Has the 'news' media has become the opposition?

Have the Liberals run up the white flag?  It appears Liberals are using hockey tickets and free steaks to help provide volunteers for the by elections. The news media told us the bus tours were working and the party was energized.

Our Canadian media outlets too short staffed to conduct proper research, report the facts in a balanced manner anymore?

 

NDP selective outrage on Senate: Where was the outcry from the NDP when the unelected Senate was blocking legislation during the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada led by Brian Mulroney?

NAFTA signing

I remember the Canadian media outlets reminding Canadians how unelected Liberal  Senators were providing a 'sober second thought' and it was their responsibility.

Two days ago Canadian Senators did it again with the help of Liberals who were too busy to show up up for  votes/work. The Senate killed a private members Bill C- 311 that was not supported in principle or in ANY part by the Conservative members in the government or upper chamber. In this case the news media does not feel it is second sober though?

The fact this Bill was terminated has caused a great deal of grief in the media circles and parties in opposition. The media is enabling the opposition and critics to cry foul. The Canadian media has failed to provide a balanced position with concrete examples in history of Liberal Senators killing or delaying legislation during government of Brian Mulroney. Did the research department take the night off? Are the hosts and anchor unable to remember the period between 1984-1993?

Laureen Harper and Preston Manning

Preston Manning was the leader of a political party called the Reform Party. They never won enough seats to form a government. Stockwell Day formed a new political party called the Canadian Alliance in 2000 and was never able to form a  government either. Tony Clement, Belinda Stronach and Stephen Harper ran for the new leadership of a new political party called the Conservative Party of Canada several years ago. It was made up of Canadians who belonged to the The Reform Party of Canada, Progressive Conservative, Canadian Alliance. The rest is history.

Canadian News Media Defender of Liberalism

In my opinion the Canadian news media is failing miserably in holding each political party to account .  Many in the media repeat the talking points of the opposition political parties and invited experts are do not appear to be neutral  when they exclude historical facts to pile on criticism. Is the media not capable of providing a balanced view of the facts and history of the Senate?  Is the media in Canada compromised, short staffed? 

Canadian News Media: Climate Alarmists?

The news has become the editorial. The balance and context have been supplanted with opinion.

Related articles

• Ignatieff: "I don't vote on private members bills" (pragmatictory.blogspot.com)
• Conservatives attempt to fast-track Senate reform (theglobeandmail.com)

Canada Stands Tall

Canada Stands Tall: In Spite of Liberalism

Premier Brad Wall PM Stephen Harper Diefenbaker Canada Centre U of S 

 

“Never has such a torrent of abuse been poured on any Canadian figure as that during the years from 1960 to 1965. Never have the wealthy and the clever been so united as they were in their joint attack on Mr. John Diefenbaker”.- George Grant, Lament for a Nation

The turn from Diefenbaker to Pearson-Kennedy was a turn from a unique and indigenous Canadian nationalist way to the American liberal and imperial way. - George Grant, Lament for a Nation

The 1963 election was fought on the issue of whether Canada would take warheads for Bomarc missiles. Pearson, following Kennedy, said we should and would. Diefenbaker, much to the anger and chagrin of many in his party, said a defiant and firm No to Kennedy’s orders. This was just the tip of the iceberg, though. Diebenbaker had, again and again, opposed and thwarted Kennedy’s plans for Canada. Diefenbaker had questioned the way Kennedy had handled the Cuban missile crises, he had initiated trade ties with Cuba and China when Kennedy had put a trade embargo on them, and he refused to join the Organization of American States (a front for American interests in Latin America). 

In short, Diefenbaker, as a conservative, locked horns with Kennedy’s liberalism each step of the way. Grant makes all this quite clear. If Diefenbaker had merely wanted power, he would, like Pearson, have dutifully genuflected to Kennedy. He didn’t, and he paid the price for doing so. - Ron Dart Clarion Journal, book review of Lament for a Nation

“The overriding theme from 1989 to 2004 is one of decline,” Greenhill writes, “decline in our reputation and relevance with the United States, decline in our leadership role in development, and decline in the international significance of our peacekeeping and other international security activities.” Only two Canadian leaders were identified as having made a difference on the world stage: Brian Mulroney, who leveraged his influence with the US onto the multilateral agenda, and Lloyd Axworthy, for his promotion of a human security agenda.- THE DECLINE OF CANADA’S INFLUENCE IN THE WORLD — WHAT IS TO BE DONE FOR IT?

My name is Bono and I'm a Rock Star?

Celebrity Photo Op - Bono, the front-man of rock-band U2, has come under fire after it was revealed by the New York Post that his anti-poverty foundation, 'One', gives only one per-cent of its funds to charity. The non-profit organization was set up to by the 50-year old, and received almost 15 million in donations in 2008, however, the newspaper reports that only 190,000 of that figure was donated to good causes.  Funny thing about celebrity endorsements from limousines liberals -Karma.

PM Paul Martin

This winter, as the government drafts its new foreign policy, it must think more broadly and ambitiously, considering interests more than values. It must be about hard power more than soft power — a real military, a real aid program and a real foreign service, with the resources each of them needs. Defence spending in Canada has now fallen to one percent of Canada’s gross domestic product, far less than NATO expects of its members. Aid in Canada is about 0.28 percent of GDP, a little more than half of what it was 30 years ago and a little more than a third of the international standard set by a blue-ribbon panel chaired by Lester Pearson and other luminarites in 1969. The foreign service is being re-organized, but it needs more money, too. The three D’s? Canada will have to struggle mightily to ensure that they no longer mean disarmament, disinvestment
and disinterest.There is no magic: it is about money. Martin will have to match rhetoric and resources, doing what this government and previous governments have been unable to do in recent years in imagining Canada and the world. -MARTIN’S FIRST YEAR ON FOREIGN POLICY — THE RHETORIC OF GOOD INTENTIONS

This minority parliament led by a Conservative Prime Minister has weathered a global recession the best in the developed economies.  Canada is once again punching above her weight on the global stage. As expected in every government critics will look to the "golden age" of diplomacy and try to invoke a nostalgia that was not sustainable.

PM Stephen Harper Laureen, Hong Kong

The government of Canada led by our PM Stephen Harper is not afraid to be raise human right abuses in China. Conservatives have a tradition with Progress Conservative PM Mackenzie King fighting to remove South Africa in the Commonwealth for its racist treatment of it black citizens.  *(edited poster noted mistake)
At the Prime Ministers’ Conference in 1961, Verwoerd formally applied for South Africa to remain in the Commonwealth. The prime ministers were divided. Diefenbaker broke the deadlock by proposing that the conference not reject South Africa’s application, but instead states in a communiqué that racial equality was a principle of the Commonwealth. This was adopted, although Britain and New Zealand disagreed with Diefenbaker’s proposal. South Africa could not accept the communiqué. At that conference, the Afro Asians commanded six of the eleven votes, but it was not necessary for Nigeria, Malaya, Ceylon, India and Pakistan to cast their votes. South Africa withdrew its application and exits the Commonwealth.
According to Peter Newman, this was “Diefenbaker’s most important contribution to international politics … Diefenbaker flew home, a hero.”
Progressive Conservative PM Brian Mulroney continued the fight and won sanctions against South Africa.

PM Pierre Trudeau

I first worked with him in 1966 when he was a member of the Canadian Delegation to the U.N. General Assembly and became so annoyed about our instructions on dealing with South Africa that he declined to deliver them

(I had to) What were to instructions in 1966 to South Africa that Pierre was reluctant to deliver?

PM Lester Pearson

ROMANTICISM AND REALISM IN CANADA’S FOREIGN POLICY

The fact is that the Trudeau review did reflect a significant change of emphasis in our foreign policy toward realism and away from the honest-broker or save the-world role. Not surprisingly, Lester Pearson was unhappy about the review in that it failed to make the pursuit of peace and security Canada’s highest priority.

 

In recent months, Canada has been standing taller on the international stage. Taller than what? Well, taller than before. And taller than a number of countries whose profile has been shrinking of late, thanks to their economic profligacy.

But there are a number of factors contributing to our enlarged image, including our Prime Minister’s disciplined stewardship of two international summits and the performance of our economy, our banks and our currency. At home, Stephen Harper is seen as a leader who is introducing significant shifts in our foreign policy. Relations with China and India, marked by important state visits, have become a high priority.

Canadian leadership is being shown in favour of international fiscal sobriety, global initiatives have been undertaken on behalf of women and children and a free-trade agreement with Europe has been launched.- Not just another foreign-policy review

Liberal-Democrats will scrap our F35 program and repeat Sea King fiasco

Do we want to be led by a Liberal?

or 

Do we develop our own national voice with a real military?

Related articles

• Policy cost Canada UN seat: former ambassador (cbc.ca)
• Not just another foreign-policy review (theglobeandmail.com)
• UN 'secret votes' won't sway Canada: PM (cbc.ca)
• At the UN, Canada should not grieve India's snub (theglobeandmail.com)
• Harper lauds Canada-China relationship (calgaryherald.com)
• Canada's foreign policy: Snubbed (economist.com)
• Political fights accompany Security Council bid (ctv.ca)
• That didn't take long. (thealbertaardvark.blogspot.com)

Liberal Party of Canada: Xenophobia Cultural Warriors Since 1988

Cultural Warrior, what party portrayed Brian Mulroney as less patriotic, and fanned the flames of fear accepting a Free Trade Association with our American neighbour would reduce us to a colony?

Hint: Same party, same strategy invoked against Reform, Canadian Alliance and now CPC.

The Liberal leader, John Turner, based his national election campaign on fear and hatred of the Americans -- and came fairly close to winning. But when the election was over and Brian Mulroney's Tories had signed the agreement, the Liberals began a long, furtive creep toward the Conservative position. By the time they were returned to power in 1993, with John Turner forgotten and Jean Chrétien the Prime Minister, the Liberals had adopted, without debate, the very policy they had denounced as treason. Having torn the country apart emotionally, turning husbands against wives and parents against children, they simply abandoned the subject. They probably think of it today as a minor incident, another political gimmick that didn't quite work, but surely it left a residue of anti-U.S. distrust. -Robert Fullford

Patrick Muttart used to be the director of strategic communications in the Prime Minister’s office and was the strategist behind Prime Minister Harper’s successful 2006 election, the result of which saw the Conservatives replacing the Liberals in government. Muttart crafted the strategy behind finding accessible voters and “activating” them for the Conservatives with specific policy planks.

Muttart was on the Roy Green show yesterday where he continued the Conservative narrative against the CBC’s affiliation with pollster Frank Graves. Graves came under fire when a column from the Globe’s Lawrence Martin quoted Graves recalling his strategic advice that he gave the Liberals. His advice, to start a “culture war”, wedging against Albertans and Conservatives, depicting them as xenophobic racist homophobes who would vote for Sarah Palin. - Stephen Taylor

   
I have said every party plays wedge politics for a very long time. Many of us disagree with the current advice and the decision of our public broadcaster to fund a pollster that has made these comments again.
 
 h/t Liberals Started This “Culture War” A Long Time Ago
Previous related  posts on Cultural Wars recommended reading.
Cultural Class War Continues: Policy Debate?
Ignatieff's Hidden Agenda
Digging his own Grave(s)
The Liberals Locked Into the Graves Strategy
Let them eat broccoli!

Liberal Party: Failure To Make Priorties

Was Robert Fowler fair in Montreal condemning every political party pandering to the ethnic vote or special interest?

In my opinion a private members Bill introduced by two Liberals Bill C-302 Italian-Canadian Recognition and Restitution Act is just another example of the weakness of the Liberal party. Is this pandering to ethnic vote a desperation to save their seats because they believe they can't win in 2010? The  Liberals waited until the dying days of the Martin led-Liberals to offer $ 12.5 million regarding Italian-Canadian Recognition. They did the same with the Kelowna Accord and National Daycare.

Why did it take seven Liberal Prime Ministers to bring this matter forward?
Background

Canada resorted to the War Measures Act during and after three periods of its history – World War I, World War II, and the October 1970 crisis.  The Act was in force between 4 August 1914 and 10 January 1920, the date of the end of the war with Germany, as declared by Imperial Order-in-Council.  The occasion of the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia in 1917 was the cause of the passage of a number of regulations and orders under which membership in certain organizations was proscribed and individuals were interned.  The Act was next in force from 25 August 1939 until 1945, after which the National Emergency Transitional Powers Act was in force until 31 March 1947.  In 1947, the Constitution of Transitional Measures Act was enacted, maintaining certain wartime orders and regulations, and stayed in place until 30 April 1951.  Although the War Measures Act was not invoked during the Korean War, certain more limited powers were granted to Cabinet under the Emergency Powers Act between March 1951 and May 1954. - Government of Canada

Key Facts:

• Liberal PM Mackenzie King 1940 ordered the arrest hundreds of Canadians citizens of Italian origin.
• No charges laid and communication was restricted including family.
• Loss of reputation, property, careers in their community.
• Liberal 1935-1957
• PC's 1957- 1962
• Liberal 1963-1979
• Joe Clark (lasted less than 9 months)
• Liberal  1980-1984
• PC's 1984-1993
• Liberals 1993-2006

For almost 30 years the issue was forgotten but it resurfaced in the 1970s when some Italian Canadian community leaders started talking about an apology and financial compensation. But prime minister Pierre Trudeau, another Liberal, said the issue was closed. He told the House Commons that he didn't believe "in attempting to rewrite history in this way."

At that point, while they were in opposition, we saw the first Liberal flip-flop. They criticized the Mulroney government, saying it had not offered enough. "We want an apology in the Parliament, not in a banquet hall," said then Liberal MP Sergio Marchi. Marchi also intervened in Ottawa by asking the Conservative government to deal "urgently and efficiently" with this "injustice" and give financial compensation, as it had in the case of Japanese Canadians.

There was another flip-flop when the Liberals were back in power. The new minister of multiculturalism, Sheila Finestone, replying to the demands of the Chinese, Italian, Ukrainian, Jewish and German Canadian communities, said on Dec. 14, 1994, that "we wish we could rewrite history. We wish we could relive the past. We cannot ... Therefore, the government will not grant financial compensation for the requests made."

The Liberals maintained this position all the time that they were in government. In 1997, they said "the issue is closed." I don't even want to talk about the farce performed by Paul Martin when, a few weeks before the 2006 federal election which it was clear the Liberals were going to lose, he agreed to requests for money and an apology, once again trying to buy votes.- Shameless Liberals Shop Ethnic Vote January 31, 2010, The Toronto Star

This story has been ignored for decades. Do we have the political will to treat this matter in an adult manner.
Haunted by history: Ukrainians, Italians and Chinese seek redress for historical ill-treatment by Ottawa Written by Tom Philip  Alberta Report

17 December 1990 After years of inaction, recent weeks have seen a marked change in the government's attitude towards righting historical wrongs. Speaking in Toronto in November, Prime Minister Mulroney offered an "unqualified" apology to Italian Canadians interned during the Second World War. Two weeks ago Mr. Weiner met with representatives of the Chinese Canadian National Council, which is seeking compensation for $23 million in "head taxes" paid by Chinese immigrants to Canada in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. And on November 13 the prime minister met in Edmonton with UCC president Dmytro Cipywnyk and other members of the Ukrainian community.

Reports of what was agreed upon at the meeting conflict. UCC officials claim that the prime minister pledged support in principle for a Ukrainian cultural endowment fund; Mr. Mulroney said later that compensation was not discussed. But, at the very least, the government appears prepared to acknowledge that a wrong was done, not only in the case of the Ukrainians, but to other groups as well. "There's two schools of thought," said Mr. Mulroney. "You ignore these things and say they never happened because if you acknowledge one then you have to deal with another. Or you deal with them in the belief that a strong nation is capable of looking at its past and resolving injustices when they occur, and that's what we're in the process of doing."

To say there are "two schools of thought" on the issue of acknowledgement and redress for Ukrainian Canadians and others is something of an understatement. By all accounts, Mr. Mulroney's government is deeply divided on the issue. "This whole redress thing is most unpopular in the caucus," says Douglas Fisher, a columnist for the Toronto Sun newspaper group and a former New Democratic Party MP. "They blame it on the fact that the PM is a small-l liberal and is trying to win the ethnic vote." Among those opposed to compensation for Ukrainian Canadians is Don Blenkarn, Tory MP for Mississauga South. "An acknowledgement would be one thing," says Mr. Blenkarn. "But to tie a dollar figure to it - no bloody way. Claims that go back to the Dark Ages are just unacceptable."

Where were the Liberals and their passion to redress the loss of respect, careers, property? Why did they wait until the dying days of Paul Martin's government to raise this issue?

Is this another highly divisive debate that will be used to create wedges in our parliament?