Category: Canadian Politics
Looks Like An Election
| 3/15/2011 | Posted by Patti under Canadian Politics |
photo credit: slightly-less-random
As the last few weeks have passed, it appears more and more that it is not IF we’re going to have an election but who will trigger it and when. In all likelihood we will be into a campaign before the end of this month, likely next week.
If it wasn’t so hypocritical it would almost be amusing how the parties are claiming they don’t want an election while preparing for one that of course the ‘other guy’ is going to trigger. Really, let’s get real. Harper wants an election in the hope he can attain a majority government, Ignatieff, & Layton want to unseat the Conservatives. The only one who likely doesn’t really care if there is an election is Duceppe since he knows full well he wont form the government.
As for me, I’m good with an election taking place. I’ll admit my bias, Harper and his band of cronies need to be banished to the opposition benches. Even better, they need to be off the public payroll but I know some of their people will get elected or re-elected. In fact, some of them need to be elected in order for our democracy to be healthy. (more…)
It is NOT Harper’s Government
| 3/10/2011 | Posted by Patti under Canadian Politics |
Canadians did not elect Stephen Harper as Prime Minister. He was elected as an MP by the people in his riding. He was elected leader of the Conservatives by other Conservatives. When we, the people, last voted in a federal election we sent more Conservatives than Liberals to Ottawa and thus Harper became Prime Minister as the leader of the Conservative party.
So, where does he get off at calling it the ‘Harper Government” on official government correspondence? Because he can get away with doing so, doesn’t make it right.
In a democracy those in the government and even those in the Opposition are there to serve the people. They are paid by tax dollars supplied by the people to lead our country where it needs to go. It seems increasingly, that far too many of those elected to provide that leadership, failed to do so while focused on growing their own perceived status.
This is the latest in a long line of behaviour from Harper and his Conservatives which make it very clear that they lack respect for our democracy. When they lack respect for democracy, how can the people trust that they will safeguard it? (more…)
KAIROS Doc Is No Longer About Funding
| 2/17/2011 | Posted by Patti under Canadian Politics |
It has become increasingly clear that for sure Bev Oda, Minister for International Cooperation, needs to resign or be fired. It has also become increasingly clear that Prime Minister Harper is going to stand behind her no matter how much subterfuge it is going to take.
We’ve learned in the last week that the ‘NOT’ which was inserted into the KAIROS document was done so on Oda’s orders. She may choose to split hairs over whether she knew who exactly picked up the pen and did so, but she had full knowledge the document was being altered. Therein lies the issue. Therein also lies a question.
The issue is that Oda knew the document had been changed and at what point. It was after the two CIDA officials had signed off. The issue is NOT if she made a decision to grant funding to KAIROS ornot. She has the right to make a decision, even if it disagrees with the recommendations of the CIDA officials. The fact she made the decision and then mislead the house and the Foreign Relations committee about the circumstances of the decision, THAT is the issue. (more…)
Who Altered The KAIROS Docs?
| 2/11/2011 | Posted by Patti under Canadian Politics |
photo credit: ViaMoi
Reference Article: The Globe & Mail
One would think it would be a no brainer that when a document is produced for the signature of one or more government officials or parliamentarians, that no alterations would be made to the document along the way. Doesn’t appear to matter with this current government.
Last year CIDA denied funding for KAIROS, a group of churches doing work in developing countries. In one instance, an MP, Jason Kenny, bragged during a speech that the funding was cut off because of the groups criticism of Israel. The official story became that the group didn’t meet the funding priorities of CIDA.
Rather fishy sounding but, with this government’s secretive ways, who was to prove different. Now we learn, the funding was not initially intended to be cut off. The document circulated for signing recommended the funding continue — at least initially. (more…)
Liberals Take A Stand on Bill S-10
| 2/10/2011 | Posted by Patti under Canadian Politics |
The Conservative dominated Senate has passed Bill S-10 which provides for mandatory sentencing for those convicted of having as few as six pot plants in their possession. The first of many faults with the bill is that the bill fails to distinguish between someone who has a few plants for recreational use and those who are operating a grow op. They are all going to spend at least six months in jail.
It is the jail time where the next major fault lies, it costs money to house prisoners. Money to build the prisons, maintain them and to staff them, not to mention the actual costs of care involved for the inmates. In these days of record deficits, those costs are not just federal dollars, they involve provincial costs as sentences of two years less a day are served in provincial facilities.
This bill like others the Conservatives call tough on crime bills promote a flawed approach to crime. The Americans have already tried and failed with the same approach. In the American experience, many states came close to being bankrupted by the increased costs of building and maintaining prison facilities mandated by federal legislation.
What’s that definition of in insanity?.. oh right… doing something over and over the same way in the hope it will work eventually. (more…)
Get Your Meter Off My Bandwidth
| 2/9/2011 | Posted by Patti under Canadian News, Canadian Politics, Media |
Last week we saw an outpouring of consumer anger over the CRTC’s decision about internet bandwidth metering. Well actually they gave the big players like Bell Canada, Rogers and Telus the right to charge the smaller players wholesale rates about 15% less than what the big guy’s customers pay for bandwidth.
Bandwidth which costs just pennies per gigabyte and their customers are paying $2.50 and up per gigabyte if they go over their monthly allowable limit. The big guys claim that just 10% of customers go over their monthly limit and therefore that 10% should pay the freight.
If they are talking about their own customers, anyone who accepts an internet package which only gives them 25gigs of bandwidth in a month is a very light user, or they don’t realize how easy it is to rack up bandwidth use and they quickly switch to another provider rather than pay their outrageous overage charges.
I spent several years paying what I considered to be an outrageous cost of almost $60 per month for internet by satellite because that was all I could get. The provider, ExplorNet started out good when they first introduced the service into the area, then the throttling started. You’d be on the net maybe half an hour and the speed would drop to slower than dialup. When I’d complain, I’d be told it was their “fair usage policy” being activated by my ‘excessive’ bandwidth use. (more…)
Unreported Crime Rate is Alarming? So’s Stockwell Day.
| 8/3/2010 | Posted by Patti under Canadian Politics |
I watched CPAC’s feed this morning of a news conference given by Stockwell Day and Denis Lebel. Since I don’t speak French and that is all Lebel spoke in, I can’t comment on anything he said. In some ways, I came away from watching that feed wishing Day spoke anything but English and was in anyone’s government but the government of Canada.
When asked to comment on the government’s tough on crime agenda and the associated costs in among his convoluted response was a reference to first of all comparing current crime statistics to the crime rate back in the 60′s, some fourty years ago. Then he confounded just about everyone by referring to the statistic on unreported crime and how alarming they are. (more…)
In Case the Liberals are Wondering…
| 7/13/2010 | Posted by Patti under Canadian Politics |
Just so I’m transparent here, I am currently a Liberal supporter. I became one when Ignatieff became leader because I believe, notwithstanding my previous disapproval of him, that he had improved his performance and might just be a good leader for the Liberals.
In the intervening time, I have to admit, I have sure wondered about that decision. I know for certainty that Harper would never get my support, nor would Bob Rae. I am extremely unlikely to support Layton or the NDP. I have to admit to noticing that inspite his having to take time to battle with cancer these last few months, he sure manages to speak up about things Canadians are concerned about.
I want to not only hear that out of Ignatieff, I want him to mean it. In order for him to mean it, he can’t just shoot from the hip, he needs to do enough background to know he can carry through on what he’s saying. (more…)
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