FEDERAL ELECTION TIME: Budget Shot Down in Parliament

[Tram Common]

Originally posted by Tik-Tok
I wish more people would vote PC... I'm not fond of Harper at all, but at this point would rather have an incompetent majority government, then to continue this minority gov. circus.

This.

What a fucking waste of money... these clowns need to go... but hey, it's Canada, we'll likely have another three federal elections before anything is done about this gong show.

[ZenOps]

I want to see if green gets a seat this time.

[Gainsbarre]

"Another waste of money", hardly. Less than $10 a person to exercise your democratic right in Canada, something that people in other parts of the world would give their life for. What about the thousands it will cost us per person for the CPCs "dumb on crime" legislation (as Ignatieff put it ) or untendered fighter jet deal -- why do they need to be stealth anyways if they're supposed to be patrolling the arctic? Aren't single engine planes problematic in the harsh conditions of the north? How many who are calling this an unnecessary election now were saying the same thing in 2006/2008? I hardly recall the CPC ever working with the government from 2004-2006, instead constantly howling about how the Liberals had "lost the moral authority to govern" (kinda sounds like the case nowadays too), and forming a "coalition" with the SEPARATISTS and the SOCIALISTS (gasp!) to bring down the Martin government. In 2008 Harper kept saying what he's saying now -- well something similar at least promising that if the other parties were to form a government that there WOULD be a recession and that if he stayed in power, that there WOULDN'T be a recession -- remember, Steve the economist didn't realize that the Canadian economy was in trouble until December 2008. Harper (not the other parties) then pulled the plug on parliament claiming that it was "dysfunctional". Well, it seems pretty dysfunctional right now as well, doesn't it? Especially when the ruling party is found in contempt of parliament for blatantly lying to and concealing spending plans so that they cannot be properly discussed in the house. That's why the Globe and Mail headline from earlier in this thread called Friday's vote "historic" -- a Canadian government has never been toppled for having been found in contempt of parliament! If you or I were in contempt of court we'd be heading to jail! (unless you're married to a CPC MP, which is likely why Rahim Jaffer got off scot-free for drunk driving/coke possession, and why I'm sure Doug Finley will keep his senate seat despite having broken election laws).

If the CPC loses this election and then try and try to trigger another election a year or two into the next parliament would it still be considered a "waste of money"?

[codetrap]

Originally posted by Gainsbarre
"Another waste of money", hardly. Less than $10 a person to exercise your democratic right in Canada blah blah blah wall of text ranting blah..

It's still a fucking waste of money no matter how you look at it. Meanwhile, the government is basically paralyzed by partisan politics vs actually doing something that's in the interest of Canadians.

I personally think that every single current member of the government should be banned from running again on the grounds of professional incompetence with the possible exception of those who actually went against the party line and voted in line with their constituents interests.

[Gainsbarre]

Well I know some people who'll be employed as deputy returning officers / polling clerks and so on, which will benefit thousands of people by giving them employment. So there's one way to look at it...

Futhermore, the election will put an end to those "Economic Action Plan -- our economy is so fragile!" ads on TV (which we paid 26 million for from January to March this year), where the proceeds are only going to ad agencies/TV networks, and the few paid actors they used in those ads (funny how they couldn't get real people to communicate how thrilled they are with the government ).

http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Canada/201...n-plan-110313/

Harper government's ad buy costs taxpayers $26M

OTTAWA — Taxpayers are shelling out $26 million over three months for all those Economic Action Plan ads the Harper government is airing on TV and radio.

A marketing specialist says the outlay is more cash than a big advertiser like Procter and Gamble would spend in a year in Canada.

The massive TV and radio buy is shared among three federal departments for slick ads that began airing Jan. 11 and wrap up by March 31. The ads have been hitting some of Canada's priciest advertising real estate: the Super Bowl, the Oscars, and Hockey Night in Canada.

[Toma]

Why ANYONE would care about a few million and election costs??

What about the BILLIONS in loan burdens Harper transferred from Banks to tax payers, ON TOP OF the 35 billion in "stimulus" to the banks...

Which are now reporting record profits.

Fuck Harper.

I could care less if my tax dollars go to social services, health care, or the democratic process.

BUT I DO CARE when my tax dollars go to guaranteeing the survival of corporations, or worse, guaranteeing them a profit!!

Cut hospitals, cut education, cut social service, oh... but lets make sure the corporate scum make their BILLIONS and RECORD profits.

Supporting the PC's is criminal ..... aiding and abeding in the theft of OUR money.

I know that MANY of you do not understand the consequences of what they have done, and hence your uneducated opinions.... so leave the voting to people that understand how they got ripped off, and will get seriously fucked very soon.

[masoncgy]

Michael Ignatieff: he did it before, he'll do it again!

[kertejud2]

Originally posted by codetrap

I personally think that every single current member of the government should be banned from running again on the grounds of professional incompetence with the possible exception of those who actually went against the party line and voted in line with their constituents interests.

Oddly enough going against the party line to vote with your constituents interests will get you kicked out of the CPC inner circle.

And the Liberals don't really have a party line at all so they're in a tough position.

Then there's the Bloc who's party line is only voting in line with their constituents interests, even if (especially when) it screws everyone else over.

[Gainsbarre]

Originally posted by kertejud2

Oddly enough going against the party line to vote with your constituents interests will get you kicked out of the CPC inner circle.

Just ask Garth Turner. Or how about the CPC candidate for Vancouver Centre who was forced to resign a few weeks ago...

http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Canada/201...couver-110316/

Star Conservative candidate in Vancouver resigns

OTTAWA — Rachel Greenfeld seemed like the ideal Conservative candidate to go up against Liberal veteran Hedy Fry in Vancouver.

She's multilingual, a former producer with big-name broadcasters CNN and Fox, a member of the Vancouver Board of Trade, and has progressive conservative views that might resonate well on the "Left Coast."

But after nearly two years as the Tory candidate in Vancouver Centre, Greenfeld suddenly packed it in -- at least the second party candidate to drop off in the past month.

"It wasn't a happy ending for sure," Greenfeld said.

She said she was asked to resign because she wouldn't agree to run in two consecutive elections, a commitment she didn't feel she could make emotionally or professionally after so long as candidate already.

She also believes she was regarded as a "loose cannon" because she spoke to the media when she felt like it.

"(I) said I really would like to go through one election, I've worked really hard at this, I'm $150,000 invested, I've put a team of people to work for over a year-and-a-half ... but I can't commit to another four years.

"And I had tendered my resignation effective April, in the event that we didn't go through an election because I have taken on the position of CEO of a company, and they said: "Resign now or you're fired."'

A Conservative source who spoken on condition of anonymity said the party felt it couldn't run the risk of being without a candidate should an election be triggered past Greenfeld's March 31 deadline -- a view Greenfeld says she totally understood.

Greenfeld, who started up the trendy Campoverde Social Club in Vancouver and is now the head of a personal coaching firm, said she's more put off by the treatment she got from party officials. She wasn't impressed when Jenni Byrne, the Conservative party's director of operations and national campaign manager, assigned an underling to deliver the ultimatum.

"She didn't have the respect for me to make the call herself. And I found that to be very unfortunate.

"They've got the right person in the right job for the way that they need to run their organization, it's just that there's no humanity, no soul, there's no kindness, there's no femininity -- the things that give people the greatest pleasure in life are absent.

"Feeling acknowledged, feeling understood, feeling respect, they're just not there."

The Tory source said the party found it easier to accept her resignation because of Greenfeld's demands for "special attention." The source said she had complained on various occasions that party policies had been developed without taking into account their potential impact in her riding.

Greenfeld spoke glowingly of other B.C. Conservatives and said she continues to be a party member. She felt the party had a good shot at taking the riding in the next federal election.

"We're very concerned with our environment here, we care about the homeless situation, we care about the mental health issues that we see people suffering from in the downtown east side," she said.

It's that kind of off-message talk that Greenfeld suspects put her on the naughty list of some in the party. She said party brass were unhappy when she gave some interviews when she first won the nomination in 2009, without their blessing.

Conservative party spokesman Fred Delorey said he could not discuss internal party matters. Byrne did not respond to a request for comment.

Speaking to the press without having your script run through the PMO is a huge no-no! Watching question period yesterday it was apparent that you gotta all follow the same script -- everytime a CPC member spoke, it seemed that they all had to say "fragile economy" "unnecessary election" and "reckless coalition" at least twice.

[[Yu]]

Hey Gainsbarre, do you know where to apply to be a polling clerk? Because I would love to help out for that day.

EDIT: NM found it!

[Sugarphreak]

...

[yellowsnow]

i'm gonna vote conservatives. hope more ppl vote this time around to give a big F U to the liberals, NDP and bloc for wasting more of canadian tax payers money on a pointless vote.

minority gov'ts are so useless. we need a majority so shit can actually get done in this country. just watching parliament on tv sometimes is just pathetic i can't believe grown men yell at each other and call each other names, and their possie behind them either boos are cheers. the system sucks!

hmm... or maybe i'll vote for the communist party

[ZenOps]

OT: Wow what a game, for once Calgary didn't choke.

I like minority govts for the exact reason that nothing gets done.

In this economic climate, the less they mess with the system - the better. Criminalize prostitution? Nope. Criminalize DVD copying? Bah.. Nope. Buy $9 Billion in Fighter Jets (that will probably end up being over $70 billion) Nope.

You only want a majority govt when going to war. And we aren't in a war. Libya is an internal civil conflict that we have decided to send 6 aircraft to observe on (no bombs yet)

This has never happened before in the history of Canada, government dissolving in such a manner. It probably would have been more respectable for Harper to have stepped down the last time he had to run to the Governor General to retain power.

He will always be remembered as the Prime minster that was kicked out on comtempt of parliament. Contempt always makes me think of the foaming at the mouth criminal screaming that rats ate his socks and that aliens took his dinner - at a jury hearing....

This is actually bad enough news, to maybe, just maybe, have a tiny effect on the markets on monday.

[old&slow]

Originally posted by Toma


Accurate.

He is also very intelligent, and i have read numerous works by him, including stuff like Blood and Belonging and other stuff on nationalism, duality, and Civic nationalism.

He is not a dumb ass like Harper.

BUT, just cause he is smart does not mean he is right. The man is as dangerous as Harper.

Harper has to go as well.... that piece of shit epitomizes the very despicable core belief system that is the US republicans, and his pro corporate, anti "middle class", pro "imperialist" views.

Canada unfortunately is turning into a copy of the US system.

We need a big shake up.

I'm voting NDP.

Agreed! I used to think Harper would make a difference. The man actually scares me now. He seems to macro manage everything like a dictator.
The liberals and the Bloc are completely useless.
Just a split of good votes.
At least Layton is imo actually interested in the welfare of real Canadians and not in jets and the US of A!

I just can't imagine Harper getting real power...would rather see another minority government.

[kertejud2]

Originally posted by yellowsnow

minority gov'ts are so useless. we need a majority so shit can actually get done in this country.

Again, Pearson had minority governments, Trudeau had majorities. One is not inherently better than the other.

just watching parliament on tv sometimes is just pathetic i can't believe grown men yell at each other and call each other names, and their possie behind them either boos are cheers. the system sucks!

You'll be in for a real shock when you see a majority government question period.

[m10-power]

I lol at the all the jet comments, the Liberals did that entirely and now the PC's are just following through with those contracts. Which also mean a ton of jobs and money for these jets coming to Canada.

Really what this all shows is Canada is to different coast to coast to be a single country, time to split it up.

Im tired of paying taxes so Quebec can build a hockey arena for an imaginary team.

[tirebob]

Originally posted by m10-power
I lol at the all the jet comments, the Liberals did that entirely and now the PC's are just following through with those contracts.

Are you saying it was the Liberals that set up this deal? That is not something I have ever heard... Links? I wouldn't mind reading more about this and I can't find anything...

[codetrap]

Originally posted by Toma

BUT I DO CARE when my tax dollars go to guaranteeing the survival of corporations, or worse, guaranteeing them a profit!!

I understand why the Gov't has to insure the survival of the banks, but I don't agree with the banks posting record profits, (except from my investment sheet).

Think for a minute about what the consequences would be if RBC started to fail and suddenly started calling in loans. How many people would suddenly be unemployed, and homeless?

Who holds the mortgage to your house Toma? Do you have a line of credit? Car loans? Working line of credit for your business?

With regards to the economic action plan advertising.. Rick Mercer said it quite well.

[ZenOps]

Harpers definitely got a dictator complex.

"If you don't give me a majority, Canada will die in a economic fireball..." - not exact quote.

Thats a really bad sign right there.

[ZenOps]

Originally posted by m10-power
I lol at the all the jet comments, the Liberals did that entirely and now the PC's are just following through with those contracts. Which also mean a ton of jobs and money for these jets coming to Canada.

Really what this all shows is Canada is to different coast to coast to be a single country, time to split it up.

Im tired of paying taxes so Quebec can build a hockey arena for an imaginary team.

The Liberals spent money to develop the F-35. The final decision to buy was never set in stone. If the F-35 did not meet Canada's needs the idea was that they would consider the monetary investment a small loss and would go to another source if it was decided we needed more military aircraft (and not say - helicopters or ships)

I mean the F-35 is mass produced. Its a commodity like an apple in military terms. Now, if you don't like the McIntosh, you can always get a Red delicious instead.

The US will produce a couple thousand for themselves, I don't think it will matter much if Canada does or does not spend half the budget on 64.