Beyond The Commons

 Beyond The Commons

Aaron Wherry covers all the goings-on in and around Parliament Hill. Follow Aaron on Twitter: @aaronwherry

Categories: Beyond The Commons, Capital Read

Do you think it's easy to make priorities?

by Aaron Wherry on Wednesday, December 8, 2010 1:54pm - 75 Comments

A survey of recent government prioritizing.

Jim Flaherty, December 7. Mr. Speaker, Canada’s economic recovery remains our government’s number one priority.

Leona Aglukkaq, December 7. Mr. Speaker, we continue to make health care a priority.

Stephen Harper, December 7. Mr. Speaker, the priorities of this government, beyond national defence and criminal justice, are pretty obvious. It is preserving jobs; it is making sure Canadian families do not pay taxes that are too high; and it is making sure that we fully fund transfers for health and education to the provinces…

Stephen Harper, December 7. That is why, as this government has looked at its budgetary priorities, maintaining the growth of those transfers for our health care system has been the number one priority of this government.

Peter Kent, December 6. I must emphasize that the safety of Canadians and all people travelling on Canadian roadways remains our first priority.

Peter Braid, December 6. Mr. Speaker, jobs and the economy remain our government’s number one priority.

John Baird, December 6. Mr. Speaker, our priorities consist of creating jobs for Canadians, growing the economy and ensuring the well-being of Canadians from coast to coast to coast.

John Baird, December 6.  If we want to reduce greenhouse gases, all the big polluters must participate. It is our priority.

Colin Carrie, December 3. The health and safety of all Canadians is a priority for our government.

Jacques Gourde, December 3. And so, jobs and the economy are still our top priority as we implement our action plan for job creation while keeping taxes low.

Bob Dechert, December 3. Of course, victims are the number one priority of this government.

Tom Lukiwski, December 1. We have heard today, and in days previous, that the most important priority for Canadians, and certainly the most important priority for this government, is jobs and the economy.

Leona Aglukkaq, December 1. Mr. Speaker, the health and safety of young children is a top priority of our government.

Dave MacKenzie, November 30. In all of our activities, our first priority is always the health and safety of Canadians.

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  • Crit_Reasoning

    Considering that "priority" is a common English word, and there are 143 Conservative MPs, I'm surprised Wherry didn't come up with even more examples in his opendemocracy.ca text search.

    • Cats

      Too much time on his hands ?

      Or transparent bias ?

      Do people still dispute the notion that Aaron Wherry's blogs produces:

      50% – Good info
      50% – Baseless gotcha attacks on the CPC based on word games ?

      Cats allows others to submit their own percentages too.

      • TJCook

        Apparently, quoting Conservative politicians is a baseless gotcha attack and proof of transparent bias.

        These Cons sure are a delicate bunch.

        • Cats

          Its word games …

          Just like his previous post equivocating the BQ supporting something the CPC put forward with the Liberals forming a coalition with the BQ.

          Cats away!

          • Andrew (not PorC)

            The Bloc had a veto on government policy. Without Bloc support, the government would have fallen. Let's split some hairs.

    • Andre

      So if everything can be a priority, what actions should take precedence?

  • danby

    It seems to me that their real priority is to say or do anything that will win/not lose votes on the road to a majority government.
    Once the majority is secured, the main priority? none of your damned business

    • Crit_Reasoning

      Once the majority is secured, the main priority will be implementing the hidden agenda, of course. Why do you think it stayed hidden for so long if it wasn't a top priority?

      Oops, I've said too much.

      • danby

        Given a majority, I think the incremental change Mr Harper has crafted so carefully will expand in not so subtle ways. Do I think he has an agenda? Absolutely
        While a political amphibian such as yourself may feel Mr Harper's agenda is not mired in a game of hide and seek, the Tim Horton crowd he courts is likely less informed. The headlines don't always match the actions and to my mind, Mr Harper is big on the ends justify the means

        • Crit_Reasoning

          I think the incremental change Mr Harper has crafted so carefully will expand in not so subtle ways.

          Absolutely. For one thing, Canada will become a police state. The federal government will spend billions on fighter jets and prisons instead of universal day care. Socialists and separatists will be banned by government decree. And that's just the first week.

          • Albert

            Please, you don't run a minority government for 5 years then take a whole week to implement your super secret agenda if you have a majority. You get it done by lunch on Monday.

          • http://dougsamu.wordpress.com dougrogers

            I knew you were an insider, I just knew it!

          • danby

            Canada will become a police state

            It'll be G20 24/7?

          • Crit_Reasoning

            Yes, but only in Ontario, because that's the only province that passed legislation allowing police to set up fake security perimeters so they can violate civil liberties.

            Dalton McGuinty will extend the provisions of Regulation 233/10 so that Tim Horton's is included in the definition of "public property". This will give Bill Blair free reign to strike almost anywhere in the province with his paramilitary goon squad.

            Meanwhile, Harper will be observing all this from Langevin and giggling maniacally as he pets his newest SPCA kitten.

          • Mike T.

            As he consults the MP who had a hand in some the of the deepest atrocities of the G 20…

          • Crit_Reasoning

            You mean the candidate the Liberals tried to recruit before he turned them down? Yeah, he's pure evil.

          • Jan

            Did Iggy try to recruit him – or just meet with him. He is such a perfect fit with the Cons it's hard to believe Iggy would see him as any kind of fit with the Libs.

          • danby

            They may have to expand the legislation to include other provinces, depending on where Stephen Harper decides to stage the next economic summit. And once he gains a majority, Mr Harper will shed both the sweaters and the kittens. He'll be chortling maniacally as he throws seal meat to a bloated, immobile Mike Duffy.

          • gottabesaid

            You don't think, with a majority secured, Harper isn't going to throw the social conservatives a few bones? Of course he would… none of which will be discussed before said majority is secured.

            Let me say this… if Harper ran a campaign based on what he'd do with a majority, I think he'd have a tough time getting elected.

          • danby

            if Harper ran a campaign based on what he'd do with a majority

            Why on earth would he do that when he could run a campaign based on the separatist/socialist coalition?

          • Mark

            "if Harper ran a campaign based on what he'd do with a majority, I think he'd have a tough time getting elected."

            Maybe I've just become a complete cynic, but I think that in all fairness you could say the same thing about any politician.

          • Halo_Override

            You're a lot more knee-jerk and a lot less thoughtful than I'd come to expect in the past. Makes me sad, since it's always been good to know there are some good folks on the other side of the fence. Not sure if late-2010 Crit cares much about that sort of thing, though.

            (Totally pot/kettle, I admit, but I've pretty much always been glib.)

          • Crit_Reasoning

            Man, nobody has a sense of humour anymore. Lighten up, Halo! The holidays are fast approaching. Late-2010 Crit is the same Crit you've come to know and love.

          • A_logician

            It's still not easy being blue-green.

          • Crit_Reasoning

            Unless you're algae.

      • Earth to Wherry

        All hail the hidden agenda.

      • JustinWordswrth

        I would have thought it was obvious to all by now that the Conservatives are tyrants. Obviously there is no greater threat to democracy than a party attempting to seize power by obtaining popular support.

        If only the Conservatives would stop ingeniously crafting policy to conform to the preferences of the majority. Then could we be certain that they have the people's interests at heart.

        • Mike T.

          Bu then we'd be ruled by the Chretien Liberals….

        • brooster2

          "If only the Conservatives would stop ingeniously crafting policy to conform to the preferences of the majority."

          Wha…? About 65% of the electorate are waiting for them to START crafting such policy.

        • Gayle

          Um, no.

          They are crafting policies targeted at splitting the progressive vote.

      • alfanerd

        Can we have soldiers in the streets with guns too? Oh please can we can we can we?

        • Crit_Reasoning

          We sure can, and I'm not making this up. I'm not allowed to make stuff up.

          • http://dougsamu.wordpress.com dougrogers

            Thumbs up because you made me laugh.

  • brooster2

    To paraphrase Groucho Marx: "Those are our priorities and if you don't like them… well, we have others."

  • anon

    This is actually a pretty good example of what Conservatives stick to, and why they succeed. Jobs, taxes and the economy are in there a half-dozen times from different people.

    Beyond that, the messages Conservatives deliver on health care; "tough on crime" and victims' rights; and safety are often tied together — all the sorts of things that suburban families tend to worry about (particularly mothers). All in all, this is a pretty small basket of priorities.

    • gottabesaid

      But look at it this way… can you think of many priorities that have been left out? Pretty damn broad. Heath and safety, the economy, crime, environment… I can't think of too much that falls outside those priorities.

      • Marcus

        I think what you're saying here is that because they are addressing all important priorities, they're doing a bang up job?

        • gottabesaid

          It's one thing to HAVE priorities, it's another to ADDRESS those priorities. I didn't say he was addressing them.

  • gottabesaid

    This may seem like a dumb question, but how can there be more than one 'the top priority…'?

    It's certainly wrong to single out the Conservatives for doing this… but when you get so many examples of shameless pandering all on one page, it's kinda depressing. Why to politicians insist on talking to us like we're completely stupid?

    Depressing.

    • danby

      completely stupid
      no
      Largely disinterested
      yes

      • brooster2

        I assume you mean "uninterested".

        • A_logician

          Up-thumbed.

          I support my local language police.

        • danby

          Yes, I did. But…….From Dictionary.com:

          Disinterested and uninterested share a confused and confusing history. Disinterested was originally used to mean “not interested, indifferent”; uninterested in its earliest use meant “impartial.” By various developmental twists, disinterested is now used in both senses. Uninterested is used mainly in the sense “not interested, indifferent.” It is occasionally used to mean “not having a personal or property interest.”
          Many object to the use of disinterested to mean “not interested, indifferent.” They insist that disinterested can mean only “impartial”: A disinterested observer is the best judge of behavior. However, both senses are well established in all varieties of English, and the sense intended is almost always clear from the context.

          • brooster2

            Fair enough, although I don't agree with the dictionary's assertion "that the sense intended is almost always clear from the context".

    • JonnyBoy

      Funny, I had a similar question, just mine was directed in a slightly different direction. You see, I was wondering why so many journalists, and more specifically the journalist who compiled this list so conveniently all on one page, insist on writing as if we the readers are completely stupid. The reason that this particular post prompted such musings: well, is it not obvious to all of us who are not completely stupid that Wherry has hijacked each and every one of these quotes out of a specific context, and that he has made absolutely zero attempt to fill in the specific context of each one, and that he has furthermore compiled them in such a way as to get the most sensational value, namely making people think that the government has so many priorities that it in fact has no priorities at all (presumably, this was Wherry's clever little idea). Anyway, at least Wherry has provided links, so perhaps in the interest of not being completely stupid, you should click on them and fill in the context for yourself, and then perhaps spend a little time educating yourself about each of the issues discussed, and then you will begin to see that the sensational effect that Wherry was going for – namely making you think that politicians think you are completely stupid – is in fact the thing that he himself is guilty of.

      I agree, it's depressing.

      • Jan

        Who are you addressing with this patronizing dribble?

        • JonnyBoy

          Thanks for asking! Well, the first half is directed at Wherry for his poor journalism. And the second half is directed at us, the readers, in hopes that we will not be taken in by Wherry's poor journalism.

          And if I may comment on your characterization of my post as "patronizing dribble". You should only find it patronizing if you were in fact duped by Wherry's poor journalism. If you were, then yes, I was being patronizing. As to the dribble part, I just don't see it. Rambling, perhaps, but dribble, I'm not convinced.

      • gottabesaid

        Well, not too long ago, the Conservatives scored many a political point by suggesting that the Liberals has 'too many priorities'. And yet, a few years on, who's the party with multiple 'THE' top priorities?

        Wherry makes a habit of turning the Conservatives' rhetoric against them, showing how empty and meaningless it is. One-sided? Maybe. But it's not too hard to recognize that all the parties use the same empty rhetoric.

        • JonnyBoy

          Ah, I think you are only too correct. And you have also helped me to clarify my own habit. I now consider it my habit to turn Wherry's rhetoric against himself. Ergo, see my post above about Wherry treating his readers like they are completely stupid.

      • Thwim

        Which one is their top priority, again?

  • Emily

    Cons…and the media….made fun of both Martin and Dion for doing this, but Cons appear to have discovered that in a complex world there are indeed dozens of priorities, and they are all important.

  • Earth to Wherry

    Well, at least we know Wherrys priority.

  • alfanerd

    So this government's priorities are the economy, health, safety, and protecting victims. What a wonderful government. Thanks Aaron.

    • Jan

      But their largest expenditure – by a country mile – is on fighter jets.

    • Gayle

      This government's priorities is saying they have these priorities.

      I am waiting for the government that acts.

    • Thwim

      Which one is the top priority again?

  • DBM

    Not one to defend the current government (<- this line likely to get me labelled as a 'concern troll', again)

    …but I think if you look at these quotes fairly and in context, there's no inconsistencies here.

  • Richard_S_Argent

    As everybody knows, concision and clarity are only required from the leader of the Opposition…any indication that his mind isn't focused like a laser beam on one single issue is proof positive that he doesn't pass muster.

    Now the governing party? Well they can have about a million priorities, each one more paramount than the last. That's how they show they're up to the task of governing.

    No wait, that can't be right…perhaps Mr. Kenney can clear things up for me?
    http://www2.macleans.ca/2010/11/30/ignatieff-and-…

    Right. The government only thinks about one thing and one thing only.

    man, this is confusing!

  • Mandatory Jedi

    I would say that it looks very easy to make priorities….following up on them looks like the hard part.

    "Protect the Senator at all costs. That is your first priority."
    ―Mace Windu

  • tobyornotoby

    The actual priority is maintaining control (of the message, of the House, the Senate, Government). Everything else is tactics.

  • http://deltaelectric.net San Jose Electrician

    It is never easy to make priorities since everyone cares and focus on different things,

    San Jose Electrician

  • PeteTong

    The Bloc will be quick to point out that the Quebec Forestry industry is no where to be seen on that list.

    Whatever happened to the days when accountability and transparency were the number one priorities of this government.

    • A_logician

      Whatever happened to the days when accountability and transparency were the number one priorities of this government.[?]

      They got more seats than anyone else and formed the government.

  • Maggie

    Harper's only priority is gaining a majority : he will say anything to achieve his goal.

    • Greg Garious

      Umm, yep, right and the liberals are begging people not to vote for them lest they form a government,

      • Maggie

        Does the comma indicate you are not finished your baseless statement or have you run out of ideas?

  • chet

    No, no, the point is the CPC should focus on one subject,

    literally.

    Just one.

    Of all the myriad of issues Canada faces, just one is allowed. Else to use the word "priority" is lying or something.

    Hey a new scandal: "the CPC have multiple priorities[gate]". May be even bigger than "did Harper eat the wafer gate".

    How desperate has the reactionary left become to generate any meagre morsel of controversy?

    This desperate.

  • RDB

    It would appear the Conservatives have come down with a case of Paul Martinitis! How many #1 priorities did he have?

    Frankly it makes for what passes for good political rhetoric and people like hearing that their concerns are #1 priorities just like all the other priorities. The only way to make this stop is for voters to punish politicians for saying obviously dumb and impossible and contradictory things. Don't hold your breath.

    Politicians will tell the truth when voters reward them for it!

  • briguyhfx

    These are the same people that flag all of their outgoing e-mails as high-priority, I guess. (Why is it always the admin staff and managers that do this?)

  • http://www.garliccityauction.com/ Gary

    I'd have to agree with a lot of the people. It's easy to write a list of priorities, but make sure it is accurate and being able to follow up is the difficult part. We naturally get sidetracked on a day to day basis.

  • john g

    Was there a point to this post? This boiled down to about 4 priorities.

    Jobs/economy
    Health and Safety
    Reducing greenhouse gases (just "a priority", not a top priority)
    Victims

  • Blue

    I think the point is that Wherry appears to be coming over from the dark side—-first he pounces on McGuinty for the policing of the G-20, then he wants to talk Coalition, and now he praises the Harper gov. for having the right priorities.

    Just in time for Christmas, Wherry has seen the light.

  • Thwim

    Which one is their top priority again?

  • Dan

    Fedeal Gov is responsible for declaring war collecting taxes and healthcare

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