Today a Liberal.

“Canadians are known as peacekeepers above all and not warriors. There’s nothing proud about being a warrior, war is a desperate outcome for a human being, peacekeeping is extremely noble.”

I have no clue where the idea that this guy could be a contender for CPC leadership comes from. I have heard exactly nothing ‘in the wind’ from anyone outside of media and I think they just want to stir up crap.
H/t, Rob

I have made no hiding of the fact that I’m currently supporting Maxime Bernier for CPC leadership. I like his economic policies and his general libertarian outlook. One thing is really bothering me, though.
Let us all get one really important thing straight.
It is not racist, misogynistic or xenophobic to propose that immigrants and refugees entering the country each have some face-to-face time in an interview.
I find it ironic, stupid and sickening that you are providing our opposition with the talking points they’ll be using against you if you win. Newsflash, fools, according to the Liberals, the NDP and the media, Conservatives are always going to be racists. We always hate women. We always hate immigrants. Our policies always hurt the poor. We are always against the Native population.
Stop it. Stop it, stop it. Have you learned nothing?
Pleasing your enemies does not make them your friends.
The more you attack Kellie Leitch the more you’re going to lose by and the more I am thinking of pulling from Bernier to Leitch because Conservatives are making their arguments to the media. Like they are your friends?
You had to do the digging on the Liberals various expense scandals. You had to provide the numbers to our “journalists” that proved the impossibility of Shiny’s Syrian refugee plan. You had to force them to recognize the Yazidi. You did this work, not them, YOU. The media were too busy talking about Trudeau’s socks and counting his abs that day. Just stop it, already.
Stop making what they see as their job, easier for them to do.
Here’s a thought. Maybe, just maybe, we had a change election too. Maybe no matter what policy presented or what you did, losing was inevitable. Maybe you learned the wrong lesson last November.
Perhaps, if you start sticking up for straight-forward, reasonable policies and your fellow caucus members who propose them instead of decrying everything that might have something to do with a Turban or a Prayer Mat as rasicst, you might climb in the polls too.
Now, grow up and stop talking out of class.

Tony Clement is out of the CPC leadership race.

Maxime Bernier releases his income tax policy.
Highlights:

• Raise the Basic Personal Exemption to $15,000
• Eliminate two tax brackets so that income from $15,001 to $100,000 is taxed at 15%
• Tax income over $100,001 at 25%
• Eliminate boutique tax credits that serve no public policy purpose.

Dear Conservatives;

If people are going to vote Liberal, they’ll vote for real Liberals, not fake ones.
Further, as Conservative leadership candidates, has it occurred to you that these days you spend almost all of your time aping Trudeau on immigration, while he spends zero time aping you?

Joe Oliver on equalization.
An excellent article detailing the problems with equalization and asking important questions about the viability of the program or whether it’s even worth keeping.
However I’m not sure I fully appreciate the veracity of the former Canadian Minister of Finance making arguments meant to shore up Western Canadian conservatism. The same guy who had the power to change the system not 10 months ago.
Between this and Tony Clement calling for the end of the CBC, I get the feeling the Ontario Conservatives are feeling a little heat in the leadership race.

Maxime Bernier starts the week with a solid policy announcement.

I think she’s onto something here.

Conservative party leader candidate Maxime Bernier is calling for a phase-out of the Canadian broadcast regulator’s role as telecom watchdog as part of his plan to deregulate the industry.
The full text.

Maxime calls for the end of supply management in eggs, poultry and milk.

I wonder what Martha Hall Findlay thinks.

Don’t know if you’re watching the Manning Conference on CPAC2 or not, but conservatives could do a heck of a lot worse than elevating Bernier to leadership.

The beginning of the public audits.

If there are folks out there saying there must be a decisive move to occupy some other space on the political spectrum, that’s just crazy. We’ve seen that fail in Canada, we’ve seen that fail elsewhere. That doesn’t work.

And because it’s never too early for leadership speculation:
There are two ‘litmus tests’, if you will, for my next Conservative leader. Fiscal prudence and a decided preference for decentralization. My current favourite is Maxime Bernier, but for only two reasons. I know he tends towards liberty and he isn’t afraid to voice his views, I don’t know his views on spending.
One of the downsides of the Harper years is that I don’t actually know what other contenders think.