It’s in fact “the test” for future Parliaments, he says.  How very interesting.

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I don’t know about you, but I think he looks more natural and comfortable in French than in English.  Interesting.  Probably helpful, too.

The new Conservative soft focus spot, also released on the weekend, is weird: soft music track, soft narration, and an incongruous focus on non-soft stuff (ie. taxes, human smuggling, war ships). It’s like two different committees put this one together:

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• Coalition in Remission: Paul Wells, I think, is the guy who once said that it is always the most-obvious, and least-complex stuff that gets you.  As Election 2011 kicks off, and as you pore through the avalanche of analysis ce matin – here and here and here and here – we are all reminded how eminently wise that observation is.  As regular lurkers at this site will know – and as I plan to write, shortly, for a magazine piece – I think cooperation/coalition/merger is a pretty good idea.  A few somewhat successful politicians, like Messrs. Chretien, Broadbent, Romanow, etc., think it is a good idea, too. I mean, (a) Stephen Harper did it with the Reformers/Alliancers/Conservatives, and (b) he won the election that came right afterwards.  But Ignatieff and his circle of advisors are against it – they think they can win by stealing NDP votes, instead of eliminating the NDP as a choice.  They’re totally wrong, but whatever.  All that needed to be said was this:  “Harper isn’t telling the truth.  He tried a secret coalition in 2000 and 2004 with the NDP and the Bloc.  When that didn’t work, he merged in 2004 with the Conservatives.  Me, I want to win the election on my own, fair and square.  What’s going to happen after the election, you ask?  Beats me.  I don’t answer hypothetical questions.  Maybe you can go ask Stephen Harper why he’s a liar.  That isn’t hypothetical.”
• Coyne Coalition Edition: Andrew has a typically thoughtful and principled essay on the subject, here (and “thoughtful and principled” are the reasons why Andrew would be the least successful politician ever, if he ever took the plunge, that is, which he won’t).  Andrew seems to be satisfied with Ignatieff’s answer, but also with the notion that coalitions are perfectly legitimate – just don’t be sneaky about it.  What he doesn’t like is Harper’s aforementioned dishonesty:  “…if [Harper] now believes it is “illegitimate” for one government to replace another without going back to the people, is he then formally swearing that he would never again make the kind of agreement with the other parties, whatever it was, he was so evidently prepared to make in 2004?”
• Winner-ation of the day: Gilles Duceppe.  He called Harper a liar, for lying, and I can guarantee you the Conservative leader would be suing the Bloc leader for defamation were he not protected by the defence of justification.  Harper needs to understand that it isn’t the coalition notion that is a club with which to beat Ignatieff – it’s the suspicion that Ignatieff isn’t being truthful about it.  It’s not the break-in, it’s always the cover-up, etc.  As polls have repeatedly shown, Canadians are quite okay with this coalition stuff.  Go, Gilles, go.
• Loser-ation of the day: The politicians.  They may be talkin’, but ain’t nobody listenin’, yet.
• The Physician Omission: I am rather slow, so you will forgive me for being more bewildered than usual by the fact that the leaders are all yammering about something that doesn’t matter to Canadians so much (cf., coalitions), and not talking at all about something that does (cf., health care).  I’m not making it up:  it’s the Number One Issue Thing for Canadians. So why don’t Ignatieff and the other Opposition bosses beat the stuffing out of Harper with it?  Good question.  I can tell you, however, that health care is going figure rather prominently in the coming Ontario provincial election – and we are going to make Timmy Hudak wear the 20-odd hospitals he shut down, as well as the thousands of nurses he fired, and thousands of hospital beds he eliminated.  And we are going to win with that election, too.  But to each his/her own, I guess.
• Cauchon Emotion! I was happy to see Iggy charge right into Quebec, that horrid La Presse poll notwithstanding, and start hitting the hustings with my friend Martin Cauchon.  As Ivison wrote, he did quite well, and quite a few folks are cheering on Cauchon’s challenge of the rebarbative, back-stabbing Thomas Mulcair, thousands of Layton loyalists included.  To do well in this national election, the Grits need to retake their former stronghold of Outremont – and I confidently predict that the progressive, smart-as-a-whip Cauchon will do just that.  Here, meanwhile, is a photo a Jewish community friend took of a Cauchon sign in his ‘hood.  Nice pic, Cauchon!

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Tonight, at this event, I will be making an important announcement about my political intentions.  C’mon by if you want to hear it in person.

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• As I type this, Stephen Harper is standing outside Rideau Hall, declaring that an election is underway:  So here we go, Canada!
• Why, why, why, why did you force an election, Iggy? I got a few really nasty missives from pseudonymous gutless wonders about my Sun Media column yesterday – and more than a few attacks on Ipsos, about whose poll I had columnized.  These anonymous critics hissed that Ipsos and I were dead wrong about the Tory-Grit gap, that we were in the service of Satan, blah blah blah. Well, the Star/La Presse poll on the front page of this morning’s papers kind of suggests that Ipsos and I weren’t so far off the mark, doesn’t it?  “The survey of 2,365 Canadians reveals the Conservatives are in the lead nationally with 39 per cent support, the Liberals at 25 per cent, and the New Democrats at 19 per cent. The Bloc Québécois has 10 per cent support and the Green Party 7 per cent.” So, once again, with feeling: why did the Liberal leader and his “brain trust” elect to force an election?  Why?
• And that’s not all the Grit misery we have to report, folks! The English media haven’t (typically) picked up on this beaut, yet.  Here’s Bellevance: “Seulement 11% des Québécois comptent voter pour un candidat libéral le 2 mai, révèle un sondage CROP-La Presse réalisé du 16 au 21 mars auprès de 1000 personnes. Le Bloc québécois recueille 38% des intentions de vote, et le Parti conservateur maintient ses appuis à 23%. Le NPD arrive troisième avec 20%, et le Parti vert est bon dernier avec 8%.” You don’t need to understand français to absorb that bombshell: in Quebec, Bloc 38, Conservatives 23, NDP 20, and the Liberals at 11 PER CENT. Jesus H. Christ: that’s the lowest the LPC has ever been in la belle province, I reckon.  Once again, with feeling: why did OLO force an election?  If you’re a Lib, like me, expect to repeat that to yourself about a kabillion times in the next 36 days.
• Best opening day statement: Jack Layton, hands down.  All of the leaders were good, but Layton’s Montreal HQ speech was very impressive.  Hit all the right notes in the right way.  Amazing visuals, with crowd of flag-waving supporters behind him.  Not bad.
• Big winners so far: Speaker Peter Milliken, Stockwell Day, Albina Guarnieri, Chuck Strahl et al.  They all announced, poignantly, that they weren’t running again.  For the most part, all of them served Canada well, and we Canadians should all be grateful for that.  The best to them and their families. And, speaking for myself, I will miss you in particular, Stock.  I trust the feeling is mutual.
• Big losers yesterday: Stephen Harper and Michael Ignatieff – Harper for his appalling absence during the tribute to Milliken, and Ignatieff for being unprepared (and looking it) for the coalition question he has known that has been coming for two years. Milliken was respected and loved on all sides of the House; why Harper wasn’t there to pay tribute to him is unforgivable.  Ignatieff, meanwhile, has since clarified his coalition stance, but I remain mystified why he and OLO senior staff were so clearly unprepared for the Reformatories’ favourite smear.  It’s game time folks: wakey, wakey!

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The Losers, more like.

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TO: M.I.

FROM: W.K.

RE: ANSWER YOU SHOULD GIVE WHEN ASKED COALITION QUESTION

You should wave this news story around and say: “He’s full of crap.”  That should take care of it, and then you can talk about other stuff.

**

Text of Stephen Harper’s 2004 letter signed by Layton and Duceppe (FedElxn-Coalition-Let)
Source: The Canadian Press
Mar 25, 2011 15:54

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OTTAWA _ The Harper government is warning that the Liberals will form a coalition with the “socialists and separatists” if the coming federal election results in a minority government. But when he was Opposition leader, Stephen Harper didn’t seem to mind the idea of governing with the support of the NDP and Bloc Quebecois. Here’s the text of a letter Harper and his fellow opposition leaders sent to the Governor General in 2004:

September 9, 2004

Her Excellency the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson,

C.C., C.M.M., C.O.M., C.D.

Governor General

Rideau Hall

1 Sussex Drive

Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A1

Excellency,

As leaders of the opposition parties, we are well aware that, given the Liberal minority government, you could be asked by the Prime Minister to dissolve the 38th Parliament at any time should the House of Commons fail to support some part of the government’s program.

We respectfully point out that the opposition parties, who together constitute a majority in the House, have been in close consultation. We believe that, should a request for dissolution arise this should give you cause, as constitutional practice has determined, to consult the opposition leaders and consider all of your options before exercising your constitutional authority.

Your attention to this matter is appreciated.

Sincerely,

Hon. Stephen Harper, P.C., M.P.

Leader of the Opposition

Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada

Gilles Duceppe, M.P.

Leader of the Bloc Quebecois

Jack Layton, M.P.

Leader of the New Democratic Party

INDEX: NATIONAL POLITICS

© 2011 The Canadian Press

 

 

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NewsAlert (FedElxn-NewsAlert)
Source: The Canadian Press
Mar 25, 2011 14:21

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OTTAWA – The federal Conservative government has been defeated on a confidence vote in Parliament, setting the stage for a May election.

(The Canadian Press)

INDEX: NATIONAL POLITICS

[And note this: WTL:  According to the BBC, this is the first time in Commonwealth history that a government has been held in contempt. #CndPoli ]

 

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…but I am absolutely astounded that Stephen Harper is not in the House of Commons to participate in the debate that will see the end of his government.

I mean, I know the confidence motion is all about contempt, but I didn’t expect Harper to personally provide evidence of same.

Amazing, depressing, take your pick.

UPDATE: And neither he nor Layton are there for the final Peter Milliken speech. What a disgrace.

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Did The Current this morning with my buddy Jim Armour.  The results will show up here eventually.

My point: tough ads about an opponent’s public record are fair and fine.  But going after someone’s family – as the Conservatives did last week with Michael Ignatieff – is disgraceful.

Listen in!

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