Dan Cook: December, 2005
Globe and Mail Update
2006
Happy New Year.
Photo by Craig Blake / Photo contest by
Rick Mercer
Updated Friday, December 30 at 04:55 p.m.
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Double negative
I love this. The Conservative Party has a brand new ad called "They'll Go Neg." Basically, it's a negative ad about how the Liberals will start airing negative ads.
I think I'll file this one under oxymoron.
Updated Friday, December 30 at 04:21 p.m.
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Fast rewind
The byline caught my attention: Belinda's gay marriage intelligent design Republican shootout.
Why it's
The Tyee's Fast Rewind of 2005: Your guide to the year that just past in under 1,887 words. From Grewal, JetsGone to Zundel, and everything in between. Scary.
Updated Friday, December 30 at 04:04 p.m.
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Ethics & income trusts
Paul Wells raises an interesting point: Where's Dr. Bernard Shapiro in all of this?
Updated Friday, December 30 at 03:16 p.m.
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Survey says: statistical tie
Interesting numbers, considering they take into account the RCMP investigation.
CPAC / SES Research: If a Federal election were held
today, could you please rank your top two current local voting preferences?
Liberal 35%
Conservative 34%
NDP 14%
Bloc 13%
Green 5%
Undecided 16%
Updated Friday, December 30 at 02:16 p.m.
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NDP: Doing the medias job
You have to give credit, where credit is due. It was the NDP who single-handedly wrecked the Liberals' holidays, and handed everyone the best election gift, ever.
The RCMP will likely question the
Prime Minister's Office and this whole matter wont wrap up prior to the election.
This is bad. Real bad. How bad? The only thing that could get worse is: Imagine if a photo surfaced of Paul Martin and Mike Klander drinking beer and eating popcorn.
That's how bad.
Updated Friday, December 30 at 01:16 p.m.
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Reader e-mail
Subject: This Paul Martin does not back Goodale
From: Paul R. Martin
Date: Thu, December 29, 2005
To: Dan Cook
Hello Dan,
Based on the theory of Ministerial Responsibility, Goodale should resign. In practical terms, it doesn't matter. Remember when the first Liberal ad came out? Upon viewing it, Sheila Copps concluded that Goodale must be in big trouble as two of the alleged ordinary citizens used in the ad were from Goodale's hometown.
I seem to remember that Paul E. Martin also supported Jean Chrétien, just before he removed the knife.
Sincerely,
Paul R. Martin, Brampton
Updated Friday, December 30 at 10:15 a.m.
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RCMP's big challenge
Paul Waldie has a great piece on the income trusts debacle: Trading offers few clues for IMET.
Updated Friday, December 30 at 10:00 a.m.
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Top secret
Hey Mister Harper, where are you going to be today: "I don't plan my own tour. I jump on whatever bus they tell me to get on, whatever plane they tell me to get on," joked Steve. "All I can say is I will be in several provinces next week."
Updated Friday, December 30 at 09:30 a.m.
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Canadian Election
National Post / Front Page: Why Bush Should Be A Leftie.
As you were.
Updated Friday, December 30 at 09:20 a.m.
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Mugged
Attempting to ride Montreal's public transit, Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew was mugged. The would-be thief was arrested and Pettigrew's cell phone was returned safe and sound.
Updated Friday, December 30 at 09:15 a.m.
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Negative ads
Ish Theilheimer: The NDP shouldn't be afraid to go negative.
Updated Thursday, December 29 at 04:15 p.m.
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Other news
Hoax: Was Snuppy the dog really cloned?
TV: 33% of Americans would like to see President George W. Bush on
Survivor. Yeah, the one with Jeff Probst and the million bucks.
James Wolcott on
Gay Polygamy: Or, Heather has three mommies.
Dick Cheney & George Bush are still
good'ol buddies.
IHT: No
joke, Germans learn about laughing.
Updated Thursday, December 29 at 03:49 p.m.
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Packaging political pundits
MediaCitizen: "Repackaging political pundits as the next 'Charlie's Angels' has worked magic on the bottom line. Books by (Ann) Coulter, the right's 'huckster of hatred,' are encamped atop the New York Times best-seller list. It's all right for Coulter to froth about the wholesale murder of Times employees and the forced conversion of Muslims to Christianity as long as she does it with a flip of the hair, wink and flash of midriff."
Updated Thursday, December 29 at 01:45 p.m.
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Day 31
Steve Harper is promising tax cuts for people who use public transit. The average user would save $153 per year.
The NDP
explain the differences between an RCMP investigation, complaint and review.
Paul Martin
backs Ralph Goodale.
Updated Thursday, December 29 at 01:24 p.m.
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Paul & Ralph
Its official: Paul Martin is backing Ralph Goodale. If you're a diehard Liberal, this is bad news. You want Ralph to resign. It's all about optics and after all this is an election.
If your one of the opposition parties: Paul Martin's latest move is the best belated Christmas / Hanukah gifts, ever.
Merry ElexMas Y'all.
Updated Thursday, December 29 at 12:44 p.m.
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Three-way
The Tories, Bloc, and NDP all agree on one thing: Ralph Goodale should resign.
Updated Thursday, December 29 at 11:00 a.m.
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Second complaint
The Green Party is facing another alleged violation of electoral-law.
Updated Thursday, December 29 at 09:46 a.m.
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Boiled dog
Another Liberal blog is in the news. This time for mentioning Jack Layton had a "boiled dog's head smile." Geez, what's with the Liberals always comparing NDP candidates to animals?
Updated Thursday, December 29 at 09:22 a.m.
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Income trusts
Folks, this is huge.
Not because it comes after:
a) The Klander blog.
b) Beer & Popcorn.
c) Proposed gun ban that has raised gun sales.
d) Blaming the U.S. for everything.
e) Boxing Day shootout.
No, this is pretty simple: The Government in power is under investigation while they are in the midst of a re-election campaign. Incredible.
John Ibbitson said it
best: Ralph Goodale may have cost the Liberals this election.
But I have my own question: Why doesn't Ralphie step down while the investigation runs its course? That's what
Greg Sorbara did. And it's the right thing to do.
Updated Thursday, December 29 at 08:30 a.m.
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RCMP investigation
Income trusts: The RCMP has confirmed they have launched a criminal investigation into the Liberal government.
Updated Wednesday, December 28 at 04:35 p.m.
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Gomery dot .ca
Oracle of Ottawa has some Gomery statistics.
Over 5,000 online submissions have been received for Gomery's Policy Report / Recommendations.
Over 1,500 copies of the Gomery report have been
sold.
Over 75,000 people have visited the Gomery
website.
April 2005: 100,000 TV viewers watched the inquiry.
Updated Wednesday, December 28 at 04:22 p.m.
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Day 30
Stephen Harper wants to create the veterans' bill of rights.
Jack Layton wants to regain what he lost:
Saskatchewan.
Paul Martin blames the U.S. for
Toronto's gun problems.
Updated Wednesday, December 28 at 03:21 p.m.
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Memorable quotes from 2005
Here's a couple of my favourites.
Alberta Premier Ralph Klein: "You would have to eat
10 billion meals of brains, spinal cords, ganglia, eyeballs and tonsils to get the disease."
Former Prime Minister Jean Chretien: "If you don't have any money and it's raining in your house, you still call in the plumber,"
Stephen Harper on Belinda Stronach: "There's no grand principles involved in this decision - just ambition."
Pierre Pettigrew on Andre Boisclair: "It was the night of the election of the next loser."
Carolyn Parrish: "Come hell or high water, there's no frigging way I'm going to let one ovary bring the government down."
David Dingwall: "I think I'm ethically entitled to the entitlements which I believe are owing to me."
Updated Wednesday, December 28 at 02:10 p.m.
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New Year's resolutions
John Reynolds: Keep telling the truth about the Liberals.
Ralph Goodale: Spare tire for any future hay rides.
Monte Solberg: 'Be nice to my political opponents, even if it causes me to have a stroke.'
Gilles Duceppe: Lose weight.
Jack Layton: More results for Canadians, more MP's.
Paul Martin: Stop
pestering his kids about making him a grandfather.
Stephen Harper: Would not disclose.
General Rick Hillier: Convince Rick Mercer to be a paratrooper.
Updated Wednesday, December 28 at 01:16 p.m.
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Bush clearing brush
White House Press Briefing, December, 27th: "Good morning. Let me update you on the President's schedule. Yesterday, after arriving, he went out and did some cutting and clearing brush, and then was at his home on the ranch. And this morning he had his normal intelligence briefings, and he was out this morning clearing some brush and is right now -- or has just recently concluded a bicycle ride and he'll be spending the rest of the day at home with his wife and mother-in-law."
Updated Wednesday, December 28 at 12:49 p.m.
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Other news
CNN / AP: Canada blames U.S. for gun violence.
Wiretaps: Lawyers may challenge the
NSA.
President George W. Bush is reading a book;
Jenna dines at Azzurro.
Vitamin D: The
pill that 'prevents cancer.'
$200 / New Year's:
Party with Lindsay Lohan in Miami.
Updated Wednesday, December 28 at 11:52 a.m.
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Operatives & lobbyists
Democracy Watch is planning to launch formal complaints regarding lobbyists involved in election war rooms.
Updated Wednesday, December 28 at 09:17 a.m.
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Nasty part three
Roy MacGregor on Mike Klander: This time, Harper's not scary enough for the Liberals.
Updated Wednesday, December 28 at 08:34 a.m.
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Election financing
The Green Party is demanding a retraction over financial allegations they call "patently false."
Updated Wednesday, December 28 at 08:20 a.m.
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Shootout
Prime Minister Paul Minister has issued an official statement regarding Toronto's Boxing Day shootings.
Meanwhile, Toronto police claim the city has "finally
lost its innocence."
Updated Tuesday, December 27 at 02:49 p.m.
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AdScam
Justice Gomery explains why he hired an ex-Mulroney aide for the sponsorship probe: "So I said, if people in the political world think I'm Liberal - which isn't true, I've never had a political affiliation in my life - I'm going to shut them up."
Updated Tuesday, December 27 at 01:30 p.m.
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Greetings
Holiday Greetings from the Martin's.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the
Harper's.
Season's Greeting's from
Jack Layton.
Heureusement, maintenant, c'est
Noël!
Updated Tuesday, December 27 at 12:31 p.m.
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Media
Susan Delacourt on the Liberals uphill media battle.
Updated Tuesday, December 27 at 11:50 a.m.
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Survey says
What group is the most likely to change their vote? NDP supporters.
Updated Tuesday, December 27 at 09:56 a.m.
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Ed Schreyer
Should a former governor-general be allowed to run for political office? The Monarchist League of Canada doesn't think so.
Updated Tuesday, December 27 at 09:37 a.m.
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Nasty part two
Remember Mike Klander? He resigned yesterday as the executive vice-president of the Liberal Party. Perhaps it had something to do with calling Jack Layton "an asshole" and comparing Olivia Chow to a Chow Chow.
But don't believe the hype. The Liberals would like you to believe he was a '
volunteer.'
Updated Tuesday, December 27 at 09:20 a.m.
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Lists
List time.
Most
Memorable Moments of 2005.
Most
Outrageous Statements of 2005.
Updated Monday, December 26 at 05:00 p.m.
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Survey says
According to the latest Ipsos poll: The Liberals and Tories are one-point apart.
The
Captain has all the analysis. Aye Aye.
Updated Monday, December 26 at 03:07 p.m.
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Decision 2006
7:00 p.m. EST CPAC / The Leaders Special: Paul Martin, Steven Harper, Gilles Duceppe, and Jack Layton chat with host Peter Van Dusen.
Updated Monday, December 26 at 02:04 p.m.
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Charge it
Sheila Copps adds up the numbers.
The Liberals owe $34.8-million.
The Bloc owe $10-million.
The NDP owe $3-million.
The Tories owe $0.
Updated Monday, December 26 at 11:52 a.m.
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Nasty
Mike Klander (Liberal Party of Canada) compares Olivia Chow to a Chow Chow. Hang tight, Klander's not done: He call's Jack Layton "an asshole."
Hey
Mike, time to apologize. Then resign.
Updated Monday, December 26 at 09:03 a.m.
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Guns
Paul Martin's proposed gun ban is increasing handgun sales.
The last word goes to Len Kucey, owner of Phoenix Indoor Range and Gun Shop: "People are saying, 'Piss off a Liberal: buy a handgun.'"
Updated Monday, December 26 at 08:38 a.m.
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Religion & politics part four
The Canadian Coalition for Democracies (CCD) apologizes to Liberal candidate Omar Alghabra. However, CCD is asking for an apology from the Liberal party regarding a press release dated December 20th.
Updated Friday, December 23 at 11:45 a.m.
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Wafah Dufour
Meet Osama bin Laden's niece. She's a model.
Updated Friday, December 23 at 11:01 a.m.
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PCO
Haiyang Zhang lost her job at the Privy Council Office. Why? CSIS fears she had ties to spies.
Updated Friday, December 23 at 10:46 a.m.
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Photo of the day
And the award goes to Gilles Duceppe.
Updated Friday, December 23 at 09:16 a.m.
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PC
Chantal Hébert: Harper puts progressive back into Conservative.
Updated Friday, December 23 at 09:09 a.m.
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Minority
Steve Harper rules out a formal coalition with the Bloc and NDP.
Updated Friday, December 23 at 09:00 a.m.
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Belinda & Elections Canada
Belinda Stronach denies she is under investigation by Elections Canada.
Here's the Winnipeg Free Press report that Belinda calls "baseless" and "misleading."
Updated Friday, December 23 at 08:42 a.m.
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Paul v. Jean
April 2004: Liberals fire Jean Pelletier as Chairman of Via Rail.
November 2005: Federal Court of Canada orders Jean Pelletier reinstated as Chairman of Via Rail.
December 22, 2005: Liberals fire Jean Pelletier
again.
In other Via Rail news: The strike has been called
off.
Updated Friday, December 23 at 08:18 a.m.
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Dear editor
Tony Burman, Editor-in-chief, CBC News.
Updated Friday, December 23 at 07:50 a.m.
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Torture
Ann Coulter: "I think the government should be spying on all Arabs, engaging in torture as a televised spectator sport, dropping daisy cutters wantonly throughout the Middle East, and sending liberals to Guantanamo."
Updated Thursday, December 22 at 05:01 p.m.
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Pundit
CTV's David Akin: Stephen Taylor is having a very good campaign. He's not running for election; he's blogging about it. And, so far, he's had at least three good 'gets', as we say in the mainstream media business, on his blog. Today, Taylor puts up a post in which he claims to have a preview of the negative advertising campaign the Liberals will unleash after Christmas that attack Conservative leader Stephen Harper and NDP leader Jack Layton.
Updated Thursday, December 22 at 04:44 p.m.
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Liberal-lite
James Travers on the differences between Harper and Martin: Not much.
Updated Thursday, December 22 at 02:56 p.m.
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101st
Finally! Some good news out of Iraq: Huge weapons cache found.
Updated Thursday, December 22 at 02:30 p.m.
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Photo of the day
And the award goes to Jack Layton.
Updated Thursday, December 22 at 12:52 p.m.
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North of 60
Steve Harper on Arctic sovereignty: "You don't defend national sovereignty with flags, cheap election rhetoric, and advertising campaigns."
Updated Thursday, December 22 at 12:38 p.m.
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The news
Jenna Bush shopping at Bluemercury cosmetics boutique.
Ottawa appeals ruling to
reinstate Jean Pelletier at Via Rail.
Via Rail
may strike Christmas Eve.
Jack Layton
accuses the Liberals of ignoring natives.
Maclean's: Why our politicians
love to hate Americans, but then always back down.
Updated Thursday, December 22 at 10:48 a.m.
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$75,378
Elections Canada is investigating Belinda Stronach's 2004 campaign expenses.
Updated Thursday, December 22 at 08:46 a.m.
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Dear Canada
Stephen Harper's op-ed in today's Globe and Mail: 'Yes, Mr. Martin, there is a better approach to federalism.'
Updated Thursday, December 22 at 08:32 a.m.
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Poll time
Canada Wide: How would vote if an election were held today?
Liberal 34%
Conservative 30%
NDP 16%
Bloc 15%
Green 5%
Percentage of Canadians who have a favourable view of:
Jack Layton 61%
Paul Martin 49%
Stephen Harper 45%
Updated Thursday, December 22 at 08:10 a.m.
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Selkirk-Interlake
Christie Blatchford on Ed Schreyer: A Candidate with content.
Updated Thursday December 22 at 07:50 a.m.
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Dear editor
Belinda Stronach pens a letter to the editor.
Updated Wednesday, December 21 at 04:15 p.m.
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One language
Sheila Copps explains how the Prime Minister played right into the Bloc's hands.
Updated Wednesday, December 21 at 04:02 p.m.
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Religion & politics part three
Further to my posts this morning and yesterday on candidate Omar Alghabra: the Liberal party responds. Was it a Tory smear campaign?
Updated Wednesday, December 21 at 02:29 p.m.
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Jack & Jean
Jack Layton compares himself to Jean Chretien: "If you think Jean Chrétien made the right call on Iraq, vote for the NDP that supported him. Not Paul Martin who undermined him as Prime Minister and Liberal leader."
Updated Wednesday, December 21 at 02:29 p.m.
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Paul v. U.S.
According to Maclean's: Paul Martin got a boost in the polls for taking on Washington. Can it last?
Updated Wednesday, December 21 at 11:51 a.m.
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ABC & Dick
Bravo to ABC's Terry Moran for asking the questions everyone else is afraid of.
ABC: Does the United States maintain secret prisons around the world?
Dick Cheney: I'm not going to talk about intelligence matters.
ABC: Secret prisons?
Dick Cheney: I'm not going to talk about intelligence matters.
ABC: Does the International Red Cross have access to everyone in U.S. custody, as we are obliged?
Dick Cheney: Terry, with all due respect, I won't discuss intelligence matters. I shouldn't.
ABC: I'd like to put this personally, if I can. You're a grandfather. I'm a father. When we look at those girls and we think that the country we're about to pass to them is a country where the vice president can't say whether or not we have secret prisons around the world, whether waterboarding and mock executions is consistent with our values, and a country where the government is surveilling without the warrant of a court, is that the country we want to pass on to them?
Dick Cheney: I want to pass on to them a country that is free, that is not plagued by terrorist attacks, doesn't see a repeat of the terrible events of 9/11 when we lost 3,000 of our people that morning to a handful of terrorists who had no justification at all for what they do…
You can watch the video
here or listen
here.
Updated Wednesday, December 21 at 11:24 a.m.
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1-on-1
Paul Martin refuses to debate Gilles Duceppe one-on-one. However, Stephen Harper is offering to stand in.
Updated Wednesday, December 21 at 09:45 a.m.
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Yesterday's quote
"The fact is that fighting the separatists and fighting for national unity is part of my DNA," said Prime Minister Paul Martin.
Updated Wednesday, December 21 at 08:41 a.m.
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Poll time
Canada Wide: How would you vote if an election were held today?
Liberal 33%
Conservative 29%
NDP 17%
Bloc 15%
Green 6%
Quebec:
Bloc 60%
Liberal 20%
Updated Tuesday, December 20 at 08:33 a.m.
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Happy holidays
If you are working for the Liberals over Christmas, don't expect any pay. You see you'll be laid off. As for the NDP: they are asking staffers to use any banked up Parliament Hill overtime and / or vacation pay.
Updated Wednesday, December 21 at 08:26 a.m.
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Religion & politics part two
Further to an item yesterday: Omar Alghabra is the Liberal candidate for Mississauga-Erindale. He denies any pro-Islamic comments were made in his victory speech.
Updated Wednesday, December 21 at 08:13 a.m.
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Strategy
The Liberals have a strategy for the Golden Horseshoe area: Belinda Stronach.
Updated Tuesday, December 20 at 05:03 p.m.
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Quebec
Stephen Harper claims the Liberals want a separatist government. Why? So the Liberals can appear to be superheroes.
Updated Tuesday, December 20 at 03:18 p.m.
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Jpeg
CBC pulls an unflattering picture of Stephen Harper.
Updated Tuesday, December 20 at 02:57 p.m.
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Fuel
It's Tuesday and everyone's talking gas.
Tories eye
nationwide standards for ethanol, biodiesel.
Gas
cash for cities: NDP.
Liberals call for
renewable fuels.
Gas prices
push inflation back to 2%.
Updated Tuesday, December 20 at 01:25 p.m.
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Stranded
Slide show: 6.9-million New Yorkers have been stranded by a transit strike.
Updated Tuesday, December 20 at 12:57 p.m.
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Martin v. Wilkins
Blogging at it's finest.
Stephen Taylor and
Kate McMillan analyze: Did Paul Martin orchestrate the spat with Washington?
Updated Tuesday, December 20 at 10:27 a.m.
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Religion & politics
According to the Canadian Coalition for Democracies: When Omar Alghabra won the Liberal nomination for Mississauga-Erindale, his victory speech included; "This is a victory for Islam! Islam won! Islam Won! ... Islamic power is extending into Canadian politics."
Updated Tuesday, December 20 at 09:37 a.m.
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Bu-bye
Yesterday, I reported about Elie Betito. He is a Liberal campaign manager who emailed a Conservative supporter: 'Take your NRA, gun loving ass back to the U.S.'
Elie
resigned.
Updated Tuesday, December 20 at 09:08 a.m.
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Retarded cousin
Tucker Carlson (MSNBC) on Canada: "Canada is a sweet country. It is like your retarded cousin you see at Thanksgiving and sort of pat him on the head. You know, he's nice but you don't take him seriously. That's Canada."
Updated Tuesday, December 20 at 08:50 a.m.
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Yesterday's quote
Paul Martin on Harper's global role for Quebec: "We speak with one voice internationally, not two and not 10."
Updated Tuesday, December 20 at 08:28 a.m.
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Poll time
How would you vote if an election were held today?
Liberal 34%
Conservative 29%
NDP 19%
Bloc 13%
Green 5%
Updated Tuesday, December 20 at 08:18 a.m.
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Jack for PM
Christie Blatchford explains why liking Jack Layton is not enough to make him PM.
Updated Tuesday, December 20 at 08:00 a.m.
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Imagine
Israel: Liel, Arab children and Former President Bill Clinton sing John Lennon's 'Imagine.'
Updated Monday, December 19 at 04:17 p.m.
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Zzzzzzz
Even the comedians agree: this has been a boring election.
Updated Monday, December 19 at 03:16 p.m.
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The news
Time's Canadian Newsmaker of the Year: John Howard Gomery.
Liberal campaign manager: 'Take your NRA,
gun loving ass back to the U.S.'
Jeff Salot on the
influence of Muslim voters.
Liberals tied to Harper
leak.
NDP calls for
SEC investigation into income trusts.
Updated Monday, December 19 at 02:27 p.m.
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New world dictionary
President George W. Bush held a new conference this morning. Here's what I learned: Illegally spying on your own citizens is a good thing, he's mad at the media for ratting him out, and a new name has been invented; "Saddamosama."
Updated Monday, December 19 at 12:25 p.m.
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Dear editor
Michael Ignatieff pens a letter to the editor.
Updated Monday, December 19 at 11:46 a.m.
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Svend, Paul & Chris
Last week, Maclean's ran an editorial: ' Svend him packing.'
Svend of course responded with his
own spin.
On Saturday, Chris Dornan chimed in against Maclean's via an
op-ed in The Globe and Mail.
And now,
Paul Well's responds with a funny one-liner.
Updated Monday, December 19 at 11:28 a.m.
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Photo of the day
Note the rear tire of Paul Martin's carriage.
Updated Monday, December 19 at 10:14 a.m.
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Conservative Liberal
Kate has the inside scoop on Stephen Harper's 'hidden agenda.'
Updated Monday, December 19 at 09:08 a.m.
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An average Canadian
Peter Warren quizzes Stephen Harper on the price of eggs and milk.
Updated Monday, December 19 at 08:48 a.m.
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Crossing swords
Gilles Duceppe challenges Paul Martin to a one-on-one debate.
Updated Monday, December 19 at 08:30 a.m.
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Election law
The Green Party may have violated the law: "I am the leader of the party. I don't manage the party." Jim Harris, Green Party Leader.
Updated Monday, December 19 at 08:16 a.m.
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Non-event
Who won the first set of debates?
Couldn't decide 47%
Paul Martin 21%
Gilles Duceppe 15%
Stephen Harper 11%
Jack Layton 6%
Updated Monday, December 19 at 08:09 a.m.
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The English debate, play-by-play: Opening Statements
8:00 p.m. EST: Nearly 10,000 questions submitted.
8:02 p.m. EST: Paul Martin goes first with his opening statement.
8:03 p.m. EST: Gilles Duceppe - Martin has lost the moral authority.
8:04 p.m. EST: Jack Layton — Its all about health care and Liberal corruption
8:05 p.m. EST: Stephen Harper — Conservatives will clean up Ottawa. Only a new government can help turn the page.
Questions
8:09 p.m. EST: Paul Martin — No way Harper can get around the notwithstanding clause.
8:10 p.m. EST: Gilles Duceppe — Bloc will fight for same-sex rights.
8:14 p.m. EST: Viewer question: What change would you make to gun control? Martin: Handgun bill, more police and give people hope.
8:16 p.m. EST: Gilles Duceppe — The definition is not strong enough. Not happy with the gun registry.
8:17 p.m. EST: Stephen Harper — Law enforcement, mandatory prison sentences.
8:18 p.m. EST: Jack Layton — Kudos to Duceppe. No real solutions other than more support for the community.
Questions
8:30 p.m. EST: Viewer question — Immigrants and education qualifications.
8:31 p.m. EST: Jack Layton — The Liberals aren't the party for immigrants.
8:32 p.m. EST: Paul Martin — Tax credits & language training.
8:33 p.m. EST: Stephen Harper — Wants to create a new agency for Immigrant credentials.
8:34 p.m. EST: Up next — ethics and government.
Questions
8:35 p.m. EST: Gilles Duceppe — Wants Martin to name names (AdScam).
8:36 p.m. EST: Stephen Harper — Will create the Federal Accountability Act.
8:38 p.m. EST: Jack Layton — Canadians have lost faith in the democratic process. Kudos to Ed Broadbent.
Questions
8:42 p.m. EST: Viewer question — What will you do to stop MP's from crossing the floor?
Gilles Duceppe: Nothing, unless it's about personal ambition.
Jack Layton: Legislation to stop floor crossing. You need voter approval. Kudos to Ed Broadbent.
Paul Martin: Nothing. Asks a question to Harper about 3rd party advertising.
Stephen Harper: Answers the viewer question. Doesn't have a solution. Know your candidate.
Questions
8:47 p.m. EST: Viewer question — Should MP's resign if you break your promise?
Stephen Harper: Up to the voters, no answers.
Paul Martin: Electorate should hold parties responsible.
Jack Layton: Agrees with Paul Martin. Lists Martin's broken promises. Bono gets his first mention.
Gilles Duceppe: Brings up 1993 NAFTA, 1998 Free Trade. No answer.
Questions
8:57 p.m. EST: Moderator question — Question Period even shocks rock stars. What would you do to help with civility?
Stephen Harper: Try your best.
Jack Layton: No shouting. More women. Vote NDP.
Gilles Duceppe: Lets work on Answer Period as well.
Paul Martin: Agrees with Jack Layton.
Questions
9:00 p.m. EST: Viewer question — Daycare. Shouldn't the parents decide?
Jack Layton: Beer and popcorn, cars and coats.
Stephen Harper: $1200.
Gilles Duceppe: Disagrees with Harper. Quebec's daycare is fine.
Paul Martin: More spaces, more workers and high quality care. Signed with 10 provinces. Harper wants to kill the provinces plan.
Good line
9:08 p.m. EST: Paul Martin has the first funny line of the night. Claims the other party leaders are related to everyone in Atlantic Canada.
Presumption
9:14 p.m. EST: Stephen Harper —"after I'm elected…"
America
9:17 p.m. EST: Gilles Duceppe — Never says anything anti-American.
9:18 p.m. EST: Paul Martin — I never said I would go to Iraq.
Stephen Harper: The Liberals engage in phony, reckless words.
GST
9:20 p.m. EST: Paul Martin — Cut income taxes, not GST.
Gilles Duceppe: Society should be based on solidarity.
Stephen Harper: Conservatives will cut GST and income taxes.
Jack Layton: GST cut sounds attractive, but it won't help people in poverty. Wants a disability act. Talks about growing up in Montreal. His mic has been turned off.
Quebec
9:28 p.m. EST: Gilles Duceppe loves Canada. But Quebec is different.
Jack Layton: It's all about AdScam. Don't reward the Liberals. Stop corruption. Wants a new path for Canada.
Paul Martin: Error, says Canada has 300 million people.
Stephen Harper: Cant change Gilles Duceppe's mind. Wants to work with Jean Charest.
Quebec
9:36 p.m. EST: Paul Martin to Duceppe — This is my country and you're not going to wreck it.
Western alienation
9:39 p.m. EST: Paul Martin — Has stocked his cabinet with Westerners.
Gilles Duceppe on Paul Martin: Words, words and more words.
Stephen Harper: Western Canadians want modernization. Fixed election dates, more free votes and an elected Senate.
Jack Layton: The gas company in B.C. is owned by Americans.
National unity
9:48 p.m. EST: Viewer question - What does your Canada look like in 50 years?
Stephen Harper: The highest standards of democracy in the world. Never settle for anything less.
Paul Martin: Strong social programs. Strong educational systems. Speaks well on the international stage. Multicultural nation. The model for others to follow. Never forget our values.
Jack Layton: Harmony with the environment. Decent standard of living. Dignity for seniors. Helping with the AIDS crisis and peacekeepers.
Gilles Duceppe: Two sovereign countries. Kudos to Bill Clinton.
Closing statements
9:55 p.m. EST: Paul Martin — Harper would take us down a different road. Won't borrow to pay bills. You will choose the next Prime Minister. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.
Jack Layton: Have the parties kept promises? Time to change politics. Vote NDP and elect an MP. Very Happy Christmas to you.
Gilles Duceppe: The Liberals need to be sanctioned. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.
Stephen Harper: Conservative's will clean up government; Crack down on crime, cut the GST and help seniors. On January 23rd - stand up for Canada. Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year.
10:00 p.m. EST: Moderator - Goodnight and Happy Holidays.
Updated Friday, December 16
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Debate audio
Key debate audio is located here.
Updated Friday, December 16 at 08:26 p.m.
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Dates & times
The main event / debate starts at 8:00 p.m. EST; ends at 10:00 p.m. EST.
Watch: Stream it live from
CPAC. Pre-debate coverage begins at 7:00 p.m. EST.
Listen:
CBC Radio One.
Discussion:
Join Marcus Gee, Sean Fine and Mary Janigan.
News: All
things debate / election related.
Blog:
Live updates throughout the debate.
Updated Friday, December 16 at 05:37 p.m.
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Dubya … 007
Strike another for the War on Terror: President George W. Bush allowed the NSA to spy on Americans without warrants .
Updated Friday, December 16 at 03:03 p.m.
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Cartoons
Great stuff: Brian Gable has some Web-only campaign art.
Updated Friday, December 16 at 01:57 p.m.
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Boring
Last nights TV debate was boring and ridiculously scripted. I learned one thing: Stephen Harper wouldn't use the notwithstanding clause for same-sex marriage.
Round two starts at 8:00 p.m. EST.
Updated Friday, December 16 at 11:00 a.m.
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Furnaces & the next PM
Preston Manning asks: Who should you turn to — the most amiable repairman or the most reliable?
Updated Friday, December 16 at 10:24 a.m.
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SSM
According to a new poll, 55% of Canadian voters back Stephen Harpers plan for same-sex marriage.
Updated Friday, December 16 at 10:12 a.m.
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Svend him packing
Maclean's ran an editorial urging readers not to elect Svend Robinson.
Here's Svend's
spin.
Updated Friday, December 16 at 09:44 a.m.
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Between you and me
Yesterday, I reported on Stephen Harper's candid chat with reporters. You remember - the one where he called Dalton McGuinty untrustworthy? Or most Premiers "hate" Paul Martin.
Turns out the Conservative party is now miffed: Spokesman William Stairs said, "we would have appreciated it if it were off the record."
When you're speaking to a journalist, does
off the record exist anymore? I don't think so.
Last word goes to CTV's Robert Fife: "Nothing is ever off the record," Fife said. But "anything that someone tells me will be reported in one way or another."
"I was the one who said I will write about it," he said, "and I did."
Update: Kate at SDA has picked up on the item.
Updated Friday, December 16 at 07:50 a.m.
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Derision
From Derision 2006: Scott Reid hires own Communication Director.
Plus:
Layton would legalize same-person marriage.
And:
Harper vows lean, responsive "Government of One."
Hat tip
Calgary Grit.
Updated Thursday, December 15 at 01:32 p.m.
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Buzz index
Yahoo! Canada has just released the most popular searches for 2005. In the 'Scandal' category: The Gomery commission ranks second and Belinda Stronach ranks fourth.
Updated Thursday, December 15 at 12:02 p.m.
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U.S. quotes of the day
George Clooney: "I hate it when smart men and women are saying, 'Well, if I knew then what I know now,' " said George to the Sunday Times of London. "The fact is: I knew it then and I don't have national security clearance. . . . Basically, the Democrat leadership was scared [of criticizing Bush] and it's too bad, because it's come back to haunt them."
Robert Novak: "I'm confident the president knows who the source is," said Novak at the John Locke Foundation. "I'd be amazed if he doesn't. So I say, don't bug me. Don't bug Bob Woodward. Bug the president as to whether he should reveal who the source is."
Updated Thursday, December 15 at 10:29 a.m.
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Happy whatever
President George W. Bush has cancelled Christmas. The 'Christmas Tree' has been replaced by the 'National Holiday Tree.' And 'Christmas Cards' are now called 'Happy Holiday' cards.
Updated Thursday, December 15 at 10:15 a.m.
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Air Harper
On Tuesday, Stephen Harper had an impromptu chat with reporters aboard Air Harper. Here follows some of the notables.
Stephen Harper on Dalton McGuinty: Untrustworthy.
Stephen Harper on Premiers: Most of them "hate" Paul Martin.
Stephen Harper on Joe Clark: Stupidity caused the 1979 government to fall.
Stephen Harper on the election campaign: Liberals are playing into his hand.
Stephen Harper on victory: "Winning is better than losing."
And this concludes this edition of candid chat.
Updated Thursday, December 15 at 09:55 a.m.
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Plagiarism
Advertising: A theatre executive has accused the Liberals of plagiarism and copy infringement.
The last word goes to ad executive Yves Dupré: "They [Liberals] can't withdraw the ads because that would be admitting that they made a mistake and it'd be even worse for them."
Updated Thursday, December 15 at 09:08 a.m.
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BlackBerry memo
Quebec: Have you ever wondered what the Liberal's top secret election plans are? The wait is over, you can read it here.
Updated Thursday, December 15 at 09:00 a.m.
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Debate
The main event starts at 8:00 p.m. EST.
Who has the most to gain? Stephen Harper.
Who has the most to lose? Paul Martin.
Updated Thursday, December 15 at 07:58 a.m.
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Going once, going twice
Brilliant: Prof. Werner Antweiler and Prof. Tom Ross have launched UBC's Federal Election Stock Market. Minimum investment is $25; the maximum is $1000.
You can invest in: Seats Market, Popular Vote Market and Majority Government Market. Be sure to check out the Election Forecaster.
Updated Wednesday, December 14 at 02:00 p.m.
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Better late than never
1001 days after that fact, President George W. Bush finally states the obvious: "And it is true that much of the intelligence turned out to be wrong. As President, I'm responsible for the decision to go into Iraq -- and I'm also responsible for fixing what went wrong by reforming our intelligence capabilities."
Hallelujah.
Updated Wednesday, December 14 at 01:15 p.m.
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Beer & popcorn
A cartoon says a thousand words.
Updated Wednesday, December 14 at 11:02 a.m.
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Parti libéral du Canada
Ok, pretend your running for Prime Minister. You have a big fancy website in both English and French. Would you post an English blog on your French website? The Liberals do.
Updated Wednesday, December 14 at 11:20 a.m.
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TV debates
Thursday and Friday mark the federal debates on TV. Did you know that 6 in 10 Canadians plan on watching?
Updated Wednesday, December 14 at 10:44 a.m.
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Beer petition
The Harper / Martin photo contest continues at Rick Mercer's blog.
And don't forget to sign the 'Beer Not Kids' petition.
Updated Wednesday, December 14 at 10:20 a.m.
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Hot tips & hot girls
Ever wanted to rent women? Just call up one of the Stronach's companies: Spirits and Sports.
Updated Wednesday, December 14 at 09:13 a.m.
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Maverick
Stephen Harper has a new fan: Carolyn Parrish.
Updated Wednesday, December 14 at 08:45 a.m.
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Prime Chuck
Charles Adler explains 'how the Liberals lost the common touch.'
Updated Wednesday, December 14 at 08:39 a.m.
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Viral advertising
Keith McArthur breaks down the parties' use of new media: Blogs, podcasts, text messaging and viral advertising.
Updated Wednesday, December 14 at 08:30 a.m.
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Survey says
Canada wide:
Liberals 34%
Conservatives 30%
NDP 16%
Bloc 14%
Green 6%
Ontario numbers:
Liberal 47%
Conservative 32%
Updated Wednesday, December 14 at 08:20 a.m.
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Makeover
Image consultants offer some advice to Jack, Gilles, Stephen and Paul.
Gilles Duceppe: Soften your look.
Stephen Harper: Lighten up.
Paul Martin: Ditch 'Mr. Very Very.'
Jack Layton: Trash the moustache?
Sheila Copps agrees: It's all about the
image.
Updated Wednesday, December 14 at 08:05 a.m.
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Bingo
The NDP have developed a Paul Martin bingo game.
Hat tip
Jane Taber.
Updated Tuesday, December 13 at 03:32 p.m.
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Beer & popcorn
Speaking of Scott Reid, he sure spends a lot of time at pubs. Don't they serve beer at pubs?
Updated Tuesday, December 13 at 02:37 p.m.
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Dear Paul
U.S. Ambassador David Wilkins has a strong message for Paul Martin: "It may be smart election-year politics to thump your chest and criticize your friend and your No. 1 trading partner constantly," said Wilkins. "But it is a slippery slope, and all of us should hope that it doesn't have a long-term impact on the relationship."
And: America may be an easy target, said Mr. Wilkins, "but the United States should not be on your ballot."
Updated Tuesday, December 13 at 02:10 p.m.
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Twins
Ok, so I have a thing for the Bush twins. We're the same age, plus or minus a decade. But the latest Radar has me cringing: No Happy Ending For Jenna Bush.
Updated Tuesday, December 13 at 01:04 p.m.
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Flip-flop
Stephen Harper, December 13, 2005: "If I were prime minister, we would not be involved in Iraq. I would encourage the Americans and hope they're successful, but our government would not be there,"
Ok, time to open up the vault.
Stephen Harper,
March 20, 2003 [On Chretien's decision to stay out of Iraq]: "We regret this, we believe it is wrong, we do believe the vast majority of Canadians will be wishing [U.S. forces] a brief and successful campaign."
Stephen Harper, March 20, 2003 [On invading Iraq]:"It was obvious to us that inspections and diplomacy were not going to achieve the disarmament objective. And I think the allies have pursued the only feasible course."
Stephen Harper, March 20, 2003 [On Canada's failure to stand beside the U.S.]: "There has never been a time in our history where we have not been more dependent on the United States and its allies both economically and materially."
And this concludes
hypocrisy watch.
Updated Tuesday, December 13 at 12:34 p.m.
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Sabotage
Jack Layton in Regina: "Don't vote Liberal. If you vote Liberal, in Saskatchewan, you are voting to elect a Stephen Harper Conservative."
And: "Medicare is being sabotaged by people who claim to be protecting it. Paul Martin, Ralph Klein, Stephen Harper, Jean Charest and Gordon Campbell are all on the same wavelength."
Updated Tuesday, December 13 at 12:05 p.m.
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Television
Do you think the Green party should be allowed to participate in the TV debates? If so: sign the petition.
Updated Tuesday, December 13 at 11:21 a.m.
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The news
Toronto Star: Ho-hum election lacks passion, drama.
Edmonton Sun: Scott Reid should be
fired.
The Tyee: Why I'm voting
Green.
(Hill Times) Doug Fisher on eliminating the federal deficit: "It's got to be (Jean) Chretien and (former Deputy Finance Minister David) Dodge who deserve the credit that everybody
heaped on Paul Martin."
The Journal-Pioneer: Child-care plans
flawed.
Updated Tuesday, December 13 at 10:50 a.m.
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Bon voyage
Do you live in the Parry Sound-Muskoka region? If you do, don't expect to see NDP candidate Jo-Anne Boulding: she's off to Ireland for a vacation between December 27th and January 14th.
Updated Tuesday, December 13 at 09:16 a.m.
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Survey says
Percentage of Canadians aged 18-24 who were interested in having a beer with:
Jack Layton 24%
Paul Martin 21%
Stephen Harper 17%
Jim Harris 16%
Gilles Duceppe 8%
B.C.
numbers:
Conservative 32%
Liberal 30%
NDP 30%
Updated Tuesday, December 13 at 08:58 a.m.
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Dear editor
Stephen Harper pens a letter to the Washington Times: "On Iraq, while I support the removal of Saddam Hussein and applaud the efforts to establish democracy and freedom in Iraq, I would not commit Canadian troops to that country. I must admit great disappointment at the failure to substantiate pre-war intelligence information regarding Iraq's possession of weapons of mass destruction."
Updated Tuesday, December 13 at 08:24 a.m.
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Happy anniversary
Boy how time flies: 1,000 days in Iraq.
Let's dig into the archives for a
quote: "Five days or five weeks or five months, but it certainly isn't going to last any longer than that," Donald Rumsfeld, November 15, 2002.
Updated Tuesday, December 13 at 07:57 a.m.
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SSM
Gay rights: Paul Martin wants to know if Stephen Harper would use the notwithstanding clause.
Updated Monday, December 12 at 05:22 p.m.
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Anti-family
Stephen Harper on the beer and popcorn gaffe: The Liberal party thinks "parents aren't important, that it can replace parents, that parents are bad parents. We don't accept that view."
Jack Layton on the beer and popcorn gaffe: "The mask has come off the Liberal approach to childcare," Layton said. "Certainly, attacking families is not the way to go."
Updated Monday, December 12 at 04:57 p.m.
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Kids' sports
Stephen Harper hits another home run: Tax breaks for active kids.
Updated Monday, December 12 at 10:22 a.m.
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White flag
Quebec: Looks like the Liberals are waving the white flag.
Updated Monday, December 12 at 10:08 a.m.
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Survey says
What's the most corrupt institution in Canada? Our political parties.
Updated Monday, December 12 at 09:53 a.m.
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Ontario numbers
Uh oh, the NDP have hit single digits in Ontario:
Liberal 40%
Conservative 24%
NDP 9%
Updated Monday, December 12 at 09:33 a.m.
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Learning from mistakes
Fred Kerr decodes the Harper-Klein feud.
Updated Monday, December 12 at 09:10 a.m.
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Spaceman
The Bloq are after Marc Garneau: "In politics today, you have to be close to people and that's something Marc Garneau does not have in Vaudreuil-Soulanges," said incumbent Bloc MP Meili Faille.
Updated Monday, December 12 at 09:00 a.m.
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Hot tips & hot girls
Belinda's brother has a brand new venture.
Updated Monday, December 12 at 08:18 a.m.
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Advertising
The Liberals have released three Quebec TV ads.
Updated Monday, December 12 at 08:00 a.m.
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Tory the Tory
What do John Tory and Christian leaders have in common? They both want Stephen Harper to back off of same-sex marriage.
Updated Monday, December 12 at 07:50 a.m.
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Mmm ... beer
I think this counts as two political gaffes:
Scott Reid, Paul Martins communications director: "Working families need care," he said. "They need care that is regulated, safe and secure and that's what we're building here. Don't give people $25 a week to blow on beer and popcorn. Give them child-care spaces that work."
John Duffy, Liberal strategist: There is nothing "to stop people from spending it on beer or popcorn or a coat or a car or anything."
Updated Monday, December 12 at 07:40 a.m.
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The news
Bubba on Belinda: I never advised her.
$250-million: Stephen Harper wants to
cure cancer.
Liberal candidate: Quebec "was a very
poor province."
Banned:
Fiddy's entourage isn't welcome here.
Layton: Winter is '
fun.'
Updated Saturday, December 10 at 04:56 p.m.
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The money shot
Paul Martin isn't taking advantage of Bill Clinton. Really. You gotta believe me.
Updated Friday, December 09 at 04:38 p.m.
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Dot .ca
What do WinnipegPolice.ca, ReginaPolice.ca and WindsorPolice.ca all have in common? They all point to NDP.ca.
Updated Friday, December 09 at 04:25 p.m.
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Separated at birth
Karl Rove looks a lot like the guy who killed John Lennon.
Updated Friday, December 09 at 01:51 p.m.
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The news
Stephen Harper is courting seniors.
The U.S. is
miffed at Paul Martin.
More on the income trust file.
The weather has
affected Jack Layton's travel schedule.
Letter to The Star: Let's all
ignore the Bloc.
Updated Friday, December 09 at 01:01 p.m.
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Gaffe-watch
Did you know there are two types of political gaffes? Susan Delacourt explains.
Updated Friday, December 09 at 11:40 a.m.
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Name names
Gilles Duceppe wants Paul Martin to start naming names: "But it is Mr. Martin's responsibility to say who are these people [who received the money] and make sure these people are not candidates and are no longer part of the [Liberal] organization. Otherwise it doesn't make sense."
Updated Friday, December 09 at 11:21 a.m.
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Weed man
Marc 'Prince Of Pot' Emery has been given permission to campaign for the NDP.
Updated Friday, December 09 at 11:05 a.m.
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Unguarded border
Customs Officers aren't impressed with Paul Martin's ban on handguns.
Updated Friday, December 09 at 08:52 a.m.
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Poll time
Two interesting points from the latest poll:
#1) The Tories are
gaining ground in Ontario.
Liberal 42%
Conservative 36%
NDP 17%
Green 5%
#2) Do you think the last Parliament was fun? Allan Gregg, Chairman of the Strategic Counsel: "The end result would be just a much, much closer minority government," said Gregg. "It would be even less stable Parliament than the one that was just dissolved."
Updated Friday, December 09 at 08:41 a.m.
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Bubba's back
Paul Martin is one lucky man. Later today, Mr. Prime Minister will get a golden photo-op with a Montreal bound Bill Clinton.
Updated Friday, December 09 at 08:27 a.m.
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Anti-gag
Gag law: The National Citizens Coalition wants Belinda to come clean.
Updated Friday, December 09 at 08:20 a.m.
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Deborah's Danforth
Deborah Coyne is planning on beating Jack Layton in Toronto-Danforth: "What I'm hearing on the streets is he's not here and he's not listening," said Coyne. "There's a whole range of issues that concern them -- social housing, gun violence, the environment -- there's also the small businesses, he's obviously not there for the small businesses."
Last word goes to Jack: "I'm a known quantity in this area, I've represented it since 1994."
Updated Thursday, December 08 at 04:55 p.m.
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Income trusts
Stephen Harper wants Ralph Goodale to step down: "I would say that given the revelations we now have, given the information we now know, that in any country, in any other advanced democratic country where we had a government that operated according to normal ethical standards, the finance minister would have already resigned, rather than continuing to deny and stonewall information."
Updated Thursday, December 08 at 04:36 p.m.
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Advertising
The NDP have just released two TV ads: 'Liberal Friends' & 'Environment.'
Updated Thursday, December 08 at 03:18 p.m.
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SSM
Who will get the queer vote?
Updated Thursday, December 08 at 01:15 p.m.
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Other news
Twins: Barbara Bush is not engaged.
Middle East: Iran's President says Israel should be
moved to Europe.
Assassination: Today marks the
25th anniversary of John Lennon's death.
Pentagon: A democrat
may replace Donald Rumsfeld.
UK: Margaret Thatcher has received a '
clean bill of health.'
Updated Thursday, December 08 at 12:46 p.m.
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Conflict of interest?
Carla Lucchetta: "Is it not a bit of a conflict of interest for Scott Feschuk to continue writing columns in the National Post and Macleans while he's Paul Martin's speech writer as well as a behind-the-scenes blogger for the Martin campaign? I mean, even if his columns are wholly unrelated, he still holds a job in the media while simultaneously playing a major role in the Prime Minister's attempt at re-election. Just wondering."
Updated Thursday, December 08 at 11:56 a.m.
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Blogue
Gilles Duceppe has launched a personal blog 'Le Blogue de Gilles Duceppe.' It's great. In fact, it's much better than the debacle over at Liberal.ca. As for the Tories, they are still anonymously blogging. And the NDP has wallpaper.
Updated Thursday, December 08 at 11:20 a.m.
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Bare-knuckle
Jim Coyle on Michael Ignatieff: "As anyone who has survived a schoolyard knows, there are IQ scores and there are street smarts. And the two aren't always compatible."
Updated Thursday, December 08 at 09:54 a.m.
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Sold
After 9 bids on eBay, StephenHarperSucks.ca sold for $51.
Updated Thursday, December 08 at 09:45 a.m.
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Bang bang
Yah, so later today the Liberals will announce a new gun law. It won't work. Legislation already exists banning the use of unregistered handguns.
I've just come back from a meeting with myself, and have come up with a solution to combat gun violence:
More Police + Tougher Sentences = Safer Streets.
Updated Thursday, December 08 at 09:02 a.m.
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MIA
Is the Conservative party ignoring Quebec? Of the 75 ridings available, the Tories have only nominated 55 candidates.
Updated Thursday, December 08 at 08:48 a.m.
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Cliff Claven
What is Canada's richest riding? Halton, Ontario
What is Canada's poorest riding? Winnipeg Centre
This concludes our
useless information segment.
Updated Thursday, December 08 at 08:15 a.m.
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Moonlighting
Does Jack Layton work at the Vancouver aquarium?
Updated Wednesday, December 07 at 05:09 p.m.
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Harper & the MSM
Is the media after Stephen Harper? Maclean's: "An analysis of newspaper coverage in the opening days of this campaign concludes Stephen Harper received the most negative coverage of the four main party leaders, even more negative than the coverage he got in the disastrous final week of the 2004 election."
Updated Wednesday, December 07 at 05:04 p.m.
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Bloc v. Bloc
Gilles Duceppe rips into Bloc candidate Christian Ouellet.
Christian Ouellet: "I don't mind people asking me questions but I have so many things to say that I don't have time to talk about sovereignty. This isn't a referendum campaign. This is a campaign where we're action-oriented and want to create jobs and social housing."
Gilles Duceppe: "I think it might be a matter of a learning curve."
Christian Ouellet: The Liberals "stole" victory in Brome-Missisquoi.
Gilles Duceppe: "There was no theft," said Gilles. "He [Mr. Ouellet] must be mistaken."
Updated Wednesday, December 07 at 04:30 p.m.
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American advice
Do's and don'ts for Stephen Harper.
Updated Wednesday, December 07 at 10:45 a.m.
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Switching sides
Jack Layton on Belinda: "The next time Belinda Stronach decides to change leaders, she'll have to go back to a byelection to see if her voters agree."
Updated Wednesday, December 07 at 10:45 a.m.
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A fractured mess
From the latest edition of The Economist.
On Paul Martin: "A fine finance minister, but as prime minister he has, on the whole, disappointed."
On Stephen Harper: "An aloof, cerebral figure, disparaged well beyond Liberal circles as a neo-conservative importing dangerous ideas from the United States." He is also "clueless with the media."
On the NDP: "A socialist party from the old world that is ill at ease in the new one and has yet to find its Tony Blair."
Updated Wednesday, December 07 at 09:21 a.m.
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Is Jack Layton the video professor?
Thanks PrimeMinister.ca
Updated Wednesday, December 07 at 09:13 a.m.
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Pauvre Mike
Nelson Wiseman, professor of political science, U of T: 'The Ignatieff thing stinks from top to bottom . . . It's a major slap in the face.'
Updated Wednesday, December 07 at 09:05 a.m.
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He said, he said
Paul Martin: Harper will 'burn people out.'
Stephen Harper: "Paul Martin can talk all he wants, can fantasize all he wants about a PQ government in Quebec," Harper said Tuesday night. "We're going to work with [Quebec Premier] Jean Charest,
a great friend of Canada."
Jack Layton: "But if you are as
disgusted as I am with what the Liberal Party has done; if you feel the way I do about Stephen Harper's choices and values; and if you believe there is a common project that Quebecers can work on together with other Canadians in a respectful, progressive, united Canada; then I'm here today to invite you to consider another choice — your team of Quebec candidates from the New Democratic Party of Canada."
Updated Wednesday, December 07 at 08:54 a.m.
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Spaceman
Marc Garneau will be holding a news conference later today to clarify comments he made in May 1986.
"We are proving to be unrealistic in granting an increasing portion of the education budget to the education of minority groups," Garneau said. "They make short-term gains, but we are headed toward bankruptcy in the long term. These gains are illusory because all we are doing is redirecting resources away from sectors that create the necessary wealth that assures our financial future."
And: "We should reserve the lion's share to the group that is most susceptible to reimbursing our investments by taking well-paid jobs and contributing to our country's wealth."
Updated Wednesday, December 07 at 08:35 a.m.
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How they met
Jack Layton & Olivia Chow: Toronto city council
Gilles Duceppe & Yolande Brunelle: Daycare
Stephen Harper & Laureen Teskey: Reform Party meeting
Paul & Sheila Martin: High school
Updated Wednesday, December 07 at 08:22 a.m.
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Poll time
How would you vote if an election were held today?
Liberal 35%
Conservative 29%
NDP 16%
Bloc 14%
Green 6%
Updated Wednesday, December 07 at 08:13 a.m.
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Advertising
The Conservative party has just released two Quebec TV ads: Donnez une voix au Québec & Débloquer votre voix.
Updated Tuesday, December 06 at 02:24 p.m.
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Photoshop
Rick Mercer has a fantastic photo challenge. My favourite is Harper and Martin with Snoop Dogg.
Updated Tuesday, December 06 at 01:20 p.m.
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Survey says
It's question time.
Which party leader is the most dishonest? Paul Martin.
Which party leader holds views that are extreme? Stephen Harper.
Which party leader is the most principled? Jack Layton.
Updated Tuesday, December 06 at 12:49 p.m.
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Make my day
Is Paul Martin like Dirty Harry? A Liberal aide seems to think so.
Updated Tuesday, December 06 at 10:56 a.m.
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News from America
Twins: Jenna and Barbara Bush dined at Dino. They drank Dolcetto wine and enjoyed fromage.
Spielberg: Fewer gas chambers, more
flying bicycles.
Bubba's wife: Angry activists set to
hound Hillary.
Yelp: Howard Dean claims the U.S.
won'twin in Iraq.
Media: CBS is trying to
lure away Katie Couric from NBC.
Updated Tuesday, December 06 at 10:56 a.m.
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Bauble-head
Mark Bonokoski rips Svend Robinson and Jack Layton: "How can Jack Layton accuse the Liberals of 'helping themselves' in the sponsorship scandal, for example, when he has given his blessing to Sunday's endorsement of Svend Robinson, a politician who helped himself to a $50,000 antique ring while still sitting in the House of Commons.
Truth is, he can't."
Updated Tuesday, December 06 at 09:36 a.m.
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Brian's back
It was great to see Brian Mulroney out and about yesterday. The former prime minister received an honorary degree from Concordia University.
And as usual, Mulroney was in fine form: "I'm going to be very brief today . . . I can only speak at length when I'm being taped."
Or: "I may be running again," Mulroney said. "After all, the prime minister is a year older than me."
Updated Tuesday, December 06 at 09:15 a.m.
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Day-care wars
Yesterday, Stephen Harper promised $1200 for every child under the age of six.
Today, Paul Martin
upped the ante and promised another $6-billion.
Which is better? The average Canadian doesn't understand the word billion. I don't. I've never had a billion, nor have I seen a billion. People weren't that upset about the billion-dollar debacle at the gun registry. But, they were mighty mad when former privacy commissioner George Radwanski spent $400 on a lunch.
The point is this: Cutting the GST works better than cutting income taxes. And offering direct money for day-care works better than some ridiculous billion-dollar sum. Why? People can see the savings on the GST when they buy a car, and they can see the $100 each month for day-care.
The rest is just that unimaginable B word.
Updated Tuesday, December 06 at 08:45 a.m.
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Trust me
Simply put, voters don't believe Stephen Harper.
Updated Tuesday, December 06 at 08:23 a.m.
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I'll pretend to answer that
Can you spot the answer? Nope.
Question: Mr. Prime Minister, is weather forecasting coming back to the Gander weather office?
Answer: "Now on weather forecasting," Martin said. "Look, you know, whether it's weather testing, whether it's ice services.
Take a look at the weather outside today. I mean this is where the study of weather ought to take place in this country. I think this is the kind of area where you've got to have centres of excellence . . . but I really do believe is what we really got to do in Newfoundland and Labrador is to understand the huge weather patterns that are taking place with global warming that you were talking about before. There is a real understanding of the weather that could only come from a place like Newfoundland and Labrador so I think this is where it ought to be studied."
Updated Tuesday, December 06 at 08:15 a.m.
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Place your bets
UBC is launching the Election Stock Market on December 13th. The minimum investment is $25 and the maximum is $1,000.
Updated Monday, December 05 at 04:45 p.m.
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I'm sorry, but
Gilles Duceppe has apologized for the 'disappear' comment. However, he wants an apology from Jean Lapierre on the 'Nazi' comparison.
Hey Jean, it's time to do the right thing.
Updated Monday, December 05 at 03:42 p.m.
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Election report card
Mathew Ingram grades the campaign websites. Ill give you a hint: one A, one B and one C.
Updated Monday, December 05 at 02:26 p.m.
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Other news
Twins: Jenna Bush lost her wallet.
Nukes: Iran is
'months away' from a bomb.
Woof: Dog cameras will
combat crime.
Bubba's wife: A strong
military advocate.
Satellite: Howard Stern vows to be
filthier than ever.
Updated Monday, December 05 at 02:10 p.m.
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From the vault
"Mr. Speaker, the goods and services tax is a stupid, inept and incompetent tax," said MP Paul Martin, November 28, 1989.
"I would abolish the GST,'' said MP Paul Martin, April 4, 1990.
"I am opposed to the GST. I have always been opposed to it and I will always be opposed to it,'' said MP Paul Martin, October 29, 1990.
And this concludes
hypocrisy watch.
Updated Monday, December 05 at 11:05 a.m.
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Would you?
Imagine your spouse was in terrible, terrible pain and needed a hip replacement. The wait time was eighteen months. Would you use private health care?
Stephen Harper: Yes. (Listen)
Jack Layton: No. (Listen)
Thanks to Peter Warren, Warren On The Weekend, CKNW and Corus Radio.
Updated Monday, December 05 at 11:02 a.m.
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Rock & politics
Hartley Stewart on Bono and Paul Martin: "The fact is, Martin tried to use Bono and was burned badly."
Updated Monday, December 05 at 09:36 a.m.
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Strategists v. Incumbents
Some Liberals are unhappy about the length of the campaign.
Updated Monday, December 05 at 09:20 a.m.
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2005 Weblog awards
Some of the nominees for Best Canadian Blog include Matthew Good, SDA, and Political Staples. Voting ends December 15th.
Updated Monday, December 05 at 08:58 a.m.
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Poll time
Canada wide: How would Canadians vote if an election were held today?
Liberal 34%
Conservative 30%
NDP 16%
Bloc 14%
Green 6%
Ontario numbers:
Liberal 42%
Conservative 30%
Updated Monday, December 05 at 08:22 a.m.
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Nazi-like
Gilles Duceppe: "On Jan. 23, we can say, 'Fortunately, the Bloc is here. Fortunately we'll make the Liberals disappear.' "
Jean Lapierre: "I heard and read Mr. Duceppe's remarks and I find there's a little
Nazi-like tone to them."
Updated Monday, December 05 at 08:12 a.m.
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Election news
Jack Layton mocks Paul Martin.
Stephen Harper wants to get
tough on drugs.
A local Liberal by the name of Bruce Davis
may run against Michael Ignatieff.
What's the difference between the Liberals and Conservatives view on health care?
Not much.
The Upper Canada District School Board
isn't interested in a visit by Paul Martin.
Updated Saturday, December 03 at 03:59 p.m.
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Poor Paul
Geez Louise. Bono's been slamming Paul Martin like a piñata. And now Sir Paul McCartney is steaming mad.
Updated Friday, December 02 at 11:24 a.m.
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U.S. news
Time for an election break:
Twins: First twin Barbara Bush was spotted buying a pair of
Beja Boots.
Dubya: President George W. Bush has been
excused from jury duty.
Freeloader: Following in the footsteps of Nick and Jessica, K.Fed got the boot from
Britney Spears mansion. Happy
24th Brit.
Monster: The new King Kong movie is the '
blockbuster of the year.'
Zoo: The
panda cam at Animal Planet is back.
Updated Friday, December 02 at 11:12 a.m.
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Kimmy & Steve
Former prime minister Kim Campbell isn't placing any bets on Stephen Harper: "[The Conservative Party's] positions are too socially conservative, I think, to form a government in Canada."
Updated Friday, December 02 at 09:40 a.m.
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A thousand words
With all this talk of GST, let's dig into the archives.
Updated Friday, December 02 at 09:35 a.m.
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Dot com
Political tag lines: 'Je me souviens,' 'Getting results for people,' 'Stand up for Canada,' 'A role of pride and influence in the world.'
Ok, now that we have that out of the way,
who has the best election website?
Updated Friday, December 02 at 09:28 a.m.
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5%
John Ibbitson is bang on with today's column: 'Brilliant ploy gives Tories an emphatic upper hand.'
Like I said yesterday, who doesn't want to save money?
Updated Friday, December 02 at 09:06 a.m.
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Pauvre Mike
Harvard's student newspaper published a quote from Michael Ignatieff: He would like to go back to the University if he's not elected in Etobicoke-Lakeshore.
The last word goes to the man himself: "
I was talking in my customary way, with a lack of care," said Mike. "It was meant in a light-hearted humourous way . . . a kind of joke, like I was begging them to take me back."
Updated Friday, December 02 at 09:00 a.m.
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Poll time
Another poll: How would you vote if an election were held today?
Liberal 35%
Conservative 30%
NDP 17%
Bloc 14%
Green 5%
Updated Friday, December 02 at 08:47 a.m.
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Where they are
Paul Martin: Toronto
Stephen Harper: Winnipeg, Regina & Vancouver
Jack Layton: Regina & Victoria
Gilles Duceppe: Montreal
Updated Friday, December 02 at 08:27 a.m.
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Anonymous blog
Over at Conservative.ca, they have a brand new anonymous blog. And you can request your very own lawn sign here.
Updated Thursday, December 01 at 01:03 p.m.
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Branding
Stephen Taylor is a Conservative pundit and an advertising genius.
Updated Thursday, December 01 at 12:45 p.m.
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Faceless
I love Paul Martin's picture on the official Liberal website. It kind of resembles you and me.
Updated Thursday, December 01 at 10:15 a.m.
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5% GST
All right, now were talking: Stephen Harper wants to lower the GST. Who doesn't want to save money?
If memory serves correct, another political party promised to do the same thing twelve years ago. I think it was called the
Red Book.
Updated Thursday, December 01 at 09:57 a.m.
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That Omni
Dear Conservative MP Jason Kenney,
Check your facts before you call a press conference.
Sincerely,
Dan Cook
Updated Thursday, December 01 at 09:10 a.m.
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Dates & Times
Want to watch the four federal party leaders scrap it out on prime time TV?
December 15: Vancouver (French)
December 16: Vancouver (English)
January 9: Gatineau or Montreal (English)
January 10: Gatineau or Montreal (French)
Updated Thursday, December 01 at 08:45 a.m.
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Cliff Claven
What is Canada's smallest riding? Papineau, Quebec: 9 sq. km.
What is Canada's largest riding? Nunavut: 2,093,190 sq. km.
This concludes our
useless information segment.
Updated Thursday, December 01 at 08:27 a.m.
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Off message MacKay
Can you spot the different message?
Stephen Harper: "The independent Director of Public Prosecutions will decide on criminal prosecutions arising from the sponsorship scandal."
Peter MacKay: "There's no way that this office, being set up after the fact, is going to have anything to do with the
sponsorship program," MacKay told reporters. "It doesn't involve provincial jurisdictions because this office wouldn't deal with Criminal Code offences. This is the type of office that would deal with drug offences, for example. This is an office that would deal with federal statutes."
Updated Thursday, December 01 at 08:09 a.m.
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Where they are
Paul Martin: Montreal, Cornwall, Toronto
Stephen Harper: Vaughan, Ontario
Jack Layton: Oshawa, Sault Ste. Marie, Moose Jaw
Gilles Duceppe: Montreal area
Updated Thursday, December 01 at 08:02 a.m.
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Posted at Monday, February 27, 2006 EDT 
