Vancouver Secrets

Garth Is Too Much

From Garth’s blog:

Apparently I am too much. Too much for a successful career in Canadian politics, anyway. As you may have heard, last night I lost my seat in Parliament in the first elections in the world to be held in the immediate wake of the financial and economic mess enveloping us.

Being Canada’s only blogging MP (my political site played a key role in having my butt kicked out of the Conservative party) was bad enough. But being with a political party which seemed to offer people no better safe harbour in this storm was likely the kiss of death. I’d urged my leader to adopt an immediate policy of guaranteeing all private bank savings, but that commitment was blown.

In any case, my own damn fault. If you want to know more, you can buy my book (the new one). More on that in future days.

Garth is too much…

Sign Of Desperation - Vote Swapping

photo credit: ItzaFineDay

If you live in one of the provinces that doesn’t really matter in this election (anywhere outside of Ontario and Quebec), you probably don’t have much of a say in who will run Canada.

A group has formed on Facebook that is called the “Anti-Harper Vote Swap Canada“. It demonstrates the desperation among the left.

The idea according to their page:

This group is designed as a forum for those who oppose Stephen Harper and the Conservative Party. It is imperative that they do not obtain a majority in the 2008 federal election. To prevent this from happening, those on the broad left and those concerned about the environment must cooperate.

The concept of the vote swap is simple: in a completely legal fashion, it allows voters in different ridings to swap votes to best ensure the Conservatives don’t win. Let’s say your preferred candidate has no chance to win your riding. You can swap that vote out with someone else in the group so that you can vote for the party that has the best chance to stop the Conservatives from winning the seat. This allows you to vote for your party of preference (and thus keep smaller parties alive) while doing your best to keep the Tories out of power.

Not sure I agree that they will be able to do anything other than split the vote among the left wing parties - in an insignificant way - but it shows how important it is that you do get out to vote this year.

If you’re into it - here’s a site that does the same, but isn’t partisan… although it won’t really work.

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Canada’s Answer to Lipstick - Elizabeth May

photo credit: ewar woowar

The Green Party’s Elizabeth May finally got into the televised leader’s debates.

Let’s hope the Sarah Palin effect isn’t spilling over to in Canada.

Give her credit for getting Independent MP Blair Wilson - a former Liberal first elected in 2006 - to become a Green Party MP.  She now gets her shot to get heard… despite having a poll rating of 8% (they got a whopping 4.3% of the vote last election - making them the new Rhino party).

The interesting thing is the deal Elizabeth made with Dion not to field a  candidates in each others riding. Surprisingly, he didn’t join Layton in protesting her inclusion.

Any additional support she may get from the debates will come from the left and split the vote from those that want to crush Canadians with a new carbon tax…  helping the Conservative Party get their majority.

The good news is that no one will be watching.

Need a $77,000 Pay Raise?

photo credit: estherase

Gord Campbell’s Liberals showed their true Liberal roots this past week… slipping in a pay raise on a late Friday afternoon, so the media coverage would be muted by Monday.

For the better part, it worked.

It’s enough to make the average BC resident wish their was a Conservative party in the province.

Seems it takes a pay raise of 43% to “keep the brightest minds”. With decisions like this, one wonders if there are any bright minds in this government.

Liberals gave B.C. members of the legislature salary increases of 29% earlier. Front-line provincial government workers in B.C. won 2% raises this year.

Try to defend this when contract time time comes around.

With Health Care costs running at 50% of the provincial budget, one wonders where this money will all come from.

Maybe a Carbon Tax?