John Ivison | November 9, 2014 9:25 PM E
From left: NDP Leader Tom Mulcair, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau. What has become clear in the last month is the ground the party strategists want to fight on during the next campaign.
From left: NDP Leader Tom Mulcair, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau. What has become clear in the last month is the ground the party strategists want to fight on during the next campaign.
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The next general election has taken shape in this past extraordinary month on Parliament Hill. The campaign has crystallized around one question: how to spend the surplus?
There’s more to elections than that, of course. Voting intentions are influenced by a wide variety of factors and it’s clear that Stephen Harper’s response to the unfolding crisis in the Middle East is largely responsible for his improved polling results in recent weeks. According to Nanos Research, an eight point gap between Justin Trudeau and Mr. Harper on the “preferred prime minister” question has narrowed to three points in the last four weeks.
But those events are out of the control of even the most dominant of Canadian leaders.
What has become clear in the last month is the ground the party strategists want to fight on during the next campaign. The NDP was first to announce its big idea, with Tom Mulcair’s plan to create or maintain one million affordable childcare spaces, at a cost of around $5-billion a year.
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The Conservatives parried with their package of measures that include limited income splitting for couples with kids and an enhancement of the universal child care benefit measures with a similar price tag to those of the NDP.
The Liberals have been silent on their plans but a speech by Mr. Trudeau last week to the Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships was pretty explicit about where he wants to spend the estimated $50-billion in surplus expected to be generated over the next six years, investments in infrastructure.
Mr. Trudeau has said he will repeal the Conservative plan on income splitting. He has been silent on what he would do about the enhancement of the childcare benefit. However, it is understood he will keep the measure, while imposing a means test that caps its availability to those earning less than $50,000.
There are no suggestions that the Liberals will try to resurrect their national daycare plan that has been a platform perennial.
Rather the speech to the CCPPP suggested money raised by cancelling Tory tax
credits will be spent “confronting the challenges of the next
decades,” rather than “confronting the challenges of the next election.” It is a
bold move taking money out of voters’ pockets to spend on what the Liberal
Party perceives as our “collective prosperity.”
There is a sound economic argument to be made for investing heavily in building new roads, subways, bridges and flood prevention walls.
“Solid, strategic infrastructure will help our economy grow, help create jobs and help Canada remain competitive,” the Liberal leader said, citing Department of Finance numbers that suggest investing $1-billion in infrastructure boosts GDP by as much as $1.6-billion.
Low interest rates and a relatively strong dollar mean we’re staring at an “historic opportunity.”
“Together we can seize this opportunity to embark on a new kind of nation-building,” Mr. Trudeau said.
There is precedent for voters ignoring blatant pre-election bribes when the
government is considered so long in the tooth that re-election is
inconceivable for a sufficient number of voters. We don’t seem to be at that
point in the electoral cycle. In common with the Nanos poll, most recent surveys
suggest a resurgence in Conservative support.
Yet the Liberals are banking there is sufficient irritation with congestion and natural disasters for their plan to become a vote winner.
“If you want to know why the people who voted for Doug Ford are frustrated,
try driving from Rexdale to Scarborough for work in the
morning,” said Mr. Trudeau.
But the classic election goodie strategy has been employed by the Conservatives for a reason, it works.
By the time the election rolls around, many families across Canada will have received cheques worth several thousand dollars from the Harper government.
To spend $18-billion a year on infrastructure — a policy endorsed by Liberals at their last convention — Mr. Trudeau will have to cancel those monthly cheques.
As Sir Humphrey might have put it: “Very brave, minister. Extremely courageous.”
National Post
• Email: jivison@nationalpost.com
Commentary by the Ottawa Mens Centre
All Three Politicians are silent on Canada's Male Sharia Law that spends Billions of dollars on State Funded Terrorism.
Ontario Funds A Billion Dollars to its number one Criminal Cartel called the Children's Aid Societies of Ontario, whose lawyers Personally Fabricate Evidence against the most vulnerable in society and then Ontario cancels the legal aid of the most vulnerable simply because of Fabricated Evidence provided by Lawyers, for the Children's Aid Societies of Ontario.
I challenge all three politicians to step up to the plate and put Billions of Dollars towards taxpayers rather than spending those Billions of Dollars on Radical Fascist Terrorism that is primarily directed against FATHERS, the most vulnerable group in Canada.
Take MARGUERITE ISOBEL LEWIS, This Vile example of humanity, Personally Fabricates Evidence in the Court Room to take children from Male Victims of Domestic Violence and to place them with the most violent of mothers.
These Fascists "Baby Snatchers" literally operate with impunity and total immunity from any form of criminal prosecution.
Fascist Criminals called Crown Attorney's represent the State of Ontario in the Fascist program of Gender Superiority.
That means Corrupt Crown Attorneys like TARA DOBEC of Ottawa STAY CHARGES against violent female offenders and at the same time, prosecute vexatious criminal charges against fathers to assist mothers.
Most of the cases are specifically heard by Judges in secret court hearings who are former lawyers who worked for the Criminal Organization called the Children's Aid Societies of Ontario.
Our Police are often the first on the scene and the first to Fabricate Evidence against male victims of domestic violence.
The Ottawa Police spend around 75% of their 400 Million Dollar budget on "
Male Sharia Law where the worst child abusers and fabricators of evidence get to
call themselves Police Officers.
Take Ottawa Police Det. Peter Van Der Zander who Personally Fabricates Evidence to remove children from fathers by FABRICATING evidence NOT to charge the most violent of females.
Its scum of humanity like Marguerite Lewis and Peter Van Der Zander and the judges who cost Canada Billions of Dollars in a Fascist Program of Gender Superiority that ends up abusing Canada's innocent children by depriving them of their fathers.
Canada, is a Fascist State thanks to our gutless cowardly politicians who fail to act to bring an end to Canada's spiral dive into Fascism.
Ottawa Mens Centre
Canada has become a radical breeding ground for the extreme views of the far left of socialism and the far right, the mad mad world of tea party politicians both of whom operate in the their own cult like narrow minded worlds of exclusion that in their twisted minds justifies a dictatorial approach to the Rule of Law and democracy.