Twelve Days of Tory Christmas

Here's a variation on the Christmas Song: "Twelve Days of Christmas" using some of the accomplishments of the Conservative government. However, the number associated with each accomplishment is not always accurate.

On the first day of Christmas Steven Harper gave to me: a Conservative Majority.

On the second day of Christmas Steven Harper gave to me: Two GST Cuts and a Conservative Majority.

On the third day of Christmas Steven Harper gave to me: Three Liberal Leaders, Two GST Cuts and a Conservative Majority.

On the fourth day of Christmas Steven Harper gave to me: Four years in power, Three Liberal Leaders, Two GST Cuts and a Conservative Majority.

On the fifth day of Christmas Steven Harper gave to me:
F-i-v-e O-l-y-m-p-i-c r-i-n-g-s,
Four years in power, Three Liberal Leaders, Two GST Cuts and a Conservative Majority.

On the sixth day of Christmas Steven Harper gave to me: Six tough on crime bills,
F-i-v-e O-l-y-m-p-i-c r-i-n-g-s,
Four years in power, Three Liberal Leaders, Two GST Cuts and a Conservative Majority.

On the seventh day of Christmas Steven Harper gave to me: Seven Supreme Court Judges, Six tough on crime bills,
F-i-v-e O-l-y-m-p-i-c r-i-n-g-s,
Four years in power, Three Liberal Leaders, Two GST Cuts and a Conservative Majority.

On the eighth day of Christmas Steven Harper gave to me: Eight senate appointments, Seven Supreme Court Judges, Six tough on crime bills,
F-i-v-e O-l-y-m-p-i-c r-i-n-g-s,
Four years in power, Three Liberal Leaders, Two GST Cuts and a Conservative Majority.

On the ninth day of Christmas Steven Harper gave to me Nine cabinet shuffles, Eight senate appointments, Seven Supreme Court Judges, Six tough on crime bills,
F-i-v-e O-l-y-m-p-i-c r-i-n-g-s,
Four years in power, Three Liberal Leaders, Two GST Cuts and a Conservative Majority.

On the tenth day of Christmas Steven Harper gave to me: Ten trade agreements, Nine cabinet shuffles, Eight senate appointments, Seven Supreme Court Judges, Six tough on crime bills,
F-i-v-e O-l-y-m-p-i-c r-i-n-g-s,
Four years in power, Three Liberal Leaders, Two GST Cuts and a Conservative Majority.

On the eleventh day of Christmas Steven Harper gave to me: Eleven stimulus projects , Ten trade agreements, Nine cabinet shuffles, Eight senate appointments, Seven Supreme Court Judges, Six tough on crime bills,
F-i-v-e O-l-y-m-p-i-c r-i-n-g-s,
Four years in power, Three Liberal Leaders, Two GST Cuts and a Conservative Majority.

On the twelfth day of Christmas Steven Harper gave to me: Twelve leading poll points, Eleven stimulus projects, Ten trade agreements, Nine cabinet shuffles, Eight senate appointments, Seven Supreme Court Judges, Six tough on crime bills, F-i-v-e O-l-y-m-p-i-c r-i-n-g-s,
Four years in power, Three Liberal Leaders, Two GST Cuts
and a Conservative Majority.

Olympic Torch Welcoming Ceremony

I was at the BC legislature Friday night to watch my wife and daughter participate as dancers at Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch welcoming ceremony. They had rehearsed and prepared for this show for weeks in advance along with 150 other dancers organized through Stages Performance Arts School. This was a truly inspiring spectacle to watch and it made them proud to be a part of this historic event. The show was a huge success despite the efforts of a group of anti-Olympic protesters there to disrupt it. After these malcontents blocked the progress of the torch relay, upsetting many by illegally blocking a major Victoria intersection, they made their way down to the Legislature and proceeded to try and disrupt the show. They crowded one side of the stage and threw glow-sticks at police and shook their fists and shouted at those on stage. They succeeded in frightening some of the younger members of the dance troop but little else. These neer-do-well protestors and their supporters wouldn't understand the kind of pride of participation these performers were experiencing. Their goal is to oppose everything that doesn't fit into their narrow definition of what is a worthwhile public expenditure. These misguided people complain that the Olympics are a waste of tax dollars and that the money should be spent elsewhere. Yet the funding actually comes from a combination of corporate and public funding and everyone in the community will share the legacy of these games by way of new infrastructure and increased tourism. It is disappointing that certain media corporations give these protesters top billing, focusing on their disruptive antics and completely ignoring the positive contributions of volunteers that contribute to our community.

Liberals Eating Crow

This Thanksgiving weekend I'll be thinking about all the blessings in my life while enjoying a turkey dinner with my family. The thought of this traditional Thanksgiving ritual makes me wonder how the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada will pass this holiday weekend. He's not be particularly blessed lately.

Early in September, Michael Ignatieff announced he would no longer support the Conservative government. He said: "Mr. Harper, your time is up" - Globe and Mail Globe and Mail, September 2, 2009. Marlene Jennings, the Liberal MP for Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, echoed this sentiment when she added: "The government's goose is cooked" - CBC's the National, September 1, 2009. The Liberals then puffed up their chests and strutted like peacocks. They were going to take down the government at the first possible chance.

A few weeks later and one failed attempt to defeat the government behind them, the Liberals are starting to sing a different song: "Caucus Chair Marc Garneau indicated that the Liberals will evaluate each vote in the House of Commons, and MP Alexandra Mendes agreed that there could be exceptions to categorical opposition to every Conservative bill" - Translated from Hugo de Grandpré, La Presse, October 5, 2009.

There’s even more dissention in the flock:” The biennial convention of the federal Liberal party's Quebec wing... will primarily evaluate the disturbing gap between the Liberal's strategy of calling for the government's downfall at the earliest opportunity, and the pathetic state of their election readiness."-Translated from Vincent Marissal, La Presse, October 5, 2009.

So it sounds like Michael and Marelene must be having crow together on this Thanksgiving weekend. The polls are showing support for the Liberals in a steep swan dive as a direct result of their failed strategy and the party doesn't like it. It seems to me that the Liberal party is starting to realize that it has an albatross around it's neck, namely it's leader.

PM Harper Shows his Musical Chops

Can it be true? The Prime Minister of Canada covering a tune from my favorite Beatles album: "Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band". The tune in question "A Little Help from My Friends". The Prime Minister played the piano and belted out the song on stage with Yo-Yo Ma playing pizzicato on the cello at the NAC Gala in Ottawa on Saturday night. By all accounts it sounded pretty darn good too, even Jack Layton was impressed! It is refreshing to see a Prime Minister that can go out on a limb and do this kind of thing. Can you imagine Michael Ignatieff doing this? It was a pretty good choice of music too, considering the digitally remastered Beatles catalog was only released a few weeks ago, not to mention the new Beatles Rock Bank game also released in September. Another good choice would have been "Lucy In the Sky with Diamonds", also from Sgt Peppers. This song was inspired by a nursery school drawing done by John Lennon's son Julian. The drawing included a classmate named Lucy O'Donnell with diamond-shaped eyes. Tragically, she died of infection while on vacation on 22 September 2009, aged 46.

Michael Ignatieff waffles and the polls respond

The latest weekly CBC/EKOS poll released Thursday, September 23 puts the Conservatives ahead of the Liberals in the voter intention race, with 37.0 % of those surveyed giving the nod to the Tories, compared to 29.9 % going to the Liberals. Clearly this is good news for the Conservatives, especially now that the Liberals are threatening to defeat the government in a confidence vote. Even more encouraging is the strong upward trend for the Conservatives. The start of which coincided precisely with Michael Ignatieff’s announcement that he intends to defeat the government at the first possible opportunity. Prior to this change of strategy, the Liberals and Conservatives were in a dead heat. Now the shift in voter intentions has taken off. The signal is loud and clear, Canadians are tired of the Liberal leader’s political gamesmanship.

These poll results also show that Canadians would prefer to continue with the Conservative government’s plan for economic recovery rather than risk a coalition government of Liberal, NDP and Bloq MPs lead by Michael Ignatieff. A leader that reverses his position on issues so often that its hard to know from one day to the next where he stands. One day he signs a formal coalition agreement with other opposition parties, the next day he says he would never do such a thing. One day he supports the stimulus measures in the last budget, the next day he votes against it. One day he’s opposed to the HST, the next day he’s not. The latest case being his reversal that cleared the way for former cabinet minister Martin Cauchon to run for nomination in the Montreal riding of Outremont after he'd already decided to reserve this nomination for executive Nathalie Le Prohon. Michael Ignatieff reverses his position so often and with such speed that if GM Canada decided to manufacture a sports car in his honour, it would have 5 speeds, 1 forward the rest in reverse.

The Government stays afloat while the Liberals sink

The first confidence vote of the fall session of Parliament is now over with the Conservative government winning handily and averting a fall election. Thereby, paving the way for the implementation of the highly popular Home Renovation Tax Credit. The final tally of the vote was 224 in favour to 74 Liberals against.

Everyone is a winner here, with the exception of Michael Ignatieff. The Conservative government still stands and will continue with it's plan. The NDP and BQ, putting aside party politics for now to support the government, will be credited with making Parliament work while the economic recovery continues. Meanwhile, Michael Ignatieff seems like the captain of a rudderless ship. First, he makes hay in the spring demanding changes to EI. Now in the fall, he votes against legislation in the budget that he supported earlier. Next he offers to rush through passage of EI legislation he finds inadequate in order to remove the NDP's reason for supporting the Conservative government.

All this done so that Michael Ignatieff can try and force an election that nobody wants. Meanwhile, the opinion polls show his party's falling in public support. This doesn't sound like the actions of an experienced captain on the quarterdeck. In my opinion, he's not navigating these political waters very well and will soon run aground. The Liberal's raft may be sinking and the captain may go down with it.

Hedy Fry's Flag Flap

It seems that certain MPs from the Liberal party have a problem with our national flag. Michael Ignatieff called it “a passing imitation of a beer label” and now Hedy Fry claims that Canadians can no longer be proud to wear the maple leaf abroad.


It seems that a postcard/flyer from Liberal MP Hedy Fry has turned up in mailboxes in New Brunswick, home to Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, one of the largest military training bases in Canada. The flyer, depicts a tattered Canadian flag on what could be taken to be a soldier's ruck sack, alongside the statement: "We used to wear it with pride." The implication being that those days are gone and we're no longer proud of being Canadian.


Does Hedy Fry truly believe this to be the case? Remember it wasn’t too long ago she falsely claimed that people were burning crosses on lawns in Prince George BC so she might be a little confused again. Therefore in an effort to enlighten her on Canadians true feelings, I propose that anyone who is still proud to wear our flag while abroad drop her a short email message and let her know. Click the link below to tell Hedy Fry your opinion of her postcard from the edge.

EMail Hedy Fry: FryH@parl.gc.ca

Fall is in the air

Can you feel it in the air? That feeling of change that a new season brings. As the days get shorter there’s a slight crispness to the air. There’s also a feeling that something else is changing besides the colour of the leaves. There’s a feeling that an election may be just around the corner. An election that nobody wants. An election that Canadians feel is being forced on them against their will. Canadians seem angry and the source of this anger is the sentiment that if Michael Ignatieff’s Liberals force an election this fall, on the brink of economic recovery, they should be punished. The punishment being a complete drubbing in a fall election.

Most Canadians feel a fall election is unnecessary. The polls only closed on the last election 11 short months ago. A recent Canadian Press Harris-Decima survey shows 73% of Canadians are opposed to an election. Similarly, an EKOS poll shows 70% of Canadians are against a fall election. They feel the Conservative government is handling the economy well and recognize that Canada is coming out of the recession faster than expected. There’s also the coalition threat to consider. After all, it was only a few short months ago that Michael Ignatieff said: “A coalition if necessary, but not necessarily a coalition”. Now we hear him saying: “The Liberal Party would not agree to a coalition”. How short does he think the public’s memory is?

No, this won’t do. We won’t let you pull the wool over our eyes Mr. Ignatieff. We know you’ll say anything now that your back is to the wall. In what is now known as the “secret tape”, the Prime Minister raised the clarion call: “If they force us to the polls, if they get together and force us to the polls, we have to teach them a lesson and get back their with a majority to make sure their little coalition never happens.". This line is now resonating with people. If there is a fall election, voter turnout will reach heights not seen in years to do just that – teach them a lesson.

The Conservative Majority Tape

In a recent event for conservative supporters in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Prime Minister Steven Harper was speaking at a meeting that was closed to the media. In his address, the Prime Minister rallied the troops by stating "If they force us to the polls, we have to teach them a lesson and win a majority and make sure the coalition never happens". However, in the audience was a liberal interloper with a video camera. The secret video was then handed over to his political masters. The deep thinkers of the Liberal ivory tower decided to release this incriminating piece of evidence. There intent was to damage the conservatives for daring to use the "M" word. Yet, I believe the real result is a priceless piece of free political advertising. The threat of Liberal-NDP-Bloq coalition is real. If the result of the coming election is another minority conservative government, you can bet dollars to donuts that there will be a re-birth of the coalition. The prospect of this outcome will galvanize Canadians to support the conservatives. Too many elections in too short a time span and a general agreement that the conservative government is doing a good job on the economy, coupled with the specter of a leftist-separatist coalition government will get the soft conservative and swing voters out on election night. The liberals have done the conservatives a favour by releasing their secret tape.

New Liberal Ad

Watching the Liberal’s new campaign ad titled: “Worldview” reminded me a little of the Dion video made during the coalition coup back in December 2008. That one had been shot in DVD-minicam format, out of focus and far from broadcast quality. In this new ad, the quality is a lot better. However, Michael Ignatieff squints and blinks his way through an awkward script while wearing a forced half smile on his face. In it, he states: “Wherever I’ve worked, I’ve met Canadians who are the best the world has to offer”. Obviously, he’s referring to expatriate Canadians that left this country for greener pastures just as he did. Otherwise, he should have said: “I’ve met Canadians who are the best our country has to offer”. A few years of international experience is great, it gives a person an appreciation for his home country. But an absence of more than 30 years shows a certain lack of appreciation.

Bill C15 - Justice Delayed

It was with shock and surprise that I learned that Canada has become a major player in the worldwide supply of illegal drugs. This unfortunate distinction is based on the United Nations Drug report released June 24, 2009. It seems that this report suggested more stringent regulations in the United States has forced production to migrate to Canada, due to weaker laws regarding the production and distribution of these drugs. As a father of two young school age children this concerns me greatly. Back in June 25, I attended my eldest daughter's final assembly at her elementary school. With the new school year, she's now attending the middle school in our neighborhood. Now that she'll be going to a larger school with older children, there is a greater chance that she may come into contact with people involved in trafficking or using illegal drugs and this worries me.

Bill C-15 would enforce minimum mandatory jail sentences for anyone selling drugs near a school. I believe that this is a step in the right direction. Now that this bill has passed the House of Commons vote, it is up to the Senate to pass this legislation. Second reading debate of this bill was opened on June 16. However, on June 22 the Liberal dominated Senate voted to reject the government's bill, opting instead to resume debate in the fall. The Liberals stalling tactics in the Senate equate to little more than political games at the cost of our children’s safety. Now if the Liberals force a fall election, this important legislation would evaporate completely. If so, criminals will be the only winners.

Elizabeth May - What Colour is your Parchute?

In Elizabeth May’s quest for a seat in the House of Commons, she has decided to try the riding of Saanich-Gulf Islands for the site of her next attempt. She wasn’t successful the first time in a southern Ontario by-election in 2006. She made another unsuccessful attempt in the 2008 general election with Peter MacKay’s riding in Nova Scotia. During that campaign, she cited her personal and political roots to the province of Nova Scotia. Now it seems, she’s decided to abandon Nova Scotia altogether in hopes that a third try in a riding on the other side of the continent will pay off.

It galls me that politicians like Elizabeth May claim they want to represent a particular riding because they have roots there, then less than a year later decide to parachute into a riding on the other side of the country, thinking there is a better chance of winning a seat there. This is in stark contrast to the Conservative incumbent of the Saanich-Gulf Island riding. MP Gary Lunn is a long time resident of Saanich and has held the riding through five elections dating back to 1997.

I believe that this politically opportunistic move will not pay off for her. People see these kinds of maneuvers for what they are and vote accordingly. Moving around the country until a suitable riding can be found that is willing to vote a Green Party candidate into Parliament has a cost to ones creditability. It’s a politician’s duty to serve the public interest, not the other way round.

The Re-birith of the Coalition

Now that Michael Ignatieff has decided to pull the trigger and defeat the conservative government at the earliest possible date this fall, I can’t help but think that the election to follow will result in a re-birth of the Liberal, NDP and Bloq coalition. Based on recent polls, there is little hope of the liberals even winning a minority government. No matter, they’re willing to roll the dice on an election anyway, just as the economy has started to recover. This doesn’t sound like a decision based on what is best for Canadians. It sounds more likely that the liberals fear they’ll never have a better opportunity to govern and a coalition government would achieve that goal. If a coalition government is what is being planned, then the only hope Canadians have of avoiding this fate is do the obvious, give the conservatives a majority government.