Posted on 12/02/2005 1:03:49 PM PST by RWR8189
The Canadian House hits Paul Martin with a vote of no confidence, paving the way for Tory Stephen Harper.
The House condemns the government for its arrogance in refusing to compromise with the opposition parties over the timing of the next general election and for its "culture of entitlement," corruption, scandal and gross abuse of public funds for political purposes and, consequently, the government no longer has the confidence of the House.
--The Canadian House of Commons
November 28, 2005
THOSE WORDS ended the reign of embattled Canadian Liberal party leader Paul Martin over a presumably outraged Canadian electorate. Canada's three opposition parties have now set in motion an unpopular holiday election campaign to determine if voters share their scorn for the administration.
The passage of the no-confidence motion was no surprise--the three opposition parties had made it clear prior to tabling the motion that they would support the dissolution of the Commons and the call for new elections. However, the strong wording of the resolution was a shock. The press had reported earlier that the Conservatives, Bloc Quebecois, and New Democratic party could only agree to generic language which would express little more than the lack of confidence in the executive. But Martin's refusal to consider a compromise election date apparently convinced NDP leader Jack Layton to support a much broader attack on the Liberal government.
THE NO-CONFIDENCE MOTION should surprise no one who read the recent Gomery Inquiry report regarding the kickbacks and money laundering that involved top Liberal politicians and their donors. Indeed, it's a wonder Martin avoided the axe for this long. Now that he has finally called for new elections on January 23, Martin and his party face an enormous political challenge.
How likely is a return of Liberal rule after the Gomery disaster? After twelve years of Liberal control, first as a majority and then as the plurality in the Commons, the Tories bear the burden of convincing Canadians to cross the aisle--and Gomery alone may not be enough to break the Liberal hold on power. Stephen Harper, the Conservative leader, has to convince voters that Tories offer more than just a gainsay of Liberal policies. Harper needs to deliver a "Morning in Canada" agenda, one that promises a transformation for the nation.
So far, Harper doesn't seem up to the task. Obviously uncomfortable with campaigning, his irritation often comes across when he's publicly challenged. Martin has shown that he knows how to push Harper's buttons in the Commons, provoking acidic, and often impolitic, responses from the Tory. This week, instead of remaining focused on curing the "scary" image that the Liberals have hung on Harper, he played to it by accusing Liberals of being complicit in organized crime. For his part, Martin has already pledged to go negative.
OF COURSE, no one expects either party to form a majority government. That gives some power to the two smaller parties, Bloc Quebecois and the New Democratic party. Given that millions of dollars--which had been earmarked for cultural programs in Quebec--were stolen from the Sponsorship Programme under Liberal management, the Bloc will likely increase its representation in the next Commons at the expense of Liberals (the Tories do not usually make any kind of showing in Quebec).
The NDP case is more complicated. Party leader Jack Layton is a gifted politician, but his party remains mired in fourth place because of its hard-left socialism. It undermined the case for elections last May, when Layton made a last-minute deal to get a big slice of Canadian taxes for his pet health-care projects, giving Martin the exact numbers he needed to block the attempt to topple the Liberal government when the Gomery testimony first emerged. Layton further damaged his case for elections in recent weeks when he made it known that he would support the Liberals if they agreed to more funding and exclusivity for the state-run medical system. Until Harper finally tabled the no-confidence motion last week, Layton shook down the Martin government for every last cent he could get.
MEDIA POLLS have shown a suspiciously consistent six-point advantage for the Liberals over the Conservatives. Private polling, which used a larger sample size, shows the two major parties in a dead heat at 32 percent each. But even the media polls show trends which don't auger well for Martin's future prospects. The Liberal lead in Ontario--the Liberal power base--has dropped by over half since last spring and now sits at only a 5 percent advantage over the Conservatives. Most of those voters are switching to the NDP, meaning that Jack Layton's party may pick up a few more seats--but at Martin's expense, not Harper's.
And, after signing on to the harsh language in the no-confidence motion, it will be hard for Layton to align himself with Martin after the election. So even if the Liberals managed to get into position to form the next government with the help of the NDP, they would probably have to do so without Martin.
Which means that the table is set for Stephen Harper. He can change the course of Canadian policy and North American politics. If he can convince his fellow countrymen that he has a positive vision for the future of Canada, the voters up north may end 12 years of Liberal rule and give him the opportunity to deliver on it.
Edward Morrissey is a contributing writer to The Daily Standard and a contributor to the blog Captain's Quarters.
Sam we NEED a FOX type media channel in Canada. The problem is the Government CONTROLS the media. I wonder how many people actually stop to THINK about that. These "journalists" are NOT purveyors of truth, they simply Government mouthpieces. It amazes me how many WILL NOT THINK FOR THEMSELVES.
I think Martin is uncomfortable. I haven't been able to watch C-SPAN as I'm at work but hopefully I will get other chances. I did hear a clip of Martin on the radio this afternoon. Same tired old message.
Voter turnout for 2004 was 60.5%.
According to your numbers, that would be 20,830,200 voters,
and 8, 576,000 immigrants.They vote en mass, and in blocs.
According to your math, they carry almost 1/2 the vote.
If you have any evidence to the contrary, fire up. Otherwise, please fall silent. An argument must be backed by evidences.
No, an argument must be backed by facts.
Perhaps having a Conservative party to vote for would help. The Conservative party imploded in the 1992 election and it has taken 12 years to rebuild . Canada and Ontario, your example , prior to 2004 had 2 conservative seats and Ontario had one Reform seat . After 2004 Ontario alone had 24 Conservative seats. Those 21 did not magically appear. I'm not going to bother but there were also many seats that went Liberal rather than Conservative on less than 500 votes. In the 1988 election Ontario had 46 Conservative seats ( libs had 43 ,ndp,10). To say lately, you're likely right.. What ever "lately" means,
btw, that vote rich Windsor- Toronto-Ottawa Triangle you may have heard about . That phrase sounds so knowledgeable , dotcha think ? It's almost a straight line , 500 miles long. Not much of a triangle.
All I know is if this country goes liberal ONE MORE TIME, it is finished as a country. These Liberals are totally hard core socialists. They are endemically CORRUPT. I seriously question the sanity of ANYONE who could vote for people they KNOW are criminally corrupt.
The figure I stated was the best possible case for Anglophone who voted conservatives - assuming all immigrants voted in the same proportion as native Anglophones.
In fact the rtuth could well be even more against you - less than a majority of immigrants bother to vote and this is the norm across all Western countries. Dad has a good friend in Markham who halped organize a Chinese Liberal MLA candidate win an election in 2003 (I should stress I disagree with his politics but it ia anotehr matter). At that time it was only after a struggle that 40% of Chinese bothered to vote. If we assume fewer immigrants in proportion voted and more than a majority of native Anglophones voted - this works here in NZ - then it is obviously much more than 36% of Anglophones voted the Left. The answer could well be like 45% to 31.5%, we don't know.
Sorry, it looks like the facts seem to stack more against you.
The thoughts on Red Tory-ism are interesting. I suppose that's why so many Canadians who seem so conservative on the outside (tradition, religion, manners to the max, etc.) are far from it inside.
Bottom line...veering from a belief in individual responsibility is a death knell for true conservatism and Canada is a good study in that.
Please post some links to your 'facts'.
Here are mine.....
and
the numbers you offered as Canada's 'immigrant ' population.
These are the figures you put out to make your argument.
You didn't respond to my point: 60.5% of voters came out to vote in 2004. Did the native Anglophones turn out at the same, higher, or lower rate as the immigrant voters??
You can twist it anyway you want. The fact is they were Provincial Conservative governments .
Pro-free market and pro-personal responsibility which defines what conservatism stands for
HuH! Excuse me but that is Liberalism . Liberals want individual rights, legal equality , freedom of choice and democratic government all of which are pro responsibility . As are free markets . Conservatives do not want the unrestricted operations of a free market , they value stability in the market and the stability in the institutions of society .
And I'm not your mate You've expressed hatred toward and a desire to see my country destroyed. You really , really would not want to meet me.
Sorry mate. If you believe such stance constitutes neoliberalism in your definition then I unashamedly wear the neoliberal label with honour. My ideological hero is Sir Roger Douglas rather than John Diefenbaker.
I do NOT think this election is unpopular. The liberal media only wants Canadians to think it is unpopular, perhaps because they have to put on their heavy coats and pants and follow the politicians around.
I have finally (I think) gotten the chance to breathe and to check FR this weekend. Sorry I've missed a lot. I am exhausted after starting as a reporter with the local newspaper... and all my family appears to be getting sick.
Look...an election in bad weather favors people who actually care.
Like those who want to kick the corrupt people out, LOL!
That wasn't your point.
This was your point:
but in the last election the Liberal Party and New Democratic Party combined got 62.76% of votes
I'm still waiting for the links to your 'facts'.
Hi.
:-)
Have you read the thread?
Well, let me congratulate you all on your hilarious sense of humor. I'm still slapping my knee as I write this, because I just can't stop laughing at your belittlement of Canada. *rolls eyes*
Look, I have had to live in the hotbed of anti-Americanism for a very long time. I could go on, but I won't.
But sometimes I get sick and tired of people on FR who make fun (easy jokes, I know) of Canada. I know people here, but I would die in the country I was born in, and the one I still think is the best country in the world, in a heartbeat (and they know that), but we have respectful differences of opinion.
Enough, already, with the stupid anti-Canadian jokes.
or maybe I'm just tired. And sick of all the bitterness between these two countries. I"m tired of defending Canada to my friends and family back home, and I'm certainly tired of defending the U.S. to .. basically everyone here that hates George Bush and everyone who voted for him.
Look people, the U.S. and Canada have far more in common than probably either country would like to admit. So deal with it.
This is from Election Canada's official tally of results. It is official results so you can't argue with it.
http://www.elections.ca/scripts/OVR2004/23/table9.html
Now go back to the topic: in what ways do you assert more Anglophones in proportion voted conservative than liberals? No matter how you spin it, more people voted Left than Right.
Sometimes a joke may hurt simply because it reveals a bit too true about reality.
Hi, fanfan,
I'm so tired, please see my latest post, which took all my energy. I really hate how people on FR just make easy jokes about Canadians.
I just started full time work after 20 years...I can't keep up with FR anymore.
But there is nothing more that makes me mad than unfairness, you know?
Okay, my eyelids have told me that they have about a ten minute window, FRiend. :) I shall do my best to respond shortly to any post to me.
Take care, fanfan. :)
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