5 point plan is PR stunt

Jersay

House Member
Dec 1, 2005
4,837
2
38
Independent Palestine
Conservatives and Liberals say if Prime Minister Stephen Harper gets three of his five priorities through Parliament he could win a majority.
Political foes say the five priorities are a packaging PR exercise, but Conservatives and even Liberals say if Prime Minister Stephen Harper gets three of his five top legislative priorities through Parliament before the next election, the Conservatives will likely win a majority.

"Unless something extraordinary comes up that we don't know about, I think we will win the next election with a majority," one top Conservative, who did not want to be identified, told The Hill Times last week. "I think Harper is going to get three of his five priorities approved before the next election and with that he can, in my view, win the next election with a majority."

Some Liberals agree. "These guys are in for at least six years. The situation doesn't look that great in Quebec [for the federal Liberals] even now. We don't have a leader and who knows who will be the leader and what kind of [political] skills that leader will have. So, considering the information that we have at this time, it would be fair to say these guys are in for six years," said one top Liberal who also did not want to be identified.

Prime Minister Harper (Calgary Southwest, Alta.) has repeatedly outlined his top five priorities: to clean up the government through the Federal Accountability Act; to cut the GST; to crack down on crime; to deliver a Conservative daycare plan; and to establish patient wait times guarantee. The key part of the Harper agenda is between now and the end of June.

Tory insiders say they believe Mr. Harper's five priorities were not only key to the last election campaign, but will be key to winning the next election as well because Conservatives will return to their ridings and to voters and say, "A promise made, a promise kept."

Declared another top Conservative organizer: "We have been told to be ready [for the next election] by May 2007. As you know [Doug] Finley is already working in the party office from day one to plan for the next election. If we can get three things done out of five, I'm pretty sure we can win the next election."

However, sources agreed last week that it would be "unrealistic" to think that the Conservatives will be able to get all five priorities passed through Parliament before the next election given that it's a minority government.

The political players also point out that Prime Minister Harper is already in campaign mode and is taking every advantage available to get out of Ottawa, making good political and leadership use of his time when the House isn't sitting.

But political trouble in the House is brewing. The opposition Liberals and the New Democrats have vowed to oppose the Harper government on at least the day care which remains a controversial issue. The Prime Minister escalated the political temperature over the childcare issue last week when he challenged the opposition parties to defeat the government over the issue.

Political insiders are waiting to see how the Prime Minister will keep his childcare promise to Quebec and defend it and sell it to the rest of the country.

However, one Liberal said "at some point the Liberals are going to have to come to grips with the fact that they lost and that programs that may have been in were not the programs on which Harper ran on and Harper's going to have to institute his own."

Yet, some Liberals say it's difficult to believe Prime Minister Harper will be able to pass the massive and sweeping Federal Accountability Act by the end of June, unless the Conservatives extend the sittings into the summer break, or, unless they can make an arrangement to avoid going through the bill on a clause-by-clause basis.

Moreover, The Hill Times reported last week (April 17) that several Liberal Senators are against the idea of a single ethics commissioner under the Federal Accountability Act, promising a political showdown in the Upper Chamber.

Liberals expect Liberal Senators not to rubber stamp the Federal Accountability Act and suggest the Senators may make a point sooner rather than later.

"It's not the role of the executive to tell the Senate how the Senate should be governing. It's up to the Senators to do that," British Columbia Grit Senator Jack Austin told The Hill Times.

Ontario Conservative Senator Consiglio Di Nino, who played a key role in Ontario as a "mentor and adviser" to Conservative candidates in the last federal election, meanwhile, said that his party's five priorities are obviously important, but would not say clearly if getting three passed before the next election could mean Mr. Harper will win a majority.

"I certainly believe he fully intends to try but in a minority Parliament, there are no guarantees. These are priorities for the Conservative government that will find good support in Parliament," said Sen. Di Nino. "Mr. Harper is the kind of a man, the kind of a leader who will do his best to keep all the promises that he made to Canadians... obviously, in a minority government."

But NDP MP Judy Wasylycia-Leis (Winnipeg North, Man.) said even if the minority Conservatives get three of their priorities through Parliament, it doesn't mean a majority win next time.

Declared Ms. Wasylycia-Leis: "The Conservative government was elected to do more than its five priorities. The five priorities are very much a packaging PR exercise on their part. That won't be, on its own, good enough for Canadians. They were elected to run government and to address a whole series of issues of concerns to Canadians and I think Canadians will judge them as a government and how they ran government...Keep in mind Canadians themselves will keep saying 'look we didn't give you a majority government, we gave you a minority to see how you do. "

Liberal MP Wayne Easter (Malpeque, P.E.I.), who is blooming in opposition, agreed. "Certainly, he will be judged somewhat on those five priorities but the problem is that the government has to govern every day and five priorities don't cut it. Harper is governing as if nothing matters other than these five priorities and that's just unacceptable."

According to a poll conducted by the Strategic Counsel and published by The Globe and Mail on April 15, public opinion indicated that 39 per cent of those surveyed were satisfied with the performance of the Conservative Party in running the affairs of the country. Liberals had the support of 29 per cent of the people, the New Democrats had 14 per cent support and the Bloc was the choice of 11 per cent.

Nonetheless, most federal Liberals are reasonably impressed with how "calm and cool" Mr. Harper has conducted himself as Prime Minister of Canada to date, however, another top Liberal also told The Hill Times that it doesn't help that the Liberals are still rusty in opposition. The Grit also pointed out that the Liberals could beef up their line of questioning in the theatrical 45-minute daily Question Period in the House.

"He got a lot of softball questions lobbed up there for him to wack out of the park and at this stage the Libs are quite vulnerable on some of these issues, on the GST issue and on the Adscam, they're not dealing from a position of strength here," said the Grit. "The contentious issue is going to be the childcare stuff."

As far as Liberal strategy goes, one Liberal said despite the fact the Grits are still pushing the floor-crossing and softwood lumber issue with International Trade Minister David Emerson (Vancouver Kingsway, B.C.), the strategy isn't working and at least one top Liberal said Liberal international trade critic Dominic LeBlanc (Beauséjour, N.B.) should stick to the issue of international trade and stay away from ethical issues. The Liberal said some Liberals in the upper hierarchy are pushing for a "Rat Pack" style of attack in Question Period, but concluded the strategy isn't flying.

"The impact of the Emerson stuff outside of Vancouver Kingsway is minimal to non-existent. Dominic is going to have to give his head a shake on a number of issues. The OLO is using Dominic as sort of their little attack dog," said one Liberal.

But federal Liberals also believe Prime Minister Harper's "inane" media strategy can't last because Mr. Harper doesn't have the time to keep it up. --With files from Kate Malloy

http://www.thehilltimes.ca/html/index.php?display=story&full_path=/2006/april/24/majority/&c=1
 

Kreskin

Doctor of Thinkology
Feb 23, 2006
21,155
149
63
The way I see it, complaining about details of their programs is a semantics game. The NDP and Liberals can complain all they want to, they have no better plans. As long as Harper can keep thievery, no adgates, to a bare minimum the public will be content. The rest is just parliamentary squabbling and their plans aren't any worse than the alternatives.
 

Jay

Executive Branch Member
Jan 7, 2005
8,366
3
38
5 point plan is PR stunt

Politicians use public relations to attract votes and raise money, and, when successful at the ballot box, to promote and defend their service in office, with an eye to the next election or, at career’s end, to their legacy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_relations

Your breaking some new ground their eh Copernicus...
 

BitWhys

what green dots?
Apr 5, 2006
3,157
15
38
Always good to know which persuasion is most easily satisfied by the glossies.
 

bluealberta

Council Member
Apr 19, 2005
2,004
0
36
Proud to be in Alberta
Whether you think it is a PR stunt or not, at least he has some priorities to deal with. I think at last count, Dithers had about 750 priorities that he was going to deal with.

Let's be honest, the CPC put out five points in the election, they got a minority on that basis, and they are proceding on those five priorities. That is such a change from the Liberals who had no plans, no real priorities, etc. The only thing they had was how to keep in power, and even that failed. Whether you support the CPC or not, you have to admit they are following up on their election campaign, maybe not to everyones satisfaction, but they are moving in the directions they said they would. Kind of a refreshing change, at least in my opinion.
 

FiveParadox

Governor General
Dec 20, 2005
5,875
43
48
Vancouver, BC
Re: Conservative Five-point Strategy

I would agree that the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, P.C., M.P., the Member for Calgary Southwest and the Prime Minister of Canada, should be commended for setting forth priorities that can be achieved in the near future. However, with each of his priorities, I have concerns (I am not opposed to each and every one of them, but I have some reservations in terms of their present forms).

In terms of his child care strategy, this is perhaps the most contentious of his endeavours. I think that we should provide for the continuance of the initiatives of the previous Government of Canada. However, if that is not going to occur, then I would think that, at the very least, the present Government of Canada should increase the amount of their Choice for Child Care fund, and make the payments non-taxable.

In relation to Mr. Harper's pledge to clean up the way governance is conducted, I have some serious reservations in terms of Bill C-2. Granted, I have only read about two-fifths of the legislation (the Act is huge!), but I have concerns in terms of the wish of the Government to create one Ethics Commissioner for both the House of Commons and the Senate. The Senate fought, tooth-and-nail, to get their own Commissioner in the past, and I would suggest that this provision has been entered into this Act in the hopes that the Senate attempts to force changes to the Act to cause controversy. Moreover, some of the Act's changes relating to funding concern me — ending the capacity for unions to fund parties would decimate some such as the New Democratic Party of Canada.

I don't have as much concerns in terms of Mr. Harper's proposed justice concerns as I have to his other priorities. I would only say that we need to ensure that whatever changes are made, do not compromise the capacity for the courts to give sentences that are appropriate to each independent situation — I think that the discretion of the courts is a principle that should be preserved and kept in mind in whatever changes are to be made.

As for the cut to the Goods and Services Tax, I have some major issues with this priority. I don't think that we are going to see any appreciable savings from this reduction, unless you are one who has exorbitant amounts of money to spend on G.S.T.-taxable products. If the Government must reduce the G.S.T., then I would suggest that the income tax reductions implemented by the previous Government should not be "undone" in the process.

As for the Prime Minister's wish to implement a patient wait times guarantee, he has my support on that front. I think that it's important to ensure that citizens of Canada have timely access to health care, and I think that this might be a good way to go about making such an assurance.

I would give this Government a D.

I wouldn't voted for them, but I don't think they should be defeated — yet. :)
 

Finder

House Member
Dec 18, 2005
3,786
0
36
Toronto
www.mytimenow.net
Paradox, The amount of Money the Democrats get from unions is pennies compaired to that which the Liberals and conservatives get from corperations. Though both have changed since the last electoral reform by the last government which bases electoral annual funding on electoral results formt he populer vote.
 

annabattler

Electoral Member
Jun 3, 2005
264
2
18
I must say,despite myself,I admire Harper's plan of presentation for his legislation and it is going to be difficult for the opposition.
Instead of lumping several pieces together,he will present each separately....forcing the opposition's hand...everyone in the country will know where each member stands on that particular issue.
 

FiveParadox

Governor General
Dec 20, 2005
5,875
43
48
Vancouver, BC
Re: Omnibus Legislation

annabattler, yes, to a degree.

However, in terms of the Federal Accountability Act, I am no fan of "omnibus" legislation, and I would have preferred to see the Honourable John Baird, P.C., M.P., the Member for Ottawa West—Nepean and the President of the Treasury Board, introduce a group of pieces of more focused legislation. For example, I think that the provisions of the bill that would provide for one Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner for both the Senate¹ and the House of Commons should have been presented in an independent piece of legislation.

Three hundred-some section is a bit much, in my opinion.

:!: Revision : (1) Corrected a typo.