Canadian Politics

Live from the Chapters Starbucks in beautiful, sunny Ancaster Ontario, it's The Bradcast Election Day post. I drove by Hamilton Golf and Country Club today (yeah that one; one of the 10 best in North America) and I swear it looked green enough to play. This has been one weird winter. Jan tells me it's 11 degC in Calgary today. So much for the weather terror of the winter election; it never happened. As I pack up the last of the major items in the house in advance of the moving guys, I'm glad the timing allowed me a chance to vote one last time in Ontario. Back in Alberta, about 60% of the population will be voting Conservative and the map will be solid blue. My vote is needed here in Ancaster as this is a much tighter district. The polls are very busy today. Very busy. Busier than 2004 when I was a polling scrutineer. Stuff is happening, things are changing and brilliant sun has me thinking more about that golf course than of politics... I'm planning to be back here in early September to catch the Canadian Open. If you are a golf junky and have never made the trek to the Ancaster Links -- one of the unofficial names for HG&CC -- then check your calendar and come see our hallowed ground. This course will have you crying tears of joy at the wonder of it all and, no doubt, it will certainly be a source of tears for many great golfers. So tonight in the boxed up house it's more packing and stacking. And then a late visit -- polls close at 9:30 PM -- to my father's house to watch the election results. My prediction? The sun will rise tomorrow and we will all be one day older. PS: The comment fields are closed today due to Canada's arcane election rules. If you want to post election results you won't be doing it here.

Regarding the Jan 23 Election; USA Today nails it:
"Ethics, not ideology, has been the central issue."

On Monday we find out how much is enough.

"Ministers are not responsible for what they do not know about the actions and decisions of the PMO or other Ministers, or about the administration of departments other than their own."

Don't ask, don't tell.

Now institutionalized! New and improved part II coming in February!

The new GG is in the clear; glad to have her aboard.

Despite all the assurances that the GG selection process is filled with "rigourous", "stringent" and "exhaustive" background checks, I wonder. If that were the case, then the political hacks, loyal civil servants and Privy Council mandarins involved in the process would have been deftly able to handle this goofy little tempest. Instead, it's been a week of goal tending finally put to rest by a press release from the lady herself. Not to mention that she is at least as qualified as the past couple of GG's. What self-respecting separatist is going to dawn a hat to ride in a carriage with Her Majesty?

Look; if you are not Canadian, then move on and read the next post. Move along. Nothing to see here.

Now... I wanted to write about how CBC radio sounds like a 1967 FM easy listening radio station during the lock-out. And I thought about writing on what could be a curling armageddon (I was okay with a winter without hockey -- I'm done with hockey -- but a winter without curling is barbaric and devoid of humanity.). But I went over to the Canadian political blog of record and found that 'the Warren' is having second thoughts about our new GG. Look, I didn't have a clue who the new GG-designate was when she was named ; owing to the fact that I don't watch CBC TV. And face it, those of you who read this blog will no doubt know how ignorant I am... but Bourque is certainly digging. Is this just a summer scandal or is there anything real here?

Liberals in Canada have never been averse to hardball, power-play politics. They routinely accept all manner of political personalities from other parties. In fact, they sometimes elect leaders from this group of political opportunists. Liberals call this "big tent" politics. It is opportunistic, short-sighted, cynical, unprincipled, disdainful... and it works. Liberals rule Canada with wreckless abandon and are nearly unchallenged in their ability to govern at will. In the past week they ignored an instruction from Parliament to resign. Belinda Stronach voted against the ruling elite of the Liberal Party at that time. She has voted repeatedly to defeat the Liberals.

Today she changed her mind.

With Stronach's appalling deceit comes the realization that no matter how despicable we think politics is -- especially at the Federal level in Canada -- it can become even more disgraceful, destructive and corrupt. The lesson to learn from this is that no matter how it affects your personal reputation, it's always better to put power, avarice, bitterness and self-interest ahead of compassion, honour, loyalty, principles, belief, religion, love and truth. None of this will stick to Stronach. She's the girl-child goddess of Canada. Her speaking style is monotonous and her vision unfettered by passion, but she will maintain her Martha-smooth teflon exterior. The media will hound Stephen Harper. They will ask what mean things he might have said to her. They will posit that she was driven out.

Okay. So here's my proposition. If you are a jaded cynic, a hard-core non-voter, a devoted agnostic, an unengaged apathetic why not vote Conservative next time just to see if they in fact will lie less than the current crop of Monsters-in-Law. I guarantee that they will lie far less. Every donut and a half at Tim Horton's now realizes that we were lied to far less by (...even?) Brian Mulroney in 8 years than this crew has done in the last 8 months; not to mention the past 12 years or so.