Categories: Capital Read, Inside the Queensway

This just in from the Technically Still Inside The City Limits Conservative Party War Room:

by kadyomalley on Tuesday, September 23, 2008 8:59am - 21 Comments

Well, this is new. Hey, fellow Ottawans! Apparently, the name of our city is now an epithet! I wonder how John Baird, Pierre Poilievre, Royal Galipeau or any of the local Conservative hopefuls feel about the following news release (NOTE: emphasis added):

Just the Facts

[Le français suit]

Date: September 22, 2008

THE REAL OTTAWA NDP POSITION ON CRIME

Today, Jack Layton mocked the Conservative crime plan.  However, Jack Layton and the Ottawa NDP have no credibility on crime and protecting Canadians.

Layton doesn’t see criminals as a key element to crime.  This is the Ottawa NDP record on crime:

  • The Ottawa NDP opposed house arrest legislation that would keep career criminals in jail and out of our communities. (Vote: Division 53, 1 November 2006: Report Stage)
  • Ottawa NDP Justice Critic Joe Comartin, MP was critical of legislation targeting dangerous offenders (Toronto Star, 18 October 2006)
  • The Ottawa NDP does not want mandatory prison sentences. (Proposed NDP policy resolution, 2006)
  • Jack Layton’s riding association believes government has “a social and fiscal responsibility not to deprive Canadians of liberty if less restrictive measures may be appropriate” and believes public opinion is ill-informed on its view of criminals. (Proposed NDP policy resolution, 2006)
  • Layton wanted to take guns away from law abiding citizens. (Toronto City Council motion, endorsed by Jack Layton, 10 May 1991)
  • The Ottawa NDP opposed anti-terrorism legislation (Vote: Division 126, February 27, 2007). [...]

The Ottawa NDP is off side with Canadians and on side with the criminal lawyer special interest groups that want criminals to walk the streets.  Only Stephen Harper will continue to protect victims and get tough on crime.

So … the NDP is Ottawa’s party now? Does that mean the only local Dipper – Ottawa Centre incumbent Paul Dewar – is about to have some company in the Capital Caucus? Or was this some sort of unfortunate accident with a global search and replace macro?

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  • Scott M.

    That’s crazy. Is the “Ottawa NDP” emphasis yours or theirs?

  • http://carnewsandviews.com jwl

    Even though cons normally cross themselves and than spit when they hear talk of ‘Ottawa’, I think Kady’s correct with something gone wrong with editing because Ottawa NDP doesn’t really make sense. Or at least it doesn’t on a press release, if it was for con eyes only it would be understandable.

  • Dije

    The soon to be re-elected incumbent Paul Dewar! He has my vote even more now since he has made the Ottawa BlocNDP.

    Ottawa needs a stronger voice… in Ottawa…

    We need to elect more Ottawa BlocNDP MPs!

  • http://www.macleans.ca Kady O’Malley

    D’oh! Sorry about that, everyone – I actually had an “emhasis added” note, but it got lost while I was cutting and pasting from the release. I’ve put it back – yes, the bolding is mine, but the inexplicable repetition of “Ottawa NDP” is all theirs.

  • Anon

    Galipeau won’t win. Polievre is in Nepean-Carleton. Baird won by a small margin against a very weak opponent last time and a sponsorship tailwind. Pratt won’t be quite so easy. Plus, Harper hates pretty much everything about Ottawa except for 24 Sussex.

  • Scott M.

    Maybe if Paul Dewer gets back in he’ll get two votes in the house?

  • Emma

    Wow… and they’re going back to Toronto city council resolutions from 1991 to make their point about the Ottawa NDP??

  • Alan

    I noticed two of the points are listed as “Proposed NDP policy resolution” (presumable meaning not adopted). Do the Cons really want to go down that road? I’m sure there are plenty of terrifying policy resolutions in their past.

  • http://bigcitylib.blogspot.com bigcitylib

    Slightly OT. Another Tory undone by his blog:

    http://j-rad.ca/2008/09/ryan-warawa-blog/

  • http://www.macleans.ca Kady O’Malley

    BCL – Just posted on that! Man, this has been a busy morning, y’all.

  • jay

    Gee Paul Dewar is definitely punching above his weight to warrant an entire press release from the Tory War Room ;) Good for you Paul. Of course it is all a bunch of hewey anyway. They did a reality check on crime for the three parties on the National and the NDP is not any softer on the crime issues that matter. Anybody who thinks naming young offenders is going to make a big deal are clearly uninformed because Joe Comartin (NDP MP Windsor) a lawyer makes clear that the Crown can already request a lift on the information ban for young offenders’ names and trials – its in the freakin’ act. So where it counts the NDP has said the will have stiffer sentences on gun convictions and legislation that will enable provinces to empower communities to institute handgun bans, etc. For me what is equally important and different than the other two parties is that there is real money for prevention in the NDP plan.

  • Sunny12

    How did Windsorite Joe Comartin become part of “Ottawa” NDP? For that matter, how did Jack?

    And considering there are lots of good points to dig up on the NDP on crime, the ones they’ve chosen seem kind of desparate.

  • Pingback: » Assorted campaign thoughts on Nanos, Liberals platform, and the CPC War Room Scott’s DiaTribes: My personal opinions on social and political issues from a progressive standpoint.

  • Sean S.

    “Layton wanted to take guns away from law abiding citizens.”

    Because what happened in Finland could NEVER happen here. Bad Jack. Thank you, Uncle Stephen.

    [if I were technologically proficient, I'd insert a link here to the story, but I assume most of you have read it...]

  • Toby

    Not criminal lawyer special interest groups! Oh the humanity. Walking the STREETS, people.

  • Two Hats

    As someone who is always a little appalled, though never surprised, at the abuse our city’s name gets on the national stage, I’ll point out that “Ottawa” is used derogitorily by all the parties, when convenient, and they seem to be following the lead of the press, who do it far more frequently and egregiously.

  • http://www.macleans.ca Kady O’Malley

    At least we have a giant spider patrolling Sussex Drive in case of a hostile invasion.

  • Dije

    but Kady, what if it is a large RAID?

  • Steph C

    To anyone who underestimates Paul Dewar, it bears reminding that he is the NDP foreign affairs critic, e.g. the Omar Khadr file.

    And another thing:
    With crime rates falling across Canada over the last X friggin’ decades, including Ottawa-Gatineau :P, I’d say, “If it ain’t broke, shaddap!”

  • Shenping

    I’m not sure if support for gun control in Toronto is the same as supporting it across the country. Toronto does have this eensy little problem of innocent bystanders getting caught in the crossfire. A Toronto city councillor should be voting for Toronto’s needs.

    That said, I don’t think a one-size-fits-all firearms policy will work for Canada. Having a shotgun for self-defence makes a lot of sense on farms & in rural areas. It’s probably a bad idea not to have a gun in some places. Unfortunately, in Toronto, if everyone carried a gun & shot at the criminals who were shooting at each other & hitting the innocent bystanders, you’d have a circular firing squad. Other than obvious stuff such as banning assault rifles, gun regulation should be left to the provinces & municipalities, in my humble, centre-left opinion. I don’t think the issue should be so politicized.

    For the record, Two Hats, I used to really like Ottawa. Then I lived & worked there for a year & got to know the people. I suppose the daily insults about my father’s place of birth (Moose Jaw) & the fact that I once broke the little flagpole off one of the cars & threatened to shove it up the driver’s arse was a subtle clue I wouldn’t fit in. (He’d driven into a crosswalk against the light and nudged my coworker’s artificial leg with his bumper because he didn’t get out of the way fast enough. I thought it was appropriate behaviour.) The Glebe is kinda cool, though. Great bagels.

  • Pingback: Clearly, someone at Tory HQ thinks the “Ottawa NDP” thing will play well out west, huh? : Capital Read : Inside the Queensway : Macleans.ca Blog Central

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