The Rick Mercer Report is looking for submissions of John Baird Dubbed. During a 'rant' in the house of commons by Treasury Board President Baird, a Child's voice filled in that of mr. Baird's. This example can be seen on the link above under " The Rick Mercer Report Audio Challenge"; it is absolutely hilarious!! Watch it and should you be inspired to do so, create your own.
Oh how I love you Rick Mercer.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Monday, October 16, 2006
Toronto Leadership Debate
I was not fortunate enough to be in Toronto for the debate, but from what I watched on TV I wish I would have been!
It seemed there was quite the lively debate - if we can even call it that- between Iggy and Rae. Iggy was the first to point out Rae flip floped on the issue of Afghanastan, in which Rae jumped all over Iggy's flip flop on the issue in the Middle East. I found this humorous and useful in pointing to the character traits of the candidates. Mr. Rae was not progressive in his purpose, and you could tell that from his smugness when paired up against Iggy.
I only hope that other people recognize the difference between a candidate who wants to win the game and one who wants to lead the party. Rae I dont think is interested in the latter; Dion I think is. Dion was passionate in the debate, he did not back down against the Front runners and voiced his perspective loud and clear for all to hear. However, my criticsm for Dion is that he was to emotional. He lacked focus, he lacked calmness and it worked against him when you think about his debate skills. But I will say that his passion was excellent and from talking with him on previous occassions, I do not doubt that his motives in this race are good.
I do think that Ignatieff did well. I wasn't overly impressed, but than again there wasn't much new that any of them could offer here except better presentation I suppose. The one thing I like the best about Ignatieff is his straightforwardness about any issue. He doesn't choose to use rhetoric in his speech, and doesnt fall into the "whos better than who" game. I particulary enjoyed his forceful statement of "absolutely not!" to Rae when questioned about the Middle East. Because Rae knows fulls well of Michael's positions, yet still judges it acceptable to play on the subject. I think he was putting on a show for television, as Marth Hall findlay put it; who I might add did an excellent job on almost every issue. She is very smart and debates well.
I know that I only mentioned four of the eight candidates, but I have my reasons. I do think that the Race will come down to Ignatieff, Rae and Dion (And I know what the delegate numbers are). I mention Findlay because I think she is doing excellent. Of course she wont win, but she is sure making a name for herself. And I think she adds a lot to the party and to the leadership race.
It seemed there was quite the lively debate - if we can even call it that- between Iggy and Rae. Iggy was the first to point out Rae flip floped on the issue of Afghanastan, in which Rae jumped all over Iggy's flip flop on the issue in the Middle East. I found this humorous and useful in pointing to the character traits of the candidates. Mr. Rae was not progressive in his purpose, and you could tell that from his smugness when paired up against Iggy.
I only hope that other people recognize the difference between a candidate who wants to win the game and one who wants to lead the party. Rae I dont think is interested in the latter; Dion I think is. Dion was passionate in the debate, he did not back down against the Front runners and voiced his perspective loud and clear for all to hear. However, my criticsm for Dion is that he was to emotional. He lacked focus, he lacked calmness and it worked against him when you think about his debate skills. But I will say that his passion was excellent and from talking with him on previous occassions, I do not doubt that his motives in this race are good.
I do think that Ignatieff did well. I wasn't overly impressed, but than again there wasn't much new that any of them could offer here except better presentation I suppose. The one thing I like the best about Ignatieff is his straightforwardness about any issue. He doesn't choose to use rhetoric in his speech, and doesnt fall into the "whos better than who" game. I particulary enjoyed his forceful statement of "absolutely not!" to Rae when questioned about the Middle East. Because Rae knows fulls well of Michael's positions, yet still judges it acceptable to play on the subject. I think he was putting on a show for television, as Marth Hall findlay put it; who I might add did an excellent job on almost every issue. She is very smart and debates well.
I know that I only mentioned four of the eight candidates, but I have my reasons. I do think that the Race will come down to Ignatieff, Rae and Dion (And I know what the delegate numbers are). I mention Findlay because I think she is doing excellent. Of course she wont win, but she is sure making a name for herself. And I think she adds a lot to the party and to the leadership race.
Friday, October 13, 2006
Ignatieff's Defends Liberals Against Harper - Israel-Hezbollah
Michael Ignatieff, during his speech at U of T dismisses Harper's accusations that he or any Liberals or Liberal Candidates are Anti-Israel. As I watched a Ignatieff speak from U of T I was thoroughly impressed with his clarity as he defended himself and the party. He pointed out the obvious point that Mr. Harper sees things in only black and white; there is no grey area for him. A point that Ken Dryen equally agreed with. There is always grey in politics; divisive action is not healthy for anyone, no matter which party they relate with.
I am appauled, but not shocked, that Harper said the things that he said. It is repulsive to have the Prime Minister of our country make erroneous accusations about any memeber of the legislature; especially when he knows full well that the Israel-Hezbollah conflict was anything but black and white. There were "war crimes" from both sides - says Ignatieff- but saying that does not denounce any of the members involved in the conflict. Ignatieff's comments were deemed controversial by many, even some of the other leadership candidates, but they were logical, honest, reflective and progressive. There was no rhetoric in his statement about Israel, and there was no attempt to decieve people about his views. And with that, his views are most certainly not Anti-Israel and he did a fantastic job of pressing that point during his speech today.
It's upsetting that Harper is compelled to divide the country for his own political gain; that's not something any Canadian should stand by. And on that note, I was very impressed with Ken Dryden's perception of the situation. He was calm, collective and dealt with the direct issue facing the Liberals after Harper's claims. He did not attempt to criticize other Liberal Leadership contenders, nor did he resort to simply pointing the finger at Harper.
We all know that Liberals are not Anti-Israel; we know that none of the candidates for leaderhship are Anti-israel. However, we also know that it has been said, but the response from Ignatieff directly to Harper was phenomenal; I couldnt have said it better myself. I think Harper needs a lesson in leadership and unity.
In terms of the leadership race itself now: Does Ken Dryden's comments show any leanings on which candidate he will support at the convention? Does the fact that he answered to the accusations from Harper in the same way Ignatieff did, indirectly put him in line with Ignatieff's thinking?
I am appauled, but not shocked, that Harper said the things that he said. It is repulsive to have the Prime Minister of our country make erroneous accusations about any memeber of the legislature; especially when he knows full well that the Israel-Hezbollah conflict was anything but black and white. There were "war crimes" from both sides - says Ignatieff- but saying that does not denounce any of the members involved in the conflict. Ignatieff's comments were deemed controversial by many, even some of the other leadership candidates, but they were logical, honest, reflective and progressive. There was no rhetoric in his statement about Israel, and there was no attempt to decieve people about his views. And with that, his views are most certainly not Anti-Israel and he did a fantastic job of pressing that point during his speech today.
It's upsetting that Harper is compelled to divide the country for his own political gain; that's not something any Canadian should stand by. And on that note, I was very impressed with Ken Dryden's perception of the situation. He was calm, collective and dealt with the direct issue facing the Liberals after Harper's claims. He did not attempt to criticize other Liberal Leadership contenders, nor did he resort to simply pointing the finger at Harper.
We all know that Liberals are not Anti-Israel; we know that none of the candidates for leaderhship are Anti-israel. However, we also know that it has been said, but the response from Ignatieff directly to Harper was phenomenal; I couldnt have said it better myself. I think Harper needs a lesson in leadership and unity.
In terms of the leadership race itself now: Does Ken Dryden's comments show any leanings on which candidate he will support at the convention? Does the fact that he answered to the accusations from Harper in the same way Ignatieff did, indirectly put him in line with Ignatieff's thinking?
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Accusations of Ignatieff clarified
Sent out today from the Ignatieff Campaign to clarify the accusations against Ignatieff.
September 26, 2006
VIA E-MAIL
Steve McKinnon
Executive Director
Liberal Party of Canada
81 Metcalf Street, Suite 400
Ottawa, ON
K1P 6M8
Re: Complaint filed against Michael Ignatieff Leadership Campaign
Mr. McKinnon:
Late yesterday, we obtained a copy of the allegations against the Michael Ignatieff Leadership Campaign (“Ignatieff Campaign”) filed with Nikki Holland, RRO for Ontario earlier in the day. We have since reviewed all memberships cited in that document. Of the 60 memberships cited, we have confirmed that only three were signed up by the Ignatieff Campaign. The remainder either pre-date the leadership contest, were signed up through competing campaigns, or took out their memberships independent of the leadership contest. The deceased member cited joined the Party with a five-year membership in 2004, prior to Michael’s involvement in Etobicoke-Lakeshore.
I have attached a file outlining our detailed findings.
The complaint also attached a number of signed statements, alleging that “fees were kindly paid for by the Michael Ignatieff leadership campaign”. As you will see from an examination of the membership lists, all of these memberships pre-date the leadership contest, making it impossible for this to be the case.
Of the three memberships signed up by the Ignatieff Campaign still at issue, none fall within the purview of the Leadership Expenses Committee, as no allegations of misspending by the Ignatieff Campaign have been made. These three memberships are properly the jurisdiction of the regional challenge process, which deadline passed last Friday, before this complaint was filed. I personally signed up two of these members and can confirm that they paid their own membership fees. The third is a senior woman who suggests that her membership was paid by another member of her senior’s club, not the Ignatieff Campaign.
I feel compelled to add one point. The Ignatieff Campaign did not receive a copy of the complaint from the Party itself, despite our request. We were left to defend against these baseless allegations without knowledge of them, when we could have reviewed and defended within an hour of receiving a copy. It was only at the end of the day, after media filing deadlines, that we were sent a copy by a third party. The result was harm to the Ignatieff Campaign in advance of delegate selection meetings, and harm to the Liberal Party of Canada.
While we support the process the Liberal Party has in place to handle such allegations, the moment the media becomes aware of them, it is incumbent on the Party to provide the affected campaign(s) with the tools necessary to respond to the allegations.
I trust our analysis will be confirmed through the Party’s review and I await your findings.
Most sincerely,
Sachin Aggarwal
Chief Agent and National Director of Operations
Michael Ignatieff Leadership Campaign
cc. Michael Eizenga, President, LPC
cc. Nikki Holland, RRO Ontario
cc. David Pretlove, Executive Director, LPC(O)
cc. Leadership Expenses Committee
September 26, 2006
VIA E-MAIL
Steve McKinnon
Executive Director
Liberal Party of Canada
81 Metcalf Street, Suite 400
Ottawa, ON
K1P 6M8
Re: Complaint filed against Michael Ignatieff Leadership Campaign
Mr. McKinnon:
Late yesterday, we obtained a copy of the allegations against the Michael Ignatieff Leadership Campaign (“Ignatieff Campaign”) filed with Nikki Holland, RRO for Ontario earlier in the day. We have since reviewed all memberships cited in that document. Of the 60 memberships cited, we have confirmed that only three were signed up by the Ignatieff Campaign. The remainder either pre-date the leadership contest, were signed up through competing campaigns, or took out their memberships independent of the leadership contest. The deceased member cited joined the Party with a five-year membership in 2004, prior to Michael’s involvement in Etobicoke-Lakeshore.
I have attached a file outlining our detailed findings.
The complaint also attached a number of signed statements, alleging that “fees were kindly paid for by the Michael Ignatieff leadership campaign”. As you will see from an examination of the membership lists, all of these memberships pre-date the leadership contest, making it impossible for this to be the case.
Of the three memberships signed up by the Ignatieff Campaign still at issue, none fall within the purview of the Leadership Expenses Committee, as no allegations of misspending by the Ignatieff Campaign have been made. These three memberships are properly the jurisdiction of the regional challenge process, which deadline passed last Friday, before this complaint was filed. I personally signed up two of these members and can confirm that they paid their own membership fees. The third is a senior woman who suggests that her membership was paid by another member of her senior’s club, not the Ignatieff Campaign.
I feel compelled to add one point. The Ignatieff Campaign did not receive a copy of the complaint from the Party itself, despite our request. We were left to defend against these baseless allegations without knowledge of them, when we could have reviewed and defended within an hour of receiving a copy. It was only at the end of the day, after media filing deadlines, that we were sent a copy by a third party. The result was harm to the Ignatieff Campaign in advance of delegate selection meetings, and harm to the Liberal Party of Canada.
While we support the process the Liberal Party has in place to handle such allegations, the moment the media becomes aware of them, it is incumbent on the Party to provide the affected campaign(s) with the tools necessary to respond to the allegations.
I trust our analysis will be confirmed through the Party’s review and I await your findings.
Most sincerely,
Sachin Aggarwal
Chief Agent and National Director of Operations
Michael Ignatieff Leadership Campaign
cc. Michael Eizenga, President, LPC
cc. Nikki Holland, RRO Ontario
cc. David Pretlove, Executive Director, LPC(O)
cc. Leadership Expenses Committee
Conservative plans: What they will do with the surplus.
Today, the Conservative Government has announced what it will do with the 13.2 Billion dollar Surplus. As many analysts have suggested, the presumed dealings would be to lower taxes or to give something back; since a surplus is a good indicator that Canadians are being over taxed.
But that is not how they Conservatives view things. John Baird and Jim Flaherty announced cuts to a vast amount of public programs. They do not plan on cutting taxes and have taken away a large amount of spending on to name one, the Status of Women. They want to focus on paying the national debt. While Baird says he wants to focus on "real priorities for real Canadians", however will it suffice for them to balance the budget rather than give any breaks to Canadians - particularly ones with the lowest income?
I think Belinda Stronach has a poin t when she says the Conservative government is working to cut programs that work counter to their political agenda. She says, "it will be limiting the opportunity that people have to push for equal rights and it worries me greatly" {paraphrased slightly}
Typical Conservative move that is only going to hurt Canadians in the end.
But that is not how they Conservatives view things. John Baird and Jim Flaherty announced cuts to a vast amount of public programs. They do not plan on cutting taxes and have taken away a large amount of spending on to name one, the Status of Women. They want to focus on paying the national debt. While Baird says he wants to focus on "real priorities for real Canadians", however will it suffice for them to balance the budget rather than give any breaks to Canadians - particularly ones with the lowest income?
I think Belinda Stronach has a poin t when she says the Conservative government is working to cut programs that work counter to their political agenda. She says, "it will be limiting the opportunity that people have to push for equal rights and it worries me greatly" {paraphrased slightly}
Typical Conservative move that is only going to hurt Canadians in the end.
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