Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - June 19, 2004, Winnipeg, Manitoba 2004 Federal election saturday june 19, 2004 a17 your vote counts Are promises merely pie in the sky probing How realistic the vows Are paints vivid picture of each party by Dan Lett analysis o ver three decades of studying government finances John find efficiencies once they form gov Mccallum has Only heard one Ern ment. As is the prerogative of oppo election Promise he thought just sit Ion parties Harper has not defined could to be kept. How these efficiencies would be found the Promise in question came from program cuts layoffs or both or the the lips of Ontario Premier Dalton departments on which he would . Leading in the polls last the liberals Are not offering much Spring Mcguinty told Ontario voters in the Way of spending cuts but Martin he could erase a $5-billion annual is also not offering tax , hold the line on taxes and pro the nip has not shown much inter text key government programs. Est in cutting government than a year later that Promise instead Layton would pay for Many of came Back to haunt Mcguinty. In his his new programs with targeted tax last budget the Liberal Premier Intro increases on the very wealthy and so reduced a hefty health care Premium of corporations. And Layton has promised up to $900 per to delay new spending if it cannot be Ontario resident. Done within a balanced could not have been less ailing health care system surprised. I knew it when i All three major parties have first heard that promised to work with the provinces to Promise that he Bridge the Romanow Gap the Feder could to do it said Al funding shortfall identified by for Mccallum special Mer Saskatchewan Premier Roy adviser to tory Romanow in his 2002 Royal commission specific election Are in Stephen Harper however none of the parties has Many ways like actually offered up enough Money i political icebergs so during a nation their platforms to actually accomplish wide Campaign politicians do Little that than offer the Broad strokes. And the provinces have been steadfast i while the incumbent party has the demanding that Ottawa should include advantage of department of finance both traditional services mandated by models on spending and economic the Canada health act and newer ser trends opposition parties Are left to vices ? such As Home care and phar make their Best educated guesses Macare ? in calculating total about what will happen to government expenditures. Under this formula the finances and the Economy in general provinces claim total health care costs Over the next four to five years Are $121 billion. Mccallum said. If Ottawa were to provide 25 per Centon the whole Mccallum said the of those costs Federal contributions three parties in this election have All would have to to offered fiscally reasonable platforms out at just Over $55although the tories Are More bullish on billion annually. Canadas future economic perform Over five years Mance while the liberals Are Well that would add up More conservative. To an additional $90 so Are the pledges doable some billion in annual interesting fissures have developed in Campaign platforms of the three currently major parties which May be an Indica Ottawa transfers Tion of How realistic each party is being. About $37 billion to the provinces for health. The health spending future surpluses Jack Layton care Accord Degoti it is an Odd but popular fashion for ated last summer would add $36.8 campaigning politicians to Tell the elec billion to the system Over five years torte How they would spend the future but much of that Money is dedicated to surpluses in the government budget. One time Only initiatives and thus Doe when the liberals came to Power in Little to provide certainty beyond the1993 and embarked on Cost cutting to term of the Accord. Slay the $40-billion deficit nobody the tories $13 billion in new Money realized How successful How quickly. Over five years and the liberals $9by the turn of the Century Ottawa was billion Over five years do not seem to raking in billions in annual surpluses. Come close to bridging the Romano now opposition parties in particular Gap even though both claim to have favour promises that spend those sur done just that. Both parties do not pluses in new and exciting ways. The that an escalator clause would be conservatives for example have Bud needed to define future funding eted $57 billion in future surpluses on increases but neither party has Indi income tax cuts military spending and rated How this would work. Health care. The the nip comes the closest to bring liberals have ing Romanow with a pledge of $30 Bil announced $27 Bil lion in new Money Over five years Bullion in new spend its debatable whether this is enough. Ing from surpluses some pledges like harpers $800?including an Addi million plan to pay for the costliest ional $9 billion on drug treatments would have to be health care. The increased Many times before they nip has identified could qualify As a drop in the bucket.$61 billion in new spending to be off defence spending set in part by higher taxes. Paul Martin both the liberals and conservatives Mccallum said have paid Strong attention to the need there is nothing unreasonable about of Canadas military but neither May the assumptions the three parties have come close to meeting the financial made even those that Are predicting needs of the department of National higher annual surpluses. However defence. Government finances can turn on a the tories have pledged $7 billion dime and politicians need to respect for the military to upgrade equipment the Impact that inflation High interest and hire 20,000 More troops. The lib rates and higher unemployment could reals have countered with a Promise Mohave on their assumptions. Hire 8,000 More troops but have not Harper at Campaign Stop in Richmond Quebec yesterday i a not going to in any Way give the Liberal party any break on its record on child pornography. It is Frank Gunn / Canadian press conservatives say grits soft on child porn Martin livid accusation follows confession of child murderer by Robert Fife Mark Kennedy and Anne Dawson Richmond que. ? a Day after a Noto rious sex killer was sentenced conservatives and new democrats waded into a potential election minefield yesterday accusing the Liberal government of being soft on child pornography. The tone of the election Campaign was already decidedly Nasty with mudslinging and attacks on issues from abortion to same sex marriage and hidden Agen Das on health care. Emotions were running High after the chilling confession of Michael Joseph Briere who was convicted in the first degree murder of 10-year-old Holly Jones last year. The Little girl was killed and dismembered after Briere said he became sexually aroused from child porn. The conservative party War room issued a news release titled Paul Martin supports child pornography ? a title that party Leader Stephen Harper immediately ordered to be changed. The release said Martin and nip maps had voted Down repeated tory Bills prohibiting the creation and promotion of child pornography including the establishment of a National sex offender registry. Yesterday evening prime minister Paul Martin reacted angrily. This is personal. I am a father and i am a husband. And he has crossed the line and he should apologize Martin said. Harper refused to Back Down saying it is absolutely Clear the liberals have not taken Strong positions to fight child pornography. I a not going to in any Way give the Liberal party any break on its record on child pornography. It is disgraceful. They have had multiple opportunities to do something about it and they have systematically the liberals immediately accused Harper of shamelessly politicizing the atrocity of child pornography in the crass est political Man Euver to win votes. New democratic party Leader Jack Layton said the liberals have not done enough to combat child porn and should have followed a Manitoba Law that allows police to combat websites. But he would not attack the tories for their release. My focus is entirely on getting some pro Active work done on this and i feel that when you have something As tragic and horrific that you need to pull together Layton told reporters. There was an apology issued on the Campaign Trail yesterday but it came from Martins chief Campaign strategist and pollster who apologized to Jean Chretien a former pollster for accusing him of trying to sabotage the election Campaign and questioning his polling capabilities. David Herle called Pollara chair Man Michael Marzolini after the com ments he made to can West news service were published Friday. He suggested he was taken out of context and said How sorry he was said Marzolini the former Liberal party pollster who served under Chretien for 11 years. Herles harshly critical comments All of which were taped by can West news service lashed out at Marzolini for orchestrating internal sabotage with in the Liberal party. He called Marzolini a poll completely fallacious and mischievous and even questioned whether it existed. He was angry because the poll which suggested the conservatives were head ing for a Strong minority government at 36 per cent compared with 31 per cent for the liberals contradicted his own poll which had the liberals winning a minority government at 33 per cent to 31 per cent for the tories. Marzolini said he accepts Herles apology although he conceded Legal action was being contemplated. Hard hitting Liberal attack ads portraying Harper As no different than Brian Mulroney and former Ontario pre Mier Mike Harris have boosted Martin in the polls according to an ses poll con ducted thursday night. Although the daily ses poll carried out for Capac had been showing the two top parties in a dead heat at 32 per cent sup port each a significant shift occurred after the ads hit the airwaves ? the liberals moved up to 34 per cent and the conservatives fell to 29 per cent. ? can West news service Manitoba a big hitters drag Homer into debate. Doh by Mia Rabson the demise of Public health care tax cuts and government waste took Centre stage in a mostly Friendly debate yesterday involving Manitoba a biggest parliamentary leaders. Nip my Bill Blaikie Cabinet minis Ter and Liberal my Reg Alcock and conservative my Brian Pallister ? none of whom Are facing a major Challenge in a re election bid ? participated in the breakfast forum organized by the Winnipeg chamber of Commerce. Each was Given 12 minutes to Back his own cause and then three minutes to rebut the others at the end and the Reg Alcock three set out con Cise versions of what each party stands for in this election. Would be repeated by another conservative government. We be seen the movie before. We saw it with Brian Mulroney and we saw it with Mike Harris. We see it with George Bush. Bush is now in a half trillion Dollar deficit. Its not he said Martin As the Only Leader who has run a major corporation is the Best Man to make the government run More efficiently. The attack on him is that he ran a business Alcock said. Well who do you want to be your prime minister Homer Simpson Pallister said the Simpson reference was fitting because when Martin was asked How much Money was squandered in the sponsorship scandal he slapped his head and said Pallister said the liberals have had a decade to break their promises and the party no longer should be Given a income taxes. Pallister also said the very things mar tin used to stand for ? such As cutting taxes to keep up with the . ? he now says Are not Cana Dian. We can Tell Paul Martin you Don to have to be a sup Porter of Paul mar tin to be a Canadian Pallister said. Blaikie said he is afraid of both the conservatives and the liberals. He worries that the Bill Blaikie conservatives will keep their promises and that the liberals wont. It does to matter who has been in government there a been scandals there a been waste there a been mismanage ment he said. He also said allowing the conserva Tives to tinker with health care and bring in More for profit providers is a Road from which there is no return. He said indicated How much Money they will Chance. Pallister promised big tax cuts Blaikie once . Private health corporations set aside. Prior to the election the everywhere i be what can we live without focused on protecting medicare and Settle in Canada Naftal rules mean grits put $7 billion on the table for new been i be heard Alcock devoted much of his 12 minutes one Way of paying for new spending they can never be kicked out. Military helicopters fixed Wing air canadians express to his leaders business background and is to find ways of saving Money or out we Are looking at the seeds of the end Craft naval ships and weapons. Profound Indiana record As finance minister. Right eliminating government programs of medicare if we allow this to happen the sad fact for the military is that Tion he said. Alcock said Paul Martin took the Brian Pallister that Are no longer a priority. Interest the Money offered by the parties is they re yearning Blaikie said. Its just not a decision one deficits left by Brian Mulroney Story singly there in to much talk about unlikely to meet the Cost of fulfilling for a government of which they can be can take lightly. This is not something government and turned Canada around shrinking government in this election. These promises. For example a recent proud a government in which they can that can be easily taking it from having the worst fiscal the conservatives have identified Queens University study concluded he said even building a system of pub record among the g8 to the Best. Some things they want to axe the fed Canadas military will need $15 billion Pallister said the conservatives Lily funded private clinics is dangerous Alcock also said he a not worried eral gun registry for example but the Over the next five years just to Deal promised audit of All government Grant because that would put the inf Astruc about the liberals running on their Money from these programs would be with capital requirements. The hiring ing programs would generate $4 billion Ture in place to eventually take the pub record. He acknowledged the liberals re spent right away on new programs of additional troops would be above in savings. He said a conservative gov Lic payer out of the equation. Did Cut health spending in the last a sex offender registry corporate tax and beyond that number. Ern ment would also Cut several taxes decade but said it was to Deal with the cuts. And the tories Are relying heavy including the Airport Security tax and bad fiscal situation left by the Mulroney. ;