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’être . 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

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Public servants who ran afoul of Harper government got railroaded: arbitrator - Winnipeg Free Press

Public servants who ran afoul of Harper government got railroaded: arbitrator - Winnipeg Free Press

And this is just the tip of the iceberg. How many other public servants who have been summarily executed by the Reform Conservative Harper Government have been railroaded then gagged to keep them from talking to the press? How many have been threatened that if taken to court, the government would just keep pushing until the victim runs out of money?

And is this not an issue for the ethics commissioner? Is this the way governments are supposed to operate? To set up public servants for a fall in order to protect the governments control of the "message" being given to the public? My god how totalitarian is that?

And how unconscionable is it for the government to keep using taxpayer dollars to stifle public servants in court actions. Then attempt to "run them out of money" as the sum is basically a drop in the bucket for the federal government, just as $1.3 million spent by the Reformists to KEEP Omar Khadr in Guantanamo was a paltry amount to spend to protect their "message" to the public.

The fact that the Reformist Conservative's election platform from 2008 regarding transparency in government has become a cruel and ironic joke, has nothing whatsoever to do with the apparent duplicity, underhandedness and complete lack of ethics and morals displayed by this government. In fact, I would question the legality of the governments tactics let alone their ethics. I would sincerely hope that the opposition parties would unite and call for a full public inquiry into this spate of mass firings. But in so doing, just how much interference and lack of cooperation would the government resort to? And just who would be held accountable? It is well known that all decisions, messages and policies emanate from the PMO, but with so many Harper minions seemingly so ready to fall on their swords for their leader, would justice ever be done?