Modeling Journey

Full Video: English Leaders Debate with Harper, Layton, Dion and May

10.2.2008


Part 1: Economy



Part 2: Economy



Part 3: Economy



Part 4: Environment



Part 5 Environment and Economy:



Part 6 Health Care:



Part 7 Health Care:



Part 8 the Arts:



Part 9 Crime:



Part 10 Crime:



Part 11: Closing



Credit: http://www.youtube.com/user/setnor
*For timing issues, Gilles Duceppe has been edited out. The rest of this clip remains UNEDITED, as aired.

Layton finishes off Dion in the debates last night

I thought Jack Layton did a great job last night positioning himself as leader of the opposition. The video below was just a crippling attack on the Liberal leader. Harper held his own, Dion fell flat and the other opposition leaders did well. I agree with the pundits. Nationally only one party is capable of forming government rather minority or majority. This is now a clear race for second place between Dion and Layton with Layton having momentum on his side. NDP should turn this portion of the debate into an ad for the last week of the campaign. With the national race out of reach (pending a major gaffe or miracle), the focus is now in each individual riding. Liberals are fighting for survival while Conservatives are looking for a majority. At this point, I think a majority government would be the best thing for Liberals. A minority will force them to pick a new leader, abstain from votes to avoid an election and likely fight the next election despite being in huge debts as a party and as individual leadership candidates. Liberals are a lot like the Toronto Maple Leafs right now. Accept reality and rebuild for the future. The choice in Newmarket-Aurora is now between a voice in government and a voice at the next Liberal leadership race. I am proud to be voting for Lois Brown - a strong Conservative voice for Newmarket-Aurora.

Best lines from Harper

"It was absolutely an error; it's obviously clear that the evaluation of the weapons of mass destruction turned out not to be correct,"
-On the Iraq war

"The economic and financial mess in the United States is disastrous; the policies have been irresponsible. We have made very different choices in Canada,"
-On the Bush administration management of the US economy

"What leaders have to do is to have a plan and not panic. Last night, Stéphane, you panicked,"
"You came on the set and announced a whole new economic plan in the middle of a national debate."
-On Dion's hail mary pass in the French debate where he created a new economic policy on the fly

I also liked Duceppe's line:

"I know I won't be prime minister. And three of you won't be prime minister, either," he said, waving a hand toward Mr. Dion, Mr. Layton and Ms. May. "Some of you know it, but you don't say it."

Finally Layton had the line of the night:

"If you can't do the job of a leader of the opposition, I don't know why you are running to be prime minister,"

-Darryl

Layton on Dion abstaining 43 times:



Layton mocks Harper's sweater

Greens will be in the debates

I do not mind the Greens being in the debates. She is going to attack the Conservatives but ultimately will split the vote on the left even further. Dion, Layton, May and in Quebec Duceppe all seem to be going after the same voters. All have similar platforms. I think Harper and the Conservatives are well positioned on the right and among the moderate middle. I congratulate the Green Party for getting in the debates because I think it is good for democracy. I look forward to Elizabeth May explaining her deal with Dion and perhaps pushing new Green Party ideas as oppose to simply endorsing the Liberal platform. Hopefully the campaigns and media can stop focusing on the leaders debates, puffins and other distractions that take away from the serious issues facing our country today. I think Stephen Harper is on the right track making announcements such as the one today on Afghanistan and talking about issues like foreign affairs, the economy, the carbon tax, crime and other kitchen table concerns. He is appealing to a broad base right now and has found confidence, humour and the ability to relax in his initial campaigning. He is coming across as an average Canadian family man as oppose to the opposition who are trying to find out what they stand for and seem to be running their campaigns in reaction mode. It is early, but I think the first four days were won by the Conservative Party.
-Darryl

Greens get their first MP

Does this qualify them for a spot in the leaders debate? Unfortunately there will be an election before any Green gets to ask a question in the House of Commons.
-Darryl

Greens unveil former Liberal as first MP

Updated Sat. Aug. 30 2008 2:57 PM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

The Green Party now has its first MP in Parliament, and he is an ex-Liberal who had resigned from that party's caucus over accusations of election financing irregularities.

"Joining Elizabeth May and joining the Green Party feels a lot like coming home," Blair Wilson of B.C.'s West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country riding said Saturday at a news conference in Ottawa.

Wilson said he hoped to advance the causes of the environment and democracy in his new party.

"One-point-five million Canadians support the Green Party," he said. "They deserve a strong voice in the House of Commons and they deserve a strong voice in the leadership debate."

At the news conference, May said Wilson had a parliamentary ring on his finger. "This is the first time anyone with the House of Commons parliamentary seal is wearing a Green Party button."

May said the move shouldn't be characterized as opportunistic, "however, it is a hell of an opportunity."

A possible election campaign is looming, with signals indicating Canadians could be going to the polls in mid-October.

The Greens, a relatively young federal party in Canada, have not yet elected an MP in either a byelection or general election. As a result, its leaders have not been invited to participate in televised leaders' debates during the campaign. However, it did capture 4.5 per cent of the popular vote in the Jan. 23, 2006 election, which entitles it to public financing.

May noted in the release that with "a Green MP sitting in the House of Commons, it will now be impossible to exclude the Green Party from the televised leaders' debates in the next election."

May described her party whose policy ideas are part of the mainstream in Canadian politics. "Mr. (Gilles) Duceppe (of the Bloc Quebecois) has the opportunity to participate in the debates but not I? There's something not quite right there," she said in French.

The release noted that Wilson will serve as the party's immigration critic in its shadow cabinet and that he has served as an "Independent MP since autumn of 2007."

Wilson resigned from the Liberals after complaints emerged accusing him of spending irregularities in the 2005-06 federal election. CTV's Roger Smith told Newsnet that Elections Canada cleared Wilson in response to the allegation.

However, the Liberals told Wilson that he wouldn't be able to run for the party again in the next election because of personal legal and financial troubles, Smith said, adding the Liberals will be holding a nomination meeting in Wilson's riding next weekend.

"Not only do I embrace the policies of my new party, I will feel that all my past difficulties are justified if, by my actions, I can make a real difference by ensuring Elizabeth May is included in the leaders' debates," Wilson said a news release.

Running as an Independent would have been tough for Wilson. He might have a better chance as a Green MP, given the high interest in environmental issues in that part of British Columbia, he said.