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Andrew gave a rousing speech on September 7th. Take a look:

Andrew was featured in the lead story of Global TV’s September 7, 2008 evening newscast.

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• As a Liberal it has galled me for years that Canadians, given the overwhelming evidence to the contrary, still believe that Conservatives are better at handling an economy.

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• No one argues that Conservatives are very good at accruing and protecting their own wealth. But somehow this has translated into the misconception that they are good at or even care about protecting or enhancing the wealth of others.

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• It is not a recent phenomenon. During the depression of the 1930’s Canadians elected R.B. Bennett as Prime Minister because he was a millionaire. The logic being – if he knows how to make money for himself he can do the same for the country. His economic policies did make money for himself but sadly plunged the Canadian economy further into depression.

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• After 13 years of Liberal governments with an unprecedented string of balanced budgets and a booming economy Stephen Harper has decided that Canada should once again run a deficit. With tax cuts for the wealthiest Canadians and program spending for those that don’t need it things are becoming reminiscent of George Bush Sr.’s trickle down economics.

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• The problem is it never trickles down. Conservatives conserve, keep, save for themselves.

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• The time has come to set the record straight.  Conservatives shrink economies while Liberals grow them.

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Join Andrew and the Lang Gang at two other exciting Liberal events this week:

Wednesday, August 20: The Fourth Annual Ontario Liberal Fund Summer Patio Party.  This provincial fundraiser hosted by the Hon. Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario will feature guests including the Hon. Michael Bryant, MPP, the Hon. David Caplan, MPP, the Hon. Dwight Duncan, MPP and the Hon. John Wilkinson, MPP.  The Summer Patio Party is taking place at Cheval Bar at 606 King Street West from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.  Tickets are $500 per person.

Thursday, August 21: Skyline Summer BBQ.  This special event is shaping up to be an exciting Liberal celebration, with special guests including the Hon. Stephane Dion, the Hon. Michael Ignatieff and dozens of Liberal MPs and candidates from across the GTA.  The best part?  The price of entry is only $5, and a membership in the Victory Fund.

The Victory Fund is the Liberal Party’s new fundraising program that requires a commitment of only $10 per month: $5 to the federal party, and $5 to a local riding association.  Join today at www.victoryfund.ca and consider directing your local funds to Toronto-Danforth.

For more details on the Summer Patio Party, click here: OLF Patio Party

For more details on the Skyline Summer BBQ, click here: Skyline BBQ

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• Toronto’s Pride Week is aptly named. For the queer communities it is a moment to celebrate. For everyone else it is an opportunity to reinforce their complete and utter acceptance. For me it was an experience that made me especially proud – of my city, my country and for the Pride Committee – who put on one of the best run events in the World.

• Yesterday’s parade was my third and it has never been bigger or better. Generating tourism worth close to 100 million dollars into the city is quite an accomplishment but raising awareness and bridging the gaps of understanding is what it is really all about.

• To be in the parade looking out at the spectators one knows that every person in attendance was an equal and active participant.

• One only has to speak to one of the many tourists in Toronto for the event to be reminded of how good things are here and how, sadly, some must return to intolerance and bigotry.

• We still have much to do but the tide has turned on injustice and we are forcing ignorant ideas into the shadows. The close-minded are wary now; more cagey. Where there was once bravado in their hatred now there is fear of being found out.

• The time has come to put the words Pride Week and Pride Parade in italics because every day is a day in which Toronto’s queer communities should be proud – proud of what they have endured in the name of just being who they are and proud that they never stooped to the vile levels of their detractors.

• Pride Week is no longer just for our queer communities because yesterday I was extremely proud to join them in this celebration of diversity.

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• Recently there has been some erroneous information circulated as to my position on the South of Eastern development proposal and I have received some emails asking where I stand.

• This is an example of the emails I have been sending in response.

• I am a resident of the affected area; we live one block north of the proposed site. I have talked with a lot of fellow residents and I have heard a range of opinions about the proposed Smart Centres project. They range from seniors who want to shop at a store like Wal-Mart, to Queen Street business owners who are worried about the impact the development might have on them and the community.

• It is unfortunate that when Toronto Film Studios was “encouraged” to move no one planned ahead for what type of development could occupy this extremely contaminated land. Personally, I would have liked to see a new buyer put in place before moving them down to Filmport.

• I wouldn’t have planned for this development to come to my neighbourhood. But now my preference is that our community engages in an open and positive dialogue with Smart Centres to ensure that our wishes are respected. If the development does go ahead, it should best meet the needs of our community. Talking is better than simply cutting off discussion with angry protests.

• As you know, the decision for whether the project will go ahead rests with the Ontario Municipal Board. The Board could decide either way. Should the project go ahead, I want to be in a position to have our concerns taken into consideration by the developers. I think we in the community should make our views clear – including those who oppose this development – but we should continue to be open to dialogue.

• Personally, I want a development that will create a mix of employment opportunities. We have a lot of single parents and seniors in the area who depend on the employment that comes with this type of retail development. But I believe that the key to success in this project is a design that is integrated into the neighbourhood and which provides mixed employment opportunities, including higher-paying jobs that will be offered through professional office spaces.

• Thanks for your interest in this issue.

• Andrew

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• When Jack Layton helped trigger the election that put Stephen Harper into office he effectively killed Kyoto. He did this on a roll of the dice that he could improve his Party’s standing in the House of Commons. As it turned out, his gamble worked.

• Two years down the road, instead of apologizing for turning his backs on Canadians and the environment he is again taking a position contrary to his Party’s principles on the hope that it might improve its chances in the next election.

• When every environmentalist, led by David Suzuki, throws their full support behind Stephan Dion and Green Party leader, Elizabeth May, endorses his plan, one has to wonder what Jack is thinking. In fact Suzuki said on National television “I don’t know what Jack is thinking”.

• His weak excuse for not supporting a revenue-neutral carbon tax is merely compounded by his even weaker proposal. As his proposal has no mechanism for enforcement carbon emissions will not be cut and the revenue he hopes to invest will never exist.

• The Liberal plan is simple. We receive tax breaks for the things we want like income, innovation, savings and investment while we tax the things we want to reduce such as pollution, carbon emissions and waste.

• Canadians are prepared to do what it takes to reduce our emissions of green house gasses.

• What we need is a leader willing to take us there.

• Stephan Dion is that leader.

• A revenue-neutral Green Tax-shift is the plan and the only move that makes sense.

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• While most Liberals are licking their chomps over the string of embarrassments falling down upon the Conservative Party, I am growing concerned that these entertaining diversions are distracting us from the menace that is Stephen Harper.  

• The Bernier Affair may speak to poor judgement on Harper’s part and a shallow pool of talent from which to choose Ministers but doesn’t it really just point out how debased the Department of Foreign Affairs has become. Harper didn’t care about Bernier’s incompetence because Bernier had no real power.   

• Meanwhile the Conservatives recently decided it was a good idea to revive the Cadman Affair, an issue that seemed to have lost the media’s interest. Why would they do this? Is it for the reasons being tossed about; that they are trying to pre-empt the use of the tape in a negative ad campaign during an election or is there a more Machiavelli reason?   

• The revival of this issue allows the Conservatives to control the story and how it is debated.  It also distracts us from the real and dangerous initiatives undertaken by Stephen Harper over the past 2 years.  

• Let’s not forget that Harper is systematically trying to undermine the Charter of Rights by killing the Court Challenges Program, shutting down the Access to Information database and questioning the validity of decisions from the Supreme Court of Canada for the mere fact that they disagree.   

• Bill C-10 is overt attempt by Harper to impose his own moral compass by censoring Canadian film and television.  

• Bill C-50 once again demonstrates why Immigrants don’t generally like the Conservatives; because the Conservatives don’t like Immigrants.   

• Harper hates arms length bodies because they prevent him from getting his sticky little fingers on the levers of control. When he campaigned on accountability, we didn’t know that he meant everything should be accountable to him.  

• Harper promised us that we wouldn’t recognize Canada when he got through with it. His latest trick in the unravelling of the Canadian fabric is to distract us with the bumbling and fumbling of his incompetent caucus while he pulls at yet another thread.

• Don’t be distracted.

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