Rally for Canada...save our democracy
Rally for Canada...save our democracy
Anyone who cares about the unity of this country, our economy or our democracy should be marching in one of these cities this weekend. For details visit the link below:
-Darryl
www.rallyforcanada.ca
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23 comments:
You know, at first I wondered about this Coalition. But every day the stuff I read from Conservatives and their desperate ideas to cling to power at all costs just seems more and more pathetic.
Pathetic?
No, sir. That would be three unelectable parties, one being led by Stephen Dion (aka captain Canada, uniter of Canada, remember him?..) getting into bed with those who would destroy Canada for a shot at undeserved power.
I'll be at the Ottawa one on Sat!
thanks for promoting this!
funny how lefties consider it pathetic when someone else protests, but not when they do.
Liberals have really become a joke. "But every day the stuff I read from Conservatives and their desperate ideas to cling to power at all costs just seems more and more pathetic."
Since when is winning an election a desperate way to hold on to power? Only if you are a Liberal I guess. I define "all costs" as joining socialists in a time of economic crisis and working with a party that doesn't believe in a united Canada to be part of the Canadian government.
I hope there is an election on Tuesday. It will be interesting to see how many Liberals show their face in public as oppose to hiding behind anonymous comments. I feel bad for my friends who make up the grassroots of the Liberal Party. They had no say and are now forced to wear this betrayal of our nation because of the party leadership.
Somebody please communicate to thos organizing that we want Victoria added as a rally site. We need to stop this coup!
It is Stephen Taylor www.stephentaylor.ca
Is there any particular reason the 2004 letter to the Governor General that I posted earlier has been removed? The one signed by Duceppe, Layton, and Mr. Harper? The one where they say they could form a government if the Liberal minority lost a confidence vote? I'm just curious. It seemed pretty relevant to the issue.
If the letter was posted in the comment section of this blog, feel free to post it again. I did not remove it.
I feel sorry for the Liberals since they were forced to take action at an inopportune time to deal with a Prime Minister that shows no respect for parliament or the will of the people of Canada. He has squandered an opportunity to provide leadership and constructive policy at a time of great need.
We need new leadership for the conservative party and for the parliament of Canada. There is no way I can support Mr. Harper if he were to choose to lead the CPC in the next election.
It’s time for a change – I don’t care who brings it on. It’s time to hold our leadership accountable.
Please Mr. Harper – for the good of your country – just resign.
I am so sick of thoughtless partisan politics and the sycophants on all sides that support it. What this coalition represents is a rising mood in Canada towards a more modern and effective system of government where we take the best ideas from all sides when forming policy direction.
Harper had his chance to embrace this movement but he is simply incapable of accommodating opposing points of view. In addition he deliberately provoked the opposition after he himself pleaded for a spirit of cooperation in parliament.
We need to be realistic – look south of the boarder – Obama is demonstrating that he understands this. The CPC will roll into oblivion without some attempt to act in a more constructive and inclusive way.
If you want to rally for democracy – look up what the word means in the dictionary. All you believe in is politics – sorry but that’s just BS.
Frankly when you lose an election you don't get to pick the PM. Dion should do us all a favour and resign. His legacy to avoid going down as the only leader to not become Prime Minister has taken over the need to keep this country united, democratic and prosperous.
It amazes me how many Liberals who once fought so hard to keep our country together in 1995 would simply part with their principals to advance partisan interests.
It is clear that the Liberal Party does not stand for anything as their big tent now includes separatists. I know it is hard to believe, but a few people actually appreciate someone who stands for something. That is why Harper was re-elected with a larger mandate. There is a reason the combined seat count of the NDP-Liberal parties are well below the Conservative seat count.
Canada is a democracy. Conservatives won the election. Overturning the election results because Liberals disagree with the voters is not justification to put the country in danger through this unholy alliance. Throughout the campaign, Dion said he would never join a coalition with the NDP because it would be a disaster for the economy.
Now the Liberals and the NDP are the same party, and this proposition will clearly be a disaster for the country.
Continue to spin my friends, if the GG decides to call an election (and I think the odds are in favor of that happening), you will have to take your arguments to the people and not the Conservative blogs. Canadians do not want or need another election, but the unity of our country, the economy and our democracy is worth 300 million dollars.
I am prepared to go door to door in my riding to make the case for a Conservative majority. Are you willing to go door to door in your riding and tell Canadians how a coalition government with the separatists is good for them?
Even if you get your wish and Prentice and MacKay lead the party; all that means is you will be hammered even harder when you eventually are forced to face the people. If a majority does happen, you had better get your fundraising in order. Tax payer subsidies will likely be gone and I can't imagine any Canadian paying Liberals money to help the Bloc break apart this nation.
In a bid to save their government from defeat and prevent its replacement by a Liberal-NDP coalition with the support of the Bloc, Stephen Harper and his operatives are trying to sell the public a false view of how our system of government works.
It begins with the bogus proposition that Stephen Harper and the Conservatives “won” the recent election and have a mandate to govern.
In fact, in the recent election, the Conservatives won a minority of seats in the House of Commons, 143 out of 308.
Our system of government, known as “responsible government”, holds that for a ministry to hold office it must enjoy the confidence of the House of Commons, i.e. the support of the majority of the members of the House.
In Canada, we do not directly elect our prime minister. The prime minister is an elected member of the House of Commons (in theory, he or she could be a Senator, but this has happened only twice, the last time under Mackenzie Bowell from 1894 to 1896.) The Governor General asks the leader of the political party that commands the support of the majority in the House to form a government. In the case of a minority parliament, the critical issue is which party or combination of parties can command the support of the majority in the House.
Yesterday, when the leaders of the Liberals, NDP and the Bloc, whose parties hold the majority of seats in the House announced their intention to defeat the Harper government and replace it with a Liberal-NDP coalition government with the support of the Bloc, they were playing out their roles within the system of responsible government. And since this move comes early in the new parliament and holds out the promise of stable government for at least the next eighteen months, it is almost certain that the Governor General will call on the coalition to form a government once the Conservatives have been defeated. (The Governor General does have some discretion here, under the rubric of royal prerogative, but considering how recent the election was, it is highly unlikely that she would accede to a request by Stephen Harper to dissolve parliament to call another election.)
The Conservatives are appearing on news shows, talk shows and are organizing rallies putting out the word that what is happening in Ottawa is an attempted “coup”. At the centre of this inane claim is the proposition that Canadians just re-elected Stephen Harper as prime minister and that he has a mandate to govern.
It is true that the Americans directly elect their president and therein lies much of the confusion that is being stirred up by furious Conservatives over their punch bowls. The American Constitution (in my view grounded on a poor understanding of Montesquieu and the British Constitution following the Glorious Revolution of 1688) rests on the notion of “separation of powers”. The Executive Branch, the Legislative Branch (Congress) and the Judicial Branch each occupy their own hermetically sealed space and are protected from undue interference with each other much the way Vestal Virgins were protected in Ancient Rome. To their credit, the Americans have managed to make this ungainly system work with only one Civil War marring its record to date.
The Canadian prime minister is not a quasi-king in the manner of the American president. He or she rises or falls depending on the votes of the majority in the House of Commons. That is what is going on here. What is coming to an end is the rule of a prime minister who thought he was a king. What is coming is a government that actually represents the views of the majority of the members of the House, and for that matter the majority of voters in the recent election.
Also I will look South of the border to Obama who I supported:
1, He was elected by the people of the United States unlike Dion
2, He supports the mission in Afghanistan unlike this coalition
3, He is able to raise funds privately through high volumes of individuals giving in small amounts. The whole reason we are in this mess is because no Canadian has a reason to give to these three coalition partners. Harper on the other hand implemented Obama's fundraising model years ago
4, Obama also realizes he is not the current President and has delayed his stimulus package until he gets in power. He is not pulling a Dion and trying to find a scheme to remove Bush today.
5, Obama was elected on change in 2008 because of George Bush. Harper was elected on change in 2006 because of the Liberal sponsorship scandal
Looking South of the border I don't see many similarities. Obama is not a socialist. His coalition is not made up of people who want to break California or New York away from the United States. He disagrees with most of the policy positions of Dion, Layton and Duceppe. He believes in democracy and elections and has won two of them. He is being given time to put together a solution to the economy, a cabinet and a honeymoon period. Sarah Palin is not trying to force him from office but is preparing for the next election, a foreign concept to Liberals.
With respect, please do not compare Barack Obama to this disgrace you call a Prime Minister and government in waiting.
Harper asked for this by putting a confidence motion on everything he whats to push through!... So they called his bluff... Can't take it, then don't though it! plane and simple!
The issue isn't that we don't understand how a parliamentary system works. It is the ethics of using that power to make Dion the Prime Minister.
Dion was rejected along with his carbon tax plan, the Liberal party and his leadership personally.
A coalition with the separatists was never presented as a possibility by Dion or Layton during the campaign where Canadians make decisions on who they should vote for.
I cannot vote for the BQ in Newmarket-Aurora and therefore they could not have been my second or third choice.
A vote for the NDP is not an endorsement of the coalition. How do you know that people who voted for opposition parties were not voting for their local candidate, the party specifically or strategic voting? How do you know that a portion of Liberal votes would have selected Harper with a second choice? How do you know that people who voted Liberal wouldn't have changed their vote had this coalition been on the table? Unlike the PC/Alliance, what evidence do you have the grassroots members approve this merger? Principled Liberals I have talked to are disgusted by these events, especially given that they did not get a say.
When has this ever happened before, especially this quickly after Canadians have given their verdict?
How do you have the confidence of the House when the Bloc is not formally in the coalition or government, no common agenda has been agreed to and the Liberals and NDP make up 114 seats, almost 30 short of the party they are trying to replace.
No one says this is illegal or not possible in a parliamentary democracy. Many say it is unethical, bad for the country with the players being motivated by power over principle.
This government is illegitimate, unethical and has no mandate to represent Canada. The opposition parties are free to form this "united coalition of Canada and Quebec" (named by Jack Layton) but eventually you will have to face the people. When that time comes I hope you can come up with a better argument than a theoretical explanation of how a parliamentary democracy works.
Ballot box question in the next election:
Should separatists be part of Canada's government? If you think no, the Conservative Party of Canada is your only choice.
Darryl – Annon explained the rules of parliament clearly – there is nothing unholy about the coalition – stop your fear mongering and look at the facts. In reality the correct term for what you are getting is “responsible opposition” – it is simply what is EXPECTED!!!!
You know over the weekend I stated on your blog Harper’s only choice was to make an agreement with Dion before the others would. I believe the Liberals would have preferred this. But Mr. Harper does not have the mindset for cooperation – he is blatantly partisan like you. But to lead parliament, in Canada, with our system, the Prime Minister also needs to be diplomatic – ooops – different skill set….
For the good of the country, the party and his own political survival Harper ignored the obvious way out. Now he has no choice but to resign. Now, later, whenever – it’s over.
Catch a plane back to earth and look at this rationally. And please stop making untrue and provocative statements when it is clear no have no idea of what the current BQ pollicies are.
I have got one more option for you. The GG decides to call an election instead of allowing this coalition to work, Harper leads us in that election, we win a majority, we force you to do what you have refused to do and that is rebuild your party and learn to raise funds so that it can survive without government hand outs.
Here is another option for you. A coalition occurs, it turns out to be a disaster, the NDP or Bloc bail, we elect a new leader, we bring down the government (something we can do in a parliamentary democracy under a minority) and we win a majority.
It is happy days in Liberal land as long as you do not have to face the people. Sooner or later that verdict will come and I feel sorry for any Liberal or NDP MP who will have to justify this. I especially feel bad for those representing seats West of Ontario.
Darryl – the best option for Canada and the CPC is for Harper to resign with grace and we see the current government stand.
There is no chance that Harper would win a majority.
Tasso,
I just hope the GG gives us a chance to prove you wrong.
Using the coalition argument against them:
- 90% voted against the BQ
(although most cannot vote for them if we wanted to as they only run 75 candidates in one province)
- 74% voted against the Libs
- 82% voted against the NDP
As usual Elizabeth May has endorsed Prime Minister Dion. Perhaps we can overturn the election in Central Nova as well. Evil Harper had the nerve to run a candidate against her in a contested election. Appoint her to the senate. Harper should not be given a second chance on his mistake, but no worries about May's stupid decision to take on MacKay and get defeated easily.
Well, since we definitely cannot make the rules as we go along, here are two ressources of interest on the matter: Parliament of Canada and How Canadians Govern Themselves. Take care!
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