Monday, November 30, 2009

My Name is Jim Curran and I'm Running to be Vice President-Organization for the Liberal Party of Canada (Ontario)


During the 2009 Leadership Convention in Vancouver, I started a little movement entitled ONTARIO! Ours to Recover. It was a grassroots attempt to bring together fellow Liberals to exchange ideas about how we can recover from a fairly poor Liberal voter turnout in the 2008 general election.

Judging by the bar bill, a few hundred dedicated grassroots Liberals showed up to tip a few and share some ideas. It was a great night for those with ideas to bounce them off fellow Liberals from around the country.

It's with that same enthusiasm and grassroots engagement in mind that I announce my candidacy for VP-Organization LPC(O).

I need your support and I ask you for it.



According to the LPC(O) Constitution, ARTICLE VI ‐ COMMITTEES OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, this is what I'm supposed to do if elected:

Organization Committee Structure:

6. There shall be an Organization Committee of the Executive Committee consisting of the Vice‐President and not less than ten (10) other members appointed by the Vice‐President with the approval of the Management Committee. The Committee shall elect a Vice‐Coordinator and Secretary from amongst themselves and the Vice‐President shall endeavour to appoint persons representative of the various interests within LPC(O).

Organization Committee Responsibilities

7. The Organization Committee shall be responsible for organizing the work of the LPC(o) with respect to:

(a) preparing LPC(O) for election;
(b) working with ridings in organization preparations.




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Will the Real Tim Hudak Please Stand Up

MORE Provincial Conservatives Support Harmonization


Queen’s Park – We know that Ontario Conservative Leader Tim Hudak supports the HST; earlier this year he said there was “little sense” in having two separate sales taxes and understood how the HST “can help the economy” (March 24th, 2009 – Don Valley West, Conservative Party Annual Meeting).


And his House Leader Bob Runciman also said “I think our Party is supportive of harmonization” and that the HST is “something we think should occur” (March 24, 2009 – Media Scrum).


Who else in the Ontario Conservative Caucus supports tax harmonization?


Ted Chudleigh (Halton): “Taxing businesses for their input costs is also a negative thing to do in an economy. It would be far better if we could find a way to harmonize the PST with the GST.” (October 2, 2008 – Legislative Assembly Hansard)

Silvia Jones (Dufferin-Caledon): “[The government should be] beginning serious consultations with Ottawa on the subject of tax reform.” (March 17, 2008 – Legislative Assembly Hansard)

Ted Arnott (Wellington-Halton Hills): “They must follow the advice they sought from Roger Martin and reduce taxes on new business investment in Ontario.” (March 11, 2009 – Legislative Assembly Hansard)

Norm Sterling (Carleton-Mississippi Mills): “The Ontario government should harmonize its provincial sales tax with the federal goods and services tax.” (April 23, 1992 – Legislative Assembly Hansard)

Gerry Martiniuk (Cambridge): “We have called on you to stimulate our economy by reducing the tax burden on business and new business investments, eliminating capital taxes in Ontario, reducing taxes on small business, and initiating serious negotiations with the federal government on tax reform.” (October 22, 2008 – Legislative Assembly Hansard)

Peter Shurman (Thornhill): “I am not saying that harmonization ultimately is a bad idea.” (March 24, 2009 – Media Scrum)

Frank Klees (Newmarket-Aurora): “No one can argue with wanting a more simplified tax process I think we all support that.” (May 21, 2009 – London Conservative Leadership Debate)

Now we know why Tim Hudak is so slippery when asked why he won’t commit to reversing a single aspect of the McGuinty Government’s tax reforms.




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Sunday, November 22, 2009

The Big Red Think...Who Gets to Go?


The Liberals' Big Red Thinkers Conference is set to take place in January 2010 in Montreal.

It's rumoured that only 200 Liberals will be "invited" to the event. Also rumoured is that an additional 200 non-liberals will be invited.

A couple or three questions come to mind.

1. Who are these elite 200, and where have they been thinking for the past few years.

2. WHO CHOOSES THE ELITE 200??? This is possibly the most important question.

3. What was the purpose of the Non-Leadership/Policy Convention, the Renewal Committee and the Change Commission and the Red Ribbon Report and, and and and..... if the engagement of the grassroots wasn't enough to THINK about?

4. How much is this thinkers conference? And who pays? Especially since Ontario Liberals have to pay, three weeks later, to attend their waaaaaaay, long overdue AGM in Windsor?

Anyway, that's my thinking about the thinkers. Feel free to think about it and think your thoughts in writing here.


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Thursday, November 19, 2009

Liberal MPs Taken out of Mothballs

Well it's about time. Donolo on day one sends out smart, veteran MPs to counter Conservative cronies.

As the post below shows, Irwin Cotler has found a new reason for existance as an MP with these libelous 10 percenters.

And lo and behold, so too does my old friend Joe Volpe.

I look forward to hearing from more of the old vets on the team.


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Stephane Dion Should Sue that Lying So-and-So

Joe Preston, you have no clue what you're talking about.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Ignatieff's New Team Impresses


It's no big secret that many, many, many a Liberal were disappointed with the Leader's office in recent times. But, today, yes today, we have hope my fellow Liberals.

The adults are now taking over the sandbox and aren't just supervising. They're building castles in the sand.

With the exception of the odd one staffer, I gotta say that the entire Donolo Team is enough to make me excited about this party again.

Repeat after me..... HOPE. Change. HOPE. Change. HOPE. Change. HOPE......

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Monday, November 16, 2009

Another Conservative $100 Million Boondoggle

Turns out Prime Minister Harper wants a legacy built in his own backyard. Too bad it's the National Portrait Gallery that has to suffer because of it. Why the shroud of secrecy? Why the Friday night announcement?

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Sunday, November 15, 2009

Personally, I Feel Blackberrys should be Banned from The HoC Chambers

The House of Commons has become a joke anymore. People (yes all parties) are preoccupied with their twitter/facebook/text messaging/browsing while in the sacred chamber. Long gone are the days of the Parliamentary pages buzzing to and fro with messages. What ever happen to decorum?

I'll give a gold star to the first party to move a motion to ban electronic device use by MPs while in the Green Chamber. Anyone? Anyone?



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Saturday, November 14, 2009

Con MPs Dykstra and Raitt to go in front of Ethics Commissioner

Just in case some of you think that this Veteran offender Rick Dykstra is a gift to mankind, have a little gander at this release by Democracy Watch. As for Raitt? We already knew her moral compass disappeared the day she was elected.

Some of the highlights:

Democracy Watch also confirmed with the same staffperson that the rental cost for a Luxury Suite, which holds 20 people, is minimum $3,500, and for a Double Box (which holds 40 people) is minimum $4,500, and for the Executive Lounge (which holds 80 people) is minimum $6,500. Therefore, given that Rick Dykstra invited 60 people to his fundraising event in the Owner's Box, by its own rental rates (which clearly establish the market value of renting boxes at the Rogers Centre), Rogers should have charged Mr. Dykstra minimum $5,500 to rent the Owner's Box.


In addition, neither Rogers nor Mr. Dykstra have provided information concerning the cost, and amount paid (if any), for the other perk offered to attendees of the event, namely attending batting practice before the baseball game between the Blue Jays and the New York Yankees (who are now leading in the Major League Baseball World Championship Series) that was held the day of the event, and meeting members of the Blue Jays team.


As for Raitt?

The new information concerning the fundraising event for Minister Raitt is that she recused herself on October 9, 2009 under the Conflict of Interest Act from dealing with any matters concerning the Cement Association of Canada or its registered lobbyist Michael McSweeney (who played a significant role in the holding of the fundraising event for Minister Raitt).


By recusing herself, Minister Raitt has essentially admitted that the services provided to her by Mr. McSweeney are a prohibited “gift” under the Conflict of Interest Act (and, it is Democracy Watch’s opinion, also under the Conflict of Interest Code for Members of the House of Commons (MPs Code)) because the services could “reasonably could be seen to influence” Minister Raitt’s decisions and create a private interest that puts her in a conflict of interest.




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Thursday, November 12, 2009

Rick Dykstra Defends his Blackberry Disrespect of Veterans and the Fallen

So Jane Tabor dismisses any wrongdoing by the Conservative MP.

That's right Jane. Rick is such an upstanding guy.

But after a quick call to the MP’s office, it seems Mr. Dykstra was live-blogging at the event. In fact, he used his BlackBerry to take a picture of the cenotaph and the wreaths around it. Then he sent out a message, which he posted on his website:

“It was a very calm and peaceful two minutes this morning at 11am. With a picture of Warrant Officer Dennis Brown at the foot of the cenotaph. He gave his life in Afghanistan. I took this picture this morning during our ceremony at the Cenotaph in downtown St. Catharines, now named Veteran's Way.”


Let's have a look at the visual evidence again shall we. Notice the thumbs on the keyboard. Notice the index fingers positioned in the typing position around the top of the Balckberry and the other fingers wrapped around the bottom of the Balckberry.

I guess it's okay to live blog a memorial ceremony according to Dykstra's own defense of the offense. He was "live-blogging". Did you here that folks? A sitting MP was "live-blogging" a memorial ceremony. Far more important than just standing there and honouring Canada's finest like everyone else in the picture.



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Conservative MP Dykstra TOOOO Important for Veterans


Talk about the ultimate disrespectful act! Totally disgusting that you have to reach for your Blackberry in the middle of a memorial ceremony. That's him to the right of the Mayor of St. Catharines. Don't think the veterans didn't take notice of it either. They did!

That's why this guy will be the next MP in St. Catharines. Enter Andrew Gill.

Thoughtful and respectful.



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Tuesday, November 10, 2009

LIBERAL GRASSROOTS RISE UP

it's time my friends. LPCO has finally called an AGM. Yep, you heard me right. There will be an LPCO AGM in February 2010. When was the last AGM? Why, November 2007, that's when. Defeats the true meaning of Annual in Annual General Meeting me thinks.

Not that anybody else has any clue that this important event is on the horizon (it's still not posted on the LPCO website), but here's the info:

Where and When:Our 2010 AGM will be held at the Caesars Windsor Casino the weekend of February 5th to February 7th 2010. (yes that is Super Bowl Weekend. Kind of like the Ontario Liberal Party scheduling their AGM in Windsor on Halloween)
ELECTION OF OFFICERS

In accordance with the LPC(O) Constitution, Article VII, Section 9, the following positions shall be elected for a two year term at the 2010 LPC(O) Annual General Meeting:

Officer Positions

President
Treasurer
Vice-President Organization

Regional Positions
Central
Southwest
Northern

The following positions shall be elected for a one year term at the 2010 LPC(O) Annual General Meeting:

Regional Positions
9 Area Directors (3 per region)

Nominations must be received at the LPC(O) Office, 10 St. Mary Street, Suite 205, Toronto , ON M4Y 1P9 or by FAX (416) 921 – 3880 no later than 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, January 5th, 2010.

For Further Information, please contact the delegation Secretary
Judi Longfield Executive Director
(416) 921 2844 ext. 301 email: judi.longfield@lpco.ca



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Monday, November 9, 2009

Come Fly with Me...Your Tax Dollars at Work!!!

It's inexplicable I tell ya. Rick Norlock! He's from the Cobourg Ontario riding of Northumberland, Quinte West. Population 9.

Not a single Liberal in the top twenty.



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Saturday, November 7, 2009

What, In the name of Pierre Trudeau, does this Liberal Party Stand For?!?!?

I've been sitting here biting my lip for quite some time now. I've tried to play nice. I've given it my all to be the patriotic soldier that cares not that his general is sending him up the hill to slaughter. But, I'm just not going to let it go anymore. Sorry. Can't do it.

In recent months, I've received email after email, joke after joke, phone call after phone call from both Liberals and Conservative friends alike asking me what this Liberal Party stands for. And, after months and months of deliberation, I've finally come to a conclusion.

NOT MUCH!!!! THAT'S WHAT!!!!

It's a joke anymore to watch our troops in action. Even the MSM is in total laugh mode at this stage.

The funny thing is, I know there's some damn smart people up near the top of the party so I question the motives behind our incessant stupidity at this point. I thought things would be different on the Hill with the likes of Warren Kinsella and Peter Donolo giving some adult supervision in the sandbox...and I still holdout hope that one day soon it will be, but....

First we abandoned all our principles in 2008 when we let Harper and his goons ram an immigration bill through as part of a budget bill. A bill that has allowed Jason Kenney and his crew the ability to pick and choose, in no specific order, who gets in and who doesn't. A bill that has been taking its toll on our ethnic supporters that are now kissing the asses of Conservatives to be heard for fear their families won't get into the country. Liberals let that happen. We, the great defenders of the immigrant.

Then we allowed this group of clowns to vote themselves in a $3 Billion dollar slush fund to prop up their own ridings with infrastructure projects. Paul Martin must have been vibrating out of his seat that day.

Then we begun to hang our own MPs out to dry. When star MP, Dr. Ruby Dhalla introduced a bill to reform immigrant old age pension benefits that has been years and years in the making, we forgot that we introduced the bill in a previous session. We shoot our own now in the Liberal Party I guess, 'cause we sent out her caucus ally, Judy Sgro to diss Dr. Dhalla's private member's bill.

Funny thing is, the party voted for the exact same bill when it was introduced by another Brampton MP by the name of Colleen Beaumier. That includes people like Judy Sgro who spoke in favour of the bill in committee!

But now, the party, more specifically the leader of the party, has abandoned the urban voter and female voter completely by letting his own MPs vote for the scrapping of the gun registry. A law that every single police force in the country wants to keep in place.

In memory of those women at l'ecole polytechnique that inspired that law in the first place and for all those women that live in fear of domestic violence, I ask the leader what on earth he is thinking. Specifically, why is he letting this ass Wayne Easter continue to make the rest of us Liberals look like morons when he goes on these political talk shows to make himself more important than the entire party by trying to explain why he voted to scrap the registry?

What's next? We're going to repeal same sex marriage?

We have abandoned every principal we ever stood for. And, if the only way we think we're going to climb in the polls is to attack the Conservatives on a pandemic that this country has never seen the likes of before called H1N1, then we better think again. People aren't friendly to those that use the dead and sick for political gain. Ask Lisa Raitt.

Where is this army of Liberals marching to? Where? I, for one, have no clue and I am certainly tired of shaking my head in disbelief.


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I Seldom Agree With Jim Travers, BUT....

I think he hit the nail on the head. And, I don't care if Wayne Easter thinks we're wrong. Idiot.


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