How Can You Tell...

...there's an election coming?

And just in time:

Tories take huge lead in latest poll

You don't suppose that has anything to do with this, do you?

John Ivison: NDP MP will regret saying party’s top priority is toppling Harper government

or this?

Canada regains title as most reputable nation in the world despite Harper derangement frenzy

Ha, ha, lefties.

And then there's this:

NDP urges parents who don’t need child care cheques to donate them to party

You just can't make this shit up.

Fascinating

Canadian politics are getting really, really riveting. Look at these articles from the old media:

Trudeau switches targets in bid to cut Mulcair’s momentum in polls

Is Canada's Natural Governing Party down for the count? If Mulcair and the NDP are causing such a stir, what does that say about the Liberals? Will Baby Trudeau survive? (I doubt it.) Will the Liberal Party survive? Maybe. Maybe not.

There's this bit from an avowed Liberal, Warren Kinsella:

Team Trudeau: the news is in…

He laments:

“Liberals falling further behind NDP-Conservative race”
“Former Liberal acclaimed as NDP candidate”
“Trudeau switches targets in bid to cut Mulcair’s momentum”
“Brian Gallant won’t campaign for federal Liberals during election”
“This is still Harper’s election to lose”
“EKOS poll: Tories are up”

And then there's this:

Liberal MP caught on tape voicing concerns that Trudeau’s inner circle has ‘no political sense whatsoever’

My. My.

And this:

Mulcair Is Putting Canada At Risk By Pandering to Separatists

I hate to say this, but perhaps we should cut Angry Tom some slack. After all he was sent to parliament by Quebecers and the NDP's strong showing in La Belle Provence was at the expense of the Bloc, an avowedly separatist party.

We live in interesting times. It seems our Natural Governing Party is in trouble. How ironic that this should be the case when spawn of P.E.T. is the leader of the Liberal Party. That alone speaks volumes. The Liberal Party of Canada seems to be stuck in the past and has just woken up to the fact that said spawn ain't no carbon copy of Trudeau the Elder.

I Smell An Election Coming

NOTL library gets cash for upgrades

NOTL is short for Niagara on the Lake, Rob Nicholson's riding.

Ministers Goodyear and Nicholson Make First Announcement through the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program

Federal infrastructure fund starts backing projects only two months after program announced

From that last article:

"Conservative ridings received one-and-a-half times more of that infrastructure fund than opposition seats did, a recent Globe and Mail analysis found."

Well, duh!! The Cons do have a majority, so it is to be expected Conservative held ridings might receive more, than other parties. But how much more?

That's hardly surprising. Gotta shore up the base, after all. Moreover, the MPs from these ridings may well have direct access to the real power brokers in Ottawa (ie) the PM and his cabinet, so they will be dispensed with a view to cementing the Conservatives hold on power. It's interesting that the MP for Niagara on the Lake is not just a member of the Conservative Party, but is a cabinet minister. This is politics as usual.

Infrastructure grants tend to be dispensed in portions and as such they should be completed in time for Canada's 150th birthday. Dispensation of small amounts over the course of three or four years will make for good headlines in local community media, keeping a glow emanating around the Cons in those ridings. It would be interesting to know more about each recipient. Are those communities at risk of voting for the Liberals or the NDP? I'm going to do some digging to see what I can come up with.

Brace Yourselves

Federal budget could mark end of duty to consult with First Nations

I tells ya, the Harper Cons have their fingers on the Canadian pulse.

Aaaawe

...Sid Ryan is upset:

Union disclosure Bill C-377 angers Ontario Federation of Labour

Bill C-377 forces unions to disclose expenditures

"Sid Ryan, president of the Ontario Federation of Labour, which represents 54 unions, says his organization will redouble efforts to make sure Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservatives don't win October's federal election.
The federation's leader is upset with the passing of Bill C-377, the Conservatives' controversial private member's bill that forces labour unions to publicly disclose how they spend their money.
The bill, sponsored by Conservative MP Russ Hiebert and backed strongly by the Prime Minister's Office, gained Senate approval Tuesday and requires unions to publicly disclose any spending of $5,000 or more and any salary of more than $100,000.

Unions will have to provide that information to the Canada Revenue Agency, which would publicly post the information to its website."

Yeah, Baby!!!

'Niqab ban' returns as Conservative bill planned for Parliament's final days

We Get Noticed..

 ...For a very good reason:

Canada to Strip Citizenship of Dual-National Terror Convicts

 

 

Gee, Why Not...

...a billion+ and get the CBC to do it for you?

Conservatives commit $13.5 million to advertising blitz on budget

Budget Time

Budget speech is here.

I'm not terribly impressed, but there are some good things in it. Time will tell whether they do any good. Still waiting for CBC to be privatized. I guess another letter to the relevant politicos is in order.

Fraudulent Refugee Claims

Be Humane With Genuine Refugees, But Do Not Put Up With Fraud

Canada’s Refugee System Remains in Disarray

REPORT TEMPORARY FOREIGN WORKER FRAUD

The “Bogus” Refugee: Roma Asylum Claimants and Discourses of Fraud in Canada’s Bill C-31


Challenging the Myths: the Truth about Canadian Refugee Law

How to stay in Canada by cooking up a story

Calgary woman convicted in elaborate immigration fraud

Speaking notes for Chris Alexander, Canada's Citizenship and Immigration Minister at the News Conference Regarding Canada's Asylum System

Refugee claimants still collecting welfare even after being deported

Canada’s refugee acceptance rate up despite asylum restrictions

Odds stacked against Roma refugees, researchers find

Global asylum claims rise 45%, but Canada lags in receiving refugees

I haven't heard much about this for quite a while. Hope it's fixed.

Looks like it has been improved, despite what the Red Star wants you to believe (See last link).

Former refugees face losing residency in Canada if they return to homeland

And lookie here:

CANADA rewrites the book on asylum for refugees from war-torn Syria

"Canada will now give first priority to Syrian refugees from ‘religious minorities’…NOT MUSLIMS!"

Canada recognizes Jewish refugees from Arab countries

Election's A-Coming

The goodies are coming left and right out of Ottawa:

Stephen Harper lowers eligibility for federal student loans

Stephen Harper government sells multibillion-dollar stake in General Motors

And leftards are shitting bricks:

What might Stephen Harper do in his fourth term as prime minister?

Compare And Contrast

It’s not just Duffy – the Harper era is on trial

Harper in lead despite slumping economy, approval rating

Hope This Holds

2015 Canadian federal election projection

If the cons are watching, now would be a good time to call an election.

Libs = 123
Cons = 143
NDP = 66
Greens = 2
BLOC = 4
Others = 0

I wonder which riding the extra "Green" will come from? Likely the left coast.

Ya Think?

Radio-Canada employees hate conservative values, Harper tells Quebec station

Related: "Stephen Harper's Radio-Canada Remark Called 'Petty' By NDP MP"

In my ever so humble opinion he's right on.

Election Prognostications

Here's a good article from the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix:

No one remembers predictions, fortunately

"To penetrate the murk and foresee the result of this impending contest, I refer to the game of football, always a reliable source of tortured metaphors. Football holds to be true that, in the playoffs, the quarterback will be exposed. The NDP and Liberals are going into these playoffs with rookies at quarterback. Neither Tom Mulcair nor Justin Trudeau has led a national campaign. Stephen Harper has led four national campaigns and won the last three. He is Tom Brady, the others, Blake Bortles and Zach Mettenberger, respectively."

[---]

"Harper has worn out his welcome, some are saying, even as Harper's Conservatives snuck ahead in a yearend national poll. Those who dismiss Harper as washed up only want him to retire so he won't win again. Harper's retirement would give his inexperienced adversaries their best chance. We are more likely to see Tom Brady retire with the Patriots going into the playoffs.

If Harper's welcome really is worn out, it is not through overexposure. Whether by design or disposition, he has stayed as much behind the scenes as a prime minister reasonably can. He thus has preserved the value of his personal, political capital. When he does emerge to make an appearance, it still is an occasion. There is a precedent for this. Mackenzie King wrote the book on governing from behind the scenes, and he was prime minister for 22 years, retiring only due to old age. Staying out of Canadians' faces was a big part of his appeal, and of Harper's.

Meanwhile, Justin Trudeau's star appears to be flickering. Such is often the fate of teen idols. When their adorability drops off, as eventually, it must, they don't carry the weight required to break through into the adult market. If charm and good looks were all it took, Michael Bublé would be prime minister, so there must be more to it.

More mature, but still a campaign rookie, is NDP leader Tom Mulcair."

[---]

"The NDP was going to win half the seats in Saskatchewan, he declared, and with more conviction than you would expect from a leader whose party has not elected anyone in the province in 15 years. We were reminded why soon thereafter, when Mulcair got back to Ottawa and promised, from out of the blue, to resurrect the long gun registry. It is not with policies he doesn't dare even to mention until safely away from Saskatchewan that he will win half the seats here."

[---]

"Of course, the future is not written. Anything can happen between now and then. Trudeau could get serious. Mulcair could start using a cane."

[---]

"More decisive will be the campaign itself. Harper is a veteran campaigner who knows how to win. Mulcair and Trudeau at this level are untested. It's Tom Brady versus Blake Bortles and Zach Mettenberger. Take your pick."

Hope he's right.

Adjust As Necessary

Canadians Of Convenience

This article (For Arab immigrants, a Canadian passport and a GCC job may no longer mix) is a bit old, but not by much. It deals with immigrants from the Arab world bitching about changes to the process and rules governing the road to Canadian citizenship. It seems the old "Canadians of convenience" phenomena is no longer all that easy to pull off. Too bad. So sad. (Note that it deals exclusively with immigrants from Arab countries.)

Even Liberals seem to be reluctantly onside:

"McCallum and his colleague, MP John McKay of the Scarborough-Guildwood riding, focused on attacking the Conservative government for proposing to expand powers to revoke citizenship, but stopped short of criticizing the new residency requirement—newcomers’ major complaint."(Emphasis mine.)

And then here's this: ‘Comedy of errors’ lets woman become Canadian citizen despite abysmal results on citizenship tests

About Damn Time

Conservatives propose increasing legal marriage age to 16, say it will keep ‘barbaric cultural practices’ out of Canada

"The government is proposing to set 16 as the national age of marriage in legislation introduced in the House of Commons on Wednesday that it says will help keep “barbaric cultural practices” out of Canada.

The bill tabled by Chris Alexander, the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, targets early forced marriages as well as polygamy, which the legislation would make grounds for deportation.

The Zero Tolerance for Barbaric Cultural Practices Act would make it a criminal offence to participate in or officiate at the marriage of an underage child. Removing a child from Canada for the purposes of forced marriage would also be criminalized.

The Justice department has also asked the provinces to have judges sign off on marriages involving those between the ages of 16 and adulthood. Currently only parental consent is required and the minimum age for marriage varies by province and, by some interpretations, is as low as seven."

As low as seven!! Wow!!!! I didn't know that. My granddaughters are close to that age. I can't imagine them being married. They're too lippy, for one thing.

I Smell An Election Coming

Tory government to table Zero Tolerance for Barbaric Cultural Practices Act

"Canada will ban people who participate in "barbaric cultural practices" from immigrating to Canada, Immigration Minister Chris Alexander said Wednesday.

He said the Zero Tolerance for Barbaric Cultural Practices Act, which will be tabled Wednesday, focuses on polygamy and forced marriages.

He said the bill will make it clear to anyone wishing to enter the country — as well as those born in Canada — that domestic violence, genital mutilation, forced marriages, and polygamy are illegal in Canada and "won't be tolerated.""

That howling you hear is Liberals with their knickers in a knot.

Knights In Shining Armour?

Parliamentarians show unity in aftermath of 'senseless act of violence'

"The attack took place directly outside the unlocked wooden doors of meeting rooms where Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Opposition Leader Tom Mulcair were addressing their respective caucuses.

Harper holed up in a closet for several minutes while the mayhem continued outside, and some of his Conservative MPs brandished flagpoles as spears expecting an imminent intrusion by armed attackers."

LOL!!