Looks Like Harper's Negative Ad Campaign Is Backfiring?

Looks like the Harper Cons negative ads are backfiring. This is according to a recent poll quoted in a story in the Hill Times this week. I found this quote from the story most telling:

"According to the Innovative poll, of those who were aware of the ads, 60 per cent said they were left with a negative impression of them, and 20 per cent said they were left with a positive impression, while 18 per cent said neither. "

That is not good news for the Harper message-controlling brain-trust.

The MSM has given the Cons more free "earned media" than they have spent on the ads themselves by the looks of it. Kind of reminds me of the MSM carpet bombing "news coverage" that was done on the personal tragedy that is Brittany Spears a few weeks ago. The MSM then finally looked at themselves, came to their senses, and decided to show some semblance of responsible journalism, and left her alone.

For those Cons who will want to equate my Spears comment to Coulliard, ask yourself if Spears was involved in relationships that undermined national security and Cabinet confidentiality.

The Cons ads are not news. They are not factual. They are not even relevant because the Dion tax shifting policy is not yet finalized. The negative campaign-style ads are just a political tactic that is infotainment masquerading as a public policy issue. Come on MSM, don't get fooled again.

Is Harper Afraid of An Election?

Harper Cons are all about political tactics – again. The anti-Dion election style negative ad campaign is admittedly a channel-changing fast-track strategy to divert attention away from the Cons catastrophic performance as of late. Not surprising and no longer very disappointing because Canadians expectations of the Harper government are so low and declining.

A few months ago Harper took great glee in trying to goad Dion into an unnecessary and unwanted election. Dion wasn’t ready nor were Canadians in any mood for another election so soon. They elected Harper to give him a chance and his constant efforts to engineer his own defeat was not what we expected from our newbie Con government.

Harper is now loathed to have an election and in fact fears that he might have to face the Canadian electorate on his record. He has no vision for the country and no sense of the nation and no plan for what to do next - other than bully the opposition and the provinces. Hence the quickie and expensive channel changing ad campaign intended to divert attention from the facts about his wobbling and wandering government.

Politics is so variable. In a few short months Harper has moved from being a political bully who was always mocking for an election, to today where he is a politically a dead man, balking and dreading the possibility of an imminent election.

The Hero's Behind the Residential School Apology

The Margaret Mead truism that we should never underestimate the ability of a small group of people to change the world, and accept the fact that change is always done that way. This reality is so evident as what caused the Government of Canada apology this past week. The identity and roles the small group of people who were behind this event has come to the fore with this Globe and Mail background story on Canada’s apology for the tragedy of residential schools.

The pressure for the apology comes from sources that are indeed a small group of people, including the former and current Conservative Ministers of Indian Affairs, Jim Prentice and Chuck Strahl along with Metis and Conservative Senator Gerry St. Germain added his considerable voice.

The efforts were trans-partisan as former Liberal MP Gary Merasty had added pressure with his House of Commons motion for an apology that was passed with Conservative support. Then there was the effective effort of the Leader of the NDP, Jack Layton and his personal influence in helping the Prime Minister work through the idea of an apology and its potential positive impact. Prime Minister Harper was persuaded and took a personal interest and is reported to have written most of the apology himself. Prime Minister Harper was also very generous in his praise of Jack Layton’s role in his preamble to the apology.

This is quality governance and good governing at its finest. It is reassuring to see that it can still trump politics. Thanks to all those who made June 11, 2008 a date that will go down in Canadian history. It is hopefully a turning point and a place-marker of where we once again began to be worthy our Canadian mythology of an inclusive, welcoming, caring and compassionate society.

Back to the Odds and Sods of Conservative Politics.

Bernier to Harper: "Look who I have as my 'official girlfriend' Stephen. What do you mean I can't keep her?"

Classy guy this Mr. Pierre Poilievre. Another Conservative caucus pit bull with no sense of occasion, fair play, manners or even nuance.

Good to see that Prime Minister Harper finally called the public inquiry into the Schreiber/Mulroney Affair. Eight months since he promised...justice delayed is justice denied Mr. Prime Minister.

The proposed new Canadian Copyright Law genuflects to the American pressures and could make Canada akin to China when it comes to controlling the Internet. I am a big fan of Jim Prentice but can’t support him on this one.

The Apology for Canada Is Meaningful and Well Done. Will It Be Well Received?

The Apology today was our political leaders, both the House of Commons partisan and the national aboriginal leadership, at their very finest. I want to specifically thank Prime Minister Stephen Harper for the authenticity and sincerity he personally conveyed in articulating the depth of our national shame and in detailing the sad and sorrowful reasons for which we need to apologize.

Canada was proud to be recognized as the best place in the world to live by the United Nations Human Development Index for about 6 straight years. We were quickly relegated to 6th place once the lives and plight of our aboriginal peoples were included in the UN evaluation. That re-evaluation underscores the consequences of our collective shame and for our failings of aboriginal peoples as exemplified by the Residential School tragedy.

Grand Chief Phil Fontaine said this day is "...a testimony to the achievment of the impossible." Mary Simon of the Inuit said that today this is the “dawning of a new day.” There is a need for us to find a new way to go forward and to commit ourselves to develop more mutual trust and respect. That is going to be so necessary before we can overcome that part of our shared history and the abject injury that has been wrought upon so many aboriginal people.

This day will be iconic in the history of this country. The struggle for truth and reconciliation starts today but we have an auspicious start. Well done and thank you to all those who made "the impossible" happen and all those political and aboriginal leaders who spoke today and made it so meaningful.