My 2 cents on Shoppers Drug Mart

When I read stories like this only one thing comes to mind and that is run them out of business. Our government sets policy and business follows it and never the other way around. So Shoppers needs to simmer down and deal with it and adapt their business model. I'd like to know who the hell companies like Shoppers think they are. We are the citizens and our government has spoken and Shoppers will still make an obscene profit.

This is about as close you can get to those "death panels" Sarah Palin talks about and guess what, they consist of shareholders.

There are many small independednt drug stores so get out there and support your local businesses.

To hell with Shoppers. Recommend this Post

Thoughts on Monday's By-Elections in Toronto-Centre

Last night I had a gathering at my home with friends. One of the many topics that came up were Monday's by-elections as we are in Toronto-Centre. There were 11 of us present and I know that 5 of us vote liberal, with the other 6 voting NDP. In the past of course. Monday I believe will show some problems for the NDP. Only one of the 6 of my friends who vote NDP will be doing so in the by-election. Three seem to be leaning Green and two to the liberals. The main reason that I could get from the discussion about changing vote was mainly from the strategy the NDP are using. We are all familiar with how Harper bully's the Official Opposition, something that would happen to any party if they were the Official Opposition in this parliament, it is what we all hate most about how Harper governs, no matter which party, one time or another all the opposition parties have felt this.

The government staged a whole set of confidence votes to cause an election that frankly right now would possibly bring in a conservative majority. If your a partisan hack sure you could spin it as something needed to be done but the average progressive sees it as pranks that risk the progressive society we have and could care less right now about party politics. So what do we see occurring? The NDP are also trying to play these games of setting traps and wants to trigger an election because it thinks it can get some of the liberal vote. On top of that its blatantly obvious that Layton is making good use of the Conservatives giving them a free ride. The possibility that in a single election cycle the NDP could get enough votes to secure a majority and save our progressive society is a pipe dream. It's impossible, so people who could care less about party politics are seemingly moving to either back the liberals to block the conservatives or are moving to the Greens because they are disturbed by the campaign literature that has been handed out by the NDP which I am told is along the same lines as the stuff the Conservatives are using. The "not a leader" type stuff. The now former dippers say thats what they hate about the Harper government, the negativity, so why would we support it in the NDP? We want it gone not more of it. The new Greens say they want a new voice, a new party. The new reluctant new liberals say they want Harper out, even if it means they have to vote Liberal. (Not flattering but hey its a vote!)

It seems other Dippers are moving to the Greens for other reasons.

Now, of course, this is just commentary from a group of people and may in no way reflect on what happens on Monday. I believe, though, we will see something interesting. On Monday, the Liberals will increase the amount of the vote from the last election for Toronto-centre and the Greens will come in a strong second. Where the NDP will place I don't know. I think the Conservatives and NDP will be battling for third and fourth. Hopefully the Canadian Action Party comes in dead last. Really, who would vote for a party that has "911 was an inside job" posters and various other conspiracy theories you see on the far left but at the same time they are anti-semitic and anti-immigrant like you usually see on the far right. What a f**ked up mixed bag of kookery.

What happens in the other three ridings having a by-election, I have no idea. Recommend this Post

1912

This year is very significant. Besides the Titannic disaster something truly monumental happened, the Conservative Government of Canada, headed by Sir Robert Borden posted a surplus.

Now posting a surplus is nothing new, if you are a Liberal but for a conservative its quite the task. How much of a task you ask? Well 1912 was the last time a Conservative Government posted a surplus. You can argue that Harper has also but he inherited the great financial situation we Liberals put this country in and rumour has it that the current Conservative one may have a deficit on the way, which is why we saw Mr. Prentice out and about yesterday debating facts. When one has to debate facts in order to make their budget next week look somewhat okay its not the sign of a good budget.

It is also interesting to note that Flim Flam Flaherty wasn't the one discussing deficits and surpluses. Great idea as he wouldn't know what a surplus was even if it flew up his ass judging by his time as Finance Minister in Ontario. Also smart not to have Flaherty criticize Rae's budgets because Flaherty was way way worse and actually was a finance Minister. Recommend this Post

Stick by your plan Mr. Dion

Do not sit on your hands and abstain from voting against the governments confidence motion. The neo-tories do not have the default preferred stance on the Afghan Mission. Neither does the NDP. The population will not support an open ended war nor would they support sheer cowardice. The people of Canada wants a realistic mission that works and accomplishes the goal. Your stance Mr. Dion seems to fit what the population wants. Stick with it even if it brings the government down. The election will not focus only on the mission. There are many other issues such as the economy, the environment, and the unending list of Harpers broken promises and surprise social conservative ones. Not too mention he's made government more unaccountable and even less transparent in direct opposition to what he promised and campaigned on.

Let the writ drop and lets win the next election. We want a Canada thats richer, cleaner and fairer not the broken mess and division we see today, nor the lies on climate change repeated by this government and its cohorts, or the attacks on seniors incomes and tax cuts for the rich.

Mr Harper thinks leadership is being an asshole but we can show him its bringing great policies, consensus building and co-operation that makes a leader. All things he has failed on, especially with the lost opportunity to bridge partisan divides and work together to hammer out a future for the Afghanistan Mission. Instead he builds his firewall, keeps with his unwanted open ended war and then makes it a confidence vote. All this for a view that barely 1/3 of Canadians feel is appropriate. He's like a child sulking in the corner. Some leader.

Please do take your ball and go home. Recommend this Post

Conservatives, Liberals Statistically tied

A new poll suggests Stephen Harper's Conservatives have lost their big lead over the Liberals, plunging six percentage points in popular support in just one week.

The actual numbers
Liberals: 32
Conservatives:30
NDP: 15
Greens: 12

Margin of error of 3.1 percentage points 19 times in 20.

Possible Reasons given for the drop:
- Former Tory PM Brian Mulroney's admission he had accepted cash-stuffed envelopes
- Canada's position at the climate-change summit in Bali.
- Medical isotopes shortage due to the shutdown of the Chalk River nuclear reactor and their assigning of blame to everyone but themselves.

Breakdowns:

Ontario
Liberals: 41
Conservatives: 31
An increase for the Liberals

Quebec
Bloc Quebecois: 40
Liberals: 23
Conservatives: 17 per cent
an 11-point drop for the Conservatives

Alberta
Conservative support plummeted almost 20 points to 45 per cent

British Columbia
Conservative support dropped 17 points to 31 per cent.

Atlantic Canada
Liberals: 36
Conservatives: 33
Conservatives were leading

Among male voters
Conservative support dropped to 32 per cent from 40 per cent.

Rural Voters
Conservatives sank eight points to 35 per cent.

----

Looks like its across the board regionally and in traditional strongholds and among groups usually most supportive. Lets hope this holds. Stephane Dion in interviews last night said he's saving his policies for the election campaign.

Smart move, Steve has a knack fro stealing Liberal policies. Recommend this Post

Whats Harper Trying to say in Chile?

I found this excerpt from Harpers speech in Chile quite amusing.

"Too often some in the hemisphere are led to believe that their only choices ... are to return to the syndrome of economic nationalism, political authoritarianism and class warfare, or to become 'just like the United States,'" Harper told Santiago business people at a Canada-Chile Chamber of Commerce luncheon, following a meeting with Chilean President Michelle Bachelet at the presidential palace."

Whats he saying here? The alternative is to be Liberal? I thought you said Liberals were evil Mr. Harper. And when you speak about class warfare are you speaking to your Tim Horton's crowd or latte sipping liberals, the distinction made between two groups of people here in Canada by your supporters? Also Mr. Harper you are not one to even speak about authoritarianism with your blatant disregard for well over half of Canada's elected officials.

I am glad you finally recognize that liberalism provides a safe government when given the option of one rigid ideology from the right (you Mr. Harper) and the rigid ideology of the left (NDP).

Thanks for finally coming around.

UPDATE: Seems, Stephane Dion and Liberal Party are also impressed by Conservative Prime Minister Stephan Harper's open endorsement of Liberal Governments as being the best available for everyone. I would like to extend a very nice thank you to Mr. Harper for his acknowledgement that he does indeed love our Northern European Welfare State as much as the rest of us. Recommend this Post

Protecting the Bedrooms of the Nation for 40 Years!

LIBERALS! (They Rule)















Placard reads "Bigot go Home" and features a photo Of Stephen Harper.















NDP
















Green Party (Featuring Elzabeth may waving after me screaming!)


Where Steve used to live in Toronto, a pricey neighbourhood nearly surrounded on all sides by green space. Must have been tough Steve.
Recommend this Post

Dion will reinstate Court Challenges Program and Double Funding!

Now this is the kind of news I like to hear on the 25th anniversary of the Charter.

The charter is the very important to individuals like me. It made me equal to everyone and enshrined that right.

Without it I wouldn't be living the way I do and would have to had to pretend to be someone else and resort secret relationships in back alleys somewhere. I also would not have been able to marry my husband as I wouldn't have any rights anyway.

The Court Challenges Program is central to rights as it enables people to challenge the government even if you cannot afford to. Whose rights should depend on your own personal bank account? That's why the already old "new government" cut the program. They know no one can challenge the courts if they cannot pay the costs, so this is a way of stemming off any further rights and challenges to the government.

Given that the charter is such an important document, I wonder what the conservatives are doing to commemorate this grand occasion for all Canadians?

I would have thought some of them at least appreciated their religious rights. Recommend this Post

PC's didn't run a Candidate against Chretien in 1990

I find this interesting since the NDP are saying the Dion/May thing is unprecedented and undemocratic and the Conservatives saying the Liberals aren't a true national party for not running candidates in all 308 ridings.

Well, the PC's didn't run a candidate against Chretien in the riding Beauséjour in New Brunswick in 1990. Sure it was a by-election but couldn't you argue that the constituents of Beauséjour weren't given a full range of political parties to choose from.

There was no outrage from the leader of the NDP or the PC's in 1990. I consider it now what it was considered then, a common courtesy.

Dion's just passing on the favour initially given by the PC's which at the time was to get the Liberals leader into Parliament.

Just more feigned outrage all around. Nothing new. Recommend this Post

Just because....

I wanna keep all of these wonderful ads on display on liblogs.













Recommend this Post

The truth about the CPC and Mr. Arar. Setting the Record Straight.

So Mr. Harper has decided to make the apology to Mr. Arar a partisan issue. He's blaming the previous government for his detainment and subsequent torture. That is strange. I clearly remember something different coming from one of his faces just 4 years ago.

When Mr. Arar was first detained in 2002, the Conservatives didn’t hesitate to convict Mr. Arar and criticize the previous Liberal government’s attempts to Free him.

During discussion about Mr. Arar in the House of Commons on November 18, 2002, Stephen Harper, then leader of the Canadian Alliance Party, accused then Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham of participating “in high-level consultations to defend a suspected terrorist" when Mr. Graham demanded the release of Mr. Arar.

Mr. Harper was later quoted as saying that the Liberal government "has been hitting the snooze button on security matters," implying that the Liberal government should have arrested Mr. Arar instead of the U.S. government.

During the very same Question Period, Diane Ablonczy, Member of Parliament for Calgary--Nose Hill, stated: "Arar was given dual Syrian and Canadian citizenship by the government. It did not pick up on his terrorist links and the U.S. had to clue it in. How is it that the U.S. could uncover this man's background so quickly when the government's screening system failed to find his al-Qaeda links?"

Then, on November 19, 2002, Stockwell Day, also then member of the Canadian Alliance, said in reference to the detention of Mr. Arar: "There is a lack of vigilance in the country on terrorism.” He also called for a Parliamentary inquiry to determine why the Liberals were defending a man suspected of links to al-Qaeda when U.S. officials were accusing him of terrorism charges. (“PM Demands release of Ottawa man,” Ottawa Citizen, July 29, 2003.)

So, lets get our facts straight shall we.

Awfully tough crow to chew on hey Harper, Day, and Ablonczy? Stop propogating your lies. Everyone knows better and they are getting sick of it. Recommend this Post