Hellyer And Layton: Letter To The Editor

This is discouraging. You know I don\'t get Jack Layton/NDP how they can\'t see the benefits of this change. Not only would they get probably 95% of the CAP votes, they would also get votes from people who are not a member of any political party yet. Who are waiting for the OBP idea to happen. How many votes? Well I would think through Mel Hurtig promotion of OBP and the amount of people who read the OBP book, and The Vanishing Country.

I would think that there are a large amount of Canadians who are waiting for this OBP idea to happen. These are people who may choose to spoil their vote, instead of voting for any current party we have now.

Last I checked there was over 230,000 hits to this website. That number changes by over 1000 per day. I assume there is many who are interested and waiting for this OBP idea to happen.

If it don\'t happen, Paul Hellyer may want to come out with a new book that would promote his current party alone, without the help of Jack.

Time will tell.

Kevin Gagnon
www.kevingagnon.ca

Hello Kevin

After reading the article in the National Post yesterday I was quite discouraged also. In fact today I have taken out a CAP membership. I am one of those who you have talked about waiting and looking to see if this new party could get up and running and I would have joined it.

I took out a CAP membership so I could stay involved in geting this new party under way. I have been in contact via e-mail with Mr Hellyer to encourage him to use CAP as the jump off point for this new party. If Cap members would be willing to change the name of the party, write a new constitution,and reflect the reality of Canada today I am sure that more progressives will unite in this party.

I agree with you, what in heavens name is the matter with the NDP. As of now the NDP will not and cannot form the government. Together their is a good possibility we could get three times as many seats.

Kevin, I realize that you are disappointed with what has happened. I was one of those PCers that you were talking about. Come and join the CAP team and lets get this new party started. As far as Paul writing a new book of how we can get this started by CAP, well I don\'t think we need a book. I would suggest to you that you and I and the other progressives across Canada know what has to be done.

I also invite progressives from across the country to join CAP to help get this job done. I would even venture that some NDP members may even join to be part of this great adventure.

Hello Jimmy,

I will continue to support the NDP. I can\'t shake the feeling of \"not enough time left\" to save Canada, waiting for a new party to form out of CAP. The CAP doesn\'t have enough time to do much before the election. At least the NDP has alone a stronger chance to get some seats then CAP.

We have to think about the TIME issue. There isn\'t enough time for CAP to go out alone before this election. If the Liberals win majority government we are doomed, cause that would mean one full term with Mr. Martin. What he can do during his term as PM scares me.

If the NDP doesn\'t do well I will be like many others who will look to the OBP idea, and if that doesn\'t happen anytime after the election then I will join CAP and work to build with that party.

NDP is the only hope for this upcoming election. Its not my opinion, its not a theory. That\'s a fact, well at least that\'s how I see the reality of this situation.

Kevin Gagnon
www.kevingagnon.ca

Hello, my fellow Canadians! I see both of your points. But I too will stick with the CAP should Layton not do the right thing! I just get the sense that Layton wants to run his own thing, and any merger would mean some sort of changes which he is obviously not up for. I`d support the NDP if they were anything like their former CCF self, which they`re not! The CAP right now is the closest thing to the old CCF, and they`re not shy about asserting Canadian sovereignty- unlike the NDP. As for some of the previous comments about mr.Hellyer being too old, NONSENSE! He has energy, savvy, and we should think of him as our very own political \'YODA\'.

---
Dave Ruston

I have mixed feelings about this time issue. On one hand, we\'re looking at a federal election within a few months. On the other hand, there will always be deadlines holding back great visions. How ironic it would be if yet another \"progressive\" party (and vision) were lost to shortsightedness.

And yet, while I fully support a party of united progressives, I think this is a case where shortsightedness is the better choice. If a new party were to be declared today, would there be time to properly organize a full platform in time for elections? Would it be able to woo voters? I doubt it.

Maybe what it comes down to is this:
In the upcoming election, the NDP will not form a government. The CAP will not form the government. A broad progressive coalition will not form a government (due mainly to time constraints). But maybe we can take a cue from Jack Layton and focus on creating the greatest impact possible with the voice we have.

Remember Layton\'s recent endorsement of marijuana legalization? Not only did that result in the BC Marijuana party\'s leaders crossing over to the NDP, but it also pressured Paul Martin into supporting decriminalization legislation.

Layton\'s got a good strategy. While he\'s out there trying his hardest to make the NDP all he can by gaining endorsements from a variety of political organizations, he\'s also taking on Paul Martin. He\'s taking control of political discussions and making the NDP the opposition. He\'s doing this in the minds of a growing number of Canadians, and in a few months, I think we\'ll see this reflected in the polls.

I get the feeling that a lot more people will vote for the Liberal Party than for Paul Martin. Canadians are willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. It\'s in our nature to give things a chance. Perhaps this will prove to be a weakness of Canadians, but maybe we can turn it into a strength.

And so I say this: maybe we should give Jack Layton a chance to hold Paul Martin accountable in this election and mandate. Then I think we should give him a chance to modernize the party for an even broader appeal.

But maybe I\'m wrong. It\'s hard to predict Jack Layton. Isn\'t that why Paul Martin keeps looking over his left shoulder?

Well, you definitely make some good points. And perhaps I should look at the word \'progressive\' as it has been also traditionally attached to governments with a social conscience. And you`re right, the interconnections, spinoffs, unexpected results from these political machinations quite often do produce positive results. I`d love to give Layton a chance, but he still seems to be going half way on the things I`d like to see go all the way. But you`re right, our collective voices will be heard, one way or another.

---
Dave Ruston

I\'m impressed the National Post even ran it. I mean, really, as patronizing as they are, they give the NDP MORE OF A VOICE THE THE GLOBE AND MAIL, aka Liberal Trash Paper. You\'ll remember my editorial posts, well, they did it again: \"Canada and Mexico\'s economic prosperity is tied to the US for years to come.\"

Not really, but no s*it, I wonder why.

Let\'s give Jack a chance to debate Paul Martin on TV. Remember, the CAP isn\'t allowed to deabate, are they? Jack may just be feeling his way, afraid to make a mistake.....though he\'s been bold in other areas.

I am a proud member of CAP, and I am going to stay that way.

CAP needs enough votes to cross the 2% threshold, and if we all look at the present NDP as our saviour, I think you will be disapppointed.

Certainly, Jack Layton has a voice to debate Martin, but he also has to win a seat in the HoC. I am waiting for Layton\'s final decision to say yes or no to the merger, and if he says no, I wish everyone with a conscience would support CAP so the next time we approach the NDP, we have a much louder voice.

It takes a loud voice to be heard these days. Jack Layton has that quality, but his vision of Canada is messy, and doesn\'t look good under close scrutiny. Jack needs guidance for his first term as leader.

That\'s why we need a leader with more experience, or at least a strong advisor with that experience to be able to suggest certain directions.


That advisor would be Paul Hellyer.




---
"Arrogance in Politics is unacceptable"
Jim Callaghan
Minden, Ontario
705-286-1860
www.misterc.ca

The more I look at CAP, the better they are...if you read their website, and take a look at the policies, of which they address every area of Canadian life and have concrete solutions, you can\'t help be impressed. Anytime a party can actually put it in writing for the public to read, they gain credibility. I don\'t see that anywhere else, no other party actually lays it out so you can understand the policy and the impact of the action. According to their plan, they will give back the country to Canadians, through well though out policies, eliminate or substantially reduce poverty, homelessness, create jobs,eliminate the GST(for real) get rid of NAFTA!!! Not one thing do I disagree with, they just have to get media!!!

Hello Anonymous

I agree with your post. In fact that is why I took a membership out with the party yesterday evening.

Come and help us get this big party on the move. If you are not a member of CAP plse join we need people like yourself to get this project off the ground.

One of the post above said it better then I can say myself. Since I can\'t refer to the name of the person who posted it, as I don\'t know who posted it. I\'m pasting it again below.

____________________________
Authored by: Anonymous on Friday, January 23 2004 @ 07:21 PM MST

I have mixed feelings about this time issue. On one hand, we\'re looking at a federal election within a few months. On the other hand, there will always be deadlines holding back great visions. How ironic it would be if yet another \"progressive\" party (and vision) were lost to shortsightedness.

And yet, while I fully support a party of united progressives, I think this is a case where shortsightedness is the better choice. If a new party were to be declared today, would there be time to properly organize a full platform in time for elections? Would it be able to woo voters? I doubt it.

Maybe what it comes down to is this:
In the upcoming election, the NDP will not form a government. The CAP will not form the government. A broad progressive coalition will not form a government (due mainly to time constraints). But maybe we can take a cue from Jack Layton and focus on creating the greatest impact possible with the voice we have.

Remember Layton\'s recent endorsement of marijuana legalization? Not only did that result in the BC Marijuana party\'s leaders crossing over to the NDP, but it also pressured Paul Martin into supporting decriminalization legislation.

Layton\'s got a good strategy. While he\'s out there trying his hardest to make the NDP all he can by gaining endorsements from a variety of political organizations, he\'s also taking on Paul Martin. He\'s taking control of political discussions and making the NDP the opposition. He\'s doing this in the minds of a growing number of Canadians, and in a few months, I think we\'ll see this reflected in the polls.

I get the feeling that a lot more people will vote for the Liberal Party than for Paul Martin. Canadians are willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. It\'s in our nature to give things a chance. Perhaps this will prove to be a weakness of Canadians, but maybe we can turn it into a strength.

And so I say this: maybe we should give Jack Layton a chance to hold Paul Martin accountable in this election and mandate. Then I think we should give him a chance to modernize the party for an even broader appeal.

But maybe I\'m wrong. It\'s hard to predict Jack Layton. Isn\'t that why Paul Martin keeps looking over his left shoulder?
____________________________

Jack Layton may be the man but he is leading a party that people will not move to. He is like Ed Broadbent when he was leader. He always got the highest marks for being the most popular leader in Canada according to Canadians but they would not vote for his party and since then their has been no significant changes. Another good man that could have been Prime Minister but never will.

I think that it must also be said that Paul Hellyer never said that he wanted to lead the new party, he only wanted to be a member of it an elder statesman so to speak. He offered the leadership to Jack, it was Jack who did not take it for the giving. So I\'m sure that Paul would be opened to turning over the leadership to this young and dynamic person that everyone is talking about out their in the winds somewhere and don\'t get me wrong I hope their is someone in the winds that does come forward. But for the time being we have the cards we have been dealt by the situation.

My vote is still with the organization that is forward looking and open to change. If I am going to so called waste my vote I will be wasting it with CAP at least if we don\'t change our name we can get on with developing our policies and renewing our constitution to bring even more progressives into the party. We will be opened to new and innovative ideas.

Jack had his chance and he has thrown it away. Now it is time for CAP to start recruiting new members and preparing for the election.

I couldn\'t agree more, I think Jack may have his own agenda, plan you might say, but the fact that he isn\'t willing to share that with the rest of us, already says he is going to keep the people out of the loop. I don\'t like that, we\'ve already had that kind of leadership for far too long. I want to be able to state my views and be heard, I think the CAP should go whole hog on this election, get as many members and candidates as it can. Then if they have seats and the NDP have seats they can stand together against Martin in the House. Just this week several people on vive have said they took out memberships with CAP so who knows, a slow but sure revolution is better that a flash in the pan!

The more people know the more they will be pissed, and want to get involved. I think we need to stop underestimating our fellow Canadians, yes we have been apathetic for far too long, but maybe now we will see a turn. I hope so.