Curveball

The victory by the Conservatives on election day has left many in the Alberta independence movement wondering what the next move should be. In the good ol' days, the anti-Western policies of the Liberal governments gave us unlimited arguments for our cause. Leftwing or rightwing, Alberta separatists were pretty much agreed on one thing - a separate Alberta. Now, with the Tories in power with a leader whose roots run deep in the traditional Reform movement, some of us are taking a wait-and-see approach to the issue. If Harper manages to come through the impending parliamentary quagmire and transfer more federal powers down to the provinces, and start the process of an elected Senate, then we may see a split in the independence movement.

In Quebec, the longtime diehard separatists have taken the policy of sovereignty as the goal. This fact was lost on Paul Martin, who brought up the idea of Quebec separation and carried that theme throughout his campaign. Quebecers snickered at what they called 'old-school phrases'. It showed Martin to be out of touch with Quebec.

In Alberta, if a form of Alberta sovereignty can be established (especially in the vital areas of natural resources and, say, health care) then we might see a more moderate tone coming from the independence movement in the province. However, if the minority government is brought down in short order, this will have the exact opposite effect. Viewed as an outright rejection of Western values, the Alberta separatists will be motivated as never before. The number of Albertans who would be willing to consider separation will spike, and it would be up to the provincial P.C. government to decide whether or not to be the ones to pull the trigger. The pressure would be on them to act, or possibly lose their hold on power.

Wonder if they have benefits...

The Sky is Falling!!! (and other leftwing lies)

The fallout from the Conservative victory in the federal election has been fast and funny. The success of Team Harper has brought very amusing reaction from socialists everywhere, even our Nasty Neighbour to the South. That renowned expert of all things Canadian, Rosie O'Donnell, publicly questioned the intelligence of the voting public with her warning about 'what we had done'. O'Donnell is to Canadian politics what Tom Cruise is to psychiatry. The cult of celebrity has gotten so entrenched into Rosie's head that she actually believes that she has any right to comment on a topic that she knows so little about. The fact that the Canadian Conservative Party is about as 'conservative' as the American Democratic Party doesn't register with her. She has been on television, radio, and motion pictures. Therefore, she is obviously qualified to comment on a foreign nations election.

Which brings us to the most notorious floating fat-man, Michael Moore. Not only does this guy stick his bulbous head into affairs of which he has no responsibility, he does so in direct conflict of the Canadian Election Act. For two consecutive elections, Moore has made statements that were in direct violation of some strict CEA guidelines. If it had been anyone else acting so irresponsibly, action might have been taken and the guilty party made to pay. But not Mikey. His reputation buffered him. "That's just Michael. He makes us laugh with his dry wit." It is a good thing that the only people in the general public who takes anything Moore says (or films, as seems to be the case with so many errors and misrepresentations revealed about his Fahrenheit 9/11 joint) are gullible leftwing unionists and granola-munchers who would believe anything against the right, no matter the source.

The last one of note is that Man Would Not Leave, former U.S. Vice-President Al Gore. His first speech after the Canadian election was full of accusations against the 'big oil companies' who somehow threw the election in favour of Harper. As if the claim wasn't bad enough, Gore went on to explain that this happened in order to 'protect the oil industry in Alberta' against such excellent ideas as the deeply flawed Kyoto Accord. Why can't this guy figure out that nobody really wants him around anymore?

Look carefully and you will notice that the sun came up this morning. Read the papers, and I will guarantee you that there will be no stories about Gays and Lesbians being rounded up and taken away. You won't find soldiers on our street corners (Canadian or American). In other words, the Conservatives are the national government, and the sky hasn't fallen. Canada hasn't disappeared, and Rosie still thinks she is relevant. Nothing has changed at all.

The Unofficial Capital of Canada

There was a wonderful segment on the CBC the day after the election. During one of those 'person-on-the-street'-style interviews, a woman in Toronto was asked if her city, which voted solidly in support of the Liberal Party, has lost its usual position of power in Canada. The woman laughed, shrugged her shoulders, and said, "No. We have the power. Toronto will always be the most powerful city in Canada."

Like many others, this poor woman is completely oblivious to the new reality. Over the past decade, the emergence of Calgary as the economic Centre of the Universe (within Canada, of course) has occurred. Alberta has long been the driving force of the Canadian economy, so it is only natural that the cities within Alberta should flourish. Calgary has become head office headquarters for some of the biggest and most influential corporations in the world. People have been flocking to the city for years now, excited by the opportunities it offers, as well as the overall feel of the city.

Yes, Calgary is now dealing with new problems that arise with success. The difference between the 'haves' and 'have-nots' is growing, and there is a homeless problem in Calgary that is at a level that hasn't been seen there before. Transportation has had to do a double-step to keep up with the demand of all those new cars on the road. But it feels different in Calgary. Even though the city has long surpassed the million mark in population, it still maintains most of that 'proud Alberta' feel. Conservatism is strong in the big city, something that Torontonians can't get their heads around. Calgary has a distinct Western flavour that fills the streets with an aura of optimism. People in Calgary are excited about success, proud of their province, and proud of their city. And proudly Conservative.

Like the woman on the street in Toronto, Eastern Canadians woke up on Tuesday with a change in the balance of power. I just wonder how long before the citizens of Toronto realize that the 'Centre of the Universe' has moved West, and that Calgary has finally taken its rightful place as the unofficial Capital of Canada.

The New Canada

With the results of the election in and counted, a new reality has emerged. Canadians are so severely divided politically that the chances of one party forming a majority government is about as likely as me winning the lottery. Alberta went completely 'rat-free' and supported the Conservatives in all corners of the province. Quebec's results were interesting in that the solid Bloc support of the past started to slip. With 51 seats, the Quebec separatists are still a strong force in parliament, but the resurrection of the Conservatives in la belle province hurt both the Bloc and the Liberals.

Toronto - well, we could never figure them out, anyway. Same with Vancouver. In both cities, voters chose corruption and ignorance over a fresh, new party. Stephen Harpers image remained scary to those voters, which tells me that you can put all the evidence in the world in front of some people and they will still get it wrong. Being gullible to Liberal attack ads is a quirk of some big city Canadians, and it is too bad that they won't be directly represented in the new parliament. Their choice.

In Alberta, the two seats that we watched with great interest was the Edmonton-Centre riding, where incumbent Anne McLellan held on until the last minute before she would finally admit defeat. Congratulations to Laurie Hawn on a fantastic victory. In the other riding of Edmonton-Millwoods, an up-and-comer named Mike Lake won the former Liberal seat for the Tories. The province has gone from having one token MP in the government to having the entire province represented in the big house. Along with the number of seats the Bloc holds, Alberta and Quebec have suddenly found themselves in positions of power.

Stephen Harper has a difficult task ahead of him. The other parties are mostly left of centre on issues, and Harper will have to find a way of working with them in order to get anything done. But that is for tomorrow. Today, Alberta has one of their own in the Prime Minister's chair. It's about damn time.

Thoughts on Election Day

"Governments are like diapers. They need to be changed every so often, and for the same reason." - anonymous

As I observed at 8:00am this morning, turnout for today's vote seems to be fairly high. If you have yet to cast your ballot, perhaps some last-minute points would be helpful in determining whose name you will christen with an 'X'.

In Alberta, many of us are watching this election with great interest. In fact, it has become something of a referendum with the outcome possibly meaning a jump in support for Alberta independence. For if the Liberals manage to somehow pull this one out of the fire (or, if the Conservatives win with a small minority that would set up yet another election in the near future), the rise of support for some form of separation from Canada will be newsworthy. It will be taken as proof that: 1) Confederation doesn't work. 2) While paying the tab, we still don't have a national voice. 3) enough is enough.

Those who scream bloody murder at the Conservatives for their perceived attack on social issues are the hapless victims of Liberal spin combined with political nativity. The Tories are too smart to toy with what most Canadians find agreeable.

The Conservatives are the only true national party remaining, and as such, are the best (only?) hope for addressing the regional issues facing Canada. To vote for the Liberals, with their swiss-cheese track record and unending habit for corruption, is to vote for the deepening of grievances.

...and again!

Another day, another Liberal defection. This time, it happened in the riding of Etobicoke-Lakeshore in Ontario. You might remember this riding from a little controversy that happened right before the election. This is the place where the Liberals decided to parachute in their bright new star, Harvard-bred pseudo-intellectual Michael Ignatieff, instead of going through the bothersome and unnecessary process of democratically nominating a candidate.

Obviously designed to hit at the worst possible time for the Liberals, riding association President Ron Chyczij left the Liberals and has publicly stated his support for Conservative candidate John Capobianco. Chyczij, who sought the nomination for himself, said that he was going to wait and see if Ignatieff could "...in some way redeem himself as a credible Liberal candidate. This has not happened."

You know something is wrong when Liberals themselves start to recognize the elephant in their living room. The practice of dodging the democratic process is nothing new for our Natural Ruling Party. Remember how Brian Tobin became an instant MP without having to go through the tedious process of an election?

The real conflict isn't even centered in Etobicoke-Lakeshore. It's in the offices of the top Liberal braintrust who have long placed Ignatieff on a pedestal, some even placing a "the next Trudeau and saviour of the Liberal Party" label on him. Does anyone else think it is ironic that the Liberals would look to a saviour who preferred to live in the United States? Apparently, some Liberals in Ontario do.

Quebec Liberal Encourages Vote for Tories

There was more uncertainty and flip-flopping by the Liberal election team, this time by Quebec Liberal candidate Gilles Savard, running in the Jonqueire-Alma riding. On a local radio talkshow, Savard said: "It's certain that tomorrow I won't be the member here. That said, in my mind I'm sure that Mr. Blackburn should be the next member, that's how I see it,'' refering to Conservative candidate Jean-Pierre Blackburn. In all but conceding defeat, Savard paints the current picture of the once so grand Liberals as a party in chaos. As is common with this election campaign, Savard changed his mind and is continuing to run as a Liberal. His chief advisor, Jean-Guy Boily, has already stepped down to support Blackburn.

Later, when asked to clarify his amazing statement, Savard seemed to reverse his earlier comments. "I do not concede victory to any of my adversaries before the actual results of the election are known,'' Savard was quoted as saying.
He then encouraged all Liberal voters to support him, and above all else, to support federalist candidates. The riding has been held by the Bloc Quebecois for 12 years, and polls indicate that they should retain the seat.

The Liberal Election Machine

The Many Faces of Buzz

In the course of one single campaign day, Canadian Auto Workers Meister Buzz Hargrove became the man of a thousand faces. Hargrove, union guru and lifelong New Democrat, took the opportunity to share a little on-camera facetime with Liberal leader Paul Martin. During the PR event, Hargrove warned Canadians that voting for Stephen Harper would be voting for a separatist, since Harper seems to have this radical idea about actually following the Constitution and giving more powers to the provinces. Later, Hargrove pulled the rug out from under his new best friend when he suggested that Quebecers should vote for the Bloc Quebecois instead of the Conservatives. Paul Martin, naturally, was in shock and fired up the damage control machine again. He wimpishly stated his belief in Stephen Harper's patriotism and went on to say that Hargrove had clarified his statements. This wasn't exactly true, however. It was only after Martin's spin doctoring that Hargrove came out to give his 'clarification' by completely denying that he had ever made the Bloc statement.

With friends like these, it makes it tough for Paul Martin to refute any question about Liberal credibility and expect to be taken seriously.

All About Values

For several years Canadians have heard all about values from Paul Martin and his merry band of Liberals. Rooted in the scary 'hidden agenda' allegations against the Conservative Party, the debate on values grew to become one of the central themes in the current election. At first, I was annoyed at the attempt to paint all non-Liberals as somehow not Canadian enough. In fact, that became one of the pillars of my desire for Alberta separation.

Looking at the trends of this campaign, a new reality has come to light. The values that Martin likes to talk so often about seem to be more Liberal than Canadian. Turns out that most countrymen and women put the value of trust and accountability as a top priority - a value that the Liberals fail to mention. Perhaps that is because their record reflects a complete lack of that certain value.

As political writer and pundit Ann Coulter wrote, the essence of being liberal is the absolute conviction that there is one set of rules for you, and another, completely different set of rules for everyone else. This is how the Liberals have handled the litany of investigations and allegations. Do what I say, not what I do. Some value.

In a way, Paul Martin was absolutely right. This is an election on values. The lesson for the federal Liberals is that 'Canadian' and 'Liberal' do not mean the same thing.

Annie losing the Gay vote

The latest polling results from the Edmonton-Centre riding show the Conservative candidate Laurie Hawn with a 42% - 35% lead over incumbent Deputy Prime Minister Anne MacLellan. While this reflects the overall rise of Conservative support occurring across the nation, some inside investigating has revealed some reasons for the slip in Liberal fortunes. This riding encompasses a large section of Edmontons Gay community, and in the past MacLellan has relied on those voters. This time, however, it seems that many of those same voters are looking elsewhere. Many voters in the area have told me personally that they just will not vote for Annie this time. Most are flocking to the NDP and Green candidates, with a surprising number stating their intention (albeit in a whisper) to vote Conservative.

This indicates that the same-sex marriage issue isn't on the front burner any longer. The so-called threat of a Harper-led reopening of the issue isn't taken seriously, nor should it be. Many Conservative MPs are in favour of the law, and those who were on the fence would rather put the whole thing behind us and move on. It also indicates that the Gay community of Edmonton doesn't focus on just one issue, but rather the full range of topics explored so far in this campaign.

It is unclear if the new Conservative trend in Edmonton-Centre is a backlash against MacLellan, but I would suggest that it is not. Rather, it is another example of a voting block moving away from the Liberals. Too much has happened, too many scandals have been tied to the Party. No matter the lifestyle, it looks like many people are ready for a change.

How's dem Attack Ads workin'?

Back with a Bombshell

Hello, friends! I took a little time off during the hectic Christmas holidays to spend some time with family and friends. I hope all of my fellow Patriots had a fantastic New Year. Don't fret, however, as I have been glued to the election.

Speaking of which, it seems that some Liberal insiders are very nervous about their recent internal polling numbers. Not only are the Conservatives leading in most provinces, but the leader chosen as best to lead the nation is Harper. The attack ads have not worked. In fact, the exact opposite has happened. Released at a time when the Liberals were starting to slip in popularity, the ads have come off as desperate and just plain dumb. Canadians aren't buying the hype about Harper anymore. They have seen the Conservative platform and found it 'un-scary'. The Liberals have lost their longtime weapon of demonizing the Conservative leader. Even in Quebec, the Conservative message is getting through. A decidedly left-leaning province, Quebec federalists are seeing a Party that would make government more accountable. Quebec separatists see a Party that would work to give the provinces more autonomy - something that they were supposed to have in the first place.

It is in this realm that I make my boldest prediction: if the Conservatives can get through the next week and a half without any major screw-ups, and enough Quebecers choose a new federalism, the Conservatives could not only win this election, but they could have a slim majority. By having a 2-3 seat majority in the House of Commons, the new government members would be more likely to show up on a regular basis, as well as the accountability factor would rise.