Canadians Going To The Polls Today (March 25, 2011)

Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff said the Conservative government had lost the confidence of the House of Commons, as he speaks in support of a motion to defeat the government Friday. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)

Canada Ticks Toward Election As Vote Looms -- Yahoo News/AFP

Opposition prepared to topple Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Tory government in a no-confidence vote on Friday over alleged "abuse of power," and force snap elections.

The adoption of the motion coming on the heels of a historic contempt of parliament charge would trigger the minority Conservative government's defeat and send Canadians to the polls in early May.

A vote on the motion was scheduled for 1:15 p.m. (1915 GMT).

Read more ....

My Comment: Liberal party members were putting up their posters 2 days ago in St. Henri, Montreal. Hmmmm .... they certainly feel confident that we are going to the polls.

My prediction .... the government will fall this afternoon, and we will have our election on May 2. The opposition is hoping to exploit the ethical problems of the Conservative Party .... yup .... the Liberals with a long and horrible history of corruption are going to call the Conservatives to be accountable. My suggestion .... don't go there, most Canadians remember what happened the last time that the Liberals were in power, and will not be impressed with this direction. My suggestion .... stick with the economy and on how the Liberals will help Canadians with their debts and job prospects.

Quebec's Hockey Dreams May Give Harper His Majority

Quebec Colisee

From The National Post:

This week's federal byelections, in which the Conservatives grabbed a seat away from the Bloc Quebecois, will be analyzed for what portent they may hold in a future general election. But such tea leaf reading is an uncertain endeavour for a variety of reasons -- not the least of which is the ridiculously low voter turnout. It's hard to predict what most people think when most people didn't vote.

In any case, those gazing into the electoral crystal ball should probably focus more on a part of la belle province where people weren't voting this week: Quebec City. With Quebec being one of the keys to a Tory majority, the government is on the cusp of a winning plan in the province's capital.

Read more ....

My Comment: For an outsider .... the common remark is .... "you got to be kidding". But for people in the region .... this is a very important issue. Will support from Ottawa for an NHL team have an impact .... definitely. For Conservatives in the region, this will be a feel good issue, one in which they cannot lose.

Looking at it from an economics point of view, supporting an NHL team does not make sense. The market is not big enough to accommodate a new team. But hey .... when did politicians care about economics.

Quebec's ADQ Leader Blames Other For His Misfortunes

Photo: ADQ Leader Gilles Taillon, left, announced his resignation Tuesday. (CBC)

ADQ Leader Blames Tories For His Undoing -- CBC

MNA Gérard Deltell still thinking about a run for party leadership.

One day after announcing his resignation, Action Démocratique du Québec Leader Gilles Taillon says he was the victim of a putsch organized by the former "owners" of the party.

Taillon settled his accounts in an open letter distributed to the media Wednesday, accusing former leader Mario Dumont, other influential members of the ADQ, and the federal Conservative Party.

Read more ....

Update: Outgoing ADQ boss blames federal Tories for his party's internal shenanigans -- Canadian Press

My Comment: What a mess .... and Action Démocratique du Québec Leader Gilles Taillon has no one to blame but himself. But what is going to happen is that this mess is going to smear others .... including other members in the ADQ and the Conservative Party In Ottawa.

Quebec's ADQ Party Is Imploding

Gilles Taillon. Photograph by: Mathieu Bélanger, Reuters

ADQ Leader Wants Police Investigation, New Leadership Race -- CTV News

QUEBEC — Action democratique du Quebec Leader Gilles Taillon wants provincial police to investigate what he calls "troubling aspects" in the party's finances.

Taillon also told a news conference in Quebec City today he wants the beleaguered party to hold another leadership race after less than a month on the job.

Taillon's comments on the ADQ financing come a few weeks after the party announced it would cut off ties with members of the Conservative party, including Senator Leo Housakos.

Read more ....

More News On The Demise Of The ADQ

ADQ leader Gilles Taillon calls for new leadership race -- Montreal Gazette
ADQ leader resigns -- CBC News
Quebec political scandals rock ADQ & Liberals, federal Tories refuse comment -- Canadian Press
ADQ RIP SVP -- Macleans Magazine
Show us the money, say ADQ defectors -- Montreal Gazette
Beleaguered ADQ chief wants out -- Globe And Mail

My Comment: This situation provides an opportunity for the Federalists in Quebec, and the Conservatives in particular. The ADQ have always split a good portion of the Federalist and soft nationalist vote to their cause .... thereby permitting the PQ to come into the middle to win elections.

The demise of the ADQ will now end this. The key now is how will the Federalists take advantage of this situation. The Conservative win in yesterdays byelection in the rural riding of Quebec may give an indication on where this may be going.

Conservatives Win 2 Byelections, 1 At Bloc's Expense

Photo: Four ridings were up for grabs in Monday's federal byelections — one each in British Columbia and Nova Scotia and two in Quebec. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)

From The CBC:

Bloc holds on to Montreal riding, NDP wins in B.C.

The Conservatives scored two federal byelection wins Monday, upsetting the Bloc Québécois in eastern Quebec and cruising to an easy victory in Nova Scotia.

The Bloc easily retained the riding of Hochelaga in Montreal's east end, while the New Democrats had no trouble holding on to a seat in British Columbia.

Conservative Bernard Genereux, the former mayor of La Pocatière, scored an upset in Montmagny-L'Islet-Kamouraska-Rivière du loup in eastern Quebec, taking more than 42 per cent of the vote, ahead of the Bloc's Nancy Gagnon, with just under 38 per cent.

Read more ....

My Comment: This is an unexpected surprise for the Conservatives .... especially in Quebec. They also did better in the Montreal riding, as well as finishing a respectable 2nd in B.C.

The Bloc did a heavy push in support of the gun registry which clearly flat in Eastern Quebec.The NDP won in BC opposing the Harmonization tax .... which worked for them even though they are in favor of raising the GST. The message from the Conservatives could have been better refined .... but it was not.

The big losers were the Liberals .... their popular vote went down, and the Green party was non-existent in the vote count.

I will comment more on the Liberal loss of popular vote in the next few posts.

Lawyers Dominate Politics, But Not One Running In Monday's Byelections

Parliament Building

From The Canadian Press:

Monday's federal byelections will choose four new members of Parliament from a list of candidates that includes three farmers, four municipal politicians, a principal, a plumber, and an engineer — but not a single lawyer, a profession that dominates Canadian politics.

Since Confederation, 1009 lawyers have sat in the House of Commons, nearly twice as many as politicians from any other profession, according to data collected by the Parliament.

Fifteen of Canada's 22 prime ministers have practised law. Stephen Harper, an economist, is the country's first non-lawyer leader since 1980.

Read more ....

My Comment: No lawyers .... I feel better already.

Bloc Hopes Gun Registry Triggers Byelection Win

From The CBC:

The Bloc Québécois is using gun control to curry favour in a pair of federal byelections Monday that are seen as mid-term popularity contests for the sovereigntist party.

The Bloc is fighting to hold on to the Hochelaga riding in east-end Montreal, and the Montmagnuy-L'Islet-Kamouraska-Rivière-du-Loup riding in eastern Quebec, two regions where its candidates face close races with their opponents.

Read more ....

My comment: the opposition is split, and 40% of the riding who are separatists .... and they are going to vote for the Bloc.