There’s plenty to catch up on in Canadian politics from the past week, and I’ll try to cover the biggest news over the next couple of days. But let’s start with one polling tidbit that looks even more important than the NDP’s improving support totals:R…
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CuriosityCat: Is the Clarity Act constitutional?
One of the options facing a future Prime Minister Jack Layton is to consider a request to the Supreme Court of Canada regarding the constitutionality of the Clarity Act.
The Clarity Act was passed in 2000, and in 1998 the SCC decision dealing with the …
The Progressive Economics Forum: Mintz is Right on “Small” Business Tax
One of my main undertakings on this blog has been to debunk Jack Mintz’s relentless advocacy of tax cuts for large corporations. However, I also give him credit when he proposes good policy, such as raising potash royalties and the small-business corporate tax rate. This past week, he was out with a paper on the […]
Continue readingCuriosityCat: Would an NDP Government become an outlaw government? The chances are high
Jack Layton campaigned as a future prime minister, and won a resounding victory over the waffling Liberals and do-nothing Bloc, sweeping into Official Opposition party status.
Jack Layton – the Outlaw PM?
Now he is still running for prime minister, c…
Continue readingBigCityLib Strikes Back: Orange Wave Comes To T.O.?
The recent poll also asked residents which party they would support should a provincial election be held today. Among those residents who were decided / leaning it was found that support was split between the Progressive Conservative and Liberals (34% …
Continue readingThe Happy Wanderer: An Interesting Poll to Consider
A new poll shows that a majority of Canadians don’t really support Conservative policies. 53% said that they didn’t want the Corporate taxes to drop and only 39% agreed. On the Fighter jets 52% disagreed with a purchase and 37% agreed. On the Lo…
Continue readingImpolitical: Frère Jacques…
There are some questions for you today. Lawrence Martin asks: “Are the NDP more Bloc than the Bloc?”
Claude Morin has a shopping list of questions along similar lines too. Not surprisingly, he’s a bit more specific in his approach.
What is that say…
Continue readingBlunt Objects: Canada’s New Democrats: Stuck Between a Rock and Hard Place
Especially on the issue of Senate reform, where Quebec’s provincial government is already starting to get its back up:Quebec is warning Stephen Harper it may go to court, if necessary, to block any attempt by the federal government to unilaterally ref…
Continue readingRed Tory v.3.0.3: Anti-Anti-HST
Chris Thompson, UBC law student and creator of an open letter in the form of a YouTube video addressed to former Socred premier Bill Vander Zalm (the most vocal proponent of the anti-HST movement in B.C.), appearing on the Business … Continue reading →
On the Quebec question: (1) Clarity
(After this, I may just go ahead and write that Israel thing I’ve had kicking around in my head for a few years. While I’m stepping on landmines, I might as well step on them all in one go.)As newswatchers will know, there’s been a lot of chatter about…
Continue readingDriving The Porcelain Bus: NDP support continues to grow after the election
Lack of buyer’s remorse over Tories and NDP bodes ill for Liberals and Bloc – The Globe and Mail
Results from the latest Harris-Decima poll:
Conservatives: 38% (down 1.6%)
NDP: 33% (up 2.4%)
Liberals: 15% (down 3.9%)
Bloc (In Quebec): 22% (down 1.4%…
Accidental Deliberations: Light blogging ahead
Off to a couple of undisclosed locations for the next week, with little to no blogging in the meantime. But let’s note one point worth watching as Parliament reconvenes.While I don’t think there’s much room for dispute that the Cons have tried to move …
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
Assorted content for your Sunday reading.- John Allemang’s profile of Jack Layton is well worth a read in full. But after a campaign where any show of support can easily be written off as a matter of party scripting, it’s well worth noting the spontane…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Afternoon Links
This and that for your weekend reading.- In case we didn’t already have enough examples of the Wall government’s contempt for voting, James Wood notes that it’s dragging its heels on authorizing any enumeration before the official writ period. That fig…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading.- The McGill Institute’s Election Content Analysis includes plenty of interesting information on how this month’s federal election was covered. But the most noteworthy point looks to be the lag time between dev…
Continue readingTHE FIFTH COLUMN: The NDP, The Quebec Question and 50% + 1
Much has been made of Jack Layton’s “controversial” comments on a possible Quebec sovereignty referendum.The fact is that it is a very rational and defensible position. Based on the closest precedent, the entry of Newfoundland into Confederation, Quebe…
Continue readingCuriosityCat: Whose interests, Jack?
During a press conference, the issue of the referendum for independence of Quebec came up, and Jack Layton did a bit of dodging and weaving around the issue.
Finally, he addressed Quebecers directly:
Layton walked a fine line in his speech to the troop…
CuriosityCat: Time for clarity from Jack Layton on the Clarity Act
As the man who crafted the Clarity Act which now governs the manner in which the government of Canada has to deal with the framing of a question for a referendum on the independence of Quebec put it, the law of the land cannot be wished away:
Unclea…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On questions and answers
Lawrence Martin’s theory on how the NDP can start making Question Period more substantive looks to be a good start. But I’ll add that there’s one more consideration worth taking into account – especially in the early days of the new Parliament.After al…
Continue readingOn election 41.
It really is amazing how difficult it is to drag oneself back into longer writing after a significant time away.Anyway, I just want to run with an idea regarding the recent Canadian federal election that’s not being well-discussed (or discussed at all,…
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