Stephen Harper Has Just Received his Election Kit in the Mail

And is he excited. It was leftover stock from the last Republican bid and has everything he needs to run a successful election campaign, including a fake baby so doesn't have to poke a real one.

No sweaters this time or Tim Horton coffee cups. He's going to do this right.

Also included in the kit are two cases of smelling salts should any of his human props pass out again. At least this will give the appearance of concern.

And worried about his platform? Don't be. He now owns a xeroxed copy of the 2008 Republican one. He just has to replace John McCain with Stephen Harper and Sarah Palin with Cheryl Gallant. It's in the bag.

But what's that you say? Stephen Harper doesn't want an election right now? But he loves election campaigns. It's just being Prime Minister he hates.

Harper to Ignatieff: Don't Send Canadians Back to the Polls
CBC News
June 4, 2009

Prime Minister Stephen Harper "strongly advised" Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff Wednesday against bringing down the Conservative government.

"I've had three elections in four years," Harper told reporters in Quebec City. "I think that's more than enough for the Canadian public. I don't meet anyone … of any political persuasion who wants to spend the summer fighting an election."

The country doesn't need the "political instability" an election would trigger just as it begins to emerge from a recession, Harper said.

So you can certainly count on this government being against any kind of election in the near future. I would strongly advise the Opposition of the same thing."

Harper's comments came a day after Ignatieff said his party will decide next week whether to bring down the government and plunge the country into a mid-summer election.

Ignatieff said Tuesday he doesn't want an election, while adding it's becoming more difficult to prop up the minority Conservative government.

I'm trying to make Parliament work with a government that every day is displaying more flagrant examples of incompetence," he said. "Canadians don't want an election. I don't want an election but we have a problem — a serious problem about this government's confidence."

The ballooning federal budget deficit is one of the main reasons he is considering triggering an election, Ignatieff said.

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty last week disclosed that the deficit for this fiscal year will soar to more than $50 billion — $16 billion more than projected just four months earlier. Then the Toronto Dominion Bank projected that the deficit over five years would hit $168 billion.

However, Harper said Wednesday, "our deficit this year compared to … the other industrialized countries is perfectly affordable. For example, the deficit in the United States and Japan is almost four times larger than our own." (But they have more than four times our population so I guess we are in worse shape)

"In Canada, we can afford to spend today because we have managed public finances properly in the last three years when times were better." (ha ha ha ha ha )

Awaiting progress report

Ignatieff said he will decide whether to introduce a motion of non-confidence after assessing the government's second progress report on the economy, which is expected next week.

The Liberals need the help of the Bloc Québécois and New Democratic Party to topple the government.

The Bloc and NDP have consistently voted against the government for the last two years, but may be less keen now that the Liberals have edged ahead in opinion polls.

Ignatieff said he will not consult the other opposition parties before deciding whether to try to topple the government.

The other issues that will determine the Liberal decision:

-The "major medical crisis" provoked by the shutdown of the isotope-producing nuclear reactor at Chalk River.

-The government's refusal to adopt equal access to employment insurance across the country.

-The fact that only six per cent of infrastructure funds have actually started flowing.

Harper was in the Quebec capital to announce a federal collaboration with the National Optical Institute to finance its research projects, and help its research partners to better position themselves to access international markets.

We really need to get this government out. We have no more confidence in their abilities than we did in December. In fact, considerably less. Harper knows he can't win another election, so is just putting in time. If he loses he will replaced as party leader, so it's a win, win for us. I'm game if Ignatieff is.

I JUST WANT MY COUNTRY BACK!!!

Harper Afraid of Election Tells Us Worst is Over

So Harper is saying the worst is over, but how can we possibly believe him? He told us that last September, and look at what has happened since.

While I hope he's right this time, I believe the announcement is politically motivated. Realizing he's down in the polls, Harper's shying away from an election, so needs to make us feel all warm and fuzzy. This could also mean that he may actually listen to the demands of the NDP and Liberals when it comes to fixing EI.

His ideology tells him that people like sitting at home collecting pogey, but the Canadian people are telling him otherwise.

Yes we are doing better than the U.S. but before we can really start to look forward to better days, their economy also has to rebound. I'm cautiously optimistic , but not holding my breath.

GDP data shows Canada over worst of crisis - PM

Reuters

by David Ljunggren

June 1, 2009

OTTAWA - Although Canada's latest gross domestic product figures are bad, they were better than expected and show the economy is over the worst of the crisis, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said on Monday.

Statistics Canada said the economy shrank by 5.4 percent in the first quarter of the year. The decline was not as bad as the 6.6 percent drop expected by analysts.

"We do anticipate that this was the worst quarter, the first quarter of this year ... The worst is behind us, we will have better quarters going forward. That's our very strong sense at this point," Harper told Toronto radio station CFRB.

Saying there was "reason for optimism", Harper cautioned there would be further job losses and said Ottawa was ready to take more steps if necessary to help the unemployed.

Opposition parties are demanding Ottawa make it easier for the jobless to claim benefits and some legislators have mused about defeating the Conservative government over the issue, although an election any time soon seems unlikely.

"The country needs an election like a hole in the head. Nobody wants an election. It is not good. It is not in the interests of the country at a time where our economy is so challenged," said Harper.

Quite a change of tune, coming from the man who'd rather run attack ads then our country. And also a complete 180 from two weeks ago when he threatened to huff and puff and bring the House down.

Tories Ready to Take on the Liberals Over EI

By Alexander Panetta,

The Canadian Press

May 13, 2009

OTTAWA - Prime Minister Stephen Harper surprised his opponents - and even some allies - by issuing what appeared to be an election threat over employment-insurance reforms.

After signalling for weeks a willingness to enrich employment insurance to help workers hardest-hit by the recession, the Conservatives veered sharply Wednesday.

The prime minister categorically rejected a Liberal demand for a single, nationwide eligibility requirement for EI at a uniform level of 360 hours worked.

Harper could not have been any clearer during a debate with Liberal

Leader Michael Ignatieff: he rejected the idea three times, in both official languages, and declared himself ready to “take him on” over the issue.

“Canada has a very generous employment insurance system,” Harper said in response to Ignatieff.

“If that leader wants to go out and tell Canadians that he thinks they should pay higher payroll taxes so that people can work 45 days and then collect EI for a year, every single year, in every single region of the country, we are ready to take him on.”

The exchange touched off speculation on Parliament Hill: was the prime minister holding out for another EI proposal from the NDP, simply in order to keep the Liberals from taking credit for any changes? Was it an attempt to force the opposition to back off its EI demands? Was it an election threat?

Two Harper spokespersons declined to elaborate and said Harper’s remarks stand for themselves.

Even Conservative insiders said they were caught off-guard by the exchange.

Most had been expecting to accommodate the opposition request, given the Tories’ weak poll numbers and lack of interest in fighting an election.

Ignatieff said a few weeks ago that failure to set a minimum threshold of 360 hours to collect benefits could force an election.

Harper says the only reason the Liberals are now proposing the idea is to unite the opposition - to “pull the coalition back together” - against the government.

Harper’s opponents did appear united after Wednesday’s exchange: they all accused Harper of mischaracterizing their request, and of politicking on the backs of the unemployed.

They said the Liberal proposal would make workers qualify after 360 hours, but that benefit levels would continue to vary depending on personal or regional circumstances.

It is also described as a temporary measure to be withdrawn after the recession.

Ignatieff called the prime minister’s reaction puzzling.

“Mr. Harper is shutting the door with the description of our proposal, which makes no sense at all. He doesn’t - he doesn’t understand EI,” Ignatieff said.

“We are going to continue to press this issue because we just know that there are 150,000 Canadians out there who ought to be getting EI who are not eligible and that seems to me to be just wrong.”

There’s been speculation the Conservatives would seek a deal on EI with the New Democrats to prevent Liberals from claiming credit. But the party leader wasn’t pleased by what he heard Wednesday.

“I don’t know why the prime minister would want to force a showdown on the backs of the people who are suffering the most in the economic crisis,” NDP Leader Jack Layton said.

“That’s - I would have thought that would have been off limits.”

Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe also accused the prime minister of pitting some Canadians against others.

“When he says all the Bloc’s criticisms are aimed at dividing Canada, I don’t think anyone beats him at dividing Canada,” Duceppe said.

“He’s the master of the art.”

Will New Senate Bill Finally Put an End to Pre-election Attack Ads?

Stephen Harper was the first Canadian Prime Minister to ever run attack ads outside of an election campaign. He did it with Stephane Dion, managing to turn Canadians away from the Liberals last time around, but it also turned people off politics altogether.

If we really want our country to be a democracy, we need to make the election process more democratic. Many Conservative bloggers claim that it is in their best interest to encourage voters to stay home. But is it in ours?

Now a bill is before senate that may end the practice of such ads, by having their costs included in election campaign advertising limit, if one takes place within three months. I like the idea very much.

Liberal bill aims to end pre-election ad binges
May. 26 2009
The Canadian Press

OTTAWA -- The Liberals have introduced a bill in the Senate aimed at stopping political parties from going on pre-election advertising binges.

Senator Dennis Dawson's bill - which is aimed at the cash-rich Tories - comes amid renewed election speculation on Parliament Hill.

Currently, parties can spend as much as they like on advertising in the months leading up to an election call.

Such pre-writ advertising is not considered part of a party's election expenses, which are strictly limited once an election campaign is under way.

Dawson's bill would amend the Canada Elections Act to classify all advertising in the three months prior to an election call as an election expense.

Dawson says his bill closes a loophole that has allowed parties with overflowing war chests to circumvent election spending limits.

The Liberal Party can rebound from these ads, but can voters? When will we say enough is enough and just give up? If that's what Harper is hoping for to stay in power, it's just one more reason why he has to go.