Harper calls two byelections for Nov. 27
fatbasturd @ Sun Oct 22, 2006 2:12 pm
Harper calls two byelections for Nov. 27
Updated Sun. Oct. 22 2006 4:51 PM ET
David Akin, CTV News Staff
OTTAWA -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper called byelections for November 27 to fill two empty seats in the House of Commons and was immediately accused by the Liberals of crass opportunism.
"It's a conniving, tactical play to purely extract an artificial advantage for themselves," said Mike Eizenga, the president of the Liberal Party of Canada. "[Harper's] had a bad month or two."
The Liberals' leadership convention begins on Nov. 28 in Montreal.
Eizenga will be one of those who may seek to carry the banner for the Liberals in London North Centre. Reached by phone Sunday afternoon, Eizenga said it was too soon for him to make that decision.
A source in the Prime Minister's Office, speaking on background, dismissed Eizenga's characterization: "Those kind of comments smack of arrogance. The world does not revolve around the internal workings of the Liberal Party."
London North Centre was held by Joe Fontana, who served in the cabinet of former prime minister Paul Martin, and won his seat in January by more than 6,000 votes. Fontana quit the House of Commons earlier this fall in order to run for mayor in London.
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May has indicated she will run in that riding. The Greens placed a very poor fourth in that riding in the Jan. 23 federal election. However, since then, Green Party fortunes have been on the rise in recent polls.
The Conservatives will hold a nomination meeting on Tuesday night. Former London mayor Dianne Haskett will seek the nomination. Another Tory candidate is Tom Weihmayr, who serves on the riding association's executive.
The other seat to be contested is Repentigny, near Montreal. That riding became vacant upon the death of Bloc Quebecois MP Benoit Sauvageau. Sauvageau died in a car crash in September.
The Bloc is heavily favoured in that riding. Sauvageau carried it in January by nearly 25,000 votes.
Opponents of the federal Conservatives may try to goad Senator Michael Fortier into contesting that seat. Fortier is the Montreal businessman who was appointed by Harper to the Senate in February so he could sit in Harper's cabinet as Public Works Minister. Fortier has said he will quit his Senate seat and run in the next general election. He is expected to pick a riding on the island of Montreal to run in and is not expected to run in Repentigny.
The PMO also rejected the idea that this byelection might be seen as a referendum on the Harper government.
"London is a solid Liberal seat and Repentigny is solidly Bloc. We'll have good candidates, but we face an uphill battle in both ridings," said the PMO source.
The current standings in the House of Commons are Conservative 124, Liberal 101, BQ, 50, and NDP 29. There are two independent MPs.
grainfedprairieboy @ Sun Oct 22, 2006 2:27 pm
124 Conservative MPs mostly from the west against 180 leftwing MPs mostly from the east and the liberals are complaining about what? They will still likely retain the seats no matter how many more months/years the Liberals stretch this snoozer of a leadership selection. And even though they are going to vote left the people of these ridings still deserve representation in Parliament even if that does not coincide with Liberal party scheduling.
Bravo to Harper for not playing politics and for returning these ridings to the democratic fold.
SJ-24 @ Mon Oct 23, 2006 12:02 pm
All Harper is doing is getting two areas of Canada who presently have no representation someone to speak up for them. now, I realize this is a NEW CONCEPT for the Liberal Party since they had 13 years of dictatorship. The Conservative Party may not want you to speak out about the Party caucus meetings, but they sure like to listen to the people that elect them and do what is within their pwoer and ability.
hwacker @ Mon Oct 23, 2006 7:06 pm
IceOwl IceOwl:
News flash! The Liberals are not a left wing party! They are the status quo!
Winner, we have a winner, biggest pile of steaming crap posted on the forum today.
Congrats, you'll be receiving a brown bag which you can place in your microwave to reheat and bring it back to its steaming state.
hwacker @ Mon Oct 23, 2006 7:15 pm
IceOwl IceOwl:
So, hwacker, why is polygamy wrong?
For one,shitheads can't support one wife with kids, what do you think will happen with 3 wives.
not too bright are you..........
TheGup @ Tue Oct 24, 2006 1:21 pm
Polygamy in and of itself is not neccessarily wrong. In Egyptian society, if a man could support more than one wife, he could have more than one wife.
However, the polygamous situations we're talking about now aren't true polygamy. They are exuses for abuse of children, emotional abuse, and an overall unhealthy environment.
However, IceOwl is correct, the Liberals are actually a right wing party.
HyperionTheEvil @ Tue Oct 24, 2006 1:24 pm
IceOwl IceOwl:
They are the status quo!
Yup ----corruption and arrogance the status quo
ridenrain @ Tue Oct 24, 2006 2:15 pm
$1:
Well, boo hoo for the Liberals. This is the same party whose leader called a snap federal election in 2000 before former Canadian Alliance leader Stockwell Day had figured out which way the Niagara River flowed. They are the party that called an Ontario byelection in the middle of the Progressive Conservative leadership convention in 2003. So, sorry, they can't retreat to a holier-than-thou retort.
But to seize a seat days before a Liberal leadership vote would give any byelection winner a huge convention credibility boost.
Bob Rae in particular needs to prove he is more than a rank opportunist in search of redemption from his days as a New Democrat premier in Ontario.
But to seize a seat days before a Liberal leadership vote would give any byelection winner a huge convention credibility boost.
Bob Rae in particular needs to prove he is more than a rank opportunist in search of redemption from his days as a New Democrat premier in Ontario.
The rest
Orinx @ Tue Nov 14, 2006 11:12 am
TheGup TheGup:
Polygamy in and of itself is not neccessarily wrong. In Egyptian society, if a man could support more than one wife, he could have more than one wife.
However, the polygamous situations we're talking about now aren't true polygamy. They are exuses for abuse of children, emotional abuse, and an overall unhealthy environment.
However, IceOwl is correct, the Liberals are actually a right wing party.
However, the polygamous situations we're talking about now aren't true polygamy. They are exuses for abuse of children, emotional abuse, and an overall unhealthy environment.
However, IceOwl is correct, the Liberals are actually a right wing party.
yeah dude but in eqyptian society blowing yourself up is acceptable tojust ask alzawahiri,doesn't mean it is right
Orinx @ Tue Nov 14, 2006 11:16 am
IceOwl IceOwl:
ridenrain ridenrain:
$1:
Well, boo hoo for the Liberals. This is the same party whose leader called a snap federal election in 2000 before former Canadian Alliance leader Stockwell Day had figured out which way the Niagara River flowed. They are the party that called an Ontario byelection in the middle of the Progressive Conservative leadership convention in 2003. So, sorry, they can't retreat to a holier-than-thou retort.
But to seize a seat days before a Liberal leadership vote would give any byelection winner a huge convention credibility boost.
Bob Rae in particular needs to prove he is more than a rank opportunist in search of redemption from his days as a New Democrat premier in Ontario.
But to seize a seat days before a Liberal leadership vote would give any byelection winner a huge convention credibility boost.
Bob Rae in particular needs to prove he is more than a rank opportunist in search of redemption from his days as a New Democrat premier in Ontario.
The rest
Epiphany! The Conservatives are just the opposite side of the status quo coin, and are just as much prone to being crooks and liars as the rest of them fnord. Stop trying to fool yourself into thinking otherwise, it doesn't help you, it only helps them!
equation:conservatives in 8 months of minority power = did more than the godamn liberals in 13 years!!!!!!!