Canadian Politics: Official Party Websites.

For kicks I decided to check out the official Websites of the main political parties in Canada.
Here is what the parties have to say about the other guys. Sort of like an early debate

www.liberal.ca
Harper Thinks Middle Income People Earn $90,000
December 05, 2005

Conservative leader Stephen Harper today told the media:

"I tend to think of you know people up to 80 to 90 thousand dollars as being middle income in this day and age … I don’t think most people would consider $70,000 to be high income." (Stephen Harper, December 5, 2005)

Where does he think the poverty line is at then? My family income has never been more than $50,000, and that was when both my wife and I were working.

www.conservative.ca

FOR LIBERALS KYOTO IS JUST HOT AIR
07 December 2005

Strong rhetoric, weak action hallmarks of Liberal climate change plan

OTTAWA – Paul Martin would like Canadians to believe that the Liberals have a strong record on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. But it’s just a bunch of hot air.

The facts:

*
Since signing Kyoto, Canadian greenhouse gas emissions have gone up 24% over 1990 levels – that’s 30% above target. (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change report entitled Key GHG Data)
*
Canada ranked 35th out of 40 nations in a recent UN progress report of Kyoto signatories.
*
While other nations are taking concrete action to reduce emissions at home, the Liberals intend to spend billions buying carbon credits from foreign countries like Russia.

When it comes to Kyoto, don’t mistake Paul Martin’s hot air for progress on climate change.

Remember The One-Tonne challenge? I remember hearing that we would need a six-Tonne challenge thanks to the lax requirements of Canada’s large industrial sector to reduce emissions.

www.ndp.ca

“The election campaign has been on for a week now and Paul Martin has not been west of Ontario,” Dusel said. “Today, the Liberal leader went to Newfoundland to boast about the benefits the Atlantic Energy Accord have brought to Newfoundland and Nova Scotia.

What?!? The Liberal party ignoring the west? How can this be?

www.blocquebecois.org

Montréal, le lundi 5 décembre 2005 – Le porte-parole du Bloc Québécois en matière de Sécurité publique et candidat dans Marc-Aurèle Fortin, Serge Ménard, somme Paul Martin et sa vice-première ministre et ministre fédérale de la sécurité publique et de la Protection civile, Anne McLellan, de faire enfin publiquement la lumière sur les escales en territoire canadien d’avions-prisons américains.

Erm.. Sorry I couldn’t see any English section to the site.

Good idea for a thread. Sometimes I visit the liberal pages just to see what they are up to.

Alot of the times I have went there, I have been asked to do a survey.

Always hit skip.

If Paul Martin campaigns within 100 miles of me, then I may show some interest.

Tonight was the first time I've visited these sites. I was visiting the Liberal site looking for details on the handgun ban and came across the Harper quote on middle income. I decided to check out what everyone else was saying about the other guy.

I think a lot can come from this thread. At the very least we can get a laugh out of it.

Here are the key issues according to the official party websites.

www.conservative.ca...
Key Issues

The Choice
Accountability
Opportunity
Security
Family
Community
Canada

www.ndp.ca...
Jack Layton and the NDP on the issues

Ethics and Liberal corruption
Improved public health care
Opportunities through education & training
Clean water, clean air and the environment
Protecting workers’ pensions
Housing & homelessness
International Aid
Honouring obligations to Aboriginal Canadians
Fixing Canada’s immigration system
Balanced budgets – like the one we wrote
Creating and defending Canadian jobs

www.liberal.ca...
ISSUES

our economy
cities and communities
our families
canada in the world
our environment
universal health care

Just click the links to view the party’s position on specific issues.

Nobody has addressed agriculture yet.

I want to see what they have to say about farm families having to get 70 percent of their income from sources outside the farm.

While maintaining a full time all year farm operation.

They better not bring up any farm programs (CAIS etc) because our farm has not seen a penny from any of them.

Good point Dulcimer .

You would think that at least the Conservative party would have brought this issue up. Maybe they think they are so solid in Alberta they don't need to address agriculture .

Umbrax, good post. Maybe you can answer a few questions for me seeing as how you post in this subject alot. I am a Canadian who tends to lean towards a conservative government but usually feels uncomfortable expressing this in any way for fear of all the backlashing. Even from liberals who hate the liberals.My questions are these, here goes:

Why do liberal voters say they distrust the liberals but keep voting for them?

Why are some Canadians refusing to vote for fear of election promises being broken, when the only promises broken have been by those previously elected?

Why are some Canadians so afraid of change?

And would somebody please tell me what is so scary about the conservatives?
So far as this conservative party goes(not Mulroney's, even though they are responsible for the surplus we have now, and not Paul Martin) the leader of this party left Mulroneys conservatives because he didn't agree with his handling of the budget and other policies.
For all the conservative haters out there, will you always hold them accountable for all our problems that exist today,when they haven't even been in power for the last 12 years?

I am all for a government who will put this country first no matter who gets in, but so far, not so good.

Originally posted by alphacenturiI am a Canadian who tends to lean towards a conservative government but usually feels uncomfortable expressing this in any way for fear of all the backlashing.

This is the nature of politics I'm afraid.

Why do liberal voters say they distrust the liberals but keep voting for them?

Many people will vote Liberal if it means keeping the Conservative party out of power.

Why are some Canadians refusing to vote for fear of election promises being broken, when the only promises broken have been by those previously elected?

Those previously Elected include the Liberals and the Conservatives (in their former shapes and forms). Yes, they both broke promises. Chrétien broke promises and Mulroney broke promises. I think in general Canadians don't trust politicians regardless of who said what in the past.

Why are some Canadians so afraid of change? And would somebody please tell me what is so scary about the conservatives?

If you like the Conservative party that is your opinion. What others find scary about the Conservatives you may support.
Had The Canadian Alliance (now the Conservative Party) taken the majority back in 2000 we would be in Iraq right now. The Conservative Party wants us to have weapons in space. They are so much against gay marriage that it was the first thing the party addressed in the new campaign. They support tax cuts for corporations but not for the individual (until the recent GST promise, and that is a load anyway.) I'm sure others can add more to the list.

I've been living under the Alberta conservatives for a long time. All I've seen them do is make the rich richer while the poor remain poor.

I hope I got all your questions .

Umbrax has hit on many of the issues that make it impossible for me to vote Conservative.

I like a lot of the fiscal policies but I am unable to vote for a party who will use the notwithstanding clause on the Charter. Elected MP's should protect and uphold the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Any use of the notwithstanding clause is completely unacceptable to me.

Same-sex marriage is settled. Abortion is settled. Get over it and I may some day vote Conservative.

I wish they would all spend a little more time in my province. It would mean a lot to the voters.

I mean, when they do not address you, and they wont even come talk to you, you should trust them?

The only agriculture promises have been made by the liberals, of course, if they lose power, they cannot guarantee those promises.

A shameful tactic.

I still do not know who I will vote for.

Duzey, in essence to your response, something alot of Canadians aren't sure of is that the notwithstanding clause IS PART OF THE CHARTER, this clause is to protect ALL CANADIANS against decisions made by UNELECTED judges. Without this clause unelected judges have the power to change the laws and or even effectively write new ones. Thereby Mr.Martin not invoking the notwithstanding clause is the one that is attacking the charter.

you can call it however you see it but the charter is to protect all canadians not just the ones who support same sex-marriage.

on a sidenote btw, Harper promised in the last election 2004 if he became Prime. Minister that he would bring back to parliment the free vote that was so hastily put thru by the liberals, except of course the 31 liberal MP's that were not in favour of it. I do believe that some were asked to resign by Martin if they were not in agreement.

Oh yeah some did resign and then were quietly re-instated during the summer.

Maybe what is so scary about the conservatives for some Canadians is that they have been lied to so many times by the liberals that they couldn't possibly grasp what an honest government would be like.

At least so far Harper keeps his promises whether you like them or not

I'm quite familiar with the notwithstanding clause, thank you. The purpose of the clause is to pass a law that infringes on the Charter for a period of 5 years at a time. The Charter is to protect all Canadians, not just the heterosexual ones.

I'm confused by your statement. By not overturning a Charter Right using the notwithstanding clause (otherwise known as the 'we don't like you' clause) Martin is attacking the Charter? Come again????

The clause has never been used federally and I think that is a good thing.

What I find so scary about the Conservatives is they let the Reformers run the party. If they were still (god forbid) Progressive Conservatives, I would be more inclined to vote for them.

I just object on a basic level to taking away rights that were previously given. If a country cannot be depended on to maintain laws, agreements and policies from government to government, then it's a pretty crappy country and one I don't want to live in.

PS Conservatives and Liberals both lie. The last honest politician in Canada, as far as I'm concerned, died this year. His name was Chuck Cadman, and he lost the Conservative nomination in his riding because that party was encouraging mass sign-ups to garner an ethnic vote. He ran and won as an Independant because the people in that riding didn't like the Conservatives trying to interfere in the process.





[edit on 20-12-2005 by Duzey]

I just noticed that the liberals and conservatives offer free desktop wallpaper.

The images are hilarious.

But the NDP doesnt seem to offer any.

Well they aint gettin my vote !

At least so far Harper keeps his promises whether you like them or not

Umm how can he keep any promises if he doesn't get elected. That statement makes absolutely no sense.

Maybe what is so scary about the conservatives for some Canadians is that they have been lied to so many times by the liberals that they couldn't possibly grasp what an honest government would be like.

Honesty or lack thereof is not the question, its the actual Conservative Party platform most people disagree with and are scared of. Issues like Same Sex marriage, Foreign Policy, US Relations and Hardline Fiscal policies scares alot of people including me.

A vote for Harper is a vote for the Refooooorm Party/Canadian Alliance and NOT the Bullrony platform of the 80s if that's what you had in mind...

Hell I'd take Harris as PM over Harper any day of the week.

Umbrax, several people in my family make 90,000 grand a year and let me tell you it ain't all it's cracked up to be. Most of it is going away for retirement/kids school fund as pension ain't gonna do it anymore. Anyone who makes over 50,000 grand a year is taxed very heavily even after deductions .... every little bit counts and those upper tax brackets(ei Upper Middle Class) represent a large portion of the Canadian economy(and account for a disproportionate amount of Tax revenue, property tax is becoming a burden as well due to insane valuation(my parents property is valued at 400,000 and less the 2000 sq ft to boot but that is a municipal matter)

[edit on 27-12-2005 by sardion2000]

[edit on 27-12-2005 by sardion2000]

Originally posted by sardion2000
Umm how can he keep any promises if he doesn't get elected. That statement makes absolutely no sense.

In a twisted sort of way it does make sense. By virtue of never actually having been in power, Harper can say whatever he wants and not be held accountable. He hasn't had the opportunity to break his promises yet, so they are still unbroken. I think.