The listeria contamination may pose trouble for the Tories.

[Swede]

A leaked cabinet document that outlined plans for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to give the food industry a greater role in the inspection process raised the ire of opposition politicians last week.

The Maple Leaf Toronto plant was one of the plants where the CFIA began testing the new inspection system a year ago. "All I can say is that with the new system that has been set up, there's always an adjustment phase," Dr. Arsenault said, when asked about Mr. Kingston's criticism.

The Conservative government's changes are the subject of heated controversy as academics and the opposition express concerns over the few details that have emerged so far. The 2008 budget indicated the CFIA was asked to find savings to pay for new programs. The leaked document indicated savings would be found by transferring some meat-inspection duties to industry.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080827.wmeat27/BNStory/National/home

[Canuck55]

1. I would bet...

That Micheal McCain or whoever pulls his strings is a strong backer of the Tories. This will continue to devastate the company, i can't recall a CEO of a corporation coming out in the middle of something like this and:

A) taking full blame regardless of the final victim outcome, months of investigating/sourcing the cause of the outbreak that might prove it was beyond their control, while the number joining the civil suit amplifies daily or

B) absolving the Federal Gov't of any and all responsibility for their oversight, as was attempted today:

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/08/27/maple-leaf-comments.html

[tuvor]

2. CP: Tainted meat tragedy a wild card in coming federal election: Pollster

OTTAWA - Regardless of who's to blame for the tainted meat tragedy, the prospect of a mounting death toll in the midst of an election campaign is bound to hurt Stephen Harper's Conservatives, a pollster predicts.

Indeed, Nik Nanos said the prime minister might want to reconsider his apparent plan to pull the plug on his government next week.

"I think the Conservatives are facing enough risks in this campaign because basically (Harper's) putting his government on the line with no guarantee of success," Nanos said in an interview.

With the death toll from Listeria linked to contaminated meat products likely to continue mounting, Nanos said the public health crisis has injected into the campaign "a wild card that's not likely to play in his favour."

...

http://www.680news.com/news/national/more.jsp?content=n0827134A

[Caradoc]

3. It's now or never...

...for Stephen Harper. Some right-wing poli-sci prof from the University of Calgary (a known hotbed of ultra right 'thinking' in Canada) was quoted as saying that Harper's not looking for a majority but instead aiming to reduce the liberal seats and knock out Dion. The whole thing smacks of desperation; why call four byelections only to pull the plug on your own government before they're held? Harper sees that his current government isn't going anywhere fast and so he's playing for 'all the marbles'. It was a miserable spring scandal-wise for Harper and the fall holds the promise of even more bad news. Desperate gamblers often go 'all in' when they know there's little left to lose. Liberals weren't comfortable with Dion but that's starting to change in part because of Harper's bully tactics.

[tuvor]

4. Another minority for Harper means strike three.

Assuming the polls are reliable, he will have failed to deliver a majority for his party after three attempts.

What party would want to hang on to such a leader?

[CHIMO]

5. Delusional Reform Dinosaurs

Harper aims to crush Liberals, says former adviser

OTTAWA — Conventional wisdom suggests Stephen Harper must be mad to thrust the country into an election at a time when he has little hope of winning a majority.

The Prime Minister himself has acknowledged that public opinion polls “aren't particularly wonderful” and has predicted that another minority — either Conservative or Liberal — is the likely result.

But a former chief of staff to Mr. Harper suggests there's method to the Prime Minister's apparent madness.

Tom Flanagan, a political scientist at the University of Calgary, believes Mr. Harper would be satisfied to return with a strengthened minority — a result that would throw the Liberals into chaos, thereby advancing the prime minister's long-term strategy of destroying Canada's so-called natural governing party.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080827.welectionwhy0827/BNStory/National/