Sunday, May 13, 2007

22 More Seats is not enough!




Adding a mere 22 seats is hardly going change things all that much. People in the populous regions of Canada, particularly in our biggest urban centers, will still be getting shafted. Indeed, if the government where to commit itself to giving an MP for every 70,000 people the new numbers would break down as follows. Ontario would gain 67 seats, Quebec 27, BC 23, Alberta 19, and Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia 2 each. All total, a 142 seats should be added, most of those in Urban areas. There would still be outliers. PEI, and the territories would still be over represented, but I do not think this would bother anyone.
Some say that people in the less populous areas of the country need 1.5 to 6 times the representation because more populous provinces are more powerful then less populous ones, but that is weak argument. People living in the less populous regions of the country already have far more clout on a per person basis by virtue of the fact that the provincial and territorial jurisdictions in which they are a member or far less populous. Comparing province to province is a misnomer. It is comparing apples to oranges. What one should be comparing is the political resources of people in any two ridings. When one does this it is abundantly clear that people in Canada’s urban centers in particular are getting the short end of the stick. Indeed, PEI and its population of 135,851 and 4 MPs, as a province, has revenue streams available to it that are simply not available to Oak Ridges Markham and its population of 169, 642 and 1 MP. Oak Ridges Markham does not get Federal transfer payments.

Thursday, May 03, 2007

Is Dion another Paul Martin?




Under Trudeau, the Liberals had personality, a sense of purpose, swagger and youthful vigor. Under Chrétien, the Liberals also had personality but under his leadership the Liberals lacked the other three. Under Martin, the Liberals lacked all 4. Under Dion, the Liberals have to establish that their leader is not the second coming of Paul Martin. So far they are not doing a very good job. Outside of what has come dangerously close to sermonizing on the environment, the Liberals have continued to come up with middle of the road, offend no one, please no one, interest no one, policies that are utterly incoherent at their core because they are designed to appeal to both sides of any political divide. And then there is Denis Coderre and other living embodiments of everything the population hates about politicians.

Liberal stupidity and the Doan affair




“Liberal Leader Stephane Dion admitted that the government shouldn't interfere with Hockey Canada decisions, but called the Tories' silence on the issue 'shocking.'” http://www.cbc.ca/cp/hockey/070430/h043045A.html

No Stephane, what is “shocking” is how politically inept the Liberals have repeatedly proved to be. Adjectives such as “shocking” should be used sparingly and should only used to describe things that are truly shocking. There are political consequences to calling a lit candle a fire. The political consequences of hyperbole aside, the Conservatives are in the midst of a major political scandal and it is unforgivable that you decided to distract the media’s attention and for no good reason. Indeed, the issue in question is bound to be hopelessly unpopular outside of Quebec, is over two years old and the Shane Doan was cleared of the allegations in question anyway.

"The National Hockey League's investigation clearly shows that that was stated, but it also clearly shows that they felt that it wasn't Shane Doan."
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070503/hockey_meeting_070503/20070503?hub=Canada
Worst of all, the Shane Doan affair reinforces the perception that the Liberals are a bunch of easily offended nitpicky, opportunistic, shrill, huffy, strictly by the book, do gooders who are constantly going on about Canada’s many “obligations”. No wonder the Conservatives raised 10 times the amount the Liberals did in the first quarter of this year. The Dion Liberals have no street credibility and Dion seems to want to become the anti Trudeau. "Fuddle Duddle".