I Shall Believe

Hi.

It has been so long since I have posted!

I am curious about everyone's tak eon Paul Martins address to Canada last night.

Thanks.

Raonaild

I was working late and missed this ... but it probably wouldn't make any difference for me anyway.

My take on the inquiry and this election talk: first off, I'm not that interested in another election right now. Here in BC, we're going to get our fill of elections over the next month as we vote for a new provincial gov. Secondly, no matter what criminal or negligent things Liberals may have done, that doesn't invalidate the entire party. Those people should be punished, yes, but I don't for a moment believe this behaviour could only ever happen in the Liberal party - any party is capable of it, and I've seen enough of knee-jerk reactionary protest votes to know that replacing one party with another just because you're pissed doesn't necessarily make anything better.

Thirdly, there is nothing that could possibly move me to vote for the Conservative party, especially with Stephen Harper at the helm. Harper has this self righteous sneer that reminds me disturbingly of George Bush. There have been Reform/Alliance/PC MPs that I could have gotten behind in the past (Joe Clark, Preston Manning), but Harper is not one of them. And Layton seems sincere and intelligent enough, but I have serious concerns the financial direction an NDP government would take the country should they win the government. I've had my fill of them in BC. I don't see not voting as an option, so that pretty much leaves me voting the same way I did last year: for the Liberals.

Mio

Paul Martin doesn't call an election. It will be Stephen Harper who will call an election.

notzool

Very True . That's how we ended up wiping out Ben Mulroney's pop & croneys to replace them with with this bunch. I'm in Ontario and we went through at the provincial level NDP, Conservative, and now Liberal within a few years. All were singing about the same song in the end. All were equally ineffective .

Maybe just replace Martin for now since he seems to have been in the middle of it all.

Maggie aka Sarah

Sigh.... here we go again.....

I agree with notzool... Mulroney and his buddies were also no angels. Do think though that Paul Martin probably wasn't involved in the sponsership mess. I have relatives who worked in Ottawa and heard years back... when Martin was finance minister... that Chretien's people and Martin's people went to great lengths to deal with the other faction as little as possible. But then again... there is the whatever that maybe Martin could have done more to clean up the mess as soon as he became Prime Minister.

But then again... Chretien is a very wiley slime ball... and it has been very difficult to pin anything on him for years and years. Though not through lack of trying. The Shawinigate whatever, etc.

I have absolutely no idea of who I will vote for. Live in Quebec and don't want to vote for the Bloc Quebecois. Which wouldn't win the riding where I live any ways. Yep... can't really see Westmount voting for the Bloc. Maybe the Conservatives could win Westmount... but I don't want to vote for them because of anti gay marriage stuff.

Oh well... or is it sigh?

Maggie

I Shall Believe

I have to say that I also cannot bring myself to vote for a conversative candidate. I personally find Stephen Harper to be the scariest man in Canada. I do not think Mr. Harper will continue with an agenda as open to Human Rights as we have now. Although I am tired of Paul Martin's photo ops with Bono, I feel that the Liberal governement could continue Canada's legacy of rights and responsibility.

The ADscam is a shame and the people responsible should be justly punished. However, we will not have conclusive information about the ADscam until the inquiry is over. Thus, calling for an election at this time would not be respectful to an attempt at a fair and just process

Mio

People should also realize that it's taking more money to fund the inquiry than the total amount that was used in the ascam.

I Shall Believe

It may take money, but the process needs to be completed. We cannot have a system in which people are accused but there has been no proof offered.

AlexEvans

There has been plenty of proof offered, but I agree they should finish the inquiry.

All that's changed since the last election is we know more details about how the corruption happened. I don't think there's anything that casts new light on the substance of what happened, or that should make people who were okay with corruption before change their minds.

Mio

I think the election shouldn't be called, because if so, allt he funding towards day care initiatives, the dna bank for criminals, fuel tax for provinces, etc, will all be nixed. These are things the country needs.

Raonaild

Here's another question for everyone: if not an election, what do you think could be done to improve the situation?

Personally, I'm thinking Paul Martin should resign. I think he's handled the situation as well as anybody could, and I don't think he's directly responsible for what happened. I feel a bit sorry for the guy really ... I think this came from elsewhere in the party and now with Cretien gone he's left to deal with the fallout. But he's been tainted by this - he was finance minister at the time, after all - and for the sake of the party and the country (given the recent polls showing sovereinty sentiments increasing in Quebec), he needs fall on his sword and step down. The Liberal party needs a new face that has no connection to this scandal if they ever hope to live it down. As long as that face is Martin, it's all people are going to focus on.

AlexEvans

That's a very good question, and one I don't have a real answer too. Who could replace him who wouldn't be connected to the scandal? I like Manley for the most part, but he was a senior government minister and Chretien loyalist. The same for anyone else in a senior portfolio right now - they either knew or should have known what was going on, are either corrupt or incompetent.

Maybe there's a Liberal premier or former premier who could be brought in. Not that Martin is likely to give up the job he fought so long and hard for, but it would probably be best for the country.

Of course, I'd prefer a Conservative government. But I don't see that's more necessary now than it was at the time of the last election.