My Canada includes Quebec, s'il vous plait!

Today's news conference with the new coalition triumvirate illustrated that social democrats can work together on specific principle-based issues. The presence of Gilles Duceppe was critical.

In each of the last elections, M. Duceppe has invariably impressed me in the debates. I dispute him on the separatism issue but I have respect for his ability to represent the voters in Quebec. The BQ MPs work hard to represent their constituents and these MPs have agreed to support this coalition until June 2010 with possible renewal beyond that time.

In my opinion, the most profound indication of M. Duceppe's capacity as a respectful political servant of the people was during the last election campaign. On the day that ConTV aired those exceptionally unethical re-runs of the tapes from M. Dion's Halifax interview, it was M. Duceppe who denounced this treatment of a fellow politician. Despite their vast differences on the issue of federalism, I believe it is entirely possible for M. Dion and M. Duceppe to regard and to treat each other with respect while they both serve Canada and Quebec. These two are men with an emotional maturity and capacity that Steven Harper has been incapable of illustrating tp Canadians in all his years as a politician.

I believe that Canada must include Quebec and we should heartily encourage the involvement of the BQ in the Liberal/NDP coalition to the extent that each party can still hold true to its principles. The BQ are very much on the left of the political spectrum on many social and financial issues. Quebeckers, are generally, more socially left than the rest of Canada. This coalition will benefit from their involvement. Canada will be better served by this coalition than by the current government. This means we need to get beyond the unfamiliarity of this situation.

This is a new way of politics for Canadians but many democracies have been working this way for a long time. Stephane Dion showed a capacity for bringing disparate forces together in the Montreal Climate Change conference in 2006 and in the way he handled the Elizabeth May situation. Different, but diplomatic and mature. If we had a different voting system, such as a form of proportional representation, we would likely have to develop many new ways of working together while still being able to compete on principle-based platforms during elections. Prime Minister Dion may be the best person to show us the way.

Yes, this is different but isn't this also the best opportunity that we've ever had to show Quebec and Quebeckers that we respect them and their ideas as part of Canada. Isn't it long past time we stopped fearing the BQ and tried to understand their point of view on the many shared principles that we have?

As Duceppe said today in reply to the question about Harper pulling a rabbit out of a hat to hang on to government, "Canada doesn't need a magician, it needs leaders."

If we stick with Steven Harper, each Canadian family will shiver in the dark all alone through this storm worrying if their pension will be there or if EI benefits will help them through a period of lay-off. Today, Stephane Dion, Jack Layton and Gilles Duceppe together offered forward thinking leadership for all Canadians, including Quebeckers. With this team, Canadians will have direction for facing the economic storm together. It won't be easy but the leadership is now available to show the way.

It's the We versus Me situation. When the storm clouds are gathering, I prefer to know that we'll all be helping or watching out for each other through the storm. Let's include Quebec and the BQ in Canada to work through this storm together. They need us and we need them. Let's pick the "We" team!

Maple Syrup and Turkeys

An American friend asked me to summarize what happened over the weekend here in Canada. Thought I'd share my response here so those who've been hibernating this weekend can get caught up too.

We've had a busy few days in Canada while you folks were having your turkey. Actually we had a bit of a revolution. Maybe you've heard that we elected a minority neo-con government on October 14 then watched with envy as you folks chose hope on November 4.

Well, we might have fixed that little problem. It's taken four days but...

About 20 minutes ago, the news came across the wires that our three parties on the left have united in a coalition and will be putting forth a motion of non-confidence on Monday, December 8th. A week is a long time in politics, sometimes but if all goes according to Hoyle (or Roberts, possibly), we will have a progressive government too.

The background:

On Thursday last week, the minority government led by PM Steven Harper put forth a Fiscal Update (like a mini-budget). The vote on this was to occur tomorrow and because it's a money bill, it is a vote of confidence in the government. In a minority situation, the government falls if it loses the vote.

The contents of this update should properly have included an economic stimulus package and a truthful evaluation of our current economic situation.

Instead we received a vicious partisan document
- removing the right to strike for federal employees,
- ending pay equity,
- ending public election financing,
- reducing government spending over the next year by $6 billion and
- selling off over $2 billion in government assets.

in addition to those insults, the Finance Minister told a bald-faced lie by saying the government would not be in deficit next year. A close inspection of the numbers illustrated that his base assumptions were predicated on old information which was a little rosier (as in before the bottom fell out of the commodities markets) than the current situation.

All three leaders of the parties on the left howled in protest of the lack of spending or economic stimulus when every other country in the world is intending to do something. By Friday morning, the leaders were huddled together to indicate that they would consider a coalition.

On Friday afternoon, the wording of a non-confidence motion was put forth by the Leader of the Official Opposition, Stephane Dion of the Liberal Party for the vote that was to happen tomorrow.

On Friday evening, the Prime Minister exercised his right to put the vote off for one week to Monday, December 8th.

All weekend, the three parties on the left worked tirelessly to put together a coalition agreement.

Three times the government was in a news conference backing down from their own bill trying to stave off the formation of a coalition in the opposition parties.

First on Friday night, they said okay we won't put the removal of election finance in the money bill. This was the trap that they had laid thinking the Opposition parties were only interested in their own access to financing for elections. But right from the beginning all three parties stated they were voting against the government for being incompetent in dealing with the current economic crisis. The carefully laid trap snapped shut on the butt of the PM as he stormed out of a press conference without answering any questions.

Second, on Saturday, they backed off on removing the right to strike for public servants.

Third, on Sunday, they say okay, okay we won't get rid of pay equity and we'll bring in an economic stimulus package on January 27th with a full budget document (usually this happens in March or April).

So, we will no doubt be subjected to one week of vicious attack ads by the minority Conservative government but if the vote does in fact take place next Monday, the government will fall and be replaced by a progressive coalition, which will include the three parties that 63% of Canadians voted for.

Some of our Canadian bloggers named this the Maple Syrup Revolution.

There that was our weekend, how was yours? Did you enjoy your turkey? I think we stuffed ours!

Now, this was a simplified version of the situation which I shared with American friends somewhat less familiar with our situation and I didn't separate out the three parties and their specific involvement. Obviously the Bloq plays an important role when voting to support the government but has chosen not to be part of it, but the coalition government will include the members of the NDP and the Liberals.

H/T to all Progressive Bloggers, it's been a hoot keeping up to y'all this weekend.

Pig Wrestling

Remember when you wrestle with a pig, he's enjoying it and you both end up covered in mud! Rather than pig wrestling, progressives across Canada need to stand up and take an interest in the possibility of a progressive coalition government that would represent more of our interests.

Interested in a progressive coalition government, the Rideau Institute has started a letter writing campaign to both Stephane Dion and Jack Layton. You can send your letters on their quick form with the option to customize it as well. The slick letter form can be found here.

Be careful - when you wrestle with a pig!

My only word of caution in the current constitutional crisis unraveling in Ottawa would be offered to Mr. Dion. "Be careful! When you wrestle with a pig, remember he enjoys it but you both get covered in mud!"

Otherwise, full steam ahead!

The proposed motion that Dion has put out on the wires this afternoon for consideration on Monday: his first Opposition Day, is a triumph of intellect over the vitrolic, partisan poison contained in Harper's financial outlook. Hopefully the NDP and the Liberals with the quiet support of Duceppe and the Bloq can form a coalition that will last for several months if not years. Thereby providing the kind of leadership that Canadians wanted from this past election.

'Course we'll all be listening intently at Harper's news conference (again with no questions) as he tries to squirm out of the mess he's made and lay the blame squarely at Dion's feet.

Maybe Harper will fall flat in the mud! And Dion can sidestep any splashes of mud while marching into the House on Monday with a coalition government alongside like-minded NDP and Bloq colleagues.

I didn't hear "the fat lady sing" on election night, maybe Harper should have been paying attention and ruled with a more conciliatory tone toward the majority in opposition!

UPDATE: The pig has spoken, and as I suspected, lays the blame at Dion's feet. Look forward to a strong response. Harper has put off the Opposition Day til December 8th, giving Canadians a chance to contact their opposition MPs, NOW.

Finally, it's come to me!

Ever since Tuesday's election of Obama, I've been trying to think of when I've felt anything near the same emotion and excitement. My first election was in 1979 and that was not a particularly good one for my political hero, Trudeau. He did return to power in 1980 and led us well for a few more years. Once he retired, I felt we wouldn't see another charismatic leader with the intellect to comprehend the needs of Canada and Canadians.

In Montreal, I did feel that emotion again when we chose Stephane Dion. I was thrilled but this quickly turned to dismay as I watched the Liberal Party squander this man's integrity by not being there to support him wholeheartedly. I personally can't think of a single one of those leadership contenders in 2006 who deserves a shot at running again. As a grassroots Liberal, I did what I could but the powers that actually manipulate the strings did not do what they could have and certainly not what they should have. I have little stomach for the coming race.

I admired the clarity of the Green Shift plan and it made sense to me. I don't have a clue what planet the media resides on that they couldn't comprehend something so simple as shifting taxes from what we earn to what we burn. The Liberal Party did not get behind Dion and his Green Shift and we may live to regret this missed opportunity for a long time. I believe Stephane Dion would have been a great Prime Minister, if only we, the Liberal Party, had given him the chance he deserved. Personally, I'm surprised he's not bitter but instead had the grace to take a good decision for the party and the country. And he's absolutely right, we did not have the resources to properly defend his good name from the outrageous, vitrolic campaign against him which Harper initiated almost immediately. It was a shameful, pitiful lack of unity that has squandered a great leader's potential.

NOW, to get to that one other moment that I was reminded of when Obama was elected. It came to me when I was doing a mindless repetitive task, as all good ideas do. I was raking leaves and it flashed in my mind.

You might remember the day I was thinking of, yourself. Many of us were looking to the promise of Paul Martin's minority government and his ideas. One day, Martin made a profound announcement and it still sends a chill through me. I heard the announcement on the radio. His choice of Michaelle Jean to be our Governor General was nothing short of truly inspirational. Completely unexpected and out of the blue, he made the one choice that could pleasantly surprise everyone in the country.

And what a Governor General, Michaelle Jean has been too!

Dion, the politician

Yesterday's news conference was the best possible outcome for the Liberal Party of Canada, for Canadians and possibly for Stephane Dion and his family.

By announcing that he's staying on, Dion firmly put Rae, Ignatieff and Kennedy and their respective camps of supporters in their place by ending the media based leaks about whether McCallum or Goodale would be the interim leader. Having done this, Dion also told the party that he knew who had undermined his campaign - we Liberals did it to him or rather Rae, Ignatieff and Kennedy supporters did. The campaign was completely underfunded because some Liberals didn't give - choosing to wait for the next election. There was no unity, only platitudes, even though Dion had worked to unite the caucus by giving them all a meaningful role immediately after the leadership. They chose not to do the work assigned to them by the leader for the good of the party and the country. They sat on their hands waiting for the next chance. To me, this illustrates their lack of character and integrity.

In that news conference, Dion acknowledged that he knows why he lost and this should be a wake-up call to the party. Dion knows that Liberals supporting different camps chose not to fund the party under his leadership. Sure it was the Conservative vitrolic ad campaign but it was our collectively chosen inability to stand up and fight on Dion's behalf with a counter-campaign funded by our enthusiasm for him and his ideas. We allowed the Conservatives to destroy our leader. We allowed the Conservatives to destroy the most valuable asset we had - a leader with ideas, integrity and passion.

I'm uncertain what tact Dion's campaign to prepare the party for the next leader will take but I am certain that Dion will commit himself to the job with more heart and soul than his competitors gave in this campaign. This alone should automatically disqualify any of them from running because their self-serving will soon make the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada a prize not worth seeking. Canadians are not fools, they will see through any power-seeking games that have no principle or platform to legitimize them.

A clean slate of new candidates is the only way forward, in my opinion. A new way of electing the leader would be an even better way forward but alas, the ex-officios ruined that when they chose to break from their smoozefests to attend one fifteen minute segment of the policy convention in Montreal to vote down the one member-one vote proposal. Sadly, we are led by unelected power mongers behind the scenes, the same ones Martin enslaved us with not only nationally but in every single riding across the nation and who have each now found a new home in a different camp to use the manipulative techniques they acquired working for Martin. Due to the rancid Electoral Readiness process, we have a new crop of ex-officios all beholding to one faction or another.

The Liberal Party of Canada as it stands now does not serve Canada, it serves its own various factions. The grassroots at the convention saw a brief glimmer of hope and we snatched it. But the warring ex-officios and power brokers have broken our dream. It seems, we didn't deserve a leader like Dion, a man with too much integrity for the Liberal Party of Canada. The Liberal brand could not tolerate a leader with ideas and integrity. The Canadian people wanted to vote Liberal and we prevented them from doing so. The Canadian people wanted to choose integrity and we hid it from them.

I secretly pander for a moment of Harper weakness in which he brings forth a crime bill under confidence vote which 70+% of the country could not abide and we are forced to beg Dion to lead us. We hardly deserve it but I hope he says yes.

PS. Just so any bias I might have in this mess is recognized. I chose to go to the convention for the experience. I wanted to participate in the renewal of the Liberal Party, I wanted to see the Red Ribbon stuff actually happen after a new leader was chosen.

In order to prepare myself for delegate election, I called more than 60 local members and tallied their results to decide who I would support. I then called all those members back to tell them that the majority said I should support Bob Rae with Stephane Dion in second place by every single member. Then I went to see the debate in London and Bob Rae was the strongest performer that night. I watched televised debates. In addition, our former MP called to find out who I would support and it turned out we were planning to be on the same team. A happy coincidence but I wouldn't have changed my mind under pressure at that point.

I was selected by the local membership as a delegate for Bob Rae and I moved to Stephane Dion on the fourth ballot in accordance with the wishes of members who had chosen me as a delegate. I did this with enthusiasm because Stephane Dion had won me over completely.

As for giving to the campaign. I gave more than I've ever given in any year but alas I couldn't reach the maximum because I live on a small salary. I can however say with confidence that I gave til it hurt.

Dion's defining moment

Stephane Dion did one thing better than any other Liberal leader has in 30+ years. In the waning days of the campaign, I heard the words that define why I am a Liberal.

Dion said repeatedly, "Liberals understand how to make government work for the people, for the common good, for the public interest." Liberals can identify what the public interest is and they know how to make government benefit more Canadians.

I don't fault Chretien/Martin for the first few cuts. I know that there was a major financial mess to clean up after Mulroney so everything had to be trimmed to get the IMF back onside for a good credit rating for the country. This must have been difficult for those on the left of the party and I know I was discomfitted by the entire cutting processes that occurred from 1993 to 1997.

Once we were back in sound fiscal policy, I couldn't understand why we weren't creating the kinds of programs that Canadians needed. Possibly it was the lack of an effective opposition at the time with the right split, but I felt that the leaders of the party no longer felt the need to talk to or respond to the Canadian public.

Dion defined for me why I am a Liberal when he said, "we Liberals, we know how to make government work for the people. Stephen Harper doesn't believe in government and Jack Layton doesn't understand how." That is the defining line between conservatives and liberals and ndp. It's the only one that's important. One more week of talking about this and he'd have had the whole country in the palm of his hands.

Now is not the time to give up on Stephane Dion. An unscientific poll at our church today during the coffee break after the service indicates that Canadians love Dion.

Liberals here though did not like our local candidate so they stayed home.

Best description of the situation. "We didn't want to send Dion such a lousy candidate, he deserved better." So I guess this points to the party being partially responsible for the election result since we were rushed into a nomination process under some hulllaballoo called "election readiness", one of the most profoundly ignorant operations I've ever witnessed.

Dion deserved better and so do we.

Support Dion Petition & various Direct Actions

If the grassroots of the Liberal Party want to intervene in this swift moving current by backroom strategists and media hounding, then now is the time for all to act for the good of the party.

Want to show support for Stephane Dion to stay on as a leader. There are several options right at your finger tips.

• Sign a petition here

• Join a facebook group & discuss here

• write a letter to Stephane Dion mail to: Stornoway, 541 Acacia Avenue, Ottawa (ON) K1M 0M5

• send an email to DionS@parl.gc.ca

• send a donation to pay off Dion's leadership debt. 

Make cheque payable to: 

Liberal Party of Canada - Stephane Dion  and mail to: LPC 81 Metcalfe Street, Suite 400 Ottawa, ON K1P 6M8

Supporters at Stornoway - Noon Sunday

Jim Curran has started a minor revolution among grassroots Liberals. Many are headed to Ottawa to be at Stornoway for noon today, Sunday. They are "Storming Stornoway" to encourage Stephane Dion to stay.

A pick-up hockey game is the order of the day just for a little fun. Bring hockey sticks and be prepared to cheer Dion to stay on to lead the Liberal Party of Canada.

If you're too far away, as I am, send letters to DionS@parl.gc.ca and info@liberal.ca

New Strategy for the Liberals

As many have noted, getting rid of a seasoned leader like Stephane Dion at a time like this is irresponsible. In my opinion, any Liberal advocating for this is looking for glory but will only find the vacuous state of celebrity. Canadians want substance to vote for, not slick celebs.

There used to be a grassroots to the Liberal party and I was part of it. My opinion was asked, my input considered and I worked hard. That was over 20 years ago. Then the Liberal Party of Canada sought financing and opinions from Bay Street and elsewhere. I've worked a little in campaigns since then but no one has ever sought my opinion or even asked me to contribute except our last MP who, in 2000, asked me set up a local chapter of the women's commission. 

I chose to go to the leadership convention in Montreal to give LPC one last chance. Leaving that event, I felt that we had just chosen the best leader in Canada with the most progressive ideas and I was ready to participate again. I worked as a campaign manager for the losing candidate in the nomination locally but that's okay I was still prepared to help. I was shunted aside like so much dead weight. Many of those on that nomination team now only receive official notices of our membership but no further communications from the local organization.  There is still all the rot remaining locally from the Chretien/Martin battles.

During the nomination process, I had written a plan for how to renew the grassroots of the organization. This plan included a fundraising plan that would fund all activities of the riding association and every year would put aside $25,000 toward coming election expenses. It was laughed at by the local organization and after the nomination I was removed rather unceremoniously from the executive.

But I have courage (or stupidity) so I'll put forth my idea again.

• Every two months hold an event in a different geographical part of the riding.

• Five of those six events would be potlucks with a host. The host would provide the main meat portion and everyone else would bring salad or dessert and $20.

• The sixth event to be held in February would be a black tie event (possibly with a speaker) and charge $50. Call it "Wear your heart on your sleeve" or something equally appropriate to the season. Celebrate flag day, etc.

• Each event would have a chairperson to organize, thereby spreading the work. They would bring onside their own team to help organize and sell tickets. This would also spread the talent building capacity of the whole team across the riding.

• Aim for having 200 at each event and all expenses of the actual food, etc. to be donated.
  

This plan would raise the awareness of the Liberal Party in the riding; allow Liberals to meet in a social environment where they can exchange ideas; identify Liberals who can help organize during a campaign and help find volunteers.

The money raised would fund the executive of the riding association to attend all regional meetings and Liberal training events so that they didn't have to dip into their own $1100 contribution limit to attend. As a result we would have trained, organized and full executives for each riding and the most committed volunteers would still have contribution room.

The money raised from these events would also fund a campaign every 4 years. The limits for an election hover around or just under $100,000 so putting $25,000  aside each year would make the job easier come election time.

So there it is in a nutshell. The key important fallout from this fundraising idea is that you would have involved the grassroots on a regular basis all year; they would have fun being Liberals again and you would be able to solicit their opinions on policy issues in a casual setting. BUT you would also be able to communicate from the party to the grassroots by putting forth ideas for discussion or adoption at policy conventions. Talking politics with fellow Liberals at events six times a year would keep the continuity of the party together and keep the party in touch with the grassroots.

This is the sort of plan that needs to happen for the Liberal Party of Canada to succeed in the future. It doesn't have to be my plan but something that includes the elements of regular fundraising, regular events; and prices that senior, students and the majority can afford.

Getting rid of the leader now after he rose so magnificently into the role during the election would be foolhardy at best; suicidal at worst.

Dion should stay - no race til election debt is erased!

Today the media has put in considerable time trying to scare up a Liberal to say Dion should leave. Well, they found Joe Volpe. As for Mr. Volpe's comments to Mike Duffy, well, who really cares? Someone ought to give Volpe his walking papers. I can't even imagine why he was allowed to run in this election. Oh look, I'm not the only one who thinks this.

There's Bowie chiming in from overseas, Jim nails it here and Danielle here. My favourite commentary on this topic goes to Grumpy Voter. Duffy's star as a journalist fell like a thump when he got a proper dressing down from Ms. May, and rightfully so.

Any Liberal who pretends to have an entitlement to the leadership of the party should be told by all and sundry to knock it off and get busy erasing the election debt. 

No race until the debt is covered. Boy, that will focus their attention, won't it?

Stephane Dion deserves the utmost respect as he makes a considered decision upon reflection. He is fully entitled to take until the house sits in my opinion. There is no rush. The election is over and the right move for the Liberal Party of Canada, the country and for Mr. Dion's own family is a most critical decision at this point in time. I fully trust Stephane Dion to make the best decision. I've never witnessed a man with more grace under pressure than this leader.

Zorpheus says it most forcefully, then there's Impolitical, and Miranda over at A View from the Left . Then Vijay has a go at the theme, as does A BCer in Toronto. 

Let Mr. Dion stay. Any Liberal - senior or anonymous - or media person that asks for his answer before he's ready to give it is a pathetic, glory seeking fool like Joe Volpe.

Nik Nanos…the most under-reported pollster in Canadian history?

In 2006, Nik Nanos nailed the election results exactly and the country was surprised! Canada’s corporate media had been reporting from all the other polling sources to get the story about the campaign and they were off target, some more than others.

Fast forward to Campaign 2008 and the corporate media goes with their old pals in the pollstering business. Didn’t they learn their lesson? Or do they have a horse in this race?

Questioning media intention has become a blood sport in North America but there is one definitive study this year that indicates a hint at the truth. There is a long-standing myth of a liberal bias in the media that just does not hold up to scrutiny. Media Matter’s study indicates a 67% influence by conservative writers! With the recent convergence of Canadian media in the hands of conservative supporters. I believe, the Canadian public is not being served by its media in an unbiased way and this transfers especially to interference in the democratic process of an election.

When Stephen Harper says we are becoming more conservative, I believe what he means is that our media is becoming more conservative and he might very well be right. The problem for media is they’ve seen a drop off of subscribers and viewers. Is it that Canadians are not seeing themselves represented in their media and are checking out the internet for sources of information that are more in tune and reflective of who they are?

For me, that is true. I can personally vouch for not watching television for months on end and reading headlines online for several major and regional newspapers. I also gather news from magazines and get my hints for what to look for from the CBC radio which is on all hours of the day. When a story comes up on the radio that I’m interested in, I’ll look for the rest of the information online.

Broadcasting does have a horse in this race this time. Harper has hinted for years about the privatization of the CBC. With a majority in government, I believe he would do this within weeks not months. So the private broadcasters are looking forward to the CBC being put on a level playing field with them – whoring for advertising dollars.

How does the CBC get away with its obvious conservative slant this time? Well, lets follow the money trail? Who wins when an organization is privatized? It’s the people in the hot seat on the day of privatization. Is the CBC’s new (conservative appointed) management team looking to make a fast buck? Are the regular talking heads in the radio and television newsrooms sucking up to the new mandate from on high?

From personal observation, I’d say something is afoot in the Canadian media. And it starts with election poll results and how they are reported.

So, are you interested in the horse race? See what Nik Nanos has to say about Stephane Dion’s Liberal team closing the gap and Dion’s rise in the Leadership Index and make up your own mind about what’s going on. Look around online and find some real information recognizing that the media might have a horse in the race that might not be the same horse as yours.

Bounce

Stephane Dion is getting the bounce he needs in the Nanos polls!  His perofrmance in the two debates was excellent.

Dion wins on trust, environment and first steps (economic plan)

Dion wins on the closing issue of trust! He also did exceptionally well on his economic plan and of course, the environment.

Finally...economic leadership for Canadians

Dion has announced a five point plan to be delivered within 30 days to inform Canadians with the best information from the experts and help get the ball rolling again with infrastructure and manufacturing investments.

This is precisely the type of leadership we need and that Canadians expect from their government. I want to see those reports and I am confident that Dion will not hide them with a Friday afternoon release.

I do not want to be patted on the head with platitudes from Harper any longer - our mutual funds lost more than 25% in the last few days, fortunately we don't have to rely on them yet.

The line Harper uses is that "the fundamentals are strong". This is the same line that George Bush used about two weeks ago and by Hoover in 1929. Is this another campaign meme from the Republicans or just from history?

The Tipping Point

Harper insists Canadians are becoming more conservative - not Tory, mind you - but the kind of conservative that Harper is: shallow, mean-spirited, discriminatory and elitist. Is that what Canada has become?

During this campaign, Harper has not attended a single open public event and some of his candidates, including two ministers, have refused to attend all candidates meetings. Harper has refused to put his platform on the table for Canadians to evaluate. This shows shallow respect for the Canadian voter. Having campaigned for the last two years, Harper has chosen a show-biz style tour of Canada without actually talking to anyone who is not a conservative. In other words, he's ignored two thirds of the electorate. Will Canadians continue to accept this?

The conservative campaign against Dion for the last twenty-two months has been unrelenting in its mean-spirited attacks. Negative ads are something that Canadians say they do not appreciate but as a Liberal candidate said on Friday, "when I knock on the door, people say they don't like negative ads but in every conversation one or two of those attacks are brought up by the voter." Has the negative, American style campaign hits its mark? Are Canadians as mean-spirited as Harper projects us to be?

Harper's attacks against Dion remind and emphasize the difficulty with which Dion speaks English. At the beginning of the campaign, I found that many Canadians, even Liberals, were listening for his gaffes and wincing when they heard something that was not quite perfect. This says more about us and Harper than it does about Dion. Fortunately, Dion as explained the hearing loss reasons for his difficulty in correcting his pronunciation. 

This is discrimination at its worst because it is insidiously hidden in Harper's ad messages. It is worse than the ads against Chretien's partially paralyzed face precisely because no challenge on behalf of Dion as been mounted against this twisted campaign. Harper doesn't want you to hear what Dion has to say, he wants you to hear the occasional mispronunciation and join with him in taunting Dion.

Is it possible that Harper wants you to ignore the fact that he, himself, isn't saying anything? Harper hasn't even printed a platform for you to read and consider.

Harper's idea that anyone who leans to the left in political persuasion in this country can be described as an elitist is absolutely ridiculous. Harper has borrowed this from the American neo-conservative Republican movement painting anyone who objects to their point of view as an elitist. Right now, we can see the real corporate elitists in the US trying to suck $700 billion from the hard-working, tax-paying public.

In Harper's Canada we could look forward to an ever increasing influence of the corporate elites - more deregulation bringing about the listeriosis-tainted foods which have taken nineteen lives, so far. And even fewer than the three white collar charges that have been prosecuted in Canada in recent years. The American Securities and Exchange Commission has prosecuted more white collar crime in the last three years than Canada under Harper has.

How can Dion combat this onslaught from the right that is threatening to destroy the left in Canada and the Liberal Party of Canada from without and from within? For one thing, I believe, the Canadian public is confused. They don't know who the Liberal Party of Canada is anymore. Under Trudeau, we knew what it meant to be Liberal. Under Chretien and with Martin's hand on finances, we understood what we were voting for. We knew what we were getting. Despite his best efforts to put forth a concrete plan, Dion has been less able to get the attention of the Canadian public to have a dialogue about where we are headed as a country and who the Liberal Party is under his leadership. Is this his fault?

In my opinion, with the change in ownership of media to conservative corporate interests, the media is no longer acting as an honest broker on behalf of the Canadian people. During the first two weeks of this campaign, Dion was deliberately and consistently put at the 18 minute mark of daily news broadcasts by CTV-Globemedia. By that point, Canadians have already tuned out - heck, that's after the first commercial break and Canadians know the important stuff is upfront in the news broadcast where Harper and Layton have figured prominently.

With the similar abandonment of principles on CBC's The National, Dion is up against the entire media machine licking its lips with glee at the prospect of privatization and deregulation under Harper. The television media and its newsrooms want Harper to win so they can get rich. Can you blame them for skewing the message? They don't care what Canadians want or need, in fact, I don't think they can see the country's needs through the dollar signs in their eyes.

With the constant bombardment of negative conservative advertising on television, radio and print, Canadians have been under constant attack as well. Harper would prefer that you don't show up to vote. If you stay home, he knows his party will drag that almost 30% of Canadians who are on the conservative and neo-conservative side out to vote and take your place in the halls of power in our country while you stay home and watch American Idol.

Dion nees to bypass the ineffectiveness of the media in getting his message out. He needs to have Liberals onside at the grassroots, knocking on doors. Dion is trusting Liberals and two-thirds of Canadians to pay attention in this campaign - possibly the most important election campaign in Canadian history. If Dion and the left lose, it may very well spell the end of the Liberal Party of Canada but more importantly it may implant a brand of politicking we have only jeered at when we look south. In typical self-righteous mode we call the Americans foolish for choosing Bush twice. Can Canadians not see that the same tactics are being use on us. I wonder how loud the laughter will be south of the border if we choose Harper and they choose Obama?

Dion passionately and earnestly believes that Canadians can see that we are being played for fools by Harper with his non-campaign talking about flavoured cigarellos and other issues easily handled by an effective and appreciated civil service. Are we worthy of Dion's trust in our ability to see through the smoke and mirrors of the conservative game? Or, has Harper successfully bought our silent participation in the Americanization of our political process? Has Harper turned off enough Canadians in his relentless use of negative advertising that fewer Canadians will participate in voting?

Harper recently chastised Canadians for the poll results predicting a minority mandate. In response to those polls we learned that Harper's Justice Minister will make the crime bill, jailing 14 year olds for life, into a confidence motion and present it within six months unless we give Harper a majority now.

If Canadians choose to participate in this election despite Harper's best efforts to turn us off, then there is a chance that we have not yet become fully Americanized and we will retain our claim to one of the best countries in the world to reside.

If Canadians stay home on election day, the tipping point has already passed and the left including Liberals, NDP and Green, will diminish. We will have become truly American and conservative. Harper's dream will be realized.

What kind of Canada do you believe in?

Dion sets London on fire!

Dion on fire in London tonight

Foreshadowing next week’s debate, Stephane Dion took the question straight to Harper: “It’s time to debate like adults, Stephen.”

At the Marconi Club in London, Gerard Kennedy joined all the local candidates – Jacquie Gauthier, Martha Dennis, Sue Barnes, Glen Pearson and Suzanne Van Bommel – after a national media announcement at the Belmont farm owned by Elgin-Middlesex-London Liberal candidate Suzanne Van Bommel.

Kennedy warmed the crowd up and Dion set them on fire criticizing the vacuous campaign performance of Stephen Harper. “Harper has done nothing and intends to do nothing to assist Canadians who are anxious about losing their jobs and their homes.” With the team of Flaherty, Clement and Baird transported to Ottawa after they ruined Ontario’s economy, Harper encourages Flaherty as he says to investors that Ontario is the last place you should invest,” said Dion.

"Tory times are tough times because they don't respect the government. Tory times are tough times because they don't know how to use the government to help Canadians," emphasized Dion. Focussing on the incompentence of Harper and his non-existent team, Dion was firing on all cylinders as he challenged: "It's about the economy, Stephen."

Dion challenged Harper to reveal his plan and his ideas for Canada and the crowd ate up the rhetoric. They chanted after each announcement that Dion proposed the Liberals would undertake to lead a United Canada into the 21st century. Dion focussed on manufacturing, immigration, agriculture and the economy – exactly what the audience wanted to here in the manufacturing centre of Southwestern Ontario. Thousands of jobs have left this area in the last two years and people are frightened about the future.

The crowd of about 250 party faithful including the local MPPs Deb Matthews, Chris Bentley and Kahlil Ramal, gathered on a moment's notice and left on a high note - can’t expect anything more for a partisan rally.

Having seen Dion seven times over the last two years, I would say that today was one of his best performances ever. He was witty, challenging toward Harper and exceptionally forthright when pushing the crowd to step up to elect these Liberal team members.

There’s a good chance of painting London completely RED in this election.

Update from Twitter: Liberal Tour is saying the number was 400...my number of 250 includes those in the room where Dion was speaking and where I was during the event. Turns out there were many more people in the hall and outside. Liberal Tour's number is probably closer to the mark.