If you concluded as New Brunswick’s Conservative premier just did that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s somewhat reduced victory in Monday’s federal election indicates a certain level of support for carbon taxes and like policies in Canada, the premiers of Alberta and Saskatchewan beg to differ. Blaine Higgs told reporters in
Continue readingTag: Clarity Act
Alberta Politics: Jason Kenney pledges ‘I will never give up on Canada’ while stoking Alberta separatist sentiment
Maybe Canada needs a Clarity Act for pollsters’ questions intended to gauge the level of support for provincial secession from Canada. The Clarity Act, of course, is the federal law passed in 2000 in response to the scary 1995 Quebec sovereignty referendum that came within 1 per cent of destroying
Continue readingPushed to the Left and Loving It: Guest Blogger: NDP PLAYING A DANGEROUS GAME OF FOOTSIES WITH QUEBEC SEPARATISM:
By Ted Chartrand I have, by and large, stayed away from criticizing the NDP but it’s at the point where I cannot remain silent. The NDP is playing a very dangerous game by pandering to the separatist element in Quebec. It’s doing this in two ways: 1. The Sherbrooke Declaration:
Continue readingA BCer in Toronto: Duffy drama obscures a concerning rift on sovereignty in Harper cabinet
While yesterday’s press conference by Mike Duffy’s lawyer further ensnaring the Prime Minister’s Office (beyond the departed Nigel Wright) into the Senate expense drama and Stephen Harper’s transparent evasions in question period will dominate today’s clips and political chatter, it’s obscuring a more serious and concerning issue: an apparent rift
Continue readingSong of the Watermelon: Quebec, Referendums, and Formulas for Secession
National unity is back in the news after the NDP tabled a private member’s bill yesterday, a bill that would repeal the Clarity Act and set the bar for Quebec sovereignty negotiations at a mere 50 percent plus one in a clearly worded referendum. We all know what that means.
Continue readingA BCer in Toronto: NDP puts its flawed unity policy on the table for 2015 election
You might say I was against the NDP’s Sherbrooke Declaration before it was cool. Having somewhat of an interest in the unity of Canada, I’ve long been aware of the emptiness of NDP policy when it comes to handling the unthinkable but not implausible – a referendum on a province
Continue readingCalgary Grit: 50% + 1
After dancing around the issue for several years, it appears the NDP finally has a clear position on the Clarity Act: On Monday, the NDP introduced legislation to allow Quebec to secede with a simple majority of 50 per cent plus one. The party also wants to impose a tougher
Continue readingTattered Sleeve: Just saw the english Mulcair ad
My reaction: Why is this man on my TV looking all psycho-eyed in a suit and trying to make nice with me? As an anglo Quebecker, I really don’t like the Sherbrooke resolution that got so many Bloq supporters to vote NDP. I consider that a classic and shameless sell-out
Continue readingTattered Sleeve: Just saw the english Mulcair ad
My reaction: Why is this man on my TV looking all psycho-eyed in a suit and trying to make nice with me?
As an anglo Quebecker, I really don’t like the Sherbrooke resolution that got so many Bloq supporters to vote NDP. I consider that a classic and shameless sell-out move on the party’s part.
I have a big problem with anyone kowtowing to the separatists, because their project is rooted in xenophobia, and my very existence on Québec soil is an irritant to many of them. Their vision of Québec has no place for me.
There’s a reason Chretien passed the Clarity Act.
The NDP is a party replete with such short-sightedness, and I see no indication of a change of direction on their part. If anything, I imagine their next move will be to become more corporate-friendly (especially given the carefully rendered signals of this ad, wherein Mulcair is wearing a dark suit and situated in a board room).
I would hope the left-of-centre Liberals and the Greens could eventually merge with the NDP and get a real solid leftist alternative in place. Then maybe we could have a party that would feel strong enough they don’t need to make such concessions. But I won’t hold my breath.
Continue readingTattered Sleeve: Just saw the english Mulcair ad
My reaction: Why is this man on my TV looking all psycho-eyed in a suit and trying to make nice with me? As an anglo Quebecker, I really don’t like the Sherbrooke resolution that got so many Bloq supporters to vote NDP. I consider that a classic and shameless sell-out
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Does one third add up to more than two thirds in Wildrose democratic arithmetic?
The Fathers of Confederation, 1967: Referenda? Fixed election dates? Recall votes? Not very likely! Let me get this straight: If two thirds of the electorate in a given constituency elect an MLA, the Wildrose Party proposes that one third of that electorate should be able to have her recalled? I
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