“Stéphane, The NDP Got It Done”

Today, we have another example of the NDP getting things done that Canadians care about: getting amendments passed to the Clean Air Act which actually make the thing useful for improving the environment. The amendments are below:

• Short-, medium- and long-term greenhouse gas targets. DONE
• Earlier deadline for regulating the industrial sector. DONE
• A hard cap on greenhouse gas emissions from big polluters. DONE
• Leading and mandatory standards for smog-producing “air contaminants”. DONE
• Leading vehicle fuel efficiency standards. DONE
• A cap and trade carbon market. DONE
• Eliminate subsidies to oil and gas sector. Cons, Libs & Bloc Ruled Out of Order
• Protected gov’t authority to regulate air pollutants and greenhouse gases. DONE
• Effective provincial equivalency rule. DONE
• Authority to designate “significant areas” for environmental protection. DONE
• Programs reviewed annually. DONE
• Building retrofit fund. DONE

11/12 amendments ain’t bad at all. To be honest, I can see why the removing the oil and gas subsidy was out of order: it really does not sound like it would be in the scope of the bill.

“That’s Not Fair!”

As some Liberals might say. “We voted for the amendments”. That may be true, but none of the Liberals actions got us to that point – it was the blood, sweat and tears of the NDP that did.

“Do You Think It’s Easy To Try To Make Amendments?”

Maybe next time Liberals should actually try to do something instead of trying to using everything as fodder to be thrown out at the next election. Oh, and don’t try to pretend otherwise: we remember all of the comments a few months ago.

Blogging Dippers Administrator Election

The Blogging Dippers Administrator elections are now taking place. Considering that the three people elected will be administering the Blogging Dippers, it is important that as many Blogging Dippers as possible go vote for thier prefered candidates.

The all-candidates debates are happening in the comments here.

On Hiatus

Just to let my readers know, I will be going on a month (or so) long hiatus with this blog.

There are a few reasons why I have decided to do so:

1. The last two weeks. They have been rather vicious, starting with Cherinak’s attack on the Blogging Dippers and going downhill from there.
2. I’m starting to get the feeling that what I want to say is being restricted by various individuals, and I believe what I am saying is within reason and fair.
3. I have not really wrote anything note-worthy as of late, and probably need to rest and think a little while.
4. I have various other obligations to attend to.

Hopefully, the Blogging Dippers administrator elections shall go well. I will probably be around commenting on the BDVS and on various blogs.

Leadership & Fairness: Ads Show Progressives The Path Of The Future

Today the NDP released its Leadership and Fairness ads.

I thought that the reaction of the Libloggers was actually the most interesting result of these ads so far. I mean, they were grasping at any straw to shoot them down.

Meanwhile, the Liberal ads should be coming out after the Green Party and Christian Heritage Ads, but before the Communist Party ones.

Anyways, viscous partisan jokes aside, I think that the ads are a good strategy on the part of the NDP.

For one, TV ads will remind average Canadians that the NDP is in the big leagues and playing for keeps.

Secondly, the Conservatives were nice enough to spend millions taking down the leader of the Liberals. These ads take advantage of that situation and shows Canadians that there is leadership out there that is not Harper, being Jack Layton and the NDP.

These ads are the latest piece of evidence that the NDP is the most solid investment for Progressives to vote for to stop Harper and help Canadians.

…And They Say That The Blogging Dippers Aren’t Good For The NDP’s Communications Purposes

I like how Pat Martin is totally on message here:

NDP MP Pat Martin says his party must make significant gains in the next federal election or be forced to admit it may never be anything more than a fringe player and end its 46-year existence.

…

“So, the result has been to bore people into some kind of a stupor where nobody has any idea what we stand for anymore.” A poor electoral result could leave the NDP with few options, Mr. Martin said, including, in the case of a minority government, a merger or coalition with the Liberals.

Okay, so either Pat Martin was caught having an interview on “Act as a Liberal Day”, or he thinks that he can threaten Canadians into voting for the NDP, or else “the NDP gets it”, as they say. Either way, this statement make Pat Martin sound like a total idiot.

I know that Canadians know where the NDP stands on the issues. I know that Canadians know that Jack Layton is a leader. I know that the NDP has worked hard for Canadians, getting things done. I certainly can’t say the same thing about the Liberals, so why would we want to merge with them?

I think its high time that we stopped believing this fallacy that New Democrats would vote Liberal or even Green if they didn’t vote for the NDP.

Update: Pat Martin clarifies his remarks, saying that what he meant to say was that progressives need to unite behind the NDP. But it’s kinda late now, and I don’t see that getting reported on as much as his original comments.