Election 2011 Platform Comparison

Elections are a chance to choose the vision for Canada. This comparison will be long, but it is complete and based directly off the content that was available in the party platforms of the three major parties – the Conservatives, Liberals and NDP. In many ridings across the country, there will be a three-way race to choose their representing party and across the country some minds haven’t already been made yet. This article will include a meet the leaders section as well.

WikiLeaks: American Officials Critical of Harper

For a man who has long been known to want a close partnership with the US and American social policy to be instated to make Canada a leader rather than a “second-tier socialist country,” his American plans do not resonate well with American officials. WikiLeaks has struck again – with criticisms of a broad range of criticisms that the United States made about Stephen Harper’s governance. A picture is being painted – American officials don’t think Harper is the right leader for Canada.

Did the Conservatives declare mutiny on Stephen Harper?

The Liberal party was given a present by the Tories today, a 500 page book of Harper’s most controversial quotes from the 80s to present. The document is organized in alphabetical order by subject matter and covers everything from abortion to western alienation. The fact that the Tories felt compelled to research and expose their own leader is an indication that the party isn’t stable and that something is seriously wrong. Harper refused to tell reporters what would happen to his career if he didn’t win a majority government, but based on this kind of betrayal, his time as leader of the party must be on a short leash.

Harper’s Economy

Stephen Harper is making the pitch that he is the best suited leader and has the best suited party to guide our economy out of the pit that he put it in. His Finance Minister, Jim Flaherty, the man who destroyed Ontario’s economy under Mike Harris, has left his mark on the Canadian economy and it is now weaker than ever. Here are just a few of the Conservative’s many flops concerning the economy – and their campaigning of it.

Military Funding: Not Harper’s Forte

This may or may not surprise you, but the man who is attacking the Liberals over their promised cancelation of the F-35 purchase deal is also responsible for slashing the tools that our military needs in half. Hypocrisy sees no boundary with Harper and his government, but, this strikes a hit to their commitment to aiding the Canadian Armed Forces.

All the while, Harper is now stating that he can fund untendered contracts for fighter jets. No one knows the exact price of these planes, but to Harper, that doesn’t matter. Just like on March 25, 2002 when he wanted to join Iraq, he stated, "I don't know all the facts on Iraq, but I think we should work closely with the Americans.”

Healthcare: Stephen Harper’s Worst Nightmare

It is clear that Stephen Harper doesn’t value Canadian healthcare – among other social programs that makes us the caring people we are. In the past, Harper and his pals have tried to reform healthcare to match it up to American standards. As Michael Ignatieff’s Liberals hammer away at the Tory misfortune in such an important campaign issue, they ask for pardon after all of their ads against Ignatieff. Harper is making a big deal about a Liberal misrepresentation of the Conservatives when the Conservatives have spent years misrepresenting the Liberals.

Jack Layton Is Nothing Different Than The Rest

Jack Layton is travelling coast to coast to coast attacking his opposition concerning healthcare and a wide variety of issues, but it turns out that Layton isn’t so clean when it comes to honesty and healthcare himself. While he claims that he stands by Tommy Douglas and the public healthcare system, he slapped it in the face in the 1990s. 

 

Harper, Do you Believe in Free Speech?

It can’t be ignored that today is the 29th anniversary of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms which was enacted on April 17, 1982. The bill was enacted under a Liberal Government that was lead by Pierre-Elliot Trudeau. While Canadians enjoy the luxuries of the charter and their extended freedoms, many across the underdeveloped world fight to reach our stature. But does Stephen Harper feel the same way?

Michael Ignatieff Finds His Voice

Michael Ignatieff has finally come up with something that can play as a game changer if he doesn’t let it fade away. He told Canadians today to “Rise up” at a rally in Sudbury, Ontario and addressed the reaction of the populace to Harper’s actions. Ignatieff clearly makes the case that Canadians don’t need to stand for the actions that the Harper government has been doing and can say no to Harper and vote for change – stating that it wasn’t for the Liberal Party, but for Canadian democracy.

An iPod Tax… Really?

The Conservative Party has done a good job manipulating people with their ads. If it isn’t for the classic “he didn’t come back for you” and the dreaded ‘coalition,’ the Conservatives have went on a high extent in their mission to destroy their opposition. One of their latest attack ads puts square aim on the Liberals and the so called coalition about their wish to impose such an attack. While the ad may be effective at grabbing attention, is it effective at displaying the facts of the manner?

Leadership Debate Will Have No Bearing on Campaign

The Conservatives only had one defense when it came to the Motion of Contempt that kicked them out of power. It was that it was a solely opposition-based ordeal. Now that the Auditor General comes out with a report on the G8 and G20 summits echoing the opposition’s call of ‘lack of transparency,’ Harper will have quite a bit to worry about. From the campaign of accountability came the ‘In and Out’ scandal, staffers who are being investigated for fraud, G8 funding for borders which landed 300km away from any type of border and was used as bribe money for a riding.

Conservative Contradictions; Only the Tip of the Iceberg

Canada is in the fourth election in seven years and the contradictions that have been set forth by the current government could not be more rampant.

Stephen Harper’s Conservative party has made plenty of promises over the years. They promised to bring accountability back to Ottawa. They promised not to tax income trust. The list of broken promises goes on, as does the list of the lies that they committed along the way.

Stephen Harper and his party have committed several lies and contradictions in their careers; here are just a few.

Auditor General: Conservative Government Mislead Parliament

Auditor General Sheila Fraser concluded that the Conservative Government hid facts from Parliament to convince them to allow the Conservatives to create a $50 million G8 fund which allowed Industry Minister Tony Clement the funds to upgrade his riding. To top that, the way that the money was funded was deemed illegal. This scandal is yet another to add to the list of Harper’s failed attempts at accountability and a full public investigation should be carried through to search the “tough on crime” party’s records with a fine tooth comb.

Can We Really Afford to Lose Our Identity?

With healthcare being one of the major issues in the federal campaign, Stephen Harper promises to maintain provincial transfers for healthcare. But actions that he  tried to do while in government say otherwise. He wanted to cut this money transfer not too long ago. It is recommended that you read the original post from back in October 2010.

Read: Can We Really Afford to Lose Our Identity?

Meanwhile Michael Ignatieff proposes maintaining Canadian healthcare in his platform.

Election 2011 Day 14 Tories Say it is Normal to Spend More in Conservative Ridings

Conservatives say that it is “normal” for their ridings to get more funding than those that belong to the opposition. Larry Smith is running as a Conservative candidate in Montreal and said that the unequal spending allocation was to, as CTV reported, make the political process more favorable to their supporters. Smith is using the argument that having him win the riding would bring more funding to the riding.

Election 2011 Day 13 Another Conservative Charged with Fraudulent Activity

It appears that the Conservative Party cannot keep themselves out of trouble. For a party that came to power on accountability and vowed to be ‘Tough on Crime,’ this party and government has been anything but. A Toronto businessman can be added to the list of Conservatives who have been deemed corrupt. Snover Dhillon is facing a criminal charge for allegedly fraudulent credit and debit card withdrawals – a background that didn’t prevent him from sitting with Harper’s family at last week’s rally.

Election 2011 Day 10, 11, and 12 Harper’s Campaign Woes

Harper’s Conservatives are being slammed for expelling a student from his rally who had a picture of her with Michael Ignatieff as her profile picture on Facebook. Harper is also being slammed over the convictions of fraud that hang over his right hand man, Bruce Carson. Meanwhile, Michael Ignatieff unveiled the full Liberal arty platform that can be read on their website, but in a short amount of time, a more concise and to the point version will be available in the Liberal Party tab of this site.

Election 2011 Day 9 Liberals Launch Platform

The Liberal Party of Canada released their five point plan to get the Canadian economy back on track while investing in Canadians. The five point plan includes changing directions with the economy, helping families, cleaning up the environment, bringing Canadians together, and creating a new image for Canada on the world stage. The full platform can be downloaded at: http://cdn.liberal.ca/files/2011/04/liberal_platform.pdf

Election 2011 Day 8

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff made a compelling case at a town hall in London, Ontario where he explained to a young girl how he would fix the country’s economy without raising taxes. Meanwhile Conservatives are having a more difficult time lying to the public. A 51-year old woman who described herself as a mother interrupted a press conference held by Jim Baird and Lawrence Cannon who were trying to pin their opposition Liberals as tax and spend.

Election 2011 Day 7 If Elected, Harper Will Scrap Democracy

The only April fools joke that happened today was the spoof of Liberal Candidate Justin Trudeau’s campaign posters sending smartphones to porn sites. Stealing democracy, however, isn’t a joke – this is what Conservative Leader Stephen Harper indirectly announced today. If elected, he would scrap ‘per-vote subsidies’ that would effectively destroy the opposition parties.