Members catphish Posted September 9, 2008 Members Share Posted September 9, 2008 Canada's Harper takes big lead, rival in troubleBy David Ljunggren - Analysis OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's gamble to call an early election already looks to be paying off as his ruling Conservatives stride into a large lead, helped in part by the problems troubling his main rival. The Conservatives, who only have a minority government, were virtually tied with the opposition Liberals in opinion polls for months until September 1, when Harper made clear he was likely to call an election -- now scheduled for October 14. But a string of new polls has put him within striking distance of the first Conservative majority government for 20 years. "Something's happened, something's shifting," said Antonia Maioni, who heads the Institute for the Study of Canada at McGill University in Montreal. The campaign only started on Sunday, but some experts say they do not see how Harper can fail to be reelected with at least another minority, barring a major disasters. He has many advantages. The left-leaning vote in Canada is split between the Liberals and two other parties, while the Conservatives have no rivals. And as prime minister, Harper can set the agenda. He has a clear and simple way of communicating that contrasts starkly with Liberal leader Stephane Dion. "When you see him handling himself in front of the camera -- where elections are fought these days -- he just seems to be in control and seems to have a mastery of the situation," said Professor Paul Thomas at the University of Manitoba. Polls consistently show most Canadians think Harper would make the best prime minister. Harper has two messages for voters: only he can steer Canada through economic weakness caused by the U.S. slowdown; and a carbon tax that Dion has made the mainstay of his election platform would be dangerous. Dion, a French-speaking former academic, speaks heavily accented English, and is hardly the best person to explain a complex carbon tax proposal. "I think the Liberals have got a problem trying to get their message out, embodied in a leader who has trouble making a strong connection with voters," said Thomas. Dion is particularly unpopular in his home province of Quebec, which has 75 of the 308 seats in Parliament. The Conservatives have 11 Quebec seats and are eyeing the 48 seats held by the separatist Bloc Quebecois. Harper has made great efforts to woo Bloc voters and some strategists predict he could win an extra 15 seats in the province. "Dion is not connecting. It seems to me people are voting Liberal despite him, not because of him. Certainly, that's the case in Quebec," said Maioni. Dion, complaining that voters did not know who he was or what he stood for, launched a website on Tuesday to introduce himself to Canadians -- an implicit admission that after 21 months in the job, he is still a mystery. "My dream was to ... work with animals. I became interested in people later on," he told reporters. Yet Harper, who comes across as cold and aloof, is not sure yet of a majority government and rivals consistently accuse him of harboring an extremist agenda. The Conservatives, popular in rural areas and western regions, have yet to break into the country's three main cities -- Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. John Wright, a pollster for Ipsos-Reid, said the election would be decided in densely populated parts of Ontario and Quebec, which between them account for more than half of the seats in Parliament. He said a recent poll by his firm shows Dion "weak in everything. But the thing that has been holding back Harper in that crucial area of Ontario and parts of Quebec is the ... sense of hubris and sense of a hidden agenda." Wright predicted the Conservatives would win 137 seats with the Liberals winning 106. "This means Harper is 18 seats short of a majority, and Dion is strong enough to stay on as leader," he said. It also means Harper would still be prime minister. (Reporting by David Ljunggren; editing by Janet Guttsman) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bassgirl9 Posted September 9, 2008 Members Share Posted September 9, 2008 Wah ha ha! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators ThudMaker Posted September 9, 2008 Moderators Share Posted September 9, 2008 Post for our Canadian brothers and sisters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bassgirl9 Posted September 9, 2008 Members Share Posted September 9, 2008 They just cut 45 million to the Arts. That would actually be an interesting thing to talk about on here. Do you guys think government should provide money for the arts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fretless Posted September 9, 2008 Members Share Posted September 9, 2008 They just 45 million to the Arts. That would actually be an interesting thing to talk about on here. Do you guys think government should provide money for the arts? Yes , some U.S. cities do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators ThudMaker Posted September 9, 2008 Moderators Share Posted September 9, 2008 They just 45 million to the Arts. That would actually be an interesting thing to talk about on here. Do you guys think government should provide money for the arts?The Federal government no. Now funds to build the building perhaps, but not the actual art. Too many folks can be offended or disapprove one way or the other. These issues are best left up to local organizations/government to decide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members chunky-b Posted September 9, 2008 Members Share Posted September 9, 2008 Here is a list of the things them dang ol' liberals in Canadian government promised that they have not followed through on... -CandianStrings Liberal Red BookTop 10 Liberal Broken Promises.1. Jobs, Jobs, Jobs (Red book, Chapter 1) - Canada currently has 1.4 million unemployed, half a million not looking for work, youth unemployment at 18%, and one in every four Canadians worried about their jobs. 2. Preserving and Protecting Universal Medicare (Red book, p.74) - By 1998/99 the Liberals will have cut $7 billion in social transfers to the provinces. 3. Scrap, Kill, and Abolish the GST - Prime Minister Chretien and Deputy Prime Minister Sheila Copps on the campaign trail made this promise. The Liberals will have spent $931 million to bury the hated tax in Atlantic Canada. 4. Restore faith in Government (Red Book, p.92) - Sheila Copps, David Collenette, Jean Boyle, Michael Dupuy - 'nuff said. 5. Stable Multiyear Funding for the CBC (Red Book, p.89) - The Liberals cut $377 million from the CBC - a third of the public broadcaster's budget. 6. Renegotiate NAFTA (Red Book p.24) - Two months after taking power, Chretien signed NAFTA without any changes. 7. A Code of Conduct for Politicians (Red Book, p.95) - no new code and the Prime Minister uses the secret Ministerial guidelines only when convenient. 8. Appointments Based on Competence (Red Book p.92) - The Governor General, the Ambassadors to Isreal and Britain, the Chairman of Canada Post, and the last 19 Senators are all partisan Liberal patronage appointments. 9. More Free Votes (Red Book p.92) - out of more than 200 government bills in three years, the Prime minister has allowed one free vote on government legislation. The Liberal government has restricted debate on more than 20 occasions. 10. Eliminate Trade Barriers (Red Book p.22) - Internal trade barriers continue to cost the economy $6 - $10 billion a year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bassgirl9 Posted September 9, 2008 Members Share Posted September 9, 2008 Yes , some U.S. cities do. I dont think we have any federal funding anymore. I dont mind so much if it means we're reducing our national debt. Country first and all that. However, it means our local music scene shall be crushed quite a bit by it. No more touring grants means my band wont have any semi big acts (who rely on that funding to get across a large underpopulated country) to open up for anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members L. Ron Hoover Posted September 9, 2008 Members Share Posted September 9, 2008 {censored}, not much to choose from this time around. I'd normally vote Conservative but I really, really distrust Stephen Harper, especially in light of all the broken promises from the last election with respect to oil royalties out here. Another Conservative minority would be the best thing that could happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Kindness Posted September 9, 2008 Moderators Share Posted September 9, 2008 Here is a list of the things them dang ol' liberals in Canadian government promised that they have not followed through on...-CandianStrings Bwahahaha! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators ThudMaker Posted September 9, 2008 Moderators Share Posted September 9, 2008 Here is a list of the things them dang ol' liberals in Canadian government promised that they have not followed through on... -CandianStrings Liberal Red Book ............................. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members L. Ron Hoover Posted September 9, 2008 Members Share Posted September 9, 2008 Here is a list of the things them dang ol' liberals in Canadian government promised that they have not followed through on... -CandianStrings Liberal Red Book Top 10 Liberal Broken Promises. 1. Jobs, Jobs, Jobs (Red book, Chapter 1) - Canada currently has 1.4 million unemployed, half a million not looking for work, youth unemployment at 18%, and one in every four Canadians worried about their jobs. 2. Preserving and Protecting Universal Medicare (Red book, p.74) - By 1998/99 the Liberals will have cut $7 billion in social transfers to the provinces. 3. Scrap, Kill, and Abolish the GST - Prime Minister Chretien and Deputy Prime Minister Sheila Copps on the campaign trail made this promise. The Liberals will have spent $931 million to bury the hated tax in Atlantic Canada. 4. Restore faith in Government (Red Book, p.92) - Sheila Copps, David Collenette, Jean Boyle, Michael Dupuy - 'nuff said. 5. Stable Multiyear Funding for the CBC (Red Book, p.89) - The Liberals cut $377 million from the CBC - a third of the public broadcaster's budget. 6. Renegotiate NAFTA (Red Book p.24) - Two months after taking power, Chretien signed NAFTA without any changes. 7. A Code of Conduct for Politicians (Red Book, p.95) - no new code and the Prime Minister uses the secret Ministerial guidelines only when convenient. 8. Appointments Based on Competence (Red Book p.92) - The Governor General, the Ambassadors to Isreal and Britain, the Chairman of Canada Post, and the last 19 Senators are all partisan Liberal patronage appointments. 9. More Free Votes (Red Book p.92) - out of more than 200 government bills in three years, the Prime minister has allowed one free vote on government legislation. The Liberal government has restricted debate on more than 20 occasions. 10. Eliminate Trade Barriers (Red Book p.22) - Internal trade barriers continue to cost the economy $6 - $10 billion a year. FWIW, the "Liberal" Party of Canada is a bit of a misnomer, they're actually quite centrist. The NDP, on the other hand, are quite left leaning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members L. Ron Hoover Posted September 9, 2008 Members Share Posted September 9, 2008 I wish that the Rhinoceros Party still existed.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bassgirl9 Posted September 9, 2008 Members Share Posted September 9, 2008 I wish that the Rhinoceros Party still existed.... Heck yeah! Ha ha ha. In lieu, try these guys :http://www.greenparty.ca/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jugghaid Posted September 9, 2008 Members Share Posted September 9, 2008 Okay, I'll bite. With your Parliament, how do you "call an early election" for prime minister? Don't you have a normal scheduled election cycle? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members lug Posted September 9, 2008 Members Share Posted September 9, 2008 I dont think we have any federal funding anymore. I dont mind so much if it means we're reducing our national debt. Country first and all that. However, it means our local music scene shall be crushed quite a bit by it. No more touring grants means my band wont have any semi big acts (who rely on that funding to get across a large underpopulated country) to open up for anymore. touring grants? from the government? wow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members L. Ron Hoover Posted September 9, 2008 Members Share Posted September 9, 2008 Okay, I'll bite. With your Parliament, how do you "call an early election" for prime minister? Don't you have a normal scheduled election cycle? The official term length is 5 years, but a PM can call a general election any time within that 5 years, but they have to call one before 5 years has passed from the last one. We don't actually have a national election where just the PM is voted on. The PM is just a member of parliament who happens to be leader of the party with the most seats, so in order to be PM, he has to be elected in his district and his party needs to win the most seats in parliament. When a general election is called, all of the parliamentary seats are contested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bassgirl9 Posted September 9, 2008 Members Share Posted September 9, 2008 touring grants? from the government?wow With a country so huge with such a low population, it does make sense. Most bands will just jump the boarder to Toronto for a wee bit and then return to the states and maybe hit Vancouver on the other side of the country. With the grants it actually makes it fiscally possible to cross the country and not go broke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Renfield Posted September 9, 2008 Members Share Posted September 9, 2008 touring grants? from the government? wow Yeah, we support our artists up here. Even if out of pity. Of course, we're it not for the unfortunate by product to this, CanCon, the world at large would never have known about bands like Sum 41 and Nickelback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bassgirl9 Posted September 9, 2008 Members Share Posted September 9, 2008 Yeah, we support our artists up here. Even if out of pity. Of course, we're it not for the unfortunate by product to this, CanCon, the world at large would never have known about bands like Sum 41 and Nickelback. It's not just the Canadian bands. That funding goes to Canadian booking agencies who bring in acts from around the world. I suspect big shows like the Calgary folk fest etc. will survive but I question whether I'll ever see Rancid or Lee Rocker or anyone like that again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Thumper Posted September 9, 2008 Members Share Posted September 9, 2008 Stephen Harper = Bush's Canadian Poodle... :poke: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Renfield Posted September 9, 2008 Members Share Posted September 9, 2008 It's not just the Canadian bands. That funding goes to Canadian booking agencies who bring in acts from around the world. I suspect big shows like the Calgary folk fest etc. will survive but I question whether I'll ever see Rancid or Lee Rocker or anyone like that again. We don't get Lee Rocker up here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bassgirl9 Posted September 9, 2008 Members Share Posted September 9, 2008 We don't get Lee Rocker up here. March 2007. I was front and centre and gave him a hug after the show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Renfield Posted September 9, 2008 Members Share Posted September 9, 2008 March 2007. I was front and centre and gave him a hug after the show. Lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bassgirl9 Posted September 9, 2008 Members Share Posted September 9, 2008 Lucky. Might have been if I were single. I'll never know though. Dont care to either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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