Why haven't the NDP attacked the Bloc!?!?!??!!??!?11111

[Telly Savalas]

That WEASEL Jack Laytin is giving Duceppe a FREE RIDE!!!!

[jackbourassa]

1. Because they aren't competing against each other

The NDP have no chance of winning any seats in Quebec and the Bloc aren't competing anywhere else.

Why would he "attack" him? This may surprise you, but it's not Jack Layton's job to help Paul Martin win seats.

[jackbourassa]

2. I think you were trying to be funny...

...my apologies.

[Monkeybumper]

3. Another funny thing

Jack has also quit saying anything about private hospitals. I wonder why ?

[iverglas]

6. Hmmm ... You wonder why Layton has quit saying anything

... about private hospitals.

How about ... because he hasn't?

There. Now does everybody see how ya can't answer a cheap, dirty loaded question? Surely it should be pretty clear there.

"Layton has quit saying anything about private hospitals because he hasn't quit saying anything about private hospitals". Makes no sense at all, does it?

Watch TV much?

http://www.ccnmatthews.com/news/releases/show.jsp?action=showRelease&searchText=false&showText=all&actionFor=576056
(all emphases added)

JANUARY 18, 2006 - 14:31 ET

NDP Unveils New Ad Focussing on Trust : 'Who Can You Trust to Put Working Families First?'

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(CCNMatthews - Jan. 18, 2006) - The NDP Campaign released its third new ad this week. The new ad asks Canadians who they trust to put working families first.

"During the past seven weeks, Canadians have been telling us they do not trust the Liberals after 12 years of corruption and endless broken promises," said NDP communications director Brad Lavigne. "And people do not trust the Conservatives because of their plans to expand private health care and give tax breaks to banks and oil companies."

"This time there is a third option - Jack Layton and the NDP," Lavigne said. "On Monday, we can change politics to improve care for seniors, education for young people and health care for families."

The ad is posted on the NDP web site at ndp.ca/tvads. Beta copies are being delivered to the Ottawa offices of the television networks today.

Hmm, January 18. Maybe if you watch closely, you'll see it tonight.

Oh dear, Jack didn't say "private hospitals". I guess that means that he thinks that "private hospitals" are okay, but "private health care" is bad. I'm sure that must be it.

For anybody not actually clear on the concept, and I'm sure there are some hereabouts:

http://www.health.gov.on.ca/english/public/contact/hosp/hosp_mn.html

Ontario has four different hospital types including Public Hospitals, Private Hospitals, Federal Hospitals, and Cancer Care Ontario Hospitals.

... Ontario has eight private hospitals currently providing services under the Private Hospitals Act and receiving funding for their operation from the ministry.

And for the further edification of anyone concerned:

http://www.healthcoalition.ca/shouldice2.pdf

Shouldice Hospital is a private hospital established in 1945 by Dr. Edward Shouldice in Toronto and licensed by the Ministry of Health. In 1953 the facility moved to Thornhill, Ontario just north of Toronto. The Shouldice family still owns the hospital. The hospital performs hernia operations exclusively.

Shouldice Hospital is an anomaly because it was, in essence, "grandparented" as a private hospital by Ontario's Private Hospitals Act in 1973 as Ontario moved to public medicine. Article 3(1) <that's "section 3(1)" to people who speak English) of the Act specifies that hospitals whose licenses were issued before October 29, 1973 only would continue to stay in existence. New for-profit hospitals cannot be licensed under this legislation. Furthermore, any transfer of license or transfer of share capital of a corporation holding the license of a grandparented facility, requires prior approval of the Minister of Health.

Is the Shouldice Hospital the same as a private surgical facility under Bill 11 <Alberta>?

No. The Shouldice exists because it was in existence pre-medicare and entrenched in the Private Hospitals Act. It performs only operations for hernias. Granted, the Shouldice has developed a procedure that makes it very efficient but it should be noted that the Shouldice does not accept more complicated hernia surgeries that may require anything other than the routine procedure. This is typical of for-profit health care. It is a form of cream skimming -- accept the routine cases and leave the more complicated and expensive ones for the public sector.

Once again: it is NOT THE PATIENT'S FAULT if the public health care system chooses to pay for services provided by a private facility that cannot be provided by the public system.

Anybody got any more questions? Monkeybumper? You got your hand up? Just ask.


Oh, hey, by the way, about Liberals and private for-profit clinics ...
http://www.straight.com/content.cfm?id=15438

Public-health advocates have also slammed Dosanjh for not stopping Copeman Health Inc. from opening a members-only clinic in Vancouver, which charges annual fees of $2,300 per year plus a one-time initiation fee of $1,200. Doctors who work at the centre are allowed to bill the provincial health plan.

My clinic certainly doesn't charge me a membership fee. It even gives me a little form to fill out when I go in, asking whether I need a shower or food. I wonder whether you get lunch and a shower for your $3,500 at that Copeman place.

[Bassic]

8. they might actually win one, but that's only cause people

are tired of hearing Jean Lapierre's idiot comments.

[V. Kid]

4. Heh...

...intrestingly enough one of the lines Layton likes to use is "I've done more for Quebec in 12 years then the Bloc has ever done" or something. Yeah, your right thought he should've been a Liberal Party proxy. Fuck the neo-conservative bastard for not doing what PMPM wanted.

Hey intresting snippet if the NDP actually gets 10-15% in Quebec, they may do very well in the Montreal riding of Outrement.

[iverglas]

5. you know why!!

Because right after the election, the NDP is all going to cross the floor en masse and join up with the Conservatives, and then sit down with Gilles over some poutine and arrange to carve the country up into Queberta and the LOB (left over bits). Jack gets Toronto.

Nobody's bid for Joe Batt's Arm yet. Want it? I can probably get you a good deal.

[SixStrings]

9. I was told I was 'crazy' for saying this exact scenario was

going to happen...It's really the only feasible avenue for Layton to take. What a pathetic, sad election this has become...Should be a very interesting couple of months ahead.

[iverglas]

10. and I'd expect I'd be told the same thing

I was told I was 'crazy' for saying this exact scenario was going to happen...

If I'd said it. Eh?

[Vote NDP]

7. Can you blame him?

Most Bloc MPs and candidates are pro-worker, pro-woman, and civil libertarian.

If a progressive Bloc candidate and just about any Liberal were running in a marginal riding, I'd vote for the Bloc in the hopse of getting another left-of-centre voice in Parliament.

Here's an example:

In 2004, Heritage Minister Helene Scherrer was running against Bloc hopeful Roger Clavet (incidentally, Helene Scherrer was the tallest Liberal candidate of the 2004 election while poor Roger Clavet was the shortest BQ candidate, standing at a meagre 5'4'').

Scherrer was staunchly pro-American, an extreme social conservative (anti-gay and anti-choice), opposed to legislation offering workers more protection from environmental hazards, opposed to the labelling of GM food, strongly supportive of the Missile Defense White Elephant, and working with foreign entertainment conglomerates to get us to sign draconian WIPO treaties and to pass DMCA-style legislation in Canada.

In contrast, Roger Clavet, since having been elected, proposed a federal anti-scab bill that the Fibranos and Crapatories voted down, has been a consistent opponent of U.S. imperial ambitions, and has always stood up for human rights and civil liberties.

Why vote NDP when you have BQ candidates of the calibre in ridings where they may or may not win? (In spite of my name, I'd sacrifice a few votes for the party I support in order to get more socialist and progressives in Parliament.)