playing race politics in Vancouver

Falun Gong, are they Human?...

Vancouver Kingsway

This is a NDP Liberal race. The Liberal candidate is Wendy Yuan, who stepped aside so David Emerson could run for the Liberals.

On an all candidates debate organized by Chinese Radio AM 1320 on October 4, 2008, Yuan in an attempt to appeal to ethnic Chinese voters said this regarding the rights abuses against Falun Gong in China...

"For Falun Gong, our policy is not to interfere in other countries’ internal affairs.” - Ms. Yuan. All the other candidates spoke in favour of protecting the basic rights of Falun Gong practitioners.

I expect this does not match Liberal policy, but hey, what ever works...

and in that category we have this ...

Allegations of racist advertising raised in Vancouver-Kingsway election battle

Thanks giving weekend

This thanks giving weekend I was at the farm. Its located in beautiful Lanark county. If you are looking for the colour of fall, this is the place too be. The Maple Syrup Capital for Ontario.

I had to post these pictures for Buckdog who had a different colour outside his door this thanks giving weekend.

Thats me on a local trail, the next picture was taken on the farm in the morning from the summer kitchen...

We had several guys up for a get together, that was a great way to spend the weekend outside the Centre of the Universe (Toronto).

Environment vote sites need a grain of salt

Be careful with the voter advisory sites...

Look at the riding of Thunder Bay-Rainy River. Its a race this time between the Conservative and NDP. Vote for Climate says vote for the Liberal MP, Ken Boshcoff. This despite a warning stating,

"if you decide to support Ken Boshcoff this election, you should still make him earn his vote! MP Boshcoff has not been the most ardent supporter of his party's climate change plan, and he needs to know that you are sending him back to Ottawa to get on with the serious work of cutting greenhouse gas emissions."

Anything but Conservative site says Vote NDP in this riding. And Vote for the Environment says "You Choose" and then goes on to tell us this...

"This is a tough one given this could easily be a three way race. Liberal Ken Boshcoff is the incumbent, but current polling puts the NDP in the lead with the Conservatives close behind. It will be important to avoid a NDP Liberal split with the Conservatives coming up the middle, so please check in later as we try to get some local intelligence as this race progresses."

I did check back later, election day morning, and still no recommendation here.

All indications show that the NDP candidate is likely to win. Why no recommendation on Vote for the environment given the Liberal candidate's lack luster support for environment and why is vote for climate saying vote Liberal given their own stated reservations.

Vote for the environment by voting against it...

Vote for the environment by voting against it...

I never ever thought I would see Joyce Murray and Vote for the Environment in the same sentance...


That's what the Liberal message is these days. Take the Liberal MP in Vancouver Quadra. Joyce Murray was once the minister responsible for the environment in BC. That may sound like a winner for you but look a little deeper. Murray was appointed minister of water, land and air protection. The BC Liberal Premier, Gordon Campbell had removed the word environment.

Murray laid off hundreds of wildlife officers, slashed 1800 jobs in her ministry, ended moratoriums that blocked new salmon fish farms and the hunting of grizzly bears, watered down pesticide and waste management regulations. Murray was a disaster at protecting the environment taking the ministry built up under the NDP as a one of the biggies and making it more or less, a cash and carry store.

Murray had a terrible record as a provincial Liberal environment minister. Vote for Environment says vote for Murray. This is what makes the Vote for the Environment site so irritating. I can not see how any environment voter in the NDP or Green that would be able to hold their nose and vote for Murray.

Blame Layton

"I can't win without the NDP...," Liberal message

The Liberals can not win this election. We are going to have a Conservative minority. As the latest polls put the Conservatives anywhere form 6 to 10 points ahead and the NDP anywhere from 8 to 4 points behind the Liberals its any body's guess what the seat count will be for those two parties.

There is no obligation or higher goal that should see NDP supporters and candidates to toss out their vote to a Liberal. Its always a one way street with the Liberals. You have to vote for us, they chant. Even in Saskatchewan, in BC and parts of Ontario where the Liberals don't stand a ghost of a chance.

I think it is ludicrous and disingenuous of the Liberal crowd to go after Jack for not saying, vote Liberal. 1 in 4 Canadians according to most polls plan to vote liberal. 1 in 5 (or higher) say they will vote NDP. To say those Canadians should fold their tent and go home is pretty self serving and not unlike every other Liberal campaign.

This time the desperate appeal from the Liberals to NDP voters is going unheard. Steve V over at Far and Wide, is blaming Jack Layton for the Harper lead in the polls. It seems to me that the Liberals responsibility is for their own position and the NDP for theirs and Harper can look after himself.

The NDP have steadily attacked the Harper government and its agenda for two years and in this campaign, while the Liberals played silly games like, not showing up for votes, or worse yet voting for the harper agenda, for legislation they say they are opposed too, just so they did not have to go to an election.

The Liberals are full of excuses, like they couldn't win an election, we had no money, we had no leader, we have lost our base of supporters. It goes on. The thing is, the Liberal party gambled that they could hold off a little and then people would flock too them, recovering in the polls or a Harperite would say something stupid.

It did not work. While the leader of the opposition and his party were busy propping up the harper government, Then NDP and Jack Layton refused to vote for legislation they did not believe in. Thats the difference and why many people saw Jack Layton as the Unofficial leader of the opposition.

The Liberals will have only themselves to blame if they lose and it looks like they will.

All that said I and many of my friends do have much in common with those that are Liberal supporters. We also look and think and many of us will vote for a Liberal, because in this case they are someone that shares our values, albeit in another party, and they might be able to beat the Conservative.

a good reason to vote NDP is posted at Dr. Dawg

Judge - Stop distribution of leaflet to Tory in Toronto

A Conservative candidate has been served an injunction that blocks distribution of an election flyer that is full of inaccuracies. How many inaccuracies? Enough inaccuracies for a Judge to stop its distribution.

see more here at Macleans blog - Kady O'Malley ...
UPDATED: Fear and libelling on the Etobicoke Centre campaign trail: Wrzesnewskyj vs. Kuh

Gay Conservative candidate looses cool at Debate

Conservative Candidate looses his cool...

Xtra West hosts an all candidates meeting on queer issues in Vancouver...

Lorne Mayencourt former provincial Liberal MLA running as a Conservative in Vancouver Centre goes after voters, naming some, attacking others and loses his cool on the issue of strategic voting...




my note: Mayencourt is a gay man that has failed to connect with the queer communities in Vancouver.

Will your Liberal still be Liberal October 15?

It's so easy to cross the floor...

We all know about the horse trading that went on in Parliament over the last three years. Belinda Stronagh moving from the Tories to the Liberals, right into a cushy cabinet post, David Emerson from the Liberals to the Conservatives. Scott Brison from Tory to Liberal, then there is the failed attempts by the Liberals and the Conservatives to get Chuck Cadman.

There have been several more that have crossed the floor in the last couple of years. Oddly enough it has been just two parties that partake in this, the Conservatives and the Liberals. The Green Party accepted Mr. Harris from BC as a member when he left the Liberals in the last parliament.

Only one party has a position against this kind of betrayal of local voters. The NDP introduced a bill in this last session to prevent crossing the floor. The Liberals and Conservatives voted against this legislation.

So as we go to vote on Tuesday, keep in mind that some of the Liberal and or Conservative candidates you are voting for could easily cross the floor to accept a cabinet post.

Listen to the Liberal response and the New Democrat response to a question crossing the floor...




Its clear we are headed to a minority government and likely Mr. Harper leading it. In the battle to hold onto power, to get a few extra votes, Mr. Harper may entice another Liberal to join his ranks. Who will it be? There are many Liberals that hold similar positions to the Conservatives on social justice issues like the right to choose, gay marriage, arts and culture and criminal justice.

These Liberals have voted with Stephen Harper more than Stephane Dion! In the last parliament the Liberal en mass voted on 43 pieces of legislation Mr. Harper wanted passed. Some Liberals voted even more than that with the Conservatives. They kept Mr. Harper in power by supporting the Conservative budgets and key pieces of Harper's draconian justice and immigration bills.

This election has been a breakthrough for the NDP. They are up in polling numbers from 2006, the media generally feel Layton has run the best campaign, and finally, the NDP numbers are not falling off as we come into election day. The Liberals have had Bob Rae toss everything he can at NDP supporters and hasn't managed to get them to budge.

Its going to be a barn burner election night.