Ottawa

Week Two

This is the week that was.

The Liberals tabled their platform (which included some democratic reforms). The Conservatives tabled their platform (which includes billions in new cuts they haven’t figured out yet) And the Greens tabled their platform too

Stephen Harper said he’d moved on from his interest in debating Michael Ignatieff. There are still at least two questions for Mr. Harper.

The Conservatives deemed Awish Aslam (among others) unwelcome. The NDP showed off a photo of Ms. Aslam standing near Jack Layton. The Liberals told Mr. Harper to stop creeping. Mr. Harper deferred to his staff. And then hypothetically apologized.

Mr. Ignatieff took the lead in the Facebook vote. Mr. Harper explained what he wouldn’t have done had he known what he knows now about Bruce Carson. Mr. Harper challenged everyone to a crowd-measuring contest (and lost in Hamilton).The Harper government tried to limit the purview of the Military Police Complaints Commission. Things got interesting in some of the other 308 elections. Mr. Harper’s bubble got crowded. Canadians remained conflicted over coalitions. And there remains the small matter of $6-billion.

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Mr. Harper promised a fitness tax credit (so long as he’s Prime Minister in 2015), loans for new immigrants and expanded tax-free savings accounts (so long as he’s Prime Minister in 2015). John Baird kind of promised to never again pursue cap-and-trade.

Mr. Ignatieff promised education assistance for veterans, a rural agenda and a commitment to public health care.

Mr. Layton promised pension reform, family care, crime prevention, and new national defence priorities.

Peter Devries dissected the Conservative platform. There were questions about the effectiveness of corporate tax cuts. David Dodge demanded an adult discussion about the future of health care. Kevin Milligan critiqued tax credits. Walter Wymer critiqued the press. Dan Gardner considered the way politicians talk and what this election will mean for the future of Parliament. Gerard Kennedy spoke up about the trouble with Parliament. I wrote about Jenni Byrne and Jack Layton and considered the value of context.

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