OTTAWA – Stéphane Dion sported a pink tie today to mark anti-bullying day but that didn't stop his rivals from ganging up on the perceived weakling in the federal political playground.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper, NDP Leader Jack Layton and Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe took turns rubbing the Liberal leader's nose in the dirt, mocking him openly for running away from an election fight over the latest federal budget.
But Senator David Smith, co-chairman of the Liberals' national campaign team, said Dion won't be goaded into forcing an election until he's sure his party can win.
"He wants to go when he feels we're in the best position to win," Smith bluntly told reporters.
"It's a strategic decision. We're not going to just hand them an election on a silver platter when they want it."
A number of Liberals said the most likely trigger for a winning election will come if it becomes clear that the Tories' fiscal policies are about to push the country's books back into the red – a development some predicted could come within a few months.
After meeting with his caucus, not all of whom are happy with the decision, Dion reiterated that Liberals will not support the budget, but they won't bring down the minority Conservative government over it either. Precisely how they'll proceed Dion dismissed as a matter of "tactics," but Liberal insiders expect MPs will be instructed to abstain on the series of budget votes, as they did on key confidence matters throughout the fall.
"We'll choose our time, we'll choose our issues to go to election and to win it," Dion said.
...
http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/307484
Stumble It!
That there was no poison pill in the budget shows that Harper isn't getting the support he wants either, even with the extremely weak Liberal leadership. The budget was written to allow Dion to support, or at least not oppose, it. Both parties want a guaranteed majority before they go to the polls, and that simply isn't in numbers.
Of course the revelation that the Conservatives tried to bribe Chuck Cadman might change things. You can bet there will be some serious internal party polling going on by tomorrow night.
Harper would probably love to get it over with before the Mulroney/Airbus/Nazi money thing erupts completely, the smartest thing to do is wait it out until then.
That's the issue for the election you want to fight, not one that's against some NeoCon spin campaign.
Meanwhile, we lose the Wheat Board, Atomic Energy Canada,and of course there's Military Capitulation to the USA after 400 years!
There are plenty of things in the works that would make excellent ballot questions...the environment, Harper's mishandling of the economy, the CWB, Conservative Party officials offering bribes, and so on.
It's up to the Liberals to bring this government down. They should do it as soon as possible.
What happens when Shreiber admits passing brown envelopes to Cretin and Martin?
Or have you already conveniently forgotten Shawinigate?
Why is it that every time the Conservatives are in trouble, somebody tries to defend them by pointing at the Liberals? Somebody else did something wrong, so it's okay for you to do the same or worse?
"Conservatives" do nothing wrong. Only "Liberals" do. "Liberals" are responsible for all that is wrong with the World and are behind every tragedy, crime, and calamity. "Conservatives" have gone to great lengths to distance themselves from their extreme brethren. You're fucking up their delusion now, just stop it!!!
We'll be in for a very long wait then. All the major parties are worthless garbage that the majority of Canadians don't want to have anything to do with.
Why is it that every time the Conservatives are in trouble, somebody tries to defend them by pointing at the Liberals? Somebody else did something wrong, so it's okay for you to do the same or worse?
Why is that liberals point fingers at Harper when the whole Shreiber affair had nothing to with him?
How come Harper trotted Mulroney out as a friend and advisor on so many occasions though? It seems to most of us that birds of a feather do flock together, and given the antics of the Harperites I have little doubt that they are likely even more corrupt than Mulroney's cabinet was. Bribing somebody not to run for mayor, bribing somebody to vote with them, giving huge kickbacks to their backroom boys.
It wasn't okay when Mulroney did it, it wasn't okay when Chretien and Martin did it, and it's not okay for Harper to do it. Harper was elected to change things though, so his corruption is hypocritical as well as crooked.
You'd have to ask a Liberal, dino_bobba_reno.
How come Harper trotted Mulroney out as a friend and advisor on so many occasions though? It seems to most of us that birds of a feather do flock together, and given the antics of the Harperites I have little doubt that they are likely even more corrupt than Mulroney's cabinet was. Bribing somebody not to run for mayor, bribing somebody to vote with them, giving huge kickbacks to their backroom boys.
It wasn't okay when Mulroney did it, it wasn't okay when Chretien and Martin did it, and it's not okay for Harper to do it. Harper was elected to change things though, so his corruption is hypocritical as well as crooked.
Mulroney despite his flaws was a very smart man and added a lot to this country. I don't see anything wrong having him as an advisor. Just because an advisor of mine steals something does it automatically make me guilty of the same crime just because of my association with him? I would say the same about Dion's and Chretien's relationship.
That's not really the point though. The point is that the man ran a corrupt government. Read Stevie Cameron's work for reference. Harper, who claims to be squeaky clean, was taking advice from a man who ran a corrupt government on how to run a government.
Harper's claims to be clean are falling apart though. $122,000 for a twenty page speech. Hell, it wasn't even a well-written speech. Senior party officials involved in a bribery scandal from the Ottawa election. Senior party officials involved in a bribery scandal in the House of Commons. Attempts to fix the CWB barley vote. These are serious matters, dino. If you want to hold the Liberals responsible for their crimes, then you have to hold the Conservatives responsible for theirs.
Mulroney was an elitist fool who did serious damage to this country.
That's not really the point though. The point is that the man ran a corrupt government. Read Stevie Cameron's work for reference. Harper, who claims to be squeaky clean, was taking advice from a man who ran a corrupt government on how to run a government.
Harper's claims to be clean are falling apart though. $122,000 for a twenty page speech. Hell, it wasn't even a well-written speech. Senior party officials involved in a bribery scandal from the Ottawa election. Senior party officials involved in a bribery scandal in the House of Commons. Attempts to fix the CWB barley vote. These are serious matters, dino. If you want to hold the Liberals responsible for their crimes, then you have to hold the Conservatives responsible for theirs.
So I should pin Shawinigate and Adscam on Dion then just because he uses Chretien as an advisor? I may not think Dion was a good pick as party leader but in no way is the guy dirty just because he uses Chretien as an advisor nor would I automatically conclude that he is dirty if someone in his party was guilty of wrong doing.
And speeches, come now, you don't think Dion or any other Liberal party member has ever been paid something comparatively the same for similar work?
Oh, I haven't seen any convictions on the CWB thing nor have I seen anyone convicted of bribery. It's all talk. The problem with BS smear campains is that even if someone is proven inocent they are still considered guilty.
Nope, and I'm not pinning Airbus on Harper. He's got his own crooked deals to trip over.
I am saying that when somebody is presumed to be corrupt by most of the population, the PM shouldn't hang out with him.
What the Liberals did does not justify you doing the same. "That other guy robbed a bank so it's okay if I rob a bank," is not a reasoned justification for anything.
If there were 500 words on every page of that speech, which is doubtful given that it was a speech and full of single paragraphs, then Harper paid 12 bucks a word. The reality is that it was likely closer to $20.00 a word. The Canadian Writer's Union suggests 35 cents a word as the minimum. 25 cents a word is really the going rate though. Big name writers get a buck a word and the truly elite writers might get two bucks a word. Poorly written work like the Flaherty speech brings about a nickel a word, usually from somebody in the developing world.
How the hell can you sit there and try to justify Flaherty and Harper paying one of their cronies $122,000? That's our tax money they're spending.
Chretien and Martin were both absolved of any wrongdoing by Justice Gomery too, yet you bring up the Sponsorship Scandal at every opportunity. You bring up Shawinigate, but Chretien was never found guilty of anything there either.
Meanwhile your Conservatives are being investigated for breaking election laws and bribing public officials and political candidatates...transgressions that serve to undermine democracy...and you try to just shrug it off.