World

Meanwhile, the Revolution No One Noticed…in North America

TORONTO (AP) — Canadian opposition parties toppled Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government in a no confidence vote Friday, triggering the country’s fourth election in seven years.

The opposition parties held the Conservative government in contempt of Parliament in a 156-145 vote for failing to disclose the full financial details of his tougher crime legislation, corporate tax cuts and plans to purchase stealth fighter jets.

Meanwhile, the Revolution No One Noticed...in North America

Opinion polls expect Harper’s Conservative Party to win re-election but not a majority, meaning he likely will continue to govern with a minority in Parliament, dependent on opposition votes to stay afloat.

But in the latest twist, there is a chance the left-of-center parties might join forces in a coalition. The election is expected to take place May 2.

The opposition tried this once before, after Harper won minority re-election in 2008. But before he could be defeated in a no confidence vote, Harper shut down Parliament for three months and successfully whipped up public opposition against the coalition. The Conservatives accused the Liberals of treason for uniting with the Bloc Quebecois, a party that seeks independence for Canada’s French-speaking province of Quebec.

Harper’s government is now once again trying to marshal public sentiment against a possible coalition government. His underlings attacked the opposition Thursday with accusations they will try to form a coalition if another minority Conservative is the result of the election.

The Conservatives noted that first reference Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff didn’t rule out forming a coalition government with the other opposition parties when he was asked about it on Wednesday.

Opposition New Democrat leader Jack Layton added fuel to the fire Wednesday, saying he would not rule out forming a coalition with Ignatieff.

An election would offer the first opportunity to witness a faceoff between Harper and Ignatieff since Ignatieff took over the Liberal Party in December 2008.

Ignatieff, 63, is one of Canada’s leading intellectuals: an author, historian and TV panel regular in Britain before going into politics.

Harper, 51, is a career politician who has spent the last five years emphasizing a more conservative Canadian identity and moving Canada incrementally to the right. He has gradually lowered sales and corporate taxes, increased spending on the military and made Arctic sovereignty a priority.

He has called Canada an emerging “energy super power” in reference to Alberta’s oil sands deposits, the second largest oil reserves in the world, and has avoided enacting environmental legislation that would hurt the sector.

In foreign policy, he‘s extended Canada’s role in Afghanistan and he‘s been a staunch ally of Israel’s right wing government.

While the Conservatives will try to scare Canadians with coalition talk, the opposition will try to keep the focus on the government’s recent ethic issues.

The Liberals were originally going to bring down the government over corporate tax cuts and spending billions in new fighter jets, but recent ethical issues helped them make inroads in furthering the image of Harper as an autocrat who shuts Parliament when it suits him.

Last week, Harper asked police to look into the activities of Bruce Carson, a key former aide. Carson, 66, is accused of using the access he had to senior members of the government to lobby on behalf of a company affiliated with his 22-year-old fiancee, a former escort.

The opposition parties are also united against Harper’s latest budget plan, but they want to defeat the government over allegations it is in contempt of Parliament.

“To those who say an election is ”unnecessary,” I reply: We did not seek an election, but if we need one to replace a government that doesn’t respect democracy with one that does, I can’t think of no more necessary an election,” Ignatieff said before the vote.

Harper might be gambling that an election now will confound conventional wisdom and hand him the majority in Parliament that has eluded him through his five-year tenure as prime minister. He is counting on the economy to help him win re-election.

Canada has outperformed other major industrialized democracies through the financial crisis, recovering all jobs lost during the recession while its banking sector remains intact. It avoided a property crash, and most economists expect 2010 growth to come in at 3 percent.

But Harper is a center-right prime minister in a traditionally liberal country, and his plan to cut corporate tax rates has given the opposition, led by the left-leaning Liberals, an opening to argue that Canada is running a record deficit that will only worsen if taxes are cut.

Opposition parties also are hammering the prime minister for planning to spend at least $16 billion on 65 American-made F-35 Joint Strike Fighters – one of the biggest military purchases in Canadian history.

Comments (180)

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  • Showtime
    Posted on March 25, 2011 at 4:32pm

    Feel safe, you progressive Democrats? We conservative Republicans surely don’t.

    Report Post » Showtime  
  • jordy2010
    Posted on March 25, 2011 at 4:32pm

    At least…our Prime Minister is a Canadian citizen………

    Report Post » jordy2010  
    • beboc1
      Posted on March 25, 2011 at 7:48pm

      Yes, and no doubt he has no problem showing his birth certificate.

      Report Post »  
  • oldandtired
    Posted on March 25, 2011 at 4:31pm

    I wonder have any union leaders been visiting lately?

    Report Post »  
  • dinadp
    Posted on March 25, 2011 at 4:30pm

    One of the things that sucks about Canadian politics is that there doesn’t need to be party representation in all of the provinces & territories. The best example is the Bloc Quebecois party from Quebec. They are hugely anti-Canadian (pro-separatist), are only represented in QC and usually win big time in QC. They are a reason for minority governments. You get coalition forces (the friend of my friend BS) because if it which is reprehensible because no Canadian outside of Quebec likes the Bloc (i.e. separatists).

    I am in awe of the Constitution. It is a genius document & it lays out the best government system in history. It‘s a shame so many Americans don’t realize. I am a proud Canadian but I think our system of government pales in comparison to yours. And Michael Ignatieff is one of the worst things that could ever happen to Canadian politics – aside from the a-hole separatists in Quebec (where, sadly, I live).

    Report Post » dinadp  
    • saskatchewanboy
      Posted on March 25, 2011 at 5:29pm

      We wrote our constitution the year before I was born. Too many of us/nearly all, have no clue of the genius that the document is. Beside the written word of God the Constitution is the most divinely inspired document ever written.

      At least Quebec pumps out great hockey players.

      Report Post »  
    • crackerone
      Posted on March 25, 2011 at 7:11pm

      @Saskatchewanboy

      You forgot about the FLQ!

      Report Post »  
    • Lucy Larue
      Posted on March 26, 2011 at 4:44pm

      DINADP,
      I too am in awe of the Constitution. I am an American. I DO realize it’s genius.
      Your Ignatieff is no different than the odious progressives in this nation that are trying to destroy our Constitution.
      This cancer is insidious. I wish both our countries Godspeed to rout them out of our governments.

      Report Post »  
  • Mobus
    Posted on March 25, 2011 at 4:30pm

    Sounds like Harper saved the economy. They’d be worse off if the liberals were in charge.

    Report Post » Tony Sanchez  
  • Loboloco
    Posted on March 25, 2011 at 4:30pm

    Prime Minister Harper will prevail. People are waking up here. When you have the Liberal leader talk about what Progessive Canadians want, you know where he stands. The Conservative Party of Canada did not drop Progressive off it’s name for nothing. I wish The Progressive Conservative Government of Ontario would do the same. The Canadians who dislike the Prime Minister are the Urbanites, they hate a strong leader who will stand for Canada and not for Special Interest. The only fear I have is the Progressives south of Canada trying to influence our election. My advice to my friends down south, pay attention, this election could be a preview to your future. (Tactics)

    PWR

    Report Post »  
  • Sue Dohnim
    Posted on March 25, 2011 at 4:29pm

    Hold the phone, this is NORMAL for the Canadian system with a minority parliament. IT IS NOT A REVOLUTION. This is how the parliamentary system works… VERY different from the US

    The Conservatives are against three parties (Liberals..socialist/progressives, NDP..communist/progressive/socialists and Bloc.. the quebec separatists). This is long overdue…

    The Conservatives have prepared and expected this…. they think it is a good time to go for a majority.

    As of latest polling, the conservatives are at 39% and need 41% for a majority. The vibe is that Canadians are pissed at the opposition so they may get that majority. I suspect that the Left has planned a coalition for power if the Conservatives do not get a majority. There is no real reason to bring down this minority and cause an election, Canada is doing great..

    My money would be on a Conservative majority… they were very close last election.

    Report Post » Sue Dohnim  
  • PubliusPencilman
    Posted on March 25, 2011 at 4:18pm

    Ha. This is beyond stupid. “No Confidence” votes are quite common in Parliamentary systems. To call this a “Revolution” just shows how eager The Blaze is to whip up its readership which apparently doesn’t know any better.

    Report Post »  
  • Psychosis
    Posted on March 25, 2011 at 4:14pm

    funny thing Canada…………….poor people are moving in, and the job creators and tax payers are moving out

    kinda like our democratic controlled cities

    pretty soon they will have a complete nation that looks like newark

    Report Post » Psychosis  
    • dinadp
      Posted on March 25, 2011 at 4:41pm

      Our economy is the 6th freest – the US’s is 9th. Our latest unemployment rate is 7.8% – the US’s is 8.9% (with much tweaking). According to the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), since 2000 our students have tested in the top 10 for Reading, Maths & Sciences – the US not in the top 10 (not even close!).

      We, in Canada, don’t have a “Newark” or a “Detroit”. Our cities are relatively safe & our kinds are educated. In fact, I often wonder why more Americans aren’t slipping through the northern border for the good life. :)

      Report Post » dinadp  
    • Tired_of_the_lies
      Posted on March 25, 2011 at 5:10pm

      Well said DINADP.

      Report Post »  
    • Shoot-To-Kill
      Posted on March 25, 2011 at 5:42pm

      @dinadp
      And what about my freedom to own guns? Can I bring them with me to your wonderful Canada? An unarmed society are not citizens they are subjects. No Thanks !

      Report Post » Shoot-To-Kill  
    • reildeil
      Posted on March 25, 2011 at 5:55pm

      With a conservative majority soon to come the long gun registry is done. But remeber to register yur handguns and restricted weapons.

      Report Post »  
    • T_N_B
      Posted on March 25, 2011 at 9:25pm

      @DINADP
      I too live here in Canada, Sure we have a free market society just like the States.
      But we also get taxed out the wazzooo…..you Obviously have no idea the amount of tax you really pay.
      Income tax brackets can take 50% right off the top. Then you have all of your Municipal taxes, Licenses fees, Sales taxes, fuel taxes, eco taxes, energy debt repayments…..you Loose the majority of your earnings to the government. And you wonder why Americans don’t want to come here.
      Not to mention that this place is infested with Socialists and Liberals. Nanny state government. And A society that can’t even recognize natural rights, like Private property and self defense.
      Oh yes and a Canada pension plan that wont be paying out either in a few years, and a “Healthcare” system that gets worse ever year. Oh and lets not forget the “Human rights” thought courts. And a government that wants to take all of the guns from the citizens.
      Given the chance I would move south of the boarder if I could.

      Report Post »  
    • dinadp
      Posted on March 25, 2011 at 9:27pm

      @Shoot-To-Kill
      You’ll find that when you come to Canada, you won’t need your gun. Like I said, we don’t have a “Newark” or a “Detroit”. Our cities are relatively safe. Must be the free economy & the educated kids…

      Report Post » dinadp  
    • dinadp
      Posted on March 25, 2011 at 9:38pm

      @T_N_B
      I am WELL aware of the taxes – I live in QC where we get screwed daily. Still, when I see what has been going on in the US for the past 2-3 years, I’m happy to be here.

      Report Post » dinadp  
    • cognitivedissonance
      Posted on March 25, 2011 at 10:42pm

      A lot of people in Canada have guns, I grew up on a farm and my father owned guns and taught me how to shoot. There may be stricter laws around guns, especially handguns, but a lot of people still have guns.

      Report Post » cognitivedissonance  
    • Susie
      Posted on March 26, 2011 at 12:31am

      To DINADP Not sure which Canada you live in but let’s clear up a few things
      The only reason unemployment figures are slightly less than U.S. is because of the growing numbers public service union employees – News Flash !! that’s not good. Private sector jobs aren’t here any more. And our scholastic standings have steadily fallen in the last 10 years because the Church of Liberalism is running the curriculums – we have nothing to boast about there. Our constitution is squat since the Human Rights Commissions do not have to abide by either it or the rule of law here in Canada. We are the most advanced version of European Socialism in the world and we are well on our way to a form of Marxism. Wake Up ! Our Prime Minister was filmed giving a speech at the G20 saying that Canada must necessarily become part of the one world governance. I just hope there‘s still a United States of America to run to when the likes of Ontario’s McGuinty and other ultra left politicians finally succeed in taking away what little is left of our civil rights and freedoms.

      Report Post »  
    • Shoot-To-Kill
      Posted on March 26, 2011 at 11:31am

      @dinadp
      I’ts not a matter of “needing” my guns, I don’t really need them here (Texas). I do,however, have the Freedom and the Right to own as many or any kind of guns I want. I didn‘t know there aren’t any criminals in canada AMAZING! I thought there are criminals everywhere!

      Report Post » Shoot-To-Kill  
  • Rillobymorning
    Posted on March 25, 2011 at 4:13pm

    Too bad we can’t force another election before 2012!

    Report Post »  
  • Psychosis
    Posted on March 25, 2011 at 4:12pm

    o Canada…………the land of the freebies…………..unless your the one paying taxes

    Report Post » Psychosis  
  • hauschild
    Posted on March 25, 2011 at 4:06pm

    Canucks aren’t overly bright, much like half of Americans, so you pretty much have to accept the fact their media can brainwash that percentage of its society that doesn’t like to think independently – no different than America.

    Never did I think I’d live to see the day where unwitting Americans/Canucks were affected by progressive propaganda in almost the exact same way as Germans in the 1930′s, and Russians post WWII. It’s quite an amazing thing to behold, much to my chagrin.

    Report Post »  
    • Mobus
      Posted on March 25, 2011 at 4:35pm

      Good observation.

      Report Post » Tony Sanchez  
    • Tired_of_the_lies
      Posted on March 25, 2011 at 4:55pm

      The propaganda started in America with GWB. Sound familiar …

      “Naturally the common people don’t want war: Neither in Russia, nor in England, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, IT IS THE LEADERS of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is TELL THEM THEY ARE BEING ATTACKED, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. IT WORKS THE SAME IN ANY COUNTRY.”

      –Goering at the Nuremberg Trials

      Report Post »  
    • BadBob
      Posted on March 25, 2011 at 5:34pm

      Lay off the Moulson, dude. you’re having the shakes.

      Report Post »  
    • cognitivedissonance
      Posted on March 25, 2011 at 10:40pm

      I would be insulted if it wasn’t so ironic having my intelligence questioned by someone who believes what Glenn Beck says.

      Report Post » cognitivedissonance  
    • wilddog
      Posted on March 26, 2011 at 12:31pm

      Hauschild, you are right. The masses have been brainwashed by the CBC. I quit watching it 30 yrs. ago because I smelled a rat. The rest of the media up here isn’t a whole lot better. But like Americans, the internet is starting to wake people up. This article is probably off the CBC website or the Toronto Star. Leftist drivel.

      Report Post »  
    • Longshot35
      Posted on March 27, 2011 at 1:00am

      @Tired_Of_The_Lies

      Ummmmm. . . Does 9/11 ring a bell?!

      Report Post »  
  • Mary M. Tebbe
    Posted on March 25, 2011 at 4:04pm

    Canada is associated with Great Britain, and so they are of the tribe of Ephraim. The French that live among them are of the tribe of Reuben. We need to understand these things, and so do the Canadians. So the Canadians are of ancient Israel. Of course they don’t remember that because their history, as our own history, has been erased, distorted, and destroyed. The “time of Jacob’s troubles”, mentioned in Scripture, will affect them as well. The same progressive Assyrian/Goth that I write about will also be trying to control the Canadian government, as they are also trying to do in The United States of America, and among our other brother tribes in Europe and Scandinavia. The same promises that God made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob belong to the Canadians as well. We must now support and pray for each other.

    Report Post » Mary M. Tebbe  
    • John_The_Beloved
      Posted on March 25, 2011 at 4:33pm

      @Mary. I been reading about some of your works you talk about, but never have seen them. You got source online like a website or book form that I can read?

      Report Post » John_The_Beloved  
    • Tired_of_the_lies
      Posted on March 25, 2011 at 4:53pm

      Mary, sorry, but time for your prozac…

      Report Post »  
    • Mary M. Tebbe
      Posted on March 25, 2011 at 7:15pm

      john_the_beloved: Thank you for your interest. I wrote my book right after 9/11. It took me 7 years to write, and then additional time to edit. Though it has been in the hands of publishers, I do not have it published now, and am no longer trying to find a publisher…just content to write on this website for now. It is a total rewrite of distorted history, and is 6,300 pages, which I think discourages publishers. Though I wrote the book about the Lost Tribes of Israel, I also write about all of the races of the world. God has much He wants to say to the world right now, but I guess they are not ready for such a work, although I have no doubt that someday it will be published. Many times a work such as mine is not properly recognized until long after it has been written, or the author has passed on. I have broken the code of history and the Bible in a way that has never been done before. When the tribes of Israel reunite and are restored (see Ezekiel 37 – 38) my book will be a valuable tool to help in that restoration. God told me to put His Whole House of Israel together again, and showed me how He wanted it done. That is exactly what I have done. I don’t think that God calls us to do such a massive work unless He intends that it should be read. I have no intention of putting such a work on the internet, although you can read much about what I say pertaining to the book if you check on google. Publishers and editors (who did not have the funds to publish a lengthy work) have encouraged me to quickly get it out there and get it published, but publishers are most interested in short books that they can sell quickly, and are much more interested in publishing fiction then historical books. What I write here is factual, so I don’t apologize for anything I write, because I can prove what I say.

      Report Post » Mary M. Tebbe  
  • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
    Posted on March 25, 2011 at 4:03pm

    One other part many people in the USA are missing is there is a second and larger revolution of ideals and principles going on here at home. It is the fight for the very heart and soul and life of the land we love; the progressives seek to destroy her to reforge into their nightmare, while we fight to save her and restore her and the constitution to what she is meant to be, and God willing and with His support, we shall win!!!

    Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
  • vennoye
    Posted on March 25, 2011 at 4:03pm

    Guess we can’t expect them to not have political turmoil like the rest of us. Wonder if this can be called a “Plague” the way it has spread.

    Report Post » vennoye  
  • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
    Posted on March 25, 2011 at 4:00pm

    So we now have one more mess to worry about, just north of the border. Wonder how long until our administration tries to cause problems there as well.

    Report Post » Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
  • Tired_of_the_lies
    Posted on March 25, 2011 at 3:58pm

    You don’t have to worry about this border. We just want our country back and democratic principles adhered to. Harpie is quite good at complaining about the coalition, but does not mention that he tried exactly the same things a few years ago. Oh the hypocrisy.

    I don’t think he is going to get back in (I hope and pray he does not). We are fed up with the lies and disinformation. He campaigned on accountability, but that is a laugh.

    Fed up Harpie – buh bye…

    Report Post »  
    • dorightfearnothing
      Posted on March 25, 2011 at 4:40pm

      On the other hand the other guy appears to be crooked as well…

      Report Post »  
    • Tired_of_the_lies
      Posted on March 25, 2011 at 4:59pm

      Well, unfortunately most politicians fall into that camp. Harpie is just worse than the status quo.

      Report Post »  
    • Fina Biscotti
      Posted on March 26, 2011 at 12:10am

      Barack HUSSEIN Obama/Barry Soetoro ran on -

      Transparency and Accountability in Government -

      as his ELECTION PROPOGANDA –

      for an ACORN-SEIU-vote-rigged POTUS – hi-jacking The White House as a flag-burning guerilla.

      Report Post »  
    • Corruptisima Re Publica Plurimae Leges
      Posted on March 26, 2011 at 12:43am

      @Tired Of Lies – looks like we’ve got ourselves a lefty, moonbat, liberal troll on here..I’m surprised that Canadian leftists found The Blaze – probably a little too ‘American’ for you huh? Like most Canadian leftists, lots of condescension and derision towards the United States – easy to pick up in your tone..easy to pick you out as a left-ard Canadian nationalist – I always found your type so annoying and puzzling..like you have a constant case of small penis syndrome and the only cure is a smug, self-satisfied, self-righteous disposition towards the United States..anyways, always good for a laugh for me.

      mouth off while you can though, my fine-feathered lefty friend, unlike the pinko AP article (whose bias is just slightly left of North Korean State Radio) all initial polls and pundits are predicting a Conservative MAjority – and Canada is not a ‘traditionally Liberal’ country as the article would have you believe (and no doubt a sentence that gave you just a slight tingle in your loins) – the Liberals kept winning majority governments by default primarily because for the better part of the last 20 plus years, the vote on the right was split between two competing right-of-center parties.

      But who am I to tell you that you’re wasting your time posting your drivel on The Blaze? It probably gives you something to do while you’re sitting in some downtown Toronto non-corporate, fair-trade, carbon-neutral coffee shop, sipping your latte. In fact, picturing you is giving me a good internal laugh..no doubt you’re sporting a kaffiyeh, a slightly ironic t-shirt, way-too-hip eyeglasses, and carrying around a manpurse full of noam chomsky and michael moore tomes, just the act of which makes you feel erudite and intelligent. But enough about me – enjoy the next five weeks of rooting for the Liberals and the NDP (Communists), they’re going to get their azzes handed to them and then you can go back to planning stream of conscious poetry jams and plotting the downfall of capitalism.

      Report Post » Corruptisima Re Publica Plurimae Leges  
    • crackerone
      Posted on March 26, 2011 at 7:48am

      @tired-of-the-lies

      You must get all your info from the CBC, the north’s version of PMSNBC, only the CBC is unfortunately, your main source of information, other than the internet.

      Let us know how that Jack Layton thingy works out for you!

      Report Post »  
    • audaxrex
      Posted on March 26, 2011 at 9:19am

      @corruptisima – yes, we leftie Canadians can read too…sure is a neighborly way to talk about your neighbors! Didn’t your momma teach you civil manners?
      …just a note to remind you that after sixty years of socialist health care etc. – Canadian banks are solvent, our standard of living is high, and we do our bit for freedom and liberty. So please don’t piss on your friends.
      You sure sound angry. Will your health insurance cover a little counselling?
      By the way, I don’t much like Mr. Ignatieff, and Mr. Harper has an annoying habit of mining old George Bush speeches. Layton and May are good but not likely to win. As for the Bloc – well, I live in Quebec and can tell you that separatism’s getting very old here. The Bloc will disappear when one of the federal parties can re-establish credibility here after Mulroney‘s graft and Chretien’s betrayals.

      Report Post »  
    • Corruptisima Re Publica Plurimae Leges
      Posted on March 26, 2011 at 12:32pm

      Well Audax Rex…the ‘bold king’..you are bold aren’t you? Not only a genuine, true to life Canadian leftist here on The Blaze..but a Quebec leftist at that!! Not really overly surprising although the Quebec moonbats are a bit of an enigma to me – if not to themselves: you see, they tend to have a rabid cacoethes for income redistribution, nanny-state programs, pacifism and the like..and yet are, for the most part, virulently racist and xenophobic – what a combo!

      Anyways my Audax friend, you wrongly assume that I am from the United States when you chided me for not being ‘neighbourly’ (I suppose that expressing one’s viewpoint and disagreeing with the leftist hive-mind constitutes being ‘un-neighbourly’..particularly in a country where politicians of your ilk have effectively shackled free speech through the ‘corrective nudging’ and punishments meted out by unelected ‘Human Rights Tribunals’). In fact I suppose I am your neighbour – well in a manner of speaking – same country, although I hail from the Wild West where we still largely believe in archaic things like property rights, free speech, lower taxation and individual liberty.

      I must admit, I love that you proved my point about Canadian leftists and how they try to cure their self-imposed inferiority complex vis a vis the United States through a smug, self-satisfied and self-righteous disposition towards our American friends. You even hit on two of the same tired old talking points of the Canadian left when trying to explain why Canada is so much ‘better’..not even different, but genuinely, truly ‘better’: healthcare and banking. hahahaha – before I go on…I confess, when I read your post, I did laugh for several minutes, thus giving me an abdominal workout for which I am grateful.

      Aaaanyways..the Canadian banking system is currently solvent primarily because from the very beginning it was set up differently. Canada only has 5 major banks and then a handful of smaller regional institutions where as the United States has thousands of banks..additionally, you have to gain permission from the federal government in order to open or operate a bank (which one could argue the merits of both ways). The main reason ol Audax, why Canadian banks are currently solvent given the recent financial meltdown, is because, surprisingly enough, Canada never made the decision that owning a home was a ‘human right’ such as the decision taken in the US. As a result, there weren’t nearly as many defaults. However, many analysts predict that as interest rates rise, the stability of the Canadian real estate market and, ergo, the stability of the banking system is fugacious, at best. Awash with speculators using cheap money – both real estate and banking may well see their own collapse. I wonder if we’ll have you coming back on here if that happens with a mea culpa and cap in hand?

      As for healthcare – which is the largest and most annoying stick that Canadian nationalists and leftists use to poke and prod America in their smug, childish and prolix ‘we’re better than you’ dissertations – I won’t beat a dead horse here. As Mark Twain once wrote “you can’t talk a man out of something he was never talked into”. Similarly, it is largely a waste of time attempting to confute and dislodge the Canadian left‘s firm belief that our healthcare system is infinitely superior to that of the United States by sole virtue of the fact that it is ’free’ (well, not really, healtchare made up the largest..I’ll say it again..the largest..portion of th government budget). I think it would be apposite to say that you get what you pay for: waiting lines, hospitals treating people in hallways, old equipment, no accountability, no knowledge of the actual price of the care being delivered. This is a truly socialist system where, even if I wanted to pay a couple of thousand dollars to have a treatment done privately instead of waiting in the government line – I can’t. You see, the rules say that if just ONE person can‘t afford to ’jump the line’…then NObody can – how’s that for personal freedom? Anyways Audax, not that I’ll dislodge your immovable belief that socialist healthcare is the be all end all, let me say this: in many, not all, but many US states, the amount you would save in income tax alone (this aside from nearly 50% collective tax on gas and other higher taxed costs of living), would easily pay for a gold plated ‘cadillac’ healthcare plan that would deliver better care, with less wait, with new equipment and superior post-op care than what you get right now…and you’d probably STILL have enough left over to voluntarily redistribute the rest of your savings (not that you’d do that).

      OK Rex..not going to beat my head against your brick wall so signing off for now, but enjoy May 2nd election day as we both watch the Conservatives take a majority. I guess I‘ll be cheering and you’ll probably have your head in your hands wondering what is to become of your nanny-state, redistributionist utopia…don’t worry though Rexy..when the Conservatives DO lower taxes, you are welcome to voluntarily redistribute your savings..please let us know IF you do!

      Report Post » Corruptisima Re Publica Plurimae Leges  
    • audaxrex
      Posted on March 26, 2011 at 6:01pm

      @ corruptisima – cacoethes? Whatever floats your boat, I guess. And better a handful of solvent, stable banks than that mess of … well, they call them banks but they appear pretty spongy… maybe with a little regulation they could be made presentable.
      What is this ‘Wild West’ country of which you speak?

      Report Post »  
    • Corruptisima Re Publica Plurimae Leges
      Posted on March 26, 2011 at 7:15pm

      you’re not very swift are you rexy? probably explains why you think socialism is a really good system. Cacoethes is a word in the English language, descended from Greek my froggy friend..although I’m sure your political bent would delight in me doing all the work for you and defining it here, I’ll try doing something that most leftists are not amenable to: I’ll teach you HOW to fish for yourself. So rexy, visit dictionary.com and look it up, or, if you happen to have one, pull down your English dictionary, brush of the dust and look under ‘c’. Oh, and the ‘wild west’ is AAAAALLLLL that land west of Ontario that I‘ll bet you didn’t even know existed..well. now you do. Anyways glad to see that Canadian lefty’s are making their way like a gaggle of doe-eyed bushbabies to The Blaze..stick around, you might learn something. Although I doubt it. Looking forward to election day..are you? hahahahaha

      Report Post » Corruptisima Re Publica Plurimae Leges  
    • audaxrex
      Posted on March 27, 2011 at 9:06am

      @corruptisima -no, cacoethes is not a word I’ve seen before. Let me try it out – you have a powerful urge to ca… – no, wait, it’s a noun – you have a powerful cacoethes to mock what you do not know.
      …like calling me your froggy friend. I’m not an amphibian and I have no personal and/or intimate relation with you. Perhaps you are using ‘froggy’ in its slang sense, as a rude way of describing a french person. I’m english, a loyalist descendant.
      “Oh, and the ‘wild west’ is AAAAALLLLL that land west of Ontario that I‘ll bet you didn’t even know existed.” Indeed, I know it well. Louis Riel even had a go at making it independent long ago. If he’d been successful, perhaps this exchange between us would be in french…

      Report Post »  
    • Corruptisima Re Publica Plurimae Leges
      Posted on March 27, 2011 at 12:27pm

      rexy..you funny. don’t like condescension and arrogance too much do you rexy? don’t like taking a dose of your own medicine? Well then listen up: no one wants to listen to you (or any other Canadian leftist/nationalist) opine about why Canada is so much better than everyone else because of a broken-down socialist healthcare system that treats people in hallways, makes them wait a year for an operation, and is ranked 30th in the world..yes 30th rexy, by your precious UN..right after Morocco. No one cares that you think that the Canadian banking system is ‘better’ – last I checked, the US consumer and the US economy were still the twin engines that drove the world..oh yeah..they drive Canada’s world too – and despite one of the biggest financial meltdowns in modern history while at the same time prosecuting two simultaneous wars, the United States still stands, a little bruised, but the flag yet waves and bruises heal rexy..so don‘t be so quick to show your ilk’s trademark petulant smarmy condescension and arrogance.

      As for Riel..he ended up hanging at the end of a rope – where he belonged. And as for your ancestors being loyalists, that means nothing to me other than that your ancestors were too frightened to do it on their own, too scared to consider life without a monarch protecting them, shielding them, and guiding them like sheep – probably the roots of Canadian socialism.

      Report Post » Corruptisima Re Publica Plurimae Leges  
    • audaxrex
      Posted on March 27, 2011 at 6:35pm

      @corruptisima – oh yeah there it is – the same WHO 2000 survey that rated the U.S. 37th…
      I also see other numbers being offered that place Canada 17th, and 5th, and 29th… I’m not gonna worry too much about it. All I know is that when I’ve been ill (and I have), they’ve been great. The care we’ve received for our child has been great too. The proof is in the pudding.

      Report Post »  
  • UncleBuck
    Posted on March 25, 2011 at 3:57pm

    Yup! Its time to bring our military home from everywhere and put them on our borders! Who cares if the Libyans and the Syrians and the Iranians are killing each other. Our government is killing US citizens by allowing Mexican gangs and drug cartels to command areas of our country and kill American citizens. The Feds are responsible for those deaths, lets hold them responsible! Ron Paul is right, lets fix our own problems before we try to fix others problems.

    Report Post » UncleBuck  
  • GONESURFING
    Posted on March 25, 2011 at 3:56pm

    Hope Harper can hang in there, he was doing a good job.

    Report Post » GONESURFING  
  • avenger
    Posted on March 25, 2011 at 3:55pm

    so what else is new, in the canadian socialist union..

    Report Post »  
  • LadyIzShy
    Posted on March 25, 2011 at 3:54pm

    honestly I didnt think Canada had a conservative party I can not imagine them being more left and progressive. its a shame that the world is so full of peopel who think the government is the end all be all..
    Government is not the answer but rather the problem

    Report Post » LadyIzShy  
  • Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
    Posted on March 25, 2011 at 3:50pm

    O Canada, why did you take the bait.
    To lead the Ligyian attack, with beer and fatback……

    I thought everyone in Canada just took turns being the Prime Minister.

    Report Post » Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra  
    • Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
      Posted on March 25, 2011 at 5:39pm

      By the way, it should be Libya.

      Yesterday someone posted “Can we call this World War 3”
      I commented that “Only if Fiji, South America or Canada gets involved”

      Today I stand corrected. It is now officially WW III.

      Report Post » Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra  
    • Lucy Larue
      Posted on March 26, 2011 at 12:42pm

      DARMAK AND JALAD
      We have been engaged in WWIII since September 11, 2001.
      It is a different kind of war. It is insidious. It is not going to be over soon.

      Report Post »  
    • audaxrex
      Posted on March 27, 2011 at 6:21pm

      @corruptisima – for a Canadian, you sure make a good U.S. patriot. Where did you get that bit about Canada‘s health care being rated lower than Morocco’s?
      I like it just fine. So do most of us.

      Report Post »  
    • jacques poutine
      Posted on March 28, 2011 at 9:38am

      I agree audax, and I am a type 1 diabetic and also battling colon cancer, so I depend alot on our healthcare system. I mean people can nit pick on anything and find reasons to criticize but if I lived in any other country I would likely be dead or a hundred grand in debt. and I am neither of those things so I for 1 and very thankful to our healthcare system.

      Report Post »  
  • BurntHills
    Posted on March 25, 2011 at 3:49pm

    we went up there to looksee Toronto. clean city. BUT. everyone we spoke to wanted to know all about taxes and prices down here, what states did we like the best for Conservative Values, how are the Great Plains States? (away from the coasts and huge cities/crime/potential terrorist stuff like BOMBINGS) and 2 different mom&pop motels we stayed at said they were retiring….and moving to.. ARIZONA.

    Report Post » BurntHills  
    • Tired_of_the_lies
      Posted on March 25, 2011 at 3:59pm

      Hardly … LOL

      Report Post »  
    • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
      Posted on March 25, 2011 at 5:05pm

      If they wish to come to AZ, all the more welcome, we have a growing number of Canadians relocating to the area.

      Report Post » Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
    • hialtitude
      Posted on March 25, 2011 at 5:33pm

      I can point them to a house that’s for sale in Phoenix. :-)) Seriously.

      Report Post »  
    • Tired_of_the_lies
      Posted on March 25, 2011 at 6:19pm

      No doubt lots of them.

      Not the best spot to be in the climate change future.

      Too bad. Very nice place. Friends of mine from Calgary bought two golf courses there and renovated them. Had a great time visiting them a few years ago. But back to Calgary now…

      No water there, like many other southern US locations. Trouble coming…

      Report Post »  
    • CatB
      Posted on March 25, 2011 at 6:58pm

      We have a lot that come to the Southwest Florida area for the winter … hard sometimes for them to “get in” to live year round … trying to do it the LEGAL way and all! Canadians tend to be polite and respect our laws.

      Report Post »  
    • PIPCO
      Posted on March 25, 2011 at 8:36pm

      Talk about lies! Phoenix has more water than much of the rest of the country. In earlier times it was obvious that the rights to water were most critical for the future. Now Las Vegas is drying up, even Atlanta is short on water, but in Phoenix they waste it as if there is no tomorrow. It should be a crime.

      Report Post » PIPCO  
    • Puddle Duck
      Posted on March 26, 2011 at 4:10pm

      We are just a fed up with the left in Canada…too bad politics and gaming the system have become part and parcel of doing business here…..this is your future USA if you folow the same road Cnafa has….we have tax rates among the highest in the G8 and yet our health system is fatally broken, schools are still half decent but the curriculium suffers from a serious case of socialsit policy run amok…we have an entire generation of young people expecting a number of rights that have never been granted…loads of freeloaders bilking the shrinking tax base for more and more….hmm wait a minute seems the US is suffering from the very same ills we are…sigh. I honestly hope fellow Canadians are tired of a 5th Fed election in 7 years…I know I am….the left in this country is seriously nuts…the country cannot take much more of thier meddling. My expenses have tripled in the last 10 years with no end in sight. Energy costs and food have skyrocketed in cost since 2000…a gallon of gas of over 5.50 now and over 6 dollars for premium grade. Food…well you guys in the US are feeling it like we are….our electricity rates have rised by 100-150% in the past 3 years alone. Nat Gas has doubled and property tax rates have doubled in my area in less than 8 years. Not to mention additional taxes heaped upon us last Summer when a new tax was blended with PST/GST…sort of like the UK’s VAT…it’s now at 13% and will likely rise a few percentage points in the next few years (if this Provionce keeps electing L:iberals to run it). I foind the imquiries to live in the US typical…even with the USA‘s rising costs of living to take into account it’s still a bargain to get out of Canada (for those that can) and love there. I have a lot of friends fed up with the country and are actively seeking employment in the US…there will be a mass exodus of talent from Canada if the left manages to win this next Fed election. The problem here is the fact that the left has so thoroughly done it’s job (in our eductaion system) that finding a large enough percentage of conservatives is oike hunting for T-Rex skulls…far and few between.

      My US brothers and sisters…if you want a glimpse into your near future Canada and the UK are perfect examples of where you don’t want to go (politically,socialy etc)….

      Report Post » Puddle Duck  
    • integrican
      Posted on March 27, 2011 at 12:58pm

      @Puddleduck: who said ” I have a lot of friends fed up with the country and are actively seeking employment in the US…there will be a mass exodus of talent from Canada if the left manages to win this next Fed election.”

      Do you think it is just a coincidence that we are seeing stories about the increase in border protection to our north? It’s either to keep you out or keep us in, or both.

      BTW: I love your beer. Please make sure Molson and Labatt are the last companies to fail In Ca. ; )

      Report Post » integrican  
  • cepheus
    Posted on March 25, 2011 at 3:49pm

    O Canada. Stay stong.

    Report Post »  
    • crackerone
      Posted on March 25, 2011 at 7:03pm

      The left wing parties in Canada (The liberal party and NDP The new democratic party) are like the liberal’s and progressives here in the United States! The Liberal party want’s to tax the rich, and the NDP party wants socialism!

      The likes of Pierre Elliot Trudeau (deceased liberal Prime Minister) and the leader of the NDP (Jack Layton), are poxes on a great country!

      They will compare themselves to Robin Hood, but have no problems living like Kings and Queens, deciding what’s good for you and me!

      Shame on them and their ilk!

      Report Post »  
    • Svt4Him
      Posted on March 25, 2011 at 7:14pm

      All of them are the same. They cater to Quebec while spending us into..well, almost like you in America. No one trust them, we need an ICED TEA PARTY!

      Report Post »  
    • MoreC02
      Posted on March 25, 2011 at 8:49pm

      No question, it’s all about Quebec, like it’s all about Portland or Seattle. The lefty-loons in the cities rule the rural, down-to-earth masses. I really like your “Ice Tea Party” suggestion, it’s perfect. I’m not hopefull though because sometimes I think Canadians are lost in their wilderness. It seems like nobody messes with them because of their US neighbor and they probably don’t know that.

      Report Post » MoreC02  
    • Mil Mom
      Posted on March 27, 2011 at 12:53am

      @Svt4Him
      Posted on March 25, 2011 at 7:14pm
      All of them are the same. They cater to Quebec while spending us into..well, almost like you in America. No one trust them, we need an ICED TEA PARTY!

      ********************************
      Ann Coulter tried to help you out there, but they wouldn’t even let her speak, do you really think they’d let you rally?

      Report Post » Mil Mom  
    • jacques poutine
      Posted on March 28, 2011 at 9:31am

      sorry crack but me and the majority of the people i know support Layton and the NDP because they support us. cons and libs don’t. Socialism used in the proper context doesnt need to be a bad thing. I don’t think socialism would be a good idea for every country but for us I think socialist elements can and do greatly improve our quality of life. we have vast resources and minimal population. we have the means and ability to monitor the socialist aspects without losing control. Layton has my utmost respect and my vote.

      Report Post »  
  • Califmoma5
    Posted on March 25, 2011 at 3:48pm

    Not supprising! The conservatives see the writing on the wall and are preparing for it! The progressives want to aide in the calaphate! When will Canada and the Western society’s wake up!

    Report Post »  
    • joe3
      Posted on March 25, 2011 at 5:27pm

      the time is NOW to remove the criminals from our government, protest in the street on the net and in dc until we have taken this criminal government back. it is our sacred duty to defend the constitution, written with thee blood of our grandfathers. we are men not slaves. this is what the founders want, it is time to peacefully revolt. and yes the government will stage violent protestors as an excuse to bring in UN intervention. It now is time for the restore the constitution revolution in the USA that everyone will hear about. its time to take our country back from the international criminal class. peaceful revolt, obama supports those all over the world, he should support it here. this country will not fall into communist hands after a revolution, we all have guns, and that will not be tolerated. this country will not make it to 2012, the time to RISE UP is now, peacefully, that is our strength. IMPEACH, IMPRISON, EMPOWER WE THE PEOPLE. 1776

      Report Post »  
    • BadBob
      Posted on March 25, 2011 at 5:31pm

      Jeeez, moma, lay off the prozac

      Report Post »  
    • lovenfl3
      Posted on March 25, 2011 at 6:52pm

      I wish we could have a no confidence vote here. Sounds good to me. We could get rid of the great divider. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nTMaT_9QGo

      Report Post » lovenfl3  
    • Candidate2012
      Posted on March 25, 2011 at 6:59pm

      Not until it is to late. Unfortunately

      Report Post »  
    • restorehope
      Posted on March 25, 2011 at 8:14pm

      Wonder how much money Soros is funnelling to further the progressive cause in Canada? The puppet master does love to see governments fall. I hear it is a hobby with him.

      Report Post »  
    • Anti_Spock
      Posted on March 25, 2011 at 8:47pm

      JOE3,

      You must have just renewed your SEIU membership. Chill on the leftwing agenda.

      Report Post » Anti_Spock  
    • M-O-O-N Spells Moon
      Posted on March 25, 2011 at 9:22pm

      …and the darkness closes in.

      Hey, aren’t those oil sand deposits half in the US?

      Report Post » M-O-O-N Spells Moon  
    • denise55
      Posted on March 25, 2011 at 9:44pm

      Yes, but whatever is done in the dark, comes out into the light, even if it’s M O O N light.

      Report Post » denise55  
    • psycodad36
      Posted on March 25, 2011 at 9:47pm

      (AP) story, enough said,

      Report Post »  
    • denise55
      Posted on March 25, 2011 at 9:52pm

      Yes, but whatever is done in the dark, will come into the light, even if it’s M O O N Light. :>)

      Report Post » denise55  
    • cognitivedissonance
      Posted on March 25, 2011 at 10:35pm

      Is every event or news story just another excuse for you people to spout off your paranoid nonsense. This has nothing to do with revolutions, it’s part of the regular political process in Canada. If any of you actually bothered to be informed beyond your paranoid delusions you would realize how stupid you all sound.

      Report Post » cognitivedissonance  
    • independentvoteril
      Posted on March 26, 2011 at 12:00am

      What is it with the LEFT.. they keep SPENDING and SPENDING .. raising taxes.. creating more social programs are they that insecure in themselves that they think the rest of the people can’t figure out how to take care of themselves or spend their own money and GOVERNMENT is the only way to go ..NO matter what country they are from it seems to be the standard for the left..

      Report Post » independentvoteril  
    • restorehope
      Posted on March 26, 2011 at 1:20am

      @cognitivedissonance
      Might I politely point out that 4 changes of governing in 7 years is not stable situation? You may describe it as paranoid nonsense to discuss it, but I call it common sense. When progressives and conservatives go head-to-head anywhere in the world, I’d want to know what their issues are. When dealing with progressives/socialists, to be forewarned is to be forearmed. And when the latest upheaval is just north of our border, it is paramount to observe the outcome because it may affect us negatively or positively in the long run.

      Report Post »  
    • dr_funk
      Posted on March 26, 2011 at 6:11am

      This is why we DON’T and SHOULD NEVER have a multi-party system. It allows small but ambitious minority parties (like the Nationalsozialist Deutche Arbeiterpartei) to gain power where they would have none in a two-party system.

      Report Post »  
    • cognitivedissonance
      Posted on March 26, 2011 at 7:41am

      Canada is a parliamentary democracy and in the past seven years no party has received a majority of the seats in the House of Commons therefore we are always aware that an election is possible, there’s no great unrest just a lack of total confidence in one party over another. Canada has had governments that stood for nine months and Prime Ministers that held office for over ten years.

      Report Post » cognitivedissonance  
    • Andrew from Down Under
      Posted on March 27, 2011 at 6:34am

      @cognitivedissonance
      Australia‘s parliamentary system is virtually identical with Canada’s, given we’re both Commonwealth nations, but the situation is slightly different! Whereas you guys have two major parties and a few minor parties who win enough seats so as to prevent one party forming a majority government, we have essentially a two party system. We have the main leftist party, Labor, who at present holds power federally, then there are two main conservative parties- the Liberal Party (which is a mainly urban conservative free trade party, named after being proponents of economic liberalism) and the National Party (the rural farmers party), who together have traditionally formed a near permanent coalition to form government, known collectively as the Coalition. There has also been a tradition of a minor “third party”- the mainly-Catholic Democratic Labor Party in the 50s, 60s and 70s, the Australian Democrats in the 80s and 90s, and now today, unfortunately, the Greens Party. Because we have preferential voting to elect members to the House of Representatives, where government is formed, it usually plays out that one party will easily be able to form a majority government. Minor parties become more influential in the Senate, because we have a proportional representation voting system, and tend to hold the balance of power.
      Unfortunately, last August, the federal election yielded a hung parliament, with Labor eventually forming a minority government with three independents and one Greens member. This government is now trying to impose a carbon tax on us, and we don’t like it! We had a Tea Party moment this past Wednesday in our national capital, Canberra, where myself and about 5000 other people from all over the country (me from Melbourne) descended on Parliament House to rally against the tax! As expected, we were treated much like our American counterparts by the media:
      http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/two_hypocrites_faint_at_a_rally_far_more_peaceful_than_their_own/
      Much like Canada, we are hoping that at some stage later this year, there is a similar no-confidence motion against our socialist PM Julia Gillard (it would only take one defection!), and we can elect our conservative Coalition back into government, much like we did here in our state of Victoria last November, and like Sydney’s state, New South Wales did last night, in what may have set a record for and absolute whitewash, even worse than the one inflicted on the Democrats last November:
      http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/nsw-labor-to-win-only-19-seats-newspoll/story-fn59niix-1226028695618
      Conservatives, keep on fighting worldwide!

      Report Post » Andrew from Down Under  
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