# Hey Canadians, if you're up early enough, turn on CTV at 7:40 **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 2, 2005, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-canadians-if-youre-up-early-enough-turn-on-ctv-at-7-40/333708 "2005-12-02T10:23:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2005, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-canadians-if-youre-up-early-enough-turn-on-ctv-at-7-40/333708/21 "2005-12-06T02:34:47Z")
> [@Kid\_A](#): > > Is it just me or does anyone else not see the “Battle for Your Ballot” link? Scroll down and look in the blue AM EXTRAS box. The graphic says “Battle for your Ballot” and the text says “Speed Voting”. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2005, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-canadians-if-youre-up-early-enough-turn-on-ctv-at-7-40/333708/22 "2005-12-06T02:35:48Z")
And thanks, everyone, for your kind words 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![vl\_mungo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc8723/32.png) [@vl\_mungo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vl_mungo)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2005, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-canadians-if-youre-up-early-enough-turn-on-ctv-at-7-40/333708/23 "2005-12-06T02:36:23Z")
Best of luck matt… hope you kick ass in your riding. Unfortunately, I can’t vote for you specifically, but since there’s no Rhino Party anymore, and it’s illegal to eat your ballot… I’ll be backing your boys (and girls). ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2005, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-canadians-if-youre-up-early-enough-turn-on-ctv-at-7-40/333708/24 "2005-12-06T03:01:30Z")
> [@matt\_mcl](#): > > BTW, for the next little while, you can see my segment [here](http://www.ctv.ca/canadaam) (scroll down and click on “Battle for your Ballot”). And just a little while ago I was wondering whether to ask if there were any chance of the rest of us being able to see it! 🙂 Very well done, **matt**. Excellent. I agree with **Spoons** and **featherlou** : you were articulate, and obviously prepared (_great_ use of the budget number). Hell, for a minute there I thought about emigrating so I could vote for you. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2005, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-canadians-if-youre-up-early-enough-turn-on-ctv-at-7-40/333708/25 "2005-12-06T03:11:51Z")
Matt, it’s good to see that you’re running again! Best of luck. For some reason, I’m not allowed to vote in this particular election. Hmph. ---
**Author:** ![Treviathan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/838e76/32.png) [@Treviathan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treviathan)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2005, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-canadians-if-youre-up-early-enough-turn-on-ctv-at-7-40/333708/26 "2005-12-06T03:28:14Z")
Good show, Matt. Like any good public speaker, you finished before your time was up. It’ll be nice to vote in a riding where my NDP vote matters this time around (Trinity-Spadina, Toronto - just ordered my Olivia Chow sign today). Third time’s a charm, I guess. Keep us updated on your campaign trail adventures, and bonne chance! ---
**Author:** ![Pyroette](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/90db22/32.png) [@Pyroette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pyroette)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2005, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-canadians-if-youre-up-early-enough-turn-on-ctv-at-7-40/333708/27 "2005-12-06T03:35:18Z")
Why oh why can’t you be running in my riding? ---
**Author:** ![Nature\_s\_Call](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nature_s_call/32/19006_2.png) [@Nature\_s\_Call](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nature_s_Call)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2005, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-canadians-if-youre-up-early-enough-turn-on-ctv-at-7-40/333708/28 "2005-12-06T03:39:07Z")
Just in case the link Matt provided is moved from that site, here’s the [link to the actual file](http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/HTMLTemplate/nocompress?content_type=video/x-ms-asf&brand=generic&tf=/ctv/generic/video/videoplayer.asx&cf=/ctv/generic/video/player.cfg&url=mms://ctvbroadcast.ctv.ca/video/2005/12/02/ctvvideologger3_45kbps_2003_11_20_1069374037.wmv&start=00:19:55.96&end=00:07:43.22&spd=lo&hub=CanadaAM) Matt, for what it’s worth: Although I am not sure how well the NDP would function if they formed the government (minority or otherwise), if I had to vote solely on the basis of the performance of the three of you, hands down you get my vote (honest: not a suck-up just cuz you’re a fellow Doper) It’s not so much the fact that your eloquence was superior: it was what you chose to focus on - real ideas more than rhetoric. You raise a good point: With a greater NDP influence, perhaps holding the full balance of power this time, it could result in some exciting movement on matters of health care and other nationalization issues I do believe in. Jack has so far been a fairly credible opposition member. I will definitely pay a bit more attention to what the candidate for my riding, [Taras Natyshak](http://www.ndp.ca/tarasnatyshak/welcome) has to say (even if the blurb on the web site matches yours 😃 ) My hat’s off to you for throwing your into the ring! Bonne chance! ---
**Author:** ![Nature\_s\_Call](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nature_s_call/32/19006_2.png) [@Nature\_s\_Call](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nature_s_Call)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2005, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-canadians-if-youre-up-early-enough-turn-on-ctv-at-7-40/333708/29 "2005-12-06T03:40:21Z")
“throwing your” = “throwing yours” ---
**Author:** ![Lathe\_of\_Heaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Lathe\_of\_Heaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lathe_of_Heaven)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2005, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-canadians-if-youre-up-early-enough-turn-on-ctv-at-7-40/333708/30 "2005-12-06T03:48:26Z")
Speaking of “putting a face to the name”, are you aware that you’re really, REALLY cute? Just sayin’… (Oh yeah–good luck!) ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2005, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-canadians-if-youre-up-early-enough-turn-on-ctv-at-7-40/333708/31 "2005-12-06T04:02:05Z")
> [@Nature's Call](#): > > (even if the blurb on the web site matches yours 😃 ) LOL, yes. Apparently, sometime in the next few weeks, we will be getting the ability to edit our own sites 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2005, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-canadians-if-youre-up-early-enough-turn-on-ctv-at-7-40/333708/32 "2005-12-06T05:11:14Z")
> [@matt\_mcl](#): > > Hey folks, > > Things are going great! I’ve gotten more interest in the last week than I did in my last two campaigns put together. I’ve been on _Canada AM_ nationwide, _Radio Noon_ on CBC for a series of panel discussions, and a community radio station talking about the Casino issue. I’ve also been on the front page of the _Gazette_ and I’ll be in the local papers in the next issue. I’m also making lots of links with community organizations. And the campaign has barely begun 🙂 Cool! :: once again, wishes he lived in **matt\_mcl** ’s riding, instead of mine, where the Liberals have embarassed themselves by overruling the local riding association and parachuting in [Michael Ignatieff](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Ignatieff) :: Ignatieff looks like a smart guy and all, but he supported the war in Iraq; why the heck is he running as a _Liberal_? > [@](#): > > And now, a bit of discussion of **Sunspace** ’s questions… Thanks! > [@](#): > > [about local self-reliance] Do you mean in terms of making the domestic economy more self-reliant, or reducing the amount of goods transportation necessary? I was thinking more in terms of making cities, even neighbourhoods more self-reliant, by increasing local food production and energy generation, while increasing efficiency of energy use and reduction of losses. Such measures could include:[ul][li]Allowing the raising of small stock–chickens, rabbits, etc–in urban and suburban yards.[_]Encouraging and supporting the installation of gardens on flat roofs. This would absorb heat, insulate the roof, and moderate temperatures at the level of the roof deck, thus requiring less heating and cooling inside the building below. And there would be more space for growing plants, possibly even crops.[_]Allowing and supporting local supplemental energy generation. Households and apartment buildings could have solar collectors, wind turbines, maybe even domestic co-generation units running off natural gas and even locally-collected methane from compost/sewage digesters. These could be intertied with the grid. [\*]Providing local service points, such as clinics, within walking distance of neighbourhoods. I wonder whether we went the wrong direction in centralising all medical facilities. What if we had small medical clinics scattered throughout the cities and towns for all the minor things–colds, the flu, simple broken limbs–and only used the big hospitals for specialised or more complex services? It’s embarassing having to go to the emergency room at the regional hospital and be triaged because I have an ear ache. We need more clinics and family doctors. Do you know how hard it is to find a family doctor in Toronto? I haven’t had one since I moved here![/li] This could apply to other services as well. The Post Office comes to mind, but of course Canada Post was privatised and nor has franchises. One of which is across the road in the local plaza. [/ul] > [@](#): > > Funding for green infrastructure initiatives is essential. We’re open to lots of new solutions for saving energy and reducing pollution. Would you have a program to… get the kinks out of transit systems? There are an infuriating number of places in Toronto, for example, where various modes of transport almost but don’t quite touch. For example, Oriole GO-train station is a kilometre or so south of Leslie subway station, instead of being rebuilt on top of it and connected to it, for example. How much of this kind of land-use and infrastructure planning lies in provincial jurisdiction? Can the federal government, for example, forbid urban sprawl, or encourage car sharing? > [@](#): > > Certainly. A large part of the $900 million for the environment we won in June will go to urban mass transit. My riding has one of the highest rates of asthma in the Montreal area, and of course there are personal reasons too, so this is an important issue for me. > [@](#): > > [Re: free trade frictions] Obviously we can’t just shut out the US altogether, but we have to protect our economic sovereignty. We certainly can’t put up with a country that has a different set of rules for things it produces and things other people produce, and we can’t be craven in taking action to have the regulatory boards’ decisions respected just because it’s the US we’re talking about. On first glance, I like the idea of taxes on energy exports as a sanction. > [@](#): > > [Re: group marriage] It presents a lot of legal challenges that we have to study carefully. I know some of the poly people on the boards have mentioned model legal codes for such a thing. > [@](#): > > [Re: reopening debate on same-sex marriage]Certainly. Parliament voted on the issue after endless court battles and endless public consultation. It’s over and done with. We have our rights. I find it disturbing that Harper’s first campaign promise was to attempt to take away minority rights and equality. No kidding. He lost my vote instantaneously there. > [@](#): > > [Re: the military] The state of the military is lamentable. I don’t support a huge US-style fighting force, but in order to maintain our goals of peacekeeping, civil defence, and maintaining our sovereignty, the military must be properly funded and equipped. I think we should keep going in the direction of peace-keeping and nation-building. Canada should be a good neighbour to the US; of course that doesn’t mean supporting the American government in its extravagances, kowtowing to its demands, or breaking off from our multilateral positions. The NDP fought hard to keep Canada out of the war in Iraq, and we see now that this position was, to say the least, right. On a general level, Canada has had a commitment to multilateralism for years, and it has an essential role as a respected country that can bring together many sides of an issue. However, under the Liberals, our foreign prestige has been eroded in a number of areas, most crucially the environment. I’m still smarting from the denunciation we received from all sides during the Hague conferences of 2000, where the government didn’t even send one sitting MP to the negotiating table. It’s great that we’re hosting the UN Climate Change Conference, but we are failing to meet our environmental commitments and our climate is changing faster than that of many other countries. This is an area in which we definitely have to get our own house in order. Social alienation has worsened with the rise of the neoliberal agenda, founded on the principle that a person’s only worth is their success in an unchained economy. It’s not surprising that the status of disadvantaged and excluded people is worsening. Improving all aspects of our social system is a classic NDP plank. In particular, every dollar spent on early childhood education saves $7 in the costs of crime, unemployment, and illness caused by social alienation. Canadian culture must be respected and funded properly. I haven’t heard any particular plans on this, but you are the second person to bring this up and it’s an interesting proposal. I’d have to see, first, what remains to be done on the federal side of things. [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2005, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-canadians-if-youre-up-early-enough-turn-on-ctv-at-7-40/333708/33 "2005-12-06T06:24:10Z")
Arrgh! Hit Reply before I was finished! Oh well. Just ignore everything after “I think we should keep going in the direction of peace-keeping and nation-building.” in my last post; those are **matt** ’s words and I haven’t yet replied to them. I looked at that clip on CTV news. (Since when did Canada AM get so hideously perky?) You were the best of the three present by far, **matt**. The Consevative looked like he was phoning it in, just quoting from a promotional brochure. He spoke in generalities and platitudes instead of giving concrete Conservative policy accomplishments. And he totally omitted anything about social policy. I don’t remember what the Liberal said. I really wish the Bloc candidate had daigned to show up. And a question for CTV news: where was the Green candidate? Was there one? What about other parties? Anyways… > [@matt\_mcl](#): > > Canada should be a good neighbour to the US; of course that doesn’t mean supporting the American government in its extravagances, kowtowing to its demands, or breaking off from our multilateral positions. The NDP fought hard to keep Canada out of the war in Iraq, and we see now that this position was, to say the least, right. > > On a general level, Canada has had a commitment to multilateralism for years, and it has an essential role as a respected country that can bring together many sides of an issue. However, under the Liberals, our foreign prestige has been eroded in a number of areas, most crucially the environment. > > I’m still smarting from the denunciation we received from all sides during the Hague conferences of 2000, where the government didn’t even send one sitting MP to the negotiating table. It’s great that we’re hosting the UN Climate Change Conference, but we are failing to meet our environmental commitments and our climate is changing faster than that of many other countries. This is an area in which we definitely have to get our own house in order. :nods :: > [@](#): > > Social alienation has worsened with the rise of the neoliberal agenda, founded on the principle that a person’s only worth is their success in an unchained economy. It’s not surprising that the status of disadvantaged and excluded people is worsening. Improving all aspects of our social system is a classic NDP plank. In particular, every dollar spent on early childhood education saves $7 in the costs of crime, unemployment, and illness caused by social alienation. This is one of the things that most infuriates me about ‘neo-conservative’ (what you call neoliberal) government policy: their foolish insistance on short-term profit at the expense of greater long-term cost. I suspect it comes directly out of the business world, where such policies are very common in running businesses. There directors reap profits, but too much profiting and other bad decisions send business over business over the edge, while the diorectors skip before the business implodes. Society can survive a certain number of imploded businesses, because there are other ones to take up the slack and rehire the unemployed workers… and pay UI to support them before they get rehired. But such short-term-profit policies may not be good in areas where there is only one entity in each area. I’m thinking of the way the government in Ontario close the old big mental hospitals back in the eighties, but did not bother to put in place the local caretaking required to take care of the ex-patients. As a result, the streets of Toronto are fuller of crazy homeless people than they otherwise would be. And homelessness doesn’t exactly help to make people healthier, either. > [@](#): > > [Re: open file formats and communications protocols] I haven’t heard any particular plans on this, but you are the second person to bring this up and it’s an interesting proposal. This relates to the proposal for the Massachusetts state government to require all electronic government documents and communications to be stored in openly-specified formats. This prevents peoples’ data from being trapped in file formats that become unsupported by their owners. With open specs, the formats and protocols can always be recreated, the data recovered, the communications restored. See [this Wikipedia entry](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Document), for instance: > [@Wikipedia article](#): > > Since one objective of open formats like OpenDocument is to guarantee long-term access to data without legal or technical barriers, governments have become increasingly aware of open formats as a public policy issue. For example, in 2002, Dr. Edgar David Villanueva Nuñes, a lawyer and Congressman of the Republic of Perú, wrote a letter to Microsoft Peru raising questions about free and permanent document access with proprietary formats. Europe and Massachusetts in particular have been examining the ramifications of selecting a document format. ---
**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angel_of_the_lord/32/2949_2.png) [@Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_the_Lord)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2005, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-canadians-if-youre-up-early-enough-turn-on-ctv-at-7-40/333708/34 "2005-12-06T06:28:54Z")
Wow. Just watched your spot, **matt**. I have to say, I would definitely vote for you. You’re a very good speaker, and I agree with all of your points. You were definitely the best of the three there, just based on the strength of your message and the polish of your delivery. Watching that was a really refreshing change from the local politics here (a Republican-dominated part of Illinois), where the messages are lukewarm and muddy, and leave a bad taste in one’s mouth. 'Course, I already thought you were one of the coolest people on the face of the Earth, and I’m pretty damn liberal, so take that as you will. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2005, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-canadians-if-youre-up-early-enough-turn-on-ctv-at-7-40/333708/35 "2005-12-06T13:41:24Z")
Relevant [ATMB link](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=348212)–I figured y’all oughtta see it. This is pretty cool, **matt**! Daniel ---
**Author:** ![5que](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/3bc359/32.png) [@5que](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5que)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2005, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-canadians-if-youre-up-early-enough-turn-on-ctv-at-7-40/333708/36 "2005-12-06T15:00:04Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > Matt, it’s good to see that you’re running again! Best of luck. > For some reason, I’m not allowed to vote in this particular election. Hmph. Well, if he was running here in Chicago, we could vote for him a whole bunch of times! ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2005, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-canadians-if-youre-up-early-enough-turn-on-ctv-at-7-40/333708/37 "2005-12-07T00:12:22Z")
> [@5que](#): > > Well, if he was running here in Chicago, we could vote for him a whole bunch of times! As a guy I used to work with always said, vote early and vote often. ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2005, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-canadians-if-youre-up-early-enough-turn-on-ctv-at-7-40/333708/38 "2005-12-07T02:56:59Z")
Good speech, Matt! If you were running here I’d vote for you in an instant, even though I’m not generally an NDP supporter. You’ve impressed me on the SDMB also, and I’m all in favour of increasing the number of intelligent, thinking MPs, whatever their party affiliation. Too bad you have Fruilla running again in your riding - the Liberal Machine will be running full bore to get her re-elected. I didn’t like her when she was my minister and I’m not impressed by her performance here, either - she seemed bored with the whole thing. The Conservative guy was just embarassing. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2006, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-canadians-if-youre-up-early-enough-turn-on-ctv-at-7-40/333708/39 "2006-01-21T19:02:28Z")
Since the election isn’t over, I hope this doesn’t count as ressurecting a zombie thread, but how’s it going, **matt\_mcl**? Did you get favourable feedback from your electorate? ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2006, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-canadians-if-youre-up-early-enough-turn-on-ctv-at-7-40/333708/40 "2006-01-21T19:08:05Z")
**matt** , which is your riding again? :o [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-canadians-if-youre-up-early-enough-turn-on-ctv-at-7-40/333708.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-canadians-if-youre-up-early-enough-turn-on-ctv-at-7-40/333708.md?page=3)