PM To Address Canadians via Television

Written By: whelan costen
Date: 2005-04-20 21:50:00
<a href="/article/215054747-pm-to-address-canadians-via-television">Article Link</a>

U.S. presidents have made it a habit to stare balefully into cameras and plead for understanding. Canadian prime ministers have done so exceedingly infrequently.

Richard Johnson, a political scientist at the University of British Columbia, was astounded by Prime Minister Martin\'s decision to make the case for his government\'s survival by broadcast.

\"Cripes!\" Johnston when he heard the news. \"To actually go straight on to prime time, that\'s highly unusual.\"

Prime ministers have taken to the airwaves in the past, but usually only in times of a genuine national crisis. Jean Chretien delivered a heartfelt TV appeal on the eve of the 1995 Quebec referendum.

Pierre Trudeau used television in 1975 to outline his plan to introduce wage and price controls to combat crippling inflation rates.

\"It is unprecedented without a genuine national emergency,\" said Catherine Murray, a communications professor at Simon Fraser University.

Read the rest:
<a href="http://www.mytelus.com/news/article.do?pageID=news_home&articleID=1905768">http://www.mytelus.com/news/article.do?pageID=news_home&articleID=1905768</a>

I thought I would give him some pre-t.v. advice, not because he asked, but because it is my patriotic duty to help those in need. The text of my letter is as follows:

Dear Prime Minister Martin,
I look forward with anxiety and hope to seeing your scheduled television broadcast to address the sponsorship scandal. Although this scandal has been making great headlines, it is not the center of the universe, nor will the outcome of it really determine my vote at the next election. Oh, I\'m not making light of the situation. I don\'t appreciate my hard-earned tax dollars ending up in the hands of greedy, self-serving corporate interests through our elected officials; neither did I appreciate some of the history of the Conservatives, through Mr. Mulroney\'s years, and I refuse to accept it now; however, there are some other very important issues you might want to consider.

If you and your speach writers are considering the best way to gain the confidence of the public/electorate, I humbly advise the following: Start by telling us the truth, that the sponsorship scandal is an indication of what happens when real leadership goes bad, and people begin to grasp at any and all opportunities to save a sinking ship. Being in shipping you would know all about that. Related to shipping, also explain to Canadians why the present Prime Minister of Canada opted, when he was Finance Minister, to create policy which would exempt him from paying his fair share of taxes to support the nation he wishes to lead.

Third explain to Canadians what policy you are putting in place to protect us from being sucked into the American nightmare; how you plan to stop the selling out of this country, started in ernest by Mr. Mulroney and the Free Trade, but seemingly supported by this administration, through Mr. Manley and his North American Security agenda, Tom D\'Aquino and friends, as well as the Conservative version through Mr. Harris and Mr. Manning. What will you do to return this country to the proud sovereign nation it once was before foreign ownership was promoted? How are you going to prevent our natural resources from being further exploited by corporations, at the expense of the people of Canada, the environment and the future? Explain to us why you are willing to develop our military after so many years of neglect--is it to appease our neighbour to the south, or to defend this nation and our Canadian interests?

The sponsorship scandal is only the tip of the iceberg in Canadian\'s minds. We want to know with certainty who can lead our country, all ten provinces and three territories; who can help this country to grow and prosper; who will defend/protect and develop our social programs and help to promote Canadian culture. If your intent is to deliver more rhetoric, or similar media spin that we are already getting and try to convince us that something we see as black is somehow grey or white, don\'t waste your time! But on the other hand, if you have developed the strength, vision and patriotic attitude so lacking in our politicians today, then for the sake of our future, take the bull by the horns and drive it! Blast that iceberg right out of the water and while you\'re at it, capture some of those shipping tax dollars and other corporate money floating away from Canadian shores; get a net and haul it back where it belongs.

Thank you for your time. I\'ll be watching for that great Canadian leader to shake up the nation! We will be far more united and strong, with great dedication and leadership, than we will ever be by any \"flag\" campaign; Canadians, whether we be Quebecors or Albertans, cannot be bought, but neither are we willing to be sold.

Respectfully yours
Catherine Whelan Costen

cc: Jack Layton, NDP
Stephen Harper, Conservative
vivelecanada.ca

[Proofreader\'s note: this article was edited for spelling and typos on April 21, 2005]

Well put, Catherine. Perhaps he has asked Carolyn for a pair of the liberal balls she has been safeguarding for the future.

That was an excellent letter Whelan but Paul Martin is more likely to play the victim tonight than suck up and admit any wrongdoing. This address to the nation feels more like a desperate attempt to tell Canadians that the big bad political parties in Parliament (exception made to the dedicated Liberal Party) are doing everything they can to topple his government and by doing so, they are not respecting Canadians' wishes about not holding early elections. Also expect him to whine about how the unity of the country itself will be at stake if elections are precipitated (to no fault of the Liberal Party of course). So if Canada breaks up, it will be Harper, Layton and Duceppe's fault. I hope I'm wrong about which rabbits Martin will pull out of his hat tonight but I'm not holding my breath for anything spectacular. --- « Il y a une belle, une terrible rationalité dans la décision d'être libre. » - Gérard Bergeron

Well written letter. I'm fully expecting the same old same old, but with a crocodilian tear perhaps. I doubt he's going to simulate/imitate our very own national "mad cow" Carolyn Parrish though. She's got a death grip on those balls, and she's not about to lend them to anybody I suspect. Especially the man who tossed her out on her bovine ear. But I'm wondering now...what if...he tenders his resignation publicly on national T.V.??? Naw...probably not. But still...damn...the anticipation...there was a ketchup commercial I remember way back when...

I welcome the Prime Minister on TV trying to get across to Canadians what is important. I firmly believe that the parties in the House are wasting precious time by avoiding the issues for all Canadians, those being the passing of legislation and governing the country. They are taking away from the people that elected them the time it takes to get government work done through their partisan Adscam focus.

I firmly believe that anyone involved in Adscam needs to be identified and prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Anyone in government that is or was involved needs to be charged and Canadian tax moneys that were fraudulently obtained must be recovered. I am all in favour of sueing any company or persons involved for the return of the money. The inquiry must turn on the lights, lift the rug, and uncover the cockroaches that love to live in the dark and carry out their unsavoury deeds out of the lime light!

I have not heard from any politician about what they would do to prevent this from ever happening again. That makes me very leary of any and all politicians. The impression I am being left with is that they all want the power and once they have it they will use it to their own advantage. This is not a Liberal trait but the nature of the beast, be they NDP, or Conservative, or Bloc, or whomever.

The best government is one that has a strong opposition. An opposition that will make sure that the party in power is not double dipping and is doing everything above board. A strong opposition is required to keep the lights on so nothing rotten takes place and to assure nothing gets buried under the rug. Where was this great opposition when politicians for the past 10years have had their hands and their friends hands in the tax payers cookie jar?

Perhaps the best government is a minority government so that no one party carries all the power. That being said there are still bills to pass and The Canadian people to take care of through government actions. Stalling the passing of the budget or any other bills that benefit Canada and Canadians regardless of which party tabled it does us all a dis-service. After all, we, the voting public put these people in their MP seats to take care of our business and we are owed at least that much, that they govern for all Canadians and for Canada.

They have little time in Parliament as it is to do the right thing and need to spend all of that time effectively, to the betterment of the Canadian public, not to feed their own partisan desires for power.

Bob Bullard
Ottawa

While I agree with many of the points in the letter, especially where corporations are concerned, I can't agree that there is no crisis in the present parliament. There is indeed a crisis when the opposition brings the business of the house to a standstill by asking a question, getting a fairly definitive answer within the confines of an incomplete Gomery inquiry, and then having yet another member ask the same question with the process being repeated over and over again. I have been watching question period over the last few days and this is exactly what has been happening. One important piece of legislation that is very likely to be delayed by these political tactics of the opposition is the transfer of a portion of the federal gasoline tax to the municipalities and another is the resource deal the Maritimes signed recently.

I am no fan of Martin but people are criticising the Prime Minister for not speaking in the house when the simple reality is that with the rudeness I have seen by the opposition in the house no one can speak without being drowned out by the opposition cat calls. As such, instead of criticising the Prime Minister the opposition should be taken to task for paralyzing the legitimate business of the government with cheap political tactics.

I hope he does the right thing and tie the sponsorship scandal to the gun registry by admitting he knew about the scandal, then blowing his brains out on live TV.

A guy can dream, right?

---
"If you must kill a man, it costs you nothing to be polite about it." Winston Churchill

Dr C, I think that crossed a line. Watch it, eh?

---
Now call it extreme if you like, but I propose we hit it hard, and we hit it fast, with a major, and I mean major, leaflet campaign.--Rimmer, Red Dwarf

IT DID NOT CROSS A LINE!That would make Canada known all over the US as a country that has gun laws that don`t work,and maybe give a lone nut an idea of what to do with dubya in the white house.
If the PM would please the nation in such fashion,I only hope he pops Harper first,then himself.Now that would solve some serious problems!

I wasn't suggesting that there isn't a crisis, but I'm trying to point out that it isn't exclusive, it isn't the only problem, and that in fact, his CSL shipping line and many other corporations not paying fair taxes, and the Canadian public picking up the purse,only to find our money ending up in corporate pockets anyway is part of the problem. Also that the sponsorship does show that poor leadership ends with money(our)being throw at every greedy company and person that says they have the solution, instead of well thought out policy which will provide for and protect all Canadians.

This isn't personal, in the sense that I don't know Martin personally, I am not even attacking him, then again it is personal in that it affects us, through his policies; and I am suggesting that we the people are not asleep at the wheel, so don't bother trying to spin us. It is time for truth, and I agree admit the mistakes he and his government have made, and change it. Including why they didn't scrap the GST, FTA, as they said they would, but instead saw the money trail and chose not to. Why the EI and Gun Registry fiasco's? Tell us how this won't happen again, how the gov has changed the red tape, the lobbyist, the corporations from influencing good government. I don't wish him ill, I get DR.C's black humour here, but that isn't my point.

I don't expect him to do listen to me, but I feel obligated to tell him and his team that we've had enough b.s., media spin and corporate greed sucking the life out of this country, it's time for real leadership, and I'd love to see! Also because I was cc'ing the others, I wanted them to realize we don't appreciate what the Cons have gotta away with in the past either, and hopefully Jack sees the light and comes out stronger next election.

---
If I stand for my country today...will my country be here to stand for me tomorrow?

Where the hell is the English media. The Liberals' Director General is now implicating almost every part of Martin's Cabinet as being involved in corruption: 
 
<a href="http://lcn.canoe.com/lcn/infos/national/archives/2005/04/20050421-070908.html">http://lcn.canoe.com/lcn/infos/national/archives/2005/04/20050421-070908.html</a>

Sorry. It may have, but was intended as humour. I do tend to be coarse that way . . .

---
"If you must kill a man, it costs you nothing to be polite about it." Winston Churchill

Whelan you always right so well.
Dr.C I am sick,my humour is beyond redemption.If Pm actually did it on TV.I would laugh.Totally warped.

Quote by hoopoe:
"PM To Address Canadians via Television
by hoopoe on Thursday, April 21 2005 @ 08:32 AM MDT
While I agree with many of the points in the letter, especially where corporations are concerned, I can't agree that there is no crisis in the present parliament. There is indeed a crisis when the opposition brings the business of the house to a standstill by asking a question, getting a fairly definitive answer within the confines of an incomplete Gomery inquiry, and then having yet another member ask the same question with the process being repeated over and over again. I have been watching question period over the last few days and this is exactly what has been happening. One important piece of legislation that is very likely to be delayed by these political tactics of the opposition is the transfer of a portion of the federal gasoline tax to the municipalities and another is the resource deal the Maritimes signed recently.

I am no fan of Martin but people are criticising the Prime Minister for not speaking in the house when the simple reality is that with the rudeness I have seen by the opposition in the house no one can speak without being drowned out by the opposition cat calls. As such, instead of criticising the Prime Minister the opposition should be taken to task for paralyzing the legitimate business of the government with cheap political tactics."

I agree with everything you said hoopoe. It is like a 3 ring circus. I just started watching cpac, what a disgrace. These are adults who run our country? Those poor children standing in that room having to listen to that rhetoric. I'd have a hard time voting for anyone after watching them. Let the inquiry deal with that, and get on with what you are paid to do.

I'd rather see a Liberal Government than see Harper and Co. have a chance to sit at the helm.

What would happen to the Gomery inquiry if an election was called? IF the Liberals lost, would it still continue? Because I want to see this to the end.

---
These days, if you are not confused, you are not thinking clearly. Mrs. Irene Peters

of "coarse" you do...but we'll keep you around anyway...:0 you may not be so bad after all...but still not QUITE sure..hmmm..