Canadian government to fall

[Ben Kenobi]

Could you choose a less appealing picture of Harper as your avatar, Ben?

I wondered when someone would call me on that one. I just took the one listed under his parliament profile.

[Ben Kenobi]

Good on you for getting involved, even if I hope your work fails.

Are you working for the Conservatives or for the CH? And what are you doing?

Good question. I'm sort of a free agent. In Vancouver I would be going to the nomination meeting, and helping a candidate get nominated, but this time I am in PG, so I will just be serving as a scrutineer. For the CH I run the election results and send them my analysis the morning after. So I get invited to the functions for the Conservatives and the CH.

[notyoueither]

'I'll see your tax cut, and I'll raise you...'

http://www.cbc.ca/story/canadavotes2006/national/2005/12/07/martin-handgun051207.html

Martin expected to propose ban on handguns
Last Updated Wed, 07 Dec 2005 22:53:30 EST
CBC News
Liberal Leader Paul Martin is expected to announce a sweeping ban on handguns Thursday as he makes a campaign stop in Toronto, a city that has been plagued recently by a series of shootings.

The proposed ban would be part of what is being called a "safer communities announcement" by Martin when he visits one of the city's troubled neighbourhoods.

Details of the ban are not yet available.

Handguns are currently classified as either restricted or prohibited weapons.

Under the current system, people are allowed to possess a restricted firearm for target practice, target shooting competitions, to form part of a collection or, in very rare cases, for employment purposes or to protect your life.

Martin's announcement comes nearly a month after he paid a visit to one of Toronto's roughest neighbourhoods, promising tougher gun laws and the creation of a $50 million fund to help combat gang violence nationally.

He pledged an additional $1.9 million to Toronto to help troubled young people learn life skills and encourage them to participate in the community.

Gunfire was responsible for 50 of the 74 murders so far this year in Toronto.

The series of shootings prompted police to launch a gun amnesty program in November. Police collected 261 weapons and more than 1,500 rounds of ammunition.

The Ontario government recently announced it was boosting the number of police and Crown prosecutors for the guns and gangs task force in Canada's largest city.

[notyoueither]

On the other hand, it would be painful to lose a finance minister in the midst of a campaign.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20051207/incometrusts_carp_051207/20051207?hub=TopStories

CARP says it got notice of Goodale announcement
Kathy Tomlinson, CTV News

Finance Minister Ralph Goodale denies anyone in his office leaked word of changes to income trust policy, even as one man told CTV News he was tipped off in a phone call from one of the minister's senior advisors.

In the hours before Goodale announced that the federal government was increasing the tax credit on corporate dividends two weeks ago, there was heavier-than-usual trading in income trusts and dividend-paying stocks. That has fuelled speculation that some investors profited from an early warning.

Goodale has insisted all along that no advance word came from his office. "The Finance Department is very meticulous about these matters," he Tuesday. "There was no specific advance notice whatsoever."

But a representative of Canada's most influential seniors' lobby group says he got a phone call on the morning of Nov. 23, several hours before the markets closed, and before Goodale made his announcement.

Protocol is that a finance minister never gives word of a policy change while the markets are still open.

"The day they made the announcement they phoned us and said something is going to be said," the associate executive director of Canada's Association for the Fifty Plus, William Gleberzon, told CTV News.

Gleberzon said the call came from a senior policy advisor in the finance minister's office.

When asked what exactly he was told, Gleberzon indicated the specifics were vague, but the underlying message was clear.

"They said something was going to be announced later in the day. And we assumed that if they told us that ... it would probably be something we'd be happy with."

As approximately 400,000 senior citizens have a vested interested in the issue, Gleberzon said his group, known by the acronym CARP, had been in "constant contact" with the policy advisor to the minister.

They might have benefited from advance warning of the policy change, but Gleberzon says CARP never passed along the heads-up.

"We didn't tell anybody anything because we didn't know what to tell them," he told CTV.

When confronted with the latest development, Goodale still denied that anyone from his office gave advance notice of the announcement.

"I'll have to determine whether there was any breach of rules, any breach of impropriety," Goodale told CTV News. "On the basis of the information I've been given, it does not appear to me that there was any untoward conversations that either revealed the nature of what might be forthcoming in terms of a policy change or the timing of that."

The Ontario Securities Commission is the body responsible for investigating unusual activity on Toronto Stock Exchange, such as the sudden jump in trading that day. CTV asked several times for an interview regarding this story. They refused, and would not confirm whether they are investigating.

Oops!

But then again, these guys don't give a damn about convention, our Constitution, or much else other than power, so let's see what happens.

[Tingkai]

The handgun ban is just stupid. There are enough restrictions on these guns as it is.

[Wezil]

Originally posted by Tingkai
The handgun ban is just stupid. There are enough restrictions on these guns as it is.

It will help him politically in Toronto. The dolts in the GTA will love it. Despite being sophisticated voters (as I am continually told they are) they will not realise how useless the policy will be and certainly won't see anything cynical about the timing...

On the other hand it might cost the Liberals their remaining dozen votes in Alberta.

[November Adam]

Well its been a long time, and the usual ban of ruffians is still here!

I'm trying to understand what it is that the people in the GTA find so scary about the Conservatives, and how they can find that a corrupt old boys club styled party such as the Liberals more appealing.

I personally am hoping for at least a minority conservative gov't, but if the Lib's get a majority gov't, I'll be voting for a seperatist party come the next election.

Personally I think the Western provinces could do better without central Canada if they think that a corrupt gov't is okay with them.

Besides this discussion could do with a good seperatist/ de-centeralization view

[Wezil]

Originally posted by November Adam
I'm trying to understand what it is that the people in the GTA find so scary about the Conservatives, and how they can find that a corrupt old boys club styled party such as the Liberals more appealing.

Harper is scary.

Look closely and you can see his horns.

[Kontiki]

Perhaps you should also ask that question of the 60 seats outside of Ontario the Liberals won in the last election.

[November Adam]

Originally posted by Kontiki
Perhaps you should also ask that question of the 60 seats outside of Ontario the Liberals won in the last election.

Fair enough.... why?

Or rather why would you continue to support the Lib's after seeing how corrupt they are?

[Max Webster]

Originally posted by Tingkai
The handgun ban is just stupid. There are enough restrictions on these guns as it is.

Aren't most of the guns smuggled into the country and put on the black market? I can't see a handgun ban doing anything about this. Is this a gun registry screwup all over again?

and:

I won't vote conservative until they promise me they will decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana.

[Max Webster]

Originally posted by November Adam
Western provinces could do better

You mean Alberta could do better.

[November Adam]

Hell Canada could do better, all we need to do is seperate from Ottawa

Yes I think Alberta could do better. The current confederation is broken, you have the majority of the political power coming from one "region". I understand that the majority of the population lives there, but if they only see those in the west, and to a lesser extent those in the Atlantic provinces, as their "colonies", there will continue to be a strong argument for the breaking up of this country.

[joncha]

Poor oppressed Alberta.

[Asher]

Originally posted by joncha
Poor oppressed Alberta.

It's tough being the only rich kid when you're surrounded by beggars.