The Prime Minister, in a speech tonight at a BBQ in Québecm lays down his most explicit challenge yet to the Leader of the Official Opposition: FRIENDS, I SEE MR. DION IS CHALLENGING ME TO DEBATE HIS CARBON TAX.

...AND HE DOES EVERYTHING IN HIS POWER TO SLOW THE BUSINESS OF PARLIAMENT - OBSTRUCTION AFTER OBSTRUCTION, DELAY AFTER DELAY.... THEY WANT THE GOVERNMENT TO KEEP GOVERNING, TO ADDRESS ISSUES THAT MATTER TO THEM, TO KEEP THE COUNTRY MOVING FORWARD.

Here's the blurb from the Liberal campaign: Mr. Valeriote and Mr. Brison took specific aim at Conservative Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, who earlier this year told a business audience that Ontario is “the last place” to invest.... He's up against NDP candidate Tom King -- he of CBC's Dead Dog Café fame -- as well as city councillor and Conservative candidate Gloria Kovach and the Green Party's environment critic Mike Nagy.... Kovach has been winning municipal elections for a long time in Guelph but the Conservatives put themselves behind the eight-ball when the national party stepped in earlier this year to fire the locally-chosen candidate Brett Barr.

Just as there is a new top dog in the communications shop at Conservative PMO, there is a new communications top dog at the Conservative Party. Ryan Sparrow, I learned this afternoon, officially assumed the role of Director of Communications for the party on July 1. If there was a director of communications for the party before Ryan, I didn't know about it...   more »