Online Panel Blog

Nik: Pauline/Sarah,

The last few weeks have been a political roller coaster in the media. There was the 17-year-old tape that captured Conservative MP Tom Lukiwski making anti-gay comments, the Elections Canada investigation into the Tory advertising scheme and Benoit Corbeil, the former Quebec Liberal organizer charged with fraud in association with the Liberal's own advertising scandal.

Next week, the Commons reconvenes. The question remains, is the atmosphere so poisoned that we are destined to witness an unworkable session in the House?

As all the parties jockey for political advantage on these currently hot issues, what about the big issues such as health care, the economy, the environment and Afghanistan?

When we ask Canadians what the most pressing issues of the day are, they cite things that touch their lives. I think the first casualties of the media frenzy are the big issues that Canadians worry about.

Pauline: I really want to respond to the big issues but, begging your indulgence, I can't resist the media frenzy ones first.

Sarah: Hi Nik and Pauline,

It seems there is plenty to talk about this week, in particular the raid on the Conservative party headquarters in Ottawa. Although the Conservatives claim they did nothing wrong during the last election, the "in-and-out" scheme for spending on advertising was clearly in the grey zone.

I don't think this signals full-blown corruption, but they should have known better. When it comes to election rules and taxes, it's always best to clarify before proceeding, no?

Like it or not, the Conservatives have to abide by the rules as laid out by Elections Canada. Stephen Harper's lawsuit against elections officer Marc Mayrand, for not reimbursing the Conservatives for all of their advertising spending, is rather combative. It all comes back to the bullying Harper who seems to have no respect for the rules unless he can make them.

Pauline: It seems to me that there are some dangerous things in play for the Conservatives here.

First, they staked their reputation on integrity and won a lot of votes on that issue in the 2006 election. RCMP raids and "in-and-out" money transfers, as well as the Chuck Cadman issue — these things create an impression that doesn't pass the smell test for most people.

Hard for the Liberals to take full advantage of this, mind you, in the run-up to sponsorship scandal trials in the fall, but still …

Pauline: Hi Nik and Sarah,

What an embarrassment of riches this week! Afghanistan, the flag controversy, census revelations — everywhere I look, I see fascinating threads.

I'd like to start, though, with a look at how gender might play into the coming election.

Not long ago, I heard Conservative guru Tom Flanagan say he didn't worry about the party's problems attracting women, in part because the Liberals are having just as big or bigger problems attracting men. I am inclined to be skeptical about that, but I wonder whether this is primarily an issue of leadership style.

This week provided some gold-standard examples. The Conservatives were hanging tough on a number of issues, including sticking to their guns on limiting the flag-lowering on Parliament Hill to November 11, which would exclude those occasions marking the individual deaths of soldiers and first responders as well as the December 6 commemoration of violence against women.

I think men more than women view this as decisiveness while more women read it as insensitivity towards their values and are uncomfortable with what they perceive as the Conservatives' lack of consultation when making decisions like this.