Posted on 01/22/2006 8:02:58 PM PST by FairOpinion
An unashamedly Right-wing politician is poised to shatter decades of middle-ground consensus in Canada's general election today.
The emergence of Conservative leader Stephen Harper has panicked opponents and cheered those demanding a radical change of direction for a country they describe as vanquished by the adherents of political correctness.
Paul Martin, the prime minister, warned of a shift to the far Right Paul Martin, the Liberal prime minister, has whipped up voters' fears in the final days of campaigning, claiming that Mr Harper would overturn the newly-enshrined right of homosexual marriage and cosy up to President George W Bush, who most Canadians dislike.
He even claimed that the Tories would attack abortion rights, which the party denies.
"We have a party that wants to take this country to the far, far Right of the US conservative movement," Mr Martin warned.
But despite days of such allegations, opinion polls showed the Conservatives steady at about 10 per cent ahead of the Liberals.
Such a result would mark the first Conservative victory for almost 20 years, although it might not be enough to deliver a majority in the 308-member House of Commons.
The Conservative campaign has been marked by a moderate election programme based on tax cuts, a crackdown on crime, increased defence spending and devolution of power to the provinces.
Mr Harper, 46, an economist, has been very careful not to threaten too much change. But most who have watched him during 20 years in politics say he is far from the typical Canadian consensus-seeking mould that has typified leaders of both Left and Right for decades.
According to his biographer, William Johnson, the country has never had a leader like him in the 139 years since Britain handed over power.
The biography, Stephen Harper and the future of Canada, describes him as a brilliant conviction politician who admired the no-nonsense styles of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan.
An introverted policy wonk, he distrusts the Canadian political elite and has a taste for necessary but unpopular policies. Many Canadians, including some on his own side, say this mix will make the sparks fly if he becomes prime minister.
Unlike almost all recent Canadian premiers, he did not originate in the Francophone heartland of Quebec.
A fluent French-speaker who has promised to leave Quebec's controversial language laws alone, he is unashamedly English by culture, temperament and origin.
In the run-up to war in Iraq, Mr Harper gave voice to the minority who were uneasy that Canada's old allies in America, Britain and Australia were about to engage in a conflict without Canadian units at their side.
On the day war broke out, he berated Canada's Liberal government for its "insecure anti-Americanism".
He no longer insists on sending troops to Iraq but few doubt that when he spoke to the House of Commons that day, MPs saw into the heart of the real Stephen Harper.
Gotta disagree with you there. There's a big difference between the Tories and the Grits, not only on spending, tax cuts, crackdown on crime, increased defense spending and devolution of power to the provinces, but also on social issues.
But most who have watched him [Harper] during 20 years in politics say he is far from the typical Canadian consensus-seeking mould that has typified leaders of both Left and Right for decades.
According to his biographer, William Johnson, the country has never had a leader like him in the 139 years since Britain handed over power.
The biography, Stephen Harper and the future of Canada, describes him as a brilliant conviction politician who admired the no-nonsense styles of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan.
Harper needs about 15%– 20% points difference to form a majority government. According to these polls it looks like a minority government.
Canada is our friend and our ally. We are by far their largest trading partner. The current government stinks, but that will likely change tomorrow - the opposite of Spain, where a friendly government lost power and was replaced by anti-American leftists.
Canadian Libs have been relying on the flood of immigrant / Moslem / Professional welfare recipients to keep voting them their power, have they not?
"Embracing Diversity" - Sort of like what France did and Austrailia has been doing.... up until recently, anyhow.
Our Governor here in Maine made an "Executive Order" decreeing that no Gov't agency (Election workers included, we assume) are allowed to even ask about a person's immigration status, assuring him the illeagal immigrant vote in perpetuity.
We don't think that that is particularly legal on a Federal level, since it makes ME a "Sanctuary State" - but since when has the "Law" ever applied to a Democrat in power (other than when they cross their Party Bosses, as James Trafficant did once too often)?
As France and lately Austrailia have demonstrated, this trick generally works for the Statists for a while - but has a nasty habit of backfiring sooner or later.
If the Canadians don't wake up and take their Country back pretty soon, their Daughters are going to find out what Moslem "Rape Gangs" are all about, and they might even see their streets on fire, too.
And since, like Europe and Oz, the honest people in Canadastan have been disarmed / passified by their socialist overlords, just what are they going to do about it, eh?
With a minority government, Harper isn't going to have anything close to the mandate he would need to make any real changes in the political landscape of Canada. The best we can hope for -- assuming the Tories and Bloc Quebecois form the governing coalition -- is a government in Ottawa that provides more power to provincial governments than they have now.
You gotta a point there, for sure.
God I hope. I want a neanderthal running the Truly Effed Up North...maybe he'll clean house.
It has nothing to do with party politics. It's worth noting that the government of New York City has maintained this kind of posture for at least the last 12 years . . . which is Reason #1 why Rudy Giuliani will play quarterback in the Super Bowl before he ever gets elected to the White House.
Mark Steyn has written a foreword to a brilliant new book by two of Canada's coolest young conservatives, Tasha Kheirridin and Adam Daifallah. As can be expected, its titled Rescuing Canada's Right: Blueprint For A Conservative Revolution.
Sounds good!
To complete the list :
Poland (100% hardcore pro-US), Ukraine, new Merkel's Germany (as much as she can make it).
The Vilnius 10,
Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia.
Not that I care that much about Albania per-se, but they did support us on the Iraq, whatever that meant.
And there are many, many others.
(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")
I agree completely...and I will give 2:1 odds as well.
For once, the Conservatives have a lock on an election in Canada. About time, I say.
The Liberals won a minority government last year with 36% while the Conservatives had 30%. It's my hope the Tories win the majority tomorrow, so let's wait and see.
Save that quote for the MSM, the University, and Hollyweird.
I'll go out on a limb and guess that the Tories will win 140 seats.
Not a majority, but a strong minority.
Whereever liberals stand is for them the middle, that is the CENTER of the universe.
how committed are these conservatives in canada to getting rid of the socialist death..err i mean health care?
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