Bungled Bilingualism Bonus

Did you hear about this latest bilingualism fiasco?

It turns out the federal government is dishing out about $275,000 a year to pay 344 foreign affairs bureaucrats bilingualism bonuses even though they don’t qualify.

In some cases, the bureaucrats receiving the $800 a year bonuses haven’t mastered both official languages and in other cases they are working in posts not designated as bilingual.

Just one question.

Weren’t these non-bilingual government employees wondering why they were getting bilingualism bonuses?

I guess they just figured were part of some new government program.

Just like government sometimes pay farmers not to grow crops, maybe these employees believed they were being paid not to be bilingual.

One more sad example of your tax dollars at work.

Limit on Political Contributions a Bad Idea

A few days ago I posted a blog praising the federal government’s Accountability Act.

And overall I think it is a good plan to make government better and more honest.

Yet there is one part of the Act I really don’t like: the proposal to further restrict what individuals can contribute to a political party.

This restriction won’t mean better government, but it will stifle individual free expression.

I have written an op-ed on this topic which is a featured commentary on the Globe and Mail’s website.

You can read it here.

Book Takes on Activist Judges

Has the Charter of Rights and Freedoms failed Canadians?

Author and former political science professor Rory Leishman says yes.

And he has written a book called Against Judicial Activism: The Decline of Freedom and Democracy in Canada, to show why.

Essentially, Leishman argues activist judges and Human Rights adjudicators are using the power the Charter gives them to impose their own left-wing ideological preferences on the country.

He backs this up in his book, by citing case after case after case, which show how judges defy the popular will and sometimes common sense to push their own radical agenda.

And some of the cases cited are really quite bizarre.

For instance, Leishman recounts the story of a male transsexual who joined a club called the Vancouver Lesbian Connection.

This man considered himself a “lesbian” but refused to refer to himself as a woman or more properly a “womyn” because to him that word was a contemptible construct used by men to put down females.

Anyway to make a strange story short, the Lesbians did not appreciate this stance on the word womyn and opted to kick him out of their club.

The male lesbian promptly complained to the BC Human Rights Commission, who ruled the womyn lesbians had discriminated against him because he was a male-to-female transsexual.

Sheesh.

Other cases recounted in the book deal with how the Courts browbeat politicians into taking anti-family stances on same-sex marriage, abortion and free speech.

As Leishman puts it, “Many of the hard-won freedoms of Canadians are fast disappearing. Complacent Canadians should beware.”

Liberals Lurching Left

Ok so Bob Rae is going to announce he is running for the leadership of the Liberal Party next week.

That means another centre-left candidate.

Already Liberal leadership hopeful, Michael Ignatieff has said he wants to move the party to the left as well.

What’s going on here?

Do the Liberals really think the way to win the next election is to further embrace socialism?

Here’s the reality: Trudeau-style socialism is as good as dead. Capitalism – of some sort – is the wave of the future.

Any political party that thinks it can win election by calling for massive social spending programs or with higher taxes or by kissing up to union bosses will only doom itself to extinction.

The Liberals should know this.

In fact, throughout the 1990s they successfully sold themselves as good fiscal managers.

If they change their tune now it will mean Stephen Harper and the Tories will be in power a long, long time.

Accountability Act

Prime Minister Stephen Harper promised to provide better and more accountable government.

And so far, he is keeping that promise.

His Accountability Act will go a long way toward ending the kind of corruption that has plagued Ottawa in recent years.

Some of the things I like in the proposed Act:

Expanding access-to-information legislation to cover crown corporations.
Giving the Auditor-General more power
Ensuring government appointments on merit
Creating a more transparent process for awarding government contracts.

All good stuff.

One disappointment in the package, however, was the government’s failure to end the practice of giving public subsidies to political parties.

This is nothing but a welfare plan for politicians.

But overall, this is a good start.

Defending the NCC

As I noted in yesterday’s posting, Globe and Mail columnist Jeffery Simpson took a cheap shot at the National Citizens Coalition.

In response, I sent the Globe a letter to the editor which was posted today. Here is an edited version which appeared today:

Dear Sir/Madam:

Jeffery Simpson’s implication that the National Citizens Coalition is not a serious organization is ludicrous. (Ignatieff’s Unbearable Lightness of Absence – April 8)

In fact, Prime Minister Stephen Harper was president of the NCC for four years precisely because he realized it is helping to make a difference in Canada.

Representing thousands of Canadians, the NCC promotes free enterprise, individual freedom and better, more accountable government.

It has battled to protect free political speech, it has exposed and opposed wasteful government spending and it has waged vigorous media campaigns to protect economic and political freedoms.

Mr. Simpson may not agree with the NCC’s political stance, but he should not shortchange its accomplishments.


As I said that’s the edited version. My original ending line was this:

“Mr. Simpson may not agree with the NCC’s political stance, but for him to shortchange its accomplishments is simply shoddy journalism.”

Simpson vs. The NCC

For some reason Globe and Mail columnist Jeffery Simpson decided to smear the National Citizens Coalition in his Saturday column.

I won’t bore you with the details, but Simpson’s general point was that Prime Minister Stephen Harper didn’t hold all that an important or serious position when he was with the NCC.

Well Harper certainly thought his work here was important.

In the February 1997 edition of our newsletter, when he had just resigned as an MP with the Reform Party to join our group, Harper explained why he wanted to work with us.

Here’s an extract:

“The truth is that, in the past decade, the political arena has begun to fill with politicians and political organizations struggling to implement the basic values for which the NCC has always stood, at one time very much alone. The agenda of the NCC was a guide to me as the founding policy director of Reform.

I have long supported and proudly defended the NCC and it has never given me reason to do otherwise.

Elected officials are constrained by the need for popularity every four to five years. The average one is consumed by the monthly opinion polls. The really bad ones worry about the approval of every group coming through their offices looking for a handout. Working with you in the NCC provides me with an opportunity to do much more --- to fight for basic conservative values of free markets and free elections, whether fashionable at that moment or not.

I am honoured to join you in your fight. The battle for political and economic freedom will have its victories and setbacks, as it has in the past.

It will never end . . . and we shall never surrender.”

And indeed as NCC president, Stephen Harper led many important battles for freedom.

That’s a fact Simpson chooses to ignore, meaning he is either a shoddy journalist or a biased one – or maybe both.

Question Period Fun

For the first time ever I actually enjoyed watching Question Period in the House of Commons.

Why?

Well it wasn’t because of the level of debate. And it wasn’t because there was any lofty rhetoric or informative exchanges.

I enjoyed Question Period simply because the Liberals were the ones asking the questions.

That sounds petty, I know.

But admit it.

Isn’t there something satisfying about watching the once smug and arrogant Liberals wallow in the Opposition benches?

A little humility will do them some good.

Self-Promotional Alert:

I will be on the Stirling Faux Show on CHQR Calgary to discuss Senate reform at 10:45 AM EST.

Senate Reform

One of the items mentioned in the Throne Speech was Senate reform.

Certainly, this is an issue that needs debating. Our current Senate is an archaic, undemocratic national embarrassment.

Of course, fixing it won’t be easy.

Here are my thoughts on the subject from my column which appears in Report magazine.

Self-promotional Update:

I will be discussing Senate reform on Charles Adler Online, at 4:03 PM EST.

Gag Law on Last Legs?

One interesting promise in yesterday’s Throne Speech was the bit about “electoral reform.”

“This government,” declared Governor-General Michaelle Jean “will seek to involve parliamentarians and citizens in examining the challenges facing Canada’s electoral system and democratic institutions.”

Media pundits seem to think this is about studying things like rep by pop.

But I hope it’s more than that.

I hope Prime Minister Stephen Harper is also thinking about scrapping the notorious election gag law, which denies all Canadians the right to free speech during elections.

Certainly, Harper opposed gag laws when he was president of the National Citizens Coalition.

As I noted a few postings ago, Canadians want better government.

And restoring free speech is the best thing a government can do.

Media Alert:

I am scheduled to be a guest on CHQR's Dave Rutherford Show at 11:30 Alberta time to discuss the Throne Speech.

Play Ball

I know this is blog is supposed to be about politics. And I know that means I should write something about today’s Throne Speech.

But Greg Weston, who covers the House of Commons for Sun Media, today writes “While throne speeches have the fancy-sounding purpose of setting out the government's agenda for the new Commons session, they typically rank high on the list of parliamentary traditions ordinary Canadians can safely ignore.”

Read his whole column here.

Anyway, I will take Weston’s advice and ignore the Throne Speech so I can concentrate on something much more important: Opening Day for the Toronto Blue Jays.

To get everybody in the proper mood for what should be an exciting season here is a list of some great baseball sites I like to visit:

Major League Baseball’s official site: This is a great way to get the season stats and standings and scores all season.

Baseball Reference: The best place to get the history of any major league player that ever played or any major league team that ever existed. Be warned this can be a real time waster for anybody who loves baseball history.

MLB Rumours: Want to get the latest trade gossip about your favorite player; this is the place to get it.

Baseball Think Factory: This section of the Baseball Think Factory is sort of a clearinghouse for links to baseball columnists across North America.

Puresim Baseball: This is a cool PC game I own. It allows you to simulate any year in baseball history or to create your own fictional leagues. Check it out.

Hope you enjoy these sites. Hope you enjoy the upcoming season.

That is unless you are a Yankee fan.

Self-Promotion Alert

Had an op-ed published in the Windsor Star on Saturday.

It's based on a blog I posted here a few days ago.

New Parliament for Canada

A new Parliament convenes today.

But Canadians want and need more than just a new Parliament; they also need a new attitude of governing.

That means we need government that is honest; government that is accountable; and government that is simply better.

Of course, Prime Minister Stephen Harper faces the difficulty of heading a weak minority government.

Yet all parties have an interest in bringing about reform.

Canadians want to turn the page.

And woe to any political party that fails to heed that message.

Coalition Fights for Democracy

Now that Canada’s foreign policy seems to be grabbing bigger headlines these days, it might be useful to check out a group called Canadian Coalition for Democracies.

The CCD is a non-partisan, multi-ethnic, multi-denominational organization of concerned Canadians dedicated to the protection and promotion of democracy at home and abroad.

And the main goal of CCD is to influence the Canadian political process and public opinion to achieve a more pro-democracy foreign policy.

That means urging Canada to support its democratic allies: such as the United States, Israel, India and Taiwan.

In this day and age, the forces of democracy need all the help they can get.

Politics and Policy

Last night author and columnist David Frum gave a talk to the McGill Campus Conservative Club in Montreal.

Thanks to a kind invitation from Daniel King, I was lucky enough to be there.

What Frum told the standing-room only crowd was quite interesting.

First, he made no bones about the fact that U.S. President George Bush is in trouble right now – and not just because of the war in Iraq.

Frum’s point is that Bush’s brand of “compassionate conservatism” may have been good politics but what it lacked was sound policy.

Hence, today the Bush Administration lacks coherence on vital issues like taxes, government spending and immigration.

The lesson for the Canadian Conservative government, says Frum, is that “bad policy is bad politics”.

The Conservatives need to come up with principled policies on key issues if they are going to be successful.

Politics, after all, is more than just about winning elections – it’s about governing.

Watch the Aussies

John O’Sullivan writing in the March 27 edition of National Review does a magnificent job of skewering the wishy-washy, Red Tory-style policies of the British Conservative Party under their new leader David Cameron.

Writes O’Sullivan: “The Tories are still a party in search of a political philosophy, an empty vessel that, these days, is making a little more noise.”

He then goes on to suggest American conservative politicians should not seek to emulate the British Tory model, suggesting they look instead down under.

"If the GOP is looking for an example of a conservative party that is robust philosophically and successful electorally, it need look no farther than John Howard’s Australian Liberal party. Howard has won four successive elections, introduced a series of major conservative economic reforms, presided over astonishing growth in the Australian economy, and won over sections of the electorate that until recently were wedded to the Labour party. There are many reasons for Howard’s success. Most frequently mentioned is his perseverance. But I will hazard one of my own: Howard would rather be right than nice.”

Good advice for American conservatives. Good advice for Canadian conservatives too.

Frum Speech in Montreal

Noted author David Frum is giving a speech tomorrow night in Montreal on the “Future of Canadian Conservatism.”

I will be in Montreal tomorrow and will be in attendance – watch this space on Thursday for my review.

The McGill Campus Conservative club is sponsoring the event and it’s open to the public.

Cost is free for students and $5.00 for non-students.

To learn more about this event contact Daniel King.

Hope to see you there.

McGuinty vs. the Left

Left-wingers in Ontario are feeling mighty betrayed these days.

It seems Premier Dalton McGuinty isn’t exactly the “progressive” leader they were hoping he would be.

Just consider the Birkenstock brigades’ reaction to McGuinty’s latest budget.

Noted left-wing propagandist Linda McQuaig, for instance, complained in a recent column that the Liberal budget “came up with almost nothing for the poor.”

In fact, according to McQuaig, “McGuinty has actually made the plight of the poor worse.”

Not to be outdone, militant union boss Sid Ryan went so far as to suggest McGuinty was even worse than (horror of horrors) Mike Harris.

“The shocking reality,” wrote Ryan recently, “is that people on welfare and disability pensions were actually better off under the draconian Harris government.”

For a left-winger insults don’t get much worse than that.

But is McGuinty really all that bad? Or is spending more money on social programs really the way to help the poor.

No. See here for more on this angle.

It’s just that McGuinty is following the trail laid out by other left wing politicians like Tony Blair and Bill Clinton – forget about socialist dogma and make the Middle Class happy.

In short, the Liberals want Middle class votes more than they want the approval of anti-poverty advocates.

Sorry Linda, but your class warfare style politics are about as dated as mood rings and Nehru jackets.

Investment On the Move

In yesterday’s provincial budget, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty announced the creation of a Move Ontario fund.

It’s all about spending tons of taxpayer dollars on things like subway extensions, on the TTC, on developing mass transit in places like Mississauga and Brampton and on road and bridge improvements in northern Ontario.

But as I was watching Finance Minister Dwight Duncan give the details yesterday, it occurred to me that the only thing this budget will move is investment right out of the province

After all, the budget did next to nothing about cutting Ontario’s high personal or corporate tax rates.

And until those taxes are cut, Ontario’s economic performance will suffer no matter how many subways and bridges McGuinty builds.

Corcoran On Budgets

Terence Corcoran, of the Financial Post, has a must-read column today on what he calls the balanced budget “hoax” provincial governments are pulling on taxpayers.

Writes Corcoran:

“If we needed conclusive evidence that the national fixation on balanced budgets and debt reduction has served no purpose except to lead Canadians into a government-spending free-for-all, this year's budget season should do the trick. Canadians have been hoodwinked by empty economic and political slogans about balanced budgets into a national spending extravaganza”.

Corcoran’s point is that governments across the country are awash in tax revenues and that makes it pretty easy for them to look fiscally responsible. In fact, they have so much money it takes some doing for them not to balance their budget. See Ontario for example.

And the problem is that all this news about balanced budgets and surpluses masks one important point: government are going on massive spending sprees.

Or as Corcoran puts it, “Fiscal responsibility acts and balanced-budget legislation are all the rage in political circles, a sort of joke on voters. Behind the facade of responsibility are spending rampages funded by rapidly rising government revenues.”

Sooner or later we are all going to have to pay for today’s reckless spending.

Fundraising Feudal Style

British Prime Minister Tony Blair is under investigation for allegedly selling seats in the House of Lords for secret loans to his Labour Party.

Don’t know if Blair is guilty or not, but just imagine how the Liberals here in Canada would have taken advantage of such a system.

Liberal bagmen would no doubt have handed out peerages like candy to their rich corporate buddies.

Of course, the rank would depend on the contribution with a scale like this:

Duke -- $10,000 contribution.

Viscount - $5,000 contribution

Earl - $2,000 contribution

Baron - $1,000 contribution

Knight - $500 contribution

In fact, this is such a lucrative concept the Liberals may just decide to make Canada a feudal system should they take power again.

But first they need to persuade us peasants to vote them in again.

Sex and the Single Squirrel

Premier Dalton McGuinty has gone on record defending his government’s decision to spend $150,000 in taxpayer’s money to study the sex life of flying squirrels.

Clearly Dalton must be running out of ways to waste our money.

Either that or he has developed some sort of weird fascination with the intimate lives of forest creatures.

Who knows, before long we could see government programs set up to distribute condoms to otters and woodchucks, or perhaps we will have a study on plight of gay porcupines or on the love life of the moose.

Let’s hope the animal rights groups take a stand on all this. After all, surely the state has no place in the bedrooms of our furry friends.

Meanwhile, the Sex Professionals of Canada are talking about the sex life of a different kind of animal: our politicians.

See here for a trenchant analysis of these rankings.

Of course, the real authority on sex is Woody Allen who once said, “Sex between a man and a woman can be absolutely wonderful - provided you get between the right man and the right woman.”

Wonder if it’s the same for flying squirrels?

Promoting Freedom In Windsor

I know it’s a little late to be posting this, but I want to mention the Windsor Liberty Seminar which I spoke at on March 11.

Congratulations to Matt Bufton and Janet Neilson who organized this wonderful seminar in the heart of NDP/Liberal country.

My topic was “Promoting a Freedom Agenda”.

That's a picture of me at the seminar trying to look like I know what I am talking about.

California Dreaming

Well I’m back from my southern California vacation.

I already miss the palm trees, the freshly picked oranges, the sunshine and of course, Disneyland.

What I don’t miss are the freeways (shudder).

But don’t worry; now that I’m back in the Great White North, I am not going to let the laid-back California life style change my hard-hitting take on Canadian politics.

In fact, I am already catching up on what’s happened over the past week so that I can provide some tough commentary.

First, however, I need a café latte.

Short Break

The blogging around here will be quiet over the next week.

Tomorrow I will be giving a speech on “Promoting a Freedom” agenda at the Windsor Liberty Seminar.

Then I am off to California for a week.

In theory, I could keep blogging while I’m away.

But you and I both know that isn’t likely going to happen.

Gairdner Blog

William Gairdner has an interesting new blog.

In case you don’t know him, Gairdner, besides being a former National Citizens Coalition chairman, is a one-time Olympian, the best selling author of the book The Trouble With Canada, and a brilliant political philosopher to boot.

And if none of that makes you want to read his blog, consider this: His latest posting is called, “Brain Sex”.

Now that’s political philosophy.

Brison Blunders II

When public figures are accused of wrong-doing, what often brings them down is not the deed itself but the covering up of the deed.

That might be the fate for Liberal MP Scott Brison.

Brison sent an email to a Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce employee on the eve of a crucial government announcement on income trusts. The former cabinet minister told his friend to expect good news.

Brison insists he did nothing wrong. He says he had no inside information.

Maybe.

But when confronted by Globe and Mail reporters a few days ago about this affair, Brison claimed he couldn’t remember sending the email.

Yesterday, however, he changed his story.

Now he admits to sending the email and says his earlier denial was made because he feared any comment would impede the police probe.

Yeah right.

Clearly, Brison’s bumbling of this whole mess has undermined his credibility.

Not that this turncoat had much credibility in the first place.

Brison Blunders

Former Liberal cabinet Minister Scott Brison’s continues on his Kamikaze career course.

Brison, who last year had to issue a groveling apology to the National Citizens Coalition for smearing us, and who once told a Liberal camapign worker to "kiss my a**" during a dispute in a public restaurant, is now, according to the Globe and Mail, under RCMP investigation in connection with the income trust scandal.

The Globe story alleges Brison sent an email to a Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce employee the day before Ottawa announced its policy on income trusts telling the recipient he would likely be pleased with the decision.

Brison, of course, is considered a front-runner in the upcoming Liberal leadership race.

And if that doesn’t tell you everything you need to know about the state of the Liberal Party nothing will.

I'm Back

I had a great time at the Liberty Fund.

Had lots of deep discussions about capitalism and socialism and freedom.

Also met lots of great people – all of whom were smarter than me.

Only blogger I met, however, was Sonia Arrison, a Canadian who works for the Pacific Research Institute in San Francisco.

You can check her blog out here. She has an interesting posting on possible plans to tax the Internet.

Also here’s some good news. I should soon be able to cross-post over at the Shotgun blog.

Fortunately, all that intellectual stimulation from the Liberty Fund seminars will give me all sorts of smart things to say.

At least that’s the theory.

Off to Vancouver

Good readers of my blog I am about to embark upon a hazardous and technically unexplainable journey into the outer stratosphere – otherwise known as Vancouver -- to confer, converse, and otherwise hob-nob with my brother right-wingers at a special conference.

I hope to continue my blogging while away but can’t guarantee it.

In the meantime have a good weekend everybody.

Compassion Liberal Style

It’s funny how words can mean different things to different people.

Take the word compassion.

To me compassion means feeling empathy for people who are enduring misery, or pain or suffering.

I, for instance, have great compassion for Toronto Maple Leaf fans.

For Ontario Liberals, however, compassion means something else.

Compassion for Ontario Health Minister George Smitherman means rejecting the lead of Alberta which is planning to give Albertans more choice when it comes to health care.

Compassion for Smitherman means patients suffering in pain must remain suffering in pain on long waiting lists.

Compassion for Smitherman means denying ailing Ontarians fast medical help, simply for the sake of socialist ideological purity.

In other words, Liberals are determined to be compassionate even if it kills us.

Bob MacDonald RIP

When Sun columnist Bob MacDonald passed away on the weekend, Canada lost a true champion of freedom.

Back in the late 1970s most of the Canadian media was enthralled with the left-wing vision of Pierre Trudeau, but not MacDonald.

With the tenacity of a bulldog, MacDonald blasted Trudeau’s socialist policies and especially his appeasement of the Soviet Union.

It was a view that very much reflected the opinions of Colin M. Brown, the late founder of the National Citizens Coalition.

In fact, one time Colin ran a NCC newspaper ad that simply reproduced one of MacDonald’s more biting columns headlined: “Trudeau, Communist Comrade.”

And while Bob’s passing is sad, at least he lived long enough to see the collapse of the Soviet Empire he detested so much.

It was Bob, not Trudeau who was on the right side of history.

Where's the Duke when you need him

Have you heard about this movie Valley of the Wolves?

It’s a Turkish made film that makes the American military in Iraq out to be the bad guys.

Nothing so unusual about that I suppose.

But what is strange is that the movie stars two Americans --- Billy Zane and Gary Busey.

Zane plays a villainous and sadistic U.S. military officer, while Busey plays a Jewish doctor who harvests the organs of Arabs which he then sells on the black market.

Even Michael Moore might think that’s a stretch.

Apparently this movie is doing great business in Turkey and in Germany, so Hollywood probably won’t be far behind with a copycat.

How about Passion of the Osma Bin Laden?

Somewhere John Wayne is turning over in his grave.

Court Rules Against Freedom In Workplace

It looks like union bosses are cracking the whip when it comes to disciplining workers who choose to cross picket lines.

That’s not so shocking.

What is shocking is that the courts are helping them do it.

The Ontario Superior Court of Justice Small Claims is ordering four members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada to pay the union thousands of dollars in fines.

PSAC imposed the fines because the workers dared to cross the picket line during a 2004 federal strike.

This is the first time a union in Ontario has levied such a fine.

And it likely won’t be the last.

It’s all pretty depressing.

It’s bad enough workers are forcibly unionized and compelled to pay union dues against their will, but now the courts are saying they don’t even have the right to cross a picket line.

Whatever happened to notions like democracy and freedom?

Double Monopoly No Game

So it looks like public sector union boss Sid Ryan isn’t going to hit Ontario with an illegal strike.

He probably finally realized that Ontarians wouldn’t look too kindly on him for pulling the plug on government services over an issue that is convoluted at best.

Yet his posturing is another timely reminder as to why we need to change the system.

And when I say “change the system”, I mean we need to end the “Double Monopoly” which gives union bosses like Ryan so much power.

And when I say “Double Monopoly” I mean the government has a monopoly on certain public services and public sector unions have a monopoly on the supply of labour for those services.

Hence every time a public union wants to pick a fight with the government they have the power to hold Ontarians hostage.

The solution is to end the monopoly.

That means whenever possible, government services should be contracted out or privatized.

It’s the only way to stop the Sid Ryans of the world from abusing their power.

Free the Lively Seven

The National Citizens Coalition has placed a large ad in the Sudbury Star today to help raise awareness about the plight of seven female employees who work at a bank in Lively Ontario.

The women, dubbed The Lively Seven, are fighting against an attempt by the United Steelworkers of America to unionize them against their will.

The Lively Seven also believe the unionization drive was marked by questionable union high-pressure tactics.

Originally they thought the Canadian Industrial Relations Board would help them.

But no.

The CIRB sided with the union bosses and approved the forced unionization without even giving the Lively Seven a reason.

So, with the help of the NCC, The Lively Seven are taking their battle for free association to court.

This is a fight about democracy and freedom in the workplace.

You can learn more about their courageous battle here.

Post-Election Musings

I just got back from a Board of Trade “Special Breakfast” meeting.

Now I usually just attend these things for the breakfast, but sometimes you can get some interesting tidbits of political information.

Like today, for instance, Greg Lyle from the Innovative Research Group gave a presentation on the current political scene in Canada.

Lyle has been doing some post-election polling and he says the number one thing Canadians expected from the new Conservative government was a more ethical approach to government.

Then came the Emerson affair. Oops.

But actually according to Lyle the Emerson floor crossing didn’t hurt the Tories too much. In fact, Lyle’s poll shows the Tories with the support of 35 percent of Canadians, which is pretty much where they were on election night.

After the first two weeks in office 30 percent of Canadians, says the Lyle poll, think the Tories are dong worse than expected, 11 percent think they are doing better than expected and 40 percent think they are doing exactly as expected, while 17 percent think it’s too early to tell.

Lyle says if the Tories want to get any traction over the next few weeks they should stick to issues which play to their strength: improving relations with the US; cutting the GST; battling crime.

And speaking of the Liberals, Lyle says the people who poll best for their next leader – McKenna, Tobin, Rock – aren’t running.

Of those who might run, Michael Ignatieff has the best numbers but they are not that great.

There was a bunch of other stuff discussed but that’s about all I was able to comprehend so early in the morning.

Unsure Leads Liberal Race

According to a recent SES poll of Ontario voters here are the leading contenders to take over the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada:

Unsure 28%

Ken Dryden 14%

Bob Rae 12%

Michael Ignatieff 12%

Belinda Stronach 11%

Frank McKenna 7%

Brian Tobin 7%

Anne McLellan 4%

Joe Volpe 3%

Martin Cauchon 1%

Other 2%

To me this list makes perfect sense --Unsure should be the leading candidate by a wide margin.

After all the Liberals are unsure about how to make government honest; they are unsure about how to repair relations with the United States; they are unsure about how they are going to win votes in Quebec.

So Unsure should win the leadership race in a walk.

But watch out for the dark horse candidate: Other.

Choice for Parents

Up until grade eight, I attended Catholic schools.

That means in addition to learning the three R’s I also learned how to be a good Catholic.

I learned how to practice the seven sacraments, I learned the importance of going to Mass and I learned how to feel guilty when I didn’t practice the sacraments or go to Mass.

Of course, the only reason I could get this important religious instruction is that Ontario has a separate government-funded school system for Catholics.

But other religions don’t have such a choice. Parents from other faiths have to either send their kids to public schools or pay for private religious schools.

And that never seemed right to me.

Why are Catholics so special, other than the fact that we invented meatless Fridays, St. Patrick’s Day and the Inquisition?

Well now things might be changing.

The Ontario Progressive Conservatives are promising to offer fiscal help to parents who send their kids to religious schools – perhaps in the form of a direct subsidy.

This is, I think, a good move. It’s a fair move.

But no doubt it will raise howls of outrage from the Liberal government and from the teachers’ unions who all hate the idea of giving parents a little more choice.

It’s the old “popcorn and beer” argument: “Parents can’t make the right decisions for their kids. Only union bosses and politicians know what’s right.”

Well Canadians are becoming less and less convinced that union bosses and politicians do have all the answers. Whether it’s in health care or education or what they watch on TV, Canadians want more power to make their own decisions.

That’s why the Ontario Tories are on the right track.

I only wish they would extend their subsidy plan to include all independent schools.

The more choice the better.

Hayek vs. Hayek

In two weeks time I will be attending a Liberty Fund seminar in Vancouver.

It’s going to be a pretty highbrow get together. One of the things we will be discussing at this event, for instance, is the works of Friederich Hayek, noted Austrian free-market economic thinker.

Now I am reluctant to admit this, but I have never read any of Hayek’s works. It’s not that I have anything against Hayek, it’s just that I’m not really into this philosophic stuff.

Or to put it another way, I’m not smart enough to understand any of it.

Luckily wonkitties has come to the rescue and pointed me to a site that might help me to understand this great man better.

Or maybe not.

Let's Get Productive

I wasn’t feeling particularly productive yesterday, so I decided to check out a Fraser Institute lecture on productivity.

And I’m glad I went, as Jason Clemens from the Institute gave an interesting talk on a subject that needs a whole lot more discussing.

Clemens notes that unless we improve our productivity – we seriously lag behind the United States and several other countries in this department – Canada’s standard of living will fall.

And that’s something that should concern all Canadians of all political stripes – including socialists.

After all, if our productivity continues to drop, it means we won’t be able to pay for all those wonderful social programs so near and dear to the left.

So how can we improve productivity?

Well, says Clemens, we can do one of two things: work harder or work smarter.

Working harder means putting in more overtime, which is not that appealing to me at least.

Working smarter, on the other hand, means the government must cut taxes – especially those taxes which inhibit investment and risk taking: income taxes, capital gains taxes, corporate taxes.

By the way, Clemens was not crazy about the Conservative government’s plan to cut the GST because he says it won’t increase productivity.

Maybe not.

But it should make me a bit more productive when I go shopping.

Reason for Hope

Sometimes it’s pretty hard to stay cheery.

Especially these days with all that’s going on in the world around us.

* Murderous mobs are on the rampage because of cartoons.

* A Hitler wannabe in Iran is about to arm himself with nuclear weapons.

* Killer chickens are spreading a pandemic all over the globe.

* Brad and Jen will likely never get together again.

To make matters worse we are smack dab in the middle of February the dreariest winter month of them all.

That’s why God in his infinite wisdom invented the concept of Major League Spring Training.

It’s His way of telling us that no matter how gloomy or sad we may be today, baseball and spring are just around the corner.

And that’s got to give all a little bit of hope.

Except for Cubs fans of course.

Hope for the Liberals?

A tip of the hat to Adam Daifallah for pointing out some comments made by newly elected Liberal MP Michael Ignatieff.

Ignatieff says it’s time for the Liberals to drop their favorite ploy: Anti-Americanism.

“We’ve got to stop this trite and shallow anti-Americanism”, says Ignatieff.

He also called the Liberal election ads an “insult to the intelligence of the Canadian voter.”

Wow.

Originally I didn’t much care for Ignatieff because of my own bias against intellectuals.

But maybe I was wrong.

Of course, I’m not going to endorse him to be Liberal leader or anything; for a Liberal that would be the kiss of death.

Happy Valentines Day

I would like to wish my beautiful wife Patti a Happy Valentines Day!!

For some reason she has put up with me for 18 years for which I am eternally grateful and happy.

Now if only I can get her to like my blog site as much as she likes Andrew Coyne’s.

Me on STIMedia

Greg Staples over at Political Staples has come up with a new website called STIMedia which stands for Staples Internet Media.

It’s a great site that features Greg’s podcast commentaries as well as interviews with pundits and newsmakers.

In fact, I was honoured when Greg asked me to be his first interviewee.

You can hear it here.

Buzz Sawed

Well it looks like Buzz Hargrove is now a man without a party.

The NDP pulled an angry housewife routine and kicked Buzz out of the socialist house on the weekend to punish him for flirting with the Liberal Party during the last election.

Poor Buzz, what’s he going to do now?

Well it seems the answer is obvious: he should run for the leadership of the Liberal Party.

No seriously, if Buzz became Liberal leader it would be a win for everybody.

Buzz would get a new Party; the Liberals would solidify the move to the Left they have been making for the past year; and the Conservatives would enjoy uninterrupted rule for the next 100 years.

Prof Takes On Gag Law

Professor Filip Palda (H/T Paul Tuns) masterfully dissects the federal election gag law in the latest Fraser Forum.

He puts the whole question in economic terms, arguing that gag laws “restrict competition and enshrine the power of existing parties in ways that free market aspirants to monopoly can only dream about.”

To Palda this hits at the very core of our democratic system.

“Canada’s future,” he writes, “is not a matter we must delegate to parties. Canada’s future is a question which all citizens must be allowed to debate.”

Let’s hope the new Conservative government is listening.

Don't Offend Me

The MSM in Canada has collectively decided not to reprint certain controversial cartoons for fear of offending certain people.

Well in the interest of fairness it seems to me the media should also refrain from taking actions which I happen to find offensive.

After all, while I don’t go around burning down embassies or threatening to behead people or anything, I also have feelings.

So to all you media people out there, here is a list of things I want banned:

* Anything done by filmmaker Michael Moore

* Linda McQuaig’s columns

* Stories that refer to “terrorists” as “militants”.

* Any “reality” TV show

* The CBC

* Depictions of free market philosophy as “scary” or “extremist”

* Blatant anti-Americanism

* Blatant anti-Semitism disguised as blatant anti-Americanism

* TV shows where the bad guy is inevitably a “greedy land developer”

* Toronto Star editorials

And please don't say I’m advocating censorship; I’m just echoing Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay who said “Freedom of expression is a legally enshrined principle in Canada, but it must be exercised responsibly.”

And apparently that means you can’t offend anybody, and I’m definitely an anybody.

Free Advice for Tories

Attention all you deep thinkers in the Conservative Party (Yes I know you read this blog)

You need to know that some of your antics --- Emerson, canceling a privatization in BC, wimping out on Islamic violence – are alienating your base.

Remember your base?

They are the people who stuck by you all those years when you were wandering around the political wilderness. They are the people who voted for you and helped you win the election.

And right now they are angry.

In fact, here at the National Citizens Coalition our phones are ringing off the hook. Our supporters are upset, confused and disillusioned. They want to know what the Conservatives think they are doing.

Here’s an email I got from an NCC supporter in response to a blog I wrote where I wondered if I was too hard on Stephen Harper for all this:

“No I don't think you were too hard on Stephen Harper. His debut was inauspicious at best. Then we read that he abandoned the notion of privatizing some northern Crown corporation at the advice of David Emerson. Then we get Peter MacKay's silly imitation of Pettigrew with his lame and coy defence of free speech while urging tolerance for the intolerant amongst us. Whatever happened to our Stephen of NCC days?”

Ok Harper has been PM for less than a week. So maybe we are all over-reacting a bit. Maybe we should cut him some slack and see where he goes in the next few weeks and months.

But one thing the Tories need to understand is this: they can’t take the conservative vote for granted.

Canadian conservatives want change not more of the same and they won’t tolerate a betrayal of their principles.

If you Deep Conservative Party thinkers don’t learn this quickly, your party will end up less popular than the Danish ambassador at a Jihadist convention.

Cabinet Misses

Since the federal Conservative cabinet is apparently open to non-Conservatives and to unelected appointees, I wonder how the Prime Minister missed naming these obvious candidates:

NDP leader Jack Layton – He certainly has enough experience to be in cabinet. In fact, he ran the last government.

Union boss Buzz Hargrove – Buzz did so much for the Conservatives in the election he deserved the reward.

Former PM Jean Chrétien – Being in cabinet might have eased the withdrawal pains he’s no doubt experiencing now that he can no longer dip into the public trough.

Liberal MP Belinda Stronach – Hey with what’s going on in Ottawa these days, why not?

Toronto Star columnist Linda McQuaig – Not only would her appointment increase the number of women in cabinet it would also relieve me from having to read her columns.

Of course these people missed out this time but hey there’s always the next cabinet shuffle.

High Expectations

Maybe I was being too hard on Stephen Harper and the Conservatives for the whole David Emerson turn-coat routine.

Yesterday I thought Emerson’s defection to the Tories was an act of gross political opportunism.

But on sober second thought maybe the government is just giving the people what they want.

The voters, after all, had no problem returning famous floor-crossers Belinda Stronach and Scott Brison to Parliament.

And other smart political observers whom I respect are making good cases as to why the Emerson switch is not such a big deal.

See here and here.

What’s more the whole thing will probably blow over in a few weeks when the media begins to focus on other crucial issues such as whether or not Jen and Brad will ever get back together again.

So maybe the problem is me and my goofy high expectations.

All I know is that the Tories had better start introducing some strong policies to make government more accountable and more honest.

Then maybe I will forgive them for this faltering start.

Update:

I am going to be on Mike Duffy Live, tonight at about 5:25 PM EST to discuss Senate reform.

Update:

Mike Duffy just cancelled me!

Political Tragedy

Well it didn’t take long for the game of musical political chairs to begin.

David Emerson, who a few weeks ago was ardently determined to stop Stephen Harper and his “scary” agenda, is now happily sitting in the Harper cabinet!

I guess Harper wasn’t so scary after all.

It just goes to show how politics has become like theatre and our politicians like actors.

As Shakespeare might say they strut and fret their hour upon the political stage, all sound and fury but in the end signifying nothing -- nothing but political opportunism.

Of course, I understand why the Harper Tories were willing to take Emerson in.

They now have a Vancouver MP in government; they bolster their minority in the House; they have a proven and experienced cabinet member.

But the Tories were supposed to put political principle ahead of political expediency.

What a shame.

This has all the makings of a Shakespearian tragedy.

Harper as PM

Watching Stephen Harper’s swearing in ceremony today is going to be a bit strange for me.

I mean here’s a guy I used to work for, a guy I used to have lunch with, a guy I used to have raging debates with about which was the best Star Trek episode, becoming Prime Minister of Canada.

Maybe I will scour the National Citizens Coalition office looking for pens, mugs and staplers he used while he was our president, so I can sell them off as souvenirs.

But seriously, this is a great day for Harper and for the NCC.

I wonder what our founder, the late Colin M. Brown, would have thought about what’s happening today?

He’s probably smiling somewhere.

One Last Liberal Outrage

Well it looks like David Dingwall got the entitlements he says he was entitled to.

As one of his last official acts as Prime Minister, Paul Martin is giving Dingwall a whopping $418,000 severance package.

Oh and it turns out Dingwall was actually fired, which was a little fact Martin never let us taxpayers in on.

Just like he never let us know about Dingwall’s golden parachute during the election when it was actually approved.

I guess Martin just wanted it all to be a surprise going away gift to Canadians.

But we shouldn’t be surprised of course.

This act is no more arrogant, no more outrageous than any other example of Liberal greed.

The good news is these guys are finally out of power.

Now the Conservative will have a chance to shut the trough.

NCC Billboard

The National Citizens Coalition put up a new billboard to give the new Parliament a message.












I hope it's not too subtle.

Liberal Conspiracy Theory

A few days ago, I noted how David Frum was concerned the Liberals might try to bring down the Conservative government fast in the hopes they could win a snap election.

Well the more I think about this scenario the more sense it makes.

Consider the following bits of evidence:

* Liberal stars – Brian Tobin, Frank McKenna, John Manley, Alan Rock – have ruled out running for the leadership of the party, this despite the fact that being Liberal leader has been, in the past at least, a sure ticket to the Prime Minister’s Office. Has somebody filled them in on the plan?

* Paul Martin has broken his promise to step down as party leader. He now says he will stay on as formal head of the party until a successor is chosen. Well that’s convenient.

* Finally the Prime Minister’s residence 24 Sussex Drive is undergoing mysterious “renovations” which will delay Stephen Harper’s taking possession of the house.

All the pieces of the puzzle are coming together.

Oh what am I saying? This is a crazy idea.

Only a completely desperate, morally bankrupt and intellectually barren political party would even consider such an outrageous scheme.

Hmmm.

Expect an election in May.

Those Darned Yankees

Diehard Yankees fan Paul Tuns takes exception to my post comparing the current Liberal Party to a declining New York Yankees team of the mid-1960s.

Writes Paul:

“The Yanks had great characters and likeable players (Yogi Berra, Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, to name just a few) during their dynastic run. Who'd the Liberals have that you could like, let alone admire?”

He has a point.

But let’s face it, Paul is really upset with me because I had the audacity to remind him that there actually was a period in baseball history when the Yanks didn’t rule the roost.

Of course, I can’t blame him for being a tad stressed out.

I mean it’s been a whole five years since the Bronx Bombers last won a championship.

For Yankee fans that’s an eternity.

Time for some Magnum Force

The whole Gomery Report thing has been a bit of anti-climax.

Don’t get me wrong.

I think Justice Gomery has done a good job. And I’m sure he has come up with a fine list of recommendations to make government better, but what I really want is what all fair and decent taxpayers want: vengeance.

I want somebody blamed. I want somebody punished. I want somebody put in jail.

After all, this is personal; that was my money that got stolen.

Maybe we need to set up a new inquiry to get real justice.

And who should head this new inquiry? Dirty Harry, that’s who.

Feel lucky adscam punk.

When Dynasties End

The Liberal Party of Canada – once the colossus of Canadian politics --- suddenly looks second-rate.

It reminds of me of what happened to the New York Yankees back in 1965.

The Yankees of that era, like the Liberals, were seemingly an invincible dynasty.

Indeed, from 1923 to 1964 the Yanks won 20 World Series and 27 American League Pennants.

Then in 1965 the bottom suddenly fell out. Their stars became old; their farm system dried up.

The once mighty Yankees were relegated to second division status.

It took the Yanks 11 years to win another pennant.

The Liberals might not have to wait that long to win again, but sources tell me that privately Liberal insiders are admitting that Stephen Harper will be the Prime Minister for at least the next six years.

And for Liberals who are used to governing, that’s an eternity.

Union Boss Politics

In today’s Globe and Mail, Ken Neumann, the national director for Canada of the United Steelworkers of America, takes Buzz Hargrove to task because he supported the Paul Martin Liberals during the last election.

Writes Neumann:

“The CAW and Buzz Hargrove have every right to endorse Liberal candidates in any election, if that’s what they feel is in their interests. But it’s important Canadians know that the vast majority of unions and their leaders simply don’t agree and are sticking to supporting the New Democratic Party as the best choice for working people.”

What’s interesting about this statement is the way Neumann says “unions and their leaders” support the NDP.

He puts it that way because he knows full well that most unionized workers don’t support the New Democrats.

Yet Neumann and Hargrove force these workers to subsidize the NDP through their forced union dues.

That’s an issue that’s much more important than whether or not Hargrove is betraying “working people”.

The fact is “working people” should have the right to make up their own minds regardless of what their bosses think.

Go Bob Go

Now that Frank McKenna has taken himself out of the Liberal leadership race, the field is wide open.

Personally I hope the rumours that former NDP Premier Bob Rae is going to take a run at the Liberal crown are true.

It would give us a chance to bring back some of those famous billboards from the 1990s.

Windsor Liberty Seminar

Attention all free enterprise supporters/ libertarians in the Windsor area.

On March 11, 2006, “The Freedom Project” is holding a seminar at the University of Windsor aimed at exploring the ideas of freedom with an international panel of distinguished experts for a series of discussions on the nature of liberty and its potential to improve our lives.

I bring this up for two reasons: 1. I was born and raised in Windsor, and believe me this town needs all the libertarian ideas it can get. 2. I am one of the “distinguished experts” scheduled to speak.

It should be a fun and interesting event.

The Freedom Project, by the way, is dedicated to promoting individual freedom in Canada, and to supporting the efforts of those working towards the same goal in other countries.

You can learn more about the Liberty Seminar and register online here.

Frum at NCC Event

The National Citizens Coalition held a special luncheon with guest speaker David Frum this afternoon.

Our timing was lucky.

When we planned this event back in the fall, we had no idea there would be a federal election and certainly no idea the Conservatives would win the election.

Anyway, David’s talk was excellent.

One of the interesting points he raised was the possibility that the Liberals might seek to topple the Conservative government much quicker than pundits would have us believe.

Frum reasons that a quick humiliation of Stephen Harper in Parliament and a subsequent snap election might be the Liberal Party’s only hope of returning to power anytime soon.

That’s because Frum believes the impending Liberal leadership race will be a blood-soaked affair pitting Chreientites against Martinites in a civil war that will cripple the party for years.

Martin and his supporters will do anything to avoid that.

And just remember that’s essentially what happened to Joe Clark’s minority government in 1979.

Clark’s budget defeat gave the Liberals an opening to return Pierre Trudeau, who was stepping down, to power.

Can Martin pull the same trick?

What a scary thought.

Oh and Frum made one more brilliant point.

He noted that the NCC played an “absolutely vital” role in the defeat of the Liberal Party.

Bloomberg on the NCC

Stephen Harper’s victory has certainly increased the profile of the National Citizens Coalition.

But that’s a double-edged sword, because certain media elements have taken to distorting the NCC’s agenda.

Case in point, an article sent out by the Bloomberg News agency described the NCC as a “lobby that called for abandoning the nation’s public health-care system and revoking union rights.”

When I saw this piece I emailed the reporter the following message:

“In your article “Harper Helped Split Canada's Conservatives, Now Leads Them Back”, you described the National Citizens Coalition as a lobby group that calls for “abandoning the nation’s public care system and revoking union rights”.

That’s an incorrect description.

The NCC promotes free enterprise, less government and individual freedom. We are not a lobby group, but an advocacy organization. That’s a big difference. We don’t lobby politicians; rather we raise awareness about issues through advertising campaigns.

Nor do we call for the country to abandon public health care. We think having a government monopoly on health care is wrong and inefficient and we think there should be more choice for consumers.

Again that’s a big difference.

Finally the NCC does not call for “revoking union rights.”

We have, in fact, pushed to protect the rights of unionized workers against oppressive labour laws.

For instance, we don’t think anyone should be forced to join a union against their will and we don’t think a worker’s forced dues should be used to support political causes the worker may not support.

You can learn more about the NCC at our website www.morefreedom.org

I hope you can clarify this matter for your readers.

Thank you.”

I must admit I didn’t expect anything to come from this.

But lo and behold, the article on the web today, is updated and now describes the NCC as “a lobby group that calls for ending the government's ‘monopoly’' on health care and easing labor laws.”

OK he still calls us a “lobby group” but this is still a big improvement.

Credit to Bloomberg News for doing the right thing.

NCC in NY Times

The National Citizens Coalition got a mention in the famed New York Times.

The piece, “Canada's Shift: To the Right, Gently” (free registration required) by Clifford Krauss examines the Canadian election in general and Prime Minister Stephen Harper (still not used to writing that) in particular.

He writes:

“In the 1990's he (Harper) directed the National Citizens Coalition, a conservative advocacy group that favored free-market economics, privatizations and tax cuts, an agenda that does not necessarily resonate with most Canadians even today.”

Really?

Well maybe free-market economics, privatizations and tax cuts would resonate if any political party had the sense to make them part of its agenda.

Until that happens we just won’t know.

Three out of Ten

Back at the beginning of the month I posted the ten candidates I most wanted to see lose on Election Day.

Here’s the list:

Svend Robinson

Sid Ryan

Bonnie Brown

Michael Ignatieff

Ralph Goodale

Scott Brison

Jean Lapierre

Anne McLellan

Belinda Stronach

Olivia Chow

Out of that list only three actually were defeated: McLellan, Robinson and Ryan.

So do you think I’m disappointed?

Not really. I mean that’s a three out of 10, that’s a .300 average.

If I were a baseball payer a batting average like that would get me into the Hall of Fame.

Oh who am I kidding? I am bitter. Very bitter.

How in the heck did Stronach get re-elected?!! What were the voters thinking? Jeesh.

OK rant over.

Congratulations Stephen

The former president of the National Citizens Coalition is now the Prime Minister of Canada.

Score one for the Secret Society.

Of course, we here at the NCC are all excited and proud of Stephen Harper for his electoral victory.

But we also recognize that he is going to have a tough job, especially given the size of the Opposition he will face.

In the months ahead, the NCC will play a role to help Stephen push for changes and to push for democratic reform.

We will also be here to remind him to keep his promises.

Blackout Law

I am scheduled to be on Global News tonight to talk about the election night blackout law.

That’s the law which makes it illegal to prematurely transmit election results from regions of the country where the polls are closed to regions where the polls are still open.

You can learn more about this law here and here.

The National Citizens Coalition is helping Paul Bryan fight this law in the courts because we think it infringes on free speech and because we think it’s unenforceable.

In today’s Internet age anybody with a computer can access information and there’s nothing Elections Canada can do to stop them.

We are going to the Supreme Court of Canada later this year to fight this archaic law, so hopefully this will be the last censored election.

Update:

I am going to be on CHQR's The World Tonight at 7:05 Calgary time to talk about the blackout law.

Ten Things I learned During this Election

1. Having an election during Christmas wasn’t all that aggravating, or at least no more aggravating than having an election any other time of the year.

2. NDP leader Jack Layton is against private health care unless he’s the one using private health care.

3. Former CEO and former fiscal hawk Prime Minister Paul Martin is really a progressive, working class hero who likes to wear leather jackets.

4. Union boss Buzz Hargrove is a great asset politically, as long as he’s working for your opponent.

5. Paul Martin and Gilles Duceppe have at least one thing in common: They both think Calgary is a scary place.

6. Anybody who is against same-sex marriage and abortion is an “ultra conservative” and an “extreme right winger”. And here most of us thought the late Pope John Paul II was a nice guy.

7. The National Citizens Coalition is a secret society. In fact, it’s so secret they forgot to tell me it’s a secret society.

8. Whenever Canadians get extra cash they will rush out and buy popcorn and beer.

9. Public opinion polls during elections will be confusing 19 out of 20 times.

10. Nobody should ever let Paul Martin close to musical instruments.

Martin's Mixed Message

Yesterday Prime Minister Paul Martin declared the Conservative Party of today was not the same Conservative Party of Bob Stanfield or Joe Clark.

I’m confused.

Was that supposed to be an insult or a compliment?

Globe Tries to Poll Vault Liberals

In yesterday’s Globe and Mail the headline roared: “Harper’s Lead Takes Hit”

And indeed Harper did take a hit --- according to the Globe’s own poll which said the Tories went from 41 percent support to 37 percent, while the Liberals jumped from 25 to 28.

The Globe even helpfully explained why this tightening had occurred. It seems, explained the paper’s reporters, that Harper’s comments about the Supreme Court had spooked Ontarians.

Really?

Well they couldn’t have been all that spooked because today the Globe poll reports the Tories have gained a point and now lead the Liberals by 10 points.

So you would think today’s headline would read, “Tories Widen Gap” or “Harper Regains Momentum”.

Nope.

Indeed, this latest development is buried in their election coverage and actually given a Liberal spin: “The Liberal freefall seems to have abated.”

Yeah. Freefalls usually abate when you hit the ground.

To get more on the Globe’s wonky election reporting check out Andrew Coyne’s excellent site.

As for me, if the Tories win the election on Monday, I hope to see this headline on Tuesday: “Globe’s Credibility Takes Hit”.

Tories Will Win Election

Or so says Ipsos-Reid pollster Darrel Bricker.

Just got out of a presentation from Bricker and he made a convincing case that the election is over.

The Tories will win. They will likely win a strong minority.

In fact, says Bricker, the election was actually decided two weeks ago when the Tories took a big 10 point lead and never looked back.

And unlike other pollsters who claim the race is tightening, Bricker’s numbers indicate the Tories have maintained their lead for the last two weeks.

It hasn’t wavered a bit.

The turning point?

It was the tragic shooting in downtown Toronto on the Boxing Day weekend.

Prime Minister Paul Martin’s response was to promise to build more playgrounds and youth centres. Stephen Harper promised to get tough on crime.

Ontarians – in the suburbs at least – liked Harper’s answer better.

Here’s Bricker’s seat breakdown:

Tories: 149-153

Liberals – 64-68

NDP – 29-33

Bloc - 57-61

In “voter-rich” Ontario, Bricker says the Tories will win 45-47 seats outside the GTA plus a couple of more in the GTA.

Now let’s see if the voters agree with Bricker

Update:

Just to be a little more specific and to help the numbers add up, Bricker predicts the Tories will win 11-13 seats in the GTA, at least according to my scribbled notes which I can now barely read.

Update 2: You can now get all the scoop on this poll here.

Enemies List

Ok let’s recap.

During this election the National Citizens Coalition has been attacked and or smeared by:

Linda McQuaig

The Liberal Party

Buzz Hargrove

Belinda Stronach

Gilles Duceppe

With enemies like that we must be doing something right.

The People's Liberal Party of Canada

I don’t know who will win the election on January 23rd.

But there’s one thing I do know for sure: the Liberal Party has undergone a profound metamorphosis. No longer a party of the “centre”, the Liberals are now clearly a party of the extreme left.

Prime Minister Paul Martin has redefined his party as the socialist alternative to the Conservatives.

His cuddling with Buzz Hargrove, his wooing of “progressive” voters, his increasingly shrill class-war rhetoric – are all evidence of his conversion.

What does this mean?

Well it means if the Liberals win the election Canada will experience a dramatic shift to the left when it comes to our polices.

Our foreign policy will feature an unrelenting and ugly strain of anti-Americanism.

Our domestic policy will feature more spending, more taxes and more government.

Our federalist policy will feature division as the Liberals pit one region of the country against the other.

Not a pretty picture. You might even say it’s scary.

And if the Liberals lose?

If the Liberals lose we can expect a political death match between the Liberals and the NDP to determine who will assume the mantle of the voice of Canada’s Left.

That won’t be pretty, but it will be fun to watch.

Martin's Cowardly Smear Attack on the NCC

The smearing of the National Citizens Coalition continues.

A couple of days ago it was left-wing journalist Linda McQuaig taking a shot at us, and now it’s Prime Minster Paul Martin’s designated bully-boy Buzz Hargrove.

Today in a rambling news conference, Hargrove threw about a gallon of mud at Tory leader Stephen Harper, calling him a “separatist”.

And he also smeared the NCC to get at Harper calling us a “secret society’.

Is this what Martin is reduced to? Does he really feel it’s necessary to smear non-partisan private organizations? Is he really that desperate for votes?

It’s sickening.

It’s bad enough his party has corrupted our government. Now the Liberals are corrupting the election.

I once thought Martin was a decent man.

Not anymore.

Clearly, he will say or do or smear anyone or anything to keep power.

And he doesn’t even have the courage to do it himself.

Shameful.

Blogging Tories Vs. the Gag Law

It looks like my friends over at Blogging Tories are a threat to democracy.

Or so say a couple of ex-Tories who have launched a complaint with Elections Canada, claiming the site infringes on the infamous election gag law.

“They’re using a third-party agency to get elected,” fumes Eugene Parks, one of the complainers.

Is this the kind of society we are evolving into? Do people really think it should be illegal to express opinions on a website?

It’s unlikely of course anything will come from this ridiculous complaint.

The election gag law, after all, is designed to prevent people from “buying” elections. It is only triggered when there are election advertising expenditures above a certain limit.

Anything posted on the Internet is outside of its draconian reach --- for now.

Should the Liberals win this election, however, watch for the gag law to be expanded to include internet communications.

That’s why the Supreme Court’s ruling to approve the gag law was so dangerous. Once you accept the notion that election speech can be curtailed you start down a scary road.

Who knows where we will end up?

Liberal Attack Ad Backfires

When the Liberals first unleashed their dreaded attack ads I predicted they would not be effective.

Specifically, I suggested the Liberal strategy to attack former Ontario Premier Mike Harris and the Common Sense Revolution would backfire.

It looks like I was right.

Writing in today’s Globe and Mail, John Ibbitson examines the Tory surge in Ontario and says:

“The Harper Conservatives are achieving this seismic electoral realignment by promising to lower taxes, get tough on crime and put an end to entitlements --- exactly the same message that the Harris Conservatives used. Once again, the Liberal strategy has had a result diametrically the opposite of its intent.”

Remember you read it here first.

Will Wonders Never cease?

Today the Toronto Star printed a letter to the editor I wrote to defend the National Citizens Coalition from a Linda McQuaig drive by smearing.

They never print my letters.

Must be a sign of changing times.

What’s So Scary about Tory Platform?

With a week to go before voting day and with the Liberals sinking fast in the polls, we can expect Prime Minister Paul Martin to get even shriller with his scare tactics.

He will present Conservative Party leader Stephen Harper as a George Bush-loving, Neo-Con admiring, Mike Harris-imitating, right winger who will change the face of Canada forever.

Yet some conservatives are wondering what all the fuss is about.

Check out Rondi Adamson’s piece which appeared in the Sunday edition of the Toronto Star.

Adamson looks at Harper’s platform and says it isn’t much different from the Liberal polices of the 1990s and concludes it isn’t “scary or frankly particularly conservative.”

McQuaig Smears NCC

A little while ago I predicted the increasingly frightened and desperate political left wing would try and demonize the National Citizens Coalition, as a way of attacking our former president --- Stephen Harper.

Well it has started.

In the Sunday edition of the Toronto Star, weedy leftist Linda McQuaig, aims her poison pen at the NCC.

Writes McQuaig of Harper: “One of his few ‘outside’ jobs, from 1998 to 2002, was heading the National Citizens Coalition, a lobby group founded in the 1960s by a wealthy businessman Colin Brown, expressly for the purpose of preventing the establishment of public health care in Canada.”

Ohh scary eh kids. Or is it?

Colin Brown started the NCC expressly for the purpose of protecting Canada’s values, traditions and freedoms.

Colin opposed high taxes, he opposed budget busting spending, he opposed the ever expanding growth of big government.

So he set up the NCC to give a voice to Canadians who shared his values and principles.

And yes, back in 1968 he believed giving the government a monopoly on health care was a bad idea. He thought it would lead to a costly and inefficient health care system that just wouldn’t work in the long run.

Sorry Linda, it turns out Colin was right, just ask the Supreme Court of Canada which ruled recently that Quebec must permit a private health alternative to the public system.

I wonder if McQuaig thinks the Supreme Court is part of some NCC right wing conspiracy?

Oh and McQuaig also attacks the NCC for opposing election gag laws. “Another pet cause of the NCC,” she writes “has been fighting laws aimed at restricting the power of corporations to influence election outcomes through advertising.”

Yes the NCC fights gag laws. Unlike McQuaig, we believe in free election speech. We believe everyone – not just politicians -- should have the right to express a political opinion. Elections, we believe, should be a free market place of competing ideas.

The fact that McQuaig and other left wingers think free speech is scary says more about them then it does about us.

And the fact, that the NCC is becoming the focus of left wing attacks also says something else: We are good at what we do!

Left Wingers Hoist On Their Own Gag Law Petard

It looks like a bunch of left-wingers are setting up a coalition designed to stop Stephen Harper and the Conservative Party. (H/T to Adam Daifallah.)

Called the “Think Twice Coalition” it’s made up of the usual leftie types -- union bosses, artists, environmentalists, feminists --- and they want to warn Canadians about the Tory’s “scary” agenda.

So watch for a massive “Think Twice” anti-Harper media blitz over the next few days …. Oops wait a minute, I just remembered, they can’t run a massive anti-Harper ad campaign.

There’s an election gag law in effect.

This law actually makes it illegal for the Coalition (or any other group for that matter) to effectively make its point through paid advertising.

Too bad. Bet they would have run an effective ad campaign too.

And here's the irony: left-wingers generally applauded the gag law when it was enacted because they saw it as a way to make elections "fairer" and to stop the “rich from buying elections”.

Wonder if they think the gag law is such a good idea now? Wonder if they ever thought they would be lumped in with the rich?

Wonder if they ever think about anything?

New Liberal Ad?

I am gearing myself up for a possible Liberal smear campaign against the National Citizens Coalition.

After all, Stephen Harper was our president for about four years.

So what will a Liberal anti-NCC TV attack ad look like?

Well it will probably go a little like this:

Announcer: Stephen Harper once headed the National Citizens Coalition.

The National Citizens Coalition was established in 1967.

1967.

The year race riots tore apart Detroit.

What does Stephen Harper have in store for our cities?

He won’t say.

We are not making this up.

Yikes, this ad scares me and I wrote it!

Time for Tories to Pounce

If the Conservatives are smart they will jump all over that stupid attack ad the Liberals were forced to pull.

I am talking about the ad which subtly suggests Stephen Harper is planning an armed coup.

The ad is ridiculous and what’s worse it makes the Liberals look ridiculous.

And that’s the killer.

In politics there’s two things you never want to be called: a crook or a fool.

Right now the Liberals are looking like both crooks and thanks to this ad -- fools.

If Harper can capitalize on this it will undercut the effectiveness of the other Liberal attack ads – which are not that great in the first place – and deflate the much anticipated Martin counter-attack.

It’s going to be an interesting couple of weeks.

Liberal Attack Ads Stink

Everybody seems to be dumping on the Liberals lately, so why should I be any different.

So here goes: In my view the Liberal attack ads stink.

Now I have nothing against attack ads per se. In fact, they can be quite effective when employed properly.

The attack ads the Liberals ran in 2004, for instance, touched the right hot buttons – abortion, Iraq etc. They seemed to have a strategy behind them.

But these 2006 attack ads are less focused and seem just nasty for the sake of being nasty.

And is it really smart for the Liberals to attack Mike Harris in Ontario? Harris won back to back majority governments, so some Ontarians must still like him. Besides he’s been gone long enough for the nostalgic factor to kick in.

In other words, in attacking Harris the Liberals might drive Ontarians to support the Tories.

It seems to me that these ads are more designed to hold onto the Liberal core vote than they are to win over the undecided.

If that’s the case, then it's just another sign that Team Martin is in panic mode.

UPDATE:

The Toronto Sun's Christina Blizzard makes a good point in Wednesday column about the Harris attack ads. Writes Blizzard: "The whiz kids who dreamed them up might want to consult with their star candidate and high profile turncoat in Newmarket-Aurora, Belinda Stronach. When she ran for the leadership of the Conservtive Party, Stronach was nominated by Harris. Not just that, a large number of Harris's inner circle worked on her campaign."

Things I learned from the Debate

Gilles Duceppe’s English actually gets worse every year.

Jack Layton is changing the name of the New Democratic Party to the Third Option.

Canadians apparently care about the Notwithstanding Clause

Paul Martin thinks Canadian values are the same as socialist values

From the NDP and Bloc perspective, the Liberals and the Conservatives are the same.

From the Liberal perspective the Conservatives and the Republicans are the same.

Paul Martin loses his temper whenever he talks about Quebec

Toronto isn’t Detroit – That’s true the Pistons might actually win something this year.

Parliament needs women.

Different formats still make for boring debates.

Debate Strategies

Ok so this is it.

Last two debates beginning tonight. The first two were like exhibition games, but these are for all the marbles – or at least that’s what the media, eager to hype up these contests, would like us to believe.

What can we expect from the leaders?

Well, the polls show Conservative Party leader Stephen Harper is ahead, meaning a lot of Canadians will be sizing him up tonight to see if he’s really Prime Minister material. So Harper will likely approach this debate like a job interview or an audition. He’s got to show people he can play the part. And, of course, he’s got to avoid making any major errors.

As for Prime Minister Paul Martin, well he’s got to do what he does best: ramp up the compassionate rhetoric and hit people’s emotional buttons. There’s a lot of undecided voters out there and Martin can still win this thing if he can convince them Harper is a scary guy. Remember that’s what he did last time. And Martin’s big advantage is that the media is looking for a reason to spin him as the winner.

Jack Layton just has to remind people that he is still in the race. He’s almost been invisible during this election, a non-factor. His big aim will be to somehow convince the soft-NDP vote to abandon the Liberals and come back home.

Gilles Duceppe has the easiest job of all. He just has to keep reminding Quebeckers about Liberal corruption.

So who will win?

We won’t know the answer to that until January 23.

Update:

I'm scheduled to be part of a panel discussion on CFRB radio at 4:15 PM EST to discuss tonight's debate. Also scheduled to appear are Warren Kinsella and Judy Rebick.

Where Will Martin Get the Doctors?

A couple of days ago, Prime Minister Paul Martin unveiled his health care platform which included a plan to speed up the accreditation of foreign doctors.

This led a doctor friend of mine to send me the following message:

“I would like to know which other countries he (Martin) plans to recruit 5000 family doctors from. Belarus? Romania? Who would want to come here in ordered to be coerced into providing service at grossly discounted rates dictated by the government, and in order to be a member of the only profession denied by legislation the basic human right to sell its services and expertise privately?”

Good questions.

By the way, I will be on the Gary Doyle Show (570 AM Kitchener) at noon today to talk about my Must Lose List.

Top Ten Must Lose List

Sometimes during an election we focus so much on who we want to win, that we lose sight of something that's equally important -- who we want to lose.

With that in mind I decided to compile a list of candidates I would love to see lose on January 23rd.

Here’s what I came up with:

1. Belinda Stronach – No explanation I think is necessary.

2. Svend Robinson – Never mind his loony left-wing politics, if Robinson ever gets elected it will cost taxpayers a fortune to pay for all those little chains they will have to attach to the pens in the House of Commons.

3. Scott Brison – An unprincipled turncoat who once tried to smear the National Citizens Coalition. But hey this isn’t personal.

4. Sid Ryan – union boss who has lost about 100 elections in a row. Why spoil the streak?

5. Jean Lapierre – Just want to see if he will go back to being a separatist if he loses.

6. Michael Ignatieff – The last thing we need is another left wing intellectual in the House of Commons.

7. Olivia Chow – Ok relax. Chow is on this list because of her politics; it has nothing to do with dogs of any breed.

8. Ralph Goodale – A Liberal MP from Western Canada? It just doesn’t make sense.

9. Anne McLellan – Surely she has to lose sometime.

10. Bonnie Brown – You probably don’t recognize her name. But she’s the Liberal MP from my town of Oakville. A complete non-entity, she is the poor man's Carolyn Parrish, only with less charm.

OK I’ve done my bit.

Now it’s up to the voters.

Where No Commie Has Gone Before . . .

I have long harbored suspicions that the writers behind some of the recent Star Trek movies and TV shows were pushing socialist propaganda.

In the movie First Contact for instance, Captain Picard proudly boasts that the Federation economy is not based on money!!

So how do they pay for Romulan ale?

Anyway, I bring this up because today I came across a neat site that makes a strong case that the Federation is actually a Soviet-style totalitarian state.

Beam up me Scotty!

Blackout law under attack

It looks like the National Citizens Coalition is getting some allies in its fight against the election black out law.

Sun Media is joining an application to suspend those sections of the Canada Elections Act which make it illegal to post real time elections results on a website.

Jose Leal, general manager of Canoe, says the goal of the application is “to be able to release online information relative to the (Ontario) audience without waiting for the polls to close in Vancouver.”

Right now, such a posting would be a criminal offence. Indeed, under Section 329 of the Canada Elections Act, it’s illegal to transmit any election information from a part of the country where the polls are closed to a part of the country where the polls are still open.

Besides Sun Media, the CBC, CTV, CHUM and Canadian Press also oppose Section 329.

It’s good to see the media getting involved in this case. After all, they are the ones who are being censored on election night.

The NCC has been battling the black out law ever since we offered to help Paul Bryan who launched a legal challenge to Section 329 back in 2000.

Paul believes this law is an infringement on his right to free expression and we agree.

His challenge is going before the Supreme Court of Canada sometime later this year.

What to Expect in the Days Ahead

OK so now that the phony “election war” is over and things are set to begin in earnest starting today, what can we expect in the final few weeks before voting day?

Well, here’s what I think will happen:

1.The Liberals will run an attack ad that will portray Conservative Party leader Stephen as somewhere between Attila the Hun and Satan.

2. The CBC will release a documentary which will clearly prove that Stephen Harper is actually working for the CIA, in its “Satan division”.

3. The news media will scour the country looking for a Tory MP who believes the Charter of Rights should be dismantled so that we can pass laws against married, lesbians of colour who want to have abortions.

4. The Globe and Mail will run inflammatory headlines which will include the word “Christian” at least four times.

5. Paul Martin will put Alberta Premier Ralph Klein under 24 hour surveillance hoping to catch him whenever he utters the words: “health care”.

Yes indeed, expect democratic debate at its finest.

Joel's Fact Game

Besides his inane politics and his weak leadership, the thing that most bugs me about Prime Minister Paul Martin is the way he speaks off the cuff.

Every sentence begins with “Let me be clear” or with “Let there be no doubt” or with “In fact.”

And I’m not the only one who has noticed.

Joel Johannesen, over at his always excellent Proud to Be Canadian site, has come up with what he calls the “Fact You” game.

Let me be clear, you should check it out. Let there be no doubt, Joel has, in fact, come up with a great game.