Stéphane Dion - PolicyChannel interview (English, français)

So with 2008 just around the corner, and a federal election likely to happen in the next few months, thought I'd share with you this great interview from Policy Channel in Edmonton, Alberta.

Satya Das interviewed Stéphane Dion during the 2006 Liberal leadership race in English et en français. Das and Dion discuss Alberta, the environment, energy, the economy, social justice, especially for Aboriginal people, international peace and security, and water management.

This interview was one of the major factors in my conversion to big-L Liberalism. I had a good impression of Dion previously, especially as environment minister, and was very glad when he won the leadership. This interview showed that he understands the interrelationship between the environment, social justice and the economy - his "three pillars." And also the impact of the environment on international issues, e.g. water security has a huge impact on the potential for violent conflict. I was also pleased with his emphasis on Aboriginal issues, especially education.

Taped in Edmonton during the 2006 Liberal leadership race. The interview is in three parts - parts 1 & 2 in English; partie 3 - en français. (Click the "menu" toggle button to select another video from the series.)



PART 1
Dion discusses his experience in government, his vision for the future, "reconciling the people and the planet," Alberta, energy and the environment. "I'm ready right away to be a very good leader and partner for Albertans. Alberta is my country. I fought to keep Alberta as part of my country." Also discusses international issues - democracy, health, avoiding war and violent conflict, human rights. Emphasizes importance of water management around the world.

PART 2
Dion discusses the north, Aboriginal people, education for Aboriginal youth, the Kelowna Accord, the economy, his three-pillar approach, the sponsorship scandal.

PARTIE 3
Stéphane Dion discute la course au leadership libéral (2006); l'Alberta, l'environnement, l'économie; l'approche à trois piliers - prospérité économique, justice sociale et environnement durable; le cercle virtueux; sa vision pour l'avenir.

Stéphane Dion - More year-end & Bali interviews

Stéphane Dion, Global National, Dec 2007

"Canada in Conversation" - Global National anchor Kevin Newman interviews official opposition leader Stéphane Dion, December 2007. Dion discusses Canada's combat mission in Afghanistan, the Manley commission, election chances in 2008, the Mulroney-Schreiber affair, and Dion as a politician. [08:15, English]

Stéphane Dion - year-end interview (Don Newman, Politics, CBC, Dec 18, 2007)
Canadian Liberal leader Stéphane Dion in a year-end interview with the CBC's Don Newman (Politics), December 18, 2007. Topics include election readiness, income trusts, United Nations climate change conference in Bali, Kyoto Protocol, environment. [10:16, English]

Update! - a slightly edited version of the above CBC intvu (to fit the under-10 minute requirement) is now available on YouTube:

Stéphane Dion - year-end interview (Question Period, CTV, Dec 23, 2007)
Canadian Liberal leader Stéphane Dion in a year-end interview with CTV's Craig Oliver (Question Period), December 23, 2007. Dion discusses possibility of an election in 2008, the economy, Harper's lack of plans, the Liberal team, Quebec, federal-provincial relations, the need for a public inquiry into the Mulroney-Schreiber affair, winter in the Laurentians in the snow with Kyoto. [11:54, English]

And here's another Bali interview. . .
Stéphane Dion - entrevue sur le blocage des négociations à la conférence de Bali
L'entrevue avec Stéphane Dion sur le blocage des négociations à la conférence de Bali. (Radio Canada, le 14 décembre 2007. Environnement, changements climatiques, gaz à effet de serre, UNFCCC, ONU, Nations Unies) [5:43, français]

And here's a link to my previous post with video of more year-end interviews, Dion's press conference in Bali, and (a blast from the recent past) Dion's throne speech response (October 17).

Stéphane Dion - Bali press conference, year-end interviews

Video coverage . . .

Stéphane Dion - press conference at Bali UNFCCC, 2007.12.12
And now also available on YouTube:

Canadian Liberal leader Stéphane Dion holds press conference at United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC) in Bali, Indonesia, December 12, 2007. (Topics include: environment, climate change, Kyoto Protocol, United Nations, Canada)

Stéphane Dion - CPAC year-end interview 2007.12.20
Now also available on YouTube:

Canadian Liberal leader Stéphane Dion in a year-end interview with CPAC, December 20, 2007. Dion and Peter Van Dusen discuss Dion's assessment of his first year as official opposition leader; reaction to negative press; the next election; Liberal party unity; the Harper Conservative record and agenda, e.g. Bali; the death penalty; Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) and supply management; Liberal vision and popularity; Liberal policies, e.g. poverty and environment.

Stéphane Dion - year-end interview on CTV's Mike Duffy Live, 2007.12.18
Canadian Liberal leader Stéphane Dion in a year-end interview on Mike Duffy Live (CTV), December 18, 2007. Topics include election probability, Chalk River nuclear reactor, the environment, Bali climate change conference, Kyoto Protocol, Quebec, role as leader of the opposition, Mulroney-Schreiber inquiry, Saskatchewan byelection, NAFTA.

And while we're at it -
Stéphane Dion's Throne Speech Response, Oct. 17, 2007
Stéphane Dion's response to the Speech from the Throne, House of Commons, October 17, 2007. Réponse par Stéphane Dion au discours du trône, le 17 octobre 2007.

And here are some more year-end interviews and a Bali interview from Radio Canada.

Canada tied with US in Fossil award count

Canada and the US are way ahead of the pack in the running for the prestigious-in-a-very-shameful-kind-of-way Fossil of the Year award.

As of December 13, Canada and the US both have 22 points, well ahead of Japan, our closest competitor.

In fact, Canada's no-longer-new-really-kind-of-fossilized government is so good at this, that on December 13, Canada not only won third prize all by itself, but we also tied for first place with the US, Japan and Russia. Wow. I bet John Baird is really impressed that he's in the same club with the big boys.

Minister Baird gets all the credit for third prize to himself. According to Avaaz.org:

Canada takes third for walking out of a high-level negotiation meeting long before the end of a crucial discussion. Yesterday, a “Friends of the Chair” meeting brought together 40 key ministers to work through tough issues that officials had not been able to resolve. In the midst of this, Canadian Environment Minister John Baird abruptly got up and left. Where was he going? He was spotted moments later holding a drink at a negotiation-free cocktail reception.

Here's a pretty picture from avaaz.org to illustrate our race for the stratosphere - of course Canada is the red line:

And if that doesn't make your heart just burst with pride to be a Canadian, how about this? Youth delegates were intimidated by a Canadian security official who implied that they might end up in an Indonesian prison for holding up a sign at an appearance by Baird. And check out the spin by Harper's press secretary Dimitri Soudas near the end of the article. Impressive. Just like Question Period.

Canadian protesters upset with treatment at climate change summit in Bali
By Mike De Souza, CanWest News Service, Published: Wednesday, December 12, 2007
A youth delegation protesting the Harper government's climate change policies say that a Canadian representative intimidated them on Wednesday with a warning about Indonesian prisons to get them away from a news conference held by Environment Minister John Baird.

"He said that we might have free speech in Canada, but we don't know if we have it here, and we wouldn't want to be arrested by the Indonesian police," said Elizabeth McDowell, 24, who travelled to Bali from Vancouver.

McDowell was among a handful of Canadians who held up a sign questioning the government's leadership at the climate change conference while Baird was arriving to speak with reporters.

But she said the federal government representative who is in charge of Canadian security at the summit quickly yelled out to Indonesian police asking them to question the youth.

"He called them over and he was quite aggressive," said McDowell.

A spokesperson for Prime Minister Stephen Harper said the Canadian representative was not part of the government, but defended his actions.

"My understanding is that he was watching out for them and ensuring their safety," said Harper's press secretary Dimitri Soudas. "He was trying to be helpful. That's a shame that they took his kindness towards them and spun it."

Soudas has urged Canadian reporters covering the climate change summit to be skeptical about the dozens of Canadian youth who are promoting action on global warming, since some of them are card-carrying members of the Liberal party.

But McDowell said the accusations suggest the government is scared of criticism, noting that Baird bailed out of a scheduled event the previous night to present his own climate change plan to the conference.

"I think they're a little bit threatened by us," she said. "They're not ready to defend their plan because they don't have one, and they're not ready to defend their actions here."

She stressed that she had no particular political affiliation, adding that the youth coalition is made up of people from all political stripes.

The Indonesian police officer who was called over by the Canadian representative asked the youth a few questions, but soon walked away after determining they were no threat to security.

The youth have complained that they have been excluded from the official Canadian government delegation - along with environmental groups and opposition parties - while industry representatives, including an oilpatch executive, were welcome. Baird has not responded to requests for a meeting with the youth, she said.

Canada's approach "A recipe for failure in Bali"

Read Stéphane Dion's Bali Blog

Stéphane Dion discussed his role at the UNFCCC in Bali as president of the 2005 climate change conference in Montreal in an interview with CPAC, Friday, December 7, 2007.

My role is as a personality who has some networks, some influence, some experience because I've been the president of the 2005 conference of the United Nations on Climate Change....

Nobody disagrees that all the countries need to do something. Where there is a disagreement is when a country like Canada says that if the others don't do something, we will do nothing....

I'm not there to contradict the government as much as I'm there to help each delegation to go in the right direction.

I'm not a negotiator but I'm somebody who cares about the issue. We are speaking about the worst ecological threat humanity is facing and each of us must try to influence it in a good direction.

Here's the video -


Jean Langlois, Director of National Campaigns for Sierra Club Canada, agreed with Dion's assessment that "Canada's approach is a recipe for failure in Bali." Here's video of Langlois' interview with CTV, Tuesday, December 11, 2007.



CTV reports that Dion "has met with Canadian environmentalists -- something the government delegation hasn't done -- and will meet with UN climate boss Yvo de Boer, who had some pointed words about the Canadian position."

Meanwhile, Baird showed the standard of "leadership" we have come to expect from our formerly new government -

Baird was supposed to explain Canada's position at a meeting with non-governmental activists attending the conference. He showed up for the meeting, but quickly left before speaking.

Canadian activists and others waited for the minister to return. But they were later told Baird had to attend negotiations and would not be back.

"The minister who was supposed to address us was AWOL. He ran away," said Olivier Lavoie of the Canadian Youth in Action.

Lavoie said the minister probably did not want to confront young activists critical of Canada's stand.

Yvo de Boer "had some pointed words about the Canadian position. 'I personally find it interesting to hear Canada just a little while ago indicating it would not meet its commitments under the Kyoto Protocol,' de Boer said Monday. 'Now (it's) calling on developing countries to take binding reduction targets.'"

Kyoto Protocol, Montréal 2005 UNFCCC - video retrospective

In preparation for Bali, here's an intro and a video retrospective of some highlights of the 2005 UNFCCC Conference in Montréal, of which Stéphane Dion was President.

United Nations Climate Change Conference
(COP 11 and CMP 1)

28 November to 9 December 2005
Palais des Congrès de Montréal

Canada hosted the first Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol in Montreal in conjunction with the eleventh session of the Conference of the Parties to the Climate Change Convention.

The conference was an historic event. The Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) met for the 11th time, while marking the entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol. At Montreal, the first ever Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Protocol (CMP) ran parallel to the Conference of the Parties to the Convention (COP). The United Nations Climate Change Conference was the largest intergovernmental climate conference since the Kyoto Protocol was adopted in 1997. Some 10,000 participants attended.

The conference attracted unprecedented business interest as a result of two operation trading systems: the pan-European emissions trading scheme and the Clean Development Mechanism, a tool to promote sustainable development and combat climate change.

United Nations Climate Change Conference agrees on future critical steps to tackle climate change
Montreal, 10 December 2005--The United Nations Climate Change Conference closed with the adoption of more than forty decisions that will strengthen global efforts to fight climate change. Reflecting on the success of Montreal 2005, the Conference President, Canadian Environment Minister Stéphane Dion said: “Key decisions have been made in several areas. The Kyoto Protocol has been switched on, a dialogue about the future action has begun, parties have moved forward work on adaptation and advanced the implementation of the regular work programme of the Convention and of the Protocol.”
Source: http://unfccc.int/meetings/cop_11/items/3394.php

Opening plenary
After being formally elected as President, Stéphane Dion speaks at the opening plenary of the 2005 UNFCCC in Montréal. (English/français. 2 parts)


Opening press conference
Stéphane Dion and UNFCCC Acting Executive Secretary Richard Kinley at the press conference for the opening of the 2005 UNFCCC in Montréal. Part 4 ends with the World Wildlife Fund panda delivering a message and a "big cuddly hug" for Président Dion. (English/français. 4 parts)


Closing press conference
Stéphane Dion and Richard Kinley at UNFCCC closing press conference - 6:45 AM on December 10, 2005 after a gruelling all-night session.

"The United Nations Climate Change Conference closed with the adoption of more than forty decisions that will strengthen global efforts to fight climate change. Reflecting on the success of Montreal 2005, the Conference President, Canadian Environment Minister Stéphane Dion said: 'Key decisions have been made in several areas. The Kyoto Protocol has been switched on, a dialogue about the future action has begun, parties have moved forward work on adaptation and advanced the implementation of the regular work programme of the Convention and of the Protocol.'"
http://unfccc.int/meetings/cop_11/items/3394.php
(English/français. 3 parts)

Dion Hailed Saviour of Kyoto Protocol
Canada's Environment Minister [Stéphane Dion] is being hailed an international "hero" who withstood fierce resistance to find agreement to extend mandatory pollution limits on most of the world's worst offenders.

Environmentalists are praising Stéphane Dion, chair of the UN Climate Change Conference, and his advisors for clinching a deal that will commit 35 industrialized nations to deeper greenhouse gas emission reductions when the Kyoto Protocol targets elapse in 2012. The United States and Australia are the only major emitters that refused to sign the pact.

"Stéphane Dion should go down as a world hero for making this happen," says John Bennett, a senior policy advisor for the Sierra Club of Canada. "All credit goes to him and his negotiators."

The deal is the crowning achievement of the two-week international summit in Montreal that finished in the early hours of Dec. 10.
Source: Embassy Magazine, December 14, 2005

(Photo courtesy IISD)

Action on climate change - short-term pain to avoid long-term devastation

In reply to my post on "Rex Murphy's Bali logic," Kevin says:

If you feel that strongly about it you are completely free to donate your own time and money to the cause. The fact of the mater is though that if Canada were to sign on to this while the US and China are clearly not the consequences would be economic suicide. Ontario's manufacturers already suffering under a strong dollar would move to the unregulated jurisdictions and we would loose the jobs. The CO2 would still be produced and we would have nothing to show for our sacrifices. If this argument seems familiar it is the same argument that was made against the free trade agreement. That industry would move to the low cost unregulated producer. For the US this has certainly been the case as they have lost most of their manufacturing sector.

Kevin, we don't have a choice. We have to find a way to reduce emissions or the economic, social, and environmental consequences will be catastrophic. It's a matter of a manageable amount of pain now or total devastation later. Read the Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change.

The scientific evidence is now overwhelming: climate change is a serious global threat, and it demands an urgent global response.

This Review has assessed a wide range of evidence on the impacts of climate change and on the economic costs, and has used a number of different techniques to assess costs and risks. From all of these perspectives, the evidence gathered by the Review leads to a simple conclusion: the benefits of strong and early action far outweigh the economic costs of not acting.

Climate change will affect the basic elements of life for people around the world – access to water, food production, health, and the environment. Hundreds of millions of people could suffer hunger, water shortages and coastal flooding as the world warms.

Using the results from formal economic models, the Review estimates that if we don’t act, the overall costs and risks of climate change will be equivalent to losing at least 5% of global GDP each year, now and forever. If a wider range of risks and impacts is taken into account, the estimates of damage could rise to 20% of GDP or more.

In contrast, the costs of action – reducing greenhouse gas emissions to avoid the worst impacts of climate change – can be limited to around 1% of global GDP each year.

The investment that takes place in the next 10-20 years will have a profound effect on the climate in the second half of this century and in the next. Our actions now and over the coming decades could create risks of major disruption to economic and social activity, on a scale similar to those associated with the great wars and the economic depression of the first half of the 20th century. And it will be difficult or impossible to reverse these changes.

So prompt and strong action is clearly warranted. Because climate change is a global problem, the response to it must be international. It must be based on a shared vision of long-term goals and agreement on frameworks that will accelerate action over the next decade, and it must build on mutually reinforcing approaches at national, regional and international level.

Sir Nicholas Stern isn't some greenie-dogooder. He's a hard-headed economist, Head of the UK's Government Economic Service and former World Bank Chief Economist. His review was commissioned by the UK government. On the launch of the report in October 2006, Stern said:

The conclusion of the Review is essentially optimistic. There is still time to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, if we act now and act internationally. Governments, businesses and individuals all need to work together to respond to the challenge. Strong, deliberate policy choices by governments are essential to motivate change.

But the task is urgent. Delaying action, even by a decade or two, will take us into dangerous territory. We must not let this window of opportunity close.

FYI, I do donate my own time and money to the cause, and I do make a lot of personal sacrifices like not using air conditioning in my home at all, keeping my furnace set at 15C all winter, and not logging my woodlot (which would bring in money that I could really use). And I'm a vegetarian. When I can afford to I'd like to convert my home to completely renewable energy sources. While it's important for individuals to contribute, coordination and leadership from government is essential, and can help individuals with their own efforts.

Canadians, including many businesses and industries, are ready - it's only our government and apparently a big chunk of our media that aren't.

Rex Murphy's "Bali logic"

Kevin was kind enough to send a link to Rex Murphy's piece "Bali logic" in response to my previous post on Dion attending the Bali summit to do the job Harper should be doing.

To call Rex Murphy's opinion on climate change "logic" is a bit of a stretch.

Murphy says:

And where is the plain sense in proclaiming a global problem and designing a solution that exempts two of the largest contributors to that problem from the scheme to correct it?

What doesn't make sense is to let the planet be destroyed rather than doing everything we can to slow down and eventually stop the destructive process.

What doesn't make sense is to demand that the world's poorest countries - where many of the people don't have electricity or sufficient food or clean water - move first to solve a problem that the developed countries created.

Canada is one of the most wasteful countries in the world. We're blessed with an abundance of resources that we waste with no thought for the future or even for what's happening right now.

Canada is also blessed with a well-educated and technologically-advanced population - that means we have the resources to contribute toward solving the problem.

We can develop methodologies and technologies to mitigate and slow down climate change, then we can share them with the developing world to help them slow down their emissions. We can sell our technologies to other developed countries and make "megatonnes of money" as Dion says. If we don't, we'll not only be left with a severely degraded environment, we'll harm our economy because other developed countries will take advantage of the huge opportunities available in developing and selling green technologies.

What people like Murphy don't seem to be able to get through their heads is that this isn't just some cute little political football we're talking about. This is our entire world. This is everything. Destroy it and we have no place left to live.

It's not only unethical and immoral to do nothing, it's astoundingly stupid.

Dion doing Harper's job - again

So tell me again why we're paying this Harper guy, giving him free houses to live in, official car, official chef, office, staff, security guards etc. etc. etc.?

Once again Stéphane Dion has to do Harper's job (and Baird's) because the prime minister and environment minister just aren't up to it. They're not getting things done. Well, not the things that Canadians want done, like protecting our planet and our citizens.

Dion attending Bali summit for Earth, not political gain
Mike De Souza, CanWest News Service
Published: Friday, November 30, 2007

OTTAWA -- Liberal Leader Stephane Dion says his upcoming trip to a United Nations climate change summit in Indonesia has nothing to do with revitalizing his image or embarrassing the Harper government on the international stage.

Following a rocky first year, filled with ups and downs as leader of the official Opposition, Mr. Dion told CanWest News Service in an interview that he is more concerned with the risk of irreversible damage to the Earth's climate, and hopes to capitalize on his international contacts to give the planet a boost at the environmental negotiating table.

"My role is not to be a substitute for the government of Canada. My role is to try to push everyone to get a better result,"said Mr. Dion in his office on Parliament Hill. "I'm not alone. There's also (former U.S. vice-president Al) Gore and many other people who will be doing the same thing."

A spokesperson for Prime Minister Stephen Harper immediately reacted to the news that Mr. Dion would attend the Bali conference by e-mailing reporters to remind them that the Liberal leader had said in June that he would never speak out against the government when discussing matters with representatives of other countries.

But Mr. Dion, who chaired the 2005 UN climate change summit in Montreal, said his office has already been flooded by e-mails and phone calls from international politicians, business leaders and environmental organizations, who hope to meet with him at the conference in search of solutions to stop humans from causing global warming.

"I'm not going to claim that 180 countries want to see me. But, yes, there is movement," said Mr. Dion. "As the former chairperson of the conference, with a big network and a degree of expertise, I will see what I can do to create some good momentum."

At the Montreal summit, environmentalists have credited Mr. Dion with brokering an agreement that would prevent a gap between the end of the Kyoto Protocol's first commitment period in 2012 and the next set of binding targets.

Environment Minister John Baird has not yet introduced regulations to crack down on pollution from large industries in Canada, but has insisted that his government would correct the mistakes made by the previous Liberal regime, which allowed greenhouse gas emissions to soar by more than 30% above the country's Kyoto target.

"It's very easy for the people who had the responsibility for 13 years to say how easy it would have been to act -- when they didn't act themselves," Mr. Baird said following a breakfast speech to the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce. "But we've got a good plan and I'm confident."

Mr. Baird has said the key to a successful international agreement is getting large polluting countries such as the U.S., India and China to sign on to binding targets. His office confirms that he has met with leaders and officials from all three countries, at international conferences and in Canada.

Mr. Dion said that he visited China twice in 2005 to convince them to come to the table and is not surprised that developing countries have always rejected binding targets.

"I know that's their position. I negotiated with them and I know this very well," Mr. Dion said. "I'm not telling you that everything would be solved if I was there."

Even so, he said, "I was at the conference in Montreal and we succeeded getting these countries to enter into a dialogue for the first time."

Mr. Dion accused the Conservative government of stalling the process by giving up on Canada's Kyoto Protocol commitments and holding out on a new deal instead of leading other countries by being the first to sign on.

He said Canada had more credibility when it was still trying to meet its targets and demonstrate to developing countries, where millions of people do not have electricity, that it is possible to reduce greenhouse gas emissions without devastating the economy.

The Harper government has refused to invite opposition parties as part of its official delegation because, it says, it wants to avoid partisan bickering. All three parties have said they will send delegates at their own expense.

Once again, Harper & company are getting nasty things done with Canadian taxpayers' money.

Not answering the question, in both official languages

As we all know, a lot of people question Stéphane Dion's English-language skills. His French-language skills however are generally agreed to be impeccable.

But today we learned that apparently Justice Minister Rob Nicholson doesn't understand either of Canada's official languages.

Minister Nicholson demonstrates the fact in today's Question Period:

Conference - Celebrating Pearson's Nobel Prize

After the ignominy of Harper's performance at the Commonwealth summit, it's nice to look back to the days when Canadians could hold their heads high in international circles.

This announcement of the Pearson conference to be held at U of T in December reminds me of a couple of families I know who immigrated to Canada from Scotland and Northern Ireland specifically because they were impressed by Pearson's role in resolving the Suez crisis.

Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion to Honour Prime Minister Pearson’s Achievements in Foreign Policy

November 26, 2007

OTTAWA – Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion announced today that he will be hosting a full day conference on December 11, 2007 in Toronto to mark the 50th anniversary of former Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson’s Nobel Prize winning achievements in foreign policy.

Entitled “Celebrating Pearson’s Nobel Prize,” the conference will bring together foreign policy experts, academics and politicians, including former Prime Ministers Paul Martin, Jean Chrétien, and John Turner, to discuss Mr. Pearson’s legacy and to examine how and in what areas Canada can lead internationally today.

“I am extremely pleased to be honouring Prime Minister Pearson in this way,” said Mr. Dion. “Sharing ideas on international affairs is a fitting tribute to such a great Canadian. Mr. Pearson’s legacy defined us in the eyes of the world for decades, and in light of the recent lack of Canadian leadership on the international stage, I feel it is more important than ever to reaffirm our proud tradition of peacekeeping and discuss Canada’s role in the world.”

The “Celebrating Pearson’s Nobel Prize” conference will be held at the University of Toronto’s Elizabeth Bader Theatre (Victoria University) and will feature panel discussions, speeches and a film montage of Lester B. Pearson’s career.

As Prime Minister, Minister of External Affairs, High Commissioner for Canada in London, Undersecretary of State at External Affairs at Ottawa, and Ambassador, Lester B. Pearson’s exemplary career of public service assures his place among the most influential Canadians in history. Though we also owe our flag, old age pensions and public healthcare to Mr. Pearson, he will forever be remembered for his contribution to Canadian foreign policy. Following a philosophy of internationalism, he worked tirelessly to secure national support for an active and constructive Canadian participation in world affairs. His role in moderating the Suez Crisis, for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957, is but one of his remarkable contributions to peace throughout the world.

“Fifty years ago, the Nobel Foundation thought it fitting to bestow the Nobel Peace Prize on a great Canadian,” concluded Mr. Dion. “On December 11, we will be inspired by these accomplishments as international experts join us to discuss the role Canada can and must play on the international stage in the interest of peace and stability. I look forward to lively and passionate discussions.”

Death penalty - "their silence speaks volumes"

Canada's leader of the official opposition, Stéphane Dion, is doing what the prime minister should be doing - standing up for a Canadian on death row in a Montana prison.

Prime Minister Harper and his justice minister, Rob Nicholson, are failing in their responsibilities to Canadian citizens by failing to request clemency for Canadian citizens sentenced to death abroad.

Dion has written to the governor of Montana to ask him to commute the death sentence of Ronald Allen Smith. Dion emphasized in his letter that he respects the right of the state of Montana "to convict and punish Mr. Smith for his crimes." He is simply asking Governor Schweitzer to commute Ronald Allen Smith's death sentence.

Dion said, "I have taken this step because the Conservative government is not representing the views of the majority of Canadians nor is it respecting long-standing Canadian law and policy on the issue, and I believe it is my responsibility to make those views known and to uphold the law."

In his letter, Dion said:

Today, Mr. Smith is the only Canadian facing the death penalty in the United States. Canada abolished the death penalty more than 30 years ago and the majority of Canadians continue to believe that we must oppose its use, both domestically and in cases where Canadian citizens face this punishment abroad. I share this belief and as Leader of the Official Opposition in our Parliament, it is my duty to convey to you the conviction of millions of Canadians who want to see Mr. Smith’s sentence commuted.

Dion showed respect for the governor and the state of Montana, saying:

I know that as the chief executive power in the state of Montana, you have been entrusted with upholding the laws of your state and providing safety and security to your citizens. I do not believe these would be undermined if Mr. Smith’s sentence was changed to life in prison. I know too that you are also entrusted with the reputation and the dignity of your state and its people. I believe both would be enhanced by commuting the death sentence in this case.

In a media scrum, Dion said of the death penalty, "If you think it's morally wrong, you oppose it in every circumstance."

Dion explained his opposition to the death penalty in a media release :

I believe that the use of the death penalty undermines the human dignity of not only the individual who is killed, but of all involved in the process. I believe that the evidence supports the position that the death penalty has little to no value as a deterrent of crime. I can think of no acceptable justification for the taking of a life by the state. While there is obviously a strong argument for opposing the death penalty due to the risk of a state killing an innocent individual, I believe that it represents an injustice even when it falls on someone who is unquestionably guilty of crime.

Even Prime Minister Harper's good friend Jack Layton has jumped on the bandwagon, and followed Dion's lead by writing to the Montana governor requesting clemency for Smith.

The disrespect that the Conservative caucus shows for human rights was evident in the behaviour of Conservative MPs in the House of Commons during debate on the issue.

"Personality, charm, and humour" - Dion interview & debate on The Agenda

For anyone who missed it (or wants to watch it again), here's video of Stéphane Dion's appearance on TVO's The Agenda with Steve Paikin, November 9, 2007.

Steve Paikin had this to say about Dion on his blog -

[At the parliamentary press gallery dinner] Dion exhibited much of the personality, charm, and humour that he showed 15 months ago, when he was one of our first ever guests on The Agenda.

On that occasion, he showed up to our station --- a very dark horse candidate for the Liberal leadership --- with no entourage at all. Just him, and of course his omnipresent backpack.

But since then, a lot has changed.

Dion won his party’s leadership in a thrilling December 2, 2006 convention in Montreal. But since then, commentators have suggested he’s been eaten for lunch by the Conservative government, which has portrayed him unflatteringly in television commercials as less than a real leader.

The macho, 10-second-clip world of official Ottawa is not Dion’s natural milieu.

He is a more academic, thoughtful, dare I say softer politician, who tends to excel in surroundings such as those our program provides.

And so, tonight, we’ll have him on for the full hour, both in a 1x1 interview, and joining other guests to talk about his first year as Liberal leader, and the woes his party is having in his home province.

When made his debut on our program in September 2006, many people told me they’d never considered him for leader, but did after seeing him on The Agenda. He made a favorable impression.

Maybe that’s why Dion has agreed to come back tonight. He’s one of the very few political leaders in this province or country that’s agreed to participate in both the interview and debate segments of the program.

It’s too bad more politicians don’t have the guts to do it. But that’s another subject for another day.

Above - Stéphane Dion interview, The Agenda, 07 11 09
Stéphane Dion interviewed on TVO's The Agenda, November 9, 2007 (3 parts).
Part 3 includes Dion's "three peelers" stand-up comedy clip from parliamentary press gallery dinner (October 27, 2007).

After the interview Dion and Paikin were joined by Marie Bountrogianni (former Ontario intergovernmental affairs minister), Manon Cornellier (columnist for Le Devoir), Christian Dufour (L'École nationale d'administration publique) and Antonia Maioni (McGill) for a debate on Quebec. Topics included Saku Koivu and the Montréal Canadiens, the Bouchard-Taylor commission on «accommodement raisonnable», the Quebec «nation» resolution, Pauline Marois' language bill and Remembrance Day poppies.



Above - Stéphane Dion, The Agenda - Québec Debate
"Québec: State of the "Nation" (November 9, 2007). Stéphane Dion discusses Saku Koivu and the Montréal Canadiens, the Bouchard-Taylor commission on «accommodement raisonnable», the Quebec «nation» resolution, Pauline Marois' language bill, and Remembrance Day poppies with Antonia Maioni, Manon Cornellier, Christian Dufour, Marie Bountrogianni and Steve Paikin. (4 parts).

Click here to read producer Alan Echenberg's blog post.

PS - Podcasts are also available on the the TVO website - check the right sidebars of the interview page and the debate page.

Unfortunately there's no video of Dion's first two appearances on The Agenda. But here's the web page with podcast/audio link for the December 7, 2006 show.

Stéphane Dion kills at the parliamentary press gallery dinner

Well not literally. Liberals are the good guys after all.

By popular demand, here are some text and video excerpts of Dion's speech at the parliamentary press gallery dinner, October 27, 2007. Sorry for the delay, that day job really interferes with my life ;-)

You'll need to read to the end for the vids . . .

From TVO (The Agenda with Steve Paikin):

The Federal Liberal Leader
Posted on: 09 November 2007 by Steve Paikin

A couple of weekends ago, Stephane Dion was the lone federal leader who braved giving a speech at annual the Parliamentary Press Gallery dinner.

As they say in comedy circles, he killed.

While Stephen Harper and Gilles Duceppe declined to attend the event, NDP leader Jack Layton did, but announced ahead of time he wouldn't be giving a speech (despite the fact that Layton did a nice job the year before, bringing the house down with his guitar playing and humorous lyrics).

"Who's abstaining now?" Dion glowered at Layton at the press gallery dinner, to hoots and howls from the audience.

Dion even had some fun at his own expense.

"I'm mad as hell," he kibitzed. "They say I'm the worst Liberal leader in a century. What? Only a century?

"English Canadians say they can't understand me. French Canadians just can't stand me," he added, to applause.

Dion exhibited much of the personality, charm, and humour that he showed 15 months ago, when he was one of our first ever guests on The Agenda.

From CTV:

Liberal Leader Stephane Dion was scheduled to be the only political speaker this year. Jack Layton of the NDP originally declined to speak and Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe hasn't attended for years.

Dion, who has never been confused with a stand-up comic, won laughs for a series of self-inflicted jabs aimed at his struggles with the English language, his caucus and his preference for slinging a back-pack over his suit jacket.

"A back-pack can be very useful,'' he deadpanned. "It can help protect your back.''

He shot back at reporters who have called him the worst Liberal leader in a century.

"Why only in a century? I can't win anything with you guys.''

Dion's taunt aimed at Layton ("who's abstaining now?'') may have prompted the NDP leader to abandon his original intention to stay away from the podium. Layton did address reporters, but in the guise of an auctioneer to raise money for a Carleton University scholarship fund in the name of the late Dennis Bueckert, the long-serving environmental reporter for The Canadian Press.

From the Halifax Daily News - Simon Doyle

Peerless leader

There was a lot riding on Liberal Leader Stephane Dion's speech. Stephen Harper cancelled, Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe doesn't attend it and NDP Leader Jack Layton decided not to make a speech this year (although he attended). That left Dion as the only party leader to try to impress what can be an ornery gathering of journalists.

He fared well for his first crack at the dinner. As part of his presentation, he brought his trademark leather backpack onto the stage, drawing items from it such as a number of self-help books on leadership. At one point, he drew out a business card of John Manley, the former Liberal cabinet minister who recently joined the prime minister's expert panel on Afghanistan, and dismissively tossed it over his shoulder.

He finished by emptying his bag of items he said were confiscated at a recent Liberal caucus meeting. He turned it over and a pile of knives fell out.

Stéphane Dion at the parliamentary press gallery dinner (02:08)
Above - Stéphane Dion - the only politician with the guts to stand up and make a speech - knocks 'em dead at the parliamentary press gallery dinner, October 27, 2007. This clip from Dion's stand-up comedy routine includes duct tape, Marc Garneau, the Canadarm and John Manley's business card.




Stéphane Dion interview, The Agenda, 07 11 09 (3/3) 07:24
Above - Stéphane Dion interviewed on TVO's The Agenda with Steve Paikin, November 9, 2007 (pt 3 of 3 - EN). Includes Dion's "three peelers" stand-up comedy clip from parliamentary press gallery dinner (October 27, 2007).

Liberals uniting progressive-minded Canadians

The Liberal party has attracted a core group of former Progressive Conservatives, proving that the Liberal party under Stéphane Dion unites progressive-minded Canadians from both the left and the right...

Key members of Progressive Canadians to join federal Liberals

GLORIA GALLOWAY. Globe and Mail, Saturday, November 17, 2007 at 1:04 AM EST

OTTAWA — The entire executive and many senior members of the small political party formed by Progressive Conservatives who rejected the merger with the Canadian Alliance have decided to join the Liberals.

The Progressive Canadian Party, which expropriated the PC logo and adhered to the ideals of the old Tory party, will likely continue, said Tracy Parsons, who quit as party leader two weeks ago.

But Ms. Parsons will be taking out a Liberal membership, as will party president Jim Love, the four other members of the executive, several members of the national council, all of the CPC's Quebec organizers and many riding presidents.

The executive made the decision to quit en masse. It was a surprise when the others followed.

There was a realization, said Ms. Parsons, that Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion was offering policy options that closely mirrored their own.

“As a political party you are always trying to find your differentiators [with other parties] and I found that when Stéphane Dion became the leader of the Liberal Party that that differentiator was harder and harder to locate,” explained Ms. Parsons, who lives in Truro, N.S., and had been party leader since 2005.

“He had a lot of the same visions for the country that we had. And, of course, the Liberal Party has sort of moved into that Progressive Conservative space anyway.”

There were also some key points of departure with other Progressive Canadian Party members, she said.

“So when you start having some fundamental disagreements on direction inside the party, you have to start asking yourself where your energies are best spent. And if I am going to put out that much energy I would like to do good for this country,” Ms. Parsons said.

The Progressive Canadians are not large in number. They fielded just 25 candidates in the last federal election and took 0.1 per cent of the popular vote.

But the move will be seen as a shot in the arm for Mr. Dion, who has been derided by the Conservatives as a weak leader and who, according to a recent survey, is not as widely recognized by Canadians as Mario from Nintendo's video-game series.

Ms. Parsons said neither she nor any of the other defectors have ever been Liberal.

Her own association with the old Progressive Conservatives goes back two decades. “I was active in riding associations, president's council and I worked as a field organizer when [Jean] Charest was the leader,” she said.

“Ten years ago I would have said of course I was crossing to the enemy. But, if you look at being a Progressive Conservative towards the end of that party, those lines were becoming incredibly blurred under [former prime ministers] Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin.”

Not surprisingly, Ms. Parsons said she found the federal Liberals “very welcoming. I am sure they were surprised.”

Senator Marie Poulin, the president of the federal Liberal Party, said the Liberals take the new arrivals as evidence of their leader's broad appeal to Canadians of many political backgrounds.
(Source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071117.tories17/BNStory/National/home)

Tracy Parsons and her colleagues will join prominent former Progressive Conservatives such as Scott Brison, Garth Turner and Belinda Stronach in the Liberal fold.

Harper government indifferent to homelessness and poverty

Stéphane Dion reiterated his commitment to reducing poverty and homelessness in Victoria yesterday.

At a roundtable on homelessness, Dion learned that about 1,200 people in Victoria are "homeless or at risk." Dion said that the federal government should be involved in Victoria Mayor Alan Lowe's plan to find 1,550 housing units for the homeless in the next five years.

A Liberal government led by Stéphane Dion would work with other levels of government to find solutions to poverty and related social problems.

Dion confirmed that "The Liberals also plan to honour promises in the Kelowna Accord -- an agreement between the Liberal government of Paul Martin and aboriginal leaders two years ago -- to help aboriginal people living in poverty."

The Times-Colonist reported that "Dion also yesterday restated his party's support for supervised-injection sites as part of the fight against poverty and addiction. Dion said research shows the sites save lives and prevent the spread of disease."

Read the full story:

Dion endorses city strategy to fight homelessness
Lindsay Kines, Times Colonist (Victoria, BC)
Published: Friday, November 16, 2007

Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion yesterday endorsed Victoria's strategy to fight homelessness and vowed that a government under his leadership would be a partner in the battle.

Dion, who held a morning round-table discussion on homelessness with civic leaders at the Victoria Foundation, admitted surprise that an estimated 1,200 people are homeless or at risk in Victoria.

"Incredible," he said.

But Dion said he was impressed to see the community united behind Mayor Alan Lowe's task force, which intends to find 1,550 housing units for the homeless over the next five years.

"When you have a plan, like the mayor has a plan ... the federal government must be part of the plan," he told the Times Colonist editorial board.

Dion criticized the current Conservative government for "doing nothing" about homelessness and poverty for the past two years. "The current government is indifferent," he said.

By contrast, he said, his party released a plan last week that would reduce the number of Canadians living below the poverty line by at least 30 per cent during the first five years of a federal Liberal government. The number of children in poverty would be cut in half, he said.

Under the plan, the Liberals would expand the child tax benefit, increase the guaranteed-income supplement for seniors, and change the tax rules so people aren't penalized when they move off welfare into the workforce.

The Liberals also plan to honour promises in the Kelowna Accord -- an agreement between the Liberal government of Paul Martin and aboriginal leaders two years ago -- to help aboriginal people living in poverty.

"Keep our feet to the fire, because we have made a commitment," Dion said. "It's not a commitment of decades; it's a commitment of five years. A mandate. If Canadians are giving us the mandate, they will be able to be part of this unprecedented effort to decrease poverty by a third."

Dion said the Liberals will reveal the cost of the plan during the next election campaign. "It's affordable," he said. "We don't need to raises taxes for that. It's a matter of political will. And when I see how much the communities are ready to act -- as the one that we see today in Victoria -- I'm very confident that we will succeed."

Dion also yesterday restated his party's support for supervised-injection sites as part of the fight against poverty and addiction. Dion said research shows the sites save lives and prevent the spread of disease.

Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca Liberal MP Keith Martin told reporters Victoria's integrated plan to deal with mental health, housing, detox and medical issues could be a model for other cities.

"We're utterly confident that here in Victoria, we will be able to build a plan that deals with downtown core urban issues that are affecting cities across our country," he said.
(Source: http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=7a742e55-6ee3-4e1d-b137-eeab897a7c54&k=77917)

The hunter is now the hunted

So it turns out that avoiding an election wasn't such a bad idea after all.

PARTY STRATEGY - Events revitalize Dion's troops
Liberals aiming to avoid vote, give probe some time to unfold
Toronto Star. Nov 15, 2007 04:30 AM. Les Whittington, Ottawa Bureau

OTTAWA - The Liberals are more determined than ever to avoid an early election as Stéphane Dion's suddenly revitalized troops savour the prospect of potentially explosive public hearings focused on their Conservative foes.

In yesterday's closed-door Liberal caucus gathering, Dion warned his MPs they must be extremely cautious to avoid any Conservative parliamentary manoeuvres that would trap them into voting down the government and forcing an early election, insiders said.

Liberals now want to put off an election as long as possible in light of the public inquiry on the business relations between Brian Mulroney and Karlheinz Schreiber. They want to give the inquiry time to put the former prime minister and other Conservatives on the stand to answer questions about the tangled financial matters from the Mulroney years.

"The hunter is now the hunted," said Liberal MP Dan McTeague (Pickering-Scarborough East), summing up the change of mood among Liberals.

Party sources said that, prior to the last few days, some Liberals were growing restive about abstaining in parliamentary votes to keep from being dragged into an election by Prime Minister Stephen Harper. These MPs were becoming convinced it was time to throw caution to the wind and put the Harper government's leadership to the test at the polls by defeating the Tory minority.

But now that events have compelled the government to agree to hold a public inquiry into the Mulroney-Schreiber dealings, the attitude among Dion's caucus has been transformed almost overnight.

"The chemistry is completely different," Liberal MP Garth Turner (Halton) said after a caucus meeting in which Dion was reportedly able to tap into a rare atmosphere of collective enthusiasm.

"This really opens up a whole new chapter in this session of Parliament," Turner said in an interview. "For now, I don't think the opposition parties would dream of going to an election."

MP Robert Thibault (West Nova), who has become a Liberal spokesperson on this issue, said it's not clear how long the opposition can hold off an election "but I certainly would want these facts to move forward" at the inquiry.

Liberals have not forgotten that public inquiries like the Gomery commission into the sponsorship scandal have the potential to unearth information that can be extremely damaging to the political party under investigation. And they point out that since Harper and Mulroney have become confidants in recent years, the scope for discovery is unpredictable once witnesses begin to testify and secret documents and records are brought into the open.

Liberal Bryon Wilfert (Richmond Hill) said the political landscape could change drastically in the wake of the events of the past few days. "Brian Mulroney obviously wants to show that his reputation is intact and he, I think, outsmarted Harper by calling for the public inquiry" after the Prime Minister had said such a probe was unnecessary.
(Source: http://www.thestar.com/News/article/276677)

Les libéraux resserrent les rangs derrière Dion

Denis Dufresne - La Tribune
SHERBROOKE, le lundi 12 novembre 2007

...Les libéraux resserrent les rangs derrière leur chef Stéphane Dion et soutiennent qu'il sera en poste lors des prochaines élections fédérales.

Tel est du moins l'avis du député de la circonscription montréalaise d'Honoré-Mercier, Pablo Rodriguez, et du futur candidat de Compton-Stanstead, William Hogg.

"C'est toujours difficile au début et ça a été le cas de plusieurs chefs. Une élection permettrait à M. Dion de se battre à visage découvert et d'offrir une autre vision pour le pays", affirme M. Rodriguez, de passage à Sherbrooke.

William Hogg juge pour sa part que le chef du Parti libéral du Canada est l'homme tout désigné pour rallier le vote progressiste, de centre et de centre-gauche, "en ce moment réparti entre le Nouveau parti démocratique et le Bloc québécois".

Pablo Rodriguez ajoute que les positions du gouvernement conservateur sur le registre des armes à feu, le protocole de Kyoto et son appui à l'approche guerrière du président George W. Bush sapent la confiance des Canadiens.

Et si les Canadiens étaient tout simplement devenus plus conservateurs au plan idéologique?

"Non, ce n'est pas cela! M. Harper est d'ailleurs incapable de dépasser les 36 pour cent d'appuis. Il a le pouvoir, il fait des annonces, mais il ne va pas chercher davantage de support", affirme William Hogg, professeur d'études politiques à l'Université Bishop's.

"Je crois que même à l'intérieur du Parti conservateur il y a de la grogne. M. Harper ne parvient pas à aller chercher la majorité et il y a des gens qui parlent de reconstruire le Reform Party; "les purs et durs" ne sont pas contents!" dit-il.

Pablo Rodriguez fait remarquer que le récent discours du Trône a déplu aux Canadiens, notamment au Québec, en raison de l'absence de mesures pour les aînés et les régions.

"La réduction de la TPS, c'est six milliards $ de revenus en moins pour aider les PME et les aînés", illustre-t-il.

Tout en reprochant au chef conservateur de multiplier les votes de confiance, MM. Hogg et Rodriguez reconnaissent que le PLC ne serait pas prêt à des élections.

"Aucun parti n'est prêt pour des élections. Nous n'avons pas à aller en élections parce que M. Harper le veut, ni à imposer un nouveau scrutin de 350 millions $ aux Canadiens", lance le député d'Honoré-Mercier.

Néanmoins, dit-il, le PLC a déjà les deux tiers de ses candidats au pays et son programme est presque terminé.

Lorsqu'on lui signale que les sondages ne favorisent guère les libéraux, particulièrement au Québec où ils n'obtiennent que 20 pour cent d'appuis, William Hogg soutient que le parti peut remonter la pente.

"Il faut être honnête, le PLC a traversé des moments difficiles, particulièrement au Québec, et il y a eu de la contestation à l'interne. Mais au niveau national, il talonne les conservateurs, entre autres à Toronto et dans les Maritimes", fait-il valoir.
http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20071112/CPTRIBUNE/711120832/5206/CPACTUALITES

Why Stéphane Dion should be Canada's next prime minister

Governing is complicated, we need a leader with a good mind

Stéphane Dion is often criticized for not being the master of the 10-second sound bite. In a modern, educated country such as Canada we need to get beyond being slaves to 10-second sound bites.

Running a country and playing an important role in international affairs is too complex to be expressed in 10 seconds - or even 30 seconds.

Isn't choosing a government worth more time and effort than choosing a brand of cereal at the grocery store? If it isn't, we need to give our priorities a shake.

Canada is immensely fortunate that someone like Stéphane Dion has put himself forward, even after years of unmitigated and undeserved abuse. With his rigorous intelligence he examines issues from every side and doesn't fall into the trap of accepting high-sounding rhetoric over reason.

Consulting with partners, stakeholders and experts, and using his intelligence and his decades of experience first studying then participating in Canadian political life, Dion makes calm and reasoned decisions on policies that would be best for all Canadians. No hidden agenda, just how best to balance policies for the benefit of all Canadians. Quebecers, Albertans, the ROC, businesspeople, working people, minorities, majorities, Aboriginal people - all of us.

What's so terrible about that?

To people who complain about Dion's English, I can tell you that he speaks English as well as, and often better than, many native English-speakers. I hear professional broadcasters stumbling and making mistakes all the time. Working in postsecondary education, I've edited the writing of people with advanced degrees for decades, and most of them have much worse grammar and syntax than Dion.

To people who don't like his accent, I say find some tolerance. If you're lucky enough to be a native English-speaker in a predominantly English-speaking country, that's purely a matter of chance. Imagine if you belonged to a linguistic minority - you'd be at the mercy of other people's tolerance through no fault of your own. And by the way, how's your French?

We need a leader who understands why Canada is a great country

When Dion talks about what he values in Canada, he goes straight to the heart of the matter and expresses it in terms that are very moving and yet very concrete:

The most important reason we have to make sure this country survives is that it has realized universal human ideals the rest of mankind can only dream of.

Canada is the best example of what the world must become in terms of tolerance, openness, and harmony between different communities.

Canada is perhaps the country where human beings, no matter where they come from, have the best chance of being treated as human beings. That, more than anything, is why I love this country, and why I don't want to see it torn apart. (Straight Talk: on Canadian unity, p. 9. Speech to the Canadian Federation of Municipalities, Calgary, June 2, 1996.)

"Where human beings ... have the best chance of being treated as human beings" - that's what I love most about Canada and I think the vast majority of Canadians agree. That's what's at the foundation of our deep attachment to things like the principle of universal health care. Canada's lofty mountains and majestic landscape are metaphors for these ideals.

We need a leader who can fit together the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle

Stéphane Dion's three-pillar approach brings together environmental sustainability, economic prosperity and social justice in a "virtuous circle."

My goals are based on the three pillars of a prosperous economy, social justice, and a sustainable environment. These three pillars are not silos. They do not exist in isolation from each other. Rather, Canada must combine them, more effectively and more profitably than anywhere in the world.
(Speech to the Economic Club of Toronto and the Toronto Board of Trade, January 16, 2007. Economy and Environment: Smart Money Is Going Green.
Source: http://www.liberal.ca/story_12390_e.aspx)

We need a leader who will look out for the most vulnerable among us

In his speech "Towards a Fairer Canada Without Poverty" (Toronto, November 9, 2007), Dion says "Poverty today is a reality that mocks and undermines the prosperity known by most of our people in Canada." Dion pledges to help the working poor "climb over the welfare wall," and bring in specific measures to help children, seniors and Aboriginal people:

Over 5 years a new Liberal government will

1. reduce the number of Canadians living below the poverty line by at least 30 per cent; and

2. reduce the number of children living in poverty by at least 50 per cent....

Our plan will address the issues of homelessness, affordable housing and universal child care....

We must be fairer to our seniors, who have invested so much of themselves in building our country. We will start by increasing the Guaranteed Income Supplement payments for the lowest income seniors and we will ensure that the loss of a partner does not drive the surviving spouse below the low income threshold....

For Aboriginal families we will honour the promises made in the Kelowna Accord and its plan for a better future.
(Source: http://www.liberal.ca/story_13294_e.aspx)

According to the National Post,

... leaders of community groups that strive to give the poor a hand up, were delighted a party leader has decided to put the issue front and centre on the national agenda.

Rupert Downing, executive director of the Canadian Community Economic Development Network, said his group asked all the political parties to come up with a strategy and Dion was the first to respond.

"I think this is groundbreaking for Canada, but we have seen it in other countries," Downing said.
(Source: National Post, Friday, November 9, 2007.)

We need sound fiscal management

A prime minister should be looking for ways to reform the tax system to reduce the overall tax burden while not endangering social programs, infrastructure renewal etc. Make the tax system more progressive - reducing the burden on the most disadvantaged - while encouraging savings and investment to encourage job creation and innovation. Rather than a cheap trick like a GST cut which everyone from labour to big business agrees is a very bad idea.

"We can no longer use our atmosphere as a free garbage dump"

We need a leader who can deliver solutions to our serious environmental problems.

Dion's Carbon Budget has been praised by leading Canadian environmentalists. Not surprisingly, since environmentalists were consulted in developing the plan. (The Conservatives say that consulting the people with deep environmental expertise is a bad thing. This tells you a lot about the Conservatives.)

Dion's plan, released on March 16, 2007, is based on the principle that the polluter pays. Each large emitter is assigned a carbon budget, "limiting the total carbon emissions those industries can produce each year."

First, we will establish an absolute emissions cap, or total carbon budget, for the three largest polluting sectors: oil and gas production, utilities, and energy-intensive industries. This cap would be set at our Kyoto target of six percent below 1990 emission levels, and it would come into effect January 1, 2008.

Second, we will use that absolute cap to allocate an annual carbon budget to every large industrial emitter in each of these three sectors.

Third, we will put a price on carbon. Companies that exceed their carbon budget will be required to deposit $20 for each excess tonne of carbon into a Green Investment Account, or GIA, for each and every year that they exceed their budget. That price will grow to $30 per tonne by 2011, in line with prices on the international market....

We can no longer use our atmosphere as a free garbage dump. This plan asks industry to take responsibility for its fair share of our carbon emissions, and encourages businesses to invest in tangibly reducing their own emissions.
"Balancing Our Carbon Budget," Ottawa, March 16, 2007
(Source: http://www.liberal.ca/story_12588_e.aspx)

We need a leader who respects and works with others

According to Dion's biographer, Linda Diebel, speaking on TVO's The Agenda (November 9, 2007), official Ottawa admires the macho bullying tactics of Stephen Harper.

As a schoolyard bully, Harper may get top marks. But we all know that bullies are actually cowards and certainly aren't the people you call on when you want to get things done.

Harper has to run everything himself. He doesn't even trust his own cabinet ministers to talk to the news media. The times he's held press conferences himself since becoming prime minister can be counted on two fingers.

Running a country requires a prime minister who works with and trusts his own elected colleagues - ministers and MPs. A prime minister who is open and transparent - speaks to the media because he understands that the media in a sense represent the public - even on a bad news day. A prime minister also needs to work cooperatively with provincial premiers and stakeholders across the country.

Dion showed his capacity to work collegially the moment he won the leadership. He thanked and praised all the other candidates in the leadership race and gave top jobs to the top contenders and their supporters.

Canada's best opportunity for success

To sum up, Canadians have the opportunity to elect an intelligent, experienced, well-qualified leader to the top job in the country.

Stéphane Dion has developed sound policies for dealing with the pressing issues we face in relation to the environment, the economy and social programs. He has a record of working collegially with all levels of government and stakeholders across the country. He is working to make this a richer, fairer, greener country for all Canadians - wherever you are on the political, geographic or linguistic spectrum.

So if you're still stuck on Dion's accent - get over it or you'll be denying yourself and your children the best opportunity for success this country may ever have.

Accountability and transparency - not

Dion wants answers over Mulroney affair
Toronto Star, Nov 11, 2007 07:02 PM
Jim Brown, THE CANADIAN PRESS

OTTAWA - Liberal Leader Stephane Dion says he's finding it "very hard to believe" that Stephen Harper only found out last week about details of the controversial business dealings between Brian Mulroney and German-Canadian businessman Karlheinz Schreiber.

In an interview Sunday on CTV's Question Period, Dion noted that government officials are now acknowledging Schreiber wrote a letter addressed to the prime minister in March outlining his past contacts with Mulroney.

Aides to Harper insist, however, that the letter never got beyond the Privy Council Office, which failed to pass it on to the prime minister last spring.

"There is a cover-up somewhere," Dion maintained. "I cannot believe it is the Privy Council Office, the most important authority of the civil service...

"The prime minister has to explain: What did he know, when did he know it?"

Harper announced on Friday he would appoint an independent third party to review issues raised by the affair and recommend whether further steps, such as a full-fledged public inquiry, are needed.

The move came after Schreiber filed an affidavit in Ontario Superior Court adding new allegations to an old dispute over $300,000 in cash paid to Mulroney after he stepped down as prime minister.

Schreiber now claims the deal was struck in June 1993, while Mulroney was still prime minister. He also claims a Mulroney adviser asked him at one point to transfer money related to the purchase of Airbus jets by Air Canada to a Swiss lawyer who represented Mulroney.

None of the allegations have been proven in court, and some of them contradict testimony Schreiber has previously given. He is currently embroiled in a civil suit with Mulroney, as well as fighting extradition to Germany on fraud and tax evasion charges.

Schreiber claimed as well, in his latest affidavit, that Mulroney was supposed to deliver a letter from him to Harper and discuss their business arrangements in the summer of 2006.

Harper has confirmed he met Mulroney that summer, but says he didn't get any letter and there was no talk of Schreiber during the get-together.

New questions surfaced on the weekend, when the Globe and Mail reported Schreiber had also written directly to Harper in March of this year. It was that letter Dion seized upon, demanding to know whether Harper had been aware of the brewing storm but kept quiet about it for seven months.

Sandra Buckler, the communications director for Harper, denied that was the case.

"Mr. Schreiber's letter was processed by the Privy Council Office and was not forwarded to the Prime Minister's Office," she said in an email Sunday.

She offered no further explanation except to say that PCO routinely handles all incoming mail for the prime minister.

Dion, for his part, urged Harper to call a full public inquiry now rather than wait for the matter to be reviewed by a third party.

"We need to know exactly what happened," the Liberal leader told CTV. "We are speaking about something that in a democracy should not happen – the possibility of a former prime minister receiving cash money from obscure services given by a business person who was in trouble with the justice system."

Mulroney has never publicly explained the nature of the business dealings that earned him $300,000 from Schreiber. Spokesmen for the former prime minister have insisted it had nothing to do with Airbus and related to other commercial ventures including a pasta business Schreiber was trying to start with Mulroney's help.

The RCMP and the federal Justice Department named Mulroney in a letter to Swiss authorities in 1995, suggesting he may have been involved in kickbacks arising from the Airbus transactions with Air Canada.

Mulroney sued for libel when the letter became public and won an apology and a $2.1 million settlement from the Liberal government of Jean Chrétien.

In a brief written statement last week, the former prime minister promised to co-operate with the third-party review announced by Harper but offered no further comment.
(Source: http://www.thestar.com/News/article/275533)

All I want for Christmas . . . a Dion majority

Came across this column from Saturday's Halifax Chronicle-Herald and just had to share....

The real odds: Tories implode, Dion next PM
The Halifax Chronicle Herald - RALPH SURETTE, Sat. Nov 10 - 4:47 AM

APPEARANCES can be deceptive, especially in politics. If Stéphane Dion makes it until Christmas intact, the odds are that he’ll be our next prime minister in any election in the spring or beyond.

The opinion-making apparatus of pollsters, pundits and editorial writers has it the other way, of course: that Dion is badly wounded, taking new injuries daily from the wily Stephen Harper, and is bleeding to death.

The political opinion business, however, is notorious for its short-term thinking. Remember the impending "coronation" of Paul Martin a couple of years ago? He had, after all, hit a staggering 80 per cent in the polls. What could go wrong? Or Jean Chrétien when he became Liberal leader in the early 1990s. He couldn’t speak English, he couldn’t read the TelePrompTer, his mouth wasn’t right for TV. He was going nowhere.

The point here is not that Dion is going to catch on. Harper, after all, hadn’t caught on when he was elected. The point, rather, is that the Harper Tories, far from edging towards a majority, are themselves at increasing risk of imploding. Some sinister trends are coming home to roost.

Some are external to government. The economy is one. It has become axiomatic that good economic times no longer translate into support for the party in power. The Saskatchewan election this week proved it again. Bad economic times, however, will howl at the government’s door and by all appearances, there’s plenty of that coming any time now as currencies, stock markets, U.S. debt and other forces do a macabre dance.

Here’s a local example of the economic hazards. The Harper government got a bounce from fishermen in Western Nova Scotia with their move to end trust agreements in the fishery. Their hope is to get a few more votes and topple the narrowly elected Robert Thibault in West Nova. But the high dollar is promising a disastrous season for the lobster fishery. Add Christmas tree growers along the South Shore and maybe even the pulp plant in Liverpool, which are suddenly in trouble, and the Tories could end up losing a seat instead of gaining one.

Or the environment. The high-powered international agencies – the Paris-based International Energy Agency again this week – keep warning that things don’t add up. All it will take is for all this to crystallize in the right way, and the Harper government – which came to power less than two years ago denying climate change and has been desperately trying to stay off the subject since – could very quickly find itself in an extremely hot spot.

The real hazards, however, might be internal. The instances of high-handed, autocratic manipulations practised by the prime minister seem to be accelerating, and at the same time wearing thinner. After two years, things start to stick, and it seems to me that any of a bunch of things could suddenly blow, the way they tend to do in politics – the resurgent Mulroney affair, the sudden cuddling-up to the death penalty, and the dumping of three Tory candidates for their less-than-absolute obedience to the party line being only three current examples.

As for Dion and the opinion-makers, they thumped him again for suggesting that if elected, he might take another look at the recent one per cent GST cut by the Tories. This was declared to be bad politics – another example of Dion’s meltdown – but was admitted to be good policy, since no economist of any repute, of the left or the right, endorses cutting the GST at the expense of income taxes, infrastructure spending or a host of other things.

The problem here, then, is with the opinion makers, not with Dion: We have declared hereby that good politics and good policy cannot co-exist. Where is this taking us? Shouldn’t we be saying, "Good for Dion for frankly, if awkwardly, blurting out good policy"?

The Tories, meanwhile, picked up the story and dashed off a crude TV ad ridiculing Dion for his suggestion (he’d take away your precious one per cent GST cut), which, according to reports, they ran on American football broadcasts beamed into Canada! The implication here is that people who watch American football are stupid and that if you can manipulate enough stupid people, you can win.

Meanwhile, to round out the misunderstanding, NDP Leader Jack Layton has pronounced the Liberals’ refusal to bring down the Harper government as having the effect of a de facto Liberal-Tory coalition. But this is what the Nova Scotia NDP have been doing for years – not pulling the plug on Tory minorities – basically because the public wants the minority government kept from excess, but doesn’t want elections at every turn.

Obvious as it is here, at the national level the pollsters are baffled by this very thing. Satisfaction with the Harper government has been in the 60 per cent range, but only some 35 per cent declare their intention to vote for it. As in Nova Scotia, the public is expressing satisfaction with the minority situation, not the government itself. In the long term, this favours Dion at the federal level as it favours Darrell Dexter and the NDP in Nova Scotia.
(Source: http://thechronicleherald.ca/Opinion/977781.html rsurette@herald.ca Ralph Surette is a veteran freelance journalist living in Yarmouth County.)

Now I'm not normally one of those people who counts down the days to Christmas but this year might be different.