Liberal Leader Bob Rae tells a Vancouver audience that his party will "end dictation from the top"
Liberal Leader Bob Rae says Canada needs a government that believes in partnerships.
Liberal Leader Bob Rae talked a lot about partnerships in a meeting today at the YWCA in downtown Vancouver.
The event, which was broadcast over the Internet to about 3,000 people, was designed to encourage Canadians to bring views forward even if they weren't members of the Liberal Party of Canada.
“If the federal government is seen as out there dictating or coming in from the outside and saying how things need to be done, then we really don’t get very far," Rae said. "It’s really about understanding that the country is not a series of watertight compartments."
He claimed that the Conservative government led by Stephen Harper, on the other hand, believes that the provinces and Ottawa have different roles.
Rae noted that the Harperites don't even see a need for provincial leaders and the federal government to hold meetings with one another.
"If you watch the way the Harper government works, that’s how they think," the Liberal leader maintained. "They actually think that Canada is a series of watertight compartments. And each compartment has to do its job and just not bother the other compartment."
He went on to claim that this is "preposterous", citing the impact of federal crime legislation on provincial budgets.
"Already, we have seen an 11 percent increase in the prison population at a time when crime is going down," Rae said. "And already the provinces are starting to do their homework and say, ‘Wow, this is going to cost us a lot of money. We have to build the prisons, many of them. We have to run them. We have to take responsibility for the court structures. We’re responsible for the administration of justice under the British–North America Act. So we have to pay for these things.' And the federal government says, ‘Not our problem. We’re responsible for the Criminal Code.’ The two things go together. They’re not two separate things. So we really have to promote partnerships."
Later in his presentation, Rae claimed that Harper runs a "command-and-control" regime that pillories its opponents. "Yes, you know, the world is changing, and yes, we can’t take prosperity for granted, but we need to think of a way to create genuine working partnerships," he said.
And that, he suggested, meant talking to people who live in cities to address urban issues, and reaching out to people who live on reserves to deal with their greatest concerns.
"We will end dictation from the top," Rae promised.
Bob Rae speaks about partnerships at the Vancouver YWCA.
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Comments
What is the difference between the fiscal policies of the federal Liberals and the Cons?
Nothing.
"if they have to join forces and become one party to get rid of Harper and his brand of conservativism for good, then for god's sake DO it!"
At least 3 parties maintains some of the left - the difference between the dem's and rep's is a "choice" of right wing or right wing with even further right social policy.
And why is the Media Psrty so obsessed with a third place Opposition Party? Is this what they're calling a "Bob Rae Bounce." It would be funny if it wasn't so pathetic.
To truly compete the Liberal Party of Canada requires an absolute Liberal for leader (Reform Liberal like Chretien or Trudeau) with a finance critic who is more market liberal (Paul Martin) the combination attracting Progressive Conservatives dissatisfied with Harper's 'way' who rejected Ignatieff and Dion
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/margaret-wente/have-we-beco...
We would end up exactly where we are now with a Liberal government replacing the current one and there is not endless time to rebuild this decrepit, corrupt political vehicle before serious challenges face this country in international affairs (the coming war on Iran) and the threat of serious cutbacks to our own social gains. Let's instead unite behind the Official Opposition and give them a majority government.
Yeah, that sounds, because of today's extreme right-wing bullshit very "lefty" or "commie"-but ask people actually risking their lives, say, in North Africa how that sounds, eh? Fair. Egalitarian.
Canadians who were too inconvenienced to vote, let this monster loose and now the only legal way to get rid of it is to ask these soft, coddled, ignorant and shallow consumers, er citizens to not be inconvenienced again.
Harper is counting on the populace to remain apathetic and indolent; that's how he got it.
The biggest piss-off?...not many people getting pissed off!
Nor are the BC Liberals, Liberals. Gordon Campbell works for Harper. Harper's friend Boessenkool is coming to work in BC. Boessenkool lobbied for Enbridge, he will run BC. Seems Harper isn't all too pleased with Christy. Harper chastised the BC people, for forcing his partner in crime, Campbell to resign. They were working hand in hand to dismantle BC, before Campbell got the boot.
Canada is pretty much geared for China's benefit. Port Prince Rupert was expanded to accept China's huge freighters. The freight is loaded on the CNR, and goes to an expanded rail yard, where China's goods are stored, until they switch the yard and send the Chinese freight to the specified destination.
Campbell shipped some of BC's mills to China. Our raw logs also go to China. Campbell closed down 51 mills and put 131,000 BC mill workers out of jobs.
China is sending their people to school to learn English, they get the coal mining jobs.
if China owns any of the seven mines, going into Northern BC, they will likely bring their own miners. Chinese wages are very cheap.
Now that China, has bought a huge chunk of the dirty tar sands. Harper will force the Enbridge pipeline and the dirty Chinese oil tankers into BC.
Harper's henchman Boessenkool, lobbied for Enbridge. Knowing Harper and his dirty tactics, we will need eyes in the backs of our heads.
I'm willing to correct myself there...with the collusion of the BC Liberals and Alberta Conservatives (same thing), Harper HAS figured out a way to sell Canada to the Chinese, and you can bet he'll be getting a hell of a lot more than thirty pieces of silver for that!
One of the pleasant realities of living on the west coast is watching all those ships full of Canadian resources heading for China, where they'll be made into poisonous crap that we then buy back. Those who actually still have jobs that is. Thanks Steve, and Gordon, and Christy and everyone else - including Paul Martin and a lot of other Liberals - who are getting rich off the backs of Canadians by literally selling the country out from under us.
Bob Rae: "Miss Secretary, I want to dictate a letter."
Miss Secretary: "Go screw yourself!" :))
You hit the hammer right on the nail.