What's wrong with this picture

"What's wrong with this picture? On Wednesday night in Scarborough, Liberal leader Paul Martin launched his fiercest attack of the campaign on Stephen Harper, describing his Conservative opponent as a huge threat to minority rights.

Martin's strong words were delivered against the backdrop of a lineup of staunch social conservatives, all of whom are proudly running for his party in this election." - CHANTAL HÉBERT, Toronto Star, January 13, 2006

I have almost had it with Paul Martin and this routine. I know well enough what many in the Conservative party think of gay rights, women's right to choose. I also don't like being Paul Martin's peon, used by him to cover his "liberal behind."

Paul Martin and the Liberals re-invented themselves after they defeated Brian Mulroney. They did what the Reform party wanted to do and Brian Mulroney refused to do. Isn't it ironic that it was Mulroney who did not cut healthcare, affordable housing or foriegn aid.

Paul Martin's record is clear. He not only cut dollars to provinces for health care, he cut them to education and welfare. His actions have clearly undermined Canadians rights to free and quality healthcare. The Provinces across this country have faced incredible struggles to maintain health care systems. Paul Martin opened the door to the Quebec supreme court case that said Quebecers had a right to private health insurance if they could not get the service in the public system in a reasonable time.

Jean Chretien to his credit established the Royal Commission on Health Care, the Romonow Report. That report is a blueprint to fix and sustain healthcare in Canada. Martin and the Liberals have basicly ignored it. They have been trampled on by right wing Premiers like Ralph Klein, Mike Harris, Jean Charet and Gordon Campbell that would want more private health care services. During the last two years we have seen more dollars go to health care but what is the plan? Do any of you see it? Do any of you know what it is? We don't have a plan.

I was reminded of Paul Martin's lack of a vision for this country this morning when I read Paul Wells posting on the latest Liberal announcement. These things are done on the fly and it is the essence of today's Liberal party and their policies. The Liberals began investing in Research and Development a few years ago. This is required if Canada is to remain competitive internationally and to make the best use of our resources be they knowledge, ability, productivity or material.

What should have been a well thought out plan for the support of research and development has nothing below the words of the press release. Have a look at what Paul Wells has here.

I am sure many people will recall Paul Martin being cheered on by Bono for his emboldened and enlightened action plan on HIV/AIDS. You guessed it, there was nothing behind, under or in the words Martin delievered on cue. Martin promised to allow the making of generic HIV medications for use in the third world. That was two years ago. Again you guessed it, NOT ONE, not one pill has been made in Canada for this effort.

I hate to say it but I believe that if Brian Mulroney were the Prime Minister he would have made the pills had he committed to it. Canadian Foreign AID was at its highest under Mulroney and Martin has been slashing it since. Don't get me wrong here, I did not like Mulroney anymore than most Canadians. But you could at least believe him.

Gay marriage was convienant for Paul Martin in the last election. The Conservatives provided the material needed to cover up the Liberals failures again. Martin was able to snatch a victory for himself and the Liberals using the Canadian flag and Charter, the protector of my "gay self".

"Indeed, if the Bloc Québécois and the New Democrat Party had not supported same-sex marriage, Martin's social conservative Liberals would have tipped the balance in Parliament against it.

Many of the Liberal MPs who fought same-sex marriage tooth and nail have an unbroken track record of opposing gay rights, including the notion of protecting homosexuals from hate crimes. Some of them also came into politics on an anti-abortion ticket." - CHANTAL HÉBERT, Toronto Star, January 13, 2006

So Martin has does it again, he out there attacking the Conservatives on "Rights" issues when he is standing on a stage with people in his party that support Harper on every one of those "Rights" issues.

There are enough other issues to slam the Martin Government on. They don't deserve to be re-elected. They need to find out who the heck they are other than the self appointed party entitled to govern Canada.

If Stephen Harper wins a majority, don't blame Canadians, many of us don't want that as he is wrong on a lot of things and likely to do more harm quicker than Martin's gang. The vote Liberal slogan because "we are not as bad as the Conservatives" is not worth the action plan behind the words.

Number one priority of the new Parliament is a new voting system, one that holds Parliament accountable. One that means my vote counts for something more than a statement. The last election saw the Conservatives and Liberals get an MP for every 35,000 votes cast in Canada, the NDP got a seat for every 110,000 votes cast for them and the Greens got nothing for 600,000 votes.

Election, Liberal Party, Canada, Politics