Continue reading »]]> Minister Jason Kenney attended Harry Tsai’s Campaign rally on April 29, 2011 with supporters from local conservative members, italian, Siri Lankan, Indian, Chinese, Taiwanese, Hong Kong and Korean community leaders. Minister Kenney said “We have to encourage everyone to vote the Conservative Party, vote Harry Tsai! We need to make Scarborough-Agincourt blue on the map.”

Harry Tsai said “It’s time for a change! I believe in the the values of the Conservative Party: Serving the people, fight for our principals, care about family, and build a strong economy. Our riding needs someone who cares and who is willing to work and represent us in Ottawa. Mr. Karygiannis has the worst attendance record in Ottawa for many years and he is voted as the laziest MP many times. Scarborough-Agincourt deserves someone better, not someone who is sitting at home and waiting for his pension! It’s time for a change and it starts on May 2, 2011!!”

Minister Kenney said “Conservative Party recognizes the importance of family, tradition, tough on crime, etc. The Harper government has lead Canadians to come out from the financial crisis, focus on job opportunities, lower mortgage rate, cut taxes, etc., if we cannot reach majority, we may be facing a 5th election in 7 years or facing a coalition government led by Mr. Layton which would leads to a bigger disaster!”

Minister Kenney urge all supporters to use this weekend to encourage your neighbours, friends in church, or anyone you meet to support our core values and vote Harry Tsai.

Continue reading »]]> Completing the economic recovery requires steady hand on wheel

RICHMOND HILL, ONTARIO – Prime Minister Stephen Harper today urged Canadians to ensure continued political and economic stability for the nation by returning a strong stable national majority Conservative Government to Ottawa.

Flanked by workers and supporters at an auto repair and tire shop, Prime Minister Harper emphasized the importance of keeping Canada on the right track. “Our economy is beginning to emerge from the global economic recession. But the recovery remains fragile, and many threats remain to families’ financial security,” said Prime Minister Harper. “To keep our economic recovery rolling, Canada needs to keep a steady hand on the steering wheel. What we don’t need is three hands recklessly pulling in different directions.”

Stephen Harper’s low-tax plan is helping create jobs and strengthen families’ financial security. Since July 2009, Canada has created 480,000 new jobs — more than were lost during the global economic downturn. And Budget 2011, the Next Phase of Canada’s Economic Action Plan — while rejected by the Ignatieff Liberals and their partners, the NDP and Bloc Québécois , when they forced this unnecessary election — was designed to complete the economic recovery and continue to create jobs and growth. A re-elected Harper Government will re-introduce and seek to pass that Budget.
The Prime Minister noted that the alternative for Canadians to a strong stable national majority Conservative Government is an unstable Coalition formed by the Ignatieff Liberals and the NDP with the support of the Bloc Québécois . An Ignatieff-NDP-Bloc Québécois government would pursue a high-tax, reckless spending agenda that would stall our recovery, kill jobs and threaten Canada’s future by re-opening constitutional debates. Both the Liberal and NDP platforms would impose massive tax increases on Canadians to pay for their reckless spending promises. The Ignatieff Liberals have committed to increasing taxes by over $8 billion in the next two years alone. The NDP has promised an over $20-billion cap-and-trade scheme that, according to tax expert Jack Mintz, would raise gas prices by 10 cents per litre.
“The choice for Canadians is crystal clear,” said Harper. “Continuing our low-tax plan to complete the recovery and create jobs, financial security, stability and certainty for Canadian families and businesses. Or the high-tax, reckless-spending Ignatieff-NDP-Bloc Québécois agenda that will stall our recovery, kill jobs and produce political instability and economic uncertainty by re-opening constitutional debates. On May 2, I urge all Canadians to choose continued stability for Canada.”

Continue reading »]]> Dear Fellow Conservatives:
As you know, Election Day, Monday, May 2, is just around the corner.

As we enter the final week of the campaign, it is clear that what Canada needs more than ever is a strong, stable, national majority Conservative government.

But in order to make that a reality, we need to redouble our efforts over the next six days.

Our country’s future is at risk from an unstable, reckless coalition made up of Ignatieff Liberals, NDP and the Bloc Québécois.

We are concerned that due to media coverage or “so-called polls”, some might feel that the election is already over. That is not the case.

Make no mistake – nothing is decided yet. There are many close races where even a handful of votes will make the difference. And without a strong, stable, national majority Conservative government after the next election, we know what the other parties will do. They will form a coalition – they did it before, they’ll do it again.

We have seen what the NDP can do. In Ontario, we remember what happened when the NDP got hold of the reins of power: tens of thousands of jobs lost, an economy totally mismanaged, and skyrocketing taxes.

After all, one of Jack Layton’s own MPs has just said today, “Remember 1990 (when the provincial NDP led by Bob Rae won the Ontario election)? This seems to be a wave that’s moving.” (Stoney Creek News, April 27, 2011)

And what are the NDP promising this time around? A job-killing carbon tax on Canadians, at a time when gas prices are getting higher by the day. Massive new tax hikes to pay for NDP pet projects. And $70 billion in spending in the NDP’s own election platform!

As Conservatives, we must buckle down and take this threat from our opponents seriously. Over the Easter weekend, Elections Canada reported that the advance polls had a record turnout. We know our opponents were working extremely hard over the weekend to get out every Liberal, NDP and Bloc Québécois voter they could.

Now is not the time to rest. We must get out our vote on Monday, May 2.

Please help us. Spread the message to your family and friends about how more than ever, Canada needs a strong, stable, national majority Conservative government for the future of our country. If you can, take a family member or friend to the polls.

Canada’s future is at stake in this election. We can’t entrust that future with the high-tax, high spending agenda of the Ignatieff-NDP-Bloc Québécois coalition.

Jenni Byrne
National Campaign Manager

Continue reading »]]> Conservative candidate Jason Kenney announced today that a re-elected Conservative government would continue its work to crackdown on the sale of, and trafficking in, contraband tobacco.

“Contraband tobacco has become a massive black-market industry that makes it much cheaper – and therefore much easier – for children and teenagers to begin smoking.  Underage smoking, in turn, leads to higher health care costs for Canadians and higher rates of smoking-related illness and death.”

To address the problem of trafficking in contraband tobacco, a re-elected Harper Conservative government will establish mandatory jail time for repeat offenders.  “The lasting human damage and enormous costs imposed on the Canadian people by illegal tobacco sales requires a serious deterrent,” Kenney said. “The current laws are clearly insufficient, so we are prepared to do what it takes to further crack down on this insidious problem.”

Trafficking in contraband tobacco also results in significant losses in revenue for small businesses.  Kenney explained that “small business owners who play by the rules suffer when dealers in contraband tobacco undercut their legitimate sales.  Without stronger laws and more resources for enforcement, illegal sales will continue to target underage smokers and small businesses will continue to suffer.  That is why a re-elected Stephen Harper Conservative government will establish a new RCMP Anti-Contraband Force of 50 officers dedicated to cracking down on this scourge.”

For everyone interested in protecting children from underage smoking and ensuring the legitimate small businesses are not undercut by the illegal sale of contraband tobacco, the choice is clear: a Stephen Harper Conservative Government that is prepared to tackle the problem of contraband tobacco or a Michael Ignatieff-led Coalition with the NDP and Bloc Québécois that is dangerously soft on crime and won’t stand up for small businesses.

Continue reading »]]>

Continue reading »]]> Conservative candidate Jason Kenney announced that a re-elected Conservative government would introduce measures to protect would-be victims of marriage fraud and strengthen the integrity of the immigration process by cracking down on marriages of convenience, which victimize vulnerable and unwitting immigrants and perpetrate a fraud on Canada’s generous immigration system.

“Last year I toured the country listening to the stories of women and men who have been devastated by fraudulent marriages” stated Kenney.  “These Canadians were victimized by cold-blooded scam artists, who played on their affections and married them to gain entry to Canada, only to abandon them or file for divorce as soon as they gained permanent residency.”

Estimates for the rate of marriage fraud among sponsored spouses and partners are as high as one in six.  Kenney said that marriage fraud is a serious problem that leaves its victims heartbroken, humiliated and often impoverished. “There is no place in Canadian society for fraudsters who would prey on innocent wives and husbands to cheat our immigration system,” he said.

Even when both parties are complicit in the sham marriage, Canada suffers.  “Action to protect both parties in a marriage from marriage fraud, as well as to preserve the integrity of Canada’s immigration system, is long overdue.  That is why, before Mr. Ignatieff and his Coalition partners the NDP and Bloc Québécois opportunistically forced this unnecessary election, Stephen Harper’s Government published a Notice of Intent to introduce measures to crack down on marriages of convenience and related immigration fraud.  A re-elected Stephen Harper Government will follow through on this announcement and enact tough measures that will give comfort and peace of mind to the thousands of Canadians who sponsor spouses from overseas each year.”

The proposed measures would introduce a period of conditional permanent residence of three years for spouses and partners sponsored by Canadian citizens or permanent residents.  These new measures will bring Canadian immigration law in line with that of the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia, all of which already impose a period of conditional residence for newly sponsored spouses and partners.

While the vast majority of spouses and partners sponsored to come to Canada are in legitimate relationships, the spousal sponsorship process is open to abuse.  Genuine sponsors and their sponsored spouses will not see any change from the status quo, as the conditional period will lapse automatically when it ends.  But, for those who fail to remain in a bona fide relationship throughout the conditional period, the new measures will give Canadian immigration authorities a vital new tool in targeting and removing fraudsters. At the same time, the new measures will also include a process for allowing bona fide spouses and partners in abusive relationships to come forward without facing prosecution.

Under a re-elected Stephen Harper Conservative government, the Canadian Border Services Agency will also commit to placing a priority on investigating marriages of convenience and marriage fraud within its overall anti-fraud enforcement activities.

“This policy reflects the overwhelming consensus of those who participated in both our online and our town hall consultations last year.  At every town hall I attended last fall, I heard women pleading for these measures, practically begging the government to do something to protect women from the callous crime of marriage fraud,” said Kenney.  “The measures that I am recommitting to today will be designed and used at all times to protect vulnerable spouses. No one in an abusive relationship will be penalized for coming forward to seek redress.  This is about protecting Canadians and their sponsored spouses, and Canada’s generous immigration system, from abuse and victimization.”

The proposed crackdown on marriage fraud is part of the Harper Conservative’s commitment to a generous, legal immigration system.  Since the Harper Conservative government came to office in 2006, Canada has admitted on average 47,000 sponsored spouses and children each year, an increase of 17.5% over the annual average of the previous Liberal government.

Continue reading »]]>

Continue reading »]]> Ottawa, Ontario – Conservative candidate John Baird today urged Canadians to expect the final week of this unnecessary campaign to be marked by increasingly desperate opportunistic tactics by Mr. Ignatieff and his partners the NDP and Bloc Québécois.

“It’s unfortunate but history shows that the Liberal party will say or do practically anything to improve their political fortunes in the final phase of a campaign,” said Baird. “With over $28 billion in opportunistic new spending promises made since he unveiled his already-unaffordable $8.3 billion platform less than three weeks ago, Mr. Ignatieff has clearly demonstrated there’s nothing he won’t promise Canadians in order to achieve his ambition of becoming Prime Minister.”

“As Mr. Ignatieff’s desperation level continues to rise, I expect him to engage in increasingly low-brow campaign tactics through the campaign’s final days. “

Michael Ignatieff‘s platform commits to increasing spending by $8.3 billion in the first two years alone. His platform is silent on how much he would increase spending in the second half of a four-year mandate. But Ignatieff‘s platform does not account for the long list of spending promises he has made but which are either not costed in his platform or not mentioned at all. This approximately $28 billion list, which grows as Mr. Ignatieff’s tour continues, includes:

* funding to rebuild the Champlain Bridge in Montreal;
* funding for professional sports arenas;
* funding for a new, national pharmacare system;
* funding for high-speed rail projects.

As the Winnipeg Free Press noted following a recent Ignatieff campaign event, he “promised action and money for nearly everything.” (March 31, 2011).

“As the campaign draws to a close, Canadians will continue to see Stephen Harper focused on completing the economic recovery and strengthening the financial security of Canadian families through his low-tax plan,” said Baird. “I regret to say that I expect Canadians will also continue to see Michael Ignatieff desperately promise them the moon, while throwing every unfounded allegation and accusation he can.”

The choice for Canadians is clear: between Stephen Harper’s low-tax plan for jobs and growth to complete the economic recovery, create jobs now, and lower taxes on families, or Michael Ignatieff as Prime Minister, pursuing with the support of the NDP and Bloc Quebecois a high-tax agenda that will stall the recovery, kill jobs, and set back the financial security of Canadian families.”

Conservative Press Office: 1-877-262-7026

This document is also available at http://www.conservative.ca

Continue reading »]]>

Today, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced that a re-elected Conservative Government will create an Office of Religious Freedom to ensure that defending persecuted religious minorities is a priority of Canada’s foreign policy.

Speaking to a packed room and an enthusiastic and diverse crowd, Prime Minister Harper praised the courage of Canadians who have come here fleeing religious persecution, many of whom experienced violence and torture just to be able to profess their faith openly.

Prime Minister Harper remarked that “Canada is fortunate to have men and women of such courage as you. The spirit that you have shown in standing up for freedom in your own lives should inspire all Canadians.”

Harper said that Canadians are fortunate to live in a society where freedom of conscience does not carry the threat of persecution or violence. But he added that “while we are thankful to live in a country that spares us such tests, we must not let our comfort be an excuse to shirk our commitment to the cause of freedom. That is why I am pleased to announce that a re-elected Conservative government will create a special Office of Religious Freedom.”

Harper explained that the new Office of Religious Freedom, located within the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, would monitor religious freedom around the world, promote religious freedom as a key objective of Canadian foreign policy and advance policies and programs that support religious freedom around the world.

The Prime Minister invoked the memory of Shahbaz Bhatti, Pakistan’s late Minister of Minorities, who visited Mr. Harper in Ottawa shortly before he was gunned down for his outspoken defence of religious freedom.

Calling him a champion of freedom and an inspirational figure, the Prime Minister told the crowd that Minister Bhatti had “asked us in Canada to shine a light on the persecution of religious minorities in Pakistan and around the world.”

The Prime Minister said that the new Office of Religious Freedom will do just that: “it will call attention to the religiously persecuted and condemn their persecutors. It will signal to religious minorities everywhere that they have a friend in Canada.”

BACKGROUNDER

THE ISSUE

• Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Government is committed to promoting freedom of conscience and freedom of religion around the world.

• On the issue of religious freedom, the Harper Government has:
  • Reached out to resettle Iraqis targeted as religious minorities, including recently announcing an extension of this program to 2013, by which time 20,000 Iraqi refugees will have been resettled in Canada.[1]
  • Denounced the attacks on Coptic Christians and their religious institutions in Egypt and called on the government to bring the perpetrators to justice.[2]
  • Spoken out against the persecution and imprisonment of members of the Baha’i community by the Iranian authorities.[3]
  • Offered to accept, on an emergency basis, the resettlement of 50 Montagnards, a persecuted Christian minority from Vietnam.[4]
  • Publicly condemned the use of blasphemy laws to harass, intimidate, arrest and sentence to death religious minorities.[5]
  • Called on the authorities to bring those responsible for the assassination of Pakistan Minister of Minorities Shahbaz Bhatti to justice.  Bhatti was killed for his defence of religious freedom.[6]
  • Spoken out against the barbaric abuse and violence directed at the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in Pakistan.[7]
  • Led nations in walking out on anti-Semitic speeches in the United Nations and was the first country to boycott the international hate-filled Durban II conference.[8]
  • Established the Diefenbaker Award to honour individuals or groups who show exceptional courage and leadership in defending human rights and freedom.[9]

• Religious persecution is a serious problem that affects many religious minorities around the world

• Freedom of conscience and religion are the foundations of a free society.  Freedom of conscience and religion are the first two freedoms affirmed by Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms.  They are also protected by the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights.

• Other countries have similar offices, or have otherwise made the promotion of religious freedom a key plank of their foreign policies, including:

• Germany, where “Chancellor Merkel declared […] that protection of religious freedom is an important part of its foreign policy.”[10]

• The United States, which has an Office of International Religious Freedom in the State Department, headed by an Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom.[11]

• Italy, which “sees the promotion of religious freedom as a fundamental point, since this deals with a fundamental right of each human person.”[12]

THE PLAN

• A re-elected Stephen Harper Government will create a new Office of Religious Freedom at the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, which will:
  • Monitor religious freedom around the world.
  • Promote religious freedom as a key objective of Canadian foreign policy.
  • Advance policies and programs that support religious freedom around the world.

• A re-elected Harper Conservative Government will continue to ensure that Canada offers its protection to vulnerable religious minorities through our generous refugee resettlement programs.

• A re-elected Harper Conservative Government will also ensure that the Canadian International Development Agency makes it a priority to work with groups that support vulnerable religious minorities.

THE CHOICE

• Stephen Harper’s Government has a strong record of promoting religious freedom.

• Some Ignatieff Liberals have already criticized the proposed Office of Religious Freedom.[13]

• Canadians have a clear choice.

• Canadians can choose between Stephen Harper’s pro-freedom plan, which recognizes and seeks to address the serious problem of religious persecution around the world, or the Ignatieff Liberals, who cannot agree on the importance of religious freedom and the urgency and seriousness of the problem.

Continue reading »]]> The Conservative Party’s zero tolerance approach to the promotion of terrorism extends to supporters of Khalistani extremism. As Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said, the Air India terrorist attack was “an act of grotesque violence and malevolence… This was evil, perpetrated by cowards, despicable, senseless and vicious.”

Ripudaman Singh Malik is not involved in the Conservative candidate in Vancouver South’s campaign, nor that of any other Conservative Party candidate.The Conservative Party candidate in Vancouver-South was unaware of Ripudaman Singh Malik’s background or relationship with the Khalsa School. The invitation to speak at the Khalsa School was extended to her by its Principal, not by Ripudaman Singh Malik.

The Conservative Party of Canada as well as the Conservative candidate in Vancouver South reject any endorsement from individuals such as Ripudaman Singh Malik. We also reiterate our clear and unequivocal repudiation of those who would bring their violent, extreme, or hateful prejudices to Canada.