Evening Update – via a reliable source:
This story started with a Canadian Press story that obviously did not understand House of Commons procedure. The Ways and Means Motion being voted on Monday is for tax measures only. The elimination of political subsidies will be in the enabling legislation for the fiscal update as planned, it will be a confidence vote.
With the Liberals held hostage, Jack Layton has reportedly laid out his list of demands – including both the finance and environment portfolios.
I told you this’d be worth it!
Bourque seems to be on top of the other news headlines, so I’l redirect you there…
Original post continues below:
Opposition hold coalition talks, Grits may dump Dion
One option under consideration is to suspend plans for the May 2 leadership convention and just go straight to the cage match…. developing….
Updates:
A CBC poll goes horribly wrong.
Breaking – after calls to the Saskatchewan “a leadership convention date has yet to be decided” Liberals produced a “this number is no longer in service” message, opposition parties are reported to be seeking advice on coalition-forming from Jean “when I’m finished with Paul Martin he won’t get elected dog-catcher” Chretien.
ROTFLMAO Update… via John Gormley Live. … With the opposition parties on record vowing to take down the government over the “lack of a stimulus package” in the economic update … Harper The Merciful has announced he’ll remove the party funding portion and separate it from the confidence vote… developing…
To the Liberal/NDP supporters whining that the CPC is exploiting the opposition’s financial vulnerability to play “partisan games”, I offer this advice – get out your checkbooks and shut the hell up.
Anyone notice what the markets did this week?
gained every day.
A Question:
Is it possible, that the GG would rule that she will neither dissolve Parliament, nor establish a coalition Government, but would force the parliamentarians to establish a workable/agreeable arrangement, or, is she constitutionally bound to either dissolve or establish a coalition Government?
There is a potential for a constitutional crisis here. Suppose the Liberals do introduce a no-confidence motion on Monday and win it. Harper goes to the GG and informs her he has lost the confidence of Parliament, and recommends that she dissolve the House and call new elections. Harper does not resign as Prime Minister by doing this.
The GG is not supposed to act contrary to the advice of the Prime Minister. She would actually have to FIRE Harper and invite Dion to form a government to continue this sitting of Parliament. I don’t know the political consequences after this – legally the Conservatives would have no recourse – but the backlash from those who do not support the Liberals could be phenomenal.
Hey did you see the latest – Flaherty states that political funding NOT part of economic package to be voted on Monday.
ROFLMAO – can’t wait for the coalition – headed up by the separatist party – to vote against this one!!!!!!!!
Cretien- ties to Power Corp.
Dion- ties to Power Corp.
Rae- ties to Power corp.
Power corp. the only place to get enough money to pay off Dion’s debts legally.
ergo, Rae gets the leadership job.
Iggy and six fellow travelers cross the floor, majority.
First, it is undemocratic to make the taxpayer support the political party; it ought to be up to the individual to donate, if he wishes, rather than being forced to do so via his taxes.
Yet it is democratic to make the taxpayer support freeloading, conservative voting farmers. Should it not be up to the individual to donate, if he or she wishes, rather than be forced to via his taxes??
My, my, my, ET. And you’re in academia, are you not? How sad.
Lee: i made a comment on this earlier in the day about growth all week
However: The TSX is down today & also the Dollar is down, All because of the Threat to Over-Throw the Government and form a Coalition of the Socialist Left & Separtist BQ.
Didn’t Canadians just soundly reject Stephane Dion in a $300 Million election? And now Monsieur Chretien is back behind the scenes. Are we about to witness our own version of a “Coup d’etat”? Hey, if you can’t get elected by the people, just seize power anyway you can! (That’ll make for a great Liberal Party fundraising slogan!)
And yet … through it all, their friends in the liberal media are mostly only condemning the Conservatives through all of this. If it so transpires. watch the Sheeple of Canuckistan stand by and say not a thing. 🙁
Ummm, does Harper fill the Senate appointments this weekend, just in case? Or does Dion fill them as soon as he’s in office? And if the latter, does the NDP get 33% of those seats? I wonder how that will work?
Only in Canada, a government elected with ten seats short of Majority with a plot being cobbled up in various quarters to have them taken down by a jealous pack of rogues who are missing their entitlements.
Dion and Layton shacking up with Duceppes whoring when it’s of interest to Quebec. Beautiful stuff.
If a non confidence motion passes, it’s the PM who goes to the governor general to say the government has lost the confidence of the house and then asks the GG to dissolve parliament and call an election. The GG can ask the opposition if they can form a government, but seeing that the combined Lib/NDP is 114 seats versus the Conservatives 142 seats this will not happen. So without the Bloq being a formal member of said coalition there would be an election.
If this is truly about the ‘stimulus package’, what is it that the coalition plans to do? All I have heard from them the Conservatives aren’t doing enough….but aren’t saying what their plans are? Is it a $100 billion bailout to failing industries and huge unions? Is it cross the board (including high income) tax cuts? Please coalition, before you dare to bring down an elected government, give us the details and let the people decide…oh wait, that was what the election last month was for!!
Now would be the time for 12 blue Liberals to cross the floor, claiming they could never let separatists control the federal government.
Any one want to start a pool?
Top of my list:
1 Kieth Martin – just because
2 Irwin Cotler – a Canada first guy
3 Sukh Dhaliwal – surrounded by a sea of blue in Vancouver suburbs
4 Larry Bagnell – Yukon
5 Anthony Rota – Northern Ontario
6 Marc Garneau – Montreal Federalist
7 Francis Scarpaleggia – Montreal Federalist
8 Massimo Pacetti – Montreal Federalist
9 Scott Andrews – Newfoundland newbie, knows he will lose the next election as a Liberal
10 Scott Simms – Newfoundland MP going for the cabinet post
11 Lawrence MacAulay – PEI senses a change in the political winds on the island
12 Rodger Cuzner – Nova Scotia
This seems like the weekend that anything can happen….
Ted: “I’m not speakign for Canadians, Kate. I am assessing what I think Canadians are feeling. And Canadians want leadership, they don’t want political games.”
What a pile of crap, and so like a Liberal. “I’m assessing what I THINK [my emphasis] Canadians are feeling.” So presumptuous, not based in reality. Librano$ put words in Canadians’ mouths, thoughts in their heads and, funny thing, what Canadians apparently think is exactly what the Librano$ think. Viscious circle.
“Canadians want leadership, not political games”?
Do tell, Ted. We’ve had over 30 years of Librano political games and THAT’S what Canadians are heartily sick and tired of. Canadians are also fed up with the political games of their lapdogs in the MSM and the MSM’s, especially the CBC’s, propaganda for the Liberals (all Liberal, all the time).
OFF THE WIRES: Harper clinging to power for another week. Does what he said was anti-democratic three years ago and cancels/postpones Liberals opposition day.
So,if successful the Liberal lead coalition would be headed by either:
Dion the least popular LPC leader…. ever
Iggy the untested academic from the US
Rae the Ontario premier that messed up Ontario economy during a recession
or
Layton the socialist
None of them have any legitimate claim to govern. Dion was soundly rejected by voters and other two LPCers do not even have the approval of their own party let alone Canadian voters. Layton and the NDP are no more than a federal fringe party. Then add that the CPC just won the election less than 2 months ago. If the GG agrees to such a coalition then the GG office also needs to be reformed.
Is this the same Layton that was running to be PM recently? – the guy that came in, NOT quite PM, not the first looser, nor the second looser, but who actually came in fourth? The same one?
Wow, he came in last, and still wants to be part of the leadership of the country. One way or another!
Again, WOW.
CRB
Hmm… lets see: Le petit gars from Shawinigan introduces a political party funding methodology specifically designed to torpedo Paul Martins chances of challenging his record as a Liberal leader…. then when PMSH contemplates cancelling this arrangement, the zombie arises from the dead to arrange a coalition of trough snufflers….
Trudeau: not dead enough.
Chretien: not prosecuted enough…
So PMSH has stalled the opposition day to Dec 8th..Plenty of time for the Coalition of the Left to clearly define the terms and cost of their economic stimulus plan (as if they had a plan).
Besides the lack of plan, the next week should be fun to watch given the dynamics of this polygamous marriage made in piggery.
The three (or four) stooges fighting for the helm of the LPC…Wacko Jacko demanding Finance and or Industry and the ever charming Gilles Duceppe demanding concessions for Quebec at the expense of the rest of the country.
Add to that the optics of tired hacks like Cretien and Broadbent engineering a palace coup over the issue of taxpayer dollars for political parties and I can’t see this thing holding together.
You might as well try to herd feral tom cats than keep this cutthroat collection of political vermin running the same direction.
This should be freakin awesome!
Syncro
Interesting historical factoid: Winston Churchill was never elected Prime Minister until after the war.
The present idiotic rantings and ravings of the selfish demented morons in the NDP and the Crooked Liberal party is a perfect example of why voters should not be forced to subsidize any political party.
And any GG that would allow a coalition govt to take over just weeks after a $300 million election was held could kiss any respect for that position to be shot as well.
She better realize that the GG position would be ABOLISHED as quickly as possible, should she be that stupid.
Canadians did not vote for the creep in a creeps clothing, or the video professor to run the country.
manny, you aren’t very knowledgeable or logical.
First, to have the taxpayer give (got that, give?) money to a political party without their permission is undemocratic. The reason is because a political party is not part of the economy but is a political perspective. No taxpayer should support a political perspective without their permission.
Second, farmers – and my goodness, you do hate farmers, don’t you. I wonder why. But, farmers – can justifiably be subsidized by the taxpayer because they are an integral part of the economic infrastructure of any nation. I know that you live on pure air, manny, but you are, heh, unique.
The subsidies to farmers are not ‘gifts’; they ae not ‘donations’ but low cost loans, reduction or waiver of various taxes, a low cost loan of a percentage of the cost of new equipment, trade agreements, reduction in transfer, capital gains taxes and so on, etc. What do you have against this?
This strengthens this sector of the economy to enable it to compete against the farm produce from other countries – which might be much cheaper in costs, due to low land costs, labour, and their own govt subsidies.
With your illogical perspective, you’ll next be declaring that govts shouldn’t fund the building of roads, or hospitals, or schools; it should all be done by private donation.
So, your attempt, manny, to set up a comparison between political parties and farmers is an invalid analogy. The first is a political association and not part of the infrastructure of a nation; the second is an economic system, not an association, and an integral party of an economy. So, manny – Try again. This time, use facts. And logic.
If I’m Harper, I meet with the lieberal’s and Jacko. I give them there one time stimulus package and then I add back the cutting off of the $1.95. Then if they vote it down you know their true intentions and whip them in an election. If they pass it you have a one time expense to cut them off at the knees by bankrupting them.
A farmer once told me in elections its cheaper to keep a fat pig fat rather than fatten up a skinny pig. Might be some truth to that.
The arogance of these people should not be surprising. The Gliberals and Kneedeepers, when another election is called, will be punished by the voters.
Harry
“OFF THE WIRES: Harper clinging to power for another week. Does what he said was anti-democratic three years ago and cancels/postpones Liberals opposition day.”
Well, Ted, it’s better than using a baseball bat to knock some sense into them. But then, maybe a baseball bat is the only thing that’ll work with these brainless, anti-democratic, avaricious swine.
A coalition? With who as leader? None of them were elected. They do not have a mandate from the voters. They do not have a plan.
And they can only form their coalition with a treasonous party whose sole reason for being is to destroy Canada.
How well do you think that’ll go over, Ted?
And no, you don’t speak for Canadians. Check the opinion polls. They’re certainly more accurate on this issue than your singularly retarded opinion.
The Gormley link leads to news 650 homepage. Can you find the specific link?
“To the Liberal/NDP supporters whining that the CPC is exploiting the opposition’s financial vulnerability to play “partisan games”, I offer this advice – get out your checkbooks and shut the hell up.”
AMEN!
Get your damn hands out of MY pockets!
I do NOT want to see one red cent of mine go to the lieberals or the DPs or the traitors from Quebec or to pay for a cross-country junket on a private train for that whining, shrieking, disgusting slob lizzie may!
Is Canada going to turn to the NDP at this time to implement their ideas and plans for the economy?
Is the business community going to buy into this hare brained plan?
Do Canadians want Stephane Dion as Prime Minister?
Liberals themselves have already told Canadians they don’t want Dion as Prime Minister – Canadians certainly don’t want a carbon tax.
Are we going to give the Bloc Quebecois a golden oppportunity to really blackmail Canadians?
Where is the disconnect in all this?
How many Liberal MPs won their seat by less than 2.5% of the popular vote? How many of those do you think will want to be seen partnering up with Socialists and Separatists in an effort to preserve their party’s ill gotten entitlements at a time of worldwide economic crisis?
Being that the Conservatives only need 22 opposition MPs to abstain from the vote, or 11 opposition MPs to vote for the fiscal update (perhaps at the expense of becoming an independent MP or crossing the floor) what is the likelihood that the Conservatives will be defeated?
Realistically, even the Bloc has to be a little skeptical about joining a coalition with the Liberals and NDP … It is very easy to be a critic of the government and get a lot of support from the people, but when you’re facing a lot of tough decisions yourself you will (likely) make different choices which are easily attacked. Would you really want to have to answer for the decisions made by the Liberal’s or NDP?
It will be interesting to see what happens … I personally would keep my eye on “experienced” Liberal and Bloc members who will (probably) not be seeking re-election and are (relatively-speaking) more conservative (or at least “Anti-NDP”). We could be facing a Parliament where the balance of power is held by individuals rather than parties in the very near future.
I just recieved this letter from Scott Brison.The liberals are shameless.Harper is the ‘butcher of democracy’ yet trying to gain control of the gov’t through the back door is quite alright with Scotty.Maybe Scotty is sick to his stomach because of something else,think Rod Stewart.
The Harper Way
I asked for this chance to write to our Party’s key supporters – because late yesterday, Stephen Harper acted so disreputably as to make any decent person feel sick to the stomach. We need your help to raise the money to stop this little man. In the face of the worst economic problems since the Great Depression, Harper’s very first measure in the new Parliament is legislation to destroy the Liberal Party financially.
We must put money in the bank to deal with Harper’s disingenuous operations.
Around the world, governments and opposition parties are rallying together to face the economic crisis. Barack Obama and George Bush can work together, but that’s not the Harper way.
Harper vowed there would be no deficit on his watch – never. And now, he has brought Canada a huge deficit. Harper said there would be no recession. And now, we have entered the worst recession in living memory. Harper is either an economic fool or a morally deficient cynic, but either way, thousands of Canadians are losing their jobs every day, home prices are falling, retirement savings are evaporating and Christmas is looking so sad for many Canadians.
Rather than acting forcefully on the economic crisis, Harper prefers to move to ensure his fundraising advantage from his core of extreme right wing contributors – and to hell with democracy.
We need to demonstrate that the Liberal Party can and will compete financially. We need donations now to stop Stephen Harper and his desire to be the butcher of democracy.
Sincerely,
Scott Brison
Finance Critic
Liberal Party of Canada
Authorized by the Federal Liberal Agency of Canada, registered agent for the Liberal Party of Canada
To unsubscribe to these emails, click here.
Manny – Criticize farmers if you want to – Just don’t do it with your mouth full
Hey, PMSH postpones opposition day to Eid al-Adha.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eid_al-Adha
So I wonder which sons will be sacrificed, I mean sheep slaughtered, in remembrance of Abraham’s obedience to God, by readying the sacrifice of Isaac or Ishmael.
What a sporting touch for the season of peace and good will.
Cheers
Hans-Christian Georg Rupprecht, Commander in Chief
Frankenstein Battalion
2nd Squadron: Ulanen-(Lancers) Regiment Großherzog Friedrich von Baden(Rheinisches) Nr.7(Saarbrucken)
Knecht Rupprecht Division
Hans Corps
1st Saint Nicolaas Army
Army Group “True North”
Just checked out the CBC poll and found this comment:
“If 30M dollars is going to avert an economic crisis the conservatives can stop fighting elections canada on adscam and just refund the country the millions they took from public coffers there.”
Unbelievable.
If that person voted in the last election we are in trouble.
That was truly pathetic, even for you ET. A little early for imbibing, no. Oh well, it’s happy hour somewhere.
Let me get this straight. You are in favor of subsidizing anything that is “part of the economic infrastructure of any nation.”
My, what a quaint exercise in conservative logic.
Manny – Criticize farmers if you want to – Just don’t do it with your mouth full
If food was free, farmer, I might agree will you. Barring that, have you no shame, living off of the avails of other peoples’ hard work?
Gotta love it….Harper just delivered a one..two..three and then pulled the biggest rug out from under the biggest bunch of hypocrites I have ever seen. I AM in AWE.
Lets see,do I hear this right.Stop govt funding of political parties is an attack on democracy.Which other countries fund political parties with govt funding would be the next question.DOes any other democracy do it?All communist countries do it I know that.Whats the next step in govt funded political parties?The complete elimination of private funding with the first step being companys and other influential organizations.O,pardon me,thats been done.I heard this morning on a talk show where someone thought that people funding wasnt fair so the next step is eliminate it.Its odd what some call progressive democratic legislation.
From the “Bourquester”
Would you support a Lib Ndp Bloc coalition government ?
Yes (996) 30%
No (2293) 69%
Not sure (47) 1%
The coalition idea is going over like a lead balloon or should I say lead Zeppelin.
“Oh the humanity!”
Cheers
Hans-Christian Georg Rupprecht, Commander in Chief
Frankenstein Battalion
2nd Squadron: Ulanen-(Lancers) Regiment Großherzog Friedrich von Baden(Rheinisches) Nr.7(Saarbrucken)
Knecht Rupprecht Division
Hans Corps
1st Saint Nicolaas Army
Army Group “True North”
Prime Minister Dion ? ……Quick get the important action alert to Cherniak !
All this talk of left coalition is fun political sport, it isn’t going to happen. Think about it:
– when in Canadian history has there been a coalition government that in itself was a minority government?
– is Duceppe going to go along with this, IOW, sign an agreement for sharing power, without receiving bigtime favours in return, such as cabinet positions and largesse for Quebec?
– why would GG get involved in this? Answer: she wouldn’t. She will quietly seek advice that she will trigger a constitutional and legal crisis if she did.
– anything remotely close to this has resulted in perpetrators getting creamed in next election, which happened almost immediately.
– isn’t it more likely some members will vote against their party, or simply stay home and not vote. Isn’t is more likely there will be floor crossings over this, like Keith Martin for instance?
– if this actually happened, isn’t the overwhelming likelihood GG will grant PM’s request to dissolve parliament and trigger election, with Grits broke, Dippers having nonsensical leader the Bloc able to gain nothing, but lose plenty?
– straw polls overwhelmingly show Canadians will not be happy with this and will punish the opposition in inevitable election that would result almost immediately or before end of 09.
– where is the crisis that demands this action? In 1922 GG refused request of PM to dissolve parliamen? There was a scandal at the time, and Mackenzie King returned to power soon after, when minority collapsed?
– will opposition risk election on this basis? IMO, no way, unless they are sure they can be sure of forming government (highly unlikely) and have opportunity to vote themselves necessary funding to fight election soon afterward?
– what kind of “plan” can LPC/NDP cobble together that will give GG confidence they can govern, when she knows they need Bloc, when she knows combined coalition party seats less than Tories?
Sorry, folks, anybody who believes coalition will happen is doing really bad drugs.
I have a question for history buffs. Has there ever been a minority coalition, where their combined seats are less than rebuffed government?
Like I said, nice political theatre, but that’s about all. Libs and Dippers have smell of power in their nostrils, but will come crashing back to reality very soon, when they realize the best they can do is trigger another election, where, IMO they will get pummelled by the voters.
What would the socialist / communist Liberal/ / ND/ Blockhead coalition look like?
PM – Green shift Dion, Finance Minister – closet communist Bob Rae, Foreign Affairs Minister – Taliban Jack Layton, Defense Minister – Gilles Duceppe just a few of the biggies.
And on the basis a two year pact without holding another election?
That would be the end of Canada as it exists at present.
I would move to Alberta to join the sepaaration.
The media in Canada are lovin it!
Fresh off an election with the pink slips have already been sent and CTV were all cackles and giggles over the “drama” that’s about to occur. PM Harper, ever gracious, than goes and gives the media a full week of relevance once again by delaying opposition days until when the GG is back in the county.
I agree with other posters here about possibility of getting enough votes from opposition, especially libs, maybe even a floor crossing. I don’t think Ignatief is too happy about Prime Minister Dion. How’s that suppose to work? LOL
I would love for the CPC to come out and say they will decline their share of the $1.95 per vote to do their part. I would send them a couple hun for sure on that, especially since they said they will move on eliminating section 13. That would be real conservatism I could get behind.
Oh Ted. I guess you missed the socialist ringmaster Rae the day this was announced blow a gasket over the funding issue. No, he didn’t mention a socialist stimulus package. Yes, he cried about democracy, political parties and funding. The left want power. Period. All the spin and feigned anger of a stimulus package will never hide that.
Canada is going to have to ride the wave created when America falls deeper to govt intervention and socialism and releases their plan.
Anyhow..unlike Libs…I am going to whip out my sustaining donor card and fire of some funds to the CPC
manny,you are either a dolt or cant read. I have told you before,BUY A FARM!Get in on the gravy train,live the good life on easy street.Just remember to keep your bankers phone number on speed dial and your wife with a good enough job to buy groceries.
no, manny. In logic, you have to learn the different between ALL and SOME. That’s an important part of predicate logic.
So, when I say that I understand why and how farmers are subsidized, (and you don’t) that doesn’t mean that ALL (anything) systems that are part of the economic structure ought to be subsidized. Get to work, manny; learn the difference between All and Some. And learn about different levels of the economy.
Your statement about ‘living off the avails’ of other people’s hard work also doesn’t make sense. All products used by man are created by human work; even the gathering of apples. So, are you seriously implying that one ought not to use the results of work? Why not?
You are one of the most illogical people I’ve ever met; you toss out unfocused random opinions without evidence, without logic – and toss in a few personal insults as colour. Why?
bluetech – yes, there’s all kinds, including people who think that Adscam was carried out by the Conservatives rather than the Liberals. And there are still people who claim that Big Corporations fund the Conservatives, ignoring that such was the hallmark of the Liberals until Chretien stopped it in his agenda of destroying the Liberal post-Chretian era.
Manny – You have no clue. Farmers have been producing food for you for years either at or below the cost of production. Farmers typicly receive about 15 % of the price you pay for food. In Canada you have access to the cheapest food supply anywhere in the world. Don’t need to eat Manny? Then let your farmers go down the drain. Turn your food supply over to someone off shore. China perhaps.
ET, maybe you should sleep it off.
Spike 1, oldfarmer- you can’t make it as a ploughjockey/leech…go get a real job. I hear PCS is hiring.
manny,
So what kind of “stimulus” package do you propose and/or support?
It wouldn’t be some kind of *gasp* “subsidy” for a particular business sector would it?
Manny has used up all his logic. He’s into the personal attack mode now
ET, really, sleep it off, then tomorrow reread the inane drivel you have been posting, see if it passes the smell test of even your rather twisted sense of “logic” and call me in the morning.