This is going to be very interesting thread. Con vs. Liberal. BTW, really enjoying ...good to know some important informations.
I think we should invite Mr.Harper, Mr. Igny and Mr. Layton on this board.
Keep going...

there is one thing I forgot to mention....if you guys watched the debates there is one very important thing that happened.
there was a lot of chatter and a lot of blah blah blah from everyone, but there was one very important moment related to Mr. Duceppe and Quebec.
during the one on one between Deceppe and Layton, the quebec terrorist arm twisted Layton into agreeing that if Layton has any lay in the future govt. he will fully implement Bill 101.
Layton tried to wriggle out of it but Duceppe held his feet to the fire and made him agree to full implementation of Bill 101 - the language soverignity of French in PQ.

in a coalition govt. formed by the Liberals and supported by the NDP and Bloc (because that's what will happen if Harper doesn't win majority), Duceppe will hold Layton and Ignatiev accountable for this promise.
As a result, they will fully implement Bill 101.
The result of that insanity will be that most international companies will pack up and leave Quebec.
as we all know, most companies changed their primary office base to Toronto from Quebec back when these separatists first starting making noises.
many international companies went away permanently.

same process will be repeated again.

this time even many Canadian companies will leave.

so how will Quebec support its economy and population and all the huge France style socialist programs that the Bloc runs and plans to run?
they can't tax their people any more.

yep...you can guess.....the transfer payment from the rest of the country.
which will have to be increased even more to support this insanity.

you may ask....why will the centre and other provinces agree to this?
because the centre will be ruled by the minority Liberals who need the Bloc support to keep their power.
now you may ask how will the centre be able to provide for this? esp. while implementing other policies like double CPP, double GIS, free education (Learning Passport) and other targeted spending?

hmm....let's see....raise taxes.

many people think Duceppe is just a joker and a loose cannon and is irrelevant.
however remmeber that this guy is a very shrewd politician.
he has managed to survive many govt. many prime ministers and many economic recessions.
he has the BEST attendance record in parliament...even though 99% of House of Commons business is not related to Quebec.
i think he has something like 95% attendance record, better even than Layton who was teasing Ignatiev for his poor record.

I think Duceppe has finally got his opportunity.
this is his end game.
once he is in a coalition, he will ensure the rest of Canada is crushed for his interests.
notice how he keeps saying "Quebec and Canada".

guys, think about it....we all know the outcome of the elections....the Conservative Party will have most seats.
the question....does Harper get a majority or not.
if not, the others will form a coalition.
once a coalition is formed, the most likely outcome will happen.
why would you expect any different?
all else being equal, the most likely thing is what happens.

A very poor campaign by the Liberals. Clearly no background checks are being conducted on the people Iggy is associating himself with.

In the english language debate, Jack layton tore an extra one for Iggy by bringing up the parliament attendence issue. Having a 70% absence is not very smart, especially if one returns to Canada after spending 34 years abroad.

Personally, I think there is not much difference between Liberals and Conservatives when it comes to the economy. However, on social issues they differ.

As regards immigration, Conservatives are slightly tougher when it comes to sponsoring family members, but liberals actively promote queue-jumpers(ie refugee claimants) who are the cause of todays long immigration waits for legal immigrants.


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Liberals defend Ignatieff interview with controversial Sikh journalist

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-notebook/liberals-defend-ignatieff-interview-with-controversial-sikh-journalist/article1985658/



Michael Ignatieff’s campaigning Thursday included a five-minute interview with a Sikh journalist who was once accused of threatening a Liberal MP – a situation that prompted scrambling by the Liberal campaign to explain the one-on-one phone call.

The short conversation with Brampton-based Sukhminder Hansra of Ankhila Punjab touched on issues of immigration and the Conservative ethnic-outreach strategy, but did not deal directly with Mr. Hansra’s past controversial comments.

In 2007, Liberal MP Ujjal Dosanjh – an outspoken critic of Sikh extremism in British Columbia – complained to the RCMP that an editorial written by Mr. Hansra for another media outlet was a threat.

The controversy revolves around the Vaisakhi parade in Surrey, B.C., which in 2007 included a float that some criticized as portraying the mastermind of the 1985 Air India bombing as a martyr. The Air India bombing was inspired by a campaign for a separate Sikh homeland in what is now India.

The parade prompted a broader debate about whether politicians realize what they may be endorsing when they participate. Mr. Hansra’s editorial criticized Mr. Dosanjh for expressing concern about the parade.

“About two decades ago, Ujjal Dosanjh uttered heart-breaking words about the martyrs of the Sikh struggle. As a result, one of the Guru's loved ones gave him a good thrashing. Such things are not accepted in these peaceful countries but …,” wrote Mr. Hansra, leaving the sentence unfinished, according to a report on the CBC website.

CBC journalist Terry Milewski – who covered the Air India story for years as a Vancouver-based reporter – asked Mr. Ignatieff Thursday morning why he was scheduled to be interviewed by Mr. Hansra given his history.

“There’s no place for extremism in that community, never has been and never will,” Mr. Ignatieff responded. “I’ll evaluate that interview and if there’s any question of taking part in an interview which gives license to political extremism, I’ll have nothing to do with it.”

But after the Liberals looked into the matter, they found that Mr. Hansra is regularly interviewed by the CBC and has also had his picture taken with Conservative Leader Stephen Harper.

“The Liberal Party rejects anything that advocates violence, and this interview is in no way an endorsement of the interviewer’s views,” spokesman Daniel Lauzon said. “To be sure, Mr. Hansra has said controversial things in the past; but he has an established mainstream presence both in his capacity as a journalist, but also as a regular contributor in other mainstream media, including CBC radio (As it Happens ... and The Sunday Edition) and other respected media outlets.”

Mr. Ignatieff then switched the topic to the Conservative campaign, which is on the defensive after a note from a party organizer suggested supporters wear ethnic costumes.

“These are not costumes for heaven’s sakes, this isn’t Disney Land. Canada isn’t Disney Land. Ethnic groups do not want to be treated in this way,” he said.

During the interview, Mr. Hansra asked Mr. Ignatieff why he has not been seen in Brampton, a claim Mr. Ignatieff rejected, saying his mouth was ajar at the suggestion.

Mr. Hansra ended the interview this way: “I just want to wish everybody Vaisakhi greetings on your bus, on your crew, your campaign team, as well as all the journalists who are listening, especially the CBC Terry Milewski. Happy Vaisakhi.”

“Happy Vaisakhi to you sir,” Mr. Ignatieff replied.

Mr. Dosanjh told reporters Thursday he hopes Mr. Hansra is making a genuine attempt to become part of the mainstream in terms of public commentary. Choosing his words carefully, Mr. Dosanjh did not criticize Mr. Ignatieff’s decision to grant the interview.

“It’s important to be able to engage, rather than not engage,” he said, noting that he bears no personal grudges against anyone. “I’m not a vengeful guy.”

Aside from that issue, Mr. Ignatieff was hoping to frame the terms of the last half of the election campaign as a question largely focused on his chief rival.

The Liberal Leader raised eyebrows this week with back-to-back debate performances that were largely focused on attacking the Conservative Leader’s record in Parliament rather than highlighting what a Liberal government would do in power.

Speaking with reporters the morning after the debates, Mr. Ignatieff’s answers made clear that it was a deliberate strategy on his part.

“The key issue in the campaign is: Can you trust Stephen Harper with democracy? It was very important to get that message across, and I think I did in both debates,” he said.

While Mr. Harper and NDP Leader Jack Layton quickly left Ottawa after the debates, Mr. Ignatieff is staying in the area.

His morning event was at a hardware store in Gatineau, a riding that is shaping up as an interesting three-way race. The riding is currently held by the Bloc Québécois – and Bloc leader Gilles Duceppe also started his day in the riding.

However, the NDP has high hopes that its candidate, Françoise Boivin, can win the seat, which she held from 2004 to 2006 as a Liberal MP.

Mr. Ignatieff promised a Liberal government would support the construction of a new bridge joining Gatineau and Ottawa. Many public servants cross the area’s bridges each day and congestion is always a major issue during rush hour.

“A Liberal government will move the project forward. It will be a great project for the 150th anniversary of Canada, 2017, to build a bridge over the river binding the two provinces together. It’s a symbol,” he said.

Mr. Ignatieff said it would be up to the community and the National Capital Commission to decide where the bridge would go. No money is set aside in the Liberal platform to deliver on this promise.

Later Thursday, Mr. Ignatieff heads about an hour-and-a-half east of Ottawa to St. Isodore, which is in the Conservative-held riding of Glengarry-Prescott-Russell. Former Liberal candidate Don Boudria used to win that riding with some of the largest margins in the country.

Liberals say the pace of the leader’s tour will now pick up. Friday he will be in Sudbury and Regina, leading up to a Saturday-night rally in Edmonton with former prime minister Paul Martin, who will then travel with Mr. Ignatieff to Vancouver on Sunday.

Quote:

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Originally posted by Vandematram

Scandal brewing at Ignatieffs household.

Liberal leader Ignatieffs wife is of hungarian origin and she has both hungarian and british passport.

Since last 3 years they have been in Canada she has not bothered to get her Canadian passport.

What will happen when he becomes the PM of Canada and his wife is not a Canadian citizen?.

Hmmmmmmmm.........smells trouble.

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Economies that recovered first were resource based with a democracy namely Canada and Australia. I would not give credit to Harper for managing economy. All that boils down is to good governance and in which case Harper does not get any marks. His Mps and confidants like Helena, Montreal MP who was foreign minister and Bruce are linked to hookers, non transparent defence deals and absolutely autocratic style of governance has reduced a talented person like Peter Mckay to dummies. Visible minorities are getting a very rough deal. 35% of Canadian jobs are in Govt/ public sector. For immigrants this is most important as in private sector, latent racism is pervasive.

Of course, I do not consider Iggy a suitable replacement. The best scenario would be Harper back in power with MINORITY

One more important thing happened in the debate.
Jack Layton brought up the question of long delays in the parents sponsorship. Harper's reply: Not satisfactory at all.
Layton impressed me with his take on bringing the time frames down.
My vote to NDP because of this one!
My mother in law at 70 years has been waiting for the last 3 years to be united with her daughter. Harper keeps on dragging this..

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"After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb." (Nelson Mandela)

Quote:

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Originally posted by Tourist

One more important thing happened in the debate.
Jack Layton brought up the question of long delays in the parents sponsorship. Harper's reply: Not satisfactory at all.
Layton impressed me with his take on bringing the time frames down.
My vote to NDP because of this one!
My mother in law at 70 years has been waiting for the last 3 years to be united with her daughter. Harper keeps on dragging this..

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