Without the socialst spin...
OTB
Globe endorses incumbent Tories
(AFP) – 1 day ago
OTTAWA — Canada's premier daily, the Globe and Mail, announced Thursday its backing for Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservatives in the upcoming May 2 election. "Only Stephen Harper and the Conservative Party have shown the leadership, the bullheadedness (let's call it what it is) and the discipline this country needs," its editorial said.
The prime minister has demonstrated "principled judgment on the economic file" and his government has been mostly "moderate and pragmatic," the daily wrote.
He has "not been the scary character portrayed by the opposition."
However, the editorial said Harper "could achieve a great deal more if he would relax his grip on parliament, its independent officers and the flow of information," the newspaper added.
The Globe and Mail praised Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff for his hard-fought campaign, but criticized him for failing to identify clearly why Canada needs a change in government.
New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton earned kudos for energizing the electorate in the final days of the campaign.
But his party's "free-spending policies" were deemed to be "unrealistic and unaffordable, at a time when the country needs to better manage public spending, not inflate it."
The 2011 election campaign itself was "unremarkable and disappointing," marked by "petty scandals, policy convergences and a dearth of serious debate," the newspaper said.
"We were not presented with an opportunity to vote for something bigger and bolder, nor has there been an honest recognition of the most critical issues that lie ahead: a volatile economy, ballooning public debts and the unwieldy future of our health-care system."
Going forward, Canada faces many thorny issues such as national unity, relations with the United States, wars in Libya and Afghanistan, and climate change.
The newspaper, which has a circulation of 310,000, supported Harper in 2006 and 2008 elections that resulted in back-to-back Tory minority governments/
"If the result is a confident new parliament, it could help propel Canada into a fresh period of innovation, government reform and global ambition," the daily concluded.
"Stephen Harper and the Conservatives are best positioned to guide Canada there."
OTB
Globe endorses incumbent Tories
(AFP) – 1 day ago
OTTAWA — Canada's premier daily, the Globe and Mail, announced Thursday its backing for Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservatives in the upcoming May 2 election. "Only Stephen Harper and the Conservative Party have shown the leadership, the bullheadedness (let's call it what it is) and the discipline this country needs," its editorial said.
The prime minister has demonstrated "principled judgment on the economic file" and his government has been mostly "moderate and pragmatic," the daily wrote.
He has "not been the scary character portrayed by the opposition."
However, the editorial said Harper "could achieve a great deal more if he would relax his grip on parliament, its independent officers and the flow of information," the newspaper added.
The Globe and Mail praised Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff for his hard-fought campaign, but criticized him for failing to identify clearly why Canada needs a change in government.
New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton earned kudos for energizing the electorate in the final days of the campaign.
But his party's "free-spending policies" were deemed to be "unrealistic and unaffordable, at a time when the country needs to better manage public spending, not inflate it."
The 2011 election campaign itself was "unremarkable and disappointing," marked by "petty scandals, policy convergences and a dearth of serious debate," the newspaper said.
"We were not presented with an opportunity to vote for something bigger and bolder, nor has there been an honest recognition of the most critical issues that lie ahead: a volatile economy, ballooning public debts and the unwieldy future of our health-care system."
Going forward, Canada faces many thorny issues such as national unity, relations with the United States, wars in Libya and Afghanistan, and climate change.
The newspaper, which has a circulation of 310,000, supported Harper in 2006 and 2008 elections that resulted in back-to-back Tory minority governments/
"If the result is a confident new parliament, it could help propel Canada into a fresh period of innovation, government reform and global ambition," the daily concluded.
"Stephen Harper and the Conservatives are best positioned to guide Canada there."
