Higher TV numbers for the LPC convention.

Today is Day 4 of Ignatieff week in Canada and as I am sure that you are already aware that the entire country is abuzz with talk around the water cooler at work, and the kitchen table at home, about the Liberal convention and Ignatieff.

Day 4 is just no ordinary day during Ignatieff week; it is the day that the MSM have been waiting for for months now as they roll out their big guns for their convention coverage.

Starting today Canadians will get the privilege to watch live as the Liberal Party of Canada spend taxpayer dollars on a lavish leadership convention; a convention where the leader and the party president have both already been chosen by the back room party elite so there is now no need for that pesky democratic vote thing to get in the way of the celebration. During the convention Canadians will also get the opportunity listen to Liberals speaking to half empty rooms not about real policy but about the need to contribute more money to the LPC, while the new Liberal leader who did not contribute ANY money to his own party last year awaits his coronation.

A great day indeed; it almost makes me wish that I was CBC executive so I could sit back and watch the ratings soar as nothing makes for better TV than live coverage of the waste of taxpayers dollars on a needless convention during a recession to audience growing daily with the ranks of the recent unemployed.

Brison's ten-percenter vs Ignatieff's stock portfolio.

Day 3 of Ignatieff week in Canada. Juxtapose the following. (sorry Kate)

Scott Brison has sent out a ten-percenter asking for opinions from Canadians about buying stocks and the current economic situation. (see link to Steve Janke's post and please do respond to Mr. Brison's flyer)


Micheal Ignatieff proudly declares that he has NEVER bought or owned any stock.

Ignatieff, the CFL and The Economist.

A couple of quick ones for Day 2 of Ignatieff week.

From a CBC interview ( edit Apr 2010: link now dead) with Ignatieff on his (not written for any political gain) book.

Solomon: You know that the Conservatives are going to comb through this for everything. Every moment where ignatieff may miss it to prove that he’s not a true patriot. Once you say, I’m a patriot, boy, you better walk it. There is one thing that I caught, I have to mention it to you... you say "as Canadians, we cheer for the same football teams as Americans." This is talking about how similar the two cultures are. But no, we don't! We cheer for the CFL.

Ignatieff: No, not true. Not true. That’s a piece of--

Solomon: What?

Ignatieff: That’s…Look. There are people who love the Hamilton Tiger Cats and the Montreal Allouettes, and etc., but, there are lots of Canadians-

Solomon: Who love the nfl. ( I like how he answers the question for Iggy)

Ignatieff: Who love the NFL, that’s all I'm saying. And I don't want to cast negative aspersions on the CFL.

Solomon: It’s a national institution. ( more help from the CBC)

Ignatieff: Yeah, it’s a great national institution. I've watched it all my life. But there are also Canadians who watch the NFL.

There is lots here but look at the last comment from Ignatieff where he says he watched the CFL all of his life. Umm, I am not 100% sure on this, but some how I don't think that the CFL gets much coverage in England at the best of times and I doubt that during the 20 years that he spent over there that the BBC ever broadcast ANY CFL games.

So how did he watch?

Finally this article from The Economist asks the question that many of us have been asking for some time. Does Ignatieff have any policies?

Iggy Takes Credit for the Carbon Tax.

A blast from the past on this the first day of Ignatieff week here in Canada.

Here we have Iggy commenting on how he was the first one to suggest a carbon tax and how he still believes in a carbon tax.*








*depending on what day it is this opinion may have changed.

It is going to be bigger than Shark Week on the Discovery Channel

Are you ready Canada? It starts today and for the Canadian media I expect it to be bigger than Shark week is on the Discovery Channel, and as we all know how BIG that is.

That's right dear readers, you guessed it. This is the start of Ignatieff week for the MSM in Canada as the Liberals hold their so called "leadership convention" this upcoming weekend in Vancouver. No matter that there will be very few in attendance at the convention, or that little policy will be discussed, or even that the leadership and party president positions have long since been decided by the party elite without the input of the grassroots; it is going to be a celebration of all that is Iggy this week and you can be sure that the news media in this country will remind you of this fact again and again as the week progresses to the MSM lead climax next weekend.

If you thought last weeks coverage of a book that the author adamantly denies has anything to do with advancing his political fortunes was excessive; you ain't seen nothing yet.

Remember folks, that's Ignatieff week. You can catch the excitement all of this week on every channel and in every newspaper across Canada.

But hurry, the excitement will not last long as starting the following week reality again returns and the free ride will be over.

Count on it.

Your Conservative Home on the Net.

If you are already a frequent reader of the political blogs, particularly the conservative blogs, than most of you already know that one in particular has turned into welcoming home for fellow conservatives to share their thoughts and opinions on the Internet.

That blog is Blue Like You.

Joanne has always been on top of the relevant political issues and topics of the day with her blog entries, even under the old name of 'Joanne's Journey' one could always be sure to find the latest topics being discussed there. While it is the norm for blogs to try and be current and relevant as possible, Blue Like You has morphed into something much more than just a place to catch up on what is new. It has become THE place to share your thoughts on the issues of the day, and in the case of BLY, the issues of the minute as her readership contribute to the discussion with real time updates, links and other opinions.

This is what sets BLY apart from most other blogs and Joanne is the first one to give credit to her readers and their contributions for her success, but while that is true that her readers are a big part of that success, none of it would happen if it wasn't for the timely topics and the open and friendly atmosphere that Joanne provides.

So if you haven't already done so I recommend that you visit BLY and make it a regular stop on your web travels as it has become the home for Canadian conservatives on the net.

Candy Controversy in New Zealand.

A candy controversy in New Zealand today, a HRC case in Canada tomorrow.

A controversy with a marshmallow candy centre is sweeping New Zealand, thanks to the objections of one Canadian tourist.

Eskimos – colourful soft candies in the shape of a person bundled into a fur-lined parka – have been a popular treat in New Zealand for more than 50 years.

Their name and shape raised objections from Seeka Veevee Parsons, 21, of Nunavut, who has said she intends to send packages of the candies to Prime Minister Stephen Harper and to her grandfather, an Inuit tribal elder.

In interviews with news outlets in that country, Ms. Parsons has stressed that the correct term is Inuit, and that Eskimo is unacceptable in Canada because it carries negative racial connotations.

Oh oh. Somebody had better tell these guys before it is too late.

Mr. Excitement.

Some excerpts from an article in The Niagara Falls Review:

"Does a fondness for icewine make you a “party animal?”

The way Michael Ignatieff kept bringing icewine up during a speech in Niagara Falls last week, you’d think he was some wild and crazy guy. But he just didn’t create the impression he’s that exciting."

"But Ignatieff’s speech last week to the Niagara Falls Chamber of Commerce certainly would have led you to believe otherwise. It was disjointed and occasionally rambling. It’s the kind of boilerplate speech politicians make in their sleep. Just last week alone, he had made similar stop in Chatham, Brantford, Cambridge, London and Niagara."

Read the entire article here.

Dale Carnegie alert: Be sure to watch the very short video near the top of the article.

Attention Privacy Commissions.

Tomorrow as I am going about my daily business and driving around Edmonton; I will randomly stick the camera out of my vehicle window and will be taking some digital photographs. If I am feeling really crazy I might take a short video as well but no guarantees.

I plan on publishing these pictures on the internet and I will not be blurring out any faces, license plates or any other potentially identifying material in those images. Deal with it.


If anyone would like to explain to me why myself, or even Google, cannot do this I would love to hear from you in the comments.

The Liberals are 3 times better than the conservatives...

...at missing votes in the House of Commons that is.

Despite leader Michael Ignatieff's vow that his party would no longer sit on its hands during votes in Parliament, Liberal MPs have missed three times as many votes in the House of Commons as Conservative members so far this year.  The average Liberal MP did not participate in about 12 per cent of the recorded votes on bills and motions in the House of Commons since the parliamentary session began in January, compared to Conservative MPs, who on average skipped only about four per cent of the time.


These are good numbers for the Conservatives considering that they are the Government and that Ministers, Parliamentary Secretaries etc, have to be in other places other than the HOC and one could expect them to miss many votes because of the added workload.


What is the Liberals' excuse?

President Obama: "I take tips from Canada on a lot of things."

How long before we hear the left complaining that Obama is Harper's puppet?

When Obama was later asked whether had was taking any tips from Canada on his administration's Cuba policy, he quipped: "I take tips from Canada on a lot of things."

------

Watch the CTV News clip

Update: I guess President Obama wasn't just saying it to be polite.

Now is the time at AA where we steal Kate's line...

Now is the time at Alberta Ardvark where we steal a line from Kate and juxtapose.


CNN reporter Susan Roesgen covering a protest 2009



CNN reporter Susan Roesgen covering a protest 2006



Bias. What bias?


h/t Hunter

Great moments from the LPC leadership debates 2009.

Great moments from the Liberal Party of Canada leadership debates of 2009. (had they taken place)

Subject: The Economy.

Michael Ignatieff: My challenger Mr. Rae is the wrong man to lead this party or the country during hard economic times and his record as the Premier of Ontario proves this. While other provinces were coming out of the recession and their economies were improving the same could not be said for Ontario where because of the policies put in place by my opponent the recession lingered on longer than necessary causing the people of Ontario prolonged needless hardships and suffering.

Bob Rae: Just one question Michael. How would you know what the people of Ontario were going through since you were already in Europe by the time I was Premier and ...

Michael Ignatieff: This is unfair! This is unfair! Why should traveling and spreading the goodness of 'me' to the rest of the world be held against my campaign? It is..

Moderator interrupts: Mr. Ignatieff you will have your turn later to respond. Mr. Rae now has the floor.

Bob Rae: Thank you. As I was saying; How would you know what the average citizen of Ontario was going through at that time. You were not living in Ontario during my tenure as Premier and in fact you left Canada 12 years before I even became Premier of Ontario. You were away from this country not only for the time I was Premier but also for Bill Davis' entire last term as Premier as well as that of Frank Miller, David Peterson, Mike Harris, Ernie Eves, and a good part of Premier McGuinty's first term. Not to mention that during your absence you also missed out on seeing first hand how Joe Clark, Pierre Trudeau (second term), John Turner, your buddy Brian Mulroney, Kim Campbell, and Jean Chretien served this country during their terms as Prime Minister. To claim that you have a better understanding of the situation in Ontario, or even in Canada, while you living in Europe, than those of us who lived here during those times is the height of arrogance Michael and Canadians are not going to fall for it.

Dominic Leblanc: That was a long time wasn't it, but please take it easy gentlemen you do not want to end up in a conservative TV ad sometime in the near future.

The front runner for Finance Minister under Ignatieff.

John McCallum speaking at the AGM of the Liberal riding association of Windsor-Tecumseh was asked what type of car he drives. His response: McCallum stammered for several seconds before responding: “I drive a North American-made car.” Asked to be more specific, he responded: “I drive a General Motors car.” Asked again to be more specific, he said it was “a Chevrolet.”

Question asked, question answered. Or was it?

Within a couple of hours of answering the simple question about what type of car he drives McCallum phoned The Star to retreat from those comments, offering this explanation in a voicemail: “I said the wrong thing without thinking. The fact of the matter is that I do not own a North American-made car.” He followed with an e-mail sent from his Blackberry that said: “To confirm message I left on your voicemail, to clarify, I do not own a North American made vehicle.” McCallum never divulged what kind of car he owns.

Well one might think that being caught in a lie like this could be detrimental to ones political career, that may not be the way it works in the Liberal Party of Canada led by Michael Ignatieff who on the very same day denied that he had said "We will have to raise taxes" at a Cambridge Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting on the 14th.

This should put McCallum into the front runner position for Finance Minister in an Ignatieff led government where emulating the leader will get you further ahead than telling the truth.

H/T BBS & BLY

Utopia can be achieved with 100% taxation.

Or at least that is what the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives would have us believe.


To put it as simply as I can, this study is 100% BS!

Off the top of my head I would like them to explain to me just how a tax cut automatically equals a service cut? It doesn't and if something this simple is wrong it does not say much for the rest of the study.

Does anyone else find it strange that this comes 1 day after Ignatieff stated that he would raise taxes? Update: Iggy has backtracked away from that statement.

Add your thoughts to the comments.

A Party of Principle: The B.C NDP.

"Already, previously NDP-friendly environmental organizations such as the David Suzuki Foundation and the Pembina Institute have denounced the NDP's plan..."


Read more here.

The PM in Edmonton.

The Prime Minister was in town today and dropped into NAIT to announce the $40 Million Apprenticeship Completion Grant program which will offer $2,000 to eligible apprentices who successfully complete their apprenticeship training and certification in a designated Red Seal trade. The Grant will also boost worker mobility, as the Red Seal workers’ credentials are recognized in most provinces and territories of Canada. Speaking as someone who recently spent 2 days trying to find a plumber, this is money well spent in my opinion.


Later in the day was a meet and greet at the Weston Hotel. I grabbed a quick shot of the welcoming committee as I entered the hotel.

Contrary to rumours circulating inside the Weston, there appeared to be no Liberal MPs to be found amongst the welcoming committee.

Inside ( LS was right!) while everyone was waiting for the guest of honour to arrive I decided to do some investigative blogging and managed to track down and identify the elusive Hunter from Climbing out of the Dark. OK, she wasn't that difficult to find if one is a regular reader of her blog, but none the less it was a pleasure to meet a fellow blogger and her companion for the day, Rigger. Don't worry Hunter your secret is safe with me. No one will ever know in reality that you are a 6' 2" man who walks with a limp.

The PM made a short speech which was a little different than what I have become accustomed to hearing. It might have been the supportive audience or the fact that there were no press around but I can honestly say that I have never heard him sound as casual and relaxed as he did today. After the speech was over he made a point of meeting everyone in the room, including yours truly. He looked well rested after his recent European trip and seemed to be honestly enjoying himself meeting everyone and posing for the obligatory photos. All in all it was very refreshing to see and a far cry from the way he is portrayed by the opposition and sometimes the media.

Thanks for the invite Bill.

Do the Liberals even know?

Does the average rank and file LPC member really know which direction the party is going to go once Michael Ignatieff's coup is completed at the "so called" Leadership Convention next month in Vancouver?

Which direction will the party go? What are the policies going to be? What is the plan?

All very valid questions but can any Liberal supporter out there answer any of these questions honestly?

I don't think so.

Here is what we do know:Ignatieff has stated that he is going to be taking the party to the right and his support of the Afghanistan mission, Israel, the CPC crime bills, and the oil sands, lend credence to this directional change.

We also know that ALL of Dion's policies and ideas have to now be considered to be off the table and are not going to be the position of the LPC. Am I wrong? I don't think so. If someone would like to try to prove that I am wrong I would be happy for any Liberal supporter to come here and tell us exactly which of Dion's policies/platform ideas will still stand with Ignatieff in charge. Go ahead the floor is open but no platitudes such as "social justice ," or sustainable ___, please. Save those for the next campaign and just list real ideas.

So unless someone can provide otherwise there is not much information to go on when trying to decipher what direction future LPC policy may take and I think that the little we do know leads to more questions than it does answers about the Liberal Party of Canada under Ignatieff. Serious questions that should be addressed but questions that I doubt will be answered anytime before the members are asked to blindly support the leader their party elite chose for them.

Perhaps it is because I am a conservative and do not have to make decision on Ignatieff as my party's leader, but if you ask me this is a very strange situation for a party that is trying to form a government to be in when even their own members do not even know who their own leader is or what he will do.

And it is too bad really because the grass roots deserves so much better than this.

$1,773,903

$1,773,903

The amount of money that the Liberal Party of Canada received from Elections Canada for the first quarter of the year.


It is also the amount of taxpayer money that the Liberal Party of Canada was not willing to give up under any circumstances and were willing to make a deal with the separatists in order to keep.


After all, they are "entitled" to it.



FYI: The Bloc, who according to Ignatieff "... are duly elected by Québec voters. They are not traitors, they are not the enemies of Canada." received $673,781 taxpayer dollars to carry on with their plans to tear up Canada.

Yes Ma'am!

I would have thought that something like this would have already happened years ago but it seems that the military was a little behind the times.

For the first time in our navy's history a woman has taken command of a major warship with Cmdr. Josée Kurtz taking charge of the warship HMCS Halifax.

I have no doubt she will do us proud.

Why the Omission?

What is missing from the following Globe and Mail story?

CAROLINE ALPHONSO and KIRK MAKIN

Globe and Mail update

April 2, 2009 at 6:41 PM EDT

Ontario Superior Court Judge Paul Cosgrove has resigned from office, Canada's Minister of Justice and Attorney General announced Thursday.

“A recent report to the Minister of Justice from the Canadian Judicial Council recommended Mr. Justice Cosgrove's removal. In view of the fact that Justice Cosgrove has resigned, there is no further action to be taken,” federal Justice Minister Rob Nicholson said in a statement.

The resignation is effective immediately.

Last month, the CJC had recommended Judge Cosgrove be removed from office, placing the former federal cabinet minister one step away from being the first judge ever voted out of office by Parliament.

“We find that Justice Cosgrove has failed in the execution of the duties of his judicial office and that public confidence in his ability to discharge those duties in future has been irrevocably lost,” said a inquiry report from 22 members of the CJC who presided over the case.

“We find that there is no alternative measure to removal that would be sufficient to restore public confidence in the judge in this case,” they said. “Therefore, we hereby recommend to the Minister of Justice, in accordance with section 65 of the Judges Act, that Justice Cosgrove be removed from office.”

Judge Cosgrove ran into trouble after he made 150 findings of misconduct by the Crown and police at the 1997 first-degree murder trial of Julia Elliott, in Brockville, Ont.

After the Crown successfully appealed a stay of proceedings in the case, Ontario's attorney-general at the time, Michael Bryant launched a CJC complaint against Judge Cosgrove.

Ms. Elliott's was a circus-like proceeding in which the defence embarked on numerous allegations of conspiracy and evidence fabrication. It ended on Sept. 7, 1999, when Judge Cosgrove stayed proceedings as an abuse of process.

Judge Cosgrove told the CJC that, during and after the Elliott trial, he was criticized so much for his actions that he became “desensitized” to it.

He implored the CJC to allow him to work until he retires on his 75th birthday next December, and offered to avoid sitting on any case involving the Ontario government.

A former federal cabinet minister and mayor of Scarborough, Ont., Judge Cosgrove was appointed to the bench in 1984.

Figured it out yet?

ht/ Halls of Macadamia.

Brison on Ignatieff

Scott Brison on Michael Ignatieff:


OTTAWA -- Michael Ignatieff was portrayed Wednesday as a gaffe-prone amateur by at least one Liberal leadership rival after the presumed front-runner was forced to clarify his latest controversial comment.

In the most pointed broadside yet against the acclaimed academic, Scott Brison said Ignatieff's repeated miscues suggest the rookie MP has poor political judgment and insufficient experience to lead a national party.

"These gaffes are damaging to a leadership campaign but they will be terminal to a national general election campaign," Brison said in an interview.


That was from a Canadian Press story from Wed. Aug. 30 2006 where Brison was speaking about Ignatieff's comment to the Toronto Star editorial board who asked him if he would run for Parliament again if he loses the leadership, Ignatieff's clipped response was: "Depends who's leader."

Ignatieff later backtracked and said "Let's be clear. I am planning to run in the next election in Etobicoke-Lakeshore. I love being an MP and I've enjoyed it enormously and I'm looking forward to doing it again."

Brison had more:

"Brison said that in nine years in politics he hasn't made as many "retractions and clarifications" as Ignatieff has made in just nine months.

Brison compared Ignatieff to Stockwell Day, who jumped from provincial politics to become leader of the now-defunct Canadian Alliance without any experience at the federal level.

Day's tenure at the helm of the Alliance, which eventually merged with the Progressive Conservatives to form the Conservative party, was short-lived and disastrous.

Brison said Ignatieff is "smarter than Stockwell," now Harper's minister of public safety. But he added Ignatieff faces an even steeper learning curve, having spent almost 30 years out of the country as an academic and journalist.

Brison took Ignatieff to task for other recent so-called gaffes, including telling the Star that Canadians "live and operate in a heartless world and you need leadership that understands that."

"When you see the world as being heartless, that helps someone justify ruthless acts," such as Qana, Brison said.

He also chided Ignatieff for saying that Canada's peacekeeping tradition "died" with the genocide in Rwanda.

Brison said that remark could only come from someone who's spent 30 years outside the country and fails to appreciate how important peacekeeping is to Canadians and to Liberals in particular, who view party icon Lester Pearson as the father of peacekeeping.

He also scoffed at Ignatieff's recent admission that he's not sure he's "up to the price you have to pay" to succeed in politics."



So in 2006 Brison thought that Ignatieff did not have sufficient experience to lead a national party.

I wonder if yesterdays story about Ignatieff's rookie mistake on policy and subsequent lie makes Scott feel any better about Ignatieff's political skills now vs 2006?

I doubt it.

Iggy needs an asbestos suit

Careful Iggy; if you keep getting caught in lies like this you may need that asbestos to make yourself a suit.

OTTAWA — Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff is being called a liar after he seemingly shifted his position on Canada's exporting of asbestos.
Last weekend, on a tour of Vancouver Island, Ignatieff was asked about his position on asbestos, and he said he favoured banning exports.
"I'm probably walking right off the cliff into some unexpected public policy bog of which I'm unaware, but if asbestos is bad for Parliamentarians in the Parliament of Canada, it just has to be bad for everybody else," he said. "Our export of this dangerous product overseas has got to stop."
But in a scrum with reporters in Ottawa on Wednesday, Ignatieff was asked about his statement and he didn't mention a ban.
"We have had 60 years of experience with this product. What I said in answer to a question is that we have an obligation to international agreements to the countries that we export to, to make them aware of the risks. That is all I said."
Kathleen Ruff, senior adviser on human rights for the Ottawa-based think-tank Rideau Institute, said Ignatieff's denial is untrue.
"I knew he would be under pressure to retract what he said but that's an out-and-out lie," said Ruff.

Michael Ignatieff speaks for the Liberal Party

Interim Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff speaks for the Liberal Party.

Both for the present and for the future.

Nah, no arrogance here.

Who said it?

Who said it: “As a politician you need to find policy that doesn’t kill you at the door because I can’t do anything for you unless I get into government.”

Bonus clue. He also said the following in regards to the green shift: It will be easy to sell at the door in my riding. The less you burn the more you'll earn.


ht/bluelikeyou