Editor’s Notes

Tory buddies Harper and Charest

know how to buy an election

Just as were putting today’s issue to bed I learned that Charest of Quebec is planning to take the handout from his fellow Tory Firewall Harper and use it as a tax break for the residents of La Belle Province. I couldn’t help but laugh-out-loud. As blatant a piece of vote buying as Quebec has ever seen. And it has seen plenty. Respond as they may, it’s clear that Charest has stolen the march on Boisclair and Dumont. They can hardly do more than sputter in the dust of the provincial Liberal election machine. Word is that Dumont’s machine has been colluding with the Harper Tories for whenever the federal campaign is officially under way. With this gift to Charest the Dumont gang may prefer to sit and suck their thumbs in the next running.

The left and right in Quebec were united under Rene Levesque who held out the carrot of separation. It’s lucky for Quebec and Canada that that 18^th century goal was never achieved because if it had, the artificial alliance, with victory in hand, would have fallen apart and we would have seen something as close to a blood bath as ever could happen in the True North Strong and Free. The generation that fueled this cause is now exchanging their boots for wheelchairs in retirement homes. The cause is tanking and the left and right are going their own obsessive ways. The blue vote is feeling its way back home to the federal Tories and the provincial arm led by Dumont. They are helping each other out in election fights. How the gift to Charest will play out on the ground will be interesting to observe.

And again back to the ranch, the oil rustlers will be seething. What’s happened to Firewall Harper? He’s giving our money to finance a tax cut for French spoiled brats? It happens every time we send a good man to Ottawa, he becomes infected by corrupt eastern values.

Harper seems to have difficulty on focusing on more than one problem at a time. It’s not that this gift to Charest will offend only Alberta, what about Ontario to name just one more?

Well, the argument already being made, others can do as Quebec has. But what about hospital care and a raft of other sores on our body politic? Yes indeed Charest will have his election victory but the proverbial can of worms has just been given another kick.

Keep your sense of humour. See you tomorrow.

Looking forward

Carl Dow

Editor and Publisher