yy Shis thsue: Y Idle No More event presents 13-year-old activist And more! (Y Russian parliament approves plan to invade Ukraine Y Civil servants attack Gangnam street vendors Have an idea for a story? Let us know! Contact: Patrick Vaillancourt, News Editor Mnews@theotherpress.ca www. theotherpress.ca Conservative brand in trouble » Dramatic downturn in the number of Canadians identifying with Harper government Patrick Vaillancourt ag * News Editor “| news : @theotherpress.ca poll conducted annually nd presented toa Conservative-friendly conference is raising a number of alarms within government circles. The poll, conducted by Carleton University professor André Turcotte and presented to the Manning Centre shows that Canadians are jumping off the Conservative bandwagon in key battleground provinces, including British Columbia and Ontario. attendees on February 28 that the state of conservatism in Canada is “[headed] in the wrong direction.” In British Columbia, the as being Conservative fell 13 percentage points, from 33 per cent to 20 per cent. A similar decline took place in Ontario, where the numbers dipped to 25 per cent—a 10-point decline from last year’s result. This is particularly damaging for the Harper : government, which has : invested so much time and : money attempting to build upa : support base in these provinces, : especially in the more diverse : urban communities and : in cities and towns witha : high concentration of new : immigrant voters. Turcotte also emphasized : to conference attendees that : the news gets worse for the : governing Conservatives when : examining Canadians’ attitudes : on which of the federal political : parties handle some of the : key issues. On almost all of : the issues studied, Stephen : Harper’s Conservatives ranked Turcotte told the conference : either as good as the Liberal : Party under Justin Trudeau, or : well-below the other political : parties. For example, on : the management of the number of people who identified : : to beas confident with the : Conservatives as they are with : the Liberals. economy, the voters seem Other issues, such as health : careand unemployment, show : the Conservatives trailing the : Liberals. On the management : of the environment, the : Conservatives trail the Liberals, : NDP, and the Green Party. The Conservative brand has been damaged some : in the last year, with the : revelation of expense scandals : in the Senate, the release of : damning evidence indicating : that the Conservatives : engaged in a widespread : voter suppression campaign : in the last federal election, : and environmental disasters. : The poll also found that 93 : per cent either “somewhat : support” or “strongly support” : closer inspection of “electoral : wrongdoings,” as well as : transparency on spending of : public funds. Similarly, 92 per : cent either “somewhat support” : or “strongly support” greatly : accountability to caucuses. The Manning Centre is : a conservative think-tank : headed by former Reform Party : leader Preston Manning. The : Reform Party was the Western : Canadian offshoot which : merged with the Progressive : Conservative Party in 2004 to : create today’s Conservative : Party of Canada. Douglas Learning Centre offers hands-on computer skills training » Peer tutoring teaches computer skills, science Cazzy Lewchuk Staff Writer face almost constantly. It extends far beyond com- plicated programs relating directly to a computer science class; even simple tasks like formatting in Microsoft Word or creating a PowerPoint presentation are challenges a student may face ina class. The basic skills involved in working a computer are often mis- understood or unknown by a surprising number of people. That’s where tutors ; at the Douglas College ; Learning Centre step in. Located in room A1040 : at the Coquitlam campus, : and inthe library at the : New Westminster campus, Wrens with computers : isatask students will : free tutoring from expe- rienced tutors on almost : any subject—including the computer skills department. the Learning Centre offers Among the approxi- mately 25 Douglas College ; students who work at David : Lam, there are four who : specialize in computer : science and technology. : These tutors are the ones : who can help witha specific : computer question, for those : enrolled within courses : in the Computer Sciences : program or just anyone : who needs a tune-up on : how to use a computer. : computer skills tutors go far beyond just this field. Any : questions relating to using : the Internet or a computer : program can be directed to : them: this can include adding : : animations toa PowerPoint: presentation, adding page : numbers to a Word docu- ment, or creating a graph in : Excel. Accessing the Internet : for academic work can be : achallenge, too. Students : canalso learn from these : tutors how to access and use : Blackboard, MyDouglas, : or their student email. : second-year Computer : Science student, is one of the The services offered by Monika Sharma, a Stephen Harper // By www.mykvetch.com > four computer skills tutors : at the Learning Centre. Her : specialization in tutoring : includes programming, computer languages, and : general computer skills. : She told the Other Press, : “While I assist computer science majors or those : taking a CSIS [Computing : Science and Information : Systems] class, I also help with many accounting or : business majors with Excel.” Sharma plans to continue her computer science studies : and find a job in the field in : the future. She shares the : : computer skills desk with the : : three other computer skills : tutors. The computer skills : desk offers walk-up help for : : quick computer-related ques- : : tions, suchas how to attacha : file to an email. In addition, : 25 or 50-minute appoint- : ments can be made for more in-depth tutoring sessions on ; computer-related questions. The Learning Centre also offers a study group : for computer sciences, : specifically focussing on : Windows Programming and : the course CSIS 1175. This group meets in the Learning : Centre at the Coquitlam ; campus on Thursdays from ; 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. To book an appointment : at the Learning Centre, you can book an appointment online at www.douglascol- : lege.ca/learningcentre