South Coast Today - canada election 2015

The politics of a soft economy

SCT and news sources — Tue, 01 Sep 2015 16:30:58 +0000

Only 35% believe Canada is heading in the right direction, while 33% say it is on the wrong track, according to pollsters Abacus Data.

These are the weakest indicators Abacus has seen since they began tracking this question 18 months ago. Among those who say the country is heading in the right direction, 46% intend to vote CPC, 25% NDP, and 23% LPC. Among those who have the opposite view, 38% intend to vote LPC, 37% intend to vote NDP, and 12% intend to vote CPC.

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Election horse race narrows

SCT and news sources — Tue, 01 Sep 2015 15:21:24 +0000

FROM THE HILL TIMES: After being pushed one way and pulled another, voters ended August very close to where they started at the beginning of the month with the horserace even tighter now than when the campaign began.

The Duffy trial motivated opposition supporters and dampened the Conservative opportunity to grow. The leaders’ debate helped the Greens, Liberals and Tories to some degree but didn’t actually hurt the NDP. Most Canadians feel we are at least probably in a recession, but those who are most engaged in the issue feel the Conservatives are best able to manage that recession.

While the horserace numbers are similar but closer, there were several major shifts in underlying numbers that put the Liberals in a better position now than a month ago. However, the NDP retain the largest pool of potential supporters

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Harper's careless wild salmon play

Timothy Gillespie — Mon, 24 Aug 2015 18:12:01 +0000

“I realize it was a mistake, but it expresses the carelessness of this government toward Pacific salmon. It reeks of the Conservatives supporting Atlantic salmon. It was a Freudian slip … when you say what you actually think.”

VANCOUVER -- An Atlantic salmon photo has been removed from the Conservative party website and replaced with one that looks more like a Pacific chinook, but B.C. supporters of wild salmon remain aghast at the mix-up.

“I think my reaction is like a lot of people’s in B.C.,” said Gerald Amos, a Haisla elder in Kitimat who works with Friends of Wild Salmon, a broad coalition. “It looked out of touch with respect to our coasts. It heightens our cynicism.”

On Friday, Conservative Leader Stephen Harper was in the riding of North Island-Powell River to announce that, if re-elected, his government would spend $15 million restoring wild salmon habitats in the lower Harrison River.

He then tweeted a photo of a salmon leaping upstream, its body in mid-air with all of its markings clear for everyone to see. It wasn’t long before sharp eyes caught the poster-salmon’s black spots around the gills, a giveaway that it was an Atlantic salmon.

In fact, a photographer based in northern England had taken the stock photo. He told the Ottawa Citizen the fish wasn’t even Canadian and he had snapped it in England’s Northumberland county.

B.C. environmentalist Alexandra Morton took to Twitter: “This is a fricking ATLANTIC SALMON!!! Guess he is telling us it is over for Pacific salmon! Unbelievable!!! When he talks about protecting salmon in B.C. — he means farmed Atlantic salmon. This would be funny if it wasn’t so serious for B.C.”

She later issued a press release on behalf of the Pacific Coast Wild Salmon Society and told The Vancouver Sun: “I realize it was a mistake, but it expresses the carelessness of this government toward Pacific salmon. It reeks of the Conservatives supporting Atlantic salmon. It was a Freudian slip … when you say what you actually think.”

“Perhaps if Harper hadn’t fired or muzzled all of his scientists, they could have helped him get this right.”

Before long, the offending salmon was switched to one that looks more like it could be a Pacific one, darker like a chinook, Amos said. “But if they couldn’t get that straight, we should all be worried.”

It’s not the first stock image faux pas. Earlier, a tweet from the pmharper account touting the value of an adoption tax credit featured a stock image of a family in a park. But they all actually live in Seattle and a photographer snapped the scene of family joy in Slovenia.

from the Victoria Sun

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Harper charged with contempt by NDP hopeful

Timothy Gillespie — Thu, 06 Aug 2015 17:27:30 +0000

Voters fed up with Harper
Alex Godbold, the freshly-minted NDP candidate for Gerald Keddy's South Shore-St. Margarets MP seat came out swinging in his first official campaign statement this week, saying that “People are fed up with Harper’s contempt for democracy and the law.”

Buying power
Godbold also accused Harper of a "plan to buy his way back into power with our own money..." and says that signals voters "that it’s time for a change.”

“The majority here in SSSM wants Stephen Harper gone,” says Godbold, who did not specify how he came to that conclusion. He did say that, in "consulting the numbers..." the only way to achieve that change is to vote NDP.

The NDP has come second in the last three federal elections in SSSM, adds the release, which also asserts that the party in the best position today to replace the Conservatives.

Trust in Mulcair
“We have a very experienced and trusted leader in Tom Mulcair,” says Godbold in the release, “Stephen Harper has the worst job creation record of any Prime Minister since the World War II. Canadians are turning increasingly to the NDP to undo the damage Harper has done to our country.”

Godbold used much of the news release to tout the promises of NDP leader Tom Mulcair, including the repeal of fhe "secret police law" (Bill C-51), the introduction of proportional representation, reinvestment in health care, rebuilding the economy with job creation initiatives and investment in infrastructure and renewable energy, tackling climate change and making polluters pay, reforming EI and to deliver affordable, accessible, quality child care at a cost of $15 a day.

Canadians want country back
“Tom Mulcair gets it. Canadians want their country back,” Godbold says, “and South Shore-St. Margarets can play a part in bringing about that change. I am asking for the support of all those who agree with us that Stephen Harper must go.”

In an exclusive interview last week with SCT, Godbold iterated many of the qualities he admires in leader Tom Mulcair, but did not take a strident position and did not level the charges of contempt.

Conflict of principles not likely
When asked by SCT whether, should he be elected, he would stand fast to his own principals on votes where he might differ with Mulcair and/or the NDP caucus, Godbold was far less certain, saying first that he doubted that there would not likely be that conflict. When pressed on whether he would stand fast to his values and principles, Godbold appeared to waiver, saying that the kind of partisanship which encouraged voting the party line was an essential part of the modern political process.

PHOTO: Alex Godbold at ArtStudio138 in Shelburne

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Letters: Opportunity for choice in 2015 election

Guest Editorial — Wed, 10 Jun 2015 14:36:43 +0000

Recently I had the honour of being nominated as the Conservative candidate in South Shore- St. Margaret’s.

Being nominated means that my name will be on the ballot as the Conservative Party of Canada’s candidate in the federal election this October.

Since last February I have been connecting with people from across the riding- which runs from Woods Harbour in Shelburne County, all the way to Prospect in Halifax County- asking for their vote to get my name on the ballot.

I would never have had this opportunity to run had it not been for the support from my family, friends, and community. I’m grateful to everyone who helped, and I feel a great responsibility to work hard and show them that supporting me was the right choice.

Although the election is still six months away, you’ll soon begin hearing more - from the media, and from all the candidates- about the important issues we’re facing.

For me, this election presents us with an opportunity to make an important choice:

We can choose the strong, proven leadership of Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Or we can take a risk on Justin Trudeau - who's simply not ready for the serious job of Prime Minister.

For my part, I’ll be spending the summer meeting neighbours on the South Shore, and making sure they know what our Conservative government has already accomplished: we’ve lowered taxes, we’ve created jobs, and we’ve protected Canada from Islamic terrorists. And we’ve done all of that while balancing the budget for future generations.

This spring we announced significant new measures to lower taxes for families. We introduced income splitting for couples with children, we increased the Universal Childcare Benefit (UCCB), and we raised the contribution limit for Tax Free Savings Accounts (TFSA).

The Liberal’s have promised to remove each and every one of our most recent measures to lower taxes for families. Income splitting - gone. UCCB - gone. TFSAs - gone.

Only the Conservative Party, led by Prime Minister Harper, can be trusted to keep taxes low and protect our country. In fact, we’re the only Party that can be counted on to oppose an anti-rural carbon tax, or not bring back the long-gun registry.

You’ll be hearing lots more about the choice you have to make in October in the coming months. For now, I’d like to wish all the families on the South Shore an enjoyable and sunny summer. I look forward to meeting you on the campaign trail!

Richard Clark
Conservative MP candidate: South Shore - St, Margaret's

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Duffy trial - day 3

Timothy Gillespie — Thu, 09 Apr 2015 19:31:45 +0000

"When the man with no shame met the place with no rules, so perfect was the marriage, so instant the attraction, the fireworks must have been spectacular." Christie Blatchford

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