Conservatives Settle Libel Suit

With former Conservative Prime Minister Brian Mulroney up to his eyeballs in legal trouble, this story risks flying under the radar.

The federal Conservative party has quietly settled a lawsuit with a former candidate who had accused Prime Minister Stephen Harper of libel...Mr. Riddell claimed he was promised $50,000 by the party to cover his expenses if he stepped aside to make room for a new, high-profile Tory candidate in his Ottawa riding; the party claimed Mr. Riddell was disqualified.

Mr. Harper, prior to becoming prime minister, flatly declared there was no deal between the Conservatives and Mr. Riddell — but courts subsequently ruled there was indeed an agreement.

Doesn't sound too Prime Ministerial, does it?

Mulroney Fights Back With Call for a Public Inquiry

Gutsy move... Then again, Harper's independent review would have just dragged the affair out longer. By joining the Liberals and the NDP in calling for a public inquiry, Mulroney has clearly indicated that he wants this thing over and done with. I suppose Mulroney was forced to pick his poison. Too bad he published his memoirs before this interesting chapter came to a close.

"I have come to the conclusion that in order to finally put this matter to rest and expose all the facts and the role played by all the people involved, from public servants to elected officials, from lobbyists to police authorities, as well as journalists, the only solution is for the government to launch a full-fledged public commission of inquiry,"

Liberal Membership Numbers Continue to Plummet in Quebec

Click here to read an interesting article on Liberal Party of Canada membership numbers in Quebec and English Canada.

Here's a rough summary for those who do not read French.

Liberal Party of Canada- Quebec section
2004 : 100,000 members
2006: 37,570 members
2007: 15,000 members

Even worse for the Liberals, of those 15,000 members, roughly 5,000 of them live in three Montreal ridings (NDG-Lachine, Westmount Ville-Marie and Bourassa).

Liberal spin:

«C'est un peu normal», explique Robert Fragasso, le président de l'aile québécoise du PLC. Tous les candidats [à la direction], et ils étaient nombreux, tentaient de gagner la bataille du super week-end pour l'élection des délégués. Le nerf de la guerre à l'époque était de recruter le plus grand nombre de membres et de faire élire des délégués favorables aux candidats respectifs.» M. Fragasso explique que ces membres «ont adhéré pour un an et, suite au leadership, n'ont pas renouvelé [leur adhésion]». «Le défi, évidemment, c'est de les conserver, mais ce n'est pas toujours facile», continue-t-il. Le président du PLC-Q insiste pour dire que cette situation se vit «dans tous les partis politiques» et pas seulement au Parti libéral.

Malgré tout, il s'agit d'un creux historique. M. Fragasso reconnaissait lui-même l'année dernière que le nombre traditionnel de membres du PLC-Q oscillait entre 30 000 et 35 000. Il avait même atteint le vertigineux sommet de 100 000 en 2004, à la suite de l'arrivée de Paul Martin.

Poll Confirms: Stephane Dion is Not a Leader

I suppose if you keep repeating the same thing over and over again it eventually becomes true.

Read about the SES leadership poll here.

The startling SES-Sun Media survey shows Harper has steamrolled ahead as the choice for “best PM” of 37% of Canadians, while Dion plunged to third place as the pick of just 13% of Canadians. Layton garnered 17% support across the country.

SES pollster Nik Nanos said the results are big news for Harper, who has cracked opened a 20-point lead from his nearest rival in the leadership popularity contest. The results deliver the worst news for Dion, who has fallen 10 points in the last 90 days.

Nanos said a number of factors are at play, including a recent spate of Tory attack ads and decision to abstain from key votes by Liberals in the House of Commons.

Are the Greens Still a Fringe Party?

The Ontario Greens claim they have gone from fringe party status to serious contender...

We won 350,000 votes or 8% of the popular vote in Ontario, nearly tripling our support from 2003. We also increased our membership threefold. We finished third or better in 18 ridings, ahead of NDP and PC candidates. Twenty-one of our candidates garnered more than 10% of the vote, while our top three earned more than 15%. Our best showing was in Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound, where Shane Jolley captured 33% for a very strong second-place finish — the best result ever for any provincial or federal Green candidate in Canada. We have raised our status from fringe party to serious contender.

Although the Greens are far from being a "serious contender", i'm wondering if it's time to remove the fringe party label. Although it's true that their leader has little name recognition, the party won no seats, and the Greens are still very much a paper organization in many corners of the province, there is clearly a distinction between this minor party and the other fringe parties in Ontario.

What do you think? Are the Greens still fringe?

The Weirdest NDP Press Release Ever

I'm guessing this is supposed to be funny... This from a party who appointed a non-lawyer as Solicitor General during the Rae years and appointed a Tourism Minister who was excited to see Niagara Falls for the first time... sigh.

Toronto MPP Prue lobbies to be NDP Natural Resources Critic

November 6, 2007
Beaches-East York NDP MPP Michael Prue today announced that he is lobbying NDP Leader Howard Hampton and his colleagues in the NDP caucus to be named the NDP’s new natural resources critic.

“Unlike the new minister of natural resources, I actually have some experience with the North. I mean, I go fishing with Gilles Bisson every year in Northern Ontario. I even put my own worm on the hook. I wouldn’t even need to hire a high-priced handler to do that,” Prue said.

Last week, Premier McGuinty appointed Donna Cansfield Minister of Natural Resources. That’s despite a long-standing tradition of naming a minister from Northern Ontario to that portfolio.

“I’m taking my lead from Dalton McGuinty,” said Prue. “In naming Toronto MPP Donna Cansfield the new Minister of Natural Resources, he signalled that there will be a new downtown Toronto focus to the major ministry that deals with issues that are most important to Northern Ontario’s working families. Given McGuinty’s standards, I should be the critic!”

When asked for comment, Hampton said that the only chance that Prue’s wish would be granted would be if “I wake up tomorrow morning and find that, somehow, Beaches-East York has been moved way North.”

Harper On Mulroney

Love him or hate him, Stephen Harper is a pretty smart guy. Initiating an investigation into the allegations against Mulroney may result in a few disgruntled party members, but if this poll is any indication, the public is solidly behind the Prime Minister.

A Vision of Students Today

Interesting Kansas State University Project about students, their lives, and their education.

Peter Tabuns to Run for Ontario NDP Leadership?

Toronto-Danforth MPP Peter Tabuns is rumoured to be building support for a leadership bid to replace Howard Hampton. Tabuns, voted best MPP by readers of NOW Magazine, is a former Toronto City Councillor and Executive Director of Greenpeace. It's Tabuns' environmental credentials that make him an attractive candidate in some circles. A Tabuns-led NDP could help fend off the upstart Ontario Greens and the fact that he is from Toronto would be a refreshing change for the caucus. However, Tabuns represents the same riding that federal NDP leader Jack Layton represents federally, which likely works against him. Tabuns is also considered to be charismatically-challenged, much like Hampton. In the end, he may run to be king-maker and give the party a green boost as part of a leadership campaign.

More Ontario NDP leadership news here, here, and here.

SaskHATchewan Election Candidate Makes Voters Groan

Corny? Yes. Effective? No.

Senate Abolition Referendum Proposal Gains Steam

Jack Layton's proposal to hold a referendum on abolishing the Senate is gaining steam with quasi-support from Stephen Harper. This is hardly surprising given Hugh Segal's recent ruminations about a Senate abolition referendum which I discussed here.

Like I said before:

Looks like Harper and Segal are really only trying to scare the Liberal majority in the Senate into towing the line or risk losing their jobs... smart power play, it will be interesting to see who blinks first.

One more thing: Before New Democrats get all self-congratulatory about having a principled and longstanding position is support of abolishing the Senate, they should remember that the NDP jettisoned its support for abolition the Senate during the Charlottetown Accord talks, when it settled for an elected Senate.

Barack Obama on Saturday Night Live

The Clintons host a Halloweeen party and Obama arrives dressed as himself.

What Would René Lévesque Say About Reasonable Accommodation?

Former Quebec PQ Premier René Lévesque passed away 20 years ago yesterday. His name has been invoked many times in the reasonable accommodation hearings that are currently taking place in Quebec. Le Devoir ponders what view Lévesque would take on the current debate.

Mais sait-on vraiment ce que René Lévesque penserait des débats actuels? Martine Tremblay, qui a été sa collaboratrice dès les années 70 et qui a occupé le poste névralgique de chef de cabinet, souligne d'abord que plusieurs lui posent cette question sur de nombreux sujets. «C'est un signe que, vingt ans après sa mort, il nous manque toujours», note-t-elle. Le personnage est devenu «un étalon» (au sens d'«étalon de mesure»). «Non, enfin», se reprend-elle, un sourire dans la voix, «pas "étalon", je veux dire une borne, une référence.» Mais selon Mme Tremblay, il est difficile de dire dans quel sens René Lévesque aurait tranché.

A Different Kind of Communist Party

It's not quite the Communist Party of Canada or even the Communist Party Marxist-Leninist, but it's a party nonetheless.

Sask Party Poised to Win Majority

The first, and as far as I can tell only, poll of the Saskatchewan election campaign suggests Brad Wall's Saskatchewan Party will win a majority government on November 7. This is hardly surprising given the NDP's unpopularity in recent years.

Sask Party 50%
NDP 35%
Liberal 10%

With numbers like these the NDP will be lucky to hold onto 20 seats and the Sask Party will likely pick up an additional ten seats, thus securing a strong majority for Brad Wall. The silver lining for the NDP is that a greater proportion of Liberals than New Democrats are moving to the Sask Party, therefore increasing the likelihood that Liberal leader David Karwacki will go down to defeat.

For more election info click here.

Danny Glover and Niagara Hotel Workers Headed to Court

Danny Glover, international film star and union supporter, Wayne Samuelson, President of the Ontario Federation of Labour, and
Alex Dagg, Canadian Co-Director of UNITE HERE, the hotel workers union are headed to court on October 30th in St. Catharines.

In September 2006, during a rally, Glover, Samuelson, and Dagg entered the Sheraton on the Falls and asked for a meeting with the owner. They were met with calls to police. Police refused to arrest the three and they left peacefully. Despite this, CNH decided to pursue a private prosecution of the three.

This YouTube video features Glover's speech to union members and supporters before the delegation entered the hotel. If you watch closely, you can see yours truly in the background.

Socialist Realist Paradise

Click here to be shocked, inspired, dismayed, and humoured all at the same time.

Sask Liberals Say Yes to Decriminalizing Pot

Saskatchewan NDP Premier Lorne Calvert and Saskatchewan Liberal leader David Karwacki both claim to have never smoked pot. However, the NDP is opposed to decriminalizing the drug, while the Liberals support decriminalization.

On the other hand Sask Party leader Brad Wall has admitted to smoking pot, but remains firmly against decriminalization.

Some bloggers are annoyed that the Liberals are portraying themselves as the true progressive alternative to an inevitable Sask Party government. However, this is a pretty good example of how the Saskatchewan NDP is being outflanked by the Liberals on a progressive issue. To be sure, the Liberals are not a left-wing party, but they are an attractive protest vote for traditional NDP supporters who see their party as having abandoned its core social democratic philosophy over the course of the last fifteen years.

Why Kormos is Unlikely to Run for Ontario NDP Leader

I’ve previously blogged about the Ontario NDP leadership here and here. You’ll notice I haven’t mused about a Peter Kormos candidacy. The reason is that I think there is little chance he will run.

Why?

He doesn’t seem to want the job. If Kormos really wanted the job, he would have taken it after Hampton lost official party status for the party for the second election in a row in 2003. The fact is that Hampton was willing to step aside, but no one, including Kormos, wanted the job. Why would he want it now?

Kormos would only differ significantly from Hampton in terms of style. Kormos knows how to rally the troops and energize a crowd. He is, by far, a better public speaker than Hampton and would make a much more effective opposition leader as a result. However, in terms of policy, Kormos and Hampton are not that far apart. Sure, Kormos is more left-wing than Hampton, but over the course of the last three election campaigns Kormos has effectively pushed his party to the left. In fact, the last two NDP platforms could have been written by Kormos. The party’s decision to re-commit itself to public auto insurance in 2003, its recent emphasis on anti-scab laws, and its disavowal of the Rae government’s Social Contract Act are all evidence of Kormos’ growing influence within the caucus and the party. That influence grew tremendously after the departure of Frances Lankin and David Christopherson. As House leader, Kormos was able to put his stamp on the party like never before. However, there is a sense that Hampton’s politics are as stale as his leadership capabilities. As such, Kormos may not have that much to offer policy-wise. For example, he is opposed to a single, secular public school system in Ontario – a policy currently embraced by the party’s left wing.

His time has passed. Although he was an MPP during the Rae government’s reign of error, Kormos doesn’t carry the baggage of the Rae government like some potential candidates. That’s because he was a thorn in the side of the government and criticized it for abandoning its core social democratic philosophy. That said, Kormos has been around Queen’s Park since 1988. He is as dynamic as ever, but there is a sense that the party needs to renew itself with a newcomer at the helm.

Kormos has done a lot for the party, especially since Rae’s departure. Rae’s conversion to the Liberals has only vindicated Kormos. Expect his caucus colleagues to appoint him as interim leader while others battle it out for the leadership, but don’t expect Kormos to seek the prize himself.

Federal NDP MPs Eye Ontario NDP Leadership

Rumours are swirling that Hamilton Centre MP David Christopherson and Windsor Tecumseh MP Joe Comartin are testing the waters for a possible run at the Ontario NDP leadership.

Ontario NDP leader Howard Hampton is widely rumoured to be leaving the post before the next NDP convention which is scheduled for 2009.

Christopherson, a former cabinet minister in the Rae government, left Queen's Park for a failed mayoral bid in Hamilton after a falling out with Hampton. He was subsequently elected as the MP for Hamilton Centre in the 2004 federal election and was re-elected with an impressive majority in 2006. Christopherson had explored the possibility of running for the Ontario NDP leadership back in 1996, but most of his potential support base had already committed to supporting Hampton or Frances Lankin. Christopherson is a dynamic speaker, but carries the baggage of the Rae government.

Comartin, who was the only NDP elected from Ontario in the 2000 federal election, finished 4th in his bid for the Federal NDP leadership in 2002. His riding is currently held provincially by Liberal cabinet minister Dwight Duncan. Comartin does not carry the baggage of the Rae government, but he had difficulty attracting support for his federal bid in 2002 and is not nearly as charismatic as Christopherson or other rumoured leadership contender Cheri DiNovo.

Hugh Segal Puts the 'Red' Back Into Red Tory with Senate Proposal

A certain Tory senator sounds an awful lot like a New Democrat these days...

After emerging as one of the only conservative voices in favour of MMP in this month's referendum on electoral reform in Ontario, Tory Senator Hugh Segal has outdone himself with a proposal to hold a national referendum on abolishing the Senate. Abolition of the second chamber has been NDP party policy for some time... Segal himself thinks the senate should be reformed rather than abolished.

But, Mr. Segal said, if the pro-Senate side campaigned on a pledge of reform, “that would constitute a basis to go forward.”

Looks like Harper and Segal are really only trying to scare the Liberal majority in the Senate into towing the line or risk losing their jobs... smart power play, it will be interesting to see who blinks first.

"I Am Not Gay" or More Fun at Larry Craig's Expense

Hilarious Village People spoof.

Why New Democrats are DiNutso over DiNovo

One week after the October 10, 2007 provincial election and leadership speculation in the NDP revolves almost entirely around Parkdale-High Park MPP Cheri DiNovo.

Why does DiNovo appeal to so many New Democrats? After failing to increase the NDP's seat total for three elections in a row, New Democrats are tired of Howard Hampton and looking for someone to revitalize their party. Cheri DiNovo is everything that Howard Hampton isn't:

1. She's a woman
2. She represents an urban Toronto riding
3. She's articulate and charismatic.
3. She has no relationship to the Rae years.
4. She has support from both the party establishment and party reformers.
5. She knows how to get the media to pay attention to her.

Although there are certainly others who may be interested in the NDP leadership, DiNovo is clearly the front runner regardless of whether or not she is interested in the job.

Proportional Representation Debate Relaunched in Quebec

Despite the massive defeat of MMP in the October 10, Ontario election, Quebec Solidaire is proposing that a similar system be adopted in Quebec. However, with each of the three main parties vying for a majority government in the next election, don't expect to find any strong support for electoral reform. Everybody who thinks electoral reform is a debate about values should buy this book. It's about political self-interest, pure and simple. That's why the NDP in Saskatchewan and Manitoba oppose it, but why the NDP in Ontario supports it.

Leave Stephane Dion Alone!

He's the only Quebec-based federal party leader, but he's also the most unpopular federal leader in Quebec. This YouTuber encourages us to just leave poor Stephane Dion alone.

The NDP and the MMP Referendum

Some interesting number crunching reveals the following:

In the ten ridings where the NDP won on October 10, a majority of voters rejected MMP.

Provincial average-- FPTP: 63.2% MMP: 36.8%
NDP ridings-- FPTP: 55.9% MMP: 44.1%

In the NDP ridings where the NDP candidate took more than 50% of the votes cast, support for MMP was even more unpopular. In Welland, MMP won the support of only 39.9% of voters. In Kenora-Rainy River, MMP won the support of just 30.1% of voters, and in Timmins-James Bay, support for MMP was a dismal 22%.

In four of ten NDP ridings (all of the Toronto NDP ridings) MMP won majority support. Support for MMP was highest in Trinity-Spadina (59%) - still under the 60% super majority. In the other six NDP ridings (all of the NDP ridings outside of Toronto) support for MMP was actually below the provinical average, largely due to the intense opposition to MMP in Northern Ontario.

A few weeks back I complained about the party's reluctance to campaign on MMP here and here. I think these results demonstrate how the party dropped the ball on MMP. Communicating with the base would not have changed to outcome of the referedum, but it could have certainly firmed up support for MMP.

Top 10 NDP Races to Watch

Top Ten NDP Races to Watch

Algoma-Manitoulin: Former NDP MPP House leader Bud Wildman held a large portion of this seat up until 1999 and the Federal NDP has been relatively competitive here in recent years. With NDP fortunes on the rise in Northern Ontario, this riding, held by Speaker of the House Mike Brown, could be in play. ADVANTAGE: Liberal

Davenport: This riding is by far the best chance for a new NDP seat in Toronto. However, Liberal MPP Tony Ruprecht has had a solid grip on Davenport for decades. The NDP has an outside shot with Portuguese candidate Peter Ferreira. ADVANTAGE: Liberal

Hamilton East-Stoney Creek: Liberal Nerene Virgin takes on the NDP's Paul Miller in this newly redistributed riding which went NDP in the 2006 federal election. McGuinty's decision to hand-pick the Liberal candidate has rubbed some Hamiltonians the wrong way. ADVANTAGE: NDP

Hamilton Mountain: This riding went NDP in 2006, but the provincial NDP has not been competitive here since the party was dumped from office in 1995. Although the Liberal incumbent has decided not to run for re-election, it's still an uphill climb for NDP candidate Brian Adamanczyk. ADVANTAGE: Liberal

London-Fanshawe: NDP MP Irene Mathyssen took this riding for the Federal NDP in 2006 and her constituency assistant,Stephen Maynard, is hoping to do the same for the provincial NDP in 2007. This riding is one of the very few three-way races in the province. Although the NDP had an advantage going into the campaign given the lacklustre performance of the Liberal incumbent, recent polling suggests that the Liberal could hold on, but just barely. ADVANTAGE: Liberal

Nickel Belt: An NDP stronghold for decades, the departure of longtime NDP MPP Shelley Martel has put this riding into play for the Liberals. NDP candidate France Gelinas is likely to hold on, thanks to the relative strength of the NDP in Northern Ontario, but don't expect her to post better numbers than her predecessor. ADVANTAGE: NDP

Oshawa: The NDP's Sid Ryan is hoping that the fourth time is a charm in Oshawa. He may finally get his wish due to sinking Tory fortunes. This riding is the only competitive NDP-Conservative race in the province. ADVANTAGE: NDP

Ottawa Centre: This riding that went NDP in both the 2004 and 2006 federal elections has no incumbent, but it's far from a slam dunk for the provincial New Democrats who are in a tight race with the Liberals. Sagging NDP numbers in Eastern Ontario may keep this riding in the Grit column. ADVANTAGE: Liberal

Thunder Bay-Atikokan: NDP candidate John Rafferty nearly took this riding for the federal NDP in 2006. He's back at it provincially, but with a much tougher hill to climb. Provinicially, this riding has been a Liberal stronghold over the course of the last few elections. Rafferty is popular and NDP numbers are up in Northern Ontario. This is the party's best chance for a new seat in Northern Ontario. ADVANTAGE: NDP

York South-Weston: The Ontario NDP's newest caucus member, Paul Ferreira, is in for the fight of his life after narrowly winning this riding from the Liberals in a 2007 by-election. It will be much more difficult for him to hold on in a general election. ADVANTAGE: Liberal

St. Catharines & District Labour Council Celebrates 50th Anniversary

St. Catharines and District Labour Council's 50th Anniversary

Come and Celebrate this Milestone with us on Saturday, October 13 CAW Hall , 124 Bunting RD. St. Catharines

Dinner and Dance Tickets $ 45.00 for dinner and dance $ 5.00 for dance Cocktails @ 6:30 pm, Dinner @ 7:30 pm Dance 9:00 pm

Guest Speaker: Hassan Yussuff

For tickets and more information please contact Mariea McNelis 905-688-5050 ext 105

You can order Confrontation, Struggle and Transformation: Organized Labour in the St. Catharines Area, the book the commemorates the anniversary here.

On Conservative-NDP Co-operation

Earlier today, Cherniak wrote:

The federal NDP would be hilarious if they weren't so destructive. You'll have to get to the end of the article, but just as they are starting to gain traction attacking the Tories they are back to attacking the Liberals. I think they just don't get it - people don't trust them to form a government. The federal NDP will never be more than a third party that makes it possible for Conservatives to win elections. Even the Conservatives admit it!

It may come as a surprise to some Liberals, but some New Democrats will admit it too.

Let me give you a good example of how Tory-NDP co-operation helped sink the Liberals in Niagara Falls.

In the 2003 provincial election, when it looked like the local Conservative campaign was going down with the ship, Bart Maves’ people sent the NDP campaign a list of voters who were identified as not supporting the Conservatives. The idea was that the NDP, with very few resources or volunteers, could more easily identify their supporters that way and hopefully, swing a few Liberal votes away from Kim Craitor’s campaign. The last minute Tory strategy failed and the Liberals won the riding.

I wasn’t involved in the 2003 campaign. However, less than a year later, while co-managing the Federal NDP’s campaign in Niagara Falls, we were able to rely on those 2003 Tory lists to build and, more importantly, broaden our base of support. In fact, we relied exclusively on those lists in that campaign and the NDP vote shot up to over 20% on election day and we quadrupled our vote total from the previous election. The Liberals lost a seat they had held since 1993 by fewer than 2000 votes to the Tories.

In 2006, I once again managed the NDP campaign in Niagara Falls. This time we had our own lists left over from 2004 and had more resources than ever before. Our advertising focused almost exclusively on attacking the Liberals despite the fact that it was now a Tory riding. We took this approach because we understood that the Liberals were in decline and our best opportunity for building our vote total came from disgruntled Liberals, not committed Conservatives. We attacked the Tories when it was convenient, but the Liberal record was our major focus.

Our efforts paid off. In fact, on election day we took over 12,000 votes, a record for the federal NDP in Niagara Falls. In debates, in the newspaper coverage, and in our election ads, we took direct aim at the Liberals, sometimes with the help of Rob Nicholson’s campaign. When Paul Martin was visiting the riding towards the end of the campaign to make an announcement about the development of a “heroes fund”, Tory MP Rob Nicholson personally contacted our campaign reminding us that this was originally an NDP proposal turned down by the Liberals. He left his personal cell phone number, said he was happy to help and encouraged us to contact him in case we couldn’t get research help from our own central campaign. Let's just say the Tory war room is faster. With Nicholson’s assistance, we were able to develop a targeted leaflet which exposed the Liberal flip flop and embarrassed the Liberal campaign. Nicholson also personally visited the NDP office and we were in contact with his office over advertising issues, successfully lobbying the Tories to pull a newspaper ad which the NDP candidate thought might hurt our campaign.

To call this collusion would be silly, since our campaigns were very much independent. We did, however, have a common enemy in the Liberals. We both understood, correctly in my view, that our campaigns both benefited from a collapse in the Liberal vote. In cooperating or accepting assistance from the Tories, we never sacrificed our beliefs or principles. Instead, we managed to run a great campaign, which promoted the NDP’s message and exposed the Liberals as a carbon copy of the Tories. This, more than anything, is why New Democrats attack Liberals in my view. The NDP was created because the two old parties were not addressing the needs of the working class. While Liberals like to portray themselves as centrists, they campaign on the left and govern on the right. As such, they can’t expect to be given a free ride by the NDP, even if it means electing a Tory.

Hampton Trashed by Hargrove

Read the story here.

Buzz Hargrove, leader of Ontario's biggest union, yesterday slammed Howard Hampton and the NDP, arguing the party has "lost complete touch" with the people of the province.

"They are worse than they've ever been. I see absolutely no reason to vote NDP," said Hargrove, president of the Canadian Auto Workers. His union has 185,000 members in Ontario and 265,000 nationally, mainly in the auto industry but also in other important manufacturing sectors...

Countered Ryan: "Buzz has no idea what he's talking about... It shows how out of touch he is with politics in the Durham Region and with the feelings of the CAW membership in Oshawa."

Pointing out he has the support of CAW Local 222 in Oshawa, Ryan added: "Buzz rarely ever sets foot in Oshawa. ... Buzz is in a bubble."

Hargrove also warned Hampton's election promise to roll back recent pay raises for MPPs is a precursor to cutting the wages of public sector workers in Ontario.

"You can kid some of the people who weren't around, but you can't kid me. I was there," said Hargrove of the NDP record in government from 1990-1995.

"If you look at the NDP when they were in power for five years – and Hampton was one of the key cabinet ministers – boy, they were on the extreme right, including cutting the wages of Sid Ryan's members by 5 per cent for three
years."

How does that union song go again? Solidarity Forever?

New NDP Ad "Speaking Up"

The Ontario NDP's new election ad dispenses with the attacks and tries to put a positive spin on the party's priorities.

Cherniak Wants Blogosphere to Leave Dion Alone

Hilarious spoof of Dion's blogging spin doctor, Jason Cherniak.

NDP May Finish Behind Greens in 25% of Riding Contests

If current polling trends continue, the Ontario NDP may finish behind the Greens in 25% of riding contests in the October 10 provincial election.

Based on past electoral performance, the quality of local candidates, and organizational effort on the ground, the Green Party is poised to collect more votes than the NDP in several ridings across the province. Although the Greens have outperformed the NDP in a few by-elections in recent years, it is extremely rare for the Greens to collect more votes than the NDP in any riding contest in a general election. However, the Green Party’s support for a unified secular public school system, the public’s focus of environmental issues, and the Greens’ push for MMP have given the party new credibility and, in the process, have shaken loose supporters from the other parties, particularly the NDP. In ridings where the NDP has little traditional strength, the Greens are certainly within striking distance.

As a result, look for potential 4th place NDP finishes in the following ridings:

416 ridings

Don Valley West

Etobicoke Centre

Scarborough Agincourt

Scarborough Rouge River

Willowdale


905 ridings

Brampton West

Dufferin-Caledon

Halton

Markham-Unionville

Mississauga East-Cooksville

Mississauga-Erindale

Mississauga-Streetsville

Newmarket-Aurora

Oak Ridges-Markham

Oakville

Richmond Hill

Thornhill

Vaughan

Wellington-Halton Hills


Eastern Ontario ridings

Carleton-Mississipi Mills

Glengarry-Prescott-Russell

Leeds-Grenville

Ottawa-Orleans

Ottawa South

Stormont-Dundas-Glengarry


Southwestern Ontario ridings

Chatham-Kent-Essex

Perth-Wellington


Northern Ontario ridings

Parry Sound Muskoka



Other ridings where the Green Party has an outside chance of outperforming the NDP:

Ajax-Pickering

Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound

Don Valley East

Guelph

Mississauga-Brampton South

Mississauga South

Nepean-Carleton

Niagara Falls

Ottawa West-Nepean

Pickering-Scarborough East

York-Simcoe

NDP Shadow Cabinet

I understand Layton is trying to make the NDP look more credible on economic issues by making Mulcair the party's Finance critic, but is it really that smart to but a former Liberal MNA is such an important caucus position? After all, the Charest government was about as neoliberal as they come in Quebec, and Mulcair did not do too much to distance himself from the government's economic agenda.

NDP Shadow cabinet - complete list

Jack Layton (Toronto-Danforth) Leader, Intergovernmental Affairs

Charlie Angus (Timmins-James Bay)Public Works and Government Services, Treasury Board, Democratic and Electoral Reform

Alex Atamanenko (British Columbia Southern Interior) Agriculture and Agri-Food, Rural Affairs

Catherine Bell (Vancouver Island North) Natural Resources, Western Economic Diversification, Deputy Critic for Fisheries (West Coast)

Dennis Bevington (Western Arctic) Northern Development, Arctic Sovereignty, Deputy Critic for Natural Resources (Energy)

Dawn Black (New Westminster-Coquitlam) National Defence

Bill Blaikie (Elmwood-Transcona) Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons

Chris Charlton (Hamilton Mountain)Seniors and Pensions

David Christopherson (Hamilton Centre) Infrastructure and Communities, Public Accounts, Revenue Canada, Crown Corporations

Olivia Chow (Trinity-Spadina) Citizenship and Immigration, Deputy Critic for Social Development (Children and Youth)

Joe Comartin (Windsor-Tecumseh) Justice, Deputy Critic for Public Safety, Deputy Critic for the Environment (Great Lakes)

Jean Crowder (Nanaimo-Cowichan) Aboriginal Affairs

Nathan Cullen (Skeena-Bulkley Valley) Environment, National Parks

Libby Davies (Vancouver East) Deputy Leader, House Leader, Labour, Deputy Critic for Justice (Substance Abuse and Prostitution Issues), Deputy Critic for Infrastructure and Communities (Greater Vancouver Area)

Paul Dewar (Ottawa Centre) Foreign Affairs, Deputy Critic for Crown Corporations (National Capital Commission)

Yvon Godin (Acadie-Bathurst)WhipFrancophonie and Official Languages, ACOA, Employment Insurance

Peter Julian (Burnaby-New Westminster) International Trade, Pacific Gateway, Vancouver-Whistler Olympics

Wayne Marston (Hamilton East-Stoney Creek) Multiculturalism, Sport, Deputy Critic of Justice (Human Rights), Deputy Critic for Industry (Steel Policy)

Pat Martin (Winnipeg Centre) Privacy and Ethics, Deputy Critic for Agriculture (Canadian Wheat Board)

Tony Martin (Sault Ste. Marie) Human Resources and Social Development, Federal Economic Development for Northern Ontario

Brian Masse (Windsor West)Transport, Canada Border Services, Deputy Critic for Industry (Auto Policy)

Irene Mathyssen (London Fanshawe)Status of Women

Alexa McDonough (Halifax)International Development and International Cooperation, Peace Advocacy, Atlantic Canada Region

Tom Mulcair (Outremont)Deputy LeaderFinance, Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec

Peggy Nash (Parkdale-High Park)Industry, Toronto Issues

Penny Priddy (Surrey North)Public Safety, Deputy Critic for Justice

Denise Savoie (Victoria)Post Secondary Education, Literacy, Deputy Critic for Human Resources (Training)

Bill Siksay (Burnaby-Douglas)Culture and Heritage, Housing,Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transsexual and Transgender Issues

Peter Stoffer (Sackville-Eastern Shore)Fisheries, Veterans Affairs, Deputy Critic for Industry (Shipbuilding)

Judy Wasylycia-Leis (Winnipeg North) Caucus ChairHealth, Persons with Disabilities

NDP Continues to Lead Polls in Nova Scotia

The NDP continues to be the most popular party in Nova Scotia and NDP leader Darrell Dexter is the most popular political leader. Read the details here.

NDP 35%
PC 32%
Lib 28%
Green 5%

Memo to Stephane Dion re: Jamie Carroll

You can be Chinese and Quebecois at the same time. Your party is going down the tubes in Quebec because your view of the province is ridiculously out of date. It's time to take the advice of some leading Quebec Liberal MPs and show Mr. Carroll the door.

Read all the pathetic details here.

ADQ, Conservatives, NDP Up in Quebec Opinion Polls

From La Presse:

Provincial:

ADQ 34%
PQ 30%
Liberal 24%
Vert 7%
QS 5%


The Federal results from the same poll aren't available online, but here are the numbers:

BQ 31%
Conservative : 27%
Liberal 19%
NDP: 17 %

Electoral Reform in a Historical Perspective

Humorous YouTube video from VoteforMMP.ca

The Growing Gap

This photo of "Paradise City" in Sao Paulo gives us a good indication of the growing gap between rich and poor. Notice the size of the tennis courts compared to the houses on the left.

Via Nag on the Lake

One School System Network

This organization's website looks pretty interesting... Also, today I was pleased to read Niagara This Week columnist Doug Draper come out in favour of a single public school system. Momentum is growing... too bad the NDP missed the boat.

Green Party Leader on Restoring Fairness in Education

TVO's STeve Paiken interviews Ontario Green Party leader Frank DeJong about his party's proposal to eliminate public funding for religious schools, including Catholic schools. There is no question the Greens are eroding NDP support by championing this issue of education fairness.

NDP Hit List in Quebec

The NDP is brimming with joy after Monday's by-election victory in Outremont. What's next for Mulcair and the NDP in Quebec? The Halifax Chronicle Herold reports:

Mulcair will stay on as the party’s Quebec lieutenant and is already busy fundraising, organizing and recruiting candidates in a province that has traditionally been a wasteland for New Democrats.

But he said Monday’s result has already made an impression on his possible recruits. One name being bandied about as a possible candidate is Julius Grey, a high-profile human rights lawyer from Montreal.

"The victory will make it easier for us to recruit high-profile candidates," Mulcair said.

"We’ve been speaking with people all along. But let me just say the body language is becoming far more positive (after Monday)."

The New Democrats will now turn their attention to specific pockets of the province where they believe they have the best chance of making additional gains. A main target will be ridings similar to Outremont: multi-ethnic, federalist and urban.

Mulcair said that parts of Montreal are prized targets, as are some resource-producing regions in outlying areas.

Here are the ridings the NDP is likely to target, without much success in my view.

Hull--Aylmer: The NDP's third best Quebec result in 2006 (15.5%). Although the riding is not located in Montreal, the dynamics are similar in that we see declining Liberal vote totals over the course of the last few elections. Former NDP leadership candidate Pierre Ducasse will be running for the NDP, having failed to come close in the Manicouagan riding in 2004 or 2006. Ducasse is smart, articulate, and dedicated, but his popularity within the party does not necessarily translate into votes come election time. That said, the gap between the Liberals and the NDP in this riding is smaller than the gap that existed in Outremont. Still, Ducasse is no Thomas Mulcair. Consider this the NDP's #1 target for a new seat in Quebec.

Notre-Dame-de-Grâce--Lachine: The NDP's sixth best Quebec result in 2006 (11.8%). A Liberal fortress in Montreal represented by popular Liberal MP Marlene Jennings. The NDP has room to grow, but it would require nothing short of a miracle for the party to knock off Jennings.

Westmount--Ville-Marie [QC]: The NDP's 4th best Quebec result (15.4%). A Liberal stronghold neighbouring Outremont. Unfortunately for the NDP, there are not enough BQ votes to bleed to the NDP to make a difference in this this riding

Laurier--Sainte-Marie: The NDP's second best Quebec result in 2006 (16.9%). However, this sovereignist stronghold, which neighbours Outremont, is currently held by BQ leader Gilles Duceppe who took well over 50% of the vote in 2006. The NDP finished 5th here behind the Marijuana Party in 2000.

Manicouagan: The NDP's fifth best Quebec result in 2006 (12.8%). An outlying riding which saw some of the NDP's best numbers in 2004 and 2006 thanks to the candidacy of former NDP leadership candidate Pierre Ducasse. However, the NDP still finished in 4th place in 2006 and without Ducasse as a candidate, NDP fortunes do not seem very bright.

Rosemont--La Petite-Patrie: The NDP's seventh best Quebec result in 2006 (11.6%). A Montreal riding, neighbouring Outremont, respresented by the BQ since 1993. A sovereignist stronghold. The NDP could aim for second place here, but there is too much ground to make up. The party finished 6th place here in 2000.

Gatineau: An awkward vote split could give the NDP longshot odds in Gatineau where it took 10% of the vote in 2006. The victorious BQ candidate won only 39.3%.

Student Tasered at John Kerry Speech

Speak your mind and get tasered... shocking... literally.

Quebec By-Elections By the Numbers

Combined 2007 Quebec by-election results for Outremont, Roberval-Lac-Saint-Jean, and St. Hyacinthe-St. Bagot

Conservative 31475 36.9%
BQ 23983 28.1%
NDP 14587 17.1%
Liberal 12136 14.2%

Total votes: 85255

Combined 2006 federal election results for Outremont, Roberval-Lac-Saint-Jean, and St. Hyacinthe-St. Bagot

Conservative 31954 25.1%
BQ 57202 44.9%
NDP 11858 9.3%
Liberal 22180 17.4%

Total votes: 127500

Some interesting points:

The NDP was the only party that actually increase its raw vote total.

The BQ lost roughly half of its 2006 votes.

People who thought the Liberal couldn't sink any further in Quebec are thinking twice.

The Tories are poised to make major gains outside of the Montreal area.

Iggy to Dion: We Didn't Get it Done in Outremont

With the NDP's Thomas Mulcair on his way to a decisive victory in Outremont, Iggy is likely busy sharpening the knives... can you blame him? Everyone expected the contest to be close, but Mulcair is ahead by almost 20 points with roughly 1/4 of the polls reporting. Dion should do the honourable thing and step down to make way for a leader who can, at the very least, protect the party's electoral base. What a terrible night to be a Liberal. I especially feel sorry for this guy who wasted a weekend and a few hundred bucks to see his party get crushed.

Chantal Hebert Offers Some Sage Advice to Dion

Read her excellent assessment at Le Devoir.
OR
The cribbed version for those of you who don't read French:

If Stephane Dion doesn't want to become the first Liberal leader in a century to not become Prime Minister he has to do the following:

1. Stop rattling your pre-election sabre.
2. Change your tone.
3. Stop using your poor English as an excuse.
4. Reconcile with Quebec.
5. Don't hog the spotlight.
6. Deal with Iggy.

A Public Service Announcement for Voters in Outremont

A pair of young sovereignists blast Loco Locass' smash hit "Libérez-nous des libéraux" outside a Liberal campaign office during the 2006 provincial election. Any chance they'll pay a visit to Coulon's campaign office in Outremont today?

Sally Field's Anti-War Emmy Acceptance Speech Censored by FOX

Anyone watching the Emmy awards tonight will have noticed that Sally's Field's acceptance speech was censored by FOX. Here's what she said: "If the mothers ruled the world there wouldn't be any Goddamned war!"

Land of the free indeed!

Liberal Rally in Outremont

Watch the rally on YouTube. Justin Trudeau, Ken Dryden, and Stephane Dion stump for Outremont Liberal candidate Jocelyn Coulon... Too little too late? I guess we'll find out on Monday.

"Liberals... I Hate Them So Much"

Homer Simpson lets us know how he feels about Dalton McGuinty's Liberals.

h/t to the Calgary Grit

The Most Delusional Liberal Spin You Will Ever Read

From the most delusional would-be Liberal politician I have ever known...

Apparently, the recent Quebec by-election polls aren't bad news for the Liberals. Read it here.

***UPDATE***

For some sober Liberal analysis of the Quebec by-elections click here and here.

Mulcair Poised to Win in Outremont: Poll

Details from La Presse:

Outremont:

Mulcair NDP 38%
Coulon LIB 32%
Gilson BQ 14%

Saint-Hyacinthe-Bagot:

BQ 49%
CON 32%
NDP 7%
LIB 5%

Roberval-La-Saint_jean

CON 43%
BQ 37%
LIB 12%
NDP 4%

Bring On the Referendum: What You Need to Know

Monday, Sept. 17, 2007

7:30-9:30 p.m.

OISE Auditorium -- 252 Bloor Street West, St. George Subway Stn.

Panel:

Rick Anderson: Campaign Committee Chair, vote for MMP; former chief advisor to former Reform Party Leader Preston Manning; Director, Fireweed Democracy Project.

Catherine Baquero: recent University of Toronto graduate; former member of the Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform mandated by the government to assess Ontario's electoral system.

Jonathan Rose: Academic Director, Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform; Associate Professor of Political Science, Queen's University.

Edelgard Mahant: Senior Scholar, Glendon Research Group in Public and International Affairs; Co-founder of the No MMP campaign.

Elections Ontario will present an introductory video.

A Big Show of MMP Supporters Would Be Excellent – For the Debate and the Media – Please Come

Presented by the St. Lawrence Centre FORUM and endorsed by Equal Voice, Fair Vote Canada, Vote for MMP, No MMP

For more information, contact Linda Sheppard at lwshep@sympatico.ca or the Vote for MMP Campaign at 416-644-1034

Buy My Book

CONFRONTATION, STRUGGLE AND TRANSFORMATION: ORGANIZED LABOUR IN THE ST. CATHARINES AREA

by Carmela Patrias and Larry Savage

CONFRONTATION STRUGGLE AND TRANSFORMATION is the story of working women and men in the St. Catharines area from the mid-1800s to the present.

The study explores the labour movement's fight to survive and thrive in the Niagara region. Thanks to extensive quotations from interviews, archival sources and local newspapers, the story unfolds, in part, through the voices of the people themselves: workers who fought for unions, community members who supported them and employers who opposed them.

Click here to order it online from the publisher.

Click here to read a recent newspaper article about the book.

Hugh Segal on MMP

Senator Hugh Segal

Repairing the Infrastructure of Democracy
Before It Collapses

Wednesday, September 12, 2007
11:45 am – 1:30 pm
The National Club
303 Bay Street

$69 Individual with tables of 10 available
Lunch will be served
Advance registration is required – numbers are limited
For tickets call (416) 306-0899, visit www.ecot.ca
or fax the attached registration form to (416) 306-0898

Tony Blair Covers The Clash

I guess he decided to go... and we're all thankful for that decision.

Dion to Cherniak: Advertising Works!

Liberal leader Stephane Dion has finally acknowledged that the Tory ads deriding him as "not a leader" have been effective. Despite various Liberal attempts to respond to the campaign to the campaign, Dion remains mired in unpopularity.

From the Vancouver Sun:

Wearing an open-neck, pale blue shirt and a sleek navy pinstripe suit, the Liberal leader, surprisingly, lauds the "Dion is Not a Leader" ad campaign as effective.

The ads have given people a terrible impression of him, but he points out that those low expectations play in his favour once he meets voters -- which is why he's travelling the country non-stop. "Where did we fly here from?" he asks an aide. "Oh yes, Toronto."

Do you think we'll see a revised advertising analysis by Liberal blogger Jason Cherniak who had this to say back in February? His spin was so off the mark that even Dion has refuted it. Here's a preview of Cherniak's spin back in February:

Dion just became a capital "L" Leader a couple months ago - the idea that he is "not a leader" will not ring true to many people at this time. The only way the message will work is if people see many reasons over time to believe that Dion is not a leader. So far, Dion has not been giving that impression. The only people giving that impression are the Tories, who try to make everything Dion does into a joke. Will it work? Only if the Liberals do not respond. We need to have a response and, once we do, it should be easy for us to make our case.

Fight for Your Right (To Work Nude)

No, this isn't a post about exotic dancers or sex workers... it's a story about a carpenter.

As reported by the CBC:

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - A carpenter caught hammering nails and sawing wood in the nude has been found by a judge to be not guilty of indecent exposure.

Alameda County Superior Court Judge Julie Conger ruled Thursday that although Percy Honniball of Oakland was naked, he was not acting lewdly or seeking sexual gratification...

...Honniball earned two years' probation in 2003 after being caught three times working naked in Berkeley, which prohibits public nudity. Oakland does not have a similar ban.

Veiled Voting In Canada

Elections Canada gets hammered from all directions.

Layton, Mulcair More Popular Than Dion and Harper in Quebec

From the Montreal Gazette:

The survey was conducted last week by Léger Marketing for The Gazette, the Journal de Montréal and the TVA network. A group of 1,472 Quebecers of voting age were asked their opinion on each of a list of 65 political personalities....

...After Charest, the least positively viewed were federal Liberal leader Stéphane Dion with a 58 per cent negative reading and Prime Minister Stephen Harper with 51 per cent. On the positive side, Harper's 47 per cent reading put him in 13th place overall, well ahead of Dion's 35 per cent that left him in 22nd place.

There is good news for the New Democratic Party and its campaign in the Outremont by-election. Not only is NDP leader Jack Layton ninth among favoured political figures, but former Liberal minister and now NDP candidate in Outremont Tom Mulcair ranks close behind in 11th place with a 47 per cent positive reading.

Confrontation, Struggle and Transformation: Organized Labour in the St. Catharines Area

My new book, Confrontation, Struggle and Transformation: Organized Labour in the St. Catharines Area, which I co-authored with Carmela Patrias is being launched later this week. Y

From Niagara This Week:

New book looks at history of local labour

By Mike Zettel

Sep 07, 2007


ST. CATHARINES -- A new book by two Brock professors aims to shine light on the untold stories of working men and women from the mid-1800s to the present.

Confrontation, Struggle and Transformation: Organized Labour in the St. Catharines Area, was written over a six-month period by Carmela Patrias, associate professor of history, and Larry Savage, assistant professor of labour studies and political science.

Published by the Canadian Committee on Labour History, the book's release is timed to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the St. Catharines and District Labour Council.

Savage said the book naturally starts with the workers who built the first Welland Canal, which led to the industrialization of the region.

It "documents the struggles with their employers and fights for wages and working conditions," Savage said. "Working on the canals was a tough job, deplorable working conditions with a largely immigrant work force. Workers fought and workers in some cases died to secure some basic employment standards."

The book, which will be used by first-year labour studies students, examines recurring themes in Niagara that are highlighted in the title.

"What we see in each period are workers resisting concessions that are being promoted by employers," Savage said. "We see workers fighting back. In some cases we see workers winning and moving forward, and in other cases we see workers losing."

Highlighted events include the arrival of the Holy Order of the Knights of Labour to Niagara in the 1880s, the labour movement's leadership in fighting racial discrimination in housing in the late 1950s and the United Auto Workers' strike against General Motors in 1970.

As well, Savage said, it tells of the huge role labour played half a century ago in building Brock itself, including a donation by then-UAW Local 199, which was the largest by a union to a university at the time. Thousands of members of other unions also volunteered additional dues to Brock.

Labour, he said, far exceeded the target the university hoped to raise by them, while other sectors, such as business, underperformed.

"Workers played such a key role in building the university, and they certainly didn't do it for themselves," he said. "They did it for their children and their grandchildren because they wanted them to have access to public post-secondary education."

h/t to the Daily Dissidence who acted as a research assistant on the project.

Ontario NDP Attack Ad: Sticky Notes

"Dalton was hoping his record wouldn't stick to him..." This ad appears to try and counter the Working Families Coalition ads which portray the Liberal government in a positive light.

NDP 1984 Election Ad Featuring Ed Broadbent

This was the election where Brian Mulroney's Tories swept to power with the largest majority government in Canadian history. The NDP, for its part, did a good job at maintaining its base thanks to the leadership of Ed Broadbent.

Let the Greens Debate

As much as I disagree with some of the Ontario Green Party's policies, I still think Frank DeJong should be included in the leaders' debate... Heck, Howard Hampton lost official party status for the NDP two elections in a row and no one questioned whether or not he should be allowed to participate. Fringe party leaders have also been included in debates in several provincial jurisdictions including BC. What are we afraid of?

Public Forum on MMP Leads to Confusion

Looks like Elections Ontario has its work cut out for it.

Bad Press for pro MMP forces from the Niagara Falls Review:

Meeting to explain referendum doesn't 'We don't understand it,' crowd says after debate, explanation

TONY RICCIUTO Local News - Thursday, September 06, 2007

They tried to explain the Oct. 10 electoral reform referendum at a meeting last night. But as one citizen put it, there is obviously "some confusion so Elections Canada better take out full page ads to explain how this will all work."

The meeting and debate, attended by about 30 people, was hosted by the Niagara Falls Citizens for Democracy at the Niagara Falls Public Library's Victoria Avenue branch. The people who were confused admit they're close followers of politics, and were interested enough to turn out Wednesday to hear more about the referendum that will coincide with the provincial election. But after hearing the debate and subsequent explanations, there was still confusion. "We don't understand it, so how can we even explain it to seniors or those who speak a second language," said another man in attendance. When voters go to the polls in October, they will be given two ballots.

In the debate last night, Niagara Falls Citizens for Democracy president Mel Grunstein argued in favour of the mixed-member proportional system while Lorne White, from the Fort Erie Chamber of Commerce, argued the merits of the current system. Both presented valid points on why they took that position.

The confusion began when questions were taken from the floor and different people began giving their understanding of what would take place. Some were getting their information from a blue and white pamphlet called Referendum Ontario, while others were making reference to a booklet distributed by the Ontario Citizens Assembly on Electoral Reform, a citizens' group appointed by the province to study Ontario's electoral system and make recommendations for change.

At one point, Grunstein said "I hope they do a better job of advertising because if this group doesn't get it that's a problem." One man who said he has worked on previous elections admitted: "I don't understand it."

Coddling Creationists or The Day John Tory Lost the Ontario Provinical Election

Wow...

Didn't John Tory learn anything from the disaster that was Stockwell Day...

From the Globe & Mail:

Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory says there is no reason creationism couldn't be taught alongside evolution and “other theories” if private religious schools are brought into Ontario's public school boards.

Conservative Emerges as Pro-MMP Spokesperson in Niagara

Mel Grunstein, the Conservative candidate in the riding of Welland in both the 2004 and 2006 federal elections, has emerged as a spokesperson for the pro-MMP camp in the Niagara Region.

From the Niagara Falls Review:

The Niagara Falls Citizens for Democracy group is hosting one of the first debates on the two systems. Mel Grunstein, president of the civic watchdog group, will argue in favour of the mixed member proportional system, while Lorne White will debate the merits of the current system.

Their meeting is scheduled for the Niagara Falls Public Library's Victoria Avenue branch, tonight at 7 p.m. Grunstein called referendums "the purest form of democracy" because voters are weighing in on just one issue. "I love them," Grunstein said.

Pro and Anti MMP Campaigns Court Political Scientists

From VOTE FOR MMP:

Vote for MMP – the multi-partisan campaign to support the Ontario Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform’s recommendation of a mixed-member proportional (MMP) voting system in the October 10 referendum – is looking to compile a list of Ontario political scientists who plan to vote for MMP.

The proposed MMP model was developed by the Assembly, a randomly selected group of
voters, after spending last Fall learning about voting systems (under the able direction of Queen’s professor Jonathan Rose) and the Winter months consulting with Ontarians at a series of meetings in every region of the province.

A campaign launched by Fair Vote Canada, Vote for MMP has been organizing since the release of the Citizens’ Assembly report in mid-May to lay the groundwork for a grassroots campaign that engages and educates Ontarians about how changing the voting system can improve Ontario democracy. We would like your help and support in this endeavor.

We already have the endorsement of over 100 prominent Ontarians, including:

- Liberal MP Carolyn Bennett
- Conservative Senator Hugh Segal
- Former NDP leader Ed Broadbent
- Former Liberal cabinet minister Monique Begin
- Former Conservative MP Patrick Boyer
- Former Ontario NDP leader and activist Stephen Lewis
- Sylvia Bakshevin, former CPSA President
- Nathalie Desrosiers, Dean of Civil Law at the University of Ottawa
- Peter Russell, former CPSA President
- Hugh Thorburn, former CPSA President

If you will be voting for MMP, we would love to be able to add your name to a list of political scientists that support MMP. If you would like to be added to our list of supporters, please contact campaign organizer Mark Greenan at mark.greenan@fairvote.ca.

Thanks for your interest and if you would like more information on our campaign, visit our website at http://www.voteformmp.ca/

From NO MMP:

We are conducting a grassroots campaign that engages and educates Ontarians about how changing the voting system may lead to the deterioration of Ontario's democracy. We would like your help and support in this endeavor. We already have the endorsement of many prominent Ontarians, including:'

- Liberal MP Diane Marleau (a former cabinet minister)
- provincial cabinet minister Dwight Duncan
- MPPs Bob Delaney (Lib) and Tim Hudak (PC)
- Former Liberal MPs Aideen Nicholson and Larry McCormick
- Former Conservative MPs Scott Reid and Doug Lewis
- Senator David Smith (Lib)

- Academics who support us include:

Lorna Marsden, recently retired President of York, Joan Mount, former Dean of Professional Schools at Laurentian University; Terry Heinrichs, Chair of Political Science at Glendon College, Peter Woolstencroft (Waterloo), Sylvie Arend, John Crozierand Ian Gentles (all at York's Glendon College) and Graeme Mount ofLaurentian University.

If you plan to vote against MMP, we would love to be able to add your nameto a list of political scientists who oppose this measure, which has profoundly negative implications for democracy in Ontario. If you wouldlike to be added to our list of supporters, please contact me at emahant@yahoo.ca

Thank you for your interest.
Edelgard Mahant
Glendon College

Nova Scotia Healthcare Unions Fight to Keep Right to Strike

No one handed workers the right to strike. Workers fought, and in some cases died in order to secure that right. Don't expect unions to roll over and give it up that easily. Sadly, the Nova Scotia NDP has not taken a strong position in support of the right to strike.

From the Globe & Mail:

Nova Scotia's health-care unions will use the labour movement's traditional holiday weekend to roll out a public information campaign against a government move to end the right to strike.

It's the opening volley in what's expected to be an ongoing battle through the fall with the province's Conservative government.

The unions also plan a major rally, most likely be held during the opening of the fall session of the legislature.

“Our message to the public, to our membership and to the government is, let's pick our battles. This is an unnecessary one, ” said Joan Jessome, president of the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union.

Where does the Nova Scotia NDP stand on the issue? NDP leader Darrell Dexter offered up this pathetic response:

When asked Thursday whether he could support a measure like binding arbitration, NDP Leader Darrell Dexter didn't want to “get into the realm of speculation,” citing the various models that could be proposed.

“Until you actually see what it is they are trying to suggest, it is difficult to say that one thing or another would be acceptable,” he said.

The Conservatives and Negativity

The Tory party's hypocrisy over negativity in politics has never been so clear.

On the party's website, a humourous picture of Stephane Dion along with a group of puffins accompanies a story which complains that Dion "all negative, all the time." It goes on to suggest that Dion is one his way to becoming is the most negative opposition leader of all time and that he does nothing but criticize. However, if you check out the entire right hand sidebar of the Conservative website you'll notice a list of at least five negative attack ads slamming Dion on the issues of senate reform and leadership. I don't mind negative politics or negative attack ads. In fact, I think they can be legitimate and useful political tools. However, you can't negatively portray Dion in a series of negative attack ads and then complain about his negativity on the same webpage and expect people to take your party seriously.

REMINDER: Actor Danny Glover to Lead Niagara Falls Labour Day Parade

Join International Film Star Danny Glover in bringing the power of Labour Day to Niagara Falls.

Join us as we hold one of the first Labour Day actions in Niagara Falls.

1:30 PM
September 3rd

Rally at the corner of Union Ave and Hunter St. in Niagara Falls.

Buses will be leaving from locations in:
Toronto, Brampton/Mississauga, and from the end of the Hamilton Labour Day Parade.

Please call or email to reserve your seat.
For details: call Ethan Clarke at 905-354-2027 ext. 312 or visit www.niagarahotelworkers.ca