Worried about Ontario?

Have you been concerned about Dalton McGuinty's re-election chances, as the world economy continues to decline?

Worry no more.

Worrying about Kinsella

It seems like there is only one thing that can actually motivate me to post these days.

Once again, our supposed War Room genius is making himself the the issue.

First he insults Chinese Canadians. And then he makes the situation worse by engaging in a public slap fight, apparently unconcerned that it wasn't just him getting cut up and dirty in the press, but the entire Liberal Party.

Now, it appears the author of Kicking Ass is getting his ass kicked (again) by trying to intimidate both a respected journalist and a public broadcaster by leveraging his political connections to pursue one of his online sandbox fights into the real world.

Kinsella's (a) ego and (b) temper are a lethal combination for a party that wants to/needs to make Stephen Harper, and not our warroom staff, the issue.

I could care less that private companies want to spend their moneu on Kinsella but I don't want my party throwing another election out the window because we've entrusted our War Room to a frat boy.

Is Kinsella slipping?

Oh god, the author of "Kicking Ass" is getting his ass kicked. Didn't this happen to him just before the last provincial election, too?

Kinsella's own rules:

• Rule #1 for political advisors: never make yourself the issue.


• Rule #2 for political advisors: when you fight back with facts make sure you've got your facts straight.

Except he's now breaking both of them.

He says here that "I had an email exchange with the Conservative Chinese Association about that. I asked their representative, Karen Sun, what her organization thought about Jason's plan to present a fake award..."

The problem is that Karen Sun is actually seems to be the Executive Director of the Chinese Canadian National Council Toronto Chapter - a group that has nothing to do with the Conservative Party.

Warren. Please stop talking about this.

Perhaps Kinsella has simply had a rough month. Or maybe he's just not that good. Sure he won elections for Chretien but Chretien faced a divided right. Ignatieff better have a plan B in case Kinsella flames out totally.

UPDATE (Feb 4): Kinsella has corrected his post to correctly identify Karen Sun as being the Executive Director of the CCNC and not the CCA.

Some Thoughts on the Olympics

I've been thinking a lot lately about the Beijing Olympics, and I haven't quite yet made up my mind about them. As I write this, the Opening Ceremonies are being broadcast. While I do acknowledge the necessity for China to continue working to improve their human rights record, surely we also should commend them for the progress they have made on the issue. Conditions in China have improved; no they aren't perfect, but if we don't make use of positive encouragement, can we ever expect them to get there.

It is also important to distinguish between China's people and the Chinese government. The Chinese people have worked hard and want to show off their pride in their nation. They cannot and should not be faulted for the actions of the government. The Chinese people deserve a place on the world stage - while it would be preferential for them to do so in a true democracy, this is not the case. Do not punish the people for the actions of their government.

I guess that my position on the Olympics is to enjoy them but not pretend that the problems aren't there. I believe we can simultaneously enjoy the sports while remaining aware of and recognize the progress that has yet to be made.

How Many More Must Die?

In light of the recent attention paid to individuals dying in custody after being tasered by police, I would have thought that the sue of these weapons would have lessened. As the risks posed by tasers become more and more clear, would it not have been prudent to avoid and/or lessen their use? It seems to me that tasers are become more of a risk than using firearms to bring order to a situation.

Well, apparently not, seeing a s a 17 year old boy has died in Winnipeg after being tasered by police there. While I do concede that he was holding a knife, surely there could have been a better way to bring him under control that would not have seen him lose his life. If they had shot him in the foot or arm (while by no means ideal), he would have likely stopped struggling and would still be alive.

Tasers interfere with far too many biological functions from the heart to lungs, and beyond. Surely a better, less threatening and risky solution can be achieved. Too many people have died to continue with the status quo.

Bring on the Byelections!

According to several media outlets, Stephen Harper is poised to set dates for three upcoming byelections: Westmount-Ville Marie, St. Lambert, and Guelph. The first and third are currently liberal seats and the second was held by the Bloc Quebecois.

I, for one, am eager to see these byelections called. I can't wait for voters to have the chance to pass resounding judgment on the performance of Harper's government. It will also give us a chance to practice our messaging for selling the Green Shift to voters and disproving all of the factually incorrect rhetoric currently being circulated by the Tories.

This will be our first opportunity in months to re-energize and re-invigorate our grassroots. I'm excited to see the Liberals come out on top!

It's Not a Bad Thing to Change Your Mind Sometimes

Often, right-wing conservatives belittle anyone who dares to re-think and modify their positions on any issue, as though this indicates weakness. I disagree; it requires the highest caliber of character and strength to reconsider and improve one's position. Having the courage to admit that one might have been less apt in the past shows the benefit of experience and hindsight. I believe this ability is one of the greatest strengths of the Liberal Party, rather than a weakness.

For example, the Conservatives are quick to point out repeatedly and as loudly as they can that Stephane Dion used to oppose taxing carbon dioxide emissions. Rather than letting them get away with this empty rhetoric, we Liberals should confront and challenge them, arguing that Canada has a more promising future now that Dion has reconsidered and developed the Green Shift plan. This makes Canada stronger, not weaker.

Similarly, I read an article in today's Toronto Star where Bob Rae discusses his past role as the NDP premier of Ontario. While Conservatives like to constantly bring this up and mock him, I prefer that we applaud him for rethinking his political affiliations and joining the Liberal Party.

Changing your position isn't flip-flopping; it's proof of one's ability to think and adapt. Instead of accepting criticism from Conservatives on this issue, it's time we push back and call them out on their lack of flexibility and freedom of thought.

Green Shift Persuasion Suggestions

Over the coming weeks and months, both Liberal MPs and grassroots Liberals will need to work to persuade Canadians of the justness, necessity, and benefits of the green shift plan. Here are some suggestions that we ought to keep in mind while working to raise the Liberal profile and our environmental plan.

1. We need to know the plan thoroughly prior to promoting it. It is important that all Liberals possess a solid grasp prior to promoting it. This is not a simple plan and we will look like fools if we don't understand it properly or are unable to adequately answer questions on it.

2. Don't waste time debating the issue with Conservatives - they will never come round to the green shift and every minute we spend railing against their ignorance is a minute we should have focused on persuading someone who had not had a prior opinion on the subject.

3. Remember that people are selfish. Although many of us are willing to do our part for the environment because it is the good thing to do, it is a sad reality that many people prefer their luxuries than thinking about the air quality that will be inflicted upon their great-grand kids. WE must emphasize the financial benefits of our plan and not focus solely on the environmental arguments.

4. We must not look like hypocrites on the issue and that means that we must not promote the green shift in anyway that requires the production of a large quantity of greenhouse gas emissions. We will present much more credibly if we personally adopt green shift techniques prior to promoting it.

5. Never give up hope. If we despair or give credence to our opponents' attacks, we will never win. If we turn on one another, we will lose. If we don't try, the environment will have no champions left. The stakes are too important for us not to succeed.

What other suggestions do you have that we could use to sell our plan to Canadians and, especially, voters?

Not Just a Green Shift, We Need an Attitude Shift as Well

Ever since the Liberals introduced our revolutionary Green Shift program, I've noticed that most of the criticism represents an unhealthy attitude and mentality. These opponents believe that they have already either done enough for the environment, or they just don't feel like doing anything at all. This selfishness needs to stop for the good of the planet and the environment.

For example, this Toronto Sun article argues that saving money on an individual level is more important than helping the environment. The columnist has no shame in describing the gas-guzzling, but cheap, truck she recently bought. How selfish and deplorable!

Many Canadians clearly need an attitude shift and a new set of priorities. No, saving the environment is neither cheap nor easy to do, but that doesn't mean we just give up. Give up some of the necessary luxuries instead, people! Buy the more energy-efficient vehicle, even if it is significantly more expensive. It's time we looked beyond our own selfish wants and look toward the environment's needs.

Canada's Failure to Set a Good Environmental Standard Allows Emitting Countries to Follow our Bad Example

Instead of standing up on the world stage and working to limit the harm inflicted by the Alberta oil sands as we ought to do, it seems to me that our support for them is setting a very bad example for developing nations. According to a Reuters news story, India's government is promoting investment in the Albertan oil sands.

Developing countries like China and India need to see positive examples of investment in green and renewable energy resources, not encouragement to invest in dirty and destructive energy sources. Unless we set a positive example by denouncing and reducing the oil sands, what hope will we have that other countries will follow suit?

PMO Hostility Likely to Increase Rather than Lessen with New Chief of Staff

Today is the beginning of Guy Giorno's tenure as Chief of Staff in the Prime Minster's Office. Although I had been pleased to hear that Ian Brodie was leaving the post, I had hoped that his replacement would be a break from his style of hostility and division. This was an excellent opportunity for Stephen Harper to pick someone who would respect the opposition parties, the media, and the Canadian public.

Instead, he picked Mike Harris's former Chief of Staff. Far too many individuals involved with that government are already in prominent positions in Harper's cabinet and staff, such as Jim Flaherty, John Baird, and Tony Clement. Parliament desperately needs less partisanship and rhetoric, not more hard line right-wingers.

Funding Education needs to be a Priority

A disturbing Globe and Mail news article is very concerning to me. It says that Canadian universities are not receiving anywhere near enough funding per student from governments. Although total funding has increased, it has not kept pace with rising enrollment.

Education needs to be a greater priority than it currently is. We are in a changing and globalizing economy and we need to transition to a higher-educated workforce. Without proper funding, our educations will not be as effective or of a high enough quality. If we can afford to spend billions on a war in Afghanistan, surely we can spend some of it on our students and universities instead.

More Proof of Tory Disdain for the Less Fortunate

The recent decision of the Conservative government to restore a small portion of the Court Challenges Program shows their small-hearted and mean-spirited nature. By only allowing limited redress to injustices against linguistic minorities, this plan will do nothing for all of the other groups which were so cruelly abandoned: ethnic and religious minorities, gays and lesbians, and individuals living with disabilities.

They Conservatives have shown how little worth they consider these groups to have. Conservatives think that because they don't vote Conservative, they don't deserve to have their rights protected.

Juvenile Conservative Campaign Spreads to Guelph

This past weekend, I was on vacation visiting some family members in Guelph (in southern Ontario). My restful weekend was interrupted, however, by the appearance of a group of young conservatives, all wearing those horrid bright yellow "Dion's Tax on Everything" shirts! Apparently they were canvassing on behalf of the local candidate, Gloria Kovach.

It truly dismays me that this juvenile and pathetic campaign has spread to other cities besides Ottawa. Shame on the Conservatives for using cheap tactics rather than engaging in a serious debate on a serious issue!

Prentice Exceeds Low Expectations

Well now that the copyright bill has been tabled this morning, it's not as bad as many, including myself, had been anticipating.

Although it does crack down on the distribution of illegal sharing, the provision allowing legally-acquired music onto other devices, such as iPods and mp3 players, is unexpectedly welcome. Furthermore, allowing individuals to record television shows to be watched later is rightly permitted.

Although I would have preferred to see a less harsh fine ($500) for illegal downloading, I know that we can't expect too much from a conservative government. I say that Prentice exceeds my expectations with this bill, but that wasn't very hard seeing as how low they were.

Conservatives Continue to Disrespect the Immigation System

After the recent vote to dismantle the equality of the Canadian immigration system, the news for prospective visitors to Canada continues to worsen. It has emerged that several embassies, including the Canadian embassy in China, around the world are permitted to outsource the processing of visa applications to third-party service providers. This is completely unacceptable!

Ever since the Conservatives have come into power, the quality of service administered by Citizenship and Immigration Canada has continued to decline. Canada needs to ensure that individuals applying for entry to Canada (whether that be as a prospective citizen or merely as a visitor) are processed confidentially and promptly. These outsourcing companies cannot guarantee privacy and confidentiality to applicants which is just disgraceful.

We need to get a Liberal government back in power to ensure that Citizenship and Immigration Canada is given the respect and leadership it deserves and requires.

Conservative Attack Campaign Immature and Inaccurate

The Conservative attack campaign on the upcoming Liberal policy on carbon reflects a juvenile, disrespectful, and presumptive attack on a policy which Canada desperately needs. Instead of waiting for the policy to be properly launched and then having a substantive debate on its content, the Conservatives are spreading misleading and blatantly false information.

The Liberal party has repeatedly indicated that there will be no tax increase on gasoline, and yet the Conservatives are telling Canadians that it will.

The environment is too important an issue to treat it like this. No one should be so cavalier in their treatment of any endeavor to reduce the burden we place on the environment.

Conservatives, it's time to grow up and treat this issue with respect.

Congratulations, Liberals, for Showing your Commitment to Women's Equality

The Liberal Party announced today that once our Party is back in government, we will create an independent Commissioner for Gender Equality. This just further shows the distinctions between our Party and the Conservative Party who have shown nothing but contempt and hatred towards initiatives which would advance women's rights and equality.

We need to recognize that, while women have made tremendous progress over the past decades, there is still a long way to go before true equality will be reached. Women should not have to choose between their children and their careers. Women should not have to accept lower-paying jobs. Women should not have to struggle to work in upper management and influential positions. Women should be fully respected and welcomed as Members of Parliament.

I am proud to be a member of a party which recognizes the realities faced by women today. Advancing the women's rights movement is one of the most important priorities the Liberals can pick. Also, given that half of the population is women, fighting for women could help us during election time.

The proposed Gender Equality Commissioner would be responsible for examining gender equality practices in all government departments and would be required to submit a report to Parliament and Canadians every year.

Liberal Convention Document Shows the Inclusive Nature of our Party

The Liberal Party of Canada has posted the guidelines and rules surrounding the delegates and alternates who will attend our party's convention in BC in December on the party's website (www.liberal.ca).

These rules are very positive and will go a long way towards ensuring that we have a productive and enjoyable convention. Firstly, the granting of automatic delegate status to notable party members (leader, former leaders, party officials, national executive, current and past candidates, etc.) will allow the delegations from riding associations to be comprised of grassroots members.

Similarly, the Liberal Party demonstrates its commitment to women's equality by ensuring that no more than half of the delegations from the riding associations can be comprised of men. We are ensuring that spots are set aside for youth and senior delegates to allow the convention to be attended by a broad spectrum of our members. Our recognition of the value that aboriginal delegates will bring to the convention is in stark contrast to the hostility shown to Aboriginal Canadians by the Conservatives.

I look forward to hearing more about the convention as we get closer to December and I congratulate the Liberals for proving their commitment to equality and fairness in drafting the guidelines for delegates.

Conservatives Hate Africa

Canada's decision to turn its back on the innocent victims of violence in Congo in Africa is a sad reflection of the policies of the current Conservative Government. Apparently, the UN had asked Canada to provide a two-star general and limited support staff to head the MONUC peacekeeping mission in Congo. We weren't even asked to provide peacekeeping troops to the mission, and yet, we still turned it down, claiming that we were stretched too thinly with the NATO mission in Afghanistan.

Canada had the opportunity to really make a difference here and it really wouldn't have cost us much at all. And yet, we refuse!

The Conservative Government just doesn't care about Africa!

Shame on You, Tony Clement

Tony Clement's editorial today in the National Post shows not only his total lack of compassion, but also his complete lack of understanding and comprehension regarding the Insite safe injection site in Vancouver.

He mentions that "Overall, Insite saves about one life per year," as though this is not a worthwhile enough reason to maintain it. The Conservatives ought to place more respect on the lives of drug users, rather than just dismissing them as useless, irrelevant, and not worth the cost to save their lives.

No matter what the cost, isn't it important that we at least try to save lives. Experts have testified that Insite is necessary and ought to continue its exemption from Canada's drug laws. We should trust their authority and knowledge rather than rely on prejudice and bias against drug users.

Our Methods Must Match our Principles

My post from Monday saw a great deal of attention and discussion, and I would like to thank everyone for their participation. I believe strongly that the Liberal Party of Canada is better than what we may have become, with the use of questionable tactics like targeting potential voters solely based on their ethnicity.

We as a Party ought not to engage in such practices, but instead to reach out to ALL eligible voters to convey our message to them equally, no matter what their religion, culture, or nationality. We are the party of inclusion and equality, and it's important that we maintain this standard without fail.

Yes, it may be politically expedient to target voters based upon certain innate characteristics, but to do so requires us to sacrifice our dignity, principles, and ideals. If winning elections requires us to turn our backs and ignore that which defines us as Liberals, it may not be worth the cost.

I hope we can continue the discussion we began here in order to regain our principles and ethics. We are Liberals because we believe in equality, tolerance, and opportunity for all. We just need to make sure that the methods we use to win are also in accordance with these principles.

Liberal Targeting of Ethnic Groups Inconsistant with our Principles

I recently had the privilege to attend a training session for the Liberal Party. While I learned many useful and helpful campaign techniques, some of the training content did concern me. For example, when we were studying Voter Contact, one of the sub categories we examined was "targeting by ethnicity," as you can see below.

Campaign Manager Training - Upload a doc

Read this doc on Scribd: Campaign Manager Training

I am uncomfortable with our party targeting individuals and deciding on their usefulness or lack thereof simply based on their ethnicity. We are supposed to be a party of openness and inclusion, where all Canadians, regardless of race, religion, and background can feel comfortable and welcome.
I strongly encourage our Party to cease targeting voters based on ethnicity and instead focus on recruit the Canadian population as a whole.

Reward Compassion Rather than Fighting it

I read this story this morning which both pleased and enraged me. In Abbotsford, British COlumbia, a local pastor has begun feeding the homeless and the hungry in a local park, which is an act of compassion and altruism.

Rather than commend this man for his helping actions, local business owners and city councilors are trying to shut him down. What a cruel and unnessecary action! How heartless do you have to be to prefer people to starve rather than be healthy and fed?

These business owners need to look beyond their own self-interested lives to see the suffering around them in their community and participate in its solution, rather than trying to exacerbate the problem.

More Proof that Failing to Invest in Health Care has Dengerous Conserquences

The Ottawa Sun has an article today on their website which states that one in five Canadian nurses admits making mistakes with patients' medications as a result of being stressed from overwork.

According to a StatsCan survey of 18,000 nurses, 70% of nurses agreed with the statement "I have too much work for one person to do." A further 62% believed that their work load negatively impacted the quality of their work.

Investing in health care is one of the most important things the government can do. Investing more money on nurses and doctors will ensure not only that we have a strong health care system, but it will also lessen mistakes and keep us alive and healthy.

Nurses our our front line workers against disease and injury; we need to properly compensate them for the noble and altruistic work they do on behalf of each and every one of us.