Canadian Publius

Truth in Property Taxes

2009-07-06T10:35:00.006-04:00

Here's nifty one from the NY Times.... apparently US property owners are appealing their assessments in record numbers - an interesting ripple from the housing bust.

As a result, counties and states are seeing increase in their costs, as residents start ask for some truth in property assessment and appealing their taxes... Indeed, the article does point to one individual who as been forced to sell her antiques to pay the costs.

Though its hard to feel the same sympathy for some one who's hoiuse was assessed at $1.8M, but which is listed for $1.3M (and won't sell) - you can kind of feel her pain when she explains her property taxes at $53K a year.

Well, I can't really feel her pain, but I can imagine what it's like... of course, I also would also like to feel that pain while living in her house, but I digress.

The thing about people with $1.3M homes is they generally have the motivation - and the means - to appeal these assessments. And there are more of them than there used to be. And this will mean local governments diverting more resources to deal with appeals than before.

Meanwhile, those of us with $100K assessments will have to tighten our belts while the big assessments get appealed (diverting money from government services), get re-assessed (diverting money from government services) and finally assessed down (diverting even money from government services).

Nonetheless, when I look at my own property tax assessment, and try to figure out what it is based on, I have to scratch my head. It might be time for some transparency and truth in property assessments, on both sides of the border.

Drinking poison in my tea

2009-07-02T11:02:00.002-04:00

The nastiest political insults... quite tame by any standard, but interestingly, all from conservatives.. find them here.

Shuffling staff

2009-06-29T09:53:00.005-04:00

Harper's unique approach to staffing ministers' office is taking another interesting twist, so reports the Hill Times.

Apparently, PMO is now considering not simply shuffling ministers, but staff as well. And some of the staff are unhappy about this.

Looking back, I am not entirely certain how I might have reacted to that. On the one hand, even exempt staff are paid by the CRF, but on the other, not everyone reports or is accountable to the Prime Minister.

It's this notion of 'report' and 'accounability' that are fundamental. In simple terms, executives in any organisation delegate hiring (and firing) to managers. It means staff report to managers and managers report to executives. It saves the executive from getting stuck in day-to-day issues, and allows them to focus on the strategic vision and execution.

I am not certain the new model in Canada new government is such a good idea. While I am certain it appeals to the control monkeys who currently swing from the branches in the Langevin Building, it is a recipe for short term blame for longterm pain.

The pain will come from a number of sources. First, their own cabinet.

Imagine a job where everything you did had the potential to wind up in the news, in front of your friends and your family. And imagine that in your last job, you had likely been quite successful. And imagine to get that job, you had to get through a 36 day job interview with 40,000 shareholders who retain the right to fire you in public every few years.

Next, imagine for this big job, the first thing they tell you is that you don't get to hire anyone who will work for you, support you and protect you. In fact, you staff will owe their own loyalty to your boss, not you.

Would you leave whatever successful career you had to take that job? Would you have any faith in the people on your staff?

The second bit of pain will come from staff. Already, the Tories have had trouble filling positions as anyone with a career is concerned about post-employment restricitictions.

Those who are already there know that after politics, the crime of running a hot dog stand outside a government buiding would result in 300 hundred years of hard labour unde the Federal Accountability Act; now they aren't sure who they work for...

If I were in the Harper PMO, I might focus on morale... and when I did, I might try using a feather instead of a whip.

Perez hilton vs Will.I.am

2009-06-22T13:17:00.005-04:00

Wow.

The allegation is that Will.IAm of the Black Eyed Peas assaulted Perez Hilton outside a club on saturday night.

I will spare folks the blow-by-blow, but essentially Willy felt Perez was being a disrespectful blogger by not liking Fergie's latest single.

Perry, for his part, admits to antagonizing Willy to the point where he knew Willy would be... upset. Then, according to Perry, Willy's manager, clocked Perry. At this point, Perry did what any victim of violence would do.

He twittered.

Oh and then, he called the police. Toronto's finest from Division 52 responded.

Now the part worth blogging.

Watch this and this.

The two combattants have lauched a video battle, not only competing to provide their side of the story, but seemingly also to see who is the wierdest of the two in what sounds like a primary-school shoving match gone awry.

In fact, it's kind of like a backdrop to Grease without the good music, acting and plot.

Just plain odd.

Nortel - Hard to understand (or how Stephen Harper stands up for Finland.)

2009-06-22T09:34:00.004-04:00

It's official, Nortel is done.

The Canadian tech giant has fallen, and its final gasp it balked on severance to laid-off employees and cut pensions. The shares will be de-listed, and as result, shareholders - many of whom are former employees - are unlikely to recieve a penny... but... luckily the company had $45M in loose change to ensure bonuses were paid to the executive team (one can only hope this was cash...and by cash, I mean cash, not cheques... direct deposit would be even better).

Successive executive teams have been a challenge for the company, and it was difficult to understand the CEO - who has declined any bonus beyond his $1.2M salary - who noted the bonuses were there to keep valuable employees and retain value.

Nonetheless, the hardest part to understand, was the federal government's refusal to provide loan guarrantees to the company beyond the $30M offered by EDC. If management was the problem, why not ask "WWOD?" (What Would Obama Do)

When Obama didn't like the management at a certain car company... poof - new CEO.

Still, only $30M appears to have been put on the table, and the Minister of Industry noted there were now other flagship technology entreprises in Canada, such as RIM... and Research in Motion.... and, uh, RIM. Oh, and also MITEL. Did we mention RIM?

Of course, as the Globe notes, the research investments alone from Nortel were about $1.8B a year (while RIM spends about $254M a year.) Research spending in Canada sit at about $34B a year but of that number, Canada already has among the lowest business investment in research ratios in the OECD and G7. It will likely go lower.

But the really, really, hard part to understand, was that in spite of the sizeable investment Nortel was making in Canada, the feds - who were only willing to offer $30M in short term loans to the Canadian company - have announced they will provide $300M in loan guarrantees to Nokia-Seimens to purchase $650M worth of Nortel....

In short, the feds won't help a Canadian company in trouble, but they will backstop a foriegn company to buy a Canadian company and subsidize another corporate headquarter move to outside Canada.

And before anynoe suggests the business is outdated, doomed to fail, and part of a dissappearing economy, I have two words: General Motors.

Stephen Harper, standing up for Finland.

Parenting Advice from Alberta

2009-06-17T23:18:00.001-04:00

Shocking, or as we used to say in Alberta, "Quelle surprise"

An alternative to a summer election

2009-06-15T11:16:00.004-04:00

The Liberals should go now. Why?

Because they have no other choice.

And here is why:

1. The NDP /BQ will lose seats to the Libs if an election were called today.

2. The NDP/BQ will continue to deal with issues of an election like your neighbours teenagers deal with their parent's getaway to the Barbados every year...

3. If Harper holds on this week, Parliament will rise in June and return in September.

In September, the government will schedule the fall session's opposition days, don't be too surprised if they are all coincidentally in December. As a result, its becomes quite difficult to topple the government until Christmas. And if the Libs do force a Christmas election, we could well be on husting during the Olympics. And if not Christmas and the Olympics, then during G8.... and if not then... well, the snow is melting and we are into the summer of 2010.

The alternative?

Vote with the government on the confidence motion, and demand an opposition day at the end of every month next fall.

Otherwise, I think we can safely let Minister Prentice start to measure the drapes at 24 Sussex and book his move for next summer.

Stanfield Briefs

2007-02-09T17:16:00.000-05:00

So we re-named the Halifax Airport for Robert Stanfield.

I guess it's hard to find Conservatives who actually became Prime Minister to name stuff after...
but i guess its fair.

Nonetheless, I understand the Vancouver Airport Authority has blocked calls from PMO....

PMO server hacked - offers of low-rate mortgages for the press corp

2006-11-23T12:12:00.000-05:00

Hat tip to the Paper Boy who reported that Spammers had hacked into the PMO listerv with the following result...

Salon's sexiest man alive - Colbert the blogging tory?

2006-11-17T09:32:00.000-05:00

I am so impressed.

A friend just called to tell me the dude from the Colbert Report has been selected as Salon Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive.

Indeed, the folks at Salon said "Tired of that array of pretty boys, we came up with a list of guys who really rattle our chains."

Given the inherent discrimination agains pretty boys, I now accept that I could never have won.

Congratulations to Mr. Colbert.

When progressives split the vote: O'Brien wins Ottawa Mayoral election

2006-11-14T09:41:00.000-05:00

Ottawa falls to long-time conservative and early supporter of Reform Party and Canadian Alliance, Larry O'Brien.

Early in the race, Terry Kilrea, fellow right-wing nutbar, abandoned his mayoral bid, and ran for council in Bay Ward, against lefty nutbar, Alex Cullen.

Kilrea was clear to state that pressure from the O'Brien campaign had nothing to do with his decision. Kilrea also stated that he was unsure why most Canadians did not believe in the Easter Bunny.

With the road clear of competitors for the right-wing vote, O'Brien moved steadily past progressive canadidates, Bob Chiarelli and Alex Munter, who were unable to convince the other not to run, and subsequently split the vote ensuring neither of them became the mayor.

In the end, results were client clear. Another minority win for the Ottawa Conservative machine.

Except in Bay Ward, where Alex Cullen with no other lefty nutbar draining votes, soundly trounced Terry Kilrea.

Bob Rae: The speech I'd like to hear...

2006-11-10T13:59:00.000-05:00

Winnipeg Grit has a nasty little run at Bob Rae and his economic record today, a preview of what my Tory friends suggest their attack ads will look like.

It's fair comment. I lived through the Rae years in Ontario, and it was not a picnic. But let's remember it wasn't a picnic anywhere. It was a freaking mess.

But I am not sure it was all Bob's fault.

So here is the speech I'd like to hear from Bob Rae, if or when that fateful day comes.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

My fellow Canadians, there has been a lot said about my years as the Premier of Ontario. And I admit, they were difficult economic times.

They were difficult across the country, and frankly, around the globe.

Under my administration, Ontario's deficit grew.

It grew, just like it grew under the previous administrations - Conservative and Liberal - as we struggled to deal with the reprecussions of a global recession and ridiculous high-interest rate policy driven by the current Prime Minister's Conservative predecessor, Brian Mulroney.

You may say, 'that's ancient history' - and that may be true. But if I am to be accountable for my actions in the my first term almost 20 years ago, then let every be held to the same standard.

It was the worst recession since the Great Depression, and I will admit that mistakes were made.

At the time, I did what every other Premier did, I tried to stimulate growth by increasing spending.

I did not, however, do with with same resolve as my Federal Conservative colleagues who managed to drive the deficit to nearly $40 billion.

Even my government wasn't able to pull that off.

And I did not turn a $5 billion surplus - during one of the biggest economic booms in Ontario's history - into a $2 billion deficit.

If I'd done that, I wouldn't be running for Prime Minister, I would be Stephen Harper's Finance Minister - Jim Flaherty.

I did not cut provincial income taxes for Ontario residents and then demand Ottawa not adjust transfer payments - essentially arguing that those same Ontario taxpayers should hand over the cash as federal income taxes.

When I Ontario did get extra money for Healthcare, I did not spend the money on lawn mowers.

If I had, I'd be Stephen Harper's Health Minister, Tony Clement.

And at no time have I ever advocated that Ontario build a 'firewall' to cut off the province from the rest of Canada.

If I'd done that, I'd be the leader of the Conservative Party, Stephen Harper.

If we want to debate our collective record since the mid-80's bring it on, I say.

But it might be wiser to simply accept that we have all - as Mr. Harper likes to say - evolved, and try to debate our vision for the future.

Ralph off the wagon, again...

2006-11-09T14:50:00.001-05:00

Instead wandering through another homeless shelter three-sheets-to-the-wind, I see the soon-to-be former Premier of my homeland managed to fire-0ff yet another bonehead comment on his painfully long way out the door.

At a "roast" last night, Little Lord Ralph opened his yap to slag Belinda. Not about any specific policy issue, political stance, or substantive disagreement, but about the fact that she jilted both the Conservative party and her then boyfriend, Foreign Minister, Peter McKay.

This is the same Ralph who was so upset about untoward comments directed at his wife, earlier this year.

Get over it.

Over the years, I dumped girlfriends and got dumped.

We all did.

It really doesn't keep me up at night.

Move on and grow up....

....Your kids are watching this.

The $20 billion Tory lie

2006-11-02T09:01:00.000-05:00

Let's be clear here.

Changing the rules on Income Trusts out of the blue was not what Harper promised.

Quite the opposite.

Indeed, over at HarperBizzaro, you can read word for word what Tories had to say about this in opposition.

Today, Flaherty is arguing that it needed to be done, that too many trusts would threaten the balance between the proportion of taxes corporations pay (about 30% of national revenue) and the proportion individuals pay (about 60%, with the GST covering the remaining 10%).

That may be true.

But what didn't need to be done, was lying about it.

The policy may or may not have been the right decision.

Whatever the fiscal ins and outs of this, millions of Canadians invested their retirement funds, their savings for the their first home, and the money the scraped up to put aside for their children's education, into the stock market and mutual funds.

When they made those investments, they knew the stock market involves risk.

But Tories had been clear on not raising taxes, or messing with the status of income trusts - lying Tories was not part of the risk.

But they did lie.

And when Boards of Directors and CEO's lie to their investors, they get sued, fired, booted off the board and go to jail. Ask Kenneth Lay. Ask Jeffrey Skilling.

Changes in the income trust rules didn't cost anything, lying about them did.

The Tory lie cost Canadians about $20 billion.

What's the betting no one goes to jail?

Will it be another sponsorship scandal?

2006-10-30T09:19:00.000-05:00

This arrived in my mailbox this morning:

Media Advisory

OTTAWA - The 2006-2007 Supplementary Estimates (A) will be tabled in Parliament on Monday, October 30, 2006 at approximately 3:00 p.m. There will be a technical briefing with officials from the Treasury Board Secretariat to provide journalists with an overview of the Estimates process.

Normally, pretty boring stuff. However, you might remember this:

"Members often admitted—sometimes with regret—that they did not pay much attention to the Estimates, that they had only a weak idea of what level of resources was expended to achieve program results, and [that] they did not know what financial instruments departments use to achieve their assigned results. In the series of incidents over the last few years (Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) contributions program, gun control, Sponsorship), a number of MPs apportioned at least some “contextual” blame to inadequate parliamentary oversight of program expenditures. "

"Each year, some 87 departments and other government organizations provide parliamentary committees with separate spending estimates and related reports, and many of these receive no formal attention in committee meetings. And when meetings occur, they are typically dominated by partisan exchanges with ministers that shed minimal light on the estimates. Consideration of the supplementary estimates, which allow departments to obtain additional funding at specified intervals during the year, has been even less satisfactory. With only a few exceptions, committees regularly fail to examine them at all."

Let's hope the kids we elect read the estimates this year. It might be the most important thing that they can do to avoid another screw-up.

It's what we pay them to do.

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Iggy and LPC-Q: Running with scissors....

2006-10-24T15:16:00.000-04:00

How can I best describe this?

Bad idea jeans?

Don't play with matches?

Apparently with the support of the Ignatieff campaign, the Quebec wing of the Liberal party feels that the LPC needs to recognize Quebec as 'une nation' and the existence of the desequilibre fiscal.

I've put 'nation' entre guillments, and in italics, because it doesn't mean the same thing in English as it does in French.

The desquilibre fiscal thing means exactly the same thing in English as it does in French. We want more money. I'm not sure why I put it in italics.

But let's deal with 'nation' vs nation.

En anglais, a nation is commonly used as a synonym for an autonomous political entity, like a country. Which is why an awful lot of anglophones go loopy every time they hear some suggest that Quebec is a nation.

Une nation a group of individuals who share cultural links which define them a community. These links might be language, a common history, values etc. Thus, some would argue that le Quebec est une nation, a l'interieure du Canada.

Of course, I haven't heard the last four words linked with the first four words very often.

But that really is a side point, because to deny la province is une nation is to drive an awful lot of Quebecers absolutely loopy. In fact, they start to look like anglophones who have just heard some suggest that Quebec is nation.

Now, I'll bet this is starting to sound an awful lot like distinct society.

I have to say, I have a lot of trouble telling the two apart myself.

A good number of us who live inside and outside of Quebec shake our heads and realize how incredibly disconnected that the political class of Quebec is from the Tim Horton's reality where 99% Canadians live, regardless of language or geography.

Most of us are trying to get through school, pay the mortgage, figure out who will win the Stanley Cup, watching tetesaclaques.tv and understand what really is going on Lost.

Et on s'encrisse si nous sommes une nation, ou bien, un gros donught.... Apparently LPC-Q didn't get the memo.

But distinct society was almost 20 years ago. 20 years ago Culture Club and David Emerson still had a chance a promising career. Pierre Trudeau was still having kids. Harold Ballard still owned the Leafs. S tephen Harper was trying to destroy the Conservative Party, and Bob Rae was trying to figure out how to get re-elected.

Today, Boy George and Bob Rae might still have a chance, but otherwise times have changed.

We've all matured a little bit, or so I'd like to think. Unfortunately, as much as I think mes confreres carres hors du Quebec have little interest or knowledge of the linguistic subtleties of nation vs nation, j'en suis tres sur que mon chum Mikey Ignatieff le sait tres bien.

Which, quite frankly, leaves me a bit ticked at Mr. Ignatieff and his campaign team who just about flat outed admitted in this morning's Grope & Flail that they were trying to distract people away from his mid-east peace initiative.

Iggy appears to have missed the last 20 years of Canadian politics and the divisive debates about distinct society, the referendum, and blah, blah, blah... I am not sure that this will play out as the card that shows he has the political acumen so absent in the last few weeks.

Don't mess around, this is fate of the nation kind of stuff...

* * * * * * * * * *
UPDATE: Buddy at the Waters Edge has nifty post on the motion passed at LPC-Q which is well worth the read.

Surprise: Tory pollsters backs Baird on LRT decision

2006-10-18T13:20:00.000-04:00

For those of you who don't follow the Ottawa Mayoral race, TB President John Baird put funding for Ottawa's Light Rail Transit proposal on hold a couple of weeks ago until after the election.

Baird denies that this has anything to do with current Mayor Bob Chiarelli (and former Liberal MPP) support of the project, nor John Baird's admitted Conservative affiliation, nor mayoral candidate (and conservative donor) Larry O'Brien's opposition to the project.

I am certain this is all true.

And a new poll featured in the Ottawa Citizen from the Holinshed Research Group indicates that though most Ottawa residents agree that John Baird was interfering in the election (a charge Baird denies), 49% agree with Baird's demand that the project be ratified by the new council.

The Citizen contained no information on who funded the poll, it is mysteriously absent from the Holinshed web page.

And oddly, I'd never hear of the Holinshed Group, but they are currently hiring.

If you're interested, it's worth a look.

And if you worked in the Conservative Opposition Research Bureau in the mid- to late-nineties, you'll know the president, Frank Hall.

Networking is always key, no matter what you do...

TORIES HOT AIR ACT LEAKED TO MEDIA

2006-10-13T17:31:00.000-04:00

"Basically, there is no Clean Air Act. There are some amendments to CEPA, but it doesn't provide any new power of authority to the federal government," Hazell said.

Enviro groups obtained a copy of the proposed Hot Air Act in August, but sat on it hoping the government might improve it. Today, they lost patience, and leaked it to the media.

The results will impress no one.

"We'll be tabling the Clean Air Act next week, and we think it's prudent for everyone to wait when the act is tabled and review it then," Shannon Haggerty, of Ambrose's office, told CTV.ca.

Which is code for: "Uh, darn, they've got the real bill..."

One of the clear signs of a government in trouble is when the civil servants start leaking key documents... stay tuned, more to come....

Emerson on his way out?

2006-10-13T10:07:00.000-04:00

From CP wire:

VANCOUVER (CP) _ Federal Trade Minister David Emerson is hinting at a return to the business world after a rocky run at politics that has seen him defect from the Liberals to the Tories.
On Thursday, Emerson said he has not decided whether he will run for re-election, departing from previous commitments to seek another term as a Tory.

Asked about a return to the corporate world, Emerson said: ``Wouldn't mind.''

I guess the reality of trying to win a seat again is sinking in.

Let's hope he's better at business than he is at politics.

On being anti-Isreali

2006-10-12T17:06:00.000-04:00

This is consistent with the anti-Israeli position that has been taken by virtually all of the candidates for the Liberal leadership.

Stephen Harper, Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada

Putting aside wisdom of Iggy Pop-Tartief's latest gaffe, there are a lot of things about this statement that should concern people.

First, it's simply not true. Ignatieff's statement on Tout le monde en parle was a strong criticism of Israel, certainly the strongest to date. He did not, and has not, ever questioned the existence of the state of Israel.

Ignatieff, rightly or wrongly, criticized Israel's conduct in the invasion of another soveriegn state. And to criticize a country is not to question its existence, it is to oppose an action or a policy.

Suggesting Ignatieff is anti-Isreal is as silly as suggesting Stephen Harper is anti-American because he feels that the US should come clean on Maher Arar or because he opposes softwood duties.

It is as stupid as suggesting that Stephen Harper is anti-Lebanese for supporting Israel's invasion of Lebanon.

And it smacks of another conservative smear-monger, Joe McCarthy, who used the same ultra-nationalist technique to attempt to silence his opponents.

Moreover, Ignatieff's comments are not in-line with other leadership candidates who have all clearly supported Israel's position in the invasion of Lebanon, while calling for restraint.

And once again, Harper's statement shows he is willing to use the war in Lebanon for his own political advantage. At every opportunity, he has used the war to divide Canadians in a pathetic search for that elusive bump at the ballot box.

That meaness is truly disturbing - it takes a special kind of heartless, callous politics to use the loss of life in two countries caught between the latest Islamofascist gang for a little boost in the polls.

But that is Stephen Harper.

Study shows Daly Show is legitimate news

2006-10-05T09:28:00.000-04:00

A University of Indiana study has concluded that Jon Stewart's Daily Show is as legitimate a news source as the mainstream networks.

In spite of Stewart's well-publicized claims to the contrary, an analysis conducted of the 2004 national political conventions and the first presidential debate by the networks and Stewart's program showed the Daily Show provided as much substance as the Nets, according to author, Assistant Professor, Julia Fox, who also stated:

"... the broadcast network news stories about the presidential election were significantly shorter, on average, than were The Daily Show with Jon Stewart stories..."

What do I think is the most interesting part of the study?

I can legitimately state that Fox thinks Jon Stewart has as much substance as anyone else.

Now if only some one could show Rick Mercer was as credible as the National Post...

Tory friends line up at the trough

2006-10-03T09:08:00.000-04:00

PolitcsWatch provides an interesting list of Conservative appointees in recent months, forgetting only two:

Barbara McDougall's appointment as the Chief Federal Negotiator at Caledonia and Gilles Bernier's trip to the Francophonie.

Ah, it's good to be the King... but the King of what?

Taxpayers send Bernier's Dad to Summit

2006-09-29T09:03:00.000-04:00

Apparently it's Father-Son day at the Francophonie Summit? Or maybe Bring your Parent's to the Office day, it's not really clear.

What is clear is that the Montreal Gazette is reporting that Maxime Bernier's father, Mulroney-era cabinet Minister Gilles Bernier is attending the sommet courtesy of your taxes and mine.

Papa Bernier's qualifications? He's Chairman of the Board of the FORUM FRANCOPHONE DES AFFAIRES. It's a reputable organisation which does some excellent business development work. He certainly should be at the Francophone Summit as are several members of the board of the FFA

But why at taxpayer's expense?

According to the Gazette:

Ghislain Maltais, chairman of the Forum's board and himself a key organizer for Conservative Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon in the last election, said Bernier was invited to be part of the delegation by Prime Minister Stephen arper's office. Consequently, the government took Bernier along on the prime minister's plane and is paying Bernier's expenses _something the cash-strapped group could not have done, said Maltais....
....Among the other Forum board members attending is Denis Robichaud, vice-president of the group and an organizer for Maxime Bernier in the last election.

Hang on is this a riding association meeting, a family reunion or an international summit?

But don't worry, everyone else at the FFA are paying their own way, it is a 'cash-strapped' organisation.

I guess they didn't get an invite from Stephen Harper.

Good to see my tax dollars hard at work.

Dryden boring? Sure, but you can argue with this...

2006-09-27T09:04:00.000-04:00

Sure, the race may be boring, but you can't aruge with this....

One more reason Dryden is the right choice...

Tories support Big Tobacco

2006-09-26T11:40:00.000-04:00

Slipped into yesterday's federal budget slash was a cut of $10.8M First Nations and Inuit Tobacco Control Strategy.

The reason was as follows: Programs that weren’t providing good value for money for Canadians.

Cutting tobacco control funding is not smart. Particularly because aboriginal communities already score the lowest in Canada on most health indicators.

Particularly because they have the youngest demographic population in Canada and the highest birth rate.

Particularly because of the role tobacco plays in aborginal culture - you just can't deal with it the same way you do in other cultures.

And big tobacco must be laughing.

Leak II - Kenny 'misquotes' PCO official

2006-09-22T10:04:00.000-04:00

The Privacy story continued yesterday. From Hansard, a very careful statement from Kenny:

" Mr. Speaker, let me tell you what the assistant secretary to the cabinet at the Privy Council Office said. He said that the reporting of this discussion was a practice introduced by the former government, that this sort of practice took place in the former PMO and its communication team. "

Kenny is referring to the practice of providing notes of briefings and discussions to key political staffers. Nothing odd here at all, though I am quite sure that keeping political staffers aware of evolving situations is not something the Liberals thought of first...

But Kenny continues:

"Mr. Speaker, how will we put a stop to the practices of the former Liberal government? Today we were astonished to discover that it was a regular practice of the previous government to take private information and ask public servants to send the private information of Canadians to political staff in the offices of the Prime Minister and other ministers. "

And that is where he went wrong.

Let me repeat this.

Never did I askcivil servants, or was I asked by PMO, for the private information of anyone filing an access request.

Not once.

And the PCO official Kenny cited would back me up on this, as reported in the Globe today

"In fact, Mr. Eisler's statement did not say that the Liberal government had regular access to the names of people requesting information under the access to information legislation.
Instead, he appeared to be speaking only about the practice of sending out summaries of telephone conversations "

So the questions remain.

Why was the information disclosed?

How long did this go on?

And why did no one stop it until they got caught?

Leaks, Laws and Jason Kenny

2006-09-21T22:13:00.000-04:00

The Leak and the Law.

For the last two days, Liberals and Conservatives have traded attacks over a breach of Canada's Privacy Act.

In short strokes, a Canadian Press journalist filed an Access to Information Request (ATIP) which is way of requesting information or documents from the government. That's not an odd thing for a journalist to do.

There are clear rules on how to process these requests; one of those rules (under the Privac Act) is that no one is allowed to know the name of the person who is making the request. That is the law.

As it turns out, the name of a reporter making a request was provided in mid-March to six senior political staffers, including Harpers Director of Communications.

What should have happened next is this. They should have reported to their departments' ATIP coordinnators as soon as they saw the name.

That does not appear to have happened.

Yesterday, Stephen Owen and Marlene Jennings nailed the government on this.

The first line of defence was that the government knew nothing about this. Then, as the day wore on, it was revealed none of the assistants had read the e-mail.

(Funny, the e-mail was synopsis about CIA planes landing in Canada. I might have read that one...)

Today, the Information Commissioner started yet another investigation of the Harper government.

And an Info Czar investigation is no fun. There is no right to counsel, no right refuse the request, everything is under oath and therefore subject to perjury and contempt laws.

Kenny the Snowman.

Kenny struck back with the snow-job of the century. According to CP:

"These types of summary reports were regularly shared with members of the previous government's prime minister's communications office,'' Kenny said. "We are going to put a stop to the Liberal practice of bureaucrats sending such information to political staff, which never should have happened in the first place.''

Nonsense.

In my entire time in a minister's office, I was neither offered the names, nor did I ask for them.

Of course, Kenny know's the story is a mix-up as well. He was citing the Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet who it appears briefed him that sending synopses of meeting was de rigeur, which it was. What was not normal or standard practice was sending the names of ATIP applicants.

Scott Reid responded in the same story:

The names of access to information recipients were not shared with the PMO of which I was a part,'' said Scott Reid, who served as Martin's director of communications. "If Mr. Kenney has suggested that it was standard practice for those names to be shared with the former PMO, he is absolutely mistaken.''

Keep an eye on this.

Kenny will have to clarify exactly what the Assistant Secretary to Cabinet said.

The real issue here is when did anyone who's name is on the e-mail realize and mistake had been made, and fix it.

If the answer is no one, then everyone has a real problem.

Dryden takes the lead - CBC Poll

2006-09-14T16:55:00.000-04:00

CBC Newsworld is reporting that Ken Dryden is most popular choice among Canadians for leader... the poll can be found here

In short, Dryden leads with 19% followed by Rae at 17% among all voters. Among Liberal voters, Dryden maintains his lead at 19%, and Rae pulls up beside him at 19% as well...

Iggy? Dion? Kennedy? Brison? All sitting between 12% and 4% in both samples...

Kennedy's reform - not so much

2006-09-14T09:16:00.000-04:00

Gerrard Kennedy spoke to the Toronto Star editorial board yesterday and outlined some of his plans for parliamentary reform, which really come down to curbing the PM's power.

I am not sure why one needs to 'curb the PM's power' given that only the most brain-dead MP doesn't realize that they can topple a policy or a PM with one simple action: Vote against them in Parliament.

"We're in a danger zone right now, where we have a presidential system unchecked within our parliamentary system. That is a recipe for losing touch with what matters and to not have the accountability that would drive you forward," said Kennedy, the Straw-man slayer.

No, Gerrard, we don't have a presidential system, because MP's can vote against their own Prime Minister on any issue. Sure, there are consequences, like not getting into cabinet, or the Senate, or maybe the government could fall.

What's so different about that? We all face consequences when we deliver the hard news, its part of being a responsible adult.

Moreover, as Messrs Chretien and Martin will tell you, caucus solidarity is like a Stephen Harper election promise - never quite what you thought it was, and subject to change based on the polls.

But any attempt to 'curb the PM's power' is simply a way to let our elected representatives off the hook. And frankly, when enough MP's say no, it's amazing how many things just don't make it to a vote, get stuck in committee, and die on the order paper....

Kennedy continues: "I will subject myself to more review votes by both party members and I will give a veto to caucus over certain things. You'll be able to either veto the policy or change the leader under certain circumstances."

Great. Give caucus what they already have. And why just caucus?

MPs are MPs first, then they join a given caucus. Their first Parliamentary obligation is to their constituents, not the Party.

Frankly, every MP should have the right review policy, and veto it if they can form a majority to do so... but hey, hang on a minute...

They can already do all of those things... it's called... wait for it... PARLIAMENT.... where they have COMMITTEE HEARINGS and the HOUSE OF COMM ONS where they have VOTES...

It's not the rules that create democracy, Gerry, it's the people.

The National Post stole my tax cut

2006-09-13T10:40:00.000-04:00

"According to Jim Flaherty, the federal Finance Minister, his debut budget -- expected sometime this spring -- will place much of its focus on tax cuts. This is good news. But it is to be hoped that Mr. Flaherty is not just referring to the Conservatives' planned reduction to the GST, which will take it from 7% to 6% initially, and later down to 5%. While sure to be welcomed by consumers and businesses alike, this move on its own does not constitute the broad tax relief that Canadians want and need."

-National Post Editorial, April 19th 2006

And:

"Canadians expecting to pay less to park, take a taxi or see a movie with the GST cut coming into effect today could be in for an unpleasant surprise.

They might not save a cent."

-National Post news article, The 1% Illusion, July 1, 2006

And so yesterday, I did something I have not done in quite some time. I bought a copy of the National Post.

It cost a dollar, including GST.

I guess the NP journalist forgot to include his own employer as a business which was not passing on the tax cut to consumers.

The National Post used to be 93 cents, and with Harpers GST tax cut, it should have cost 99 cents including tax.

But now it costs 94 cents, or a dollar including GST.

Which means the National Post raised their prices on July 1st, and stole my tax cut.

Thank you, Stephen Harper, for providing a new source of revenue for your friends at the Don Mills Cheerleading Squad, I am sure they used the money for bright new blue pom-poms for the editorial board.

Tax cut, my ass - a penny for your thoughts, Stephen.

Zucchinis, Afghanisation and starvation

2006-09-12T08:56:00.001-04:00

This morning's CBC Ottawa news ran a story on a group urging Canadians to send zucchini's to Gordon O'Connor. You can read about the campaign at Verbena-19's blog

I was intrigued.

I remember when Gordo's gun-nutter colleagues sent bits of guns to MP's on the hill in protest of the gun registry (not so worried about security on that day...)

I've had a pretty slim crop this year in the backyard, but hey, postage to Hill is free...

Of course then the story continued that the reason for posting the cucurbita pepo was to protest the war in Agfghanistan, and to draw attention to the starvation that war was causing. The notion was Gordo could drop zucchinis instead of bombs.

And that's where they lost me.

Putting aside anyone's support or opposition to the war, sending perishable food through the post to protest stavation on the other side of the planet is just plain nuts.

Supposing Gordo follows through. Do we then drop rotting vegetables on a starving population?

A suggestion for the protestors:

Non-perishable food.

If you're going to make the point, go ahead and make it.

The last thing Afghans need is another mess to clean up.

Pope blasts Canada for gay marriage & abortion

2006-09-08T13:46:00.000-04:00

There I was, thinking about having Mini-Publius baptized, and then...from the Right Hand of God, and direct descendant of Saint Peter:

Referring to Canada's same-sex marriage law, the pope said, "In the name of 'tolerance' your country has had to endure the folly of the redefinition of spouse."He also criticized the continued legality of abortion, saying, "In the name of 'freedom of choice' (the country) is confronted with the daily destruction of unborn children."

Hmmm.

Not that I put much creedence inthe moral and spiritual guidance from a former Nazi (we all did crazy stuff in our youth, eh?) but I wonder if the Holy Father has read de Tobiatha by Saint Ambrose.... in particular the bit that says abortion is ok?

May God have mercy on his soul.

Decima leadership poll puts Ignatieff lead in question

2006-09-07T16:12:00.000-04:00

Running on the CP wire:

"OTTAWA (CP) _ A new poll is challenging the notion that international academic and author Michael Ignatieff is the front-runner in the Liberal leadership race, suggesting instead that the top five candidates are virtually running neck and neck.

...When voters who aren't sure are taken out of the mix, former Ontario premier Bob Rae inches ahead of the others: 26 per cent of respondents said they would vote Liberal or consider voting Liberal if Rae were at the party's helm, compared with 23 per cent for former cabinet minister Stephane Dion and 21 per cent for Ignatieff.

In Ontario, Rae has an even wider lead over the perceived front-runner, with 11 per cent more voters saying they would vote Liberal or consider voting Liberal if he were leader than if Ignatieff won."

Great news for the Rae folks, particularly given the concern that Rae would have trouble winning... should be an interesting weekend in Quebec...

Dryden - worth reading, and worth considering

2006-09-05T10:35:00.000-04:00

Much of the leadership debate has focused around chasing Stephen Harper's Afghanistan-is-my-foreign-policy and Michael Ignatieff's gaffes.

Finally, a breath of fresh air.

And some vision.

Over the weekend, I was slipped a copy of Dryden's vision statement. Pretty impressive stuff. It doesn't chase Harper's tail on either the environment or Afghanistan. It lays out Out Dryden's views on just about everything from foreign policy to aboriginal issues.

Dryden manages to play out some of the policy in key areas, explain the why and the how.

Well worth the read, and frankly well worth this blogger's support.

For a breath of fresh air, a well-thought out vision, and an honest approach, check it out.

Prentice: Writer of "Stern" letters

2006-08-31T17:30:00.001-04:00

Breaking news from AM 900 CHMLAM, Jim Prentice and David Ramsey have taken the extraordinary step of sending the Caledonia protestors a "stern letter," news reports state that the letter is:

"....asking for assurances from the council that there will be no further nuisance and disturbances from the native protestors on the occupied land in Caledonia.

The letter says that means an end to loud noises, bright lights from ATV's, firecrackers and any other activities that disturb the peace."

I am sure the Mohawks are quaking in their boots.

And if they don't stop with the firecrackers? Well... no doubt the Tory "tough on crime" INAC minister will...uh...

Write another letter?

Brison's glass blackberry....

2006-08-31T11:51:00.000-04:00

So Scotty thinks Iggy is accident prone, eh?

Worried he might not have the stuff to stay out of trouble during an election?

Hmmm.

I promised myself that I would not mention the bright red pants that Scotty insisted on wearing to his first cabinet retreat.... but people with glass blackberries shouldn't throw them around.

Iggy may not be my first choice, but at least he can say he's never been 'interviewed' by the RCMP in the middle of an election.

Stick to policy, Scott, it's safer ground, even if Ignatieff really is smarter than all of us...

Tory Enviro Plan already sucking air....

2006-08-29T21:38:00.000-04:00

Peter Calamai at the Star reports today that the Tories gave a quiet briefing on their upcoming enviro plan.

Smart move on their part, Calamai is the dean of MSM science reporting, but wouldn't normally touch a political story with a 10 foot pole and so they successfully avoided the Gallery once again.

Further they have successfully smoked out the arguments the Greenies will use against them, and can start to plan how to do deal with them.

(NOTE TO GREENIES: In the future, if you really want to push the agenda, don't say anything publicly until announcement day. Given the comments in the Star today, I'd say the Harperites have a good list of who they can count on to say what... if you were naughty, you're about to find out what silence sounds like....)

Surprising absent from any coverage was the... uh.... Minister of Environment, Rona Ambrose (pictured above right)

The plan will focus on air quality and linking air quality to health... In essence, the plan is big on goals, not so big on measurement... which is a good thing if you're a Conservative and you'd like to call an election this year.

No doubt the quality of the air we all breath will improve... sometime around 2050...

Harper a homophobe? Maybe... but Menard a Moron? Absolutely....

2006-08-25T10:32:00.000-04:00

On the CP wire, Separatist Braintrust in Orford opines:

Five Bloc members voted against the redifinition of marriage last summer and Menard said he does not believe they have changed their minds on the issue.

``It is simply believed that the debate has taken place and it is not relevant to start it again,'' he said.

Menard cited the voting record of the previous Canadian Alliance and Reform Party, which merged to become the Conservative party, and said they generally voted against gay and lesbian rights.

``I think it is necessary to make the public understand the government is homophobic,'' Menard said. ``When, since 1993, you vote each time you can against gay rights, I think it should be concluded that they (the Conservatives) are homophobic,'' Menard said.

Um... this is not news.

Harper and the CPC have always opposed gay marriage. You might have missed that if you were, well, living on the moon since the mid-1980, or maybe if you didn't have cable... or only read Seperatist BQ websites

But if you are the only openly gay member of Parliament from Quebec, this should not be a revelation.

Unless you are Rheal Menard.

Maybe this is something Rheal should have thought about before he voted to topple the government and install a right-wing, anti-gay rights Conservative government....

Or did he not think that Jason Kenney was serious all those years?

Tony Clement is also a big sissy... and why garlic & beet root won't stop AIDS...

2006-08-19T13:40:00.000-04:00

'Two-tier' Tony left the Toronto AIDS conference shaking his head unable to have a 'rational discussion' about... well, that was never clear.

I sympathize with Tony. I worked for AIDS organisation almost a decade ago. It's often hard to have a 'rational discussion' with people who are going die. Go figure!

And why Tony needed to have a rational discussion with the organizers in order to make a freakin' funding announcement is also beyond me... send out the press release, it's no more complicated than that.

But what truly irked me, was that Two-tier Tony cited the demand for the resignation of Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, the South African Health Minister, as an example of the 'irrational' climate.

The CBC reports that the SA Health Minister was "accused of promoting traditional treatments, such as lemon and garlic, instead of anti-retroviral medications." As a result, one of the Conference participants demanded his resignation.

Sounds disrespectful? But that's not quite what happened.

As the Irish Examiner notes, it's a bit more complicated than that:

Tshabalala-Msimang drew criticism at the conference for using South Africa’s booth in the exhibition hall to promote a natural recipe for treating HIV: lemons, garlic and beet root. South African activists trashed the booth earlier in the week.

This is the same government which has questioned the link between HIV and AIDS.

So, if the Minister of Health for Canada went to the same conference, questioned the usefulness of retrovirals and suggested people use a mix of lemons, garlic, and beet root to deal with AIDS.... do you think it would be a bit out of line to ask if that Minister knew what he was doing?

In that case, who is irrational?

The beet-root & garlic cure promoting health minister
People asking for the beet-root & garlic health minister's resignation
Two-tier Tony Clement (who thinks we should all shut up about beet root.)
1 & 3

Full marks if you answered #4.

Stephen Harper is a big sissy.

2006-08-18T11:30:00.000-04:00

Well, it's a good thing the Hep C folks didn't get political, or they would have lost their money too....

The federal government won't be making any announcements on the future of Vancouver's safe-injection site or AIDS funding this week because the prime minister believes the issue has become "so politicized," a government spokesperson said Thursday.

It's hard to decide if you should laugh or cry when the politics get too tough for a politician.

Ah, Stephen, you big sissy.

Party on Garth...

2006-08-16T16:37:00.000-04:00

There are a lot of reasons to knock up Garth Turner... er, I mean knock off Garth Turner in a nomination race.

Reasons like:

He was the Chief Tax Collector of Canada.
No one with a beard has been Prime Minister since the 1800's
He flip-flopped on Nortel.
He's a little bit nutty.
He is a Tory.

However, his stance on same-sex marriage isn't one of them.

Funny thing is, as much as the anti-homosexualists at Canada Family Action Committee would like to dear old Garth's seat , even they admit that "the nomination process is so short it is unlikely they'll be successful in unseating him." or so says spokesthingy Charles McVety.

And I have to say it's odd to see a Tory asking for support from political progressives. Sure, Garth is homo-happy, but gee, some of his friends aren't.

Like his freakin' leader....

Which begs the question...

If Garth is such a die-hard same-sex marriage enthusiast... maybe he shouldn't be running as a Tory... Maybe McVety is right. And Garth is left. Or at least progressive-light.

And if same-sex marriage is such an important issue for a voter, doesn't it make sense to send an MP to Ottawa in party that won't re-open the debate?

For my money, I think Garth is just an anti- same-sex marriage wolf in a Tory sheep's clothing.

Sheer the sheep, I say.

Vote Liberal, not Liberal-light.

Iranian President's New Blog -

2006-08-15T09:33:00.000-04:00

The blogosphere has a new citizen.

The President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Here is the link*

This is obviously a new era of openess and transparency for Iran. You may not be able to get Playboy Channel or CNN, but you can get Mahmoud's blog.

Yep, you can now get RSS feed of the President's latest thoughts, without that pesky media-filter which skewers everything the I-Prez has to say.

You can even leave comments, though oddly, none appear on the blog.... No doubt Condi, George and Olmert will be providing their thoughts very soon... (On that subject, just what does the icon for Tomahawk missile look like...?)

And there is a poll question (omigosh... it's just like Bourque)... "Do you think that the US and Israeli intention and goal by attacking Lebanon is pulling the trigger for another word war?" It's a YES / NO question.

(NOTE TO IRANIAN READERS: "YES" is the wisest answer here... don't worry, the rest of us will deal with "NO" answer.)

Today's entry is Mahmoud's autobiography... it's a heart-warming coming of age story of a young islamofascist during the trials and tribulations of nascent Islamofacism developing in Iran, and it is filled with self-sacrifice:

"I prepared myself for university admission test-conquer. And later on that year, I took the test. Although I had nose bleeding during the test, but I became 132nd student among over 400 thousand participants. "

132nd? Hot diggity! And with a nose-bleed to boot... This guy could have been an Ontario scholar... but he continues to describe the hardship of life under the Shah...:

"When I used to go to high school, shah celebrated the 2500 years of monarchy of Iran. Those years, poverty among the oppressed people of Iran was escalated and doubled. The imposition of the cost and the expenditure of these festivals and ceremonies and also the crapulence of shah’s debauched clan and their foreign companies, broke the people’s back."

I am not sure what "crapulence" is, but it sounds something like a Celine Dion show. But hey, I'm from Ottawa, and after years of bailing out the Rough Riders /Renegades, I get his point..

Unfortunately, the site lacks some key features. Frinstanz, there is no Blog-roll, though I have no doubt that it will come soon.... should be quite a jostle to get on it...

And I can't wait to see if he signs up for Google ads....

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

*Warren Kinsella Note: W - I read your blog-biting exchange with Mr. Doskosch, and I want to be clear that like yourself, I am not taking sides in the leadership campaign, and this should not be viewed as an endorsement of Mahmoud A.

Anne Cools unhappy with Harper's stance on the mid-east

2006-08-10T17:01:00.000-04:00

Running on the CP wire right now

``Suffice it to say, I'm not that happy with the position that has been adopted and I remain very very concerned about the entire Middle Eastern situation,'' said Senator Anne Cools, a former Liberal senator who now sits with the Conservative Caucus.

I am not sure that this part of the PMO talking points on Lebanon, but no doubt they will deal with the Senator in a respectful fashion. Certainly without "scorn or derision"

How do I know this? Well, I believe Stephen Harper when he said:

"Senator Cools has an impressive record of public service to this country.... In the Senate, she has elevated the level of debate. In the face of scorn and derision by some, she has persisted in holding the government accountable. She has long earned my respect, and now my support, in joining the Conservative caucus in the Senate."

And I am sure that his Foreign Minister, Peter McKay will be equally interested in her views, and still turn to her for advice, as Peter once said:

Senator Cools is a person of deep spiritual conviction and a valued friend. Her office is open to those who value honesty and debate, and it has certainly been open to me when I have needed advice and guidance. It would be impossible for her to rise any further in my esteem."

No doubt, after today it will indeed be impossible to rise any further in the esteem of her conservative colleagues.

A freebie: Prentice wants to resolve the claims backlog

2006-08-10T16:38:00.000-04:00

Jimmy P wants to resolve the claims backlog... so he says in the Grope and Flail:

Admitting that the slow pace of resolving land claims like the Caledonia dispute
is unacceptable, Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice intends to bring a new
plan to cabinet that would employ more lawyers and negotiators to attack the
backlog.

Because that what the process needs... more lawyers and negotiators... but I will come back to that.

Since the early 1970's claims have been negotiated between the federal government and First Nations. An independant body is available to help resolve those claims called the Indian Claims Commission (ICC).

Jimmy P knows this because... he sat on the ICC for a decade... apparently not settling very many claims, but I digress....

Back in 2003, the Liberal government passed C-6, which created the Specific Claims Tribunal which was supposed to speed up the process... It was supported by and supposed to replace the ICC.... but the act is still waiting to be brought into force.

But now Jimmy P wants to deal with this horrible, unacceptable backlog with more lawyers and negotiators because ICC just isn't working and the claims process isn't working.

So here's the freebie: Bring C-6 into force.

No work needs to be done, it was supported by both Liberals and Tories... just bring it into force.

Go ahead, Jimmy do something different: pay out the claims, not the lawyers.

The Dirty Mid-East War

2006-07-30T14:23:00.000-04:00

Israel has killed, once again, civilians in Lebanon. 54 people this time, including 34 children.

Hizbollah attacked again - thankfully killing no one this time - launching 115 rockets into Israel, three people were wounded.

It's an awful situation.

Israel is stuck with an awful terrorists group on its borders, Hizbollah, which consistently targets no one but civilians. And now, Israel, has had enough, and have decided to destroy Hizbollah.

On the face of it, it's not an entirely unreasonable position.

But like most things, scratching the surface really doesn't help any.

Israel has targeted the refugee camps, and areas that hold civilians, because that is where Hizbollah operates, and this is most certainly true. But probing a bit deeper, this week's Salon.com notes the situation is not that simple.

Hizbollah (and many other terrorist organisations) provide more than just missiles. They provide education and health services as well... which one of the reasons they are in the those refugee camps. Targeting individuals who provide those services raises some uncomfortable questions, regardless of their affiliation.

In short, Israel bombs Lebanon, creating refugees. Refugees are not happy to be refugees, and are likley ticked off with Israel. Refugees go to camps where they get food, medicine and education from Hizbollah. Sometimes, they get bombed again by Israel.

This is not an uncommon terrorist pattern. Indeed, the fore-runner of the IRA, (the Irish Republican Brotherhood) provided social services such as education and health care.

Anyone care to guess what happens next?

Score one for Hizbollah.

So whereas I too support Israel's right defend itself... I find myself asking, is Israel actually defending itself?

Indeed, today's attack drove Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora who is normally at odds with Hizbollah, to actually thank them for defending the border.

Score two for Hizbollah.

And why are Syria and Iran getting off scot-free? Obviously Israel realizes that messing with Syria and Iran would be a different thing than picking a fight with their shattered Lebanese neighbour.

Score three for Hizbollah.

No one seems to be able to broker restraint with either side, in particular the US, leaving Israel's American ally, appearing to be powerless in the middle east. Indeed, with US, British, Canadian and Australian current troop commitments, it is clear that diplomacy is all that there is... and it is failing.

Then there is the notion espoused by Harper that troops from the region should hold the border.

Like who? The Syrians who are already there? Maybe the Saudis? The Egytians? Perhaps the Iranians? No doubt they would all be welcomed by Israel.

Score four for Hizbollah.

I have no doubt that in the end Israel will leave Hizbollah beaten and bloodied. But in doing so, I would be concerned at how many new terrorists are spawned.

The smoke and broken mirrors of the latest Lebanese war obscures the real issue here.

Until Lebanon has the internal strength to govern itself, this will keep happening. Changing that will require real commitment, from outside the region.

And Syria and Iran will need to be dealt with, and that is a very unclear path... which no one has had the courage to consider.

Until then... well, good luck to the average joe in the middle east...

Volpe organizer quits over Lebanon

2006-07-21T15:06:00.000-04:00

Running on the CP wire right now....

Volpe loses campaign manager over difference of opinion on Lebanon

OTTAWA - Joe Volpe's trouble-plagued bid to become the next Liberal leader has suffered another, possibly fatal blow, with the resignation of his national campaign manager.

The Canadian Press has learned that Toronto MP Jim Karygiannis has quit Volpe's campaign over what one insider described as a difference of opinion over the situation in Lebanon.

Volpe has strongly supported Israel's right to bombard Lebanon in an attempt to stop Hezbollah extremists from firing missiles and conducting raids across the border into Israel.

Karygiannis, meanwhile, has been recruiting supporters for Volpe among Canada's ethnic communities, including Muslims.

He has been firing off news releases condemning what he calls the federal government's tardy efforts to evacuate Canadians from Lebanon and calling for Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay's resignation.

Volpe's campaign ran into trouble last spring when it was revealed that he had accepted $108,000 in donations from 20 current and former executives of pharmaceutical giant Apotex, their spouses and their children, including 11-year-old twins; Volpe eventually returned $27,000 received from five donors under the age of 18.

If Dunkirk had been a photo-op...

2006-07-21T10:28:00.000-04:00

I am left wondering what the PM intends to do with his airbus today.... surely he won't leave it on the tarmac...? Surely the PM's plane (and photographer) will continue to ferry Canadians home... it's all about doing the right thing, eh?

This was not a photo-op. I repeat, not a photo-op.

... well, for all the grouching about having to divert resources to ensure the PM's plane could help with the evacuees, PMO must be giggling with the front page of the Grope and Flail this morning.

This was not a photo-op. I repeat, not a photo-op.

They must also be mystfied as to how the Don Mills PMO forgot to run the same picture, but I digress... evidently they did not get the memo.

Still, for some compare and contrast on how the evacuation efforts are going in different parts of the world take a look here. I thought 40,000 Canadians was a lot, but apparently Sri Lanka and Brazil are even more screwed than we are...

... and for a balanced and smart round-up of what is really going in Lebanon, try Taylor Owen's blog here... he is one smart dude.

“A book of quotations is a good thing for an uneducated man to read” More nonsense on the racially-segregated fishery on the West Coast.

2006-07-18T10:19:00.000-04:00

Or so said Winston Churchill

This morning's Calgary Hurled runs an interesting piece by Mike ‘Martin Luther King’ Milke featuring his newly discovered interest in equality and rights.

Milke argues that we should scrap the Native west-coast segregated fishery.

Indeed, he pines for a world described by MLK "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character,"

Because, as Mike says, “That's progressive.”

Hallelujah…. Character. Progressive

That would be the kind of progressive character that makes a deal and sticks to it, eh Mike?

Well, there is a five volume set of treaties Mike needs to read. Then let’s talk about the content of our characters.

And while we’re doing some reading, maybeMike wants to try something a little more profound than Bartlett’s….like the whole MLK speech, in particular though the section that states:

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

An exile in their own land. Sound like anyone you know, Mike?

Race-based nonsense and other fishy tails…

2006-07-14T10:28:00.000-04:00

In a sop to their west-coast cracker-nut constituency, Harper announced a few days ago that he will not support a race-based fishery.

And Prentice spent yesterday at the AFN Assembly pretending not to be backed into a corner.

What nonsense.

Let’s get a few facts straight.

First, the issue is that salmon stocks in the Fraser River appear –after rising in the last few years – to be declining.

Some blame the decline on illegal fishing by natives upstream in the Fraser. If that is the case, then it’s not a race-based fishery, it’s poaching.

But the term ‘race-based’ or ‘racially-segregated’ is the troubling one here. It’s fall-back to the old Reform line that any specific program or policy providing benefit to First Nations is wrong because it is based on race.

In other words… interesting to see Tom Flanagan is still around? Will the real Minister of Indian Affairs, please stand up?

The notion of race here is the big lie. Natives don’t want race-based anything. They want – quite rightly – their treaty rights respected.

The problem in BC is that they don’t have a treaty. It’s not just a problem for them either… because it means the land and the resources there contained, are in dispute.

It’s all well and fine for Harper to say everyone should have the same access to a commercial fishery.

But we’d all think it was nutty if he started handing out licenses for the fjords of Norway, wouldn’t we? Because that is some one else’s land….

No one is arguing that the Fraser River is not Canadian territory, but it is disputed land. And until that dispute is settled, maybe it’s worth trying to sort out some sort of interim deal with the original and current occupants?

That’s not a race-based anything. It’s called common sense and respect. It's access to resources – like a fishery – based on treaties. Treaties like, oh, I dunno, NAFO?

And I haven’t seen any comments from Loyola Hearn on the race-based fishing enforced through NAFO in the Atlantic…

Prentice contradicts Harper: Race-based economic development is OK

Prentice applied Orwellian newspeak yesterday and immediately contradicted Harper, noting that DFO still plans to buy out non-native licenses and provide these to First Nations, but only for economic development purposes, not because of rights.

So race-based economic development is ok?

Of course Prentice is doing what Flanagan and Harper have not done… reading the decisions from a myriad of court decisions which repeatedly tell the federal government to fulfill its obligations, and provide access to resources on disputed land.

The bottom-line here is that Harper has – once again – inflamed racial tensions instead of mediating them.

This is the politics of old-fashioned racism, just the kind of thing that leads to segregation and anger, that divides nations instead of uniting them.

And its one nasty way to fish for votes on the west coast.

Women, politics & Dion: Not putting your money where your mouth is...

2006-07-13T09:37:00.000-04:00

I have steered away from the leadership race in my blog, because, well, there are plenty of folk blogging on that, and me, well, I am pretty busy these days.

But Dion's plan for women in politics intrigued me... until I actually read it. What's most interesting is what is missing... Dion commits to, among other things,

ensure gender parity in appointments to the Senate
ensure gender parity on nominations to the boards of Crown Corporations
commit to running a minimum of 33% female candidates in the next election and continuing to increase their representation in subsequent elections until at least 50% is achieved
make immediate progress on having a more gender-equitable Cabinet, including the appointment of women to key portfolios

So what is missing?

Selection and Cabinet.

I supported Chretien's policy of appointing female candidates, and think Dion's on the right track but I think it's not good enough.

Running women candidates is not the same as electing them. It's not the same as appointing them to cabinet.

Dion seems to be willing to foist them on Crown corporations, the senate, the riding associations... but apparently doesn't seem to have the confidence in women to guarrantee them same access to his own cabinet.

Call me crazy, but if there were some sort of notional allocation to cabinet (beyond the usual Status of Jim Abbot and Women gig) I will bet you that 50% candidate target would be easier to hit... and I will also bet you that those female candidates would have a better chance of winning.

Come on Stephane, put you're money where your mouth is.... My daugher may just run one day, I'd like her to be a Liberal...

Wal-Mart US told to carry the morning-after pill

2006-07-07T10:49:00.000-04:00

Here is something I never thought would be an issue.

Wal-Mart"chooses not to carry many products for business reasons." Despite having room for ammunition, tobacco products and McDonalds, the morning-after pill was not available.

Not in any US Wal-Mart.

Except Illinois. Where they were required by law.

Well, that's about to change.

A recent court decision in Massachusetts is about to change that, and Wal-Mart will have to make the contraceptive available in its pharmacy.

Available contraception is not something I've ever had to worry about.

Amazing that some still do have to worry.

Amazing that they only live about an hour-and-a-half away.

What? Fox News isn't fake?

2006-06-26T10:43:00.000-04:00

I say all this without access to cable, and admitting that since the arrival of the Canadian Publius, the Next Generation, I haven't found myself up to watch TV past about 9.30 pm anyway...

... but it appears that Fox News is planning their own version of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart tentatively called "Watch This Right Now?"

This is quite a surprise. I thought all of Fox was fake news.

And I am bewildered - can you make the Progressive wing of any party funnier than it already is... I mean this whole leadership race - that's just a satire ... right? I mean, it's not real, is it?

The J-Lo Senate reform proposal

2006-06-23T11:30:00.001-04:00

CP reports:

Jack Austin and Lowell Murray served notice Thursday of their intention to introduce a resolution to amend the Constitution to significantly increase the number of western seats, particularly for British Columbia.

Under the proposal, B.C.'s Senate seats would double to 12, Alberta would get 10 and Manitoba and Saskatchewan would each get seven.

The central Canadian in me shudders at the thought of the J-Lo Senate proposal.

Don’t we already have a body that is elected and reflects representation by population? Isn’t it called, like… the House of Commons?

But that’s not the point.

You have to hand to Senator Jack, who has been a force in Canadian politics before Warren Kinsella could type type, he knows how set up a wedge issue.

What’s going on here is simple.

Harper has indicated he wants to move on Senate reform without amending the constitution. The weak link is that in BC, Senate reform without Senate redistribution to put more seats in BC is like putting Molson Excel on tap at a frosh party.

It’s more likely to cause a riot than selling the regular stuff.

Now Harper has a choice. Reform the Senate while continuing to disadvantage his Western base, or crack open the constitution and watch everything go to hell in Western breadbasket.

The sad part here?

My money is on the Mulroney protégé to crack open the Constitution.

Get ready to roll the dice.

Harper calls Canadians ‘Naïve”

2006-06-16T15:07:00.000-04:00

Or so said our fearless leader on the program “Coulisses du pouvoir” last night stating,

«Je pense que beaucoup de monde au Canada est naïf, c'est vrai... La réalité, c'est que la menace terroriste est une menace mondiale et on ne peut pas y échapper en fermant les yeux.»

Or: “I think many Canadians are naïve. The reality is that the terrorist threat is a global threat, and we can’t avoid it by closing our eyes.”

Well, gee whiz willickers, thank be to heaven we have Big Daddy Harper to warn us all and keep us safe.

Calling Canadians naïve - there is a master politician. First insult your citizens, then spout a platitude.

You know, I think Harper has weird eyes, and looks like his mother dresses him, but I don’t run around saying that in front of a TV camera.

But what exactly should we all be doing to show Stephen we aren’t naïve?

Maybe I could put a guard hut at the end of my driveway?

Maybe I could snitch on my neighbours?

Mybe I could set up a neighbourhood terrorist watch group in my community?

Stephen, if you want us to take this situation seriously, start dealing with Canadians seriously, and stop patronizing us.

Anything else would be… well… naïve.

Soleberg on Clement's shares...

2006-06-14T20:35:00.000-04:00

Tony Clement owns shares in a private pharma company. Some people think that puts him in a conflict of interest.

According to PoliticsWatch.com, Tony thinks it's "none of your business!" Tony says he has taken the advice of the Ethics Commissioner and that he shouldn't be taking ethics lessons from Liberals.

A bit odd though.

Only a few months ago, his boss Harper was calling the Ethics Commissioner a "liberal appointee."

So I guess, Tony is taking ethics lessons from a liberal... but I digress...

Me? I think he should keep his shares. He's followed the Ethic Commish's ruling, and we should all get on with our lives.

But no-one voted for me. What do our duly elected leaders have to say...?

"The one way to clear this thing up is to get rid of the company, " said Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Monte Soleberg to Louise Elliot at CP.

Ooops, I am sorry, Monte was talking about CSL and Paul Martin's kids owning the company on February 6, 2004.... what a difference an election makes...

Uh-oh ... here come the "principles of convenience" again ...

Here is a blogger challenge - let's see who can come up with another Tory urging a liberal to sell due to risk of conflict of interest....

Tories flip the bird and other acts of Parliamentary decora

2006-06-14T11:01:00.000-04:00

While most of Canada was asleep last night, Parliamentary Secretary Jacques Gourde was busy debating a fascinating opposition motion on milk proteins in processed food.

Truly the stuff of empassioned debate, particularly given Mr. Gourde farms on the South shore of the St. Lawrence himself.

At one point in the debate M. Gourde became so inflamed with passion on the issue of milk protiens in processed food that while the myriad of captivated observers in the gallery were busily reaching for their heart pills, he responded to the BQ with the 'doigt d'honneur' (flipped the bird) or so reported Canadian Press last night.
Lors du vote sur une motion du Bloc québécois portant sur l'utilisation de protéines de lait dans la nourriture transformée, Jacques Gourde, secrétaire parlementaire du ministre de l'Agriculture, s'est levé pour voter contre la motion en faisant un doigt d'honneur aux députés du Bloc.

Though the opposition demanded an apology, M. Gourde was immediately - and ably - defended by the Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board and milk protein afficinado, Pierre Poilievre who responded with his middle-finger as well.

This continued until Denis Coderre reigned them in.

You know, its the maturity displayed by our elected officials on issues of such importance that really builds my faith in government.

Thank God for Denis Coderre's sense of decorum.

You know, Denis, if you're reading this, I never thought I would ever write those words.... did you?

Gary Mason - worth reading & Fraser Institute - not so much...

2006-06-13T22:11:00.000-04:00

Gary Mason deserves a hat tip for today's story in the Groan & Wail about Roosevelt Park School in Prince Rupert, and their ranking courtesy of the Fraser Institute who used the figures from BC's Foundation Skills Assessment (FSA) test. Those figures put Roosevelt in last place, with a score of, well ... zero.

On the other end of the scale, is the private school St. George's School, who scored at the top of the test with a score of ten out of ten

Worth noting, there is no website for Roosevelt.

Mason notes that the FSA scores are for basic reading, writing, and 'rithmetic. They don't account for incidence of FAS, number of years previously in school, home situation, etc. Not huge factors for the kids at St. George, but a bit more of an issue in Prince Rupert.

And it's all about learning, or so say the helpful folks at the Fraser Institute Think Tank (note: emphasis on the 'tank', not so much the 'think') in their release on the 'Report Card'

I'm always happy to see my free market friends use taxpayer-funded research, but it might have been nice to see some value-added here. Like what are the determinants at an individual level? What type of follow-up is needed to ensure the low-scoring schools can improve their score?

And what really surprised me here was that the Fraser Institute missed an opportunity to talk about more effective use of tax-dollars.

I mean, jeez, is it really an effective use of BC tax money to provide over $2000 per student to a private school like St. Georges, when a public school is in such straits?

And just how do the tax-paying parents of Prince George feel about that?

They must be all warm and fuzzy knowing some kids are getting a great education with their tax-dollars, even if its not their own children.

I suppose its the difference between between Prince George, and Saint George.

Who is afraid?

2006-06-11T20:46:00.000-04:00

There is a movement afoot to together a Canadian website “I am not afraid”in response to the terrorists attempt to blow up… well, no-one is saying what, but three tons of ammonium-nitrate is a lot fertilizer.

The logic is that if we are afraid, then the terrorists win.

So I asked myself – am I afraid?

No, I am not.

But one of my friends is.

My friend is a lot like me. He’s married, he has children, he works in downtown Ottawa.

We are both first generation Canadians whose parents came here for a better life.

But I’m white. He’s not.

So if you ask me if I am afraid, I am not. I am not afraid of the terrorists.

But if you ask my friend, he may be just a little bit afraid.

Perhaps not of the terrorists, and he would never admit being afraid for himself, but he is afraid for his family, and friends, and of what would come after the terrorists.

Most Canadians shouldn’t feel afraid. Clearly, our security people are doing their job and doing it well.

Last Sunday night, we all saw the footage of vandalized mosques in Toronto. This morning, another man was threatened with a knife in Quebec City. When an attack succeeds, it is not unreasonable to think that the response will be more than broken windows.

And that makes some of us afraid.

And if Canadians - like my friend - must not only fear terrorism, but also our reaction to terrorism, well… they really do win, don’t they?

I will not be afraid, I wish I could say the same for others.

Noooosssse-Stretcher.

2006-05-28T21:11:00.000-04:00

I am not sure what to call this.

I can think of a word, but the legal department doesn't let me use it. And my mom reads this stuff, and she still thinks I'm a nice person.

I flipped open yesterday's Globe & Mail to read:PM backs down on policy for fallen Hours after funeral, Harper lets families decide whether public can see arrival of bodies

I am not sure the headline writer got it right.

Commenting on Captain Nichola Goddard's funeral, and her father's criticism of the Ramp Ceremony media ban, the Prime Minister said:

"I had given fairly clear instructions that, when bodies were to come home, families were to be consulted," Mr. Harper said at a news conference in Victoria. "And if all families were agreed on making that particular ceremony public, that our government should have no difficulty with that. I'm not sure what happened in this case."

No, we're all 'not sure what happened in this case.'

As late as April 25th Harper himself defended the policy on House of Commons, saying "It is not about photo ops and media coverage, it's about what's in the best interests of the families."

On the same day, Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor told the CBC that the Government had decided to ban all media coverage to have a consistent policy.

And it wasn't just 'this case.'

The Canadian Press reported the Coporal Matthew Dinning's father had spoken out against the ban last month, playing a home video of the arrival of his son's body at the funeral in Wingham, Ontario.

It appears that the instructions were quite clear to everyone -- except the man who apparently gave them.

The revolution will not be broadcast....

2006-05-24T22:23:00.000-04:00

The media dissing match sunk to a new low this afternoon when Little Stevie told everyone he was picking up his marbles and playing with other kids...

Alex Panetta ran tonight's CP wire story on Harper announcing in London that he feels the national media are biased against him, so he's going to avoid them.

This stems from his demand that his staff assemble a list of reporters who are allowed to ask questions at press conferences.

Yesterday, a large number of journalists simply got up and left the Darfur newser when they refused to submit a list, and Harper refused to take their questions.

I'm not sure I blame the journalists on this one.

Certainly, the Story-Tories will say its our right, we're doing things differently, and the media are out to get us, so they can get stuffed. They will also point out that Harper's polling numbers are going up, that this is an Ottawa story, and that regional media will be pretty happy.

But it omits two small facts.

First, reporters don't go to newsers where they know they can't ask questions. Why would they? And if they aren't there, they are normally talking to some one else... like the opposition.

Second, regional media don't follow Prime Ministers around on election planes. Now you might think, but hey, we'll just deal with the regional media during the election.

But you've still got to worry about the kids on the plane.

And they can be very cruel.

Don't believe me?

Go ask my buddy Paul Martin about his Christmas holidays. He can tell you all about the liberal media and bias.

Better yet, ask Alex Panetta, who wrote tonight's wire story.

Alex is the guy who was told by Martin's staff that if he wrote a certain story, they'd never talk to him again. He wrote the story anyway.

Alex? He's still at the same desk, and Paul and his staff, well...they're not.

On being Fiscally Conservative

2006-04-29T12:01:00.000-04:00

"Conservatives are not necessarily stupid, but most stupid people are conservatives."

-John Stewart Mill

Friday's Mop and Pail editorial asked if the Conservatives would be fiscally conservative in their next budget.

Darn good question.

I certainly hope not.

It's a curious term, "fiscal conservative." If we look at the recent history of Fiscal Conservatives, it is a history of high deficits, public investment in capital intensive, and low-return public policy, while cutting social investment in things like education, welfare and healthcare.

Regan, Thatcher and Mulroney - all fiscal conservative in their day- ran up massive deficits and national debts. The result was that centrist governments who inherited these deificits found themselves fiscally ham-strung, it was left up the 'wet-kleenexes' to balance the books.

Here at home, there has been much hullaballoo about Bob Rae's fiscal record. He was, in the Thatcher/Regan/Mulroney tradition, a fiscal conservative, in that he managed to run up quite a nasty deficit.

In his defense, he did so in some pretty awful economic times in Ontario, driven prinicipally by a high-interest policy from the Bank of Canada and an inherited mess from Liberal David Peterson.

But what he didn't do was take a $5.5B surplus, and turn it into a $2B deficit in some most incredible growth periods Ontario has ever known.

No, if he'd managed that monetary nadir, he would not be running for Liberal leadership, he'd be Stephen Harper's new finance minister, Jim Flaherty.

And so will the Harper Conservative be fiscal conservatives?

For the love of God, I hope not.

Harper is right, even though he's wrong

2006-04-27T13:39:00.000-04:00

There has been much discussion on allowing the media to record the arrival of Canadian soldiers who have been killed in Afganistan. The Harper government has decided to ban media from CFB Trenton when the bodies of the slain were disembarked and returned to their families.

Predictably, the media have taken great offense to this, suggesting it smacks of censorship, etc, and accusing the Harper government of fear that such images would reduce support for the war in Afganhistan.

But the ban is the right decision.

I cannot begin to imagine the pain that a family must feel upon the return of a slain sibling, child or spouse. It is a moment that belongs to them, and to those whom they invite to support them, not the uninvited lens of a camera.

Certainly there are some families who would like to have the arrival covered. However, there are others who do not. Unfortunately, often they do not arrive on separate flights. (In the event of a single casualty the families wishes should come first, but the government has chosed to ignore this exception.)

The embarkation of the bodies is done in full public view. The funerals and memorials are covered or not covered at the request of the families. There is no overarching need to compromise the desire for privacy for the 11 o'clock news.

That aside, it is interesting to note that you're hard pressed to find any commentator, conservative or other, who can credibly suggest that this is the reason for Harper's new policy.

And that is the sad part. The first hundred days have been so riddled with flip-flops, crass opportunism, principles of convenience, that the PM can't credibly make the case for decency.

And that is a truly sad state of affairs.

Fun with Harper and Photo Shop

2006-04-03T18:46:00.000-04:00

I've been looking for an excuse to figure out how to put pictures in my posts, and well, also to figure out how photo shop works... I also enjoy taking the mickey out of Stephen.

Oh what fun... now if only I can figure out how to put it on my sidebar, I'll be set....

... and a big hat tip to Entozoan Film for the idea....

Who is Dalton's techie?

2006-04-03T13:56:00.000-04:00

Because they should get a big fat raise.

Take a look at this.

It's the Premier's new interactive website. And it's quite something. In fact, it's a lot like watching TV - only better, which what the internet should be.

Of course I am on high-speed, I shudder to think what this will be like on dial-up, but who cares? Those dial-up dudes bug me...

I have no idea who did this, but Bill Graham, if you're reading this, go take a look.

I never thought I'd say this, Bill, but you need to be more like Dalton...

Constitutionally speaking...

2006-04-03T09:45:00.000-04:00

The cat is out of the bag, Harper is setting the course for a constitutional debate.

This little trial balloon should be interesting.

Given that there was no discussion of this during the election and it's curious absence from the Conservative platform, it's a surprise to everyone.

It's a cynical strategy to set the table for the next election.

You don't need a Strategic Counsel poll to realize that the 5-P's aren't going to set anyone's passion on fire, in fact, they are likely to infuriate a lot of people.

So Stephen realizes he needs something else to talk about, and to corner the Liberal's into something which pits them against the provinces. Mulroney did this with free trade, and it worked.

Why do I say this is cynical?

Well, you woke up this morning, had breakfast, took the kids to school, and went to work.

What bugged you about today? Likely nothing.

But if something bothered you, what about your day so far required a constitutional change?

Likely nothing.

You might have wanted a better car (a tax cut), or less traffic (infrastructure), or a better school (provincial jurisdiction), a more challenging job (SDC) or maybe a prettier husband/wife (Wife Swop...)

But none of these require a constitutional amendment. Fixing them does have an important role for the federal government, but none require a constitutional amendment.

Unless you want to enshrine the right to hold secret cabinet meetings... yeah, that's what this is about...

Otherwise, rolling the dice with the future of the country is as nutty as it gets...

Bright Tory idea #457: Let's jail the press corp

2006-03-31T09:45:00.001-05:00

No joke.

Tory Colin Mayes thinks it might be a good idea.

In a column mailed to constituents this week, the conservative MP suggested, "Maybe it is time that we hauled off in handcuffs reporters that fabricate stories, or twist information and even falsely accuse citizens.”

I guess liable laws aren't enough. I'm not sure which stories were fabricated or twisted, but hey, a conservative would know more about that than me.

As all government communications are required to be vetted, there is no doubt in my mind that Mr. Mayes cleared this through PMO communications.

But I've got a better idea.

Let's try out the "time for slime law" on MP's first and slide it in under the Accountability Act.

So if an MP suggested the government was involved in a billion dollar boondoggle for instance, and say it turned out that it was really less than 100k that went missing, then the MP would go to jail?

Is that "falsely accusing" enough?

Or maybe an MP promises that all senators will be elected, and then appoints his leadership campaign chair to the Senate, maybe that MP could do some time in the Pokey?

Is that "twisting" enough?

Or perhaps an MP who says he has a constitutional right to something which can't be found in the constitution should be driven downtown via the scenic route? Perhaps led away in chains and an orange jumpsuit?

Is that "fabricating" enough?

Or maybe an MP promises to scrap an entire government program, but then says no, it will stay in place. Maybe that MP should spend a few years on the chain-gang?

Again, is that "fabricating" enough?

Or maybe an MP thinks cutting the GST is a stupid idea, but then becomes (hypothetically) the Finance minister and sets about doing just that? Perhaps they should have their gang tatts photographed and spend a night in the county lock-up?

Is that "twisting" enough?

William Stairs, you are the luckiest Tory of them all....

Clement: Guarranteeing higher healthcare costs..

2006-03-30T21:01:00.001-05:00

According to "Two-tier" Tony Clement the Conservative Wait Time guarrantees will have legal force, and failure to meet them means patients will be able to sue.

Sounds like a good idea, eh?

No hip replacement this week? Grandma is off to see the lawyer so they can sue the lazy doctor and incompetent hospital.

Well, Grandma won't be the only person rubbing their hands together, no these kids just saw a whole new business line develop.

Buy insurance stocks kids, they just found a whole new growth area.

And who will pay that insurance premium increase? Well, the doctors and the hospitals.

But hang on, where do they get their funding from? Why the taxpayer of course!

Congrats. Two-tier Tony just jacked up your taxes for health care, and not a penny in the new costs will provide one more hospital bed, physician or MRI.

Or maybe Tories will get tough, and tell hospitals to be more competitive, and not screw up or see their bottomline take the hit.

In which case, no worries about additional costs, they'll take out of their current budget. And you know, spend less on other things, like... uh, health care?

But insurance brokers, well, they'll be happy. Because the government always pays their bills on time... it's like, well, a guarrantee.

A health care guarrantee, if you like...

Nice.

Harper's constitutional crisis & the media...

2006-03-29T19:40:00.000-05:00

All those years in politics, two university degrees, and access to the internet, and I missed it.

Apparently Trudeau slipped one by all of us when he patriated the constitution in 1982. While we were all reading the BNA Act, and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Trudeau slipped in the now infamous -- and hard to find -- cabinet meeting clause.

I'm talking about Stephen Harper's claim to have a constitutional right to hold secret cabinet meetings.

I'd never heard of this right until today, and I don't think anyone except Stephen Harper knew about it, but apparently it's there.

I just can't find it.

Maybe Stephen has the copy of the constitution with the invisible ink that only conservative decoder glasses can seen...

What, you don't have the decoder glasses?

But they come with every blue lawn sign... along with the instruction for the secret handshake, and the location of the clubhouse...

Ah, I remember government concerned about the constitutional rights of the individual, of the people... silly rabbit...

Stephen's also concerned about constitutional rights... his individual rights... nice, but it's not what you expect from some one who wants to be Prime Minister.

Give Indians the vote.

2006-03-28T12:34:00.000-05:00

It's time to give Indians the vote.

Of course, they can vote in federal, provincial, municipal, and band elections.

But not for the National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations.

Most people are shocked to find out that Phil Fontaine's mandate comes from the Chiefs, ordinary Indians are not allowed to vote for their national chief. They never have been.

As a result, much of the AFN policy reflects what the Chiefs want, not what their constituents want.

Matthew Coon-Come was elected on a platform of one Indian, one vote. It took the regional vice-chiefs about six weeks to beat that idea out of him

But Coon-Come was replaced by Phil Fontaine, or the "Silver Fox" to his friends. And Phil is a much more smooth operator. He launched the AFN renewal commission to produce a report called "A Treaty Among Ourselves."

Over the next 48 hours, the Chiefs are gathered at the Casino de Lac Leamy in Gatineau to consider the report which recommends essentially one Indian, one vote.

They should seriously consider voting to accept the recommendation, and for a number of reasons.

Firstly, gee, it's about freakin' time.

We can prattle on about tradition and custom, and the rest, but let's be clear: The AFN is a modern creature. It will create its own tradtions and customs, and there is no Aboriginal historical precedent. Get with the times.

Secondly, gee, it's about freakin' time.

The National Chief of the AFN has suffered traditionally from one major weakeness: The Mandate.

Time and time again, when faced with disagreements, other governments have poo-pooed the National Chief on the basis that the chiefs hold direct mandates from the people, and the National Chief does not. And it's true. Moving to a direct vote cuts the knees out from this argument.

Thirdly, gee, it's about freakin' time.

AFN elections and assemblies have been a mess for years. The rules are ignored, decisions reversed, then reversed again, and again, until no one knows what the Assembly's position on anything is.

A clear set of rules and a mandate will give the National Chief the clarity and the mandate to act, both externally and internally. And that's good thing for everyone.

Finally, gee, wouldn't it be fun to turn the tables on the Federal and Provincial governments?

I mean, hell, no one has ever voted directly for a Prime Minister or Premier. Enjoy the opportunity to say, "Whitey - hey, where's your mandate?"

Tell me that wouldn't be fun.... just once...

The Press needs to put their money where their mouth is...

2006-03-27T20:00:00.000-05:00

... or maybe where their camera lense is.

Yet another story tonight about Harper muzzling the media like he muzzles his caucus.

Today, Harper tripled security and barred the media from a photo-op (a bit of a strange tactic for a photo-op).

What was the high-risk, post 9/11 dangerous photo-op that required the national guard in an Ohio-like state?

It was children giving the PM daffodils for national cancer awareness month. It appears the PMO wanted to take their own pictures...

This is the umpteenth story about censoring the media, but by far the most ridiculous to date, but jee whiz willickers... enough.

"I don't think the average Canadian cares as long as they know their government is being well run," said Sandra Buckler, the PM's Directed of Communications.

If the media is so ticked about this, then stop running the stories.

Cut off the oxygen of politics: coverage.

Black out Harper just like he blacks out the press and his caucus.

Stop covering the feel-good, nicey-nice stuff... stop running footage of announcements. Simply provide an editorial synopsis, and run the other guys responding.

I figure it should take about 24 hours to see an change in attitude from the PMO... But until then, don't expect any change, why would he?

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Other planned changes to restrict access and muzzle the media:

Withholding basic announcements of visits by heads of state and premiers.
Issuing in-house photos of closed meetings between public officials, such as visiting premiers and heads of state, rather than allowing news photographers access.
Refusing to use the national press theatre, where simultaneous translation is provided, in favour of a more prime ministerial podium in the House of Commons foyer.
Making lists of media wishing to ask questions during availabilities, then picking and choosing which reporters get to ask those questions.
Allowing only technical staff, but not the customary two "pool" reporters who relay events to the wider press gallery membership, into photo-ops.

Jim Prentice: The Waterboy

2006-03-25T14:03:00.000-05:00

Earlier this week, Jim Prentice moved on First Nations water quality with a no-money and no-resources announcement aimed at improving the situation on reserve.

He is an excellent choice as minister, with solid experience in dealing with First Nations issues and an approach which is very similar to Bob Nault, the longest serving INAC minister since Chretien vacated the post back in '74.

But he has drank the departmental kool-aid on the water issue, we can only hope it was bottled and not tap-water.

Indeed, his announcement looks a lot like this announcement, from back '04.

Prentice pushed the notion of making it mandatory for FNs to have certified plant operators. And the backgrounder says that this will be the responsibility of the FN.

But I sure hope Prentice didn't pay much for the consultant to write his backgrounder, which bears a striking resemblance to this backgrounder in '04. I could go on, but.... well, doubtless the department mentionned this in the briefing...

I'm all about re-announcing stuff if you can get away with it, but I'm not sure I'd be re-announcing a Liberal program if I were new Conservative minister.

However, it's a legitimate question that if the Libs had been working on this for almost two years, why no change?

Well, if you read Prentice's list of high-risk communities, and the list from two years ago, you'll notice they don't label the same communities as high-risk. Things are improving.

But the real issue here is not money - or a mandatory code which is already mandatory - it's a human problem.

First, an operator first needs a high school diploma to qualify for the training and certification. Unfortunately, First Nations have the lowest number of high school diplomas of any group in the country, so the talent pool is limited.

Second, if you live on reserve, a place where there is regularly inadequate housing, no jobs, and little opportunity, but you have a high school diploma... do you really want to stay? And if you stay, don't forget you've also got to drink the water.

Third, if you've got the certification and the diploma, you are hot commodity in the job market my friend. So maybe you get more than one offer, maybe an offer for a reserve that's closer to the city and a modern health care, that pays more, has a better school for your kids, where you don't lose you job when the chief loses the election... etc...

There's no easy solution to those challenges. It's hardly a question of a mandatory code. It will require real investment and not necessarily in water quality.

But the Kelowna Accords are off the table ... right?

Putting the 'bright' back in Breitkreuz

2006-03-22T09:24:00.000-05:00

Garry must be a busy boy these days. The member for Yorkton-Melville is going to have some explaining to do to his constituents.

Garry is one of those conservatives who wanted to scrap CAIS, noting “CAIS (Canadian Agricultural Income Stabilization program) has done nothing for farmers and it has to be scrapped.”

And not just a couple of years ago either, only about eight or nine weeks ago, according to this news release which says the Conservative policy promises: "the replacement of CAIS with separate farm income stabilization and disaster relief programs;"

Of course Garry is likely busy with Minister Flaherty on budget consultations as well.

N0 doubt that the Throne Speech and budget will contain a commitment to let you and I designate where our tax dollars are spent, and also decide where they won't be spent.

Because that is the legislation that Garry introduced a few years back, the Peoples Tax Form Act.

Normally, I might just write this off as the rantings of some crazy back bencher, but the legislation gained some real support back in the day. In particular, from one Jason Kenney, PS to the Prime Minister who seconded the legislation. Kenney takes great pride in being consistent as he stated on CTV newsnet on Monday.

"It's the people's money, why shouldn't they have their own tax form? Shouldn't they have a say in how it's spent? Haven't we been sending the government a blank cheque long enough?"

I don't know, Garry, has it been long enough?

Perhaps Garry should consider a new private members bill aimed at dealing with all these broken promises... we could call it the Conservative Principles of Convenience Act...

On a case by CAIS basis...

2006-03-21T12:44:00.000-05:00

The Tory Guns & Buns platform committed to:

"Replace CAIS with separate farm income stabilization and disaster relief programs. The new income stabilization program must become a simpler, more responsive program that properly addresses the cost of production, market revenue, and inventory evaluation. The federal government should be ready to pitch in when disaster strikes, funding disaster relief separately above and beyond its income stabilization program."

Today Minister Strahl, a decent guy, decided to join the long list of adherents to the new Principles of Convenience when he decided to cancel yet another plank in the Tory platform by deciding the Canadian Agricultural Income Stabilization programme (CAIS) would not be scrapped.

CAIS represents about $1.7B in payments to about 170,000 Canadian farmers.

It's too bad really.

If Chuck read the transcript of the Ag Committee on this, he'd see that reworking CAIS isn't a bad idea.

The Ag sector in Canada needs a serious shake, and he might actually be the right guy to do it.

Agricultural subsidies are serious drain on the economy, and the taxpayers pocketbook. They are also a sticky subject with many of our trading partners who make our handouts look like pennies compared to their own subsidies.

But darn those principles of convenience, it's just not convenient I suppose.

Shapiro clears Emerson, Harper, and Richard Nixon

2006-03-20T13:35:00.000-05:00

Ethics commissioner Bernard Shapiro said he would look into what influence Harper wielded to convince former Liberal cabinet minister David Emerson to cross the House of Commons floor.

And what did you expect? What a sham.

I am loath to believe an individual whose decision-making ability has been questioned, moreover who has been found in contempt of the House.

This Conservative-approved appointee's actions have strengthened my resolve to work towards a truly non-partisan ethics commissioner, who is accountable to Parliament.

I guess we won't be hearing those kind of words from Harper today....

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

You know, it's not like some people didn't suggest this what was going to happen....

Ah, Stephen, it didn't have to be like this.

You could have had what some people call 'credible exhonoration,' but oh no, you had to do this... and publicly knee-cap the guy who could have made this go away...

Whooops. Too bad.

Darn those Principles of Convenience...

No choice in Choice for Childcare

2006-03-18T12:26:00.001-05:00

The Blogging Tory and stay-at-home dad, Brent Colbert has begun a campaign to ensure that his own political masters follow through on their promise to send him his $100 a month baby bonus.

The campaign centres around his view that he deserves some choice in childcare. It's a fair point. We all deserve choice.

But Brent may have been misled. And that's where I can help.

As I have noted before, the Caledon Institute debunked this crazy notion that anyone was going to see $100 a month under the Tory Plan.

They also point out that the wealthier you are, the more of the after-tax money you get to keep. Too bad if you're poor, you should have chosen to be rich.

But that's not all. The next part of their plan, recycled from the failed Mike Harris plan in Ontario, sets up a tax credit for"employers who cover the fullcost of creating spaces."

So people like me are about to schmucked on the choice thing. My daycare is a not-for-profit, run in a public school. They don't pay taxes. 'Cause their not-for-profit. So nothing for them, and a reduced choice for me.

It's structured this way so that "small business and rural communities" can access this programme as well as big business and urban turtle-neck dwelling parents.

I can see it now, dozens of local 7-Elevens will have to empty the chip aisle to make room for the coporate romper room.

The butcher in Collingwood near my in-laws will put that addition on because the four employees they have need somewhere to to store kids.

And the bookstore Meaford, well, they'll just let'em run wild among the stacks....

Because it was the tax system that needed changing, and putting a childcare worker really makes good business sense for them now.

If you want choice in childcare, you've got my support.

You've got a child tax benefit, the national child benefit, and you've got the childcare expense deduction. Providing and additional tax reduction for parents who stay at home makes good sense as well.

But if choice is sending me back $1200 my own tax money so you can tax it again, get stuffed.

My fourteen month old daughter is smart enough to see that's not choice, that's shell game.

The real question, is why can't you see that?

Omigod! Pat's got Belinda...

2006-03-13T12:06:00.000-05:00

Bernie should be asking for over time.

It appears that Pat Martin has asked for an investigation of the Stronach floor-crossing.

All in the name of consistency, apparently.

In any other circumstances, the politics would be brilliant. Nail both the government and the opposition with the same bullet knowing full-well that only a complete lunatic would ever cross the floor to your party.

Except this is the basis of Mr. Martin's complaint:

"It is our opinion that the considerable increase in salary, augmented potential pension, staff and assorted perks enjoyed by members of cabinet, such as a personal car and driver amount to furthering Ms. Stronach's private interests."

In short, the Billionairess who donates here salary to charity because she doesn't need the money was interested in a raise?

The woman who was president and CEO a multinational car-parts company needed wheels and a driver?

Please, bring on the investigation... if only for the entertainment value...

Ralphs Weird Way

2006-03-10T14:41:00.000-05:00

As my original province begins their discussion on health care, and the "third way" there are a few things I'd like to mention.

First, what the heck is "third" about this "way"?

I mean, hell, I'm not sure I want to opt for a third choice when it comes to my health care. But I digress.

You can check out King Ralph's latest brainchild here. For deep thinkers and non-ADD affected net users, the Tolstoy version is here.

It's really not as nutty on the surface as the MSM have made it out to be.

But there is the troublesome private service purchasing thing.

Innocuously enough the document suggests it would only be for hip replacements, cataract surgery, and spaying your cat or your neighbour.

The driver for renewal appears to be cost. Health care currently amputates one-third of the Alberta government's pin-money each year. And the cost-cancer is spreading. Alberta will soon not be able to afford it. So allowing Albertans to buy private services will decrease the cost....

Hang on a minute...

The province with the biggest surplus in Confederation, and the lowest taxes, and more wealth than Croesus is crying poor? I'm not sure I buy that....

A mixed system would be more accessible and allow more choice? Really?

Wow, did I miss the good old days before Saint Tommy of Douglas came along.

There must have been so much choice then, and so much cheap health care, I bet doctors were giving it away like prom dates ...

Oh, for the good old days, when health care was really accessible, and research moved ahead so quickly, and diagnostic technology was in every small town and hamlet...

I think we should all be very careful here. If ideology sneaks its head in the door, look out, the health care debate will be decided by something that looks like a high school debate club.

There isn't much on training new doctors (not filching them from underdeveloped countries either) and nurses. Nothing on the impact of insurance rates as we re-define the roles of doctors and other health care practioners. Nothing on the impact of health care professionals working in both public and private systems. That needs to change.

Ralph is doing the right thing by consulting and trying to have an open discussion, but the question is will he listen to the ideologues and the lobbies, or will he take a careful look at all of his options?

Harpergate: How the Tories mishandled Shapiro

2006-03-09T13:49:00.000-05:00

Harpergate.

Some one had to say it. Pretty funny if you ask me.

But that's not the point here.

Oh, what a mess this Shapiro thing is. And it soooo did not need to be that way.

Mistake #1. Wrong issue, wrong approach.

The issue here is jurisdiction, not politics. That should have been the way out.

But oh no, we had to smack poor little Shapiro around, creating a little guy to take on Goliath. Watch out for your shins there, Stephen...

Mistake #2. Ad hominem when you should have gone ad ideam.

Threatening to fire Bernie right out of the gate was pretty wild.

I've never seen that before.

And you nearly had something there with the Liberal appointee thing, until it came out that you'd been talking to Broadbent.

Kind of hard to argue that you don't want some political appointee in there when you were trying to get the former leader of the NDP into the game... whooops...

Mistake #3. Using the Enola Gay to fire a shot across the bow.

Warren Kinsella has often said that a good attack is hard-hitting and accurate. Um, we did well on the first count, but the accuracy thing is a bit of a problem isn't it?

We can't actually fire fire Bernie. Whoops.

Mistake #4. Being loath to do what you are legally compelled to do.

We are actually obliged to cooperate with Bernie

Check out section 72.1 of the Ethics Commissioner Act. Dunno if the Justice lawyers have mentionned this, but Bernie has these things called "sub poena" powers.

The latin is unclear here, but you might want to ask a lawyer, I think it mean you don't have a choice to testify.

And you didn't object to the Grewal inquiry, did you? I mean, it just didn't fit your calendar. It's unfortunate that you only lately came to such an ethical dilemma about Bernie.

If only you'd realized this during the Grewal inquiry, you'd be in a very consistent position right now, too bad you're not.

Mistake #5. Not reading the Tory Platform.

Yeah, this is a sticky one.

You might want to read this bit, it's the one about "Giving more power and teeth to independent watchdogs such as the Auditor General and Ethics Commissioner."

Mistake #6. Impatience.

You know, just about anyone could have figured out that Bernie would likely come out of this thing and say it was political schmoozle, that it was distasteful, but not really something for him to stick his nose into.

And if he hadn't, you could have done all of what you're doing now without anyone questioning you.

You would have been able to say you'd cooperated, provided the facts, and that Bernie was clearly off his rocker.

Yeah, this is a schmozzle.

Shapiro: Full Moon Fever & Free Advice

2006-03-08T08:53:00.000-05:00

Dear Bennie,

Wow, you sure got Mr. "Principles of Convenience's" knickers in a twist! You might the first guy he fires outside his own office.

Cool.

But you're in a bit of pickle.

You need to communicate a little more clearly. Here's some free advice, likely worth every penny you paid for it.

You got 'splainin to do...

How about a letter to Harper and to the individuals who requested the investigation. It should say the following:

A preliminary investigation decides if there is a problem, and whether the Commish has jurisdiction to investigate and judge it.

Everyone needs to calm down until that's done.

Next you need to deal with the attacks that....

... you are a Liberal Hack:

The Ethics Commish reports to Parliament, not the PM. You might want to quote from your own enabling legislation which says:

"72.01 The Governor in Council shall, by commission under the Great Seal, appoint an Ethics Commissioner after consultation with the leader of every recognized party in the House of Commons and after approval of the appointment by resolution of that House."

You might want to note that your appointment was voted on by the House, and that your candidature was approved by the leaders of the parties... like Stephen Harper. You need to cut through the Liberal appointee slur...

You might further quote the legislation on the process for firing your sorry ass...

72.02 (1) The Ethics Commissioner holds office during good behaviour for a term of five years and may be removed for cause by the Governor in Council on address of the House of Commons.

... that you are trying to decide who should be cabinet.

Emerson said he'd resign, not you. Your job is to judge, the sanction is Stephen Harper's job. Remind him of that.

Take the High Ground

You're just doing your job, the one the House asked you to do. Ask Harper to keep his comments to himself where they might hinder or taint your investigation.

Commit to providing an open and transparent investigation that can be judged by the House on its merits.

Suggest it's to his benefit that he not politicize a difficult situation, and that undermining the Office does no good to anyone. Because it doesn't.

Be Open

Put the letter on your website.

It's called being open and transparent. It removes the need to comment and fuel the fire. And leaves Harper to clean up his own mess while you get on with your investigation.

Well Bennie, as Tom Petty once said, "Hey baby, there ain't no easy way out / hey I will stand my ground /and I won't back down..." Coincidentally from his album "Full Moon Fever". Betcha it kind of feels like that these days, eh?

Best of luck Bennie,

A Canadian Publius.

Cooperating with Shapiro

2006-03-06T09:18:00.000-05:00

Now it is Stephen Harper's turn, as Wayne Easter said, "Mr. Ethics himself is now under investigation by the ethics commissioner."

Harper's response was to state that an Ethics Commissioner appointed by a Liberal government had no business investigating him.

Nonsense.

If for no other reason than, if not the Ethics Commissioner, who then can theoretically investigate Stephen Harper?

The RCMP - with a Chief who was appointed by a Liberal government?

Evidently not, as Peter McKay noted during the election, the RCMP were, in his view, heavily politicized.

Perhaps a member of the Supreme Court? Likely not, as they were all Liberal appointees, or drawn from a list of Liberal candidates.

So the next attack was the jurisdiction of Shapiro to investigate. The alleged incident took place before the new Parliament was sworn in. Harper argues that therefore Shapiro has no jurisdiction.

Note that there is no denial of an ethical lapse here, but rather a timing issue.

Harper's next response was to state this had redoubled his resolve to create an ethics commissioner who reports to Parliament.

So what's stopping him? Nothing. It is a machinery change, easily amended in the opening of Parliament.

In the past, Harper has not had a problem with other investigations targetted at Liberals.

In the Grewal Scandal, he did not raise any issue of legitimacy. Harper did not have time to meet with Shapiro, a fact he hid during the election campaign.

Nor did he state that he so opposed the system that he would refuse to cooperate before the current incident.

So the issue of who makes the appointment and jurisdiction appears to be one of convenience, not priniciple.

The Ethics system for Parliamentarians is far from perfect. But it is all that currently exists. Refusing to cooperate with that system without replacing it is not just an ethical lapse, it is a lapse in leadership.

More do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do from Harper.

Liberals... a VERY exclusive club

2006-03-06T09:04:00.000-05:00

Three weeks ago, I filled out the on-line request for a membership in the Liberal Party.

Have I got a membership form?

Nope. Apparently, some people agree that I should never join a club that would take me as a member.

Ah, somethings never change...

Dalton is right

2006-03-03T14:10:00.001-05:00

Guinty McDalton is calling for the abolition of the Senate, due mostly to the geographic inequity of the seat distribution. But also due to their continued use of junk food machines in the lobby of the Upper Chamber.

I think he's right.

The Senate is a vestige of political system which institutionalized patronage, and also sought to redress the imbalance of population and geography. In the second largest country in the world, those are still difficult challenges.

But they are different challenges.

The Senate was designed in a country with no transportation route or communication line from East to West, with four provinces, and population of just over 2 million.

We now live in a world of instant communication. A country that takes only hours to cross (if you avoid Air Canada and the don't get routed through Winnipeg) instead of weeks. Our population is made up largely of immigrants and and their children, growing at a rate of 180,000 each year. A sizeable portion of us weren't born here, and if we were, our parents weren't.

Our regional cultures are becoming increasingly homogeneous in their heterogeneousness... (Is that a word...?)

And the key to preserving traditional regional cultures is not rooted in an unelected Red Chamber... unless of course we start appointing Celine Dion and the Rankins.

In fact, every province in confederation has abolished their own senate - so why should the national government have one?

McGuinty has a legitimate point in wanting Ontario's regional issues dealt with. Putting them aside to rebalance, once again, in favour of the rest of Canada is short-term gain for long-term pain.

But hell, it's worked for every other region, even BC has done well with the pitch, maybe Dalton's on to something. And what Ontario voter won't support that... The rest of Canada will have to hope that it doesn't come to that.

Healthy Choices

2006-03-02T09:11:00.000-05:00

As per usual, Ralph Klein is the one to toss the fox among the chickens.

Klein is proposing changes to the Alberta Health Care system and began his consultations yesterday, coincidentally "Self-injury Awareness Day" in the U.S.

And "Beer Day" in Iceland, if you care.

His proposals would allow individuals to pay for services out their own pocket, and jump the queue.

Some people think this would contravene the Canada Health Act.

And as John Ibbitson writes in todays Globe, Harper is in a bit of pickle. He has advocated for private healthcare, and advocated for Klein to tell Ottawa to get stuffed if they have anything to say about. And Klein has both the cajones and the cash to do it.

But there is an opportunity here for a real debate on healthcare, not just the delivery system. The private sector already plays a significant role in delivering healthcare, and no Canadian can say they've never seen a private practioner... or GP in common parlance.

We've wound up talking about wait times, and guarrantees when we should be discussing what we are to do.

So where should the private sector be involved? Should doctors be allowed to work in both public and private systems?

I am not convinced that the private sector delivers health care more effectively or more cheaply than a single-tier public system does.

Certainly, there does appear anecdotally to be more available in the US private system, but available to a select few who are beholden to their HMO.

Anyone who has lived through the British mixed system will likely tell you that it isn't as good as the Canadian system.

I am also suspect that the notion that simply allowing a two-tier system or private hospitals will solve anything. It's a complex issue, and won't be solved by such a simplistic response which appears to be grounded in an ideology more than common sense or practical reality.

And there is our opportunity in the coming leadership race, and policy work. Where do we stand?

For ideology or practical solutions?

The Unelected elected senate

2006-02-28T14:37:00.000-05:00

I begin this by saying I'd be just as happy if we scrapped the senate altogether, and if we aren't going to do that, then if we just left it alone.

But Harper's plan to elect the senators smells like the Smoke and Mirrors Supreme Court Snorefest yesterday. It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury signifying nothing.

The argument for an elected Senate runs that an unelected senate is undemocratic.

True enough, if democracy is defined simply by the ballot box, ignoring that the appointments are based on the recommendations of an elected MP who is the Prime Minister.

But if the goal is democracy and accountability, where is the sense in electing people to hold a post for a maximum of 45 years?

With no fixed term in the plan (and one requiring a constitutional amendment) there is no control on the senate.

An individual's first election is about seeking a mandate. Who can seek a 45 year mandate and seriously tell voters they have a plan for the entire 45 years?

Elected officials are not held accountable at their first election - how can they be? They haven't done anything yet...

They are accountable when they return to the voters to seek a new mandate and approval for their actions to date... but with no fixed term, no senator will ever have to return to the voters... thus they will be no more accountable than they are now...

Curiously, Harper has not called for a review process of Senate appointments similar to the one held yesterday for the Supreme Court nominee... now that would be interesting...

Care to answer a few questions about your qualifications Mr. Fortier...?

The Court and Accountablility.

2006-02-27T13:09:00.000-05:00

Harper's plan for the "new" review of the Supreme Court Nomination was supposed to be about accountability and transparency.

It's not. It's not really new, and it does not move the transparency or accountability markers any farther than Irwin Colter moved them...

In fact, it hasn't changed much from the system Vic Toews railed against 10 months ago... Read the link, the comparison to the Soviet era troikas is very cute...

What has been billed as a television first, promises to be a real zinger for ratings.. so much so that committee member Stephen Owen mused this morning on CBC radio that most Canadians may not be able to stay awake past the first 30 minutes.

But this season premiere on the Accountability & Transparency network is missing an important element of accountability and transparency.

Accountability and transparency is about the people who make the decisions, and in this case the people making the decision are Stephen Harper and Vic Toews.... who will not appear before the committee to explain their decision.

Too bad, that would have made for some good TV. We might have tuned in past the first 30 minutes...

Milliken ... not for speaker

2006-02-23T09:20:00.000-05:00

As much as it pains me to say this, Peter, get yer name off the ballot.

The Liberals are in opposition, there is a slim vote count here... time to step away from the chair.

There is absolutely no reason to increase the Tory majority by another vote. Liberals will need every vote possible to ensure that many of the things they believe in are protected and promoted.

Furthermore, Milliken is possibly one of the most brilliant orators the House of Commons has seen in years. Who can forget his speech on the dangerous offender clause and spanking? The Godfrey Milliken Bill?

The Libs not only need the vote, they need his encyclopeadic procedural knowledge, and his speaking talent.

Peter, step away from the Chair, they need you.

Down the apple and pears...

2006-02-21T09:55:00.000-05:00

A kind word for William Stairs.

No, I have not started drinking in the morning...

But Bill Stairs, (or BS as some might say) is being replaced by GPC lobbyist Sandra Buckler.

In short, BS is being replaced by SB.

BS has taken a lot of flack for the last two weeks, perhaps some deservedly so, but there is honour among thieves, and the heart in the hack in me goes out to dear old Bill.

I mean hell, how do you spin Harper breaking two key promises within 23 minutes of being sworn in, into positive press?

How do you make Emerson look good?

How do you make putting your leadership chair into the Senate and cabinet look like its ok?

Most importantly, how do deal with a PMO who can't make the departure of a senior staffer look like anything other than burning a straw man?

Bill, if you're reading this, did you really want to work for these guys anyway...?

Of course it may have something to do with Progressive Conservative Pogrom (PCP) underway (the CPC doing a PCP if you will...) Buckler is more closely affiliated with the veterans of the CA, than the PCs.

It could also be just another piece in a pattern that has seen Harper dispatch three veteran political hacks from his Director of Comms position in less than 18 months.

An ignomious end to a skilled political hack.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

And if for a second anyone thinks Bill was the one providing poor communications advice, ask yourself this:

Who gave the advice to gas the Director of Communications on the same day that they announced the Supreme Court appointment process...?

Now, that person deserves to be fired...

Seperatists - Tories: Same old stories

2006-02-20T09:30:00.000-05:00

Kissing cousins have gone public today as the Seperatists have come out of the closet and stated that they will prop up Stephen Harper.

Why wouldn't they?

What Seperatist wouldn't want:

an anglophone from Ontario;
who is percieved to be backed by Calgary, not to be a friend of Quebec;
who speaks halting french; and
who put his campaign chair in the Senate to fill a void in the province,

...to be the guy they fight the next referendum against?

Again, silence from Harper about his newly found bedmates.

However, it does give the Libs more time to build a leader.

I suppose there is a bright side to everything.

Register people, not guns...

2006-02-18T20:29:00.000-05:00

Having spent 13 years railing against a long-gun registry, concerned about the cost, the invasion of privacy, and questioning the need for law-abiding peole to admit fire-arm ownership to the police, Stockwell Day is now reviving a proposal for a biometric national ID card.

A 'people-registry,' if you will.

After all, guns don't people, people kill people.

Law-abiding people will now have to provide all sorts of information on their law-abiding selves to the government.

And all for the discount price of $7B, according to a study by the immigration committee in 2003.

Thankfully, no one will have to admit if they have a shot-gun.

Flip-flop, flip-flop, flip-flop.

Accountability: Another day, another broken promise...

2006-02-17T10:38:00.000-05:00

As tempting as it is to re-write, go to PoliticsWatch.com for the latest abandonded principle from Harper and the Duff Conacher/Democracy Watch smack-down on the subject.

It appears the Accountability plank is headed for the sawdust pile 'toot sweet,' as Ted Menzies might say.

My hunch is that it is likely because the Tories are having trouble finding smart staffers for their newly minted ministers. As reported earlier this week in the Mope & Wail, hiring is a bit of a schmozzle and being blamed for muck-ups in the last week.

Though it appears that there is 'no shortage of resumes,' the quality appears to be questionable.

Not surprising since the accountability reforms include a Kilignon mind-wipe upon dismissal and barring ex-staffers from talking to anyone including their priest and assorted family pets.

Who would want that job?

And if you did, are you really smart enough to work there?

Next steps: Leadership: Sooner rather than later.

2006-02-16T10:32:00.000-05:00

There are few reasons for this.

First, this is a minority government. It could fall at any time.

The NDP are already posturing like that crazy uncle we all have, but hate to talk about. The one who shows up around Christmas, and drinks all the egg-nog, knocks over the crystal family heirlooms and departs until the next family bar-b-que.

I am doubtful that they will support Harper for long. The Dippers benefit the most from disarray in the Liberal Party and will topple this government given the first opportunity to do so in a favourable electoral situation. Watch them carefully on the next budget. And read a BCer in Toronto's analysis of this.

The BQ, however, will do what takes to keep Harper there until they have a stronger base, and can hold a referendum.

However, if Cannon, Fortier and Berniere look like they are making in-roads in Quebec, the BQ will pull the pin faster than you can say Rene Levesque.

Second, we need to solidify behind a leader and let that person define themselves. This is a difficult thing to do during an election. The longer we wait, the less time the new leader will have to introduce themselves and stake out their policy.

Thirdly, leadership campaigns require fundraising.

Longer campaigns require more funds. These funds will be raised as the party raises funds to pay down debt, and build for the next election. Leadership campaigns' fund raising represent competition to party fundraising, so get it done quick.

We need the money.

Next Steps

2006-02-16T10:30:00.000-05:00

This morning's Trash & Pail ran the headline: Liberals unwilling to prop up Harper, stating that OL Graham had indicated that given the BQ and the NDP had pushed for an election, it was up to them to ensure Harper stayed in place. Liberals would not compromise on their principles and platform.

Good on him.

The Liberals were elected on a platform and should stick to it. Besides, Harper has already demonstrated a great deal of flexibility on his principles, let him show some more.

But this does lead us to the question of what next.

Over the next little while, I pledge to take full advantage of the vanity press, and provide my own thoughts... I hope you will provide yours...

Get yer gun...

2006-02-16T08:57:00.000-05:00

Harper has asked Garry Breitkreuz to work with Vic Toews and Stockwell Day to put the long-gun registry out its misery.

Breitkreuz, a hunter and former school teacher and principal, has recieved awards from his pro-gun work, including the Sport Shooting Ambassador award from the World Forum on the Future of Sport Shooting Activities in 2005.

The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police are looking for an open dialogue on the issue, having supported the registry in the past.

This should get interesting as the perennial rubber hits the road on policy implementation. Brietkreuz is not well-know for his diplomatic skills, and neither is the anti-gun lobby. The Tories vociferous opposition to the registry over cost, may run into problems as everyone likely agrees the cost is high, but wonders if the cost of not doing it higher...

This is not Breitkreuz's first kick at the can either. Way back in 1997, he attempted to shut the registry down by introducing a bill to allow Canadians to direct where - or not - their tax dollars might be spent. His proposal was quite clear on where money shouldn't go, including gun registration, and multiculturalism as targets for spending cuts.

The bill was seconded by Jason Kenney, PS for Multiculturalism.

Stay tuned, another Tory schmoggle is on the way...

Trail of Broken Hearts, The Byfields are disappointed...

2006-02-15T09:43:00.000-05:00

Dear old Ted Byfield cranks out on Harper for being unprincipled in his February 11 emmission on the WorldNetDaily News. He writes very much the same article for the Calgary Sun on February 12.

Imagine that! Unprincipled Tories who say one thing to get power, than do another once they have it?

And a Byfield recycling their own news- heaven forbid.

Ted is particularly upset that Michael Fortier was appointed to the Senate after Harper had solemnly declared that he would only appoint elected Senators.

However, I am assured that Byfield Senior's outrage has nothing to do with the fact that his son, Link Byfield, is already Senator-elect awaiting appointment from Alberta.

Junior Byfield , was saddened to find out that Harper "had actually broken his promise on day one."

But Little Byfield is now concering himself with other things, like ensuring that his Senate nomination remains in place until Stephen can appoint him. He makes quite an interesting argument for this here.

Somewhere, KD Lang is singing for these boys, Trail of Broken Hearts...

Two weeks, two tories, two investigations...

2006-02-14T09:09:00.000-05:00

Week two of the Harper regime finds a second request for an investigation by the Ethics Commissioner, this time requested by Anita Neville, on the activities of Brian Pallister.

The Dan Report has the deets, but readers may also check here for some of the background.

This is on top of the NDP MP Peter Julian's request concerning David Emerson. Julian has asked the Ethics Commissioner to investigate whether David Emerson is in violation of Section 8 of the Conflict of Interest Code which says:

"When performing parliamentary duties and functions, a Member shall not act in any way to further his or her private interests or those of a member of the Member's family, or to improperly further another person's private interests."

Julians letter cites Shapiro's decision on the Grewal-Dosanjh inquiry which says:

"… if Mr. Dosanjh had offered a reward or inducement to Mr. Grewal for crossing the floor at this time, he would have been acting and/or attempting to act in such a way as to improperly further Mr. Grewal's private interests. Either of these would amount to an extremely serious breach of the Members' Code."

Emerson denied that Harper made any offer to induce him to cross the floor. This may get difficul to argue as Emerson stated on CTV:

"The reality is I was elected. Once the election was over, I was faced with a decision on how to best serve the people of the riding, and that's all the people of the riding ...," he said. "I concluded that I could better serve them, I could get more done, I could get more results for British Columbia if I was in the cabinet than if I was not."

But hang on, Harper did not offer any inducements... how could Emerson come to that conclusion before he crossed the floor?

Hmmm. Good luck with that David.

Daycare is bad: Kate Tennier

2006-02-13T10:11:00.000-05:00

Today's Grope and Flail features an Op-ed by Kate Tennier, founder of Advocates for Child Care Choice arguing... daycare is bad.

It's odd piece. One would think by the name of her organisation that they favoured providing parents some sort of choice in child care.

However, that does not appear to be the case, she states:

"The truth is that affordable, high-quality, universal daycare is bad for kids, and bad for the economy."

Tennier contends, in a nutshell (and I do mean a NUTSHELL), that the less time parents spend with their children, the more likely children are to develop behavioural problems.

If the state subsidizes daycare, it reduces cost, thereby encouraging parents to work rather than raise their own children.

She's got a point. Ignore your kids and they will likely wind up being naughty.

But Tennier's argument is not an argument for choice, it is an argument to end daycare, to ensure that parents stay at home.

I'd like to agree.

Like most parents, I would rather hang out with my kids, perhaps home-school them, and as a result, I can't work. Given that my wife's absence may also be detrimental to their future, she also will be unable to work. Sign me up.

Tennier worries that her "movement" has been portrayed as "...rich whiners unwilling to extend the benefits of state daycare to the little people..."

Perhaps.

Ms. Tennier does seem to have that curious conservative fixation with "state" daycare, while silent on the private daycare providers, as if the two systems are employing genetically different daycare workers.

And Ms. Tennier's support of the Tory send-your-own-money-back-to-you-scheme, certainly would indicate that, but it appears she is more of a stay-at-home parent advocate.

Which is fine. If you've got that choice.

But if you can't afford daycare, then you don't have that choice.

And for a single parent family making $30K a year, $60.70 after taxes per month of your own money sent back to you by a bureaucrat isn't about childcare.

It's about subsidizing a tax-collector, not a daycare provider.

It's about an ideology, not a practical reality.

And that's the problem.

Donate: Don't let Harper freeze in the dark

2006-02-11T14:30:00.000-05:00

Here is my plea.

Fix up the official residences. 24 Sussex and Stornoway.

Yeah, yeah, I know, it's expensive.

But these are official residences. This is where the Prime Minister of Canada and the Leader of H.M.'s Loyal Opposition live. It is enshrined in legislation.

These are places that should impress visitors not have them complain about the cold and wonder why there is plastic on the windows...

... yes, plastic on the windows. Like my apartment in university. Or David Emerson's constituency office.

Fortunately, you can help. You can donate.

While cash is always helpful, they are more interested in "Canadian furnishings, paintings and objets d’art."

I am calling on all Canadians, search your hearts and your basements, find furniture for Harper.

Yes, I would argue that Ikea likely qualifies as Canadiana

By sponsoring a Harper, you can reduce costs so we can buy that new-fangled gas furnace Laureen and kids have always wanted but would have driven the National Citizens Coalition apoplectic.

The same furnace Sheila wanted, Aline wanted, Mila wanted, and Kim never really noticed wasn't there...

You will get a tax reciept for your donation.

If it's really pretty and is of outstanding significance or national importance, as certified by the Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board, you may also get a capital gains tax exemption.

Come on Canada, don't let the eastern bastards make Harper freeze in the dark.

For more information, please contact Ms. Kathy Downs at (613)239-5666 or send an e-mail to: kdowns@ncc-ccn.ca.

Tory PS's: Une certaine... je ne sais quoi...

2006-02-10T11:05:00.000-05:00

Ok, let's review.

Ted Menzies, PS for le ministre de La Francophonie et des Langues officielles... who doesn't speak french.

Jim Abbot, PS for Status of Women... who is not... well, it goes without saying.

Deepak Obrai PS to the Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency... who is from Edmonton - not Edmunstun.

Peter Van LoanYork PS to the Minister for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency who - though his riding does contain some beachfront - is not from Atlantic Canada.

(Note: You'd think with two PS's at least one of them...)

Steven Fletcher: PS to Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario... who is not from Northern Ontario.

Jason Kenney, PS to the PM for Multiculturalism who is not...

Nice.

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Update: The New Barrelman picked up Saturday's Ottawa Citizen story... apparently they've shuffled the PS's already.

Peace, order and good government indeed.

If Travers is right, Emerson has got a problem...

2006-02-09T10:24:00.000-05:00

... not for hopping the fence, but for this...

Politics Watch is reporting that Emerson may not be able to work on the softwood file because he signed a letter of recusal on lumber issues while a Liberal Cabinet minister.

Jim Travers is reporting in the Star this morning that Emerson had held back a softwood deal during the election because he was worried the deal "would damage Liberal prospects in key British Columbia ridings." Emerson has denied blocking the deal.

How can that be?

Emerson had signed a recusal letter on issues affecting Canfor - so he would not have been allowed to discuss the issue... would he?

Otherwise, would he not be in violation of his recusal letter? I will be interested to see if there is a real problem here or not.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *
UPDATE: Ok, while we're on the subject of David Emerson, this is pretty funny.

UPDATE II: Apologies for misreading the Star story, for those who noted my screw-up. I have amended the section appropriately.

Flaherty opposes cutting the GST

2006-02-09T08:21:00.000-05:00

Earth shattering news, already Harper's finance minister Jim Flaherty is on the record stating there would be "no long term gain for the economy" in cutting the GST.

"I must say that with respect to tax cuts, I agree with Paul Martin. With respect to reducing the GST federally and the RST provincially, I also agree with the federal minister, and we've talked about this. All you get is a short-term hit, quite frankly. You accelerate spending. You pull it ahead by a month or two. It has no long-term positive gain for the economy."

Oh darn, I just realized, that was November 5, 2001. I keep forgetting, they evolved...

Hat tip to Myblahg for the spade work.