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August 29, 2006 The world according to the NDP This fall, NDP delegates are set to descend upon the historic city of Quebec for their next policy convention. There, the Dippers will figure out what the NDP stands for and what policies will set them forward to fight in opposition, or as the most optimistic may dream, in government. As with most parties, policy comes from the grassroots. I remember that prior to the conservative convention in 2004, local conservative EDAs formed draft policy to submit to national party headquarters so that it may be assembled into a number of...

OTTAWA - With the first federal budget under their belt, the Conservatives are enjoying a 10-point lead over their Liberal rivals, a new poll has found. The Sun Media-SES Research survey shows Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Tories now have the support of 38% of Canadians, compared to 28% for the Grits. The NDP has the support of 19% of Canadians, while the Bloc Quebecois has 9% and the Green Party 6%. The national poll of 930 Canadians on May 9 revealed a five-point climb for the Conservatives in the last three months since Feb. 9. The survey of committed voters...

Faith and the left New Democrats pushing for a faith caucus say their spiritual life underpins their commitment to social action Apr. 8, 2006. 10:02 AM STUART LAIDLAW FAITH AND ETHICS REPORTER OTTAWA—Sitting in a fair trade coffee shop a few blocks from Parliament Hill, Christopher Duncanson-Hales does something few on the left have dared. He speaks openly about how his faith brought him to both social activism and politics. "It's the idea that you are there for something bigger than yourself," he says. Duncanson-Hales, president of the Carlton-Mississippi Mills New Democratic Party riding association in Ottawa, is a leader...

With the most fiercely fought Canadian election in more than a decade taking place on Monday, the crossfire of political rhetoric between the incumbent prime minister and his Conservative Party challenger is becoming heated – but which one is more trustworthy? According to a new computer algorithm, Prime Minister Paul Martin, of the Liberal Party, spins the subject matter of his speeches dramatically more than Conservative Party leader, Stephen Harper, and the New Democratic Party leader, Jack Layton. Spin, in this case, is defined as “text or speech where the apparent meaning is not the true belief of the person...

In a last-minute blow to high-profile Liberal candidate Michael Ignatieff, the president of the party’s riding association in Etobicoke-Lakeshore swung his support today to Conservative rival John Capobianco in Monday’s federal election. The controversial process by which Ignatieff was acclaimed the candidate over local hopefuls ruled ineligible by the party was a major factor in the decision, said Ron Chyczij, who had hoped to contest the nomination himself. "I can no longer in good conscience support the Liberal candidate in this riding," he said in a statement released this afternoon. "After the nomination fiasco, I’ve purposely waited on the sidelines...

Updated Mon. Jan. 16 2006 11:41 PM ET With one week remaining before the election, the Conservatives have unleashed their own vicious television ad, but this time the target is Jack Layton and his New Democrat Party. The Tories have taken aim at Layton in the commercial, charging among other things that he is in favour of higher gas prices and legalizing drugs. The ad features a Jack Layton-style moustache and mouth digitally placed over the mouths of Canadians, with a male voice speaking. "I support legalized drugs," says the voice, speaking for a mother with her young child. "Who...

Canada's Conservative Party was in a clear lead across the country over the Liberals led by Prime Minister Paul Martin for the first time since the federal election campaign began in late November last year, said a new poll published on Thursday. The EKOS poll, done for the Toronto Star and La Presse, shows the Conservatives led by Stephen Harper with a lead of nearly six percentage points over the Liberals. The Conservatives had the support of 36.2 percent of the people surveyed, while 30.4 percent said they would vote for the Liberals in the Jan. 23 election. That lead...

OTTAWA—The election campaign has taken a dramatic turn, with the opposition Conservatives jumping into their first real lead over the governing Liberals, a new poll shows. The survey, conducted by EKOS Research Associates for the Star and La Presse, found that 36.2 per cent of decided voters say they will support the Conservatives, while 30.4 per cent favoured the Liberals. The NDP is supported by 17.9 per cent of voters, while the Bloc is at 10.4 per cent nationally and the Green party is at 4.7 per cent. If the numbers hold up, it would mean a Tory minority government....

Strategic voting could once again drive supporters away from the NDP and into the waiting arms of Paul Martin's Liberals, indicates a new opinion survey that comes as the federal election campaign enters its crucial second half. Stakes are high as polling suggests Mr. Martin and Conservative Leader Stephen Harper are in a statistical dead heat, leading observers to warn an ugly fight for dominance lies just ahead. And that means NDP supporters who fear a Conservative win could become crucial in the Jan. 23 vote as some consider shifting alliances to tip the balance in the Liberals' favour, says...

OTTAWA -- The Liberals and the Conservatives both have an equal chance of forming a government in the wake of a RCMP investigation that has dented Liberal support, suggests a new poll. The survey by Decima Research pegged Liberal support at 32 per cent of those who are likely to vote, compared to 30 per cent who said they intend to back the Conservatives. Given the poll's margin of error of 3.1 percentage points, the two parties are in a statistical dead heat. New Democrats are backed by 18 per cent of the 1,020 respondents to a telephone survey between...

VANCOUVER, TORONTO — Industry Minister David Emerson said yesterday he would not apologize for comparing NDP Leader Jack Layton to a boiled dog's head because he didn't mean the remark to be insulting. Mr. Emerson was quoted on a Liberal blog in December using the translated Cantonese phrase saap suk gau tau in reference to Mr. Layton. The phrase means a boiled dog's head and can imply someone is grinning insincerely.

U.S. is 'walking the walk' when it comes to environmental issues, David Wilkins says OTTAWA — The Bush administration issued a sharp, public rebuke today to Prime Minister Paul Martin for dragging the Canadian-U.S. relationship into the federal election campaign. Ambassador David Wilkins said Canada risks damaging one of the world’s best relationships by focusing on short-term political gain. “It may be smart election-year politics to thump your chest and criticize your friend and your No. 1 trading partner constantly,” Wilkins said in a speech to the Canadian Club at the historic Chateau Laurier Hotel, next door to Parliament Hill....

New Democrats' support level drops to single digits as Grits reach their highest mark since May, poll says By MICHAEL DEN TANDT AND GLORIA GALLOWAY Monday, December 12, 2005 Posted at 12:45 AM EST From Monday's Globe and Mail Ottawa and Beamsville, Ont. — Prime Minister Paul Martin made a targeted campaign swing through Ontario's southern heartland yesterday as a new poll showed Liberal support in the province surging to its highest point in weeks, mainly at the expense of the New Democrats. A poll taken for The Globe and Mail and CTV on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday showed nationwide...

NDP Leader Jack Layton is promising to cut greenhouse gas emissions by one-quarter over the next 15 years as part of his plan for the environment introduced Tuesday. Layton slammed the Liberals' environmental record while speaking to reporters outside an international climate change conference in Montreal. "It is a disgrace that our emissions, after we have been promised by Mr. Martin that they would be reduced by 20 per cent, are up by 24 per cent – worst in the developed world," Layton said while campaigning for the Jan. 23 election. Layton's plan includes the creation of a new clean...

Toronto Sun December 6, 2005 BAUBLE-HEAD SVEND By MARK BONOKOSKI The cesspool of political "entitlement" and "corruption" in which the federal Liberals are trying not to electorally drown is no longer a one-party domain now that a jewel thief has been acclaimed as Jack Layton's NDP candidate in the riding of Vancouver Centre. No longer can Jack call the kettle black. No longer can Jack talk ethics. How can Jack Layton accuse the Liberals of "helping themselves" in the sponsorship scandal, for example, when he has given his blessing to Sunday's endorsement of Svend Robinson, a politician who helped himself...

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...

Federal MPs have passed an NDP motion that calls on Prime Minister Paul Martin to dissolve Parliament in January for a Feb. 13 election. But the minority Liberals immediately said they would ignore the non-binding motion, clearing the way for a no-confidence motion expected to take down the government next week. The motion – which was introduced by NDP Leader Jack Layton and supported by the Conservatives and Bloc Québécois – passed by a vote of 167-129 on Monday night. After the vote, Layton said he hoped it would spur a change of heart from Martin, who has repeatedly rejected...

Our next PM: Stephen Harper Andrew Coyne National Post (Editorial) Thursday, November 17, 2005 I wonder if anyone fully realizes what happened last weekend. The political ground has just shifted beneath our feet, even if the tremors are not felt until after the election. Which is to say: Sunday's agreement among the three opposition leaders has not just put an end to this government. It has also chosen the next. Jack Layton has just made Stephen Harper the next prime minister. The NDP leader's decision to break with the Liberals would be momentous enough in its own right. It...

Let Liberals, NDP put the public first Nov. 8, 2005. 01:00 AM Whatever the latest opinion poll may show, it's a safe bet Prime Minister Paul Martin would rather lead his Liberals into an election today, having been exonerated of personal wrongdoing in the sponsorship scandal, than at any time in recent months. Angry as Canadians are with Jean Chrétien's $332 million fund to sell Canada in Quebec and the abuse that flowed from it, Martin emerged in the clear from Mr. Justice John Gomery's scathing report. Meanwhile Ottawa's budget surplus may hit $12 billion, the economy is booming, the...

Luis Palau has been invited by the White House to give the closing prayer at the National Cathedral on Friday, September 16th as part of ceremonies for the National Day of Prayer and Remembrance for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. President Bush and other dignitaries are expected to attend the special services which are part of a nation-wide initiative to stage memorial services and other appropriate observances in the wake of the Katrina disaster. “This tragedy can be an opportunity to allow God’s love to bring healing and hope to people all across our country,” said Palau. “It has shown...