February 28, 2006 - In response to a question from the CBC's Julie Van Dusen regarding access for the press last week, Prime Minister Stephen Harper replied:

"I will be available whenever I have something to announce."

That comment, and the guarded and controlled nature of the Harper administration to date, has the media up in arms and ready to revolt.

This website says let them stew in their own anger.

Reporters like to claim that they enjoy symbiotic relationships with politicians - each side needs each other. Even respected Toronto Star columnist Chantal Hébert stated that the key to a a constructive relationship "is a mature approach on the part of the Prime Minister," and that Harper "getting into a sulk with the national media is just another display of a skin too thin for comfort."

Don't believe the hype. Reporters have for years thrived off the headlines of scandal and excess to sell their wares, and need access to the Prime Minister on their own terms more for the purposes of good political theatre than actual information gathering.

Since winning the leadership of the Canadian Alliance party back in 2002, it is safe to say that Stephen Harper has got a very rough ride. Whether he was accused of being scary, or not having a heart, the media have been brutal. In fact, it is in spite of the press corps that Stephen Harper overcame these tags to win the election.

Harper's policies are not going to be popular with the Canadian people over the coming year, and he is well aware of the fights ahead, from missile defence, to child care, to his proposed re-vote on same sex marriage. The Conservatives still do not represent majority opinions within this country.

And thus with those kind of daunting prospects, Harper is well advised to set the tone of his relationship with the press gallery, as opposed to the style of the Paul Martin regime, who one reporter referred to as a bunch of "flinchers because they'd flinch every time they saw something they didn't like."

Complete access to the top makes it that much easier to grill from the bottom. Maybe it is the Ottawa press gallery that should take a long hard look in the mirror before they translate their lack of control over politicians into stories about public office holders (from all parties) who supposedly have something to hide.

February 28, 2006 - Got a note from a reader last night pointing out that the Burrard Communications website is offline, and that his visit to the company's offices in the middle of the day last week encountered a closed office. The source also said that they had heard that Mark Marissen, Paul Martin's #1 operative in British Columbia, and the man responsible for the only seat gains in the country for the Liberals' past 2 election campaigns, is packing it in.

Does anyone know any more about this? (and that includes you, Mr. Marissen, who at times stops by this humble little site). Let us know.

February 27, 2006 - In spite of how boring talk of the Liberal leadership race is becoming, this article is very interesting, particularly for some of the quotes contained in it:

"How often do you have a leadership for a national party and three of the four leadership contenders are refugees from another party and one's an emigrant who's come back home 30 years later," said one Liberal,referring to Mr. Brison, Ms. Stronach and Mr. Rae and Mr. Ignatieff, respectively."

Good question. A pretty sad state of affairs.

February 27, 2006 - Paul Martin's decision not to participate in missile defence was for the most part, a popular decision with the electorate. Now while Martin and former foreign affairs minister Pierre Pettigrew made complete idiots out of themselves in announcing their "decision", in the end most Canadians felt that the Canadian government was taking a stand against George W. Bush and his limited viewpoint on hemispherial security.

So how does Stephen Harper reverse a decision that the country is very comfortable with? He forwards a false pretense, stating that the only way that the government would reexamine the issue is if it were asked explicitly by the Americans.

Bullshit.

Give it 6 months, a little negotiating on NORAD and softwood lumber, and Harper will mysteriously get that phonecall that U.S. ambassador David Wilkins is promising will not come.

It will be very interesting to see how the Bloc Québécois and their current support for the Conservatives react to this inevitable reversal of policy.

February 24, 2006 - How to Excite the Liberal Party of Canada (a step by step guide)

° Let ideas reign. With such a lacklustre group of candidates left for the leadership, it is the party membership which is going to develop a new path. Former Conservative leadership contenders, an egghead academic with little to no experience in the political realm, and a couple of competent yet not particularly engaging famillar faces, are not going to find that next big thing. When party members feel as though they can really turn the Liberal party towards new, bold, and fresh policy, people will return with gusto - with or without a so-called political saviour (remember the last one?).

° Allow former loyalists of Paul Martin's enemies not only return to the family, but take a lead on repairing the damage caused by the kool-aid drinkers. The Martinites can bury the hatchet best when stepping out rather than extending a hand grounded in falsehoods.

° Give Tom Axworthy do his work with as wide a scope as desired. Let people vent to the heart's content, and really take the time to listen. Grievances will always sit and stew unless they are released for public consumption. It is a healthy process that is going to hurt, but the party has little choice.

° Start communicating with former party members who have let their allegiance lapse within the past two years. People are willing and anxious to come back into the fold, but in many of those cases, it will be inherent that the party asks properly.

° Request that the party faithful start thinking about the next election by beginning to forward names of possible candidates. The Liberal party does not necessarily need more "star" recruits like Ujjal Dosanjh or David Emerson, but rather those people that are going to be able to bring their communities into the party's sphere. The Conservatives built a grassroots train that rode into the station after 20 years of building, and unless us Liberals can compete with that on the ground strength, we're still going to lose many of those tight races.

° Let cynicism breed as a result of a rookie Conservative government, not because the Official Opposition is on constant attack mode. Stephen Harper is bound to continue to screw up...it is inevitable. Let old blue eyes hang himself, while Liberals try a new approach - allowing enough political rope so that they snap their own necks. An election within the next 2 years is not necessary, definitely not desired, and would be destined for disappointment.

If you have more, let us know by email. Off to enjoy some Montreal smoked meat with family - will check back later in the day.

February 23, 2006 - Buzz Hargrove is so unbelievably clueless. How he thinks that he has any right to notification, evidence or a hearing from the NDP after telling the nation not to vote for the party is beyond logic. So it's funny to hear him say that he is not going to try and join the party again, when the reality of the fact is that no one really wanted him to.

February 23, 2006 - Stephen Harper's dream would be to shut this guy up by getting him into the speaker's chair. Don't do it, Garth.

February 23, 2006 - It is a lofty expectation that everyone placed into cabinet for the first time is going to be entirely ready, and thus leeway is necessary for some of the new Conservative ministers.

That being said, Peter McKay deserves a stern dressing down.

On January 28th, every newscast in the country showed a video of Canadian hostages James Loney and Harmeet Singh Sooden, which gave hope back home to family and friends who thought they looked relatively healthy. It is absolutely impossible that McKay could have missed this.

Anxious to show progress, McKay deemed the three and a half week old!!! video to be proof that the hostages were about to be released.

At the best of times, publicly speculating about the fates of hostages is a stupid thing to do. When everything is up in the air, and nothing is certain, however, it is completely irresponsible. Sorry just isn't good enough, even if the families have followed their deeply devout Christian beliefs and forgiven the minister.

It will be interesting to see when Peter McKay will break news to the nation that Ariel Sharon is in a coma.

February 23, 2006 - Thank you to everyone to wrote emails out of concern for my situation. My Bubby (Grandmother) passed away in Montreal on Tuesday a week shy of her 95th birthday. Yes, to all those who levy insults towards me, I often refer to myself, Jonathan Ross, in the third person by my company, TDH Strategies. But I want to say that I am happy for my Bubby, as she is now where she has wanted to be for 26 years - by the side of my Zayda Sam. I love you very much.

February 21, 2006 - A death in the family means that there will be no postings for the next couple of days.

February 21, 2006 - You want to know the reason why some of the heavyweights dropped out of the Liberal leadership race? Well look no further than the status quo membership rules, which previously guided Paul Martin's leadership campaign to a coronation. TDH Strategies has received word from several camps that the expectation that the Liberal national executive will do little to change the current restrictions on March 18th (the date of the next conference call to determine the timeline and rules for the leadership contest) kept several contenders on the sidelines.

February 21, 2006 - The more things change, the more they stay the same.

While in opposition, the Conservatives hammer the Liberals about the influence lobbyists have inside and outside of the government.

Upon winning the election, however,

1) Stockwell Day welcomes one of the authors of a report advocating for America-style armed border patrol into his office as a senior advisor

2) John Reynolds is appointed as an officer of the Privy Council by the Prime Minister, even though he is joining a high powered national law firm as a "Senior Strategic Advisor" who will ply his trade guiding C.E.O.'s through the road map of government (but he's NOT a lobbyist)

and now

3) William Stairs is replaced as Stephen Harper's communications director by a woman who was a registered lobbyist until the last election, representing a number of powerful clients including Coca-Cola, De Beers Canada, Rogers Wireless and Power Corporation.

It must be noted that these examples are only the beginning, as most of the ministers are still operating skeleton staffs, awaiting recruits that are personally approved by a selection committee within the P.M.O.

Oh yeah, and Stairs, who is a fluently bilingual Nova Scotia native with a PhD in political science and very well respected in political circles (cutting across party lines) was also formerly the communications director of Harper's chief rival Peter McKay when he was leader of the PC party.

It is now expected that Harper will adopt the word "fundamentally" and grow an unhealthy obsession with "the fact of the matter" over the next few months.

February 20, 2006 - Quick question to the Liberals that read this site:

How important will the new leader be if we still haven't defined the party? And vice versa, how crucial will a new platform be if we have what most would consider a sacrificial lamb in place? Email us your thoughts.

February 17, 2006 - John Reynolds is a shrewd operator, and so it is unlikely that Canada is going to read about some scandal involving his new job.

That being said, Reynolds' past attacks on the Liberal party's, and more specifically Paul Martin's relationship with lobbyists, now seems a little hollow nonetheless.

Back in 2003, this was John Reynolds:

"How can you be sitting in a room giving advice and then go back to being a lobbyist a week later?"

So, how is Reynolds dancing around his past statements? Well, in an interview with the Vancouver Sun, he has said that a) he doesn't plan on becoming a registered Parliament Hill lobbyist b) no existing laws or Tory campaign promises, however, would preclude him from doing so and c) his new role will be to to teach CEOs how they should lobby the government properly.

From the stories TDH Strategies has heard about Reynolds taking everything that wasn't nailed down in the Speaker's office when he served in that role in British Columbia's legislature, to his shady business past as a stock promoter on Howe street, Reynolds has never particularly been concerned with how he has been perceived. So in this instance, he is splitting hairs and taking advantage of a current loophole in the new code of ethics to justify conduct that most would consider on the borderline of acceptable conduct.

As Duff Conacher from Democracy Watch points out in the article, Reynolds' intimate involvement with the inner workings of the Conservative campaign, and his knowledge of policy directions that the new government is headed towards, represents a commercial advantage." Lang and Mitchener LLP currently lobbies for a client list that includes the Ontario Flue-Cured Tobacco Growers Marketing Board, Schenley Distilleries Inc., the Dairy Farmers of Canada, and the Upper Lakes Group Inc., a private Toronto company that operates one of the largest fleets on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway.

Another former politician pads his pockets, and the trust of the electorate continues to dwindle. So what else is new.

February 17, 2006 - TDH Strategies is very pleased at Ben Chin's acclamation as the Liberal candidate for Toronto Danforth.

We have always liked this guy, and figure that if he wins, he could become one of the biggest political stars in Ontario. He is someone that we would consider taking time off for to help on the campaign.

February 17, 2006 - Add Quebec to yesterday's list of provinces experimenting with private health care delivery. It's almost as if all of them waited for a Tory government to apply the full court press of pressure on Ottawa.

Game time for Stephen Harper. You need to take control of this situation before all the provinces start trying running you over. How is your government going to react?

February 16, 2006 - The election of the Stephen Harper government seems to have triggered a new kickstart in the movement to privatize health care - or least it seems that way here on the west coast.

The B.C. government's throne speech on Tuesday mused openly of an expanded role for private health-care delivery.

Then, the B.C. Medical Association nominated Brian Day (known as Dr. Profit for his private clinics and his part in the successful Supreme Court of Canada challenge to the ban on patients purchasing their own health care) as president-elect of the Canadian Medical Association. That means that this guy will be the head of the CMA in 2007-2008.

Harper promised to protect the Canada Health Act from breaches, and thus how he and new health minister Tony Clement handle what is about to begin in B.C., and what is already happening in Alberta, is going to be a huge test of that commitment.

Let's get something straight - in the view of this website, premier Gordon Campbell is absolutely right when he says we must build "our health-care system on a foundation of sustainability." The way we are going, our system will become impossible to maintain.

On the other hand, when Campbell asks "Can we deliver a better care to patients, faster care to patients, by looking at different delivery mechanisms," we would argue that it isn't his place to be posing those questions.

Provinces can not run their own little laboratories of health care experimentation and have free reign to develop a model that operates in isolation from the rest of Canada. Harper has promised the world to the provinces, and just like his predecessor Paul Martin, they are going to try and walk all over him as a result.

The Conservatives are not a party that instils a lot of confidence in the process of reexamining our the health care system. They are also not a government that is necessarily going to stand up to the provinces at the expense of their grand vision of decentralization.

So unless the Liberal party gets its together (and we ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT CHOOSING A LEADER), there is going to be a huge vacuum between the dismantling ways of the Tories and the unreasonable requests of the NDP.

Forget the blatant ambition for power that all of these potential candidates are displaying for the country. More than ever, we need a strong policy option presented from the Grits. Stay tuned to this website for more on that front in the coming weeks.

Off to Bowen Island for a beautiful day of work in the sunshine. Until tomorrow...

February 15, 2006 - To all of those Tory detractors of yesterday's post:

This vindication tastes very sweet.

February 15, 2006 - Well, we certainly hope so. Unless, that is, all those Martin supporters now jumping over to Belinda want to have "En anglais, s'il vous plait" become the new catchphrase of the Liberal Party of Canada.

February 15, 2006 - Conservatives have consistently hammered home the issue of choice when it comes to defending their plans for child care:

"Our plan provides money directly to parents. You can spend that money the way you see fit. You can choose the child care option that best suits your family's needs." - Stephen Harper, December 5, 2005

"The Conservative Party of Canada has clearly recognized the importance of early child care. We want all Canadians to be treated equally and all choices to be respected." - Rona Ambrose, June 14, 2005

"Why can parents not have a fair financial choice when it comes to choosing how to raise their children?" - Carol Skelton, May 31, 2005

In terms of quotes over the past 18 months, these are just the tip of the iceberg.

If we examine findings on child care by Runzheimer International, a management-consulting firm, it becomes clear that $1,200 a year really offers no choice to parents:

Now while this is only a snapshot of the most expensive monthly child care costs in the country, even in Montreal, where child care averages $206 per month (a figure that is achieved through heavy subsidization from the Quebec government), the Tory plan comes up well short.

The Conservative government will argue that a centrally controlled and funded child care system will penalize those parents who make a sacrifice to stay at home to raise their children. Fair enough.

But according to Statistics Canada findings from 2001, only about 47% of children are looked after by a parent in this country. The remaining 53% receive external forms of child care, including staying with relatives (1/3), receiving care from non-relatives in someone else's home (1/3), formal enrollment in a daycare centre (25%) and being taken care of by a babysitter (9%).

Harper is set to meet with Quebec premier Jean Charest later today, and somehow it seems highly unlikely that this set of flawed logic is going to suffice as an explanation as to why he is planning to axe the $5 billion agreement for child care already signed with the provinces.

February 14, 2006 - Harper promotes top Gun Registry bureaucrat.

Maryantonett Flumian was Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Firearms Centre from February 2000 to June 2001. For many years, Ms. Flumian provided a huge thorn in the sides of Conservatives, who largely blamed her for the ballooning costs of the gun registry. For example, take a look at this exchange during hearings before the Standing Committee on Public Accounts on March 26, 2003, where Flumian was grilled as a witness by Conservative MP Garry Breitkreuz:

"Mr. Garry Breitkreuz: According to Treasury Board guidelines, you were the project leader and you were to be personally and visibly accountable for all aspects of the program. Did you not have a responsibility to ensure that those reports got to the people at the top responsible for this?

Ms. Maryantonett Flumian: The way the project was being managed, because it was not officially designated, most of the dialogue was at the working level, and our reports were submitted.

Mr. Garry Breitkreuz: So those people ultimately responsible, your political masters, never saw those reports?

Ms. Maryantonett Flumian: There was no official designation, so the work was done at the officials level to ensure that as we were going through this, we kept as many people as possible informed of the proposed changes and of the consequences of the proposed changes.

Mr. Garry Breitkreuz: This contradicts what previous witnesses said, that this was treated as a major crown project. If it was treated as a major crown project, you, as the project leader, would have to be accountable for all aspects of the program and to report to those people. You're not sure those reports got there. You'd have to submit those reports to Treasury Board. Did they not get there? Treasury Board should then have been aware of what was going on in the program. Didn't you feel some kind of responsibility to inform your political masters that this project could never be implemented, that all the firearms in Canada could probably never be registered, that the costs would skyrocket?"

In February 2005, Flumian was promoted to Deputy Minister of Service Canada, which was a new agency created by the Liberal government to create a single point of contact for all government services, from tax advice to passports to job assistance. Tories went crazy at that announcement, not only because of Flumian's involvement, but also because even though the plan would save billions of dollars in the long run, it was going to cost hundreds of millions to set up.

The common complaint was that if Flumian could screw up the gun registry to the tune of billions of dollars, then why give her a second chance? (also check out this post by another well-known Conservative blogger)

Well, maybe they should be asking themselves that question, because on February 7, 2006, this is what Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced:

Prime Minister announces changes in the senior ranks of the Public Service

07 February 2006

Prime Minister Stephen Harper was pleased to announce today the following changes in the senior ranks of the Public Service. The changes reflect the smaller, more streamlined Cabinet structure of the new government:

Maryantonett Flumian, currently Deputy Minister of Service Canada, becomes Deputy Head of Service Canada and Associate Deputy Minister of Human Resources and Social Development.

You do not issue a press release to announce a demotion.

She has all of the same responsibilities as before in regards to Service Canada, and now is Associate Deputy Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, which delves into a range of other issue areas, including child care, the Canadian Pension Plan, and disability benefits.

An Access to Information request will show that at the very least, she is earning the same money with the Tories than she was under the Liberals (and with added reach across the expanded department and her new title, she might very well be making more).

It will be interesting to see how indignant the Tory bloggers and pundits get over this appointment.

February 13, 2006 - More on Young Liberals of Canada (B.C.) president Coco Lefoka.

He is angry about David Emerson's "unprincipled and undemocratic decision," and yet he was one of the two main organizers running Bill Cunningham's Burnaby-Douglas 2004 election campaign.

Cunningham was the former president of the Liberal Party of Canada (B.C.) before being UNDEMOCRATICALLY appointed as a candidate by Paul Martin. At that time, 15 Liberals on the Burnaby-Douglas riding executive quit in protest.

Coco didn't seem to mind that bit of "unprincipled and undemocratic" decision making.

February 13, 2006 - TDH is being told that the relationship between Peter McKay and Stephen Harper is improving. We just received a copy of this email sent by McKay to Harper's personal email:

"Stephen,

Thanks for Foreign Affairs...I've always liked traveling.

Speaking of which, I know a great place up in northern Nova Scotia...interested in accompanying me for a little hunting trip?"

February 13, 2006 - President of the Young Liberals of Canada (B.C.), Coco Lefoka, has been hitting the airwaves hard, speaking of his great disappointment for the "unprincipled and undemocratic decision" made by David Emerson. Emerson's scruples (or lack thereof) aside, however, Mr. Lefoka is not exactly the best person to be speaking about the merits of democracy.

Take a read of these excerpts from an email that was received from a Liberal member who for reasons of safe-keeping, shall remain nameless:

"The Liberal Party of Canada has no respect for democracy. How can THE EXECUTIVE/POWER THAT BE, even begin to cry foul when they run their own party as if they were given some divine right?

I recall a Young Liberal Provincial AGM that took place last spring at UBC. Yes, a provincial AGM, only at UBC. Now ask yourself, how does a youth, on a student budget, with a limited means of transportation, with classes in the afternoon, located in either Victoria, Prince George, even Surrey for that matter, make it to a 2 hour AGM in the afternoon at UBC? Doesn't democracy involve the greatest number of people having their voices heard?

How does one forgive the senior Liberal pundits in the party for their unwillingness to commit to a fair and democratic process within the party?"

The more things change, the more they stay the same. This kind of crap has dominated Liberal party politics, particularly here in B.C., for the better part of the last decade. This is the kind of rot that we need to flush from this party.

February 11, 2006 - This song keeps coming to mind, as every day that passes seems to provide more announcements that don't exactly jive with decisions like this.

February 10, 2006 - Stephen Harper has just appointed his parliamentary secretary for La Francophonie and Official Languages. His choice is Alberta MP Ted Menzies who will accompany Josee Verner, the Minister of La Francophonie, to the biannual meeting for the French international organization in Romania this year.

Emma Welford, a spokeswoman for the unilingual Menzies, said her boss just attended "a two-week immersion course recently and while his speaking skills are still at the beginner's level, he can understand a French-speaker fairly well."

In other related news, Harper has corrected an initial void in his cabinet by appointing Rob Anders Secretary of State for Multiculturalism. Anders has stated that his first act in his new role will be to expose Nelson Mandela as the terrorist that he is.

February 10, 2006 - Every MP is aware that their choice in profession will eventually lead to a crossroads, where one's conscience is challenged by the concept of party discipline, a fundamental pillar of our parliamentary system. Without getting into a longwinded discussion, effective party consensus is often the deciding factor between the productive passage of a legislative agenda and complete gridlock (an unfortunate characteristic of minority governments).

New Conservative MP Garth Turner isn't foreign to these kind of dilemmas, having sat in Brian Mulroney's 1988 government and briefly served as a cabinet minister in Kim Campbell's short reign at the top. It also seems that he is the first victim of Stephen Harper's warped brand of accountability.

This is from Turner's weblog, which refreshingly hasn't been shut down by his ascension to the ranks of government:

"Uh-huh. That kind of a day. This one MP came face-to-face with the party machine in a series of unhappy meetings including one tonight with the Prime Minister. I think it is now safe to say my career options within the Conservative caucus are seriously limited."

"I have written here many times over the past few months about my journey to become an MP again, and why I wanted to return to Ottawa. It was not to be a minister with a limo, but, as I explained, to try and empower elected people more, to make them relevant and free, so the voters would also become more empowered. And I campaigned to advance issues my middle class voters are so concerned with - things those families need and want."

"But, I arrived as the prime minister was appointing a floor-crossing Liberal and an unelected party official to his cabinet, which seemed to fly in the face of everything I had told voters about accountability and democracy."

Now while Turner isn't without his own controversies on how candid he is in representing himself and his business interests (this article is also interesting), that isn't the point here. Harper has made a complete fool of a Tory MP who got elected by convincing constituents that his government would be different.

This is where the David Emerson affair takes on national implications in every corner of the country, because now, any MP who dares to speak in favour of their original campaign promises faces retribution, as Turner so eloquently describes:

"...after today I'm expecting the Whip will be assigning me a renovated washroom somewhere in a forgotten corner of a vermin-infested dank basement in Ottawa. That should go well with my seat in the House of Commons that will be visible only during lunar eclipses."

Turner states that he knew about the consequences of speaking his mind, and was prepared for the fallout. The thing is, this kind of candour is the expectation of Turner's constituents - and they were not aware of the punishment that they were in for.

If Harper won the election on promises to empower his caucus, and truly give voices to average Canadians, then muzzling MPs in this fashion is a slap in the face to every voter that marked their X next to a Conservative candidate.

Honestly, even from a Liberal point of view, TDH Strategies was optimistic that a Harper-led government could do some good for the country, specifically referring to the incoming Accountability Act. So much for those hopes - like always, power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

February 9, 2006 - What else is there to say but WOW. If this keeps up, the Liberals could be back as government before the end of the year.

February 9, 2006 - Apparently, David Emerson is "flabbergasted" by the negative reaction his new cabinet appointment is receiving within the Canadian public. Shockingly, Emerson the turtle is now hiding under his shell, wondering whether he should pop out again:

"I may be so disillusioned that I won't stand anywhere. I have to be honest. If I knew politics would be as it has been, I wouldn't have run to begin with"

This is a man who comes from the cutthroat tactics of corporate Canada, where profit isn't only the bottom line, it's the only line. So did he think that politics would look like this:

Oh maybe he expected this kind of a front page story the day after he so casually switched allegiances to the Conservatives:

EMERSON BECOMES CONSERVATIVE; CANADA OVERJOYED

February 7, 2006

Canadian Press

Ottawa - New Conservative cabinet minister David Emerson was surprised and "completely overwhelmed" by supporters who lined the streets of Ottawa yesterday cheering and hoisting placards with slogans of adulation.

"This is so great for Canada. I just wanted to come out today and voice my admiration for a man who has clearly put the country first" said Deborah Vasher, 24, who had taken off work just to see new minister up close. "He's like a rock star, and I needed to be here" Vasher continued, as tears streamed down her face.

Back home in Vancouver, spontaneous parades and block parties emerged across the riding of Vancouver-Kingsway, where voters openly wished that Emerson had made his decision just a little bit sooner.

"I really wanted to vote Conservative, but didn't have a candidate I could support. Now I know that if Mr. Emerson had run for Prime Minister Harper, he would have achieved a landslide victory" said Jin Chao, 46, a Liberal supporter of over 20 years, who has now been won over by the Conservative message. "Their policies never really made any sense to me before, but now that Emerson will voicing them, I am really re-examining what I believe" said Chao.

Although non-committal, it is expected that new Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan will announce February 6 as David Emerson Day in the city. When contacted, the Mayor's office said they had to work out the details for the fireworks before making a formal announcement.

CP Ottawa Bureau

February 9, 2006 - For those looking for the David Emerson Hansard quotes, scroll down to the February 7 posting.

February 9, 2006 - Just read this in Globe and Mail about Revenue Minister Carol Skelton:

"Conservative Revenue Minister Carol Skelton, who in the last session introduced a motion to restrict the practice of party-switching, told reporters she does not plan to renew the call when the House resumes.:

"That was last year," she said. "We talked about it, and I decided not to proceed with it. It's one of those matters that is debatable."

And all this time, TDH Strategies thought that the whole purpose of parliament centred around matters that are debatable.

We guess that some issues are more debatable than others, particularly those that get you called into the Prime Minister's office to be told to cease and desist.

February 9, 2006 - Here's a question: Where the hell is Paul Martin in this firestorm? He did say that outside of the House of Commons, he was still the leader of the Liberal party. So, since parliament isn't currently in session, shouldn't he be the one that comments on David Emerson's departure?

Oh wait, he's the guy that thought he should throw Liberal memberships at anyone and everyone. Former BC premier and staunch NDP ideologue? Check. Former IWA-Canada President ingrained in the labour movement? Check. Former forestry executive with Conservative leanings? Check. Hell, he even welcomed in 7 separatist candidates, and justified it in his typical style of nonsense:

"The fact is that none of those people are separatists. Every single one of them is a Canadian federalist. They're nationalists, but they are not separatists and they have committed themselves very, very strongly to the unity of our country." - April 5, 2004

Martin watered down the Liberal party so that the concepts of loyalty and core beliefs are non-existent, and now when one of his experiments blows up in his face, he is nowhere to be found.

Yup, he's definitely still leading like he always has.

February 8, 2006 - For the past two days, Stephen Harper has justified his cabinet decisions regarding Emerson and Fortier by mentioning the need for cabinet representation from the cities of Vancouver and Montreal.

TDH Strategies finds great fault in this reasoning on two fronts, or affronts, to democracy.

The fact that neither man put their Conservative credentials forth for the consideration of the electorate is obvious.

But the second less acknowledged consideration must be that people get what they vote for. There must be an inherent responsibility that voters have to accept with their choice, regardless of which side of the house their eventual MP ends up sitting on. This is just one of the many risks of our Canadian Westminster-patterned parliamentary system.

Now, it was the Liberal Party of Canada that pioneered the "vote for an MP that will give your riding government representation" line for many years. Harper never used this line, largely because of the inability to predict a firm outcome to this recent campaign.

If the current Prime Minister does not have choices from the 2nd and 3rd largest urban populations in Canada, it is by the will of the people. Period.

February 8, 2006 - Out of everything to emerge from the whirlwind of political activity over the past few days, the complete disdain shown for public office by new Public Works Minister Michael Fortier is possibly the most infuriating. More specifically, we are referring to this statement:

"I didn't run in the election because I didn't want to run in the election."

What people tend to forget most about being in cabinet is that before anyone becomes a minister, they are just a normal member of parliament that answers to their constituents. This is why a minister's job is so very difficult, as having to balance the demands of a departmental portfolio with the expectations of local representation is a very difficult thing to properly maintain.

Fortier, however, is a political backroom boy, plain and simple. He is a party organizer who had worked on Harper's 2004 campaign for the leadership of the Conservative party and went on to co-chair the party's national campaigns in 2004 and 2006. Now, TDH has come across plenty of those types of people, who love to be around power, but not to be held responsible for it. They would much prefer to direct decisions from the shadows than put their name behind the consequences.

By creating a cabinet minister that is unaccountable to anyone but the Prime Minister, Stephen Harper has taken away one of the most fundamental components of the job, and created an inequity with every other cabinet minister that he appointed.

With the amount of money that he is about to take control of, and the discression he has over government contracts, Fortier had damn well gain some respect for the people he is serving - and we're not talking about the new staff in the PMO.

The bottom line is that by not requiring Fortier or David Emerson to run in a by-election, Harper is demonstrating that he doesn't believe either could win. In the opinion of this website, that is a major crisis of confidence in two ministers that are about to wield substantial power in this new government.

February 8, 2006 - All this talk that John Reynolds' first contact with David Emerson came in a phone call on January 24th is complete hogwash. There have been informal attempts to woo Emerson over to the Conservatives for more than a year, although as B.C.'s senior political minister, there had never been any reason to take the courting seriously.

That is, until his government lost the election

There were many Liberals and ironically enough, Conservative backroom operatives who told TDH Strategies in the days following election night that they didn't think Emerson would do well in his new role - that he didn't quit the private sector to sit as an opposition backbencher.

So when Emerson was called the day after the election, the conversation flowed as a result of Reynolds laying the groundwork long before the Liberals tanked at the ballot box.

February 7, 2006 - David Emerson as a Liberal cabinet minister said the following over the last parliamentary session (dug up as a result of reading Hansard transcripts for hours):

"Mr. Speaker, I have not been in this House for long, but one of the things I have learned is that the members opposite are blatantly opportunistic, partisan and misleading the Canadian people." - April 18, 2005

"I am delighted to be part of the team that has delivered Canadian economic performance that leads the G-7. I am delighted to be part of a government that has delivered seven consecutive balanced budgets, a substantial program of tax cuts, and a reduced debt burden that will continue to fall over the next decade." - October 20, 2004

"Mr. Speaker, the fact is that we are protecting jobs. We are protecting jobs in an industry that has gone through some very hard times. If that party were in power today, those jobs would be gone. They would be gone to the U.S., to the U.K., to Europe and to China." - February 14, 1005, in response to a question about the Technology Partnerships Canada Program

"Mr. Speaker, we are recovering all the money from Bioniche. It will deal with Mr. Dingwall on the recovery of those funds. The use of the language "kickback" is an affront to civilized debate in the House. It suggests illegality. It is illegal to be an unregistered lobbyist. It is not illegal to receive a contingency fee."

"Mr. Speaker, disgusting maliciousness is what it is. There were breaches of contracts entered into by companies. We are correcting those breaches. Those companies have recourse to lobbyists. Wherever a lobbyist is not registered, it is being referred either to the RCMP or the registrar of lobbyists. We are correcting the breaches. All they are doing is muckraking because that is all they know how to do. - both above quotes from October 3, 2005, defending the Technology Partnerships Canada program and one company's decision to provide David Dingwall with a contingency fee for his work as a lobbyist

"Mr. Speaker, for several months in this House I have watched the political chicanery and skullduggery from the other side. - May 13, 2005

"Again, it is a vicious guttersnipe over there. Mr. Speaker, as he crawls through the gutter alleging illegal payments, these are breaches of contracts. They are not illegal payments, they are breaches of contracts. They are being corrected and the money recovered." - also from October 3, 2005, referring to his now cabinet colleague Michael Chong, the new President of the Queen's Privy Council, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister for Sport

"Mr. Speaker, it is pretty disgusting when those members can talk about defrauding taxpayers when in fact we have a relationship with the company and where there has been a breach of contract we are recovering the money. It is that kind of language that brings the House into disrepute and brings the level of debate right down to the gutter." - October 5, 2005, this time referring to the conduct of his new caucus colleague James Rajotte

"Mr. Speaker, this Prime Minister has done more to clean up Parliament and clean up government than any prime minister in the last 30 or 40 years." - May 5, 2005

"They are pretending that they support Kyoto. They have never supported Kyoto. They do not support Kyoto and they never will." - April 18, 2005, referring to his new party

"Mr. Speaker, this government has said right from the beginning, I have said from the beginning and my colleague the Minister of the Environment has said from the beginning that we can achieve Kyoto and we can do it while the Canadian economy is made more and more competitive and that means jobs." - February 3, 2005

"Mr. Speaker, I can confirm to the House that those people's thinking is so inconsistent, they should just sit down." - February 4, 2005, once again criticizing his new caucus colleagues

"Mr. Speaker, I really find it difficult to live with this kind of foolishness." - September 26, 2005, in response to a question from Colin Carrie, Conservative MP for Oshawa

"If we make a deal, we keep a deal. If GM makes a deal, we keep a deal. We are committed to GM." - November 21, 2005, in one of his final question periods before his election campaign as a Liberal candidate (he obviously wasn't referring to his own conduct in this answer

"Mr. Speaker, the hon. member should have the courage to stand in the House and tell his constituents that if the Conservatives were in government today, there would not be $5 billion of investments in the automotive industry in Ontario. Oshawa and the workers in Oshawa would be in serious trouble." - November 22, 2005, in response to another question from Carrie

"Mr. Speaker, I am not stubborn at all. I like to have information and then make sound, reasonable, thoughtful decisions." - October 22, 2004

Well, not always.

February 6, 2006 - TDH Strategies was called a traitor by some when we exposed a meeting that occurred between David Emerson and Conservative candidate George Drazenovic over potential federal funding for Drazenovic's company (check out our January 12th & 13th postings for that story).

Somehow, that doesn't seem like such a relevent accusation anymore.

Emerson's move directly into the Conservative cabinet is a shame - not because it's a major blow to the Liberal party, but because of the long-term impact it is going to have on the level of political cynicism within the electorate.

"There's no grand principle involved in this decision, just ambition." - Stephen Harper reacting to Belinda Stronach's defection to the Liberal government in May, 2005.

How much ambition is involved in this current situation is also up for debate, as Harper and Tory strategist Goldy Hyder didn't have their messaging straight when talking about Emerson. Hyder appeared early on the CTV broadcast to announce that the former Industry Minister approached them, while Harper's post-swearing-in press conference contended that he as Prime Minister had made the offer to have representation for Vancouver around the cabinet table.

The truth is that the Tories in British Columbia have been trying to lure Emerson since the fall of 2004, efforts which were largely spearheaded by the retiring John Reynolds.

TDH Strategies does not believe that Emerson will offer to run in a by-election as a Conservative, making his return to the Liberal inclined riding of Vancouver-Kingsway in the next election highly unlikely. With Emerson gone, former MP and provincial cabinet minister Ian Waddell of the NDP will have an excellent shot at finally taking the riding.

Thus, in terms of Emerson's political future, here are some interesting scenarios to consider: 1) Emerson serves 18 months - 2 years in Harper's cabinet, and then quits politics to enjoy retirement or 2) Emerson switches ridings and faces off against former WED minister Stephen Owen in Vancouver-Quadra - a battle that Owen would lose

Overall, Harper's cabinet looked good, and seems to be a stronger group the Martin's outgoing bunch, even if its ideology presents some potentially frightening futures for various government departments. Here are some of our comments on Harper's selections:

° Rona Ambrose as an Alberta based Minister of Environment is going to be crushed by the oil and gas sector, all but ensuring that this new government will do everything in its power to move in a completely opposite direction to the Kyoto protocol - one which is favourable to the resource sectors.

° The Michel Fortier affair is another stain against Harper and his previous comments, where he stated that he was going to give the senate some "democratic legitimacy" by favouring elections over Prime Ministerial appointments. He also said that he would never have an unelected individual in his cabinet. If the Liberals start to hit upon this and the Emerson announcement, it could immediately set Harper on a defensive path after his altruistic portrayals of his leadership style and his party.

° As was pointed out by a well-respected political strategist and TDH confidante, the Vic Toews in Justice-Stockwell Day in Public Safety and in charge of the RCMP-Gordon O'Connor in National Defence bloc represents a major shift to the right, and will be a very sensitive area of cabinet for Harper, who is desperately trying to portray his party as a moderate-Conservative entity.

° The absence of Diane Ablonczy and Jay Hill are shockers, the ommission of Jason Kenney is welcome, but the snub of young up and comer James Moore is a major mistake, particularly because it was a decision forced by David Emerson's shift in political allegiances. If the Emerson affair blows up in Harper's face, he might very well regret making this kind of last-minute substution.

° The big question for the Liberals now that Emerson has bolted has to be the upcoming budget vote in March, where the party whip will have a hell of a time maintining party solidarity. Many Liberals will find it extremely difficult to vote against things like the GST cut, and thus look for the Liberal caucus to possibly fracture in just over a month's time.

OK, that's a long enough rant for today. More thoughts and analysis on these selections tomorrow.

February 4, 2006 - Backlash from the party made them change their minds

February 3, 2006 - Guess who?

OK, so here's a quick quiz for our readers.

The appointment of Bill Graham as interim leadership has already been undermined by Paul Martin's decision to remain as current leader simultaneously, as TDH ranted yesterday.

So, question: If Mr. Graham wanted to further cement the perception that nothing is really changing within the Liberal party, who would be the WORST person he could appoint as his new chief-of-staff?

Give up?

Well, how about this guy

The man who took personal responsibility for the campaign's failure this past Sunday. The man who is a charter member of Martin's "board." The man who was a part of the secret Gurmant Grewal negotiations, where veiled enticements were offered. The man who continues to serve as a polarizing political figure in a time when reconciliation is desired.

Un-f***ingbelievable. Will these guys ever learn?

February 3, 2006 - TDH Strateiges waited to post news about Allan Rock until after the mainstream media got a hold of the story, but as most already know, the current U.N. ambassador has decided not to run for the Liberal leadership race.

Let us make something very clear, however - all media outlets, or political pundits, that were relaying the opinion that Rock never stood a chance were obviously not aware of the internal situation within the Liberal party.

With John Manley, Brian Tobin and Frank McKenna out, Rock was the only person left who had the possibility of cobbling together a national organization in a short period of time. Why? Because the last time around, Rock's leadership preparation was second only to the eventual winner by coronation, Paul Martin. That is a fact.

From our contact with the man, Rock is doing some pretty exciting work down in New York in reforming the U.N., and if Stephen Harper is interested in toning down the political control of public office, he might consider leaving Rock in place at least for the time being. The man is well respected, and completely engaged in a historical transformation of what was once the world's preeminent international body.

Honestly, this leadership race is looking more and more unappealing, and whether TDH Strategies becomes involved at this point remains highly questionable.

February 2, 2006 - From the Globe and Mail's coverage of Paul Martin's final press conference as Prime Minister, held just a couple of hours ago:

"I believe that the team around me can feel very proud of what they have done," he said, noting that most of his staff have since told him they plan to move into the private sector."

In related comments, Martin also reported that his Commmunications Director Scott Reid had just accepted a position as the national spokesperson for TNT beer, which comes in a can resembling a dynamite keg.

He is also apparently in negotiations with Orville Redenbacher's Canadian operations.

February 2, 2006 - In November 2004, TDH Strategies was dealing with former Mayor Larry Campbell's office, and participating in discussions about his political future. Things weren't going well with several of the city councillors within his own party COPE, many of whom were more concerned with worshipping Che Guerrera and designing peace treaties for outer space than in working collaboratively with Campbell. The Mayor had his allies, however, and they were contemplating their next move - possibly to sit as independents, or maybe to create their own party. This is where we provided this proposed speech to the Mayor, from which the idea for the name of the new municipal party Vision Vancouver first originated.

Larry decided to go in his own direction at that time, and announced that he and his group were forming an independent caucus within COPE, meaning that while they were distancing themselves from their other council colleagues, their work would still function under the umbrella of the party. From a professional and political communications perspective, we advised our contacts that it was a nightmare announcement that would only create confusion amongst voters, who were expecting a fresh start from the fractious and antagonistic public displays of the previous two years.

Well, Paul Martin's awkward handling of choosing an interim leader yesterday reminds us a lot about the aforementioned situation.

So let's get this straight, Paul...you're still the leader, but you're "giving up all of my (Liberal leadership) powers and my authority to the new interim leader," Bill Graham.

According to the Toronto Star article linked to above:

"Technically, Martin, 67, retains the leader's power to approve candidates for any by-election and to keep his hold on the organization.

"I'm going to be in charge," said Graham, who was chosen by consensus at yesterday's caucus session as best-placed to keep the party on track while it's rebuilding and putting someone new at the top, perhaps as soon as November."

Huh? And a better question, why? And even a better question, how can you have an interim leader and a current leader existing simultaneously?

Forget the stupid theories on how this is a way for Martin and "the Board" to weasel their way back into power...that isn't going to happen. But once again, why go ruin a wise and classy election night announcment by now clinging to an empty title that no one will consider legitimate?

In a way, it is very fitting that Paul Martin's final decision as "leader" of the Liberal party is mired in mixed messages, contradictions, and an unfulfilled promise.

February 1, 2006 - Something just doesn't quite add up here.

TDH Strategies just wrote this revised article for The Tyee, and in the course of doing a little digging, found out some interesting information about the financial state of the Liberal Party of Canada.

As TDH broke last week, the financial management committee told executive members on the post-election conference call that the party was only about $4-5 million in debt. This was a revelation that caused a lot of shock, as people had been expecting a much larger figure.

Now we understand why.

According to Elections Canada, the final annual filing by the Liberal Party of Canada in 2004 showed a debt of $34,818,257.32 by way of 13 bank loans. TDH Strategies also looked into recent fundraising efforts, and the published intake of the Liberal party shows that they reported only $4,194,591.49 for the first 3 quarters of 2005.

Now, assuming that the party racked up another $10 million in costs over the course of the campaign (and that's being VERY cautious in our estimations), we have no idea how a figure of $4-5 million was calculated.

Could it be that these fudged numbers and the fundraising responsibilities that any new leader would be burdened with are the real reasons that Liberal leadership contenders are dropping like flies?

February 1, 2006 - Now that the Liberal caucus of the last parliament is meeting in Ottawa for the last time this morning, we wanted to officially say good riddance to the following:

Although, in all fairness, when we see who Stephen Harper puts in his cabinet next week, we'll probably start to miss them.

Alright, maybe not.

February 1, 2006 - Yesterday's question regarding Allan Rock garnered very mixed responses from TDH readers. Here is a sampling of the various comments that were received:

"I think that Allan Rock's chances of leadership are contingent on just how damning the upcoming Auditor General report on the gun registry is. If it is revealed that the GR was another Adscam type scandal then I think Rock's chances of leading the Liberals dissipate as he was the champion of the program."

"I'm personally drawn to Allan Rock in an ideological sense, and I agree that he has the potential to be a very effective 'human' candidate. Where Allan Rock would really need to be forgiven is among those who supported him in his previous attempt at the leadership. When he left without so much as consulting those who supported him - people who had written him cheques and put their reputations and careers on the line by opposing the Paul Martin 'Juggernaut' - he left them high and dry."

"I believe Allan Rock could succeed as leader of the Liberal Party. I like him, and I would probably wave his flag when the time comes for the leadership to be decided."

"Going back to Confederation, we've had political figures who should've disappeared come back into the spotlight. Sir John A. MacDonald lost the 1874 election, only to come back a few years later. Arthur Meighen was Prime Minister twice, and even came back a third time to lead the Conservative Party. Mackenzie King lost both the 1926 and 1930 elections, only to be re-elected a few years later both times. Pierre Trudeau had his brief time in retirement, Joe Clark left politics for a few years before returning to revitalize the PC Party (relatively speaking)...even John Turner and Paul Martin spent time out of the spotlight, however briefly, before returning. With all those examples, I'd say Canada is definitely a country where political leaders stage rebirths. With luck, Allan Rock will do the same."

"Even if Mr. Rock decides to apologize for the gun registry boondoggle it will be too little to late. The West is lost as is rural Ontario. Look at the election results for further confirmation of this fact. When the books are opened I bet it will have cost us close to $3 billion and counting."

If Rock does decide to come back, it's likely that he would garner a significant amount of support with Frank McKenna, John Manley and Brian Tobin now out of the running. It would also be a tough slog for a man that has plenty of barriers to overcome.

Decisions, decisions - transforming the the United Nations through major reform, or taking a run at leading a debt ridden party that is in a major period of transition. Hmmmm...