THE BATTLE BEGINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[102first_hussars]

FIRST POLITICAL DEBATE
BETWEEN ALL PARTY MEMBERS


Harper's same-sex comment, Martin's national-unity stance highlight debate -


VANCOUVER (CP) - A question about the prospect of having gay children gave Stephen Harper a chance to show his human side Thursday as he promised to love his kids unconditionally and not to use the Constitution to outlaw same-sex marriage.
"It's a duty of parents to always love their children. I love my children and I'm going to love my children all my life," the Conservative leader said in one of the emotional highlights of the leaders' first debate of the election campaign.



Prime Minister Paul Martin, whose Liberals are fighting for their survival in Quebec, came alive when he made a pitch to Quebecers near the end of the French-language debate.

"You want to divide Quebec families but it won't happen," said Martin, shaking his fist toward Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe, his main foe in the province.

"What Quebecers really want is to confront the challenges outside of our borders.

"Our competitors are not within our borders. Together, Canada can confront the Chinese, the Indians and we will do it as a country."

Martin told the Quebec voters he desperately needs that he has lived in the province for 40 years and brought up his children in the province.

"I am a Quebecer," he proudly stated.

Duceppe resorted to an old argument in bringing up the signing of the 1982 Constitution, which lacks Quebec's signature.

"Quebec was isolated," Duceppe said. "The nine other provinces and the federal government isolated Quebec. Any constitutional change is impossible.

"I admire this country but we are different in Quebec. We're not better, we're not worse. We want to build Quebec in our own way."

Harper also raised the Constitution, but only in an effort to appeal to the moderate voters he must attract.

Harper said he would not use the Constitution's controversial notwithstanding clause to eradicate the right to same-sex marriage. He went on to say the issue would be settled by a free vote in Parliament if he becomes prime minister.

Harper needs to win over moderate voters, particularly in Ontario, if the Conservatives are to have any hope of forming a government. His opposition to same-sex marriage has been cited by pollsters as a position that has driven moderate voters away from the Tories.

The encounter was civilized but did not allow for much in the way of direct debate between the contenders for the Jan. 23 election.

The leaders responded to videotaped and e-mailed questions from voters across the country. None of the politicians knew in advance what they would be asked.

Rather than stymie the flow of the debate, the questions seemed to enhance the exchanges. Each of the four leaders also seemed at ease in French, the language of Thursday's debate. Friday's will be in English. Two other debates are set for Jan. 9 and 10.

Martin, who repeatedly portrays Harper as a right-wing ideologue, cast himself as a man who defends all Canadians.

"The role of the prime minister of Canada is to protect minorities, and I assure you that I will protect minorities," Martin told the national audience.




New Democratic Party Leader Jack Layton, eager not to be outflanked by the Liberals on the issue, said his party would do everything it could to protect the rights of homosexuals.

"For a long time, (gays and lesbians) have worked toward this goal to have equality," Layton said. "And I'm very proud that I had the opportunity to stand in the House of Commons and to vote in support for equal rights for everyone."

The early section of the debate was dominated by the sponsorship scandal.

It took just seconds for sponsorship to become a cudgel in the hands of the prime minister's political rivals as they took turns pounding Martin on the topic.

Duceppe, in his element in French, led the charge against Martin's scandal-plagued Liberal government, which he described as having "lost the moral authority" to govern.

"The sponsorship scandal is an incontestable issue," Duceppe said during a two-hour question-answer session that was largely civil, focused on policy and devoid of the kind of angry back-forth exchanges that have defined past debates.

"Justice (John) Gomery ruled that the Liberal party brought itself into dishonour and that a system of bribes was in place."

Martin shot back that Duceppe and the Bloc were interested in capitalizing on the scandal only so long as it serves to tear apart the country.

"They want to put an end to this Canada that generations of Canadians and Quebecers have built, this Canada that is the envy of the world."

Duceppe wasn't the only leader targeting Martin over the sponsorship scandal.

"I think this is a dark time for democracy in Canada," said Layton.

"People are turning their backs on democracy; they don't want to vote. Why? Because they saw these sorts of scandals from the people in power.

"With the NDP, we will change this. We can rejuvenate democracy here in Canada with more NDP members."

Harper rounded out the sponsorship attack, telling Canadians they have a choice on Jan. 23 to turf the Liberals.

"This government needs to be replaced in order to be held accountable," Harper said.

The French-language debate was aimed primarily at Quebec. Polls suggest the Bloc hold a commanding lead over the scandal-scarred Liberals.

Duceppe has made it clear he would love nothing more than to pulverize the Liberals in Quebec by winning as many of the province's 75 seats as possible.

The Liberals have acknowledged they face a major challenge holding onto the 21 Quebec seats they won last year.

An internal party e-mail the Liberals' Quebec wing mistakenly sent to some reporters this week indicates the party has already written off 45 ridings and feels confident of success in only 10 others.

[102first_hussars]

So nobody has an opinion?

[plan_D]

Well, I don't really care - so I don't.

[Nonskimmer]

I'm just not really in the mood to get into a long political debate of my own right now. I'm a conservative at heart, although I may not always agree with the Conservative Party. That just goes to show that no party can satisfy everyone all the time. I still say the Liberals are whacked out, the NDP is completely f*cked, and the Bloc of course isn't even worthy of the smallest consideration. Those are my feelings in a nutshell.

The Marijuana Party on the other hand...

[102first_hussars]

The Marijuana Party on the other hand...

AHA! I new it, the stereotype is True about the Halifax Navy boys, I mean come on a Canadian cannot get drunk enough to forget to close the Hatch, it has to be weed,

in fact it makes perfect sense, those guys were so High the Sub must have felt like it was floating(Floating boat is a very rare occurance in the Canadian Navy) when in actuality it was sinking.

In the words of Inspector Cloussou " I Hiv Sol`vid si case"

[Nonskimmer]

Nah, you've got us confused with the fellas on the west coast. Halifax Navy boys are fine, upstanding, churchgoing Puritans.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to choir practice.

*skips out the door*

Tra-la-la-la-la...

[102first_hussars]

Oh ffukkk off manya no what in dont need this f*ckin hat

[102first_hussars]

This is Steve typing this right now, Stewy or Hussars is in desposed right now, having a welcome home party for a buddy coming back from Syria, I swear to god Im the only sober person in the house right now, Stewy just made a stupid comment right there and uh lets just say it wasnt his fault.

[Nonskimmer]

Drunk off his ass, eh? Outstanding.
Keep up the good work, "Stewy".

[102first_hussars]

I guess youve met Steve? We were having a welcome home party for a friend of mine who is in the RCMP, he was overseas training Iraqi police officers he just got just got back from Jordan not Syria, oh he says he was the the sober one but in actuality he ended up passed out face first on my coffee table.

If youre curious at all about the Iraqi Police, theyre hopeless from what the Constipated Constable tells me.