While there has been more than one success here at the conference, what stands out at the moment for me is the interaction that the Can150 site is driving.
I think the organisers did a terrific job of putting that feature together and if you are someone who has been following the conference on line, or just checking in on Twitter, it's clear that many across the country are engaged.
Sure, many of those people are Liberals, but it's clear that not all are.
When the conference opened, at a presser, Michael Ignatieff said the purpose of the conference was to put the ideas that were about to come in the window for Canadians. He mentioned opening the doors, doing things differently, and encouraging participation. The objective was to talk about ideas for the country out in the open and not behind closed doors.
That I think has been accomplished in a way that will necessitate that more of this be done in the future. To me, it's one of those things that you cannot do just once, then fall back to business as usual.
I'm not suggesting an elaborate conference every couple of months, but I think it is important to maintain this open ongoing dialogue with the country.
I have heard many people here say that's it's time for an adult conversation in this country, about the issues of our time.
No one was so crass as to suggest that due to the current government, this has been missing since 2006, but I won't stand on such ceremony.
Since coming to power, the Conservative party has made it a mission to dumb down the conversation. This conference tells me that people are less pleased with that than they, (the Conservatives) may think.
Personally, it's been a breath of fresh air to sit at the adult table for the past couple of days. I get to have wine, instead of whine.
27 comments:
And in other news that the MSM tries to bury well off of the front page;
With two months left to report for the 2009-10 fiscal year, the federal government has a budget deficit of $39.6 billion, whereas Finance forecast a $53.8-billion shortfall for the entire fiscal year. Should the momentum continue, it is possible the federal deficit for this fiscal year could be quite a bit smaller than projected.
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Federal+government+track+smaller+deficit/2733924/story.html
"It's the fault of the political class," said Mr. Ignatieff. "In truth, politicians don't know how to keep young people interested in politics anymore. This is a major challenge, not only for the Liberal party, but for the entire political class."
Iggy and the Liberals with yet another shot and a miss...............it's the entitled elitist arrogant corruption ridden Liberals that just do not understand or try to get where Canadians are coming from. Go ahead Bloc Torontois and the Power Corp crowd, toss Iggy under the bus with Dion and force Bob Rae down your party's throat and see what happens.
Suicide is not painless.
You all have the Chretien/Martin legacy to thank for the sorry addled state of the once "natural ruling party".
The Liberal reality is not on planet earth, they live in a land of fairy tales, lollipops and unicorns
A note for times like this: Dec 09, 2008
The Liberals want to have a new leader in place before the end of the year, so they can prepare for a possible showdown with the Tories in Parliament early next year.
Rae had wanted all Liberal members to vote on the leadership. But the party’s national executive decided they would have a vote that only included MPs, senators, riding association presidents, club presidents, and defeated candidates. They also decided it would be on Dec. 17 – not enough time for Rae to organize a significant challenge to Ignatieff, who already had the support of support.
“I learned how to count a while ago,” Rae joked on CTV’s Mike Duffy Live. “I drew a conclusion that said it was time to pack it in.”
Liberal Sen. Céline Hervieux-Payette, who participated in the conference call, was reportedly furious over the process by which Ignatieff will take power, Fife said.
“This will destroy the Liberal Party, I’m devastated by what this will do to the party, they don’t understand anything about democracy,” she said, according to notes obtained by Fife.
Well the trolls are all out of the bat cave.
Slithered on over to the fax machine to get their talking points.
Spew it all over net.
Boy are you guys ever geniuses.
Talking point machines.
Cut and paste experts.
We could chain two chimpanzees to a laptop, with a list of talking points, because that is what you BT trolls are.
Can Fred from BC, Wilson, Tomm, Rotterdam, Bubba, Iceman, Michael,
Mary T, Bec, Wayne, all all the rest of you assorted losers, be that far behind.
Anon 6:32
When the other guys were in office we had NO DEFICIT
Only in La La tory land is running a $39.6 billion dollar deficit, instead of a $53.8 billion dollar deficit good news.
Which is BS we will see about that figure now won't we.
Yep your man Steve is a great manager and a great fiscal conservative.
News for all the uneducated apes, out there who follow Steve blindly, we will have deficits as far as the eye can see.
Give us your thoughts on how we are going to dig ourselves out of that.
Give us your thoughts on how that will be paid.
You twerps are the government now.
Since your cranial sacs are the size of a pea, I will give you the answer.
You elect a Liberal government, to clean up another tory mess.
Once again
I've really enjoyed streaming the conference and participating in it.
What's been refreshing is that the speakers are saying what needs to be said and not what people want to hear.
When the Liberals were in office we saw massive cutting of transfers to the provinces for Health, Education and Social Services, the raiding of the pensions of the Public Service, the RCMP and the Military, the illegal appropriation of some $54 Billion Dollars paid by workers and their employers into EI, myriad scandals involving graft and corruption by the Liberal Party, the most notable being ADSCAM, and one of the most infamous quotes coming from Justice Gomery saying of the Liberal Party, 'they are criminally organized.
The Liberal Party is toast, there is no way back.
David Dingwall, "I'm entitled to my entitlements".
Hi, I am beginning to think that the trolls are feeling jealous, as they are really coming out of the woodwork to complain ad nausea, about the Liberals. I saw a remark..someone said this sure beats Harper youTube. Amen!!
Anon 7:33
Time to bring in all the troll reinforcements.
Time to call in the tory cavalry.
Time to wake all the apes up, and get your fingers moving.
Pleas for your own sakes, some fresh talking points would be so much appreciated.
A modicum of intelligence would also be appreciated.
Why don't you try talking like real human beings, instead of talking point machines.
The truth really does about Steve, really does steam you guys up doesn't it.
Get Lost
You are just so damn boring.
The delusion of those suffering from Leftist Mental Disorder, too funny.
Lisa Raitt "cancer is sexy"
Stephen Harper, "No deficit and no recession"
Jim Flaherty "no deficit"
Gerald Keddy "Unemployed no good bastards"
Randy White "To heck with the courts"
Stephen Harper "I never offered Cadman anything.
Harper on tape doing just that.
Helena Guergis "PEI is a hellhole"
Rahim jaffer running on a platform of being tough on crime.
Maxine Bernier Nato document in girlfriend's house.
Peter Mckay " we have nothing to hide" Sure looks like hiding, and covering up.
Jim Flaherty taking a trip to Tim Horton's by jet.
Stephen Harper on fox news "Yes i believe we should be standing shoulder to shoulder with our American allies (Hint troops to Iraq.
That is enough for you tory trolls today to digest
Are you trolls afraid to show your name..were you paid by the Cons to be nasty?...especially this weekend?
I wouldn't worry about the trolls Cari, it was expected.
Seriously, can you imagine a political party having a nonpartisan and open conference to discuss the challenges that lay ahead? Moreover, having people submit questions online via twitter/or the webpage and the panelists answer them in real time is great.
Non partisan?
there were Liberals and more Liberals, you better double your dose of meds........HA HA
Michael Ignatief-PUFFIN BIRD: (August 31, 2007) “It’s a noble bird because it has good family values. They stay together for 30 years. They lay one egg (each year). They put their excrement in one place. They hide their excrement.… They flap their wings very hard and they work like hell. This seems to me a symbol for what our party should be.
Anon 9:27
Non Partisan in the fact that even if you were not a liberal, you were free to attend and participate.
You know a big tent party.
Another non thinking tory troll with the brains of a flea.
Boy you sniggering baboons, you BT trolls, sure are a busy lot.
Maybe you better triple up on your daily dose.
Are hard core drugs, a touchy issue with tories these days?
Are criminals walking free also a touchy issue?
Aren't you tough on crime?
HA HA HA !!!
Anon 9:51
Helena Guergis, and Rahim Jaffer
The heart and soul of the CPC
Almost forgot Blackburn there.
KNB,
A lot of anonymous trolls. It just takes a couple nitwits to pile up useless comments.
I'm glad to hear the conversation has been elevating. We (Canadian's) need to bring new ideas to the table.
Big Winnie..all they show is utter contempt for human beings. The government is the same..I would be ashamed to belong to that Party.
believe it or not ..there were a few PCs there and some from Labour..anyone that wanted to show up..Harper would not allow that one...he hasn't the guts.
If Ignatieff truly wants to sow the seeds of democracy then he would announce a leadership conference and try to win the leadership of the Liberal party in a democratic manner. His tactics of strong arming Rae and LeBlanc to bow out of the last contest hardly let him speak with credibility on democracy. One of the basic principles of democracy in Canadian party politics is to give the party membership the right to choose their leader. Ignatieff should give Liberal members this right and then he can talk about sowing the seeds of democracy.
The trolls, I see are alive and kicking; more kicking than alive. Always there to spread that Harpercon cheer for darkness.
I only wish I was able to attend, but due to health problems I barely have enough energy to go to work these days.
Liberal Arts and Minds, as well as the other prog bloggers in attendance here: welcome to our fair city.
I have, however, caught much of the conferences on line and have been impressed largely in part.
Whatever discussions that are unpopular and stay locked up in a box have made it out in the open.
Yes, I think conferences like these should happen more frequently than every 20 years or so.
Thanks for the comments all.
You'll note that I've disallowed Anon comments. Sadly, that restricts some conversation but it also eliminates some of the nonsense, or non-conversation.
I'll have more to post on the conference after the fact and am willing to have open honest debate, but going forward, the idiocy will no longer be tolerated.
The fact is, in real life I wouldn't engage such juvenile behaviour, so, nor will I here.
Today's sessions look fascinating, especially Robert Fowler's contribution. I hope you tune in.
A friend of mine told me something that is so true. Her father is very conservative and her son said, Grandpa wants me to to go university (kid is 18) but why would we have to further our education if all we need in life is cheap one-liner sound bites. He said he wouldn't argue with his grandfather (elderly 80ish) because he doesn't want him to get all worked up, but he's doesn't want to end up thinking like him. He knows his grandfather is not stupid, but has let himself get narrower and narrower in his views as he's gotten older and the kid doesn't want to end up being used like he's stupid and life is a "commercial" trying to sell cheap soap suds.
I think the kid just about says it.
The more the Con trolls attack the more they are worried.
"Canada is a Northern European welfare state in the worst sense of the term, and very proud of it. Canadians make no connection between the fact that they are a Northern European welfare state and the fact that we have very low economic growth, a standard of living substantially lower than yours, a massive brain drain of young professionals to your country, and double the unemployment rate of the United States."
- Conservative leader Stephen Harper, then vice-president of the National Citizens Coalition, in a June 1997 Montreal meeting of the Council for National Policy, a right-wing American think tank.
"In terms of the unemployed, of which we have over a million-and-a-half, don't feel particularly bad for many of these people. They don't feel bad about it themselves, as long as they're receiving generous social assistance and unemployment insurance."
- Conservative leader Stephen Harper, then vice-president of the National Citizens Coalition, in a June 1997 Montreal meeting of the Council for National Policy, a right-wing American think tank.
"If you've read any of the official propagandas, you've come over the border and entered a bilingual country. In this particular city, Montreal, you may well get that impression. But this city is extremely atypical of this country... So it's basically an English-speaking country, just as English-speaking as, I would guess, the northern part of the United States."
- Conservative leader Stephen Harper, then vice-president of the National Citizens Coalition, in a June 1997 Montreal meeting of the Council for National Policy, a right-wing American think tank.
"The NDP could be described as basically a party of liberal Democrats, but it's actually worse than that, I have to say. And forgive me jesting again, but the NDP is kind of proof that the Devil lives and interferes in the affairs of men."
- Conservative leader Stephen Harper, then vice-president of the National Citizens Coalition, in a June 1997 Montreal meeting of the Council for National Policy, a right-wing American think tank.
"Then there is the Progressive Conservative party, the PC party, which won only 20 seats. Now, the term Progressive Conservative will immediately raise suspicions in all of your minds. It should... They were in favour of gay rights officially, officially for abortion on demand. Officially -- what else can I say about them? Officially for the entrenchment of our universal, collectivized, health-care system and multicultural policies in the constitution of the country."
- Conservative leader Stephen Harper, then vice-president of the National Citizens Coalition, in a June 1997 Montreal meeting of the Council for National Policy, a right-wing American think tank.
"The establishment came down with a constitutional package which they put to a national referendum. The package included distinct society status for Quebec and some other changes, including some that would just horrify you, putting universal Medicare in our constitution, and feminist rights, and a whole bunch of other things."
- Conservative leader Stephen Harper, then vice-president of the National Citizens Coalition, in a June 1997 Montreal meeting of the Council for National Policy, a right-wing American think tank.
......
Okay there Con trolls, your leader loves to talk and put down Canada at "think tank" conferences. This is the same "think tank" that fired David Frum for - ah, thinking.
The same think tank who's members include G.W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld.
Can't have it both ways there Con kiddies.
KNB said...
Thanks for the comments all.
You'll note that I've disallowed Anon comments. Sadly, that restricts some conversation but it also eliminates some of the nonsense, or non-conversation.
I'm sure it didn't escape your notice (as it did Cari, Big Winnie, etc..) that about half of them were Liberal supporters..or which group was actually the nastiest...
RuralSandi said...
Okay there Con trolls, your leader loves to talk and put down Canada at "think tank" conferences. This is the same "think tank" that fired David Frum for - ah, thinking.
Stephen Harper representing the National Citizens Coalition had a completely different set of responsibilities and priorities than Stephen Harper as leader of the Conservative Party (and now, as Prime Minister of Canada). Need I bring up quotes of some of Michael Ignatieff's more 'interesting' opinions on war, torture, foreign policy, America, etc? No, I didn't think so...
(and David Frum was fired for other reasons, as you well know..)
The same think tank who's members include G.W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld.
ooooh...guilt by association. I love it! :)
Can't have it both ways there Con kiddies.
Likewise, Lib children.
(pot, kettle, etc...)
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