Election 2015

[The Unknown Poster]

@CTVNews: NDP leader Tom Mulcair 'not entertaining any thought' of running a deficit http://t.co/Hc6VylqNCb#elxn42 http://t.co/bfVGYLCv7U

[rebusrankin]

Mulcair is either running a large deficit to pay for all his promises or raising taxes. I think he implements a major carbon tax if elected. But hey, I think Notley is waiting to release her budget so as not to mess with Tom's chances.

[Noeller]

The more I'm reading lately, the more I think the NDP numbers are going to start falling off hard as we get closer and closer to the election. I think it's going to start becoming a 2-horse race again between the Grits and Tories...

[The Unknown Poster]

I would bet money, if the NDP won, they will claim they never intended to run a deficit but now the economy has changed and its necessary.

[sweep the leg]

I would bet money, if the NDP won, they will claim they never intended to run a deficit but now the economy has changed and its necessary.

Of course they will. That's what every gov't says when they run a deficit.

[The Unknown Poster]

 

I would bet money, if the NDP won, they will claim they never intended to run a deficit but now the economy has changed and its necessary.

Of course they will. That's what every gov't says when they run a deficit.

 

I would hold the Cons responsible if they do it though since they have been very clear that despite economic warnings, they intend to balance the budget.  A minority Con government changes things because the opposition will force them into deficit so 3-4 years later they can claim Harper lied.

[sweep the leg]

 

 

I would bet money, if the NDP won, they will claim they never intended to run a deficit but now the economy has changed and its necessary.

Of course they will. That's what every gov't says when they run a deficit.

 

I would hold the Cons responsible if they do it though since they have been very clear that despite economic warnings, they intend to balance the budget.  A minority Con government changes things because the opposition will force them into deficit so 3-4 years later they can claim Harper lied.

 

A Conservative majority would never post a deficit.

[17to85]

The more I'm reading lately, the more I think the NDP numbers are going to start falling off hard as we get closer and closer to the election. I think it's going to start becoming a 2-horse race again between the Grits and Tories...

I dunno man, polls show Quebec is still fully on board with the NDP and now BC seems to be joining their party. Damned granola eating hippy tree huggers and french losers. 

 

 

Mulcair is either running a large deficit to pay for all his promises or raising taxes. I think he implements a major carbon tax if elected. But hey, I think Notley is waiting to release her budget so as not to mess with Tom's chances.

Absolutely is, on orders from the NDP. Provincial and federal wings are the same party so she's doing Tom a solid. Ridiculous because we all know they're raising taxes. For the life of me I don't understand why the Conservatives aren't bringing up the **** show that is the Sellinger government every chance they get. That would be my first piece of evidence that the NDP are the boogeymen people say they are. 

[The Unknown Poster]

Cons might be saving some things for later.

 

Their strategy might have been to weather the Duffy trial, which they seem to have done.  Now they are targeting swing ridings.  Id like to think they will come out swinging as we get closer.

[Tracker]

10 Reasons to Vote for Anyone but Harper

1. Bill C51. In my mind this is the biggest reason to not vote for Harper, or anyone who supports this bill. Experts representing indigenous people, human rights and civil liberties groups, Muslim Canadians, environmental organizations, the legal community, the country's privacy watchdog, immigrants and refugees, the labour movement, former judges and politicians and others have spoken out against C51. There have been country-wide protests, petitions and pending lawsuits. This bill stands to strip our rights and freedoms away while blindly handing control over to our government and other sectors who are not required to report to ANYONE! In fact under certain parts of this bill I could be legally detained just for writing this article.

2. The economy and job growth. If you watched the Maclean's debate you would have heard Harper say he has the best economic and job growth record of any other country, ignoring the fact we are the only G7 country in a recession and that he actually has the worst economic record of any prime minister since the Second World War and has the worst job creation record of any prime minister since then.

3. Veteran affairs. Harper claims that his government is spending an additional $5 billion on veteran's since taking office. When the fact is he has closed numerous Veteran Affairs' offices, cut staff positions for veteran affairs and spent $700,000 fighting AGAINST veterans in court.

4. Income splitting and Universal Child Care Benefit. Now this has been used quite regularly by Harper when he wants to use an example of good things he has done for Canadian families. The truth is income splitting only benefits 15 per cent of already well off Canadians and does nothing for average and low income families who really need to help. Also cutting the child tax CREDIT and replacing it with a lower TAXABLE Child care benefit will cost families more money in the long run. Most people feel the lump sum cheque was nothing more then an attempt to buy votes and I tend to agree.

5. Seven consecutive deficits. Before Harper took leadership there were nine consecutive years of budgetary surpluses. During that time Ottawa was able to accumulate a surplus of over $79 billion. In contrast Harper's first eight years as prime minister produced seven consecutive deficits that have added up to $127 billion.

6. Muzzling of government scientists. Harper's control issues rear their ugly head when it comes to our scientists. Even after making important discoveries they must endure a painfully long process to just be able to talk about their discoveries and more often than not they are held up by red tape. Meanwhile some of them choose to travel to other countries to share findings and are met with applause and media attention. This is both a dangerous and completely unnecessary game that Harper continues to play.

7. Charity attacks. Harper's government spent a whopping $13.4 million fighting charities through the CRA. Just a few weeks ago Canadian charities received support from the U.N.. "These audits have resulted in mounting fear of losing charitable status, and therefore necessary funding sources, across the entire charitable sector. Human rights in Canada are under assault, and the U.N. Human Rights Committee noted that today," said Canada Without Poverty president Harriett MacLachlan.

8. First Nations. Harper shows little regard for issues facing our First Nations. "It isn't really high on our radar, to be honest," is what he said when asked about the possibility of a public inquiry into missing aboriginal women. Harper and his aboriginal affairs minister both declined the invitation to speak at the summer gathering of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) last month. Not surprising considering his track record of overall avoiding any kind of conversation surrounding first nation concerns.

9. Stripping of federal protection of our lakes and rivers. Thanks to Harper's new Navigation Protection Act, 99 per cent of our lakes and rivers now have no federal protection according to Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow. Documents reveal that the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association were the ones who initially pushed for these changes and Harper, of course, obliged.

10. Above the law. Harper saw no problem destroying long gun registry records -- in the middle of an active access request -- then amended the law that would have made those actions illegal. His attack ads against the Liberals featuring ISIS appear to break the laws he set with Bill C51. He has so far ignored laws that require his government to come up with a plan for threatened or endangered species. He breaks protocol by showing soldiers faces in promotional videos for himself. And I have personally lost count of how many of Harper's allies and officials have landed themselves in court (Mike Duffy for example).

This is a rather short list of the shortfalls of Harper and the disgrace he brings to our country and I urge everyone to fully research candidates and get out and VOTE. I think the newest campaign launched by our veterans says it best when they say ABC: Anyone but Conservative.

[iso_55]

 

The more I'm reading lately, the more I think the NDP numbers are going to start falling off hard as we get closer and closer to the election. I think it's going to start becoming a 2-horse race again between the Grits and Tories...

I dunno man, polls show Quebec is still fully on board with the NDP and now BC seems to be joining their party. Damned granola eating hippy tree huggers and french losers. 

 

 

Mulcair is either running a large deficit to pay for all his promises or raising taxes. I think he implements a major carbon tax if elected. But hey, I think Notley is waiting to release her budget so as not to mess with Tom's chances.

Absolutely is, on orders from the NDP. Provincial and federal wings are the same party so she's doing Tom a solid. Ridiculous because we all know they're raising taxes. For the life of me I don't understand why the Conservatives aren't bringing up the **** show that is the Sellinger government every chance they get. That would be my first piece of evidence that the NDP are the boogeymen people say they are. 

 

All the Conservatives are concentrating on is Trudeau with the same message that he's not ready but no ads about Mulcair. I find that interesting. 

[17to85]

All the Conservatives are concentrating on is Trudeau with the same message that he's not ready but no ads about Mulcair. I find that interesting. 

 

 

I think they're still stuck on the idea that the swing voters are between Liberal and Conservative and that they can siphon enough people that way. I don't buy it. That likely works in Ontario but in the west people are more likely to vote NDP than Liberal it seems to me so there's a lot of gains for the NDP to make there. 

[The Unknown Poster]

@Tracker - many of those are political positions.  Income splitting etc. 

 

Bill C-51 is a lot of fear mongering.  Its one of those things people will stop talking about in time.  The list is really a partisian attack not a reasonable argument.  And the mention of Duffy is rich considering it was $90,000 which the Cons ordered be paid back as opposed to the $2.7 million the NDP still wont repay.

 

The idea of "Anyone but..." is an admission that there is no suitable opposition.

 

But two can play that game.

 

There are many reason to vote for Stephen Harper.

 

tter than what it was before they were elected.

1. Adoption Expense Tax Credit increased — from a one-time $13,100 to 15,000 in 2014 (Link)
2. Adult “Basic” Education Northern Initiative — announced by PM Harper on Thursday, Feb. 23rd, 2012 in Iqaluit, for Aboriginal people living in the three territories; (Link)
3. Aga Khan and PM Harper open Ismaili Centre and Aga Khan Museum — a multicultural partnership dedicated to artistic & intellectual contributions by Muslims (Link)
4. Age of Consent Legislation — raised from 14 to 16 effective May 1, 2008 (Link)
5. Air India Final Report of the Commission of Inquiry — PM Harper apologizes to the friends and relatives of all those who died in that disaster (Link)
6. Apology to Native People — by the Government of Canada on June 11, 2008 for residential school abuses (Link)
7. Arctic All-Season Highway — a 137 kilometer project linking Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk and the Arctic Ocean for first time (Link)
8. Arctic Research Council launched to improve lives for people in the North — for resource development, shipping, marine safety, community infrastructure (Link)
9. Benin Foreign Investment & Promotion Protection Agreement (FIPA) — legally binding rights and obligations with respect to investment in effect May 12, 2014 (Link)
10. Beyond the Border Agreement with the U.S. — passed in late 2011, on perimeter security co-operation (Link)
11. Boundary Dam at Estevan, Saskatchewan — site of carbon capture coal plant receiving $240 million in federal subsidies (Link)
12. Canada Apprentice Loan Program — up to $4000 for those registered in any Red Seals apprenticeship training announced in January 2015(Link)
13. Canada’s Citizenship Act Amendment — to reduce processing time to less than a year and reducing backlog by over 80% (Link)
14. Canada/EU Trade Agreement — although ratification still required, an `End of Negotiations`Agreement signed on September 26, 2014 (Link)
15. Canada Student Loan Program expanded — to include shorter-term duration educational programs of at least 34 weeks duration (Link)
16. Canadian Wheat Board Monopoly Ends — Bill C18 removed the CWB’s monopoly regarding decisions made by many Western farmers to market their wheat (Link)
17. China Foreign Investment Deal (FIPA) — while controversial, sets out legal framework to clarify obligations and rights re investment in Canada (Link)
18. Chinese Head Tax Apology— by the government on June 22, 2006 (Link) (Link)
19. Chinese Immigrant Provision — of $20,000 to every individual and/or surviving spouses who paid the head tax plus $24 million towards an “historical recognition program”(Link)
20. Columbia Free Trade Agreement — went into force on August 15th, 2011 (Link)
21. Consumer Product Safety Act — came into effect June 20, 2011 to ensure manufacturers do not market dangerous products (Link)
22. Corporate Tax Rate — reduced from 18% to 16.5% effective January 2012, with another 1.5% reduction in 2012 to 15% (Link)
23. Corrupt Regimes Act (C-61) – allows Canada to act upon the request of a foreign state to freeze the assets that their former leaders and members of their entourage, including family members, senior officials and associates, may have placed in Canadian financial institutions (Link)
24. Czech Republic Foreign Investment Promotion & Protection Agreement (FIPA)— went into force January 22nd, 2012 (Link)
25. Devolution of Land & Resources in the Northwest Territories — from the federal government to the Government took place on April 1st, 2014 with the legislation receiving Royal Assent on March 25, 2014 (Link) (Link)
26. Disability Savings Plan — part of the 2007 budget, it was fully implemented in December, 2008 (Link)
27. Ebola Virus Eradication — Conservative gov’t committed $ 113.4 million to support health & humanitarian efforts in Western Africa (Link)
28. Eeyou Marine Region Land Claims Agreement — between Canada, Nunavut and Grand Council of the Crees (Link)
29. Employer Caregiver’s Plan — called the CECP, it is an attempt to help employers help employees who have caring responsibilities (Link)
30. Employment Insurance Premiums Reduced —  in the fall of 2014 by 15% for to encourage small businesses to hire (Link)
31. Exploited Persons Act — legislation that received Royal Assent to protect against drug, organized or prostitution type of crime (Link)
32. Express Entry Immigration into Canada Program — when skilled immigrants to Canada will get quick entry so that they can contribute to economy (Link) (Link)
33. Fair Representation Act — Bill C-20 became law on Dec. 16, 2011 and will come into effect for the 2015 federal election (338 seats in total rather than the current 308) (Link)
34. Fair Elections Act — requires Chief Electoral Officer to lay out clear electoral guidelines became law on June 19, 2014 (Link) (Link) (Link)
35. Fairness at the Pumps Act (C-14) – protects Canadian consumers from inaccurate measurements when purchasing gasoline effective August 2014 (Link) (Link)
36. Family Caregiver Tax Credit — Bill C-13 established a new $2000 tax credit on December 15, 2011 to help families dealing with challenging medical expenses (Link)
37. Family Income Splitting — families with children under 18 will be allowed to split income beginning in 2014 up to $50,000 with credit capped at $2000.00 (Link)
38. Federal Infrastructure Plan — longest long-term plan in Canadian history supporting projects that enhance economic growth, job creation and productivity (Link) (Link)
39. First Nations Transparency Act — passed on March 27th, 2013 and requires all First Nations to post financial records and documents on a website as of July 1st, 2014 (Link)
40. Food Labelling Initiative — to clarify and modernize labelling on food products, including “Product of Canada” and “Made in Canada” claims (Link)
41. Forest Market Opportunity Program — supporting innovation and diversification in the forest sector until March 2016 (Link)
42. Free Trade Agreement — signed on July 2, 2009 — between Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland (Link)
43. Gun Registry Scrapped — as the legislation passed Third Reading (Link) (Royal Assent)
44. Gender Equity in Indian Registration — legislation that addresses a court ruling on gender discrimination in the Indian Act (Link)
45. GIS Improvements — for seniors in 2006, changed to allow for higher earned income — (Link)
46. GST /HST– Goods & Services Tax Cut — From 7% to 6% and then to 5% (Link)
47. Haiti’s Debt to Canada Cancelled — on June 25, 2010, at the G8 meeting in Huntsville (Link)
48. Honduras Free Trade Agreement — completed and signed on November 5th, 2013 and will enter into force on June 19, 2014 (Link) (Link) (Link)
49. Identity Theft Legislation– (Bill S-4) — received Royal Assent on October 27, 2009 — for obtaining and possessing identity information, trafficking in that information or unlawfully possessing or trafficking in gov’t documents (Link)
50. Immigration and Refugee Protection Act Amendment (C-35) – to crack down on crooked immigration consultants who exploit prospective immigrants and undermine the integrity of Canada’s immigration system (Link)
51. Income Splitting for Canadian Seniors — a change to the Income Tax Act for pensioners starting in 2006 (Link)
52. Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement signed (Link)
53. Infrastructure “New Building Canada Plan” — $53 Billion to support the renewal and construction of municipal infrastructure (Link) (Link)
54. International Child & Maternal Health at U.N.– $3.5 billion committed for 2015-2020, building on Muskoka 2010 – 2015 initiative (Link) (Link) (Link)
55. Internet Spam Protection — signed December 15, 2010 to protect consumers and business from the most harmful and misleading forms of online threats (Link)
56. Jordan Free Trade Agreement — went into force on October 1st, 2012 (Link)
57. Kid’s sport tax credit — up to $500 per child (Link)
58. Kruger Mill Investment in Trois Rivieres, Quebec — Government to provide $15 million towards development of first cellulose filament production facility (Link)
59. Kuwait Foreign Investment Promotion & Protection Agreement (FIPA) — went into force February 19, 2014 (Link)
60. Land Claim Agreements with First Nations — over 800 claims concluded since the gov’t came into power (See progress chart at this Link)
61. Latvia Foreign Investment Promotion & Protection Agreement (FIPA) — went into force November 24, 2011 (Link)
62. Manley Report — approved (Report — click for PDF file at link)
63. Mental Health Commission of Canada — established and incorporated as a non-profit corporation in March of 2007 (Link)
64. Mission Against ISIL extended March 30, 2015 — to aid the people of Iraq and Syria (Link)
65. Missing Persons DNA Index — $8.1 million allocated to develop, over 5 years, help matching missing persons to their families (Link)
66. Northern Regional Development Economic Agency — announced by Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Tuesday, August 18th, 2009 in Iqaluit, Nunavut (Link)
67. Nunavik Inuit Land Claims — Agreement (Link)
68. Offshore Health & Safety Act — Bill C-5 to implement Newfoundland and Nova Scotia Atlantic offshore accord with Royal Assent June 19, 2014 (Link)
69. Ombudsman for Victims of Crime — Established (Link)
70. On-reserve schools grant of $500 million — in 2014 to be available from investment of $5.8 billion Infrastructure Fund (Link)
71. Panama Free Trade Agreement — went into force on April 1st, 2013 (Link)
72. Peru – Canada Free Trade Agreement — adopted by Parliament June 18, 2009 (Link)
73. Prime Minister Harper’s speech to Israeli Parliament — on January 20, 2014 (Link)
74. Protecting Victims from Sexual Offenders — signed on December 15, 2010 to protect children against sexual predators (Link)
75. Public transit tax credits (Link)
76. Red Tape Reduction Act — passed in 2014 to make sure the One-for-One rule in law (Link)
77. Research Excellence Fund for post-secondary institutions — $1.5 billion competitively available that results in long-term economic advantages for Canada (Link)
78. Romania Foreign Investment Promotion & Protection Agreement (FIPA) — went into effect November 23rd, 2011 (Link)
79. Rotary Foundation Polio Eradication Award — in 2014 to PM Harper for the millions the Conservative gov’t has contributed to eradicate the disease (Link)
80. Rouge National Urban Park Act –– enacting and enlarging the Rouge National Urban Park in Pickering and Uxbridge, Ontario (Link)
81. Safe Streets & Communities Act — passed March June 13, 2012 to protect children and communities against terrorism (Link) (Link)
82. Self-employ Fairness Act — (Bill C-56) — provides special benefits to the self employed on a volunteer basis (Link)
83. Slovak Republic Foreign Investment Promotion & Protection Agreement (FIPA) — went into effect March 14, 2012 (Link)
84. Small Business Tax reduction — through a Job Credit to lower EI premiums (Link)
85. Small Craft Harbours Improvement Fund — provides an investment of $10.6 million (Link)
86. Softwood Lumber Agreement (Bill C-24) (Link)
87. South Korea Free Trade Agreement Signed on September 22, 2014 — 1st Asia Pacific Agreement with final legislative steps for full implementation on November 26, 2014 (Link) (Link)
88. Tanzania Government Foreign Investment Promotion & Protection Agreement (FIPA) — went into effect December 9th, 2013 (Link)
89. Tax cuts made 160 Times — since the Conservatives took office in 2006 (Link)
90. Tax Free Savings Account with an initial annual limit of $5500.00 — which was raised to $10,000 in April 2015 budget (Link) (Link)
91. Taxpayers Bill of Rights (Link)
92. Taxpayers Ombudsman (Link)
93. Temporary Foreign Workers Program — reforms made so that Canadians are hired first (Link)
94. Ukrainian & Eastern European immigrants — Gov’t to distribute $10 million to educate Canadians about the internment in Canadian work camps during WWI (Link)
95. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko invited to speak in House of Commons — indicating PM Harper`s full support of the Ukrainian people (Link)
96. UN Global Fund contribution for mothers, newborns and young children — $540 million pledged for 2015-2020 by PM Harper and added to the $1.5 billion already promised at the G8 summit in Muskoka and G20 in Toronto, it is the largest contribution ever made by Canada to an international health institution (Link) A further commitment was made in 2014 for the 2015-2020 period for $3.5 billion.
97. Universal Child Care Benefit — in 2006 $1,200.00 per year for every child under age six (Link)
98. Universal Child Care Benefit Enhancement — effective January 1st, 2015, beginning July 1st, 2015, parents will receive $160.00 per child per month up to age six and $60.00 for each child aged 6 to 17 (Link) (Link) (Link)
99. Victims Bill of Rights — Bill C-32 passed on June 18th, 2014 — (Link) (Link)
100. White Collar Crime Act — Bill C-21 was reintroduced after the May 2, 2011 federal election and became law on November 1, 2011 (Link)

[Mr Dee]

Well, let's see how the Harper balanced the last budget...

- cut 36 billion for health care over 10 years.

- closed veteran centres and cut the Coast Guard.

- dumped Canada's GM stock...at a huge loss, 2.1 billion

- raided the Federal Emergency Contigency Fund, 2 billion

- over-charge EI premiums and spend the surplus, 3.4 billion

- over-estimate tar sands revenue?, 1 billion

- ignore 700 billion in infrastructure investment

- cut billions from environmental, food inspection, aviation safety....

Voila...done.

[The Unknown Poster]

Yup but he balanced the budget! lol

 

The EI fund is an issue dating back way before Conservatives were in power.

 

The funny thing about the Anti-Harper crowd is they have no alternatives.  Complain about the deficit, but you think Mulcair is going to do better?  Ha!  Trudeau still doesnt know what "middle class" is and thinks the budget will balance itself and that we should fix the economy beginning in our hearts.  awwww.  The Cons are the only real option until the Liberals get their heads out of their asses.

[Mr Dee]

You think a list of 100 things that Harper brought in is something?

 

I'll link you to a list…in one category, that is scary.   

 

Posted on August 23, 2015 | James O'Grady | Written on May 20, 2013 - See more at: http://unpublishedottawa.com/letter/8548/canadian-war-science-long-unexaggerated-devastating-chronological-indictment#sthash.ZAI5blSN.dpuf

The Canadian War on Science: A long, unexaggerated, devastating chronological indictment 

 

Hundreds of examples of the current Conservative Canadian government’s long campaign to undermine evidence-based scientific, environmental and technical decision-making. 

 

​Scan this list…it is very long and kind of unsettling.

[Mark F]

 cut 36 billion for health care over 10 years.

 

 

that's a deal breaker for me.

[Tracker]

SECTION I. ABUSING PARLIAMENT: SABOTAGE, SCANDALS, CORRUPTION AND CONTEMPT

This section includes examples of willful misgoverning by the PM and his team, 31 times they have lied, flouted rules and stymied democracy to achieve political and ideological ends.

1. PMO Tied to Senate Hush Money Scandal

An RCMP affidavit reported widespread involvement by PMO staffers in a secret payment to Senator Mike Duffy to try and make a political problem go away. The Senate expenses scandal brought on allegations of a cover-up, a breach of the public trust, and a whitewashing of a Senate report. The PMO was found to have hand in the altering of a damning Deloitte audit.

2. Harper Found in Contempt of Parliament

For refusing to disclose information on the costing of programs to Parliament, which Parliament was entitled to receive, the Harper government became the first in Canadian history to be foundin contempt of Parliament.

3. Against Court Order, Refusal to Share Budget Info

Even though it lost a court case and was ordered to comply, the Harper government nevertheless refused to share 170 times reasons and impacts for cuts with Canada's independent budget watchdog, mocking Parliament's right to control the public purse.

4. Conservative Cabinet Staffers Granted Immunity from Testimony

A PMO edict absolved political staffers from ever having to testify before parliamentary committees. 

5. Conservatives Falsify Reports and Documents

Among documents deliberately altered in the writing or the quoting by the government: CIDA document by Bev Oda's office on Kairos; the Senate Committee Report on the Duffy affair; a report by former auditor general Sheila Fraser on financial management.

 

6. Repeated Duplicity in Afghan Detainees Controversy

Among the abuses: Parliament was misled and denied documents. An inquiry was shut down. Tories attempted to discredit diplomat Richard Colvin whose testimony diverted from the government's line. 

7. Repeated Duplicity on Costing of F-35 Fighter Jets

An auditor general's report revealed serial deceptive practices used by the Conservatives in misleading the public and Parliament on the projected cost of the fighter jets.

8. Harper Minister Lies, Blames Statistics Canada for Killing Long Form Census

Under fire for Conservatives killing the long form census, Industry Minister Tony Clement falsely stated that StatsCan backed the idea and assured the voluntary substitute would yield valid statistical data. Neither was true, outraged StatsCan sources confirmed. 

9. Conservative MP Admits He Lied to Parliament

As opposition members claimed the Harper government was out to rig election rules in its favour, Conservative MP Brad Butt rose in the House of Commons to say why the bill was needed -- all the voter fraud he had personally witnessed. Weeks later he rose again to say his statements were false. Delivering his strained apology, he failed to explain why he lied in the first place. 

10. Conservative House Leader Admits to Mockery of Question Period

Criticized far and wide for farcical answers in question period, Paul Calandra, parliamentary secretary to Harper, made a tearful apology for abuse of the democratic process.

11. Harper Maligns the Supreme Court Chief Justice

The Prime Minister took the unprecedented step of alleging inappropriate conduct by Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin. Facts undermined the credibility of the PM's position. 

12. Conservatives Engage in Abuse of Process with Omnibus Bills

Harper's party pushed legislation through Parliament via omnibus bills, the scale of which Parliament had never seen. Such bills are widely condemned as an abuse of the democratic process, because they blend and bury so many controversial laws within one dense package. Harper himself once railed against them, and his born again love for them made his own MPs queasy. Referencing such bills, former auditor general Sheila Fraser said that "Parliament has become so undermined that it is almost unable to do the job that people expect of it." 

13. Harperites Deliberately Sabotage, Stymie Committee System

Conservatives used tactics such as barring witnesses, closure, time limitations, and in camera sessions to an extent rarely, if ever, witnessed in Canada. In their early days in power, top Conservatives prepared a handbook instructing committee chairpersons how to obstruct proceedings.

14. Harper's Own MPs Protest Muzzling

In a caucus known for his tight discipline, in 2014 some members finally rose up to contest being censored at question period by the Prime Minister's Office. Former Conservative backbencher Brent Rathgeber turned independent and published a book, Irresponsible Government, decrying anti-democratic practices. 

15. Conservative Bill Rewrites History to Protect Mounties from Potential Criminal Charges

To protect the RCMP, the government retroactively made an old bill come into force before it was passed by Parliament. 

16. Harper Minister Caught in Advertising Scam with Public Funds

The Globe and Mail revealed that Harper's chosen Minister for Democratic Reform Pierre Poilievre commissioned a team of public servants for overtime work on a Sunday to film him glad-handing constituents. The vanity video on the taxpayer dime was to promote the government's benefits for families.

17. Corrupt Conservative Cronies

The Senate scandal is just the latest eruption of crony corruption in Harperite ranks. Take Bruce Carson. He was a convicted fraudster before Harper made him a key advisor in the PMO. There, Carson was lobbied for money for a new University of Calgary eco-think tank. He then left the PMO to run the same think tank, converting it to an oil industry booster with a $15-million grant from the Harper government. The complex saga added one more criminal charge to others Carson faces for allegedly illegally working his connections with the Harper government. 

18. Access to Information System Impeded

Many new roadblocks have been put up by the Harper Conservatives. Former Information Commissioner Robert Marleau concluded that having obtained absolute power, the prime minister "has absolutely abused that power to the maximum."

19. The Silencing of the Public Service

The PMO took an unprecedented step in instituting a system wherein the bureaucracy has all its communications vetted by the political nerve centre. The policy contribution role of the public service is significantly reduced. Complaints from insiders allege that the Privy Council office has become increasingly politicized.

20. Loyalty Oaths Imposed on Public Servants

Archivists and librarians were made to swear strict oaths of allegiance and were hit with restrictions on freedom of speech that editorialists of the right and left described as chilling. 

21. Harper Government Sued by Justice Department Whistleblower

Time and again the Harper government propose bills that end up being shot down by the courts, prompting critics to say such legislation is more about making political statements than lasting policy. The wasted efforts bothered senior justice department lawyer Edgar Schmidt so much he finally suedthe government for breaking the law by inadequately evaluating whether proposed bills violate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. He was promptly suspended without pay.

22. Conservatives Block Accreditation for Opposition MPs

In another example of partisanship taken to new heights, the PMO blocked opposition members from being accredited for international environment conferences and from visiting military bases.

23. Tactic Borrowed from North Korea's Dear Leader

Ostensibly neutral public servants were used as stooges, falsely posing as new citizens in a staged Citizenship Renewal public relations exercise by the Immigration Department. Media critics had a field day comparing the charade to practices undertaken by North Korean dictators.

24. Clampdown on Freedom of Speech of Diplomatic Corps

Ottawa's diplomats must get all communications approved from Conservative political operatives. Under Harper, the country's ambassadors are hardly heard from any more. In a recent speech, former United Nations ambassador Stephen Lewis said our political culture under the Conservatives has descended into "a nadir of indignity."

25. Marine Science Libraries Decimated

The Harper government's downsizing of federal libraries included sudden closing of seven world famous Department of Fisheries and Oceans archives. A leaked memo revealed the destruction and consolidation would save less than half a million dollars. Scientist patrons of the libraries, who witnessed chaotic chucking of rare literature, called it a "book burning" with no logical purpose other than to restrict environmental information. The Harper government claimed vital works would be digitally preserved, but never provided a plan or cost for doing so, nor any proof it had happened. No scientists interviewed by The Tyee believed digitizing would or could replace what was lost. 

26. UN Blasts Canada's Treatment of Immigrants

Changes made to the Canada's immigration and refugee system under Harper were investigated by the United Nations Human Rights Committee, whose report blasted how thousands of migrants are detained indefinitely without due process, many for over a year or more, as well as poor mental health support for those incarcerated.

27. Harper Government Denies Khadr Basic Rights

Defying court rulings, the Conservative government refused to accord Omar Khadr basic rights such as access to media. Editorialists of right and left persuasion described the move as unbefitting a democratic government.

28. Illegitimate Prorogation of Parliament, Twice

Prorogations are a legitimate procedure that can be abused depending on motivations. The Harper government provoked 60 protests across Canada and beyond its borders in 2010 after shutting the legislature's doors to escape condemnation on the Afghan detainees' file. It was the second prorogation in a year's period.

29. Undue Interference with Independent Agencies

Command and control system was extended to meddling in bodies like National Energy Board and CRTC whose arms-length autonomy is significantly reduced. A special target was the Parliamentary Budget Office, which was hit with condemnations and budget cuts for its critical reports. 

30. Billions Borrowed without Parliament's Permission

The auditor general sounded alarms about the "prodigious" growth and size of federal borrowing. Those billions in "non-budgetary" spending used to get Parliament's oversight, but no more. The finance minister can borrow what he wants without Parliament's permission. Why? A loophole buried in a 2007 Harper omnibus bill. 

31. Lapdogs Appointed as Watchdogs

The most controversial was the case of former Integrity Commissioner Christiane Ouimet. Her office reviewed more than 200 whistleblowing cases. Disciplinary action followed on none of them. Ouimet's own angry staffers blew the whistle on their boss. The auditor general foundOuimet intimidated her employees, took "retaliatory action" against them and may have breached their privacy, all part of the Harper appointee's "gross mismanagement." Ouimet was paid more than $500,000 to leave her post.

SECTION II: 'HARPER BRAND' ABUSES: LIES, SPIES, AND THIS PORK SMELLS REALLY BAD

This election began the minute the last one ended. Since his first day as PM, Stephen Harper has reinforced his party's 'brand' by rewarding cronies, slapping the Conservative logo on government cheques, perfecting the no questions photo-op, instructing bureaucrats to start calling Canada's government "the Harper Government." The flip side has been relentless monitoring, muzzling and attacks on anyone who might tarnish the image. Here are 22 instances of power abused to build the Harper brand.

32. PMO Attempts to Cover up Video Leak Putting Troops at Risk

On an Iraq visit, the PMO was caught lying to try and cover up the leak of a promo video, which constituted a security breach. The PMO, noted a National Post editorial, "stumbled from blunder to evasion and falsehood in the service of shamelessly manipulative partisanship, especially in using our troops as PR props."

33. The 'Harper Government' Labelling Deception

Public servants were told to use "Harper Government" instead of "Government of Canada" in publicity releases. The Conservatives denied it was happening -- until internal memos revealedby the Canadian Press revealed the denial to be without basis.

34. Conservatives Place Party Logos on Government of Canada Cheques

Once "caught red-handed," they backed off. The federal ethics commissioner, adopting the exasperated tone of an adult lecturing a child, noted: "Public spending announcements are government activities, not partisan political activities, and it is not appropriate to brand them with partisan or personal identifiers." 

35. Record Amounts of Partisan Political Advertising, on the Public Purse

Several media reports told how the Conservatives used taxpayer money for partisan political advertising in record quantity, costing the public treasury $750 million since Harper became PM. In one instance, the Tories spent lavishly on ads for the promotion of a jobs grant program that had yet to be made public or presented to parliament or the provinces. Even more nakedly partisan, a mailed blast, charged to the taxpayers, targeting Justin Trudeau.

36. Conservatives Stack Their Own Ridings with Infrastructure Funds

In a display of brazen pork barreling, the Conservatives arranged for no less than 83 percent of infrastructure fund projects go to Conservative ridings.

37. $50 Million Spending Deception as Documented by the Auditor General

The auditor general ruled Conservatives diverted $50-million from spending slated for border infrastructure to political spending on projects in Tony Clement's riding at the time of the G-8 summit. Parliament was willfully misled.

38. Patronage Run Amok

After promising a new way, the prime minister dismantled his newly created Public Appointments Commission and reverted to old-styled patronage by the barrel. In June 2015, the PM made 98 patronage appointments. That included stocking the National Capital Commission with loyalists in advance of decisions on the controversial monument to the victims of communism.

39. Undermining Statistics Canada, Killing Data

Against pleas from everyone who needs and uses data from the long form census, the Harper government scrapped it, prompting the Statistics Canada chief to resign in protest. 

40. Government Muzzles Science Community

Top scientists came under such heavy monitoring by the Conservatives that they staged "Death of Evidence" protests for being denied freedom of speech. The Conservatives sent out chaperones or "media minders" to track Environment Canada scientists and report on them.

41. Like Never Before, Limits Placed on Media Access

Journalists have been hard-pressed to recall another time when controls put on them were so tight. At the Conservatives' 2013 Calgary convention, reporters wrote of being harassed and penned in at every turn by the PMO's command and control system. In his book Killing The Messenger, journalist Mark Bourrie charts the many examples of new limits on freedom of speech introduced in the Harper era.

42. Harper's Team Tries to Ban Journalist for Asking Question

Veteran TV cameraman Dave Ellis covered a Harper speech about oil to a business audience. Though media had been instructed no questions allowed, Ellis posed one about charges laid against a Conservative MP. The PMO tried to punish Ellis and his network by kicking him off covering Harper's trip to Malaysia. After media hue and cry, Harper backed down and Ellis went.

43. Harper Minister Sucker Punches CBC Budget

After the 2011 federal election Heritage Minister James Moore assured Conservatives would "maintain or increase support for the CBC. That is our platform and we have said that before and we will commit to that." The next year, Harper's Cons delivered the biggest government cut to CBC since the mid-1990s, much deeper in proportion than overall trims to federal programs, defying public sentiment. 

44. Suppression of Research

In the gun registration debate, incriminating research and documents such as a Firearms Report were deliberately withheld from the public. While ramping up their prison building, Conservatives suppressed related research and studies contradicting their political priorities. 

45. The Vic Toews Porno Smear

In a vivid example of the browbeating of opponents, the minister of public safety said anyone who opposed federal plans to make electronic surveillance of Canadians easier for authorities was siding with child pornographers.

46. Harper's Fallen Soldiers Blackout

Emulating George W. Bush's optics tactics, Stephen Harper banned media coverage of fallen soldiers' caskets returning from Afghanistan. He also refused to lower the flag half-mast. Soldiers' family members expressed confusion and anger at the perceived show of disrespect.

47. Protesters Put under Blanket Surveillance

According to a leaked memo, as part of its command and control approach, the Conservatives have approved a system wherein all advocates, protesters and demonstrations can be monitoredby authorities. The Government Operations Centre has requested federal departments to assist it in compiling a comprehensive inventory of protesters. Security specialists have called it a breach of Canadians' Charter of Rights. Conservatives have moved to give CSIS even more powers than the spy agency wants. 

48. Rights and Democracy, Other Groups, Dismantled

In a show of brute force, the Montreal-based group Rights and Democracy was pole-axed for its alleged political leanings and eventually disbanded. Organizations like the church group Kairoswere de-budgeted or dismantled for political leanings. Nuclear Safety Commission head Linda Keen was dumped. Among the complaints cited by the PM was that in her distant past, she had some Liberal ties.

49. Harper Government Spied on Aboriginal Critic, 'Retaliated'

Aboriginal child welfare advocate Cindy Blackstock was spied on by the Harper government, and when she arrived for a meeting with other First Nations leaders at the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs only she was barred entry. Finding Blackstock had been "retaliated" against by a ministry official, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal awarded her $20,000 for pain and suffering. 

50. Revenue Canada Loosed to Attack Charities

Not all charities, just the ones that don't seem adequately aligned with the Harper brand. Enough to include many environmental, aid, human rights and free speech charities that banded together to push back against what looks like a politically motivated witch hunt.

51. Conservatives Use Unheard of Tactic to Force through Anti-Union Bill

Conservative senators went to the unprecedented extent of overruling their own Speaker. What could be so important to break Senate rules? A bill pushed by Harper that is almost certainly unconstitutional for its privacy invading measures forced onto unions, unlike other groups. Latest in a steady stream of Conservative attacks on organized labour in Canada. 

52. Harper Smears Liberal Sikh MP, Insinuating Tie to Terrorism

When Liberals opposed a 2007 Conservative plan to extend anti-terror legislation, Stephen Harper singled out Grit MP Navdeep Bains, seeming to suggest that Bains' party was motivated by a desire to protect Bains' father-in-law, Darshan Singh Saini. A recent news story had claimed Singh Saini was on a list of witnesses sought by the RCMP for its Air India investigation, but provided no proof he was involved. In the House, Liberals erupted with outrage and Bains asked, in vain, that Harper apologize.

53. Veterans' Advocates Smeared

Medical files of Sean Bruyea, a strong advocate for veterans' rights, were leaked in a case that privacy commissioner Jennifer Stoddart described as "alarming." Veterans Affairs Canada ombudsman Pat Stogran was dumped after criticizing the government. 

SECTION III: ELECTION ABUSES: SCAMS, SLIMES, STINGS AND CROOKED SPENDING

Stephen Harper's Conservatives have made federal elections a gladiators' arena where anything goes -- unless and until you are caught, that is. Here are 17 times his team violated election laws or ethics.

54. Conservatives Run Undercover Sting Operations

Conservatives secretly recorded political opponents and also used agent provocateur techniques to try and entrap them. A sting operation against Marlo Raynolds, a Liberal candidate in Alberta, was backed by then employment minister Jason Kenney.

55. Conservative Convicted on Robocalls Scam

Tory operative Michael Sona was given jail time for his role in the robocalls scam. The judge indicated more than one person was likely involved. In another court judgment in a case brought by the Council of Canadians, the ruling said the robocalls operation was widespread, not just limited to the Guelph riding. Donald Segretti who did dirty tricks for the Nixon White House told a Canadian reporter his skullduggery didn't go so low as to run schemes sending voters to the wrong polling stations.

56. Harper's Ex-Parliamentary Secretary Jailed for Breaking Election Law

Dean Del Maestro was one of Harper's favourites. As his parliamentary secretary, the PM frequently used him as an attack dog to allege misdeeds by opposition members. Del Maestro was given a jail sentence in June for his own election spending violations.

57. 'Reprehensible' Dirty Tricks Campaign against Irwin Cotler

Conservative Commons Speaker Andrew Scheer ruled his party's own tactics in runninga surreptitious misinformation campaign in the riding of the highly respected MP were "reprehensible."

58. Conservatives Bar Crosbie Candidacy

In a clear-cut case of the party hierarchy's undercutting of democratic rights, Ches Crosbie, son of former Tory cabinet minister John Crosbie, was barred from running for the party in Newfoundland.

59. Election Violations Prompt Resignation of Cabinet Member

Peter Penashue, another Harper Conservative was compelled to step down over election spending violations.

60. Conservatives Attempt Election Campaign Frame-up

In an attempted smear in the last week of the 2011 election campaign, a senior Harper strategist planted a false story in Sun Media that Michael Ignatieff was an Iraq war planner. (Neither Conservative operatives nor Sun Media opted to make hay with the true story that Stephen Harper had, while leader of the Canadian Alliance in 2003, published a letter in The Wall Street Journal itching to get Canada into that disastrous war and slamming then PM Jean Chretien for saying no.) 

61. Harper's Office Deploys Interns for Dirty Tricks

In one instance that brought on allegations of Nixonian tactics, junior PMO staffers in the guise of normal citizens were sent out to disrupt a Justin Trudeau speech.

62. Citizens Ejected from Conservative Rallies

Tory operatives hauled out citizens from a Harper rally in the 2011 campaign because they had marginal ties to other parties. A spokesperson for the PM was compelled to apologize. Problem fixed this time around: Only fully vetted Harper supporters will be allowed, by invite only, to attend the PM's campaign stops. If they have a ticket.

63. Conservatives Make Campaign Event Attendees Sign Gag Order

Not only have Harper's campaign handlers made his campaign events by invite only, they are forcing anyone let in to sign an agreement not to transmit any description of the event or any images from it.

64. Conservatives Unfix Their Own Fixed Date Election Law

In 2008, Harper pulled the plug on his own government, violating his own new law, which stipulated elections every four years.

65. Guilty Plea on In and Out Affair

The Conservative Party and its fundraising arm pled guilty to some Elections Act charges stemming from their exceeding spending limits in the 2006 campaign. The investigation cost taxpayers over $2 million.

66. Cons' Elections Bill Strips Power from Elections Canada

The Fair Elections Act also makes it harder for Canadians to vote as more ID is required. Nationwide protests in which more than 400 academics took part forced Pierre Poilievre to withdraw some measures in the bill because of their alleged anti-democratic bent.

67. Harper Minister Smears Head of Elections Canada

In a bid to impugn his integrity, Democratic Reform Minister Pierre Poilievre accused the Elections Canada CEO Marc Mayrand of being a power monger and wearing a team jersey.

68. Copyright Grab for Attack Ads

CTV News found out Conservatives aimed to rewrite copyright law to let political parties grab any media content and use it for free in their ads. The impact, warned CTV's Don Martin, "will be to cast a chill on every broadcast appearance" by MPs, commentators and reporters, who "must now be aware their views could end up featured in a political attack ad." By asserting "unlimited access to the airwaves for propaganda purposes," Martin said, the Harper government "could be seen as flirting with fascism."

69. Conservatives Use Terrorists' Propaganda in Attack Ad

Harper's party created a political ad incorporating music and horrifying images of doomed captives pulled straight from the Islamic State's own promotional video. The target: Justin Trudeau, whose views on the risks and rewards of bombing ISIS differ from Harper's. 

70. Record Use of Personal Attack Ads

Under Harper's leadership, Conservatives became the first to routinely use personal attacks ads outside an election writ period. Their ads often used quotes deliberately taken out of context. Incidence of attack ads by Harper Conservatives was heavier than by any other government

[kelownabomberfan]

@CTVNews: NDP leader Tom Mulcair 'not entertaining any thought'

 

Fixed your post...

[kelownabomberfan]

 

The more I'm reading lately, the more I think the NDP numbers are going to start falling off hard as we get closer and closer to the election. I think it's going to start becoming a 2-horse race again between the Grits and Tories...

I dunno man, polls show Quebec is still fully on board with the NDP and now BC seems to be joining their party. Damned granola eating hippy tree huggers and french losers. 

 

 

 

Hey man, we've rejected those Dipper-doughbrains in four provincial elections in a row now.  You should be the one talking, with all of that ugly orange crap currently sitting in Edmonton as your government.

[kelownabomberfan]

 ABC: Anyone but Conservative.

 

I think it should be ABNDP.  They shouldn't be let anywhere near the corridors of power.  Mulcair is a politician for hire, and he doesn't care that he has to compromise his personal principles, and run candidates like the loony Linda McQuaig, to get what he wants, the chance to be the PM in the big chair.  If Mulcair was running for the Liberals, this election would already be over.

[kelownabomberfan]

 

 cut 36 billion for health care over 10 years.

 

 

that's a deal breaker for me.

 

 

But is it even true?  So much garbage is leaking out from both sides, but especially from NDP propagandists that I just can't believe anything they say.  Most of this crap they spew is just sound-bite lies designed to appeal to the uninitiated.  The one on the list that made me laugh was criticizing the government for selling GM stock.  Like Dippers know anything about the stock market!  Hilarious!

 

EDIT - sure enough, it's just more NDP bullshit, but what else is new.  Man the NDP sure looks like such sanctimonious hypocritical pricks when they do this kind of thing.

 

Engage Canada, an anti-Conservative Party group, has a new ad that’s getting heavy play on Canadian television.

The ad looks at the Harper government’s record on health care, and makes several specific claims relating to the party’s policies.

But how accurate are these claims? Let’s examine them.

1. The Conservatives cut $36 billion from health care

This isn’t really true: Health care transfers to the provinces are going up every year.

 

What Engage Canada is talking about here is a change to the growth rate of those transfers. Under the old formula, which was up for renewal, transfers were going to increase by 6 per cent every year. Under the new formula, introduced in the 2012 budget, transfers will continue to go up by 6 per cent until 2017-18.

In 2017-18, the transfers will increase by an amount tied to the growth rate in Canada’s GDP, or 3 per cent per year – whichever is larger.

According to a report released by the Council of the Federation, the provinces estimate that they will receive about $36 billion less under the new formula than the old one over ten years. While it’s true that the provinces will get less money than they would have under the old program’s parameters, calling it a “cut” is misleading.

 

 

http://globalnews.ca/news/2090695/reality-check-new-anti-harper-health-care-ad-doesnt-tell-whole-story/

[rebusrankin]

The cutting money from healthcare is a matter of how you look at it. They're not cutting money out like the Liberals did in the 1995 budget, they are cutting increases from 6% a year to 3% a year and then more based on the rate of economic growth. That's actually financially prudent. We have to start looking at our healthcare system like grownups versus acting like kids as we do now. Case in point, the answer is always more $, more $, not can we do things more efficiently? Can we cut admin costs? Do we need to introduce a mixed private/public system like most other western countries currently have?

[kelownabomberfan]

The cutting money from healthcare is a matter of how you look at it. They're not cutting money out like the Liberals did in the 1995 budget, they are cutting increases from 6% a year to 3% a year and then more based on the rate of economic growth. That's actually financially prudent. We have to start looking at our healthcare system like grownups versus acting like kids as we do now. Case in point, the answer is always more $, more $, not can we do things more efficiently? Can we cut admin costs? Do we need to introduce a mixed private/public system like most other western countries currently have?

 

Exactly.  This is just one glaring example of a stat being manipulated to suit political gains, and thus $36 billion less in estimated funding (and it may end up being more rather than less) is labeled a "cut" by NDP propagandists, spread as truth by their sycophants, and the undecided read it and say "that's a deal breaker for me".  You sir, are being manipulated by forces of evil.  This is why I just can't stand the NDP.  They just lie and cheat and steal, all because their own policies are so bad, they have to invent negative information about everyone else.  The NDP truly sucks.

[Mark F]

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