He might as well . He’s been dropping the ball since he got elected .great economy eh ? He’s blaming the U.S. Economy . How much are they up this quarter ? 2.8 % how much are we up ? Or down ? Come on Steve sell us some more fear .

“In 1978, that’s nearly 40 years ago, the Canadian government made me an Officer of the Order of Canada. The Governor-General gave me the Governor-General’s Award a while back. I am on your Walk of Fame in Toronto. My sense of humour is Canadian. But I can’t vote.” ~ Donald Sutherland

www. theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/im-canadian-and-i-have-a-right-to-vote/article25731634/

On October 19th, when you vote, remember that Donald Sutherland, and many other Canadians living abroad, can no longer vote because of Harper’s Unfair Election Act.

Election? Bring it on….
Which party to vote in? I could care less….
my concern is whichever party we get if they have a majority government , such as we have now, we will be in the same mess as we are now…just a different face to look at and a different set of “friends” getting favors……

I see Harper will call the election when he does because then he can spend double the amount on his re election hopes. 50 million rather than the normal 25. No other party has that kind of coin. Also, Duffy, Wallen and the other douche will be collecting a tax payer funded paycheck again as soon as the writ is dropped. Organized crime!

Did anybody else notice the sirens going steady last night in town

Lots of tax dollars being tossed around lately. Whats up with that? Trying to take attention away from all the lib BS in the news lately.

Saw two ambulances flying down Domano last night.

China is getting ready to build the largest metropolis in the world: Jing-Jin-Ji with a population of 130 million! It will be incorporating Beijing and some other cities, having a total area 4 times larger than the state of Bavaria. Multi lane freeways are already under construction cutting through farm land and villages! Compare that to our population of 34 million and the vast open natural unpopulated areas we still have!

I thought studded tires were to be removed by April 30th I heard some going down the Hart yesterday.
Winter must be close.

re the ambulances flying around and wasting tax dollars…17th. and Queensway yesterday at 510 pm. fender bender, saw both drivers ok and talking on their cell phones. 30 minutes later, we got 2 fire trucks, ambulance, RCMP, and one only tow truck in attendance…guess one of them got a hangnail waiting for the hook.

Jing-Jin-Ji. Is short for Beijing-Jianjin-Hebei. Three huge Cities that are all in the same area. The new mega metropolis will include all three Cities. I guess the question is, So what??

China is so over populated and so polluted that they need to do some serious thinking about their future.

I was surprised that they are actually going to host the Olympics in 2022. Do they have a plan for reducing the pollution between now and then.??

City of PG better hurry and get to Jing-Jin -Ji and start twinning agreements.

What about that school truck (Living for Learning sign on it ) bombing up Peden Hill yesterday going 100 k in a 60 zone… Truck number was 7407.. Was about 730 am and it turned off towards Wal Mart..

“Do they have a plan for reducing the pollution between now and then.??”

The competitors will be wearing personal anti-pollution systems, otherwise known as gas masks.

For all those bemoaning Donald Sutherland’s inability to vote in Canadian Federal elections, I would disagree. The man has a lot of Canadian heritage going for him; heck, his father-in-law was the iconic Canadian, Tommy Douglas. But he doesn’t reside here, so he has no vested interest in Canadian Government, so why should he vote.

Saw a video interview in which he stated he looked around for where he wanted to live, looked at some Canadian locations, but wanted to be near the ocean and liked the weather in California. You make your choices, you live with the consequences.

China has been working on improving air quality for decades. A major problem is that the major source of energy for both industrial and domestic use has been bituminous coal, which produces both particulates and sulfur compounds when burned. They’ve been trying to switch to natural gas, especially for domestic use, and more generally to replace coal with oil-based energy sources. This is one reason for China’s aggressive claims in the South China Sea. Air quality has improved in some areas as a result, especially in terms of reductions in the amount of coal dust in the air. How much improvement can be expected by 2022 is another question.

commodities falling
mexico peso falling
gas rising at least 20 cents to high
Oil sands Canadian Sweet trading at $30 per barrel
The oil companies are making money through low competition
Food rising too much
what competition in Canada
am I wrong ?

Wondering what the point is in dropping the writ early, making for the most expensive election and the second longest campaigning period in Canadian history. As far as I can tell, Dumbfounded is right. Because the time between the dropping of the writ and the election day are so far apart, the parties can spend much, much more on campaigning. What a massive waste of money. It’s for the good of the country right?

In the first quarter of 2015 China installed solar the size of France . Their capacity is growing exponentially every 18 to 24 months . At their current capacity of 33 gw as of 2014 end of 2016 ~ 66 gw . End of 2018 ~132 gw .end of 2020 ~ 264 gw. End of 2022 ~ 528 gw . This is why by 2030 Tony seba predicts the end of the fossil fuel era . All the oil producers know this . That’s why they are frantic to get as much sold as possible as fast as possible . The Saudis knew this was coming as early as 2000 and said so out loud . Like they said back then ” the Stone Age didn’t end because we ran out of rocks ” .

Canadians living outside of Canada for over five (5) years are not allowed to vote in Federal Elections. NOTE five (5) years.

There are approx. 3 million Canadians living abroad. Most of these would have been out of the Country for over 5 years.

These people for the most part have dual Citizenship and actually prefer to live in their original Country but keep their Canadian citizenship.

So should they vote if they have no intention of living in the Country, do not pay taxes, or get involved in the day to day running of the Country? I say no. So the law not allowing you to vote in a Federal Election if you have been out of the Country for over 5 years makes sense.

Donald Sutherland does not nor should he have the right to vote in Canada, him along with Neil Young and others only return here to accept some inconsequential reward then leave on the first returning flight to the states, they are Americans in the true sense of the word.
Absence of 2 years from the country should disentitle ordinary citizens from voting possibly citizen ship.

Ataloss. Solar power might be good for heating houses and running some appliances, however if you want to run your car, an airplane, ship, railway, etc; etc; you better have some oil and grease for lubrication, or you will cease up in a matter of minutes.

I suspect that we will have an increase in the use of solar power, however we will never get away from using oil.

Perhaps you plan to run your vehicle on solar powered tires.

I agree. Why should Canadian born people live away from Canada for years still have a right to vote here? I am sure they do not follow the Canadian political scene and keep informed.

Dual citizenships are another matter. Either one belongs to one country or another. Often people with dual citizenships visit their contry of birth and get into some serious trouble. They are treated not as Canadians but as citizens of that counry. However, they expect Canada to bail them out.

http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/11/22/chinas-new-energy-plan-forecasts-big-rise-in-co2-emissions/

China’s solar is a drop in the bucket.

Have a safe long weekend everyone.

Has any one else heard that NDP leader Thomas Mulcair holds both a Canadian citizen ship and French Citizen ship.

For those responding to my comment stating that Donald Sutherland does not live here, guess you missed his comment in the link I posted that states; “We live in Canada all the time we can. Our family house is here.”

As for furtree’s comments; “…only return here to accept some inconsequential reward then leave…” If you think Officer of the Order of Canada and Governor- General’s Award are both inconsequential then you are less of a Canadian than I thought.

Posted on Friday, July 31, 2015 @ 9:42 AM by furtree

Has any one else heard that NDP leader Thomas Mulcair holds both a Canadian citizen ship and French Citizen ship.

———

Old news. His wife is French so he was allowed to apply for French citizenship.

Here are the facts on costly inefficient bulk solar

http://wattsupwiththat.com/2015/07/29/the-green-mirage/

He’s a dual citizen because he married a French citizen . That entitles him to have French citizenship . Have you ever heard of Wikipedia furtree ?

Sophie, a day or so ago, you stated that you had huge news about Harper and the Government and you couldn’t wait for the Friday Free-For-All!

Your post about Sutherland et al, that was it? If it was, big deal, who cares!

Called the City to asked for the trails in Ginters to be maintained as they are over grown badly and they don’t have the manpower for up keep surprise, surprise

Tories on way to another majority?

http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2015/07/20/Harpers-Tories-Winning-Bet/

axman -Ataloss, so because he’s married to a foreigner he has to have a French citizenship, gave your heads a good shake. If your going to be the head of state for Canada then drop the foreign citizenship.

Sophic Sage in your view because some one is a simpleton actor they deserve all these accolades while the salt of the earth Canadian’s get squat, not even a honourable mention, I bet your let nut (if you have any) that your not even aware how many loggers have been killed this month producing value for this country.
Don’t try and tell me I’m a lesser Canadian than you , do you have discharge papers from a Canadian infantry as I have, I doubt you have fiddly squat of any thing .

Voting is covered under the charter and this crap will be challenged as with other lam brain Harper ideas.

To all you naysayers out there on the question of expatriates voting: voting rights are based on citizenship rights. Citizens are presumed to have a long-term vested interest in the development and direction of the country.

If you want to base voting rights on residency rights, I presume you’re also advocating that all residents, whether or not they are citizens, are entitled to vote?

And enough with the whinging about people who have strong roots in other countries who reside elsewhere for parts of the year. Yeesh. Get over it.

furtree > I am not sure how much you travel or have travelled internationally, especially how much you work or have worked internationally.

For anyone who works internationally, even if it is just for a few hours to go to a meeting or even a conference or trade show, having a French or any other kind of European EU member country passport is a tremendous advantage because you can work in any of those countries.

Try crossing the border to the USA as a Canadian citizen and having to answer the second most common question, “are you going to be doing any work while in the USA?” If your answer is no, and they think you are a bit suspicious, then they take your passport, give you a coloured slip and ask you to park your crew cab and go into the office.

You do that, the officer there asks you for your keys, he goes and inspects your vehicle contents without your attendance, comes back and asks you what are all the brochures about chainsaws doing in your car and the 3 chainsaws you have, etc. etc. You explain you are going to a conference where you are presenting a one hour session on proper chainsaw maintenance. He informs you that is work. Fines you a few hundred bucks for lying, and tells you to fill out a work visa form which will be another 200 bucks.

After that you are “free” to go across the border between two countries who have a “free trade” agreement which supposedly allows people to work in each other’s countries.

Just one of the virtues of having the right kind of passports. For certain people, it gets around these little incentive killing hurdles.
——————————————-

On another note, try telling a citizen of the United States of America that they will no longer be able to vote in USA elections. There would be an uprising like you have never seen before. Sutherland is one of thousands of Canadians who know that pride in country very well. I see him as trying to relate that sense of pride in one’s country from down there to up here, because we could sure use it.

Too bad it takes a Donald Sutherland to have to remind us of that pride.

That prompted me to see whether someone living outside of BC or outside of Canada for the last year, who still has a property investment or two in Prince George can vote in a local municipal election.

Here is what it states on the City web site:

Non Resident of Prince George
You are eligible to vote in the Prince George General Local Election as a non-resident property elector when you:
• are 18 years of age or older when you register to vote, or will be 18 years of age or older on general voting day;
• are a Canadian citizen;
• have been a resident of British Columbia for at least six months before you register to vote;
• are not disqualified under the Local Government Act, or any other enactment, or by law from voting in a local election; and,
are the registered owner of property in the City of Prince George for at least 30 days before you register to vote.

So, unless you are skirting the law by still getting some mail delivered to the address of at least one property, and thus essentially lying on an affidavit, you cannot vote in an election for which the outcome can affect the value of your property.

I do not think that is right that only those who live somewhere else in BC retain that right. Why should you not retain that right if you move to Alberta for a better job opportunity, rent a place there because you want to move back to PG if the right kind of job becomes available.

Who cares what the various reasonable explanations are for your actions. That is you private business. The right to vote in a municipal election in PG should remain as long as you have property here irrespective of where you live “permanently”.

How are we doing compared to the rest of the world?

It seems that Canada is going the other way of the rest of the world with this expat voting issue. I do not usually say this, but can’t resist, typical Harper government, totally unlike the normal Canadian Government. No wonder they call themselves the Harper Government.

Globalirish.ie has this to say about expats voting.

Irish people living abroad currently have no voting rights. This situation is becoming somewhat unusual in an international context.

Currently there around 115 countries and territories – including nearly all developed nations – that have systems in place to allow their emigrants to vote. And the number is growing. Even countries with very high rates of emigration, such as Italy, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico have recently allowed their expats to vote.

[2013 update: Since this was written in 2007, there has been an accelerating trend toward allowing overseas citizens to vote – the number would now be substantially higher than the estimate from the 2006 study.]

A 2006 study of countries that allow their emigrants to vote included:
• 21 African nations
• 13 North and South American countries
• 15 Asian countries
• 6 Pacific countries
• 36 European countries.

Sixty-five of these countries allow for external voting for everyone, while about 25 place restrictions on it, based on such factors as to whether they intend to return permanently or how long they have been away.

Citizens in the US can vote no matter how long they stay away, while citizens of Britain are disqualified after fifteen years away.

I’ve never had to pay for an elation in my life….at least not with money.

Palopu states; “If someone does not pay taxes…”. Interesting, Donald Sutherland says they have a family home in Canada where they live as much as they can. Doesn’t that mean Donald Sutherland has to pay property taxes here in Canada, yet is still NOT allowed to vote?

I think most most people with a fair open mind realizes the Unfair Election Act has weakened Canada’s democracy, not strengthened it.

gopg2015, your border experience, was it at Pt. Roberts? Heard more than one horror story from that crossing. Always had problems getting back into Canada.

“On another note, try telling a citizen of the United States of America that they will no longer be able to vote in USA elections. There would be an uprising like you have never seen before. Sutherland is one of thousands of Canadians who know that pride in country very well. I see him as trying to relate that sense of pride in one’s country from down there to up here, because we could sure use it.

Too bad it takes a Donald Sutherland to have to remind us of that pride”

=================================

Bang on!

It’s completely asinine to suggest that a Canadian citizen should be disqualified from voting in a Canadian election because of some arbitrary date cutoff devised by Reform Party ideologues.

So if I understand this correctly, someone could walk into a bank tomorrow, hold up the place at gunpoint, pistol whip a few strangers, grab all the cash they can, flee the scene, take out a few cops while being pursued, wind up in jail and still be allowed to vote.

Yet, if someone else leaves Canada to pursue work in a designated field (say tech in the San Francisco area) with every intent of moving back to Canada to start up a firm after they have gathered a suitable level of experience (say 5-7 years), they aren’t allowed to vote.

Can someone please explain this logic to me? What is the real issue here? Is it that too many people with the wrong colour skin were holding Canadian passports even though they weren’t living here and the government didn’t like that? Clearly it’s something other than the “duty to the country” argument, because to be perfectly honest, that doesn’t hold water. Refer to the examples noted above for proof.

Can anyone give me abosulte clarity on an issue? If a person is walking across a street, not at a 4 way stop, not at a signalized intersection with pedestrian walk/dont walk indicators, not at a crosswalk, just in the middle of a street, do they have the right of way? Or is this “right of way” just a safeguard to ensure motorists dont run them over unpenalized…obiviously if a person is already in the lane a vehicle must stop to not strike the pedestrian, so does yeilding until the person is out of the roadway mean the pedestrian suddenly has the “right of way” or did they have it all along? For instance; does this same “right of way” apply to the same person who is standing on the side of the road (not yet in the lane) but looking for an opening in a line of vehicles? I thought that was called J walking…how can a person that is J walking have the right of way?
PS this is not in relation to the vehicle vs pedestrian incident at 20th and Upland, and i hope that everykne involved is ok. Just wondering in general if someone smarter than me can ear the air, thanks in advance and have a safe weekend.

*clear the air*

sqrlly back in the 70’s just before I took my driving test my instructor told me to remember that stopping for a j-walker was 5 demerits and striking a j-walker was 15 demerits. 15 demerits was the fail point.

detoe44 >

That was not my border experience. It was a projection of what it would be like for furtree or anyone else going with some equipment to a conference, etc. If they say yes, they are working, then they will not get fined for failing to declare their intention, but they will have to go in to get a work visa. That could take several hours and put a hurdle in you travel plans. If there are any glitches, then it could be worse.

I watched and waited with someone going the other way. Coming for a couple of months during summer break, rented a house in Vancouver, was doing “some” work with profs at UBC which probably meant they were looking at a service he was already providing internationally from the USA to research centres.

People work internationally more and more these days. Countries are providing aid to others. Countries have experts whose expertise is marketable all over the world. It should be easier, not more difficult, to travel, work, live in other countries but still keep their nationality. The bad press about such moves is not worth getting what it is that is intended to be gotten.

When I go south of the border I use Sumas crossing. It is the closest coming from the Transcanada has the shortest lineups and it has the cheapest gas of any of the crossings. Peace Arch crossing you have to wait till Ferndale to get cheap gas. Blaine stations hose everyone by at least 10% more.

There are three key questions asked when crossing into the USA by car – where are you going; how long are you staying; what is the purpose of your trip?

I have never had any problems getting back into Canada – Where do you live; where were you; how long; value of good purchased; any alcohol, cigarettes, firearms? Welcome back! Have a safe trip!

The questions give them time to scan the passport and read any alerts there might be on the system.

There are many horror stories going both ways. Border service officers are a special breed no matter which side.

I have wondered for a long time why harpo would create a self inflicted recession . Maybe he wanted legions of skilled professionals unemployed leaving the country to work abroad because he probably know few of them would be dumb enough to vote for him . If the women come out in droves like they did in Alberta then harpo is toast . After jimmies now famous Marie Antoinette moment it was easy to see him gone . The women know the checks were bribes . I’ve already heard that said many times . I heard a couple of them say so going though the checkout today . One said to the other , I want change . Women are way better at math than harpo thinks . They sure we’re in Alberta .

icbcclaiminfo.com/node/26

go to the icbc site to get a full explanation.

In the case of jaywalking it states from a court case:

a pedestrian does not have the right of way if crossing a road NOT in a crosswalk. In such circumstances a driver’s obligation to take evasive action arises only when he or she becomes aware or ought to have become aware that the pedestrian is not going to obey the law

Yeah, the Prime Minister of Canada has direct control over global oil prices. And you bet – the NDP will do a great job in running Alberta. They did such a great job here in BC back in the day.

All these building projects won’t show up in the numbers till next year . Too late crusty . She’s trying to prop up harpo and get him elected with our money . Too late harpo . The numbers won’t show up soon enough . You should have helped the whole country two years ago when the wheels started coming off the bus you were running over senators with . Timing is everything and you missed it .

I bet all you old timers can remember when growing up what the old timers back then said . Tory times are hungry times . It’s still true today .

The oil industry is less than 3 % of the economy . We are now going to GIVE 100 million dollars free money to Toyota so they can retool to produce Lexus vehicles in canada . So we are basically all give Toyota three dollars each . Next time you see some one driving a Lexus you can say , I helped to make that . What a good feeling that will be , right?

Ataloss Tory times are hungry times only if you aren’t at the ‘right’ end of the socioeconomic scale.

That’s right hartly2 that’s why I want change now ,so that my descendants will live as fortunately a I do .

Or if you are an Inuit child staved into scavenging in the dump . Imagine in our country rickets in 2015, shameful.

So subsidies to the rich for telsa cars is okay.

Interesting… the term “Tory times are hard times” dates back to at least 1909 as The Evening Telegram on September 17th, 1909 refers to this term. If someone can find an older reference, please post it as it would be interesting to know how old the term really is.

http: //tinyurl.com/pvxcsan

Ironically the term Tory was first used to describe irish outlaws . Just a coincidence ,right?

macleans.ca/news/canada/canadas-best-prime-ministers

Maclean’s rankings by political scientists and historians done in 2011 is an interesting read.
Rankings show name, sequence in which they served, party affiliation, ranking by the Maclean’ poll.

Macleran’s explanation: “The experts rewarded prime ministers who had a broad vision of their country, and those who were able to shape their age, even if they did not appear to contemporaries to be doing so. Ability to manage a political party was highly prized. Significant too was a prime minister’s impact on Canada’s international role, national unity, and the economy. Domestic policy, beyond national unity and the economy, was judged less important.

“Longevity is crucial. A prime minister needs at least four years in office, preferably more, to succeed. The three top-rated prime ministers served at least 15 years in office. It’s no accident that six of the first seven places in the rankings went to Liberals, because that party dominated national politics from 1896 to 2006. Liberal prime ministers usually lasted a long while. They had the time to make a difference.”

Wilfrid Laurier 7 Liberal 1
Macdonald, John A. 1 Conservative 2
King, William Lyon Mackenzie 10 Liberal 3
Pearson, Lester 14 Liberal 4
Trudeau, Pierre 15 Liberal 5
Chrétien, Jean 20 Liberal 6
St. Laurent, Louis 12 Liberal 7
Borden, Robert 8 Conservative, Unionist 8
Mulroney, Brian 18 Progressive Conservative 9
Diefenbaker, John 13 Progressive Conservative 10
Harper, Stephen 22 Conservative 11
Bennett, Richard 11 Conservative 12
Mackenzie, Alexander 2 Liberal 13
Thompson, John 4 Conservative 14
Martin, Paul 21 Liberal 15
Meighen, Arthur 9 Conservative 16
Clark, Joe 16 Progressive Conservative 17
Tupper, Charles 6 Conservative 18
Abbott, John 3 Conservative 19
Turner, John 17 Liberal 20
Bowell, Mackenzie 5 Conservative 21
Campbell, Kim 19 Progressive Conservative 22

Obviously it was too early to rank Harper in 2011. It will be interesting to see how he will be ranked when he leaves office.

The middle aged of the thirties experienced it twice . The governance of the family compact .

My wife can’t vote in the election either. She has lived in Canada for over 5-years, has two kids born in the country, and so obviously has an interest in policy that relates to this countries future as it relates to education, employment, family, and taxation related issues. With Harpers new immigration laws her citizenship horizon has been pushed back another few years.

But I am ok with that. Citizenship isn’t something that should be given away and taken for granted. If Mr Sutherland can’t vote because he chooses to reside outside of the country and has no ties to the services the Canadian government provides to Canadians living in Canada… then I agree with the notion he should not be participating in our elections as well.

I am sure when my wife gets the right to vote it is something she will cherish and will in doing so contribute to the very essence of our democracy as a participating citizen. When someone has to earn their right to vote they tend to respect it much more than others that may only be looking to get a reduction in their taxation on Canadian income.

I think residency is as important as citizenship when it comes to voting.

Election in PG will probably be another classic Canadian double double election.

Double the useful idiot factor…
– partisan electorate loyal to politicians that are not representing in their communities best interest.
– partisan politicians loyal to a globalist elite vision and setting policy and binding the nation to treaties that surrender sovereign constitutional based law to the hidden, often secret, unaccountable international settlement tribunals (the new empire of the globalists).

Double the greed factor when one is incentivized to vote in favor of loyalty to ones self (or perceived notion as to what ones self could be), as opposed to loyalty to ones society. This is manifested in the globalist drive to fence in the free enterprise market that enables equality of opportunity under the guise of deregulation and meeting treaty requirements with trading partners… that then further entrenches regressive policies of the 1% and removes the protections of a progressive middle class.

PG voters buy the globalist cool aid hook line and sinker as evidenced by electing the likes of Dick Harris for over 20-years. If we make this mistake again we could find we no longer have a real country, a sovereign country that can make its own laws and provide for the safety of our society through regulations and laws that are designed to protect a free enterprise market place that is accountable to the public through democratic mechanisms… if we loose this election we will see the likes of globalist corporations determining Canadian policy through International Settlement Tribunals as enacted through treaty obligations like FIPA with China, and TPP with the Pacific, and TiSA with those that support monopolist banksters owning the rights to virtually every sector of the economy, side stepping and relegating to irrelevance the whole system of democracy our country was founded on.

Take for example the Ukraine free trade deal Harper just signed. The whole Ukraine issue came to the fore when the Ukraine government backed out of joining with the EU in a treaty that would bind the country to the international Settlements Tribunals in ‘The City of London’. The banksters in the Eu wanted to roil over the rump and corrupt Ukraine government through their treaty obligations as interpreted via the International Settlements courts… for things like access to the agricultural land and resources of the Ukraine, as well as everything from tolls on its roads and bridges to control of its postal and other government services… the county would be left a ward of the banksters like Greece with no real sovereignty to protect its own national interests.

The whole Canada – Ukraine free trade deal is just a do around for the EU banksters to get the same access to the Ukraine that their failed attempt at EU integration failed. Canada under Harper is nothing more than a globalist empire building go between that ties Ukraine to the International Settlements Courts…

That is what Harpers Ukraine free trade deal is with Ukraine… its a globalist proxy agent enabling their sovereign wealth theft by exposing Canada to the blow back of such an agreement… especially exposing our national interests to these same courts come the lavish and corrupt ideals of Ukrainian oligarchs like Shakashvilli the war criminal from Georgia appointed to be the governor of Odessa.

the globalist must have been laughing at the useful idiots in Canada… signing a free trade with a collection of oligarchs that took power through a coup and hold it by using police state force against its own population… a free trade partner that had right sector fascists marching with weapons in full uniform by the thousands through the streets of Kiev on the very day Harper is announcing that Canada will be the first country to sign a free trade agreement with them.

For Harper its not about bringing democratic values to the Ukraine… its about enabling the exploitation of their country by a process that ensures any semblance of democracy they do gain in the future is hamstrung and irrelevant due to treaty obligations such as the one Canada just signed with them.

Of course with a Canadian double double election we can all count on more of the same.

Oh the sheer hypocrisy and irony about a Harper Conservative Unfair Election Act, requiring “residency” in Canada in order to vote, when his own senators don’t seem to be able to follow their “residency” requirements, and in the case of Mike Duffy, apparently Harper knew the Duffster’s primary place of residence was not PEI, but he appointed him to the senate representing PEI anyway.

I guess when Harper is the Supreme Commander, he gets to set the rules and break them as he sees fit. Wow… this Harper government, does not know whether it is coming or going!

I am quite enjoying this, and only 10 more Friday Free For Alls until the next Federal Election.

Oh joy !! 10 more weeks of the Cons telling me how nice Justin’s hair is.

The Tyee article about Harper being ignored? Must hurt I guess. Solar report also being ignored, again must hurt.

You know these changes to the Election Act are not just denying Donald Sutherland his right to vote, I can think of others famous Canadian’s who are probably not allowed to vote now as well; Celine Dion, Alex Trebek, Michael J. Fox, … keep going if you can think of others…

People should spend a little more time thinking about the voting problem before they go to press.

As previously stated Canada has approx. 3 Million Canadian living overseas, that have dual citizenship and most have probably been out of the Country over 5 years.

These people actually live in their **home** Countries and have taken out Canadian citizenship for various reasons, however their hearts are in their homelands. Very few of them are actually working in foreign Countries with a view of returning once the job is done.

I agree 100% with the decision to not allow them to vote if they have been out of the Country for more than five years.

The duel Canadian Citizenship program is being abused, and perhaps it should be scrapped all together.

Eagle1:”I think residency is as important as citizenship when it comes to voting.” That wraps it up very nicely, imho.

I have another famous Canadian who is now no longer eligible to vote. I will give you a couple of hints; he received an honorary Doctorate from Carleton University, Ottawa Ontario, in 1994 and was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 1998…. he is… Dan Aykroyd. How about Kim Carey, Ryan Gosling, Evangeline Lilly, Howie Mandel, Director James Francis Cameron, Wayne Gretsky, Pamela Anderson, Ellen Page, Hayden Christensen, Michael Myers, Ryan Reynolds, Seth Rogen, William Shatner, gulp… Justin Bieber, Neil Young, Director David Cronenberg, Neve Campbell, Jason Priestley, Paul Shaffer, Dave Foley, Helen Shaver, Rick Moranis… etc.

Speaking of Wayne Gretsky, what about all those Canadian Professional Hockey players playing for NHL teams in the US where they have to live there? Lots of professional Canadian hockey players who are now ineligible to vote… thanks a lot Harper!!!

It seems that every successful and famous person who is Canadian, that we as Canadians should be, and are, proud of no longer has the right to vote in our Country. How sad is that?

Thanks for the info gopg2015 and Hartly 2, and Hartly thanks for the story, it made my day lol.

Anyone have any info on the TFWs that just came from Spain to work as construction tradespeople on the new bio plant in Ft St James?