Out of the Blue
There's a lot of debate about just how damaging Scott Reid's "beer and popcorn" comments will turn out to be. I think these comments will have a fairly major impact for the following ten, count 'em 10, reasons.
1. It's snappy. Beer and popcorn rolls off your lips and makes for great water cooler talk. This is the sort of thing people will talk about at Christmas parties and over turkey.
2. It was on TV, so there's a video clip of it. In fact, both CBC and CTV (with Duffy) have clips of it, so the networks will both play it ad nauseum. It's also a quick little clip, so they'll keep showing it.
3. Scott Reid is the communications director. The communications director is the voice of the party and the Prime Minister and must be held to a higher standard. That's what did Francoise Ducros in.
4. It's something new for the media to pick at. We've had a policy campaign so far, which is great, but it doesn't sell papers. Now they have something a bit more racy to focus on. Heck, if an anonymous Conservative had said or written something stupid, it's hardly news, because they do it all the time. And, to be honest, I think the media feels a little guilty about not picking up Reid's "Alberta can blow me" comments from earlier in the campaign and this is their way to make ammends.
5. Child care has been the big policy debate of this campaign, overshadowing even the GST. The NDP released their platform today, ensuring the story will have more life. Since people will keep talking about child care, they'll keep talking about Reid's gaffe.
6. Harper will be able to capitalize on this during the Thursday and Friday debates.
7. These comments will be easy to spoof and have fun with. Already, the Tories have had beer and popcorn at their events today. I can see Tory candidates handing out little bags of popcorn as they go door to door too. It's easy to throw something like this into a commercial too.
8. John Duffy said he was 100% behind Scott Reid. So it's not just one idiot on the board flapping his mouth, it's two. That makes it seem a lot more like party position, than just one mispeak.
9. Paul's retraction had horrible optics. Not just because he stumbled over his words, but because he was at a winery. It's funny because of the beer, but people seeing a rich millionaire Prime Minister sipping wine after a condescending comment by his spokesman is just bad optics.
10. This plays into the CPC platform. Their whole argument is that Canadians are better suited to spend money than the government. This is their line, not just with childcare, but also with many of their other tax breaks. By Martin agreeing that parents will spend the money wisely, and on childcare, they've neutralized a key Liberal counter argument.
[cross-posted to CTV Weblog]
1. It's snappy. Beer and popcorn rolls off your lips and makes for great water cooler talk. This is the sort of thing people will talk about at Christmas parties and over turkey.
2. It was on TV, so there's a video clip of it. In fact, both CBC and CTV (with Duffy) have clips of it, so the networks will both play it ad nauseum. It's also a quick little clip, so they'll keep showing it.
3. Scott Reid is the communications director. The communications director is the voice of the party and the Prime Minister and must be held to a higher standard. That's what did Francoise Ducros in.
4. It's something new for the media to pick at. We've had a policy campaign so far, which is great, but it doesn't sell papers. Now they have something a bit more racy to focus on. Heck, if an anonymous Conservative had said or written something stupid, it's hardly news, because they do it all the time. And, to be honest, I think the media feels a little guilty about not picking up Reid's "Alberta can blow me" comments from earlier in the campaign and this is their way to make ammends.
5. Child care has been the big policy debate of this campaign, overshadowing even the GST. The NDP released their platform today, ensuring the story will have more life. Since people will keep talking about child care, they'll keep talking about Reid's gaffe.
6. Harper will be able to capitalize on this during the Thursday and Friday debates.
7. These comments will be easy to spoof and have fun with. Already, the Tories have had beer and popcorn at their events today. I can see Tory candidates handing out little bags of popcorn as they go door to door too. It's easy to throw something like this into a commercial too.
8. John Duffy said he was 100% behind Scott Reid. So it's not just one idiot on the board flapping his mouth, it's two. That makes it seem a lot more like party position, than just one mispeak.
9. Paul's retraction had horrible optics. Not just because he stumbled over his words, but because he was at a winery. It's funny because of the beer, but people seeing a rich millionaire Prime Minister sipping wine after a condescending comment by his spokesman is just bad optics.
10. This plays into the CPC platform. Their whole argument is that Canadians are better suited to spend money than the government. This is their line, not just with childcare, but also with many of their other tax breaks. By Martin agreeing that parents will spend the money wisely, and on childcare, they've neutralized a key Liberal counter argument.
[cross-posted to CTV Weblog]
posted by calgarygrit at
2:54 p.m.
42 Comments:
I am not quite sure this will as damaging as you think. The reality is most people know the gist of what Reid said is true. SOME people would spend the money on other priorities (not necessarily beer and popcorn) instead of using it for childcare. If the objective is just to improve childcare, that is not necessarily accomplished by just writing checks. Scott Reid said as much, he just said it in an arrogant condescending way.
But Reid's point in all this is still correct, and who is going to not vote Liberal because of this comment? Seriously.
I been listen to a couple of right wing talk shows trying to spin this all day and inevitable a listener will call in and state they agree with Reid. It's really hard for right wing "people cheat welfare" conservatives hosts to effectively argue against Reid. The best they can come up with is that Liberals are arrogant and think they know how to spend our money better than us. There's a shocker.
I think Paul and the Big Red Machine will be able to spin this easily. They will just tell everyone Reid was only trying to express that the conservative proposal would not be as effective at solving the childcare issue as the Liberals proposal and that Reid was overzealous in his criticism and has already apologized.
Hell it works for me.
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Anonymous, at 6:29 p.m.
You gotta love the Liberals. I am from the government and I am here to help you. Trust me! OK! Where is my brown envelope? This condescending elitist Liberal crap, that we know best, makes me wanna puke. You would of thought this type of thinking would of died in medieval times? No, it is alive and well in 2005 in Canada. What a great country this would be if we could just flush Toronto down the drain. I just feel like running out and buying a book by Marharet Atwood.
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Anonymous, at 7:01 p.m.
This is really going to ruin Reid's chances of being re-elected in his riding.
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Robert McClelland, at 7:26 p.m.
This is too funny!
Seniors to “blow” increase on Players and Doan’s Pills
Liberal party spokesman Scott Reid announced that Liberals are continuing to review direct funding programs.
People over the age of 65 are currently sent a monthly cheque from the federal government. Liberals are concerned that seniors will blow their recent 98 cents a month increase on packs of Players and Liver Pills.
“It’s irresponsible to have seniors care for themselves; we should stop sending out pension cheques because we cannot guarantee that they are spending their $479.00 a month on housing and food.”
Reid is considering a Liberal plan to redirect CPP cheques to a National Senior Care program that would provide “quality” Seniorcare.
In the initial phase there would only be spaces for about 2 out of every 10 seniors and they have not explained what the remaining 80% of seniors would do while on a waiting list for a Seniorcare space.
When pressed Mr. Reid refused to answer questions about what people might buy with the Liberal’s Home Heating Rebate.
copied from brentcolbert.com
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Anonymous, at 7:27 p.m.
CG -
so good, I think you're a Quebec Harpermaniac!
To Robert, I'm sure Scott has a senate seat waiting for him next to comfy fur Murphy.
Re-election isn't the kind of thing these boys worry about.
To Blah, there's no question this won't affect cemented Liberal support, such as yourself. You do think that about people generally -they are largely incompetent at making adult decisions and therefore the more government makes these decisions for you, the better your life. You think that, so you are a Liberal.
For undecideds, this will shake them a little. No question.
For the other parties voter base, it extremely moralising because it reeks of entitlement.
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Tarkwell Robotico, at 7:47 p.m.
I was even more offended by the "Alberta can blow me" comment, and I'm not even from Alberta (although my mother did go to school there).
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Anonymous, at 7:58 p.m.
chucker, I think Robert was kidding...
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Michael Fox, at 7:59 p.m.
Toronto Tory and Robert -
if Robert was, sorry! Someone did advance this argument somewhere (mb comments please): since Reid isn't an elected official, we're making too big a deal, you know, its not like he's an elected MP - like, Brian Pallister, and then Brian's name will be blue meaning its been linked to blah, blah, blah, blah...)
sorry.
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Tarkwell Robotico, at 8:03 p.m.
chuckercanuck
I never said I generally think people are incompetent at making adult decisions.
SOME are, but so what. (I capitalized "some" for you, since you seem to have ignored the word during my first post.)
What I said was that Martin can spin it such that, if daycare is the issue, the Liberal plan is better. The conservative plan is not geared towards daycare; people with other priorities will use the money for those priorities. (Not that I think there is anything wrong with that.) Reid was making that point in an arrogant condescending way.
My other point was that it is difficult for welfare-bashing conservatives to argue against what Reid said. Reid's statements were mean-spirited, almost Mike Harris Conservative in tone. Just look at Harper's response today "Reid made me sad."
Personally I would rather see the money spent the way Martin proposes. But if Harper gets his way, I am not going to lose any sleep over it. I have no kids, so neither scheme will benefit me. Personally I'd much rather have a reduce income tax rate. But if I have to choose between the two, I'll pick the proposal that I think will have the most bang for my tax dollar, in this case the Liberal plan.
You on the other hand seem to have a spasm anytime anyone disagrees with your ideology. Do you think I am not competent to make an adult decision about whom I want to vote for?
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Anonymous, at 8:19 p.m.
Somone posted this as "BEERGATE" in another blog.
I like that!
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Anonymous, at 9:05 p.m.
The obvious argument for "people cheat welfare" conservatives is that the bulk of the parents receiving the cash have one or both in the workforce, and not on welfare. I like the senior argument, too.
Why does everyone forget that the CPC plan is in 2 parts? Cash for parents AND tax credits for corporations & non-profit organizations that create new daycare positions? I believe it's along the lines of $10k/position, which would go a long way toward setup costs.
25,000 new positions funded per year for 5 years. PLUS cash for parents toward costs of childcare and/or childrearing. How is that not a better bang for the buck?
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Candace, at 9:14 p.m.
Hey CalgaryGrit, if you really are a grit, will you shut up already about this? If you want conservatives to get elected fine, but don't portray yourself as a Liberal, and keep second guessing the party in the middle of an election campaign.
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Anonymous, at 9:34 p.m.
now I sympathise with anon 2 comments above. you have a team, and yo don't want any team members slagging it.
then i remember that there are people like randy white and cheryll gallant on my team, and if I even imagine that a camera or a microphone is heading their way I rush to grab some duct tape and hope to throw them into the trunk of a cadillac...
CG is very much a grit, he's just being an honest broker right now. You'll notice that he doesn't like conservative policies, but he is accepting that CPC is screwing up less than LPC. If things turn around I expect to have much less fun on this blog, but it will still be important for seeing analysis of what's up.
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Anonymous, at 9:54 p.m.
This is damaging on so many different levels.
Forget about demeaning parents for a second. Here we have a wine sipping, Bahamian ship owning, upper crust, elitist tut-tutting the masses for wanting to indulge in one of Canadian's simple pleasures, while they're completely fine with blowing billions of our money on useless pet projects the sole purpose of which is to keep them in power.
I don't have a wine cellar, or a yacht, and I can't fly to my Paris apartment on the drop of a dime with my "bodyguard" on taxpayer's money. But after a hard week's work, and after taking the kids to hockey practice and putting them to bed I can kick back with some friends or in front of the tube and crack open a cold one.
But apparantly that's too much of an indulgence for my Liberal masters. Making such a selfish decision would exempt me from keeping (yes remember tax dollars are all ours to begin with) a few more bucks of my hard earned money.
Arrogance doesn't begin to describe our Liberal government.
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Anonymous, at 10:16 p.m.
This had the potential to be Martin's Reptillian Kitten Eater moment.
It doesn't seem to have been.
For whatever reason (and I am starting to believe the right's argument about media bias), the full brunt of the media has not fallen upon the not aging well Scott Reid.
Like an erstwhile gun ban, it may come back into play later in the campaign, but it will likely only play to the converted.
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Anonymous, at 10:30 p.m.
blah,
actually, its well within the narrow frame of my ideology to solute your right to vote and competence to decide differently from me. In fact, as a conservative, I don't believe any one person has a monopoly on the right answer. I know my life will be better if I live with people who disagree with me - it helps us all avoid mistakes.
To the anonymous guy - yes, my children are screw-ups, thanks.
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Tarkwell Robotico, at 10:30 p.m.
What I find dicerning is how the Liberals seem to have voters brainwashed that tax cuts are a bad thing.
I betcha theres about 10 billion dollars in expenses for gov't programs that are absolutely useless that, if cut, barely anyone would notice.
Perhaps people forget that the money the gov't dangles in front of us is our money. Or perhaps the people that are anti-tax cut are lazy unemployed bums who don't want their comfy fur taken from them.
Either way, its astounding to hear someone say they dont want a tax cut. Amazing.
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Anonymous, at 10:46 p.m.
Reid and Duffy are only human. They made a mistake and I know if the shoe were on the other foot - if it had been a con or dipper - they would have been the first to forgive and forget. So let's show a bit of compassion for two compassionate guys...
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Anonymous, at 11:36 p.m.
One last thing for Blah - if a Liberal took your dog, bent it over the fence and gave it a good rogering you would no doubt still vote Liberal...
As for anyone impugning CG for his tri-partisan skills I hope I speak for many of us (Lib, Con and Dip), when I say go fuck yourself.
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Anonymous, at 11:43 p.m.
Sailor Man, you'll likely find CPC supporters as forgiving of Reid & Duffy (who at least had the balls to show up on Duffy Live today, vs. Reid) as the Liberals were of Cheryl Gallant, of Germant Grewal, of Brian Pallister (please God would someone just duct tape that goof?).
But I'm with you on support for CG. I rarely agree with his posts, but appreciate his sincere attempts to be non-partisan.
Go CG Go! (blog vs. election, of course)
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Candace, at 2:43 a.m.
Let's not be too hard on Brian, aside from his perchance for reading and singing in the house this is the first time he's done anything objectionable. Personally, I don't think it even got picked up by any media outlets outside of the CBC whom are desperate to find a Conservative, somewhere saying something mildly objectionable. His choice of wording was poor, but everyone occassionally says something they wish they hadn't. It sounded like an attempt at self deprecating humor that didn't work out quite like he planned.
Pallister does a heck of a job representing his constituents, and spends alot of time helping out some of the weaker ridings in the city. He's a solid team player and an all round nice guy. I really don't think portraying him as some sort of mysogist is appropriate, he's married and has two daughters so I'd say he's anything but.
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Chris, at 2:56 a.m.
The out of context exaggeration of Reid's remark into a generic "anti-parent insult" shows, yet again, the distortion instinct in politics that dismays and disaffects so many of us. I'm not trusting my vote to anyone whom I can't trust to maintain a sense of perspective.
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Anonymous, at 8:37 a.m.
"Out of context"?!?!?!?
"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."
Please, enlighten us as to how that commentary is taken "out of context." He's quite clearly making a contrast between a hands-on, interventionist government and giving Canadian parents a modest amount of assistance in sending the kids to a daycare facility of their choice. He's insinuating that without the government's all-knowing help, Canadian parents are going to use government money to fill their beer and popcorn needs instead of sending their kids to daycare.
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RGM, at 9:24 a.m.
There it is ...
The Liberal party philosophy...
Scott ( big brother ) Reid knows best.
Strike one...alienation no.1
It's not enough that Scott hates the West...Quote: "Alberta can blow me" ..The Western Standard...
Strike two...alienation no. 2
He demeans all parents by saying that they are unfit to take care of their daycare money... "the parents would only spend it on popcorn and beer" well...
Who has the hidden agenda now?
Keep us poor...
Keep us under the Liberal thumb...
Keep us under control!
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Anonymous, at 9:43 a.m.
So basically the liberals do not trust seniors 'they are just old and confused' they don’t trust parents they are just going to spend their money on 'beer and popcorn', they cant deal with angry constituents as in Scott Brison's arrogance. So who do the liberals trust well people with big brown envelopes. Paul Martin and his cronies are a group of reverse Robin Hoods, they take from the poor and give to the rich, and one might almost say with that analogy that Paul martin is very much like Prince John. But I digress the whole Child care issue under the liberal only benefits 9 to 5ers. Why oh why do we need another institution in Canada so that it can be under funded under effective and most likely corrupt. Because it is all about trust, why should we trust the liberals who took our money gave it too the rich and then say they know best for your kids. In the liberals way of thinks they do not trust the parents, what about the trust of the parents, what is stopping the child care institution that the liberals are proposing from becoming corrupt just like the sponsorship program. Well that is all for now
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Anonymous, at 9:51 a.m.
"And, to be honest, I think the media feels a little guilty about not picking up Reid's "Alberta can blow me" comments from earlier in the campaign and this is their way to make ammends."
Just for the record, Reid made those comments back in October, before the campaign began. That's probably why the media didn't pick them up.
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AJSomerset, at 10:10 a.m.
"And, to be honest, I think the media feels a little guilty"
Ahahaha...media feeling guilty? CG, you kill me.
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Anonymous, at 11:27 a.m.
CG,
Keep your head down and don't say anything to hurt the Liberals. You know your membership can be revoked. This is not the Liberal way.
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Anonymous, at 12:47 p.m.
If the Liberals win the election, and we look ahead ten years here’s what we will see. National daycare will have cost US taxpayers 50 BILLION, not the 11 billion promised, and there will be 45% FEWER daycare spots across Canada. BUT on the bright side, there will be several hundred LIBERAL insiders that will have made millions for little or no work on the national daycare program funded by US taxpayers. Who do you REALLY TRUST to spend YOUR money, PAUL or YOURSELF??
A liberal vote is a vote AGAINST CANADA
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Anonymous, at 1:26 p.m.
w
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Anonymous, at 1:52 p.m.
"A liberal vote is a vote AGAINST CANADA"
And a vote for the conservatives is a vote for bigotry and hatred...
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Anonymous, at 1:53 p.m.
And a vote for the conservatives is a vote for bigotry and hatred...
A true liberial, no argument, no logic just lies fostered by hatered. I feel sorry for people who can not THINK FOR THEMSELVES.
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Anonymous, at 2:04 p.m.
"A true liberial, no argument, no logic just lies fostered by hatered. I feel sorry for people who can not THINK FOR THEMSELVES."
I was stating an objective fact, there is no need to present the logic behind something widely regarded as fact. If you don't like the fact that your party is bigoted and hate filled, then change parties. Do not dare lash out at me for just pointing out the obvious.
Your party is anti-poor, anti-gay, anti-worker, anti-environment, anti-women, and anti-immigration. That is bigotry. If you don't like it, your quarrel is with the dictionary not me.
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Anonymous, at 3:10 p.m.
I was stating an objective fact, there is no need to present the logic behind something widely regarded as fact.
You sound like your HERO…
A proof is a proof. What kind of a proof? It's a proof. A proof is a proof. And when you have a good proof, it's because it's proven.
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Anonymous, at 5:15 p.m.
Anonymous at 1:10 PM,
"Your party is anti-poor, anti-gay, anti-worker, anti-environment, anti-women, and anti-immigration. That is bigotry. If you don't like it, your quarrel is with the dictionary not me."
Let us know what dictionary uses that as the definition of bigotry. Then tell us how any party is anti-anything that you mention
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Anonymous, at 6:31 p.m.
I am a senior, a wife, mother, grandmother & great grandmother, born& raised in this country. I have lived thru all of the elections since 1950. I have never missed voting in any election, municipal, provincial or federal. In the last 50 years I have seen elections become a farce. Too many Canadians who do vote do not make informed decisions, based on the facts at hand. One being a tired arrogant party, who feel they are entitled to rule, whatever it takes. They have a total disregard for the common people, & rely on the premise that we are too dense to see thru them. Unfortunately it works. If you are going to vote & you should take time to ask yourself "why would I vote for this party with it's recor of money mismanagement & arrogance?
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Anonymous, at 10:04 a.m.
Federal election 2006
Let us all face it the Liberals are clearly not to be trusted. Like the Conservatives the NDP, BQ are on the right track in regard to cleaning up the Liberal corruptions. We may see the next Canadian Government begin a coalition of Conservatives and NDP instead of the NDP and Liberals. They already proved they can work together. The Liberal Federal Government already have faced the controversy even over the unethical, non official registry of their members of Parliament, Ministers as lobbyists, and their some what disturbingly too close ties between the money making lobbyists and the final Liberal government agendas... The Liberals they cannot be trusted it seems to run an honest government. All Canadians have even already been let down by the past "great achievements" promised of a government led by Prime Minister Paul Martin and most they do want a change, a deserved clean honest Government, not more Liberal lies and false promises.
"Layton, Martin Lay Out NDP Plan to Clean Up Corruption Frank Tridico LTVNews.com Thursday, December 8 2005, 1:05PM Jack Layton and Tony Martin are laying out a specific framework to clean up corruption and make politicians accountable across Canada. “This election is an opportunity to settle the account between the citizens of Canada and the Liberal Party,” Layton said. “But after they’ve received what they deserve, what then? What can we do about the deep and systemic rot the Liberals have permitted to seep into our federal government?” Tony Martin state, "The Liberals still haven't learned any lessons from the Gomery Report. Right across the land you still hear Liberals with their thinly veiled threats to Canadians to vote for them if people expect to get anything in their riding. Does corruption and arrogance not apply to them?" Layton laid out a detailed plan to clean up corruption and make politicians accountable too..
Having federal elections every 18 months is also a good move so are the Minority governments for that is what makes the Liberals, and their PM Paul Martin to do good things for the citizens.. but sadly the Liberals are known still to be liars and are still very much unlikely to keep their elections promises....
The Liberal Paul Martin as the new Prime Minister of Canada came to office promising a more mature relationship with the Americans but he worked towards rather a deterioration in the relationship with the US since Paul martin had came into power in 2003.This week an angry Bush administration official demanded and received a meeting with Canadian ambassador Frank McKenna to complain about Prime Minister Paul Martin's attacks on U.S. environmental policy, U.S. sources say. Paul Martin accused the Americans earlier this week of being deaf to global opinion on the need to sign the Kyoto Protocol. The White House took Paul Martin's rebuke as cheap electioneering during the campaign leading to the Jan. 23 vote, the sources said. Their meeting with McKenna took place earlier this week in Washington.
-Paul Martin has not resolved with the US the mad cow US sales restrictions
-and he Paul Martin has not been able to obtain a negotiated settlement for the US Lumber trade dispute..
-and he Paul Martin has not been able to deal with the every increasing US border travel resitrictions
-amongst many other issues with the US too..
so much for the too often lying Liberal promises, and the reality bikes back.. And the Liberal team are clearly are caught spin doctoring again with the income trust affair.. the unacceptable alleged budget leak
Prime Minister Paul Martin looks at a red wine while visiting a winery in Beamsville, Ont. Sunday. Mind you this is not what real Professing Christians tend to do especially on Sunday.. and this is not a rare occasion for the PM Paul Martin who has been giving out free beer too it seems.. as I have detailed here elsewhere too.. But Paul Martin the PM is still too often associated with alcoholic beer, he and his party members too... Liberal party workers, members have pizza and beer parties too. The New Liberals- more Alcoholics at the taxpayer's expenses too. Unacceptable. and next the PM Paul Martin will likely like Premier Ralph Klein try to say he is not an alcoholic, he like Premier Ralph Klein only encourages beer drinking and drink beer too often cause this is another Canadian value.. even the related drunk driving.. the too often stingy, unimpassioned of others abusive behavior of alcoholics, plus the permanent brain damage alcohol causes. Alocholics are known to be liars, they often even lie to themselves and others often saying even they are not alcoholics too. You still can tell if they are aloholics by what they do and who their good Friends are.You can still tell who they are for they like to be around other alcoholics, and now also by the amount of alcohol they do like to have or to even have even around them. They also do like to have and to be often around plenty of beer and alcohol. Klein was known to be a regular drinker in a tavern in Calgary when he worked as a reporter before becoming the Premier.. for that is his regular church of prayer..
"Beamsville, Ont. — One of Paul Martin's top aides apologized to Canadian parents yesterday after saying on national television that they would buy popcorn and beer with the money the Conservatives are offering for child care. The Conservatives rolled out a child-care plan last week that would give parents of preschool children an annual $1,200 per child to spend as they see fit Scott Reid, Mr. Martin's communications director, tried to explain on CBC News: Sunday the difference between that approach -- which he broke down to $25 a week -- and the Liberal plan to establish a national child-care system. "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.""
Reid's apology doesn't change the Liberal policy on daycare, which fails to respect parents' choices and trust them to decide what's best for their kids His comment was not just a "slip of the tongue" but a reflection of a long pattern of Liberal attitude that devalues parents' choices, Kate Tennier, founder of Advocates for Childcare Choice, said she was appalled by Reid's comments and said they shows "Paul Martin appears to agree with this rather scary notion of government intrusion into Canadian family life," she said." How really scary!" About 13% of the nation’s children receive daycare from government-sanctioned providers, while the other 87% either receive care from a stay-at-home parent, a relative, or an unlicensed daycare provider who are left out by the Liberals.
How appropriate this would occur while Paul Martin was on a Sunday at a wine factory.. The Liberals aid that the Parent's can't be trusted to handle the tax payer's money and what only the Liberals can? Real Liberal Rubbish. We all do from real experiences too already do know how Liberal cannot be trusted with our taxpayer's money and that they wrongfully even buy beer, wine, Martinis, alcohol with it too. All of this was, is just more Liberal hypocrisy!
Not only is any cheating, lying, stealing, tax payer's money abuses is unacceptable also for any civil, public servant, elected representatives, not even for one of them, and no matter what political party they may support too, it is also always inappropriate, unethical, immoral to use one cent of the taxpayer's money on booze, alcohol as well at any time and anywhere now too.
Since we normal persons already tend to know the negative effect of Alcoholism.. Let me be also very clear about it too, I am rightfully against any brain damaged or not alcoholics having any position, job in governments, the civil, public services, rather they should all be fired immediately rather and that includes any Prime Minister, Premier, Member of Parliament or their staff members
This may be the season for some to be jolly with booze, drugs but keep it all, all out of politics, the governments.
EDMONTON (CP) - Ralph Klein says he wouldn't be Alberta's premier today and he could be dead by now if he'd kept up his heavy drinking. The premier swore off the bottle in 2001 after a night on the town which ended with him swearing at men at a homeless shelter and throwing money at them. But in year-end media interviews this week he acknowledged he continues to have the odd drink. "I probably would have died of liver disease," Klein said in one such interview with The Canadian Press. "It's not only unhealthy, but it's politically unhealthy. Mentally unhealthy." Klein conceded he has had a few drinks in the last year, but there have been differing accounts of how often and how much. After his encounter at the homeless shelter, Klein admitted that boozing had taken a toll on his ability to carry out his duties as premier. "I do know I have a problem, and I do know I'm going to deal with it," he said at the time as tears rolled down his cheeks. "I am going to go as long as I possibly can and hopefully end this journey without having another drink . . . one day at a time." Klein also said then that he had considered resigning. "When you get up and you are feeling rotten and you wonder, 'Gee, I feel this badly, do I really want to get on and do the work of the day,' you bring yourself around to do it, but it is a lot better to do it with an absolutely clear head." Klein admitted he drank the equivalent of a bottle of wine every day." this is all true? you really believe him??? His decades of alcohol did not cause any brain damage now too? How come also very few other people can give up drinking alcoholic that easy now too? His still often odd behavior, emotional outburst is not associated with his alcohol problem?
Can you really believe as the truth what most of these too many still too alcoholic politicians say to us these days too??
Mail Address: justtrend@yahoo.ca
http://groups.msn.com/CanadaToday2/ontrack.msnw
By
Anonymous, at 3:14 p.m.
News Reporting
We all get our 15 minutes of fame at least once in our lifetime.. and ignored the rest.. but what I know also for real sure is that the Liberals are the biggest liars, false spin doctors in Canadian politics for sure... and so are many of the news reporters in Canada too.
I was a young kid about the age of 8 when I saw a big fire in a lumber yard.. next day I read 2 newspapers about this event .. there were 3 different events.. what I saw and what the other 2 newspapers reported, and all 3 were different events.. The lack of professionalism in news reporting these days clearly is appalling, it is rather too often a slanderous gossip rag.. where their people write too often what they want to believe, or what they think the readers want to hear.. not the truth.
When the CBC was on strike their news reporting on the interent was superb.. now it is a dud in comparison.
Here is a good example of poor professional reporting, blatant lies, false partiality by CTV though..
"Paul Martin shrugs off White House rebuke CTV.ca - 3 hours ago The White House made an unusual foray into Canadian electoral politics Tuesday, scolding Prime Minister Paul Martin for his tough talk on US policies. But rather than quiet the Liberal leader, the rebuke fuelled his fire. Despite the war of words north of the border, the Wall Street Journal's John Harwood said the exchange has not received much coverage in the United States.... "
Keep us out of it, US tells Martin London Free Press
Canada, stifle yourself! Toronto Star
New York Times - Vancouver Sun - People's Daily Online - CJAD - all 125 related »
That was a good example of the very poor professional News reporting, blatant lies, false political partiality by CTV. For as you can see Google alone list 125 references of Paul Martin's rebuke, and many of them world wide and in the US. So why is the CTV treats us all as fools now too? Not much coverage? Paul Martin was rebuked world wide by the US and it is being read in China, India, Europe, Australia, South Africa, and the US..
Next here is another great example of unprofessional reporting for who are we to believe? how in the world are the citizens to know the truth? One news media says Martin's gun policy is mixed, another one says it is bad, and another one says it is good.. The readers do get confused by all of this, they do really lose respect for the written news, they do stop buying newspapers, they do stop watching, listening to the News as a result and you do all lose revenues.. . What happened to honest, impartial news reporting instead of the spin doctor's slanderous gossip rags?
Martin's gun policy gets mixed reviews CBC News - 7 hours ago Liberal Leader Paul Martin's call to ban all handguns is getting a mixed review, with many questioning its usefulness in combating crime. Conservative Leader Stephen Harper said his party was prepared to consider ...
Handgun ban may misfire London Free Press
Martin's gun ban a bold, good step Toronto Star
Next here is another great example of unprofessional reporting
In Canada the citizens, consumers are quite intelligent, not stupid at all, and man of them are computer literate too. Just for a start I like it firstly browse the latest news on http://news.google.ca/ and also http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=index&cid=1845 on amongst many.. I was shocked as to what I have often discovered.. it was like there are two totally different worlds.. The Yahoo news Canada - Canadian Press has made me now even lose interest in reading it.. it is distorted, bias, and it wrongfully has biased towards the Liberal..
For example
"Economists leery of Conservative plan to cut GST by two percentage points Thu Dec 1, 2:57 PM ET OTTAWA (CP) - Economists say a cut in the GST might be politically popular among consumers who are hit on every coffee and each doughnut But they don't like the idea as an economic tool. They're wary of Stephen Harper's promise to cut the GST by two percentage points over the next five years. " is unreal.. why even the PM Paul martin says the prevalent prosperous economy can afford it... and if you tried honestly you would find just as many people who say it is practical as unpractical.. the consumers rather really supported it.. and they are not all economic fools..
Now that is not the only one.. there are often loads of clear , contradictions between these two news sites... and why???? CP is biased towards the Liberals and wrongfully, unprofessionally
Now when the news media loses more credibility the people undeniably stop watching the news, stop buying magazines and newspapers.. and when the Liberals continue to lie they do eventually get fed up with them too.
Mail Address: justtrend@yahoo.ca
http://groups.msn.com/CanadaToday2
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Anonymous, at 3:16 p.m.
the Liberals can spin anything.. for they are great liars.. they lie to themselves they even got away with it.. not for long.. even jean Chretien now got kicked out of the PM office.. and even Pierre Trudeau's ex wife Margaret was revealed to be a drunk driver too..
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Anonymous, at 3:25 p.m.
To all,
Soon there won't be a Canada... we will pay our taxes to the U.S. Government... check this article to learn more about what is going on in Ottawa... without our consent!
MESSAGE TO ALL CANADIANS April 20, 2005
from Constance (Connie) Fogal, Leader, Canadian Action Party/parti action Canadienne
So we are faced with another impending election arising out of the sponsorship scandal that threatens our minority government. The “new” Conservative party is seeking to exploit the anger and disgust of Canadians to put themselves in the driver’s seat of Canada.
The Tories are counting on short memories of Canadians who were treated to revelations of corruption under the Mulroney Tories not so very long ago. Remember Stevie Cameron’s book , On the Take, which documents so much bad government and corruption under Mulroney. Remember also, Mulroney was front and center in securing the current Conservative party joinder of the Alliance with the Conservatives.
This is why many Quebecers who voted Liberal will either vote Bloq Quebecois this time or not vote at all. Many other Canadians are indicating an unwillingness to participate in voting that brings them Tweedle -dee or Tweedle -dum as never before.
As Canadians express their frustrations about bad government and what to do about it, I remind us all that every institution of government needs a mechanism for rejuvenation and self-criticism and correction. In a real democracy, one such means is the election process, provided it is a democratic one. We have to remember that the price of real democracy is the duty and burden of everlasting vigilance over the system of governance.
However, I urge you to maintain your focus on the guts of what is wrong in our country and not to be distracted away by this current fraud as represented in this sponsorship scandal. There is far more going on that cuts to the very core of our being as a nation state and as a democracy. And, it supercedes the separatist issue for the same reason.
Democracy in Canada is on the critical list. Our nation’s life support system is being systematically and deliberately withdrawn in the process of globalization and deep integration with the United States of America. It is our own elected Members of Parliament who are abdicating their responsibility to uphold the rights and protections of the citizens guaranteed to us by our Constitution.. By committing Canadians to international arrangements like NAFTA and the Smart Border Plan they shatter our liberties. They need to be reminded that this country belongs to the people, not to the government. Our Supreme Court of Canada said in A.G. of Nova Scotia and A.G. of Canada, S.C.R. 1951 pp 32-33.
“The constitution of Canada does not belong either to Parliament, or to the Legislatures; it belongs to the country and it is there that the citizens of the country will find the protection of the rights to which they are entitled” Our democracy and constitutional rights are being destroyed by our own governments and none of the parties with representation in Parliament are talking about it.. The deep economic and military integration of Canada with the United States of America is on fast forward against the wishes of the electorate, and without their informed consent or full knowledge.
The day the FTA was signed, Clayton Yeutter, the chief negotiator for the Unites State, said: “The Canadians don’t understand what they have signed. In 20 year they will be sucked into the U.S. economy.
Economically, integration is facilitated by the Free Trade Agreement(FTA) and the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), promoted and signed by Liberal and Conservative governments who won elections promising not to enter those agreements.
In his book The selling of Free Trade: NAFTA, Washington, and the Subversion of American Democracy ,John R MacArthur discusses the hypocrisy of Brian Mulroney and of Chrétien towards the electorate. At page 267 he writes,”The Liberal party had taken a highly critical position against NAFTA during the election campaign, denouncing the Conservatives in its ‘Red Book’ for allowing Mexico to get protection for its energy resources that Canada does not have.”
He quotes Chrétien who said after the election, “My desire was to be able to sign and not lose face. I named a minister, MacLaren, who was an absolute free trader...They say we flip-flopped, but we changed. I changed the policy of the party, and moved... to accepting NAFTA.”
John MacArthur points out that Chrétien, to appease his own anti- Nafta Liberals, achieved symbolic re-negotiations addressing four sensitive points : creation of a subsidies code, an anti dumping code, a more effective dispute resolution mechanism, and protection of Canadian energy resources equal to Mexico’s. Nothing substantive was changed, but Chrétien got the political cover he needed. These sensitive points remain a major problem today.
On or about March 2004 Mel Hurtig summed up his analysis of NAFTA this way:“It is entirely beyond my comprehension how any Canadians could negotiate and agree to an agreement that is so blatantly harmful to the best interests of our country and its citizens. NAFTA broke new ground in several areas including some that were only indirectly related to existing trade agreements, expanding into services, intellectual property rights, trampling on domestic legislation to favor corporate rights, compromising government’s ability at all levels to take action in many key areas including health care, education, and other areas where the public interest would normally prevail over corporate interests.”
Deeper economic integration is in process under negotiations for the Free Trade Area of the Americas,(FTAA), the General Agreements on Trade and Services, (GATS) which extend the NAFTA like terms to the Americas and to other developed nations .
NAFTA and these other such agreements strip us of our sovereignty in many ways, including:.
1. They violate the fundamental principle of equality before the law as enshrined in ss7 and 15 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in giving investors recourse to courts and tribunals which are denied to Canadians, and conferring on investors a status and immunity from Canadian laws which is denied to Canadians.
2. They elevate the rights of investors over the rights of Canadian citizens, over Canadian domestic, regulatory, and common law, and over governments in Canada, whether federal, provincial, local or aboriginal.
3. They trample on provincial jurisdiction with respect to matters of exclusive provincial jurisdiction.
4. They delegate Canadian sovereignty to foreign bodies not subject to the Constitution of Canada which is the birthright and protection of Canada’s citizens.
5. They call for the spending of monies for the establishment of international tribunals and the paying of compensation to foreign investors contrary to taxing and spending powers under ss53 and 90 of the Constitution Act 1867.
Liberal and Conservative governments have submitted Canadian citizens to the privatization and structural adjustment demands of the World Trade Organization (WTO), International Monetary Fund (IMF), and World Bank rather than being a leader to demand global arrangements that are in the interest of people.
It is these international pressures in the interest of corporate greed that drive our Canadian government to take money from our health care, our education programs, our unemployment insurance programs, all the while asserting that we cannot afford them. Meanwhile a surplus accumulates which government turns over to make unnecessary interest payments to the chartered banks and to reduce the taxes on large corporations.
Now Canadians are facing “NAFTA-Plus”. This is a catchword for the deep military integration in process since the 9/11 event in the U.S.A. In April 2004, Tom D’Aquino, President of the influential Canadian Council of Chief Executives, along with 100 blue-ribbon Canadian CEOs lobbied the United States’ lawmakers to implement deeper integration as swiftly as possible. These CEO’s want “harmonization” of Canada’s foreign, security, and energy policies despite the fact that the U.S.A. has made it clear independent Canadian foreign policy will not be tolerated.
Submitting to the pressures of the USA and Canadian CEO’s, the Liberal government already has entered arrangements on the “Security” and military front that strip Canadians of our democratic rights of liberty and real security. The Liberal have created a new Ministry of Public Safety which mirrors the U.S. Department of Homeland Security which agency strips citizens of their civil liberties.
In December 2001 Deputy Prime Minister John Manley signed the Smart Border Declaration and Associated 30 point Action Plan which strips Canadians further of our liberties. Among the many offensive terms, there is now an integration of all the tax and immigration data of Canadians in the hands of the USA..Information about every Canadian respecting income, assets, debts, social insurance numbers, employment status, occupation, birth place, marriage, divorce, number of children, citizenship status, immigration history, refugee concerns, everything private to us, is in a foreign data bank to be used against Canadians at the whim of the USA.
The U.S. Canada Smart Border Plan effectively removes Canada’s sovereignty over our border and over our personal previously privileged data. . Under this plan Canadian tax information is already in the hands of the United States’ authorities for “security reasons”. Our border will be patrolled by the US. military. We will all be required to undergo “biometric Identifiers” , i.e. eye prints and finger prints to be shared with the U.S. Among many other insidious terms, there is to be a new VISA policy coordination system where Canada no longer decides who gets a VISA to Canada.
In this process of deep integration, we suffer the criminalisation of the state. Our government has deeply tied us already to the U.S. new liberty stripping regime, as created under their Patriot Act and Homeland Security Act . The Liberals gave us overreaching anti-Terrorist legislation (Bill C 36) and they are in process of creating a law (Bill C7) that gives dictatorial powers to a number of Ministers who will have the capacity to shut down the country and declare martial law without any checks and balances, and without going to Parliament.
Recently, the Liberals created a Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Act which is Canada’s mirror to the U.S. Homeland Security Act. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge has said that if the U.S. goes to ‘Red Code Alert’, that would shut down the US. Canada would follow suit. All this in the face of overwhelming evidence that the U.S. fabricated the claim of weapons of mass destruction to justify its attack Iraq.
The integration is so deep already that our own RCMP suggested to the Americans that Maher Arar was a terrorist which misinformation led to Arar’s deportation from Canada and torture. Then the RCMP raided the office of the journalist who blew the whistle.
The Canadian government is already submitting Canada to USA military control. In August 2002, after the Canadian government declined to join NORTHCOM (U.S. Northern Command), it joined the U.S.- Canadian Binational Planning Group(BNG). Again the Liberal deception, pretending the rejection of a military takeover by declining NORTHCOM, but then participating in a planning group that prepares just exactly for that. An option on the table is a North American Defense Command that carries the full spectrum of responsibility for land, maritime , and civil forces, and possibly space. Such a move will be a significant step toward a full integration of North American Defence according to Air Force Lt. Gen. Edward Anderson, the Deputy Command of U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) who was speaking at the Institute of Foreign Policy Analysis-Fletcher Conference held in Washington DC late in 2003.
This means the USA can deploy troops, special forces on Canadian territory, all in the context of collaboration. The Northern Command’s area of operations is the USA home front. Its charter includes the land , sea, and air approaches to the USA and encompasses the continental United States, Alaska, Canada, Mexico, and the surrounding waters out to approximately 500 nautical miles.
There are 40 Canadians who are part of the Binational Planning Group, who are working at US Northern Command headquarters in Colorado, preparing a plan that would consolidate a myriad of military arrangements extending conceivably to missile defence. The U.S. and Canada are reviewing more than 250 cross border agreements and plans that span several decades, preparing a framework to join the nations under a mutual-defence organization that supercedes the North American Aeropsace Defence Command(NORAD).
Michel Chossudovsky, author, researcher, economist, University of Ottawa, stated: “We are dealing with a road map to a police state in America to be implemented in the wake of a national emergency, either under a military form of government or under a police state, which maintains all the appearances of a functioning two party ‘Democracy’”.
Because of the deep integration in process, Canadians will suffer similar violations of our freedoms in any U.S. Red Alert. The electorate in a democracy expects its government to rule and make laws in our interest, not to remove our democratic rights.
It was the fact we have a minority government that prevented Martin from committing us completely at this time to the U.S. Missile Defence system, although as set out above we are already very intertwined with the US military process .The current Conservative party complains that the Liberal government is not doing more to appease the USA and to effect the “harmonization”.
In your frustration as a concerned citizen, please remember that it is your responsibility to defend your liberty. In Canada we still have many alternative parties. Seek them out to find representation that is prepared to take back and defend your democracy. Run for office yourself. You can join the Canadian Action Party and be a candidate. All we ask is that you commit to saving our independent sovereign capacity to make our own decision in our own interest and that you put people first, not corporations. In particular, you commit to taking back power and control over trade, international affairs, money and finance, defence, immigration, all for the best interest of all Canadians in the overall common good. If you want something done right , you have to do it yourself!!
>>>> quite amazing hein! If you want to learn more go to www.canadianactionparty.ca <<<<<
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Anonymous, at 5:35 p.m.
IWell, as damaging as it is, I still say it's true...and Stephen Harper and the Conservatives with their "welfare cheaters" line will inevitably get caught up with this little gaffe.
...once again, the Libs will turn this back on the Cons somehow. Trust me on this one my friend.
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Anonymous, at 9:57 p.m.
You're not kidding it's easy to spoof! There are probably 1500 submissions of a picture just like mine to Rick Mercer's blog, and it will be making the rounds when he chooses the best one to mock the beer and popcorn. Mercer's Kids Not Beer petition is doing a fine job of things too.
By
Saskboy, at 1:40 p.m.
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