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got this in an email
This unholy alliance needs the support of a Separatist Government intent
on destroying Canada, to attain power. Can you imagine Stephan Dion or
Jack Layton representing our Nation Internationally; we would be a
laughing stock. These self serving politicans have the ethics of a
one-eyed alley cat. AND the real reason for this unholy alliance has
nothing to do with the economy. I see nothing wrong with reducing the
size of the trough the politicans feed from by reducing the money given
to them by Canadian Taxpayers. I have no desire to contribute to a
Separatist movement in Quebec or a greatly expanded welfare mentality
that NDP represents.
and this
Column by Chuck Strahl MP
I thought you might like to read Chuck Strahl's latest column on the
current Canadian Crisis.
A Political Crisis?
By Chuck Strahl MP
November 29, 2008
Last week I sent around an update on Canada ’s economic
situation, with the observation that it wasn’t a very enjoyable subject
to write about. Unfortunately, this week it appears that our economic
woes are morphing into a political crisis of sorts, at a time when we
can least afford it. What’s happening in Ottawa is bordering on the
absurd, but its impact would be felt most harshly by Canadians, not
political parties. It is potentially a shame of historic proportions.
The Throne Speech I wrote about last week has now been passed.
The Opposition Parties apparently had no trouble supporting the
direction of the Conservative government, and in fact, they let it pass
“on division”, which means they didn’t even want a stand up vote! When
the Finance Minister tabled his economic update, though, things got
ugly, mostly because the speech made reference to politicians and
political parties receiving less from the government coffers. Suddenly,
the Liberals and NDP want to form an alternative government, apparently
by joining forces in a coalition, and supported by the separatist Bloc
Quebecois.
This unholy alliance is trying to paint a different picture, of
course. They say they simply want to spend more money to stimulate the
economy, but when asked for details, it’s pretty thin gruel. Apparently
they’re prepared to take the ‘ready, shoot, aim” approach to spending,
and agree to some blank cheques without even knowing what will actually
help specific industries, without knowing what Barak Obama has planned,
and without working in concert with the other G-20 countries. It is a
recipe for a fiscal disaster.
More importantly, it is a democratic disaster. During the
campaign, Liberal leader Stephane Dion said he would not and could not
have a coalition with the NDP, because their policies would destroy the
economy. Apparently that principled position has now gone out the
window. Now we have the prospect of the Liberals (with 77 seats)
joining with the NDP (with 37 seats) to unseat the democratically
elected Conservatives (with 143 seats) . Of course, the only way to do
that would be with the support of the separatist Bloc Quebecois, who
bring their votes to the table in exchange for their separatist agenda.
It is almost beyond belief, but apparently the back room discussions
amongst these parties are happening as I write this note.
As I said last week, our Conservative government has been
preparing our economy for over a year to weather this world-wide
economic storm as best we can. We have brought in almost $200 billion
dollars in economic stimulus over a 5 year period, by lowering taxes
across the board and in every category. We have freed up billions more
by adopting Bank of Canada policies and mortgage protection that have
increased the availability of credit and addressed liquidity issues,
without costing the taxpayer too much and without risking our country’s
core stability. The IMF, the World Economic Forum, the OECD and other
international organizations are united in their opinions that Canada is
in the best shape of any industrialized nation in the world. Now the
left-leaning parties in Parliament are willing to risk it all in order
to gain power through the back door, power that was denied to them in a
general election.
In order to diffuse this crisis, our government has agreed to
separate the political party financing issue from the confidence vote,
and we’ll be bringing it back to Parliament in a stand-alone Bill for a
vote next year. Whether a person believes the taxpayer should be forced
to pay for political party finances will be debated and decided at
another time. I’ll be supporting the Bill when it comes to a vote, and
we’ll see what happens. For now, Canadians should be appalled that we
could be thrown into a democratic and constitutional crisis by an
attempt to gain power at any cost, to overthrow the democratically
expressed will of the Canadian people, all at a critically important
economic time for us all.
I’m uncertain where all of this is going, but it is entirely
possible that the Conservatives could lose the confidence of Parliament
and be forced into an election within days. You can’t run the government
without revenue, and we simply must have the authority to pay the bills
and stick to the agenda already approved in the Throne Speech. But it is
also entirely possible that the Conservatives could be forced from
government by the Liberal/NDP/Bloc coalition, if the Governor General
agrees. Canada deserves better than either of these options, and we’ll
be working hard to keep everyone focused on the economy, jobs, and a
sound budgetary plan. We believe Canadians want us to get on with
governing. But I just don’t know what will happen, and I share Canadian’
s shock and anger that we’re teetering on this abyss at this critical
time.
The vote to bring down the government will now take place on
December 8th, so Canadians have a week or so to express themselves
before that critical moment. I urge everyone to write a letter-to-the
editor, call a radio talk show, circulate this article (or others)
through their own email list, and contact political parties with their
opinion. A strong grassroots reaction may be the only thing that stands
between us and a Prime Minister Stephane Dion and Finance Minister Jack
Layton.