all means, bring on your budget in January. I for one, can't wait. It can't come before Parliament soon enough for me. I'm willing to wait until spring, if necessary but look forward to taking you guys on anytime, anywhere.
Watch for more Conservative dips in subsequent polls. Happy Holidays!
[updated Sat Nov 14 12:24:49 EST 2009]
14 Nov 12:24
27 replies so far. Join this conversationHide this conversation.
Laurie58
Well, looks like the Libs actually gained 0.6% on the CPC over
the last Poll numbers. :) It amazes me that the Libs can hang
around 30% in suport even in the worst of times. It goes to show
what an amazing base they have, and that one major slip by
the CPC could turn the game around. Also noteworthy is the
fact that 19% are undecided. I would think that while the numbers
should cheer the CPC, they must be nervous in the realisation that,
remarkably, the Liberals remain within striking distance.
Mr. Nanos, I think you should do a survey of both the general public
and the CPC party members, on the following question or one like
it: "Do you think Stephen Harper can ever lead the Conservative
Party to a majority government?"
[updated Sat Nov 14 12:46:05 EST 2009]
14 Nov 12:46
14 replies so far. Join this conversationHide this conversation.
RonaldODowd
The Pleasures Of Singapore.
A tale of two guys -- one stuck in boring meetings while the other is free to roam across the countryside, blading to his heart's content.
The latter continues to stay in shape -- he's fit and trim and ready for his political future. Who knows, after the next election, he may get his chance.
He would be an interesting opponent. He's tough, without a mean bone in his body. Time will tell whether we meet on the battlefield.
[updated Sat Nov 14 13:05:45 EST 2009]
14 Nov 13:05
52 replies so far. Join this conversationHide this conversation.
hollinm
Ronal....Iffy can roam the country all he wants like a lost soul. Nobody is listening.
[updated Sat Nov 14 14:24:31 EST 2009]
14 Nov 14:24
RonaldODowd
Hollinm,
Surely you do not begrudge us because we keep plugging. Someone has to take you guys on.
[updated Sat Nov 14 14:29:25 EST 2009]
14 Nov 14:29
hollinm
Ronald...not at all. Have at er. Meanwhile the PM will be on the world stage looking prime ministerial fighting to protect Canada's interest on climate change and other important issues.
Your guy meanders aimlessly from one small venue to the next pleading with somebody to listen to him. Even the media has grown tired of his flat speeches and are no longer covering him.
[updated Sat Nov 14 14:40:32 EST 2009]
14 Nov 14:40
RonaldODowd
Hollinm,
I particularly like the way you put that: "protect Canada's interest on climate change." Forgive me, but it was my impression that this government didn't have any -- other than reflecting the priorities and concerns of the oil and gas lobby...
[updated Sat Nov 14 14:45:02 EST 2009]
14 Nov 14:45
Polls Dont Count
Ahhh! I knew the anti western bias would soon show. LIberals need to show more respect for the western economy if we wish to win more and expanding seats in the west.
[updated Sat Nov 14 16:40:08 EST 2009]
14 Nov 16:40
hollinm
Polls....they had no trouble accepting the equalization payments paid by Alberta and the other economic benefits the country enjoyed as a result of the oil sands.
If it wasn't for economic benefits of the oil sands the country would have collapsed several years ago.
[updated Sat Nov 14 20:06:42 EST 2009]
14 Nov 20:06
RonaldODowd
Polls Dont Count,
Amateur acting does not behoove you...you need to take lessons. (Now, this Prime Minister. That's an actor of the highest calibre! Ask for a few pointers.) Perhaps you should do as I do each day -- get away from it all checking how much money I made in those (about 50) oil and gas stocks that I happen to hold. You know the ones -- of companies in Western Canada that I'm "biased" against.
[updated Sat Nov 14 20:19:04 EST 2009]
14 Nov 20:19
Polls Dont Count
You are indeed biased along with many Liberal Party supporters in Ont. and Que. Why deny it when you accuse the Cons of listening too intently to the "oil and gas lobby". The Jeckyl and Hyde act doesn't suit you.
To grow up and understand the economics of Canada would help a great deal.
PS, You sound like a rich man of leisure! Obviously not a "working Canadian"
[updated Sat Nov 14 21:09:47 EST 2009]
14 Nov 21:09
RonaldODowd
Polls Dont Count,
I'm so rich that I light my cigars with dollar bills. Please. I'm sure Irving and Doug are extremely sorry to hear that!
[updated Sat Nov 14 21:14:42 EST 2009]
14 Nov 21:14
Tewchip
The Lib's could start by panning the frazer institutes recomendation to suck money out of the West and give it to the East. We have gone down that road in the 80's and it will not be tolerated again.
[updated Sun Nov 15 11:00:34 EST 2009]
15 Nov 11:00
hollinm
Ronald....nice talking point. I am sure the rest of the provinces had no troube taking the largesse from Alberta because of the oil sands.
Anybody who thinks they should cripple their own economy while those that cause the greatest negative impact on climate change are allowed to continue to do the greatest harm to the worlds climate is delusional. Is that you Ronald?
Chretien allowed himself to be manipulated when he adopted Kyoto. Then when he tried to implement it he knew the impact on the Canadian economy and ran and hid. He had 13 years of unfettered government to implement it but he chose wisely I believe to ignore it because it would have destroyed the Canadian economy.
I give credit to Harper for sticking up for the Canadian economy and not allowing tin pot dictators or those who live in a fools' paradise to bully him into doing irreparable harm to the livelihoods of 10' s of thousands of Canadians jobs.
[updated Sat Nov 14 20:04:46 EST 2009]
14 Nov 20:04
RonaldODowd
Hollinm,
Apparently, unlike you, I have faith in the companies I hold. I believe in their capacity to adapt to changing environmental circumstances. I also believe in their willingness to partner with society to ensure the sustainability of this planet.
Remember what Clinton said: Putting people first.
Crippling is a gross exaggeration. The ultimate hot button in political overstatement. Pandering to people's fears is never a sound argument.
[updated Sat Nov 14 20:38:34 EST 2009]
14 Nov 20:38
Polls Dont Count
Wow! 50 oil and gas companies that are "willing to partner with society to ensure the sustainabiltiy of this planet". Such BS!!
Many on this blog would welcome an entire list!!
[updated Sat Nov 14 21:13:31 EST 2009]
14 Nov 21:13
RonaldODowd
Polls Dont Count,
Public relations is not your strong suit, is it...better stick to your present job which at least you are rather good at.
[updated Sat Nov 14 21:17:06 EST 2009]
14 Nov 21:17
hollinm
Ronald....tell me what light switch you are going to turn on to move the country from a fossil fuel based economy. Despite the lies told by envirofascists there is no such thing.
So companies who are forced to pay to buy hot air credits and send billions to places like Russia and send billions overseas change their manufacturing processess etc to save money somehow so their companies can compete and survive. That means maybe moving offshore, laying off employees etc. etc. You try to underestimate that but even Suzuki says that Alberta's GDP will drop 12%.
All of this will mean higher prices for middle class Canadians, higher inflation with higher interest rates and fewer jobs. No PM should want that kind of impact while they are PM. So Harper will take an approach that forces all economies both developing and developed to take on the same responsibilities in respect to climate change.
Nobody has levelled with Canadians as to the cost they will need to bear in order to "save the planet".
Pandering to people's fears?....don't be ridiculous. Show me the detailed costs of converting the Canadian economy from a fossil fuel based one to a green economy. You can't do it and you know it.
[updated Sat Nov 14 22:32:07 EST 2009]
14 Nov 22:32
RonaldODowd
Hollinm,
We are a federation. It would not be right for Alberta to take a major hit (or any other province or territory) for doing what is required to help save this planet.
As a result, Canadians would be obliged across the board to assist Alberta financially in weathering the economic storm. This is a Canada problem, not an Alberta problem. Alberta is not a selfish, greedy villain.
They are not about to step up because there is no POLITICAL leadership from Ottawa. Harper is gutless on this file. Plain and simple. We're still waiting -- almost four years for his environmental regulations. How Prentice can remain minister under such circumstances is beyond me...
[updated Sat Nov 14 22:38:40 EST 2009]
14 Nov 22:38
hollinm
Ronald.....do you honestly believe that Alberta is going to allow a federal government to destroy its economy with draconian environmental measures i.e. NEP (ll). It isn't going to happen. You want to see a national unity crisis just try it.
Its funny people like you are quite prepared to argue against the oil sands when they are located in Alberta. If they were in Quebec or Ontario it would certainly be another matter.
You can call Harper gutless if you like but the fact is this man understands probably more than anybody else the costs to the Canadian economy to go it alone by implementing policies which potentially would make our economy less competitive.
It will be bad enough when we are participating with the Americans in some form of cap and trade system. Although there is no assurance that the Congress will agree to pass the cap and trade bill. If the Congress thought the healthcare debate is bad wait for the cap and trade debate particularly if India and China are not part of the solution.
[updated Sat Nov 14 22:58:22 EST 2009]
14 Nov 22:58
RonaldODowd
Hollinm,
No sir. We are talking about global environmental sustainability. Move me to Edmonton or Calgary and I will still be making the same arguments. It's an easy out to say that it's convenient for Quebec with clean hydropower. Last time I checked, Charest had an impressive record on reducing emissions.
The Prime Minister can disagree with me until the cows come home but it won't make any difference. Sure the big polluters have to be onside (in a perfect world) but we happen to live in an imperfect one.
Tell that one to the European Union, who strangely enough have taken impressive action without the big emitters.
It boils my ass to see people using a reasoned and logical argument as a convenient cloak and excuse to DO NOTHING. Harper is right -- the big polluters have to be onside but to do nothing in the interim is almost criminal.
(As for cap and trade, I agree with you that it's a non-starter for budgetry considerations south of the border.)
[updated Sat Nov 14 23:08:46 EST 2009]
14 Nov 23:08
Tewchip
Hey Ronald check out these pic's from China. Tell me they should not be front and center in the enviromental scene. The Oil sands project is a sand castle project compared to this.
http://www.chinahush.com/2009/10/21/amazing-pictures-pollution-in-china/
[updated Sun Nov 15 11:12:31 EST 2009]
15 Nov 11:12
RonaldODowd
Tewchip,
I'm off to work. Coming to the aid of someone with a kind heart who helped his neighbour and got screwed. (I guess nice guys do finish last.)
In spite of that, I plan on suing the latter's...(well, you know).
Back to topic, yes India and China make us look like boy scouts.
[updated Sun Nov 15 11:20:59 EST 2009]
15 Nov 11:20
hollinm
Ronald....what has happened in the EU. It is not working. They have provided so many exemptions to companies that it is virtually pointless. Costs for the middle class have exploded and there will be a price to be paid by the politicians.
Nobody is asking you to agree with the PM but it is his responsibility to protect the country and make it as prosperous as he can. Thats what Canadians expect. They don't expect him to implement legislation that will reduce their standard of living.
Once again the Libs don't have a leg to stand on. They could have implemented Kyoto and didn't because they saw the economic consequences. They only got "religion" when they went into opposition.
[updated Sun Nov 15 14:06:00 EST 2009]
15 Nov 14:06
brusmit (Suspended)
RonaldODowd,
The news out of APEC summit would appear to support, hollinm position on the politicians as the world starts to step back from Koyto and assumes a more reasoned approach, such as the one put forward by the Conservative Government for the past four years.
From the Globe and Mail
Leaders agree Copenhagen will focus on principles, not concrete goals and Consensus at APEC summit to work on inclusive agreement for all nations to reduce emissions instead of specific targets.
[updated Sun Nov 15 19:58:56 EST 2009]
15 Nov 19:58
RonaldODowd
Hollinm,
I will not dismiss your points. My point is we can do better and we should. If the Conservatives can't go the whole nine yards, can't they at least make a credible start on greenhouse-gas emissions? Is that really too much to ask for at least limited national LEADERSHIP on the issue???
[updated Mon Nov 16 09:28:04 EST 2009]
16 Nov 09:28
Polls Dont Count
Any reason why Ontario didn't meet its own Kyoto targets? It could have acted alone and didn't! Why??
[updated Sat Nov 14 23:01:16 EST 2009]
14 Nov 23:01
RonaldODowd
Polls Dont Count,
I will not defend Ontario's record. That's McGuinty's job. One can put manufacturing jobs ahead of the environment. That is not a choice that I would make.
[updated Sat Nov 14 23:12:07 EST 2009]
14 Nov 23:12
brusmit (Suspended)
RonaldODowd writes,
"One can put manufacturing jobs ahead of the environment. That is not a choice that I would make."
Old numbers, but the manufactoring numbers predate the recession job losses and therefore are higher as to the enironment, Mr. McGunity took a pass on that four years ago.
Mr. McGuinty failed on both fronts.
Ontario delays closing worst coal plant, Last Updated: Thursday, June 16, 2005 | 9:56 AM ET, CBC News
http://www.cbc.ca/news/?refresh
"Nanticoke's plume contains 14 per cent of the province's small particulate matter, a prime cause of asthma attacks, heart attacks and bronchitis, according to the Ontario Clean Air Alliance. "
"Duncan said the province's three other remaining coal-fired plants – the Lambton plant south of Sarnia, Atikokan in northwestern Ontario and a plant in Thunder Bay – would close on schedule in 2007. "
----------------------------------------------------------------
Ontario could face 250,000 more manufacturing job losses, Posted: February 13, 2008, 2:13 PM by Jacqueline Thorpe Economics, Autos
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fpposted/archive/2008/02/13/ontario-could-face-250-000-more-manufacturing-job-losses-quebec-100-000-td.aspx
[updated Sat Nov 14 23:24:40 EST 2009]
14 Nov 23:24
Tewchip
Uhmmm. short memories all around. Harper has a plan. It was crucified because it reduced "real pollution" not CO2. It was panned as a non plan. Giving money to Russia or China so they can pollute is the only thing the environuts will accept. Not going to happen with our present gov't. on the carbon credit scam, thankfully. Prentice will tell them where to jam there Kyoto style plans.
Oh and there it is again "Harper in big Oil's pocket" what a crock...
[updated Sun Nov 15 10:58:07 EST 2009]
15 Nov 10:58
RonaldODowd
Tewchip,
We will agree to disagree on this one.
[updated Sun Nov 15 11:04:29 EST 2009]
15 Nov 11:04
Tewchip
Sure ok, you might want to check out the China pic I posted.
[updated Sun Nov 15 11:14:29 EST 2009]
15 Nov 11:14
RonaldODowd
Tewchip,
I will, when I get back. Have a nice day.
[updated Sun Nov 15 11:22:15 EST 2009]
15 Nov 11:22
Africon
Ronald - 'It boils my ass to see people using a reasoned and logical argument as a convenient cloak and excuse to DO NOTHING. Harper is right -- the big polluters have to be onside but to do nothing in the interim is almost criminal."
So how come you are still supporting the "almost criminal, do nothing" Liberals and not supporting the Dippers or Greens?
Your position makes no reasonable or logical sense :-)
[updated Wed Nov 18 18:31:11 EST 2009]
18 Nov 18:31
Africon
"The voters regard this PM as competent but they don't TRUST him enough to bestow the keys to the kingdom."
This is such a tired and over used load of crap that it cannot go unchallenged.
Individual voters go to the polls and virtually all of them vote the candidate or party of their choice. They may discuss with family or friends but they do NOT look at polls and vote according to whether they think there will be or won't be a majority Government.
Such a preposterous notion, you should be ashamed for having even raised it.
[updated Wed Nov 18 18:44:24 EST 2009]
18 Nov 18:44
RonaldODowd
Africon,
My, my, did you also feel a nerve being struck! Look Africon, get this through your head. The next election could very well be a strategic voting election. You may consider that possibility "preposterous" but that does not mean that it is.
My submission on this site and elsewhere is that this Prime Minister never -- repeat never -- will win a majority mandate. You can turn it into a pissing contest if you like. I don't much care.
Conservatives are quite literally foaming at the mouth with overconfidence and smug self-satisfaction. For my part, I intend to let a little wind out of that hot air balloon.
To quote Trudeau: Just watch me.
[updated Wed Nov 18 20:57:02 EST 2009]
18 Nov 20:57
Africon
Well, you just go ahead and do that, Ronald. I do not share the overconfidence you speak of.
As we both know a whole lot can change in a few days in politics but it will never be because of strategic voting or some mysterious collective group think of not wanting to give SH a majority.
[updated Wed Nov 18 23:34:41 EST 2009]
18 Nov 23:34
hollinm
Ronald......we are not smug. However, we have confidence in our leader and the party.
Unlike Liberals who wear their tinfoil hats everyday looking for the quick road back to power. Well Harper is showing Canadians what a real PM looks like. His trip to India was very successful as will be his trip to China.
Problem is it driving Liberals nuts. They keep flailing away trying to find some issue.
To think that Canadians will try to "fix" an election by strategic voting is crazy and smacks of desperation. It is a recipe for the Libs to lose as the NDP, Bloc and Greens split the Liberal vote.
[updated Thu Nov 19 21:19:28 EST 2009]
19 Nov 21:19
RonaldODowd
Hollinm,
You aren't smug or overconfident. Too bad other Conservatives, many of them in the House, do not reflect your gentlemanly attitude. (Remember the "genius" who shouted "Didn't you used to be somebody" to Mr. Dion...?)
In any event, I'm not suggesting that I've got a 100% money back guarantee on a strategic voting election come the spring. I am suggesting IMHO that I think it will be a SVE, which as you well know, is a specific exception to most of our federal elections.
I'm particularly long winded but I know you get my drift.
[updated Fri Nov 20 11:54:08 EST 2009]
20 Nov 11:54
RonaldODowd
Africon,
DOING NOTHING means continually harping on the lack of a past Liberal record. I don't care about Liberal inaction or Conservative inaction. I care about what happens from this point forward. Those who want to continue doing NOTHING will spend their time exclusively looking through the rear-view mirror. That is the set pattern of continued inaction...
[updated Wed Nov 18 20:46:50 EST 2009]
18 Nov 20:46
Africon
OK, at least we agree that no one party has a lock on doing much on this file.
I don't buy Al Gore's BS but I am very much in favor of the 3 R's in conservation, using less in every part of our lives. Carbon credits does nothing for the environment, lets spend our money on actual reduction of pollution and waste, cleaner fuel technology, etc and build a few nuke power stations while we figure this all out. Lets preserve our air, soil and water and our marine and animal life.
Long story short, we need to get our financial house in order before much is going to happen of any consequence. But individually we can do much better.
[updated Wed Nov 18 23:55:49 EST 2009]
18 Nov 23:55
elf
sorry hollinm - your guy is looking pudgy - too much good living - like the Pilsbury doughboy he'll not be fit to run and Iggy will be the hare that wins the race
[updated Thu Nov 19 18:29:08 EST 2009]
19 Nov 18:29
hollinm
elf.....typical whiney Liberal. Perhaps you could tell us all why bushy eyebrows with lizard tongue always licking his lips is hiding from the House of Commons these days.
You should be ashamed of yourself. By the way how is Granny Clampett (Carolyn Bennett) who most days looks like she is about to become unhinged.
You see we can both play these games but it really is sad when there is nothing you can say positive about your own leader and party.
[updated Thu Nov 19 21:12:51 EST 2009]
19 Nov 21:12
brusmit (Suspended)
hollinm,
I had written this in reply to one of elf`s lighter posts toward me and it would appear that his propensity towards to dehumanizing individuals by trying to create a cartiture of various individuals through personal insults and attacks on their personal apperance.
It is the very common practice by leftist and Liberals to dehumanize other individuals in order to try and gain what they perceived to be an advantage after all if one is not considered human, then there is no harm in taking the points to the extreme.
As you should know there are many belief systems that have its own special ways of dehumanizing other people and most people such as yourself freely participate in this dehumanization without of realizing that that is what they are doing.
Hopefully, you will learn in time that there is a difference between sarcasm and dehumanizing other human and that you will be able to show the maturity to be able to take a step back and look critically at your beliefs and figure out what your method is to attack another's particular belief system by dehumanize those individuals.
[updated Thu Nov 19 21:29:55 EST 2009]
19 Nov 21:29
hollinm
brusmit.....thank you for the lecture. However, at may age I need no lessons from you or anyone else how I should interact on these boards. I would suggest it is somewhat presumptious of you to be telling others how they should frame their comments.
The only way Liberals understand anything is to hit them right between the eyes.
After all I know I am a lesser "human being" because I do not hold "Liberal" values.
[updated Fri Nov 20 09:28:51 EST 2009]
20 Nov 09:28
brusmit (Suspended)
It was not directed at you
[updated Fri Nov 20 20:04:58 EST 2009]
20 Nov 20:04
hollinm
brusmit......sorry if I mistook your post as being addressed to me.
[updated Fri Nov 20 22:16:38 EST 2009]
20 Nov 22:16
brusmit (Suspended)
hollinm,
Not a problem, I reread what I had written after your reply and did see that you could have taken it in the manner in which you did.
I will take extra care in the future.
Regards,
[updated Sat Nov 21 07:33:58 EST 2009]
21 Nov 07:33
hollinm
brusmit......No problem. We Conservatives need to stick together.
How did you like the last two polls? Of course the NDP are on a roll so says the media... up to 19.
The good thing is a vote for the NDP is a vote for Conservatives. It will split the NDP/Liberal vote and the Conservatives will come up the middle.
On the detainee issue I don't know what to believe and I guess that is the intent of the government. Confuse everybody.
However, the opposition thinks they have an issue but Harper is off to China with all the attendant publicity. The Xmas break comes in the middle of Dec. There will probably be a budget in mid Jan. Layton will not support because the enabling legislation for the HST will be included and the Libs will need to support. If not there into an election at 23% in the polls.
Doesn't give Donolo and the rest of the retreads much time to give Iffy a personality transplant and develop realistic policies.
[updated Sat Nov 21 08:45:41 EST 2009]
21 Nov 08:45
brusmit (Suspended)
hollinm writes,
"How did you like the last two polls? Of course the NDP are on a roll so says the media... up to 19."
I would really like to see a more recent poll from Ekos as they provide the subsets and I have been monitoring the Liberals and Conservatives but will go looking at the NDP numbers over the past month in the thirteen subsets, now that they are back in play thanks to Mr. Ignatieff.
As to your comment "It will split the NDP/Liberal vote and the Conservatives will come up the middle." if I might be so bold as to suggest that with the Green rolling up bigger numbers and with the understanding that the Green numbers do not always show on election day, there may will be a three way split that the Conservatives may well be able to take advantage of.
hollinm writes,
"On the detainee issue I don't know what to believe and I guess that is the intent of the government. Confuse everybody."
I had put this out on other boards and there are far too many questions out there regarding the time lines that have yet to be explained to be able to make a judgment.
As an example Mr. Colvin, may well be speaking the truth on all issues, however it is at least very possible that the errors in judgment predated the Conservatives and occurred on the Liberal watch.
So here are some of my previous posts.
With Mr. Colvin unrepentant, authoritarian views on this file and with he being so unequivocal in his statements before the committee, one cannot help but wonder that if the torture of Afghanis detainees was so pervasive and that if it had taken place in the manner that he has described so clearly.
And,
Wwhy is it that his reports only cover the period of time from when the Conservatives took office on Monday February 6th 2006 and why is there is nothing notes prior to that date in his notes?
And,
Is it Mr. Colvin position that the torture went from zero under the Liberals prior to February 2006 and that it progressed to "all" detainees were being tortured under the Conservatives from 2006 to 2007.
And,
When one looks at that particular timeline the one preceding a time line that I would note that has been excluded by Mr. Colvin, the Liberals, NDP, Bloc and various media outlets to date it does give the current story line the flavour of being very partisan in its nature.
And,
Here is list of questions that I would like to see the Liberals on the subcommittee asked of Mr. Colvin.
Mr. Colvin by you own admission you interviewed four transferees, so I have a few questions that you should be able to answer off the top of your head and I would assume at this time that you did take notes that you can provide to the committee members.
Q 1) what were the dates that the transferees were captured on (MDY).
Q 2) what was the region of Afghanistan where they were captured.
Q 3) which NATO forces captured them the Canadian, British, Dutch or other.
Q 4) what were the dates (MDY) when they were turned over to Afghan officials.
Q 5) how long were they interned (DMY to DMY), where did the interment occur and in what region of Afghanistan.
Q 6) when were they released (DMY) and in what region of Afghanistan. Or are they still interned (DMY).
Q 7) when did the interviews occur (DMY) and if interviewed on more than one occasion (DMY).
Q 8) do any of the dates predate Monday February 6th 2006, if so which ones.
Q 9) what are their names, occupations prior to being interned.
Q 10) have you followed up to ensure that no further torture has taken place (MDY) if not why.
Q 11) if you felt that it was not your place to speak to Mr. McKay at the that previous time in Afghanistan and that it would be outside the frame work of policy to do so, why have you chosen to go outside that frame work now.
hollinm writes,
"If not there into an election at 23% in the polls."
If we go, I believe that it will be a majority Government for the Conservatives and if we do not Mr. Ignatieff will be rolling over and playing dead, in the same manner as Mr. Dion was forced to so, either way it works for me.
[updated Sun Nov 22 09:21:01 EST 2009]
22 Nov 09:21
elf
for goodness sake - lighten up occasionally !!
[updated Mon Nov 23 16:47:38 EST 2009]
23 Nov 16:47
brusmit (Suspended)
elf writes,
"for goodness sake - lighten up occasionally !! "
To which I would reply
"Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?"
[updated Mon Nov 23 17:06:10 EST 2009]
23 Nov 17:06
brusmit (Suspended)
elf writes,
"like the Pilsbury doughboy he'll not be fit to run and Iggy will be the hare that wins the race "
Did you miss this story as a child and it pretty much sums up the Liberals.
The Tortoise and the Hare, One of Aesop's Fables
Once upon a time there was a hare who, boasting how he could run faster than anyone else, was forever teasing tortoise for its slowness. Then one day, the irate tortoise answered back: "Who do you think you are? There's no denying you're swift, but even you can be beaten!" The hare squealed with laughter.
"Beaten in a race? By whom? Not you, surely! I bet there's nobody in the world that can win against me, I'm so speedy. Now, why don't you try?"
Annoyed by such bragging, the tortoise accepted the challenge. A course was planned, and the next day at dawn they stood at the starting line. The hare yawned sleepily as the meek tortoise trudged slowly off. When the hare saw how painfully slow his rival was, he decided, half asleep on his feet, to have a quick nap. "Take your time!" he said. "I'll have forty winks and catch up with you in a minute."
The hare woke with a start from a fitful sleep and gazed round, looking for the tortoise. But the creature was only a short distance away, having barely covered a third of the course. Breathing a sigh of relief, the hare decided he might as well have breakfast too, and off he went to munch some cabbages he had noticed in a nearby field. But the heavy meal and the hot sun made his eyelids droop. With a careless glance at the tortoise, now halfway along the course, he decided to have another snooze before flashing past the winning post. And smiling at the thought of the look on the tortoise's face when it saw the hare speed by, he fell fast asleep and was soon snoring happily. The sun started to sink, below the horizon, and the tortoise, who had been plodding towards the winning post since morning, was scarcely a yard from the finish. At that very point, the hare woke with a jolt. He could see the tortoise a speck in the distance and away he dashed. He leapt and bounded at a great rate, his tongue lolling, and gasping for breath. Just a little more and he'd be first at the finish. But the hare's last leap was just too late, for the tortoise had beaten him to the winning post. Poor hare! Tired and in disgrace, he slumped down beside the tortoise who was silently smiling at him.
"Slowly does it every time!" he said.
[updated Thu Nov 19 21:33:14 EST 2009]
19 Nov 21:33
elf
what a waste of space
[updated Mon Nov 23 16:48:14 EST 2009]
23 Nov 16:48
brusmit (Suspended)
elf writes,
"what a waste of space"
To which I will reply.
It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt. Mark Twain
Now that you have removed all doubt, I will leave you to your contemplations such as they are.
[updated Mon Nov 23 17:03:29 EST 2009]
23 Nov 17:03
twiens
Stats, stats and more stats. Having worked with stats for a good part of my life I am well aware of how they can be used. You can give the same set of numbers to five different statistical analysts and get five sets of outcomes based on the philosophy of the analyst. That is why I don't pay a lot of attention to polls. What is most obvious to me is the type of results that comes out of the different areas of our country. To me, that just re-enforces the need for political change...not in politician but in the structure of our political system.
We have become to diverse a country for a centralized political system. We continually hear from all political parties about making changes to our system and to date I have seen little. Personally I really don't care for any of the current leaders but am very happy to have a minority government right now. From my point of view that helps keep a political balance right now which is what we need. My support for a Prime Minister will go to the first leader who takes real steps to change our structure and not to someone that talks up, as an example, Senate reform and then appoint as many Senators that he can. There has to be a middle ground between the American system and the British parliamentary system. The first leader to do that has me.
[updated Sat Nov 14 13:08:10 EST 2009]
14 Nov 13:08
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RonaldODowd
Brusmit,
Since you are in unusually fine form today, I have a question for you concerning Remembrance Day:
I understand why Viet Nam is not inscribed on our cenotaph in Ottawa. Undeclared war, Canada not officially part of it, etc.
But why did we not commemorate our veterans from the Boer War? Surely, that was a Canadian war with volunteers fighting for King and Country. Didn't Laurier play at least a semi-active role regarding same?
Thanks in advance for your time and your opinion, if proffered.
[updated Sat Nov 14 22:24:35 EST 2009]
14 Nov 22:24
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Non-aligned in Toronto
I am delighted to see that both Nik's poll and the Ekos poll earlier this week show the Conservatives edging away from majority territory. I can live with a Con minority government, but like most Canadians, as indicated by the trend of the Con tide retreating each time it comes close to a majority, I don't want a Conservative majority.
Also heartening to me as an unreconstructed dipper, is to see the NDP edge back to the 18%they received last election.
[updated Mon Nov 16 09:42:54 EST 2009]
16 Nov 09:42
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brusmit (Suspended)
With the Liberal preoccupation with H1N1 one has to wonder why the Liberals continue to try and play this story into a major issue as the headlines from across Canada are showing a clear trend that Canadians are moving on and the media hype has slowed to a trickle on this file.
Time for the Liberals to move on to the next big issue facing Canadians as this one was a non starter from the get go and no matter how they try to spin it, the only political capital that they will receive is if a large number of Canadians start to die.
So for the Liberals are reduced to being cheerleaders, with individuals such as Mr. Rae, Ms. Bennet and other Liberals at the request of Mr. Ignatieff new COS are out there leading the cheers and fear mongering about Canadians dying.
The Canadian Press, Date: Tuesday Nov. 17, 2009 9:05 AM ET
Headline - H1N1's true toll may take months to become clear.
From the piece,
"Are you confused by the H1N1 numbers? Wondering why public health officials are making such a fuss about a virus that has so far killed so few people? You aren't alone."
"After all, we're told seasonal flu kills between 4,000 to 8,000 Canadians and between 250,000 and 500,000 people worldwide each year. Yet as of late last week, seven months into this outbreak, H1N1 had killed 161 Canadians and an estimated 6,260 people around the globe. "
[updated Tue Nov 17 09:32:39 EST 2009]
17 Nov 09:32
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brusmit (Suspended)
Here is another Headline that I have not seen carried in the other Conservative friendly media outlets and one could question as to why it is not being carried as it is excellent news for the Conservatives and their form of Governing.
It speaks to the how well the Conservatives are handling the question of transparency during their terms as Government as their work on this file is described as being "inspirational" and it is clear contrast to the time under the Liberals were Canada`s standing fell to an all time low.
From the piece
"Canada's score, as high as 9.0 in 2002, slid steadily to 8.4 in 2005 as a result of the sponsorship scandal. It bounced up to 8.7 in the 2007 TI index, a level it has maintained in the two subsequent TI studies."
It is interesting that the Liberals, NDP and Bloc are attacking the Conservative on this file as they have been recognized by a world agency for their high quality and standards that they have set and that is reflected in the increase in Canada`s standing since the Conservative assumed power.
This yet one more example of the Liberals under the direct of Mr. Ignatieff and his COS choosing yet again lies over truth and the Liberals wonder why they are disconnected from Canadians and will remain so until they can find their values again and stop seeking power for the sack of power and try and bring new public policy to Canadians for debate.
Global News.
Canada least corrupt in the Americas:
Report by Peter O'Neil, Canwest News Europe Correspondent, Canwest News Service: Tuesday, November 17, 2009 6:02 AM.
"Canada is viewed as the least corrupt country in the Americas and is an "inspiration" for the U.S. and other neighbours in the hemisphere, Transparency International said in its annual report published Tuesday."
"The Berlin-based watchdog ranked Canada eighth globally, in a tie with Australia and the Netherlands, in its index that assesses internal perceptions of corruption in 180 countries."
"In first place was New Zealand while in second last place, just ahead of the failed state of Somalia, was Afghanistan, the largest recipient of Canadian development aid."
"Canada, with a score of 8.7 out of 10, "continues to be among the ten countries with the lowest perceived levels of corruption worldwide, serving as a benchmark and inspiration for the Americas," TI said in its report."
[updated Tue Nov 17 10:09:56 EST 2009]
17 Nov 10:09
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brusmit (Suspended)
Don Martin, National Post Published: Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Headline: Liberals immune to flu facts
The observations that Mr. Martin brings forward in today's piece goes directly to the heart of what is wrong with the Liberals and why even with a new COS in the OLO, they are still flipping and flopping around the issues of the day.
"Scare tactics continue as public fears wane"
How Liberal no public policy but there seems to be no end to the fear mongering and lies.
From the piece,
"There's a palpable easing of the public health hysteria that was inflicting so much distress on the government for most of the last month -- although that was clearly news to the Liberals."
It was in all the papers, perchance Mr. Ignatieff new COS missed it while he was busy cutting all these Liberal staffers just before Christmas, what a nice Christmas present from Mr. Ignatieff to his staff.
"The Official Opposition may have been operating under new office management yesterday, but you would never have known it by their same old Question Period fear mongering laced with half-truths, a tactic perhaps more symptomatic of party desperation than anything dramatically new on the health file.
Well, that just about says it all, what is new is old again in a very short time and it only took one day, who would have thought.
From the Piece,
"For starters, they warned, the immunization completion date will be delayed by several months and could extend into February."
"This is patently false -- Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq says the program is still on track for completion by Christmas and notes some jurisdictions will be finished their rollout this week -- and it does nothing but heighten anxiety among Canadians and add panic to the lineups of parents seeking to ensure their kids have the shot."
Patently false, what can be more straight forward than that - the Liberals are playing fast and loose with the truth and why does the truth scare the Liberal so much that they need to resort to lies to try and make a point.
From the Piece
"The Liberals also seem to be boosting flu figures for dramatic effect by saying there have been at least 41 deaths in the past week and 190 deaths in total. The latest information on public health agency websites indicate 20 deaths in the last week and 135 in total."
The Liberals are boosting the numbers of how many Canadians have died from H1N1, is the number of these tragic deaths not high enough for Mr. Igantieff and his new COS, that they have to lie about how many have died.
From the Piece
"They also forget to add context to statistics that are obviously tragic for the victims, but hardly worthy of panic in a country where weekly H1N1 deaths are now roughly a third of the average traffic fatality count."
We are back to the point where the Liberals are calling out fire in a crowd room where there is no fire, in the hope of creating panic and fear.
From the Piece
"If H1N1 has "overwhelmed many hospital ICUs," as the Liberals allege, that's news to the media although, to be fair, that could happen if the pandemic worsens."
"And as if to underline that their scare tactics are getting thin, the Liberals say ethnic communities could suffer from health-care ignorance because the federal government has failed to translate vaccine program information into many languages. Local health authorities, of course, handle that kind of targeted communication, and they are quite capable of doing so in many languages."
Straight forward fear mongering by the Liberals in the hope of reviving their faltering numbers among new Canadians, I really cannot see anything more debased than that from the Liberals, but the day is not over yet and QP is no line again today.
From the Piece
"It's time to downplay the spin doctors and concentrate on medical facts as this pandemic reaches what seems to be a weaker-than-predicted peak."
"Prevailing expert opinion is that the odds of dying from this H1N1 bug are the same as any run-of-the-mill flu and may indeed be considerably less by the time the mass immunization is done which, it's safe to predict, will happen earlier than predicted and probably by mid-December."
Mr. Martin`s words are very reasonable and the Liberals should be taking his advice on this and backing off the hype and lies as it does not serve Canada well.
[updated Tue Nov 17 10:52:50 EST 2009]
17 Nov 10:52
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brusmit (Suspended)
Well, here is today`s newest Conservative scandal unearthed by the ever vigilant Liberal party of Canada and on reflection it is just more of the same nonsense that the Liberals have been parading in front of Canadians for the past year now.
It sounds good on the sound bit`s and the news cycles but it does not stand the smell test, so back to books for Mr. Ignatieff new COS as there is nothing new here.
Campbell Clark. Ottawa — From Tuesday's Globe and Mail Published on Monday, Nov. 16, 2009 10:22PM EST Last updated on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009 3:03AM EST
Headline: Tory MPs assailed over mailing costs.
From the piece and it is buried deep down in the piece and it is the most telling part of the article and how the Liberals and this writer have chosen to spin this issue.
"All the parties do it, but the Conservatives have taken to it with zeal: Adding up the costs, the Montreal newspaper Le Devoir found that MPs with the minority Conservatives spent $6.3-million on the mailers, while opposition MPs spent $3.8-million."
Now I am not sure what math the Liberals and this writer are using, perhaps it is the new math but my old math says that if there are 144 Conservatives and there are 77 Liberals, that means that there are twice as many Conservatives.
So the $6.3 million spent by the Conservatives is in fact proportionally less than the $3.8 Million that was spent by the Liberals, now my solution to Mr. Ignatieff and his new COS and the Liberal members of house is to force an election and receive more seats, that way they can have more money to spend on the 10% other wise - take a seat and stopm the whine it is getting old.
Good old new Liberal math as the numbers never seem to add up.
From the piece.
"Opposition complains parliamentary privilege is being abused for propaganda purposes."
" The Conservatives have made free mail expensive."
"Reports that Tory MPs ran up $6.3-million in costs last year by mailing out so-called “ten-per-centers” to people outside their ridings have opposition MPs calling for new limits on the free-mail privilege."
"The pamphlets are a parliamentary perk: MPs have free mailing privileges, called franking, that allow them to send information outside their riding. But Conservatives have employed them at twice the rate of other MPs – and used them to take more bare-knuckled political campaigns into opponents' ridings."
“They don't need to use our free franking privileges to carpet-bomb Canada with propaganda. It infuriates me,” New Democrat MP Pat Martin said.
"The dispute is not over the newsletters that MPs send free to their own constituents four times a year. Parliamentarians have another free-mail privilege that allows them to send mailers to a number of households equal to 10 per cent of the households in their own ridings. They can send them anywhere in Canada, as many times as they like, as long as they change them substantially each time. And parties can group batches of MPs together, combining their 10-per-cent numbers, to send bigger m
[updated Tue Nov 17 11:29:56 EST 2009]
17 Nov 11:29
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brusmit (Suspended)
Well it would appear that H1N1 is no dead on arrival with the Liberals and just look at what they have chosen to hitch their wagon to this time.
CTV - Afghan prisoners were tortured, diplomat says.
"Afghanistan's intelligence service tortured every detainee handed over to them by Canadian soldiers in 2006-2007, a federal official testified today. "
"According to our information, the likelihood is that all the Afghans we handed over were tortured," he said.
"For interrogators in Kandahar, it was standard operating procedure."
CBC - All Afghan detainees likely tortured: diplomat.
"All detainees transferred by Canadians to Afghan prisons were likely tortured by Afghan officials and many of the prisoners were innocent, says a former senior diplomat with Canada's mission in Afghanistan.
"Appearing before a House of Commons committee Wednesday, Richard Colvin blasted the detainees policies of Canada and compared them with the policies of the British and the Netherlands."
Toronto Star - Canada ignored torture warnings: Diplomat.
"A former senior Canadian diplomat in Afghanistan has levelled bombshell allegations suggesting the military knowingly handed detainees to Afghan authorities where they were tortured.
"Richard Colvin, now an intelligence officer at the Canadian embassy in Washington, said Canada took six times as many detainees as coalition partners from Britain and the Netherlands, had no way to track their whereabouts, and ignored warnings they were being tortured with electrical tables, extreme temperatures, knives and sexual abuse."
Global and Mail - Canada handed over innocent Afghans to torture, diplomat tells Commons committee.
"All of the prisoners Canada handed over to Afghanistan's notorious intelligence service in 2006-07 were tortured and many of them were likely innocent, a federal official has testified. "
"Intelligence officer Richard Colvin, a former diplomat in Afghanistan, testified before a special House of Commons committee Wednesday. "
Well this should interesting, no proof and no facts and the Liberal friendly media being unable able to sell "that canadains are dying from H1N1 for the Liberals have now moved on to the next Conservative scandal, one can only wonder what it will be next week.
[updated Wed Nov 18 17:28:54 EST 2009]
18 Nov 17:28
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Tom Good
FIVE YEAR STUDY blog---the latest one. If you wish to get access, into your favourites enter www.nikonthenumbers.com and enter the blog that way.
[updated Fri Nov 20 22:02:38 EST 2009]
20 Nov 22:02
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RonaldODowd
Angus Reid and Ipsos Reid Polls: Something Bad For Just About Everyone...
What strikes me in general terms about Angus Reid, Ipsos Reid (and Ekos before them) is that Conservatives continue to have momentum -- but it's faltering. (Mind you, they won't be breaking into tears with a thirteen to fifteen point lead.)
But they do have reason to be worried if their eyes are still on the same ball: that of coming out of the next campaign with a majority Conservative government. I've been carping about this for an eternity and boldly predicted (some would argue foolishly!) quite some time ago that we'll never see the election of a CPC majority. (You will also recall my other gem -- namely, that sooner or later we will find ourselves smack in the middle of an election and that voters will give Michael a mandate to govern. Again, my own view is that people are itching for a majority, and for better or worse, Michael is the only leader that is even remotely perceived as a contender by most people who happen to vote anything other than Conservative. That's why I'm expecting an eventual Liberal majority.)
To my mind, Ekos, Angus Reid and most recently, Ipsos Reid are beginning to show the way. People are parking their votes with a whopping ten percent in the Green column (Angus Reid). Ipsos Reid has the NDP rising by six points while AR has them stable. That has happened to the NDP more times than I can shake a stick at, in the past, but the NDP has never been able in recent polls to make permanent significant headway against the Liberals. That is known as a pure, unadulterated fact!
Once again (and thank the deity for it), Conservatives have missed another open and now rapidly closing window preferring to "bide their time". Big mistake, IMHO.
Meanwhile, over at our bench, Peter has his work cut out for him. We know what we have to do. We've found the common resolve to do it. So let's get to work. Many of you know what direction I think we should head in. But that's not my call, is it...
So stay tuned as we head into spring for the inevitable showdown with this government. A week is indeed a very long time in politics (some longer than others!). But keep the faith, and keep smiling.
Think of it as In The Kitchen With Master Chefs...then enjoy the slicing and dicing as each party manoeuvers to get a significant strategic advantage over the others.
[updated Sat Nov 21 16:55:50 EST 2009]
21 Nov 16:55
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brusmit (Suspended)
With Mr. Ignatieff at 23% in the polls out come the Liberal knives.
From the Toronto Star. Published On Sun Nov 22 2009, Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press
Stéphane Dion's wife shares her disdain for Michael IgnatieffFacebook posting slams his ability to lead party.
Stephane Dion leaves with his wife, Janine Krieber, after speaking to the media following Prime Minister Stephen Harper's federal election announcement in Ottawa, Sept. 7, 2008.
"The outspoken wife of former Liberal leader Stéphane Dion has written a scathing letter in which she questions Michael Ignatieff's ability to lead the party out of its current woes.
In a note published on her Facebook page and subsequently circulated among party members, Janine Krieber wrote Friday that the party was in full collapse and the future appeared bleak.
A fellow university professor, Krieber said party members were duped by Ignatieff and would have recognized his obvious shortcomings if they'd only taken the time to read his academic writings.
She also said the party would pay for refusing to endorse a historic left-wing coalition in an attempt to oust the Conservatives last December.
She writes that her husband was working to rebuild the party after last year's disappointing election result but had those efforts short-circuited by Ignatieff, who first dethroned Dion without a leadership race and then dumped the idea of forming a coalition with the other opposition parties.
"Stéphane was ready to take the time and the shots (against him) in order to rebuild the party," she said. "But they (party members) didn't accept the 26 per cent (of the popular vote in the last election). Now we're at 23."
Sources say Dion, a Montreal MP, was not involved in producing the note and that people in his camp persuaded Krieber, who has never shied away from expressing her opinion, to delete the message Saturday."
[updated Sun Nov 22 09:36:55 EST 2009]
22 Nov 09:36
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RonaldODowd
Open Season For Comments!
What do you think of CDS Walter Natynczyk's comments that Afghan prisoner transfers were stopped more than once -- contrary to what the government had previously put on the record?
Is it a "bombshell" as claimed on CBC News Network or less than that? Is it still trouble for the Harper government?
NOT RELATED: I can't resist this one. CBC NN is running Orgasm Inc. about the lack of blood flow to the female sex organs. Seesh. They don't need a pill to fix it, she just said. I agree. What don't they just STOP smoking! You would think women would know what that alone does to blood vessels...(But as per usual, I digress.)
[updated Sun Nov 22 22:13:12 EST 2009]
22 Nov 22:13
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brusmit (Suspended)
Well considering that Liberals are now down another couple of percentages points to 23%, I guess it is time to close the book on H1N1 which was the one / two week wonder that the Liberals were banking on to improve their numbers.
Canadians were never impressed with the Liberal, Media hype on this file and have moved on as they did for the preceeding Chq Gate, the Torch, the 10% and other scandals
This has me wondering, how long the most recent one will last.
It is now into it`s second week and depending on how the committee plays out, it should be interesting to see whether or not the Liberals will get another bump in the wrong direction for attacking the Canadian forces through the Government on this file.
[updated Mon Nov 23 08:29:54 EST 2009]
23 Nov 08:29
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