Harper was willing to sacrifice Quebec votes for the sake of his base in challenging the opposition coalition by focusing on the Bloc. After all he already had lost credibility and seats in Quebec only a month ago thanks to the Bloc's attack on Harpers Arts and Culture and Law and Order policies. The attack on the BQ as seperatists proping up an illigetimate Dion government was just to tempting not to use to bitch slap them. And Harper is not one to miss an opportunity to slag his opponents. But again at a cost to his support in Quebec.
And as polling shows attacking the Bloc is of limited value in Quebec, since their votes will not go to the Harpocrites but to the NDP.
LYSIANE GAGNON writes;
But many Quebeckers have a totally different view of the Bloc. The Bloc presents itself as the defender of "Quebec's interests" rather than as the champion of sovereignty, and so Quebeckers see it as a regular party that makes them feel secure, a comfort zone in the alien environment of federal politics. It's their "home team," in other words. By the end of the week, the prevailing impression was that not only the Bloc, but Quebec as a whole, had been attacked. And three separate polls showed Quebec was the only province where a majority favoured the coalition.
SEE:
In Quebec Everyone is a Nationalist
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Harper, Canada, Quebec, federalism, Government, PM, PMO, Cabinet, BQ, seperatism, Canada, politics, Conservatives, opposition coalition, economy, government, Conservatives, Harper, recession, NDP, Liberals, BQ, politics, , federal election, minoirity government Jack Layton, , left-wing, unite-the-left, socialism, Quebec, social-democracy, NDP, PQ, BQ,
Showing posts with label minority governnent. Show all posts
Showing posts with label minority governnent. Show all posts
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
In Quebec Everyone is a Nationalist
The Harpocrite is rasing the spectre of Quebec seperatism to denounce the Social Democratic Coalition of the Progressive Parties, that is the NDP, Libers and BQ. But wait everyone in Quebec is a nationalist, a soverignist a soft or hard seperatiste's. Including the right wing founders of the BQ like Lucien Bouchard who was a former Conservative Cabinet Minister in the Mulroney Government.
During the election even Liberal leader Stephae Dion squeeked that he too is a Quebec nationalist.
Heck the Governor General is a Quebecois nationalist, as is her husband.
Why so are the Francophone Ministers and back benchers in Harpers own government. Those who can barely speak a word of English, who speak only in French in Question Period. And of course there is always this Queberc Conservative MP; Denis Lebel Nationalist
And don't forget when the Harpocrites got into power last eelection they axed the Canadian Unity Council much to the joy of the BQ and PQ. Harpers Anti-Federalism
And thanks to the BQ the Harpocrites survived a potentioal confidence vote over the Soft Wood Lumber Trade deal. Between a Bloc and A Hard Place
So the strawman of Quebec seperatism is being used because the Harpocrites would not get any millage with calling the newly proposed coalition what it is a coalition of the Centre Left, a coalition of progressive parties, social democratic coalition, heck a socialist coalition.
Because the majority of Canadaians and Quebecois are social democrats. We are centre left, not centre right. And the BQ today is not the BQ of Lucien Bouchard, it is to the left of the Liberals like the NDP, and in some cases it is to the left even of the NDP.
The argument that the coalition is 'undemocratic' and somehow an attempt to overthrow the government is laughable. Of course poruging parliment during an economic crisis is far more undermocratic and an abdication of governance. But the Harpocrites have done it before, in order to kill the oppositions Environmental bill. Parliamentary Collapse
Harper is to be congratulated though on doing something that no-one ever expected would happen, he has done what Judy Rebick andher crowd at Rabble.ca could not do, he has united the Left in Canada.
And now he is terrified.
SEE:
Jack Layton PM
Harpocrites Declare Class War
Shades of Grenwal Tory Dirty Tricks
Right Wing Nationalism
Canada and Quebec Two Tory Solitudes
Bouchard's Bankrupt Nationalism
Conservatives Orwellian Language Politics
Clear Eyed View of the Quebec New Right
Defending Quebec's Interests. Which Interests are those Mssr. Duccepe?
Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
Harper, Canada, Quebec, federalism, Government, PM, PMO, Cabinet, BQ, seperatism, Canada, politics, Conservatives, opposition coalition, economy, government, Conservatives, Harper, recession, NDP, Liberals, BQ, politics, , federal election, minoirity government Jack Layton, , left-wing, unite-the-left, socialism, Quebec, social-democracy, NDP, PQ, BQ,
During the election even Liberal leader Stephae Dion squeeked that he too is a Quebec nationalist.
Heck the Governor General is a Quebecois nationalist, as is her husband.
Why so are the Francophone Ministers and back benchers in Harpers own government. Those who can barely speak a word of English, who speak only in French in Question Period. And of course there is always this Queberc Conservative MP; Denis Lebel Nationalist
And don't forget when the Harpocrites got into power last eelection they axed the Canadian Unity Council much to the joy of the BQ and PQ. Harpers Anti-Federalism
And thanks to the BQ the Harpocrites survived a potentioal confidence vote over the Soft Wood Lumber Trade deal. Between a Bloc and A Hard Place
So the strawman of Quebec seperatism is being used because the Harpocrites would not get any millage with calling the newly proposed coalition what it is a coalition of the Centre Left, a coalition of progressive parties, social democratic coalition, heck a socialist coalition.
Because the majority of Canadaians and Quebecois are social democrats. We are centre left, not centre right. And the BQ today is not the BQ of Lucien Bouchard, it is to the left of the Liberals like the NDP, and in some cases it is to the left even of the NDP.
The argument that the coalition is 'undemocratic' and somehow an attempt to overthrow the government is laughable. Of course poruging parliment during an economic crisis is far more undermocratic and an abdication of governance. But the Harpocrites have done it before, in order to kill the oppositions Environmental bill. Parliamentary Collapse
Harper is to be congratulated though on doing something that no-one ever expected would happen, he has done what Judy Rebick andher crowd at Rabble.ca could not do, he has united the Left in Canada.
And now he is terrified.
SEE:
Jack Layton PM
Harpocrites Declare Class War
Shades of Grenwal Tory Dirty Tricks
Right Wing Nationalism
Canada and Quebec Two Tory Solitudes
Bouchard's Bankrupt Nationalism
Conservatives Orwellian Language Politics
Clear Eyed View of the Quebec New Right
Defending Quebec's Interests. Which Interests are those Mssr. Duccepe?
Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
Harper, Canada, Quebec, federalism, Government, PM, PMO, Cabinet, BQ, seperatism, Canada, politics, Conservatives, opposition coalition, economy, government, Conservatives, Harper, recession, NDP, Liberals, BQ, politics, , federal election, minoirity government Jack Layton, , left-wing, unite-the-left, socialism, Quebec, social-democracy, NDP, PQ, BQ,
Monday, December 01, 2008
Shades of Grenwal Tory Dirty Tricks
Hey remember the last time there was a minority government and the Harpocrites secretly recorded a meeting. At the time the minoritiy government was the Paul Martin Liberals, and the taping was done by Tory MP Gurmeet Grewal who claimed he was being bribed to cross the floor. Well the Harpocrites are at it again releasing secret illegal tape recordings in hopes to shore up their minority government during this crisis of confidence. A Law and Order government secretly and illegally taping the opposition the hypocrisy is only matched by their desperation.
The Tories also unveiled a surreptitiously recorded tape of a New Democratic Party caucus meeting, alleging it showed a long-existing cabal with the Bloc Québécois to defeat the government — and there were rumours that as a last resort, Mr. Harper might seek to prorogue Parliament, ending the session to avoid defeat in the Commons
The Prime Minister's Office released a secretly taped recording of a conference call of the NDP caucus in which Leader Jack Layton refers to having "locked in" the support of the Bloc early.
Mr. Harper's aides argued it showed a pre-existing NDP-Bloc agreement to look for an excuse to defeat the Tories that had nothing to do with last week's economic statement.
In the recording, Mr. Layton is heard telling his MPs they have plans to cope if the Bloc goes "offside" during the coalition.
"I actually believe they're the least of our problems, but in case I'm wrong, let's just say we have strategies. This whole thing would not have happened if the moves hadn't have been made with the Bloc to lock them in early, because you couldn't put three people together in one, in three hours. The first part was done a long time ago, I won't go into details …," Mr. Layton said.
Mr. Mulcair insisted that while the two parties have spoken about co-operation on issues like employment insurance, the first NDP-Bloc talks about a coalition took place only after elements of the government's economic update were revealed last week.
He said the party mistakenly sent the conference-call number to a Conservative MP, who dialled in and recorded the meeting. He said the NDP plans to raise the action as a violation of parliamentary ethics and will consider pressing charges.
Mr. Mulcair said the Tories "illegally" recorded a private meeting, and called it "scandalous."
"It shows the desperation of the Conservatives," he said.
Mulcair added that the NDP were also pursuing legal action against the Tories for listening in and broadcasting a private discussion.
"We're already in contact with senior lawyers in that regard," he said.
And the reason to release this tape despite the possibility of facing legal charges let alone jeopradizing their declining public support?
There were also rumours that Mr. Harper might prorogue Parliament, ending the current session so he cannot be defeated in the Commons — although some said that was a last-resort option that would look desperate.
They know full well that the majority of Canadians, heck the majority of Albertans, did not vote for them.Hence the desperation to stay in power at any cost. So of course the Harpocrites are feigning outrage about a pending coalition government made up of the opposition parties, not because it is an undemocratic power grab as they spent the weekend messaging to the media, but rather because they have used the tactic in the past and know that it can be done.
Only a day earlier, Mr. Harper's chief of staff Guy Giorno sent out an e-mail that included talking points, scripts for Tory partisans to use on radio phone-in shows and a template for letters to newspaper editors. Party faithful were encouraged to "use every single tool and medium at our disposal" to spread the word that opposition parties are trying to usurp the government in a crass bid to protect their political "entitlements."
Text of PMO e-mail to Tory MPs on key talking points
Note to all Conservative members of Parliament:
As you are aware, the Opposition parties are currently discussing a plan to topple our government and replace it with a Liberal-NDP-Bloc coalition.
While we believe such an arrangement would be an affront to the democratic will of Canadians when they afforded us a strengthened mandate on October 14th, we must nonetheless take this threat very seriously.
The Conservative party asked its members to make "emergency" donations to help prevent the NDP and Liberals from forming a coalition government, the latest step undertaken by Tory officials to rally supporters. Irving Gerstein, the Conservative Fund Canada's chairman, sent an e-mail appeal to supporters over the weekend, asking them to "protect Canada's future and protect Canada's democracy from being hijacked by politicians who care about nothing more than power and entitlements."The message asks recipients to make a donation of "$200 or $100 -- whatever you can afford" and states "time is of the essence."
"The Liberals are holding secret negotiations with the socialist NDP and separatist Bloc Quebecois to overturn the wishes of Canadian voters and take power," Mr. Gerstein wrote. "They want to take power and impose on Canadians a prime minister without a personal mandate, a Liberal-NDP coalition not one voter has ever endorsed and have it all backstopped by the separatist Bloc Quebecois who simply want to destroy the country."
Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre said the tape proves the NDP has been plotting to usurp results of the election. "The mask has been lifted off -- the separatists and the NDP have been having these backroom talks for months," he said. "Their goal is to reverse the election results and seize power. Now their scheme is exposed ... it's incumbent upon the Liberal Party to ... no longer participate in the secret discussions."
Poilievre said he doesn't know who made the tape and declined to comment on its ethical implications.
But roll back the tape to September 2004, just a little more than two months after Canadians elected a minority Liberal government. Then-opposition leader Harper appeared at a news conference with Bloc leader Gilles Duceppe -- you know, the guy who wants to destroy the country -- and NDP leader Jack Layton to announce that the three of them had conspired -- sorry, agreed -- on a list of demands that would give them a larger role in governing.
"The agreement that we are announcing today will profoundly alter the operation of the House of Commons in ways that opposition parties have been demanding for years," Harper told reporters.
The three opposition leaders also wrote to then governor-general Adrienne Clarkson urging her to "consider all of your options before exercising your constitutional authority" in the event the Martin government lost a confidence vote.
The opposition leaders said the letter was an attempt to head off any attempt by Martin to hold a snap election in the hope of coming back with a majority.
"I would not want the prime minister to think that he could simply fail in the House of Commons as a route to another general election. That's not the way our system works," Harper said.
SEE:
Flaherty's Fiscal Failure
NDP the New Reform Party
tags
Canada, Flaherty, politics, Conservatives,illegal taping, opposition coalition, Grewal, economy, government, Conservatives, Harper, recession, NDP, Liberals, BQ, politics, , federal election, minoirity government Jack Layton,
The Tories also unveiled a surreptitiously recorded tape of a New Democratic Party caucus meeting, alleging it showed a long-existing cabal with the Bloc Québécois to defeat the government — and there were rumours that as a last resort, Mr. Harper might seek to prorogue Parliament, ending the session to avoid defeat in the Commons
The Prime Minister's Office released a secretly taped recording of a conference call of the NDP caucus in which Leader Jack Layton refers to having "locked in" the support of the Bloc early.
Mr. Harper's aides argued it showed a pre-existing NDP-Bloc agreement to look for an excuse to defeat the Tories that had nothing to do with last week's economic statement.
In the recording, Mr. Layton is heard telling his MPs they have plans to cope if the Bloc goes "offside" during the coalition.
"I actually believe they're the least of our problems, but in case I'm wrong, let's just say we have strategies. This whole thing would not have happened if the moves hadn't have been made with the Bloc to lock them in early, because you couldn't put three people together in one, in three hours. The first part was done a long time ago, I won't go into details …," Mr. Layton said.
Mr. Mulcair insisted that while the two parties have spoken about co-operation on issues like employment insurance, the first NDP-Bloc talks about a coalition took place only after elements of the government's economic update were revealed last week.
He said the party mistakenly sent the conference-call number to a Conservative MP, who dialled in and recorded the meeting. He said the NDP plans to raise the action as a violation of parliamentary ethics and will consider pressing charges.
Mr. Mulcair said the Tories "illegally" recorded a private meeting, and called it "scandalous."
"It shows the desperation of the Conservatives," he said.
Mulcair added that the NDP were also pursuing legal action against the Tories for listening in and broadcasting a private discussion.
"We're already in contact with senior lawyers in that regard," he said.
And the reason to release this tape despite the possibility of facing legal charges let alone jeopradizing their declining public support?
There were also rumours that Mr. Harper might prorogue Parliament, ending the current session so he cannot be defeated in the Commons — although some said that was a last-resort option that would look desperate.
They know full well that the majority of Canadians, heck the majority of Albertans, did not vote for them.Hence the desperation to stay in power at any cost. So of course the Harpocrites are feigning outrage about a pending coalition government made up of the opposition parties, not because it is an undemocratic power grab as they spent the weekend messaging to the media, but rather because they have used the tactic in the past and know that it can be done.
Only a day earlier, Mr. Harper's chief of staff Guy Giorno sent out an e-mail that included talking points, scripts for Tory partisans to use on radio phone-in shows and a template for letters to newspaper editors. Party faithful were encouraged to "use every single tool and medium at our disposal" to spread the word that opposition parties are trying to usurp the government in a crass bid to protect their political "entitlements."
Text of PMO e-mail to Tory MPs on key talking points
Note to all Conservative members of Parliament:
As you are aware, the Opposition parties are currently discussing a plan to topple our government and replace it with a Liberal-NDP-Bloc coalition.
While we believe such an arrangement would be an affront to the democratic will of Canadians when they afforded us a strengthened mandate on October 14th, we must nonetheless take this threat very seriously.
The Conservative party asked its members to make "emergency" donations to help prevent the NDP and Liberals from forming a coalition government, the latest step undertaken by Tory officials to rally supporters. Irving Gerstein, the Conservative Fund Canada's chairman, sent an e-mail appeal to supporters over the weekend, asking them to "protect Canada's future and protect Canada's democracy from being hijacked by politicians who care about nothing more than power and entitlements."The message asks recipients to make a donation of "$200 or $100 -- whatever you can afford" and states "time is of the essence."
"The Liberals are holding secret negotiations with the socialist NDP and separatist Bloc Quebecois to overturn the wishes of Canadian voters and take power," Mr. Gerstein wrote. "They want to take power and impose on Canadians a prime minister without a personal mandate, a Liberal-NDP coalition not one voter has ever endorsed and have it all backstopped by the separatist Bloc Quebecois who simply want to destroy the country."
Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre said the tape proves the NDP has been plotting to usurp results of the election. "The mask has been lifted off -- the separatists and the NDP have been having these backroom talks for months," he said. "Their goal is to reverse the election results and seize power. Now their scheme is exposed ... it's incumbent upon the Liberal Party to ... no longer participate in the secret discussions."
Poilievre said he doesn't know who made the tape and declined to comment on its ethical implications.
But roll back the tape to September 2004, just a little more than two months after Canadians elected a minority Liberal government. Then-opposition leader Harper appeared at a news conference with Bloc leader Gilles Duceppe -- you know, the guy who wants to destroy the country -- and NDP leader Jack Layton to announce that the three of them had conspired -- sorry, agreed -- on a list of demands that would give them a larger role in governing.
"The agreement that we are announcing today will profoundly alter the operation of the House of Commons in ways that opposition parties have been demanding for years," Harper told reporters.
The three opposition leaders also wrote to then governor-general Adrienne Clarkson urging her to "consider all of your options before exercising your constitutional authority" in the event the Martin government lost a confidence vote.
The opposition leaders said the letter was an attempt to head off any attempt by Martin to hold a snap election in the hope of coming back with a majority.
"I would not want the prime minister to think that he could simply fail in the House of Commons as a route to another general election. That's not the way our system works," Harper said.
SEE:
Flaherty's Fiscal Failure
NDP the New Reform Party
tags
Canada, Flaherty, politics, Conservatives,illegal taping, opposition coalition, Grewal, economy, government, Conservatives, Harper, recession, NDP, Liberals, BQ, politics, , federal election, minoirity government Jack Layton,
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