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Ontarians are sheep
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| Jayx1 |
Thats all i can say.... im ashamed to be from this province.
| quote: | OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's ruling Liberals have a commanding lead in the powerful central province of Ontario and would win most of the seats there in an election which looks set to be triggered this week, an opinion poll said on Monday.
The Leger Marketing poll for the Sun chain of newspapers put support for the Liberals at 43 percent in Ontario compared to 31 percent for the main opposition Conservative Party.
Ontario, a Liberal stronghold at the federal level for the last 12 years, accounts for 106 of the 308 seats in Parliament and no party can hope to form a government without doing well in the province.
In the June 2004 election the Liberals won 75 of Ontario's seats with 45 percent of the vote, a result which allowed them to form a minority government.
Opposition parties look set to defeat the government's budget this Thursday, which would trigger an election in late June or July. The Liberals are currently backed in Parliament by the left-leaning New Democrats, who have 19 percent public support in the province, according to the poll.
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| drgoodvibe |
| quote: | Originally posted by Jayx1
Thats all i can say.... im ashamed to be from this province. |
then move..
that's how the majority feel, take your shame elsewhere. |
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| amb_ |
From last year, but still apropos.
| quote: | The wrath that comes from a million interrupted barbecues...
May 17, 2004
It is everything but certain we'll have an election call this week.
I suppose it was either call it or keep talking about it, and I definitely side with the view that it's less painful to have an election than continuously to talk about one. June 28th, the day most commonly accepted, is not ideal. We wait a long time for summer in most parts of this country, and Mr. Martin may face the wrath that comes from a million interrupted barbecues at cabin or cottage and the collective frown of a nation about to start vacation by traipsing off to the polls.
But if we're going to lay down the chicken wings and cold beer, let's make it a real contest, which brings me to the leader of the Conservatives, Stephen Harper. Mr. Harper is a curious politician. Everybody agrees he's very bright. If Joey Smallwood were still around, and you could never be quite certain with Joey, he still may be, we'd be hearing the phrase "keen as mustard" a lot. On policy, organization, public finance, Steven Harper is "as keen as mustard."
And he's an easy guy to underestimate. Before he came fully engaged, there were two Conservative Parties in Canada. Now, and the Liberals weep over this, there is only one. Everyone in the Conservative movement, except perhaps David Orchard and Joe Clark, the lesser Grinch and the greater, sees this development as a Christmas for Tories. Mr. Harper's smart, effective on the party front, and, to speak plainly, he doesn't at all appear out of place in the Commons as leader of the opposition.
So, why aren't the Liberals scrambling around in the pit of the sponsorship mess and still riven within over the long Martin/Chretien feud more worried than they are? From a purely logical point of view, Paul Martin shouldn't be calling an election this week. The Liberals may have walked past the volcanic centre of the sponsorship storm, but it's still spitting fumes and has a few more rumbles to go. Liberals may be vain and cocky, but they're not careless when their own fortunes, as opposed to yours, are at stake.
My guess is they feel Mr. Harper is vulnerable. I think they're right, not, by the way, because of the firewall comments or his silly outburst about defeatism in the Atlantic Provinces. I think those remarks have passed their due date. He's vulnerable because he projects an air that politics isn't a natural fit, that he'd rather be somewhere else. He lacks what I call the Brian Tobin gene, that massively unmistakable love for audiences, microphones, tomorrow's headlines, and taking on the other guy. Absent that gene, a leader is but part of a politician. And if we are to have this late June election and if it is to be a contest, Mr. Harper needs to renovate his attack and sharpen his presentation. We want a contest this time. Mr. Harper's performance so far makes me worry we might not be getting quite the one we should.
For "The National," I'm Rex Murphy. |
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| Jayx1 |
| quote: | Originally posted by drgoodvibe
then move..
that's how the majority feel, take your shame elsewhere. |
with the direction this country is headed ive been considering it. I dont want to live in a country that rewards stealing and corruption. |
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| drgoodvibe |
| quote: | Originally posted by Jayx1
with the direction this country is headed ive been considering it. I dont want to live in a country that rewards stealing and corruption. |
bye bye.. take care, adios, ciao! |
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| Jayx1 |
| so based on that second story the only reason harper wont get elected is because hes not as smooth a talker as martin? sad but true. |
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| Jayx1 |
| quote: | Originally posted by drgoodvibe
bye bye.. take care, adios, ciao! |
ill be sure to send a postcard in mid january ;) LOL |
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| malek |
| quote: | Originally posted by Jayx1
with the direction this country is headed ive been considering it. I dont want to live in a country that rewards stealing and corruption. |
your choices are very limited... Denmark ? :p |
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| Jayx1 |
| every society has corruption. Its how it's dealt with that differs. |
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| Tordan |
| Jay, I want the liberals to win this election just to see you blow a fuse. :tongue2 |
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| Jayx1 |
| quote: | Originally posted by Tordan
Jay, I want the liberals to win this election just to see you blow a fuse. :tongue2 |
dont count on it because im already sure it will happen so the air is being let out slowly as we speak LOL
But if you think that the sponsorhip corruption was bad, wait till you see what happens once the Liberals realize they are invincible. |
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| amb_ |
| quote: | | so based on that second story the only reason harper wont get elected is because hes not as smooth a talker as martin? sad but true. |
A more accurate conclusion is that Mr. Harper has done little to define himself has a statesman.
| quote: | Federal party leaders' image key
By SANDRA CORDON
OTTAWA (CP) - In Ottawa's version of celebrity makeovers, personality implants are far more common - and necessary - than liposuction or eye lifts.
Image consultants say physical appearance matters, but Canadians aren't likely to be impressed by anything too obvious.
Instead, we look for subtle signs - a twinkle in the eye, spring in the step, comfortable yet dignified stance.
So instead of counting carbs on the South Beach diet, which Prime Minister Paul Martin recently confessed he's following, the Liberal leader might be better off taking a revitalizing vacation on South Beach itself.
"What the prime minister needs to work on is adding an element of vigour and energy to his image," says media consultant Bernie Gauthier.
"That enthusiasm he has for big ideas, he needs to recapture that. When Paul Martin's face lights up, it's very contagious."
That light has been pretty dim lately.
And as opposition politicians fight ever harder to bring down Martin's minority Liberals and force an early summer election, all the party leaders are getting ready to hit the campaign trail.
That means they're all refining their images to try to present a public face that will be acceptable to crabby Canadian voters.
And we are feeling cranky.
Public opinion polls show that most people don't want another federal election only one year after the June 2004 vote.
So the political party leaders had best be ready to try to win the public hearts and minds - but in a subtle, moderate - well, Canadian - manner.
"We all speak louder than our words . . . just by standing there, you can intimidate people or create a welcoming approach," said image consultant Carol Robichaud.
So while policies matter, politicians first have to catch - and hold - voters' interest with their appearance and personality.
"This is what I tell my students in marketing (classes): reality doesn't matter a damn; perception is everything," says Lindsay Meredith, a business professor at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia.
So instead of just losing a bit of chub around the waist, Martin would benefit far more from some rest and relaxation.
His tired, pasty-pale look doesn't convey the take-charge kind of message a national leader needs to send, says Meredith.
"He can't be seen as that old puffy, stuffy Liberal perched in Ottawa," says Meredith.
Much the same can be said of Conservative Leader Stephen Harper, whose image is too careful and controlled, suggesting someone much older and stiffer, the experts say.
Harper's ultra-cautious approach also reinforces old Liberal accusations that the Conservative leader is hiding a secret political agenda that is far more right wing than the party wants to admit.
Harper denies he has a hidden agenda, yet the criticism lingers because his appearance tends to be so careful and closed, says Gauthier, managing partner with Delta Media Inc.
"It seems to stick remarkably well with him," says Gauthier.
"Stephen Harper would do well to simply reveal more of himself - more aspects of his personality, more of his interests, the causes he espouses."
If he was running Harper's campaign, says Gauthier, there would be a lot more fun photo ops.
A good example came several days ago when Harper visited a children's health centre in Sarnia, Ont., and sat down to fingerpaint with the kids.
That's a much better look than a well-dressed Harper behind a podium addressing a ballroom of business leaders on Bay Street.
Says Gauthier: "They keep him under wraps and when they do reveal him, it's in such a limiting way that doesn't reveal him."
Gilles Duceppe need not worry too much about his image because his Bloc Quebecois campaigns only in Quebec where Justice John Gomery's probe of the sponsorship scandal has severely hurt the federal Liberal brand.
"He's had an easy go of it," says Gauthier.
NDP Leader Jack Layton has been trying to appear more statesmanlike in the House of Commons by trading in the aggressively loud orange ties he sported in last June's election campaign.
His first foray into federal politics didn't bring out the best in Layton, who appeared too shrill and theatrical at times, the experts say.
A particularly low point was hit when Layton accused Martin of killing homeless people by cutting social housing budgets.
But Layton's image has dramatically improved since the former Toronto city councillor was elected to the Commons, says Meredith.
Particularly in recent weeks, Layton has been sounding more serious and has made the most of the exposure following a recent budget deal with the minority Liberals.
The NDP agreed to help the Liberals hold onto power by supporting them on budget-related confidence motions, in exchange for $4.5 billion in extra social spending.
"He has probably a better image, as a leader right now, than Harper and Martin," says Meredith.
But Layton, the only party leader with facial hair, must keep something distinctive about his look to avoid blending in too much with the other party leaders, says Gauthier.
"Maybe that moustache will do the trick." |
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