I don't judge the Prime Minister and Quebec City's MPs for promising to fund arenas. Advice, pork and constituents are a powerful driver of political action.
Well, thank God for Maxime Bernier, as he's shaking up the dusty back benches. He surely won't let a disgruntlement turn into a toppling rebellion. Yet Bernier's outspoken criticism and natural charisma should stop this senseless waste of money.
Bernier has been speculated about as a candidate for the leadership of the Tory party, even as I wrote this. On the surface, he has a majority all but served to him on a silver platter. A francophone Quebecer, eloquent, libertarian.
He's also smart enough not to force a leadership election. If the PM listens, points will be scored by the party. One: we'll still be the party that elects fiscally responsible MPs. Second: we'll show we're not a one-man-show, as alleged by many opponents. Third: a backbench grumble will be a great excuse for the PM to reiterate how his government is accountable to Parliament and how the Cabinet is always there, listening.
This could still be spun well!
15 comments:
Add me to the I wont vote for Harper list. If I want liberal I can vote liberal. Bernier on the other hand is what I hoped Harper would be. Time for a leadership change!
Let us see what Harper does before we act precipitously. I am on record for supporting Msr. Bernier's statements over the past few months and I am against funding anything unnecessary.
Even so, there is no party in view that I can support beyond the Conservatives. I was once a card carrying Liberal. I no longer for support that party which has drifted to far left with the likes of Bob Rae, Gerard Kennedy, and Dion.
I like how you put it Luca.
A lot of pundits are jumping the gun. All that's happened so far is that PM Harper has floated a trial balloon, nothing unusual about that.
My take is that our Quebec caucus is under a lot of pressure, as they look for ways to boost their popularity.
This is somewhat reminiscent of the stresses within our caucus, prior to the House vote on Duceppe's motion that "Quebec is a nation." PM Harper came up with the brilliant counter-motion, adding "within a united Canada", and the day was saved.
Harper has tons of experience to draw on, going back to his Reform-formation days, in response to Mulroney. He knows very well about the dangers of a Conservative leader taking his Western base for granted.
I'm confident that he is working on a way to finesse us out of this situation.
A leadership change, anony? Surely you jest!
That is decided by the rank and file card carrying Conservatives so I conclude, you are not in THAT loop.
Stephen Harper isn't going anywhere, quit ready the crap from the media.
Very well said, Luca! I love your style!
"ready" SB.... reading.
IOW...reading all the crap from the media!
That can't be said often enough!
If the CPC is stupid enought o dump Harper for yet ANOTHER P.M from Quebec you can write off every CPC vote west of the Manitoba SK border.
We've had almost 40 years of rule by Quebec PMs. Now that the rest of the country gets a crack at the top job and you want to go back to that BS.
Get lost. There are many ways for english Canadians to deliberately enflame separatist sentiment in Quebec. Just give us a friggin reason.......
Well, anon@00:03 I don't judge leaders by the language they speak, and nobody else does either. I can recall two French-Canadien PMs who I would vote for today if they were alive - Wilfred Laurier and Louis St-Laurent.
A good issue, as long as it is not a "go", to keep the press busy until the LGR vote.
L
Well, I would say the media wins on this one...here we are believing that SH said that they would fund it.
NO HE DIDN'T. The media are spinning it that way and they love to find another Conservative to go against Harper.
They must be jumping up and down over this one! And we are feeding it to them.
I don't judge leaders by the language they speak, and nobody else does either"
...I'll bet you're from Quebec. As far as "nobody else"? B.S. YOU don't speak for everybody. Besides where did I mention language? I was taliking about a REGION with too much influence - Quebec.
"two French-Canadien PMs who I would vote for today if they were alive"
Who cares? They're not. Quebec has had 1/2 a century of Prime ministers or almost Prime Ministers. ----Enough.
Instead of judging people by where they are from I prefer to judge them by what they say and do. Harper is a tax and spend liberal. I will take a freedom talking libertarian from Quebec over that any day.
Directed at Anon 12:41:00,
Harper is in a minority, smartass.
All opposition parties are slightly differing flavors of socialist well-fare loving/spreading pinko taliban hugging---crap, I can be at it all day describing them... point is, the conservatives still have to work with what they're stuck with.
You can't be brainlessly "libertarian" and fight every battle head on. Especially if it means sacrificing everything you've done thus far along with any potential to fix things in the future just to show the ideologues your good intentions.
Keep the pendulum idle.
In the grand scheme of things this is nothing to bring the house done over or welcome such needlessly strong in fighting at a point where you can risk too much.
Quit jumping the shark!
Harper mentioned equal treatment of all funding applications, and that options are being "considered". All he said "no" to was funding professional teams, which is obvious. Soudas didn't help either, by saying how exactly funding arenas won't be construed as funding for NHL teams, and that pro teams returning to Canada would be "great" because we all love hockey.
The word "no" was nowhere to be read between the lines.
Add in the pressure from a cluster of MPs that happen to be almost all the ones you have in a province, and I think you have a very open door to the federal purse.
Harper doesn't want to anger his loyal MPs from Quebec City by slamming it, so I really welcome Bernier's intervention. Only opposition from another QC MP can kill porky projects in the province.
As for judging leaders by where they come from, don't. Choose the guy who can win you an election and govern on sound principles. Who cares if he or she speaks french.
"As for judging leaders by where they come from, don't"
Easy to say when Quebec always gets the top job, right?
Funny how that works out.
Have you even met Bernier, or heard his speeches, or read his blog?
The guy's awesome!
If we begin clipping people's wings because of their origin, we're no better than any run-of-the-mill crony tribalist.
Anyhow, this is all empty faffle. We have a leader who has been winning elections and governing solidly. He can't smite his own for wanting some pork, but will probably listen to an opposing voice from the same province.
Case closed, I'd hope.
The media can spin whatever they like out of bloggers' negative feedback. There's a big difference between holding a leader to account (or disagreeing with him) and asking for his head.
I am a loyal Tory and would fight fiercely against an internal party struggle. Harper is our leader and should remain such until he loses an election or decides to pass the baton. None is foreseeable for now.
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