The Tim Peterson Story...

How does the youngest son of one of the most capital-L Liberal families in Canada go from member of the McGuinty Government to floor crosser?

Peterson claims it was a combination of energy policy and recognition of Mississauga. Quite frankly, I'm at a loss of understanding. Let's look at the facts.

“The Tories left a lot of debt with (energy) rates that were too low.”- Tim Peterson, Mississauga News, March 31, 2004

“Our government’s plan is working for Mississauga. We’re making our communities stronger through new proposed investments, such as funding for improving public transit and affordable housing projects. I am especially pleased that our government will be ending GTA pooling, which will save GTA taxpayers over $200 million.”- Tim Peterson press release, March 22, 2007

“The McGuinty government’s plan is working for Ontarians. Jobs are up, the deficit is gone, class sizes are smaller, wait times are shorter for key health procedures, and postsecondary education is becoming more accessible and affordable.”- Tim Peterson press release, March 22, 2007

You can see that two of these statements only date back a week. That said I lack an understanding as to how Mr. Peterson can possibly run against a Liberal candidate when barely a week ago he felt Premier McGuinty was leader of one of the best governments of record in Ontario.

The fact is, Peterson feels he was neglected over being passed over for Minister of Transportation. The further fact is Peterson does not have the talent to hold a cabinet post. He has gotten as far as he has because of his name. That name is not of relevance in the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party. Peterson's career is over. We will see to it that he does not come out victorious in the next election. This will be an unfortunate end to the legacy created by his older brothers.

Quebec...the day after...

Prior to beginning this post, I would just like to say good luck to Bob Rae in Toronto Centre. Last night he won the nomination to replace Bill Graham as the Member of Parliament for the area. I have no doubt he'll be victorious.

Now, to the big story today. Jean Charest is the Premier in a Quebec minority government. No real surprise there. The big surprise, however, is Mario Dumont surge to the Leader of the Official Opposition. This can be looked at two ways: (1) the Prime Minister's popularity is growing in Quebec and as such Quebeckers decided to vote for the right leaning option; and (2) the ADQ simply represents a middle ground between the PQ and the Quebec Liberal on the sovereigntist debate. I suspect it is the latter. And I think it is good news. I don't always agree with the Prime Minister (although some may say I do), but he was absolutely correct when he said for the first time in 40 years Quebec's government and official opposition don't want a referndum. And that is good news. So I wish M. Charest luck in working with M. Dumont and M. Boislcair in the coming term. And I wish him luck in the next election. Hopefully he can hang on for a good 2 years.

That is it for Quebec though, and I turn my sight to Saskatchewan as the (potentially) next sight of a provincial election in this country. We'll see if David Karwacki can pick up a seat or two for the Liberals and if Brad Wall can remove Lorne Calvert's government. (Here's hoping yes.)

Quebec Election tomorrow

Never really been a huge follower of Quebec politics, but I have to say I am hoping to see Charest pull out a majority tomorrow. All the numbers we're hearing seem to have a Charest or Boisclair minority. But it seems to me that the Federation is too fragile (thank you Mr. Harper) to have a Parti Quebecois government in Quebec. So I say good luck to M. Charest and the folks that we've got working out there on his re-election. We may not always agree, but we do agree that this man is the best man to lead Quebec.

Happy Green Day!

The CBC stated today on St. Patrick's Day that Green (get it?) Party Leader Elizabeth May will be running in the Nova Scotia riding of Central Nova currently held by Foreign Affairs Minister Peter Mackay. I have a few thoughts on this circumstance.

I think this shows that Ms. May has set her sights on a realistic goal. That being an attempt to support a Dion-led Government. One would assume this is why she chose not to run in her home riding of Cape Breton-Canso; currently held by Liberal Rodger Cuzner. Also why she has been talking to local Liberals regarding an unseating of the Conservative Government. I will say this to her. It certainly is ballsy. She obviously feels she can take this riding from Mackay. However, I am not 100% certain how likely this goal is. The last time around the Liberal and Greens together only got 11020 votes in the riding, while the NDP got 13861 and Macky got 17134. Presuming the Liberals do not run a candidate here (an action that I have mixed feelings on) May would have to a strong amount of votes from the NDP and Conservatives to just pull ahead of Mackay.

But should she loose to Mackay (who undoubtedly has a race ahead of him) this will give her an extremely high profile and may in fact get her into the leaders' debates. (Although, I'm not too sure how strong her french is.)

So I say good luck to her. And hopefully she can assist us in replacing the current Prime Minister.

"What kind of hero are you now?"

Those were the words reportedly spoken by one of four men who beat a Canadian Master Corporal who had achieved the Medal of Valour.

The story is here.

So here's the story...

Master Corporal Collin Fitzgerald returned to his hometown bar greeted as a hero by many of his childhood friends. These friends were thrilled to see him walk through the door of the bar. Because he wasn't the same man they had grown up with. He was a hero now. A hero in the truest sense of the word. But in that moment four men made a decision -- a decision I hope everyone in this country disagrees with.

"WHAT KIND OF HERO ARE YOU?"

Master Corporal Fitzgerald was beaten with an unknown object by four men to the point of a broken news, two black eyes, ten stitches and a broken foot.

This man returned from Afghanistan a real full-blooded hero without a scratch on him. Upon his return he was beaten because he dared return home.

Who did it?

Travis Baldwin. Remember that name. Because it is this 21-year old that will appear in a Morrisburg court on May 1, charged with aggravated assault. However, that is not enough. What this man did is inexcusible. He, without any shadow of a doubt should be sitting in a court room on trial for treason. Maybe these people who dare to call themselves Canadian would than learn what our men and women overseas do for them.

What is Liberalism?

Notwithstandin the recent Conservapedia definition of "liberal," I am forced to ask what is a liberal? Am I one? I am a member of the Liberal Party of Canada and the Ontario Liberal Party. But I have been told by a number of posters on my blog that I, in fact, am not (or should not be) a Liberal. So is liberalism something you believe? Or is it something you do? For four years I have dedicated myself to Liberalism in Canada. I have volunteered and been employed by Liberal members (including two leaderships). I have fought for a number of different issues from universality in healthcare to equality in marriage. However, some do not consider me to be a liberal. So, again I ask, what makes someone a liberal/Liberal?

In defense of Cherniak

I do my best to avoid blogging about bloggers, but I feel it necessary to come to the defense a friend and our head of Liblogs.

Every statement Jason made was entirely correct. I will first address Fuddle Duddle attack on Cherniak's statement, "as a Jew, I have a better understanding of anti-Semitism than others." Fuddle Duddle responded by asking, "Oh really Jason, does being Jewish give you some secret insight that myself or catnip or other bloggers simply don’t have?" The to such a question is, "YES!" Of course, Jews have a better understand of antisemitism. Just as those in the gay community better understand homophobia and women better understand sexism. So yes, as Jews, both I and Cherniak have a better understanding of antisemitism. And as I have stated in the past, masking antisemitism as anti-Zionism is a lie to the world. They are one in the same. The comments made by McClennand are antisemitic. Even the comment made by Progressive Bloggers regarding his removal was antisemitic.

Warren Kinsella once wrote an article about how the political nature of antisemitism began as a right wing notion and has since moved to the left. This is entirely true. The left has given up on the Jewish race and denied the right of Israel to exist altogether; many going as far as to deny the Holocaust. This was blatantly evidenced during the recent war with the Hizbollah.

Those who deny their antisemitic views as simple anti-Zionism are masking the true point. This is racism. The sooner the world realizes this, the sooner we might reach some manner of peace.

ADQ candidate makes light of Dec. 6

I was shocked to find that a person in this great country of our's would still have such a closed mind about such issues. But here we are, the ADQ have a candidate -- Claude Roy -- that makes light of the situation at the Universite Polytechnique in Montreal in 1989. I cannot describe how disgusting these comments are. The ADQ further express they are merely a provincial wing of the Federal Conservatives with such comments.

I would like to state, however, that it does not mention in this story that the candidate has since removed himself from the provincial election. I will commend Mario Dumont for disciplining his candidate to such an extent as to remove him from an election where the ADQ may very well be on the verge of holding the balance of power in a minority legislature. However, this does not remove the fact that much like the Federal Conservatives, the ADQ are riddled with candidates with a far right agenda that does not represent the views of the average Canadian (or Quebecor).

Thank you Jim Peterson

I would like to take this time to thank Jim Peterson for providing 23 years to the country as a Liberal. Tomorrow Mr. Peterson will announce he will not be running in the coming election in the Toronto riding of Willowdale. As such, we can expect Martha Hall Findlay will move in. Ms. Hall Findlay will have big shoes to fill in this riding. And I have no doubt that she has the political ability to do it.

Statement by the Honourable Bob Rae

Wednesday, March 7, 2007 – “This morning at 11 a.m. I shall be filing my nomination papers at 10 St Mary Street at the Ontario headquarters of the Liberal Party of Canada. I am hoping to be the Liberal candidate in the riding of Toronto Centre and to join Stéphane Dion and my Liberal Party colleagues in Ottawa. I said during the leadership race that I would be standing for election in the next general election, and with Bill Graham's announcement of his retirement I am ready for the challenge of succeeding Bill, who has served the riding and Canada with distinction. Toronto Centre is a wonderfully diverse community at the heart of a city I have called home for a very long time, and it would be an honour to serve the people of Toronto Centre in the Parliament of Canada.”

-30 –

For media inquiries:

alexander.swann@sympatico.ca

Saskatchewan Party wins in by-election

I'm rarely one to speak my opinion about other provincial elections. However, I do have something of an interest in Western politics and I would like express my delight at the victory of the Saskatchewan Party's Nancy Heppner in the Martensville by-election. I would have liked to see a better showing by the Liberal Party here, however, their 344 is not at all to be unexpected. Some might even call it a great showing. Besides that, though, I would consider this a sign of momentum for the Saskatchewn Party. Hopefully this will lead to an eventual unseating of Lorne Calvert's NDP. Perhaps even a seat for the Liberals in the coming election.(Perhaps later this year?)

Canada's Anne Coulter?

On the same day the Anne Coulter story broke, Canadians have their own homophobe making a bad name for us. Here he is. And I would like to seriously say how much I respect Jean Charest for his decision to condemn Louis Champagne for his comments.

Anne Coulter makes anti-gay remark

Anne Coulter made some comments at the American Conservative Political Action Conference that are, quite frankly, just indefensible (as members of both the Republicans and Democrats have put it).

For those who missed this story on CTV News last night, the information is all in the link I provided. Usually, unless I am in a hurry I post a full stream of comments, but I just refuse to use the same word that she did. However, despite the fact that this is Anne Coulter and pretty much expected, what disgusts is how flippant she responded to the comment about John Edwards -- "C'mon, it was a joke. I would never insult gays by suggesting that they are like John Edwards. That would be mean." Anne Coulter has bothered me before, but this is beyond belief.

I'll let you read and come to your own conclusions.

OYL AGM begins today

To those that read my blog, I hope to see many of you at the OYL AGM in Kingston this weekend. Good luck to all those that are running! I will be back with more news upon my return to my cozy home in Sudbury.

M. Coderre should be ejected from caucus

Check it out here.

The position M. Coderre has decided to take it disgusting. Between this and the Hizbollah situation he has not place calling himself a Liberal. Its time M. Dion showed that he can lead a party and remove M. Coderre from caucus. To refer to Gen. Hillier as prop is simply insulting to all of our men and women in uniform. Go ahead. Call me a Conservative if you want. But our nation's top soldier deserves more respect than this. And if we want to be Government again its top we started showing Gen. Hiller and the rest of the Canadian Armed Forces the respect they deserve.