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    • Editorial: Will Canada Join The Bush League?

    Founded in early 1998, Bush Watch served as an early warning system, then as a critic of the Bush administration, commenting upon the toxic character and wrongheaded policies of George W. Bush, the son of former President George H.W. Bush. I have been its editor throughout this period.

    While I'm a U.S. citizen, I'm concerned that Prime Minister Harper is not only taking plays from the Bush playbook, but he's also being coached by many of the same people who have put the United States on a fast track to being a hawkish nation of greedy corporate plunderers, irrational theocrats, and thoughtless citizens who care little about the common good or the traditions of freedom and citizens' rights, presently under assult by the Bush administration. Under Bush, the United States has become an embarrassment to a majority of its citizens and to concerned people and nations throughout the world.

    Canadian friends tell me that Mr. Harper is not nearly as bad as Bush, and if he were, the citizens of Canada would not stand for it. I would suggest that the majority of U.S. citizens felt the same way about Bush in 1998. But history has played a bitter trick on us. News and opinion from Canada and elsewhere (see below) suggests the beginnings of a Bush-like movement in Canada, and that does not give me comfort.

    --Jerry "Politex" Barrett, Editor, Harper Watch, June 2006


    Canadian government, media use alleged terrorist plot to push right-wing agenda
      World Socialist Web Site | 2006-06-07 | Keith Jones
    The timing of the police-security operation is highly convenient for the Harper Conservative government, which faces widespread public opposition to its plans to work more closely with the Bush administration and extend and broaden the Canadian Armed Forces’ intervention in Afghanistan. Parliament is also in the process of reviewing the new powers granted the police and security forces under the Anti-Terrorism Act. The RCMP and CSIS have been criticized for a number of anti-terrorist investigations, most famously the case of Mahar Arar, in which they targeted innocent individuals. Officials from the Harper government and the Bush administration have exchanged compliments in the wake of the reputed success of last weekend’s anti-terrorism operation. Prime Minister Harper thanked the US president in a telephone conversation Monday for the help provided by US authorities. Bush administration officials are citing the events in Canada to underline their warnings of a possible terror attack in the US before the end of the year.
    		 

    Terror suspect 'wanted to behead Canada's PM'
      The Scotsman | June 7, 2006 | BETH DUFF-BROWN
    ONE of 17 suspects accused of planning to blow up Canadian targets in a terrorist plot is also accused of indicating that he wanted to behead Stephen Harper, the prime minister of Canada, his lawyer said yesterday.The Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton, a small city just west of Toronto, said the men arrested over the weekend were charged with participating in a terrorist group. Other charges include importing weapons and planning a bombing. "There's an allegation, apparently, that my client personally indicated that he wanted to behead the prime minister," said Gary Batasar, a lawyer for Steven Vikash Chand....
    		 

    PM Harper thanks Pres Bush for US help
      Toronto red Star | Jun. 5, 2006 | HAROLD LEVY, Staff
    Bomb-making among charges Toronto red Star Jun. 5, 2006. 08:25 PM HAROLD LEVY STAFF REPORTER The twelve men arrested Friday and charged as adults in connection with alleged terrorist acts are linked together in six categories of charges, court documents reveal. Documents filed at the Brampton courthouse indicate that the charges range from conspiracy to carry out a terrorist activity, to training for terrorist purposes, to bomb making and illegally importing guns and ammunition. All twelve are charged with knowingly participating in a terrorist group for the purpose of carrying out terrorist activity in Mississauga, Toronto, Fort Erie, the...
    		 

    PM Vows to Keep Up the Fight
      Ottawa Sun | June 4, 2006 | Kathleen Harris
    PM vows to keep up the fightOttawa Sun By Kathleen Harris June 4, 2006 PRIME MINISTER Stephen Harper vowed to ramp up Canada's fight against terrorism at home and abroad in the wake of the stunning Toronto sweep of homegrown terrorist suspects. Speaking to 240 fresh-faced military recruits during a swearing-in ceremony in Ottawa yesterday, Harper praised the RCMP, CSIS and Toronto-area police authorities for busting the al-Qaida-inspired cell and pledged more tools to fight terror in the future. "We will continue to support them by strengthening our laws, our policies and the resources dedicated to the fight against terrorism...
    		 

    Parliament to revisit same-sex marriage bill this fall, Harper says
      CanWest News Service via National Post | 2006-06-03 | Allan Woods
    MONTREAL -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper has reignited the national debate over the rights of gays and lesbians to marry after announcing Friday that the House of Commons will vote this fall on a motion asking MPs if they want to repeal the year-old legislation. In a brief news conference, Harper downplayed questions about the government's intention to revisit the law, which was passed by the previous Liberal government. He said he is simply following through on an election campaign promise and will allow his MPs to have a free vote on the question. "We committed that in our platform...
    		 

    Al Gore slams Harper (Canada PM) government over Kyoto
      CTV | Jun. 2 2006 10:46 PM ET | Kristen Brown
    The man who introduces himself as the guy who "used to be the next president of the United States" is not impressed with Canada. Al Gore slammed the Conservative government while in Vancouver Friday for not supporting the Kyoto Accord, an agreement he helped draft. "If somebody would have told me there was going to be a third nation to go into the dunce box with the U.S. and Australia, and say, 'Guess which nation is going to walkout on its international obligations,' Canada would be the last country I would guess," Gore told CTV Vancouver. "Canada has always been...
    		 

    Canadian Prime Minister Says Media has Anti-Conservative Bias
      LifeSiteNews | 5/25/06 | Gudrun Schultz
    OTTAWA, Canada, May 25, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Canada's national media operates under a strong anti-Conservative bias, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Wednesday. "Unfortunately the press gallery has taken the view they are going to be the opposition to the government," Mr. Harper told A-Channel TV in London, Ontario. "They don't ask questions at my press conferences now." In response, PM Harper said, his Conservative government will focus on communicating with local media outlets. "We'll just take the message out on the road. There's lots of media who do want to ask questions and hear what the government is doing for...
    		 

    Bless This Mess
      Western Standard | May 22, 2006 | Mark Steyn
    Is it just me," wondered Linda McQuaig in The Toronto Star, "or does anyone else find it ominous that Harper says 'God bless Canada'?" You don't have to do the full Jaws orchestral accompaniment to concede that Linda has a point: Whether or not it's "ominous," it is a little weird in contemporary public discourse to hear Stephen Harper say "God bless Canada." The question then arises: Why should it be so weird?
    		 

    Howard (Oz PM) sold out to U.S. interests
      Toronto Star | May 22, 2006. 01:00 AM | Schon Golgerth
    Canada (Toronto Star) - So Australian Prime Minister John Howard is counselling Stephen Harper on how to run a country? Howard is the soul of American outreach and its spokesman. He has abandoned Australia to American influence and to American interests. With the Australian voting system of proportional representation, he will stay in power and Australia will irretrievably become a U.S. satellite doing the big brother's bidding. Australians can't seem to figure out how to get rid of him so they have learned to live with him and apologize to the world for him. Howard sees himself as...
    		 

    Harper may have used Afghan vote to ensare Ignatieff
      Canadian Press via National Post | Joan Bryden
    OTTAWA -- After narrowly winning the vote to prolong the risky Afghanistan mission, a triumphant Stephen Harper crossed the floor of the Commons and threaded his way to the back of the Liberal benches to shake hands with Michael Ignatieff. The prime minister's gesture may well turn out to be the political equivalent of the kiss of death for Ignatieff's bid to lead the Liberal party. Ostensibly, Harper was simply thanking the rookie Toronto MP and acclaimed scholar for being one of only 24 Liberals to support the Conservative government's motion to extend the Afghanistan military deployment for two years....
    		 

    Harper looks up to his 'mate' down under (Canada and Australia)
      Calgary Sun | By Jennifer Ditchburn
    OTTAWA (CP) - Stephen Harper's political rivals love to suggest he's a charter member of the George W. Bush fan club, that he's taking his cue from the U.S. president's political playbook. But if they really want to know who the Canadian prime minister admires on the world stage they need to look down, way down to the land of good shiraz and Nicole Kidman. Prime Minister John Howard and Harper met last year at a conservative event in Washington, and Conservative insiders say the two have been mates ever since. Howard has lent Harper the expertise of political operatives,...
    		 

    The PM Is Copying George Bush's Tactics
      Toronto Star 28 May 2006 | By Linda McQuaig
    Canadian prime ministers have traditionally been more accessible to the media, which has obliged them to submit to a basic level of public scrutiny. Stephen Harper wants to change this. Like Bush, he wants to select who gets to ask the questions. Reporters who want airtime and prominence will quickly...learn just to type down the Prime Minister's words. Harper insists the Ottawa press gallery is biased against him. He's trying to use the allegation of "liberal media bias" just as Republicans use it to intimidate the U.S. media. In reality, virtually all major Canadian media outlets are large corporations that view much of Harper's agenda favourably....Harper now accuses Ottawa reporters of taking on the role of opposition. In fact, they have simply been asking questions, including questions the Prime Minister might prefer not to answer.

    Although elected with a weak minority, Harper is taking the country in some radical directions. Who will hold him to account? The Liberals are leaderless and the NDP seem more focused on stealing ground from the Liberals than challenging Harper.

    		 

    Ties between Canada and Australia 'great': Howard
      CTV | May. 18 2006
    Australian Prime Minister John Howard addressed Canada's Parliament Thursday, and said the ties between the two countries are great but must be made stronger. He spoke to both the Senate and Commons and was the first foreign leader to visit Ottawa since Stephen Harper became prime minister. "Perhaps if I could characterize our relationship, I would put it this way: we have much in common, but not as much to do with each other as we should," he said. Howard said the "ties of history" between Australia and Canada are "very great." Both owe much to the European nations that...
    		 

    Political wizardry by the man from Oz
      CBC News Indepth: Reality Check | May 18, 2006 | Robert Sheppard
    As addresses by visiting dignitaries go, this one didn't have quite the same historical heft as namesake Winston Churchill's in 1941, and his famous British defiance in the teeth of the Nazi onslaught: "Some chicken. Some neck." But for Australian Prime Minister John Winston Howard (the middle name a direct homage to the British war leader), his speech to a joint session of Canada's Parliament was by turns elegant, charming and delightfully mischievous. A big fan of George W. Bush – the Aussie leader followed him into Iraq and out of Kyoto – Howard promised rather genially not to dwell...
    		 

    PM Howard's new best friend, Stephen Harper
      The Australian | 18th May 2006 | David Nason
    Canada's PM Stephen Harper uses his Australian counterpart as a role model, writes David Nason JOHN Howard will take great comfort knowing that when he arrives in Canada today for an official state visit, he'll be meeting a like-minded Prime Minister who has already demonstrated his new friendship. Despite damning evidence of AWB's illegal kickbacks to Saddam Hussein under the UN's former oil-for-food program in Iraq, Stephen Harper's new Government hasn't uttered a word of criticism. This despite Canada being the first to sound a warning about the situation and missing out on valuable wheat contracts because it wouldn't pay...
    		 

    Battle won
      Calgary Sun | 2006-05-18 | Rick Bell
    He wins. Not by more than a sliver of support. But he wins. Stephen Harper gets everything his Tory heart desires. Ottawa is a very long way from Kandahar and a very different battle is waged until the late evening on the floor of the House of Commons. The down-and-dirty debate takes place as news reaches us of the death of Capt. Nichola Goddard of the Gunners, a Calgarian, the first Canadian female soldier killed in front-line combat, her life ended in a firefight against the terrorist Taliban of Afghanistan. Leading the charge back in the Commons is Stephen Harper,...
    		 

    Looking for a foreign policy, Mr Harper? Try Australia's
      Globe and Mail (Canada) | 18/05/06 | PAUL EVANS AND YUEN PAU WOO
    Australian Prime Minister John Howard has a record that is the envy of conservative leaders around the world. Recently elected to a fourth term (with an enhanced majority, to boot), he has charted a distinctive and largely successful course for Australia's international relations over the past decade. As the Harper government begins to formulate its own approach to foreign policy, Mr. Howard arrives in Ottawa at an opportune moment. Under Mr. Howard's leadership, Australia's ties with the United States have warmed considerably, stemming in large part from Canberra's staunch support for U.S.-led anti-terrorism initiatives and the invasion of Iraq. Mr....
    		 

    Vive la Canada!
      Amarxica | 5/10/06 | john reit
    I can't remember when I've been so excited about this kind of political leadership. Since taking office, this party has introduced a federal budget that cuts income, sales, business, corporate and excise taxes. There's also a credit of $1075 per child per year so that families have more money to pay for childcare. Not only that, the new budget calls for an increase spending for military and border security - including $1.3 billion to add armed border patrol officers. It's invigorating! It's almost like the second coming of Ronald Reagan. I only wish it was all taking place in my...
    		 

    Harper denies NORAD deal finalized
      The Globe and Mail | 4/29/06 | KEVIN BISSETT
    A deal that would renew Canada's role in NORAD has not been finalized and will be debated by Parliament before it's signed, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Saturday. Mr. Harper was reacting to reports that Ottawa has committed Canada to indefinite participation in the military alliance in an agreement that would give it new responsibilities to protect coastlines from terrorist attacks. "I am anticipating that we will be announcing this in the very near future, and as we have indicated to the opposition, we will be bringing this to Parliament for a full debate and a vote before we finalize...
    		 

    Canada's New Conservative PM Calls US 'Our Best Friend'
      CNSNews.com | April 4th, 2006
    Ottawa - Declaring the United States to be his country's "best friend and largest trading partner," Canada's new Conservative Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, has announced a series of proposals to improve ties across the 49th parallel. Although short on details, Harper made it clear that improving the tattered relationships between the neighbors was among his top priorities. In a speech outlining his new government's legislative agenda, read at the start of the new parliamentary assembly by Governor-General Michaelle Jean, Harper said "the government will work cooperatively with our friend and allies and constructively with the international community to advance common...
    		 

    Canada refuses refueling stop for Belarus PM
      Reuters | Thu Apr 20, 2006 4:26 PM EDT | Reuters
    CANADA refused to allow Belarussian Prime Minister Sergei Sidorsky's plane to land for refueling en route to Cuba on Thursday, a Belarussian diplomat and Canadian officials said. Ottawa, which last month froze most ties with Belarus to protest against the controversial March 19 presidential vote, said it had strong concerns about the country's commitment to democratization and human rights. "In light of these concerns, we were not prepared to facilitate the entry of senior-level representatives of the Belarussian regime onto Canadian soil," said foreign ministry spokeswoman Pamela Greenwell. In Havana, Belarussian embassy councilor Victor Kozintsey said the reason Canada gave...
    		 

    Oh no! Harper said the G-word
      National Post | April 13, 2006 | Warren Kinsella
    He is found at the very, very end, these days, with little fanfare or triumphalism. If you blinked, in fact, you'd miss Him. But He is there, just the same, and -- to some people in the news media -- it is a very big deal, indeed. God, that is. At the conclusion of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's March 28 speech to the Conservative Party's national caucus, and his March 13 speech to our troops in Afghanistan, God is acknowledged, and His assistance is sought. "God bless Canada," said the Prime Minister on both of those occasions. And Mr. Harper...
    		 

    PM wants to see more missions like Afghanistan
      Globe and Mail (Toronto) | 2006-04-13 | Allison Dunfield
    Prime Minister Stephen Harper continued to show strong support for the Canadian military Thursday, attending a military graduation ceremony in Alberta and saying that he believes that Canada can make a difference globally by taking a "more visible role" in international missions. "What I would like to see done with our military that's a little different than the past is rather than placing a handful of soldiers here and there, really concentrate our efforts in places in ways that we can show leadership and take a substantial load and take a very visible role, so we make a real notable...
    		 

    Canada Scraps Plan to Legalize Pot
      NewsMax | 4 April 2006 | Carl Limbacher
    Canada's new conservative prime minister said Monday that Ottawa does not intend to reintroduce legislation to legalize small amounts of marijuana. Speaking to the Canadian Professional Police Association about his crime policies, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said the legislation drawn up by the previous Liberal government would not be reintroduced when the new Parliament sits Monday. The bill, which had alarmed law enforcement officials in Canada and the United States, died on the floor of the House of Commons after the Liberal Party lost elections in January. Harper, who was to later address the first Conservative-led Parliament in 13 years,...
    		 

    Federal Government Plans To Fight Crime (Stephen Harper In News After Toronto Bombing Alert)
      Prime Minister's Office | 04/03/06 | Prime Minister Stephen Harper
    Introduction Thank you for the opportunity to be here today. It is an honour for me to be in the company of the professional men and women who are dedicated to keeping our streets and our neighbourhoods safe for families right across this country. As national representatives of police officers in Canada, you are the first to see the dire consequences of increased crime involving guns, gangs and drugs. As you know, Canada is a great country. And one of the things that has made it a great country is our traditionally low rates of crime. In fact, our peaceful,...
    		 

    Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper Flips Off Canadian Reporters
      Worldnetdaily.com | 04/01/06 | Ted Byfield
    Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who electioneered by promising Canadians a more "open" government, took two measures last month aimed at establishing a more "closed" one – closed, that is, to the media. In so doing, he appeared to have declared war on the parliamentary press gallery. First, he decreed that all public communications from his Cabinet ministers – everything from speeches, to press releases, to policy statements, to letters to the editor – must have the prior approval of the Prime Minister's Office. Second, he ruled that the meetings of his Cabinet will no longer be announced in advance, and...
    		 

    Bush Calls Trilateral Meeting 'Productive'
      AP on Yahoo | 3/31/06 | Jennifer Loven - ap
    CANCUN, Mexico - President Bush, closing a three-nation summit Friday, defended requiring secure documents from border-crossing Canadians and pushed Mexico to prevent more of its people from illegally entering America Despite obvious divisions, Bush, Mexican President Vicente Fox and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper emphasized North American unity and the productivity of their two days of meetings in this sunny spring-break area along Mexico's Mayan Riviera. From a luxury hotel's indoor tennis court, gussied up with carpet, custom podiums and large video screens, the men emerged from joint sessions to laud the increased trade brought about by the 12-year-old tariff-reducing...
    		 

    Bush, Fox push for immigration reform at summit
      Macon.com | Mar. 30, 2006 | HUGH DELLIOS
    CANCUN, Mexico - Putting aside the strains in their dos amigos friendship, President Bush praised Mexican President Vicente Fox during a summit meeting Thursday in which the two are trying to rally support for immigration reforms in the United States. At a time when questions are being asked about Mexico's commitment to securing the two nations' 2,000-mile border, Bush thanked Fox for his country's efforts on both its northern and southern borders and for keeping Mexico's economy stable during his more than five years in office. During the first day of a two-day summit with Fox and Canadian Prime Minister...
    		 

    Dobbs: President, Congress defying people's will
      CNN | March 30, 2006 | lou dobbs
    CANCUN, Mexico (CNN) -- We're reporting live this week from Cancun, where the leaders of the United States, Mexico and Canada are meeting in a trilateral summit. And despite the contentious debate raging in the U.S. Senate over illegal immigration and the guest-worker program, this summit has a remarkably modest agenda. U.S. President George Bush, Mexican President Vicente Fox and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will only try to advance the discussion among the three countries on economic integration, free trade, border and port security, and, yes, illegal immigration. ......... The United States is challenged as never before in the...
    		 
      Canadian Press vis Sun Media | 2006-03-30
    CANCUN, Mexico (CP) - Prime Minister Stephen Harper and U.S. President George Bush have had their first encounter as they attend a summit in Mexico with Vicente Fox. Embarking on a sightseeing jaunt with Harper, Bush said he's "always optimistic" about resolving a trade dispute that has strained U-S relations with Canada for years. Bush said "Hola," as he greeted Harper at the hotel before the two took a helicopter to a tour of ancient Mayan ruins. They're to be met at the famed archaeological site by Mexican President Vicente Fox. Topping Harper's agenda is a long stalemate over U.S....
    		 

    Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Speech To Conservative Caucus
      Prime Minister's Office | 03/28/06 | Prime Minister Stephen Harper
    Thank you very much for the opportunity to be here with you today as we prepare for a new parliament and a new Speech from the Throne. I know all of you have worked very hard… … and your efforts have not gone unnoticed. On January 23, Canadians voted for change. And they asked our party to lead that change. Change that will bring accountability back to Ottawa. Change that will deliver real results for ordinary working families. Change that will allow us to build a Canada that is strong, united, independent and free. That is quite a challenge, my...
    		 

    Stephen Harper: No More Mr. Nice Guy Prime Minister Seeks To Rebuild Tories
      Worldnetdaily.com | 03/18/06 | Ted Byfield
    Canada's new prime minister, Stephen Harper, whose minority government was elected on the promise he would break the highly centralized power of "the PMO," the Prime Minister's Office, has begun by establishing what is beginning to look like the most powerful PMO in Canada's peacetime history. At the same time he has scored a publicity coup by paying a surprise visit to Canadian troops in Afghanistan, gaining top attention in the print and electronic media for three days running. He has also responded to left-wing demands that Canada withdraw from that country by refusing a parliamentary debate on the question...
    		 

    High-security Harper flight to Afghanistan no routine shuttle
      Canadian Press | 2006-03-12 | Alexander Panetta
    KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (CP) - There was no mistaking Stephen Harper's flight into Afghanistan for an Air Canada shuttle, after embarking passengers aboard the Hercules were handed flak jackets and combat helmets. Twenty hours after Harper left Ottawa and began his clandestine journey he had set a new standard for adventure in prime ministerial travel. The trip was shrouded in secrecy. Only a small group of government staff and journalists were given last-minute notice of the visit. Advance word came with a warning that the trip would be cancelled if details leaked out ahead of departure. Passengers were told to pack...
    		 

     

    Harper visits troops in Afghanistan
      Toronto Star | March 12, 2006 | SUSAN DELACOURT
    Prime Minister Stephen Harper has landed in Kandahar for a surprise, two-day visit with Canadian troops stationed in Afghanistan. Emerging from a Hercules aircraft late yesterday at the dusty, windy Kandahar airfield, Harper said: "These are a great bunch of men and women who are doing a tough job... I believe Canadians are always behind our troops wherever they go and I think the more they understand about the mission and all the things they’re doing ... the more support they’ll have for the work we’re doing here." It’s a high-level gesture of support for the increasingly dangerous mission in...
    		 

    Stephen Harper Balances Job, Hockey Dad Duties
      CTV | March 1, 2006 | CTV News Staff
    Stephen Harper balances job, hockey dad dutiesCTV.ca News Staff March 1, 2006 One adjustment for hockey dad-turned-Prime Minister Stephen Harper is that Mounties now insist on driving him to the rink. "Didn't used to get so much help," said Harper, who was sworn in as prime minister on Feb. 6. "Now we have a lot of people who want to carry the bags and sticks and open the door." As prime minister, Harper now has a federal government to run. However, he says it helps to be the boss -- he can often adjust his schedule to fit in the...
    		 

    Reporters strike war-footing with PMO, but Harper won't be dictated to by national media
      The Hill Times | February 27th, 2006 | Bea Vongdouangchanh
    Steely-eyed Prime Minister Stephen Harper doesn't seem to care that the honeymoon is so over with the media.Members of the national media may already be on a war-footing with Stephen Harper and his staff over regular access to the centre of Canadian political power, but the new Prime Minister doesn't care. Some newspaper columnists and reporters are flummoxed by the steely-eyed Prime Minister Harper (Calgary Southwest, Alta.) who is holding imperial pressers in the Commons foyer, who fired his director of communications in a snap last week and who won't be dictated to by the national media. "The Press Gallery's...
    		 

    Canadian judges face questioning
      THE ASSOCIATED PRESS | February 20, 2006
    Nominees to the Supreme Court of Canada will face questions from members of Parliament for the first time in history... But House of Commons lawmakers won't have the power to veto candidates under the new process; the prime minister will still have the last word. Prime Minister Stephen Harper ... insisted his plan won't unduly politicize the selection of a new judge to fill an existing vacancy on the nine-member high court. At the same time, he declared that his preference is to find a judge who will "apply the law rather than make it" - a common theme among...
    		 

    Liberals contemplate quick comeback after disastrous first week for Harper
      Yahoo News | Sun Feb 12, 2006 | JOAN BRYDEN
    OTTAWA (CP) - Liberals are dreaming about a speedy return to power after watching the disastrous opening week of Stephen Harper's new Conservative administration. Only three weeks after suffering a humiliating defeat, Liberals are musing openly about whether Harper's shaky minority government can survive the year. And Liberal officials are being urged to hasten the selection of a new leader so that the party can be ready as soon as possible for an election.
    		 

    New Zealand's NBR's take on Canadioan election results
      National Business Review | 7-Feb-2006 | Nevil Gibson
    If harmless and law-abiding Denmark can earn the ire of the Muslim world, can Canada be far behind? It tilted to the right, with an election that saw Tory leader Stephen Harper sworn in on Monday as the country’s 22nd prime minister at the head of a minority government. In a four-way party split, Mr Harper has no allies on the right and only foes to the left. In addition, his party is a grouping of some who would be considered to the left of Labour here and others who would prefer Peter Dunne’s brand of centrism. But future developments...
    		 

    TRIPLE PLAY - Air America Talker Schultz Loses Three
      The Radio Equalizer | January 28th, 2006 | Brian Maloney
    For once not involving Air America, liberal talk radio took a big hit this week, as Ed Schultz lost affiliates in three cities. In an especially significant blow, the syndicated talker was cancelled in his hometown of Fargo, North Dakota, from where his show remains based. According to Perry Simon of entertainment industry trade publication All Access, Schultz was cancelled in Fargo to make room for local programming, the same reason the Aberdeen American News has given for his South Dakota removal. And his Norfolk, Virginia outlet is switching to sports. While Aberdeen's KSDN is also dropping Rush Limbaugh for...
    		 

    Canadians 'liberal and hedonistic' but can change, U.S. right-winger says
      CBC News | Fri, 27 Jan 2006
    U.S. right-wing strategist says Canadians are "so liberal and hedonistic" that Stephen Harper can't hope to change their philosophy of "cultural Marxism" right away. Given time, however, the Conservative prime minister-designate may straighten them out, Paul Weyrich writes. Weyrich, a Washington fixture since the 1970s, runs a conservative think tank called the Free Congress Foundation. His contribution to the Harper election effort was to distribute an e-mail last week urging fellow U.S. right-wingers not to talk to Canadian reporters. "Canadian voters have been led to believe that American conservatives are scary and if the Conservative party can be linked with...
    		 

    CBC apologizes for 'Harper-heil' graphic
      (Canadian) National Post | Jan 26, 2006
    The CBC has apologized to a viewer who complained that a news graphic appeared to juxtapose the name of the prime minister-designate with the German word "heil" -- a salute usually associated with Adolf Hitler. The graphic was flashed during Tuesday night's edition of The National. It appeared beneath a shot of a Stephen Harper election sign. In an e-mail to the viewer, the executive producer of The National explained the graphic was a freeze frame of typing intended to promote the show's "campaign confidential" segment. An editor chose to capture part of the word "their" for the graphic and...
    		 

    CBC Compares New Prime Minister Harper to Hitler
      Life Site News | 1/26/06 | Terry Vanderheyden
    OTTAWA, January 26, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Some viewers are calling for censorship of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation after the publicly-funded broadcaster juxtaposed the word “Heil,” a word associated with Hitler, next to “Harper” in its evening television news broadcast, The National.   The National Post published an e-mail response from the CBC to a man who complained about the broadcast. Claiming that the word was the result of a bad cut-and-paste job, they said it was intended to promote a news segment called “campaign confidential.” “An editor chose to capture part of the word ‘their’ for the graphic and with...
    		 

    Gore accuses big oil of bankrolling Tories
      The Calgary Herald | January 25 | Renata D'Aliesio and Katherine Monk
    Former U.S. vice-president Al Gore has accused the oil industry of financially backing the Tories and their "ultra-conservative leader" to protect its stake in Alberta's lucrative oilsands. Canadians, Gore said, should vigilantly keep watch over prime minister-designate Stephen Harper because he has a pro-oil agenda and wants to pull out of the Kyoto accord -- an international agreement to combat climate change. "The election in Canada was partly about the tar sands projects in Alberta," Gore said Wednesday while attending the Sundance Film Festival in Utah.
    		 

    Harper to bolster Arctic force
      Canoe Network | January 26, 2006
    OTTAWA (CP) - Stephen Harper used his first news conference as prime minister-designate Thursday to warn the United States to mind its own business when it comes to Canada's Arctic. The Conservative leader said he'll stick to his campaign promise to bolster Canada's military presence in the North and build big new military icebreakers. He was responding to comments Wednesday by U.S. Ambassador David Wilkins, who criticized the plans, claiming the Arctic passage as "neutral waters." Harper said Canada will do what it wants in its territory.
    		 

    A fresh start for U.S.-Canadian relations
      Rocky Mt. News | January 25, 2006
    Canadians gave Conservative Stephen Harper a victory, but no mandate, in Monday's election. The voters gave his party 124 seats in Parliament, 31 short of a majority, meaning a coalition government with the inevitable compromises. The outcome seemed less voter enchantment with Harper and his agenda than weariness with the Liberal Party, grown stale and corruption-prone after 13 years in office. However, if not a sharp turn to the right for Canada, Harper's election does have it edging in that direction. He campaigned on cutting taxes, getting tough on crime, turning more power over to the provinces, replacing government-funded day...
    		 

    Victory speech by new Canadian leader Stephen Harper
      Conservative Party of Canada web site | 23 January 2006 | Hon. Stephen Harper, P.C., M.P.
    Tonight, our great country has voted for change, and Canadians have asked our party to take the lead in delivering that change. To Canadians I say this – we will honour your trust, and we will deliver on our commitments. There are no individual victories in politics. Politics is a team sport, and there are a number of people I would like to thank. First and foremost, I would like to thank the people of Calgary Southwest, for having given me the great privilege of serving another term in the House of Commons as your representative. Though I am not...
    		 

    John O'Sullivan: Canada is afraid of commitment
      National Review | January 24, 2006 | John O'Sullivan
    A good but not great night in Canada. The Tories will form a minority government, but one with a more precarious plurality in parliament than looked likely from the polls. The Liberals are beaten and out but not humiliated. The Quebec separatist party has done worse than expected but still dominates the province. And the leftist New Democrats improved their position but failed to break through dramatically. In Canada's four-party system that gives the Tories the government for something less than a full term. What's going on? Well, if Canada were a single individual, we would say that he (or...
    		 

    Doug Gamble: Morning in Canada?
      National Review | January 24, 2006 | By Doug Gamble
    As revolutions go, if that's what the narrow defeat of Canada's ruling Liberal party by the Conservatives in Monday's national election can be called, it was a typically Canadian one. By awarding the Conservatives a minority government — the party won most of the seats in parliament but fewer than the opposition parties combined — voters were saying, "We want to give you a try but we don't really want to hurt the Liberals' feelings." Call it the "Excuse Me" Revolution. Still, although the Conservative margin of victory was not as big as pre-election polls had suggested, it was a...
    		 

    David Gratzer: Regime Change - Headed by Harper
      National Review | January 24, 2006 | David Gratzer
    No one would argue that Stephen Harper, leader of Canada's Conservative party, is charismatic or telegenic. Indeed, even the newly elected prime-minister-designate acknowledged as much in the last party leaders' debate, telling viewers in his typically understated manner that his strengths weren't "spin and passion." But he does have other qualities. First and foremost: The man is gutsy. Taking the biggest political risk of his career, Stephen Harper forced an election in early December when he trailed the most successful political party in the Western world by more than seven percent in some polls. On Monday Canadians voted, handing a...
    		 

    Grit Empire Crumbles (Canada's Shocking Conservative Revolution Alert)
      Andrew Coyne.com | 01/24/06 | Andrew Coyne
    Empires do not end, typically, in revolution. They dissolve by stages. The decline and fall of the Roman Empire took hundreds of years. The Liberal empire has taken two elections, and may take a third. But it is going, if not gone. The first one, 2004’s near-miss in which they were lucky to escape with a minority, cracked the Liberal aura of invincibility. The party’s weakness revealed, Gomery did the rest: once it was clear that it was possible to change the government, the public’s seeming apathy about Liberal corruption was dispelled. It was not apathy, it turned out, that...
    		 

    White House congratulates Canada's Harper on election win
      Agence France Presse | January 24, 2006
    The White House congratulated Canada's Conservative Party and its leader, Stephen Harper, on their election victory and promised to bolster bilateral relations. "We congratulate the Conservative Party and Stephen Harper on their victory," said Scott McClellan, chief spokesman for US President George W. Bush. "The United States and Canada have a strong and bilateral relationship, and we look forward to strengthening our relations and working with the new government," said McClellan. Harper's party has promised a crackdown on government corruption after chasing the scandal-plagued Liberals from power after 12 years in Monday's election, which saw the conservatives fall short of...
    		 

    Mark Steyn Introduces Canada's Stephen Harper To Australians Alert
      Australian News | 01/25/06 | Mark Steyn
    A SAD day for Michael Moore. In the event of a terrible tragedy, the corpulent anti-corporate crusader is wont, like the Queen and Kofi Annan, to issue a formal statement to the world. And his "Michael Moore Statement On Canadian Election" made distressing reading: "Oh, Canada - you're not really going to elect a Conservative majority on Monday, are you? That's a joke, right?" Well, no. In a very Canadian kind of revolution, we rose up yesterday and threw the bums out but gave them a soft, fluffy landing, nevertheless installing in office a minority government that somehow managed to...
    		 

    Harper wins Tory minority government, CBC News projects
      CBC | 1/23/06
    Harper wins Tory minority government, CBC News projects Last Updated Mon, 23 Jan 2006 22:09:22 EST CBC News Conservative Leader Stephen Harper will become Canada's next prime minister, as Canadians have elected a Tory minority government and ended a 12-year reign of Liberal rule, CBC News projects. At 10 p.m, the Tories were leading or elected in 99 ridings in central and eastern Canada, the Liberals in 89, the Bloc in 39 and 20 for the NDP. In the Atlantic provinces, the Liberals, who won 22 seats in the June 2004 election, had elected or were leading in 19 of...
    		 

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