Duffy shilling for a fall election

18 posts / 0 new

Tue, 2009-08-04 12:42

remind

Quote:
Rumours about a looming federal election this fall were certainly not quelled by P.E.I. Senator Mike Duffy in a speech to a group of business people Monday.

Speaking to members of the Charlottetown Rotary club Monday afternoon, Duffy used his 15 minutes at the microphone to highlight the hundreds of millions of dollars the Conservatives in Ottawa have committed to P.E.I. over the past few months.

Funding announcements and re-announcements, both on P.E.I. and across the country, have become an almost daily occurrence since federal MPs began their summer hiatus. ‘The Duff’ has been front and centre for many of these announcements on the Island, representing Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government, praising the PM’s vision for the country at each one.

On Monday, he reminded those at the luncheon as well as those watching on EastLink cable about many of those funding commitments and promised more of the same for the coming weeks and months.
“Your federal government is moving heaven and earth, literally, to protect Canadians from economic downturn,” Duffy said.

“And you will receive millions more in federal spending on everything from a new Summerside raceway to the Confederation Centre and literally hundreds, that’s right hundreds, of projects in between.”

Guess harper wants to get a move onbefore he loses all of the neo-con support he has got!

Tue, 2009-08-04 14:08

George Victor

Actually, he's only returning to the "old times" understanding that down east, while they may not have the initiative that Steve demanded a few years back, they have never lost their keen appreciation for federal largesse. So he will never again speak and act only to appease the motley few neo-cons of the east coast. At least, until he has a solid grip on Parliament.

Tue, 2009-08-04 14:16

Tommy_Paine

‘The Duff’ has been front and centre for many of these announcements on the Island, representing Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government, praising the PM’s vision for the country at each one.

You know what this means, don't you?

No potatoes for us this year.

Tue, 2009-08-04 14:21

remind

No george, I meant the neo-cons across Canada, some of whom are flocking away from Harper, and am noting that perhaps he wants an election before the movement to abandon the CPC grows further. Also, there are large rumblings of anger in AB against both the provincial and federal governing parties over oil and gas developments out pacing environmental assessments, which will continue to grow. Afterall they just allowed a pipeline to be built through Jasper National Park and now will allow more pipelines in the Big Valley habitat.

Harper would not want to lose any more seats in AB at this time, when trying for a majority. So it may be now or never.

Tue, 2009-08-04 14:28

remind

"No potatoes for us this year."

LOL, and I do so like PEI potatoes, when we don't have enough of own to carry us through winter. However, this year we should, and if we don't we will be boycotting them anyway.

Tue, 2009-08-04 14:33

George Victor

Priceless, TP.

Wed, 2009-08-05 11:09

Tommy_Paine

Well. Normally, attacking someone because of their physical appearance is not something I like to do.

However, I think Duffy has transgressed enough rules of human decency that he has placed himself outside such considerations.

Wed, 2009-08-05 11:35

Ghislaine

George Victor wrote:

Actually, he's only returning to the "old times" understanding that down east, while they may not have the initiative that Steve demanded a few years back, they have never lost their keen appreciation for federal largesse. So he will never again speak and act only to appease the motley few neo-cons of the east coast. At least, until he has a solid grip on Parliament.

Would you like to expalin how us "down east" folks have never lost our "keen appreciation for federal largesse"? Perhaps you could explain how we have a keener appreciation than other regions? Or perhaps you could explain whether federal Equalization is wrong or not?

ps this story has been called out by Duffy as inaccurate and the reporter who wrote it i currently being attacked by right-wing blogs - and has taken down her twitter feed in response to the attention she is getting.

Wed, 2009-08-05 12:07

George Victor

Ghislaine, I try to keep up.

It is my understanding that Nova Scotia is in better financial shape now than almost any other province to take advantage of PRIVATE capital to expand business. Steve's plans for building little icebreakers with little guns, have been shelved for the moment, I see by the Gobe this a.m., but I'm sure the talk will resume. Our shipyards on Georgian Bay, while they produced a corvette (or two?) during the war, are pretty much history.

"Anti-statist Steve" was speaking out of a historical understanding that the Maritimes did depend on equalization and special programs, even before fishing died.

Seems to me that Duff is talking about what is coming PEIs way. And I should not generalize about "down east" , because I do know better. It's a bad, bad habit.

But cheer up, we will all be able to talk about Ontario as needing a bit of a boost now. Newfoundland's oil and Labrador's nickel will help us in our turn, at largesse.

(Have to wonder at freedom of the press down east these days though)

Wed, 2009-08-05 12:29

#10

Ghislaine

I didn't assume you had any bad intention, GV - it is just a touchy subject. We have been called lazy, welfare bums, etc. so many times on the East Coast and it seemed like an insinuation that we get too much from the federal gov't.

Wed, 2009-08-05 18:16

#11

Debater

Mike Duffy has really become a disgrace over the past year. First there was his incredibly pro-Conservative coverage in the last election when he was supposedly still a journalist, including his biased commentary of the Dion interview controversy, and second was his acceptance of a Senate seat as a reward for his pro-Harper support.

Wed, 2009-08-05 18:49

#12

remind

LOL, pot kettle

Thu, 2009-08-06 11:37

#13

Sarann

My family came to Alberta as missionaries and settlers in the 1880s and 1890s and though I have not lived there for over 40 years, I live within a mile of the border and have watched with horror what has happened there, nothing has filled me with more horror than the giving of a million dollars in funds to the Royal Glenora private club in Edmonton for renovations while the public pools are deteriorating and the giving of 4 million dollars to a fundamentalist private school while first nations children are being educated for years in cold drafty portables. Such obvious pork barreling. There is really nothing the conservatives wouldn't do to get elected but I hope these initiatives fail. WHERE IS THE PRESS WHICH SHOULD BE INVESTIGATING THIS?

Our local paper has run a message from the defeated conservative candidate in the Western Artic that sounds very like political blackmail. He suggests that if we want anything from the federal government we had better elect a conservative.

Thu, 2009-08-06 12:02

#14

remind

"WHERE IS THE PRESS WHICH SHOULD BE INVESTIGATING THIS?"

Receiving their own money from the harper government.

Thu, 2009-08-06 13:41

#15

Bookish Agrarian

I must say it is reassuring in a kind of comfort food sort of way that pork barrel politics is still alive and well all over Canada thanks to the likes of Mike Duffy, Steve Harper, and Tony Clement.

Thu, 2009-08-06 14:09

#16

George Victor

A better marketing angle than swine flu, BA?

Thu, 2009-08-06 15:03

#17

Bookish Agrarian

Mon, 2009-08-10 23:12

#18

mybabble

I'm all for a fall election as Liberals could pick up the slack and take home a majority themselves. Why not, its a far fetched as Harper getting a majority while straping an added consumption tax to provinces hard hit with unemployment as hundreds and thousands of news citizens find themselves on the short end of the stick as unemployment continues to increase and many new business fold and workers out in the cold.