Reply #2: It was people under the previous Liberal government (not this one)

[applegrove]

that got into trouble. This prime minster was finance minister at the time. Quebec was going for another referendum of separatism and at least $100 Million was earmarked towards pro Canada advertising and the like - for the whole country. Flags were bought, ads put on the TV. Celebrities were paid to wear a Canadian flag T-shirt in Quebec. Then about 2.5 Million got into the hands of sticky backroom political types and funnelled back to the liberal party. Very few people knew about that. They all were canned or fired and the money has been paid back by the party. It seems the party nor the senior ministers knew how sticky the money was getting.

That Prime Minister - the one who instituted the program was a Quebecor and trusted with fighting the referendum. He was found guilty or perhaps having golf balls made to hand out. I think Canadians as a whole would be pretty upset if he had not lifted a finger to raise the profile of Canada in Quebec (and again some money went right across the country to "up" the name Canada and pay for festivals and the like).

So there was some illegal activity but it seems perhaps an aide to the old PM didn't know about the back room deals - just the hiring of Quebec hockey hero to wear a Canada Logo. The slippery people who took money through advertising firms in Quebec (who obviously got millions to do all the promotions and some of that is not well accounted for) and that $2.5 Million went back to the Liberal party. But again - backroom types not know or in public office. All quit in humiliation & shame now (some of them or most were party volunteers I think).

The Finance Minister - our current PM, was relieved of his duties as finance minister before someone blew the whistle and the facts started to require an investigation. So he was powerless to do anything until he won the leadership race as PM. And then there is was a the sponsorship scandal just waiting to break. And then he called for the investigation (he had been breathing too hard down the neck of the first PM - wanting the old PM to retire because he was the next in line - that is why he quit as Finance Minister) and had nothing to do with the scandal per se - other than alloting a certain amount of money to festivals and advertising firms as part of the sponsorship program - as any finance minister would do in building a budget. So he is perfectly not responsible - like I said the program was itemized and described in budgets. It was well known program (though the public didn't know how much money was being thrown around) and many MPs funded events in their own ridings. The money was available to anyone across the country. That part is on the up and up. And the country was in surplus at the time.

But in Quebec - the idea that advertising firms with Liberal connections (there is no conservative party in Quebec so firms would be either Liberal or separatist or independant)got over paid and tried to buy hockey heroes - well doesn't sound good to start with. But again - most Quebecors would have expected the feds to fight and fund festivals in a "pro-canada way" to a certain extent. But then to have someone paid $1 Million to wear a sweater with the leaf on it, and then to have some slippery back room types take some of that money and funnel it back to the Liberal party is really upsetting. They take their referendums very seriously and go through soul-searching when they have had votes on the issue (I think two so far and both times "staying in Canada won by very little). So it is a big slap in the face both ways for them. For separetists, who don't get any funding from federal programs such as this (obviously), and for everyone because it is just so sleazy & stinky and about power and privilege. The feds throwing "sloppy money" at an issue that is heart-wrentching.

So the PM got into power and won an election 18 months ago. Won a minority and put on a public investigation. And the conservatives tried hard to make the minority government fall when the worst of the sleeze came out last May. But lost by one vote. And the PM promised than when the inquiry & reports were all done he would call an election (In Canada the government has up to 5 years to call an election and they are usually less than two months long - thank god).. And it was supposed to be this fall. But the reports are not in. So the Conservatives again tried to make the government fall (Liberal minority formed a coalition with the NDP - NDP the left party and had been ruling sort of together in the last 18 months - and that has just fallen apart over the issue of "strict adhearance to public health care laws" I think). So the conservatives tried to lure the NDP into putting a motion in the house that would make the government fall - and the NDP said we are not going that far. You put the motion - this is your thing. So the Conservatives did and the government fell - and so now the PM has to call an election. They had tried to get the PM to agree to an election sometime in the winter (at their convenience but he refused).

People in Ontario were not happy with the Cons trying to force an election in May - at the height of the scandal - because it was so dangerous to do that while people in Quebec were really angry. People have cooled off a bit. The scandal still stinks. This PM is not responsible for it directly - but it is all over him. And the NDP & Conservatives all now are running on "time for change" cause it has been 12 years that Liberals are in government.(most of the federal seats in Quebec have gone to the Quebec independance party in the last few elections called the Block Quebequois - who are liberal-lefties - but want a separate country with many ties - for Quebec).

We are not used to having minority governments. But since the Bloc Quebecois was created - only the Liberals can win a few seats in Quebec. The conservatives win in Alberta, the west and some seats in the Maritimes (and lots of rural votes in Ontario - Ontario itself has had a long history of old conservative rule - and the times when the old conservatives got into power federally - which is rare - well Ontarios cities can go conservative too and do). The NDP do well all across the country but don't win a province in any election. But suddenly we are used to a minority government and find it okay. And the NDP are running on that - we do our part in the coalition - don't be afraid to vote for us. And NDP vote is great. (When Canadians are afraid of the Cons getting in - they tend to (Ontario) vote Liberal). Ontario already had years of a neocon running the province and really it was just one crisis and one mean battle after another (well you know about neocons now too). So people in Ontario for various reasons (fear of Quebec leaving if a conservative government is the one trying to keep Quebec in confederation), fear of neocons (because they are assholes and don't represent our values), and anger at Liberals for being slimy in the sponsorship scandal and tired of Liberal rule. But there is a big rural vote in Ontario which is conservative. So Ontario is the battle ground it seems.

The conservatives have a base in the West and Alberta - based on alienation from the past. But young people move to Alberta all the time and it is changing I think. Still it is pretty solid for the Conservatives outside the cities. And at times too - the base in Alberta just want Quebec to go and get over with it. (Which makes the rest of Canada cry).

So Ontario has lots of seats. The rural vote is either conservative or NDP mostly. The City vote Liberal, NDP in Eastern Canada or conservative & NDP in Western Canada. With a few exceptions.

The values are the same across the whole country(bloc is again a liberal party). Cons are not so liberal, but there are not enough of them so their conservative leaders try and paint themselves as having the same values as the rest of the country. But really they don't. And like NeoCons everywhere - they do not really talk about all the things they plan on destroying when they get into power - they just campaign vague and then tear the nation apart once they win (like they did in the us). Canadians know this and do not trust them. Looks like so far, Harper, the con leader is starting the same old campaign "we have the great values of canada - we will not go negative this campaign and we will overturn gay marriage". (So they are basically lying their faces off from the get go - they insist on sunny pictures during the campaign and euphamisms and then when they get into power we all know they will dismantle social programs and play people off against each other - but in the campaign they will sunnily talk about values while trying to build wedges & hate in our land and then of course - call anyone who points out their duplicity as "fear-mongers". Its just so gross).

The Liberals will run on keeping the country together, that they are really and truly the same as Canadians in terms of values and that they govern as they campaign and have a long record of Canadians being pleased with programs and the economy (but tired of looking at their faces). NDP is running on how they are for fighting for social programs and rights of the little guy - not messing up the economy - being for social programs like training in science in universities and the like, and that - even though they have never formed a federal government - they have debth and great MPs (they really do) and that the more of them who get voted in the merrier because they can work and form a coalition with the Liberals and get some policy goals met (in other words the NDP are running for another coalition and saying - someone needs to slap the Liberals around and be on their tails - vote for us and we will protect social programs, health care and keep them in line). The Bloc Quebecois are like the Party Quebecois in that they are not liars. (Thank god - they actually want to win a majority of the vote for independance - they don't want to trick people or start fear wars within Canada - though they do want independance and will go after the scandal to their own ends - because they are politicians - but they are not horrid fearmongers as a party - like neocons are). They will run and say - 'hey - it is a federal election. We are for independance but obviously that fight will take place on a provincial level when we get the chance there - but we are running federally so we are talking about social programs and what is good in Canada and how to make it better for all of us who are partners. And that sponsorship scandal just shows that the Liberals cannot be trusted so don't vote any of them in because they humiliated us in Quebec'.

That's all I can think of now.