2013 The Year Of Trudeau

As the Liberal Party prepares to begin it's latest leadership race, polls show that Justin Trudeau could win a majority government in the next election if he is crowned leader. This all but guarantees his coronation this spring. The other leadership candidates would be advised not to borrow too much money in a futile race with an all but certain outcome. While I might have trouble believing these polling results, their mere existence will unquestionably be enough to put Justin over the top. He'll get the lion's share of the media spotlight for the foreseeable future, probably more than NDP leader Thomas Mulcair.

It would be interesting to know what proportion of these 40% of Canadians who would vote for a Trudeau led Liberal Party are saying so just on the nostalgia of name recognition, and how many have actually been following Justin's career in parliament? Many of us who have been following his career in the House of Commons closely have unfavourable opinions of the kid. He has a temper, a tendency to speak of himself in the third person, and he holds policy positions that are farther to the left than most viable candidates. If he had a dog named Kyoto, it wouldn't surprise me.

How will Thomas Mulcair handle a Trudeau victory? The two will never need to work together to collapse the government, since we have a majority and the next election will be on Stephen Harper's terms. There is no question that a resurgence of the Liberal Party will take a giant bite out of the NDP caucus, and one assumes that Mr. Mulcair would indeed like to become Prime Minister. Does Tommy Boy play nice, or does Tom play to win? Your guess is as good as mine.

In the meantime, I'm assigning a 95% probability that Justin Trudeau will be the next leader of the Liberal Party. Who wins the next federal election? That is still too far away to start making predictions.

Good Riddance Puny Penny!

When it was first announced that the penny was being eliminated from circulation, I was skeptical. Rounding up or down to the nearest nickel is a less efficient unit of measure, and it won't take long for businesses to start setting their prices to exploit the inefficiency and take more of our money than they would have otherwise. Then there are all the charities who depend on people's disdain for loose change, people who are all too happy to drop those annoying pennies in the collection jar.


All that being said, here we are three days into the penny's official elimination, and I love it! I prefer cash transactions, and am very quickly becoming enamoured with our new penny free society. This morning stopping for breakfast on my way to work the cashier tried to give me 2 pennies, which I refused and said "sorry, I don't accept pennies anymore". Sure it cost me two cents, but it felt really good.

Good job Stephen Harper!

Media Banished From Attawapiskat

It's interesting that a Native Chief engaged in a cheap publicity stunt to extort more money from the federal government has now ordered that the media be banished from their community. Generally when people are involved in a publicity stunt, they want more media attention, not less. However in this case, the media has started asking some very inconvenient questions about how the leadership in this community has spent $100 million dollars of tax payers money. So instead of embracing the spotlight (as most engaged in publicity stunts aggressively seek), the media has been shut down and ordered to leave town.

It's a weird world that we live in, where an individual who should be investigated for corruption, for misappropriating millions of dollars that was supposed to be spent on the people she represents has now become a cult hero among that community. Seriously? Unfortunately it's very difficult to determine how that money was spent because their bookkeeping is severely lacking in details. Getting answers requires people on the ground investigating and asking questions (which is what the media was doing before getting kicked out). The people of Attawapiskat should be gathering on their Chief's lawn with pitch forks demanding answers. In order to get answers, you need people asking questions.

If this fiasco happened in my community, with millions of government dollars being misappropriated by the leadership, redirected to themselves, and not spent on the critical issue it was intended for; we would be demanding the resignation of person in charge. We would want auditors to investigate and even call in the police if necessary. If those same leaders were vehemently blocking any investigation, it would only further convince me of their guilt. Instead there is this sham of a hunger strike that has turned a leader who should be investigated for corruption into a hero of her people?

As the song goes; "I've been trying to make some sense of it all, but I can see it makes no sense at all."

Hunger Strike 2013: Update

I am now 24 hours into my hunger strike demanding that the government buy me a house. Let me clarify, I'm going to stop eating "solid foods", but everything else is still in play. Yes, I'm willing to die to get my free house, but I won't stop eating Dairy Queen. Consuming plenty of vitamins and calories does not guarantee that I will survive this ordeal, but when you see pictures of me a month into the protest and it doesn't look like I've lost any weight, trust that I'm still willing to die for my free house. This will allow other people to cry that I'm dying, when infact I could do this for several months.

Frankly it doesn't matter if the government has already spent millions of dollars on me; how that money was allocated is of no concern to the tax payers who funded it. Try to investigate, and I'll sue, maybe even block a highway. I should be a hero, not subject to an investigation that I stole bags of cash from the people I'm supposed to represent. Auditors should not be allowed to peak behind the curtain. I'm making a statement and trying to help all the people who deserve a free house. I will be their martyr, just pay no attention to the many calories that I'm consuming and the money I've stolen. That doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is free everything for everyone.

My Hunger Strike

I have been giving it a lot of thought lately, and it's about time that the government buys me a house. I'm considering going on a hunger strike until I get what should rightfully be mine. As a Canadian citizen, it should be a basic human right that the government buys me a house; and not just a shack in the woods, it needs to be a nice house wherever I want to live. I don't think that I should be responsible for cleaning or maintaining this house. I'd like the government to provide a maid service to keep my house liveable.

While we're at it, I only want to work for a few months per year. So on top of my new house, I'm demanding a living wage for extended seasonal vacations, provided by the government. This feels like a basic human right and a benefit I should be entitled to, and I won't eat until I get it from the Prime Minister. I also want the right to self government in my free house. If I want to open a casino or sell cheap smokes out of my basement, that should be my right as a Canadian.

Also, the government should pay off the balance of my student loan. Education is a right, but not one I should have to pay for. It's a right of mine that rich people should have to pay for me. A new car would be nice too. Everybody should get to own a car, a nice new car. A new Zamboni would be even better. Why doesn't the government pay for my trips to the dentist? They should. Failure to pay for me to get my teeth whitened is denying me basic minimal living conditions that should come automatically with my Canadian citizenship.

Since I make under $50,000 per year, I should not have to pay any taxes on anything. Let's just tax the rich. I want a card that exempts me from paying taxes. However the government should be forbidden from reviewing my finances for any reason. That should be a basic human right extended to all Canadians (except rich people), including free gas. I want free gas. Beiber gets free gas, I want free gas. Seems fair. Free gas should be a basic human right. Throw in a free car wash every now and then. I won't eat until this demand is met.

I'm willing to die for what's rightfully mine. I'm not going to take it anymore! I am owed a better life and will no longer stand idly by while the government denies my basic human rights.

“When several villages are united in a single complete community, the state comes into existence, originating in the bare needs of life, and continuing in existence for the sake of a good life.”

-Aristotle

The Trudeau Coronation Begins

Tonight Justin Trudeau will officially launch his bid to become the next Liberal leader, in what many expect to be a coronation rather than a leadership race. Justin is a far greater threat to the NDP than he is to the Conservatives, as you can guarantee he'll be fighting hard for votes in Quebec, where the Dippers had their major breakthrough in the last election. Tom Mulcair should be far more worried than Stephen Harper. Perhaps the biggest question is who would give the Liberals the best chance of winning the next election, Trudeau or Rae? Personally if I had to decide between Trudeau or Mulcair, I'd have to go with Mulcair. Justin is a little bit nuts. He'll speak about himself in the 3rd person and has an exaggerated belief in his own greatness, which is his birth right dammit! He's no piece of *bleep*.

Trudeau makes Mulcair look reasonable and pragmatic. And yet, is there anyone to oppose the young future King? Rae has dropped out of the race, or forced out, however you want to look at it. As a Tory, the Liberal who worries me the most is Dominic LeBlanc. There is no doubt in my mind that Stephen Harper would eat Justin Trudeau alive in the debates. Justin has an unusually high probability of saying something outrageous and idiotic in hindsight.

Parliament Returns, Does Anyone Care?

Canadian Parliament has resumed for another session, 17 months into the Conservatives majority mandate. The Tories have a comfortable lead in the polls, as all that fuss last spring over the sinister "omnibus budget" appears to have fallen on deaf ears. Is the average Canadian even paying attention right now? We suffered through more than 6 years of minority governments where every faux controversy was sensationalized and the next election was always right around the corner. Most of us have been enjoying the comparable peace and tranquility of majority rule. Even some political bloggers have struggled to stay interested. Who knows, with the NHL currently locked out, maybe there will be a few extra Canadians tuned in to Parliament Hill this fall?

The NDP seems to have lost some support to the Liberals over the summer, ironic considering Mulcair has been trying to move the party closer to the political center where the greatest plurality of voters are found. Perhaps the Liberals received a bounce from Bob Rae announcing he won't run for permanent leadership? With the Liberal Party continuing to struggle for relevance in a crowded political left, it's fun to see Gloria Galloway at the Globe vigorously defending the party seriously lacking tangible policy (difficult to do without a permanent leader). The more things change, the more they stay the same. The Liberals have been accused of lacking substance and they're not going to take it anymore dammit! Rumour has it that Liberal strategists will try to capitalize on Mitt Romney's "victims" gaffe by comparing Stephen Harper to Romney. Good luck with that...

CRTC Fines Liberal Party For Illegal Robocalls

It is nice to see that the Liberal party has been fined for making illegal and misleading robocalls during the last election in the riding of Guelph, breaking election rules. Interesting though that the penalty is coming from the broadcast regulator, and not the electoral regulator (which did not consider the matter worth investigating). Elections Canada is far too pre-occupied with the hunt for Pierre Poutine to actually reprimand the third place party for breaking the rules. The CRTC seems to take the enforcement of rules and regulations more seriously. But hey, what's wrong with paid partisan phone calls pretending to be from a regular citizen and not from a political party? Some might call that fraud, others might call it an accidental misunderstanding.

Don't forget, Valeriote had the biggest vote gain of any Liberal in Canada over 2008. He jumped from 32% to 43% while his party was decimated, his leader defeated. Whatever Frank did, you can't argue that he got strong results. With Liberals collapsing all around him in apocalyptic fashion, Frank gained ground. Good job Frank.

Here Comes The PQ!

The slow painful death of Jean Charest's political career in Quebec appears to have finally reached its end, while the separatist Parti Quebecois is poised to recapture the reigns of power lost in 2003. This is by no means a sign that another referendum will be coming anytime soon, but rather an indicator of the weakness of alternative choices. Charest did prove to be a survivor winning 3 elections, a difficult feat for any Premier in any province. But that elusive 4th victory is proving to be out reach. The surprise is not that the PQ is ahead, but that Pauline Marios, not Gilles Duceppe, is leading the way. I really thought Gilles would be the one leading the mothership back to glory, but evidently his larger than life federal persona did not translate into popularity in sovereignty's circles.

Is this the end of Charest's political career? Well there is a power vacuum at the top of the federal Liberal Party. If he has interest in taking a shot at the Prime Minister's job in 2015, his best chance at leadership of a major party would be Liberal. Granted, I still don't believe Bob Rae is giving up his best chance to lead a major federal party into an election, despite what he has announced. I'll believe it when we get to the next election and Rae is not running for the top job. That being said, in the event that Rae does not run, there's a strong chance that the Liberals will choose a leader from Quebec to try and take power and seats away from the NDP (good luck with that).

Romney And Ryan: The Economic Dream Team

Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney has announced his running mate for the November election, Congressman Paul Ryan, head of the House Budget Committee. Many pundits are calling this a "risky" selection, as the Ryan agenda to slash government spending has earned him the ire of many Democrats. Despite how Democrats and media people feel about the new VP candidate, he is the perfect selection. Romney has no choice but to fight the election on the economy and government spending. His own greatest strength is his business acumen, so it makes perfect sense to double down on the budgetary portfolio, a file that nobody knows better than Paul Ryan.

Frankly, I would argue that there is no such thing as a "safe pick". Romney is going to face a trial by fire during this election campaign, regardless of his VP selection. There was a significant risk to every possible candidate, so best to select the optimal choice to fight economic battle that Romney has to fight. Joe Biden is going to struggle mightily when he has to face Ryan in the VP debates. Romney was already facing an uphill battle with Obama ahead in the polls. Of the last 4 times an incumbent President has run for a second term, 3 of them have won re-election. Under Obama's watch, Bin Laden was killed and Gitmo is still operating. If you try to fight Obama on national security, he can counter with having issued the order to kill America's #1 enemy. The economy and the budget have to be center stage, and if it is, Romney/Ryan have a better chance of winning.