Daily Digest October 28, 2008

The DAILY DIGEST: INFORMATION and OPINION from ST. JOHN'S to VICTORIA.
ARCHIVED at http://cdndailydigest.blogspot.com/

EDITORIALs

ST.JOHN'S TELEGRAM -
Robbing Peter to pay Paul

CORNER BROOK WESTERN STAR -
Pointing out the obvious

CHARLOTTETOWN GUARDIAN -
May's wise to look beyond Central Nova
A byelection elsewhere in the country could provide a path to Parliament for Elizabeth May.

HALIFAX CHRONICLE HERALD -
Home heating: Nitpicking not the answer

AMHERST DAILY NEWS -
Assessing our natural value

MONTREAL GAZETTE -
Ottawa's asbestos defence shames Canada

OTTAWA CITIZEN -
The politics of division

OTTAWA SUN -
No call worth the risk

KINGSTON WHIG STANDARD-
Halloween is a lot more expensive than it used to be

Remember all those Conservative election promises?

BELLEVILLE INTELLIGENCER -
Advocating an end to smoking nothing to be ashamed about

TORONTO STAR -
Don't let poverty fall off agenda

GLOBE & MAIL -
It is time for stronger voices
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081028.wECabinet28/BNStory/specialComment/home

Inviting disregard
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081028.wecellphone28/BNStory/specialComment/home

United front needed
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081028.weRussia28/BNStory/specialComment/home

TORONTO SUN -

No place to hide from street violence

HAMILTON SPECTATOR -
Hang up and drive

NIAGARA FALLS REVIEW -
Obama victory could satisfy both Tories, Liberals

SUDBURY STAR -
Inspirational leader wanted ­
 
Democrats, Liberals not from the same cloth

WINNIPEG FREE PRESS -
Asbestos: It's over
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/editorial/story/4242556p-4885467c.html

SASKATOON STARPHOENIX -
Public patience for corrections quickly expiring

A time to share

REGINA LEADER-POST -
Saskatchewan offers oil stability

Overwhelmed by market forces

Corrections hit week of good fortune

CALGARY HERALD -
Recycling rules milk families

Howling with happiness for Alberta's wolves

Canada's not to blame for torture in Syria and Egypt

CALGARY SUN -
Ablonczy deserves bigger role

EDMONTON JOURNAL -
Smart Tories softer on crime after election

Tortured Muslim-Canadians must explain their actions

EDMONTON SUN -
No reform, no electoral end in sight
http://www.edmontonsun.com/Comment/Commentary/2008/10/28/7225066.html
 
LETHBRIDGE HERALD -
Charities feel the pinch
http://www.lethbridgeherald.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2184&Itemid=56

RED DEER ADVOCATE -
Wounded party rallies to sound of trumpet

VANCOUVER SUN -
Small towns offer visible minorities less ethnic friction

VANCOUVER PROVINCE -
It's time for newspapers to debate the wisdom of endorsing a particular political party or candidate


ISSUES

AFGHANISTAN -
US, Pakistan mission on target
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/JJ29Df01.html

Afghanistan, Pakistan, US Military Forces Cooperate in Border Region

U.S. Considers Talks With Taliban to Reduce Afghan Violence
The U.S. is actively considering talks with elements of the Taliban, the armed Islamist group that once ruled Afghanistan and sheltered Al Qaeda, in a major policy shift that would have been unthinkable a few months ago.

U.S. May Talk With Taliban to Quell Afghan Insurgency, WSJ Paper Reports

Taliban tries bribes

Pakistan, Afghan Talks Aim at Countering Militants
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?sid=a79do.UeeY5k&pid=20601080

Pakistan, Afghan Tribal Leaders Discuss Combatting Surging Taliban Attacks

New attempt to seek Taleban peace

Former Brit General:  Militias Could Help in the Fight....

General's warning on more Afghan troops
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/oct/29/military-afghanistan

Nato's Afghan forces 'hit limit'

Afghans losing faith in reconstruction efforts
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article5033453.ece


CANUSA/USACAN
Harper obliged to demand Khadr return


ECONOMIC AFFAIRS
CDN Auto-parts industry seeks $1-billion in loans

Ottawa balks at more aid for auto-parts makers

Government denies auto-parts finance request


FOREIGN AFFAIRS
The strike that shattered US-Syria ties 
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/JJ29Ak02.html

Making America safe for the world 
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/JJ29Ak03.html

China wrestles its moment of opportunity
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China_Business/JJ29Cb01.html


JUSTICE SYSTEM
Human traffickers go unpunished in Canada
Research shows 31 cases in 2 years without convictions
http://www.ottawasun.com/News/National/2008/10/28/7232676.html

Ruling could affect inspections of suspected grow-ops
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20081028/grow_op_081028/20081028?hub=Canada

Staff say new jail is unsafe
No way to control uprisings in $58-million Collins Bay complex, union warns


POLITICS IN THE PROVINCES
Ontario signals it could aid auto industry

NAFTA won't stop Ont. from using pesticide ban

Williams apologizes, takes 'full responsibility' at cancer inquiry

'No deniability in my office,' Williams tells Nfld. probe

Minister should've informed me about impact: Williams


POLITICAL OPINION -
PM's trust issues: New cabinet ministers might become more than potted plants.  MORE...

The centre-left will have to find its own Stephen Harper.. MORE...

Unite the left.. MORE...

Flaherty likely to wear Deficit Jim tag. MORE...

The best way to avoid a deficit: Cut spendingd. MORE...

Canada, Sweet Land of Hope, Hard Work and Prosperity. MORE...

Harper's strategic victory. MORE...

Saying principles don't counts. MORE...

Election train pulls into Quebec.. MORE...

Ottawa's asbestos defence shames Canada. MORE...

What's a Canadian to do when there's no Bush to beat around?. MORE...

Harper calls first ministers meeting on economy

Cotler denies floor-crossing rumours

Erasing surplus was Tories' biggest mistake: Martin

Harper has no excuse to run a deficit: Paul Martin

Go big or go home, Martin tells Ottawa

Exclusive Interview with Paul Martin

A Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy

The Real Blitz that Buried Dion

CTV news boss defends airing of Dion retakes

Grit Quebec wing demands temporary abolition of Quebec lieutenant

All this and a blog war set to break out..

Flaherty and Prentice expected to keep cabinet posts

Inside track into new cabinet?
 
Cut spending to avoid deficit, majority says

Feds can balance budget: analyst

NDP hopes to push Tories away from corporate tax cuts

Billions in federal IT projects under review

Frank McKenna won't run for Liberal leadership

Liberals, NDP to Cash In on Election Results in Quebec

Weak election showing hurts Liberal research, staff budget


PRESSURE POINTS
Prince Charles says climate the real crisis
Britain's Prince Charles urged the world Tuesday to fight climate change, saying that while the global credit crunch will be temporary, the effects of the "climate crunch" were irreversible.


OPINION AND INFORMATION
The iceberg ahead

Every parent is a risk manager


INFOS 
C'est quoi, les «valeurs québécoises»?
http://www.cyberpresse.ca/opinions/chroniqueurs/alain-dubuc/200810/26/01-33012-cest-quoi-les-valeurs-quebecoises.php

Frank McKenna ne sera pas candidat à la direction du Parti libéral du Canada
http://info.branchez-vous.com/Nationales/081028/N1028204AU.html

Harper convoque ses homologues des provinces le 10 novembre à Ottawa
http://info.branchez-vous.com/Nationales/081028/N1028150AU.html

LeBlanc se lance, McKenna non
http://www.radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/Politique/2008/10/28/001-liberal-leblanc.shtml

Une sénatrice en disgrâce
http://www.radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/Politique/2008/10/28/004-plc-hervieux-payette-avenir.shtml

Hervieux-Payette défend son bilan
http://www.cyberpresse.ca/actualites/elections-2008/200810/26/01-33030-hervieux-payette-defend-son-bilan.php

Un monopole anticonstitutionnel
http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/Ontario/2008/10/27/006-marijuana-appel_n.shtml

Finances, vision, unité: maîtres-mots de Paul Martin pour l'avenir du PLC
http://www.ledevoir.com/2008/10/28/212915.html

BELOW(30)(30)(30)(30)(30)30)(30)(30)(30)(30)(30)30)(30)(30)(30)(30)(30)30)(30)(30)(30)(30)(30)(30)(30)(30)

A positive article in a generally negative aimosphere.

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C'est quoi, les «valeurs québécoises»? What is the "Quebec values"?
http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cyberpresse.ca%2Fopinions%2Fchroniqueurs%2Falain-dubuc%2F200810%2F26%2F01-33012-cest-quoi-les-valeurs-quebecoises.php&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&sl=fr&tl=en

In the balance that has made the election campaign, the leader of the Bloc Quebecois, Gilles Duceppe, has attributed the success of his training to its ability to embody the "Quebec values" in a context where there are "two visions, that of Quebec and Harper. "

M. Duceppe avait pas mal raison sur le premier point, mais il avait tout faux sur le second. Mr. Duceppe was quite right about the first point, but it was all wrong on the second. Cette façon de diviser le monde en deux, le Québec d'un bord et Harper de l'autre, est simpliste et ne se vérifie pas dans les faits, car les valeurs que M. Duceppe a défendues avec éloquence ressemblent étrangement à celles d'une majorité d'Anglo-Canadiens. This way of dividing the world into two, Quebec on one side and Harper on the other, is simplistic and does not verify in practice, because the values that Mr. Duceppe has eloquently defended strangely similar to those of a majority of Anglo-Canadians.

Cette analyse, boiteuse, sert à donner un sens, a posteriori, aux résultats électoraux. This analysis, lame, serves to give a sense, a posteriori, the election results. Le Bloc québécois a bien fait, mieux qu'on pouvait le croire au début de la campagne. The Bloc Quebecois has done, the better we could think at the beginning of the campaign. Avec 50 sièges, un de moins qu'en 2006, il a raflé les deux tiers des circonscriptions, ce qui en fait, et de loin, le premier parti fédéral au Québec. With 50 seats, one less than in 2006, he won two thirds of constituencies, making it, by far, the first federal party in Quebec.

Mais ce succès a un prix: la dilution du message traditionnel du parti. But this success has a price: the dilution of the traditional message of the party. En insistant sur le triomphe des valeurs québécoises, le succès bloquiste peut plus facilement se greffer à la démarche du parti et à sa raison d'être. By emphasizing the triumph of the values Quebec, the Bloc success can easily be added to the approach of the party and its raison d'etre.

Le nombre de sièges remportés par le Bloc québécois masque cependant une certaine érosion. The number of seats won by the Bloc Quebecois, however, mask a certain erosion. L'appui au parti est passé de 42,1%, il ya deux ans, à 38,1%, cette fois-ci. Support for the party rose from 42.1% two years ago, to 38.1% this time. Quatre points de pourcentage, ce n'est pas rien. Four percentage points is not anything. C'est ce que Stéphane Dion a perdu à l'échelle nationale. This is what Stéphane Dion has lost nationwide. Le succès du Bloc tient en bonne partie aux distorsions de notre système électoral. The success of the Bloc is in large part to distortions of our electoral system. Avec un peu plus que le tiers des voix, le Bloc a obtenu les deux tiers des sièges. With a little more than a third of the vote, the Bloc won two thirds of the seats.

Il faut donc éviter de surestimer la solidité du mandat dont dispose M. Duceppe. We must therefore avoid overestimate the strength of the mandate available to Mr. Duceppe. Et il faut l'interpréter correctement. And it should be interpreted correctly. Le Bloc a profité de la faiblesse des deux principaux partis, les conservateurs à cause de leurs idées et les libéraux à cause de leur chef, et a donc encore une fois joué un rôle de parti refuge. The Bloc took advantage of the weakness of the two major parties, the Conservatives because of their ideas and the Liberals because of their leader, and therefore once again played the role of party refuge. Mais ce succès a aussi reposé sur la grande habilité de M. Duceppe, qui a rapidement recentré sa campagne pour évacuer la question de la souveraineté et se présenter en défenseur des consensus québécois, notamment les demandes du gouvernement québécois et les valeurs québécoises. But this success also rested on the great power of Mr. Duceppe, who quickly refocused his campaign to remove the issue of sovereignty and submit Quebec champion of consensus, including requests from the Quebec government and Quebec values. Ce qui fait de M. Duceppe tout autant l'homme de Jean Charest à Ottawa que celui de Pauline Marois. That makes Mr. Duceppe as the man of Jean Charest in Ottawa than Pauline Marois.

Mais il n'y a pas là-dedans un quelconque signe d'un progrès de l'option. But there is not there any sign of progress of the option. Ce que M. Duceppe, cohérent, s'est bien gardé de dire. What Mr. Duceppe, coherent, was careful not to say. Mais en insistant sur la différence entre le Québec et le Canada de M. Harper, il a manifestement tenté d'interpréter sa campagne, essentiellement autonomiste, dans un sens qui pourrait nourrir son option. But stressing the difference between Quebec and Canada Mr. Harper, he has clearly tried to interpret his campaign, largely autonomous in a way that could feed its option.

Les chiffres disent autre chose. The numbers say something else. D'abord, l'hostilité aux idées de M. Harper est moins marquée au Québec qu'on peut le croire. First, hostility to the ideas of Mr. Harper is less pronounced in Quebec you can believe it. Le score des conservateurs au Québec, 21,8%, est nettement plus bas que les 37,7% dans l'ensemble canadien. The score Conservatives in Quebec, 21.8%, is significantly lower than the 37.7% across Canada. Mais cela s'explique essentiellement par la grande résistance aux conservateurs dans l'île de Montréal, où ils ne recueillent que 12,7% des voix. But the main reason is the great resistance to conservatives on the island of Montreal, where they collect that 12.7% of the vote. Mais en dehors de la région montréalaise, les conservateurs ont obtenu 31,6% des voix. But outside the Montreal region, the Conservatives won 31.6% of the vote. Pas tellement loin de la moyenne canadienne. Not so far from the Canadian average.

Quelles sont ces valeurs québécoises qui nourrissent la vision du Québec incarnée par le Bloc? What are these values that sustain Quebec's vision embodied by the Quebec Bloc? M. Duceppe a insisté sur le respect de l'environnement, la défense de la culture, l'égalité des hommes et des femmes, le refus de la ligne dure envers les jeunes contrevenants, et donc une opposition à quatre éléments hautement symboliques du programme conservateur hérités du courant réformiste. Mr. Duceppe insisted on respect for the environment, defense of culture, equality of men and women, the refusal of the hard line against young offenders and therefore opposed to four highly symbolic program Conservative inherited from the current Reform.

Ces idées défendues par le Bloc correspondent, à titre d'exemple, aux positions éditoriales du Globe and Mail . These ideas advocated by the Bloc correspond, for example, the editorial positions of The Globe and Mail. Ce sont aussi les valeurs que défendent le Parti libéral du Canada, le Nouveau Parti démocratique et le Parti vert. They are also the values defended by the Liberal Party of Canada, New Democratic Party and the Green Party. Et ce sont donc des valeurs pour lesquelles ont voté les deux tiers des Canadiens, puisque les quatre partis qui défendent ces idées ont recueilli 62,3% des voix. And what are the values for which voted two-thirds of Canadians, since the four parties who defend these ideas have received 62.3% of votes. Pour paraphraser M. Duceppe, on pourrait dire qu'il ya deux visions, celle de la majorité des Canadiens et celle de Harper. To paraphrase Mr. Duceppe could say that there are two visions, that of the majority of Canadians and Harper.

Bien sûr, les Québécois sont différents. Of course, Quebecers are different. Ils forment une nation, avec sa langue majoritaire, son histoire, sa culture, ses sensibilités. They form a nation, with its majority language, history, culture, sensibilities. Et ses valeurs. And its values. Mais dans un grand paradoxe, ces fameuses valeurs sont étrangement proches de celles de l'autre nation avec laquelle ils sont en perpétuelle tension. But in a great paradox, these values are famous strangely similar to those of the other nation with which they are in perpetual tension.

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