Searching for Tao, 7573 Kilometres from Home

October 20, 2015 18:10 +0000 | Canada Conservatives Liberals Stephen Harper 0

Update: This Luke Savage article says it all better than I ever could

I'm optimistic. Really.

Like most Canadians (and as it turns out, most of my multi-national office), I'm absolutely thrilled that the Stephen Harper decade is finally dead. I have no doubt that the Liberals are capable of salvaging what is left of the country to restore us to who we should be, and on many things, I think they might even be willing to do that work.

There's a lot to do though:

Getting us back on track with our international environmental commitments.
Repealing C-51
Restoring the long-form census so we can start making fact-based decisions again.
Restoring benefits to veterans and seniors.
Funding the massive infrastructure deficit in our cities.
Letting our scientists talk to the public again.
Investigate and prosecute those responsible for the 1186 missing or murdered aboriginal women.
Welcoming the thousands of refugees we should have brought in years ago.
Repealing the "Fair Elections Act"
Restoring funding to the CBC
Restoring full citizenship rights to expats and dual-citizens
Reforming the Senate
Reforming the electoral system so that we never again have to suffer through a decade of autocratic rule propped up by 38% of the public.
Undoing the culture of hate and fear the Conservatives saddled us with.

This is off the top of my head. There's so much more to do.

I'm still worried though. With a majority, Justin Trudeau has effectively been given a blank cheque to do with the country as he sees fit. When it comes to who we are as a people, I'm confident that Trudeau will put us on the right track, but when it comes to things like climate change, civil rights, and international trade, his record is worrying.

The Liberals still deny the science of climate change in their support for oil pipelines out of Alberta, and I'm going to go out on a limb and say that we'll sign onto TPP on a Friday when nobody's watching, after which our government will be compelled to act against the interest of Canadians if it means losses of potential revenue for private companies. TPP also governs important 21st century subjects like copyright and digital rights management, that will shape the nature of public discourse for the next century.

The Liberals also supported Harper's insane "Barbaric Cultural Practises" act, as well as the abomination that is C-51, which outright violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Reforming the Senate is going to be an uphill battle (if it's fought at all), and restoring the funding for the CBC was never a priority of former Liberals, so I'm not sure that it will be one for this government either.

But much of the damage will be undone, which fills me with such joy -- Seriously, it's as if I got my Canada back today.

October 20, 2015 18:07 +0000 | Canada Conservatives Democracy Liberals NDP Stephen Harper 0

I'm both thrilled and disappointed with the outcome of this election. On the one hand, the Cancer that was Stephen Harper was finally cut out of the country like the rotten tumour he is, but on the other, we managed to do so only by putting all of our faith in yet another autocratic situation. We've elected another majority, doing away with all accountability in the House. Given where this election started, this is a gross disappointment.

I suppose that it's a question of faith really. Do I have faith that Trudeau, with all the power of the PMO (that his father pioneered) and a majority government elected through first past the post, will actually introduce proportional representation? Are these Liberals really all that different from the corrupt, entitled, double-speaking Liberals that came before them? Indeed, many of the candidates elected today are the very same people who held the same positions under Chrétien and Martin.

It kills me that to remove Harper, we had to stick a knife in the NDP, a party that, no matter how much I criticise them, represents a much closer vision of my Canada than the Liberals ever will. It's also deeply frustrating to see how very poorly the NDP managed this campaign.

From their gloating, passive, condescending demeanour in the early days of the campaign, to their weak-kneed, dispassionate stance on Harper's divisive Islamophobic platform, the NDP left the country desperate for leadership, vision, and passion for what we value as a nation. Trudeau was clumsy, but he shared a vision for Canada that resonated with people. His passion was infectious and painted a picture of the Canada that should be, in stark contrast to what Harper would have us become.

This could have gone another way. We could have had an NDP-lead minority or even a majority, but they screwed up, and now we have to hope that Trudeau really meant everything he said -- because no one will be able to hold him to it if he changes his mind.

September 27, 2015 09:35 +0000 | Canada Conservatives Democracy 1

I opened my mailbox yesterday to find something both astounding and infuriating, it was a letter from the Conservative candidate in Vancouver Centre:

Dear Friend and Neighbour!

You are on Elections Canada's international Register of Electors as a non-resident entitled to vote in Vancouver Centre, BC in the October 2015 Federal Election.

You can vote by mail. Elections Canada has already mailed your special ballot voting kit to you. If you have not received it please contact Elections Canada.

[Elections Canada contact info]

More information on how to vote by mail can be found at the Elections Canada website www.elections.ca - Ways to Vote, Vote by Mail, Vote by mail-apply now -- Voting by Canadians living abroad.

I am writing to ask you to vote for me as the Conservative candidate in Vancouver Centre. I am a business woman with over 20 years of experience in executive management in the non-profit social services sector and a long-time resident of the West End. I have an MBA and Communications degree and I am running to bring accountability to all areas of government. On the reverse side of this letter there is more detailed information about my background and qualifications. More information about me and the Conservative campaign is available on my website: www.elaineallan.com.

Please complete and mail your special ballot today to ensure that Elections Canada receives it by the deadlines set out in your special ballot voting kit. If you have not received your special ballot kit, forms are also available at any Canadian embassy, high commission or consulate, or by calling Elections Canada at 1-800-463-6868 or collect at 613-949-7502.

I need your vote to win this riding and to ensure that Canada continues to have a stable, secure, Conservative government lead by Stephen Harper.

Thank you for your support.

Elaine Allan Conservative Candidate Vancouver Centre, BC

Take a moment to appreciate the hypocrisy of a party writing letters to expats asking for their vote when that party has worked so hard to remove that expat's right to vote at all.

I'm fast approaching the 5-year mark in my expat status. As a result of the Conservative Party's fight to strip me of my rights, this could very well be the last vote I'm permitted to cast in any Canadian election.

For someone like me, this is a crushing realisation. I've been neck-deep in Canadian politics since I was a teenager: canvassing for candidates both in Toronto and Vancouver and even running for a seat in BC, and the Conservatives have decreed that I'm insufficiently Canadian to be permitted to participate in our democracy after this election.

The audacity of a party that would ask me to support them today, then strip me of my rights tomorrow is at the heart of the Conservative Party. It's their ideology of consumption: use up whatever you can and move on. You see it in their environmental and economic policy, and now you see it in their electoral strategy. The fact that their candidates don't see it, that they can live with themselves writing letters like this, tells you just what kind of people they are.

I'm thinking I might give Ms. Allan a call. If you have any suggestions regarding what I might say, I'd be happy to hear them.

May 14, 2011 19:13 +0000 | Canada Conservatives Democracy Stephen Harper 1

It's been more than a week and I'm only now able to write about it. I was so upset about the whole thing the night of the election that I actually got drunk on soju -- which is a pretty big deal when you consider that I really don't drink. This is what the progressives in Canada have been fearing for years: a majority Harper government.

Those of you who have read my previous few posts on parliamentary democracy will probably note that strictly speaking this is a Conservative majority and not a Harper one, but lets be honest here: this has always been about Harper and his lust for power. He runs his party like a monarchy, and even under a minority government, his attitude was routinely autocratic. He has made it his mission to kill parliamentary governance for a very long time and now we've given him the keys.

Good job Canada.

I'm speaking of course to the 39% of voters who actually think this was a good idea. My only hope is that now that he has Absolute Power for at least 4 years, the people who "voted for Harper" will start to actually blame him for what goes wrong, rather than find a way to pin it on "the coalition", or some other boogeyman.

Yes, the NDP is finally getting the support it deserves, and yes we finally have an elected Green MP, this is all good news. But in a majority government, run by an autocrat like Harper, I have little faith in anyone being able to get anything done unless it be his will.

Honestly, I fear for Canada's institutions, the things that make us great: Universal Health Care, The CBC, Peacekeeping, even the Charter. Most laws that can be written can also be undone, abolished under one government and restored by another, but institutions like these have taken nearly a century to build, and Harper has been clear about what he'd like to do to them. I'm honestly afraid for the future of my country, and I will hold each and every one of that 39%, as well as those who didn't even bother to show up accountable for whatever he does.

March 28, 2011 22:39 +0000 | Activism Canada Conservatives 4

I may be living in Amsterdam, but I'm still Canadian.

There's an election coming up and Stephen Harper has to lose it. He's been actively working against democracy in the House, and using the power of the PMO to cut taxes on the rich, spend money on prisons we don't need and pollute the biosphere... to name a few of many transgressions. The man has got to go, and I'm hoping you can help me push him out.

I've combined forces with Dianna and her awesome graphical/UX talents to build a new simple website: voteharper.ca. It's not up yet, and that's where you come in. This site will be a collection of Stephen Harper's record on a series of issues ranging from democracy, to the environment, to women's rights, to international affairs. Whatever the topic, I need information regarding his actions on it.

Here's what I need from you: I need facts of what he's done sent to my email in the following format:

What he did/said
Why this is bad (if it's not obvious)
Any number of links (at least one) that corroborates this fact.

Once I have a good bunch of data, I'll load it into the code I wrote just now and launch the site. Hopefully, it'll make a big splash. I've already contacted the other parties asking for help from them as well.

One last note, it's important to point out that the purpose of this site is to oppose Harper, and not the Conservative Party. It will also not be promoting any other party as I want this to be non-partisan. The key message I want to share is that Harper has proven himself to be Bad for Canada and that he has to go.

So lets see those emails! (me at danielquinn dot org)

January 22, 2010 08:49 +0000 | Bloc Québécois Canada Conservatives Democracy Green Party Liberals NDP Politics 11

So that word is floating around again "Prorogue". For those of you who missed it, I'm sorry to be the one to break it to you, but we've all been without representation in the federal government now for almost a month now. Stephen Harper, our Prime Minister decided to shut down parliament back in December and won't be affording us representation until some time in March.

That's three months paid vacation for a parliament that sat for only 49days last year. Three months without the business of government being done, without your voice being heard in the House. Sure Harper still gets to be the boss and represent Canada abroad and at the Olympics, and no, our soldiers in Afghanistan don't get to take a break. Addressing our commitments on climate change won't happen by the Copenhagen deadline, and we're all still paying taxes for the privilege of living in a democracy.

People have staged (successful) revolutions for less.

In Canada though, where we once saw only apathy, there appears to be some exciting movement among the grass roots. Hundreds of thousands of people have joined a Facebook group denouncing Harper's Conservatives for this move and the numbers keep growing. Support for the Conservatives has begun to dwindle as well and now there are rallies planned around the world in condemnation of this prorogue.

Here's a list of what proroguing means to Canada:

Committees investigating accusations of torture of Afghan detainees stop working.
Questions about Canada's inaction at the Copenhagen climate-change summit are silenced. Opportunities to move forward with Canada’s plan for sustainable development are stalled for over a month.
Discussions and decisions about the pension crisis affecting Canada’s seniors stops.
All 37 bills being debated in Parliament are thrown in the trash. Discussion on bills starts from scratch in March, wasting months of hard work by all parties. These bills included new crime legislation, and limits on credit card insurance rates, etc.
Your MP cannot raise your concerns in Ottawa
Harper will still appoint Conservative senators, giving him control of the Senate.

Frankly, it's actions like these that make it hard for me to claim that I live in a democracy. Instead, it might be more accurate to say that we've become a cyclical banana republic. As for what the other parties are saying...

The Liberals have flat-out said that they're going back to work with or without the Conservatives on January 25th, the original date that Parliament would have reconvened.
The NDP have similarly said that they will be "on Parliament Hill" on the 25th, though I'm unsure as to what that means exactly.
The Bloc Québécois have condemned the prorogation but as far as I can tell, have not said anything about showing up to work.
The Greens, not in possession of a seat (yet) also condemned the Harper move and will be out at the rallies tomorrow across the country as well.

So what can you do? Some suggestions:

Tell your friends and family about this. A lot of people still don't know that they're paying taxes to a non-existent government and the Conservatives are counting on an ignorant public to keep them in power. Don't let them have it.
Join in on one of the rallies this Saturday, January 23rd. They're happening all over the world in Vancouver, Toronto, New York, Amsterdam and even Costa Rica. Details are on noprorogue.ca. Vancouver's rally starts at 1pm at the VAG, while Toronto's starts at 1pm at Dundas Square.
Call your MP. If (s)he's a Conservative, tell them to get back to work. If they aren't, tell them to consider all alternatives for bringing democracy back to our government. The Coalition is still an option, if only the opposition parties can learn to get along.

I'll be at the event in Vancouver, so if you care to come along, let me know and we can meet up :-)

December 06, 2008 00:55 +0000 | Activism Bloc Québécois Canada Coalition Conservatives Liberals NDP Politics 2

It was brought to my attention today that one of the really useful things you can do to support the Coalition is to encourage those in the coalition to keep going. Every one of the MPs is taking a risk here and they need to know that they have your support in participating in this Coalition.

Below I've attached a copy of my letter to Coalition MPs which you can reuse if you like, but I encourage you to write your own. The letter is followed by two sets of email addresses, to make it easy to copy & paste into your mail client. As there are so many MPs (a House majority in fact!), the list must be broken into two parts to make sure that your message doesn't get bounced as spam. To send this, or a more personal letter on your behalf, simply open your mail client, copy & paste the a group of addresses into the To: field and hit send.

I'm sure that you're receiving a great many of these so I'll try to keep mine brief. As a member of the 62% who elected a progressive majority in this country, I'm writing you to let you know that I support you, and that we need you to keep going.

You're probably getting all kinds of letters talking about how terribly important this young coalition is and how dangerous and autocratic Harper will be if permitted to continue his government. Some of these letters are undoubtedly exaggerated. Many however, are not.

Harper has gone out of his way to prove that he is not worthy of the Prime Minister's office. He's lied to the House, he's lied to the people and now he's decided to subvert our Democracy and shut everything down. If you let this go, he will only continue his actions and in the end he will bury the opposition in a mountain of propaganda and fear-mongering.

I know it's tough. The Liberal party has been decimated by a constant erosion of its base support on the Left, while the NDP is struggling with its own losses to the Liberals and the Greens. You're tired, you're broke, and Harper is holding all the money and power he needs to win. But you have my support, and that of millions upon millions of others in this country -- a majority, in fact, that wants this man gone and a progressive agenda in the House. We are willing to fight with you, but you must be willing to win.

Do what you can to hold it together for the next six weeks. Know that you have the support of the majority and use that when you put Harper's Conservatives back where they belong: in the Opposition.

Thank you for representing us.

Daniel Quinn
Vancouver Centre

And here's the list of email addresses. Just copy & paste each set into a separate email:

Group 1

<bellea@parl.gc.ca>, <bigrab@parl.gc.ca>, <freemc@parl.gc.ca>, <lavalc@parl.gc.ca>, <ouellc@parl.gc.ca>, <gagnoc@parl.gc.ca>, <bachac@parl.gc.ca>, <debelc@parl.gc.ca>, <guimoc@parl.gc.ca>, <bourgd@parl.gc.ca>, <thilae@parl.gc.ca>, <bonsaf@parl.gc.ca>, <lalonf@parl.gc.ca>, <asselg@parl.gc.ca>, <ducepg@parl.gc.ca>, <andreg@parl.gc.ca>, <dorioj@parl.gc.ca>, <laforj@parl.gc.ca>, <royj@parl.gc.ca>, <deschj@parl.gc.ca>, <beaudj@parl.gc.ca>, <plamol@parl.gc.ca>, <desnol@parl.gc.ca>, <malol@parl.gc.ca>, <lemaym@parl.gc.ca>, <mouram@parl.gc.ca>, <lafram@parl.gc.ca>, <faillm@parl.gc.ca>, <guimom@parl.gc.ca>, <guaym@parl.gc.ca>, <dufoun@parl.gc.ca>, <demern@parl.gc.ca>, <paillp@parl.gc.ca>, <cretep@parl.gc.ca>, <brunep@parl.gc.ca>, <paquep@parl.gc.ca>, <blaisr@parl.gc.ca>, <menarr@parl.gc.ca>, <nadear@parl.gc.ca>, <bouchr@parl.gc.ca>, <carrir@parl.gc.ca>, <vincer@parl.gc.ca>, <gauder@parl.gc.ca>, <pomerr@parl.gc.ca>, <cardis@parl.gc.ca>, <menars@parl.gc.ca>, <stcyrt@parl.gc.ca>, <lessay@parl.gc.ca>, <levesy@parl.gc.ca>, <mendea@parl.gc.ca>, <tonksa@parl.gc.ca>, <guarna@parl.gc.ca>, <kaniaa@parl.gc.ca>, <nevila@parl.gc.ca>, <rotaa@parl.gc.ca>, <patryb@parl.gc.ca>, <raeb@parl.gc.ca>, <crombb@parl.gc.ca>, <wrzesb@parl.gc.ca>, <murphb@parl.gc.ca>, <wilfeb@parl.gc.ca>, <bennec@parl.gc.ca>, <mctead@parl.gc.ca>, <mcguid@parl.gc.ca>, <coderd@parl.gc.ca>, <leed@parl.gc.ca>, <leblad@parl.gc.ca>, <scarpf@parl.gc.ca>, <valerf@parl.gc.ca>, <regang@parl.gc.ca>, <kenneg@parl.gc.ca>, <byrneg@parl.gc.ca>, <pearsg@parl.gc.ca>, <mahlig@parl.gc.ca>, <fryh@parl.gc.ca>, <cotlei@parl.gc.ca>, <damouj@parl.gc.ca>, <karygj@parl.gc.ca>, <volpej@parl.gc.ca>, <cannij@parl.gc.ca>, <mccalj@parl.gc.ca>

Group 2

<mckayj@parl.gc.ca>, <murraj@parl.gc.ca>, <footej@parl.gc.ca>, <sgroj@parl.gc.ca>, <trudej@parl.gc.ca>, <martik@parl.gc.ca>, <drydek@parl.gc.ca>, <duncak@parl.gc.ca>, <bagnel@parl.gc.ca>, <macaul@parl.gc.ca>, <zaracl@parl.gc.ca>, <garnem@parl.gc.ca>, <proulm@parl.gc.ca>, <minnam@parl.gc.ca>, <silvam@parl.gc.ca>, <eykinm@parl.gc.ca>, <hollam@parl.gc.ca>, <jennim@parl.gc.ca>, <hallfm@parl.gc.ca>, <pacetm@parl.gc.ca>, <belanm@parl.gc.ca>, <bevilm@parl.gc.ca>, <ignatm@parl.gc.ca>, <savagm@parl.gc.ca>, <simsom@parl.gc.ca>, <bainsn@parl.gc.ca>, <rodrip@parl.gc.ca>, <szabop@parl.gc.ca>, <millip@parl.gc.ca>, <goodar@parl.gc.ca>, <folcor@parl.gc.ca>, <oliphr@parl.gc.ca>, <cuzner@parl.gc.ca>, <dhallr@parl.gc.ca>, <andres@parl.gc.ca>, <brisos@parl.gc.ca>, <simmssc@parl.gc.ca>, <murphs@parl.gc.ca>, <coadys@parl.gc.ca>, <dions@parl.gc.ca>, <dhalis@parl.gc.ca>, <russet@parl.gc.ca>, <dosanu@parl.gc.ca>, <eastew@parl.gc.ca>, <ratany@parl.gc.ca>, <atamea@parl.gc.ca>, <siksab@parl.gc.ca>, <masseb@parl.gc.ca>, <hyerb@parl.gc.ca>, <hughec@parl.gc.ca>, <angusc@parl.gc.ca>, <charlc@parl.gc.ca>, <gravec@parl.gc.ca>, <chrisd@parl.gc.ca>, <blackd@parl.gc.ca>, <savoid@parl.gc.ca>, <bevind@parl.gc.ca>, <davied@parl.gc.ca>, <thibeg@parl.gc.ca>, <mathyi@parl.gc.ca>, <harrij@parl.gc.ca>, <laytoj@parl.gc.ca>, <crowdj@parl.gc.ca>, <malowj@parl.gc.ca>, <comarj@parl.gc.ca>, <raffej@parl.gc.ca>, <wasylj@parl.gc.ca>, <daviel@parl.gc.ca>, <duncal@parl.gc.ca>, <allenm@parl.gc.ca>, <leslim@parl.gc.ca>, <cullen@parl.gc.ca>, <ashton@parl.gc.ca>, <chowo@parl.gc.ca>, <martip@parl.gc.ca>, <dewarp@parl.gc.ca>, <juliap@parl.gc.ca>, <stoffp@parl.gc.ca>, <mulcat@parl.gc.ca>, <martit@parl.gc.ca>, <marstw@parl.gc.ca>, <godiny@parl.gc.ca>

If you're really feeling daring, you might even want to send a letter to the Conservatives, encouraging them to cross the floor and join the coalition. Here's my letter, followed by another list of emails:

I'm sure that you're likely getting a barrage of emails lately, what with your party closing up Parliament, so I'll try to keep this short.

I'm writing you to ask you to do something crazy; something daring: I'm asking you to reconsider your seat in the House.

I know, it's crazy, you're probably a big fan of free markets and tax cuts and I can't blame you. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and you, an elected representative, won your seat based on those opinions. I would never attempt to prevent you from fulfilling your duty as a representative of the people.

But your boss would.

Stephen Harper has continually gone out of his way to muzzle your fellow party members. He's redirected blame and fired ministers for his own incompetence and he's made a mockery of our political process by continually bullying the opposition rather than trying to work with them in a minority government. He's fired people for doing their job, lied to the House of Commons, and now he's committed the greatest of sins: he's closed down Parliament in a time when we clearly need leadership.

I know that you're a loyal party member. I know that it may be political suicide for you to not support Stephen Harper at a time like this, but I ask you to take a moment to think about the country. How might Canada be better served? By a coalition, or by an autocrat?

You don't have to like the Bloc, or the NDP, or the Liberals. I don't like them much either. But I see in them something I've never seen in Harper: a willingness to make the country work. For that alone, I would submit that as a loyal Canadian citizen, your own political position requires reflection.

Thanks for your time.

Daniel Quinn
Vancouver Centre

Conservative Party Emails (Group 1)

<goldring.p@parl.gc.ca>, <warawa.m@parl.gc.ca>, <yelich.l@parl.gc.ca>, <weston.r@parl.gc.ca>, <holder.e@parl.gc.ca>, <verner.j@parl.gc.ca>, <paradis.c@parl.gc.ca>, <oconnor.g@parl.gc.ca>, <preston.j@parl.gc.ca>, <petit.d@parl.gc.ca>, <richardson.l@parl.gc.ca>, <brown.l@parl.gc.ca>, <schellenberger.g@parl.gc.ca>, <cadman.d@parl.gc.ca>, <poilip@parl.gc.ca>, <vanloan.p@parl.gc.ca>, <finley.d@parl.gc.ca>, <cannon.l@parl.gc.ca>, <wallace.m@parl.gc.ca>, <kent.p@parl.gc.ca>, <lake.m@parl.gc.ca>, <rathgeber.b@parl.gc.ca>, <brown.g@parl.gc.ca>, <chong.m@parl.gc.ca>, <gallant.c@parl.gc.ca>, <delmastro.d@parl.gc.ca>, <oda.b@parl.gc.ca>, <carrie.c@parl.gc.ca>, <blaney.s@parl.gc.ca>, <hawn.l@parl.gc.ca>, <rajotte.j@parl.gc.ca>, <woodworth.s@parl.gc.ca>, <obhrai.d@parl.gc.ca>, <uppal.t@parl.gc.ca>, <devolin.b@parl.gc.ca>, <gourde.j@parl.gc.ca>, <bernim@parl.gc.ca>, <boucher.s@parl.gc.ca>, <fletcher.s@parl.gc.ca>, <lobb.b@parl.gc.ca>, <wong.a@parl.gc.ca>, <block.k@parl.gc.ca>, <young.t@parl.gc.ca>, <nicholson.r@parl.gc.ca>, <vankesteren.d@parl.gc.ca>, <cannan.r@parl.gc.ca>, <lauzon.g@parl.gc.ca>, <reid.s@parl.gc.ca>, <kramp.d@parl.gc.ca>, <baird.j@parl.gc.ca>, <blackburn.j@parl.gc.ca>, <mayes.c@parl.gc.ca>, <dykstra.r@parl.gc.ca>, <smith.j@parl.gc.ca>, <fast.e@parl.gc.ca>, <dreeshen.e@parl.gc.ca>, <trost.b@parl.gc.ca>, <goodyear.g@parl.gc.ca>, <galipeau.r@parl.gc.ca>, <ambrose.r@parl.gc.ca>, <toews.v@parl.gc.ca>, <glover.s@parl.gc.ca>, <mccoleman.p@parl.gc.ca>, <flaherty.j@parl.gc.ca>, <menzies.t@parl.gc.ca>, <anders.r@parl.gc.ca>, <benoit.l@parl.gc.ca>, <raitt.l@parl.gc.ca>, <tilson.d@parl.gc.ca>, <bruinooge.r@parl.gc.ca>, <lunney.j@parl.gc.ca>, <dechert.b@parl.gc.ca>, <lunn.g@parl.gc.ca>, <watson.j@parl.gc.ca>, <mackenzie.d@parl.gc.ca>, <tweed.m@parl.gc.ca>

Conservative Party Emails (Group 2)

<ablonczy.d@parl.gc.ca>, <albrecht.h@parl.gc.ca>, <kamp.r@parl.gc.ca>, <brownpa@parl.gc.ca>, <lemieux.p@parl.gc.ca>, <o'neill-gordon.t@parl.gc.ca>, <lukiwski.t@parl.gc.ca>, <cummins.j@parl.gc.ca>, <boughen.r@parl.gc.ca>, <calandra.p@parl.gc.ca>, <allison.d@parl.gc.ca>, <davidson.p@parl.gc.ca>, <shipley.b@parl.gc.ca>, <norlock.r@parl.gc.ca>, <ashfield.k@parl.gc.ca>, <hoeppner.c@parl.gc.ca>, <saxton.a@parl.gc.ca>, <day.s@parl.gc.ca>, <keddy.g@parl.gc.ca>, <hoback.r@parl.gc.ca>, <stanton.b@parl.gc.ca>, <grewal.n@parl.gc.ca>, <ritz.g@parl.gc.ca>, <merrifield.r@parl.gc.ca>, <breitkreuz.g@parl.gc.ca>, <allen.m@parl.gc.ca>, <mackay.p@parl.gc.ca>, <clement.t@parl.gc.ca>, <payne.l@parl.gc.ca>, <moore.r@parl.gc.ca>, <strahl.c@parl.gc.ca>, <vellacott.m@parl.gc.ca>, <scheer.a@parl.gc.ca>, <shory.d@parl.gc.ca>, <sweet.d@parl.gc.ca>, <richards.b@parl.gc.ca>, <hiebert.r@parl.gc.ca>, <komarnicki.e@parl.gc.ca>, <shea.g@parl.gc.ca>, <moore.j@parl.gc.ca>, <harris.r@parl.gc.ca>, <abbott.j@parl.gc.ca>, <miller.l@parl.gc.ca>, <kerr.g@parl.gc.ca>, <thompson.g@parl.gc.ca>, <prentice.j@parl.gc.ca>, <weston.j@parl.gc.ca>, <sorenson.k@parl.gc.ca>, <storseth.b@parl.gc.ca>, <jean.b@parl.gc.ca>, <mark.i@parl.gc.ca>, <clarke.r@parl.gc.ca>, <bezan.j@parl.gc.ca>, <casson.r@parl.gc.ca>, <rickford.g@parl.gc.ca>, <warkentin.c@parl.gc.ca>, <hill.j@parl.gc.ca>, <mcleod.c@parl.gc.ca>, <duncan.j@parl.gc.ca>, <braid.p@parl.gc.ca>, <aglukkaq.l@parl.gc.ca>, <kenney.j@parl.gc.ca>, <guergis.h@parl.gc.ca>, <calkins.b@parl.gc.ca>, <anderson.da@parl.gc.ca>

December 04, 2008 19:36 +0000 | Bloc Québécois Canada Conservatives Democracy Liberals NDP 5

So for those of you who weren't waiting with baited breath for the news from the Govenor General this morning, I'll break down what happened:

Basically, Stephen Harper went to the Govenor General and "advised" her to suspend Parliament for six weeks. This advisory meeting took something like two and a half hours.

For the rest of us, this means that in the midst of serious economic and environmental need, the Conservatives have decided that their holding onto power is more important than running the country. I think that Liberal leadership candidate Bob Rae said it best when he equated it to a kid pulling the fire alarm to skip out on an exam he knew he'd fail.

For my part, frankly I'm really disappointed in Harper, though not at all surprised. This is a man who goes on live television and outright lies to the people, fabricates stories in the House and even disavows any knowlege of his own disreputable past when confronted with the facts. Far from being Prime Minister material, Stephen Harper is both an autocrat and a coward.

I can only hope that the millions of dollars his party will likely spend on propaganda over the Christmas holiday will have little or no effect on the Will of the people and that the Liberal/NDP coalition will walk back into parliament in late January to finish what they started so we can be rid of this man for good. Until then however, barring revolution, Canada will have to live without Democracy through the Christmas season.

December 02, 2008 16:19 +0000 | Canada Conservatives Liberals NDP 7

With all the spin around what's going on in the House of Commons regarding this new Coalition, I'd like to make one thing quite clear: Canadians did not elect a Conservative governemnt in 2008.

2008 Canadian Election Results

Andrew Heard, Associate Professor, Simon Fraser University

It's true, The Conservative Party took more seats than anyone else, but for them to claim that they have the support of the country is really quite disingenuous. With a popular support of only 37%, and most of that resting in 3 provinces, claiming that "Canada elected Stephen Harper" is preposterous. In reality, 63% of the country voted for left-leaning ideals and did so by showing our support for a variety of parties.

Canadians have got to lose this wrong-headed thinking that Canada is a two-party system as this hasn't been true for decades. There are five parties garnering a significant share of the votes in each election and as a whole, they represent the Will of the Canadian people. Instead, we need to start acknowledging the fact that coalitions are the nature of parliamentary democracies so that we might always be governed by a majority in the form of a united set of diverse voices.

This coalition, as convoluted as it may be, should not be a one-time experiment but rather a first step. The next one is proportional representation so that the interests and diversity of the entire country might finally be represented in our governing House. Both Dion and Layton know this, but whether they choose to act on it as the new governement will be an interesting chapter in their new partnership.

November 30, 2008 22:44 +0000 | Canada Conservatives Green Party Liberals NDP 2

In case you haven't been paying attention to Canadian politics lately, here's a quick easy-to-understand recap for you:

Roughly six weeks ago we had an election with the lowest turnout ever which resulted in yet another minority government. Canadians didn't want another election, and Harper himself said that he wouldn't call another election, but he changed his mind because he thought that he could win a majority. He was wrong and Canadians delivered roughly the same verdict we had for the last three elections: a minority.

True to form, Harper has continued to run his minority as if it were a majority, repeatedly holding the "do what I want or I'll send us into another election" threat over the heads of the Commons. In his latest move however, Harper appears to have crossed the line. Here we are in the midst of an economic crisis and he's still focused on destroying the opposition when he should be trying to fix the country.

On Friday the Conservatives attempted to pass a bill that would kill public funding for political parties ($1.95 is given to each party for every vote they receive in each election). This funding is important for the Greens, NDP, Bloc and Liberals, but since the Conservatives receive the most private funding, they're happy to see it go.

The other part of the bill was an announcement that Canada was doing just fine, and would actually scrape by next year with a surplus. This was accomplished by way of some creative accounting and the selling off of Canadian assets. There would also be no investment in infrastructure or any stimulus package (money given in the form of tax breaks and grants to individuals and corporations to reduce the need for job cuts etc). Oh, and they also want to ban strikes for public unions until 2011, cancelling all collective agreements.

These together were enough to piss off the opposition for the last time. Tired of being dictated to by the minority of the House, the Liberals and NDP are talking coalition which would mean that Harper would lose his job as Prime Minister and a Dion would take his place, the leader of a mix of representatives from the Liberals and NDP. The Bloc, a predominantly left-leaning and progressive party would support them, but would not be part of the coalition.

Harper's response to this has been to tell the Opposition that they can't speak in the house until next week.

For my part, I find myself somewhat torn. For the most part I agree with the Conservative assessment of the economy. Writing up a stimulus package while we don't know what Obama has planned for his country is pretty pointless. On the other hand, Harper has consistently shown his disdain for democracy and the Will of the People and for that I want him gone. If this is the only way to do it, then I'm on board.

There's already a growing body of support around this NDP/Liberal alliance. Canadians for a Progressive Coalition have published the video seen here. I encourage you to watch it as it explains the numbers better than I ever could.

These are exciting times for Canada and its method of governance. I encourage you to keep tabs on your favourite news source to see history unfold. And for those of you hopeful for a Conservative demise, there's already a Facebook group for Stephen Harper's last day in office.