As this week comes to an end, I can only sit back and say that it’s been a good week for the Conservative Party of Canada.

Who could have expected so many confidence motions to pass without any fuss from the Liberals.

I had thought the 2008 budget would be the most likely cause of an election; however, it turned out to be a really solid budget that was small on spending. Basically, there wasn’t anything in the budget that the Liberals could force an election on; therefore, they will be abstaining from the vote. Now you can understand why it’s no wonder the budget’s tax-free savings account is getting better coverage!

The next big possibility was around the Afghanistan motion. This is where the Liberal party seemed very opposed to the notion of increasing the time lines and staying in a combat role. However, soon after the Liberal’s proposed some minor changes, a revised motion was created and is now expected to pass with the support of the Liberals.

The last news item was the Crime bill passing in the Senate. This decision occurred only days before the Prime Minister threatened to call an election if the bill was delayed.

The highlights of the bill are as follows:

• Tougher mandatory prison terms for serious gun crimes.
• Stiffer penalties for impaired driving.
• Tougher bail laws.
• Tougher rules for repeat offenders.
• Increasing the age of sexual consent to 16 from 14 in certain cases.

The Liberal’s had also abstained on the motion calling on the Senate to pass the bill.

Make you wonder what the Liberal’s actually do in Ottawa eh?

Keep that in mind the next time a federal election actually occurs - hopefully as planned in the fall of 2009.

Let me first say - I love the idea of having another holiday. Now let me explain why I think Jack Layton should not be suggesting that Family Day be a national holiday.

The NDP leader forgets that there is already a day that is not recognized as a holiday across the country. This is an important day that should be - it’s called Remembrance Day. It’s a the day remember the sacrifices made by those in the military who have fought in past and present conflicts.

I do understand what Family Day represents. It’s a great idea; but, it is the wrong one to fight for right now. Jack Layton should be fighting for Remembrance Day to be recognized across the country - both federally and provincially.

I was in Toronto for Remembrance Day in 2007 and it was sad to see how few people were in attendance. That is a national shame and it should be corrected before creating new holidays.

The Liberals are once again demanding that we halt the combat mission in Afghanistan to focus solely on development. This plan will only lead to failure of the entire mission.

Peter MacKay, the Defence Minister, is telling it like it is.

“Development and security go hand in hand,” MacKay told the crowd in his home province. “Without security, there can be no humanitarian aid or assistance, no reconstruction, no democratic development.”

“To suggest, as some have, that we can do one without the other is nothing short of pure folly and, in fact, it’s dangerous.”

MacKay also explained Canada’s position that the country supports extending its military mission past the current deadline of February 2009 under the condition NATO sends more troops and equipment to help Canadian soldiers in the dangerous Kandahar region.

“In fact I’m sometimes left to believe that some members of the Liberal and NDP caucus are fundamentally, ideologically opposed to reality when they have this discussion,” he said.

All of this talk is ahead of the confidence motion to extend Canada’s combat role in Afghanistan for two years to February 2011 that is expected to be voted on in March.