Federal Election 2015

[Ice4fun 78396]

We don't want your Canada Mr. Harper all that is left for you to do tonight is to Resign and go away.....

 

Just my Opinion

[conquistador 18487]

steve has been heaved

[Kathryn Bardot 99339]

Steve couldn't even quit on his own... He issued a press release while he gave his speech... To the end, Steve. To the end.

[MoodyBlue 392]

George Carlin (RIP) said it best "Elections are held to give voters the "Illusion" of control, you have no control. They own you, they own everything". They've already bought politicians, judges, all the mainstream media, police and down the chain it goes. After 45+ voting years if there is anything I've learned is that these guys (HISTORY PROVES & REPEATS THIS AGAIN & AGAIN"). 90% of the time, once in power they turn around and pull a 180 and all the promises made.

 

Remember Obama's "Hope & Change"? The Conservatives in the past who got elected on a promise NOT to pass the much hated & protested GST as well as a promise of no new gas taxes (the 70s). Once IN, those were the first 2 promises they broke. As for Harper? He sold Canada out to his Corporate Masters and has de-regulated the hell out of all our protections and resource management. He has destroyed the Canada we once knew and loved.

 

Today, Mr Trudeau promises to defend our rights and freedoms yet how many people remember or noticed that without his EXPLICIT backing of Harper's Bill C-51 Omnibus anti-terror bill, it would NOT have passed. This bill which basically gave us a Canadian version of the US NDAA and killed our Canadian Charter of Human Rights as the NDAA killed the US Constitution. Time to wake up and smell the coffee people.

http://bit.ly/1QtsUlx

 

Mr. Trudeau wants to maintain Canada's reputation as a peaceful, loving people and as such we will welcome Refugees. Meanwhile, we have people sleeping within short distance from Parliament Hill on the streets and through Ottawa's bitter winters. The priorities are all backwards. Maybe if instead of going overseas to bomb other countries and building a Spy Center to spy on its own Citizens and which (when operations are included) is a 4 BILLION dollar expense we could do so much good with that money. At least Trudeau's dad (who eventually screwed up with his multicultural stance) BUILT/FUNDED PUBLIC HOUSING year after year and fought for the poor to the extent he could.

 

So now, while Canadians who were born here and who's parents and grandparents helped build and support these social safety net measures are now on 10 year+ waiting lists for public housing. (BEHIND new immigrants who get priority). (I speak from personal experience). Justin Trudeau should look back at his father's leadership when Canada was known worldwide, trusted and our military's mandate was to "KEEP THE PEACE!). They were Nobel peace prize winning peacekeepers (The infamous blue helmets). How did we ever slide into this mess?

 

OK, Trudeau, the ball is in your court now, EVERYONE wanted Harper the little Dictator out. He sold our country out and we just became puppets of US aggressive policy. So Justin, I really look forward to what you will reverse, change, improve. I remain unconvinced. Prove me wrong please!

 

I'm agnostic, but on this, I will pray to God for a miracle.

Much LOVE to everyone on this little blue planet. We are all brothers and sisters and only WE have the power of numbers. They keep us in fear and promote hate to keep us divided and fighting each other. "United we stand, divided we fall" If we can ever agree on anything to change this world for the better, they fear our numbers!. You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. "Imagine" by John Lenon

 

"BE the change you want to see."~Gandhi

Namaste.

[Cato 160314]

Steve couldn't even quit on his own... He issued a press release while he gave his speech... To the end, Steve. To the end.

 

So true. Cowardly, true to form, right to the end!

[Guest s******ecan****]

Yeeeeeeee-fuckin-hawwwwww

 

A great day for Canada

 

So long to our very own Nixon.

[drlove 37202]

Steve couldn't even quit on his own... He issued a press release while he gave his speech... To the end, Steve. To the end.

 

Not to mention, he has the gall to stay on as an MP to boot!

[bewlayb 7480]

Liberal majority. Sigh.

Hang on to your wallet.

Oops! Too late.

[waterat 20911]

Not to mention, he has the gall to stay on as an MP to boot!

Well all we can do is leave him to the riding who elected him. They deserve him. It is unfortunate the rest of us will have put up with the tedious and important repair job that King Stephen has saddled us with.

I'm trusting that the liberals will listen to all parliamentarians.

 

Additional Comments:

Liberal majority. Sigh.

Hang on to your wallet.

Oops! Too late.

Poor you! Oh no! I embrace the change.

 

CBC (how much longer will they exist?) just aired on item on Steven Harper's cash register (ch-ching) politics and campaign ads he used to bookend his tenure. They wryly observed that we sometimes use cash registers to get change.

[Ice4fun 78396]

WOW... now this is something I never thought I would see... Rumor has it that now that Harper is unemployed he is thinking about starting a new career in the Sex Industry.... he apparently has a high powered advertising firm working on his Website and developing some catchy marketing slogans such as:

• Get fucked by the best...
  
• Harper a man you can get behind...
  
• Forcing things down your throat is my specialty...
  
• Harper... I fucked you before I will fuck you again..
  
• Steven Harper... there is just no end to the Prick
  

 

Just a little Humour to brighten our day :)

[Cato 160314]

I think the fears of Liberal tax hikes are exaggerated, except for the wealthiest. HAroer shielded corporations and the wealthy from tax; there is clear evidence on this. Maybe this will change.

 

A couple of things I find interesting: a quick look at the map indicates that the first time the Conservatives get any urban representation is in Saskatchewan. East of there, all the cities are Liberal or NDP, though there may still be one Con in the greater Toronto area. Also, the NDP vote collapse in Toronto is spectacular, showing that people really were voting strategically, and that it worked. The idea was to get rid of Harper. That was a good idea. :)

I think the Liberals will need to be pressured to keep their election promises, but it's a start.

[Guest s******ecan****]

Its great to see a real feeling of optimism and unity across the country these past two days. Its been a long time since this Canadians felt this way. When Harper won his minorities and majority there was a lot of disappointment, resignation, fear and anger. I think the election has turned out for the best for the nation in ways not fully appreciated yet.

[Ice4fun 78396]

It is good to have that feeling of optimistic change in the country but I would strongly encourage Mr. Trudeau to realize that the strong wave of desire to remove Steven Harper from office should not be seen as a blank cheque to move forward on everything...within the Liberal Platform there are items that have great and lesser support amongst Canadians and it would b prudent to take some time and consult with others before acting..

 

It is easy to promise to cancel the purchase of the Jet when you are running for election but let's not forget the lessons learned by the helicopters... we ended up paying more to buy the same equipment... this jet is the choice of all our major allies.... was there issues wit how the conservatives handled the contracting F**** yes but let's not buy equipment different from our allies just for political reason or worse let not delay the inevitable purchase of these jets so that we pay more and lose benefits just to make a point.... sometimes it's just good enough to move forward ensuring our future actions are appropriate... you can't undo the past.

 

This is just one example to illustrate that political posturing and LEADERSHIP are not the same thing... you are elected as the leader of all canadians... Let's make sure that is remembered... th is not about or should not be about pandering to your base. I am willing to bet that if the conservatives had dumped Harper before the election they would still be in power.

 

Just my Opinion

[Cato 160314]

I just read an item in the press that the Cons considered announcing that Harper would resign if re-elected, or not run for yet another term, but they realised it was too late to turn the tide of public opinion. One problem they faced was who would succeed him, as he had a cabinet full of lightweights and ran a one-man show.

[Guest s******ecan****]

It is good to have that feeling of optimistic change in the country but I would strongly encourage Mr. Trudeau to realize that the strong wave of desire to remove Steven Harper from office should not be seen as a blank cheque to move forward on everything...within the Liberal Platform there are items that have great and lesser support amongst Canadians and it would b prudent to take some time and consult with others before acting..

 

It is easy to promise to cancel the purchase of the Jet when you are running for election but let's not forget the lessons learned by the helicopters... we ended up paying more to buy the same equipment... this jet is the choice of all our major allies.... was there issues wit how the conservatives handled the contracting F**** yes but let's not buy equipment different from our allies just for political reason or worse let not delay the inevitable purchase of these jets so that we pay more and lose benefits just to make a point.... sometimes it's just good enough to move forward ensuring our future actions are appropriate... you can't undo the past.

 

This is just one example to illustrate that political posturing and LEADERSHIP are not the same thing... you are elected as the leader of all canadians... Let's make sure that is remembered... th is not about or should not be about pandering to your base. I am willing to bet that if the conservatives had dumped Harper before the election they would still be in power.

 

Just my Opinion

 

I don't think it's political posturing to oppose the F-35. It was a poor choice by Harper because the aircraft was always going to be far beyond our needs. The Pentagon still isn't happy with the airplane and it has suffered from numerous production problems which continue to be ongoing.

 

There are many lower cost alternatives much more suited to our real defence needs. The initial 150 million that Harper spent on the R&D component of the deal is gone, however that will be more than made up in savings by purchasing lower cost alternatives with much lower maintenance costs.

[scribbles 6031]

I don't think it's political posturing to oppose the F-35. It was a poor choice by Harper because the aircraft was always going to be far beyond our needs. The Pentagon still isn't happy with the airplane and it has suffered from numerous production problems which continue to be ongoing.

 

There are many lower cost alternatives much more suited to our real defence needs. The initial 150 million that Harper spent on the R&D component of the deal is gone, however that will be more than made up in savings by purchasing lower cost alternatives with much lower maintenance costs.

I agree the F35 was never the machine we needed, but suggesting the 150 will be made up for in "savings" from going with a less expensive alternative isn't quite right either. You don't save money by purchasing something less expensive. You just avoid spending as much. It's cost avoidance, not savings. The reality is the 150 million needs to be tacked on to the ticket price of whatever option we choose to go with, as part of the total cost of equipment obsolescence. That still might not be cheap, but I'd like to think it will leave us with a fighter better suited to our purposes.

[roamingguy 300291]

Normally I'd post in the News forum but seems appropriate for this thread too

 

Harper's final campaign days: Tories considered telling voters he wouldn't seek re-election

 

http://www.metronews.ca/news/canada/2015/10/21/tories-considered-saying-harper-would-not-seek-reelection.html

 

RG

[Guest s******ecan****]

I agree the F35 was never the machine we needed, but suggesting the 150 will be made up for in "savings" from going with a less expensive alternative isn't quite right either. You don't save money by purchasing something less expensive. You just avoid spending as much. It's cost avoidance, not savings. The reality is the 150 million needs to be tacked on to the ticket price of whatever option we choose to go with, as part of the total cost of equipment obsolescence. That still might not be cheap, but I'd like to think it will leave us with a fighter better suited to our purposes.

 

In colloquial terminology, choosing the less expensive option, when making a necessary purchase, is considered by nearly everyone on this continent to equate to "saving money"

 

The same interpretation of "saving money" also appears in pretty much every dictionary definition of "saving" you will find, along with references to "saving a life" etc etc etc.

 

So yeah we'll be saving much more money by going with a less expensive option than the F-35.

[Ice4fun 78396]

With out a doubt their is cheaper options and given the planning horizon of a product like the F35 I am sure there will always be arguments about is it the plane we will need... well I don't consider my self an expert on jet fighters but I am somewhat concerned when we enter into a consortium to develop and build a new advanced jet fighter with our closet allies... not just the US but 9 partner countries (Britain, Australia, Italy, Turkey, the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway, Canada a the US) in addition orders have been placed by Japan, South Korea and Israel ... we are buying about 60 planes with our Allies buying about 3100 that's 12 of our allies choosing this jet as their next fighter.... we all know will happen we will cheap it out an rely on our allies just like we always do... our flagship for navy is over 30 years old and recently left Halifax to join NATO maneuvers of Europe but had to turn around and hobble back..... we will cheap it out but when we need the fighters operational and have to borrow parts to participate in a peacekeeping exercise we won't be able to cause we didn't but the same plane as our major ally...

 

The reality is...this is all politics...

 

Just my opinion

[Brad 49548]

With out a doubt their is cheaper options and given the planning horizon of a product like the F35 I am sure there will always be arguments about is it the plane we will need... well I don't consider my self an expert on jet fighters but I am somewhat concerned when we enter into a consortium to develop and build a new advanced jet fighter with our closet allies... not just the US but 9 partner countries (Britain, Australia, Italy, Turkey, the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway, Canada a the US) in addition orders have been placed by Japan, South Korea and Israel ... we are buying about 60 planes with our Allies buying about 3100 that's 12 of our allies choosing this jet as their next fighter.... we all know will happen we will cheap it out an rely on our allies just like we always do... our flagship for navy is over 30 years old and recently left Halifax to join NATO maneuvers of Europe but had to turn around and hobble back..... we will cheap it out but when we need the fighters operational and have to borrow parts to participate in a peacekeeping exercise we won't be able to cause we didn't but the same plane as our major ally...

 

The reality is...this is all politics...

 

Just my opinion

 

There's a couple assumptions there (not necessarily wrong, but possibly not correct either). The argument being made is that we can purchase less expensive planes that will *still* allow us to meet our military needs and obligations.

 

In addition, everything you say about the navy is only a bigger argument in favour of going for less expensive planes, since the plan is to put the majority of the savings into the navy, where arguably it will do much more good.

 

As with most things, we'll have to see how it actually plays out, but it seems a solid plan to my eyes, at least. It certainly seems to have a higher chance of resulting in real improvement than committing the funds to equipment that isn't necessarily required.

[Ice4fun 78396]

There's a couple assumptions there (not necessarily wrong, but possibly not correct either). The argument being made is that we can purchase less expensive planes that will *still* allow us to meet our military needs and obligations.

 

In addition, everything you say about the navy is only a bigger argument in favour of going for less expensive planes, since the plan is to put the majority of the savings into the navy, where arguably it will do much more good.

 

As with most things, we'll have to see how it actually plays out, but it seems a solid plan to my eyes, at least. It certainly seems to have a higher chance of resulting in real improvement than committing the funds to equipment that isn't necessarily required.

 

My point is this is a political decision... the Liberals were in power 15 years ago when we should have started planning to replace the aging ships in our Navy they didn't... everyone talks a good game when it comes to these huge program purchases but second guessing decisions 10 years into the planning horizon seldom results in savings just delays and poor decision based on the need to demonstrate savings at any cost... so we will skimp on supplies or maintenance we will delay the process and piss off our allies... it's the Canadian way.

 

I hope I am alive in 25 years when a true analysis can be done... lol

 

Just my Opinion

[waterat 20911]

..... we will cheap it out but when we need the fighters operational and have to borrow parts to participate in a peacekeeping exercise ...

 

Fighter jets for a peacekeeping exercise?

 

We need to start a military procurement thread to fight/argue this out!

I'm so sorry but I think that is the Canadian/lyla way.

[Ice4fun 78396]

Fighter jets for a peacekeeping exercise?

 

We need to start a military procurement thread to fight/argue this out!

I'm so sorry but I think that is the Canadian/lyla way.

 

A perfect example of a time when we demonstrated world leadership was when we participated in the "no fly" jone in Kosovo... it was before the days of running off to serch for weapons of mass destruction.

 

As for fighting... rather think of it as exchanging thoughts and broadening each other's thoughts on a topic of interest... lol

[Guest *Ste***cque**]

I'm glad this election is over. Stephen Harper wasn't the Devil, despite what some thought or said. He simply implemented policies that he believed in but that were out of step with the majority of Canadians (centre and left of centre folks). It was time for a change... and will be again at some point.

For now I'm hopeful.

[waterat 20911]

I.....Stephen Harper wasn't the Devil....

What on earth could make you think that? Many of our ladies could would likely disagree.... I believe bill C-36 was conceived and brought into being by the devil!!!!!

Let's work hard to support change and caring...