Sunday, August 17, 2008

Don Valley By-election Called for Sept 22!


Scheduled for 2 weeks after the other 3 by-elections. Dr. Rob will need your help to keep up our Liberal winning tradition in the riding. My guess is that we win in a romp.

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Way to go Ryan!!!!


What an awesome performance by this young Victoria native for a bronze. What a swim!

Finally!!! Gold Silver Bronze

Woo Hoo! Yes! Congrats to our two female wrestlers and our Men's Pairs. And, Verbeek is from Niagara. All the better. Her coach Marty Calder was a wrestler for Brock U. a few years ago. Way to go guys!

Friday, August 15, 2008

MSM Catches Onto the David Orchard Nomination

From the CP-
Outspoken activist David Orchard to run for federal Liberals in Saskatchewan


OTTAWA — Once spurned by Liberal Leader Stephane Dion, outspoken activist David Orchard has now been embraced by party rank and file in a northern Saskatchewan riding.

The organic farmer and anti-free trade activist was elected late Thursday to be the Liberal candidate in Desnethe-Missinippi-Churchill River during the next federal election.

Orchard had hoped to run for the Liberals during a byelection in the predominantly aboriginal riding last March. But Dion short-circuited the democratic nomination process, appointing former NDP provincial cabinet minister Joan Beatty as the party's candidate.

Although Beatty herself is aboriginal, the move enraged some native leaders. They accused Dion of paternalism and even racism, imposing Beatty rather than trusting native residents to choose their own candidate.

Beatty lost the riding, which had narrowly elected a Liberal in the 2006 election, to the Conservatives. Many Liberals blamed Dion's heavy-handed treatment of Orchard, who had been instrumental in securing Dion's come-from-behind leadership victory, for the loss.

Beatty had wanted to run again in the upcoming general election but she got no help from Dion, who chose not to interfere this time in the open nomination contest. She was trounced by Orchard in Thursday's vote.

An insider said Orchard garnered more than twice as many votes as Beatty.

Orchard said Friday that the party had no choice but to "bow to the clearly expressed will of the people in the north to have democracy and fair play."

"Many of the people from the highest reaches of the party told me that they felt they'd made a mistake and they wanted to make it right. If they want to win the riding, I don't think they could've gone any other way," he said in an interview.

Orchard, an organic farmer who twice ran for the leadership of the now-defunct Progressive Conservatives, has long been an outspoken activist on environmental, free-trade, aboriginal and agriculture issues. He doesn't intend to pull his punches now just because he's a candidate.

"I think the essence of a vibrant, national party is you would have to encompass a wide range of views. Probably one of the worst things (is) a monolithic party where everybody stands up and nods at the same time and says the same things," he said.

Moreover, Orchard indicated that he intends to use his activist zeal to shake up the Liberal party.

"I strongly believe that we have to open up the party to the ordinary people, the grassroots, and we have to touch a chord if we're going to be effective as a national party."

In Saskatchewan in particular, Orchard said Liberals are "going to have to do something very different than the way it's been done if we're going to get beyond having a single member from this province."

That may put Orchard at odds with Liberal stalwart Ralph Goodale, the lone Liberal MP in Saskatchewan who has presided over party affairs in the province for decades. Some of Orchard's supporters blamed Goodale for persuading Dion to appoint Beatty in the byelection.

Goodale had no comment Friday. Dion's office said the leader had "a nice chat" with Orchard Friday morning and congratulated him on his nomination victory.


David Orchard wins Saskatchewan Liberal nomination
Canwest News Service
Published: Friday, August 15, 2008


REGINA - David Orchard has been named the Liberal party candidate in a
sprawling northern Saskatchewan riding after handily beating his rival
- a former NDP MLA who was appointed to run in a March byelection that
Orchard had sought to contend.

Orchard beat Joan Beatty Thursday night for the Liberal nomination in
the riding of Desnethe-Missinippi-Churchill River.

Liberal Leader Stephane Dion appointed Beatty as the candidate in the
March byelection, side-swiping Orchard's candidacy.


David Orchard won the Liberal nomination battle for the federal riding
of Desnethe-Missinippi-Churchill River in Saskatchewan.
Richard Marjan/Saskatoon StarPhoenix

Harper Pulls Another Pinocchio

What happened to the vaunted "fixed election date" and the PM and Jason Kenney's assertions that "we're getting things done" and the election will be in 2009. I'll tell ya what happened. The Conservatives are about to fade into the abyss with polls crashing down on them and the impending crushing defeat of their attempts to destroy every public watchdog organization in the country. That's what happened.

And, as for the readers from National Newswatch and Bourque? Thanks for coming out.

ORCHARD WINS NOMINATION - NEXT STOP OTTAWA

And all the doubts are put to sleep. In a fair nomination, David Orchard once again proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he has the ability to organize people better than most I know. Now to kick the pants out of some Conservative prairie dogs!!!

Thursday, August 14, 2008

To My Dear Friends In Northern Saskatchewan

It's your turn to tell the rest of us who you want to represent the Liberal Party in Desnethe Missinippi Churchill River. Get out and vote early and vote often. Oh, and not that I'm trying to interfere or anything, but check off the box that says, ORCHARD, David.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

I Warned the Dippers...

...they scorned me for it though. That's okay. The truth is the truth. Or, as my buddy's buddy used to say:



And this, my friends, is proof that nobody is listening to Jack pounding the Liberals and their Green Shift. And, that doesn't bode well for a certain NDP candidate in Westmount Ville Marie.

Wednesday Morning Sing Along!!!

Everybody sing along. In and out and in and out and in and out and in and out. Sing with me people!