The election was slightly more complicated than some Canadians would presume. I'm Conservative to the core but I had trouble voting for them because I'm from Eastern Canada.

People from the West woke up Tuesday morning to the realization that people from the East generally don't like people from the West. And it's vice versa as well.

The leader of the Conservatives was so kind to point out a few years ago that my region encapsulates a "culture of defeat". People in the voting booth had this far more too the fore-front of their mind than people in the West can possibly realize. You can't insult people and then expect them to vote for you.

This election was, pure and simple, an exercise in regionalism. Now that we've made our point hopefully we'll swing behind the Conservatives next time around - probably less than 2 years.
Bobo | 06.30.04 - 4:23 pm | #

Bobo: Harper was referring to the Eastern habit of working for a number of weeks during the fishing season then going on pogey the rest of the time, paid for by us Central and Western Canadians who actually work 50 weeks per year.

I hope you aren't denying that this particular aspect of Maritime culture (which has gone on for generations) exists. We all know about "Newfies" "gettin' their weeks". And that corporations are reluctant to relocate to the those provs because of this culture of defeat.

This isn't laziness. I wouldn't last an hour on a fishing boat. But it isn't fair to the rest of Canada to have to subsidize other provs, wherever they are located. It certainly isn't very "conservative".
Kathy | Homepage | 06.30.04 - 4:45 pm | #

In fairness, it's not just Maritimers who dance the pogey shuffle.

My parents are from Saskatchewan; I met many farmers there who hired their families to "work" for them just long enough to qualify for UI, and then sat back and collected the money.

The real problem - besides a sense of entitlement - is that too much of Canada is still dependent on seasonal employment for a living. We're a funny country: it's as if we never fully industrialized. We have two classes: white collar wage slaves (some richer than others, of course) and blue collar jacks of all trades. Both groups depend far too much on govt. spending.

It's the price of having an underdeveloped economy.
alias clio | 06.30.04 - 5:02 pm | #

I know exactly what Harper was referring to, but it has very little resemblance to where I live. I live in Halifax which is a bustling, cosmopolitan city not without its share of affluence.

There are almost 400,000 people in Halifax, which is about 20% of the population of the Maritimes. It bears no resemblance at all to Harper's remark. None.

And yet we heard Ralph Klein not 6 months ago wax eloquent on how "We're not Nova Scotia. Thank God. We're Alberta - a proud province." I wasn't aware that Nova Scotians weren't proud.

My point is, we hear this from Westerners 3-4 times a year. The Conservatives just had an MP elected who referred to all Maritimers as "lazy bums". I don't know about you, but my father hasn't been out of work for a day for the 45 years of his working life.

I've been gainfully employed at a well-paying job since I graduated from university; as have my brothers - not one day of pogey between us.

Westerners don't have a very good grasp on life in Atlantic Canada. Nova Scotia has the one of the most highly educated workforces in the country. Being called lazy or defeatists or whatever by Westerners does not endear us to the Conservative Party. Not only are these comments wrong but the people who make them should know that they're wrong.
Bobo | 06.30.04 - 5:09 pm | #

AS a "Newfie", I'm throwing in my $2 worth (inflation, you know) here. I'm living "away" now, but whenever I go "home", I'm struck by the fact that St. John's looks anything but the product of a depressed economy. In fact, it's a lot like Halifax, as Bobo points out. My Dad also worked steadily until his retirement as well. A lot of people I knew when I lived there were employed gainfully, some working 2/3 jobs as students, and we all worked in the summer. Doesn't sound like a bunch of "lazy bums" to me! Yes, there were abuses, but these were/are few & far between. Harper and Klein are totally ignorant of what it's like to really work hard for a living. Guys, can you imagine Ralphie-Boy pulling lobster traps or jigging cod? The mind boggles! And his comment about NS could equally apply to Newfoundland. I live in Quebec now, but if anyone asks where I'm from, I'm proud to say I'm a Newfoundlander -- an Atlantic Canadian. Happy Canada Day!
Patricia Gonzalez | 07.01.04 - 10:22 am | #