Election - what does it mean ?
#121
Forum Regular
Joined: Aug 2008
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 120
Re: Election - what does it mean ?
To clarify (although I've posted most of this already). I support the Conservatives on the following main points:
1) Their immigration policy (we need skilled workers to be a priority coming to this country, not unskilled immigrants ).
2) Their economic programs eg: GST and personal and corporate tax cuts. Reduction of the fuel tax on diesel (to be cut by 50%); that effects everything from travel to food. Extending Maternity and Employment Insurance benefits to small independent business owners. Their overall support of free enterprise and political culture of supporting people who take personal risk to create employment and grow our economy. Their position on a made in Canada environmental solution (and not Kyoto and I don't mean Stéphane Dion's dog either!).
3) Their position on the constitution, that is still not ratified by the province of Quebec (approximately 25% of the population of Canada). Namely that in a country as diverse as Canada, the original framers of the British North America (BNA) act understood that certain powers should be the exclusive jurisdiction of the Provincial government and not centralized in Ottawa. The Conservatives wish to include that in our current constitution which currently is only approved by 75% of the population and get the support of Quebec to be a full partner in Canada, without feeling the only way they'll get fair treatment from the rest of us, is to separate and form their own country. The Conservatives are now closely tied for support in Quebec with the Bloc, exactly because of their position on the separation of federal and provincial powers.
4) The building of our military so as not to rely exclusively on the USA to protect us or guard our northern territories.
5) Their belief that once given, we should live up to our NATO commitments.
I could go on and on but these are the main issues on why I will vote Conservative on October 14th.
However, that said, I fully respect that everybody needs make their own minds on how they vote, but this needs to be based on the policies of the political parties. Not asinine statements like if your an immigrant you should only vote Liberal; if you do that you certainly don't need a brain.
1) Their immigration policy (we need skilled workers to be a priority coming to this country, not unskilled immigrants ).
2) Their economic programs eg: GST and personal and corporate tax cuts. Reduction of the fuel tax on diesel (to be cut by 50%); that effects everything from travel to food. Extending Maternity and Employment Insurance benefits to small independent business owners. Their overall support of free enterprise and political culture of supporting people who take personal risk to create employment and grow our economy. Their position on a made in Canada environmental solution (and not Kyoto and I don't mean Stéphane Dion's dog either!).
3) Their position on the constitution, that is still not ratified by the province of Quebec (approximately 25% of the population of Canada). Namely that in a country as diverse as Canada, the original framers of the British North America (BNA) act understood that certain powers should be the exclusive jurisdiction of the Provincial government and not centralized in Ottawa. The Conservatives wish to include that in our current constitution which currently is only approved by 75% of the population and get the support of Quebec to be a full partner in Canada, without feeling the only way they'll get fair treatment from the rest of us, is to separate and form their own country. The Conservatives are now closely tied for support in Quebec with the Bloc, exactly because of their position on the separation of federal and provincial powers.
4) The building of our military so as not to rely exclusively on the USA to protect us or guard our northern territories.
5) Their belief that once given, we should live up to our NATO commitments.
I could go on and on but these are the main issues on why I will vote Conservative on October 14th.
However, that said, I fully respect that everybody needs make their own minds on how they vote, but this needs to be based on the policies of the political parties. Not asinine statements like if your an immigrant you should only vote Liberal; if you do that you certainly don't need a brain.
Last edited by Chi_Nook; Sep 17th 2008 at 5:21 pm.
#122
Forum Regular
Joined: Aug 2008
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 120
Re: Election - what does it mean ?
Originally Posted by Chi_Nook
This link is for everybody, including all you gay immigrants, who I'm told apparently form the majority on this board
If you'd at all bothered to read the previous posts, you would see that I'm sarcastically repeating something that someone else posted...
This link is for everybody, including all you gay immigrants, who I'm told apparently form the majority on this board
If you'd at all bothered to read the previous posts, you would see that I'm sarcastically repeating something that someone else posted...
#123
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 9,606
Re: Election - what does it mean ?
Incidentally, a 75% approval rating would make most political parties in the democratic world dribble with excitement.
#124
Re: Election - what does it mean ?
If there's anything that differentiates Canada from the US, and I think that idea arguable, it is that Canada has a history of peace keeping. I should not like to see Canada engaged in any more foreign wars; keeping the country out of Iraq was one of the Liberals greater achievements and so a policy of a stronger military and sabre rattling in the Artic repels me.
#125
Forum Regular
Joined: Aug 2008
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 120
Re: Election - what does it mean ?
How eloquently you use the english language.
I'm sorry but your statement shows that you know very little about the ongoing constitutional issues between Quebec, which has the right to become a sovereign nation, if the people of Quebec choose, and the rest of Canada. It's not about percentage of the votes my friend, it's about the relationship between Anglophones and Francophones and the jurisdictional rights and boundaries of the Provinces and those of Ottawa. Just because the rest of Canada agreed to a "new" constitution, this has little impact in the province of Quebec. They considered it from their point of view and they didn't like it and so the separatist movement gained ground.
If Quebec does indeed finally separate from Canada over the Constitution, do you really think the rest of the country would survive? Canada would be geographically and possibly politically divided by the independent nation of Quebec and either part would have no land access to each other except through Quebec or the USA.
If Quebec does indeed finally separate from Canada over the Constitution, do you really think the rest of the country would survive? Canada would be geographically and possibly politically divided by the independent nation of Quebec and either part would have no land access to each other except through Quebec or the USA.
#126
Re: Election - what does it mean ?
Originally Posted by Chi_Nook
This link is for everybody, including all you gay immigrants, who I'm told apparently form the majority on this board
If you'd at all bothered to read the previous posts, you would see that I'm sarcastically repeating something that someone else posted...
This link is for everybody, including all you gay immigrants, who I'm told apparently form the majority on this board
If you'd at all bothered to read the previous posts, you would see that I'm sarcastically repeating something that someone else posted...
#127
Re: Election - what does it mean ?
Are you a lawyer Chi_Nook?
#128
Forum Regular
Joined: Aug 2008
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 120
Re: Election - what does it mean ?
Oh yes one other reason I support the Conservatives is their Law and Order platform, a synopsis of which is, to be tougher on criminals (especially gun crime and crimes of violence) and especially repeat offenders and have more sympathy and support for the victims of these types of crimes.
#129
Re: Election - what does it mean ?
Oh yes one other reason I support the Conservatives is their Law and Order platform, a synopsis of which is, to be tougher on criminals (especially gun crime and crimes of violence) and especially repeat offenders and have more sympathy and support for the victims of these types of crimes.
#131
Forum Regular
Joined: Aug 2008
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 120
Re: Election - what does it mean ?
The previous Liberal Governments gun registry program.
Full story at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_gun_registry
The Canadian gun registry
The registry again became a political issue in the early 2000s when massive cost overruns were reported. The project which was meant to cost approximately $119 million ended up costing over a billion dollars to implement. Documents obtained by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation now estimate the program cost at $2 billion.
In December 2002, the Auditor-General of Canada, Sheila Fraser, reported that the project was running vastly above initial cost estimates. The report shows that the implementation of the firearms registry program by the Department of Justice has had significant strategic and management problems throughout. Taxpayers were originally expected to pay only $2 million of the budget while registration fees would cover the rest. In 1995, the Department of Justice reported to Parliament that the system would cost $119 million to implement, and that the income generated from licensing fees would be $117 million. This gives a net cost of $2 million. At the time of the 2002 audit, the revised estimates from the Department of Justice were that the cost of the program would be more than $1 billion by 2004/05 and that the income from licence fees in the same period would be $140 million.
The Auditor General's report found other significant problems with the way the project had been handled. These included significant questions around the financial management of the project. In particular, the report stated that estimated project costs often excluded project costs incurred by other agencies, such as the RCMP and provincial governments, giving a false impression of real cost. Problems were likewise reported with how funds were requested from Parliament, with 70% of funds requested through "supplementary estimates," a method intended for unanticipated expenditures and requiring only a one-line statement to Parliament on the purpose of the request. In comparison, only 10% of funds for all other programs in the department were requested in this way over the same period.
The causes of the cost overruns have been blamed on the inexperience of the Justice Department in managing a project of such scale. Especially crucial was that the scope of the project was in continuous flux requiring continuous changes to the basic set-up of the registry. This excuse, however, does not explain the extreme lengths the (Liberal) government went to in order to mislead Parliament about the cost and hide the actual amounts of money being spent
Gun registry effect on public safety
The Auditor General's report also found that there is a lack of evidence to support the effectiveness of the gun registry, or to prove that it is meeting its stated goal of improving public safety. The report states:
The performance report focuses on activities such as issuing licenses and registering firearms. The Centre does not show how these activities help minimize risks to public safety with evidence-based outcomes such as reduced deaths, injuries and threats from firearms.
Ontario Provincial Police Commissioner Julian Fantino is opposed to the gun registry, stating in a press release:
We have an ongoing gun crisis including firearms-related homicides lately in Toronto, and a law registering firearms has neither deterred these crimes nor helped us solve any of them. None of the guns we know to have been used were registered, although we believe that more than half of them were smuggled into Canada from the United States. The firearms registry is long on philosophy and short on practical results considering the money could be more effectively used for security against terrorism as well as a host of other public safety initiatives."
Full story at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_gun_registry
The Canadian gun registry
The registry again became a political issue in the early 2000s when massive cost overruns were reported. The project which was meant to cost approximately $119 million ended up costing over a billion dollars to implement. Documents obtained by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation now estimate the program cost at $2 billion.
In December 2002, the Auditor-General of Canada, Sheila Fraser, reported that the project was running vastly above initial cost estimates. The report shows that the implementation of the firearms registry program by the Department of Justice has had significant strategic and management problems throughout. Taxpayers were originally expected to pay only $2 million of the budget while registration fees would cover the rest. In 1995, the Department of Justice reported to Parliament that the system would cost $119 million to implement, and that the income generated from licensing fees would be $117 million. This gives a net cost of $2 million. At the time of the 2002 audit, the revised estimates from the Department of Justice were that the cost of the program would be more than $1 billion by 2004/05 and that the income from licence fees in the same period would be $140 million.
The Auditor General's report found other significant problems with the way the project had been handled. These included significant questions around the financial management of the project. In particular, the report stated that estimated project costs often excluded project costs incurred by other agencies, such as the RCMP and provincial governments, giving a false impression of real cost. Problems were likewise reported with how funds were requested from Parliament, with 70% of funds requested through "supplementary estimates," a method intended for unanticipated expenditures and requiring only a one-line statement to Parliament on the purpose of the request. In comparison, only 10% of funds for all other programs in the department were requested in this way over the same period.
The causes of the cost overruns have been blamed on the inexperience of the Justice Department in managing a project of such scale. Especially crucial was that the scope of the project was in continuous flux requiring continuous changes to the basic set-up of the registry. This excuse, however, does not explain the extreme lengths the (Liberal) government went to in order to mislead Parliament about the cost and hide the actual amounts of money being spent
Gun registry effect on public safety
The Auditor General's report also found that there is a lack of evidence to support the effectiveness of the gun registry, or to prove that it is meeting its stated goal of improving public safety. The report states:
The performance report focuses on activities such as issuing licenses and registering firearms. The Centre does not show how these activities help minimize risks to public safety with evidence-based outcomes such as reduced deaths, injuries and threats from firearms.
Ontario Provincial Police Commissioner Julian Fantino is opposed to the gun registry, stating in a press release:
We have an ongoing gun crisis including firearms-related homicides lately in Toronto, and a law registering firearms has neither deterred these crimes nor helped us solve any of them. None of the guns we know to have been used were registered, although we believe that more than half of them were smuggled into Canada from the United States. The firearms registry is long on philosophy and short on practical results considering the money could be more effectively used for security against terrorism as well as a host of other public safety initiatives."
#132
Re: Election - what does it mean ?
And this differs from existing policy, how?
2) Their economic programs eg: GST and personal and corporate tax cuts. Reduction of the fuel tax on diesel (to be cut by 50%); that effects everything from travel to food. Extending Maternity and Employment Insurance benefits to small independent business owners. Their overall support of free enterprise and political culture of supporting people who take personal risk to create employment and grow our economy. Their position on a made in Canada environmental solution (and not Kyoto and I don't mean Stéphane Dion's dog either!).
3) Their position on the constitution, that is still not ratified by the province of Quebec (approximately 25% of the population of Canada). Namely that in a country as diverse as Canada, the original framers of the British North America (BNA) act understood that certain powers should be the exclusive jurisdiction of the Provincial government and not centralized in Ottawa. The Conservatives wish to include that in our current constitution which currently is only approved by 75% of the population and get the support of Quebec to be a full partner in Canada, without feeling the only way they'll get fair treatment from the rest of us, is to separate and form their own country. The Conservatives are now closely tied for support in Quebec with the Bloc, exactly because of their position on the separation of federal and provincial powers.
4) The building of our military so as not to rely exclusively on the USA to protect us or guard our northern territories.
5) Their belief that once given, we should live up to our NATO commitments.
I could go on and on but these are the main issues on why I will vote Conservative on October 14th.
Eat that.
Last edited by Novocastrian; Sep 17th 2008 at 10:06 pm.
#133
Forum Regular
Joined: Aug 2008
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 120
Re: Election - what does it mean ?
Boy some people sure need to take a program of anger management on this forum. Kind of a little sad really.
#134
Re: Election - what does it mean ?
You make much of a supposed democratic consensus in your spurious points about Quebec's independence. The democratic consensus here, amongst those who have expressed an opinion, is that you are in a significant minority of expat Brits in wanting to have anything to do with Harper.
For myself, I don't have a vote in this election, not being a citizen. If I did, however, rest assured it would go to my Liberal candidate. I think the Conservatives' policies - note, today's policies, not yesterday's baggage - would be worse for Canada, and for my future in Canada, than those of any other party putting up a canditate in my riding.
#135
Forum Regular
Joined: Aug 2008
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 120
Re: Election - what does it mean ?
And some people need to take a course of real life. In case you hadn't noticed, nobody, but nobody, has supported you on this forum on any assertion you have made about how wonderful Harper's party is. A few have taken the time and trouble to dismantle your arguments line by line.
You make much of a supposed democratic consensus in your spurious points about Quebec's independence. The democratic consensus here, amongst those who have expressed an opinion, is that you are in a significant minority of expat Brits in wanting to have anything to do with Harper.
For myself, I don't have a vote in this election, not being a citizen. If I did, however, rest assured it would go to my Liberal candidate. I think the Conservatives' policies - note, today's policies, not yesterday's baggage - would be worse for Canada, and for my future in Canada, than those of any other party putting up a canditate in my riding.
You make much of a supposed democratic consensus in your spurious points about Quebec's independence. The democratic consensus here, amongst those who have expressed an opinion, is that you are in a significant minority of expat Brits in wanting to have anything to do with Harper.
For myself, I don't have a vote in this election, not being a citizen. If I did, however, rest assured it would go to my Liberal candidate. I think the Conservatives' policies - note, today's policies, not yesterday's baggage - would be worse for Canada, and for my future in Canada, than those of any other party putting up a canditate in my riding.
Ah it's true then immigrants automatically vote Liberal..how very sad...
Nothing more from me on this thread, have a nice day.