Majik's Thoughts

Hats off

2011-06-26T10:54:00.001-04:00

Let me say "Hats off" to Elizabeth May of the Green Party. If I haven't said "Congratulations" for your work to get elected on May 1st, I'm saying it now. I don't normally sway too much from the parties I have voted for in the past, but in the short time since the election, I believe that Canadians need to see more of Green Party.

I have recently had a few moments to read a few of Elizabeth May's blog, and I am starting to think we need more politicians like her. I was looking through the list of people who are following me on Twitter and I found that both Elizabeth May and Jack Layton are on that list. I can only hope once in a while they will pop by here and have a read, but I digress. I was heading towards a tangent. Anyway, I found her blog through Twitter and I was very pleasantly surprised. The first post I read told me more about what our elected officials are working towards accomplishing on the federal politics stage.

The New Democrats normally get my vote, I was one of the swing voters in the last election. I changed my vote when I watched the confidence vote that brought down the last minority government on TV. I didn't want to go back to the polls...and as much as I despise the Liberals, I have to admit the election was necessary. I'm sure after all the results are in, everybody was happy to see a Conservative majority with Jack Layton and the New Democrats opposing in the House. Most importantly we have Elizabeth May in Parliament. Granted she has a lot to prove to help bring more Greens into House, but I am certain she will go above and beyond not just for her party but for all Canadians. I think we should see more of Elizabeth May's kind of politics in Canada. Let me know if you agree with me.

A Blemish On Our Image

2011-06-17T12:03:00.000-04:00

The Stanley Cup finals are over, Boston has ended their cup drought. Vancouver's first cup however will have to wait. After the game...I am almost ashamed to say this but...riots in the streets of Vancouver.

Such shameful behavior. This is not what is supposed to happen after a huge loss at home. All those fans should be ashamed of themselves. Later reports show that the rest of the city has pitched in to clean up after the riots. Although the riots have been cleaned up, the taint left behind from the riots is what will most likely be remembered.

After watching the whole event on TV, I am left with a question. "What would happen if that had been Toronto losing the cup at home?" Would the Maple Leaf fans start a riot on the streets of Toronto? Its hard to say considering the Leafs have not made the playoffs since the lock out. One thing I would hope is that the Maple Leaf fans who are accustomed to failure in the playoffs would take the loss a little better than Vancouver. If I remember correctly, the fans in other Canadian cities who's teams have lost the Stanley Cup in game 7's have not started riots. Suck it up Vancouver and look towards next season!

Liberal Democratic Party?

2011-05-31T11:28:00.000-04:00

I can't believe what I just read. A former Liberal minister thinks the time is right for the New Democratic Party and the Liberal Party should merge. This article explains why the Liberal party has been in decline and why the time is right for a merger. Are you for real?

Granted Jack Layton and his New Democratic Party is definitely showing momentum winning 103 seats in last month's election, but wouldn't the merger kill that momentum swing. The political landscape of Canada was changed with the last election. I for one am glad that Stephen Harper won a majority. Although Harper has a majority, he has quite an opponent with Jack Layton heading up the official opposition in the House of commons.

In my humble opinion, if the NDP and the Liberals were to merge, the Conservatives would most likely win another majority government four years from now when we Canadians go back to the polls. It would be morally wrong for the NDP and the Liberals to merge after Jack Layton convinced Quebec to vote for a federalist party instead of the Bloc Quebecois. This just looks like the Liberals are continuing their quest for power and forgetting about all of those who cast their votes on May 2nd. The Canadian people sent a clear message to both the Bloc Quebecois and the Liberal party that we don't want their type of politics on Capital Hill.

I changed the way I voted in the last election. The main reason I decided to change my vote was because the Liberal Party was against Canadians protecting our sovereignty by voting down a budget that Canadians have been waiting for. Far too long have we been a joke in terms of our military and that is mostly the fault of previous governing parties (specifically the Liberal Party). I could not believe that the Liberal Party was against a budget that brings defending our own shores to the forefront. I did not want to go to the polls, but this time Canadians now have a government that will protect its people. What do you think?

In a Bind

2011-05-30T11:06:00.000-04:00

Well, what can I say...I'm in a little bit of a bind. Not many of my readers know but, I used to be employed full time, but unfortunately I was harassed off the job. Now the out look is bleak to say the least.

I've been looking for a job, just anything really, it doesn't matter what I do as long as there is a paycheck in it for me. I heard a few weeks back that there was 50000 jobs added to the Canadian economy...I wish I knew where they were added. Unfortunately blogging just doesn't pay the bills...I let my traffic slide because I had trouble finding the time to write something. Now that I have time...I don't have any money to support myself...so I am trying to find something to bring in a paycheck.

I can't speak for everybody else, but I've worked way to freaking hard to lose everything just because of some harassment that has left me with out a job. Employment Insurance has so far refused to help me due to the terms of my release from my previous employer leaving me asking myself..."Why have I paid into E.I. for the past 17 or 18 years if when I need it I can't get it?" What do you think I should do?

Voter Apathy

2011-05-02T17:28:00.000-04:00

Well today is Election day in Canada! I went out and cast my vote...did you? I've been voting since I was 18 and it is very important to me. If I don't vote, what right do I have to complain about the political landscape in Canada. The answer is I wouldn't have the right to complain.

I'm sure that voter apathy exists in every democratic nation. The largest reason people give for not voting is "One vote doesn't make a difference." With all the elections I've followed, and participated in, I have seen riding's won by as few as 5 votes. For those who say that one vote doesn't make a difference, consider that scenario that I've seen in the past, a riding won by just 5 votes...5 peoples votes could have changed the outcome.

Anyway...I let my voice be heard today at the polls...I hope you all will get out and cast your ballots!

My thoughts on Canada's Election 2011

2011-04-29T01:26:00.000-04:00

What can I say about the current election going on? Well the house of commons is going to look a little different after May 2nd. Jack Layton, leader of the New Democrats seems to be surging ahead of Michael Ignatieff and inching closer to the Tories in the polls. Both Stephen Harper and Michael Ignatieff have started to attack Jack Layton's platform in this election.

I don't know how many seats the NDP can get but it still seems like something is missing from this election. Oh...wait a tic...The Block Quebecois is missing...dropped right off the playing field. Will Quebec finally stop supporting a party that can only affect change by voting against the ruling party in the House of Commons? In my opinion, it's time they did.

Anyway, I'm not really a political analyst but one thing I'm certain about; May 2nd, I will be casting my vote. One vote can make a difference. Well I hope you've enjoyed my thoughts on the current election, I will leave you with one more question. Who do you think is going to win this election?

Where does the time go?

2011-04-28T05:25:00.002-04:00

Have you found yourself asking yourself the question "Where does the time go?" I know I have. In my opinion, it doesn't matter where time goes after it passes, it is fleeting in its nature but sometimes it moves so slowly seconds seem like hours. In any case time can pass quickly or slowly, it all depends on your state of mind I think.

For example, "A watched pot never boils." This gem of wisdom is perfect to describe how time can be perceived. Realistically, a pot of water will take the same amount of time to boil regardless of whether or not the pot of water is being watched. Our perception governs how long divisions of time take to pass.

There are more gems of wisdom to describe passage of time, "Life is what happens when you're busy making plans." This one rings true to so many different people. I could even use the last gem of wisdom as an excuse as to why I haven't posted in some time. In any case, I am taking the time to write a post for any one to read. I hope you have enjoyed this random thought put to paper. =)

Boston Bruins @ Toronto Maple Leafs

2010-12-04T22:09:00.003-05:00

Well Tyler Seguin walked into Toronto hoping they could walk out with a win, but Boston has to settle for a shoot out loss. Phil Kessel and Nazem Kadri found the back of the net in the shoot out. I caught a few minutes of the post game wrap up on Leafs TV and you could hear the fans chanting "Thank you Kessel!"

Over all I thought the whole team really pulled together to get the much needed 2 points tonight. Toronto was coming off a bad loss to Edmonton and this was just what the Leafs needed to start a road trip. But what a game that was, Tim Thomas stood on his head stopping 38 of 40 shots.

I really hope the Leafs build on this win. They've got games against two hard teams to play against in the Capitals and the Penguins. Having forward Colby Armstrong back made a huge difference in the Leafs play tonight, he added some much needed grit and presence in front of the net. I'm looking forward to the next game, hope I won't be disappointed.

Edmonton Oilers @ Toronto Maple Leafs

2010-12-02T21:28:00.003-05:00

Taylor Hall and the Edmonton Oilers walked into Toronto and leave with a shutout. Final 5-0; T.O. shut out again. This was a tough game for me to watch...the Maple Leafs forgot to show for the game? I don't know what happened, but what ever lesson the Leafs need to learn from this game is a tough one!

The Leafs got a lot of chances on net, Khabibulin stood on his head. Toronto has to learn how to find the back of the net, and fast. The A.C.C. booed the Leafs off the ice and rightly so. The fans are hard to please especially when the last time the cup was hoisted by a Leaf was in 1967! Granted the team is being re-tooled by GM Brian Burke, I can't help thinking that the fans expected more from the Leafs this season, especially with a 4-0-1 start to the season.

I didn't even watch last season, I am a Leafs fan, but I'm leaning more towards the first team I followed. I hope the next meeting between Edmonton and Toronto goes better for the Leafs. Hopefully the Leafs will bounce back before the have to face Taylor Hall and the Edmonton Oilers on December 14th. Keeping my fingers crossed!

How does one become a blogger?

2010-11-30T22:38:00.003-05:00

How does one become a blogger? .... I find myself asking that question more frequently lately. I haven't been actively posting on any one of my three blogs in almost 2 years, got to thinking that maybe it was time to come back and see who wants to listen to me. I have been working on more from my creative writing blog. I don't know when I'll release more of the tale I was spinning on my creative blog. But to get back to my original question...I think you just have to start writing.

I've been face with many bouts of writers block and I think they had a hand in why I have been away. The challenge of the blank page can be daunting, especially when there are things in real life that keep you from getting back on track, at least there was for me. If I remember correctly this blog was my take on current affairs. I think I will have a few new posts coming up in the near future. I don't want to jinx it so lets all keep our fingers crossed!

Moving forward, I am going to have to spend more time reading blogs as well as getting more content for this blog. Can sometimes be a daunting task, but I think I'm up for it. Thanks again for reading and I'll see you all soon!

Hmm....I go away...now I get comments?

2010-11-25T17:33:00.003-05:00

Odd...I spent a lot of time just surfing other peoples blogs while I was actively blogging almost every day. I spent I don't know how many hours dropping my "Entrecard" while I was still a member. Hardly even got one or two comments. But now that I have left my blog alone for a while I start getting comments.

Hmm...I'm not sure I know what to think of that. Some of the comments that have been left are way off topic too, I just love the comments that are just an excuse to drop a link to randomly get a page view. Others are spot on, I wonder if most of the comments are from people who have found my blog through Google?

If anyone has any ideas, please feel free to drop a comment. I think I will be around a little more often to view them and even respond. For any bloggers that happen to stay for a few minutes and read, please let me know what kind of comments others have left on your posts, and if they are just an attempt at getting a link back. I'm interested in hearing your views on comments.

Out of it?

2010-11-20T22:56:00.002-05:00

Hello again. Its been a while since I've been blogging. My thoughts have been coming back to blogging lately as I've heard a lot about bloggers on TV lately. Does this mean I'm coming back or am I out of it for good?

To be honest I don't know at the moment. I won't be blogging about world of warcraft any more seeing as I don't play the game anymore. I have thought about going back when Cataclysm comes out but I don't know right now. Too many things are up in the air right now.

I am going back to playing my drums more often however. I might even try and find some time to get a couple of students and maybe make a couple of dollars of my talent. But I think I'd rather join a band or maybe even start one. Who knows at this point. We shall see what time brings us...

Server Transfer

2010-05-18T15:11:00.002-04:00

Wow!!! It was worth the $25 transfer fee. Am I ever glad I transferred my paladin tank to a different server. On the old server I could not pug a 25 man group that could get past much more than Marrowgar. On the first run I had on the new server we managed to get to Saurfang and got him to 3% on our first attempt. Unfortunately we didn't have the ranged DPS we needed to get him down but things are looking up.

I brought some of my old guild with me to the new server just to make things easier when we got there. It seems a nice chunk of the guild membership has transferred over. Now we can progress through Icecrown Citadel with more ease and less repair bills. It won't be long now until we all are sporting the King Slayer titles.

Paladin Tanks

2009-11-30T13:02:00.003-05:00

They are awesome! I love running into an instance with my Paladin tank. The best spec for a Paladin tank is protection. I've been running into instances with my paladin and I've actually come across some tips that I can share to enhance your own paladin tank.

First things first, you have to get your defense to 540 to be capped. You want to keep your defense rating around the 540-560 marks. After you are capped the number one thing you need to do is get 30k health. I've tanked with 22k, 25k, 27k and 29k health before buffs. As you get more health you will notice it will be easier to get and hold threat.

The main thing you need to remember is that as the tank you need to be able to hold threat in various different fights. You have plate armor and a defense rating of 540 to reduce the critical hits, you need this so you can keep the enemies off of your party members that can do high damage per second and more importantly, keeping your healer alive!

That's all for this post, there will be more coming in the days ahead.

Add ons Rock!

2009-11-15T11:27:00.003-05:00

The other night I decided I was going to add a couple add on programs to see if it would change my game play a bit. I'm surprised by what kind of information you can get about another players character by just mousing over their character. One of the ones I added gives you the gear score a character has, and I must say that is awesome.

I also added a damage counter. This one lets me see what kind of damage per second (DPS) another player is doing. I like this one as well, as the person who fills the roll of a tank, I cannot do enough DPS on my own to kill one of the bosses in the heroic dungeons I have been running. It is important to have people who can do 2-3k DPS to run through most heroic dungeons quickly and with minimal deaths. When you need to farm heroic badges...high DPS is a must!

Anyway...I will leave you with that little tidbit and will return in a day or so with a tip for any new Paladin tanks. Later!

The Tank Part 2

2009-11-12T18:15:00.003-05:00

80. Its just another number, except in WoW. My paladin is finally reached level 80. It took a while but now I can fill the roll of tank for heroic dungeons. What a difference!

I have had to re-spec to be able to tank in most heroic dungeons. I took some time to read up on Paladin tanking. One thing I do need to work on is how much health my Paladin has, getting closer to 30k health. My next post will have a tip or two from my own experiences as a tank. Hope you'll come back for it.

The Tank

2009-11-01T11:13:00.003-05:00

As most of you have noticed, I've been away from the blogging world. I've been playing World of Warcraft trying to level a paladin. The only reason I decided to roll a paladin was because I was tired of trying to find a tank to run through some dungeons. I've been trying to get his defence rating up to 540 so he can be capped, but unfortunately he's only level 77 and has a defence rating of 526. Its good to be close to the cap while leveling because it makes it easier to fulfill the role of a tank while striving for level 80.

Anyway, the only problem I've had while running through dungeons as a tank is with other players that like to pull the groups of enemies while I'm trying to replenish my mana. Hopefully I will be able to get some really nice gear soon, max level isn't that far away when you are level 77. As always your comments are welcome, and if you have any tips for someone learning how to tank in the game, feel free to drop me a comment. Later!

Patch 3.2

2009-08-07T07:10:00.002-04:00

The new patch is out and so far I'm enjoying it. They have added more dailies for the Argent Tournament which is awesome considering I lost four dailies when I completed the Valiant series of daily quests. I've tried the new instance, Trial of Champions, and it is tough. Hopefully I will get another chance to try that one out.

They have changed the way you start the battle for Wintergrasp Lake. I like that change, it is better for me to queue up for the WG battle then to try and get a raid invite.

Speaking of raids, I hope the raid I am joining tonight will be a success. As long as they don't advertise the raid in trade chat we should be successful. Anyway I have to run, have fun everyone.

Phew...That was a long run...

2009-04-04T22:15:00.002-04:00

Well my company has just moved buildings and I am ready for my first day off in the past three weeks. There has been so much chaos associated with moving a warehouse from one city to the next that I do not even know which day it is. I know that I finally get a day off but only because my supervisor told me that we do not have a shift tomorrow. Maybe now I can spend some time writing and just working on getting some rest.

Anyway I'm off to get some sleep...I need it! See you all soon.

Hmm...Things Have Changed

2009-03-13T23:26:00.003-04:00

Wow what a change from about this time last year. Last year their was a primary that seemed to drag on and now the winner President Barrack Obama is working to help America out of the global recession. Peoples outlooks have changed and consumer confidence is non-existent. The big three are trying to do everything to get bail out money just to survive the recession.

Who's fault was the recession anyway, should we even place blame? To me it doesn't matter who's at fault, what matters to me is how and when are we going to get out of the recession? I'm not an economist but I do think that if we are to make it out of this recession some concessions are going to made. What kind of concessions, pay cuts, work share, or more lay offs? If the markets are deflating some of that deflation should be seen in the cost of living but I haven't seen any reductions.

One thing I'm sure of is that the cost of living has increased and a lot of wages have not been increasing. But is cutting jobs and begging governments for bail outs the answer? My opinion is that the cost of the items we need to purchase a new car is far to high and I'm not just talking about Canadian prices. On the whole the price of items have increased and other than retailers offering a lot more sales on their products. But anyway my opinion is just a drop in the bucket of what is the cause of this recession.

What do you think? Would lower prices on almost all goods and services help us out of this global recession?

I Have An Addiction

2009-01-28T01:26:00.002-05:00

Hello again. Some of the few readers that I have may have noticed a complete lack of new posts on this blog. Well I am addicted to playing World of Warcraft. My brother bought me the game for Christmas and ever since I got it home I have had trouble pulling myself away from the game. It's not that it is the be all and end all of PC Games but for me; it's the role playing in the game that is the most fun. I will be trying to pull myself away from the game more often and trying to get something up here for you to read considering that Parliament is now back in session and the old power hungry politicians are singing the same song they were singing before the Governor General Prorogued parliament.

Anyway, I am sure that some interesting story is going to break soon about the Canadian government, hopefully we will be going to another election if there is a no confidence vote. Michael Ignatief has said that he will take time to go over the new budget, at least that was what I read in the paper. We will have to wait until tomorrow to find out what is happening.

Till the next time I can pull myself away from the game, adios Amigos!

New Prime Minister....I hope not!

2008-12-13T18:10:00.003-05:00

A new face for the coalition, but is the coalition good for Canadians? I really don't think so. I don't want a new PM right now, the whole no confidence vote in parliament shows me that the people we voted into parliament can only get along when they have an opportunity to steal power away from the Canadian voters.

The Canadian people showed the Liberals that we don't want their kind leading the country by only voting them into one of the lowest ever recorded number of seats in parliament. So why would the rest of the 75% of the country that did not vote for liberals want another Liberal Prime Minister? I still think that this whole coalition is nothing more than a power grab at the expense of the Canadian voting public.

Just because the liberal party has a new leader does not mean that I am more likely to accept a coalition government that has separatists in power. If Quebec decides that it will separate from Canada, we could see a civil war in the near future. If this coalition is not smothered then we would be looking at a nation divided in a time when we need our elected officials to stand together and get things done. These hard economic times are putting even more strain on the unity of the country with threats from other provinces to separate if the coalition government is allowed to take power.

I am trying to find the time to put a letter together for my elected official and a letter to the Governor General. I would much rather the Governor General dissolve parliament and call another election than have to deal with a PM that is willing to steal your vote and take power just because they are acting like sore losers. This whole political crisis that has reared its ugly head in the ashes of our last election is giving other nations a reason to laugh at us and our political system. These power hungry MP's must be stopped; even if it means we have to have a conservative majority government.

In my opinion; changing the leader of the coalition does nothing to change my mind about whether or not it is good for Canada. How many votes would have been stolen by the coalition if the Governor General allows the coalition to take power? How many people feel like they have been betrayed by the liberals and the new democrats? If you are against the coalition, then stand up for your vote and tell these power hungry losers that you are opposed to the coalition. The person that was elected in my riding who I voted for is in on this coalition and I cannot help but feel like he has betrayed my vote. I did not vote for him to have him steal power; I voted for him because his platform was the one that was best for my riding.

Maybe it is time for a drastic change to the Canadian political system. Instead of having a multiparty system, maybe its time we took a page from the Americans and went to a two party system, the right versus the left. I do think that there is much change needed to our electoral system especially if a party can win 50 seats in the house of commons from only one province. One thing that I firmly believe is that if your party does not allow people outside of one province to vote for you; your party should not be allowed to take part in federal elections involving the other 9 provinces and 3 territories. Well that's just my opinion, what's yours?

Image: Wiki Media Commons

More Liberal Gobble-dee-gook

2008-12-08T23:17:00.003-05:00

Today was a big day for Jean Charest of the Liberal party winning a majority government. Jean Charest is good for Quebec and as an Ontarian I am glad that Quebec elected a party with out a sovereignty platform. Is this good for the Harper government like some analysts have said?

What is good for country is the leadership race to replace Stephane Dion. Michael Ignatieff appears to be the leader in the race. Dominic Leblanc, an MP from New Brunswick has dropped out of the leadership race and is now backing Michael Ignatieff for the new leader of the opposition. Bob Rae, a former NDP provincial premier is also in the race for leadership of the federal liberal party in Ottawa. Both offer a better alternative to Stephane Dion but support for the coalition is coming more from Bob Rae than Michael Ignatieff.

My opinion is that a new leader of the liberals will help settle the crisis in the house of commons and our elected officials will be able to get back to work on our economy. The economy is a headline maker and right now some of the reviews are very poor; we need our officials back in office to move forward and work together to tackle the economic issues of today. The federal liberals headed by Dion seem to be acting like sore losers and that is a very unprofessional attitude when your country's economic future is hanging in the balance. All Canadians should stand behind our PM and next election send a clear message to the liberals that backdoor politics is bad business for Canada!

What are your thoughts about the liberal leadership race?

Prorogued

2008-12-06T16:51:00.003-05:00

Last Wednesday Stephen Harper convinced our Governor General to prorogue parliament. The Liberal and New Democrat coalition are trying to convince the general population that delaying the no confidence vote was running away from the issues. Rallies for both pro and anti coalition have been held across the Nation, Stephane Dion should not be allowed to grab power with a coalition including a party that only one province is allowed to vote for.

The Bloc Quebecois is not a national party, only residents of Quebec are allowed to vote for them. This makes them in my opinion a provincial party in the wrong level of the Canadian government. If I were allowed to vote for the Bloc Quebecois I might have a different opinion of them, but I really can not see the Montreal Canadiens as a team that is not part of Canada. Having the Bloc as part of the coalition makes me believe that the coalition is not good for country, never mind the fact that it is being lead by a party that 75% of the country did not vote for.

I still feel betrayed by the Liberals and NDP; I am standing by my PM and hoping that cooler heads will prevail. The budget which will be the first thing tabled after parliament resumes in January should be interesting. The PM has called for a meeting with all of the provincial leaders to try and put the best budget forward that is in the interest of all Canadians. As for the coalition, I would rather have another election then have Stephane Dion as my PM; my vote counts too. What about you, are you pro or anti-coalition?

Who Did I Vote For?

2008-12-02T19:54:00.004-05:00

I just watched PM Stephen Harper address the nation today. After hearing what the PM had to say to the Canadian people I watched and listened to what Stephane Dion, Jack Layton and Gilles Duceppe had to say in response to the PM's address. I was a little skeptical about what a coalition government would do for Canadians, but mostly I felt betrayed by the officials we elected.

Let me elaborate a little, seven weeks ago Canadians decided that they wanted a conservative minority government with a diverse opposition to represent them in the house of commons. When I first heard rumours of a coalition government consisting of Stephane Dion as the new Prime Minister and supported by Jack Layton and Gilles Duceppe of the Bloc Quebecois; my first thought was I don't want a Liberal Prime Minister. It seems the people who had told the Canadian people on election night that they would work with the new minority government to make change for the Canadian people are certainly making change. They are flip flopping to gain power. Did we all say back in October that we did not want Stephane Dion as our PM?

I don't know a lot about politics but I do know who I voted for and it was not Mr Dion. I really feel like we need a "do over" on the last election. Should we stand together with our PM even if you didn't vote for him, after all he is the face of Canada; our representative to the world. Or do we let 'backroom deals' set a new precedence in Canadian politics and allow this coalition government headed by some one who is stepping down and allowing its own party to elect a new PM from its own members in May?

My opinion is that this coalition government is bad for Canadians because all of those who voted against Dion and his plan for the economy and the environment; which was a small stimulus check and a new tax that would have everything overpriced; would now have a PM they did not vote for which is about 75% of Canadians. I do not want Dion and some one who is 'yet to be determined' run my country regardless of whether or not the official I elected is taking part in the coalition. Who really wants a PM who encourages inflation; don't we pay enough for our goods and service? I really don't like the idea of a coalition government and talking about the current one leaves a really bad taste in my mouth. What's your opinion about the current Canadian political crisis?

More about the Canadian political crisis: Dion coalition would 'weaken' Canada: Harper