Vote Liberal - if you want a Harper majority!

As I walked around the nation's capital today, I couldn't help but notice a great story and accompanying graphic on the front page of the Ottawa Citizen.




The article, by Glen McGregor (who's not only a great journalist but was really nice to this kid when I was Ottawa bureau chief for CUP), does a great job of highlighting the Liberal record - which clearly shows that they aren't standing up to Harper and, as such, are effectively giving him a majority.

As the article tells us:

"The Official Opposition supported the government on extending the Canadian mission in Afghanistan, motions on its centrepiece crime bill, and on other parliamentary arcana, such as a bill regarding the settlement of international investment disputes … The voting records support the growing contention that the Liberals are not truly functioning as an official Opposition as they seek to avoid running an election behind struggling leader Stéphane Dion.”

In the last election, the Liberals desperately asked Canadians to forget their record of failed promises, forget that inconvenient money laundering scam in Quebec and vote Liberal so they could "stop Harper's hidden agenda".

And what did those Liberal MPs go to Ottawa and do? Well, first they were distracted by organizing for their leadership race. And then once Dion got in and, once it became clear he'd wasn't going to have an office in Langevin Block anytime soon, they're now giving Harper a de facto majority so they can avoid facing the voters.

So I would think voters will be asking themselves, why vote Liberal?

Because it's now clear that, after the next election, your Liberal MP will be going back to Ottawa to organize for the next leadership race and stay in their seats when it comes time to stand up for the things they said they would fight for on the campaign trail.

Thankfully Canadians can vote for another party with a record of standing up for their beliefs - and against the Harper agenda.

"“Why vote for the Liberal party when the Liberal party won't stand up and vote for you?”

It's not often I agree with Peter Van Loan, but I think this quote should be in the mind of all progressive voters when they're getting ready to cast their votes in the next election.

Despite staking his political reputation on the environment, Liberal leader Stephane Dion ordered his party to stay away from the House tonight on a vote on a opposition motion of non-confidence in the Harper government on their inaction on reducing greenhouse gases.

Thankfully, voters concerned about the environment have another party in parliament who are willing to take action on climate change.

Source: Globe and Mail.

Still entitled to their entitlements ... 26 months later

I just couldn't resist blogging about this one - the latest Liberal opposition motion, a clearly desperate attempt to distract voters from the Dion-Harper coalition. And it's not just this Dipper saying that, Canada's foremost blogger-from-France Paul Wells agrees.

After a budget amendment that decried the Tory government's "NDP-like lack of fiscal prudence" (which of course ignores the evidence from the Finance department that shows that NDP goverments in Canada have had the BEST record of fiscal surpluses of any party), now the Liberals are bringing forward a motion that "condemn[s] the irresponsible and self-serving actions on Nov. 25, 2005, by the New Democratic Party and the Bloc Quebecois which led to the installation of a government that is hostile to the rights and needs of vulnerable Canadians."

I've got to agree with the unnamed NDP strategist, this motion is laughable!

Funny, I could've sworn it was CANADIAN VOTERS that put the Harper government in office.

Have the adults left the Official Opposition offices? Do they really think that this sort of whining does anything to bring the Liberals closer to power? Methinks it was precisely this sort of sense of entitlement that led voters to want to turf the Martin government out of office in the first place.

As this blogger notes, "don't expect that the average Canadian is still seething over that last election... they aren't. They've moved on. So should [Liberals]."

And Stephane if you keep this kind of whining up, you'll never get to see the inside of 24 Sussex. The smart Liberal bloggers realize this as well.