West Coast Can-Am Politics

Many serious irregularities in the voter registration list have been reported in the Edmonton Centre riding . The nature of these allegations is eery - individuals registered to vote at non-existent street addresses, registered to vote at places of business where they do not reside, multiple registrations.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security proposed "low cost" People Access Security Service "mini-passport " is an expensive non-solution which will further inhibit routine pleasure travel by Americans and Canadians visiting each others' countries on short visits. Today's Seattle Post-Intelligencer editorial correctly criticizes this lousy proposal. WIVB-TV Buffalo has another thorough critique of the proposed PASS card. From my perspective, my criticisms of the proposal are as follows: 1. The PASS "mini-passport" will cost $50 U.S., and presumably need to be renewed every two or three years. 2. Canadian and Mexican visitors will STILL BE REQUIRED to provide passports or other "secure proof of citizenship ID"; it's unclear whether PASS cards will be issued to Canadians or Mexicans. 3. It's unclear whether Dual Citizens, i.e. those holding both Canadian and U.S. citizenship, will be treated under this program. 4. The PASS ...

Seattle's left-wing Establishment newspape issued an editorial opinion acknowledging the likelihood of Paul Martin's Liberals falling from power over ethics issues: " Martin and the Liberal Party had held their own for re-election until news earlier this month of another Royal Canadian Mounted Police investigation into a government leak of information that influenced the stock market. "That was all it took. Canadians who have never completely warmed to Conservative leader Stephen Harper have given him a double-digit lead in polls. He blew a similar lead in 2004, but he has campaigned like a politician who learned a hard lesson. His party is producing a policy announcement a day. "Anxious Republicans in the United States, wondering where the Jack Abramoff scandal might lead their party in 2006 elections, have to be chastened by the Liberal Party experience. Voter disgust with corruption trumps other good news ." (emph. added) Read their entire editoria...

Paul Martin's Liberals have endorsed Carol Jameson's complaint to Elections Canada against the "Blogging Tories", alleging that the loosely-connected network of independent bloggers violates various provisions of the Canada Elections Act. Note that Jameson's complaint does not also attack the LibLogs or the Blogging Dippers for similar "violations". So much for the PM's bragging that he doesn't believe in "cherry-picking" rights..... What kind of profane refuse have the Liberals been eating for breakfast?

The Associated Press has reported that Canada Border Services Agency officers, conducting a secondary vehicle inspection , "found four guns and what they feared was an improvised explosive device in a car Tuesday night, prompting the temporary closure of the Peace Arch border crossing." Of course, the CBSA officers had no firearms to defend themselves. Read about this at CTV , CTV video , the Bellingham Herald , KOMO 4 , and other sites. Canada's politicians: while it appears the individual involved apparently was truly mistaken and not a danger to Canada, will you guys wake up and smell the coffee? Your border officers have NO PROTECTION against dangerous persons driving up, walking up, or bicycling up to your Ports of Entry.

Canada's taxpayers have been horribly, obscenely over-charged for "Relocation Services" provided for high-level government bureaucrats. The desitinations and types of accommodations being provided for "relocating" government officials are completely incongruent with logical business sense. Your Tax Dollars At Work at small dead animals , and Conservative Life , have detailed information about the abuses. For American readers familiar with travel and relocation policies of the U.S. General Services Administration, it's a shocker.

I invite my Tory friends to view one of the most extraordinary speeches of the conservative movement - Ronald Reagan's 1964 Speech on behalf of Senator Barry Goldwater (courtesy of C-SPAN's American Presidents project ). If any of you are feeling kinda worn down by the bitterness of campaigning, please watch this - it may bring a few tears to your eyes, even if you aren't a "scary, extremist right-winger".