HARPER LIKE BUSH!!!!!

Please take a moment to read below, and consider what you are willing to do for Canadian democracy.

In the last 100 days, The Stephen Harper Government has put forward a series of policies that are seriously impeding Canada’s ability to be a sovereign nation. Under the smoke and mirrors of tax cuts and half-hearted subsidies, Mr. Harper is aligning Canadian policy with that of George Bush’s United States.

Which of these Harper policies do you think most aligns Canada with George Bush’s United States?
Cancelling Canada’s commitment to the Kyoto Accord

Assigning Fixed Election Dates

Catering to the NRA-style gun lobby

Destroying the Kelowna Accord

Tax increases for the poor, and tax cuts for the rich

Arming Canada’s Borders

Bowing to US Softwood Lumber Demands

Seven policies: Seven steps towards a Republican Canada.

It’s time to shine a spotlight on Stephen Harper’s real agenda. More than ever, the Liberal Party of Canada needs your help to defeat this emerging threat.

NEW ONLINE TOOL HELPS PARENTS TRACK SHRINKING CLASS SIZES!!!!!!

A new class-size tracker launched today shows parents how class sizes in kindergarten to Grade 3 are shrinking. This is the first time class-by-class data has been collected and published for each of Ontario’s 32,000 kindergarten to Grade 3 classrooms in 4,000 elementary schools.
We are on the side of Ontario families who want greater accountability and transparency in public education.

That’s why we developed the class-size tracker to show parents the progress schools boards are making in reducing class sizes.Halfway through our four-year plan to implement a real cap in 90 per cent of junior kindergarten to Grade 3 classes, 48 per cent have 20 or fewer students. The number of classes with 25 students or more has dropped by half — from 25 to 12 per cent over the past two years.

Find out more on this announcement.Access the class-size tracker by going to www.edu.gov.on.ca and follow the links.
Learn more on how we are helping improve education.

INVESTING IN THE SCIENCE OF CLEAN AIR AND CLIMATE CHANGE!!!

We are working on the side of families by making public education the best education, delivering quality health care when and where people need it and building opportunities so that everyone has a fair shot at success.

On the last day of the legislative session – Premier Dalton McGuinty highlighted some of the progress that has been made for families over the past several months such as reducing class sizes and improving test scores, cutting hospital wait times and improving access to postsecondary education.

Find out more on this announcement and the progress we are making.http://www.premier.gov.on.ca/news/Product.asp?ProductID=687

Backgrounder: Legislative Achievements: Reaching Higher For OntariansBackgrounder: Highlights Of The Winter/Spring Sessions

WORKING ON THE SIDE OF FAMILIES!!!

We are working on the side of families by making public education the best education, delivering quality health care when and where people need it and building opportunities so that everyone has a fair shot at success.Today - the last day of the legislative session – Premier Dalton

McGuinty highlighted some of the progress that has been made for families over the past several months such as reducing class sizes and improving test scores, cutting hospital wait times and improving access to postsecondary education.

Find out more on this announcement and the progress we are making.http://www.premier.gov.on.ca/news/Product.asp?ProductID=687

What’s changed since January, Mr. Flaherty?

Liberal Finance Critic John McCallum today demanded federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty explain his about-face on one of his party’s central campaign promises - to address the so-called fiscal imbalance.

“The Prime Minister toured Canada raising the expectations of every Premier, alluding that big cheques were on their way,” said McCallum, as the federal-provincial Finance Ministers’ meeting wrapped up in Niagara-on-the-Lake. “But now that the time has come to write those cheques, his Finance Minister is saying that the whole situation has resolved itself when in fact nothing has changed."

For the past few weeks, Flaherty has repeatedly pointed to three specific areas as evidence that that there is no longer a problem to be solved:
1. The $42 billion increase in health transfers.
2. That the majority of provinces are running surpluses.
3. A promise that the federal government will no longer run large surpluses.

This sharp change in tune had Mr. McCallum wondering just what exactly has changed since January.

“The increase in health transfers was already scheduled under the previous Liberal Government’s 2004 Health Accord, there will be one fewer province in surplus this year than last, and the large federal surplus is gone because the government dramatically increased spending, not transfers to the provinces,” said Mr. McCallum.

Flaherty went even further to suggest that if the Premieres’ don’t have enough money to fund their programs, they can raise their sales taxes to occupy the room being vacated by the Conservatives’ one per cent cut in the Goods and Services Tax (GST).

“I find it insulting that when the Finance Minister is speaking to average Canadians he talks about the savings the GST cut will offer, but when he is talking to the Premiers he refers to that same one per cent cut as ‘vacating tax room’” said McCallum.
“The GST reduction can’t be all things to all people, it was either intended to save consumers some money or its intent was to offer the Premiers a chance to raise their own sales taxes. It can’t do both.”

McCallum went on to point out that, in fact, since January what has changed is that the Conservative government has taken money away from all 10 provinces by canceling the Early Learning and Child Agreements.

“I am quite confident that when the Conservatives made solving the fiscal imbalance a central plank in their election platform, none of the Premiers imagined they would be getting less money from Ottawa,” said McCallum. “I think it was very disingenuous on their part and it is further proof that they think Canadians are naive.”

IS IGNORANCE A DEFENCE FOR THE CONSERVATIVES...I THINK NOT!!!

The Conservative party may have illegally accepted millions in unreported donations last year because it didn't understand political financing laws.

That's the startling conclusion drawn from testimony given to a Senate committee by the Harper administration's point man on cleaning up government.

Treasury Board President John Baird has told the committee that his party did not consider fees paid to attend its March 2005 policy convention to be political contributions.
But the Elections Act stipulates that convention fees do constitute a donation.

The Tories' 2005 convention was attended by about 2,900 party members, who paid a regular fee of $600 each, although discounts were available for some.

That means the party stood to rake in as much as $1.7 million, all or some of which should have been reported to Elections Canada as donations.

The Liberal Opposition: Fighting for Canadians

The Liberal Opposition ends the 39th session of Parliament with a list of accomplishments all Canadians can be proud off, Liberal Opposition Leader Bill Graham said today.
“Over the last five months, Liberals have been putting forward legislation that matters to Canadians and holding the minority Conservative government to account,” Mr. Graham said.

The Liberal Opposition worked hard this session to ensure that Canada’s aboriginal communities are not forgotten by the Conservative government.
“Working cooperatively toward the well-being of the first nations, the Métis nation and the Inuit was a high priority of the previous Liberal government,” says MP Tina Keeper, a member of the Norway House Cree Nation. “It has remained a prime concern for the opposition from the very beginning of this new Parliament.”

In Opposition, Liberals passed a Private Member’s Bill calling on the Conservative government to implement the Kelowna Accord and successfully pressured the government to honour the Liberal agreement on residential schools.
We also raised serious questions about the judgment and leadership of the Member for Saskatoon-Wanuskewin, forcing him to resign as Chair of the House Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development.

Liberals have also pressured the government to ensure Canada meets its global climate change obligations under the Kyoto Protocol. By helping to pass an Opposition motion calling on the government to respect Canada’s Kyoto commitments, and exposing the Conservatives’ complete lack of climate change policy, our opposition has been fighting hard to keep our planet’s interests at the forefront of Canadians’ policy agenda.
By contrast, the Conservative government has been pushing through regressive policies that will hurt Canadians.

“The 39th session of Parliament was a demonstration of the stunning ‘Harpocrisy’ of this government,” Mr. Graham continued. “What we ended up with was a government intent on raising taxes, turning their backs on the environment, abandoning farmers, softwood lumber producers, working parents and Aboriginals, and breaking one election promise after another regarding accountability and transparency in government.”
Thanks to 13 years of Liberal governments, Prime Minister Stephen Harper inherited the strongest financial position of any incoming government in Canadian history. Despite this, the Conservatives delivered a budget that increases income taxes for low-income Canadians, cuts billions of dollars from social programs and contains no vision for the economic progress of our nation.

Here is a sampling of some of the many hypocritical and regressive actions taken by this government this session:
Mr. Harper ran an entire election campaign on openness and accountability in government, and then implemented an Accountability Act that will actually increase government secrecy and make it less accountable.

The Prime Minister appointed a former lobbyist as Defence Minister, who is now awarding contracts to his political friends. His Health Minister, Tony Clement – embroiled in a conflict-of-interest controversy over his stake in a pharmaceutical giant – recently awarded a sole-sourced contract to a friend in pharmaceuticals.

Mr. Harper consistently put a tight muzzle on his caucus and battled the media for months in order to restrict the flow of information to the public.
After campaigning for years against any softwood lumber deal that does not return 100 percent of duties paid to the U.S., Mr. Harper decided to push through a highly politicized deal which all industry representatives oppose for putting more than $1 billion into the hands of American lumber competitors.

The Harper government repeatedly ignored expert opinions on taxes, the environment and crime in order to score cheap political points with policies that do nothing to help low- and middle-income Canadians, decrease greenhouse gas emissions or lower crime rates.
The Conservatives introduced legislation to scrap the federal gun registry – despite the fact that the majority of law enforcement officers want it to remain.

The Prime Minister has also made a pledge to re-open the divisive same-sex marriage debate in the fall in the hopes of taking away this fundamental right from gay and lesbian Canadians.
In the face of the Conservatives’ fend-for-yourself Canada, the Liberal Party will ensure that our progressive values will be upheld by Parliament. We have worked hard this session to defend the interests of all Canadians. We will continue to listen and learn from our constituents over the summer months to ensure that their voices will be heard in Ottawa this fall.

Conservative 'Harpocrisy' Dominates First Session of New Government

OTTAWA – Today marks the wrap-up of 11 weeks of broken Conservative election promises and regressive policies that will hurt Canadians, Liberal Opposition Leader Bill Graham said.
“The first session of the 39th Parliament was a demonstration of the stunning ‘Harpocrisy’ of this government,” Mr. Graham said.

“What we ended up with was a government intent on raising taxes, turning their backs on the environment, abandoning farmers, softwood lumber producers, working parents and Aboriginals, and breaking one election promise after another regarding accountability and transparency in government.

“What was shocking to us was the extent to which Prime Minister Harper will go to try and win votes at the expense of what’s best for Canadians. All Canadians should be very concerned that this is just the beginning of the end of a strong, progressive Canada if this government is allowed to continue down this path,” he said.

The hypocritical and regressive actions taken by Mr. Harper’s government this session include:
enticing former Liberal David Emerson to join his cabinet just days after the Jan. 23 election, after condemning the practice of floor-crossing;

appointing campaign organizer Michael Fortier to the Senate so he could sit in Cabinet, after years of calling for an elected Senate;
implementing an Accountability Act that will actually increase government secrecy and make it less accountable, after running an election campaign on openness and accountability in government;
muzzling his caucus and shunning the media in order to restrict the flow of information to the public;
recruiting lobbyists to government positions, continuing to allow former Conservative staffers to register as lobbyists and sitting idly by while Cabinet ministers reward their friends with government contracts;
trying to push through a highly politicized deal on softwood lumber that industry representatives oppose because it puts more than $1 billion into the hands of American lumber competitors, after campaigning for years against any deal that does not return 100 per cent of duties paid to the U.S.;

ignoring expert opinions on taxes, the environment and crime in favour of politically expedient policies that will do nothing to help low- and middle-income Canadians, decrease greenhouse gas emissions or lower crime rates; and
presenting a budget that increases income taxes, cuts billions of dollars from social programs and contains no vision for the economic progress of our nation, despite having inherited the strongest financial position of any incoming government in Canadian history.

“Mr. Harper and the Conservatives claim to represent average Canadian families, but his first Budget failed them, stripping them of an economic plan for the future, a national child care program, the Kelowna Accord for Aboriginal Canadians, and the income tax cuts brought in by the Liberal government, which would have put money back in the pockets of working families,” said Mr. Graham.

The first Conservative budget:
denied Canadians $5 billion in funding for a national early learning and child care program which was supported by agreements with all 10 provinces;
cancelled $5.1 billion over five years for Aboriginal education, housing, health and economic development, replacing this with $450 million over 2 years – about nine Conservative cents on the Liberal dollar; nullified the tax cuts for low-income Canadians announced by the Liberal government last year by increasing the lowest income tax bracket to 15.5 per cent from 15 per cent;

rejected the Kyoto Protocol, the Climate Fund to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the Partnership Fund to support large environmental projects, the expansion of the Wind Power Production Incentive and the establishment of a Renewable Power Production Incentive to encourage clean, renewable electricity production;
eliminated a total of $3.11 billion over 5 years in direct investment for post-secondary education in favour of a mere $175 million per year in tax credits that do nothing to improve access, given the fact that students pay very little tax to begin with; and

cut more than $2.1 billion over five years to increase support for granting councils, the Indirect Costs of Research program, the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, and replaced it with $100 million per year.
“Mr. Harper’s government is moving Canada backward with its regressive and hypocritical policies,” said Mr. Graham. “The Liberal Opposition is providing a voice for progressive values and we will continue to work to ensure that the wants and needs of all Canadians are respected.”

Liberal Accomplishments in the First Session of the 39th Parliament

Ottawa —The Liberal Opposition ends the first session of the 39th Parliament with a list of accomplishments all Canadians can be proud of, said Official Opposition Leader Bill Graham.
“From Private Members Bills to amendments crucial to the well being of Canadians, we have spent the last five months providing a progressive voice on issues that matter to Canadians and holding the minority Conservative government to account,” said Mr. Graham.

Since Parliament resumed in February, the Liberal Opposition has worked together to ensure a Liberal economic vision was adopted in the House, supported our dairy industry, and supported an Opposition Motion to ensure Canada meets its global climate change obligations under the Kyoto Protocol.

We also held the Conservative government to account, forcing them to pull out of a deal negotiated by a Conservative lobbyist to lease the former JDS Uniphase complex in Ottawa for $594 million more than it’s worth.
The Liberal Opposition has also been working hard to ensure that Canada’s Aboriginal communities are not forgotten by the Conservative government.

“Canada’s First Nations are an integral part of our country and as the Official Opposition, we are committed to ensuring issues vital to our Aboriginal communities are recognized,” said Mr. Graham. “We want to guarantee that the voices of Canada’s Aboriginal peoples are heard in the House of Commons.”

This past session, the Liberal Opposition passed an Opposition Motion calling on the Conservative government to implement the Kelowna Accord and successfully pressured the government to honour the Liberal agreement on residential schools.
We also raised serious questions about the judgment and leadership of Conservative MP Maurice Vellacott, forcing him to resign as Chair of the House Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development.

Following the tabling of the Conservative Accountability Act, the Liberal Opposition also successfully amended the act to exempt First Nations.
“We know that it is vital that we stand firm on our objectives and ensure that Canadians get the policies that best reflect their values,” said Mr. Graham.

Gore Urges Canada to Take Action on Climate Change

Former Vice President Al Gore brought his campaign against climate change to Canada Thursday night, speaking before a packed room at the Canada 2020 policy conference in Mont Tremblant, Quebec.

"Never before has the future of earth been put at such risk” said the former vice-president. “I hope you will make sure Canada does not go back on Kyoto ratification. Trust me, you do not want a ‘made in Texas’ Kyoto plan."

The Harper government has made no secret of its desire to scrap Canada’s commitments to the Kyoto Protocol, favoring instead a “Made in Canada” solution. Environment Minster Rona Ambrose spent just 24 hours in Bonn as chair of a 12-day UN Conference on Climate Change, and media reports indicate Environment Minister Rona Ambrose covertly instructed Canada’s delegation to derail Kyoto in favour of putting voluntary emissions reductions in place at the UN Conference on Climate Change in Bonn.

In an impassioned speech, Mr. Gore outlined the science behind global warming and warned Canadians that the issue of climate change is too urgent to be left off the government’s agenda.
"People assume the earth is so big that human beings can't have any lasting impact. That is not so anymore," he said. "928 peer-reviewed scientific articles say global warming is real."
Yukon MP Larry Bagnell has seen the realities of global warming firsthand.
“I know the members for Western Arctic and Nunavut would agree with me that there are dramatic changes in the north,” said Mr. Bagnell. “The ice roads are melting and species are becoming extinct. Polar bears, which people depend on for their livelihoods, are moving. The mountain pine beetle and Spruce beetle are coming to Yukon. This is a very real and urgent problem.”

Mr. Gore praised Canada’s past environmental leadership, citing the historic 1987 Montreal protocol on the depletion of the ozone layer as an example.
"The depletion of CFCs is an environmental success story and Canada hosted that first conference,” he said

Mr. Gore urged Canadians to demand that the Conservative government take action to combat global warming.

"I hope you will ensure Canada restores its tradition and moral authority to help us save this," he said. “I hope what has happened in the US won't repeat itself here. I don't think it will. I don't think the Bush-Cheney-Harper administration will last."

Accountability Act puts Convention in Jeopardy

The Conservative’s Accountability Act could make it illegal for anyone who's donated more than $5 to the Liberal Party of Canada this year to attend the December Leadership Convention, said the Party’s National Director Steve MacKinnon. “This is the most anti-democratic piece of legislation I've ever seen,” said Mr. MacKinnon. “It seems strange that the Conservatives, with their Reform tradition, want to be the party which silences the voices of party activists in national political parties.''

Under the proposed legislation, the maximum amount which individuals are allowed to donate to a political party will be decreased to $1,000 from $5,400 per year. But according to Elections Canada, any fees paid to attend a political convention constitute a political donation, therefore making the $995 fee to attend the Leadership convention account for 99.5 per cent of the delegate’s allowable political donation.

For those delegates traveling more than 700 km to attend the Montreal gathering, a portion of the fee will include a travel subsidy; which will not count as a donation.
Liberal MPs had proposed to the House of Commons committee studying the bill to make convention fees exempt, to increase the limit of individual donations to $2,000 or to delay implementation of the act until Jan. 1, 2007, but all amendments were rejected by the Conservatives and NDP MPs.

For further information about how the Accountability Act will affect convention fees, click here (Toronto Star).

Help stop this unjust and undemocratic provision from being included in the Accountability Act. Call, email or write your Member of Parliament today!

Health Minister Tony Clement Must Divest or Resign

The Canadian Health Coalition has joined the Liberal Opposition in calling on Health Minister Tony Clement to either completely divest his shares in Prudential Chem Inc. or resign.
In a press release, the non-partisan coalition of health care workers and health advocacy groups from across Canada called Minister Clement’s 25 per cent stake in the Toronto-based pharmaceutical company “a serious conflict of interest”.

“The appointment of Tony Clement as Minister of Health calls into question the judgment of Prime Minister [Stephen] Harper who promised to raise the federal government to a higher standard of ethics and accountability,” the release said.

Mr. Clement, who earned the nickname Two Tier Tony while at Queen’s Park for his ringing endorsement of a two-tier health system, has refused to sell his 25 per cent stake in Prudential Chem, despite that fact that his ministry regulates the drug approval process.
Opposition MPs said this week Mr. Clement is in a conflict of interest and demanded that he immediately sell his shares.

“Instead of focusing on reducing wait times in this country, establishing a mental health commission, implementing catastrophic drug coverage or ensuring that Aboriginal Canadians and seniors receive the very best in health care, this minister has been looking after his personal investment portfolio,” said Liberal Health Critic Ruby Dhalla.
In addition to this controversy, Mr. Clement is also embroiled in a scandal involving the awarding of a $25,000 sole-sourced contract to his long-time friend and aide Gordon Haugh.
Mr. Haugh served as Mr. Clement’s press secretary at the Ontario Ministry of Health, with an annualized contract of over $300,000 or $25,000 a month. He then went on to serve as the Minister’s director of communications during Mr. Clement’s failed provincial and federal leadership bids, and as tour director to then Canadian Alliance Leader Stockwell Day in the 2000 federal election.

Today, Mr. Haugh is the general manager of the Canadian International Pharmacists Association (CIPA), an industry association that represents Canadian pharmacies that sell internationally, including internet pharmacies, which are regulated by Mr. Clement’s ministry.
“This is absolutely scandalous. Tony Clement refuses to sell his stake in pharmaceutical giant Prudential Chem Inc., and now he’s awarding untendered contracts to his close friend who heads a pharmaceutical association,” Ms. Dhalla said.

Ms. Dhalla said Mr. Clement’s decision to award a sole-sourced contract to a personal friend with a long history of feeding at the public trough is a shameful abuse of office and taxpayer dollars, made all the more scandalous by Mr. Haugh’s industry ties.

“Mr. Haugh must think he has won the lottery by working for Mr. Clement,” Ms. Dhalla added. “His disregard for the taxpayer and his blatant show of patronage and favouritism flies in the face of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s mantra of outlawing influence peddling.”

ITS OVER...THE OILERS HAVE TRIED BUT LOST!!!!

Well its over, the 2006 hockey season is now wrapped up and the Hurricanes are the Stanley Cup Champions. One of those teams that I vowed to cheer against heading into the play-offs was this team and they won. I really did not have much against this team except for the fact that they could not beat the Lightning in that key game the Leafs needed.

Well, congratulations Carolina it was quite an accomplishment indeed. I would still have to give the most credit to the Oilers because wow what a year. It was quite amazing that an eighth place team can make it so far, purely amazing that it could happen, this basically tells all that an underdog will always have a chance till the end.

As well, this again proves the point that the home team will win and they did. Their have been a total of what 14 game 7s in the finals where 11 home games won and 3 road teams won. I hope all teams now realize that the regular season does matter.

Anyways, this is basically my last post regarding the NHL 2006 season, it was pure luck that the Hurricanes had defeated the Canadians, Devils and the one which propelled them into the finals was the Sabres. The key turning point is when Cam Ward replaced Gerber in game 3 of the first round, I was absolutely astounded that the Candians could not close out the Hurricanes. If the Canadians won that game who knows who would be the champions now, if and buts would make sugar and nuts so I guess we cannot really do that here.

Cam Ward deserves the MVP because if he was not their then they would not have been this amazing run by the Hurricanes. I personally believe that they will not repeat, I would hope that the Leafs win next year of course.

Rodogg, signing off for this NHL 2006 year, see you in September.

ANN COULTER CONTINUES TO UPSET LIBERALS!!

The following will be an article from cnn.com whom Republicans claim is neutral even though its not!!!

WASHINGTON (AP) -- New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton lashed out at Ann Coulter for a "vicious, mean-spirited attack" on a group of outspoken 9/11 widows, whom the right-wing television pundit described as "self-obsessed" and enjoying their husbands' deaths.
Coulter writes in a new book, "Godless: The Church of Liberalism," that a group of New Jersey widows whose husbands perished in the World Trade Center act "as if the terrorist attacks happened only to them."

She also wrote, "I've never seen people enjoying their husbands' deaths so much."
Clinton, who has felt Coulter's wrath over the years, responded angrily on Wednesday.
"Perhaps her book should have been called 'Heartless,"' the senator said.
"I know a lot of the widows and family members who lost loved ones on 9/11. They never wanted to be a member of a group that is defined by the tragedy of what happened."
The New York Democrat and former first lady said she found it "unimaginable that anyone in the public eye could launch a vicious, mean-spirited attack on people whom I've known over the last four and a half years to be concerned deeply about the safety and security of our country."

The senator spoke after delivering a speech on protecting children from exposure to sex- and violence-saturated media.

Coulter appeared Tuesday on NBC's "Today" show, and reiterated her stance, saying the women used their grief "to make a political point."

Her criticism was aimed at four New Jersey women whom she dubbed "The Witches of East Brunswick," after the town where two of them live.
They have spent the years since the 2001 terror attacks supporting an independent commission to examine government failures before the attack, and in the 2004 presidential campaign they endorsed Democrat John Kerry.

The women are Kristen Breitweiser, Lorie Van Auken, Mindy Kleinberg and Patty Casazza of New Jersey.

The women, who are still pushing for changes in how the government guards against future attacks, issued a joint statement after Coulter's television appearance.

"We have been slandered. Contrary to Ms. Coulter's statements, there was no joy in watching men that we loved burn alive. There was no happiness in telling our children that their fathers were never coming home again. We adored these men and miss them every day," the women said.

LIBERAL TAKE ON EVENTS OF JUNE 2/06

Well, the Conservatives think they can take all the credit in the bringing down of this terrorist activity in Toronto but it was the Liberals who were in power when the Anti-terrorism Act was enacted by the government. So please you crazy Conservatives, stop acting so damn smug and get off your damn high horse because you think that it was your party who should be receiving credit for all this as your the governing party at the moment.

Please understand that it was a whole hearted effort by all to apprehend these accussed. It was hard work on all that was involved.

The following will be what the great Bill Graham said on June 5, 2006 in the House of Commons.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise on behalf of all members of the Liberal caucus, to offer our gratitude to the law enforcement and intelligence personnel whose dedication and efforts prevented those who would use violence as a means to advance their ideology of hatred from succeeding.

As the Member of Parliament for Toronto Centre-Rosedale, I feel a particular debt of gratitude towards those that protect and serve our communities.

Their contributions towards our protection can never be understated, and while this week the headlines will call attention to their successes, Canadians across this country know that we are able to take our security for granted, mainly because the majority of their accomplishments do not make the front pages of our newspapers.

All Canadians are grateful to our security, intelligence and police forces for their efforts. We now leave to our judiciary the task of pursuing a just conclusion to this matter.

However, regardless of the outcome, the facts as we understand them today are, of course, cause for concern. They remind us again that Canada is not immune to the threat of terrorism. More importantly they remind us that the forces of terror do not originate exclusively beyond our borders.

I would like to join with the Prime Minister, and all Members of this House, to condemn those who would attack our values; our freedoms; our diverse society. Those who believe that Canadians can be intimidated away from our ideals, from our principles, must be shown that they should never doubt the steadfast resolve of the Canadian people.

We have shown through our involvement internationally that our country is ready, willing and able to work tirelessly towards the development and preservation of peace and security not just here at home, but throughout the world.

We must remember the reason why Canada is a target of those who would use terrorism as a means to advance their agenda of intolerance is because of our freedom, because of the diversity of our society, and because of our commitment to tolerance. For these reasons, we are a threat to them.

We must not let them succeed. We must not turn our backs on the compassion and inclusiveness that are the hallmarks of our communities, and the bedrock of Canadian society. We must show that Canada's commitment to freedom cannot be shaken by cowardly acts of terrorism, regardless of the target.

To our Muslim community I wish to send a message of reassurance. We know there are those who seek to use your faith as an instrument of fear. We in this House must resolve that they will fail, and that this incident will not become the cause of greater intolerance in our society at large. The security of our communities is an issue that transcends partisan politics. The actions of a desperate few can never be allowed to undermine the values of our nation. Tolerance, fairness and justice must be Canada's watchwords, whether in times of great security or of great threat. These are the same values that enable so many races and faiths to coexist peacefully within our borders.

We know that we can only succeed in understanding what motivates this type of conduct, and the perverted ideology behind it. (Understanding does not mean condoning, but all successful solutions require understanding the nature of the problem.

We also know that ensuring a sense of share citizenship in our Muslim fellow Canadians is essential to dealing with this complex phenomenon. Many Canadians learned this lesson working in Ireland; the violence stopped when the perpetrators were rejected by the marginalized community they claimed to represent.

Fortunately the Muslim population in Canada has taken strong roots. There is no sympathy for this form of behavior in Canada. There is no conceivable justification. As put in a recent letter to the Globe and Mail:

“Islam is a religion of peace that condemns violence. Muslims believe that terrorism activities of any sort are despicable, abysmal, and absolutely unacceptable. Those involved in the terror campaign must be brought to justice.”

Muslim leaders in Canada have universally condemned these acts in similar words. Many of us have had the opportunity of sharing experiences with our fellow Muslim Canadians and we know how troubled they are by these acts. As we are troubled by recent outrages such as the attack on the mosque in Toronto, an attack which seeks to separate rather than include, divide us rather than unite us in our determinations to fight terrorism together as Canadians.

They are the same values which, even under attack by those who don't understand them, will be our greatest defence.

The Stanley Cup Match-up is SET!!!

While, it will be the Edmonton Oilers vs the Carolina Hurricanes in the final round of the hockey play-offs this year. I personally will be cheering for the Oilers as they are Canada's team and they are just so damn good. Their speed is amazing and will hopefully cause the Hurricanes a lot of head aches.

I was disappointed in the Sabres losing game 7 as I was cheering for them ever since they beat the Sens in round 2 and became my heros for slaying the damn Sens team. Well, they did not win and I feel for the Sabres as this year no one expected them to go far and guess what, they went far, only to lose in game 7 because they had endured so many injuries on their defense which no team can take.

Anyways, game 1 of the finals will take place on Monday on CBC so tune in and cheer on the only Canadian team left, the OILERS!!!!!

CONSERVATIVES NOT DOING QUESTION PERIOD RIGHT!!!!!!

Well, its kind of frustrating and particularly not right that the Conservatives are asking their own ministers questions, the thing is question period is a time when the members opposite pose questions to the respective ministers of the government.

As I was watching question period today in the house of commons, I saw on three separate occassions where a Conservative MP asked a questions to their own damn minister, how does this make sense, how can an MP of the governing party be able to hold the governing parties minister to account when all they are doing is trying to make the Conservatives look good.

This is not right, I would like this to stop but I cannot do anything about it. Please, this is not democratic at all, you can basically tell that the minister knows the question is coming because they put more passion into these respective responses much more than the actual questions from other MPs which they conveniently duck or like always blame the past Liberal government.

Please Canadians, just watch question period one day from 2:15pm-3:00pm and see for yourself that you really should not be supporting the Conservatives at all.