King Heffy Posted December 19, 2017 Share Posted December 19, 2017 16 minutes ago, Ryan Strome said: Could you give some examples of both please. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/stephen-harpers-five-question-limit/article579733/ Quote Spoiler Five questions. That's right. The Prime Minister has told journalists travelling on his campaign tour that he will only answer five questions a day. On the last day of March, reporters in Halifax - standing behind a yellow barricade at least a dozen feet away from Stephen Harper - called out to him to explain why only five questions. He refused to respond. Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff and NDP Leader Jack Layton answer all the questions they're asked, the reporters pointed out. Why had Mr. Harper limited reporters to five questions a day? He refused to explain. "If there's another subject, I'll answer it," he told them. When the reporters properly pushed back, getting into a bit of a shouting match with the Prime Minister, he again refused to elaborate. "If there are other subjects I'm not addressing, I'll take them. What's the subject? One subject." Mr. Harper was then asked a question about Libya. He answered it and walked away. So there we have it: The Prime Minister who promised more openness and accountability, who's been in power for five years, has told the press to get used to it - you can cover my campaign, but you can ask only five questions. Members of the media were predictably indignant. Paul Wells, of Maclean's, speaking on April 5 on a morning radio show, lamented the restriction: "The fact is we can't ask the Prime Minister about real situations that concern real people, we can't press the Prime Minister for straight answers on things like the cost of his programs, promises he made in the past he hasn't kept, things like that." Journalists play a vital role in our society. We depend on them to ask questions and demand answers. Mr. Harper and the other party leaders are running for the highest office in the land. Even opposition MPs are allowed to ask follow-up questions in the House of Commons. But not reporters covering the Conservative campaign. The only astonishing thing is that the media are taking it. They are playing along, accepting the unacceptable. It's the middle of an election campaign. Reporters are not only entitled to ask the Prime Minister about his record and accomplishments, they're required to do so. It may be good politics for Mr. Harper to build a bubble around his campaign, and throw a blanket on the media. After all, the Conservatives are leading in the polls. But what's incomprehensible, inexplicable in fact, is that the media have accepted it. True, when the policy was announced, some journalists objected. Their complaints were ignored, then it was on to the next scripted stop. Ask any reporter. Since Mr. Harper took office, the bureaucrats have stopped talking to journalists because they fear reprisals. Many government MPs won't return telephone calls if it's the news calling. Cabinet ministers regularly refuse to comment. The Harper government has established more roadblocks to access to information than any other government since the act was put on the books. Mr. Harper's refusal to provide information to Parliament on the cost of his law-and-order initiatives is just the latest in a long list of his top priority: information control. How long are reporters going to allow themselves to be pushed around? When are they going to say, "We've had enough"? One online commentator suggested that the Tory campaign plane be called No Question Air (No Questionnaire would also work). If the Prime Minister doesn't want to answer questions - maybe he thinks an election is not the right time to answer questions - then reporters should stop covering his campaign and focus on the others. Then, on election day, Canadians can decide whether to vote for the guy who refused to answer questions. William Kaplan's latest book, Canadian Maverick: The Life and Times of Ivan C. Rand , won the David W. Mundell Medal for excellence in legal writing. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/conservatives-vow-to-establish-barbaric-cultural-practices-tip-line/article26640072/ Quote Spoiler The Conservative campaign, continuing its shift toward a focus on religion and identity, promised to establish an RCMP tip line for reports of "barbaric cultural practices," fuelling accusations of fear mongering from opposition politicians and prominent Muslims. The pledge on Friday, intended to help enforce a law passed earlier this year, comes as the Conservatives have doubled down on banning the niqab in citizenship ceremonies and vowed to strip convicted terrorists of their citizenship. The renewed emphasis on "Canadian values" marks a shift for a party and a Prime Minster who spent the early part of the campaign touting their record as economic managers. The move has also coincided with a rise in Conservative poll numbers: The niqab issue in particular has been credited with buoying the Tories and eroding NDP support. Chris Alexander, the Conservative immigration minister who has faced flak for his handling of the Syrian refugee crisis, held a news conference Friday to remind the electorate of the Zero Tolerance for Barbaric Cultural Practices Act, and to promise even more government resources if re-elected, including a proposed RCMP tip line specifically for the law, which came into effect in June. "We need to stand up for our values," Mr. Alexander said. "We need to do that in citizenship ceremonies. We need to do that to protect women and girls from forced marriage and other barbaric practices." The announcement came on the day of the last French-language leaders' debate, expected to have a big impact in Quebec, where disputes around religious accommodation have been especially heated. According to a poll commissioned by the Privy Council, 93 per cent of Quebeckers backed the Conservative position on the niqab, along with 82 per cent of all Canadians. The courts have repeatedly voided the government's ban on the niqab at citizenship ceremonies. The face covering is worn by a tiny minority of extremely conservative Muslim women. NDP candidate Paul Dewar, the party's foreign affairs critic, called Mr. Alexander's revival of the barbaric cultural practices theme "just another example of Stephen Harper's efforts to inflame tensions and divide Canadians for partisan gain." "This kind of irresponsible dog-whistle politics has no place in Canada," Mr. Dewar said in an e-mail. The NDP voted against the bill in the House of Commons last year, while the Liberals supported it with the proviso that the name might be offensive to some immigrant groups. The law targets "honour killings," polygamy and child marriage, practices sometimes associated in the public mind with Islam. Natasha Bakht, a law professor at the University of Ottawa and a Muslim, called the act gratuitous because the practices it focuses on are already illegal in Canada. "It strikes me that it's really just another way for the Conservative government to be targeting Muslim communities," she said. "Obviously that's what they're doing with the niqab debate." The Quebec legislature was compelled to issue a unanimous denunciation of Islamophobia on Thursday as anti-Muslim rhetoric reached a fever pitch in the province, especially online. A pair of teens tore the head scarf from a pregnant woman in Montreal this week, causing her to fall on the ground. The National Council of Canadian Muslims said Friday the assault on the Montreal woman should be investigated as a hate crime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warhippy Posted December 19, 2017 Share Posted December 19, 2017 4 hours ago, Ryan Strome said: Lol in the Trump thread people like you complain when hillary is brought up but in a JT thread let's bring up Harper to deflect. The real funny part is @Warhippy liked your post when he constantly complains about whataboutisms and deflecting. No The funny part is people like you pretending True Dough is somehow worse than Harper when all he's done is push through the laws and promises Harper started I'd say it's sad but it's more laughably pathetic really that you somehow think that it's bad now when it was ok 2 years ago Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingofsurrey Posted December 19, 2017 Share Posted December 19, 2017 Pierre Trudeau is definately a top 5 all time Canadian Prime Minister. The father of modern day Canada. JT has alot to learn though before he can carry his dads jock strap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warhippy Posted December 19, 2017 Share Posted December 19, 2017 1 minute ago, King Heffy said: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/stephen-harpers-five-question-limit/article579733/ https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/conservatives-vow-to-establish-barbaric-cultural-practices-tip-line/article26640072/ Bet you found that in less than 4 seconds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Strome Posted December 19, 2017 Share Posted December 19, 2017 16 minutes ago, Warhippy said: No The funny part is people like you pretending True Dough is somehow worse than Harper when all he's done is push through the laws and promises Harper started I'd say it's sad but it's more laughably pathetic really that you somehow think that it's bad now when it was ok 2 years ago Lol so in this case it's different because you say so? I would say the massive defecit we have now that we didn't have two years ago is bad. What is laughably pathetic is you constantly saying you're not a Trudeau fan yet you defend him constantly now you're saying he is the same as the conservatives who you slam every single chance you get. But I forgot you call it fair at least thats what you tell yourself, personally I don't think you could believe that for a second. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Strome Posted December 19, 2017 Share Posted December 19, 2017 24 minutes ago, King Heffy said: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/stephen-harpers-five-question-limit/article579733/ https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/conservatives-vow-to-establish-barbaric-cultural-practices-tip-line/article26640072/ So the 5 question rule is undemocratic? I would likely agree, but let me ask you how you feel about the Liberal plan where the PM shows up only once a week to answer questions in question period? As for the other article I don't consider that racism. Oh btw didn't Trudeau and the Liberals support bill c51? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Strome Posted December 19, 2017 Share Posted December 19, 2017 (edited) 28 minutes ago, Warhippy said: Bet you found that in less than 4 seconds. Meanwhile it's a thread on Trudeau yet you aren't discussing his undemocratic ideas. Interesting. Edited December 19, 2017 by Ryan Strome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Strome Posted December 19, 2017 Share Posted December 19, 2017 2 hours ago, King Heffy said: Still an improvement over the trainwreck he followed. If we could get fiscally responsible government without the bigotry that seems to come with it, that would be ideal. Harper had to go based on his appalling record of anti-democratic policies and openly racist views. Trudeau is losing popularity because he is breaking promises. Harper would be a bigger problem if he KEPT his campaign promises. It's harder to keep promises when you aren't guaranteeing you'll continue to act like a worthless piece of garbage with zero respect for minorities. Btw I missed this part earlier. I may be wrong but didn't Harper bring in more immigrants than any PM in the last 70 years if not longer? I think this racism and no respect for minorities stuff is hogwash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingofsurrey Posted December 19, 2017 Share Posted December 19, 2017 Stephen Harper https://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2015/08/04/Stephen-Harper-Abuses-of-Power/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toews Posted December 19, 2017 Share Posted December 19, 2017 2 hours ago, Warhippy said: No The funny part is people like you pretending True Dough is somehow worse than Harper when all he's done is push through the laws and promises Harper started I'd say it's sad but it's more laughably pathetic really that you somehow think that it's bad now when it was ok 2 years ago Not to mention bringing up Harper is not comparable to bringing up Hillary. Harper is Trudeau predecessor, naturally people are going to compare the two in terms of policy. Hillary was never in power, the logical comparison of Trump is to Obama. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Strome Posted December 19, 2017 Share Posted December 19, 2017 5 hours ago, Toews said: Not to mention bringing up Harper is not comparable to bringing up Hillary. Harper is Trudeau predecessor, naturally people are going to compare the two in terms of policy. Hillary was never in power, the logical comparison of Trump is to Obama. And @Warhippy says not to bring up Obama. Funny eh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nucklehead Posted December 19, 2017 Share Posted December 19, 2017 21 hours ago, riffraff said: Shocker. nice hair though. I think his hair might look even better than it did before the election, if that's possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RUPERTKBD Posted December 19, 2017 Share Posted December 19, 2017 12 hours ago, Harvey Spector said: Well at least he has one fan down south... Actually, he's got a few: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/03/17/two-americans-just-begged-canadas-trudeau-to-run-for-u-s-president/?utm_term=.20ba9180d2a0 Quote “Could you run for president here?” they asked Trudeau. The Canadian prime minister tried to explain that even if he wanted to, he couldn't run for president because he wasn’t born in the United States. But the two men wouldn’t take no for an answer. “All our guys are so bad,” they said. “They’re either boring, weird, you have to settle for them — please!” Trudeau tried to explain that he already had a pretty important job. But his fans wouldn’t relent, as this video by journalist Marie-Joelle Parent shows. Eventually Trudeau just had to walk away, leaving them still kneeling on the floor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RUPERTKBD Posted December 19, 2017 Share Posted December 19, 2017 9 hours ago, kingofsurrey said: Stephen Harper https://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2015/08/04/Stephen-Harper-Abuses-of-Power/ I'm not a Harper fan either King, but the Tyee is about as biased a political publication as there is. It's pretty much like Harv posting stuff from Infowars.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingofsurrey Posted December 19, 2017 Share Posted December 19, 2017 2 minutes ago, RUPERTKBD said: I'm not a Harper fan either King, but the Tyee is about as biased a political publication as there is. It's pretty much like Harv posting stuff from Infowars.... Does Harper have any fans ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RUPERTKBD Posted December 19, 2017 Share Posted December 19, 2017 4 minutes ago, kingofsurrey said: Does Harper have any fans ? Believe it or not, there are even some on CDC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Strome Posted December 19, 2017 Share Posted December 19, 2017 28 minutes ago, RUPERTKBD said: I'm not a Harper fan either King, but the Tyee is about as biased a political publication as there is. It's pretty much like Harv posting stuff from Infowars.... He has been told this numerous of times. 24 minutes ago, kingofsurrey said: Does Harper have any fans ? 19 minutes ago, RUPERTKBD said: Believe it or not, there are even some on CDC. Must have fans considering he was the PM for 10 years. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inane Posted December 19, 2017 Share Posted December 19, 2017 45 minutes ago, RUPERTKBD said: I'm not a Harper fan either King, but the Tyee is about as biased a political publication as there is. It's pretty much like Harv posting stuff from Infowars.... Lol not quite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riffraff Posted December 19, 2017 Share Posted December 19, 2017 1 hour ago, nucklehead said: I think his hair might look even better than it did before the election, if that's possible. The hair budget has balanced itself. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inane Posted December 19, 2017 Share Posted December 19, 2017 You guys and the hair lol, I've never seen such passive aggressive jealousy or inability to articulate an actual argument. Lol 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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