Reading the entrails of the Quebec By-elections

Hi hollinm,

As long as the Harper gov/t is in power, I do not want a majority gov/t. Already this gov/t has taken action as though it had its majority, and the rest of the time fighting for its majority.

Normally the gov/t is supposed to work with the Opposition. I haven't seen this happening, except for a dysfunctional Parliament. What about those "Bills" that will not be passed in the "House" because S. Harper has managed to keep recess in the House for another month? Doesn't this bother you a little?

Funny, I thought that you were for minority gov/t's last year? Thought you said that majority govt/s did not work any more.

As for Roberval - please read my first post to you. Jack Layton looked a bit lost today when he got mixed-up on this by-election, and had to contend that the Conservatives won because of the softlumber deal, and it took a Conservative to repair the losses, after they created it.

4 years is all they get in the US, and a second term, unless the Country is at war; under attack. There are provisions in their Constitution. Imagine if 'bush' stayed in the White House because he has decided to attack Iran???

If you are worried about a Leader being partisan for one Province, vote for S. Dion who is propogating helping all Provinces.

Thomas Mulcair was a well known personality, and Jocelyn Coulon not. I do not think that this is reflective of the NDP, and in all due fairness, not many knew M. Coulon, and of course, the hype is that he was chosen by S. Dion...M. Coulon's experience of foreign policy might have been essential in dealing with Afghanistan.
Having Justin Trudeau might have been more voter oriented, but would not have brought the experience and knowledge that M. Coulon's talents offered. It only proved that the electorate said 'Anything but S. Harper'.

We can't always be in election mode...it's costly in every way. It depends where the party you vote for is going to take you...Is this really where you want to go?

Hi blossom:

I am afraid you are reading too much of the media blossom. All governments want a majority and Harper is no different. Are you suggesting Paul Martin was satisifed with a minority government? I don't think so. It is pure media hype in attempt to portray Harper as having hidden agenda and he will inflict some dastardly deeds on the Canadian people. I have met him, talked to him and to our local MP. He has only the best interests of the country at heart. Unlike previous Liberal leaders who are rich and don't have the worries of ordinary people Harper was born to middle class people, is not pretentious, is honest and trustworthy.

Do you honestly believe the opposition parties are not playing partisan games?. Passing a mini Kyoto bill which would cause economic hardship for the country. Stopping or watering down crime legislation which the majority of Canadians clearly want. Dion is appearing to be a coward by supporting legislation in the House but using the Senate to block it or delay it. The intent of the opposition is to stop the government from achieving a record they can take on the campaign trail.

As for delaying the recall of the House you should be happy. Another Throne Speech and there is an opportunity for the opposition parties to put their money where their mouth is. Defeat the government by a vote of non confidence. Trust me blossom. In an election campaign the Liberals will be decimated and Harper will have his majority. I don't ever believe I said I support minority governments. I think now that we have 4 years to test drive a government we should see what they can do. As for the bills that died. They can be re-introduced but bill C31 the Clean Air Act will never see the light of day.

Jack Layton is running around in his typical fashion trying to convince Canadians the NDP is on the move. It was the Mulcair factor and only that that won Outremont. He lives in a fantasy world anyway so I discount anything he says. When he comes on TV I press the mute button.

You seem to be fixated on the U.S. and George Bush. I am only interested in the U.S. as a matter of general knowledge. What they do is irrelevant in my day to day life. You are right it is a good thing President's only have two terms.

You say Dion is for all provinces. How so? He came to Alberta and virtually told them he was going to put them out of business with a carbon tax. He tells Danny Williams he will restore the Atlantic Accord. What about the new deal that gives them more money?. There is no way Dion would give Nfld the ability to exclude off shore revenue and then when they become a have province still collect equalization. That's irresponsible. What else has he said that would convince you he is in favour of all provinces? Was it the spin you hear from the mouths of Liberals everyday? They have prefected it to an art form. I think you have fallen for the propaganda of the Liberal party.

Words mean nothing in politics blossom. It is action. Harper campaigned on 5 priorities and he has delivered on 4 of them at least. You may not agree with the 5 priorities but at least he kept them. That is unusual for a government. You can argue about income trusts and how he broke his campaign pledge and I would agree that he broke his promise. However, what does a prime minister do when circumstances change and it could have a negative effect on the whole country? I don't think I want to put that high a standard on any leader. He certainly didn't make the changes because he wanted to piss people off.

So until I see something better (in my opinion) I will stick with the Conservatives.

Hi blossom:

I am afraid you are reading too much of the media blossom. All governments want a majority and Harper is no different. Are you suggesting Paul Martin was satisifed with a minority government? I don't think so. It is pure media hype in attempt to portray Harper as having hidden agenda and he will inflict some dastardly deeds on the Canadian people. I have met him, talked to him and to our local MP. He has only the best interests of the country at heart. Unlike previous Liberal leaders who are rich and don't have the worries of ordinary people Harper was born to middle class people, is not pretentious, is honest and trustworthy.

Do you honestly believe the opposition parties are not playing partisan games?. Passing a mini Kyoto bill which would cause economic hardship for the country. Stopping or watering down crime legislation which the majority of Canadians clearly want. Dion is appearing to be a coward by supporting legislation in the House but using the Senate to block it or delay it. The intent of the opposition is to stop the government from achieving a record they can take on the campaign trail.

As for delaying the recall of the House you should be happy. Another Throne Speech and there is an opportunity for the opposition parties to put their money where their mouth is. Defeat the government by a vote of non confidence. Trust me blossom. In an election campaign the Liberals will be decimated and Harper will have his majority. I don't ever believe I said I support minority governments. I think now that we have 4 years to test drive a government we should see what they can do. As for the bills that died. They can be re-introduced but bill C31 the Clean Air Act will never see the light of day.

Jack Layton is running around in his typical fashion trying to convince Canadians the NDP is on the move. It was the Mulcair factor and only that that won Outremont. He lives in a fantasy world anyway so I discount anything he says. When he comes on TV I press the mute button.

You seem to be fixated on the U.S. and George Bush. I am only interested in the U.S. as a matter of general knowledge. What they do is irrelevant in my day to day life. You are right it is a good thing President's only have two terms.

You say Dion is for all provinces. How so? He came to Alberta and virtually told them he was going to put them out of business with a carbon tax. He tells Danny Williams he will restore the Atlantic Accord. What about the new deal that gives them more money?. There is no way Dion would give Nfld the ability to exclude off shore revenue and then when they become a have province still collect equalization. That's irresponsible. What else has he said that would convince you he is in favour of all provinces? Was it the spin you hear from the mouths of Liberals everyday? They have prefected it to an art form. I think you have fallen for the propaganda of the Liberal party.

Words mean nothing in politics blossom. It is action. Harper campaigned on 5 priorities and he has delivered on 4 of them at least. You may not agree with the 5 priorities but at least he kept them. That is unusual for a government. You can argue about income trusts and how he broke his campaign pledge and I would agree that he broke his promise. However, what does a prime minister do when circumstances change and it could have a negative effect on the whole country? I don't think I want to put that high a standard on any leader. He certainly didn't make the changes because he wanted to piss people off.

So until I see something better (in my opinion) I will stick with the Conservatives.

Hi blossom:

I am afraid you are reading too much of the media blossom. All governments want a majority and Harper is no different. Are you suggesting Paul Martin was satisifed with a minority government? I don't think so. It is pure media hype in attempt to portray Harper as having hidden agenda and he will inflict some dastardly deeds on the Canadian people. I have met him, talked to him and to our local MP. He has only the best interests of the country at heart. Unlike previous Liberal leaders who are rich and don't have the worries of ordinary people Harper was born to middle class people, is not pretentious, is honest and trustworthy.

Do you honestly believe the opposition parties are not playing partisan games?. Passing a mini Kyoto bill which would cause economic hardship for the country. Stopping or watering down crime legislation which the majority of Canadians clearly want. Dion is appearing to be a coward by supporting legislation in the House but using the Senate to block it or delay it. The intent of the opposition is to stop the government from achieving a record they can take on the campaign trail.

As for delaying the recall of the House you should be happy. Another Throne Speech and there is an opportunity for the opposition parties to put their money where their mouth is. Defeat the government by a vote of non confidence. Trust me blossom. In an election campaign the Liberals will be decimated and Harper will have his majority. I don't ever believe I said I support minority governments. I think now that we have 4 years to test drive a government we should see what they can do. As for the bills that died. They can be re-introduced but bill C31 the Clean Air Act will never see the light of day.

Jack Layton is running around in his typical fashion trying to convince Canadians the NDP is on the move. It was the Mulcair factor and only that that won Outremont. He lives in a fantasy world anyway so I discount anything he says. When he comes on TV I press the mute button.

You seem to be fixated on the U.S. and George Bush. I am only interested in the U.S. as a matter of general knowledge. What they do is irrelevant in my day to day life. You are right it is a good thing President's only have two terms.

You say Dion is for all provinces. How so? He came to Alberta and virtually told them he was going to put them out of business with a carbon tax. He tells Danny Williams he will restore the Atlantic Accord. What about the new deal that gives them more money?. There is no way Dion would give Nfld the ability to exclude off shore revenue and then when they become a have province still collect equalization. That's irresponsible. What else has he said that would convince you he is in favour of all provinces? Was it the spin you hear from the mouths of Liberals everyday? They have prefected it to an art form. I think you have fallen for the propaganda of the Liberal party.

Words mean nothing in politics blossom. It is action. Harper campaigned on 5 priorities and he has delivered on 4 of them at least. You may not agree with the 5 priorities but at least he kept them. That is unusual for a government. You can argue about income trusts and how he broke his campaign pledge and I would agree that he broke his promise. However, what does a prime minister do when circumstances change and it could have a negative effect on the whole country? I don't think I want to put that high a standard on any leader. He certainly didn't make the changes because he wanted to piss people off.

So until I see something better (in my opinion) I will stick with the Conservatives.

Hi blossom:

I am afraid you are reading too much of the media blossom. All governments want a majority and Harper is no different. Are you suggesting Paul Martin was satisifed with a minority government? I don't think so. It is pure media hype in attempt to portray Harper as having hidden agenda and he will inflict some dastardly deeds on the Canadian people. I have met him, talked to him and to our local MP. He has only the best interests of the country at heart. Unlike previous Liberal leaders who are rich and don't have the worries of ordinary people Harper was born to middle class people, is not pretentious, is honest and trustworthy.

Do you honestly believe the opposition parties are not playing partisan games?. Passing a mini Kyoto bill which would cause economic hardship for the country. Stopping or watering down crime legislation which the majority of Canadians clearly want. Dion is appearing to be a coward by supporting legislation in the House but using the Senate to block it or delay it. The intent of the opposition is to stop the government from achieving a record they can take on the campaign trail.

As for delaying the recall of the House you should be happy. Another Throne Speech and there is an opportunity for the opposition parties to put their money where their mouth is. Defeat the government by a vote of non confidence. Trust me blossom. In an election campaign the Liberals will be decimated and Harper will have his majority. I don't ever believe I said I support minority governments. I think now that we have 4 years to test drive a government we should see what they can do. As for the bills that died. They can be re-introduced but bill C31 the Clean Air Act will never see the light of day.

Jack Layton is running around in his typical fashion trying to convince Canadians the NDP is on the move. It was the Mulcair factor and only that that won Outremont. He lives in a fantasy world anyway so I discount anything he says. When he comes on TV I press the mute button.

You seem to be fixated on the U.S. and George Bush. I am only interested in the U.S. as a matter of general knowledge. What they do is irrelevant in my day to day life. You are right it is a good thing President's only have two terms.

You say Dion is for all provinces. How so? He came to Alberta and virtually told them he was going to put them out of business with a carbon tax. He tells Danny Williams he will restore the Atlantic Accord. What about the new deal that gives them more money?. There is no way Dion would give Nfld the ability to exclude off shore revenue and then when they become a have province still collect equalization. That's irresponsible. What else has he said that would convince you he is in favour of all provinces? Was it the spin you hear from the mouths of Liberals everyday? They have prefected it to an art form. I think you have fallen for the propaganda of the Liberal party.

Words mean nothing in politics blossom. It is action. Harper campaigned on 5 priorities and he has delivered on 4 of them at least. You may not agree with the 5 priorities but at least he kept them. That is unusual for a government. You can argue about income trusts and how he broke his campaign pledge and I would agree that he broke his promise. However, what does a prime minister do when circumstances change and it could have a negative effect on the whole country? I don't think I want to put that high a standard on any leader. He certainly didn't make the changes because he wanted to piss people off.

So until I see something better (in my opinion) I will stick with the Conservatives.