Politics: Fed Conservative Campaign Stephen Harper will meet campaign-prepping Consrvtve candidates today in Toronto

Yes, the Tories are meeting in Metro Toronto today at the Intercontinental Hotel, and "are focusing on specific Liberal ridings. Stephen Harper will push the environment, tax deductible public transit." Well, here "Metro Toronto" seems not to include any downtown ridings. And "Liberal ridings" doesn't include this NDP riding in which I blog. I would love to see some hot young David in my riding take on the Goliath here (if no Goliath nationally). as this riding is represented in Fed Parliament by none other than Jack Layton (and




provinically by Her Gabbiness Marilyn Churley). I'd like to see such a David take on a difficult uphill climb to unseat the local machine-backed NDP leader who can't even permit the most basic democratic free-vote of his caucus members on an issue so frawt with dissent as gmarriage law was ... and remains. And on and on. The demographics of this riding are most interesting, and it takes years of preparation to put forward a Conservative candidate who can win here. I can't even make contact with the official riding association, and wonder if its officers even live in the riding as I've been trying to do so for almost two years. - Owlb



Toronto Transit users to get help in Harper Conservative budget
Tories plan election goodies for transit users, by Sean Gordon, August 3, 2005.. "Tax credit part of MPs' urban agenda - Harper brings politicking tour to GTA." And while your're at it, take a gander at this bit on the same subject that I got from Montreal's The Gazette via Norman Spector:

Stephen Harper's Conservatives are said to be considering a neat little trick that would help build municipal transit systems' ridership without stepping on provincial toes and without creating yet more lucrative work for constitutional lawyers. …

What gives Harper's project a little extra sizzle is the cross-jurisdictional aspect. Municipalities are a provincial jurisdiction, and whenever Ottawa proposes spending some federal money on their crumbling infrastructure, it inevitably leads to months of painful constitutional haggling. Equally inevitably, that results in some of the cash going to buy shiny fire trucks or new council offices for St. Polycarpe de Ouairever at the expense of big cities like Montreal, which have the real needs but - in Quebec at least - little political clout.

Federal tax rebates for commuters avoid all those headaches. They no more violate provincial jurisdiction, for example, than do tax rebates for university-tuition fees - another area of exclusive provincial jurisdiction. And they could work. A couple of hundred extra dollars at tax time might not sound like much, but as rising gas prices and soaring parking fees continue to jack up the cost of driving to work, that might be just enough to induce wavering commuters to leave the car at home and take the metro, bus or train instead.

Harper Begins 2nd BBQ Summer Tour of Ontario
Harper sets his sights on Ontario this week, by Michael Stittle, CTV.ca, August 1, 2005/.

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Conservatives Get Key 'Red Tory' Hugh Segal in Senate
Segal ready to wave Tory flag, CBCNews.com, August 4, 2005.

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Martin names to Senate a key mean-mouth against Harper
PM names insult-pro Larry Campbell to Senate Mayor rewarded for helping federal Liberals when they were at risk of being ousted, by Peter O'Neil, Vancouver Sun, August 3, 2005.

Larry Campbell, 57-year-old Mayor of Vancouver, an extreme partisan for Paul Martin, has been named by the Prime Minister to the Senate of Canada.

Campbell, who called Stephen Harper's Conservatives "barbarians" during the 2004 federal election and earlier this year denounced Harper's plans to topple the Liberal government, said he expects to begin work as a Liberal senator this fall, even though he plans to serve out his term in municipal politics until a new mayor is installed in December.

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Campaign 'Framing'
You want to win? Better get framed, by Val Sears, Toronto Sun, August 2, 2005. Val Sears doesn't mention that the linguist under discussion in this theory-piece is the Bush-hating extremist George Lakoff. I've read some of his books on metaphor, and I don't think their very good. - Owlb



Here's the website from which will emerge some of the meanest Viciosos against Harper during the anticipated campaignUnleash the Dogs of War ... and Internal Hatred

“Business groups” are the owners of CanWest Media, the Fraser Institute (always guaranteed space in the CanWest monopoly communication vehicles), reactionary so-called citizens’ organizations, the Stephen Harper, Stockwell Day, Preston Manning Right politicians in Canada – backed by the U.S. Administration, the World Trade Organization, the World Bank, and the central bureaucracy of the European Union recently drubbed by the voters of France and Holland.

That combination makes up a heavy set of fighters. Their consistent message is “save your own skin”, “help us down-grade standards of living”, “learn, above all, to hate your neighbour”.

Warning: Mark it Poison! now, but ready the remedy, stock up on it, and use it appropriately. - Politicarp