Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Feds should clean up energy sector, poll says

By Mike De Souza, Postmedia News 

OTTAWA — A majority of Canadians believe the energy sector is one of the most important parts of Canada's economy, and the federal government should lead the way in "cleaning" it up by finding alternatives to oil, says a newly released internal report.
The study, produced for Natural Resources Canada by Decima Research, found that 88 per cent of Canadians were either "very concerned" (47 per cent) or somewhat concerned (41 per cent) about the environmental impact of energy use and that 87 per cent were "very concerned" (46 per cent) or "somewhat concerned" (41 per cent) about the impact of energy production.
"There is not an expectation that Canada should transition overnight, but rather start the process of moving toward more environmentally friendly (but still reasonably cost-effective and reliable) sources in the medium term, and then further up the environmental continuum in a longer term future," wrote Doug Anderson, senior vice-president for Decima Research, in the report. "They believe that this may not happen without some form of leadership, with objectives and time frames in place for this transitional process, and ideally, investments made in facilitating this transition."
The report was based on a survey of 1,800 Canadian adults in June 2010, as well as 14 focus groups in seven cities across the country. The poll results are considered accurate within 2.3 percentage points, 95 per cent of the time.
The report also found that Canadians wanted to reduce their energy consumption and improve conservation habits, with 77 per cent either "very concerned" (36 per cent) or "somewhat concerned (41 per cent) about the price they were paying for energy.
"Participants tended to recognize that this transition may cost them (as consumers and as taxpayers) some money," said the report. "But they believed that an investment in this area has the potential for them, and for the country to benefit from, both economically and environmentally in future."
But they expressed "frustration" about barriers that prevent them from using cleaner energy for home heating, electricity or transportation such as a lack of alternative providers or being able to manage the up front costs. The report said participants expected the government to provide incentives in areas such as home energy retrofits, a sector where the government is winding down an existing program.
When asked about specific energy sources, oil received the poorest score with 89 per cent of Canadians expressing concerns about its environmental impact, versus 11 per cent who were not concerned, the report said.
Nuclear and coal energy were the next on the list with 74 per cent of respondents expressing concerns about their impacts, followed by natural gas at 60 per cent. But only 18 per cent of Canadians were "very concerned" about the impact of natural gas with 42 per cent saying they were "somewhat concerned" about consumption of this energy source.
"Regardless of the concerns, focus group discussions demonstrated a desire among participants for Canada to shift more toward cleaner energy sources or production," said the report. "It was commonly mentioned that Canada's energy supplies can be increased while simultaneously protecting the environment."
In comparison, 55 per cent were either "not very concerned" or "not at all concerned" about the impact of hydroelectricity.
The results also revealed some regional splits regarding the perception of different energy sources. For example, British Columbians demonstrated a higher degree of concern about oil and coal, while Ontarians had more concerns about coal than other parts of the country.
Quebec residents were much less concerned about impacts associated with hydroelectricity, the main source of energy in the province, than the rest of the country, while Canadians from Atlantic Canada, Manitoba and Saskatchewan appeared to be less concerned than others about oil, coal or nuclear, the report said.
But Canadians from every region viewed natural resources as being more important to the economy than the manufacturing and service industries. Overall, 50 per cent of Canadians view the sector as the most important one, followed by 29 per cent for manufacturing and 19 per cent for the service industry.
The report also found that 95 per cent of Canadians agreed that the energy sector was "important for economic development and job creation," with a majority of respondents (57 per cent) correctly identifying Canada as a net exporter of energy.
"Almost all focus group participants considered Canada to be playing a significant, if not leading, role in the world energy market," said the report.
When asked to identify Canada's most important natural resource, without prompting, 46 per cent of respondents said water, followed by 20 per cent who said oil, 14 per cent who said trees, eight per cent who said natural gas, seven per cent who said minerals and metals and three per cent who said fish.

Friday, December 24, 2010

This is one prediction I wish I was wrong about: No Oil Tanker ban in Canada

Read my lips: There's no oil tanker ban in Canada

 
 
 
 
Re: An oil spill would be inevitable if tankers allowed on B.C. coast, Letters, Dec. 23.

I want to clarify the issues related to oil tankers on Canada's Pacific Coast. There is no oil tanker traffic moratorium in Canada. I would also like to stress that oil tankers have been trading safely and regularly along the British Columbia coast for decades.

However, there is a federal moratorium in place on oil and natural gas exploration and development offshore of British Columbia. It does not apply to storing or moving oil tankers.
There is also a voluntary Tanker Exclusion Zone that applies strictly to Trans-Alaska pipeline tankers moving south from Alaska to Washington State. It keeps U.S. tanker ships carrying oil 25-75 miles off the B.C. coast. The government has no plans to change the Tanker Exclusion Zone.

This zone was never meant to ban tanker traffic or tankers calling on Canadian ports. Each year, more than 1,000 tankers respect the Tanker Exclusion Zone. There are no reports of non-compliance.

I can assure readers that Canada's maritime regulations and standards, combined with international regulations require oil tankers to have double hulls. In addition, all ships including tankers use a specially-trained marine pilot in compulsory marine zones and undergo strict marine safety inspections.

This government has a zero-tolerance policy toward polluting Canada's marine environment. We will continue to enforce strong standards to ensure the safe transport of petroleum products along the B.C. Coast.

Chuck Strahl
Federal Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities


Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/todays-paper/Read+lips+There+tanker+Canada/4023384/story.html#ixzz192lWNU68

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Suncor fined for dumping oilsands effluent

(Courtesy of CBC and The Canada Press)

Oilsands giant Suncor has been fined $200,000 for dumping material harmful to fish into a northern Alberta river.

Suncor Energy Inc. was fined Tuesday after pleading guilty to charges under the federal Fisheries Act.

Environment Canada says the fine was for the release of effluent in 2008 from sediment ponds built as part of Suncor operations near the Steepbank River north of Fort McMurray.

Much of the fine is to be paid into the federal government's Environmental Damages Fund.
Suncor officials could not be reached for comment.

The fine was imposed the same day that Ottawa promised to improve oilsands environmental monitoring after a report said there were "significant shortcomings" in the current system.


Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2010/12/22/alberta-suncor-oilsands-dumping-fine.html?ref=rss#ixzz18sPaeNrE

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Another Conservative rejected by voters appointed a Harper Senator

Another Conservative rejected by voters appointed a Harper Senator

And Harper continues to stack the Senate, not with venerable, non-partisan,veteran statesmen, but with Conservative Cast-off Cronies over whom he can exercise complete control. And Canada drifts farther and farther away from democracy. Harper has won, he has his majority with out even having to go to the polls. With his usurping and undermining of the Senate, he no longer cares about a majority in the Lower House. God help us all!

Oil Sands Monitoring Woefully Inadaquate: Report

Courtesy of "Thestar.com
 
Allan Woods Ottawa Bureau
 
OTTAWA — The Alberta oilsands may be a massive threat to water, wildlife and the atmosphere but no one can tell for sure thanks to the inability of governments to conduct proper environmental checks, a new report says.
Commissioned by the federal environment minister two months ago, an expert panel was asked if there was proper scientific oversight of the effects of oilsands development in northern Alberta.
“Do we have a world-class monitoring system in place? In short, no,” said Elizabeth Dowdeswell, the panel chair and former executive director of the United Nations Environment Program.
But she said the possibility exists to vastly improve the monitoring of water, land, air quality and wildlife for any impacts caused by the drilling and digging for sandy bitumen that is refined into the liquid gold that has driven the Canadian economy.
Both the provincial government in Edmonton and Ottawa have embraced the findings of the report, which identified a “lack of leadership and cooperation” for the patchwork of efforts to measure environmental degradation caused by the oil sands.
The Alberta government has already set up a panel to direct its plan for a new monitoring system. And in Ottawa, federal environment minister John Baird said he will work with the province to draw up a system to begin to monitor water quality within 90 days. Similar oversight for air quality, soil and biodiversity will follow, he said.
“The actions we take will be guided by science and by facts, not by politics and public relations,” Baird said.
Better monitoring of oil sands impacts could force the government to enact stricter regulations around activities if they are found to have negative effects on the environment, something that many scientists, First Nations and activists have long claimed.
But a report released last week by the Royal Society of Canada makes it clear it could have the opposite effect as well. Some environmental groups have had to estimate their calculations in some cases to claim negative effects from the oil sands, which have led to exaggerated findings.
The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers referred to this when praising the Dowdeswell report and said it was happy to see better monitoring and transparency in a murky and controversial sector of the economy.
“We’ve been happy to be judged by good science,” said Travis Davies, a spokesperson with the industry coalition.
Jim Prentice, the former federal environment minister, called for the panel after being shown pictures of fish caught downstream from the oilsands with tumors, curved spines and other deformities.
Natives communities living downstream from the developments on the Athabasca River have also complained about elevated cancer rates, but the mass of disconnected efforts by academics, industry and governments have so far failed to establish beyond doubt any detrimental effects from oil sand projects.
“Until these significant shortcomings are addressed there will continue to be debate about the data itself. There will continue to be uncertainty and public distrust both of industry’s environmental performance and government’s oversight,” Dowdeswell warned.
NDP environment critic Linda Duncan praised the panel’s work, but said it was a damning illustration of how Ottawa had shirked its responsibilities.
“The federal government has deserted Alberta for 40 years, left it to the province and the province has downloaded to industry and there’s no scientific oversight. That is the summation of where we are.”
Baird said he first plans to ask his department to work with its Alberta counterpart and the industry to better organize their monitoring efforts.
The report recommends making industry – not governments – pay for any unforeseen expenses. That was the only suggestion that Baird hesitated to endorse.
“We’ll get the facts first and come to that determination second,” he said.

Monday, December 20, 2010

Alberta said to be top industrial greenhouse gas emitter

Alberta said to be top industrial greenhouse gas emitter

(Courtesy of the Chronicle Herald)



EDMONTON (CP) — Experts say that figures on greenhouse gases in Canada suggest that Alberta’s economy is dangerously dependent on carbon-emitting industries.
Environment Canada says the province’s industrial emissions make up half of the country’s greenhouse gases even though Alberta has just over 10 per cent of its population.
David Keith of the University of Calgary says that leaves Alberta at risk as the world moves to penalize carbon production in an attempt to limit global warming.
The report says that between coal-fired power plants and oilsands facilities all four of Canada’s largest emitters are in Alberta.
The oilsands are the only industrial sector tracked in the report that increased emissions last year.
The province hopes to reduce some of its emissions through carbon capture and storage, but those projects won’t take effect for at least five years.
The report does not include emissions from small sources such as vehicles.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

So What Exactly DOES Harper Care About?

Elections Canada takes Tories to task over hidden campaign expenses - The Globe and Mail

So here is a rather abbreviated list of the things the Harper-Cons don't really care about:

- They don't care about  Environment. This is demonstrated by their refusal to comply with Canada's commitments to Kyoto when they first came to office in 2006. Subsequently, Harper has established no real policy or agenda regarding the environment and has  instead, attempted to dazzle Canadians with smoke and mirrors.

Harper has opened up once protected land in the North West Territories to Mining.

The Cons are allowing Canadian Coast Guard research vessels to be used by Big Oil companies such as BP (The Oil spill king) to troll for oil in the Arctic.

The Reform/Cons have removed funding for The Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospheric Science, a major Canadian agency that has funded hundreds of projects researching the effects of climate change at local levels.  

Harper and the Cons continue to refute the environmental Impact of the Alberta Oil Sands. 

Canadian Diplomats have been actively promoting Alberta Oil with Big American Oil Lobby groups in an effort to get them to "Buy Alberta" and to influence American Environmental Policy.

Harper has allowed Enbridge to begin construction of a pipe line from Alberta to the B.C. Coast despite a majority of both Federal and Provincial officials objecting to the presence of Oil Tankers off B.C.s pristine coastline. 

Canada has no emergency action plan in the event of an oil spill in the Arctic.

Jim Flaherty has claimed that he sees a future where Canada will be an energy Super Power. I'm sorry, but you can't be both an Energy Super Power and environmentally responsible. 

- Harper doesn't care about You and Me: As citizens of Canada we are deemed to be expendable in Harpers maniacal push to have his agenda fulfilled. Case in point, the government has gone to great lengths to downplay or completely dispel the notion that the oil Sands are having any kind of health effect on Local First Nations people. 

It Doesn't matter that both the Oils Sands and Mining in the Horn Plateau In the NWT will have an irreversible effect  on First Nations traditional way of life in those regions.

Harper refuses to repatriate Canadians charged with criminal offences in Foreign countries... unless they are a middle aged white Anglo-Saxon Protestant woman convicted of fraud in Mexico. 

Harper had an independent members bill killed by the Senate that was intended to see to it that disabled Nortel Employees get a reasonable share in the company's bankruptcy proceedings. And this just seemed to be out right mean spirited. Who knows how this fits into Harper's agenda, but with a stroke of a pen, he screwed over 400 or so Desperate Canadian Citizens. 

- Harper doesn't care about Gays, AIDS, Impoverished African nations,  Palestinians, most anyone else who isn't white and Christian. It is quite well known that Harper has very strong religious and Conservative views about Gays and Gay marriages. He and his narrow minded cronies have only put up with them until now because they have been restricted by the confines of a minority government. But now that Harper has learned how to manipulate Democracy and the rule of majority through the debasement of the Senate, look for this to change fairly soon.

Harper has developed no policy nor even attended any international conferences held on the scourge of AIDS. In Africa, the continent that is most devastated by the virus, Harper is reducing financial support and tying what support that remains to whether or not the money will be used to fund legal abortions. Canada you see, won't fund abortions in poor developing nations. He barely puts up with it here in Canada where therapeutic abortions have been legal for over 40 years. But give him time, especially if he's elected with a majority in the Spring of 2011.

Harper, instead of keeping the flow of money to poor developing nations in Africa going, is beginning to siphon of huge sums of money, diverting those funds to South American Countries that are by and large, better off than their African counterparts and, coincidentally, predominantly Catholic, which African nations are not. Of course, In Catholic countries, Abortions are not condoned.

Harper has stated his blind, unequivocal,  un-repentant support for the state of Israel. He has told the Palestinians there can be no peace until they cease their assaults on their Jewish neighbours. Therefore, there can be no Palestinian state. There is no mention however, of Israel encroachment on Palestinian land with the continued construction of settlements, or the treatment of Palestinian citizens by the Israeli military.

- Harper doesn't care about Democracy: Harper did exactly what he said he would never do, appoint a Senator to the Upper Chamber. So not only was this a lie, it was a whopper. He has appointed no less than 32 Senators with in a short period of time, most of them Conservative Cronies who weren't successful in obtaining seats in the Elected House of Commons. So the Harperist Reform/Cons now have an undisputed majority in the Senate and Harper has complete and utter control over these men and women. He has no remorse what so ever in using them to arbitrarily pass or kill any bill he wants, regardless of whether or not it received majority support by the elected official in the Commons. "Democracy be damned". Say's he 

As we all know, Harper has not once but twice, Prorogued Parliament. Once in 2008 to avoid a vote of non-confidence which would have seen him hand over the reigns of Government to the Elected Majority in the House, and again in 2009 in an effort to halt all debate and investigation over the alleged abuse of Afghan Detainees who Canadian Troops routinely hand over to the notorious Afghan security forces. It has been a year now since that occasion and there has still been no answers or accounting from the government regarding this issue.

The Government has told Staffers not to attend as witnesses at Committee hearings. For that matter, as in the Detainee issue, even Ministers don't show up. And in what ever committees the Cons participate in, they continue to play the same unseemly and unethical hyper-partisan politics that they play on a daily basis in the Lower, and now Upper Houses, thereby obstructing the effectiveness of any committee work.

Harper spends $16 billion to buy fighter aircraft without consulting with Parliament and in that same vain, refused to consult with our elected officials when he decided to extend Canada's mission in Afghanistan past the 2011 dead line he himself had established. 

-And now, it appears that Harper cares nothing for the law: As per the article linked above, Harper has basically given Elections Canada the finger with regard to the allegations (well substantiated by proof by the way)That the Cons over spent on their National Campaign budgets in 2006 and knowingly miss-allocated funds in an effort to disguise the extra expenditures. Harper and his Cronies have promised to have EC tied up in court indefinitely in an effort to cover up their indiscretions. 

But this Government taking people to court is nothing new. They routinely have waged wars of attrition on whistle-blowers or those seeking damages from the Government, their apparent tactic being to appeal and to appeal again until these people run out of money, or simply go away in frustration. 

The Harper Government spent $1.3 million of tax payers money to ensure that Omar Khadr would not only remain in Guantanamo Bay but guarantee that his rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedom as well as various UN accords would continue to be denied him. The Supreme Court of Canada found the Harper Con Government to be seriously in breech of the Charter but stopped short of ordering them to repatriate the young man. So instead, The Harper Cons allow him to plead guilty in front of a Kangaroo Court and continue to deny this boys rights under law.

So with all this, and this is far from being an exhaustive list, just what does Harper and the Harpies care about? Well they care about Alberta Oil. It is their primary reason for being in Ottawa. They care about clinging to power. They will bend, break and outright obliterate the rights of others, the law and Democracy itself to do so. They Care about Alberta Oil too by the way. Oh, and Harper Governs according to his own narrow minded ideology as shaped by his religious beliefs.So he cares about Christianity, no matter how un-Christian his views and actions seem to be.

Oh, and have I mentioned that Harper's primary goal is to protect and promote Alberta Oil?



Saturday, December 11, 2010

Harper and Baird, All Bluster on the Enviornment.

Climate-change reputation in tatters? Try blustering - The Globe and Mail

I have to wonder why it is that most people, at least most reasonable people (American Right Wing Christian Family Values Lobby groups don't count) around the world have figured out that John Baird and Stephen Harper are full of shit, yet here at home, a good 30% (or 39% if you believe the Conservative polls) still feel that  Harper and the Harpies are the greatest thing since enriched white bread, sliced at that.
If John Baird blusters on about forests, and no one gives a shit, does he really make any noise at all? Apparently so at home in Canada here.

It is indeed a conundrum. But I guess the rest of the world isn't exposed  to the daily doses of vitriolic, hyper-partisan "Truth Bending" that we here in the frigid North are exposed to on a daily basis. 

You see, Harper and his cadre of pretty-boy office clerks at the PMO has learned that if you shout the same lie often enough, it becomes a believable truth. Like with the environment for example. 

Harper and his pet Monkey Baird have been trumpeting all week, the creation of an aquatic nature reserve at Lancaster Sound north of Baffin Island in the Arctic. By doing so, coincidentally just prior to the UN Conference on Climate Change in Cancun, a believable illusion is created that portrays the New-Cons as champions of the environment and protectors of the fragile Arctic and it's indigenous people. 

While it is a fact that this reserve has been created, they don't mention that 14,000 km of the Horn Plateau in the NWT has also been declared open season for mining exploration thus sending the rather unequivocal message that the Harper-Feds don't give a flying fig about endangered species, lush Boreal forests, delicate Tundra or Indigenous people. And in this particular case, Chuck Strahl, Harper's hand puppet for Northern Development had promised the Territory and the local First Nations groups faithfully, that this land would continue to be protected. A lie that was repeated so often, that these groups concerned with protection of the Arctic, naively wrapped up in a false sense of security,  never  saw the truck that hit them.

And of course, Baird and Harper frequently speak of their "Aggressive Made in Canada" strategy for combating climate change. And we know that there is no strategy, just a lot of smoke and mirrors. That in fact, the Reform/Conservatives single biggest priority is protecting the Alberta Oil Sands at all cost. The same Oil Sands that are the single worst polluter in the country. The same Oil Sands that local First Nations groups have said are producing higher than average rates of cancer among their people, and The Harper Government has gone to great lengths to disprove. The same Oil Sands that Former Harper staffer Ezra Levant wrote about in his best selling book "Ethical Oil" which perpetuates the myth that Alberta Oil does no irreversible harm to the environment.

And the Oil Sands of course are the primary reason why Canadian diplomats have been meeting with big American Petro-Lobby groups in an effort to  influence American policy makers regarding their environmental objectives and to flog Alberta Oil over oil from say, Venezuela or Saudi Arabia.

And it is on the behalf of Alberta Oil, that Harper and Baird have gone to such great lengths to scuttle attempts by the UN to establish effective targets for reducing green house gasses. 

So despite what you've heard to the contrary fellow Canadians, Harper didn't go to Ottawa to create a kinder, gentler nation or to free us from the Liberal attitude of entitlement. He went there for one reason and one reason only. Alberta Oil. He doesn't care about you, he doesn't care about me, and he most certainly doesn't care about democracy. We are all expendable collateral damage in his war to keep the oil flowing out of Alberta. 

So with this in mind, look for Oil Tankers to be hauling up to the B.C coast in the near future, despite recent legislation in the House of Commons to ban the threat of Tankers and subsequent oils spills off B.C's coast. Harper has the majority in the Senate and he has no remorse what so ever in overturning the elected majority in the lower house to keep the oil flowing. And Enbridge of course, also wouldn't be spending Millions of dollars to construct a pipe-line from Alberta to the B.C. coast for nothing. There has to be a way to move the oil once it gets there.

And I think the scariest and most telling comment of all came recently from Finance Minister Jim Flaherty when he stated that he sees a future where Canada will be an "Energy Super Power". And odds are boys and squirrels, he's not talking about anything remotely close to environmental friendly energy. 

Friday, December 10, 2010

The lion of the House

The lion of the House - Beyond The Commons - Macleans.ca

What ever your feelings about Bob Rae, and in Onatrio, there are several
strong and opposing views, the man hit the nail on the head in this
video. As Mr. Wherry says in his preamble, ya gotta love a well
delivered speech. And note the absence of paper. This was off the cuff
...and from the heart.


The video speaks for itself.


Thursday, December 9, 2010

This Should Result in a Vote of Non-Confidence

The Following is a copy of an email I sent to half a dozen or so Liberal and NDP Members of Parliament including Michael Ignatieff.:

"Dear Friends and elected Canadians

The following is a twitter post (sorry, just can't bring my self to say tweet) posted by me.

"This was a sleazy, cheesy move that should result in a vote of no-confidence:Ottawa opens Arctic to miners http://j.mp/hsRk76 via @AddToAny'"

Please take note of the subject matter. "Ottawa opens up Arctic to miners".

That this move should even be considered is unconscionable.  But the manner in which it was carried out was criminal. It was, as in true Harper fashion, all done behind the backs of Canadians and Parliament to boot. There was NO discussion, NO consultation, NO debate.

One has to wonder what lobbiests got to Mr. Harper this time? And Who is getting kick-backs from this deal this time.

This is just further proof that Harper Cares NOTHING for the environment, cares NOTHING for the country and cares EVEN LESS about democracy. How long will this man be allowed to RAPE our country. He has manipulated himself into a position of absolute power because of having full control of the Senate. He can pass or turn down any bill he wants to now. He has made a MOCKERY of the
House of Sober Second Thought and of the entire Canadian Democratic system. He has tarnished it beyond recognition yet NO ONE will make an effort to stop this MEGALOMANIAC!

There was a failed attempt at a coalition in 2008. I wonder if anyone will take one seriously now, or if the parties involved would even be willing any more. Even if there were a federal election tomorrow, if Harper was re-elected with a minority, (heaven help us all if he ever got a majority) his being allowed to rule should not even be an option. It should be" government  by coalition".

This man is a criminal. He has violated the Charter of Rights and Freedoms countless times and lied, cheated and stolen is way into absolute power. He MUST BE STOPPED. WHEN WILL OUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES STEP UP TO THE PLATE FOR THE SAKE OF THE COUNTRY?

Please, for the sake of Canada, for the sake of the great society that we hold dear, for the sake of our loved ones and our children's future. Please put a stop to this man before it is too late.

Sincerely"




Please Get active. Get Involved. Write your MP, tell him/her that enough is enough. We, as Canadians, lovers of Peace, freedom and democracy demand our Country be returned to us.

Monday, December 6, 2010

Of Boot-Camps and Scabs

CBC News - World - Ottawa spending billions on consultants: union

So as the Government now out-sources so much of it's work that should be done by the public service, watch for them to trumpet the great savings they've made by reducing the size of government.

It would be a blatant "skewing of the facts", but it isn't unique. In Ontario in the 90s, one of then Premier Mike Harris's hot button election topics was "getting tough on youth crime". Sound familiar? He, like Harper, used fear mongering to capture votes rather than hope for the future.

Harris was a proponent of U.S. style "boot camps" for young offenders, where the kids get yelled at, maligned and bossed around by drill sergeant-like correctional officers. The image seemed to appeal to the public at the time, regardless of the fact that American research had already shown the boot camp model to be less effective then other, rehabilitative "up-front" methods of reducing recidivism in young offenders. But Harris was committed to the notion so like Harper, it was "damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead" with his borderline abusive notion of getting tough on punks.

So millions of dollars were siphoned off of already existing programs that were, at the time, doing exemplary work with young offenders, to fund an experimental boot camp near Barrie Ontario. The candidates (offenders) were hand-picked and every resource imaginable was poured into the project. And as the program progressed, the rate at which graduates re-offended after their release was carefully tracked. But the data was skewed. What was counted as re-offending was if a youth for example, charged with car theft, stole more cars in the future. But if he did a break and enter, this was not counted as re-offending. Thus, the Harris Conservatives attempted to trumpet the success of their project which, in the end, looked nothing like a boot camp and in reality, proved to be no more or less effective than other means of rehabilitating youthful offenders being used at the time. Oh, and this project was overseen by Minister of Corrections Bob Runciman, who incidental,couldn't legitimately get elected to Federal Parliament after his tenure with Harris, but was instead appointed to the Senate by Stephen Harper.
"Senator"Bob Runciman 


So the skewing of data is not a new method of proving the efficacy of a program, project or philosophy, especially if the program, project or philosophy is flawed in the first place.

But I am jumping ahead of my self here. This is only my take on what Harper might do with this scenario. He hasn't done it yet and in the end, he might surprise us all and give us the straight facts on what the costs of running his government are. And pigs can fly.......

But regardless of what Our esteemed  Prime Minister intends to do with his data, It is indeed amazing that the rampant use of "Consultants"/Contract workers has been allowed to occur to the extent that it has. The feds haven't actually shrunk the size of government, they have increased it by creating an unregulated parallel public service that has been outsourced to the private sector.

What amazes me is that the union representing these federal public servants has not been more aggressive in their protest of the use of "temp" employees by the government. These "Consultants" are most certainly taking work away from existing public servants and have prevented the hiring of other unionised personnel who would then have the opportunity to acquire benefits.

But there-in lies the rub. These Contract workers are not earning benefits. An employees benefits could easily be a cost to the government of as much as 14% of an employees salary on top of what they might earn. So there could well be a savings to the government in what is spent on public employees. But one has to wonder, when the contracts to these private sector temps are being negotiated, are the lack of benefits being off-set by an increased salary? With each contract likely being negotiated on an individual basis, it would be extremely difficult to calculate what, if any, the real savings might be.

So if I were a rampant NDP'er, I'd be screaming "Scabs to the right of us,  Scabs to the left of us...." from the top of the Parliament buildings. The Government is doing a fine job of incorporating a cheesy, union busting cost savings tactic that is all too common in the private sector today. But at what risk?

Garry Corbett, the Union Official who, according to the CBC article, is researching the Governments use of Consultants, is quick to recall the horror of Walkerton as an example of what could happen when the Public Service is slashed indiscriminately as was the case with the Harris regime in Ontario. People died unnecessarily. And thus far, Harper seems to have no difficulty putting his agenda ahead of Canadian lives. Placing the profits from the Alberta Oil Sands ahead of the health risks to local Indian populations is a case in point. But as far as we know, no one has actually died yet as a result of the Federal Governments use of "scab" labour.

What is also of great concern, is what these Consultants are being used for. As the CBC article states, these people are now being used to help form policy. That's right campers, these Temps with no vested interest in our Government except for what their salary is, are forming policy that could conceivably have an impact on your life and mine. And once the policy is made, these "fly-by-nighters" are long gone. And if that policy has serious flaws or dire consequences, who is to be held accountable? Well at the moment, it seems like no one in the Harper Government is accountable for anything.

And what about privacy and access to information. It already appears that the senior bureaucracy has issues regarding leaky security and indiscriminate access to confidential files. But what if you add hundreds of private sector temps to this mix?  Is your confidential information and mine accessible to these people? And does their access end when they leave the job they're doing for the government? And what might or could be done with any confidential information they may have acquired once they return to the private sector?

It seems our Government bureaucracy is being privatized in a big way right under our very noses, with out any kind of discussion or consultation. These are services and functions that are in place to serve us, the citizens of Canada, yet this process has not even been discussed with the officials we have elected to speak on our behalf. The members of the Canadian House of Commons. But then again, Harper has never been big on consultation, collaboration or even democracy for that matter.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

There are other Names for Harper's Exclusionary policies.

Harper and his cronies are exclusionary. We've all heard the accusation before, probably even uttered the words ourselves. But what exactly does this mean? What is it that makes the Harper Cons exclusionary?

Well to start with, we know that Harper is Evangelical Christian. This doesn't necessarily mean that Evangelical Christians are any more intolerant than any other religious group. But we do know that the man tends to form policy based on ideology rather than on facts, figures or socially progressive tenants. And it certainly does seem that his ideals are firmly rooted in his religious beliefs.

Harper also tends to talk a lot about "family values". His idea of family though seems to be firmly rooted in the Christian definition of the word, or at least, is based on some old reruns of "leave it to Beaver" or "Father Knows Best". It certainly doesn't seem to include the modern concept of family which can encompass single parent families, children raised by extended family members, blended families or families with common law parents or two same sex parents. We know that a portion of Harper's political funding comes from The Family Resource Council, a powerful American Christian right wing Lobby. This group by the way, was recently declared a "hate group" by Southern Poverty Law Centre in the States. None the less, these guys must see a kindred spirit in good ol' Steve.

But Harper frequently utters the phrases Canadian Values and Family Values in the same breath. But as illustrated above, he excludes a great many Canadian Families when he does. So he may not be including your family or mine in the shiny new Canada he hopes to create, but hey! "Harper Knows Best".

Taking this family theme a little farther, we also know that Harper and his Funky Bunch define marriage as the union between a man and a woman. He therefore, excludes gay couples in his utopia. In fact, he excludes gays altogether. They are sinners you see.

Early in his tenure, Harper chose to take a voyage to the Arctic to get a first hand look at ice-burgs rather than attend, let alone act as host, for a world wide conference on AIDS held in Toronto. As recent as last week, a Gala for World Wide AIDS recognition and research was held in Toronto. Not a single Harper Con Cabinet Minister attended. So not only does it appear that there is no room for gays in Harper's Canada, it would seem that he would rather see them all die off. He forgets of course, that AIDS is no longer considered a disease exclusive to homosexuals. But I guess any heterosexual person who contracts the virus, regardless of the means, is probably promiscuous and is thus, to be excluded from Harpers brave new world order.

Africa, the continent most ravaged by the horror of AIDS has of recent years, received $14 billion in aid annually from Canada. But it has been recently announced that a sizeable portion of that money will now be diverted to South American countries instead, countries that are on the whole, better off than most of the African nations Canada had previously providing assistance to.

Harper claims the reason for this is to reconnect with our American neigbours. But lets not forget the Con's blatant disregard for the seriousness of the AIDS epidemic. Could it be that reallocation of this foreign aid is rooted in Harpers idealogical hatred of gays or disregard for the scourge of AIDS that is devastating that continent? Could it be that Harper would rather see that money go to countries that are devoutly Catholic as most South American Counties are rather than the mixed bag of religions, including Islam, that are to be found on the African Continent?

And what about abortion? As recently as this past spring, Harper has made it clear that foreign aid will not be provided to countries that use it to fund abortions. The notion of pro-life or anti-abortion is of course, a very Christian one. And since the Catholic Church is so strong in South America, abortions are not condoned. So has Harper excluded vast amounts or financial assistance to impoverished African countries based on the proliferation of the AIDS virus, Muslims and the practise of abortion?

And where do immigrants stand in Harper's idea of the perfect Canadian Society? Recent changes to the standard citizenship exam have been modified to the point where there is now an 80% failure rate. Will this mean deportation for many new Canadians or are we looking at an American type system that forces new arrivals to divest themselves of their culture. It seems that this is what Minister Tony Clement would have in mind. He has said that it "bothered" him to walk into a public place and hear two people speaking in their native language rather than one of Canada's two official Languages.

So it would seem that large numbers of immigrants may well be excluded from Harper's Canada.

And this list of exclusions is certainly not exhaustive. Harper wont repatriate a tortured Muslim Child soldier from our neighbours to the south, but he will go out of his way to repatriate a middle aged White Anglo Saxon woman convicted of fraud in Mexico and subsequently allows her to walk free. And what about people who just plain disagree with Harper. If they are Canadian civil Servants, they aren't just excluded, they are fired. Political opponents are discredited and if at all possible, have their careers ruined.

So it seems that according to Harper's "Canadian values", a huge number of Canadians are excluded from the society that he would create. Though what would become of us is anybodies guess. Put us up in one of his nice new shiny Correctional centres perhaps. But going down the list of groups that Harper would exclude, it would seem that there could be far worse adjectives that could describe this man other than exclusionary. In fact, exclusionary would seem to be nothing more than euphemistic sugar-coating.


I have accused Harper of many evil things in this blog, but even I hesitate to use the adjectives that could be used to describe Harper's exclusionary motives. But I am quite confident that, if he were ever held to account for those motives in a court of justice, most of them would run afoul of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Harper Thrives in Climate of Voter Apathy

Divided Liberals are failing to exploit Tory troubles - The Globe and Mail

And so it goes. The Liberals last night failed to beat a man in the Vaughn Bi-election who made zero public appearances and really isn't that well liked. And this is in a riding that has been traditionally Liberal. Yes it was a close race and yes, Fantino is a known name, but as I said, not always known positively. But the fact remains, all the Harper Cons had to do was put this guy out there, and they won.

So what does this say? Some would say very little considering there was only about 30% voter turn out in the riding, which in it self could signal voter apathy. The citizens of Vaughn may be so tired of both the Liberals and the Harper Cons that it wasn't even worth their while to turn out to cast their ballot. Which is scary because it's in this kind of climate that Harper tends to thrive. He can pretty much do anything he wants and nobody cares, despite the railings of the Canadian Media.

The problem is, many Canadians see the name "Conservative" and still think Brian Mulroney, Joe Clark, Robert Stanfield, which couldn't be further from the truth. They vote for the Party name because that's what they've done all their lives. Either that or the electorate, still worried about the legacy of the dynastic Liberals are voting against them, not really knowing that their vote is being cast for a party that would do away with democracy if it meant fulfilling it's agenda. And that is hardly Conservative.

The fact remains, that the Liberals have failed to engage the average Canadian citizen. The NDP and Greens were so far back in the Vaughn Bi-election as to be non-existent while in Winnipeg North, the New Democrats were a close second. The Liberal party remains divided, in fact, it doesn't really know what it stands for anymore. It does not project the social values of the Trudeau era nor is it seen as the champion of Canadian health care anymore. All Canadians remember is the 13 years of fiscal restraint under Chretien's leadership which was, curiously, more Conservative than the Mulroney era.

Ignatieff has bumped himself up somewhat as a result of this summer's cross Canada bus tour. Be he still has not engaged the hearts and minds of the Canadian public. He remains to many, an unknown man with an unclear agenda. And the suspicion that he too, does not have the full support of his caucus does not help his cause at all.

The closest thing to a genuine Liberal was Stephan Dion. He was and remains brilliant. He had a platform, a purpose and a very Canadian agenda. But the fact remains, his English was poor and the Bulk of English Canada were not going to put their faith in another Frenchman. He was easily flustered in the House and the Reform/Conservatives were able to spin-doctor Dion's deficits into convincing Canadians and even Dion's own Party that he was a weak leader. Which of course is far from the truth. Ask most Quebecois about Dion and the National Unity issue.

So it seems at the moment, that most Canadians either don't care enough about our political process, or don't care to understand what's going on in Ottawa. For if they truly understood, it is unfathomable to think that there would be enough voter support to continue Harper's undemocratic tenure. There are just enough people, many of whom, believe Harper's spin-doctoring and lies. And in this climate of apathy, Harper the terrible thrives, and will continue to thrive until some one can convince the electorate to wake up and smell the coffee. And so far, there seems to be no one capable of doing that.

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Welcome to the Totalitarian Regime Known as Canada

Is Harper systematically ‘snuffing’ out democracy in Senate? - The Globe and Mail

It goes with out saying that Harper already has systematically snuffed out democracy in the Senate. He has found a way to impose his will on the country while maintaining little more than 30% of the popular vote.

So it doesn't matter what happens in the House of Commons anymore. Only Harper Con bills will be passed through the Senate while Liberal, Bloc, NDP or Independent bills, unless they are supported by the "Dark Regime", will die on the order paper. The only thing the Upper Chamber has no power to effect, are votes of non-confidence and of course we know that if that were to occur, Harper has no compunction what so ever about proroguing the House.

So here we are folks, Canada voted this man into power instead that funny little guy from Quebec with the horribly thick French accent- you know the one, the Climate change guy. The electorate gave this man the reigns of power and the result is a totalitarian Government. For those who thought it would never happen here, wake up and smell the coffee. It has arrived. Democracy has officially died in Canada. Harper is now absolute ruler. We live in a Totalitarian regime.

The House of Commons has become a mere formality now for Harper. A very thinly disguised sham to create the illusion of real discussion, debate and democracy. Of course we know there has been no real discussion or debate in the Lower House for quite some time now. There has been the mad railings of a deeply divided left and a government that answers no questions at all. They blame, deflect, lie and take no responsibility what so ever. So in that regard, the House has already become a pail shadow of it's former self. And in addition, The Cons choose which committees they will report to, subpoena or no subpoena. So there is no form of accountability in that venue either.

One has to wonder then, at which point M.P.s from the other parties will stop attending the Lower House, knowing that their presence is absolutely useless, opening the way for The Dark Lord to dispense with parliament all together, thus completing his hold on power. This may sound extreme, and it might well be that Harper needs the Lower House in order for his regime to have the appearance of credibility. And we know it only has to have that illusion for the other Western Democratic powers to support it. Otherwise, we could find ourselves as isolated and alone as Iran or North Korea.

But all rhetoric aside, now that Harper has discovered the way to give his minority government absolute power, look for him to start back-tracking on those big-ticket grass roots issues that he has passed over thus far. Say good-bye to: the Long Gun Registry, gay marriage, legal abortion, women's rights, aboridginal rights, multiculturalism, a meaningful climate change strategy, and autonomy from our American cousins. Say hello to: the death penalty, a country where big business has more power than the provinces and whose concerns take precedence over those of Canadians (See the demise of the Nortell bill below), the rise of the Church and it's intermingling with the State, and a backward society that more closely resembles a Mennonite or Amish village than a modern, forward thinking progressive society.

An age of impending darkness is looming large, yet as a country, we seem either powerless to change it, or completely disinterested. Our elected officials, the three opposition parties are so deeply divided that they are wholly incapable of checking Harper's rise to dominance. We have become a nation, divided and afraid of our own shadows thanks to Harper and his minions, rather than the strong, independent unique country that has been the envy of the world for it's tolerance and contribution to world peace. Our identity is in danger of being taken away from us and replaced by backward ideology. And the only people capable of stopping this horrific mutation is us, the Canadian electorate. We get what we deserve. If this man is not stopped, we have no one to blame but ourselves.

Friday, November 26, 2010

Tory senators poised to kill bill for disabled Nortel pensioners

Tory senators poised to kill bill for disabled Nortel pensioners - thestar.com

Once again, Harper dispenses with democracy.

The upper chamber, loaded with Harper appointees (The man who claimed he would never appoint a Senator), is set to kill a bill proposed by Liberal M.P. Art Eggleton.

The bill itself, is a proposal to protect the 400 some odd Nortell Employees currently on long term disability. Nortell is filing for bankruptcy. Mr. Eggleton has proposed that these employees be given "preferred status" among creditors, ensuring that the 400 would not be left empty handed once the company dissolves.

On the surface of it, this seems like a very reasonable and humane piece of legislation that would allow employees who can't work anymore, to gain some measure of support by moving them to the front of the line when it comes time to divvy up the few remaining assets of the failed company.

But the Harper Cons, staying true to form, would rather pander to big business in Canada and abroad, by ensuring they get their slice of the pie before honest Canadian citizens do.

The rational for killing a bill that would otherwise seem like an obvious no brainer is unclear. It could be that the Conservatives are afraid of setting a precedent that could effect the dissolution of companies in the future by ensuring that disabled employees be given preferred status in those proceedings as well.

So it would seem that Heir Harper is going out of his way this time to be just plain mean-spirited. As it stands, these 400 disabled employees will lose all benefits by the end of the year, thus guaranteeing these souls a life of misery and uncertainty. Perhaps, eventually dooming them to poverty. And since Conservative rising star Julian Fantino feels that poverty is a crime, perhaps room will be made for the ex-employees in one of Harper's new prisons.

Has there ever been such a glaring example of just how little Harper and his merry band of thugs cares about Canadian citizens? He has the opportunity to do the right thing for Canadians who, through no fault of their own, can no longer work. Yet he is poised to circumvent democracy for the second time in three weeks just to ensure that these people get screwed over by the bankruptcy system in Canada. True, the creditors, the big banks for example, will be walking away with only a fraction of their original investments, but they can at least walk and will continue to do business. These 400 Canadian citizens cannot.

So Harper is no longer content with risking the lives of my children and yours with his criminal actions around the environment. He is now zeroing in on the lives of current disabled Canadians as well. And his list of heinous crimes grows longer and longer as more bodies pile up in his wake. But we can only hope that one day, Harper will be held accountable for his crimes. And perhaps he will be given the same treatment as those Afghan detainees that he has absolutely no regard for. What goes around comes around Mr. Harper.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Harper and Baird, Eco-Terrorists.

Climate-change agency winds down as federal funding ends

We already knew that Prime Minister Stephan Harper has no environmental agenda aside from depriving Canada of a meaningful one and interfering in other countries efforts to establish reasonably effective targets. Being the good Albertan that he is, Harper is more interested in protecting the oil sands, the worst polluter in the country. So damn the environment.

But here is one more example of Harper's anti-environmental policy. He pulls funding for The Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospheric Science amid revelations that the Canadian Coast Guard vessel "Amundsen" which is specially equipped to study climate change in the arctic, has been leased to both Imperial Oil and British Petroleum. That's British Petroleum as in B.P. The very same B.P. that that was responsible for the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico last summer.

So Harper and his trained Monkey, John Baird are not only actively blocking efforts in Canada and abroad to set meaningful emissions targets, and cutting funding into the research of climate change in Canada, they are inviting Oil companies to use a Canadian Research vessel into the high arctic to look for oil. They aren't just dragging their feet on climate change, they are walking, running backwards. And how much their backward momentum will impact on Canada's ability to set meaningful emissions targets before it's too late is anybody's guess. Not only that, scientists have estimated that the majority of the worlds oil reserves will be badly depleted to the point of causing global economic disater long before a viable alternative form of energy is developed for public consumption. Why? Because we are addicted to oil and People like Harper and Baird want us to stay that way.

Canada had the opportunity to become world leaders in the research and development of alternative forms of energy. Stephan Dion, the former leader of the Liberal Party developed policy and was an aggressive proponent of research in that area. Harper knew that and saw him as a danger to his pro-oil sands policy and dedicated all of his energy into discrediting Dion. And his spin doctoring and lying worked. And now because of the criminal anti-environmental dictates of Harper, we will at some point, be reliant on the rest of the world for the acquisition of new technologies.

I've said it before and it bears repeating. Harper and Baird aren't just "soft" on the environment, they are flaming Eco-terrorists. I have to wonder if there is anyone in the world, outside of Saudi Arabia perhaps, who is more of a criminal in protecting the causes for our drastic climate change and blocking the worlds efforts to correct it. And in addition, he is doing his part to ensure the certainty of global economic disaster while paying only lip-service to the development of alternative sources of energy.

Harper and Baird are Eco-terrorists. They need to be held accountable for their criminal activity, their active participation in the downfall of the worlds economy and our environment. They both should be imprisoned for life in one of those nice new shinny jails they want to build for their artificial crisis on crime. For they have knowingly threatened the very lives of not only our children, but our grandchildren as well.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Canada Promotes Oil Sands and Lower Emission Standards Abroad.

article1809399 from theglobeandmail.com - StumbleUpon

"Environmentalist Graham Saul said the campaign to defend the oil sands is consistent with the government’s approach of doing nothing at home and obstructing progress on climate regulations internationally".

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

CBC News - Canada - SCOTT REID: Harper's caucus control unravelling

CBC News - Canada - SCOTT REID: Harper's caucus control unravelling

Well perhaps there is hope yet for democracy in Canada. Until now, I had thought it would take a full out military coup to oust Stephen Harper from power. And with his down fall, his mob of thieves would be caught up in the hoopla and also experience their own rather un-seemly political demise.

But now, it seems there is beginning to be resistance from within his own caucus. It's all very small examples, and few and far between, but as the article by Scott Reid suggests, it's a beginning. Perhaps, like Jim Prentice, Harper's collection of "Rats" are sensing the unsinkable Tory-Tanic has sprung a leak and are looking for ways to safely jump ship. Lets hope the Captain goes down with the ship.

But it could also be a matter of time as well. As Reid suggests, people who are controlled by the whip will turn on their handler at the first opportunity. And while Conservative support continues to hover at around the 30% mark, Harper's string of political gaffes (which usually results in one of his Cabinet Minister's taking the fall so that Harper can save face) his blatantly undemocratic indiscretions and his "Damn the Torpedo's" attitude, perhaps the cowered Conservative riff-raff sense that opportunity is near.

But I sincerely hope that, like peter MacKay, the electorate and the current opposition parties remember the heinous deeds and slanderous remarks made by Harper's Cons when their ship finally sinks and they go looking for redemption. Unlike soldiers in war, the: "I was just following orders" defense does not apply here. They all collectively allowed this man to control their every thought and move. They surrendered their reason and their very souls to Harper the Terrible. They should all go down with him. Their political careers should be over.

I especially hope that if Peter MacKay seeks to cross the floor to one of the opposition parties, they collectively tell him to go to hell. The man cannot be trusted. He betrayed the once proud Progressive Conservative party all for the sake of power and privilege. And he got all that in spades, including the Model that currently hangs off his arm., His loyalties were bought and paid for by Harper, and he loses no sleep what so ever in changing the colour of tie he wears if it provides him with opportunity. He should be shunned, sent into political exile once his handler has fallen.

So keep an eye out folks, the inevitable fall of Stephen Harper may finally be upon us. And I shall enjoy his fall from grace immensely, for no other Prime Minister in the history of the Nation has cared so little about it's people or it's well being. And I hope his willful unethical and undemocratic acts dog him the rest of his days.

Monday, November 22, 2010

More proof of the Conservatives "bad math and out-right lies"

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/cost-of-long-gun-registry-a-fraction-of-what-conservatives-claim-report-shows/article1807833/

And once again, proof positive that the Harper Cons rule by fear mongering, spin doctoring and out-right lying. 

This is the second time with in the space of a week that the Reform/Conservative government has been caught throwing around false or vastly over inflated numbers in an effort to "scare" Canadians into buying their agenda.

The first was when it was revealed that Harper's assertion that allowing UAE's two national airlines greater access to Canadian airspace would cost Canadians "tens of thousands" of jobs. It has since been refuted and shown there could also be benefits to allowing the two airlines increased access to Canadian Markets.

And now this. When killing the Long Gun Registry was being hotly debated, Harper claimed that it would save Canadian taxpayers "tens of millions of dollars" (there's those tens again) if the Registry were scraped. A new study has shown however, the the actual savings to tax payers each year would be about $1.5 million. Quite a discrepancy.

In addition, the study found that there were two positive outcomes to scraping the Registry: the paltry savings to tax payers as well as saving the inconvenience for gun owners. But in addition, it was found that there would be 20 "costs" to ending the Registry, meaning ways in which ending the program would have a negative impact including increased risk to the public and police.

And this report was made public to the RCMP in August while the debate raged on in September. So what happened to this information?

The Conservatives sat on it.

They would not allow this information to be made public as it would scuttle their plan to dump the registry.  And it would disprove their over inflated estimations of the savings to the public. But what is most scary is, with this report verifying the increased risk to public safety as a result of scraping the Long Gun Registry, it demonstrated the Conservatives willingness to put the lives or Canadian men, women and police at greater risk, all for the sake of cramming their agenda down out throats.

These Reformist Harper Cons care about clinging to power  and they care about inflicting their backward back woods ideology. And they will lie cheat and steal to accomplish their goals. They care nothing about the nation or it's people. They are out right liars who will stoop to any extreme to have their agenda pushed in our faces. And when that won't work, they will dispense with democracy all together.

When will this corrupt mob be held accountable for their actions? Why are they still being allowed to hold on to the reins of power in this country? They are deserving of our scorn and of lengthy jail sentences for defrauding an entire nation, not of being allowed to continue running it. 

When are the other three parties going to put their differences aside and say "enough"! They almost did in 2008 when Stephan Dion came with in a hare's-breath of becoming Prime Minister by cobbling together a coalition of the other parties to form a majority in Parliament. But Harper cried "fowl" accusing the Liberals of getting into bed with the "Socialists and the Separatists". He whined that this coalition of the majority of the MPs in the house were not elected to run the country, only he was (with his 30% of the popular vote). And he managed to convince Canadians of this bizarre  backward logic. And he subsequently had Parliament Prorogued as his last ditch hope of clinging to power. And to this day, when all else fails, he still points a bony finger across the isle in the House of Commons and cries "coalition-coalition" as though it were a bad thing. 

I would rather have a coalition of elected members with a majority then a lying minority government. And if the three parties can't decide on who should be Prime Minister, how about offering Elizabeth May the job.







Saturday, November 20, 2010

On Safe injection Sites. Stephen Harper and Julian Fantino are "dumb on crime"!

 http://uranowski.wordpress.com/2010/11/20/safe-injection-sites-fantino-vs-fantino/

 Stephen Harper and Julian Fantino want to fill our prisons, and create more criminals while ignoring mental health issues and adding to their ever-growing multi-billion dollar deficit.

Stephen Harper and Julian Fantino are dumb-on-crime.

Friday, November 19, 2010

How Important are Ethics in Today's Society?

Not important at all if you follow the actions of our current Prime Minister and his roving band of Thugs. The word "unethical" does not exist in either their dictionaries or their Reformist Playbook. No tactic is too dirty, too low or too reprehensible for this  group of neo-con throw-backs. Winning is everything, and at all cost. Maintaining their tenuous hold on power with only 30% of the popular vote is their ONLY reason d’ĂȘtre . To Hell with the Country. It's not even about ideology anymore. These "Blue-tied, jack-booted Fascists   " want absolute power. And they will stop at nothing to get it.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

This Tin Pot Dictator Needs to Go and He Needs to Go NOW!

NDP outraged as Senate kills climate change bill

Harper, when elected for his second stint with a minority government in 2008, stated he had no intentions of appointing any Senators to the Upper Chamber. He has since then, appointed no less than 32, allowing the Conservatives to have a majority in the house of "Sober Second Thought". And in a move that hasn't been seen in over 70 years, he used his majority in the Senate to squash the NDPs Environment Bill that had previously been passed through Parliament. Once again, circumventing the democratic process to impose his own will. 

Harper has Prorogued Parliament not once but twice to stave off non-confidence votes and maintain his tenuous hold on power rather than allowing the Democratic process to take it's course. 

He has refused to allow Parliament to vote on Canada's new Training mission in Afghanistan that will keep Canadian forces in that country until 2014.

He has circumvented the Ethical agreement made in the House of Commons that forbade M.P.s from using tax payers dollars to advertise in Bi-election riding's, by instead, allowing his Senators to do so. 

And now this.....This man obviously has no shame, but he also has no respect what so ever for the democratic process and will stoop to any means to have his agenda, or his will implemented and to cling to power. This Tin Pot Dictator needs to go and he needs to go NOW!

Yes Ladies and Gentlemen, this rather well dressed representation of a Harper appointed Senator (left) is Bob Runciman, the very same  Bob Runciman who was Ontario Provincial Minister of Corrections under Mike Harris (explains the taste in apparel) and  who failed to win a seat in Parliament in 2008.



So Harper has promised Senate reform. And he carried through on that promise. He has thoroughly discredited an important piece of the law making process in Canada, that part that provides the "checks and balances" to the process. He has crammed the Upper House full of his mindless partisan stooges in an effort to make it harder and harder for Canadians to defy his will. Harper doesn't want power, he wants absolute power.




Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Results of Previous Poll

Ok, so four votes isn't really representative of Canadian Society. 

But still, I find it interesting that of the very very few people who decided to vote on the last poll, all four of them thought that the current Canadian Government's Ethics were....well,.... not only unethical, but criminal. 

There was ample opportunity for moderates and Pro Reform Conservatives to also vote on this poll. The categories were well balanced. Though I suppose one might argue that moderates and pro Reform Conservative types are less likely to read this blog. 

Never-the-less , where there is one dissenting voice, there are likely to be others. We can only hope that one day, Harper and his thieving band of Robber Barons (The Reform Conservatives) will be held accountable for their abuses of power in much the same way that the Jean Chretien Liberal government was and is still paying the price for the "Sponsorship Scandal".

The End of Unlimited Internet?

http://act.ly/2kw
The CRTC, Canada’s media regulator, has decided to allow Bell Canada, Rogers, Shaw and other Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to impose usage-based billing on independent internet service providers (indie ISPs) and YOU. These Big Telecom companies are obviously trying to gouge consumers, control the Internet market, and ensure that consumers continue to subscribe to their television services.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Julian Fantino vs The Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

It been almost 50 years since Canadians realized that murder is murder, whether committed by an individual or by the state. The taking of a life is inherently wrong. For those Christian Fundamentalists who inhabit the far right (And not all Christians are Right wing Btw, nor is it just Christians who inhabit the Extreme right), and would see a return to this state sanctioned blood-shed, please refer to the 6th commandment, "Thou shalt not kill/murder". Perhaps these good Christians are then assuming that the State is above God's law? I pray to which ever God will hear me that our country does not once again, fall back into the dark ages where human life has so little meaning, that we can so easily applaud the taking of one. This is where we are heading and the decline has commenced.

http://uranowski.wordpress.com/2010/11/11/julian-fantino-vs-the-charter-of-rights-and-freedoms/

Porter: Tales of horror from a police state — ours - thestar.com

Remember the 2006 Federal Election, how badly Paul Martin was criticized for the eleventh-hour attack ads about Stephen Harper, how they were seen as pathetic desperation? You know the ads, the ones predicting a Police state, Soldiers with Guns on every corner if Harper was elected Prime Minister? Guess they were more prophetic than pathetic eh?

Porter: Tales of horror from a police state — ours - thestar.com