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Wezil
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Ontario, Canada
Nov 1999
time: 01:53
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quote:
OTTAWA (CP) — Prime Minister Paul Martin is doing the right thing by taking to the airwaves to tell Canadians directly about his government’s record and its plans, Trade Minister Jim Peterson said Thursday.
Heading into a cabinet meeting, Peterson said Martin wants to keep voters up to date on what the Liberal government has been working on and put the sponsorship scandal in context.
“There’s a lot to be talked about in terms of what we’ve accomplished, in terms of what we’re doing to get to the bottom of the Gomery commission, in terms of what we have on the agenda for the future,” said Peterson, a long-time Martin loyalist.
“I think Canadians deserve to be told directly by the prime minister.”
Martin has taken the highly unusual step of bypassing Parliament and speaking directly to voters with a brief broadcast appearance Thursday night at 7:45 p.m. ET.
His staff have said the prime minister would talk about the sponsorship inquiry being held by Justice John Gomery into money funneled to ad agencies for work that was never completed.
They said Martin has no plans to announce his resignation or call an election during his brief remarks, expected to last about six minutes in each official language.
Gomery has heard a series of witnesses describe the political control exercised over sponsorship contracts by past prime minister Jean Chretien and his former public works minister, Alfonso Gagliano.
Gagliano has denied at the inquiry that he controlled specific sponsorship projects, funding or selection of middlemen but his claims have been contradicted by other witnesses and reams of documents.
Martin’s minority government is in jeopardy after allegations by advertising executive Jean Brault, who admitted to working with top Liberal brass and Gagliano aides to divert $1.1 million to party coffers in exchange for sponsorship contracts.
Martin’s extraordinary move follows a Conservative-engineered non-confidence motion Wednesday that could bring down the minority government as early as May 3 — sending voters back to the polls in early June.
Canadians should wait for Gomery’s final report before they make up their minds, Public Works Minister Scott Brison said as he headed into cabinet Thursday morning.
That way, they can weigh contradictory testimony that Gomery has heard, “and ultimately he can come up, through his report and his analysis, with the truth for Canadians.”
Meanwhile, Justice Minister Irwin Cotler denied allegations that some top Liberals influenced judicial appointments.
“I am involved with respect to the nomination of judges on one basis only: merit, excellence,” said Cotler as he headed into cabinet.
“And I think if you look at the appointments, they’ve been excellent appointments.”
In media interviews published Thursday, Benoit Corbeil — former head of the Quebec wing of the Liberal party — described an influential network of Liberals who oversaw political nominations and suggested that was why lawyers often volunteered to work for the party.
About 20 helped out in the 2000 election and several of those were later named judges, said Corbeil, who is expected to testify soon at the Gomery commission.
He refused to name names and added he has no proof any judges were named improperly. |
Throw the man an anchor already.
I predict this approach will backfire as the public gets a good view of just how desperate this man is to cling to power.
Anyone think this will work/help?
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JimmyCracksCorn
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Macedonia - Sovereign country north of Greece.
Dec 2002
time: 05:23
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I love political drama.
Did anyone happen to catch the House of Commons on Tuesday live on CBC? That was awesome, what a zoo.
Anyways, this announcement should be interesting. My housemate says that its going to be recorded at Martin's desk, similar to the Presidential address. Should be good (or bad, depending on how you look at it).
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JimmyCracksCorn
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Macedonia - Sovereign country north of Greece.
Dec 2002
time: 05:23
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quote:
The Liberals are corrupt, the Conservatives are corrupt |
If the conservatives are corrupt, the Liberals are ultra ultra ultra corrupt times infinity. I don't think corrupt is the right word for the CPC... perhaps, conservative is the word you're looking for?
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Omni Rex Draconis
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Defining corrupt:
1) in a state of decomposition; tainted; putrid.
Religions have been "decomposing" for many generations now, thankfully, so this definition certainly applies. I am vastly relieved that the process of decay seems to finally be hitting the Liberal party, however.
2) of a perverted character; depraved.
As you said Asher, the religious right believe that they are acting morally. But morality (concerning the principle of "right" and "wrong") can be claimed by anyone who sincerely believes that what they are doing is correct.
The Liberals, governing as they always have with a finger in the political wind, certainly have no basis to take the moral high road. It is difficult to find any issue on which Liberals will make their stance unequivocally - other than "Keep us in power!"
3) dishonest; given to bribery.
HAHAHAHAHA.... Liberals.
Sorry, Asher. Corruption does not seem to be quite the word you're looking for.
As for "forcing their morals" (or lack thereof) "and opinions on other people", the Liberal party has been doing exactly that for most of my lifetime. And I am getting really tired of it.
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JimmyCracksCorn
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Macedonia - Sovereign country north of Greece.
Dec 2002
time: 05:23
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Man, what a pathetic speech by Martin. It was pre-recorded and his still managed to stutter and sound like a pea brain.
Harper's rebuttle was pretty good though.
May 19th, baby... thats when the government is going down.
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notyoueither
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of naught
Aug 2001
time: 22:23
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Hey, KH, what do you think about these numbers?
http://www.canada.com/national/stor...0a-a41ca6f021f1
quote:
Poll suggests Tories-Grits close in Ontario
Canadian Press
Friday, April 22, 2005
OTTAWA -- A public-opinion survey taken before Prime Minister Paul Martin's televised address Thursday suggests the Liberals and Tories were neck-neck in the crucial electoral battleground of Ontario.
The poll of 1,260 people conducted last weekend by the firm Pollara and released Friday, suggests the Conservatives had the support of 35 per cent of decided voters nationally, compared with 31 per cent for the Liberals. The NDP remained far behind at 18 per cent, while the Bloc Quebecois had 12 per cent.
Pollara said the results are accurate to within plus or minus three percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
In the key province of Ontario, the Liberals had 39 per cent compared with 38 per cent for the Conservatives, while the NDP were at 19 per cent. The margin of error, however, is higher for the smaller sample represented in Ontario and the results are less reliable.
Michael Marzolini of Pollara said the findings indicate a falloff of initial NDP support in the wake of sponsorship inquiry revelations. Many voters instead were shifting their NDP support to either of the two main parties.
"What's interesting is the NDP, which had swollen up to a size 24 (or) 26 per cent across the country - and higher in Ontario - has now completely split evenly to the Conservatives and the Liberals," he said in an interview.
The relatively strong Conservative showing in the province - the highest the party has yet polled in Ontario - indicates the Tories would have taken most of the ridings outside of Toronto if an election had been held last week, Marzolini said.
In Quebec, the Bloc Quebecois had a stranglehold of 54 per cent of decided voters that Marzolini predicted would have given them up to 70 seats - a significant jump from the 54 seats they currently hold. The Liberals were at 18 per cent, the Tories at 14 per cent and the NDP at 12 per cent.
Marzolini said the Conservatives also had a strong showing in Atlantic Canada, where they won the support of 38 per cent of decided voters, compared with 44 per cent for the Liberals.
"A six-point gap? I never thought I would see the Conservatives at 38 per cent in Atlantic Canada," he said.
But the week-old numbers may change as Canadians assess Martin's Thursday evening broadcast address, and the responses of opposition leaders.
© The Canadian Press 2005 |
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embalmer42
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The Great State Of Insanity
Jan 2000
time: 05:23
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I wouldn't be getting too excited just yet Ben. After all, if I recall the Conservatives were polling quite well two to three weeks before the last election - when some were even whispering about a Conservative majority - and we all know how that ended up. Of course, I do realize that there is a straw that finally breaks the camel's back and this could indeed be it, but.....
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embalmer42
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The Great State Of Insanity
Jan 2000
time: 05:23
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quote:
Originally posted by Ben Kenobi
Better to be in the lead, than trailing. |
Only on election day.
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All times are GMT. The time now is 05:23.
Apolyton Time is 00:23. |
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21-04-2005 22:15
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