Thanbks to Political Staples for doing the legwork.
The list also highlights some excellent Canadian blogs with an international focus... like the Toronto-based Canadian reservist 'Flit' (not listed); Fellow Torontonian Dave Pollard's How to Save the World (not listed), very different from me politically but interesting insights into organizations; Newfoundlander Damian Penny's Daimnation (#3); Kate in Saskatchewan with her Roadkill Diaries (#5); B.C. based Dutchman Pieter Dorsman's Peaktalk (#22); and Montrealer-in-Texas David Mader's very-underrated Mader Blog (#41)... if you're missing them, you're missing out.
On the domestic front, columnist Andrew Coyne has the excellent AndrewCoyne.com (#2), Colbby Cosh (#11) is well known and eclectic in his topics, and MacLeans Magazine columnist Paul Wells (#9) is a good model for blogging as an aid to the journalism process. Less professionally, Calgary Grit (#20) is quite good despite being, well, an Alberta Liberal.
Finally, a special shoutout to... no, not Lingerie Dreams (#7), but Parliamentary MP and blogger Monte Solberg (CPC-Medicine Hat), who seems to actually understand the point and style of blogging.
You know, I never thought of Winds as a Canadian blog. Just a blog that happens to be in Canada :-)
On the new Truth Laid Bear rankings my little lingerie blog is now #3...
Change, Coyne, Lingerie....Canada really is a great country!
I don't necessarily agree with what Stronach did yesterday, but I'm appalled at what some of her former Tory counterparts were spouting to the media, namely Alberta MLA Tony Abbott saying she "whored herself out for power" and Ontario MPP Bob Runciman calling her "a dipstick - an attractive one, but a dipstick..."
No one would have said anything like this if Stronach wasn't a woman. Make your views known to each of these politicians about their comments - and email their bosses as well to let them know how you feel.
Tony Abbott (Alberta MPP):
draytonvalley.calmar@assembly.ab.ca
Ralph Klein (Premier of Alberta):
premier@gov.ab.ca
Bob Runciman (Ontario MPP):
Bob_Runciman@ontla.ola.org
John Tory (Leader, PC Party of Ontario):
john.tory@pc.ola.org
The 'New Conservative' Party will never form the Government of Canada. It is too extreme, out of touch & does not command the support of the voters in Ontario and Quebec who singlehandedly decide who forms the government.
Recently, I have heard a lot of cries of western alienation. Get over it folks. All the votes are in major urban centres. Western Canadians as a majority will never vote for separation. neither will Canadians of any 1 specific province. If you look at those place's populations, most of them are either progressive and/or visible minorities, all of whom are proud to be Canadian first. These lone voices are from people who live in the boonies and carry no actual weight.
Everything that the Conversative Party stands for is against me as a person and also my personal beliefs.
Conservative/Reform/Alliance Party is anti-multiculuralism, anti-bilinguilism, for less immigration, for tax cuts for the rich, for anti-abortion groups, for Christian beliefs being imposed on all Canadians , for increasing user fees and taxing the working poor, for privatizing health care as well as anything else (Exhibit A: Ralph Klien in Alberta. Exhibit B: the Mess that Mike Harris left behind). I oppose their views on all those issues. The Reform/Alliance group is the same type of people who opposed the RCMP allowing Sikh officers to wear turbans.
More importantly than anything else Liberals stand for EQUALITY of all regardless of race, sex, religion, or sexual orientation. Paul Martin as a leader maybe a bit of a let down but he still has core Liberal values. It was great leaders and great Canadians like Trudeau who gave us the Charter of Rights and Freedoms as well as full independence and full rights for all citizens. Something that people of colour take very seriously in this country. To me the 'New Conservative' Party that Belinda Stronach ditched (good for her) is just a bunch of western red necks who are a protest party. Nothing more. They are an even bigger and more impotent joke in Ottawa then even the Bloc Quebecois.
As long as I live I will vote Liberal no matter what. The former PC Party (of the Mulroney era in particular) would be a strong second choice.
Ya know L4L, to most folks, "for life" is a sentence. Just sayin', is all.
Oh, and Doug - yes, they'd absolutely be saying it about a man. Stronach has just fried any chance she might ever have had to be leader of any political party, because she has committed the greatest sin in politics. As of now, her word is worthless (to the Liberals as well as the opposition) - and this seems like a weird thing to say about politicians, but within the halls of power, all you really have is your word because it's the foundation of all deals.
I've heard she wasn't the brightest bulb in the drawer but reserved judgment; this episode pretty much proves it. Now that the Liberals have used her and she has nowhere else to go, her value drops rather sharply. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
People interested in how all this works are advised to read Chris Matthews' excellent book Hardball: How Politics Is Played Told by One Who Knows the Game Its principles apply to politicians in any democratic system - and though it's written from the perspective of his work as an aide to Democratic House Speaker Tip O'Neill, it applies 100% across partisan divides as well.
I've always wondered about the kind of narrow world view it takes to label as "too extreme" a set of beliefs - whether right or left - held by more than a third of a population.
Actually, Ms. Stronach may also lose her seat. Crossing over to a scandal-mired government, and not even doing her homework. Check this out...
Anyone of even medium competence would have avoided this or covered it off. Ms. Stronach is too dumb to be in politics (and that's quite the distinction!)
Liberal4life typifies the smug, brainwashed, gristmill fodder, who make up the majority of supporters of the LPC...
When faced with any opposing views, they misrepresent, and misconstrue, the truth with divisive fear, and scandalous lies.
Professing to be the champions of the beleaguered oppressed, they cloak their parasitic aspirations in a shroud of righteousness, and false nationalism.
Liberal nationalism, which has become obviously equated whith anti-Americanism.
When faced with the choice of unadulterated corruption, or the fear of separatist secession they will choose to go on doing business "the Liberal way", like the gangsters they support.
Many of their supporters on the take as well!
Undoubtedly there is one sure way to Quebec separation...
Vote Liberal!
Liberal4life typifies the smug, brainwashed, gristmill fodder, which make up the majority of supporters of the LPC...
When faced with any opposing views, they misrepresent, and misconstrue, the truth with divisive fear, and scandalous lies.
Professing to be the champions of the beleaguered oppressed, they cloak their parasitic aspirations in a shroud of righteousness, and false nationalism.
Liberal nationalism, which has become obviously equated with anti-Americanism.
When faced with the choice of unadulterated corruption, or the fear of separatist secession they will choose to go on doing business "the Liberal way", like the gangsters they support.
Many of their supporters on the take as well!
Undoubtedly there is one sure way to Quebec separation...
Vote Liberal!