Vote Rob Anders Out: As Don at Revolutionary Moderation wrote a few days back, “Voters of Calgary West, do you want to help the ‘new’ Conservative Party ground itself as reasonable, reliable, moderate, and acceptable to voters in all parts of the country? The greatest favour you can do the ‘new’ Conservative Party is to vote against this buffoon.”
Yes, Rob Anders is the Conservative Party wingnut who said of Nelson Mandela …

“He’s the politically correct kind of ‘lib’ left poster-boy of today. I would say (RealPlayer required) that 30 years from now Nelson Mandela will not be lionized as much as he is today.”

Rob Anders. Just another reason not to vote Conservative.
And The Thuggery Just Keeps On Comin’

Is that a picture of Goofy to your right? Nope. It’s Canada’s next Prime Minister (if the polls are to be believed).
In this story from today’s Vancouver Sun, Stephen Harper’s campaign press secretary, Carolyn Stewart-Olsen, told a Canadian Press photographer to “shut up” and then slapped him twice across the face for publishing photos of Harper she didn’t like.
So, Canadians: take note. Stephen Harper is gonna be our next Prime Minister, and ya better not be doin’ anything he doesn’t like. Or one of his ‘staff’ will kick the shit out of you. Yes, the ‘new’ Conservatives are planning on building a ‘new’ Canada, where political dissent will no longer be a part of the political vocabulary. A punch here, a slap there. Before long, who knows where this kind of thing will escalate to?
At least the ‘new’ Conservatives aren’t using the Liberals tag line in this campaign, “That’s the Canada we choose. We hope you’ll choose it, too.” Because, you know what, Mr. Harper, the Canada that I choose doesn’t go around roughing up those people we don’t agree with.


In closing tonight, VanRamblings would direct you towards Loby’s Comment at the end of last night’s Decision Canada posting.
Koby also posted his comment on the Election Prediction Project message board.
The prospect of a Conservative government just gets scarier and scarier.
For insight into Stephen Harper’s policies, as well as important 2004 federal election news events, click on VanRamblings’ full Decision Canada coverage.

Wanna know what former NDP leader Ed Broadbent is up to?
Click on the Windows Media Player graphic above, and watch and listen to what might be the single most enjoyable development in 2004’s otherwise exceedingly dull federal election campaign (Windows Media Player required).
Ed’s back, and we’re glad of it.

Even the right is beginning to jump down Stephen Harper’s throat, now that the leader of the damnable Conservatives is finally coming clean with his regressive, right-wing agenda.
At least Canadians are being given a real choice in this election: Liberal mush-mouthing (although they’re getting better, at least during the campaign); Conservative menace, malice and meanspiritedness; and the ‘we’re not gonna be the governing party’ meritoriousness of the New Democratic Party.
Dark Clouds on Harper’s Horizon
Tonight, VanRamblings begins with this observation from Sean, at seanincognito …

To say Stephen Harper has had a pretty good first few weeks on the campaign trail would be a generous understatement. He’s successfully outmanoeuvred the ‘extremist’ label, despite both the efforts of the Liberals and the half-cocked utterances of some of his own people (Scott Reid, come on down!)
However Sun columnist Greg Weston analyzes the repercussions that may follow Harper’s “free votes for all, all for free votes” promise — which incidentally has caught media attention outside our own borders — and finds it should be more than a little troubling to the CPC. Weston believes Harper has unnecessarily popped the top on a big ol’ can of very dangerous worms.

During the course of the next 23 days we can only hope that the Conservative campaign implodes, and the ‘new’ Conservatives show themselves to be the same gang of reactionary, rag-tag Reform-Alliance ne’er-do-wells most Canadians wanted nothing to with the past 10 years.
Martin: Same-Sex Marriage Must Be Allowed

PM Paul Martin and NDP Leader Jack Layton discuss their opinions on various subjects during the Party Leaders Forum in St. John’s, Friday.

In a Canadian Press article by Alexander Panetta and Tim Cook, PM Paul Martin made his his strongest statement yet on the issue of same-sex marriage.

“Three of the highest courts in the land have said that discrimination on the grounds of sex, in terms of the definition of marriage, is against the Charter of Rights,” said Martin.
It is absolutely a question of human rights. And under those circumstances, there is no way that anybody should be allowed to discriminate or prevent same sex marriage.”

Watch this CBC report (RealPlayer required), by Linda Calvert, of Friday’s St. John’s, Newfoundland ‘Special Youth Forum’ town hall meeting, the entirety of which aired on CBC Newsworld.
For an insight into where each of the major parties stand on the issues, from health care and the environment, to crime and taxes, click here.
Polls, Those Damn Polls
According to the Globe and Mail, the latest Ipsos-Reid poll results indicate that the Liberals and the Conservatives are in a dead heat.
Meanwhile, today’s CPAC-SES poll is hardly more heartening, showing the Liberals down 4 points, at 37%, and the Conservatives a +6, at 34%. The worst news of all: more Canadians (6% more) find Stephen Harper to be a palatable choice for Prime Minister.
VanRamblings takes some comfort in the realization that there are still 24 long, ardous days of election campaigning ahead, and the Conservatives are just bound to step in it. After all, they’re still that rag-tag bunch of reactionary Reform-Alliance members they’ve always been.
Or, as the Toronto Star’s Ottawa Bureau Chief, Susan Delacourt, writes …

“Child care and abortion, the so-called ‘women’s issues’, have polarized the Liberals and Conservatives in the federal election campaign.
If the campaign stays fixed on sharp social-policy differences, it could re-open gender-gap politics that have traditionally pushed women toward the Liberal left and away from the Conservative right in past elections. In the 2000 election, the old Canadian Alliance had only 27 per cent support from women, compared to 38 per cent support from men.”

VanRamblings will continue to track polling results each day.
For insight into Stephen Harper’s policies, as well as important 2004 federal election news events, click on VanRamblings’ full Decision Canada coverage.

“We’re not spending money that we do not have. In fact we’re not allocating the full amount of the projected surpluses for the next five years.”
Prime Minister Paul Martin, at the public announcement of the Liberal Party platform, Moving Canada Forward.