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

Week One

by Aaron Wherry on Saturday, April 2, 2011 8:47pm - 49 Comments

This is the week that was.

Stephen Harper went to Rideau Hall and warned the nation about what would happen if he wasn’t reelected. Michael Ignatieff explained the rules of our democracy and stepped out into the sun.

The leaders stumped. Jack Layton rallied in Dartmouth, Mr. Ignatieff rallied in Ottawa and Mr. Harper rallied in Brampton. Mr. Ignatieff bought some bagels and the Liberals got excited. Mr. Layton sold some blenders. Mr. Harper squabbled with reporters inside the bubble and Mr. Ignatieff promised more access. Reporters onboard the Conservative campaign were told to stop asking Mr. Harper about any of the candidates running for his party. Other reporters compared Mr. Harper to his previous self, while Mr. Harper tried and tried and tried to explain himself (only to be raise more questions).

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Mr. Harper mused of debating Mr. Ignatieff. Mr. Ignatieff offered to do so and Mr. Harper changed his mind. Mr. Ignatieff put his challenge in writing. After some consternation, the broadcast consortium settled on two debates with four leaders. Rick Mercer (among others) offered to host a debate between Mr. Harper and Mr. Ignatieff and Mr. Ignatieff accepted.

Mr. Harper said no to tomorrow and Canadians said yes to a coalition. Gilles Duceppe remembered the summer of 2004. The former Liberal candidate in Vaughan defected. The New Democrat candidate in Elgin-Middlesex-London defected and the Conservatives pounced. Cheryl Gallant compared Mr. Ignatieff to Ghaddafi.

Mr. Ignatieff promised student aid, pension reform, child care and family care.

Mr. Harper promised income splitting for families with children (in five years), help for small businesses and an end to the per vote subsidy.

Mr. Layton promised help for small businesses, a cap on credit card fees, more doctors and nurses, help for veterans and an end to oil subsidies.

I posed two questions for Mr. Harper and dug up what Mr. Layton wrote in 2006. Terry Milewski dug up what Mr. Harper wrote in 1997. Susan Delacourt reflected on campaigns past.

And finally, perhaps most important, an astronaut told us the secret to preventing motion sickness.

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  • Proud Canadian

    Maybe democracy will win after all? Liberal Majority is possible if people get out and vote!

    • Blue

      I think you better stick to calling women maids—your vote prediction is way out in fantasy land.

      • Proud Canadian

        You miss read it again. It's Harper that holds women in contempt (actually holds Canadians in contempt, actually parliment too) It isn't me eroding womens rights and cutting funding to womens groups. It's Harper! But I expect a tory response to be another tory deflection. We have all come to expect that from the party of angry white men, sad!

        • Blue

          Well, I`m white and I am a man, but I`m not angry—-you on, the other hand seem to have a problem.

          • D.D.S

            His name is Stephen Harper…and he seems to be everyone's problem

  • Dan

    Iggy's below Layton in "best PM" polls, if given the choice people would rather have Layton lead a coaltion that him, his personal approval numbers are below Dion's dismal numbers,

    …

    and almost every poll shows Harper in Majority territory.

    All after Iggy's "awsome" week, according to the Ottawa "expert" media analysts.

    Maybe there are better examples of the media being completely out of touch, but it's hard to think of one.

    Iggy's literally one of his party's biggest losers so far and the media is fawning all over him.

    This is so awsome to watch!!!

  • Dan

    And to watch Iggy's supporters here eat it up as if Iggy can get a MAJORITY!!!

    Gold, pure gold.

    More please.

    • OriginalEmily1

      Or you could be whistling past the graveyard.

    • Proud Canadian

      If the tory scare mongering works the way it is intended (by deliberately discouraging Canadians from voting because the attack ads are not meant to change or sway voters opinion, they are meant to discourage ordinary Canadians from voting, make Canadians disgusted in the system and stay home) then Harper has a chance but if Canadians get out to vote Michael could win a majority. Tories always count on Canadians not voting, it's a big part of their strategy.

      • canucklehead

        I suppose the intense negativity towards Harper doesn't count as scare mongering because he really is evil right? I haven't been around a tv much in the past few years but the last thing I remember was stuff like "Soldiers. With Guns. In our cities." And it did get aired in one province even after it was leaked.

        • OriginalEmily1

          G20

          • http://www.anon.com Anon

            D12

          • OriginalEmily1

            G20. Soldiers. With Guns. In Our Cities.

        • Proud Canadian

          That's right! He really is evil and the sad thing, IF he gets a majority all you tory followers will be held in contempt like everybody else. Don't you remember him stabbing you all in the back when you formed your Conservative Reform, Alliance party? He will do it again I promise. If he wins a majority he wont need you guys anymore. You see Harper does not work for his team, does not work for his party, does not work for Canada, Harper works for big business, banks and the republican party. Everyone knows that! geezzzzzzzzzz!

          • canucklehead

            hahahahahaha :P

  • Mike514

    I’ve been following the Nanos rolling poll, and while Ignatieff had a good week (IMO), his numbers are starting to taper off after a spike a few days ago. Layton’s once again viewed as a better leader than MI, and support for the Liberals has been trending downwards whole Tory support has eked up very slightly.

    I find it a bit baffling. Despite MI’s strong performance, his numbers went down since a few days ago. What’s up with that?

    I guess we’ll have to check out this coming week’s polls to get a better picture of trends.

  • charles

    What exactly was great about this week for Mr. Ignatieff? Aside from the media just concluding that?

    He went and campaigned. And for that many in the media were just titilated.

    I’ve never seen anything like it. Perhaps it is because they were part of the annointing process – they cheered rather than scrutinized his becoming leader by decree of the party brass. This election would have been much different had we had a legitimate leadership convention.

    • jonatwitan

      "Hey Look Fred, this guy only ever uses a teleprompter, but that guy over there, he DOESN'T use a teleprompter!!!!! Isn't he amazing!!!!!!!"

    • come again

      the annointing is a bit of a black mark. not that it makes an ounce of difference, sadly.

  • charles

    Perhaps many of the young Liberals here (who understandably want “their” party to win) can’t appreciate the feelings of a longtime Liberal denied a voice in determining who the leader is, and then to have that annointed leader run on a platform of “respect for democracy”.

    It’s galling, and even more galling to watch the media crown Mr. Ignatieff defender of democratic principles.

    • Just Joe

      Why not give Ignatieff a chance — nobody could fail as badly as Stephen Harper — NOBODY!

  • NorthernPoV

    Well, that campaign to pay for Con trolls is certainly working.
    So many trolls, so little brain power!

    • jonatwitan

      So somebody accuses Harper of thinking that all women should be maids, and you feel compelled to call out the couple of trolls who make a comment about Ignatieff being appointed rather than elected leader of his party? I agree with you that the trolls are out, but it seems to me they have come out from underneath both sides of the bridge.

      • Jan

        Are you suggesting Harper is a feminist?

        • jonatwitan

          Is saying that someone does not believe that all women should be maids the same as saying that someone is a feminist?

      • Proud Canadian

        I admit the 'maid' comment was a cheap shot but this man does not support women and his actions prove it.

  • jonatwitan
    • jonatwitan

      Hahaha…just re-watched. Random news guy near the beginning says: "Canada's COALITION minority government fell today."

      • BCer in Mtl

        Random News guy from FOX NEWS . .. Harper's preferred outlet for granting interviews in the United States. He's even had lunch with the owner.

        • jonatwitan

          Lunch with the owner!

      • Claudia Lemire

        Hahaha, it's priceles, it brings me to tears, we re so much darn fun!!!

      • Proud Canadian

        "Canada's COALITION minority government fell today." just tells you how the world views Canada. Harpers head must have exploded at that commentary. funny stuff though for sure!

  • Proud Canadian

    Duh! Harper's Government found in CONTEMPT!!!!!! First time ever in the Commonwealth!!!!! He has shown Canadians he does not care about democracy. You tories shrugging this off as if it was nothing is what scares Canadians. Let me repeat this "The first time ever in the commonwealth, that's hundreds of years and thousands of elected representatives"! Does that not register with you just a little bit? So when I say I want democracy to win, I want the Party that accepts democracy as our system and does not hold it in Contempt. Harper, and the whole bunch of you, need to appoligize to Canadians and the wold for your total disregard to the democratic system we CANADIANS hold near and dear to our hearts. So you see, there is only one outcome when I say I want democracy to win and by your leaders, ministers, MPs and followers very actions, your team, sir, is disqualified!

  • BGLong

    No one … other than sad, twisted, emotionally damaged people .. is paying attention yet.

  • Proud Canadian

    say what! someone that cares about the future of their country, cares for the future of their children are, in your words… sad, twisted, emotionally damaged people.

  • Proud Canadian

    Thank you and I get that argument. I really do. I am having trouble with the hundreds of years, hundreds of politicians, many, many countries and I'm sure many, many minority governments across our commonwealth. With that said, Harpers Government was the only one ever found in contempt. That does not sit well with me. I am not angry, I am really concerned, scared actually, that the right wing will erode our country to the point the republicans did and are doing in the US. Canada is the best country in the world. I'm just waiting for them to start with the 'religeous right' that we will see if Harper gets a majority. God help us, no pun intended!

  • jonatwitan

    It seems that both those links fail. But, if you simply google "Harper on [hot-button issue]", you will find it.

  • OriginalEmily1
  • Proud Canadian

    Kind of fits with Harpers right wing vision of women, maids!

  • tedbetts
  • OriginalEmily1

    Well she doesn't seem like a happy camper.

    'Stephen Harper decided to go behind the counter of a Tim Hortons in Dieppe, N.B. on Friday afternoon to serve coffee to customers. The patron who gave him the most trouble? His wife, Laureen.
    After Harper served everyone in line, journalists on the scene reported that Laureen told Harper to get her a coffee — regular, black. (“You should know that.”) Then she told him to pay for it.
    Harper dug around in his pockets. He didn’t have any money.
    Laureen made sure someone else paid. ' http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/artic…

  • Jan

    They gotta serve somebody…

  • jonatwitan

    Proud Canadian wrote: "Kind of fits with Harpers right wing vision of women, maids!"

    Disgraceful.

  • OriginalEmily1

    How can you possibly put gloves on…….??

  • Loraine Lamontagne

    Mr. Harper is totally disconnected from the day-to-day life as a Canadian citizen if he thinks he can get coffee for free at Tim's.

  • NorthernPoV

    Agreed. Harper views are disgraceful!

  • jonatwitan

    What's disgraceful is making assertions that are 100% baseless about someone else's views and beliefs, regardless of one's political stripes. Going there is a low low level that says more about you than it says about the person who's character you are attempting to smear.

  • Proud Canadian

    What's disgraceful is cutting funding to womens groups, taking equality away from women and using them to sit behind him in parliment for the optics!

  • jonatwitan

    Despite the more reasonable tone that your posts have taken (for which, I am grateful), your obvious bias remains, well, unfortunate:
    http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/artic…

    Please present me with hard facts that show that Harper has only and always cut funding to women's groups. Note that this will require more than one example. You need to at least provide me with a handful of examples. You will also have to assure me that there are no examples of the Harper Government TM increasing funding to a women's group, or, if there is an example of that, you will have to provide some explanation as to why that was allowed to happen.

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