Liberals got my vote!

[Cman]

I hate Steven Harper with a passion and he can go to hell. I just saw a Liberal campaign ad, and among other things, Martin said,

"I believe in a Canada that ... (other stuff) ... has the US an an ally, but is a neighbor and not our nation"

Something to that effect.

The biggest issue with me is Canada as a soverign country. I'm very proud of how the gov't has acted the last couple years, in the sense that we've made our own international decisions and have not simply gone along with US because "we're supposed to".

My fear is that if the Conservatives win, we will return to our traditional role as the USA's bitch. Who cares if the Liberals have been in power for what seems like forever. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Just because they're been in power for a long time, doesn't mean a change is necessary.

The Liberals will "Stand up for Canada" because they will not cave to US interests and demands, unlike the Conservatives, which will bend to any whim of Dubya and his cronies.

The Liberals are the only party that will maintain balanced budgets. The Conservatives (not Tories, since that term is reserved for PROGRESSIVE Conservatives only, which this new outfit is anything but) will cut taxes to the point where there are massive deficits and program cuts. The NDP will spend their way into deficits.

The Conservatives will do nothing to combat climate change. The Liberals (along with the NDP and those separatist Bloc-heads) voted to ratify the Kyoto Protocol (which I admit is flawed, but is solely a first step to further action). The Conservatives will go with anything the oilmen tell them to do. Anyone who doesn't think the climate is an issue, is fooling themselves

And as far as the scandals and corruption go, thats also not as big of an issue as they are making it seem because since when are gov'ts NOT corrupt. I mean duh, as if they are the only political party to ever be involved in corruption.

[Mr Dickovitch]

What is a Canada? Do you have cars there? Is this the country that is near Australia or is that another one?

[Cman]

Originally Posted by Mr Dickovitch

What is a Canada? Do you have cars there? Is this the country that is near Australia or is that another one?

You're reply is so astonishingly original and fresh, its mind boggling.

Thank you for adding yet more qualitative value to this already emaculate forum.

[WebairGerard]

Canada & Canadiens should do what they think is best for their country not whatever the US says. That goes for any country. We should work together but not rule over you.

[BlackCrayon]

i agree with pretty much everything you said. its the reason im voting liberal as well.

[Wiggles]

Harper is so fucking right wing, he'll probably get U.S. to annex us.

[Phoenix]

Liberal all the way

[Cman]

For those who are too lazy to read long posts, which includes me most of the time, I've simplified the equation:

[The Demon]

Vote liberal? AHAHAHA... We have enough of you stupid hippies

[SilentKnight]

Quebec Sponsorship Scandal
Insider Trading
Failed Seaking helicopter contracts
Combustible submarines
Canada Steamship contract favoritisms
$2 billion gun registry

etc...etc, etc...

A letter-to-the-editor from today's Welland Tribune:


Jean Chretien and his Liberal government declared that health and education was a 50/50 responsibility between the federal and provincial government. Then, one day, Paul Martin who was then, the finance minister, decided he would balance the budget.

Well, let's look at how he did that.

He cut - I should say slashed - the transfer payments to all provinces by 36 percent for health and education - remember, the thousands of nurses laid off, the hospital bed closures, the long waiting time for surgery and diagnostic procedures, the mess in education, programs canceled, tuition fees going skyhigh...

Transfer payments were also cut for housing, seniors homes, infrastructures, roads and highways, etc.

That's how Mr. Martin balanced the budget - plus the high taxes we are paying, that's the reason why he can boast of the big surplus he's had for eight years.

The problem is that the taxpayers did not blame Mr. Martin; they were too busy blaming the premiers of their own provinces.

I would also like to tell Mr. Martin that if our economy is so strong, it is not for his fiscal policies alone, but for the most part the huge trading with our neighbouirs to the south. You only have to look to our borders to realize that.

I would like to ask Mr. Martin why, in a country that has a surplus of maybe $12 billion for 2005, why do we need school breakfasts for children and regular food drives?

What about the living conditions of our Native reserves? It is deplorable and shameful for a government that has surpluses in the billions to have our Native people without schools or clinics, having to boil water for years and living in conditions worse than some Third World countries.

Our Canada was not built by the Liberal government. It was built by us taxpayers working hard and long hours and sending you all that hard-earned money for you to use it responsibly, wisely, with integrity and for the good of all the people.

Not waste it the way your government has done for many years.

Edith Demers - Welland, Ontario

[Trixxxia]

I'll have to agree - I'm 100% sure Harper is the worst of the bunch - Liberals it will be although I'd like someone else other than Martin there.

[BradM]

Canada is useless. The liberals are the worst Brokerage party in history. Vote for Conservative.

[BradM]

You guys are fucking idiots. Harper is not in bed with Bush. We will not go to war if you vote for him, and Harper doesn't eat babies.

You are being eaten by the Liberal propoganda MACHINE. Why do you think I left the party? They are all about making you feel like if you vote Conservative, your kids will get cancer and Harper will shit on your lawn personally.

Bunch of tools, wake up.

[Dollarmansteve]

I hate to recycle posts, but this thread is begging for this one which I wrote in a thread yesterday:

Here are the facts:

- Stephen Harper eats babies and people who earn less then $50k a year
- Harper is 1/4 evil, on his mother's side
- When the conservatives are elected, a black hole will form and possibly cause the destruction of humanity

These are the first measures to be put in place by a conservative gov't (as per their 'secret agenda')

- put giant laser beams in space
- immediately annex the country creating the US state called 'Canadia'
- Ban all gay marriages and put bibles in everyone's mailboxes
- kick out all immigrants

The bottom line is: Fear EVERYTHING that is not Liberal, by not voting Liberal YOU AND YOUR FAMILY MAY ACTUALLY DIE.

This post brought to you by the Liberal party of Canada.

[SilentKnight]

After recent stories like this one, I really have to wonder about the skeletons hiding in the Liberal closets these days. The Liberals are crossing all acceptable lines of conduct in their desperate attempts to retain power. I suspect when the Tories take over office shortly - a LOT of Liberal heads are gonna roll.

I hope the country's prisons have room for them all.

SASKATOON -- An already tense race in the riding of Saskatoon-Wanuskewin has taken a downright nasty turn.

Liberal candidate Chris Axworthy has apologized to Conservative incumbent Maurice Vellacott after someone used a phone in Axworthy's campaign office to falsely accuse Vellacott of sexual assault on a live televised candidates' forum earlier this week.

Axworthy concedes the call came from his office, but believes someone not connected to his campaign sneaked in and made the call.

But Vellacott insists it was a Liberal supporter because someone he knows recognized the voice and says he's prepared to take legal action.

Axworthy, a former Saskatchewan justice minister, issued a statement yesterday afternoon apologizing and called the sex assault allegation "deplorable."

"In as much as it appears that our phones were misused and that the comments were hurtful to Mr. Vellacott, I offer my heartfelt apologies," said Axworthy.

The incident happened Tuesday night on Shaw Television, the local community station in Saskatoon.

Vellacott said a caller to the forum accused him of sexually assaulting his secretary while he worked as a pastor at Saskatoon's North Park Church.

Vellacott was a pastor before being elected as an MP in 1997, but maintains he has never worked at North Park and most certainly has never been accused of sexual assault.

The caller was cut off by the station and Vellacott asked staff for the number from the call display.

Shortly afterward, Vellacott discovered the number was listed to Axworthy's office.

"This floors me," said Vellacott.

"I'm not a stranger to people saying disparaging things and unkind remarks and so on, but this is something of an altogether different matter.

"It's one thing for kind of slanderous things to be said, but this is moving an awful lot beyond the pale."

Source:
http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Election...02781-sun.html

[BradM]

Yep the Libs will do ANYTHING and say ANYTHING to stay in power. They will vote steal from any minority possible, promise anything to anyone and then simply ignore EVERY issue brought to the table. It is called brokerage people, and it is why Canada has gone nowhere in 50 years.

[SilentKnight]

If it weren't for the immigrant population in Toronto (by immigrant I mean recently landed under the Liberal open-door policy), the Liberals would likely lose big in Toronto as well.

But once again, out comes the big Liberal campaign promise to throw open the doors even wider and allow 300,000 more immigrants in to Canada to soak in our social systems. Vote Liberal and they'll guarantee every immigrant Liberal supporter with 12-syllables in their last name can bring in their diseased 3rd-world refugee relatives.

Only the truly stupid among us can't see the damage the Liberal party has done to the unity of this country. Quebecers now hate the Liberals so badly because of the sponsorship scandal, they're ready to put Ducieppe in office practically by default. Yet, even more absurd - Martin still continues to claim the Liberals are the best thing to happen to Canadian unity since sliced bread.

The Liberals truly live in some fucked-up, parallel universe of reality. And they're insulting to the native intelligence of every Canadian if they think we believe even a fraction of their bullshit.

[SAM SIYC]

vote for a liar or the other.....it's pretty much all the same.....

I just dont like the whole voting system here....I think it should be more representative...just like france for example....

for example, even if NDP gets 18% of canadian votes....they still won't be much represented at the parliament, although 18% of the population supports them....

[Thomas D]

If you look at the Conservative fiscal policy, it seems they are planning to follow the Bush lead.

[SilentKnight]

Originally Posted by Thomas D

If you look at the Conservative fiscal policy, it seems they are planning to follow the Bush lead.

And if you look at the Liberal fiscal policy - basically they skim money off the top for their own pockets, then take the rest and...well, who knows what they do with it.

We're still searching for the employment insurance surplus that's now gone mysteriously missing.

[Cman]

Canada's economy is just about as strong as its ever been in history. No matter what you say about Liberal corruption or whatnot, you can't argue the fact that we are currently one of (if not THE) most properous G8 countries.

Relatively speaking (not gross), we're even doing better than the US. So if you vote Conservative, you can't watch that all waste aways as they ruin it like Bush did after Clinton.

[PlugRush Sascha]

If you're peddling porn and you don't think a liberal party is the way to go, maybe you should stop, think and kill yourself.

This will probably be the only time I agree with you, cman. I'm still punching you in the balls if I ever meet you.

[BlackCrayon]

so you think conservatives are the solution? im sure they love what we do... and for some reason many seem to forget that there were conservatives involved in the sponsorship scandal as well. conservatives are just saying what people want to hear right now anyways, hell everyone is but you can bank that they'll shift more to the right after the votes are in.

Originally Posted by SilentKnight

After recent stories like this one, I really have to wonder about the skeletons hiding in the Liberal closets these days. The Liberals are crossing all acceptable lines of conduct in their desperate attempts to retain power. I suspect when the Tories take over office shortly - a LOT of Liberal heads are gonna roll.

I hope the country's prisons have room for them all.

SASKATOON -- An already tense race in the riding of Saskatoon-Wanuskewin has taken a downright nasty turn.

Liberal candidate Chris Axworthy has apologized to Conservative incumbent Maurice Vellacott after someone used a phone in Axworthy's campaign office to falsely accuse Vellacott of sexual assault on a live televised candidates' forum earlier this week.

Axworthy concedes the call came from his office, but believes someone not connected to his campaign sneaked in and made the call.

But Vellacott insists it was a Liberal supporter because someone he knows recognized the voice and says he's prepared to take legal action.

Axworthy, a former Saskatchewan justice minister, issued a statement yesterday afternoon apologizing and called the sex assault allegation "deplorable."

"In as much as it appears that our phones were misused and that the comments were hurtful to Mr. Vellacott, I offer my heartfelt apologies," said Axworthy.

The incident happened Tuesday night on Shaw Television, the local community station in Saskatoon.

Vellacott said a caller to the forum accused him of sexually assaulting his secretary while he worked as a pastor at Saskatoon's North Park Church.

Vellacott was a pastor before being elected as an MP in 1997, but maintains he has never worked at North Park and most certainly has never been accused of sexual assault.

The caller was cut off by the station and Vellacott asked staff for the number from the call display.

Shortly afterward, Vellacott discovered the number was listed to Axworthy's office.

"This floors me," said Vellacott.

"I'm not a stranger to people saying disparaging things and unkind remarks and so on, but this is something of an altogether different matter.

"It's one thing for kind of slanderous things to be said, but this is moving an awful lot beyond the pale."

Source:
http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Election...02781-sun.html

[Huggles]

Voting Monday, and it's a toss up between Tory and Green.

[BlackCrayon]

Originally Posted by BradM

Yep the Libs will do ANYTHING and say ANYTHING to stay in power. They will vote steal from any minority possible, promise anything to anyone and then simply ignore EVERY issue brought to the table. It is called brokerage people, and it is why Canada has gone nowhere in 50 years.

call me crazy but i like governments who do nothing. i don't see how canada has gone 'nowhere' in the past 50 years tho. where do you expect it to go? every politican says anything to get in. you really think the conservatives are straight shooters?

[Quagmire]

My fear is that if the Conservatives win, we will return to our traditional role as the USA's bitch. Who cares if the Liberals have been in power for what seems like forever. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Just because they're been in power for a long time, doesn't mean a change is necessary.

Someone better put the lid back on the glue container and get some fresh air.

Ain't broke? That has to be the stupidest comment I have ever heard about the current Liberal government. 13 years of filling their pockets and the pockets of their friends. Slush funds totalling in the BILLIONS of dollars that aren't accounted for.

It is your tax dollars they are playing games with. If you don't think its broke you either aren't paying your taxes or don't give a shit what is happening to them or who is getting them.

[Huggles]

Originally Posted by Quagmire

13 years of filling their pockets and the pockets of their friends. Slush funds totalling in the BILLIONS of dollars that aren't accounted for.

Bingo!


8chars

[BlackCrayon]

Originally Posted by Huggles

Bingo!


8chars

yet there is still a federal surplus, something malroney couldn't do.

fuk harber that mother fucker ! ..he wants to take away abortions, what kinda a moron is he. Why do i have to pay child support or have a baby out on the market just because i felt like fukin my nieboor without a fuking condom. ! damnn its going to get bad if this idiot takes charge. We need to come together and MAKE sure liberals continue to rule our Canadian soils.
VOTE LIBERALS..or the greens ;)

[mongoman]

Lesser of the evils is the choice.
The Liberals have failed us, lied to use and denided everything.
Always saying it is the conservitive that did it. Well it has been 12 years, and if you can't fix it in 12, 4 more are not going to make a difference. Remember the Red book, Liberals said the gst would go 12 years ago. Funny i am still paying it.
Give the conservitives a change, what more damage can they do that the liberals have not already done

[PlugRush Sascha]

Originally Posted by mongoman

Lesser of the evils is the choice.
The Liberals have failed us, lied to use and denided everything.
Always saying it is the conservitive that did it. Well it has been 12 years, and if you can't fix it in 12, 4 more are not going to make a difference. Remember the Red book, Liberals said the gst would go 12 years ago. Funny i am still paying it.
Give the conservitives a change, what more damage can they do that the liberals have not already done

I don't know. Maybe they'll teach you English? That would suck...

[SilentKnight]

Paul Martin and his federal Liberals aside, the people of Ontario can also look to the examples set by Premier Dalton McSquinty when it comes to honoring campaign promises.

The list of election promises McSquinty has broken since taking office would fill the rest of this page. Yet, here's a man who made a big public spectacle of himself during the election by signing a document stating that if elected he would honor all his promises.

Another Liberal farce. Who can forget:


1. "I won't raise your taxes."

Who would ever forget this key pledge in the Oct. 2003 vote? McGuinty said he could deliver on all his pledges with no new tax hikes. In June 2004, Finance Minister Greg Sorbara delivered the biggest tax hike in the province's history -- a whopping $2.4 billion so-called "health levy."

2 and 3 (2) Balance the budget every year (election platform).

This morphed into balance the budget by 2007 in the 2004 budget. This year's budget predicted the books would be balanced by 2009 -- depending on the contingency fund.

4. Roll back tolls on the Hwy 407.

Right now, the Libs are hung up in court trying to renegotiate the deal. Meanwhile 407 tolls have gone up -- and the likelihood of the government winning this case is zero.

5. Fund medically necessary healthcare services

They delisted eye exams, physiotherapy and chiropractic.

6. Not add to the province's debt.

The debt is going up $75 a second. By 2007, the Libs will have added $15 billion.

7. Stop building 6,600 homes on the Oak Ridges Moraine.

An abysmal failure -- 6,000 are going ahead.

8. Abide by the balanced budget law.

They broke this in their first budget.

9. Cap hydro rates at 4.3 cents a kilowatt hour until 2006.

Check your bills. The second real piece of legislation -- introduced a month after taking office -- was a bill to hike hydro rates.

10. Respect MPPs and democracy.

Opposition amendments are rarely accepted. If you saw MPPs fleeing the House for the same sex vote, you'd know it's business as usual.

11. Allow non-cabinet MPPs to vote against government legislation.

I can only recall one vote where that's happened.

12. Provide autism treatment beyond age 6.

A cynical pledge and a complete betrayal of these most vulnerable families.

13. Reduce auto insurance rates by 10% within 90 days.

It took a lot longer than three months to see any reduction in their rates -- and most people are still waiting.

14. Reduce private consultants.

So far, they've hired former Liberal MP Elinor Caplan, former Toronto Mayor Barbara Hall, long-time Jean Chretien loyalists John Manley and Peter Donolo. Need I go on?

15. Cancel P-3 hospitals in Brampton and Ottawa.

They've simply changed the deals from mortgages to leases. And the recent infrastructure announcement said more private public deals are on the way.

16. Public inquiry into meat inspection.

They conducted an "internal review."

17. Withdraw government appeal on Richmond landfill.

A controversial issue in Environment Minister Leona Dombrowsky's Hastings-Frontenac-Lennox Addington riding. It's still not done.

18. Make Ontario's chief medical officer an independent officer of the legislature.

They fired Dr. Colin D'Cunha, then appointed Dr. Sheela Basrur -- then they passed the bill.

19. Govern with honesty and integrity

Well, you decide.

20. We will ensure that all developers play by the rules.

Cabinet ministers, including McGuinty, attended a $10,000 a pop private fundraising dinner with developers.

21. Better mental health care.

They closed three regional centres for the developmentally handicapped.

22. Value and support the public service.

Ask D'Cunha about that.

23. Divert 60% of municipal garbage to recycling by 2005.

We're actually trucking more trash to Michigan. Meanwhile, McGuinty's pondering taking the Americans to court over pollution?

24. Close private MRI and CT clinics.

Some haven't closed. Others are changed to not-for-profit.

25. Stop school closings.

In its 2005 report on school closings, the activist group People For Education estimates 14,000 students are in schools that will close in the next two years. Schools are closing at double the rate they did 10 years ago.

26. Provide adequate, multi-year funding for hospitals.

It was almost the end of the last fiscal year before hospitals knew what their budget would be.

27. Hire more than 1,000 teachers a year.

So far, under their plan to cap class size, they have hired about 1,200 total. They need to hire 4,000 over the mandate and they're nowhere close.

28. Hire 1,000 new police officers.

Funding was announced recently for 1,000 -- but the province provided funding for barely half of that. Municipalities must pick up at least half the cost for each officer.

29. Close the province's coal-fired plants by 2007.

Libs announced this week that the massive Nanticoke plant on Lake Erie -- the biggest polluter in the province -- will not close until 2009.

30. Hire 100 new parole and probation officers.

None sighted.

31. Double the number of apprentices.

There were 19,000 in 2003. The 2004 budget said by 2007, they'd get to 26,000 -- 12,000 short of their goal.

32 Create tens of thousands of new childcare spaces.

Only new money is from feds. Few spaces actually opened.

33. End the clawback of the federal child tax credit.

Still waiting.

34. Build 20,000 new affordable housing units.

So far, only 2,300 in the 2004 budget speech.

35. Spend "every penny" of new health tax on healthcare.

According to 2004 budget, some is going to sewers, water treatment plants and tourism.

36. Cut ministers' pay for running a deficit.

While Libs say they took a cut, government estimates don't show the necessary $9,000 reduction in ministers' pay.

37. Eliminate barriers to foreign-trained professionals within one year.

Still waiting.

38. Require trades professions to accept qualified immigrants within one year.

Still waiting.

39. Repeal Tenant Protection Act within one year.

Still waiting for rent controls. Why? Because it's a dumb idea.

40. Establish a standing committee on education to hold yearly hearings.

No such committee exists.

41. Liberal promises would cost $5.9 billion.

Ministerial documents show their platform was costed at $11 bilion. They'v already raised taxes by $7 billion.

42. Provide legal rights to victims of crime.

They closed the victims of crime office.

43. Hire 8,000 nurses by the end of 2007.

In January, the Grits announced they were cutting 757 nurses. Now they're rehiring, but are nowhere near that pledge.

44. Make the Ministry of Agriculture a lead ministry.

Can you name the Ag minister? Farmers have marched on Queen's Park because they feel betrayed.

45. Invest in rural roads and bridges.

All the money in their infrastructure announcement went to 400 series highways. The gas tax goes only to cities.

46. Support the province's cities.

They cut $47 million from funding to municipalities. Mayor David Miller claims there's a $1.1 billion fiscal gap in what the province gives to the city.

47. Make sure health dollars are spent wisely.

The goverment is spending $170 million to close district health councils and replace them with a new bureaucracy -- the Local Health Networks.

48. Stop the waste of taxpayers' dollars.

Where to start? You choose.

49. Guarantee stable, long-term funding for rural communities.

In fact, rural communities have been cut most.

50. We will make sure Ontario stays at the forefront of world innovation in agricultural research and that this research works to help Ontario farmers.

The 2005-06 estimates show that the Agriculture, Research and Technology Transfer Program has been cut by $30 million since 2003-04.

[BlackCrayon]

and harris was ontarios golden boy? everyone hated him and ne never kept promises either. i hate dalton too but this just seems like a copy and paste from a conservative site.

Originally Posted by SilentKnight

Paul Martin and his federal Liberals aside, the people of Ontario can also look to the examples set by Premier Dalton McSquinty when it comes to honoring campaign promises.

The list of election promises McSquinty has broken since taking office would fill the rest of this page. Yet, here's a man who made a big public spectacle of himself during the election by signing a document stating that if elected he would honor all his promises.

Another Liberal farce. Who can forget:


1. "I won't raise your taxes."

Who would ever forget this key pledge in the Oct. 2003 vote? McGuinty said he could deliver on all his pledges with no new tax hikes. In June 2004, Finance Minister Greg Sorbara delivered the biggest tax hike in the province's history -- a whopping $2.4 billion so-called "health levy."

2 and 3 (2) Balance the budget every year (election platform).

This morphed into balance the budget by 2007 in the 2004 budget. This year's budget predicted the books would be balanced by 2009 -- depending on the contingency fund.

4. Roll back tolls on the Hwy 407.

Right now, the Libs are hung up in court trying to renegotiate the deal. Meanwhile 407 tolls have gone up -- and the likelihood of the government winning this case is zero.

5. Fund medically necessary healthcare services

They delisted eye exams, physiotherapy and chiropractic.

6. Not add to the province's debt.

The debt is going up $75 a second. By 2007, the Libs will have added $15 billion.

7. Stop building 6,600 homes on the Oak Ridges Moraine.

An abysmal failure -- 6,000 are going ahead.

8. Abide by the balanced budget law.

They broke this in their first budget.

9. Cap hydro rates at 4.3 cents a kilowatt hour until 2006.

Check your bills. The second real piece of legislation -- introduced a month after taking office -- was a bill to hike hydro rates.

10. Respect MPPs and democracy.

Opposition amendments are rarely accepted. If you saw MPPs fleeing the House for the same sex vote, you'd know it's business as usual.

11. Allow non-cabinet MPPs to vote against government legislation.

I can only recall one vote where that's happened.

12. Provide autism treatment beyond age 6.

A cynical pledge and a complete betrayal of these most vulnerable families.

13. Reduce auto insurance rates by 10% within 90 days.

It took a lot longer than three months to see any reduction in their rates -- and most people are still waiting.

14. Reduce private consultants.

So far, they've hired former Liberal MP Elinor Caplan, former Toronto Mayor Barbara Hall, long-time Jean Chretien loyalists John Manley and Peter Donolo. Need I go on?

15. Cancel P-3 hospitals in Brampton and Ottawa.

They've simply changed the deals from mortgages to leases. And the recent infrastructure announcement said more private public deals are on the way.

16. Public inquiry into meat inspection.

They conducted an "internal review."

17. Withdraw government appeal on Richmond landfill.

A controversial issue in Environment Minister Leona Dombrowsky's Hastings-Frontenac-Lennox Addington riding. It's still not done.

18. Make Ontario's chief medical officer an independent officer of the legislature.

They fired Dr. Colin D'Cunha, then appointed Dr. Sheela Basrur -- then they passed the bill.

19. Govern with honesty and integrity

Well, you decide.

20. We will ensure that all developers play by the rules.

Cabinet ministers, including McGuinty, attended a $10,000 a pop private fundraising dinner with developers.

21. Better mental health care.

They closed three regional centres for the developmentally handicapped.

22. Value and support the public service.

Ask D'Cunha about that.

23. Divert 60% of municipal garbage to recycling by 2005.

We're actually trucking more trash to Michigan. Meanwhile, McGuinty's pondering taking the Americans to court over pollution?

24. Close private MRI and CT clinics.

Some haven't closed. Others are changed to not-for-profit.

25. Stop school closings.

In its 2005 report on school closings, the activist group People For Education estimates 14,000 students are in schools that will close in the next two years. Schools are closing at double the rate they did 10 years ago.

26. Provide adequate, multi-year funding for hospitals.

It was almost the end of the last fiscal year before hospitals knew what their budget would be.

27. Hire more than 1,000 teachers a year.

So far, under their plan to cap class size, they have hired about 1,200 total. They need to hire 4,000 over the mandate and they're nowhere close.

28. Hire 1,000 new police officers.

Funding was announced recently for 1,000 -- but the province provided funding for barely half of that. Municipalities must pick up at least half the cost for each officer.

29. Close the province's coal-fired plants by 2007.

Libs announced this week that the massive Nanticoke plant on Lake Erie -- the biggest polluter in the province -- will not close until 2009.

30. Hire 100 new parole and probation officers.

None sighted.

31. Double the number of apprentices.

There were 19,000 in 2003. The 2004 budget said by 2007, they'd get to 26,000 -- 12,000 short of their goal.

32 Create tens of thousands of new childcare spaces.

Only new money is from feds. Few spaces actually opened.

33. End the clawback of the federal child tax credit.

Still waiting.

34. Build 20,000 new affordable housing units.

So far, only 2,300 in the 2004 budget speech.

35. Spend "every penny" of new health tax on healthcare.

According to 2004 budget, some is going to sewers, water treatment plants and tourism.

36. Cut ministers' pay for running a deficit.

While Libs say they took a cut, government estimates don't show the necessary $9,000 reduction in ministers' pay.

37. Eliminate barriers to foreign-trained professionals within one year.

Still waiting.

38. Require trades professions to accept qualified immigrants within one year.

Still waiting.

39. Repeal Tenant Protection Act within one year.

Still waiting for rent controls. Why? Because it's a dumb idea.

40. Establish a standing committee on education to hold yearly hearings.

No such committee exists.

41. Liberal promises would cost $5.9 billion.

Ministerial documents show their platform was costed at $11 bilion. They'v already raised taxes by $7 billion.

42. Provide legal rights to victims of crime.

They closed the victims of crime office.

43. Hire 8,000 nurses by the end of 2007.

In January, the Grits announced they were cutting 757 nurses. Now they're rehiring, but are nowhere near that pledge.

44. Make the Ministry of Agriculture a lead ministry.

Can you name the Ag minister? Farmers have marched on Queen's Park because they feel betrayed.

45. Invest in rural roads and bridges.

All the money in their infrastructure announcement went to 400 series highways. The gas tax goes only to cities.

46. Support the province's cities.

They cut $47 million from funding to municipalities. Mayor David Miller claims there's a $1.1 billion fiscal gap in what the province gives to the city.

47. Make sure health dollars are spent wisely.

The goverment is spending $170 million to close district health councils and replace them with a new bureaucracy -- the Local Health Networks.

48. Stop the waste of taxpayers' dollars.

Where to start? You choose.

49. Guarantee stable, long-term funding for rural communities.

In fact, rural communities have been cut most.

50. We will make sure Ontario stays at the forefront of world innovation in agricultural research and that this research works to help Ontario farmers.

The 2005-06 estimates show that the Agriculture, Research and Technology Transfer Program has been cut by $30 million since 2003-04.

[FlyingIguana]

this is paul martin as PM. a bit different, chretian for a pure politician. if it wasn't for martin i doubt the liberals would have got past one election.

managing the budget is huge. there was no insider trading, it was a rushed decision and when the press release was announced people on bay street put 2 and 2 together. it was an easy call and rushed because the election got called. the scandal was dealt with and it was and currently is in the hands of a judge.

the gun registry thing is part of left wing politics. i don't like it, i'm right wing when it comes to guns. but with the current system you take the good with the bad.

the good? our country is in the black giving future government's more flexibility. until a government comes along that has a clue i will vote for the government who can keep us in the black. not a conservative government who doens't even know where it'll get all the money for its current platform. the conservative platform is a complete joke. the whole campaign is based on stupid canadians pushing out the liberals to vote in an even more incompetent team of politicians.

you're not picking the best government, you're picking the best of the worst...

Originally Posted by SilentKnight

Quebec Sponsorship Scandal
Insider Trading
Failed Seaking helicopter contracts
Combustible submarines
Canada Steamship contract favoritisms
$2 billion gun registry

etc...etc, etc...

A letter-to-the-editor from today's Welland Tribune:


Jean Chretien and his Liberal government declared that health and education was a 50/50 responsibility between the federal and provincial government. Then, one day, Paul Martin who was then, the finance minister, decided he would balance the budget.

Well, let's look at how he did that.

He cut - I should say slashed - the transfer payments to all provinces by 36 percent for health and education - remember, the thousands of nurses laid off, the hospital bed closures, the long waiting time for surgery and diagnostic procedures, the mess in education, programs canceled, tuition fees going skyhigh...

Transfer payments were also cut for housing, seniors homes, infrastructures, roads and highways, etc.

That's how Mr. Martin balanced the budget - plus the high taxes we are paying, that's the reason why he can boast of the big surplus he's had for eight years.

The problem is that the taxpayers did not blame Mr. Martin; they were too busy blaming the premiers of their own provinces.

I would also like to tell Mr. Martin that if our economy is so strong, it is not for his fiscal policies alone, but for the most part the huge trading with our neighbouirs to the south. You only have to look to our borders to realize that.

I would like to ask Mr. Martin why, in a country that has a surplus of maybe $12 billion for 2005, why do we need school breakfasts for children and regular food drives?

What about the living conditions of our Native reserves? It is deplorable and shameful for a government that has surpluses in the billions to have our Native people without schools or clinics, having to boil water for years and living in conditions worse than some Third World countries.

Our Canada was not built by the Liberal government. It was built by us taxpayers working hard and long hours and sending you all that hard-earned money for you to use it responsibly, wisely, with integrity and for the good of all the people.

Not waste it the way your government has done for many years.

Edith Demers - Welland, Ontario

[pornguy]

It seems that all countries are in bed with Bush, for fear of what he might do. They stand up to him somewhat, but then back down when he gives them the monkey look.

[SilentKnight]

Originally Posted by BlackCrayon

and harris was ontarios golden boy? everyone hated him and ne never kept promises either. i hate dalton too but this just seems like a copy and paste from a conservative site.

No, in fact it came from a Toronto Sun columnist (albeit, pro-Harris).

Everyone didn't hate Harris. If this were true, he wouldn't have been re-elected a second time. Only those who were negatively affected by his fiscal decisions (union types). There were a large number of us who supported Harris throughout his terms.

And to say he "never kept his promises either" is to not know your politics. As far back as my memory goes, I can't think of another politician who kept so many of his promises as Harris did (and I'm 41).