Do people in the East really take this guy seriously or is he more of a Chief Mercredi/David Suzuki kind of fellow that everybody knows but ignores?

CAW's Hargrove Calls on 3 Opposition Parties to Block Tory Changes

TORONTO, Jan. 24 /CNW/ - Canadian Auto Workers President Buzz Hargrove
this evening expressed relief that Stephen Harper's Conservatives did not win
a majority mandate from Canadian voters, and called on the three opposition
parties to present a united front against the Conservatives to prevent the
more extreme elements of Harper's program.
(Hargrove will discuss his proposal further on Tuesday morning in an
interview broadcast on CBC Radio's 'The Current'.)
"The Conservatives won just over one-third of the votes, and fell well
short of winning a majority government, thanks to the objections of most
Canadians to their right-wing program," Hargrove stated. "They have no mandate
to proceed with their planned remaking of Canada. The other three parties have
the power to stop them, and they must move quickly to use that power."
Hargrove suggested that the 3 centre and left parties (the Liberals, the
NDP, and the Bloc Quebecois) sign a joint pact that would identify crucial
progressive priorities to protect under a Conservative minority government.
This list would include:

- Renewing the new federal-provincial funding agreements for child care
- Maintaining Canada's participation in the Kyoto Protocol
- Implementing the federal government's $5 billion commitment to
improve living standards in aboriginal communities
- Finalizing the bankruptcy protection legislation for workers that was
working its way through Parliament when the election was called
- Preventing further privatization of health care
- Following through with planned fiscal transfers to cities for public
transit and urban infrastructure projects
- No dismantling of the gun registry
- No participation in U.S. anti-ballistic defense systems or any
international military initiatives other than those sanctioned by the
United Nations
- Preventing any new Commons vote on women's right to abortion or equal
marriage rights for gays and lesbians
- Continuing support for Canada's key industries, including respecting
commitments made by the previous government to the auto and aerospace
sectors

The three centre and left parties would indicate immediately that they
would collectively defeat the government over a failure to respect any of
these priorities. "These priorities are central to the vision of Canada that
most Canadians share," Hargrove said, "and Stephen Harper has no mandate to
start dismantling that vision."
If a Harper government fell as a result of this united action by the
opposition parties, then Hargrove suggested that the Governor-General must
call on the opposition parties to attempt to form a centre-left coalition
government.
Right from the beginning of the election campaign, Hargrove warned
consistently of the dangers of a Conservative victory. More recently he joined
with other prominent advocates of social and economic justice - such as
leaders of environmental, equal rights, pro-choice, and child care
organizations - in urging Canadians to reject Harper's vision. Tory support,
which polled as high as 42 percent in the second week of January, declined by
several points in the days leading up to the election.
"This election is just the beginning of our campaign to save the Canada
we love, not the end," Hargrove pledged.
Hargrove congratulates NDP Leader Jack Layton for increasing his party's
representation from 19 MPs in 2004 to 29 today. All but one of the elected NDP
candidates had been endorsed by the national CAW. (In English Canada, the CAW
endorsed 43 NDP candidates who were either incumbents or had a strong chance
of winning; in other ridings, the CAW urged Canadians to vote for the
candidate with the best chance of defeating or stopping the Conservative.)
Hargrove was thrilled by the election of his assistant Peggy Nash (in
Parkdale-High Park), and also congratulated incumbents Peter Stouffer (in
Sackville-Eastern Shores) and David Christopherson (Hamilton-Centre) who are
CAW members. Hargrove also congratulates Windsor-area MPs Joe Comartin and
Brian Masse, who were re-elected with the CAW's full support. "Joe and Brian
have done a superb job for their constituents, for the auto industry, and for
the country, and their re-election is richly deserved," said the CAW
President.

   

The man is a wanker!

   

The Cons are going to have to tread slowly on almost all those issues anyways because they have no natural allies in Parliament. The NDP doesn't have enough seats to help them, and using the Bloc will be suicide come the next election. That leaves the Libs and after such a nasty campaign, I don't see them being willing to help out. If they made Harper's time as PM smooth (and let him get his policies in place), it might get the Cons reelected with a majority the next time out.

Hargrove is such a dumbass. The last thing Canadians want right now is another election this summer...which is what will happen if they did something like that.

   

Alas, a burn all bridges Machevellian approach to being elected is sort of silly if you don't form a majority.

To bad you calld Straunich a whore when she flip-flopped last time or you could buy her back and form a NDP/PC alliance.

Now that would make for some funny debate.

   

Sorry, you made the deal with the devil so she's your problem now.

   

I just can't belive she was re-elected. This must be along the same line as to how the Governator got into office, voting for the "celebrity" instead of what they and their party stand for. I was dissapointed in that result.

   

Buzz.....Ya, he's a real special guy that is truly the product of the NDP dogma...Socialism at it's best. Need we say more.

And folks, with the Liberals now into a leadership race, which no one expected, and the NDP still stunned they have a job. The next government will last a full two years. the Bloc heads are nothing but agreeable with the entire situation because they got bitchslapped by the 17 seats that went Conservative. Sort of a reminder that the Frogs know where the golden goose lives and they aren't prepared to kiss the money off just yet...50% plus 1 just seems to far away. They can be bought.....

   

Some of us did.



I think the Conservatives and the Bloc will find out they have a lot in common on constitutional issues.

   

Two biggest topics of voter agreement in a CBC poll released today:

Both issues where a typical voter would most likely see the Conservatives as the people to make it happen.

   

Buzz should spend more time running the Union he's paid very well to do and keep is mouth shut.

The guy is a boob with teeth. Unfortunately, the boob can speak.