Trapped in Suburbia…

I often find myself wondering how politicians manage to say things that are so obviously ridiculous as to be laughable with a completely straight face.

Recently Michael Ignatieff told Le Devoir, a French-language newspaper, that “an election would not create instability.”

The Toronto Sun is reporting that Conservatives are lashing out at the Liberals over the suggestion. Frankly, it shouldn’t just be the Conservatives.

We’re in the midst of a recession – one we’re only starting to recover from. Still, Ignatieff had the following to say:

But now, we are in a different situation. We can have an election without threatening anything whatsoever. We could even say it would be good for the country.

Without threatening anything whatsoever? Does Ignatieff really believe proroguing Parliament, stopping all the work committees are doing, killing any bills on the table, and throwing the country into another $200-300 million dollar election wouldn’t threaten anything?

In reality an election now will delay things by months – first there has to be an election, ministers need to be named and sworn, MPs need to get settled in their offices, etc.

What’s the point? The polls certainly suggest another Conservative minority.

But I guess when you’re the “natural governing party” you’ll use any excuse to try and claw your way back into power. I mean, if the Liberals just force enough election maybe – just maybe – they can be in charge again.

The economy is in a downturn. People across Canada are worried about losing their jobs, their savings, their homes. The US – our biggest trading partner – is in much rougher shape than Canada and that’s worrying people to.

So what has Michael Ignatieff done this summer? Well… he gave up his European vacation.

Read the rest of this entry »

There is a great deal of speculation swirling about a fall election. It certainly seems that the Liberals will be using their September opposition day to launch a confidence motion. If they do they will most likely be supported by the NDP and Bloc to bring down the government.

Much of the speculation over whether or not there will be an election hinges on the fact that the Liberals still seem to lack a cohesive strategy or message.  Clearly it would be in the Liberals’ best interests to have a clearly defined platform before launching an election campaign. Time is running out, however, if they plan on attacking the Conservatives on the economy. During the past year its been fairly clear that the Liberals have relished in every stock market dip, business closure, and release of job loss numbers.

Read the rest of this entry »

Stephen Taylor was blogging from the NDP national convention and reported the following:

Another striking moment came during the international policy discussion portion when NDP MP Paul Dewar (Ottawa Centre) suggested that Tamil actions in blocking traffic in Ottawa and occupying a highway in Toronto were legitimate methods for Tamils to get the attention of the Canadian government.

What was Paul Dewar thinking?

Read the rest of this entry »

The whole eHealth thing has been in the news for a while, so much so that it’s getting a little old. Luckily, Dalton and crew are loathe to disappoint.

Today, just when I was thinking the latest scandal was getting a little old, someone sent me a link to an article on the Ontario Ministry of Transport website regarding a plan to upgrade 20 or so existing service centers on the 400 and 401 series highways.

Read the rest of this entry »