Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Note to Governor General: Just say no....ours is a country of laws


Harper strongly suggests fall election coming, dismisses fixed election date

46 minutes ago

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Stephen Harper has all but stated there will be a federal election this fall, saying his fixed-election-date law won't stop him from pulling the plug on his minority government.

Harper has been ratcheting up the pressure on the opposition parties - particularly Liberal Leader Stephane Dion - for the last month, saying it is time to fish or cut bait.

On Tuesday, the prime minister indicated he won't be waiting to consult all the opposition leaders before making his decision on an autumn vote.

"It's not a matter of polls. As you know, the polls aren't particularly wonderful," Harper said at an Ottawa announcement on funding for Arctic mapping.

"It's a matter of my responsibility as prime minister to make a decision on whether I think the fall session of Parliament can be productive ...

"Certainly spending weeks and weeks playing telephone tag with guys doesn't help me confirm that things are going to be very productive."

Harper said the three opposition parties can't be surprised because they oppose the Conservative government's agenda.

And now that Dion has introduced the Liberal party's carbon-tax proposal, Canadians are presented with dramatically opposed economic plans for the country that must be resolved.

"I think what has changed qualitatively as I have reflected on things over the past few weeks is that Mr. Dion, by laying down his program - his alternative, has now in fact made it impossible for himself and his party to work with the government or find any common ground with the government," said Harper.

As for the three federal byelections the prime minister has already called for Sept. 8, they may not take place.

"We'll have to judge whether it's appropriate to ask people to vote twice in a space of a few weeks," Harper told reporters when asked about the byelections - a powerful hint that the election call is imminent and a general vote will take place before the end of October.

Harper's fixed-election-date legislation that he brought in when he first gained power also appears expendable under the circumstances.

"You can only have certainty about a fixed election date in the context of a majority government," said Harper.

If the majority of MPs want the government to fall, he said, "then it behooves the government to provide some responsibility."

"The country must have a government that can function during a period of economic uncertainty. And if it's not this government or not this Parliament, the public will have an opportunity to decide whom."

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

SOrry champ, but you and your heroes in the Liberal Party of Canada are getting an election Dion has been talking about for over 30 months.

Anonymous said...

New Harper Party Advertisement

"Hey Canada, I'm Stevie Harper and I'm a celebrity too. I want Canada to know that I'm, like, totally ready to MIS-lead."

(With apologies to Paris Hilton)

Anonymous said...

Ask not what Deceivin' Stephen can do for you, but what you can do for Deceivin' Stephen.

Anonymous said...

Let us "pray" that Canadians have the collective common sense to send Deceivin' Stephen and his Despots into "purgatory."

A Eliz. said...

Can something be done to have those by-elections, regardless as to what Harper says about an election? Won't the GG be kind of wondering why he can't have the by-elections first, because they would be so close, and then call an election? Harper wants the in and out,Cadman, etc. to go away until it is too late, after the election. and the voter is fooled.

Anonymous said...

Dion Slams Harper For Election Posturing

'It's full improvisation, it's full panic,' says Liberal leader

Meagan Fitzpatrick, Canwest News Service Published: Tuesday, August 26, 2008

...

Mr. Dion said he offered to meet Mr. Harper Tuesday, but the prime minister said no; however, Mr. Harper then later changed his mind but by then the Liberal leader's agenda was full.

...

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=749647

Anonymous said...

what are you lieberals afraid of.

Anonymous said...

Hey you Con Fascist Goofs. We didn't say we don't want election. We are just amazed at the pious hypocritical crap that continues to pour out of Lying Harpers evil mouth. The MOUTH that promised us all prior to the last election about how fair, honest, transparent and truthful his new Conservative Party and Government were going to be. Until he whored himself out to Power Corp., and Manulife so he could deliver a royal screwing to trust investors and the Canadian economy on Halloween 2006.

Anonymous said...

Mr. Robert Gibbs post 4:46 pm

"Dion Slams Harper For Election Posturing"

"'It's full improvisation, it's full panic,' says Liberal leader"

His he serious? Mr.Dion has been threatening to bring down the government for months now. Saying that he would do so when the time is right for him and his party.

Listening to what Mr.Dion is saying lets me to believe that he doesn't think the liberals are ready for a general election. At least this is my opinion. Otherwise why would he be against it humm?

Now about Mr.Dion accusing Mr.Harper of panicking. Well that's like the pot calling the kettle black. What would you call voting against the government,but making sure the government doesn't fall?


"Mr. Dion said he offered to meet Mr. Harper Tuesday, but the prime minister said no; however, Mr. Harper then later changed his mind but by then the Liberal leader's agenda was full."

What about this:

Mr. Harper's aides said the Liberals did propose holding the meeting Tuesday, but when the aides called back to accept, they were told the offer was withdrawn. Mr. Dion is “refusing a telephone call, let alone a meeting,” Mr. Soudas said. Please read everything thank you!

Anonymous said...

under the Parliament of Canada Act, the prime minister is still free to request an election at any time, and provincial fixed-term statutes contain the same exception.

Read it, Love it, enjoy ;)

wilson said...

Much-maligned income trusts:
Down but not out
ROB CARRICK

August 23, 2008

Trusts have actually performed quite well as a group in the past year or so,
but this is in large part a result of the fact that energy trusts have benefited from the multiyear rise in oil and gas prices.
Some other trusts have struggled lately, which is good news for income seekers.
As a trust's price falls, the yield on its monthly or quarterly cash payout rises.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/GAM.20080823.STMAIN23/TPStory/TPComment

Anonymous said...

I hope the thirty three million plus people of this great country Canada band together in unity to change the repulsive representation (Right wing Conservatives) we now have in office, just as the Americans are now doing in their elections. We also need to throw that disgrace of an opposition party leader (Jack dam Liberals Layton) and get back a leader for the N.D.P. that will work together with other party's for the benefit of the country. As a union member I will never vote N.D.P. while this S.O.B. is at the helm and my fellow workers feel the same way and that number is in the hundreds!!! Canadians need to work in unison to help rid ourselves of this invasion by Alberta oil barons who believe money and advertising buys you the highest political office. Myself, I constantly talk to as many people as possible at work and neighbours about the constant stupidity of this Harper Regime, and when the elections do begin I will devote my spare time to do what ever I can to help support my local Liberal candidate. In the event of no Liberal candidate, like Bonnie in B.C., support the Green Party! Make sure you and all your neighbours order their lawn signs A.S.A.P. and contact your local riding office about how to help. As for yourself and many of the other bloggers here, keep up the great work in exposing these clowns for who they are. I find your blogs to be far more informative than any of the national news papers/agencies.
P.S. is their a way to start an online petition to send to the Governor General, I woulds sign in a second.

Anonymous said...

To : Wilson
From: Brent Fullard:

The Globe’s so called reporters are paid to malign trusts, and misinform public





Maligned? It’s the Globe who is maligning trusts.....they are paid to.....if they were true journalists they would expose the falsehood of tax leakage.....instead we get this editorial nonsense:

Much-maligned income trusts: Down but not out

Rob Carrick's ideas for managing your investments
ROB CARRICK
August 23, 2008
Globe and Maul

Anonymous said...

Let me do a brief "Current Events".

Four weeks ago, Harper called the by-elections for next week. Two weeks ago, he called another by-election. Dion's platform has been in the public news for two months now.

I read in the news that the nasty Dion has forced our PM into calling a general election. But in the last week what changed?

What changed is that the Tory VoteStar has polled in the by-election ridings, and the probings found that the PCP has lost that winning feeling.

Stephen Harper is in a manic panic of reality denial. He has the scent of a loser.

Fillibluster said...

Harper's pretzel logic questioned by London Free Press.


Fixed election dates lead to pretzel logic
By Dan Brown
London Free Press

Does Prime Minister Stephen Harper believe in fixed election dates or not?

It was Harper's Conservatives who were the driving force behind the legislative changes that mandate an election next year. By law, a federal vote must be held Oct. 19, 2009.

But it appears Harper is now getting ready to pull the plug on Parliament, calling it "dysfunctional" despite evidence to the contrary.

Canadians were led to believe this was a matter of principle. The point of fixed election dates was to make election calls less political, to ensure the party in power wouldn't force an unwanted campaign on Canadians when it was politically convenient. In theory, fixed election dates removed the temptation of expediency.

The legal door was always left open to an early election -- brought about by the opposition.

Few imagined Harper himself would trigger an election because Canadians assumed he actually believed in the principles he espoused.

The nation is not demanding an election. Nor are we facing an economic or military crisis that requires one. If Harper wants, he can find enough common ground with the opposition -- including Stephane Dion's Liberals -- to muddle through another year.

There is no good reason for a fall vote. This minority Parliament is working just fine.

Of course, there's a larger issue here. Do we want a parliamentary system of government or not?

Add fixed election dates to an elected Senate while giving more power to backbenchers and what you have is a de-facto American system. Is that what this country really wants?

Instead of making such drastic adjustments piecemeal, Harper owes it to Canadians to be straight with them. Either we're willing to work within our flawed system or we need to start over.

Which is it?

Right now we have a hybrid of the traditional Canadian system and the U.S. model and look where it leads. It has put our prime minister in the position of having to offer pretzel logic for a fall election.

Wouldn't he prefer if he could just call an election as his predecessors have done and at least not be called out as a hypocrite?