Election 2011 Day 10, 11, and 12 Harper’s Campaign Woes
Harper’s Conservatives are being slammed for expelling a student from his rally who had a picture of her with Michael Ignatieff as her profile picture on Facebook. Harper is also being slammed over the convictions of fraud that hang over his right hand man, Bruce Carson. Meanwhile, Michael Ignatieff unveiled the full Liberal arty platform that can be read on their website, but in a short amount of time, a more concise and to the point version will be available in the Liberal Party tab of this site.
Harper Became Picky
In London, Ontario, Conservative Party organizers threw a group of students out of a Conservative rally after screening Facebook to find that one of them had made a group picture with Michael Ignatieff.
CTV reported that Awish Aslam, a second-year political science student at the University of Western Ontario, “We were waiting for Harper and then an official came by and said, ‘We need to talk to you girls outside,'” the 19-year-old Western student told A-Channel London. “(The official) said, ‘You are no longer welcome here.'”
Aslam asked why she was being banned from the event and was answered with, “We know you have Facebook ties to the Liberal Party.”
Aslam defended herself saying, “It was something to show off to our friends, we met Michael Ignatieff, that’s cool.”
Essentially, the Conservatives banned the student because she was a normal Canadian who wanted to see everything while sharing events of meeting with high profile figures. It proves that the Conservatives have hidden motives and are not honest with Canadians – which is why we are in this election. Harper broke parliamentary law, promised to make it impossible for his opponents to be able to fight back in future elections, set up a 13 meter barrier between Harper and the media while restricting them to four questions per day.
This isn’t the first of its kind either.
Jim Lowther of the Veterans Emergency Transition Team told The Chronicle Herald that he will support any party that promises to support his needs.
Upon trying to attend a Conservative event, he was denied at the door. The advocate for homeless veterans was rejected for who he was: an advocate.
The Conservatives released a statement in an attempt to defend their record stating:
“We meet with veterans all the time. We take the care, services and financial support of our military personnel, past and present, and their families seriously.
We have enhanced support for veterans and their families, including $2 billion for veterans who have been seriously injured in service, $282 million to expand the Veterans Independence Program for surviving family members and $10 million per year in five new stress-injury clinics.”
From a student with a picture to an advocate of veterans in poverty, the list of people that Harper rejected extends to a person who supports the Environment.
Joanna MacDonald pre-registered online, as required, to book a seat in one of Harper’s campaign rallies. The environmental science student from Guelph University told Postmedia News:
“‘Your name has been flagged, so you’re not allowed into this event,'” she said she was told by officials running the rally. One of the officials told her it was likely because of her affiliation with some environmental groups.
“I’m still upset and disappointed. I mean, just because I feel passionately about issues on the environment and climate change, I don’t think it’s any reason to be denied to see the prime minister speak. To be barred from an event is really upsetting.”
In response to the recent ban, she said, “My rights have been just kind of pushed aside.” She said that she had no affiliation with any party but was an environmental activist.
Chris Day, one of Harper’s campaign spokesman released a statement to Postmedia News saying, “Often we depend on local volunteers and organizers to help ensure successful campaign events for the prime minister. We’re going to focus on campaigning, on defeating the coalition threat of Ignatieff and his partners in the Bloc Quebecois and the NDP, and we leave the security decisions to the professionals.”
What could the Conservatives have to hide? Are they afraid to get questioned and criticized? Why can Michael Ignatieff, Jack Layton and Gilles Duceppe answer to public questioning and not Stephen Harper?
Harper Linked to His Corrupt Right-Hand Man
Bruce Carson, a former fraud convict, a main advisor to Stephen Harper. Carson came out with his version of the story. He entered politics in 2004 with a casual interview with then-Opposition leader Harper.
Carson, however, came for this job with a criminal background. Two convictions in 1981 and three in 1990, Carson received a total of five criminal convictions on the count of fraud.
Carson worked with Harper when Harper was a young MP who was new to the political game. After years of help that brought Harper to where he is now, he invited Carson to come and take the job.
Carson told The Canadian Press:
“Mr. Harper invited me to come and work for him when we were in opposition. It was an interview in his office, that’s all. It was just a meeting in his office.”
At the time, no security check was required – until Harper’s victory in 2006. Carson notified Ian Brodie, Harper’s chief in staff that he had a criminal past. Brodie gave him an application for a Secret-level clearance form and had Carson list his convictions.
Carson said, “I filled it out and that’s the last I saw of it.”
Brodie said that “There was only a handful of people in the office with Top Secret clearance. When I talk about a handful I mean, probably, five.”
Carson, however, never received his clearance, speculating, ”For the kind of work I was doing that seemed to be sufficient, I guess. I don’t know.”
A former one-time staffer who remained anonymous with CJAD said that It is “absolutely implausible” that Carson could have been able to function as a senior official with only a Secret-level clearance.
William Elliott, now head of the RCMP, said that it was Secret-level classifications were never denied and added that even someone with a criminal record will be accepted.
And they call themselves “Tough on Crime” and they let criminals take part in their party… Does that make sense to you? Harper campaigned on accountability, can you trust a man who goes back on his word?
Liberals to Refocus Budget and Clean up Conservative Waste
Michael Ignatieff unveiled the Liberal Platform in a town hall setting where he presented and took questions in a manner that was unscripted. The $8 billion plan would replace the billions of dollars that Harper is spending on fighter jets, super prisons and corporate tax cuts and putting allotting it to healthcare and families.
Critics and Conservatives ask where the money will come from and the Conservatives go as far as to say that the Liberals will raise taxes, however, once the spending on fighter jets, super prisons and corporate tax cuts has been eliminated, in its place, we can put 7.5 Liberal Platforms… There is a lack of money?
You can read more about the plan on the Liberal party website, and a concise version will be put in the Liberal Party tab. For the moment, here is the progress of outlining the important points of the 98 page document.
http://politicalscene.ca/2011/04/election-2011-day-9-liberals-launch-platform.html
