[theUSUALsuspect]

OK. I'm no fan of Harper and consider him woefully unqualified to be Canada's Prime Minister. Am I pissed about the income trust thing, no. His foreign policy is what bothers me.

I'm sure he'll get the boot soon enough :D

British MP slams Harper

OTTAWA - Prime Minister Stephen Harper's foreign policy strategy is a joke and is causing Canada to be hated around the world, British politician George Galloway said Monday.

The notorious member of parliament, known for his outspoken views against the Iraq war, said Harper's actions at the APEC summit in Hanoi show he lacks diplomacy skills and doesn't understand Canada's place in the world.

Harper had a difficult time arranging a meeting with the Chinese president, which many experts said was a snub for the government's continued criticism of China's foreign policy.

"The idea of Canada threatening China is absurd," Galloway said at an event sponsored by the Syrian Canadian Club. "The whole point of politics is to talk to each other, even if you hate each other."

Galloway, who used to be a Labour MP, is now a member of the left-wing RESPECT, the Unity Coalition. He is wrapping up a four-day tour of Canada, which included stops in Toronto and Montreal, where he is spreading the message about his opposition to Canada's role in Afghanistan and its relationship with Israel.

Galloway also weighed in on Canada's Liberal leadership contest, saying that "Anyone but Ignatieff" is a common slogan in British politics.

[theUSUALsuspect]

Liberals accuse PM of being a “laughing stock”

SCOTT DEVEAU
Globe and Mail Update

The Conservative government was chastised Monday in the House of Commons for its approach to foreign relations, with the Opposition accusing Prime Minister Stephen Harper of being a “laughing stock” on the international stage.

“The Prime Minister tried to pretend a brief meeting with the president of China on the way to a dinner was an historical event,” Liberal leader Bill Graham said Monday during Question Period. “But the Chinese news agency put it at the bottom of a story about President Hu meeting with the leader of New Guinea.”

The Prime Minister made headlines last week for his on-again-off-again meeting with China's president Hu Jintao at the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation summit in Hanoi, Vietnam.

After failing to arrange a time to meet, the leaders eventually spoke for 15-minutes Saturday evening, where Mr. Harper said he had a “frank” discussion about some economic matters and about a Canadian citizen who is being held in a Chinese prison.

But, Mr. Graham accused Mr. Harper of failing to represent Canada's economic interests with China and of scoring a “big fat zero” on human rights issues by failing to make headway on the case of Huseyin Celil, a Canadian citizen jailed in China without access to Canadian consular officials.

“[Mr. Harper's] dangerously driven by preconceptions, deceptions, self-delusions and arrogance,” Mr. Graham said Monday.

But, the Prime Minister's parliamentary Jason Kenney rejected the criticism of Mr. Harper's performance abroad.

“We are extremely proud of what the Prime Minister started internationally,” Mr. Kenney said Monday, adding that Mr. Celil's lawyer also commended Mr. Harper for standing firm on the issue of human rights in China.

But it was not just Mr. Harper's performance that came under scrutiny Monday. It was also the first opportunity for the opposition parties to comment on the Minister of Environment Rona Ambrose's performance last week at a UN summit on climate change in Nairobi, Kenya.

“First of all, the Prime Minister in Asia was a laughing stock because of the fiasco related to the meeting with the Chinese president,” Mr. Graham said Monday. “And in Africa, the Minister of Environment instead of moving ahead with important issues demonstrated a worse performance and was criticized by her counterparts.”

Ms. Ambrose became the focus of media attention last week at the African conference where she used to international stage to accuse the Liberals of leading Canada astray in its Kyoto commitments.

Canada also received two “fossil of the day” awards at the conference. The awards are distributed by the environmental group Climate Action Network to countries deemed to have contributed the least to progress in the climate talks.

Mr. Kenney also rejected the criticism of Ms. Ambrose and the government's stance on the environment.

“We are honest when speaking to the world and Liberals were dishonest,” Mr. Kenney said. “When they said they intended to reduce green house gas emissions, they increased them by 30 per cent and this government, the current government, is honest when we say that the Liberal's environmental policy was a disaster and we are trying to improve our environment.”

[malek]

i am starting to regret voting for the PC... :/

[theUSUALsuspect]

^ me too. I can't even spell his first name right, and I don't care one bit.

[theUSUALsuspect]

How a controlling PMO undermines ministers

From Monday's Globe and Mail

Seemingly without a qualm, the Prime Minister's Office has disregarded one of the fundamental principles of cabinet government. Traditionally, ministers could always rely on the total loyalty of their personal staff. Now the communications director for Prime Minister Stephen Harper has asked those staff members to provide her with an assessment of their bosses' ability to deal with the public and the press. As The Globe and Mail's Gloria Galloway has reported, Sandra Buckler specifically asked those aides to do this without the knowledge of their ministers.

This is not business as usual in this famously controlling PMO. As public administration expert Donald Savoie noted in an interview, the PMO appoints deputy ministers; they are creatures of the centre. But by long-standing parliamentary tradition, cabinet ministers could count on their personal staff for loyal service and private advice. "Now even that has been taken away," says Mr. Savoie, who is writing an analysis of the centralizing trends in the Canadian and British governments. "This takes it to the extreme where the loyalty of anyone and everyone in the system has to be linked to the Prime Minister now. We are reinventing our system of government on the fly, on an ad hoc basis. And Canadians are not really aware that it is happening."

It's a worrisome indictment of Mr. Harper's approach to governance. When the Prime Minister takes a personal interest in an issue such as the Canadian presence in Afghanistan, action is taken. When an issue erupts publicly, such as the plight of Canadians trapped in Lebanon last summer, action is taken. But when Mr. Harper is not personally engaged, paralysis and stale thinking can prevail; look at the Tories' performance in such areas as aboriginal affairs and international trade. With rare exceptions, Mr. Harper does not trust his senior public servants or his ministers to act without the approval of his office. As a result, 10 months after the Conservatives took power, even appointments to the federal courts and to immigration panels remain unfilled. Case backlogs are growing.

But it is the diminution of the power of cabinet ministers that is the most unsettling. Although Mr. Harper has a relatively small group of 26 ministers, he is clearly impatient with the process and distrustful of the outcomes. He and Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, for example, made the decision to end the favourable tax treatment of income trusts without cabinet consultation. True, the very size of any federal cabinet ensures that it is difficult to extract decisions. But a centralizing PMO cannot effectively manage the needs of a modern federation. Canadians are left in the dark about what Ottawa is doing, let alone why it is doing it.

In opposition, Mr. Harper talked often about open government. He represented himself as a whole new way of doing politics in Canada. Politicians would be accountable to the people who elected them. Even the ordinary backbencher would have the freedom to speak up for his beliefs. Instead, in power, Mr. Harper has reinforced the worst centralizing tendencies of previous Liberal governments. Those actions have undermined his ministers. Some of them now know that their staff answered Ms. Buckler's request without telling them.

The situation is unfortunate. Mr. Harper should ease the controls on his cabinet and his public servants. And he should make it clear to Ms. Buckler that she has gone too far.

[someone123]

I thought this thread was about this:

http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/rids/20061119/i/r536585655.jpg

This:

"The idea of Canada threatening China is absurd," Galloway said at an event sponsored by the Syrian Canadian Club. "The whole point of politics is to talk to each other, even if you hate each other."

...is basically just nonsense. Wasn't Harper trying to talk to the president of China?

Canada does a lot of business with China and it's not absurd at all for Harper to try to use that as leverage in diplomatic talks. That kind of thing happens all the time.

I don't think that Harper is a wonderful diplomat but a lot of the little one-liners that people use to condemn him are pretty much devoid of any real reasoning.

Very few people form fair opinions of political figures based on real evidence and reason. Harper is generally disliked only because he is "conservative" and it is fashionable to reject conservatism in many circles in order to appear progressive and sophisticated.

[theUSUALsuspect]

Yet another...

Uh-Oh Canada, I tried to warn you about Stephen Harper

When you Canadians last held an election that would determine your Prime Minister, I tried to warn you not to abandon the Liberal Party in favor of the NDP, or another choice that would tip the election to Conservative Stephen Harper.

I tried to tell you this because I saw Harper for what he was, and is: a true-believing Evangelical with Fundamentalist-creationist leanings- a war-loving, privatizing, gay marriage-opposing person who, if he had his way, would turn the nature of Canada itself into a reflection of his own creed.

I did this because I saw what happened when enough well-intentioned Progressives on my side of the 49th Parallel voted for a man who reflected their own views than for a moderately Progressive candidate who would enable our own version of a President with beliefs as I've described above to take office.

I pleaded with you Canadians not to make the same mistake we did.

Although a few Canadians seemed to side with me, the majority of Canadians who responded to my post issued a common refrain. You called me an American who doesn't realize that we have a Parliamentary system of government with institutional safeguards against a Prime Minister who would try to push too far, too fast.

And for some Liberal Party voters, the issue of your party's institutionalized, fossilized, corrupt entitlement was more than enough for you to abandon the party that brought your nation a well-deserved reputation as a peaceful, tolerant place where people have the right to free or very inexpensive health care as well as the right to marry who they want.

A place that has offered sancutary and refuge and a new life for those Americans who could not abide by some of the wars we Americans have fought where we had no business fighting. Wars fought in the same nation our own President avoided going to when he was of college age, but visited this week in the name of private enterprise.

But now I've just finished an article in the November, 27, 2006 issue of The Nation magazine. Entitled, "Letter From Canada: The New Christian Right," the piece by Chris Hedges describes how the fundamentalist Harper is forging alliances with fellow fundies on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border to undo Canada's nature as a peace-loving, tolerant nation where the weak and poor are cared for.

The article makes a point that he has no mandate to do this. But neither did Bush.

Hedges' fear- and my fear as well- is that Canadians are so complacent they won't wake up until it is too late.

"Harper's hold on power, like that of George Bush, is shaky," Hedges writes. "He too has no clear mandate to transform Canada, but this has not stopped his minority government from steadily undermining social programs and a once enlightened foreign policy that liberal Americans could only envy.

"The tools he is using are familiar to many Americans, who stood sleepily by as Pat Robertson and other religious bigots hijacked the Republican Party and moved into the legislative and executive branches of government," continues Hedges, who adds this visage:

"As I walk the windy streets of Toronto I wonder if those who push past me will wake up and see in Harper's government our own malaise or watch passively as Canada becomes a demented reflection of George Bush's America. "

Welll, here in "George Bush's America," we may have stopped this juggernaut just in the nick of time.

Canadians, don't wait as long as we did to step up and fight these same people. People who would send you off to war, annul some of your loving marriages, make you pay for your health care while big pharma benefits.

[theUSUALsuspect]

I thought this thread was about this:

or this:

http://www.maxpower.ca/wp-content/uploads/2006/01/harper_cowboy.jpg

[Presswood]

I like Stepen Harper , i think he looks funny , thats the reason i vote for him . im not kidding.

[lubicon]

Having the Liberals call Harper a laughing stock is a bad case of the pot calling the kettle black. The Liberals have turned Canada into the laughing stock of the world, not Stephen Harper. At least Harper has the balls to make a decision about something and stick with it, unlike Chretien and Martin who spend the better part of a decade avoiding making any kind of decisions at all, lest they offend somebody. We're paying the price for that now.

[CCF]

Why anyone would vote for Harper is beyond me.

[asws]

Why anyone would vote for Harper is beyond me.
I have the same feeling for the Liberals...

[Rusty van Reddick]

At least Harper has the balls to make a decision about something and stick with it

Whatever you're smoking, I guarantee Harper is not interested in legalizing it. You're talking about a LIAR. You're aware that Harper is completely dishonest, right? And the Christian fundies have his ear, you know this, right?

Anybody who says Harper is some sort of improvement over the Grits because of his purported "honesty" should not be allowed to vote. Like him for some other reason, but for Christ's sake don't try to paint him as anything but another lying SLEAZE. You like sleaze, have at it. But stop kidding yourself or spreading this bullshit.

[Taller Better]

I am afraid the gist of it is true... this pillock is making us an international laughing stock. I am so ashamed of him, and of the Canadians who voted for this feeble minded, insular yo-yo.

[boden]

I shouldn't worry...the standards have fallen very low:( not just here but everywhere.

[Waterlooson]

Whatever you're smoking, I guarantee Harper is not interested in legalizing it. You're talking about a LIAR. You're aware that Harper is completely dishonest, right? And the Christian fundies have his ear, you know this, right?

Anybody who says Harper is some sort of improvement over the Grits because of his purported "honesty" should not be allowed to vote. Like him for some other reason, but for Christ's sake don't try to paint him as anything but another lying SLEAZE. You like sleaze, have at it. But stop kidding yourself or spreading this bullshit.

... at any rate, Harper has a long, long way to go to match Chretien in the "liar" department.

[theUSUALsuspect]

At least Harper has the balls to make a decision about something and stick with it..

riiight. Like his decision NOT to tax income trusts.:haha:

Editorial written by Stephen Harper in National Post - Wednesday, October 26, 2005 :

"On September 19, the Prime Minister acted recklessly when he ordered his Finance Minister, Ralph Goodale, to wade into the income-trust market like a proverbial bull in a china shop. On that day, investors were put on notice that their popular income trusts were going to be targeted by a Liberal government seeking higher tax revenues from companies and investors.

Martin's reckless action has caused uncertainty over the future of income trusts, and so has wiped out billions of dollars in market capitalization from Canadian companies and tens of thousands of dollars from the retirement nest eggs of individual investors. Most notable was the damage done to Canadian seniors who may not have the time to recoup their losses.

One couple e-mailed my party to complain that the uncertainty around income trusts caused by the Liberals' announcement trimmed $30,000 from their retirement portfolio in a single day. Another man wrote to tell us that he had lost 15% from his his portfolio.

Many seniors feel the government is putting their retirement at risk and have let Ottawa know. In a letter to the Finance Minister, the Canadian Association of Retired Persons said, "Seniors are actually enraged, frightened and panicked about potentially losing retirement savings that they count on for the essentials of daily living."

Income trusts are popular with seniors because they provide regular payments that are used by many to cover the costs of groceries, heating bills and medicine. They also provide tax relief from a government that is addicted to taking too much money from their pockets and spending it without care, and very often without meaningful results.

So one must ask, why is the government clamping down on the retirement savings of seniors and investors?

But it gets worse. Instead of immediately moving to assure markets that income trusts are here to stay, the Liberals are justifying their actions in the coldest political terms. As one government member was quoted in the media as saying about income trust investors, "They have no constituency. They don't count politically."

That kind of arrogance cannot go unanswered. There is just no justification for what amounts to a Liberal government attack on investors, and especially on seniors.

The government continues to overtax Canadians and run multi-billion dollar surpluses, yet their first instinct is to attack an investment vehicle that can make the difference between bare survival and a dignified retirement for millions of Canadians.

The government claims that income trusts enjoy an unfair tax advantage over corporate dividends. If they believe this, then the answer is not to shut down a valuable investment vehicle, but to cut the double taxation of dividends. In short, level the playing field and let the market decide between income trusts and dividend-paying companies.

As my party's finance critic, Monte Solberg, says, the success of income trusts represents a rare triumph for investors over the tax man. Let's not be so naive as to assume that the Liberals will do the right thing to protect taxpayers. We'll need to fight hard to keep what we have, and even harder to gain ground. (LMFAO)

It's time to stand up to Paul Martin and stop his attack on seniors and investors."


That for one.

[SpongeG]

he would make a good mayor

but not a good PM

sigh

[Waterlooson]

I don't believe Harper has kept his promise on reducing surgical wait times either.

.... and his 50-yr environmental protection plan is a joke.... 50-years? WTF?

[dubiousmike]

Steve Harper has grown on me.

I'm not at all a fan of how reclusive and evasive he has been with the press, but I'm a big fan of how his government has shaken the sense of entitlement among the Liberal rank-and-file in Ottawa.

That said, I'm still waiting to see him turn his back to a camera so I can confirm my suspicion that he is a cyborg and has a barcode printed on the back of his neck.

[theUSUALsuspect]

That said, I'm still waiting to see him turn his back to a camera so I can confirm my suspicion that he is a cyborg and has a barcode printed on the back of his neck.

And, I'm sure if you scanned that barcode the 'Grand Old Party' would be involved in its manufacture.:sly:

[Andy6]

I guess the "laughingstock" idea is the meme of the week being promoted by the Liberals and their friends at the Globe & Mail, even though they can't actually cite any examples other than the flakey Marxist British MP George Galloway and something from The Nation, which is the magazine of the U.S. far left.

[Taller Better]

Uhmm.. yeah. That's it.

[Doug]

And, I'm sure if you scanned that barcode the 'Grand Old Party' would be involved in its manufacture.:sly:

Always scavenging for Americana...

[Waterlooson]

... the real laughing stock part regards how the Conservatives are essentially tied with the Liberals in the polls when the Liberals don't even have a leader! LMAO.

I predict that by the end of next summer, the government will fall and we will be in election mode.

[ReginaGuy]

http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/rids/20061119/i/r536585655.jpg

hahahaha

[SteelTown]

^^ I say sooner than that. Perhaps an election in the winter of next year or early spring. If Bob Rae is the next Liberal Leader than definitely winter of next year, remember in the past he has brought down 2 other governments.

To me Harper has completely disappointed me. The native standoff in Caledonia the Harper government has been completely missing in action and that's a federal issue yet the OPP and the provincial government has had to deal with the problem.

Does that mean cities should be running the health care system? Harper certainly doesn't mind if he's letting the province fork up the bill for this native standoff that's costing taxpayers over $50 million that the Province can't afford with a deficit well the government in Ottawa is rolling in surpluses each year.

[dubiousmike]

And, I'm sure if you scanned that barcode the 'Grand Old Party' would be involved in its manufacture.:sly:

I don't see how Stephen Harper has any official affiliation with the Republican Party. But hey, if painting him as an obstinate, evangelical, socially conservative lameduck gives you a nice, fat, indy-media-humping boner, then I won't make any effort to stop you.

[Andy6]

... the real laughing stock part regards how the Conservatives are essentially tied with the Liberals in the polls when the Liberals don't even have a leader! LMAO.

I predict that by the end of next summer, the government will fall and we will be in election mode.

That's a pretty safe prediction.

The problem for the Liberals is that acquiring a leader is likely to push them down in the polls, not up, given the choices they've got.

[Waterlooson]

^^ I say sooner than that. Perhaps an election in the winter of next year or early spring. If Bob Rae is the next Liberal Leader than definitely winter of next year, remember in the past he has brought down 2 other governments.

I think Rae will win the leadership.... we'll see if he does, and when the government is defeated.

To me Harper has completely disappointed me. The native standoff in Caledonia the Harper government has been completely missing in action and that's a federal issue yet the OPP and the provincial government has had to deal with the problem.

Does that mean cities should be running the health care system? Harper certainly doesn't mind if he's letting the province fork up the bill for this native standoff that's costing taxpayers over $50 million that the Province can't afford with a deficit well the government in Ottawa is rolling in surpluses each year.

Excellent points.

[P&M40BELOW]

double

[P&M40BELOW]

Why in God's name would anyone base an opinion on what comes out of the mouth of Bill Graham. Harper is the best Prime Minister to come along in 40 years; Mulroney would be a close second.

[P&M40BELOW]

double

[LordMandeep]

Yeah but a man that does not undertsand basic politics and thinks he can win an election without Ontario.

He is sucking up to quebec and ignoring Ontario. The truth is that he is not popular in Quebec anymore and they can't win an majority without massive gains in the Greater Toronto area...

He is like shooting himself in his arm. BTW the way things he will be fighting to keep any seats he has here.

Harper isn't a leader type, to me he is more of a backbench person...

He needs to wake up and learn the truth, you can't stop ignoring a place where almost 1/5 of Canadians live.

[Taller Better]

http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/rids/20061119/i/r536585655.jpg

Is this pic for real?

[Andy6]

Mightn't the Caledonia crisis have something to do with the fact that the provincial police stood by and did nothing, emboldening the native protesters? Could this possibly have been the decision of the Liberal government at Queen's Park, whose members had made such political hay out of the Ipperwash affair while they were in opposition? It's pretty hard to make McGuinty out as the helpless victim of Harper on Caledonia.

[trueviking]

Harper is the best Prime Minister to come along in 40 years. Mulroney would be a close second.

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/6532/laughingcf5.jpg

[flar]

Let's hope that the Conservatives fall before they do too much damage to Canada's reputation and relationships with the world. Seeing how inept they are at foreign policy, diplomacy, dealing with the press, managing their own party, etc.. we're lucky they're just a minority government when it comes to legislation.

[SteelTown]

Could it be that it's not the OPP responsibility to deal with the native dispute or the Premier of Ontario?

Caledonia is still waiting for the RCMP and the federal government to settle to dispute, 9 months and counting that's leading with many disputes causing riots and violent confrontations.

Harper "it is a provincial matter"

[theUSUALsuspect]

Harper is the best Prime Minister to come along in 40 years; Mulroney would be a close second.

Holy Fuck!

[theUSUALsuspect]

I don't see how Stephen Harper has any official affiliation with the Republican Party. But hey, if painting him as an obstinate, evangelical, socially conservative lameduck gives you a nice, fat, indy-media-humping boner, then I won't make any effort to stop you.

That's the good thing about Harper, you don't have to paint him with anything - just listen to him :haha:

[Waterlooson]

Is this pic for real?

No, it was edited. This is the original photo:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/ocean20/r536585655a.jpg


;)

[Waterlooson]

Mightn't the Caledonia crisis have something to do with the fact that the provincial police stood by and did nothing, emboldening the native protesters? Could this possibly have been the decision of the Liberal government at Queen's Park, whose members had made such political hay out of the Ipperwash affair while they were in opposition? It's pretty hard to make McGuinty out as the helpless victim of Harper on Caledonia.


The fact is Indian Affairs come under Federal Jurisdiction, and the Conservatives have totally dodged the Caledonia issues.

[Misterping]

If you don’t want to vote for any of the three stooges, vote Green.:apple:

[Andy6]

The fact is Indian Affairs come under Federal Jurisdiction, and the Conservatives have totally dodged the Caledonia issues.

It's not really an "Indian affairs" matter, though. It's just ordinary lawbreaking that is the OPP's job to handle. Criminal activity doesn't engage the federal jurisdiction simply because it involves natives, although it is true that eventually a solution could involve the federal government in some way, but only after the occupation stops or is stopped by the responsible police force (the OPP). How anyone could blame this on anyone but Dalton McGuinty is beyond me. Clearly McGuinty was trying to demonstrate that he would handle such matters differently than Harris did at Ipperwash and he has now found out why that might not be such a great idea.

[Taller Better]

The fact is Indian Affairs come under Federal Jurisdiction, and the Conservatives have totally dodged the Caledonia issues.

Oh, there's a shock. The Conservatives dodging something unpleasant. Whooda thunk?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/ocean20/r536585655a.jpg

What's he doing wearing Peter McKay's hat? :shrug:

[Kevin_foster]

:/

I'm sorta chuckling to myself....

The liberals saying Harper is a laughing stock? Haha, are you serious?

Did they not pay attention to their leaders who took.. no stance on... anything in particular..

Laughing stock?

hahah so.. how did we elect:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=aX6XMIldkRU

I think we need to check ourselves as to whom we are laughing at.

I respect the conservatives for taking a stance on something. I hate wish wash.

[Taller Better]

"I respect the conservatives for taking a stance on something"

so... you're not fussy? Doesn't matter what they stand for, as long as they
take "a stance" on it?

[e909]

oh please, the liberals made Canada the huge laughing stock it is today. why the hell are we even taking the opinion of some backbencher in the UK parliament?

do any of you people realize the job of the leader of the opposition is different than the prime minister. the opposition is generally supposed to, well, oppose the government.

The conservatives have a far, far, far, far way to go to come anywhere near Chretein's lies.

[e909]

^^ I say sooner than that. Perhaps an election in the winter of next year or early spring. If Bob Rae is the next Liberal Leader than definitely winter of next year, remember in the past he has brought down 2 other governments.

To me Harper has completely disappointed me. The native standoff in Caledonia the Harper government has been completely missing in action and that's a federal issue yet the OPP and the provincial government has had to deal with the problem.

Does that mean cities should be running the health care system? Harper certainly doesn't mind if he's letting the province fork up the bill for this native standoff that's costing taxpayers over $50 million that the Province can't afford with a deficit well the government in Ottawa is rolling in surpluses each year.
You sure seem to be an expert on the government...

Enough to know that health is a provincial matter, and policing is provincial, apparently.

[Wooster]

The conservatives and liberals of the last 10 years are equally ineffectual even though I'd agree in theory more to the politics of a liberal party. I say in theory because they seemed to act pragmatically to whatever decision would keep them in power rather than any sort of real benefit to the Canadian population.

Nevertheless, I can't believe this government will still not commit to continuing the safer injection site in vancouver. It saves lives and costs practiacally nothing to run. In fact the savings to the health system alone justify its existence, let alone the intrinsic value of life. We should have these in all major cities across the country. The harper conservatives are so incredibly blinded by their own ideology it makes me sick.

Another study with strong evidence it is working as intended...


Vancouver's safe injection site successful: study
Top AIDS researcher suggests Harper government has 'profound bias' against site
Last Updated: Monday, November 20, 2006 | 5:38 PM ET
CBC News

Vancouver's safe injection site is slowing down the spread of HIV and helping drug users quit their habits, a new study finds — but an expert suggested that Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his government won't want to hear those results.

The study, which will appear Tuesday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, says the three-year-old Supervised Injection Site in the Downtown Eastside has been a great success.

The injection site, which drew about 5,000 users in its first year of operation, is a place where people can safely go to inject illegal drugs while being supervised by nurses.

"By all criteria, the Vancouver facility has both saved lives and contributed toward the decreased use of illicit drugs and the reduced spread of HIV infection and other blood-borne infections," Mark Wainberg, the director of the McGill University AIDS Centre in Montreal, wrote in a commentary published alongside the study.

The study — conducted by Dr. Evan Wood, a professor of epidemiology at the University of British Columbia, and his colleagues — found that drug users who visited the site at least once a week were more willing to enter detoxification programs.

The researchers also found that all users in the area, including those with HIV, have been sharing syringes less since the start of the injection site, which is the first of its kind in North America. They have also engaged in other safe injection practices like using sterile water to formulate their drugs and swabbing alcohol on their skin.

Users were less likely to overdose when they used the facility at least once a week, the study found.
Establish more sites, expert urges

Wainberg argued that the injection site should remain open. He said the federal government should be drafting legislation to allow similar facilities to operate elsewhere in the country.

Wainberg criticized the federal Conservative government, singling out Health Minister Tony Clement for cutting a grant that would have allowed further study of the injection site — something Clement himself has said is necessary.

"Why would the government on the one hand announce that additional time is needed to study the potential success of the Vancouver safer injecting facility and on the other hand eliminate the funding needed for such evaluations?" wrote Wainberg, who is also a professor of medicine at McGill.

He also cited the Harper government's handling of an extension to the "waiver of law," which allows the site to operate without fear that the users or staff will face criminal charges.

Wainberg pointed out that, in September, Harper's government refused a request to extend the waiver for 3½ more years, only agreeing to let it stay open until the end of 2007.

"One hopes that the current government under Stephen Harper, which has been in office since only February 2006, will be willing to learn and to revisit this issue," Wainberg wrote.
Government accused of 'profound bias'

Meanwhile, one of Canada's foremost AIDS researchers accused the federal government of being against the injection site, saying he doubts Ottawa wants to hear that it has been having a positive effect.

"I think that there is a profound bias in this administration," Dr. Julio Montaner, the director of B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, told CBC News in an interview tied to the release of the study.

"Unfortunately, no matter how many attempts we have made to have an intelligent and educated discussion about this issue, their principles stand in the way of evidence-based decision making," said Montaner.

"And to me, that's unacceptable."

The injection site is operated by the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority in partnership with the Portland Hotel Society and is funded by the federal and provincial governments.

[dubiousmike]

That's an interesting and encouraging article, josh. I just wish this information would become more mainstream.

[Tony]

It's not really an "Indian affairs" matter, though. It's just ordinary lawbreaking that is the OPP's job to handle. Criminal activity doesn't engage the federal jurisdiction simply because it involves natives, although it is true that eventually a solution could involve the federal government in some way, but only after the occupation stops or is stopped by the responsible police force (the OPP). How anyone could blame this on anyone but Dalton McGuinty is beyond me. Clearly McGuinty was trying to demonstrate that he would handle such matters differently than Harris did at Ipperwash and he has now found out why that might not be such a great idea.

Obviously it's a better idea to charge and shoot some of them injuns eh Andy!

You'll say anything to support what you believe is the Conservative party line.

[SteelTown]

It's not really an "Indian affairs" matter, though. It's just ordinary lawbreaking that is the OPP's job to handle. Criminal activity doesn't engage the federal jurisdiction simply because it involves natives, although it is true that eventually a solution could involve the federal government in some way, but only after the occupation stops or is stopped by the responsible police force (the OPP). How anyone could blame this on anyone but Dalton McGuinty is beyond me. Clearly McGuinty was trying to demonstrate that he would handle such matters differently than Harris did at Ipperwash and he has now found out why that might not be such a great idea.

Obviously you forgot the part where the natives will continue to occupy the disputed land until there given the land "back" which somehow you think this is somehow a provincial jurisdiction.

Six Nations claim they own everything 20 kilometres wide along the Grand River. This is what the Caledonia dispute is all about. Nobody can settle this unless Harper finally comes into the picture and settle the issue that so far Harper has been missing in action for 9 months.

[Kevin_foster]

"I respect the conservatives for taking a stance on something"

so... you're not fussy? Doesn't matter what they stand for, as long as they
take "a stance" on it?

I said respect, not support.

[habsfan]

why not create a party that uses Consevative fiscal policies and uses Liberal Social policies?

[Kevin_foster]

why not create a party that uses Consevative fiscal policies and uses Liberal Social policies?

The Perfect Party! In a dream world, yes... would be desirable.

Traditionally, social policies costs more money (additional social spending outside of the traditional social framework); thus negating any conservative type spending... Social policy costs money and conservative spending wouldn't allow for it.. unless our taxes were higher, which is against conservative ideals anyways. That's why the term "user fees" are used widely in conservative talk.

However, it's possible... you just need the right people do to it... and apparently, those people don't exist (well maybe in europe somewhere..), or the voters wont let it happen..

[habsfan]

Traditionally, social policies costs more money (additional social spending outside of the traditional social framework); thus negating any conservative type spending... Social policy costs money and conservative spending wouldn't allow for it.. unless our taxes were higher, which is against conservative ideals anyways. That's why the term "user fees" are used widely in conservative talk.

too bad not enough of our politicians have never heard of the word COMPROMISE before!

[Kevin_foster]

^ Yeah, but it's also the voters as well.

People in this country seem to vote based on their position on the map, to thwart their opposition's desires. It's either that, or we lay content to voting whomever is most popular. Totally forgetting that the government IS ours for the choosing.

People need to wake up and take a stance.

So far, I think the Conservatives are doing a good job. However, I would like to see them adopt a few more social programs..

[SteelTown]

We kinda did have a fiscal conservative and a social liberal not too long ago, Paul Martin, which their called blue liberals. But he was in a minority situation so he had to compromise with the NDP to pass a budget. If giving a majority he would act like a blue liberal.

[Waterlooson]

It's not really an "Indian affairs" matter, though. It's just ordinary lawbreaking that is the OPP's job to handle. Criminal activity doesn't engage the federal jurisdiction simply because it involves natives, although it is true that eventually a solution could involve the federal government in some way, but only after the occupation stops or is stopped by the responsible police force (the OPP). How anyone could blame this on anyone but Dalton McGuinty is beyond me. Clearly McGuinty was trying to demonstrate that he would handle such matters differently than Harris did at Ipperwash and he has now found out why that might not be such a great idea.

Well I think it would be more than fair to blame this on the Indians breaking the law rather than on Dalton M.

The Indians' concern at Caledonia regards a land claim and treaty rights.... definitely Federal jurisdiction, but the Feds can only hide from the media on this issue.

[flar]

why not create a party that uses Consevative fiscal policies and uses Liberal Social policies?

The Liberals were that during the Chretien and Martin years. They balanced the budget by cutting a bunch of stuff (eg: downloading health costs to provinces) and used some of it to pay back the government's debt and some for tax cuts. The didn't introduce a lot of spending. The Harper Conservatives aren't any more fiscally responsible than the Liberals were. The Conservatives have introduced several tax cuts (an increase for the lowest bracket, however) and cuts to certain programs, but they have also increased spending on other things, eg: the Military. The tax cuts mean that we aren't paying down as much of the debt. Tax cuts alone do not equal fiscal conservative.

The argument against the Liberals being fiscally conservative, namely the scandal, is not objectively very strong. Sure they were corrupt, but corruption, backroom deals, and scandals are part of politics. Every gov't is accused of scandals after a while, remember the Mulroney Government (airbus)? The scandal was part of the game of politics, the Liberals were in power too long so the idea took hold with the electorate. The amount of money involved in adscam is rather insignificant in the context of the government's budget, but it was a great diversion from more significant issues.

[Wooster]

That's an interesting and encouraging article, josh. I just wish this information would become more mainstream.

Well it was the top story on CBC.ca for a while, so the information is available. I just wish this perspective on the issue was more accepted in the mainstream.

[e909]

why not create a party that uses Consevative fiscal policies and uses Liberal Social policies?
Harper hasn't really done much to progress his "social conservative" platform..

You have to remember he has to keep his party from revolting, so he just gives the feeling of all of that.. Point being, he isn't in a hurry to ban gay marriage, etc.

[Taller Better]

You have to remember he has to keep his party from revolting, .

It is too late for that... I have heard the word "revolting" used rather a lot in conjunction with them. :whip:

[SteelTown]

Harper hasn't really done much to progress his "social conservative" platform..

You have to remember he has to keep his party from revolting, so he just gives the feeling of all of that.. Point being, he isn't in a hurry to ban gay marriage, etc.

MPs to revisit gay marriage
REUTERS

OTTAWA -- Ottawa will press ahead with a vote on whether to revisit a law that made gay marriage legal in Canada, although pro-gay marriage activists are confident that Parliament will not reopen the contentious issue.

Justice Minister Vic Toews said Tuesday the government would honour a promise to allow a vote on whether to reconsider the 2005 legislation, which made Canada the fourth country after the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain to legalize gay marriage, before Parliament breaks for Christmas on Dec. 15.

"The prime minister has made a commitment and he will honour that commitment," Toews said when asked by Reuters if there would be a vote. He was unable to say when it would happen.

A gay marriage lobby group urged the Conservative government to schedule a date for a vote, arguing that it was not fair to "leave this issue hanging over our heads."

"Either get on with the vote or admit that the equal-marriage ship has sailed," Laurie Arron of the lobby group Canadians for Equal Marriage told a news conference.

[CCF]

Harper makes for some great pictures. http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1555/1224/1600/stephen_harper_village_peop.0.jpg

http://data1.blog.de/blog/c/corrisblog/img/stephen-harper.jpg

"Come shake my hand son and daughter."
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4273/1368/1600/Harper.jpg

http://www3.sympatico.ca/taylormcgreal/harper_boxing.jpg

Nice vest
http://french.epochtimes.com/news_images/2006-4-3-57216031bush_harper_fox.jpg

http://www.ctv.ca/generic/WebSpecials/2004_year_review/photo_gallery/images/img01.jpg

[Taller Better]

Gruesome!! I'm feeling nauseous, but that last picture got me roaring with laughter! Is that Mary Walsh? He looks like he is being sexually harrassed!

[LordMandeep]

Harper will be a temp forgettable PM like Martin.

Chretien lied, but he was interesting, like beating up people, riding around in a bike in China and etc and etc. Things like that really make a poltican popular and leave a "legacy". THis "legacy" is seen as good by some and bad by others.

Like Trudeau is known for doing funny crazy stuff as well and thats why he will likely reamin Canada's most known or popular PM ever...

[e909]

MPs to revisit gay marriage
REUTERS

OTTAWA -- Ottawa will press ahead with a vote on whether to revisit a law that made gay marriage legal in Canada, although pro-gay marriage activists are confident that Parliament will not reopen the contentious issue.

Justice Minister Vic Toews said Tuesday the government would honour a promise to allow a vote on whether to reconsider the 2005 legislation, which made Canada the fourth country after the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain to legalize gay marriage, before Parliament breaks for Christmas on Dec. 15.

"The prime minister has made a commitment and he will honour that commitment," Toews said when asked by Reuters if there would be a vote. He was unable to say when it would happen.

A gay marriage lobby group urged the Conservative government to schedule a date for a vote, arguing that it was not fair to "leave this issue hanging over our heads."

"Either get on with the vote or admit that the equal-marriage ship has sailed," Laurie Arron of the lobby group Canadians for Equal Marriage told a news conference.
I'm well aware of that. Hence why I said he has to follow along with some things.

That won't pass anyway, and he said he would do it if he won the election, to symbolically shut up the nuts in part of his party.

[Taller Better]

That won't pass anyway, and he said he would do it if he won the election, to symbolically shut up the nuts in part of his party.


That would be a massive undertaking, and I doubt if he is capable of achieving that in one lifetime.

[e909]

Harper will be a temp forgettable PM like Martin.

Chretien lied, but he was interesting, like beating up people, riding around in a bike in China and etc and etc. Things like that really make a poltican popular and leave a "legacy". THis "legacy" is seen as good by some and bad by others.

Like Trudeau is known for doing funny crazy stuff as well and thats why he will likely reamin Canada's most known or popular PM ever...
Yeah, forget actually trying to do something, or standing for something, Canadians just want a press whore prime minister.

[e909]

That would be a massive undertaking, and I doubt if he is capable of achieving that in one lifetime.
He's done a pretty good job so far, all things considered.

[LordMandeep]

Yeah but Chreatien stoped Mulroney's raping of the country.

[e909]

Yeah but Chreatien stoped Mulroney's raping of the country.
How? What did he do any differently?

The finances became better in the late 90s, but other than that they were pretty much the same bunch.

[LordMandeep]

Under Mulroney the country turned Bankrupt, Chreatien turned it around. Thats one positive thing he did. Also he didn't go to Iraq.

However i do agree elmo909 he did not do much else, but he was a interesting guy.

[CC420]

To me, most politicians are a laughing stock. Harper included, BIG TIME.

Politicians=:jester: :koko:
Harper=:jester: :hell: :evil:

[kool maudit]

galloway was always more of a hussein guy.

[chris]

why not create a party that uses Consevative fiscal policies and uses Liberal Social policies?

It's called the Libertarian Party of Canada.

[Border City Boy]

Right, the same Chretien who ran against the legacy of Mulroney under the guise of repealing the GST.

LMAO! Worst PM ever was Chretien.

[Kevin_foster]

Don't mistake being photogenic with being a good leader.

It's pretty immature and at the same time sad to see people posting pictures of him and basically laughing, when sure they may be funny... but what does it have to do with anything.. at all... does getting all dressed up in a Kimono and looking like a Martian really indicate one's prowess or capability for running a country?

It's just poor filler to compensate for the fact that no educated arguments are being made to dispute the issue at hand.

</rant>

[LordMandeep]

Nah Mulroney was...

How are you a good pm when you go from a majority to only two seats.

[shreddog]

Duhno ... how are you a good PM when your own party stabs you in the back and kicks you out?

[LordMandeep]

Well i agree Chreatien sucked, but oh boy Mulroney really isn't liked by anyone.

[vanman]

What I hate the most about Harper is how everytime there is some sort of international crisis and world leaders speak out, 'Canada's' position is always regurgitated from the US. He just says the exact same thing as Bush every time so as not to offend America. Canada used to have a mind of it's own on global matters.

[e909]

What I hate the most about Harper is how everytime there is some sort of international crisis and world leaders speak out, 'Canada's' position is always regurgitated from the US. He just says the exact same thing as Bush every time so as not to offend America. Canada used to have a mind of it's own on global matters.
That's obviously some conspiracy. It has nothing to do with having similar economic, cultural, and political views. It's just that Harper follows his leader.

I guess we should take a different position just to be different, we'd sure show the Americas how we can act like 15 year olds internationally.

[IntotheWest]

Well i agree Chreatien sucked, but oh boy Mulroney really isn't liked by anyone.

I would take Mulroney over Chretien any day. Mulroney did far more good at the time he was in...strange how he's so hated in the east.

But, maybe its the same reason P.E.T. is loved by the east, and well...not very well liked by many westerners.

[Agent Orange]

I stopped reading when I found out Galloway was the MP in question.

[MolsonExport]

Where the hell is Eddy_A?

[duper]

I would take Mulroney over Chretien any day. Mulroney did far more good at the time he was in...strange how he's so hated in the east.


Mulroney not hated in the West? What planet? Western Canada hated Mulroney. Just read the history of the founding of the Reform Party.

[Doug]

^The perception of Mulroney in the West has definitely improved over time. That of Trudeau or Chretien has not.

[duper]

^The perception of Mulroney in the West has definitely improved over time. That of Trudeau or Chretien has not.

Yeah. Memory fades, but it doesn't change the fact that the rift occurred. Its not merely an Eastern phenomenon.

Meanwhile, self-proclaimed Western populists like to re-animate the corpse of Trudeau, just to beat it to death again (figuratively, of course). This is despite the fact that a large number of Albertans were either a) not yet born when Trudeau was PM or b) not living in Alberta at the time anyway.

[skylife]

All this discussion from that clown Galloway? He's a joke!

Poeople are concerned about what this guy says - THIS guy...LOL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBe-jMLuFN0

[zerokarma]

Mulroney by far wasn't the best PM or anything like that but I do think he gets a bad rap and a huge stigmatizism from the whole GST thing that still resonates in the minds of people.

[kool maudit]

What I hate the most about Harper is how everytime there is some sort of international crisis and world leaders speak out, 'Canada's' position is always regurgitated from the US. He just says the exact same thing as Bush every time so as not to offend America. Canada used to have a mind of it's own on global matters.




we have always swung between slavishly copying american policy and petulantly choosing its opposite.

[vid]

We're either blindly with them or blindly against them. Like a confused sheep that wants to rebel but doesn't quite understand how.

[P&M40BELOW]

Under Mulroney the country turned Bankrupt, Chreatien turned it around. Thats one positive thing he did. Also he didn't go to Iraq.

However i do agree elmo909 he did not do much else, but he was a interesting guy.

I don't know what high school teacher skewed your view of the world, but Trudeau left Canada in a financial mess. You can't turn things around overnight; not even in eight years. The public generally won't allow you to make too many tough decisions. That being said, Mulroney brought in Free Trade which is THE reason why the country was able to pull itself out of the economuic hole the liberals had put us into; it had very little to do with any magic formula the liberals came up with.

Here's your formula: 1 part Mulroney Free Trade, plus 1 part slash transfer payments to the provinces (Paul Martin), putting our health care system in the toilet and voila " balanced budgets" ... Take a bow Jean Chretian.

History will be very kind to both Mulroney and Harper. Both Mulroney and Harper are far more capable than anyone the Liberals have produced in 50 years.:tup:

[h0twired]

We kinda did have a fiscal conservative and a social liberal not too long ago, Paul Martin, which their called blue liberals. But he was in a minority situation so he had to compromise with the NDP to pass a budget. If giving a majority he would act like a blue liberal.

It isnt very hard to appear fiscally conservative in a time of economic boom. It's like a billionaire impressing people with the fact that he was able to put a couple million into savings last year.

People are quick to compare the PC record of the 80s with the former liberal record and are quick to critisize. The liberals didnt have to deal with a oil bust, interest rates and inflation skyrocketing and a national recession.

[h0twired]

It's called the Libertarian Party of Canada.

You clearly have NO idea what Libertarian's actually stand for or you have no idea what Liberal Social policies are.

[h0twired]

Mulroney by far wasn't the best PM or anything like that but I do think he gets a bad rap and a huge stigmatizism from the whole GST thing that still resonates in the minds of people.

What I find funny about the GST was the fact that the Liberals PROMISED to eliminate the GST if they were elected. So Canada elected them and they did absolutely NOTHING about it. Then when the Conservative party lowered the GST to 6%, they were critisized by the Liberals for doing so.