What to fight an election on

The opposition looks ready to go to the polls over Afghanistan and/or the pretend medical isotope crisis, but now Harper's attack chipmunk, Peter Van Loan and Rob Nicholson are issuing an ultimatum that the senate pass the crime bill or that will trigger an election on March 1st. I'm not surprised that Conservatives want to run on their mediocre crime bill, it's a right-wing staple to talk about being "tough on crime" whilst scaring people with tales of violence and lawlessness. The problem is that this kind of thing often works.

All the more reason to trigger an election now.

Politicizing Riding Boundaries

It's endemic to American politics and it's coming to Canada fast. In addition to Peter Van Loan's attempt to screw Ontario out of a bunch of federal seats that it deserves, now in BC the Liberals and the NDP are fighting over the number and location of provincial ridings. I confess that I don't know enough about BC provincial politics to form a strong opinion on who started this politicization of ridings there, but it is part of a worrying trend.

Edit: Northern BC Dipper has more on this topic.

Ontario's Unquiet Revolution

Ontario, as numerous others have pointed out, has historically seen its interests as a province and the interests of Canada as a whole as being virtually one and the same. We are the the biggest province in population and our manufacturing sector was long seen as driving this country's economy.

We have had it very good from an economic stand point. We weren't laid low by the collapse of the cod fishery nor were our major industries subject to the meddling of something like the National Energy Program. If smaller provinces wanted equalization or better representation in the House of Commons, we were inclined to go along.

This is starting to change. Peter Van Loan's insult to Ontario was only the beginning. As the high dollar helps Alberta and hurts Ontario, this province is going to become more focused in its demands of Ottawa. For a long time politicians would fight over Ontario seats without offering up much that was explicitly directed towards Ontario - this is going to change I suspect. We've been something a silent partner in confederation for far too long.

How Small of You to Criticize Us for Shortchanging You

Impolitical has the goods on Peter Van Loan's idiotic comment about Dalton McGuinty yesterday. I guess Alberta was the "small man" for raising a fuss over the National Energy Program. I wonder how that sounds to the Conservative Party's Western overlords?

It's the cover-up, stupid

Tory cabinet minister, Jean-Pierre Blackburn has been trying to hide some of his travel expenses. I don't think anyone begrudges him his traveling, Canada is a far-flung place. What is disturbing is that Blackburn was apparently trying to hide it. Peter Van Loan seems to think that it was no big deal, if that's the case, why hide it? What else is being hidden? Another case of Conservative waste, mismanagement, and corruption?