Manning Centre mouthpieces

So former Progressive Conservative Allan Gregg is attempting to spin results of a recent Harris-Decima poll to curry favour with rednecks, meatheads and other greedy corporate slime. Harris-Decima recently completed a poll for the hardcore right-wing think tank The Manning Centre, headed by jackass extraordinaire Preston Manning.

Gregg said that the results of this poll demonstrate that the Canadian political "centre" is shifting to the right, are now warming up to "conservative" values, which include the "supremacy of the family" in regards to conflict resolution, the sanctiy of marriage is that abortion is "morally wrong".

Rubbish.

Gregg, along with another pollster, Andre Turcotte, said that most people believe government should have a minimal, or have no role in regulating individual behaviour and morality. Uh yeah, because the majority of Canadians support same-sex marriage and abortion. An Angus Reid poll in September of 2009 found that 61% of Canadians support gay marriage. In 2004 there was slight majority support for gay marriage, and the numbers in favour of supporting marriage equality have continued to rise since then. An Angus Reid poll in 2008 found that 65%of Canadians support abortion. That same number of 65% was also in favour of awarding Dr. Henry Morgentaler with the Order of Canada.

The poll results suggested a majority of Canadians supported spending deficits (well duh, governments have to in times of economic crisis), abolishing the long gun registry (one area where Canadians generally blow, that they're anti-gun but weak on the gun registry, even though all police chiefs endorse it), action on climate change (how does that prove Canadians are more conservative Mr. Gregg?), the decision to leave Afghanistan in 2011, and management of the economic recession.

Allan Gregg at the very least has made a not-so convincing case. Conservatives and right-wingers are generally opposed to taking serious action on climate change, and of course there are those who reject the science of climate change, as well as science in general, altogether.

Gregg believes an “ambivalence” exists among Canadians toward more conservative views about the role of government in society. Whatever. Public health insurance, a regulated banking industry, support for abortion, gay marriage, and marijuana legalization.

Gregg went on to say that a majority of Canadians still “cling to the idea that government has a role in managing the economy.” You have to love it how Gregg threw in the word "cling", as if this core belief that Canadians hold dearly is in its last throws or days. Andre Turcotte would say:

They are not overwhelmingly Conservative but it is shifting in that direction—that the private sector should be given a crack at solving issues and problems before we turn to the government.

Right.

Turcotte had some more b.s. to offer:

The left is a very lonely place to be right now in Canada. There are a lot of commonalities but also a number of very important differences, and in some ways it's really about the conservatives – small ‘c’ conservatives—about how they use government to solve problems.

Turcotte is not only delusional but seems to have a very genuine hard-on for the Conservative Party of Canada. One merely has to look at the polls (the same polling firm that Allan Gregg works for) to completely dismiss Turcotte's opinions: 56% of the Canadian electorate, a clear majority, does not support the Conservative Party of Canada, but this majority supports the Liberals, the New Democrats and the Green Party.

Turcotte believes that the Conservatives “currently own the political centre.” Then why are the Liberals and Conservatives neck-and-neck in the polls?

He would also say it was a “surprising shift” from five elections ago, when 41% of self-described centrists voted for the Liberal Party. In 2008, 47% of centrists voted Conservative. Well, with a margin of error of 3%, Turcotte believes a 6% change in voting patterns (during multiple elections with declining voter turnout) is surprising? Plus, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this out: Stephane Dion, lousy campaigning, etc.

Turcotte also believes that another shift will be coming when younger Canadians grow older, who want “even less of government.” Uh, just how does Turcotte know this? Does he really believe that he has his finger on the pulse of Canadian youth? This guy is unbelievable.

These poll "results" were presented by Gregg and Turcotte to a networking conference organized by the Manning Centre. Over a thousand adults were polled between February 1-10, with a margin of error of plus/minus 3%.

And really, that's all you need to know right there about this non-story that the Canadian media has jumped all over with zero scrutiny. These two clowns, Gregg and Turcotte, provided mealy-mouthed answers to a great mass of vague hints and nuances. They told the Manning Centre (who paid Harris-Decima, and therefore Gregg and Turcotte) what they wanted to hear, which was a load of crap. Gregg and Turcotte designed the surveys to get the answers their customers wanted, and then spun the results in their favour. Canada could use non-partisan and much more comprehensive surveys and polls, before we attempt to understand just what is transpiring within our society as baby boomers retire and the younger generation, many of them from from differing ethnic backgrounds, emerge in the workforce and raise families.

And of course our media did a lousy job covering this story and did not do basic homework which I've just conducted, which completely calls this survey into question. The CBC and the Globe and Mail ran with this story. But Canoe meanwhile provided some much needed balance to this non-story. Thank you Canoe!