Ignatieff’s so-called solution to the long-gun registry is not a solution to the problems of the registry, it’s a lot of smoke and mirrors to try and make a wasteful program seem more pallatable. The simple facts of the registry are that is doesn’t save lives, it doesn’t catch criminals, and it costs a lot of money. If it was a business it would have failed a long time ago, but as Reagan said, a government bureau is the closest we’ll ever come to eternal life.

Let’s look at Ignatieff’s plan:

• First offense for failing to register will be a ticket, not a criminal charge
• Simplify the paperwork
• Make re-registration “FREE”

You may notice that nowhere in his plan does he change the long-gun registry into a program that saves lives, or catches criminals. All he is doing is trying to trick gun owners into thinking that the useless, unnecessary hoops they are being made to jump through aren’t quite so bad. A classic big-government trick.

By making re-registration “FREE” Ignatieff is causing the program to drain even more money from every tax payer, and less money from the people being forced to use the program. Let’s refresh some memories here. The Liberals said it would cost $1 million. The program ended up costing over $1 billion. It does not cover its own costs through fees. Ignatieff wants to eliminate those fees. He wants to trick farmers and hunters into thinking they are getting ripped-off for free, rather than having to pay to get ripped-off. However, these same farmers and hunters will pay for the salaries of the people ripping them off through income taxes. So will you and I.

Nice try Ignatieff, but Canadians are a little smarter than that.

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This new tax would be applied to iPods, iPhones, Blackberrys, laptops, USB storage devices, and practically anything else you can imagine that could possibly hold digital music.

The so-called “progressive” parties voted as a group (not a coalition…) against the Conservative Government, which naturally opposed such an attempt to stifle the Canadian economy.

Let me be perfectly clear. There is no such thing as a progressive tax.

This new tax would succeed in doing two things. It would lower sales of digital equipment in Canada, hurting out retailers and our manufacturers, and it would increase sales in the US. Why would someone pay up to $75 more for a product in Canada they could easily order online?

The trouble with tax is that it hurts both businesses and consumers. By making consumers (that’s you and me!) pay more for items, it means we can afford less. It lowers our ability to pay for the goods and services that we want and need. This means businesses sell less. When businesses sell less, they can’t afford to employ as many people. When people get fired, or have their hours cut, they can’t afford to buy things. Tax is a downward spiral to a ruined economy.

Real progressive policy is solely the purview of the Conservative Party of Canada. Lowering taxes at every opportunity will leave more money in our pockets to save or spend as we see fit. A dollar saved is another dollar the bank can lend, ensuring that entrepreneurs have access to much needed credit they can use to expand their businesses. The more people spend, the better off Canadian businesses are, and they can afford to employ more people who can then spend more money.

Cutting taxes is win-win. Raising taxes is lose-lose. Every time.

It’s time for the self-titled “progressives” of this country to realize that real progressive policy gives Canadians the freedom to choose. Real progress happens when the government allows people to be people, not sources of tax revenue for the failed national and socialist dreams of years past.

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In the last federal election I was tasked by the Brian McGarry campaign to go to a series of polling stations and offer support to our scrutineers. I entered the gym of the Hintonburg Community Centre, looked around and knew immediately who the Conservative scrutineer was.

Sitting on a bench was a good looking, clean cut young man wearing jeans and a collared shirt intently reviewing the papers on his clipboard. I walked straight up to him, introduced myself and in a very short time I was convinced of two things.

First, that this young man was destined for political office and second that I would do whatever I could to help that along. I am honoured to say that I have the distinct pleasure of working with this same young man in securing the nomination for candidate of the Ottawa Centre EDA.

Emrys Graefe.

Emrys is an intelligent, thoughtful young man (27 but he looks like he just got his drivers permit) who epitomizes everything that true Conservative values stand for.

He grew up in Ottawa Centre not just poor but truly disadvantaged. His single mother was on welfare and Emrys knows the value of the Food Bank and the Snow Suit Fund. His neighbours growing up included a man who beat his wife and molested his children and the prostitute upstairs whose customers would harass his mother.

Bright but troubled he went from school to school until he finally dropped out. He found work. He worked hard and was rewarded. It was at this time that he came to a couple of realizations, one was now that his mother had started working she had changed – she was happier. He also realized that to really do the things he wanted in life he needed an education.

So off to Carleton he went while working full time. He did an internship at The Conservative Resource Group. He graduated and this past January he started working for Kelly Block, MP for Saskatoon – Rosetown – Biggar.

When Emrys discovered the power of hard work and self reliance he was able to build himself a better life and now he wants to help others.

Ottawa Centre is a riding that has more than its fair share of multimillion dollar homes and crack houses which ironically are a short walk apart. High end shopping just blocks from pawnshops. We are home to many poor and just as many champagne socialists and limousine liberals. We are also the riding that has Paul Dewar as MP.

Emrys knows first hand the damage of leftwing social policy and I think he is just the person that Conservatives in Ottawa Centre need. This soft spoken young man is erudite, engaging and sincere. He knows that if Ottawa Centre chooses him to take on Dewar that he has a fight ahead of him but he is prepared.

Go to his website http://emrysgraefe.ca/ read what he has to say and then please support him. If you live in Ottawa Centre and aren’t a member of the Conservative Party please buy a membership. If you don’t live in the riding then please donate. If you are a member and live in the riding then join us in supporting Emrys as candidate for the Conservative Party in Ottawa Centre.

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Emrys Graefe is running to be the Conservative Party candidate for Ottawa Centre. I’ve know and worked with Emrys for a number of years, and I not only think that Emrys would make a fine candidate – he’d make a terrific MP.

Emrys knows the value of hard work. He’s always worked hard – whether it’s to support his family, or put himself through school. Emrys has a very compelling personal story, and I am sure he will connect with voters.

More importantly, I believe candidates like Emrys are the future of the Conservative Party. While I don’t want to put words in his mouth, Emrys is very much a libertarian, and a firm believer in free enterprise – he knows first-hand the dangers of welfare dependency.

Ottawa Centre needs to challenge Paul Dewar. While Paul is a nice guy – his party is among the most reactionary around. The NDP would happily sit down and negotiate with the Taliban! They think George Galloway is a peace activist. They hate Israel….and we almost had Jack Layton as a Minister in a coalition government. So, nice guys like Paul Dewar should be sent packing, and Emrys Graefe is right person to do that.

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I made the first public announcement about my intentions at the EDA meeting last night, and I am proud to say I have a very solid team. The more the merrier, so if anybody would like to get involved please fill out the volunteer form found on this site.

Many of you already know I have been an active member of the party for years. I am a strong proponent of freedom, and small government. I believe that the government’s purpose should be to protect us from each other, and not from ourselves. We need to create a strong fiscal framework to allow people to succeed, and to encourage investment.

I know that when we work together with strong Conservative principles as our message, we can win. I look forward to working with you in the weeks ahead.

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