Monday 28 March 2011

Monday News and Notes

Weekend Wrap Up

Coalition: A coalition is an alliance among individuals or groups, during which they cooperate in joint action, each in their own self-interest, joining forces together for a common cause.


It came as no surprise that a possible coalition was the main issue over the weekend coming from the Conservative party, with Stephen Harper saying on Saturday, "Canadians need to understand clearly, without any ambiguity: unless Canadians elect a stable, national majority, Mr. Ignatieff will form a coalition with the NDP and Bloc Québécois".

Michael Ignatieff issued a statement through the Liberal party where they say, "We will not enter a coalition with other federalist parties. In our system, coalitions are a legitimate constitutional option. However, I believe that issue-by-issue collaboration with other parties is the best way for minority Parliaments to function." The statement also categorically ruled out a coalition with the Bloc.

This has not slowed down the Conservatives hammering away on a Coalition with the usual talking points being repeated again today in questions on the contempt ruling.

EDIT: So CPAC has released this video from 2004 where the (then) opposition parties announced their cooperation - but went out of their way on several occasions to make clear that it was not a coalition.

Happening Today

The Conservative party outlined a tax cut for families with children to share up to $50,000 of their income for tax purposes. These changes would not take effect until the budget has balanced. 1.8 Million Canadian Households will be effected (slightly above 14% of total households), saving an average of $1300. The Liberal leader dismissed the idea saying it's "not credible"

The Liberals said today that they will release their full platform within the week. Today the focus was on "Conservative Waste".

More to come this week and beyond I'm sure.

Friday 25 March 2011

The First Dead Issue

So in my effort to keep this blog fact based - I've discovered the first issue the pundits will be talking about that I won't be. "Who Caused This Election" is going to be the first story of the 2011 election season and there's no need to spend too much time talking about it because the answer is "Everyone".

Of course the Liberals, NDP, and Bloc have a hand in this by creating (and presumably voting for) a motion to defeat the government but oft overlooked is the hand the Conservative government is playing in this. Jack Layton has offered to work with the government in creating amendments for the budget that could help it pass - an offer which the Stephen Harper has declined. Having accepted amendments in the past it appears the government is just as interested in an election as the opposition. Considering the poll numbers this is hardly surprising.

Wednesday 23 March 2011

Welcome to the 2011 Election Season!

Welcome to the 2011 Canadian Election Blog!

Needless to say that after yesterday's budget we should be rolling head first into an early May election. I'm going to do my very best to keep this updated (mostly) daily - and try to stay even handed. This blog will try to focus on facts - and I will do my best to cite sources or link to interesting reads when I stumble on them.

For now, I leave you with "The Budget Plan" from the government of Canada website and the responses from The Liberal Party of Canada and The New Democratic Party.

Looking forward to six weeks of good times!