You've got the wong place...

Is cutting the colonial tie with Britain the dominating issues that the Liberals need?

2007-09-12T12:03:00.000-04:00

Is cutting the colonial tie with Britain the dominating issues that the Liberals need?

As a Canadian traveling abroad, the symbolism doesn’t strike a cord for me either way. When I think of home, I don’t think of the Queen, the Govern General, or even the Prime Minister. I think of the flag, the landscape, the maple syrup, the crisp autumn air, or the snow…if I’m thinking unhealthy then poutin and beaver tails…

I’d much rather see a movement on environment or a push to tackle some of the existing inequalities among minorities or gender…Cutting the colonial tie is more symbolic and visual that it is influential…so maybe it would be a tangible issues to campaign on.

I’d be interested to see what the Canadian population wants to do….

ps, maybe working on reducing barriers for Canadians in the UK would be better ;)

S.

***

Cutting the last colonial tie
ANTHONY WESTELL

Special to Globe and Mail Update
September 6, 2007 at 12:30 AM EDT

The curious case of the prince and the Catholic, as Dr. Watson might have called it, has aroused little attention — but it should, because it reveals that we are still a semi-colonial country. It prompts the question of whether the time has come to thank the Queen and end the monarchy in Canada — it could be just the dominating issue the Liberals are looking for as they prepare for the next election.

Prior to 1981, our Constitution was simply an act of the British Parliament, and when we wanted to make a change, we had to send a polite request to Westminster. The British were always happy to oblige, so there was no practical problem. But symbolically — and symbols count — it made us a colony. Then, prime minister Pierre Trudeau "patriated" the Constitution (it couldn't be "repatriated" because it had never been here), springing it from Westminster and bringing it under the control of Ottawa and the provinces. He emphasized our new independence by adding the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which is more in the U.S. or French tradition than the British.

With our new Constitution proclaimed in Ottawa, we were able to cry, "Free, free, free at last from colonial rule," except that we now discover that we weren't free, as Norman Spector explained in The Globe and Mail last week. After centuries of often bloody struggle between Roman Catholics and Protestants for the British throne, Westminster settled the matter in 1701 by declaring that in future, no Catholic could be king or queen, or even be married to one.

Now, Princess Anne's son Peter, 10th in the line of succession, wants to marry a Montreal Catholic girl with the delightful name of Autumn Kelly. But first, he must renounce his claim to the Crown. "Who cares?" you might well ask. Peter is so far down the line that he would never become king.

But Canadians should care, because as long as we accept the British monarch as our own, no Catholic can become our head of state. There goes the guarantee against religious discrimination in our revered Charter.

Again, it's a symbolic problem rather than a practical one: The monarch delegates his or her Canadian powers and duties to a governor-general nominated by the prime minister, and is often a Catholic. But, again, symbols count.

Mr. Spector, formerly a highly regarded public servant, finds this religious discrimination an intolerable affront to Canadian values, and urges Prime Minister Stephen Harper to request that London scrap its 18th-century law. Gordon Brown's new government may have other priorities as it prepares for its first election — but regardless, why should we have to petition Westminster to change their law to comply with ours? The bottom line is that so long as we accept the British monarch as our head of state, we shall remain tinged by colonialism.

Liberal governments have been slowly dismantling the colonial connection for many years, often in the face of opposition by Conservative loyalists. Prime minister Lester Pearson replaced our old national flag, based on the British red ensign, with the Maple Leaf. The opposition was fierce, but now the red-and-white flag is flown with pride everywhere. Mr. Trudeau went a step further with the Constitution.

The argument can be made that the Queen has served us so well that we should wait for her reign to end before ending the monarchy in Canada, but might not that be seen as a rejection of her successor? Ending the monarchy would not necessarily cut all Canada's links to Buckingham Palace; like other former British colonies, we could still recognize the Queen as head of the Commonwealth.

Of course, it's easy to write about ending our monarchy, but it would be immensely difficult to bring it about. There would have to be a powerful consensus on a new republican system, and then changes to the Constitution. Only public opinion could override political opposition.

However, the process has to start somewhere, and the initiative lies with the Liberals if they wish to take up the task of making Canada fully independent. They might find it a popular cause with young Canadians and immigrants who feel no historical connection to Britain, and in Quebec, which has always been suspicious of the British connection.

Anthony Westell is an admirer of the Queen in Britain, but not in Canada.

Liberally abroad...

2007-09-06T11:15:00.000-04:00

I've been so bad at keeping up my blog, as my work has me traveling a lot and also has me posting blog entries on our site www.iflry.org.

But I'll try to keep up my blog from time to time with politics that include Canadian and international issues

I've been working for the International Federation of Liberal Youth, so I've still kept up my Liberal heritage but have been gaining a wealth of knowledge from liberals from around the world.

It's been great! There are so many ideas to be utilized and projects to be employed.

While it will be odd to be away for the provincial election, it will be interesting to follow as an outsider.

S.

Canada looks for a new animal image

2007-02-19T18:56:00.000-05:00

What is Harper thinking??

The wolverine: A large land weasel that is know to give off an unpleasant odour and has an unstable nature...and is also known as "skunk bear" and "nasty cat".

Apparently in a battle fight between a wolverine and a moose, it could take a moose with the help of a snow bank but not a black bear...but how does it fair against an elephant or an eagle...that's the question...lol...if there really is any real significance to the animal/country representation...

Okay, so the beaver or the loon may not be the fiercest of animals...but if I was driving down the highway and I had to face a moose or a wolverine, I am sure my car could withstand the wolverine...but the tall Canadian moose, that's an animal you don't want to mess with.... and be able to walk away from…

The wolverine is not a good depiction of Canada.

S.

TENACIOUS, SMELLY--AND UNCOOL
Feb 15th 2007

Canada looks for a new image

CLOSE your eyes and think of Canada. Perhaps the picture that comes to
mind is one of a country of cold winters and civilised prosperity. But
Stephen Harper, the country's Conservative prime minister, has another
idea. This month he suggested that the national image was best captured
by the wolverine, a sort of weasel.

That seems odd. Wolverines have some unpleasant habits. They emit a
foul-smelling musk and eat carrion. They are close relatives of skunks
and their name translates as "glutton" in French. But Mr Harper was
thinking of their reputation for aggression and tenacity in the face of
much larger predators. Canada is no mouse beside the American elephant,
but a wolverine next to a grizzly bear, he said. "We may be smaller but
we're no less fierce about protecting our territory."

Mr Harper knows something about rebranding. He has changed his own
image from angry western neo-conservative to congenial centrist. He is
busy trying to repaint in green a government of climate-change
sceptics. The wolverine image is presumably designed to assure
Canadians that his friendliness towards George Bush is not softness.

In fact, Canada already has an official national animal: the beaver. It
is industrious but shy, and spends most of its time eating through
trees in order to create dams. That worthy, but undynamic, image is
just the one that some Canadians would like to live down.

So what would the image consultants have advised? Animals are fine,
they say. The United States is symbolised by the bald eagle, and then
there are the Chinese dragon, the Russian bear, and the British lion.
But the prime minister may have tried too hard. The chosen beast has to
appeal to the heart rather than the head, which the wolverine does not,
says Nicolas Papadopoulos, a country-branding specialist at Ottawa's
Carleton University.

THE ECONOMIST has already made its suggestion. We put a moose in
sunglasses on our cover[1] in 2003 when we argued that Canada's
combination of muscular North American capitalism and socially tolerant
democracy was rather cool. With global warming melting the frozen
north, the image is bang up-to-date. But the competent Mr Harper just
doesn't do cool.

Back to blogging…sort of…

2006-12-06T08:24:00.000-05:00

I’ve been bad at keeping my blog up…but I am back. I am going to be following politics from abroad as I accepted a new post to be the new Executive Director of the International federation of Liberal Youth (IFLRY) out in London, UK. I am excited at this new challenge but it meant that I had to leave Canada before the leadership convention.

I watched it from afar (which is not nearly as fun). With Dion as our newly chosen leader, it’s an exciting opportunity to move forward and not get bogged down by division…especially now since the other opposition parties are trying to divide on the topic of Dion’s citizenship.

I think Pat Martin is wrong and his demands are disgusting. As Canadian’s, we pride ourselves of being multicultural and not requiring homogenization of cultures. We take pride that citizens of Canada can hold dual citizenship, that we can celebrate our ancestral roots while being proud to be Canadian. Pat Martin has no right to ask Dion to give up his dual citizenship. Dion is Canadian citizenship and asking him to give up part of his heritage is ridiculous.

Let’s not create different classes of Canadian citizens. Pat Martin’s comment seems something more along the lines to come from the conservative bench, not the NDP.

gone for a week and I miss the biggest school yard fight

2006-10-23T18:23:00.000-04:00

So I am gone for a week and I miss Peter Mackay's horrible remark....

I can not believe that PM Harper is letting his comment slide!!! What a disgrace for the Conservative government. First they destroy the ministry for women's equality and now they let cabinet minister's make sexist remarks.

It's not even fair to just say "grow up Peter". There are not enough women in politics to begin with, and a government that allows such disrespectful sexism to pass by does not reflect the values of Canadians. It's just sad.

what a disgrace for Canada's government.
S.

politics abroad

2006-10-15T04:43:00.000-04:00

It was a long trip but I am in France at a young Liberal Conference.

I am a guest of LDYS (Liberal Democrat Youth & Student) from the UK. I will be representing the organization at a conference on multiculturalism. Participants will be travelling from all over the world and there seems to be quite a few people from Eastern Europe. It will be exciting to hear the discussions that develop between all of the participants.

I already almost left my purse at the train station…and while I didn’t get lost, I did stop to ask for directions to make sure I was heading the right direction since it was very late, dark, and I was in a country I had never been before.

I am all class…I stop and asked for directions at the European Parliament…lol. The security gaurd was rather helpful.

wow...Harper to cut funding for women's advocacy work

2006-10-05T15:37:00.000-04:00

I can't believe this!

This is basically the Harper government saying to the women groups of Canada:

"You can have funding for your group as long as you don't promote equality for women, speak to the government about women issues, or do any real research on how women are still unequal....just keep cleaning and baking...and you can have your money under these new terms and conditions for grants."

It's a little difficult to inspire change if you're not allowed to even suggest it...

Tories to cut funding for womens' advocacy work
Updated Wed. Oct. 4 2006 5:16 PM ET

Canadian Press

OTTAWA -- The federal Conservative government says it will no longer fund women's groups that do advocacy, lobbying or general research, leaving some to wonder what's left.

The drastic change to the mandate and operation of Status of Women Canada also drops the word "equality'' when listing the agency's goals.

Previous objectives such as helping women's organizations participate in the public policy process and increasing the public's understanding of women's equality issues have been eliminated from government literature.

Organizations that receive funding from the Trudeau-era agency were stunned.

"When you look at this Conservative government's policy it's like, `Be good girls, be quiet.' It's shocking really,'' said Monica Lysack of the Child Care Advocacy Association of Canada.

Groups initially thought the agency's core program had escaped the axe during a government-wide spending review announced last week, when only the administrative side of Status of Women Canada was cut.

But they were told this week by Status of Women Minister Bev Oda that they would no longer be able to receive funding for projects that involved advocacy work, lobbying of the government or general research, as part of new terms and conditions for grants.

Oda was not available for comment Wednesday.

The changes are consistent with program cuts the government made to policy branches and advisory committees in several departments. Government watchers say it's indicative of a move away from "government-funded lobbying,'' in favour of results-oriented projects.

Alia Hogben, executive director of the Canadian Council of the Muslim Women, argues without the funding the government provided her group, it would never have successfully struck down the use of Muslim shariah law in Ontario family court cases.

"That makes it very difficult, because if you don't lobby and you don't advocate, you're not going to make systemic changes,'' said Hogben.

"A majority of us are new immigrants, we don't know all the systems, we have to struggle with adaptation . . . to say we're going to get money, or any large sums of money to do this work is just not reasonable.''

Also in the new terms and conditions for grants is a general statement of objectives for the women's program.

The last document, published in 1993, said the program supported organizations that sought to "advance equality for women by addressing women's economic, social, political and legal situation.''

It also had a list of four other key objectives that included women's involvement in the decision-making or public policy process.

The new, shorter stated objective is to "facilitate women's participation in Canadian society by addressing their economic, social and cultural situation through Canadian organizations.''

Michele Asselin, president of la Federation des femmes du Quebec _ the largest women's organization in the province _ said Canadians expect their government do what's necessary to uphold Charter equality rights, and sometimes that includes funding outside groups to raise issues.

"It's fundamental to Canadian democracy because all groups and lobbyists aren't all equal. There has to be financing that supports independent groups that can question and analyze and give different perspectives to government,'' said Asselin.
"That's part of a democratic society to finance groups that defend rights.''

'Environment/Climate': Martin, 5 - Harper, 0.

2006-09-22T10:23:00.000-04:00

This Posting is too funny. They did a comparison between the speeches that Martin did in front of the UN last year and Harper this year...

'Development/Aid': Martin, 11 - Harper 6.

'Human Rights': Martin, 13 - Harper, 3.

'Environment/Climate': Martin, 5 - Harper, 0.

'Military': Martin, 1 - Harper, 4.

'Terror': Martin, 0 - Harper, 6.

'War': Martin, 0 - Harper, 3.

Source: Toronto Star

September 21, 2006

That was then...

What a difference a year makes. Last September, it was a prime minister named Paul Martin who was at the United Nations, while an opposition leader named Stephen Harper also happened to be in New York, taking in some Broadway plays, as it happens. (Harper also stayed at the Best Western last year. Presumably, he's found some better digs this year.)

Martin's advisers were somewhat miffed last September that Harper had chosen that same time to be in New York, believing him to be up to something.

Well, times do change. It's Prime Minister Harper in New York this week and yes, Martin, now the former Liberal leader and prime minister, is also in the city. And actually, he is up to something. Martin has been hanging out with former president Bill Clinton, working on his "global initiative" project, and getting ready to throw himself into some international work, specializing in Africa and aboriginal populations.

Meantime, folks back in Ottawa have been having some fun with counting words and doing comparisons of Harper's UN speech today and Martin's of Sept. 16, 2005. Here's what the numbers say:

'Development/Aid': Martin, 11 - Harper 6.

'Human Rights': Martin, 13 - Harper, 3.

'Environment/Climate': Martin, 5 - Harper, 0.

'Military': Martin, 1 - Harper, 4.

'Terror': Martin, 0 - Harper, 6.

'War': Martin, 0 - Harper, 3.

Road trip...plough parade

2006-09-20T14:21:00.000-04:00

Yesterday Edward and I went with Scott to the International Plough Match (IPM)...

We went to one of the largest rural expos. In four days, over 100,000 people are expected to attend.

Scott and a few other MPs, including the leader Bill Graham, sat on the back of a truck as we drove in the parade. They waved and handed out thunder sticks.

There were a lot of booths to inform, educate, and promote rural affairs. It was rather interesting.

For all those that go next year, I have two words for you....rubber boots.

S.
Sent on the TELUS Mobility network with BlackBerry

"Stephen Harper is so far to the right, he’s wrong."

2006-09-17T23:35:00.000-04:00

Well we had the last debate before the big super weekend. Scott did really well. He had the ability to get up there and press the issues. He’s a great debater and would go toe to toe with Stephen Harper.

Scott made great points on aboriginal issues, China, he clearly understands the economy, and regional issues.

AND…he was the best at attacking Harper! We need a leader who is focused on taking on the challenge against Harper.

“Everyone here agrees that we, as Liberals, have a responsibility to beat Stephen Harper.
I rejected Harper’s values,
his party
and his vision for my Canada.”

Scott has the economic, social and environmental vision to beat Stephen Harper.

new survey data....no leads

2006-09-08T10:17:00.000-04:00

Interesting... 5 listed: Brison, Dion, Rae, Kennedy, and Ignatieff.
I actually remember doing one of these polls way back in April or May.

S.

Poll challenges notions of who is frontrunner in Liberal leadership race
(Liberal-Leadership-Po)
Source: The Canadian Press
Sep 7, 2006 15:48

OTTAWA (CP) _ A new poll is challenging the notion that international
academic and author Michael Ignatieff is the front-runner in the Liberal
leadership race, suggesting instead that the top five candidates are
virtually running neck and neck.

The Decima survey says there is little difference between how each of the
five top candidates are faring with the public. The so-called potential
voter pool _ a combination of people who say they would vote Liberal,
consider it, or aren't sure _ sits at between 56 per cent and
53 per cent for all candidates.

They include Ignatieff, former cabinet ministers Stephane Dion and Scott
Brison, former Ontario cabinet minister Gerard Kennedy and former Ontario
premier Bob Rae.

``Mr. Ignatieff, despite being the perceived front-runner and having
considerable media attention, has not been able to put real distance between
himself and the others, when it comes to voter impressions,''
Decima's Bruce Anderson said in a release.

When voters who aren't sure are taken out of the mix, former Ontario premier
Bob Rae inches ahead of the others: 26 per cent of respondents said they
would vote Liberal or consider voting Liberal if Rae were at the party's
helm, compared with 23 per cent for former cabinet minister Stephane Dion
and 21 per cent for Ignatieff.

In Ontario, Rae has an even wider lead over the perceived front-runner, with
11 per cent more voters saying they would vote Liberal or consider voting
Liberal if he were leader than if Ignatieff won.

The poll was conducted between Aug. 31 and Sept.4 by telephone. The results
are based on a sample of just over 1,000 adult Canadians and are considered
accurate to within plus or minus 3.1 per cent, 19 times out of 20.

"a new generation of leadership, a new generation of ideas."

2006-09-07T09:56:00.000-04:00

"There is a new desire for a new generation of leadership in Canada and outside of Canada . . . We have young Canadians that represent the most educated and informed generation in the history of Canada. And they're interested in ideas, but by and large they're not interested in politics. I'd like to help change that." SB

a nice article...

Scott Brison: A different kind of Liberal

He says it's time for 'a new generation of ideas' -- and that's why the ambitious young politician is running for the party leadership, ROY MacGREGOR writes

CHEVERIE, N.S. -- He envies the eagle floating in the late afternoon breeze coming in off the Minas Basin.

Scott Brison would like to soar as high, see as far.

He stands on the shore, the Fundy tide just beginning to rise. Bathing here one morning in the open, outdoor shower he has built at his beach house, he could see all the way to Cape Blomidon, all the way across the wide brown basin to Parrsboro on the far shore.

Yet he wants even more.

He wants to build a towering structure in the woods that rise back of the rolling fields of hay and clover that his father, the local grocer, picked up for $2,200 in the early 1950s. He wants to build above the tree tops, a home strong enough to stand up to the shifting winds, round enough to allow vision in all directions.

Different, like him.

Never let it be said Scott Brison lacks ambition. In elementary school, he gave a speech to the local 4-H club that quoted, as inspirational talks invariably do, the likes of Mark Twain and Will Rogers, but where the most powerful words were his own.

"Iron rusts from disuse," he said at 12 years of age. "Stagnant water loses its purity. And inaction saps the vigour of the mind. To be successful one must be ready for hard work, must have integrity and must have a good attitude. If you have the will to win, you've achieved half your success. If you don't have the will to win, you've achieved half your failure."

"I still believe in that now," he said, smiling at the old speech his parents kept all these years.

He is 39 now, so filled with will to win that, in another hour or so, he will be introduced to several hundred locals as not just the next leader of the Liberal Party of Canada but "the next prime minister of Canada." They will not only cheer but they will dance as the most unusual, certainly most entertaining, of the 10 candidates to succeed Paul Martin takes to the microphone and begins belting out Johnny Cash's I Walk the Line.

They have come for Mr. Brison's annual barbecue and country dance, as they have come every summer since he first ran for office, and won, in 1997. Some came originally as Progressive Conservatives, now as Liberals. Some come today as provincial Conservatives, federal Liberals. Some just come because, well, Scott can be whatever he wants to be, for all they care, so long as he continues to represent the very rural, very conservative riding of Kings-Hants.

He can be a Liberal instead of the Conservative they once thought him to be. He can be gay instead of the straight young man his parents once thought him to be. For all they know -- and many of them lining up for the chicken breasts and potato salad believe this possible -- he can be leader of the Liberal Party and even prime minister of Canada.

"I don't think you plan your life," Mr. Brison said on a long walk along the beach before the guests arrived, a walk he jokingly called "the Hants County Gay Pride Parade."

He did, on the other hand, plan to get involved politically from a very young age, either as an organizer or a candidate. It just happened about a quarter-century before he figured he would be ready. And there was a time, a long, long time, when he thought his dream would prove impossible. An openly gay person could not run for office and be elected. Not in rural Canada. Not as a conservative. Not here in the heart of Nova Scotia's "Baptist Belt."

And yet, he has. Four victories, two as a Progressive Conservative, two now as a Liberal, three victories while openly gay, the first despite being challenged by innuendo.

It was at this moment that Mr. Brison came to appreciate "what an amazing country we live in." A Reform/Alliance supporter was at the microphone during an all-candidates forum in nearby Windsor, and when he insisted on going on about why Mr. Brison had never married, the largely blue-rinse and white-hair audience began booing, some even standing to wave their fists at the questioner. Shortly after a story appeared in Frank magazine suggesting Mr. Brison was gay, he went public and today lives openly with his partner, Maxime St. Pierre. And despite some hard feelings that persist among certain local Conservatives concerning his switching to the Liberals, neither sexual choice nor party affiliation has hurt him in the least at the ballot box.

Mr. Brison speaks openly, and at length, about growing up gay. He was, at one point, desperate to be straight. "I didn't enjoy being an adolescent," he said. "It was a painful period." No one else noticed. He seemed to fit in perfectly. His older sister, Fran, said he was precocious and "born with this in him" to be at the centre rather than the fringe. He was president of his student council, played hockey and baseball like his older brothers Philip and Mitchell, and was popular with the girls. But no one knew.

"I fought it," he said. "No one knew how pained I was. I fought it right through university," while earning a degree in commerce from Dalhousie. "I prayed to God that I would be able to change." But, eventually, he came to terms with reality and let his family know.

"It was quite a blow to us," said Clifford Brison, the candidate's 82-year-old father. The shock was sufficient that, at one point, it sent Clifford and Verna Brison in search of professional help. The best advice, however, came from their own family doctor, who told them, "You go home and you put your arm around him and you tell him you love him. So we did."

It annoys Clifford Brison that the sexuality of one candidate becomes an issue while not for others, yet it remains a pivotal point in Scott Brison's political life as well as personal, and therefore comes far more into play than would otherwise be the case.

When his Progressive Conservative Party -- for which he once ran for leader -- merged with the Canadian Alliance to form the new Conservative Party, Mr. Brison met with leader Stephen Harper to determine whether same-sex marriage, a big Alliance concern, would continue under the new order. It would not only remain one, Mr. Harper told Mr. Brison, but was considered a "core" issue for the new party.

Mr. Brison knew at that instant, he said, "I could not run for a party that I did not want to win the election." Now party-less, he decided he was now a Liberal.

Mr. Brison is adamant that he never actually crossed any floor, but it hardly matters to those who have come here this sunny day.

"I'm 85 years old," said Margie Faulkner, his aunt, "and I voted Conservative in every single election, but when Scott crossed the floor, so did we."

He did not step right into cabinet, but was appointed minister of public works in Paul Martin's short-lived minority government.

He calls it "the most satisfying period of my working life." He set out to overhaul the procurement procedures of this vast department, instituted significant cost-saving initiatives -- and all went completely unnoticed because of the Gomery inquiry into previous contractual practices in the department under another minister.

Oddly enough, Mr. Brison seems to treasure the Gomery experience, revelling in the fact that about 1,000 questions were directed his way in the brief government and that, by all accounts, he performed well under pressure.

"He has the guts of a canal horse," said his father.

"I went through such hell early in my life with taking decisions, that I feel very comfortable taking them now," Mr. Brison said.

One decision profoundly regretted, however, is the morning he chose not to be forthcoming when Globe and Mail Ottawa bureau chief Brian Laghi called concerning talk of an RCMP investigation into a possible cabinet leak.

Just before then-finance-minister Ralph Goodale was to announce the government position on income-trust taxation in November, Mr. Brison, a former investment broker, sent an e-mail to a major bank's senior investment manager saying "I think you will be happier very soon."

Mr. Brison's first instinct was to deny knowledge of the e-mail, but he quickly called a news conference. He admitted to sending the e-mail but maintained he had no precise knowledge of Mr. Goodale's position, had been privy to no departmental meetings and was innocent of any wrongdoing. He said no inside information was being passed on, merely that the long-promised decision was finally coming down. CIBC has said nothing untoward was done in connection with Mr. Brison's cheery hint.

"I didn't do anything dishonest," Mr. Brison said. "I understand how people could misinterpret that, but I'm telling the truth. I did not have that information."

He does, however, admit to the mistake of being "evasive" when contacted by the reporter. He did so, he said, because he believed such an RCMP investigation would not be for discussion by a member of cabinet, but he now says he blew it.

"I've learned from that," he said. "I feel stronger for it. It toughens you up."

His baggage is far more the debatable e-mail exchange than it is crossing the floor. He knows that "baggage" is part of the makeup of this leadership race in which most candidates have exactly the same strategy: be everyone's second, third or fourth choice and slip through on the inside on a later ballot.

Mr. Brison is not even the only candidate to come from another party -- Bob Rae's years as New Democratic premier of Ontario weigh far more heavily on his shoulders than Mr. Brison's time as a Progressive Conservative. Michael Ignatieff has his long absence from Canada, Joe Volpe has his campaign donations, Stéphane Dion has his time in a cabinet that was unpopular in Quebec. Of the several said not to speak acceptable French, Mr. Brison -- who has the ear of a born mimic, able to give you Joe Clark one minute, Johnny Cash the next -- has come the furthest quickest, according to one fluent rival for the job, but he knows he still has a long, long way to go.

"I speak English with an accent from Nova Scotia, too," he joked.

Had his friend Frank McKenna -- the former New Brunswick premier and former Canadian ambassador to Washington -- decided to run, Mr. Brison would never have entertained the thought. What he would like to do is emulate Mr. McKenna, to change the way a province thinks about itself as well as how the country thinks of the province, only he would wish to do it to Canada as a nation: change how Canadians think about themselves, change how the world thinks of Canada.

Mr. Brison has picked up the support of two Maritime MPs, with a third expected this week, and seven senators. He also has the strong backing of Halifax businessman John Roy, who started up the Summit REIT real-estate investment firm that has been so successful giant ING has just offered $3.3-billion in a corporate takeover.

While he is widely considered to be running around the middle of the pack, his organizers say he belongs in the top tier.

Over the summer, Mr. Brison lost two key staff members, his national campaign director, Leslie Swartman, and former CBC radio journalist Susan Murray, who was handling communications. Ms. Murray, who took a full-time job with a think tank, remains a supporter. Ms. Swartman's replacement, Chris MacInnes, was chief of staff to Joe McGuire, minister for Atlantic Canada Opportunities in the Martin cabinet and once a worker for former Chrétien cabinet minister Allan Rock.

Mr. Brison insists he is in the race to win -- nothing less will do.

Running merely to position himself would be "highly narcissistic," he said, and grossly unfair to those working on his campaign. Perhaps Brian Mulroney, John Turner, Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin all had earlier runs for the leadership, but he had no interest in a "practice" campaign. As for setting himself up for a plum cabinet posting, should the Liberals ever return to office, he had already been in cabinet, had performed well, and could expect another chance without having gone through this.

What he had to offer, he believed, was difference. He came from Atlantic Canada. He had a rural background. And he was the youngest in the race. It was time, he believed, that Canada, as Britain had done under Tony Blair, turned to "a new generation of leadership, a new generation of ideas."

"Our party needs a generational change," said Richard Diamond, the president of the Young Liberals and a Brison supporter. "Scott represents the values we care about."

It will soon be 2007, Mr. Brison will argue during this long campaign, and politics is no longer about old notions based on some imaginable centre. "You say 'left wing,' 'right wing' to most Canadians, they think hockey players," he said.

"I was born in the sixties, but I'm not stuck there. You can't solve 21st-century problems with 1960s ideas." If the Liberal Party is ever going to come back, he says, it will be because of ideas, not ideology.

"The Liberal Party has sometimes tried so hard to agree with Canadians on every single issue that it has picked up a reputation as a bit of a windsock," he said.

Like the high, circular home he plans to construct in the woods, he believes in standing up to prevailing winds. Along with Mr. Ignatieff, he departed from the Liberal line to vote with the government in order to extend the mission in Afghanistan. He did so because he was part of the original decision to join the coalition and because he believes, absolutely, that Canada must show its resolve against terrorism. He does not, however, approve of the "wedge politics" Mr. Harper used to split, and embarrass, the Liberals by calling a vote that affects, far more, the real lives of those dealing in a real situation.

"What he did is morally wrong," Mr. Brison said of Mr. Harper's political gambit to use the military to divide, further, the opposition. "This is going to come back and bite him in the rear end."

Next election, however, "It is not going to be good enough just to attack Stephen Harper. That's what we did last time."

Instead, Mr. Brison is calling for a "green economy," one that combines social progressiveness with economic innovation and responsibility. He wants real tax reform that stops hurting the working poor. He wants to give young people a leg up by letting them keep their first $25,000 in earnings. He wants to put an end to regional alienation by moving more federal concerns out of Ottawa, talking about such possibilities as having Indian Affairs set up in Saskatchewan, Fisheries and Oceans moving to the coasts where the fish are found. He wants to turn Canada into the world's leading "clean energy" nation in the 21st century.

Mr. Brison envisions safer environmental methods for removing the oil from the tar sands, new consideration of nuclear power and vast new initiatives to harness the power of the wind, the sun and, he points out to the swiftly rising tide, the surging waters of the Bay of Fundy.

"This could all be a huge opportunity for rural Canada," he said. "They're not going to be putting a wind farm on the corner of Bay and Bloor." He also wants to tap into Canada's rich multiculturalism to build "bridges" around the world. "Instead of talking about Canada's importance in the world," he says, "we've got to make Canada important in the world."

Gain the respect of the world, he says, and the respect of the United States cannot help but follow.

"We have a huge opportunity here," he says, "to punch above our weight."

To fly, he might also say, above the trees.

At a glance

Name: Scott Brison

Age: 39

Born: Windsor, N.S.

Personal: Single, in a relationship with partner Maxime St-Pierre

Political history: First elected to the House of Commons as a Progressive Conservative in 1997, Mr. Brison emerged as the quick-tongued finance critic in the tiny PC caucus. He briefly resigned from his Kings-Hants seat in 2000 to allow then-leader Joe Clark to enter the Commons. In 2003, Mr. Brison ran for the Progressive Conservative leadership, finishing fourth.

After the Progressive Conservatives merged with the Canadian Alliance, Mr. Brison left the new Conservative Party -- saying his party left him -- and was recruited by incoming Liberal Prime Minister Paul Martin. After being elected as a Liberal in 2004, Mr. Brison was made Public Works minister, and was handed the job of dealing with the sponsorship scandal.

Quote: "There is a new desire for a new generation of leadership in Canada and outside of Canada . . . We have young Canadians that represent the most educated and informed generation in the history of Canada. And they're interested in ideas, but by and large they're not interested in politics. I'd like to help change that."

dining part 2...

2006-09-05T21:46:00.000-04:00

The same 'dined and dashed' pub that Dion used, the Celtic Corner, was host to another Young Liberal Leadership event – this time with Scott Brison on Monday.

Scott had a very successful event out in Dartmouth. Around 70 Young Liberals came out to meet with Scott. Though there was no ‘dashing’ going on, there was tones of discussion and debate!

*I feel for you Colin, I understand how the mistake could easily happen…

governing by the polls

2006-09-01T13:16:00.000-04:00

Wasn't Steve very insistent that he would not govern by the polls?!? (say as you do, do as you say...)

The Harper government has scrapped addressing climate change because some new polls suggest that transit is the way to go. Wow. Talk about true leadership Mr. Harper.

First you tell the world that Canada is abandoning our international commitments to Kyoto and now the Harper government is taking climate change right off the radar because some political polls suggests that it is not a vote grabber.

Politics is politics, but remember that while in government you actually have to do some leading and governing. Here's something you don't need a poll to tell you: Climate change is a priority.

the article

S.

Scrapping the Status of Women Canada

2006-08-25T17:14:00.000-04:00

Are the Conservatives really going to deconstruct the Status of Women Canada?

While I do believe we are working towards the elimination of barriers towards women, sadly I do not feel we are totally there. I strongly feel that there is still a need for the Status of Women Canada. It's sad and it's unfortunate that we still have a need for this department but I do not support a scrapping of the SWC.

While REAL Women (A right wing group) says it’s a waste, I would say that a serious problem would be the neglect of an issue that can be solved. Women should not face barriers and glass ceilings. We need to continue working towards equalizing the environment for women.

Nothing would bring me more joy if we were in a position where we could get rid of the need for the Status of Women Canada...I don't think we're there yet.

Scott Brison wrote a letter to Bev Oda asking her to support the continuation of the Status of Women Canada. I hope others will show leadership on the issue.

***

Dear Honourable Minister,

I was dismayed to read a Canadian Press report today that REAL Women Canada, a socially conservative group that actively supports the Conservative Party of Canada, is trying to pressure the government to disband Status of Women Canada. REAL Women Canada has called Status of Women Canada a “serious abuse of taxpayers’ money”.

Status of Women Canada was created in the 1970’s, following the work of a Royal Commission on the Status of Women in 1967, to address equality and the full participation of women in the economic, political, social, and cultural life of the country. In particular, SWC has focused on improving women’s economic well-being, addressing issues around violence against women and children, and furthering the rights of women.

Statistics show that women continue to make up the vast majority of victims of sexual offences and spousal violence. It is also notable that the number of women elected to the Parliament of Canada has not increased appreciably in the last 10 years. Clearly, given the continuing issues around equality and rights for women, there exists a need for the work of SWC in education, advocacy and research to ensure that progress is not halted.

October is Women’s History Month in Canada and I truly hope that your contribution to this commemoration will not be to make Status of Women Canada itself history. This year in particular will focus on Aboriginal women and I hope you agree that a lot of work remains to be done to improve the plight of women in our Aboriginal communities.

I ask for your unequivocal support for the continuation of Status of Women Canada and a full repudiation of the efforts of REAL Women Canada to disband SWC. I look forward to your immediate, and public, reply.

Sincerely,

Scott Brison, M.P.
Kings-Hants

Oh Jason Kenney....

2006-08-25T10:50:00.001-04:00

Oh Deputy to Prime Minister Harper...

how can you first say:...I didn't go to any rally...well, I didn't really go...they pulled me from the streets ...to...okay, I addressed the mass rally and I said things on behalf of the PM ... Mujahedins, what??...

the article...

‘Harvey’s…makes a political meeting a beautiful thing…’

2006-08-21T13:06:00.000-04:00

End of the road…

So we went to Hanover out in Bruce Grey Owen Sound. Scott had a great discussion with Liberals, Ovid and Verona Jackson, and a few local media. The owner of the Harvey’s is a Liberal supporter and put up the Brison meeting up on the sign. It was great!

Or as Scott said… ‘Harvey’s…makes a political meeting a beautiful thing…’

We then went to Barrie where we met in a maritime pub with Liberals from Barrie and Simcoe North. Scott answered questions that ranged from foreign policy to the details of the leadership race. People asked whom he would support on second ballot…to which Scott replied… “I am too busy working on Plan A to worry about Plan B.” Scott’s working in this race to win. Scott wants to lead our party forward and defeat Stephen Harper.

We then left Barrie and got on the 400 and headed down to Toronto so we could attend the LPCO boat cruise on Sunday. The weather was not as sunny as it could have been but the boat cruise was great for Scott. A few leadership candidates were there, yet not nearly as many GTA candidates as one would have thought, but there were Liberals from all over in attendance. The LPCO raised a lot of money by auctioning items off. One person is going to lunch with Scott and Mike Duffy…

After the boat cruise, Scott flew out to Vancouver. Richard and I hopped back into the Malibu and heading back down the 401 for one last time… Richard has a love affair with Chinese food and decided that we needed to find a place to eat in Ajax. Finding a non-buffet or non take-out Chinese food restaurant was not nearly as easy as one would think…mind you, we did pass a Japanese, Korean, and Thai. We stopped in a Tim Horton’s and I chatted with some locals about where some restaurants were. Yeah…that’s right, Richard made me go into a Timmy’s and ask some random strangers where a Chinese food restaurant was. They probably thought it was hilarious…why we couldn’t’ just go for something else was beyond me. Mind you, we found a great place in Whitby…where the food was rather tasty!

Now that we are back, I can’t wait to rest. I don’t know how the candidates do it. Scott has an energy level that is beyond me. He’s dedication to meeting Liberals across the country is serious and meaningful. A leader needs to have the ability to engage Liberals across the country in discussion - and Scott Brison is doing that.

…until the next road trip…

Thank god I am a country girl

2006-08-19T13:15:00.000-04:00

We're out in back country Ontario. We just finished up a stop in Huron Bruce. As we drove in from Stratford, we were graced with the beautiful view of the country side. Ontario- your's to discover....

Scott had a great coffee with a few local Liberals in Stratford. We had a great turn out in Paul Steckle's riding of Huron Bruce. Paul Steckle's lovely wife, Cathy, took Scott around to chat with about 20 local Liberals.

When Scott meets with Liberals who are from the family farm and they speak about their issues- he gets it. He knows that they only way the Liberals are going to win Canada back from Harper is when we reach out to small town and rural Canada. There are no ridings that are write offs. Canada's country side is essential. Scott is the only rural candidate running in this race.
He understands the issues.

As a party, we've lost our touch with small town Canada - and Scott is on a misson to change that. Harper may be from the west but he doesn't represent the views of rural and small town Canada. It's going to take the work of rural members such as Paul Steckle and Scott Brison to help win back small town Canada.

We are now on our way to Bruce Grey Owen Sound....

...Wow, I wish I had brought more than just two CDs....and I don't want to listen to Richard's music....there is only so much beach boys I can take.

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Friday night with Scott Brison

2006-08-18T22:21:00.000-04:00

....It's a Friday evening and Richard and I are hanging out with Scott Brison and a bunch of local London Liberals.

We just finished a large event with about 50 Liberals who came out to meet and speak with Scott. There were great policies brought up and great discussions. We had a great turn out and a lot of support for Scott.

Scott's Driver, ...who shall not be named- so we'll call him Ed R., missed a turn. So Scott got to see another riding. So can we add another riding to the count??

London is such a happening town at night. We walked by bar after bar filled with people and we ended up at a restaurant and we're the only people here...but the thai food is suppose to be the best.

Tomorrow we hit the road with Scott and we're stoping in a few riding and even right up to Bruce Grey Owen Sound!

...It's a wee early start tomorrow....

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4 ridings and 4 lost pens

2006-08-17T20:28:00.000-04:00

We have been to a few ridings now and I have manged to leave a pen in each one. Like most women, I carry a big purse to which I can carry a lot of items....4 pens yes but 5 pens, that's asking too much.

We had a great event in Cobourg with a lot of people, young and the young at heart. Former MP Paul Macklin was out as well. There were great discussions about earning back the trust of small town Canada.

The more I hear Scott speak, the more policies views I find we have in common. I also love Scott's real sense of humour.

Too funny! Today in Cobourg:
Scott Brison on Harper: "he's a shrub. He's a shrub because a shrub is a little Bush, and that's exactly what Harper wants to be."

We then went off to the riding of Durham. Sadly we didn't run into Bev Oda (could I win the YLC iPod if I captured a photo?!?).

We had a wonderful event in Bowmanville where the discussion on ideas and policies was free flowing. We then travelled to Whitby where we were joined by Liberals from Oshawa and Whitby-Oshawa including the wonderful former MP Judi Longfield.

It's been a long day. I have successfully prevented Richard from playing Paul Anka covers....to those that were in the van to PEI, you understand.

...Until tomorrow...
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2 ridings down...17 to go

2006-08-17T13:41:00.000-04:00

Belleville was great. We had lunch at the Bohemian Penguin. Very chic and a must try. It was much better than the can of cocktail weenies that Richard wanted to grab at a small gas station outside of Kingston.

Richard also tried to stop at a gas station that was literally a house with a gas pump on the front lawn. It was the cob webs in the nozzle that made him clue in that there may be no service...

The coffee/lunch was a nice gathering of local liberals where Scott and the members engaged in discussions. Scott, being the only rurual candidate in the race has a great understanding of small town Canada. The dicussions ranged from tax policy to foreign policy and it was much more of a dialog than a speech. Scott noted, 'if we are going to win the next election, we need to earn the votes in small and rural Canada.'

Side note: Since conferation, the riding of Kings Hants has only gone Liberal once before Scott. Since then, Scott has won it twice as a Liberal. He doubled the history!

Sarah@scottbrison.ca

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19 ridings in Malibu

2006-08-17T09:50:00.000-04:00

So we (Richard Diamond, the president of the Young Liberals, and me) hit the road this morning to do an Ontario Tour with Scott Brison. Today, we're hitting ridings from Ottawa to London and then this weekend up to Bruce Grey Owen Sound until the LPCO boat cruise on Sunday.

Scott is doing a grassroot tour where he will have an opportunity to listen and engage in discussions with local Liberals. (He is also sampling the finest assortments of coffee that the province has to offere...)

We started at 6:30am...who leaves their house at that time?!? (You know you love your candidate when...)

And you know you take it for the team when you have to spend countless hours in a car with Richard who has a love affair for "florida old person music". That's righ - Paul Anka, Billy Joel, Sinatra, and the Righteous Brothers. Did I mention that Richard has a cover of 'Smells like Teen Spirt' done by Anka!

We just finished a stop to Smiths Falls in the riding of Lanark Frontenac Addington. We're on our way to Belleville.

...To be continued...

Sarah

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Conservative M.I.A. Caucus

2006-08-16T10:18:00.000-04:00

A little bit of summer fun....

The Young Liberals of Canada want YOU to Join a Political Photo Scavenger Hunt
Win a free iPod!

Young Liberals solemnly realize the importance of our elected officials. Parliamentarians serve an important role in our country and young Canadians are always eager to engage them and discuss the issues. However, Young Liberals have lost track of some of these Members of Parliament.

The Young Liberals of Canada are seeking help to find:

Cheryl Gallant who believes that “a functioning uterus can be an impediment to getting a job;”
David Sweet who hasn’t been seen since his days with the Promise Keepers;
The 'Real' Rahim Jaffer not his radio impersonator;
Pierre Poilievre who vanished after making an interesting gesture in the House of Commons;
Rob Anders who called Nelson Mandela a “terrorist;”
Collin Mayes who wants to throw journalists in jail, a warning, this may extend to Young Liberals; and
Bob Mills who thinks “CO2 is a plant food.”

The Young Liberals of Canada have been searching high and low for them, but with no success.

“We miss Cheryl Gallant and her views but we just can’t find her anywhere!” Richard Diamond, President of the Young Liberals said.

“We truly miss David Sweet, he is just so sweet and all but it seems he’s gone missing,” added Marianne Tremblay, Vice President of External Affairs.

Out of deep concern for these missing MPs, the Young Liberals of Canada has issued a challenge to all Canadians: track down the missing in action Conservatives for fun and profit!

Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s lackeys are more elusive than the Sasquatch – but at least there are photos of the Sasquatch. Can you help us prove these MPs’ exist?

If you can spot them, send a recent live or photoshop- created photo of any of the Conservative M.I.A. Caucus members to spickup@liberal.ca, by September 4th, for the chance to win an iPod!

The Table Officers of the Young Liberals will pick the winning photo. Preference will go to recent in-person photographs. Please make sure to respect their privacy as much as Pierre Poilievre respects Parliament (extra points if you get an obscene gesture from him).

*updated - international fallout!! - Where was Harper??

2006-08-14T13:36:00.000-04:00

update*

International fallout?!?

Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf cancels after learning that Canada's
prime minister would not be there to officially greet her. It’s appalling that Harper would not greet Africa's first female head of state and a representative of the AIDS-ravaged
sub-Saharan region!

More no-shows:

-On Tuesday, International Co-operation Minister Josee Verner cancelled
-On Monday, Health Minister Tony Clement postponed a scheduled news conference, but no new date or time was given.

There is a real lack of leadership and poor political judgment by Harper and his government.

***

It's not a good message to the internatioanl community that the Canadian PM, Stephen Harper, did not feel the need to attend the opening of the 2006 international AIDS conference.

Scott Brison, a Nova Scotia MP, said Harper's decision not to attend the conference sends a clear message to Canadians about the government's stance on HIV/AIDS.

"Stephen Harper's absence here tonight demonstrates a shocking lack of leadership and an appalling lack of compassion," Brison said.

Even actor Richard Gere took shots at Harper for being a no-show.

the article

Conspiracy theory?

2006-08-05T13:44:00.000-04:00

Why is the Harper government trying to 'erase' all notification of ‘Climate Change’?

Read the article

Exhibit A-Removing the public government website: www.climatechange.gc.ca

Exhibit B- external links to environmental organizations such as environmentalist David Suzuki's website are currently under construction.

Exhibit C- “Conservatives have been expunging previous government news releases and other climate change information from federal websites”

Exhibit D- References to Kyoto being ‘deleted’ from government websites

Evidence of the environmental purge: the cancellation of the One Tonne Challenge and the EnerGuide program soon after the Conservatives took power.

Their response: ‘they are committed to implementing a made-in-Canada plan’. Last time I check, the Liberal government was Canadian. Just a word to the wise: A made-in Canada plan should not include ignorance or deferral.

Politics taken on the road…

2006-08-03T17:49:00.000-04:00

A bunch of us loaded up in a few vans and headed East to the Young Liberal Atlantic Caucus. We were hoping for fun times, seafood, and the ocean breeze.

Congrats to the PEI Young Liberals for putting on an awesome convention!

We started our trip with a stay in New Brunswick. Our hotel was oddly damp and at 4am and then again at 5:30am, our fire alarm went off...not funny. Then we were off to Cavendish where we stop at the Anne of Green Gables house! I am not going to lie. I was beyond excited. I have a love of Canadian literature and movies. I own the books and dvds of Anne. We enjoyed a church supper of seafood. I don’t get the appeal of muscles. Then we went to Charlottetown where the convention was being held at UPEI.

The opening ceremonies were held at a race track! It was a lot of fun and we were joined by numerous leadership candidates. After that, we were off to Scott Brison’s suite party before we hit the bars...or I mean bar, one bar. The morning was started with policy discussion that open the floor to ideas and criticism for the future of the party. Scott Brison, Ken Dryden, Gerard Kennedy, and Mark Holland were part of the discussions. Then we were off to the park where we played sports and had a bbq. Some went to the beach while a few of us went to a “ice-tea and pie” event with Shawn Murphy for Scott Brison. The evening was capped off with a dinner with guest speakers such as Dion, a few east coast members of parliament and the president of the provinal PEI Liberals. I was lucky to sit at a table with a Senator. He was giving us his view on how to get more women involved…and I very much disagreed with him so it spawned a conversation. He was suggesting mandatory appointment of women candidates. On side note, I am not for this. We need to reduce the barriers for women and level the playing field. (this could be a whole other post). The evening was filled with traditional suite parties and then the bar again. It was after the bar where our adventures got interesting…

For some reason, Richard decided he wanted hot and sour soup while in Charlottetown. The soup was so bad we couldn’t eat it. I am not one to normally send back food, but this was soup diluted with vinegar. We tried to send it back. We were polite but the waitress just cancelled our order and didn’t tell us. We were served our bill and asked to pay and leave. So we complained to the owner, who was a huge jerk. I told him that I know Asian food and the soup was not edible. We were willing to pay for food we ate, but not the soup. Now…the first sign that this restaurant was not a good idea should have been that there was a bouncer at the door. I kid you not. There was a bouncer at a China Gardens. Any ways, a girl in line tried to get up all in my face and started yelling at me…lol. I told her it didn’t concern her and that she should shut it. Melissa went back up and apparently the girl was enraged and wanted to fight me…lol. The odds would have been in my favor since she was intoxicated and I was sober…who ever said that Islander’s were peaceful…

After PEI we went to beautiful Nova Scotia. We went to Scott Brison’s annual riding BBQ at his home in Cheverie. I am now convinced that city living is totally over rated. It was beautiful out in rural Nova Scotia . After the BBQ we had a huge bon fire and a party at his house. A

few car loads of young liberals drove out and we had ourselves a grand old time. Nothing is nicer than partying on the Bay of Fundy, under the stars, in front of a fire…

Car ride back…we stopped at way too many Irvings. And you know when a car game goes badly when it last for hours. We decided to play- name that city, then name a city with the last letter. It went on for hours. And we weren’t playing no child’s game. Cory wrote down the names so we couldn’t repeat them. 14 hours back home…aside from playing the game for a bit, I tried to rest up.

Okay, maybe I do miss Nancy’s turkey gravy from the Truro Irvings…You’re her number one Richard.

Web-a-thon, what?

2006-06-27T15:58:00.000-04:00

That’s right! Scott Brison will be holding a “web-a-thon” and you could be part of the first web-a-thon action!

This is grassroots at work. Campaigns are no longer going to be guided by large corporate donations. Campaigning starts with you. A ten dollar donation goes a long way and helps build a Liberal vision of Canada. Be part of the experience. Support Scott’s campaign towards building a Canada on bold ideas.

To donate: visit www.scottbrison.ca click on the “donate” button and watch the members of the grassroots and supporters invest in a Liberal future for Canada!

SUPPORT SCOTT --- WORK THE WEB --- HELP MAKE HISTORY

Scott Brison is holding a “web-a-thon” on Wednesday June 28th - the first time this method of fundraising has ever been used in a Canadian leadership campaign.

No amount is too small. Pledge $10, $20, $50, $100 or any amount up to the maximum individual contribution of $5,400. Check out the tax table on the Donate page to see how your contribution will be eligible for a tax credit.

So again, be part of the first ever fundraising “web-a-thon” on Wednesday June 28th. The web site www.scottbrison.ca will be action central. And while you are there check out some of our new website features including “Have Your Say” a policy forum where you can discuss and debate Scott’s ideas.

Scott needs your help to continue his quest to build a more innovative, progressive and cleaner greener Canada for the 21st Century.

Visit the web site www.scottbrison.ca click on the “donate” button and watch the dollar figure grow!

Mike Harri's 'Common sense revolution' brought to Parliament Hill

2006-06-21T10:41:00.000-04:00

It’s only fitting that Tony Clemet, Two Tier Tony a nick name for his public endorsement of a two-tier health system, bring a little ‘common sense’ to Harper’s government.

I mean…isn’t it common sense to have a health minister who knows the pharmaceutical giants really well…if not owns stakes in them.

Accountability in Harper’s government means:

Having the Conservative Member of Parliament from Parry Sound Muskoka refusing to sell his 25 per cent stake in Prudential Chem Inc., a Toronto-based company that sells pharmaceutically-active ingredients for use in medicines, despite that fact that as Heath Minister, his department regulates the drug approval process.
Awarding a $25,000 sole-sourced contract from Health Minister Tony Clement to his buddy who just happens to be general manager of the Canadian International Pharmacists Association (CIPA), a key player in promoting on-line pharmaceutical sales - an issue that has the support of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservatives.
Having a health minister who has ownership of a pharmaceutical company is like having a Defense Minister who used to be a lobbyist for a large firm who bids on Defense contracts. Next you’ll tell me Harper will have Ministers in his cabinet that weren’t event elected….accountability….

“Darling of the crowd”

2006-06-19T10:48:00.000-04:00

Scott Brison was described by CanWest and the Daily in Halifax as the “Darling of the crowd”. The crowd was obviously on his side as he looked like a true leader – confident and knowledgeable about the issues.

Scott was a strong voice in the Moncton debate and has firmly established himself among the top tier of candidates. This race is not about claiming rights to leadership or selling themselves as party outsiders.

It’s about policy, purpose, and ideas. Scott is the candidate of bold ideas.

A few great quotes from the debate:

"Just because you're in opposition doesn't mean you check your principles at the door,"

"I want to say this to Stephen Harper: We are not defeatist,"

Great Scotts! Discussions…discussions but where are the ideas…

2006-06-11T15:54:00.000-04:00

Yesterday debate was…not so much a debate but rather 11 people standing and talking politely…(well, most of them).

Some of the speakers surprised me and some of them were lack luster. Some delivered their lines with greater pose then I would have expected while some were not as visionary as people are lead to believe…but really…where were the ideas?? With so many candidates, there must be some differences between them…

There are no winners or losers, but rather signification identities created and ideas transmitted. To me, Scott Brison did that. He set himself apart from the group and spoke on actual ideas for equalization and agriculture. He is not merely suggesting we need to make Canada better, he is purposing bold ideas to move Canada forward.

Why am I supporting Scott Brison over the rest of the other 10 candidates…a few overly simple reasons:

Policy: He speaks to me about policies that are implementable, that are valuable, and that are a working vision for Canada. He shares in my view on environment and how it can be the next transnational issues and how Canada can be international environmental leaders. (sidebar: he was one of the very few politicians to have an open policy discussion with me…and two weeks later, pull me aside at a social to finish our discussion on environment…he must have a memory like a fox!)

Renewal: He speaks about how we need to re-establish what it means to be Liberal, not what it meant 5 years ago. He speaks about re-engaging the country in discussion and will bring the regions together. He addresses the issues of equalization payments, EI, and environmental practices that would engage the West.

Leadership: This is simple. I want a leader who will be there today and tomorrow. I want a leader who will be quick on the draw in the House when representing the Liberals in opposition. I want a strong speaker who has bold ideas and will challenge Harper on every turn. In the same regards, I want a leader who has values for our party that will lead us into government. (and mostly, for the love of it all…election after election…I don’t want to head into another leadership in 3 years because our leader will retire)

Personal note: When Scott asked me what I wanted to do in life and when I said “make a difference” he didn’t laugh or smirk, or roll his eyes. He simply said, “That’s great. We need people like you.”…and then we proceeded to have a lengthy conversation. He is a respectful politician that doesn’t speak down to you but rather embraces your ideas. Scott exudes leadership while being connected to the grass level. To me, that is leadership of the Liberal party.

Sarah

'Canadian-made' Obligations!

2006-06-03T19:44:00.000-04:00

Listen to Al Gore speak about Canadians and Kyoto!

It’s put a perspective on things, our actions are being observed…keep our Canadian obligations to work towards Kyoto…they are Canadian obligations. Don’t fail Canada.

As Canadians, we don’t turn our backs on our commitments. Let’s work towards meeting our Kyoto targets.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

Harper to shun Ottawa journalists

2006-05-25T18:39:00.000-04:00

Where have all the media gone?

One, two, three, four, five…was ‘accountability’ part of Harper’s five government items?

If so, would avoiding the media really be the best step in that direction??? It’s easy enough to say you are accountable if you don’t have to show that you are accountable.

Harper has stated that he will be avoiding the journalist on Parliament Hill because the media will not do what he says, how he says. They are upset that they aren’t allowed to asks him questions, so he now refuses to answer questions….my oh my…. ‘My way or the highway’ goes straight from backbencher to cabinet to journalist.

Definitions:

Prime Minister: the official head of a cabinet or ministry; especially : the chief executive of a parliamentary government

Oppressor: To keep down by severe and unjust use of force or authority: a people who were oppressed by tyranny.

Wait a second…Prime what??

PM to shun Ottawa journalists
May 25, 2006. 01:00 AM

OTTAWA—Stephen Harper says journalists on Parliament Hill are biased against his government so he'll be avoiding them.

The Prime Minister says the parliamentary press gallery seems to have decided to

become the opposition to his Conservative government.

He told A-Channel in London, Ont., yesterday that he is having problems with reporters that a Liberal leader would never face.

So he says he will take his message out on the road to less hostile local media.

"Unfortunately, the press gallery has taken the view they are going to be the opposition to the government," Harper told the TV station. "They don't ask questions at my press conferences now."

On Tuesday, two dozen Ottawa reporters walked out on a Harper event when he refused to take their questions.

Harper does not want to hold press conferences unless his staff choose which journalists ask questions from a list they compile. The Ottawa press gallery won't accept those rules.

"I have trouble believing that a Liberal prime minister would have this problem," Harper said yesterday. "But the press gallery at the leadership level has taken an anti-Conservative view."

A media analyst said Harper was being paranoid, and that his remarks could backfire.

"Basically, what he's saying is the regional media can be trusted to be compliant. They will find that insulting," said Chris Dornan, head of Carleton University's journalism school.

"Just as the national press corps will find insulting the suggestion that they're all paid-up Liberal hacks."

Yves Malo, a reporter with Quebec's TVA and president of Ottawa's press gallery, said he was neither pro- nor anti-Conservative.

"I'm just a journalist who's trying to do his job," he said.

Canadian Press

"Let's stop racism"...

2006-04-30T23:53:00.000-04:00

UPDATE**** Vellecotte steps down as chair...woohoo...

Looking at my neon pink "Let's STOP racism" pin from the 90's makes....I feel a little alarmed when the people who Harper is supporting are people who are publicly known for their racially derogatory comments…

-Maurice Vellecotte, MP is Stephen Harper’s choice to lead the Commons aboriginal committee. He supported the police officers who were embroiled in the hate act of leaving an Aboriginal man out to die in the winter temperatures.

-Mr. Morgan was recently given the post of public appointments commission. He blamed immigrants from certain regions of the world for violence in Canada. He specifically named Jamaican and Asians for ethnic violence in Canada.

Why is Harper’s Conservative government rewarding people who make racist comments?

Racism is a serious issue in Canada and I don’t understand why a Prime Minister would promote individuals that exude racial attitudes.

If “Standing up for Canada” means putting racist people into positions of power…then next election we should be moving Canada forward, not backwards.

Marchers protest Vellacott nomination
The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon)
Saturday, April 29, 2006
Page: A9
Section: Local
Byline: Sarah MacDonald
Source: The StarPhoenix

About 100 people marched from the First Nations University of Canada's Saskatoon campus to MP Maurice Vellacott's office Friday afternoon to protest his nomination as chair of the House of Commons committee on aboriginal affairs and northern development.

Carrying signs with slogans such as "Vellacott denies the facts," "Treaties came before Canada" and "Stop racism from Saskatoon to Caledonia," participants also rallied in support of the members of the Six Nations First Nation involved in a standoff over disputed land in Caledonia, Ont.

"We just thought we would put the two together because if he got the chair, what would he do at Six Nations?" said Darlene Okemaysim, one of the march organizers. "What would he do in Saskatoon to improve police- Native-white relations?"

Those involved in Friday's rally were concerned that Vellacott may not be the best choice for chair of the committee. His support of two police officers who were fired for dropping off an aboriginal man on the outskirts of Saskatoon in -25 degree weather, and his recent allegation that Native people had a drinking shack outside of the city, were criticized by protesters such as Colleen Thomas.

"We don't feel that he's ready to be the champion of our cause at this point. We don't want him there until he's willing to enter into a relationship with us where he's learning and we're the teachers," said Thomas, who is from the Witchekan Lake First Nation.

"I'd be willing to meet Vellacott halfway, if he would be willing to do that, and that's why I'm walking to his office today," Thomas said, her voice cracking with emotion and tears forming in her eyes.

Vellacott's knowledge of aboriginal issues has also been questioned.

Gary Merasty, a Liberal MP from northern Saskatchewan who is also on the aboriginal affairs committee, said that in all of his years in aboriginal politics, he had never known Vellacott to advocate aboriginal issues.

"With respect to his depth of knowledge, I'm not sure that he has the necessary experience. Some of his views may affect his ability to perform as a fair chairman," said Merasty.

The election of the committee chair takes place Monday afternoon. Any of the 12 members can put their names forward to be elected chair. Merasty's name isn't on the list, but Vellacott was nominated by Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Vellacott couldn't be in Saskatoon to meet with the people protesting his nomination, but he sent a letter defending himself.

In the letter, Vellacott said he is committed to aboriginal issues and that the march was a result of misrepresentations of his position on aboriginal affairs by "the media and a number of my political adversaries."

He wrote that his assistance of the two former police officers involved in the Darrell Night case would have been the same had those officers been aboriginal.

"I would have attempted to help them too," he wrote.

In an interview from his Ottawa office, Vellacott said a conflict in schedules prevented him from being in Saskatoon Friday but he would be open to meeting with the people one-on-one.

"I think that probably does a whole lot more to engender a little understanding than hollering into a megaphone," he said.

samacdonald@sp.canwest.com

Freedom of Association....

2006-04-18T21:27:00.000-04:00

It's interesting to realize that a purposed further cap on political donation can place limitations on your freedom of association....I think if a person wants to donate their hard earn money because they believe in a cause....by all means....

The $5000 limitation is not great either, but at least a person could attend all of the events in a year, if they so chose. $1000 wouldn't allow you to attend all of the events.

S.

Proposed $1,000 cap on political donations may violate charter
National Post
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Page: A4
Section: Canada
Byline: Allan Woods
Column: National Report
Dateline: OTTAWA
Source: CanWest News Service

OTTAWA - The Conservative government's proposed $1,000 limit on individual political donations spelled out in the Accountability Act could violate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, according to electoral law and political financing experts. Interviews with lawyers, interest
groups and academics suggest that measures to reduce the amount people can give to political parties to $1,000 from $5,000 may interfere with the right to freedom of speech. "It's not only about freedom of speech. It's also about freedom of association," said Scott Thurlow, an Ottawa lawyer familiar with party financing legislation passed in 2003 by the Liberals that capped individual donations at $5,000. "If I make my $1,000 contribution to the Green Party, and the Green Party has another event that I want to go to, I can't go to it because I've already made my contribution to them."

Mr. Thurlow said he is supportive of the bulk of the government's wide-ranging attempt to clean up the federal government -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper's first piece of legislation -- but said there is "no doubt in my mind" that the political financing measures constitute a constitutional violation, and he is not alone. "It's my money and my property and I don't think the government should be able to tell me what to do with it," said Gerry Nicholls, head of the
National Citizens Coaltion, an advocacy group that Mr. Harper himself used to lead.

Killing Kyoto

2006-04-09T15:36:00.000-04:00

Meeting the targets of Kyoto is not easy nor is it cheap, but that doesn't mean that we should strive for it. The Kyoto accord is an international agreement that Canada has signed on to and it should be respected. I think it would be a disgrace if Canada announced that we no longer work on our commitments.

Sorry Ambrose, but you are wrong on this:
"Canadians need to talk about "action and solutions long term. We need solutions that are out by 50, 100 years, not two years, five years."

We need action NOW. Yes, we need long term solutions, but we need to make head way now. I would like clean air and drinking water for my children, not just their great grandchildren. There are no golden solutions and no quick wipes for environmental damage but we need to take steps forward, not backwards.

The UN Climate Change Conference was not a waste. It was at meeting of the minds, discussion on our future, and raised public awareness on environmental issues to a new level. The conference sought out important issues and foster team work on a global scale. If that is not important to the Conservatives, I shudder at the thought of the future of what our environment will be.

It' won't be easy to meet our targets, but we should at least try. To strive for a goal is better than to sit back and witness more damage. Kyoto is not perfect, but it's a statment. It says that Canadians are trying to work towards cleaning our environment. To say we shouldn't even try to make our country’s environment cleaner is anti-Canadian.

Meet our targets.

S.

read the article

PMO won't lower flag in honour of soliders

2006-04-05T15:15:00.000-04:00

Ugg this article irks me. Lowering the flag is a symbol of respect, not political retoric. This is just another example of the PMO trying to make petty changes to flex their muscles. I'm sorry but this is disrepectful to the Soliders who fight for our country.

The next thing Harper will tell us is that he's changing the Red and White Maple Leaf to Blue and White.

S.

Tories won't lower flag for troop deaths: Casualties in Afghanistan to be honoured on Remembrance Day: Defence minister
The Ottawa Citizen Wednesday, April 5, 2006 Page: A8 Section: News Byline: Joshua Errett Source: The Ottawa Citizen

The decision to stop lowering national flags to half-staff when a Canadian soldier dies in Afghanistan is a return to an 80-year old tradition broken by the previous government, Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor said yesterday.

"For the last 80 years, our national tradition has been to honour all (Canadian troops killed in service) on the same day in a national Remembrance Day ceremony," said Mr. O'Connor.

But during the tenure of Jean Chretien and Paul Martin, the Prime Minister's Office requested that Canadian flags at government buildings and on the Peace Tower be lowered when soldiers are killed in Afghanistan. Stephen Harper's Conservative government -- citing Canada Heritage flag-lowering protocol -- will not make those provisions.

"We've reverted back to the tradition," said Defence spokesman Jae Malana, adding that it was previous Liberal governments that broke tradition, not the current Conservative government.

Mr. Malana said the official policy is not to lower flags for every casualty unless the Prime Minister's Office makes a request.

The three soldiers who have died in Afghanistan since Mr. Harper took office have not had flags lowered on all government buildings, most notably the Peace Tower.

Mr. O'Connor said that "the protocol clearly states" flags will beonly be half-staffed for a soldier's death in specific locations: thesoldier's operational base, home base and the National Defence Headquarters, from the day of death to the day of the funeral, and all flags within the soldier's service (Army, Navy or Air Force) on the day of the funeral.

Liberal defence critic Ujjal Dosanjh said the previous Liberal governments recognized that protocol, but lowered flags regardless.

"It was appropriate to change that," said Mr. Dosanjh. "I believe lowering the flag is the least a government can do."

The Liberal government began the flag-lowering policy in 2002, when four Canadian soldiers died in a friendly fire incident with a U.S. pilot in Afghanistan. The policy continued until last month, after the Conservatives took office.

But Mr. Dosanjh said the issue should not become one of partisanship.

"The fact that the Liberals started the tradition of flags at half-mast for every soldier is not the point," he said. "And it should not be a political point.

"That practice should continue."

you write the story, you do the time

2006-04-04T20:02:00.000-04:00

Now that the speech from the thorn has been delivered…I wonder which journalist the Conservative MP Colin Mayes will want to see jailed. Which reporter will dare criticize and attempt to deliver a news report on the speech …their watching you Taber, Duffy, and Fife…if you write the story, you do the time.

Effective and open accountability…I think China’s government is taking notes.

Oh and Mayes is no longer available for comment…please direct any questions about any department, member, any thing conservative, or even constituency must be directed through the PMO.

Harper tightens muzzle

Telephone surveys...I finally got to participate...

2006-03-28T18:29:00.000-05:00

So today I participated in a phone survey…it was on political involvement.

You always hear that "a 1000 people were polled" and yet I have never been part of that group. Always hearing about them yet never doing one soI’m not going to lie; I was a little excited to participate…until I heard the questions that were asked. If you have ever taken a stats class you will tend to find fault with the order of questions or the way they were worded….

Some of the questions:

What are the biggest obstacle that the Liberal Party faces?
(This is a widely open ended question…Do I think of external or internal…or dare I say…what obstacles?)

Did the Conservatives win the election, or did the Liberals lose it?
(My response, neither…Frankly, at 102 seats, I don’t think we lost it, but we surly didn’t win it.)

What do you think of the communication of the election, the national campaign team, the local campaign teams?
(wow, such a free for all)

What do you think the liberal party needs to do better next time?
(well…I have a lot of views…work together as one party and bring it back to policy…to name a few...)

If you had to vote for these 5 people…who would you vote for?….
(Given that there are 15…5 was too few too choose from)

What is your view on previous leadership of Chrétien and Martin?
(Very favorable, somewhat favorable, somewhat unfavorable, very unfavorable…)

All in all, the survey was very poorly written and was geared towards streamlining your answers for one or two candidates. It’s not a fair representation if I can’t choose the candidate are told to pick out of a list of 5. If I could rank them, that would be better and more reflective.

Orchard? April Fools? *updated....

2006-03-27T22:58:00.000-05:00

*Okay, maybe my post might have come across as harsh to some. My thought is that if someone wants to run for the Leadership of the party, they should at least be part of the party and have contributed to it.

It's the same thought towards Rae and Kennedy. I think Kennedy is a great MPP and if he wants to be a great MP, he would be a great addition to the Federal Liberal Party, but not leader.

If David Orchard wanted to run for the Liberals next time around, I'd welcome that, just not for leader.

---

if he was so interested...why didn't he run for the Liberals during the election...put your money where your mouth is...

SW.

Orchard Eyes Liberal Leadership
Josh Pringle
Monday, March 27, 2006

Two-time Tory leadership candidate David Orchard is considering running for the leadership of the federal Liberal Party.

The Saskatchewan farmer says he wasn't considering it until people started calling him.

Orchard ran twice for the leadership of the Progressive Conservative party

Orchard took out a Liberal membership before the last election.

http://www.cfra.com/headlines/index.asp?cat=2&nid=37824

Failed Conservative could head up Integrity Commission...

2006-03-26T23:42:00.000-05:00

Okay…when I saw the news clip that Harper’s Conservatives are to create an ‘integrity commissioner’ I had a few thoughts…

1) What is the definition of “integrity”:

“Steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code.”
“The state of being unimpaired”…

Is Allan Cutler really unimpaired? And by adhering to a strict ethical code, does Harper mean by appointing unelected officials and Conservative buddies? Maybe Fortier could take on the role along with his new Senate and Cabinet job.

If Cutler truly did what he did for the good of Canada, why is he trying to take a pay out from the Conservative party?? He’s not NON partisan because he lost the election…(do you hear that Emerson?!?)

2) If you are separating politics and the public service from this position, does it really make sense to appoint a failed Conservative Candidate and former public servant…I don’t see how it separates it and makes it accountable...hmm ( I also looked up the word IRONIC: “Poignantly contrary to what was expected or intended”)

3) Pay money for whistle blowing?
Is this for real? Cutler would hand out money? Government money?

Let me ponder this…How much will the former Conservative candidate pay for people to blow the whistle? What would be the Conservative House rate?

4) "That's one of the commitments we made during the campaign," Treasury Board president John Baird.

They promised to create a 10 million dollar office and appoint a failed Conservative buddy to it? And he’ll have the ability to pay people for whistle blowing? Where’s the accountability in politicizing an appointed position. This was one of the campaign commitments?!? There you go Canada. If your social programs get cut, you can always try to win the whistle blowing lottery.

The ctv news story...

Dan has a similar view...

Here we go now...do...dee...doo...dooo

2006-03-20T22:58:00.000-05:00

After a politicized St.Patty’s weekend...the decisions have been made about the rules of the fun times ahead of us. Good luck to all who choose to run. December 2 and 3 in Montreal...oh the fun to be had...

I think the liberal party has a real chance to move ahead and to move forward in a healthy way. OH and we can’t forget to keep on tails of the Conservatives...As we work on leadership, we can’t forget to keep the Conservatives accountable.

Memberships, delegate selection meetings, policies... oh my...

A little random political history…

2006-03-16T20:12:00.000-05:00

Name a family that has had multiple politicians in the family…easy enough…
Name a family where both the father and the son has held power…okay…
Name a family where members belongs to a different party…
Name a family where the Father and his sons have all been Premier of Quebec…

A little random political history…

Daniel Johnson Sr. was Primer of Quebec from 1966 to 196 under Union Nationale
One son, Pierre-Marc Johnson was briefly Premier in 1985 under the banner of the Parti Québécois.
His other son, Daniel Johnson Jr. also became premier in 1994 but under the Liberal Party.

Family reunions must have been a joy…

He's a Man's man

2006-03-13T16:05:00.000-05:00

Mike Duffy described the new Canadian ambassador to Washington as a "jock" and a "man's man"....so we should see better relations with the US.

A man's man? Why don't we take a few more steps backwards...what a derogatory description.

To say that he is a good choice because his ideologies match the republicans is one thing...but to say he will be a good representative because he plays golf and is a man's man, is a discredit to his achievements.

One of Mr. Wilson achievements was that while he was Conservative Finance Minister he introduced the GST...

Top secrete?

2006-03-13T00:49:00.000-05:00

Is it really top secrete if the Media attends a military mission? I don't know...I don't know if I consider CTV coverage top secrete... undisclosed, yes...but top secrete...meh...

I do think that many Canadian do support the troops...the discussion of late it's more of a question as to the mission. Questions like...what are we doing there? Is it accomplishing anything? Are we providing military services or reconstruction? Is the area ready for reconstruction? Should reconstruction be done by the military or NGOs? ...

There is no question as to the respect for the men and women that perform in the military.

OH...and let's not forget it was the Mulroony white paper that made some of the largest cuts to the military...

Harper Is Lost In Translation

2006-03-11T00:48:00.000-05:00

Message from the Prime Minister

“We have committed to Canadians that accountability and ethics will be at the centre of our governing agenda. First and foremost, accountable government means leading by example. Our government must uphold the public trust to the highest possible standard, and this responsibility falls uniquely on all public office holders, beginning with Ministers.”

-Yes, it begins with Ministers. Ministers like David Emerson, who is accountable to their riding. So much so that they felt that even though they didn’t vote in a Conservative, they were much better off being serve by one. Our party must uphold the public trust…

-Foremost, accountable government means leading by example. Kids, you don’t have to actually run in an election to serve as a Minister. You just need friends in high places. Accountability falls uniquely on all public office holders… Fortier might not have been voted in by the public...but ah um, he’s from it…so that counts for something…

“The Conflict of Interest and Post-Employment Code for Public Office Holders is a critical component of accountable government. The objective of the Code is to provide guidance to all public office holders in the discharge of their official duties and responsibilities and, thereby, to provide assurance to Canadians that their government is acting in an accountable, ethical and transparent manner. This means acting always in accordance with both the principles and specific provisions of the Code.”

-The Post-Employment Code suggest always acting in accordance with principles and provisions of the code…speaking of Post-Employment…Mr. Ethics Commissioner…You’re fired.

“Numerous revisions have been made to the Code to strengthen it, including more stringent post-employment provisions. All the changes are intended to ensure that the Code reflects our commitments to Canadians and will complement the government’s broader ethics and accountability agenda”

-Yes, we promised you a 52 point plan before the election. But frankly, we had to make some changes since we actually won and don't want to limit ourselves. So I must apologize since the public will actually not be able to make complaints to the Ethics Commissioner. And I know I said I would put a 5 year ban on lobby actives by members…um, I would like to take this time to introduce my new Defence Minister..Gordon O’Connor.

“The release of this Code fulfills the statutory requirement, under the Parliament of Canada Act, that the Prime Minister establish “ethical principles, rules and obligations for public office holders.”

-Now that I have establish my rules of the game, I am going to fire the ethics commission and appoint another friend from an urban city. Who do I know in Toronto?….

This Code should be read in conjunction with Accountable Government: A Guide for Ministers, which sets out the core principles concerning the roles and responsibilities of Canada’s system of responsible Parliamentary government.

Stephen Harper
aka “Steve”
Prime Minister of Canada

Check It Out.

2006-03-08T12:54:00.000-05:00

Your pettiness only makes me feel more sorry for you…

Last night was ridiculous. I am normally a pretty calm person; in fact, I don’t think there are many people who have even seen me get mad or angry. But last night was just too petty for me not to say anything. If people want to be petty towards me because of the political decisions I have made in the past, go right head but don’t take it out on Young Liberals under the age of 19. If you are going to host a post-election party and have the OYL pay for food, I think it is only fitting that ALL OYLers should have the right to attend…

The Liberal Party needs to work together, rebuild this party, and bring it back to policy roots. If you are too concerned about gripping on to a title instead of actually do something with it. Move on.

If your going to stand in a position of responsiblity:

Do us all a favour and at least TRY to do a good job

2006-03-07T18:44:00.000-05:00

So I am still new to this whole blog thing and am posting a few documents I had sent to various people via email...those who endure my political rants…

I was out of the country when Harper’s cabinet was announced…it was slightly shocking to come home to…what bothers me in this article is the reasoning from the Conservatives….

(I’ve put some of my rants in brackets…) I’m not disagreeing with the article but merely am making political observations of my own…

Harper's cabinet choices called counter-intuitive

Canadian Press

Ottawa — Floor-crosser David Emerson and the unelected Michael Fortier weren't the only counter-intuitive appointments when Stephen Harper set about building his first Conservative cabinet. (Umm...appointing a minister who was not voted in as a Conservative and another who wasn’t even voted in at all!! Where’s the accountability??)

After all, a meat-packing plant in southeastern Alberta isn't the first locale that comes to mind when one contemplates Canadian immigration policy.

Nor would British Columbia's Fraser Valley, for all its poultry production, necessarily be top of mind when thinking about agriculture and the Canadian Wheat Board.

Alberta's oil patch has never been considered in the vanguard of Canadian environmental policy.

And a businesswoman from southern Ontario's tobacco-farming belt might not, at first blush, appear to have a natural affinity for social policy development.

"It does seem to be a theme, I agree," says Monte Solberg, the new immigration minister whose home base is Brooks, Alta., population 12,500.

"And I think there's a logic to it." (logic..i was open to this at first...if it was smart logic)

Solberg leads a cast of untried cabinet ministers and parliamentary secretaries who have been slotted into portfolios against the grain.

While a large meat-packing plant in Brooks that has attracted workers from across the globe makes Solberg's home town something of anomaly among smaller centres, he agrees his is not what anyone would call an ethnic riding.

Solberg says he was told that's one factor in why he got the immigration job. (he got the job of Immigration Minister because his riding is not ethnic?? I don't get it)

"It's important that you have somebody who can come into this and stand back at a critical distance, somebody who hasn't already had their ideas formed on these things and see it through a new set of eyes," Solberg said in an interview. (So since his riding does not see the immigration of minorities, that makes him a prime candidate for Minister? Because he comes from small and not so ethnic riding, he will have an open mind...unlike those other fools who have minorities in their ridings and may have sympathy for "them"...Is that what he really means? odd...)

"I think that's what is going to happen in many of these portfolios - not all of them - where there's no agreement on where we should head."

They include:

-Chuck Strahl, a one-time road contractor and forestry worker from Chilliwack, B.C., who takes over agriculture and the wheat board.

-Rona Ambrose, a sharp social policy critic and former intergovernmental affairs specialist who is now Canada's Edmonton-based environment minister. (Good bye Kyoto....)

-And Diane Finley, the tight-lipped MP for Haldimand-Norfolk with a business-oriented background who has the helm of the $30-billion ministry of human resources and social development.

Among parliamentary secretaries - a job seen as minister-in-waiting - are MPs from Alberta and Ontario assisting the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, a unilingual English Albertan aiding the francophonie and a retirement age gentleman from B.C. attached to status of women. (Oh my...)

Conservative officials say several of these odd-seeming combinations arose simply because there are secondary titles attached to particular ministerial secretaries.

But Jason Kenney, a white guy from Calgary, was tasked only with multiculturalism, Fort McMurray-Athabaska MP Brian Jean got transport, infrastructure and communities and Ed Komarnicki from Souris-Moose Mountain is the immigration secretary. (Maybe Jason can ask Monty for some advice on his fresh perspective on multiculturalism, since his advantage is coming from a non-diverse town...fresh perspective...)

Hugh Segal, the Tory senator who is helping Harper's government transition team, said some of the counter-intuitive selections are no accident. (No accident indeed...they meant to mess with your idea of how a government should work...men should clearly represent women's issues, and Jason Kenney should represent multicultural issues...)

Immigration is a case in point, he said. It's best not to have a minister from a riding full of newcomers. (So maybe the MP representing the status of women should come from a riding with the fewest women? That way they don’t have to be influenced by their constituents when leading the government...)

"You put the minister in a situation where his national obligations to get policy right are impacted by the local pressures, which always exist to accommodate people in close proximity," said Segal. (Riigghtt...So, here I was thinking that it was the job of a MP to balance leadership and the will of the people....pff...'local pressures in close proximity'...or better know as voters...)

It's an argument that Francisco Rico-Martinez, past president of the Canadian Council for Refugees, turns on its ear when he criticizes Solberg's appointment.

If a minister has a riding that is 40 per cent immigrant, "they tend to be careful about the images of what they do. This guy's not going to have that," said the Toronto-based advocate. (This guy doesn't have to care about what minorities think...HAHA... ‘so screw all of you’...great...what a wonderful government they are when they say they don't have to accountable to minorities)

"It doesn't matter what (Solberg) does at Immigration Canada, he's not putting at risk his re-election, in a way." (It doesn’t matter what he does?? Of course it does. I don't think the conservatives get what accountability really means...Or maybe they do...We should ask Fortier)

Rico-Martinez also wonders how an MP from a rural riding will be able to relate to undocumented newcomers, or family reunification issues - a criticism that extends to other new ministers.

One social policy analyst didn't want to go on record criticizing Finley, simply because she's such an unknown quantity. But he did express reservations.

"She certainly came from left field - or right field," said the veteran analyst.

"A critic would say this gives you an idea of how little regard the Conservatives give to social policy. Here she is inheriting a portfolio that is probably bigger than half of all the government." (At least they are going to wait a few months before cutting the program and at least entertained the idea of keeping social policies)

Scratching the surface on some of these new ministers does raise intriguing counter arguments.

Jean, for example, represents Canada's fastest-growing resource city in Fort McMurray. Who better to understand real and immediate transport and infrastructure demands?

And Segal argues that Finley isn't a complete social policy neophyte.

"She did a tremendous amount of work in rural Ontario - yes, from a business background - but around rural women, farming wives, small business on the farm: stuff that has quite a compelling social dimension."

That won't provide much comfort to advocates of maintaining the fledgling national day-care program of the former Liberal government, which falls under Finley's new super ministry.

The program's biggest flaw, said critics, was that it failed to address the needs of a parents in less urbanized areas.

If Finley is already being painted as a program cutter, Strahl at agriculture defies typecasting.

The Conservatives had a wealth of talent to choose from for the ministry - including Finley, the party's former agriculture critic - but threw yet another curve ball.

The argument goes back to avoiding a self-interested constituency leaning on the local champion, said Segal.

Agriculture policy must adapt to deal with alternative fuels, nutraceuticals, public health and disease prevention, issues that can "threaten people with established, existing interests," said the party strategist.(what? I don't get this statement by the "party strategist"? Chuck is a good choice for minister because Agriculture policy must adapt because there are issues that can threaten people with established, existing interests..?? I am not making a snide comment, I really don't get what direction the "strategist" was attempting)

"Maybe someone who comes from something other than the traditional production belt is in a better position to ask some of those questions." (OH...it's back to the whole....'I don't have a background in the issue so there for I am the best qualified to do the job'...got ya...sort of..)

The cabinet selections fit into what some business management gurus call adaptive rather than command-control structures.

"If Stephen Harper is trying to create a group of high-performing individuals with long-term potential, then putting them into portfolios where they don't have direct experience and then rotating them every two or three years would not be a bad strategy," said David Wheeler, a professor at the Schulich School of Business at Toronto's York University.

"Of course, that implies that they're going to be around that long."

Tom Hockin, a former cabinet minister in the Conservative government of Brian Mulroney, who went on to a career teaching political science and managing business, has high praise for off-kilter appointments. (Former Politician who is now teaching POLITICAL SCIENCE....has a high praise for off-kilter appointments...hm!?!...sure thing)

"Generally I'm against making doctors minister of health and military people ministers of defence and stockbrokers ministers of finance," he said. (except for Gordon O'Conner, you're good Gordy...no off kilter here...)

"They're such a professional enthusiast about their portfolio that they are totally captured by the momentum of the department." ("Professional enthusiast" is Conservative lingo for "unqualified" and sometimes "unaccountable"...)

Both Hockin and Solberg said traditional appointments work best when the department's path is clear and well charted, which makes retired general Gordon O'Connor a good steward for rebuilding Canada's military, and former Ontario finance minister Jim Flaherty a natural for the federal job.

"There's an orthodoxy in finance," said Solberg. (but the path of Immigration is not clear....so wait...what are the unorthodox Conservative plans for Immigration that Solberg will implement because he has no accountability to minorities?)

Other ministries under the Tories may be far more open to re-interpretation.

Hockin notes that as minister of international trade, he once negotiated the side accords to NAFTA on labour and the environment. (Their defense of the Conservative cabinet is that they appointed a former Liberal??)

"I felt almost a bit fraudulent because, really, the environment is 80 per cent provincial (jurisdiction)," he said. "The federal government's role in environment is quite limited."

Ambrose, with her background in federal-provincial relations, may prove ideally suited to the job, said Hockin.

"She might be able to knit together the provincial-federal approach to it."

Ultimately, said the former minister, it's "a bit of a parlour game" projecting in advance whether new cabinet ministers will be successes or failures.

Wheeler, the academic, said he sees evidence of an overarching strategy in the Harper cabinet: experienced managers in a few key portfolios to get some early priorities dealt with, plus a group of younger talent who need time to build contacts, trust and understanding.

"It would tend to signal that their (government) priorities - at least in the early days - would be in the portfolios where there's a clearer fit between the ministers and the remit of the department," said Wheeler.

Not so fast, Segal responded with a laugh.

By the time political, ideological, gender and regional imperatives are factored in, such highfalutin management theory suggests "a level of sophistication you don't normally see in cabinet making." (what is his definition of sophistication? Appointing non-elected officials, having Immigration Minister who say they are a good pick because they don't have to be accountable to Immigrants (since they won't be voters in their riding), appointing a Defence lobbyist at Defence Minister, or suggesting that appointing former Liberal members is a 'sophisticated' move...)

(I don't know what is worst, the appointment of the cabinet or the way they defended it...)

2006-03-03T15:44:00.000-05:00

During the election I posted a blog of my experiences on the Ontario Tour. The blogs were written for a teacher from my old high school to be read to a political science class. I have taken out some personal references as well as the responses from the teacher to preserve their privacy.

It's nothing serious...just a light-hearted glimpes into the ground work on the campaign bus...

Sarah

*These are my experiences and do not reflect the experiences of others.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Dec 5, 2005 9:33 PM

Day...7

I just recovered from my first experience on Leader's tour. Paul Martin made his first trip in to Ontario and it went smoothly but it was rather frantic. At any given moment schedules can change so things are very 'rush rush'. The Prime Minister travels with 3 buses, one bus is the red Liberal bus and two media buses. The buses are filled with the media that travel around the country with him. The reporters are a fickle bunch, yet super nice to my face and know me by name. I am petrified that I will say something and it will end up in tomorrow’s news. They are waiting to pounce on any story. There was a story about how Jack Layton got into the wrong car and a story about some order problems we had on our Media one bus.

Tomorrow will be a day of planning and routing all over again as we expect Paul Martin to be back in Ontario before the debates.

Well, talk to you after round two...

Sarah

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Dec 9, 2005 10:32 PM

Day 11..

The campaign is only on Day 11 but it seems like it has been forever. I have developed a new found of respect for the people that work for the Prime Minster’s Tour division. An excessive amount of work goes into every event. The smallest details become the most important when dealing the Prime Minister. If chair or a flag is in the wrong position, it could make or break an event. The media are praying that just one thing will go wrong...anything. The media are waiting for any interesting shot that they even film the plane boarding. The media will set themselves up to photograph or film the PM boarding the plane...it is call the "Death Watch". It is where the media will wait just to see if the PM will slip while getting on to the plane! They stand with their cameras in toe in the freezing weather (by the way, it is absolutely freezing on the tarmac...so add wind chill to the temperature) in hopes that the PM will slip. I can't figure out if it is in spite or formality but the PM will pause and wave to the vacant lot...or maybe it is to the reporters.

I think one of the lessons learn from this assignment...and it is mimicked in Scott Feschuck's Liberal Blog...is that the motorcade stops for no one. When the Wagon master says to go....we roll. If we can stop before we get on to the road, you are lucky, if we have departed, to bad so sad. We almost left a well know TV news reporter behind...good thing someone spotted him flailing his arms while running for the bus. We almost drove off to park the media buses with a very popular news reporter still in the bathroom!! lol

We just finished a few events in Toronto and Windsor. The PM is leaving us but will stop in Ontario again before leaving for the West. Tomorrow, I go back on the road and to do some prep work for another event...talk to you soon.

Sarah

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Dec 21, 2005 12:26 AM

Hey!

I am so sorry for not writing earlier. I have just had a very busy two weeks with the PM in Hamilton/Niagara last week and South Western Ontario this week. I had very limited access to the Internet...shotty at best from random hotels. I have some funny stories to report....today...we had "technical difficulty" with my media bus...ie...my bus driver threw up on the highway...ahh...the glories of winter campaigns...haha.

I am heading back to Ottawa early tomorrow morning and will be home for the holidays. I will try to relay some campaign tails and experiences soon!

Sarah

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Jan 8, 2006 10:27 PM

Hello from the campaign trail:

I think today is day 41? On the campaign team, we don't' measure time by dates or days of the week but by count down of blocks of time until the PM joins us again.

I wonder if the reporters remember a day when you didn't have Internet access on a moving bus driving through rural Ontario. The lush wonders of technology have spoiled some of the best of us. The media buses are outfitted with satellite TV, satellite Internet, regular wireless Internet, fridges, a microwave, and a kettle. We actually had to ensure that the media buses were able to carry coverage of the Junior hockey game so that the reporters wouldn't miss any of the game. Even with all of the comforts, I have never heard so many complaints about how the Internet was too slow, too choppy, or not working. "My porridge is too hot"...I feel bad for the non-partisan technician who travels with us. He smiles and says, "if you don't have cell phone service, am not going to be able to give you wireless. Deal with it." Mind you, being on the campaign for as long as some of the reports are, I too would be slightly upset if I lost access to the outside world.

At an event in Trenton, I was able to get a young girl her picture taken with the PM. She didn't go to the rally because she wanted to get a picture of the PM before he got back on his bus since her dad wasn't able to get his camera out on time when the PM arrived so she thought she would wait this time and be ready. Her mom was sick and couldn't go to the rally but she really wanted to see that the PM came to Trenton so the little girl said she was going to wait outside to grab a picture of the PM to show her mom that he stopped in their hometown. I spoke to the PMs wagon master and was able to get the PM to stop on his way out and take a few photos with her. Instead of getting a photo of the PM, she was able to get her photo take with the PM. It is those small things that really make a difference for us working on the ground.

Being sick on the campaign trail is not good....nothing is worse than having a really bad head cold and driving from Toronto to Peterborough to Trenton...As we drove up and down, the pressure kept changing and my ears were popping....ears popping when your head is very congested is possibly one of the worst feelings …haha.

Sarah

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Jan 1, 2006 9:48 PM

Hi:

Well it is back to the campaign trail for me. I am bringing my laptop with me so hopefully I will have better internet access.

This portion of the campaign will be different from the first half. It is expected that the media buses will be fuller with more media for intense coverage of the next three weeks. It will also be refreshing for us since a lot of the media will be different from the pre-holiday crew. The journalists are often moved around to spend time on each political party campaign bus. They say it is to provide better unbiased stories…they don't want the journalist developing 'Stockholm' syndrome, where they begin to identify and appreciate their captors.

My trip with the PM is a reflection of how the next three weeks will be - busy, intense, and jammed full of events. The PM traveled from Hamilton to Windsor, making quite a few stops along the way. Each stop requires a team that plans a few days in advance. I have now been to Canada's Tomato Capital – the city of Leamington. I have also visited the town of Ayr, to see the factory where they make the chairs for the House of Commons and the Senate…as well the PM has stopped in a few local Tim Horton's…(how very Canadiana…). As much planning that goes into all of the events, there are quite a few elements that are always out of our control such as weather, the health of our bus drivers, and of course the Big Boss himself.

While cruising along the 401, the bus driver of my media bus was ill and we had to pull over on the side of the highway. This event put us very behind schedule but we still made it successfully to Ayr and the event went off without a hitch. Still running behind, we proceeded to the other events of the day until when we were on the road and received a call that we had immediate orders to follow the PMs bus and to follow their lead. The PM decided he wanted to show everyone a family farm that he grew up on. When the PM says he wants to pull over, we all pull over. As much planning and time management that goes into tour, one lesson to remember is that when ever the PM is visiting the area he grew up in, there are bound to be random stops. Apparently they can't go to Windsor with out stopping somewhere. In previous years, he has given tours of childhood memories and the famous for their ribs, Tunnel BBQ.

I am leaving early tomorrow morning for the trail and hope to have more stories later on,

I hope you had wonderful holidays,

Happy New Years

Sarah

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Jan 11, 2006 10:09 PM

Hey:

I am just sitting in the hotel business centre in Scarborough. I have become ‘one’ with the hotel business centres. They are my portal to the outside world. I am at the Delta East in Toronto where we just had a massive Liberal rally. Liberal Candidates from all over brought bus loads of people in. It was intense, it was packed, it was hot, it was amazing! It is so wonderful to see so many people in a room that are all cheering and working for the same cause. The room was filled with people of all ages and of all backgrounds. The dynamics of the crowd represented a multicultural Canada, a tolerant Canada - until there was a mad dash to the coat check...not so tolerant after that. Ah…the joys of winter…

Nothing is more energizing than hearing a room chant "Four more years" or "We love Paul". Imagine being Paul Martin and hearing your name echo through the hall ways, and just as they open the doors, crowds of people snapping photographs and reaching out just to shake your hand. The intensity is wild and wonderful. I, of course do not experience people shouting my name instead I wear a name tag (which marks me as a person for people to complain to) and I do crowd control. Really, the crowd control is for people's safety, not the Prime Ministers. The Prime Minister had 6-8 body guards around him. When they are protecting him, they don't see people, they see safety threats, so even the most innocent grandma could be knocked over, so that is why we tape lines on the floor for people to stand behind and why we are vigilant with the crowd control.

Winter time campaign lesson...probably #21...#1 being the cold sucks....#21 is that the winter weather requires people to wear jackets. We ask that people leave their jackets in their car but if they must, we have coat checks. So the lesson here is, DO NOT wear a generic BLACK WOOL JACKET. I swear everyone does (I myself am guilty as well) but so does everyone other person. We had a few people who could not find their jackets after the crowds dispersed and we had a few BLACK WOOL JACKETS left over (Apparently not to the liking of the jacket-less people). We hope their jackets will be found and sorted tomorrow...

I am off to bed since the PM is doing Canada AM tomorrow which means we need to leave at 6:45am...

Sarah

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Jan 15, 2006 10:54 PM

I just finished what was a very good 'swing' of the Ontario tour. I think the weirdest thing I saw on this excursion was in Caledonia where a woman ran in front of the parked Prime Ministers bus to take her photo. The situation would seem rather normal except for as the photo was being taken, she lifted her shirt...both her and the photographer ran off shortly after the exposure. I just had a 'rest day' spent in Toronto and I am out on the road again tomorrow. We are gearing up for the big finally. It will be very crazy since the PM will bounce around from province to province and with Ontario being the major battle ground, he is sure to stop here a few times within the week.

Tour has been quite the experience. I have seen a lot of the province, so much so that I can hardly list off the number of cities that we have visited, the list is just too long. I have met a lot of various people. I ate at the table with many well known journalist and I have developed a good relationship with the RCMP (always key to have good relationships with law enforcement...).

When the tour is over, I have a funny email to share of 'lessons learn' which i have been accumulating at a rapid pace...haha.

Sarah

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Jan 22, 2006 7:11 PM
Subject: end of the tour

Well, I have now arrived back in Ottawa. The PM flew out of Toronto yesterday to continue on his "coast to coast" tour. Since we only work with the PM when he is in Ontario, we were disbanded and sent to work in ridings. I will be working on Marc Godbout's campaign all day tomorrow.

The last few days have been crazy. I can't even remember all of the cities we have been too...A few days ago we went to TORONTO - AJAX - OSHAWA - MISSISSAUGA - COBOURG - BELLEVILLE - BROCKVILLE - OTTAWA. Then yesterday we finished up LONDON - KITCHENER - BRAMPTON - TORONTO...

The last few days have been rally after rally with the exception in Ajax, where the Prime Minister went to an elementary school. The school across the street saw that the PM was in town and the principal came out to asked if his students could meet the PM. Since we are on a tight schedule we asked if they could come out and meet the PM at the other school. I have never seen so many students happy to leave class and run out side...haha. About 100 students bolted out of the other school and mobbed the PM. It was like a junior scrum but the students weren't trying to rile him but were trying shake his hand and get his autograph. The children rejuvenated him because he was absolutely glowing after the encounter. The PM boarded the bus and then proceeded to drive away when they must have caught a glimpse of more students running out of the elementary school because the bus suddenly did a very sharp left turn and pulled into the other school across the street and Paul Martin got off to greet more anxious children. It was great.

I have decided on my favorite campaign event - Brockville. I was so happy when I learned that the PM would stop in Brockville. Outside of Ottawa, Brockville is my hometown. My mother's family lives out there and I spent my childhood summers out in the country side. I was a little leery at first to go to a rally in Brockville since it is a rather conservative riding but I think that the Brockville event has become my favorite event of the whole campaign (that and Burlington but only because Burlington felt like a balmy 15 degrees in January). When we arrived in Brockville, we turned on to the main street only to see that it was shut down because there were so many people over flowing out of the tiny bakery. It was the end of the long day and it was wonderful to turn the corner and see so many people chanting for the PM. It was fabulous. It was even better when I ran into my grandmother. I gave my grandmother a tour of the PM’s bus and she got to meet him. My grandmother is very proud and she thought it was only fitting share her sentiment with the PM. She grabbed him and told him that I was her granddaughter and that she was very proud that I was working for him. She caught him off guard but he played it well and said that he was very happy to have me on board. The RCMP thought it was hilarious and made fun of me after about my grandma showing up.

This has been the end of my tour experience. I have a new respect for the ground work and a realization of how much preparation goes into every event - even a quick stop at Tim Horton's. I have visited every numerous cities across this fair province and I have stayed at enough Delta Hotels for a life time. I have learned some valuable lessons but will save them for another email after the campaign...

Happy e-day to everyone,

Sarah

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Jan 27, 2006 12:31 AM
Subject: final chapter - Lessons learned...

Hello:

Well, the ending to my Ontario Leaders Tour job could have ended on a more winning note but it was still an amazing experience for me. I was one of the youngest people working on Paul Martin's Ontario tour and it was quite the journey. During my travels I have learned a few humorous lessons...

I know that the school semester is over but I thought I would still share these lessons that I jotted down during the campaign...

Coffee...and it's importance:
People love their coffee (as well as beer but that is another story). The bus is outfitted with a huge coffee maker. At each place the wagon masters would refill on coffee. If there isn't fresh and hot coffee, the reporters WILL complain. Believe me. In Montreal, the wagon masters bought whole bean by accident and couldn't make fresh coffee....there were tones complaints. In Toronto, we used the hotel coffee pots but when you secured them on the bus (using bungee cords), you couldn't access the spout. So no coffee for them. Another time, there were complaints about the hotel coffee...so they did a Starbucks run. Now the ironic part of this story is...that there was a Tim Horten's right across the street or a Starbucks 15 min away (so 15 there and 15 back)..30 minutes later...lattes, people have to have their lattes.

Cross routes...and language barriers:
Nothing is more important when routing than knowing what your cross street is so you can prepare for your turn. What is more important, showing the bus driver the spelling of the street so she knows what the actual cross street is. I guess no everyone knows how to spell Tscheseh street...who knew? haha. Having bus driver that speak English or bus routers who speak French is essential next time.

Technology and how spoiled we are:
I wonder if the reporters remember a day when you didn't have Internet access on a moving bus driving through rural Ontario. The lush wonders of technology have spoiled some of the best of us. The media buses are outfitted with satellite TV, satellite Internet, regular wireless Internet, fridges, a microwave, and a kettle. We actually had to ensure that the media buses were able to carry coverage of the Junior hockey championship game so that the reporters wouldn't miss any of the game. Even with all of the comforts, I have never heard so many complaints about how the Internet was too slow, too choppy, or not working. "My porridge is too hot"...I feel bad for the non-partisan technician who travels with us. He smiles and says, "if you don't have cell phone service, i am not going to be able to give you wireless.Deal with it."

When people tell you stories of their past tour experiences...head warning:
I laughed when I was told a story by a campaign manger about how when he worked with the buses during the 1980 campaign, his bus ran out of gas and he was out in the middle of nowhere. He was able to secure the situation but it had the very large potential to be bad. I laughed at his 'folk tale' and said that wouldn't happen with our new age buses....boy was I wrong.

My bus had to stop and get gas because of an excess consumption. The media buses are outfitted with satellite and such....so when all are being employed for a few hours..oh don't forget about the heat (good old winter campaign), the bus uses more gas than normal. More efficient gas tanks...but more usage on the bus. The reporters on the bus were good about it. I guess it was a matter of safely, we could have tried to risk it and get stranded on the 401 or we could have turned off their TV, satellites, and beer fridges- we pulled over for a quick fill up.

Jackets

Never wear a black wool jacket to the coat check at a rally. That is the time where you sport the bright pink or better yet, bright red with a dash of white jacket....A rally is not the time to dress fashionably. It is a time to wear layers and layers that breather because the rooms become muggy hot...I can not stress how hot rooms get...Like 40 degrees....

Never assume ANYTHING!!!!
Never assume that your bus driver has driven to Toronto at least once...
Never assume that people will not park illegally.
Never assume that people will respect pylons blocking parking spaces.
Never assume that the RCMP will NOT have typos on their directions..R and L...oh how they differ...
Never assume that the bus drivers will know how much gas is in the tank.
Never assume your grandma will not grab the PM and ensure that he is aware that her granddaughter works for him...

Snow is not your friend...despite how pretty it looks...
So lesson learned in London...is that when snow falls, it has the ability to cover street signs completely...I mean completely. We were not able to read any street signs. Good thing I wrote down landmarks. It was impossible to read any sign, which can pose as a small problem when you are driving in a town that you are not familiar with...

---

Despite the outcome of the election, I will have memories that will last me a life time...and stories to share with people until I embark on my next crazy journey. If anyone has the opportunity to get involved, i would highly suggest it.

until the next crazy journey...

Sarah

2006-03-03T15:35:00.000-05:00

My first time...be gentile

So I have been thrown into the world of blogging. I am not sure what to make of this but I guess I will attempt to become part of the political on-line discussion. I am not promising to keep the blog up to date but I will try to make an effort but there are reasons as to why I don't own a pet or even a plant.

Sarah

You've got the wong place...

Is cutting the colonial tie with Britain the dominating issues that the Liberals need?

***

Cutting the last colonial tieANTHONY WESTELL

Liberally abroad...

Canada looks for a new animal image

Back to blogging…sort of…

gone for a week and I miss the biggest school yard fight

politics abroad

wow...Harper to cut funding for women's advocacy work

'Environment/Climate': Martin, 5 - Harper, 0.

This Posting is too funny. They did a comparison between the speeches that Martin did in front of the UN last year and Harper this year...

Source: Toronto Star

September 21, 2006

That was then...

Road trip...plough parade

"Stephen Harper is so far to the right, he’s wrong."

new survey data....no leads

"a new generation of leadership, a new generation of ideas."

a nice article...

Scott Brison: A different kind of Liberal

He says it's time for 'a new generation of ideas' -- and that's why the ambitious young politician is running for the party leadership, ROY MacGREGOR writes

dining part 2...

governing by the polls

Scrapping the Status of Women Canada

Oh Jason Kenney....

‘Harvey’s…makes a political meeting a beautiful thing…’

Thank god I am a country girl

Friday night with Scott Brison

4 ridings and 4 lost pens

2 ridings down...17 to go

19 ridings in Malibu

Conservative M.I.A. Caucus

A little bit of summer fun....

*updated - international fallout!! - Where was Harper??

Conspiracy theory?

Politics taken on the road…

Web-a-thon, what?

Mike Harri's 'Common sense revolution' brought to Parliament Hill

“Darling of the crowd”

Great Scotts! Discussions…discussions but where are the ideas…

'Canadian-made' Obligations!

Harper to shun Ottawa journalists

"Let's stop racism"...

Freedom of Association....

Killing Kyoto

PMO won't lower flag in honour of soliders

you write the story, you do the time

Telephone surveys...I finally got to participate...

Orchard? April Fools? *updated....

Failed Conservative could head up Integrity Commission...

Here we go now...do...dee...doo...dooo

A little random political history…

He's a Man's man

Top secrete?

Harper Is Lost In Translation

Harper's cabinet choices called counter-intuitive

Cutting the last colonial tie
ANTHONY WESTELL