Despite being advised to loosen up, Stephen Harper is sticking to what’s tried and true.

There was a point in Stephen Harper’s speech at a Conservative pep rally on Monday evening when the crowd began finishing his lines.

He would outline something from last month’s budget that “the coalition said no” to, and would finish by saying, “Conservatives say ‘Yes.’” The crowd figured it out quickly, and was soon shouting “Conservatives say YES!” before the Prime Minister could get there.

Read More:

http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2011/04/04/37-days-media-says-change-harper-says-no/

Considering the Conservatives are up in the polls, it makes sense that Harper isn’t changing his tune. By sticking to what’s he’s been saying this entire campaign (though still in its early days) he is presenting Canada with what all indicators are showing Canadian want. Come May 2nd, we’ll see if this is actually the case.

The Liberals find themselves on the hook for $18 million dollars due to an eco-fee which barely lasted but the effects are now being felt.

Heading into next fall’s provincial election, Dalton McGuinty will probably have plenty of occasion to curse the day he first heard the term “eco-fee.”

The new fee began appearing on shopping receipts on July 1. It was applied to consumer products in an attempt to recoup costs of handling hazardous wastes present in everyday items after they were thrown out or recycled. More than 9,000 items, including things like light bulbs and batteries, were hit with the new fee at the point of sale.

Read More:

http://www.nationalpost.com/todays-paper/Liberals+afford/4518798/story.html

Useless taxes are usually a burden to the taxpayers, but this is a rare case of a tax hurting the people who imposed it. The Liberals’ bill of $18 million is proof that taxes should always be thoroughly debated and put to the consesus of citizens. To try to slide in a new tax clearly has unfortunate consequences.

The  Conservative Government, after the budget failed to pass, has been found in contempt.

OTTAWA -A special parliamentary committee has declared the Conservative government to be in contempt of Parliament for failing to provide enough information on the cost of its crime agenda. The ruling could have been grist for a possible vote of no-confidence on Friday, but it was not clear that such a vote would succeed, in light of reported budget concessions to the NDP. The parliamentary committee, dominated by opposition MPs, ruled the government had obstinately withheld information about the cost of its programs.

Read more:

http://www.nationalpost.com/todays-paper/Committee+finds+Tories+contempt/4482216/story.html

Nobody is surprised by this I’m sure, but I didn’t think the opposition would actually go through with the motion with the Conservatives up in the polls. Now that an election’s been called it’s unclear whether this motion will actually do anything for the opposition’s number of seats in the house.

Stephen Harper may have let down Quebec, but Michael Ignatieff promises the Liberals will pay attention to French-Canadian needs

QUEBEC CITY . Prime Minister Stephen Harper has let Quebecers down and they should get back at him by voting for the Liberals, Opposition leader Michael Ignatieff said Monday.

The Liberal leader positioned his party as the only credible alternative in Quebec as he tried to woo voters despite devastating poll results showing the party is in second-last place in the province.

Read More:

http://www.nationalpost.com/todays-paper/Ignatieff+dangles+arena+help/4439676/story.html

Considering the Bloc Quebecois certainly won’t be making any gains in upcoming elections, it makes sense that the Liberals would try to capitalize on the vast population of Quebec. Whether or not they’ll uphold the promises they’re making should they get elected is debateable, though Ignatieff is fairly confident. He is however, silent on the issue on how much money the Liberal party will devote to Quebec.

 The LIberals are seriously considering calling a no-confidence vote to trigger an election as early as this spring.

OTTAWA — The federal Liberals aren’t ruling out a bid to topple the Harper government before this month’s budget, a move that could trigger a spring election.

The Liberals say they’re keeping their “options open” on introducing a non-confidence motion in Parliament over the government’s refusal to disclose details about corporate tax cuts and the cost of Conservative crime bills.

Read more:

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/politics/Liberals+considering+Harper+confidence+motion/4396079/story.html

Of course the Budget would be the issue to break the House. What I find most interesting about this article is that the Liberals seem to have already made up their mind about it without it having even been announced. While they haven’t outright stated that they’ll call for a no-confidence motion, it honestly doesn’t seem like they’ll go the other way.

Before elections have even been called, the NDP are gettign ahead of the game with new ads which accuse lobbyists and ‘insiders’ of having too much pull in Ottawa.

An election hasn’t even started, and Canadian voters are getting hit this week with a new round of TV ads from two political parties.

In a Conservative ad, Prime Minister Stephen Harper tours a construction site wearing a hard hat, meets world leaders, and plays piano at home with his son, Ben, on guitar.

In an NDP ad, party leader Jack Layton, with a large Canadian flag as his backdrop, blasts the lobbyists, senators and insiders who ply their influence on Parliament Hill.

These are just some of the messages and images Canadians are seeing as parties gear up for a campaign that could be underway in one month.

The governing Tories, who began an ad campaign in January, have two additional ads in their political arsenal.

One is a soft-edged optimistic and patriotic ad, narrated by Harper, that speaks of how Canadians are so lucky to live in a country blessed with “freedom, democracy, and opportunity.”

Read more:

http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/02/28/new-ndp-ads-slam-tories-liberals-ottawa-insiders/

Really? Isn’t this just a little too soon? I suppose if the election gets called, then they’ll have somewhat of a headstart, but if Ottawa doesn’t go through with it, then they’ll come off as vindictive and sleazy. And I’ve always taken issue with ads that smear the other parties rather than promoting their own, it does not give me any faith in the party and I’m hardly inclined to believe they can fairly and justly lead a country.

 In a recent interview, Stephen Harper discussed the possibility of an election occurring in 2011, as well as his confidence in his party’s success in said possible election

A new poll shows that Canadian citizens would prefer to keep the minority Conservative government rather than have a coalition.

A new law will empower citizen’s arrests while hopefully discouraging acts of vigilantism.

OTTAWA— From Tuesday’s Globe and Mail

As the federal government drafts legislation to allow more citizen’s arrests, legal experts are warning that any new law must empower citizens while making sure not to encourage outright vigilantism.

“There can be a risk in giving too much power to arrest anyone without appropriately training them as to when that is or isn’t something that should be done,” said Graeme Norton, director of the public-safety program of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association.

 Read More:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/legal-experts-want-citizens-arrest-law-to-empower-citizens-discourage-vigilantes/article1881550/

     I’m pleased that there will be more power for citizen’s arrest without the danger of reprcussions as was seen in the case with the Toronto shopowner. An ordinary person should be able to defend their themselves, their property and any innocent bystanders, especially if their safety is being threatened. Their concern about vigilates is an interesting thought, although I doubt they have much to worry about. I can’t see an ordinary person hearing about this law and deciding to unlawfully arrest someone they didn’t like. However, if we spot someone running around in a mask and cape, we may have to take another look at this law…

A democracy advocacy group alleging that Stephen Harper broke an election law in 2008 will not be heard by the Supreme Court.