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http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story...es.html?ref=rss Canada considering international bases: MacKay Canada is looking at setting up bases around the world to better position the military to participate in international missions, Defence Minister Peter MacKay confirmed Thursday. The Canadian Forces does "prudent planning," MacKay told reporters, taking into account the ability to participate in international missions. There are no plans to set up permanent bases around the world, but the planning happens to ensure Canada has options in case the military needs to deploy from another country, a government source said. "As we look out into the future what we obviously try to do is anticipate where and when we will be needed, but it's difficult with any certainty to make those plans, without talking to other countries, without doing internal examinations," Mackay said. "The focus of the planning, let's be clear, is our capability for expeditionary participation in international missions.... We are big players in NATO. We're a country that has become a go-to nation in response to situations like what we're seeing in Libya, what we saw in Haiti... "We are constantly working within that paradigm of countries, to see where we can bring that niche capability to bear. It's part of planning and preparation, in conjunction with our equipment needs." A report in Montreal newspaper Le Devoir said the Canadian Forces is negotiating to set up bases under a program known as the Operational Support Hubs Network. They've reportedly already completed negotiations with Germany and Jamaica, and are in talks with Kuwait, Senegal, Kenya or Tanzania, Singapore and South Korea. Canada did have a base in the United Arab Emirates, known as Camp Mirage, to ease access to Afghanistan, but was kicked out after a dispute over commercial landing rights in Canada. The Canadian Forces had to scramble to set up an alternative base in Cyprus. They also use a base in Germany for staging. MacKay also said Thursday he believes that Canada will receive the first of its new F-35 fighter jets as scheduled in 2016, despite reports that manufacturer Lockheed Martin is saying it can't meet this country's delivery date. "That's the date we're banking on, that's the information we've been given by the company," he said. There's also controversy over the cost of the stealth fighters, which the government pegs at $9 billion. But others say the cost could exceed $30 billion. |
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Jack Layton's statement July 25, 2011 On February 5th, 2010 I shared with Canadians that I, like 25,000 other Canadian men every year, had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. I have received overwhelming support from my loving family, my friends, my caucus and party, and thousands of everyday Canadians. Their stories and support have touched me. And I have drawn strength and inspiration from them. In the closing days of the most recent session of the House of Commons, I suffered from some stiffness and pain. After the House rose, I undertook a series of tests at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto. My battle against prostate cancer is going very well. My PSA levels remain virtually undetectable. However, these tests, whose results I received last week, also indicate that I have a new, non-prostate cancer that will require further treatment. So, on the advice of my doctors, I am going to focus on treatment and recovery. I will therefore be taking a temporary leave of absence as Leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada. I'm going to fight this cancer now, so I can be back to fight for families when Parliament resumes. To that end, I have requested that the President of our party, Brian Topp, consult our Parliamentary caucus and then convene a meeting of our party's federal council to appoint an interim leader. The interim leader will serve until I resume my duties. I intend to do so when Parliament meets on September 19th. I am also making a recommendation on who the interim leader should be. I suggest that Hull-Aylmer MP Nycole Turmel be named interim leader during this period. Ms. Turmel enjoys unanimous support as the national chair of our Parliamentary caucus. She is an experienced national leader in both official languages. And she will do an excellent job as our national interim leader. Let me conclude by saying this. If I have tried to bring anything to federal politics, it is the idea that hope and optimism should be at their heart. We CAN look after each other better than we do today. We CAN have a fiscally responsible government. We CAN have a strong economy; greater equality; a clean environment. We CAN be a force for peace in the world. I am as hopeful and optimistic about all of this as I was the day I began my political work, many years ago. I am hopeful and optimistic about the personal battle that lies before me in the weeks to come. And I am very hopeful and optimistic that our party will continue to move forward. We WILL replace the Conservative government, a few short years from now. And we WILL work with Canadians to build the country of our hopes Of our dreams Of our optimism Of our determination Of our values... Of our love. Thank you. Jack Layton |
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Trouble in Toryland: their Dirty Tricks catalogue iPolitics Insight Posted on Mon, Feb 27, 2012, 5:04 am by Lawrence Martin Lawrence Martin is the author of 10 books, including six national bestsellers. His most recent, Harperland, was nominated for the Shaughnessy Cohen award. His other works include two volumes on Jean Chrétien, two on Canada-U.S. relations and three books on hockey. The Conservatives have been caught up in many shady activities since coming to power. The revelation that they may have been behind a robocall operation to suppress voting for opposition parties would rank, if proven, among the more serious offences. Stephen Harper has denied involvement in the scam in which operatives acted under the guise of Elections Canada officials. Coincidentally, another controversy, the in-and-out affair, involved Elections Canada. Some of Harper’s most senior officials took part in that operation. In giving or not giving the benefit of the doubt on matters like these, the question of the track record figures prominently. To the misfortune of Team Harper, its record on duplicitous activities is hardly one to inspire confidence that its hand are clean. There follows a list – is Harperland becoming Nixonland? — of dirty tricks, black ops and hardball tactics from the Conservatives’ years in power. 1. Cooking the Books The duplicity began in the election that brought the Conservatives to power – the 2006 campaign in which they were promising a new era of transparency and accountability. Via some peculiar accounting practices, the Tories exceeded spending limits in the campaign, providing themselves with an advertising advantage in key ridings. They were later caught, had their offices raided by police and ultimately pled guilty last year to reduced charges of violating financing provisions of the Elections Act. 2. The Hidden Slush Fund More than $40-million slated for border-infrastructure improvements instead went into enhancement projects in Tony Clement’s riding in preparation for the G-8 summit. To conceal the intent of the spending from legislators, John Baird used the border fund as a “delivery mechanism” for the money. 3. Falsifying Documents The document-altering scam involving Bev Oda’s office and the aid group Kairos is only one of several instances in which the Tories have been caught document-tampering. They went so far as to alter a report by Auditor General Sheila Fraser to make it look like she was crediting them with prudent financial management when, in fact, it was the Liberals to whom she was referring. 4. Shutting Down Detainees’ Probes The Conservatives employed a number of authoritarian tactics to avoid culpability on the Afghan detainees’ file. They included an attack on the reputation of diplomat Richard Colvin, the shutting down of Parliament and the disabling of Peter Tinsley’s Military Police Complaints Commission. The Tories denied Tinsley’s commission documents for reasons of national security – even though commission members had national security clearance. 5. The Cotler Misinformation Campaign In an act described by the Speaker of the Commons, himself a Tory, as reprehensible, Conservatives systematically spread rumours in Irwin Cotler’s Montreal riding that he was stepping down. 6. The Suppression of Damaging Reports A report of the Commissioner of Firearms that showed the gun registry in a good light was kept hidden by Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan beyond its statutory release deadline. As a consequence, the report escaped the eyes of opposition members before a vote on the registry was taken. It is one of many instances in which the government has suppressed research that runs counter to its ideology. 7. Attempt to Frame the Opposition Leader. Late in the 2011 election camapign, a senior Conservative operative leaked bogus photos to Sun Media in an attempt to frame Michael Ignatieff as an Iraqi war planner. 8. Communications Lockdown. The government went to unprecedented lengths to vet, censor and withhold information. After denying legislators information on costs of programs, Harper became the first prime minister in history to be found in contempt of Parliament. The public service has muzzled like never before. Last week, several groups wrote Harper urging him to stop gagging the science community on the question of climate change and other issues. The Tories denied an opposition member accreditation to attend the Durban summit on climate change then lambasted the member for not being there. Journalists have faced myriad restrictions. At one point in the in-and-out affair, PMO officials fled down a hotel fire-escape stairwell, Keystone-Kops style, to avoid the media. On another, the governing party had the police clear a Charlottetown hotel lobby of scribes wishing to cover a Tory caucus meeting. 9. Intimidation and Bullying of Adversaries The list of smear campaigns against opponents is long. Some that come to mind are Harper’s trying to link Liberal Navdeep Bains to terrorism; Vic Toews’ labelling of distinguished jurist Louise Arbour a “disgrace to Canada” for her views on the Middle East; seeking reprisals against University of Ottawa academic Michael Behiels for being critical of the government; and the dismissal of Nuclear Safety Commission boss Linda Keen who the PM decried as having a Liberal background. 10. The “Citizenship” Dog and Pony Show As well as being muzzled, civil servants have been put to use for the government’s political benefit. In one such case, the immigration department ordered bureaucrats to act as stand-ins at a fake citizenship reaffirmation ceremony broadcast by Sun TV. 11. Writing the Book on Disrupting Committees The Tories quietly issued their committee chairpersons a 200-page handbook on how to obstruct the opposition. The handbook recommended barring witnesses who might have embarrassing information. It went so far as to instruct chairpersons to shut down the committees if the going got really tough. The Tories have also issued an order that frees cabinet staffers from ever having to testify before committees. They are resorting more frequently to in-camera committee sessions, away from the public and media eye. 12. Leaking Veterans’ Medical Files Colonel Pat Stogran, who was dropped as Veterans’ ombudsman after making waves, says he became the target of anonymous defamatory emails and other dirty tricks after criticizing the government. Other veterans, Sean Bruyea and Dennis Manuge, say their medical files have been leaked, going all the way back to 2002, in an attempt to embarrass them. 13. Unfixing The Fixed-Date Election Law The prime minister brought in a fixed date election law which, he said, would remove the governing party’s timing advantage in dropping the writ. He promptly turned around and, earning Jack Layton’s lasting disdain, ignored his own law and issued a surprise election call in 2008. 14. Declaring Brian Mulroney Persona Non Grata In the wake of the Karlheinz Schreiber cash hand-out controversy, Harper’s team, in its zest to disassociate itself, went so far as to put out the false rumour that Mulroney, who won two majorities for the party, was no longer a card-carrying member. 15. Unreleasing Released Documents The Conservatives have resorted to the use of shady tactics to de-access the Access to Information system. In one notable instance cabinet staffer Sebastien Togneri ordered officials to unrelease documents that were on their way to the media. Freedom of information specialist Stanley Tromp has catalogued some 46 examples of the government’s shielding and stonewalling. 16. Ejecting Citizens From Rallies Operatives hauled voters out of Harper rallies in last year’s campaign for the simple reason that they had marginal ties to other parties. The PM was compelled to apologize. 17. Hit Squad On Journalists Operating under phony email IDs, Conservative staffers have attacked journalists in thousands of online posts in an attempt to discredit them and their work. 18. Dirty Work on Dion The Conservatives have set records for the use of personal attack ads. In the 2008 campaign they ran an on-line ad which depicted a bird defecating on Stephane Dion’s head. Protests compelled them to withdraw it. 19. Tory Logos on Taxpayer Cheques The economic recovery program was paid for by taxpayer dollars but the Tories tried to make political gains by putting their party logo – until they were called on it – on billboard-sized cheques. Surveys by journalists showed the money was distributed disproportionately to Conservative ridings and partisans. 20. The Rob Anders Nomination Crackdown The prime minister has been accused of turning his own party into an echo chamber. When someone tried to exercise her democratic right to challenge Harper loyalist Rob Anders for the nomination in his Calgary riding, Harper’s men descended like a black ops commando unit, seized control of the office, seized control of the riding executive and crushed the bid. 21. The Rights and Democracy Takeover Groups like Rights and Democracy supposedly operate at arm’s length from the government. But the Harperites, in what journalists described as boardroom terror, removed or suspended board members and stacked the board with pro-Israeli hardliners. As part of the ethical anarchy, a break-in occurred at headquarters. 22. Vote Suppression Tactics Along with the accusation of pre-recorded robocalls sending voters astray in last election, reports of several other Tory vote suppression tactics have surfaced. They include a systematic live-caller operation in which Liberal supporters were peppered with bogus information. The list does not include such controversies asthe Cadman affair in which the Conservatives allegedly tried to bribe independent MP Chuck Cadman for his vote; the whitewashing by Integrity Commissioner Christiane Ouimet of 227 whistleblower complaints against the government; the allegation by eyewitness Elizabeth May that Harper cheated in the 2008 election’s televised debates by bringing in notes; and many others. |
I wish I could say it is refreshing to see that they have done and are doing the very things some of us said they would be doing from back in 2005/2006... that they have indeed proven themselves to be the wolves in sheep clothing that some of us warned about.
But most people right now cannot see past their bankbooks and tax returns, and it appears that so long as they have (the appearance of) assurances that their financial situations will be boosted under conservative government, they are willing to overlook the moral/ethical blemishes.
So far robogate is not really hurting the conservatives in the polls - but that may be fair as not much of anything is proven yet?
(Now why can't we find Pierre Poutine dammit?!)
The Tories are a dirty stain on our country, destroying our core values and international reputation.
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Originally posted by Nicolas Oliver The Tories are a dirty stain on our country, destroying our core values and international reputation. |
They are already back on the attack ads ... great stuff C's!
The cons seem pretty scared of the lonely liberals. Three years away from an election and the cons are already spewing attack ads on Bob Rae.
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Originally posted by Nicolas Oliver The Tories are a dirty streak mark on our country, destroying our core values and international reputation. |
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Originally posted by Yohan so what are 'our core values'? The cons are starting to piss me off, but im still waiting on the fibs and the dummycrats to show me that they are the better alternative. Not impressed by shenanigans from dummycrat leadership race and fibs are still toothlesss. (Stfu justin trudeau) |
I voted for the cons the first time around, to get rid of the Liberals. And I don't regret that vote 1 bit. That was years ago though...and now it's a totally different story. Everything Orko mentioned just screams police-state. I can't believe they managed to get a majority.
I like the fact that more and more people are starting to see what the Conservatives are doing to this country but at the same time they shouldn't really be surprised because we knew for long time the type of vision the Conservatives had in mind for Canada. unfortunately we still have another 4 years to go and things could get much worsen for this country.
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Originally posted by hardcore trancer I like the fact that more and more people are starting to see what the Conservatives are doing to this country but at the same time they shouldn't really be surprised because we knew for long time the type of vision the Conservatives had in mind for Canada. unfortunately we still have another 4 years to go and things could get much worsen for this country. |
too bad jay isn't here to weigh in. i'd love to hear his defence of harper.
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Originally posted by smuncky too bad jay isn't here to weigh in. i'd love to hear his defence of harper. |
Conservatives are going DOOOOOWN.
Lie lie lie thats all they do.I'm sick of them.
Harper looks down right creepy when he smiles
At least flehrty looks he just had a beer.
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Premier Dalton McGuinty has announced he is resigning. McGuinty, who has led the Liberals since 1996 and been premier since 2003, stunned his caucus Monday night announcing it’s time for “renewal” at the helm of the party. “I’ve concluded that this is the right time for Ontario’s next Liberal Premier and our next set of ideas to guide our province forward,” McGuinty told his caucus. “Earlier today, I asked Yasir Naqvi, our party president, to convene a leadership convention at the earliest possible time. “I will remain as Premier until that leadership convention. And it will be my honour to continue to serve as the MPP for Ottawa South until the next general election.” RELATED: Dalton McGuinty’s full resignation speech With his wife, Terri, in attendance and his closest campaign aides looking on, the premier said he was proroguing the Ontario legislature immediately. That will allow time for the Grits to organize a leadership convention. The move comes just one year after McGuinty won a third term as premier but saw his Liberals reduced to a minority government in the last election. “Sixteen years ago, when I was elected leader of our Party, the Ontario Liberals had won exactly one election in fifty years,” McGuinty told his caucus. “We couldn’t do anything to help families because we couldn’t win an election. That’s changed. We’ve won three elections in a row.” Minority governing and a sluggish economy have not been kind to the premier – he has been forced to go to war with teachers’ unions, once a key constituency, as his government imposed a wage freeze. Fighting his emotions, the premier said he would stay on as Ottawa South MPP until the next election. Among those mentioned as possible Liberal leadership contenders are embattled Energy Minister Chris Bentley, Finance Minister Dwight Duncan, Children and Youth Services Minister Eric Hoskins, Health Minister Deb Matthews, Training Colleges and Universities Minister Glen Murray, and party president Yasir Naqvi, the Ottawa Centre MPP. |
Great.. Now we can have that **** Hudak taking over.
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Originally posted by hardcore trancer Great.. Now we can have that **** Hudak taking over. |
I'm a fan of Dalton; I've met him many times and genuinely like him; however, this business of proroguing the legislature is utter bullshit.
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Originally posted by Moral Hazard I'm a fan of Dalton; I've met him many times and genuinely like him; however, this business of proroguing the legislature is utter bullshit. |
With the amount of cockups in the last 9 years, Im ready for someone else.
Fuck you Dalton, and your tax, spend, and waste money ways.
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