Stéphane Dion on The Hour With George Stroumboulopoulos

Stéphane Dion on The Hour With George Stroumboulopoulos -

intro, bio & interview:
http://www.cbc.ca/thehour/videos.html?id=861028632

cold open:
http://www.cbc.ca/thehour/videos.html?id=860999220

Stéphane Dion - A Strong, Cool Leader

What kind of leader is Stéphane Dion?

Glad you asked. Strong on the environment, on social justice, on human rights, on the economy and good quality jobs. And cool too! Who needs a rose and an opera cloak when you've got a leather backpack and a husky? Top it all off with a great brain and a great accent - what's not to love!?

To celebrate the start of a new year that will surely bring us the coolest prime minister ever, I've put together a series of 6 short ads on the theme "What kind of leader is Stéphane Dion?"

These videos showcase a few of the many issues Dion has taken a strong stand on to defend Canadians and Canadian interests. (Click the "menu" button to choose another vid from the series.)

1. Too cool
Stéphane Dion - a cool leader. Stéphane Dion discusses Facebook, Avril Lavigne and forking in an interview with This Hour Has 22 Minutes' teen correspondent Mark Jackson (Gavin Crawford). [00:46]

2. Workers & industry
Stéphane Dion shows strong leadership for workers & industry. Dion consults with manufacturers, unions, workers, environmentalists and the provinces on a plan to protect Canadian manufacturing and Canadian jobs. [01:51]

3. Environment
Stéphane Dion protects Canada's environment. Dion discusses how to "reconcile the people and the planet" and make Canada a world leader in technologies to protect the environment and reduce climate change. [01:07]

4. Aboriginal People
Stéphane Dion supports Aboriginal people. Speaking at a powwow in Saskatchewan, Dion calls on the Conservative government to honour the Kelowna Accord to provide First Nations, Inuit and Métis people with better housing, health care, education and clean water. Dion also calls on the government to sign the International Declaration of Indigenous People and for Canada to be a world leader on human rights issues. [01:11]

5. Children - Stéphane Dion's leadership to reduce poverty
Stéphane Dion stands up for Canadian children. Dion discusses his 30/50 plan for reducing poverty in Canada. He commits a new Liberal government to reduce the number of Canadians living in poverty by at least 30% and to reduce the number of children living in poverty by at least 50% in 5 years. [01:09]

6. Human rights
Stéphane Dion shows leadership on human rights, writing to the governor of Montana to request clemency for a Canadian sentenced to die. Stéphane Dion speaks in the House of Commons to ask Harper to do the same, continuing the Canadian tradition of requesting that sentences be commuted for Canadians facing the death penalty in the USA and other countries. [00:47]

And let's not forget Dion's legendary sense of humour! In case you missed it, here are a couple of clips from his memorable performance at the parliamentary press gallery dinner this fall:

Lots more Dion videos available on my YouTube channel at http://ca.youtube.com/bruyerey.

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.

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)

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.

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.

Stéphane Dion - Strong priorities, strong leadership

So if Stéphane Dion is not a leader, why do the Conservatives need to spend millions on more attack ads? Why didn't the first ads do it? Looks to me like Dion is incredibly strong to be able to withstand five waves of attack ads. Looks to me like Harper and the Conservatives are really scared of him. And they should be. Strength, courage, honesty, integrity - pretty scary stuff if you're a lying bully.

Stéphane Dion - Tough enough to be prime minister

Conservatives best wake up
Lorrie Goldstein, Sunday, August 5, 2007 - Toronto Sun

Two books suggest why Stephane Dion could be a serious threat in the next election

The more I learn about Stephane Dion, the more I think it would be dumb of the Conservatives to underestimate him.

I know, according to the punditocracy, the federal Liberal leader is a dud-man-walking.

But they also told us Stephen Harper was a dud and Paul Martin was dynamite.

Oops.

Two books suggest why Dion could be a serious threat in the next election.

The easier read is Linda Diebel's Stephane Dion, Against the Current, published earlier this year.

The tougher but more eye-opening one is 1999's Straight Talk -- a collection of Dion's speeches and writings when he was Canada's unity minister, following the near-disaster of the 1995 Quebec referendum.

Reading these pieces, you quickly discover that Dion is, like Harper, scary smart.[1]

His speeches, letters and essays -- most given when he first entered Jean Chretien's cabinet on the advice of Chretien's wife, Aline -- literally demolish the separatists' arguments.

No wonder they hate him. He's smarter than they are.

Dion takes apart every myth they've ever propagated -- that Canada will have no choice but to accept a unilateral declaration of Quebec's independence following a referendum victory, that Quebec's borders are indivisible, that the international community will rush to recognize a self-proclaimed Quebec nation.

SEPARATISTS

Citing legal, constitutional and historical precedents, Dion almost mocks the separatists at times, challenging them to produce one argument that isn't naive, wrong or self-defeating.

Which brings us to Dion's role in the Clarity Act, fathered by Chretien, Dion, Harper and Preston Manning -- talk about strange bedfellows -- and in putting specific questions to the Supreme Court about Quebec's right to secede. Dion won a ruling from the top court that Canada cannot be compelled to negotiate separation unless Quebecers give a clear answer (well over 50%) to a clear referendum question, a much higher bar than the separatists have ever faced.

Of course it's not all brilliant. Dion proves even a smart political science professor can sometimes be brain-dead.[2]

In a 1998 speech at Queen's University, for example, Dion observes: "It's all very well for the federal government to negotiate wonderful international agreements on the environment, but they'll get absolutely nowhere without the provinces' co-operation."

Exactly! So perhaps Dion could explain when, exactly, his party is going to figure that out with regard to the Kyoto accord and Alberta?[3]

Similarly, in an 1997 letter to Bernard Landry, Dion chastises the Parti Quebecois for "your government's regrettable attitude of seeking to discredit your critics so as to avoid a debate of substance" on separation.

Right. And how would that be different from Dion's approach to debating global warming?[4]

The most revealing anecdote, however, is in Diebel's book -- an interview with
Stephane Dion's mother, Denyse, recalling the 1997 death of Stephane's father, Leon, a decade later.

Leon Dion, a respected political scientist in Quebec, died in a horrible drowning
accident at home.

Recalling the tragedy, Denyse Dion describes with contempt articles in the media and separatist talk hinting her husband's death was the result of his shame and disappointment over his son becoming the chief Liberal federalist spokesman in Quebec. "There were people who said he drowned himself because his son went into politics," Denyse angrily notes, calling them "idiots."

MOST HATED MAN

Think about that. At that time Stephane Dion -- who had followed his father's footsteps into academia -- was a political neophyte, whom the separatists were calling the most hated man in Quebec.

He was being depicted as a rat. Then his father, whom he clearly loved, dies in a terrible accident and his critics imply his father committed suicide because of him?

Never mind that Leon Dion wasn't a separatist and was proud of his son. What a cheap shot.

Even a strong person might understandably have said, "who needs this?" and retreated from politics.

Dion stayed. And fought.

To any Conservative (or Liberal) who thinks this guy isn't tough enough to be prime minister, maybe you'd better think again.

A couple of notes re: Goldstein:

1. Now, maybe it's just me, but I don't find "smart" to be scary in a leader. I find "stupid" a lot scarier. When I think of the country facing a serious disaster like a pandemic or climate change, I want smart people in charge. Smart people who actually care about the country (this country - Canada), that is, not smart people who only care about US oil companies.

2. Goldstein has admitted that Dion is smart and that he, Goldstein, finds smart to be scary. So why can't he figure out that Dion isn't "brain-dead" - he's just a whole lot smarter than Goldstein?

3. With 10 years experience working with the Alberta government as Intergovernmental Affairs Minister and another year-and-a-bit as Environment Minister, I'd say Dion probably knows more about the possibility of getting Alberta's co-operation on the Kyoto Protocol than Goldstein.



4. And - having watched a few hours of the 2005 Montreal UNFCCC conference - I've never seen any evidence that Dion is afraid of a substantive discussion on climate change or anything else.

Nice to see a conservative commentator finally catching on that Dion is anything but a wimp though.

Climate change - more than a slogan

Canadians have a very clear choice in front of them. We have a Liberal leader who is considered an international hero by environmentalists in the forefront of the fight against climate change. And we have a Conservative - I hesitate to use the word "leader" - who has opposed action on climate change for years and is still, in fact, doing that.

From Embassy, December 14, 2005

Dion Hailed Saviour of Kyoto Protocol
Canada's Environment Minister 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.


A second big win is the adoption of a rulebook that makes the Kyoto Protocol fully operational, including a compliance mechanism that was being bogged down by Saudi Arabia. It is believed the oil-producing nation was attempting to show dissatisfaction with a global shift to alternative energies. Another positive outcome is a move to strengthen the Clean Development Mechanism, which brings developing countries into the carbon-trading market.

Compare to Harper's work on climate change.
From Global Warming update — Harper at G8 (June 4, 2007)

Harper appears to be sticking to his position on "intensity-based targets," which may mean a slowing in the rate of greenhouse gas emissions but does not mean less of them in real terms any time soon. The world would have more greenhouse gas emissions in years to come rather than less of them under this proposal. The Europeans want hard targets for actual reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Harper, however, has promised intensity-based targets to the oil industry, and his government has promised tar sands developers exemptions from even these.

Environmentalists are also concerned the Harper government plans to use 2006 as the base year for calculating future reductions. The Europeans are calling for using 1990 as the base year, since 1990 was the base year for Kyoto. "Mr. Baird's plan makes the Canadian targets less strict," wrote Andrew Mayeda in The Ottawa Citizen on Saturday, June 2. "The Canadian plan also uses 'intensity targets' which do not guarantee that overall emissions will fall."

Harper and the Conservatives have long opposed action on climate change and denied its necessity. Like the Bush Republicans, the Harper Conservatives are heavily backed by the oil industry and have always opposed environmental restrictions that reduce industry profitability. Over the years, they have used a number of front groups and public relations firms to argue their case. With the Conservatives running a minority government, they are using the advantages of public office to make a case they have advanced for years in opposition...

Stephen Harper expressed his feelings about the Kyoto accord in a 2002 letter apparently written when Harper was leader of the defunct Canadian Alliance party. In the letter, he called Kyoto a "socialist scheme" designed to suck money out of rich countries. "We're gearing up now for the biggest struggle our party has faced since you entrusted me with the leadership," Harper's letter says. "I'm talking about the 'battle of Kyoto' — our campaign to block the job-killing, economy-destroying Kyoto accord." [my emphasis]

If Canadians are truly concerned about the future of planet Earth, the next federal election will give us the power to be part of the solution instead of the problem.

The challenge of course is that the majority of us - the people who do care - are split four ways between supporting the Liberals, the Greens, the NDP and the Bloc. While those who don't care - or who can kid themselves into thinking Harper is actually doing something - all vote Conservative.


We really need to start working on this split. The "gesture of cooperation" between Dion and Elizabeth May was a good start:

The planet has reached its limit. The human-caused damage to our natural environment is devastating. Currently, our two parties agree that urgent action is needed. So, too, do the vast majority of Canadians. Yet our electoral system could return to government the only political party that does not believe action is required urgently....

We admit we are different from most adversarial, political leaders. We respect each other. We will always put the country and the planet first.

Is it too much to hope that Jack Layton will start taking Elizabeth May's phone calls?

How I became a Liberal, pt 1

For decades I was a New Democrat, even card-carrying sometimes. Worried about the future of the planet, but with no credible Green Party in Canada it seemed that the NDP was the best option. I mean ya gotta vote for somebody.

Nov/Dec 2005 - Then came the Nov-Dec 2005 UNFCCC hosted by federal Environment Minister Stéphane Dion in Montréal. This guy sounds serious. Then the NDP bring the Liberal government down just when it looks like Canada is going to make some real progress on climate change both at home and internationally. What are you thinking Jack? Is it really worth risking a neo-conservative win - and total inaction on climate change - just to pick up a few more seats? Apparently so for Jack. Dion brokers an international agreement against all the odds, but the Liberal govt is on its way out, thanks to smilin' Jack.

The NDP start looking not-so-good.

Jan 06 - federal election - too depressing to comment on.

Aug 06 - Elizabeth May becomes leader of the Green Party. Hmmm, finally a possible alternative.

Nov 06 - The NDP candidate in the London byelection behaves in such a way as to make it easy for New Democrats to convert to Green. I'm not in the riding but in the media catchment area, and I even get broadcast phone messages from Jack & Olivia - "Canada needs more women in Parliament!" Hmmm, I'm pretty sure Elizabeth May's a woman. Glen Pearson's a pretty good guy too, and taking the high road in the face of truly weird NDP attacks.

Dec 2/06 - What the ..... - did I hear right? Did Stéphane Dion* really just win the Liberal leadership??!??!!! Damn, it was just the third ballot, still waiting for the final results. Here they come ... YES!!!

(*Dion = "A committed Canadian and a man of principle and conviction" according to Layton.)

Can I really vote Liberal now? Better do some research.

Cripes, I can't believe this. I agree with 99.9% of what he says and - stranger still - I believe him. Maybe there's hope for the country yet.