Rick Mercer presents a brief cross-section of why I tend to refer to the CPC as our national socialist alternative in an only-mostly-joking manner.Also,
Paul Martin has added a new promise:
Repeal section 33 of the Canadian Charter Of Rights And Freedoms. Frankly, this is the best thing any Canadian government *could* do. This is the single most damaging piece of law ever passed in a civilised country[1].
Also,
Steven Harper promises that even though he wants to "revisit" the same-sex marriage laws, he will not use Section 33 to change them from their current status - despite any change being unconstitutional.Also wading in: 133 law deans and professors sent an open letter to Harper saying there was no way he could honestly hope to change the definition of marriage without resorting to the notwithstanding clause. That's the opinion of the federal Department of Justice [http://canada.justice.gc.ca/en/fs/ssm/] and, it appears, Vic Toews, Harper's justice critic. Two years ago, he called it the appropriate tool for reasserting the supremacy of Parliament when courts become pressured into fashionable issues like gay marriage.
While we're talking about Harper, last night he lied outright about Martin's proposed tax cuts affecting only the rich, and he lied outright about his proposed GST cut being "more fair" than an income tax cut.
CBC's "reality check" covers the tax cut plans from the parties that matter, here. Unsurprisingly, the NDP want to cut taxes and increase spending to eradicate the budget surplus and go deeply back into debt.
Speaking of which,
here's a breakdown of the current election promises, by party, date, and monetary cost to the voter. Just remember, they're bribing you with YOUR MONEY on this one.
And I haven't yet gotten a response back from my local Conservative candidate on how he can justify being pro-gay-marriage in a party that wants to ban it, knowing that by electing him we'd be supporting Harper's attempt to restrict the legal rights of Canadian citizens.
[1]:The Patriot Act does not qualify, for reasons that should be obvious - and not just the easy "the US isn't a civilised country" snipe, either.
