Canada: Democracy renewed

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sarcophagus:
In the Globe & Mail yesterday, there were a lot of letters to the editor about an article from the previous day or two. Anyway, the author of the article shot-down Stephen Harper’s use of “God Bless Canada” because it was against the “charter of rights and freedoms” to do so. The letters sent were very angry at this author because many people, I guess (including myself) believe that it is perfectly within the charter of rights and freedoms to do so. I believe we’ve got an interesting few years ahead of us. At this point, I’m almost sorry I doubted Harper’s ability, but I can’t say that yet, he’s only held power for a week 🙂
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The preamble to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms:

“Whereas Canada is founded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of God and the rule of law:”

If the Charter itself recognizes the supremacy of God and our national anthem asks for God’s protection, how can asking God to bless our nation violate the very Charter which recognizes His supremacy?
 
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Lapsed:
The preamble to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms:

“Whereas Canada is founded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of God and the rule of law:”

If the Charter itself recognizes the supremacy of God and our national anthem asks for God’s protection, how can asking God to bless our nation violate the very Charter which recognizes His supremacy?
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They have no idea what the Charter says. Their friends probably used Charter in a sentence and it sounded good. Or they heard it on the CBC.
 
The great divide…
The fact that an election results in a minority government is pure chance. In fact, this nation is arguably more divided now than at any time in its history. East and west, urban and rural, secular and faith-based, immigrant and Canadian-born. It’s a mess…

Harper fought a reasonably good campaign and we’re now being told a minority government will guarantee he governs in a moderate manner. But what is moderation and who defines it? Canada redefines marriage, arrests people who try to operate private clinics, persecutes law-abiding gun owners and has the most permissive approach to abortion in the democratic world. There is nothing immoderate about questioning and countering this. Opposing extremism is not extreme…

Some people, of course, will not be happy unless and until the Conservatives resemble the red Tory mess of the Mulroney days. The absurdity of this is that the Progressive Conservatives failed. Remember, at least one-third of the Liberal caucus are social conservatives and there is a chance of some crossing of the floor, depending on who becomes their next leader.

The best thing about the entire process? Our new PM used the phrase, “God Bless Canada” after he won. It’s been a long since that was said by this nation’s leader.
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Quebec’s quiet right-wing revolution
Province’s values not all that out of step with Alberta’s
In the dying days of the campaign, as the Conservatives’ climb in Quebec became undeniable, a mystified Bloc Quebecois tried one, final shot. A full-page advertisement appeared in newspapers in eastern Quebec, declaring in huge print, “We will not let Calgary decide for Quebec.” A black Stetson sat atop the word ‘Calgary’. The message was clear: Beware Stephen Harper’s Conservative cowboys. Jacques Gourde, who raises beef cattle on his hay farm in Saint-Narcisse, about 40 kilometres south of Quebec City, was not amused. “You could say I’m a Quebec cowboy,” [he] said…

With their strong showing, the Conservatives gave the lie to the notion that Quebec is a sea of social-democrats… On Thursday, Gilles Duceppe commissioned a study to get to the bottom of the matter… Nestled between Quebec City and the United States, his native region of the Beauce is known for a fierce entrepreneurial spirit, and he said the spirit is contagious. “Ask the business community in the Beauce, and what they want is no more government on their back, no more government in their pocket,” said Mr. Bernier… "I think it’s in our values, and I think it’s something that is shared by a lot of Quebecers.

The 20th century was the century of the state and the 21st century has to be the century of the individual"… People in his riding are hunters who do not like the firearms registry. They are next-door neighbours to the United States who want amicable cross-border relations. And many among the older generation prefer the traditional definition of marriage… The first signs of an emerging conservatism in Quebec came when Mario Dumont’s Action Democratique du Quebec surged to first in the provincial polls in 2002 with a platform advocating a flat tax on income, private health care and school vouchers.

The ADQ support subsequently collapsed, but in 2003, Quebec elected a Liberal government promising to slash the size of government. More recently, former premier Lucien Bouchard led a group questioning whether Quebec can afford its generous social programs and heavily unionized workforce… Mr. Dumont said in an interview that it is nonsense to suggest Quebecers do not share conservative values. “Conservative values are what? They are the family and work. What is Quebec based on if not the family and work?”
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:yup:
 
The myth of Liberal cities
There is no urban-rural divide in Canadian politics. There might be a metropolises-versus-the-rest-of-the-country split. But it is not true that the Conservatives are popular predominantly in rural areas, while the Liberals dominate Canada’s cities because – and this is usually the accompanying intimation – urbanites are somehow more sophisticated and “progressive”…

Certainly the Conservatives have work to do in the cities. But the reverse could be said for the Liberals: They have much work to do outside Canada’s three sprawling population behemoths. Beyond Atlantic Canada, the Liberals won fewer than a handful of non-urban ridings that weren’t northern and heavily aboriginal.

The more likely explanation for Monday’s result – rather than the developing conventional wisdom that the Conservatives can’t appeal to urban voters because of their stance on social issues – is that the Liberals’ scare tactics worked as they did in 2004, just not in as many places.

Mr. Harper no longer frightens the villagers anywhere but Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. And after a couple of years in office, in which we trust he will prove himself a capable, thoughtful, adroit leader, Mr. Harper won’t scare the locals there any more, either.
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Lost&Found:
Does anyone know - I was wondering, is it simplistic to say the same pattern is found in the US? I’m wondering how engrained this pattern is.
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I’ve heard some folks speak disparagingly of New York and LA. I’d be interested to have the American perspective also.
 
I haven’t been paying too much attention to whom the media thinks will replace Paul Martin as Liberal leader. But I was surprised to find that the CBC gave big coverage to two Liberals who have extensive American experience:

Canada’s Ambassador to the US, Frank McKenna

Former Director of Harvard’s Carr Centre, Michael Ignatieff

Also possibles are:
  • Former justice minister Martin Cauchon
  • Public Works Minister Scott Brison
  • Citizenship and Immigration Minister Joe Volpe
  • former federal cabinet minister and Newfoundland and Labrador premier Brian Tobin
  • former Ontario premier Bob Rae
  • six-term Ontario MP Maurizio Bevilacqua
  • former health, justice and industry minister Allan Rock
  • Social Development Minister Ken Dryden
  • Former Chretien deputy minister John Manley
Bob Rae was the NDP premier of Ontario. Did he switch over to the Liberals?
 
I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Belinda made a leadership bid.

Early on, I’d say McKenna is the likely front runner, but that is always subject to change.

There’s been some speculation out here that former PC Newfoundland Premiere Brian Tobin, who was always a red Tory, might toss his hat into that ring, but I think that’s a long shot at best. He’s been here on the West Coast as an advocate for developing offshore oil and gas extraction here in BC for several years now.
 
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Lapsed:
I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Belinda made a leadership bid.

Early on, I’d say McKenna is the likely front runner, but that is always subject to change.

There’s been some speculation out here that former PC Newfoundland Premiere Brian Tobin, who was always a red Tory, might toss his hat into that ring, but I think that’s a long shot at best. He’s been here on the West Coast as an advocate for developing offshore oil and gas extraction here in BC for several years now.
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Surprise surprise
ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060130/mckenna_leadership_060130/20060130?hub=TopStories
I guess he figures he can’t beat Harper:D

I suspect McKenna was banking more on Martin winning the election and retiring, that was the expected scenario.

It’s wide open now.
Tobin can be annoying in a funny way if you listen to him. He might take a run at it with McKenna and Manley out, he’s always wanted the job, bigtime.

Yes, Bob Rae could also throw his hat in. (He did some consulting work for the provincial Liberals Ani) The liberals need to be careful - Someone close to centre on the left-right spectrum. Too far left and they leave Harper lots of room. Too far right and they leave the NDP lots of room.

I did a search on Ignatieff, he seems a little bit focused on issues too far from Canadians but I’m not sure.
Yes I think Belinda will run also.
 
Lost&Found:
Yes, Bob Rae could also throw his hat in. (He did some consulting work for the provincial Liberals Ani)
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Oh, wow! What a concept. An NDP prime minister with an NDP opposition.
Lost&Found:
I did a search on Ignatieff, he seems a little bit focused on issues too far from Canadians but I’m not sure.
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I was about to say that the Red Cities will never forgive Ignatieff for living in the US and teaching at Harvard, but Toronto forgave Miller and Miller was a Harvard man. So woddu ino?
Lost&Found:
Yes I think Belinda will run also.
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A given.
 
Ani Ibi:
Where will she walk to this time?
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I was just trying to say I think Stronach could win the leadership race, whereby the media would play that old clip for us a few times.
 
Lost&Found:
I was just trying to say I think Stronach could win the leadership race, whereby the media would play that old clip for us a few times.
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OK, yes I can see it now.
 
Ani Ibi:
OK, yes I can see it now.
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whassamatta can’t ya read people’s minds:whacky:

I think Canada AM’s Seamus O’Reagan will be interviewing four former PM’s tomorrow morning in the studio - Mulroney, Campbell, Turner and Clark. I can’t find any info on it so don’t quote me. Anyhow the program is spread over a couple hours so I’m not going to stick around waiting for it. It will probably be on the lighter side.
 
Lost&Found:
whassamatta can’t ya read people’s minds:whacky:

I think Canada AM’s Seamus O’Reagan will be interviewing four former PM’s tomorrow morning in the studio - Mulroney, Campbell, Turner and Clark. I can’t find any info on it so don’t quote me. Anyhow the program is spread over a couple hours so I’m not going to stick around waiting for it. It will probably be on the lighter side.
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whassamatta, Jean Chretien has notteeng to say?
 
Ani Ibi:
whassamatta, Jean Chretien has notteeng to say?
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:rotfl:

we just got rid of him!! no thanks!😃
Mulroney could be interesting, the other three, well…:yawn: 😃
 
Lost&Found:
I think Canada AM’s Seamus O’Reagan will be interviewing four former PM’s tomorrow morning in the studio - Mulroney, Campbell, Turner and Clark.
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Former PMs choose Canada’s next great leader

Here is some more news not related to this program:

Harper set to introduce March budget: report
Prime minister-designate Stephen Harper looks set to recall Parliament and introduce a budget as early as March, *The Globe and Mail *reports.

Sources also told the newspaper that Harper plans to to make good on the Conservative campaign promise to reduce the GST by one per cent as soon as April 1.
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Layton wants to see budget before backing GST cut
NDP Leader Jack Layton says he wants to see the whole Conservative government budget before he’ll commit to supporting cuts to the goods-and-services tax.
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Justice Gomery’s second report due Wednesday
Harper and his transition team have been adamant they don’t want a repeat of what happened last November, when Gomery delivered his first volume blasting the former regime of Jean Chretien for letting the sponsorship program run off the rails. Martin got a 12-hour advance peek at that volume, allowing his government to craft a damage-control strategy before Harper ever saw the report.

This time the Tories want to get their hands on the text at the same time the Liberals see it… Hali Gernon, a Privy Council spokeswoman, confirmed late Monday the Tories will get their wish. “Mr. Harper will receive a copy of the report when the (Liberal) government gets it,” she said. That will be shortly after the Gomery commission delivers the report to PCO on Wednesday morning. The media will have to wait until noon EST to see the text - and that will be at a briefing in a locked room, with no reporting allowed until the lockup ends two hours later…

Harper has already promised a new Accountability Act that will cap donations to political parties at $1,000 per person and bar ministers and political staff from lobbying the government after they leave office. Other promises include improved Access to Information rules, better whistleblower protection for civil servants who expose wrongdoing and more power for the federal auditor general.

Gomery, however, is widely expected to go farther. He expressed dissatisfaction, during public hearings, with the current discipline procedure that makes it hard to fire incompetent officials. And he has observed that the present definition of ministerial and public service accountability doesn’t go far enough in holding cabinet members and senior bureaucrats responsible for mismanagement.
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Now Chief of Defence Staff Hillier has just announced “revolutionary reforms” of Canada’s military. This has been announced on CBC 24-hour TV this morning. I haven’t been able to find this item on the web yet. But you heard it first from Ani. :dancing:
 
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