On developing reputations

Yes, there's room to quibble about the credit Heather Scoffield gives the Cons for the At Home pilot program. But in the spirit of encouraging better policy from each possible corner, let's not focus on that for now.

Instead, the real question is whether the current pilot project will lead to a sustainable program to deal with homelessness that Canada can be proud of once At Home's trial period ends in 2013. And if the Cons choose not to build on the positive results so far (particularly given the highly dubious giveaways that they're using as an excuse for not investing in social priorities), that choice will more than undo any credit the Cons could possibly claim for gathering data they then choose to ignore.