Canada needs to review and renew our foreign policy in how we interact with other nations around the world. Are we becoming too involved in foreign conflicts? Are we investing too many dollars in the form of assistance to countries struck by some kind of disaster? Are we too linked to the foreign policies of the United States. Ask your MP how many millions we spend each year outside Canada in conflicts like Afghanistan? Ask your MP how many millions we spend each year outside Canada to assist some nation struck by a natural disaster or a disaster of their own making like Chernobyl?
The US tends to be too involved in the affairs of other nations. They are too quick to enter into conflicts abroad and too generous in assisting other nations. The US needs to look after domestic policies and their own economic crisis. Canada should do the same!
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Rising Fuel Costs
The cost of fuel is on the rise again. There is speculation it may go higher and stay high over the long term. Today Industry Minister Tony Clement has indicated fuel costs are less than transparent and he wants the oil industry to explain to a Commons committee how they are arriving at their pricing levels. The public has always been in the dark on this issue and they deserve an explanation to assure that the industry is not simply gouging consumers on fuel pricing. Is it possible the new majority conservative government will get some action on this issue or will they cave in to the big oil giants.
The rising cost of oil and fuel at the pumps is a windfall for governments. The government may have to consider sharing increased revenues with consumers by reducing taxes on fuel. The Harper conservatives are always talking about reducing taxes. Now would be a good time to put that theory into practice. Read more...
The rising cost of oil and fuel at the pumps is a windfall for governments. The government may have to consider sharing increased revenues with consumers by reducing taxes on fuel. The Harper conservatives are always talking about reducing taxes. Now would be a good time to put that theory into practice. Read more...
Tuesday, May 03, 2011
Conservative Majority Government
The 2011 Federal Election is over and we can now all get back to normal. Congratulations to Prime Minister Stephen Harper. He proved all the pollsters and political pundits wrong. It was an impossible election to call and the voters democratically made their choice.
Stephen Harper had a sense of both the fears and the hopes of Canadian voters. It was an historical election in all regards. Rare conservative back to back victories, a first for the NDP forming the official opposition and the once mighty liberals being relegated to third party status. Further, the Green Party made history with the election of their leader, Elizabeth May.
The NDP will be pleased with a conservative majority, as this will give them time to solidify their support and train all their new members. The liberals are not so fortunate. They have the daunting task of rebuilding their party from the ground up and selecting a new leader. Only the Bloc Party is worse off than the liberals are.
The voters were the real winners in this election. They were tired of too many elections in such short periods. They chose a majority government. The voters chose the best party and the best leader to govern Canada at this time in our history. Voters chose a western leader who built on the belief that the west wants in and a leader with support across all regions of the country. A leader whom will govern from the center right and whom will serve all Canadians regardless of how they voted. We are now closer to a two party system given the results of this election. Now nearly eliminated, the Bloc may be gone forever. That will better serve Canada.
The voters granted Prime Minister Stephen Harper the majority government he asked for. Voters will now watch carefully to see how better he will serve Canada with his majority government. Voter expectations will be high. It will be a challenge for the Prime Minister, but we should all wish him well as it is in our best interests.
The results of this election produced an historical political realignment. It is certain we are entering some form of new era in Canadian politics. We can thank all the voters for these exciting times in our political history. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out. We face a political future governed by Stephen Harper’s conservative majority with the official opposition lead by Jack Layton and the NDP. May God Bless Canada and all Canadians.
Stephen Harper had a sense of both the fears and the hopes of Canadian voters. It was an historical election in all regards. Rare conservative back to back victories, a first for the NDP forming the official opposition and the once mighty liberals being relegated to third party status. Further, the Green Party made history with the election of their leader, Elizabeth May.
The NDP will be pleased with a conservative majority, as this will give them time to solidify their support and train all their new members. The liberals are not so fortunate. They have the daunting task of rebuilding their party from the ground up and selecting a new leader. Only the Bloc Party is worse off than the liberals are.
The voters were the real winners in this election. They were tired of too many elections in such short periods. They chose a majority government. The voters chose the best party and the best leader to govern Canada at this time in our history. Voters chose a western leader who built on the belief that the west wants in and a leader with support across all regions of the country. A leader whom will govern from the center right and whom will serve all Canadians regardless of how they voted. We are now closer to a two party system given the results of this election. Now nearly eliminated, the Bloc may be gone forever. That will better serve Canada.
The voters granted Prime Minister Stephen Harper the majority government he asked for. Voters will now watch carefully to see how better he will serve Canada with his majority government. Voter expectations will be high. It will be a challenge for the Prime Minister, but we should all wish him well as it is in our best interests.
The results of this election produced an historical political realignment. It is certain we are entering some form of new era in Canadian politics. We can thank all the voters for these exciting times in our political history. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out. We face a political future governed by Stephen Harper’s conservative majority with the official opposition lead by Jack Layton and the NDP. May God Bless Canada and all Canadians.
Monday, May 02, 2011
Election Day
The big day has arrived. It is Election Day in Canada and the outcome has never been more uncertain. Polling companies across the country published numbers regularly with some on a daily basis. Voter intentions varied from day to day and predictions for the outcome today will be a guess at best.
The last reported polls indicated an historical realignment of voter intentions. It is likely we will have another conservative minority government. It is likely the NDP will form the official opposition. The liberals across the country and the Bloc in Quebec seem likely to be the big losers.
It is surprising to hear Stephen Harper begging for support from liberal supporters in his attempt to stay ahead of the NDP. Harper has been obsessed with destroying the liberal party and now he is begging for their support. Stephen Harper’s obsession with power and control is a threatening aspect of the Harper conservatives.
A majority government would better serve Canadian voters. No party to this point has earned a majority confidence of the voters. The Harper conservatives made repeated calls throughout this election for a majority government from voters and that may turnout to have been a big mistake. The same is likely true of Harper’s plea for support from the liberals in the dying days of this campaign. It makes Stephen Harper look desperate and many believe he is desperate for power. Will voters keep the Harper conservatives in check by denying them their desperate grab for power?
One can only speculate on what voters will decide today and what we will wake up to come Tuesday morning. One thing is sure. The media will have a great week immediately following this election.
The female and youth vote may be more prominent in this election than in previous elections. In addition, voter turnout should be higher. Be sure you are part of the numbers that make up the outcome of this election. Please respect our democratic rights. Get out and vote. This is your day.
The predictions of this blog are as follows:
Canada
Conservatives: 144
NDP: 84
Liberals: 57
Bloc: 23
Saskatchewan
Conservatives: 12
Liberals: 1
NDP: 1
The last reported polls indicated an historical realignment of voter intentions. It is likely we will have another conservative minority government. It is likely the NDP will form the official opposition. The liberals across the country and the Bloc in Quebec seem likely to be the big losers.
It is surprising to hear Stephen Harper begging for support from liberal supporters in his attempt to stay ahead of the NDP. Harper has been obsessed with destroying the liberal party and now he is begging for their support. Stephen Harper’s obsession with power and control is a threatening aspect of the Harper conservatives.
A majority government would better serve Canadian voters. No party to this point has earned a majority confidence of the voters. The Harper conservatives made repeated calls throughout this election for a majority government from voters and that may turnout to have been a big mistake. The same is likely true of Harper’s plea for support from the liberals in the dying days of this campaign. It makes Stephen Harper look desperate and many believe he is desperate for power. Will voters keep the Harper conservatives in check by denying them their desperate grab for power?
One can only speculate on what voters will decide today and what we will wake up to come Tuesday morning. One thing is sure. The media will have a great week immediately following this election.
The female and youth vote may be more prominent in this election than in previous elections. In addition, voter turnout should be higher. Be sure you are part of the numbers that make up the outcome of this election. Please respect our democratic rights. Get out and vote. This is your day.
The predictions of this blog are as follows:
Canada
Conservatives: 144
NDP: 84
Liberals: 57
Bloc: 23
Saskatchewan
Conservatives: 12
Liberals: 1
NDP: 1
Sunday, May 01, 2011
Stephen Harper - Minority Man Again?
The Harper conservatives failed to run a successful campaign by focusing on the issue of a possible coalition government if they failed to win a majority government. They began the campaign with harsh and personal attacks on Michael Ignatieff. They claimed he would lead some form of coalition with the other opposition parties. This added to the demise of the liberal party already struggling to define themselves with voters.
Now over the last ten days the NDP have surged past the liberals. The Harper conservatives are now directing harsh and personal attacks against Jack Layton. Stephen Harper is now claiming Jack Layton will lead some form of coalition with the other opposition parties. He is also claiming a Jack Layton lead coalition would be the total demise of our economy. This is a stretch since we have had successful NDP governments in Saskatchewan and Manitoba for decades. Harper is even on record praising Gary Doer, former Manitoba NDP Premier, when he appointed him to serve as Ambassador of Canada to the US. The Harper conservatives have been losing support across the country in the last week and are now less than ten points ahead of the NDP with the liberals still falling in third place.
Now Stephen Harper is refusing to say what he will do if he fails to win a majority and the confidence of the House of Commons. If Stephen Harper believed a coalition was possible it seems he should have been prepared with a plan to deal with his own prediction. Apparently, he has failed in that regard as well as he refuses to answer any questions on the matter.
The failure of Stephen Harper to run a Prime Ministerial like campaign raised concerns with nervous voters. They are now less likely to give Harper a majority government. The voters are always right and it seems they do not have enough confidence in any one of the parties to hand them a majority. A majority would stave off yet another early election. It seems at this time Stephen Harper will continue to serve as Canada’s Minority Man, but for how long.
Now over the last ten days the NDP have surged past the liberals. The Harper conservatives are now directing harsh and personal attacks against Jack Layton. Stephen Harper is now claiming Jack Layton will lead some form of coalition with the other opposition parties. He is also claiming a Jack Layton lead coalition would be the total demise of our economy. This is a stretch since we have had successful NDP governments in Saskatchewan and Manitoba for decades. Harper is even on record praising Gary Doer, former Manitoba NDP Premier, when he appointed him to serve as Ambassador of Canada to the US. The Harper conservatives have been losing support across the country in the last week and are now less than ten points ahead of the NDP with the liberals still falling in third place.
Now Stephen Harper is refusing to say what he will do if he fails to win a majority and the confidence of the House of Commons. If Stephen Harper believed a coalition was possible it seems he should have been prepared with a plan to deal with his own prediction. Apparently, he has failed in that regard as well as he refuses to answer any questions on the matter.
The failure of Stephen Harper to run a Prime Ministerial like campaign raised concerns with nervous voters. They are now less likely to give Harper a majority government. The voters are always right and it seems they do not have enough confidence in any one of the parties to hand them a majority. A majority would stave off yet another early election. It seems at this time Stephen Harper will continue to serve as Canada’s Minority Man, but for how long.
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