Meet Some of the People Who Want Harper Gone

There were perhaps a hundred protesters greeting Harper in Kingston on Friday. We were loud and animated.

There were songs and little skits. Some university students had written a rap that they shared. There were drums and music. It was wonderful.

Kathleen O'Hara from Catch 22 Harper Conservatives had a mike and listed off one by one, Harper's crimes. Not even covering a fraction of them.

In the above photo you'll see students with guess what "we're voting", standing with seniors. All with the same goal. Ousting Stephen Harper.



And he was given a similar welcome in Montreal, though a bit more militant.

The Toronto Star is endorsing strategic voting:

In some parts of the country there is a real risk that a surge toward the NDP could sap the Liberal vote and have the perverse effect of tipping more seats to the Conservatives. Voters worried about that should consider voting strategically — giving their support to the progressive candidate best placed to win.

In much of the GTA, that means Liberals. Indeed, there are a number of seats that Liberals won by a narrow margin over Conservatives in 2008. The Liberal candidates in those ridings deserve support. They include Ruby Dhalla in Brampton-Springdale; Andrew Kania in Brampton West; Rob Oliphant in Don Valley West; Joe Volpe in Eglinton-Lawrence; Paul Szabo in Mississauga South; and Ken Dryden in York Centre.

Going for the NDP in those ridings risks handing more seats to the Conservatives. That would be the worst outcome for the province — and the country.

And another "vote mob" from Ryerson voiced their discontent.

I'll bet right now Stephen Harper wishes he'd been nice to the rest of us, and not just played to his base.

Ordinary Canadians Don't Like the Arts? How About Ordinary Artists Who Don't Like Steve?

The photo above is Michael Ignatieff with Tragically Hip's Rob Baker, at a rally in Kingston. The Harper government has slashed funding to the arts, with Harper himself claiming that "ordinary Canadians don't support the arts". Unless of course it's his piano playing.

That statement may be coming back to haunt him, as the artists are fighting back: Artists Wage 2.0 Attacks on Harper

I already mentioned that Nelly Furtado had joined Rick Mercer's campaign to get out the youth vote, and Oscar award winning actress Ellen Page and Margaret Atwood, are also lending their voices.

There was a piece in the Star earlier this week: Hard times in the polling business

It speaks to how unreliable polls are now, with only 10-15% of those called, actually answering their phones. Most are on cells now. But that doesn't stop the media from running headlines with poll results every 37 seconds. I was going to get a T-shirt printed up: "I did not take the Nanos poll because I have a life'.

The group ShitHarperDid went viral within hours. It was started by a group of young artists, who not only appeal to the young, but to the youth in all of us.

One of the founders was asked about the polls in NOW Magazine:

Do you think online campaigns like this are effective? It’s become hugely popular but the Conservatives are still looking like the frontrunners.

Looking like frontrunners to whom? Polls done by robot landline callers? The Conservatives lead in those because Harper is the most robot-like of the candidates. Pretty sure those loose threads on his suit are really wires. Polls won't decide this election, the people who come out to vote will and there's gonna be a lot more young people this time around.

And Michael Ignatieff's response to Harper's 'bickering' comment, garnered a positive response on Twitter.

More grassroots democracy. Gotta' love it.

I am Not Endorsing ShitHarperDid

Not the actual 'shit' but a youth movement encouraging their peers to vote. Who ever thought so much fun could be packed into a four letter word?

Their website

Their Facebook group (more than 10,000 new members since I joined this morning) You can be sure that not one of us would get into a Harper rally.

You can also sign the petition demanding the G8 report be made public.

And don't forget to vote because ...