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

Direct appeal

by Aaron Wherry on Thursday, April 21, 2011 9:35am - 34 Comments

The Liberals will air a half-hour program on Sunday afternoon showcasing Mr. Ignatieff and the Liberal platform. From the official release:

“Michael Ignatieff’s Town Hall for Canada” will feature candid interviews with Mr. Ignatieff, and exclusive footage of him on the campaign trail in this election as he brings his message of hope to Canadians … “Michael Ignatieff’s Town Hall for Canada” will make the case directly to Canadians why the Liberal Party is the only choice in this election that can protect Canada’s universal public health care system and bring a new level of economic stability to Canadian families through the Liberal Family Pack.

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  • Anon

    Must-see T.V.!

    (And I'm being serious)

  • bergkamp

    Did Libs not spend much money elsewhere …. how can they afford to pay for half hour of air time across Canada?

    And I am not certain that is best time for special, on Easter Sunday. Don't most voters have plans on Easter other than watching trite public relations exercise by Libs?

    • OriginalEmily1

      Cons were the ones insisting Libs had no money….Libs told you they did.

      You can vote on Easter Sunday….advance polling stations are open.

      • Darren

        Might be good timing, most people will have the day off, probably indoors.

        • OriginalEmily1

          Yeah, you can vote on Good Friday too.

    • DMF

      I rather doubt whether anyone in the LIberal war-room has heard of this "Easter" thing you mention. It does, however, make one wonder what may ensue on Mr Ignatieff's "Rise Up!" incantations.

      • Very old person

        For most in canada, Easter is a day off from work. Sorry, but church attendance ain't what it used to be…

        • Mummer2

          I wonder if mosque, tabernacle, and temple attendance is down as well. Not for easter obviously but overall. Do you find attendance is down in general at churches?

        • DMF

          True, but as one who will be in church three times in the next three days, I can tell you the churches (in my part of the world at least) are going to be full, not empty during those three services, and filled with people who are, statistically, far more likely than the "average Canadian" to vote on May 2. Apart, then, from not reaching these people, the proposed "outreach" communicates an indifference to or incomprehension of them that is unfortunate, and would have been unthinkable to the LPC of a generation ago.

  • Blue

    At the beginning of this campaign i thought the NDP would siphon a lot of votes from the other parties for lots of reasons ( the cynic in me says that the NDP harvests votes from the single issue, financially unaware, and largely uninformed and short-sighted vote of which we apparently have many ).

    It appears that it is desperation time for the Liberals.
    Layton is playing for Stornoway. This would be an incredible coup for him, if not this election then the next one. Layton lays awake at night dreaming about strutting around that palace.
    I have nightmares even thinking about it.

    Is there anybody over at LPC aware of what is happening ?

    • Marv

      Have a warm milk and cookies each night – this will allay your political wet dreams.

  • jonatwitan

    Right, and as per the above statement, we can expect that he will just continue more of the same painting the Cons with horns, tail, and pitchfork.

  • Richard_S_Argent

    I think it's a good idea, but the scheduled airtime seems off to me. 12:00 on Easter Sunday is when all the "Christmas and Easter" Catholics/Christians are off in church. If I was planning, I'd put it at 2:00 or 3:00.

    • DMF

      Who are these "Catholic" or "Christian" peoples you speak of? I'm not sure the Liberal Party has any interest in so marginal and–historically speaking–so unlikely to vote groups.

      • Richard_S_Argent

        Are you trying to suggest that the Liberal Party has not historically been the party of choice for Catholics, or are you just taking the p!ss?

        • DMF

          I'm suggesting the LPC has long ago forgotten that very fact and now wouldn't know a twice-a-year Catholoic if it fell over one, much less how to engage one without awkwardness and condescension. And, yes, I'm taking the piss….

        • Blue

          That`s the thing–the Liberal Party used to be the Party of choice for Catholics, and they feel safe that those Catholics who always voted Liberal are solid, so a mid-day Easter will not lose them any Catholic vote.

          The problem for the Liberals is not with their traditional voter. It is in having policies and politicians that will attract new voters.

          • DMF

            Catholics haven't voted preponderantly for the Liberals in the last two elections: that vote is lost and getting lost-er and such gestures as this Easter Sunday ad indicate why, in part, this is so.

        • Very old person

          I think he's got his "Toronto Elite" spin on. But to your point, even the "2 Sundays a year" crowd is smaller than ever these days. You can tell a lot from parking patterns in my 'hood. There are two Catholic churches, one Greek reform church, a United and a Presbyhooligan church all within a big block here. Used to be, all through lent you couldn't find a spot, and often had trouble getting out of the driveway. But every year a few less cars show up. I've heard much the same from family and friends who attend around canada. More space, less crowds. I know a lot of "Catholics" who still vote red but don't go to church. Most just take the day off or start digging the garden.

          • Richard_S_Argent

            Yeah, my unscientific observations are roughly in line with yours. I think there are a lot of Catholics who still deeply believe in the religion but find the hectoring one receives in Church to be unnecessary, and so they stay away.

            (but that's really a discussion for another time :)

            cheers!

  • Very old person

    Sadly, Dr. Ho has lost his Chiropractic papers. Yet he still calls himself "Dr."

  • John D

    Drinking game!

  • john g

    I will certainly be curious to see the spending numbers at the end of this campaign. I have seen very few CPC ads, and a lot of LPC ads. Looking at the CPC ads on their site…I think they've only produced 2 or 3 ads the entire campaign?

    Are the CPC keeping their powder dry in case we go to the polls again in 3 months?

    • Amateur Hour

      They've already spent $100 million on partisan ads, signs and websites. Unfortunately, it was public money.

      However, there may be some truth to your suspicion that Harper plans (or at least has a contingency for) a cycle of elections — aimed at further diminishing voter turnout and bankrupting the opposition — if he fails to get a majority this time around (again).

      This may not come to pass, if history is any indication. The 2006 minority Conservative budget passed with the support of the Bloc. Same for his 2007 budget.

      Harper is quite willing to rely on the votes of "separatist MPs" if it means he gets to sit as PM. He only says this is illegitimate and reckless if another party's leader were to do the same.

      • Blue

        Last night in the Wherry post about the King-Byng thing, hth did an excellent job of explaining to you the difference that Harper would have and has had for 5 years in a negotiating position with the Bloc.

        If you would go back and reread his reply and use basic mathematical and logic concepts, then I am confident that you will better understand the difference.

        • Amateur Hour

          I read it yesterday. Differences of degree, not kind.
          Until 2005, Harper extolled the virtues of the multi-party system and the supremacy of Parliament.
          He defended the legitimacy of party co-operation in a minority situation.
          In 2004, he showed how the party with the most seats may not be the only party to govern.
          Now that the shoe's on the other foot, he pretends to be outraged.
          And his supporters laud his hypocrisy.

          • Blue

            If in 2004 Harper had signed a coalition contract with the Bloc and NDP and announced his intention to replace the Liberals and their 135 seats as the new gov`t and new PM with his 99 seats, then he would be every bit as guilty of recklessness as the Dion-led Liberal party with their 77 seats in 2008 and the announced intentions of the Ignatieff-led Liberal party of 2011.

            But that did not happen in 2004 and no matter how often you attempt to sling that mud, we all know the truth.

          • Amateur Hour

            Yes, Layton squeezed social spending out of Martin, extending the life of the Liberal minority, and the plan fizzled.

            But it was a plan.

    • bergkamp

      "I will certainly be curious to see the spending numbers at the end of this campaign. I have seen very few CPC ads, and a lot of LPC ads.'

      Me too. Libs have spent a lot of their budget on ads, would like to see where they have not spent money in order to boost money that could be spent on pr.

  • john g

    Dude, come on! Shamwow guy all the way.

  • HarveyMushman

    I'm thinking that Ignatieff will have a lot of success with this, getting Canadians to "rise up"…and change the channel.

  • s_c_f

    I can't wait to see the Stephane Dion television production team in action again, this time working their magic for a new leader.
    http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/seco…
    http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomm…

  • anon

    Something is very odd about the polls. Aside from never getting a call on my landline, so many people have cells! And these panels that Nanos uses, you can "apply" to be on them online – surely that means a certain type of person is attracted by being on a political panel, not exactly a normal thing for most people.

    And I know Facebook is not legit polling, but it has mattered in other elections around the world and what is happening there is completely different from published leadership/party polls. Stephen Harper was the most popular page BEFORE the election. But somewhere after that, Michael Ignatieff pulled into the lead, leaving Jack Layton in third about 13,000 behind Ignatieff. NOW, in just the last week, Stephen Harper's Facebook support has just stagnated. Layton was 7 or 8000 behind him weeks ago; today, he is just 3000 behind Harper and still moving. Harper's numbers on the page just dont' move anymore. As for Ignatieff, he has shot way past Harper, now over 10,000 people more popular than Harper, and 13,000 more than Layton. And both Layton and Ignatieff steadily add fans.

    Ok, I know there is nothing scientific about facebook. But all the margins of errors on Nanos polls and everyone else, particularly regional, can be up to +/- 10% . Especially the daily fluctuations that get the headlines, everyone is vastly within the margin of error from day to day.

    Facebook has to be an indicator of some kind, and its numbers for each leader is COMPLETELY different than anything I've seen reported.

    So does anyone care to comment or provide me with insight into this?

  • Mike514

    It's a great idea, but most people are already aware of his platform (no corporate tax cuts, money for students, open bid for jets, etc etc). I'm skeptical as to whether or not it'll be a game-changer, especially with one week left in the campaign. We'll have to wait and see.

    Also, if he starts playing up the "campaign of fear" by alleging Harper will cut 11B$ from health care, it might backfire. He should stick to a campaign of hope, playing up his platform, candidates, party history, etc., rather than fearmongering and slagging the Tories with such accusations.

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