tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2466963427189575022024-03-05T12:30:52.713-05:00Random Ranting Raving and RatingsThoughts and perspectives on Canadian politics, personalities and pop culture.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger110125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-246696342718957502.post-30356177901977474342015-09-28T19:57:00.001-04:002015-09-28T19:57:26.896-04:00The Liberal Party and the Public Service: A History LessonToday Justin Trudeau published an open letter to public servants attempting to convince them what a friend they have in the Liberal Party. I can only assume that Mr. Trudeau is hoping that public servants have forgotten or are ignorant of the Liberals track record.<br />
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In the not so distant past (at least in historical terms) there was a wildly unpopular Conservative government that used legislation to impose its will on public servants and by-pass collective bargaining (sound familiar). And then there was an election, the Liberals swept to power and all the public servants lived happily ever after... Not so much. <br />
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The year was 1993 and the Liberals social welfare platform contributed strongly to its victory. But once in power, the Liberal government reneged on most of its election promises and turned on its own employees, by not only sacrificing their collective bargaining rights it ignored pay equity legislation and eliminated five times as many jobs as the Conservative government they replaced.<br />
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Given how many times Mr. Trudeau has flip-flopped on his positions during this campaign these sentiments, on his commitment to Canada's public servants are best taken with a grain of salt and maybe a shot of tequila.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Ottawa, ON, Canada45.4215296 -75.69719309999999344.7060866 -76.988086599999988 46.1369726 -74.4062996tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-246696342718957502.post-68310120108437412552015-09-26T09:55:00.000-04:002015-09-26T09:55:22.589-04:00Denying Women Canadian Citizenship Does Nothing to Fight OpressionAre Stephen Harper and the Conservatives actually trying to argue that denying a woman citizenship for wearing the niqab is somehow promoting equal rights? It would seem to me that by denying a woman citizenship, the government is actually contributing to oppression rather than fighting it. <br />
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Ironically, many of the same people that are so offended by the niqab are the same people that are also offended by topless women sunbathing on the beach. One thing it would seem that all cultures and societies have in common is that to varying degrees they all feel justified in imposing a standard of modesty on women. If a woman breaks the established standard she may subjected to harassment and potentially physical assault. One only has to look at how often what a woman was wearing is discussed in sexual assault trials to find evidence of this.<br />
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If Mr. Harper wants to challenge the oppression of women, he should re-establish funding to Status of Women Canada rather than stand in judgment on women wearing a niqab.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="270" mozallowfullscreen="true" scrolling="no" src="https://bmplayer-a.akamaihd.net/shareable/embedssl.html?dc=ctvnews_web&cid=712971&col=379&w=480&h=270&pl=0&plh=0&adSite=ctv.ctvnews&adZone=politics&omniAcct=ctvgmnews,ctvgmglobal&section=CTVNews&site=ctvnews&shareUrl=&v7=politics&v8=story&v9=&v10=" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="480"></iframe>
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<a href="http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/mulcair-harper-spar-over-niqab-controversy-at-leaders-debate-1.2580427" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mulcair, Harper spar over niqab controversy at leaders' debate </a><br />
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<a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/tories-to-cut-off-funding-for-women-s-lobby-groups-1.594392" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tories cut off funding to women's lobby groups</a><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-246696342718957502.post-47287077228204308352015-09-22T07:53:00.000-04:002015-09-22T07:53:14.054-04:00The Buy Now Pay Later Approach to Public Policy<div dir="ltr">
As Canadians we are used to personal debt. Debt has become the new normal. So when Justin Trudeau says that his government plans to spend more than what it will bring in, the statement just breezes by us with little reaction. And when Stephen Harper says he has a billion dollar surplus because the money wasn't spent on the Veteran's to which it was allocated we collectively shrug our shoulders and go about our day.<br />
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Contrary to what the Liberal leader has been saying government debt is he enemy of social progress. When programs are created and <u>funded through borrowed money they are the first things on the chopping block</u> when the inevitable austerity measures kick-in. <br />
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When the government budgeted the money to be spent on veteran's it became their responsibility to do so as soon as the budget passed. A budget surplus (spending shortfall) as big as the one for veteran's services can only mean the the government failed to meet its obligations and breached public trust. So, regardless of what the Conservatives would like us to believe, a budgetary surplus created by refusing to spend allocated program money is not a good thing is it is fraud and <u>creates a different type of deficit, a social one</u>, that must be paid eventually.<br />
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Setting budgets and balancing them (spending the money allocated to the programs) are essential for truly sustainable social programs.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Ottawa, ON, Canada45.4215296 -75.69719309999999344.7060866 -76.988086599999988 46.1369726 -74.4062996tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-246696342718957502.post-56017624859992158812014-03-07T09:44:00.001-05:002014-03-07T15:38:52.724-05:00Harry Neufeld contradicts Poilievre on voter fraudAs has become clear in the last month or so, Conservative MPs are not willing to let little things like truth, evidence or personal integrity get in the way of passing their electoral reform bill C-23.<br />
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Yesterday, Canada's Chief Electoral Officer testified in front of the committee responsible for studying the bill. Conservative MPs spent the entire time trying to get the CEO to say that there was a POSSIBILITY of fraud. The CEO said that the errors that are often quoted by Conservative MPs are actually not an indication of fraud and there has been no evidence that people voting were anything other then eligible voters.<br />
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In an attempt to defuse the impact of facts, Pierre Poilievre went on CPAC to "correct the explicit factual error in the CEO's testimony" and again read the sentence from the report that he's quoted so many times he probably hears it in his sleep. "The Supreme Court made it clear that such errors in other circumstances could contribute to a court overturning an election." <br />
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Now it seems that Mr Neufeld himself, would like to correct Mr. Polilievre's deliberate SELECTIVE quoting. According to Neufeld at no point in his report did he suggest that any of the irregulatities sited in his report were evidence of fraud.<br />
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His recommendations (<u>never</u> quoted by Poilievre )<br />
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<li>voter information cards should be <strong>more widely allowed</strong> as valid pieces of i.d. </li>
<li>vouching process and paperwork should be <strong>simplified</strong> </li>
<li>elections officials <strong>better trained</strong></li>
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<a href="http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Author+report+touted+Poilievre+contradicts+minister+voter/9590853/story.html">Author of report touted by Poilievre contradicts minister on voter fraud</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-246696342718957502.post-40879386749011842742013-04-23T12:29:00.000-04:002013-04-23T12:29:12.326-04:00Torries want ability to Jail Canadians without Cause<div dir="ltr">
The Senate Bill S-7 being debated at third reading today will give authorities the ability to detain people for up to 12 months even if they are not suspected of any crimes or potential crimes. Mr. Sullivan MP for York-South Weston describes this best.<br />
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He said:</div>
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"<span style="font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> [The] individual is not a person suspected of being a terrorist, by the way. That is a person who is maybe a relative, maybe a friend. That person, then, would be subject, under the bill, to serious, preventative detention measures.</span></div>
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As it turns out, this kind of preventative detention was there in the previous act and was never used. Police have managed without this kind of measure to stop terrorism. So, what would its effect be?</div>
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I would like to refer to good, old Uncle Albert, in Moose Jaw, whose nephew, for whatever reason, is suspected of some kind of terrorist act. And so, because they cannot find the nephew, the police come to Uncle Albert's door, put him in jail for a day, then take him before a judge and argue that Uncle Albert might know where the nephew is, so we cannot let Uncle Albert have any more guns. We cannot let Uncle Albert leave the country because we have to be able to interrogate Uncle Albert, Uncle Albert in Moose Jaw, who has done nothing. The police do not suspect him of any terrorism. He just happens to be the uncle of the nephew they do suspect.</div>
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What happens? Uncle Albert says, because he is from Moose Jaw and because he is a farmer and has to keep the varmints off his property, "I can't give up my firearms. I'm not giving up my firearms. I refuse." There would be no choice, then, but to put him in jail for up to 12 months.</div>
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That is the kind of thing that could happen to Uncle Albert in Moose Jaw, who has absolutely no terrorist inclination whatsoever. However, because he is related to somebody the police are only investigating because they suspect there might be some kind of terrorist activity, Uncle Albert would be put in jail for up to 12 months.</div>
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That is not the Canada that I want to be part of. That is not the Canada that Canadians have come to expect, to have as part of their rights and freedoms the right and freedom not to be imprisoned without conviction, without a trial, without a judge.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> That is exactly what the Conservatives are suggesting should happen. That is one of the things to which the NDP said, "Whoa, that goes too far", and the Conservatives said, "Too bad. This is the way we like it. We want this preventative detention to apply to anybody, not just people we suspect of being terrorists, but people who are peripherally related." That would take the bill way too far.</span>"<br />
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The NDP proposed an amendment to the bill that would make it clear that anybody not suspected of being involved in terrorist activity could not be subject to 'preventative detention' and here was the government response:</div>
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The Liberal Party of Canada has also indicated that they will support this bill. The debate continues in the house today.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-246696342718957502.post-84186090679054670562013-04-17T13:02:00.000-04:002013-04-17T13:02:33.247-04:00Fiscal Responsibility Starts with Factual Information<div dir="ltr">
When Prime Minister Harper ran for office in 2006, he promised to clean up Ottawa. He created the Parliamentary Budget Office so Canadians would know what our government is doing with our money.</div>
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The Budget Office has been an unqualified success at cutting through political rhetoric and looking at the straight numerical facts.</div>
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From F-35's to prisons, Kevin Page, our first federal budget watchdog, showed that he could hold government accountable for fiscal mismanagement. But Harper let Kevin Page's term expire just before the Tories released the 2013 budget. </div>
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Since taking office the Federal Conservatives have had more closed committee meetings, where the information is not divulged to the public, than any other Canadian Government. If our government believes they can hide their plans from public scrutiny they will be more likely to do things that Canadians don't want. </div>
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Stephen Harper has been extremely secretive on how and with whom he plans to replace Kevin Page our current PBO. The identities of the people who sit on the PBO search committee are being hidden, even from elected Members of Parliament. The search committee hasn't met yet -- and, Kevin Page has even been banned from meeting with the committee!</div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 22px;">Prime Minister Stephen Harper's fiscal policies have not held up to fiscal oversight and now he is backing away from his commitment to the Parliamentary Budget Office.</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-246696342718957502.post-67139210205655874952013-04-10T16:48:00.002-04:002013-04-10T16:48:29.496-04:00The Trouble with Canada's Temporary Foreign Worker Program<div dir="ltr">
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Many feel bad for the Royal Bank Employees being replaced by temporary foreign workers however they are only the latest example of what is wrong with the Temporary Foreign Worker Program in Canada.</div>
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Canada's Foreign worker program has been criticized greatly by the NDP for its potential for abuse. The NDP on several occasions when discussing the legislation policing Foreign workers have stated time and again that there was nothing preventing companies operating in Canada from firing Canadian workers and hiring temporary foreign workers to replace them. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT2BlHEbHPnK5pUk46-23BFns16HxYUTMtpG4V7jeKUCSfHNIcaCeffBIzf1hc_i2TouLO2V50r3_RgjP0bUXaA0y9cWx63M6BAIuTRurfWLhIcOHLxZd2Dha3chCZ0seeMDqZwOq8KjtM/s1600/canada-unemployment_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Maybe the poster slogan should be changed." border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT2BlHEbHPnK5pUk46-23BFns16HxYUTMtpG4V7jeKUCSfHNIcaCeffBIzf1hc_i2TouLO2V50r3_RgjP0bUXaA0y9cWx63M6BAIuTRurfWLhIcOHLxZd2Dha3chCZ0seeMDqZwOq8KjtM/s320/canada-unemployment_.jpg" title="Hon. Diane Finley (Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, CPC)" width="320" /></a></div>
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<u>Common problems and discussion around Canada's Temporary Foreign Workers Program</u></div>
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<li><span style="font-size: small;">Paying foreign workers a much reduced salary</span></li>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;">House of Commons Thursday May 17, 2012</span></b></div>
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<b style="font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Mr. Mike Sullivan (York South—Weston, NDP):</b></div>
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The other issue that covers this whole immigration thing is the issue of temporary foreign workers. It is another example of the doublespeak we get from the government about how it wants to welcome refugees and welcome new Canadians, but we will now have a situation where temporary foreign workers are being allowed into this country and will be paid 15% less than everybody else. That will drive down wages. The minister says that it is only for those jobs where we have a shortage. We know there are jobs out there. Airline pilots are being brought in as temporary foreign workers. There is no shortage of airline pilots in this country, but we have companies bringing airline pilots to this country as temporary foreign workers, and now they can pay them 15% less. That is just going to drive down wages in this country.</div>
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Those are the kinds of immigration policies that we do not agree with, including this bill.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: medium;">House of Commons Wednesday October 17, 2012</span></b></div>
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<b>Ms. Jinny Jogindera Sims (Newton—North Delta, NDP): </b> </div>
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Mr. Speaker, what is clear is that Canadians cannot trust Conservatives.</div>
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Companies are planning to hire as many as 2,000 temporary foreign workers to work in B.C. coal mines. Conservatives have encouraged more foreign workers by allowing companies to pay them 15% less than Canadian workers. This is from the same government whose junior minister of finance told out-of-work Canadians that they should go and get a job in the mines.</div>
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Why will the government not defend Canadian workers?</div>
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<b>Hon. Diane Finley (Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, CPC): </b> </div>
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Mr. Speaker, we are doing exactly that. For any company to bring in offshore workers, they must first prove that there are no Canadians available to do the job. We want to make sure that Canadians get first crack at every job in this country.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: medium;">House of Commons Tuesday, Oct 30 , 2012</span></b></div>
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<b>Mr. Yvon Godin:</b></div>
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They want me to talk about Bill C-45. So I will talk about temporary foreign workers. Does it make sense for us to bring in temporary foreign workers who will be paid 15% less than Canadians? What does this mean? It means that employers will be able to keep temporary workers in their businesses. There is a reason why Canadians who go to work in Cap-Pelé are sent home after working 20 hours. Temporary workers can stay for 40 hours.</div>
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There is a reason that, in Caraquet, some workers are not called back to work in a fish plant. Temporary foreign workers have taken their place because the employer can pay them 15% less and make them work in a different way given the regulations in effect in New Brunswick. There are laws that are not obeyed in New Brunswick. If the poor foreign worker who wants to earn money disagrees with what his employer says, the employer calls Immigration Canada and says that the worker he got is not working out.</div>
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How can employers bring temporary foreign workers to their workplaces when the unemployment rate in Acadie—Bathurst is 20%? That is crazy.</div>
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Here is what the Conservatives are doing with this bill: they are opening the door to what I call "foreign worker slavery" and to the loss of jobs for local workers. Then they turn around and tell us that they want our people to work.</div>
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Here is what they really want: they want our people to go work out west, and they want foreign workers to do seasonal jobs, pay taxes and pay employment insurance premiums before being sent back to their country without receiving any benefits at all.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: medium;">House of Commons Monday November 19 2012</span></b></div>
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<b>Ms. Jinny Jogindera Sims (Newton—North Delta, NDP): </b> </div>
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Mr. Speaker, a new report suggests unscrupulous agencies are charging thousands of dollars to recruit lower wage, temporary foreign workers to work in B.C. coal mines. It is no wonder companies are turning to foreign workers when the Conservatives allow them to pay them 15% less than Canadian workers.</div>
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Why is the government undermining Canadian workers? Will the minister stop this abuse of temporary foreign workers and start focusing on creating jobs for Canadians?</div>
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<b>Hon. Diane Finley (Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, CPC): </b> </div>
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Mr. Speaker, we believe that Canadians should always have first crack at every job opportunity. In fact, there is a requirement that if a company is bringing in workers from offshore, the company must first prove that it has done extensive advertising and attempts to recruit Canadian workers unsuccessfully.</div>
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<b>Ms. Jinny Jogindera Sims (Newton—North Delta, NDP): </b> </div>
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Mr. Speaker, last Friday officials of the northern B.C. mining company that hired hundreds of temporary foreign workers told a federal court that they did advertise those jobs in Canada. However, what they failed to say was that they tried to squeeze Canadian workers, offering $17 less per hour than the standard rate. Now a review of the program will not help these workers. Will the minister immediately suspend these temporary foreign worker visas so Canadian workers will have a fair chance to apply for these jobs?</div>
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<b>Hon. Diane Finley (Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, CPC): </b> </div>
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians must have first crack at all the jobs that are available in this country. In terms of this specific case, because it is now before the courts it would be inappropriate for me to comment any further.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: medium;">House of Commons Thursday November 22 2012</span></b></div>
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<b>Ms. Chris Charlton (Hamilton Mountain, NDP): </b> </div>
Mr. Speaker, two weeks ago in a statement about the 200 B.C. mining jobs that went to temporary foreign workers, the minister said that she was not satisfied with the process. The company said it followed the rules and would now like to know what she meant, and so would Canadians.</div>
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Is she saying that the company was dishonest in its application or is she admitting that she did not apply her own rules appropriately?</div>
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<b>Hon. Diane Finley (Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, CPC): </b> </div>
Mr. Speaker, our goal is to make sure that Canadians get first crack at every job that is available in this great country. That is why employers who want to bring in temporary foreign workers are required to prove that they have made a legitimate and responsible effort to find qualified Canadians.</div>
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We want to make sure that the process in place for employers to follow does exactly that. That is why we are reviewing it, to make sure that the process will protect jobs for Canadians.</div>
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<b>Ms. Jinny Jogindera Sims (Newton—North Delta, NDP): </b> </div>
Mr. Speaker, the minister has already admitted that the process is not working. British Columbians were passed over by a process the government implemented, and this from a party that suggested the unemployed should go and work in a mine.</div>
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The Conservatives are failing unemployed Canadians. Either the company played by the rules and the process is broken, or the company broke the rules and those are illegitimate visas.</div>
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Which is it and why will the minister not suspend those visas?</div>
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<b>Hon. Diane Finley (Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, CPC): </b> </div>
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Mr. Speaker, we do want to make sure that Canadians get first crack at all the jobs that are available in this country. That is why we require employers who want to bring in foreign workers to prove beyond a doubt that they have conducted a responsible search for qualified Canadians.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: medium;">House of Commons Monday December 10 2012</span></b></div>
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<b>Ms. Jinny Jogindera Sims (Newton—North Delta, NDP): </b> </div>
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Mr. Speaker, the depth of Conservative mismanagement of the temporary foreign worker program is truly shocking.</div>
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Documents released on Friday show major problems with the process for approving labour market opinions. For example, the ability to speak Mandarin was one of the listed requirements for the mining jobs in B.C. No wonder the company claims it could not find enough Canadian workers.</div>
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Does the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism believe rubber-stamping ensures a strong system? Will he suspend the visas while this program is being investigated?</div>
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<b>Hon. Diane Finley (Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, CPC): </b> </div>
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Mr. Speaker, the requirements as described by the member opposite are totally unacceptable.</div>
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The official languages of this country are English and French, period. That is what is required to do a job here in this country as far as we are concerned.</div>
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We want to make sure that Canadians get first crack at every job available in this country and that temporary foreign workers are only brought in when efforts to find Canadians to do the job are unsuccessful.</div>
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<li>Reduced protections for the foriegn workers already in the country</li>
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<b><span style="font-size: medium;">House of Commons Wednesday, October 3 2012</span></b></div>
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Even though the government likes to make up figures for some kind of job and economic record that really come from science fiction, the reality is that most of the jobs created in our growing population are part-time or temporary. We have replaced full-time family-sustaining manufacturing jobs with temporary and part-time work, and people are trying to cobble together a number of different part-time jobs to try to make ends meet.</div>
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In the midst of this, we have seen an unprecedented expansion of temporary foreign workers. These workers are brought in and are not subject to our health and safety standards. We have seen so many cases of abuse in British Columbia and right across the country. Temporary foreign workers are simply being pulled away from the health and safety standards that we have, are paid far below our Canadian standards, are given no rights and are sent home at the end of whatever contract they have. This explosion of temporary foreign workers is something that we see everywhere, whether in construction projects where these workers are housed in poor living conditions or the local Tim Hortons where they are brought in and put into very difficult conditions.</div>
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I will give an example. I know of a case where temporary foreign workers were brought in to work at a business in one particular area for a per diem. Because there was no inspection process, no oversight whatsoever, those temporary foreign workers then had to pay an extraordinary compulsory amount to their employer to sleep in a bed in a small basement at night. In other words, they became indentured servants where they were ordered to spend all of the money they earned in the day on astronomical fees for their poor living arrangements. When they tried to move out, the owner told them they would have to keep paying the hundreds of dollars they were being charged every week for their accommodation, even though they were no longer sleeping in those tiny little beds in the basement. That is just one example of the many abuses we are seeing.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> Under the current government there has been a widespread explosion of temporary foreign workers being brought in with no monitoring, safety standards and oversight provided, or responsibility taken by the government. That is simply not reflective of Canadian values. That is not reflective of building the kinds of communities that we want to see. It is not reflective of Canada's tradition, wherein new Canadians come here and join our communities, bring their families, contribute and work hard, and as a result the whole community and whole country prospers. This is just one aspect of what has been a very mean spirited approach by the government not in keeping with our fundamental values.</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-246696342718957502.post-72932284403171816672012-10-04T12:30:00.000-04:002012-10-04T12:31:28.996-04:00The Food Safety Shell Game <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfxs8qzUF56RJPbdRQ0EVmbElwiKmsIU23DZBLYBCbBeRRvqjp4a7T6Fg6tbmTs2WDWb28PDSctj7Hefabc2kUGvo1-tVeRtVZzjU1uwbiNgjsXQqOW3rJL-y_B2gnJ5sAO3HhOXxv2iiN/s1600/RitzGerry_CPC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Gerry Ritz, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfxs8qzUF56RJPbdRQ0EVmbElwiKmsIU23DZBLYBCbBeRRvqjp4a7T6Fg6tbmTs2WDWb28PDSctj7Hefabc2kUGvo1-tVeRtVZzjU1uwbiNgjsXQqOW3rJL-y_B2gnJ5sAO3HhOXxv2iiN/s200/RitzGerry_CPC.jpg" title="Gerry Ritz, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food" width="123" /></a>The Conservatives are treating Canada's food safety budget like a game of three-card monte but here is the straight goods on what is budgeted. So fasten your seatbelts and keep your eye on the the cards.<br />
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The Conservatives recite repeatedly that the federal government has increased the food safety budget by $100 million. <u>Here's what they don't say about the Food Safety Budget:</u><br />
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<ul>
<li>The $100 million is a one-time cash infusion paid in installments over five years (18 million spent so far). </li>
<li>Also the government sunset (i.e. cut) the listeria program that was $26 million. For those playing at home that equates to negative 6 million for this year so far but I'm not done yet.</li>
<li>On May 18, 2012 the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food signed a report tabled to the House of Commons that states "Planned spending is declining by approximately $46.6 million and 314 [Full Time Equivalents]" A Full Time Equivalent is government speak for Full-Time Employees.</li>
<li>The current budget indicates the intention of another 56.1 million be <b>cut annually</b> over the next three years.</li>
</ul>
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Okay so lets review:<br />
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20 million (one-fifth of the 100 million "added")<br />
-26 million (sunset Listeria Project)<br />
-46.6 million (as per May 18 report)<br />
Totalling <b><span style="font-size: large;">-</span>52.6 million in 2012</b><br />
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20 million (one-fifth of the 100 million "added")<br />
-56.1 (projected budget cut)<br />
=-36.1 x 3 years<br />
Totalling <b><span style="font-size: large;">-</span>108.3 million for 2013-15</b><br />
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Less money is being spent on food safety this year and the plan is to continue reducing the amount.<br />
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<br />
<a href="http://technorati.com/tag/canadian-politics" rel="tag"><img alt=" " src="http://scm-l3.technorati.com/static/img/pub/icon-utag-16x13.png?tag=canadian-politics" style="border: 0; margin-left: .4em; vertical-align: middle;" />Canadian politics</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-246696342718957502.post-66937249406489555962012-09-27T12:01:00.000-04:002012-10-03T13:52:19.812-04:00Hands off my UterusLast night relief of the defeat of M-312 quickly gave way to anger. Given the rampant deregulation being implemented by this Government, it would seem that the only regulation they are interested in is the regulation and restriction of women's rights. <b>I am so incensed that women still have to fight <span style="font-size: large;">just to keep</span> the rights we already have.</b><br />
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That a member of the Conservative Party of Canada would bring this motion forward with the clear intention to strip women of their legal rights is infuriating. That four Liberal ministers voted in favour show a lack of spine on the part of the Liberal Party's Leader. That the Minister for the Status of Women, Rona Ambrose, would vote in favour of such a motion is uncontionable. That after it was so soundly defeated <b>Minister Woodworth said that he or someone else will try again makes me irate. </b><br />
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How many times? How many times will this government attack women's rights? Who's next? And will they eventually succeed?<br />
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<a href="http://randomrantingravingandratings.blogspot.com/p/ministers-that-voted-in-favour-of.html">Here is the list of MPs willing to risk a woman's right to abortion.</a><br />
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<a href="http://randomrantingravingandratings.blogspot.ca/2012/09/motion-312-handmaids-tale.html">Motion 312 - The Handmaid's Tale</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://technorati.com/tag/canadian-politics" rel="tag"><img alt=" " src="http://scm-l3.technorati.com/static/img/pub/icon-utag-16x13.png?tag=canadian-politics" style="border: 0; margin-left: .4em; vertical-align: middle;" />Canadian politics</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://technorati.com/faves?sub=addfavbtn&add=http://randomrantingravingandratings.blogspot.com"><img alt="Add to Technorati Favorites" src="http://static.technorati.com/pix/fave/tech-fav-1.png" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-246696342718957502.post-51478011643981418102012-09-25T11:24:00.000-04:002012-10-03T13:53:02.494-04:00Motion 312 - The Handmaid's Tale<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwZJ6Wyc9m0F0rVXsbMPQEA8oVnvbuFbhMmQG4CWvSp-34SUAA2KP4DYEElZKKLptnVlRBUn_1kP2p_PxY5lJuh6kNePUVUcTynKI1pn8H6e0Fl9LcGksYJT-JM_T0xkyxfpOxca_42Co9/s1600/a26f1e4e4696b3f4c4a76f11af07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Conservative MP Stephen Woodworth (Kitchener Centre) " border="0" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwZJ6Wyc9m0F0rVXsbMPQEA8oVnvbuFbhMmQG4CWvSp-34SUAA2KP4DYEElZKKLptnVlRBUn_1kP2p_PxY5lJuh6kNePUVUcTynKI1pn8H6e0Fl9LcGksYJT-JM_T0xkyxfpOxca_42Co9/s200/a26f1e4e4696b3f4c4a76f11af07.jpg" title="" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">A pregnant women has always been considered legally one person. <a href="http://randomrantingravingandratings.blogspot.ca/2008/02/conservative-bill-takes-small-sneaky.html">Bill C-484</a>, introduced in Parliament on December 13th, 2007, attempted to change that by seeking TWO murder charges against a person that killed a pregnant woman. Women are not stupid. It was clear that this was a sneaky attempt to give fetuses personhood and the bill was defeated in parliament.</span><br />
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But in 2007, the conservatives had a minority, now with a conservative majority in the house we are faced with M-312 study to determine when life begins. Again the conservatives are coming at abortion sideways by attempting to redefine a person under the law.<br />
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Canadians know this motion is a precursor to controlling women by forcing them into a childbearing role through criminalizing abortion. <span style="font-family: inherit;">"<span style="font-size: 16px;">Fetuses do not have legal rights and cannot be given any, since two beings occupying the same body would result in a serious clash of rights. In fact, if fetuses had legal personhood, pregnant women would lose theirs."</span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> <a href="http://www.arcc-cdac.ca/action/M-312.html#3">[1]</a></span><br />
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1. <span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Arthur, </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Joyce. 2012. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><i>Counter Arguments Against Motion M-312: </i></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><i>"The Handmaid's Tale</i>" </span><a href="http://www.arcc-cdac.ca/action/M-312.html">http://www.arcc-cdac.ca/action/M-312.html</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://technorati.com/tag/canadian-politics" rel="tag"><img alt=" " src="http://scm-l3.technorati.com/static/img/pub/icon-utag-16x13.png?tag=canadian-politics" style="border: 0; margin-left: .4em; vertical-align: middle;" />Canadian politics</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-246696342718957502.post-43506869693219242892012-09-21T12:30:00.000-04:002012-09-21T12:30:02.446-04:00What does Stephen Harper have against attending Premier's Conferences?Stephen Harper has never attended a Premier's Conference. He has been Prime Minister since 2006 and has turned down every invitation extended him to attend. <br />
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Yesterday during Opposition Day in the House of Commons the NDP put forward a <a href="http://www.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?Pub=hansard&Language=E&Mode=1&Parl=41&Ses=1&DocId=5710682&File=5">motion </a>that the Prime Minister accept the most recent invitation by the Premiers to attend the Conference in Halifax.<br />
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Prime Minister Harper was not present in the House during the debate but as expected the Conservative MPs rose, one by one, to speak against the Prime Minister attending.<br />
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The following sums up the debate quite nicely:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ppSDWzhISk6DGiFfW97kqPi_Tm0T9wLOOrEoKM0oPTFN8s0Gg34RRbtXlf8OOp1NBJ84JIsi0H8L8hFws6h3KzrofTdiyVBefi7oHo1PjFPkzBXPIyG0muYXZCvgw0-s_QS1g0en3_IB/s1600/McLeodCathy_CPC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Cathy McLeod, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Revenue" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ppSDWzhISk6DGiFfW97kqPi_Tm0T9wLOOrEoKM0oPTFN8s0Gg34RRbtXlf8OOp1NBJ84JIsi0H8L8hFws6h3KzrofTdiyVBefi7oHo1PjFPkzBXPIyG0muYXZCvgw0-s_QS1g0en3_IB/s200/McLeodCathy_CPC.jpg" title="" width="123" /></a><br />
<h4>
Mrs. Cathy McLeod (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Revenue, CPC): </h4>
Mr. Speaker, as a fellow British Columbian, I certainly listened to the member for Skeena—Bulkley Valley with great interest. However, frankly, even the motion today was surprising to me. It seemed a very odd motion.<br />
<h4>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzWmwo_lgbGItEZySf-b0uVROUhQ7-cn2O6xF2QP4TfC07tRQNtTjoZEVFnrUz-WYx4AOBtzTeew6AlnQJwW3qAoEXeRtCbqvUIQTkJrWyR5-qx5D14XQ4eWSbjLqp7Jeb-Gx-tPelULzj/s1600/CullenNathan_NDP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Nathan Cullen - House Leader of the Official Opposition" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzWmwo_lgbGItEZySf-b0uVROUhQ7-cn2O6xF2QP4TfC07tRQNtTjoZEVFnrUz-WYx4AOBtzTeew6AlnQJwW3qAoEXeRtCbqvUIQTkJrWyR5-qx5D14XQ4eWSbjLqp7Jeb-Gx-tPelULzj/s200/CullenNathan_NDP.jpg" title="" width="123" /></a>Mr. Nathan Cullen (Skeena—Bulkley Valley, NDP):</h4>
The Conservatives have somehow made the mistake that a ribbon-cutting event with a premier constitutes consultation and planning and working together and that a five-minute phone call, which we have seen on the PM's agenda, somehow counts as working together with the provinces and territories.<br />
We are simply asking the Prime Minister to accept the invitation. This was not our invitation. It would be rude for us to offer it. It is from the premier of our own province and the premiers of all the provinces and territories that are represented here in the House of Commons.<br />
She finds this confusing. I think we have a lot of work to do here. If the invitation so generously offered by our provincial and territorial leaders confuses Conservative members as to why that would be worthwhile, we have perhaps more work than I thought with this particular government.</blockquote>
<br />
<a href="http://www.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?Pub=hansard&Language=E&Mode=1&Parl=41&Ses=1#SOB-7682569">Debate Official Transcript </a><br />
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<a href="http://technorati.com/tag/canadian-politics" rel="tag"><img alt=" " src="http://scm-l3.technorati.com/static/img/pub/icon-utag-16x13.png?tag=canadian-politics" style="border: 0; margin-left: .4em; vertical-align: middle;" />More Canadian politics</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-246696342718957502.post-25466631772978747292012-09-19T16:38:00.000-04:002012-09-19T16:38:11.130-04:00Covert Attempt to Criminalize Abortion - MPs Debate in less then 48 hours<br />
From LeadNow.ca<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">'In just 48 hours, our MPs will debate a Conservative motion that the Canadian Medical Association, representing 70,000 doctors, is calling a ‘backdoor’ attempt to criminalize abortion.</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
P<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4em;">rime Minister Harper has chosen to allow this motion to go forward to a free vote in Parliament, so every MP must decide whether or not they will stand up for the rights that women and our allies have been fighting to protect for decades.</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Co56ZHwl0B2zBj1wvH2pZAbmoTVF6ugYZvrUE_pK7XZ0Vm9uyNVjpxfY7zlicQC79hhEvXTAmdzhVj0Ddp8NDOxQToWr3_s20W7lFU7jHB5Nr7rJFlQFgOKfdx6Bmw3i3vtds-02DyYi/s1600/YWCA_Pro_Choice_Post_Eng_v6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Co56ZHwl0B2zBj1wvH2pZAbmoTVF6ugYZvrUE_pK7XZ0Vm9uyNVjpxfY7zlicQC79hhEvXTAmdzhVj0Ddp8NDOxQToWr3_s20W7lFU7jHB5Nr7rJFlQFgOKfdx6Bmw3i3vtds-02DyYi/s320/YWCA_Pro_Choice_Post_Eng_v6.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We need a huge public outcry to show our MPs that Canadians will not tolerate this covert attack on women’s rights.</span></span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If enough of us speak out and contact our MPs right now, we can make sure this motion is decisively defeated and send a clear message that Canadians will defend our reproductive rights.'</span></span></div>
</blockquote>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<br /></h4>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<b><a href="http://www.leadnow.ca/defend-our-reproductive-rights?fb_action_ids=10151030813431512&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=timeline_og&action_object_map=%7B%2210151030813431512%22%3A276861035758755%7D&action_type_map=%7B%2210151030813431512%22%3A%22og.likes%22%7D&action_ref_map=%5B%5D">Tell Stephen Harper & your MP: Stop the covert attempt to criminalize abortion.</a></b></h4>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-246696342718957502.post-48242739399767108462012-09-14T08:00:00.000-04:002012-09-14T08:00:10.187-04:00Parliamentary privilege should not be overusedThe House of Commons Public Accounts Committee recently began legal proceedings against the Auditor-General because he was refusing to deny an access to information request. Access to information is a right of journalists and citizens as a way to know what their government is doing.<br />
<br />
Parliamentary privilege is meant to give parliamentarians the ability to do their work without interference from outside of government. It also protects free speech within the House of Commons.<br />
<br />
The Auditor General does not report to parliament and therefore is required to comply with Access to Information Requests. The Public Accounts committee's attempt to block the Auditor General from releasing his own correspondence with the committee only leads people to believe that the Committee has something to hide.<br />
<br />
It is clear that the committee overstepped its authority because even Prime Minister Harper believes that privilege should not have been invoked.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/commentary/editorials/parliamentary-privilege-should-not-be-overused/article4537276/?cmpid=rss1">Parliamentary privilege should not be overused - The Globe and Mail</a>: <br />
<br />
<a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/pengoopmcjnbflcjbmoeodbmoflcgjlk" style="font-size: 13px;">'via Blog this'</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://technorati.com/faves?sub=addfavbtn&add=http://randomrantingravingandratings.blogspot.com"><img alt="Add to Technorati Favorites" src="http://static.technorati.com/pix/fave/tech-fav-1.png" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-246696342718957502.post-5608670004883263672012-09-12T12:31:00.000-04:002012-09-12T12:31:00.409-04:00Largest Workplace Charitable Campaign in Canada - Video<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Hac_xJxfTvM?fs=1" width="480"></iframe><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'ITC Officina Sans Book'; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -18pt;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'ITC Officina Sans Book'; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -18pt;">Public Servants remain concerned about the future during these difficult
economic times. But we know equally that
we consistently find a way to set our personal concerns aside and make helping
others in need our priority during the annual campaign.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://technorati.com/faves?sub=addfavbtn&add=http://randomrantingravingandratings.blogspot.com"><img alt="Add to Technorati Favorites" src="http://static.technorati.com/pix/fave/tech-fav-1.png" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-246696342718957502.post-47908714611979368902012-09-07T21:34:00.000-04:002012-09-13T14:24:42.838-04:00Pierre Poilievre - Silencing Dissent through Intimidation<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY7MoWcQWdaB2Jzbg2Oh588XqnakfQby-9sgKJAoTeBUCdLeIzhUvsIx-uFltvdBrhQzLP195oRHnvbO47OpTNhDcT9xmvxnGi_jg4pCrGu8rWO7HLXHAOgEu6GD6jrII45vCFi9ix-62x/s1600/download.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY7MoWcQWdaB2Jzbg2Oh588XqnakfQby-9sgKJAoTeBUCdLeIzhUvsIx-uFltvdBrhQzLP195oRHnvbO47OpTNhDcT9xmvxnGi_jg4pCrGu8rWO7HLXHAOgEu6GD6jrII45vCFi9ix-62x/s200/download.jpg" width="200" /></a>In 1946, Justice Rand determined that even though employees working in a unionized work environment were not required to join the union they were required to pay union dues because all workers in the workplace benefited from the contract negotiated by the union on the workers behalf regardless of their membership status.
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<br />
Recently career politician Pierre Poilievre Conservative MP for the riding of Nepean-Carleton proposed that we all jump in our time machines and travel back to 1946 to reverse the Rand decision. His reason, some of his constituents have complained to him about a public sector union's political activity. Poilievre can often be counted on for knee jerk reactions that over simplify complicated issues and this case is no different. <br />
<br />
A more reasoned response would be to recognize that unions are democratic organizations where the leadership is elected by the members. And like all democracies<br />
<ul>
<li>not all members actively participate i.e. vote</li>
<li>not all members agree with the outcome of the vote</li>
</ul>
But reason is not Poilievre's strong suit his reaction is to use legislation to bully the unions into silence by threatening their financial stability is a dangerous one and not just for unions. For any democracy to thrive dissenting opinions MUST be allowed to be voiced without fear of retribution. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://technorati.com/tag/canadian-politics" rel="tag"><img style="border:0;vertical-align:middle;margin-left:.4em" src="http://scm-l3.technorati.com/static/img/pub/icon-utag-16x13.png?tag=canadian-politics" alt=" " />More Canadian politics</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-246696342718957502.post-35389080635702581842012-08-27T12:53:00.000-04:002012-09-13T14:30:09.360-04:00Vic Toews Gives RCMP Okay to Violate UN Anti-Torture Convention<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWKl3l4HSXLwKyj3l37ZSnida_LXGzi0dAT_JvbrreTpRbtWet-7KRPtkLqDzVfWtoXxBlN1SJWn7W1ADTjhlwiSlJAvdaYiaIoAILwQIThTQwHNsni91ee0LqUfLsvjuxKm4K-RJHh1s_/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Vic Toews approves violation of UN anti-torture convention." border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWKl3l4HSXLwKyj3l37ZSnida_LXGzi0dAT_JvbrreTpRbtWet-7KRPtkLqDzVfWtoXxBlN1SJWn7W1ADTjhlwiSlJAvdaYiaIoAILwQIThTQwHNsni91ee0LqUfLsvjuxKm4K-RJHh1s_/s200/images.jpg" title="" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Vic Toews, Public Safety Minister issues a directive to RCMP, CSIS and Canada Border Services to use information obtained through torture.<br />
<br />
In 1985, Canada led by then Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, signed the <a href="http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/cat.htm" target="_blank">United Nations Convention Against Torture</a> .<br />
<br />
Article 2.2 of the UN Convention Against Torture:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war or a threat of war, internal political instability or any other public emergency, may be invoked as a justification of torture.</span></b></span> </blockquote>
Article 15 of the UN Convention Against Torture:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<h5 style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Each State Party shall ensure that any statement which is established to have been made as a result of torture shall not be invoked as evidence in any proceedings, except against a person accused of torture as evidence that the statement was made.</span></h5>
</blockquote>
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/08/24/canada-torture-info-rcmp-cbsa_n_1828805.html">Canada And Torture: Feds Give RCMP And Border Guards Green Light To Use Tainted Info</a>:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://technorati.com/tag/canadian-politics" rel="tag"><img style="border:0;vertical-align:middle;margin-left:.4em" src="http://scm-l3.technorati.com/static/img/pub/icon-utag-16x13.png?tag=canadian-politics" alt=" " />Technorati Tag: Canadian politics</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2Ottawa, ON, Canada45.4215296 -75.697193145.0649016 -76.328907100000009 45.7781576 -75.0654791tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-246696342718957502.post-14241034768635427212012-08-23T12:35:00.000-04:002012-08-23T12:35:00.060-04:00Remembering Layton by Looking Forward<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/c67.0.403.403/p403x403/522155_10150989752356512_1522994084_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/c67.0.403.403/p403x403/522155_10150989752356512_1522994084_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Jack Layton was not about looking back, he was a forward thinker.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I am running to be the next Prime Minister of Canada" ~ Jack Layton , 2008</blockquote>
In 2008, when Jack said those words, it seemed like such a shocking statement to make. The general public and even many NDP members had never believed such a thing to be possible. Interviewer after interviewer attempted to get Layton to "admit" his statement was ludacris. The NDP had never even got enough seats to be the opposition. Pundits and politicians alike mocked him for being so bold. They believed that since it had never happened before it never could.<br />
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Last election something amazing happened, inspired by Jack's eternal optimism for a country that put is citizens first, the NDP vision for Canada started to sound achievable. And the #OrangeCrush swept the nation. <br />
<br />
Today when the leader of the NDP says "I am running to be the next Prime Minister of Canada... nobody laughs.
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Yesterday, the anniversary of Layton's death, was about remembering a man who profoundly touched the lives of millions of people he never met. But today, is about and honouring his legacy by planning for the future and taking action when action is required..<br />
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<img alt="Add to Technorati Favorites" src="http://static.technorati.com/pix/fave/tech-fav-1.png" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Ottawa, ON, Canada45.4215296 -75.697193145.0649016 -76.328907100000009 45.7781576 -75.0654791tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-246696342718957502.post-54530321186224707612012-08-20T12:30:00.000-04:002012-09-13T14:30:34.460-04:00Tory Affidavit Attempts to Cast Doubt on Robocalls Survey<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieI5ui_vJJOnNZTIUmn6EIlUm3Dz2sEFqIbdP5R3mLHFXmfpoL1cN-QP6np6Cs4SJnjbDL01ExDTnx0gInSfo3LOcuVVUrSMMRfLK0wGhae5qHlXSBzpfgIBu-9tsthZNRlpREeOPUWO5L/s1600/robot-call-centre-c-Channelship.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieI5ui_vJJOnNZTIUmn6EIlUm3Dz2sEFqIbdP5R3mLHFXmfpoL1cN-QP6np6Cs4SJnjbDL01ExDTnx0gInSfo3LOcuVVUrSMMRfLK0wGhae5qHlXSBzpfgIBu-9tsthZNRlpREeOPUWO5L/s320/robot-call-centre-c-Channelship.jpg" width="320" /></a>The Council of Canadians presented polling data to back up claims that misleading calls in seven ridings affected the outcome of the 2011 federal election. Conservatives recently released an affidavit challenging the validity of the Ekos survey that found the non-Conservative vote was suppressed by about 1.5% in these ridings.<br />
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The survey also found that “highly statistically significant” number of the call recipients were non-Conservatives.<br />
<br />
Since the story first broke the Conservative Party has denied any involvement in the robocalls that misdirected voters to the wrong polling stations. Yet at every turn it has been the Conservative Party that has fought against the suit brought forward by the voters in the seven affected ridings and denied even the possibility that voter suppression occurred.<br />
<br />
Why does the Conservative Party of Canada fight so hard to deny the residents of the seven ridings another vote, if the party is so sure that voter suppression did not occur and that the results of the election were unaffected by the robocalls?<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.leaderpost.com/business/Tories+cast+doubt+robocall+survey+data/7109742/story.html">http://www.leaderpost.com/business/Tories+cast+doubt+robocall+survey+data/7109742/story.html</a>
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<br />
<a href="http://technorati.com/tag/canadian-politics" rel="tag"><img style="border:0;vertical-align:middle;margin-left:.4em" src="http://scm-l3.technorati.com/static/img/pub/icon-utag-16x13.png?tag=canadian-politics" alt=" " />Technorati Tag: Canadian politics</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-246696342718957502.post-37360495566219065662012-08-16T18:32:00.000-04:002012-08-16T18:32:18.000-04:00Ontario moves ahead with plan to divest the ONTC<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<a href="http://gallery.mailchimp.com/68864c1f8c4dca8d75670d8c7/images/logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Ontario Northland not for sale!" border="0" height="274" src="http://gallery.mailchimp.com/68864c1f8c4dca8d75670d8c7/images/logo.png" title="" width="320" /></a><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">"This disheartening news comes as a huge disappointment for those who understand the social, cultural, historical, environmental and economic benefits of passenger rail. CAPT will continue to fight for passenger rail in northern Ontario in our efforts to see the completion of our Ontario rail network."</span><br />
<br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Further details of this unfortunate decision can be found below.</span> <br />
<br />
<a href="http://us4.campaign-archive2.com/?u=68864c1f8c4dca8d75670d8c7&id=c576c75c03&e=c354b890da">Province moves ahead with plan to divest the ONTC</a>: <br />
<br />
<a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/pengoopmcjnbflcjbmoeodbmoflcgjlk" style="font-size: 13px;">'via Blog this'</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-246696342718957502.post-28812854145632242542012-08-14T07:30:00.000-04:002012-08-14T07:30:01.981-04:00Charged with Influence Peddling - Ex-Harper Senior AdvisorMr. Bruce Carson has a history of fraud convictions and was convicted on five counts dating back to the 1980s and 1990s <i>before </i>he was hired as an advisor to PM Harper.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvNykM0JOBE3FKCjoEcADC1NdozA99cM_vdLW7nN5lkQa2E377z2i2CH61qaAGoZFucgbUL2321TpVxZ93Uynj479EA4ApDkNblCj6N1-gZ3m640fyR7ylF0H5Z_SqVqfyGUrGkTHuVwUh/s1600/harpercarson-300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvNykM0JOBE3FKCjoEcADC1NdozA99cM_vdLW7nN5lkQa2E377z2i2CH61qaAGoZFucgbUL2321TpVxZ93Uynj479EA4ApDkNblCj6N1-gZ3m640fyR7ylF0H5Z_SqVqfyGUrGkTHuVwUh/s1600/harpercarson-300.jpg" /></a> The Prime Minister still has not explained why he would hire a convicted fraudster to be his <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">chief policy analyst</span></span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: white; font-family: helvetica;"> </span>and on more than one occasion, has claimed ignorance to Mr. Carson's criminal background.<b>Given the intense security screening that is necessary to work in the PMO, including a criminal background check, this claim does not seem credible.</b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"The prime minister still hasn’t explained, or taken any responsibility, for how his inner circle included someone with previous criminal convictions for fraud — who then went on to allegedly use his political connections to take advantage of impoverished First Nations communities for a quick buck," said Charlie Angus in a written statement.</span></span></blockquote>
Since this story broke back in March of 2011 we have also seen Ministers in Mr Harper's Cabinet linked to instances of ethically questionable actions. <br />
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<ul>
<li>Parliamentary Secretary Dean Del Mastro's cousin is linked to alleged election fundraising fraud.</li>
<li>Paul Calandra's Conservative Electoral District Association invites man vying for broadcast licence to make a donation.</li>
</ul>
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<a href="http://randomrantingravingandratings.blogspot.ca/2011/04/what-are-stephen-harpers-standards.html" target="_blank">What are Stepen Harper's Standards? Felons insided the PMO</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.cbc.ca/m/touch/news/story/2012/07/27/pol-bruce-carson-charged-rcmp.html">CBC News - Ex-Harper aide Bruce Carson charged with influence peddling</a>: <br />
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<a href="http://www.cbc.ca/m/touch/news/canada/story/2011/04/06/f-bruce-carson-timeline.html" target="_blank">The Bruce Carson controversy</a><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Ottawa, ON, Canada45.4215296 -75.697193145.0649016 -76.328907100000009 45.7781576 -75.0654791tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-246696342718957502.post-17792556434430384132012-08-09T12:30:00.000-04:002012-09-13T14:35:08.346-04:00Stephen Harper finds Science - Well Not ReallyCould it be that Prime Minister Harper has discovered the existence of science? The headlines across the country are declaring the PM says that "Science, not politics, will determine outcome". It is enough to give fans of evidence based policy goose bumps.<br />
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Well don't get too excited. Lets look at what Mr Harper actually said:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I've been very clear that decisions on these kinds of projects are made through an independent evaluation conducted by scientists into the <i>economic costs and risks</i> that are associated with the project."</blockquote>
This statement sound more like status quo than radical change of position. He's worried about the economics not the environment. It seems like the press was so shocked to hear the word <i>scientists </i>come out of the Prime Minister's mouth that they didn't listen very closely to the words that followed it. And to be fair a tagline saying Stephen Harper will listen to science was just too juicy to not use.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjilxEPbUu9W6E_20vG8E44FPa47XVmblXjR9AQSFrTQUnJAOJYYdyAWE5j3ye8XRA1EDa-tnVL1tovKZMItxglqF0Zntj1S0jPVFdh_CSrA5mH5wFiJPCNF5vqcdATDSZWqMyOo9y6S6Ff/s1600/harper-bc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Stephen Harper Aug 2012" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjilxEPbUu9W6E_20vG8E44FPa47XVmblXjR9AQSFrTQUnJAOJYYdyAWE5j3ye8XRA1EDa-tnVL1tovKZMItxglqF0Zntj1S0jPVFdh_CSrA5mH5wFiJPCNF5vqcdATDSZWqMyOo9y6S6Ff/s320/harper-bc.jpg" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1238552--stephen-harper-tempers-message-on-northern-gateway-pipeline">Stephen Harper tempers message on Northern Gateway pipeline - thestar.com</a>: <br />
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<a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/08/07/pol-gateway-tuesday-harper-bc.html" target="_blank">Harper defends independence of pipeline approval process</a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Nepean, ON, Canada45.3349046 -75.724100645.245608600000004 -75.8820291 45.4242006 -75.5661721tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-246696342718957502.post-90236079361791690682012-08-07T17:15:00.001-04:002012-08-08T12:13:39.378-04:00Canadian Government to extend EI benefits to families of seriously ill children<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoumFFZ8ac-7jCICfqozH5DULKNn81S0wSBMknvroMZeuJWlV-M01R2dTSwN_uiEbmSsXbCgQXhtOznqInV-bcle3cS8JJatjskU5a7E7fUc22xWoX0W6qnxk-d7aebuIorj2COYwNBIbS/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoumFFZ8ac-7jCICfqozH5DULKNn81S0wSBMknvroMZeuJWlV-M01R2dTSwN_uiEbmSsXbCgQXhtOznqInV-bcle3cS8JJatjskU5a7E7fUc22xWoX0W6qnxk-d7aebuIorj2COYwNBIbS/s1600/images.jpg" /></a>The Canadian Government announced today that Employment Insurance (EI) benefits will be extended to families of seriously ill children. It will allow parents or legal guardians of minor children with a life threatening illness or injury to receive income support for up to 35 weeks. The change to EI is expected to be in place by June 2013 and can be combined with the existing compassionate care benefit.<br />
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It is a rare occasion that I completely agree with the current government's policies but this is definitely one of them.<br />
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<a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2012/08/07/pol-stephen-harper-british-columbia.html">EI benefits extended to families of seriously ill children - Politics - CBC News</a>: <br />
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<a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/pengoopmcjnbflcjbmoeodbmoflcgjlk" style="font-size: 13px;">'via Blog this'</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0 Ottawa, ON, Canada45.398449976304079 -75.7617187542.527788476304082 -80.815429749999993 48.269111476304076 -70.708007750000007tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-246696342718957502.post-29624378350944219612012-07-27T12:50:00.000-04:002012-08-09T11:35:31.315-04:00Did a Conservative Riding Association take Kick Back Money?<span style="font-size: large;">The Facts:</span><br />
<ul>
<li>The Prime Ministers fundraising rules for ministers and parliamentary secretaries (called Accountable Government) state:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Garuda, Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">“There should be no singling out, or appearance of singling out, of individuals or organizations as targets of political fundraising because they have official dealings with Ministers, Ministers of State, Parliamentary Secretaries, or their staff or departments.”</span></blockquote>
</li>
<li>The parliamentary secretary to the Canadian Heritage Minister is Paul Calandra. </li>
<li>The CRTC is funded by Canadian Heritage Ministry. </li>
<li>The CRTC decides who gets broadcast licences.</li>
<li>Stan Antony applies to the CRTC for a new radio station. </li>
<li>Mr. Antony is then invited to make a donation to Parliamentary Secretary for Canadian Heritage, Paul Calandra's Conservative Electoral District Association.</li>
<li>Mr. Antony <i>donates </i>$500.00</li>
<li><b>While the competition was taking place,</b> Parliamentary Secretary Calandra's riding association raised in excess of $5000 from individuals connected to companies vying for the radio station<b>.</b></li>
<li>The donations become public through news reports.</li>
<li>Parliamentary Secretary Calandra tells the newspaper, <i>The Globe and Mail</i> that the money will be returned to the donors.</li>
<li>The office of the Federal Ethics Commissioner has <b>not decided whether or not to launch an investigation</b> to determine if the <i>Conflict of Interest Act for public officeholders</i> or the <i>Conflict of Interest Code for MPs</i> were contravened by the Parliamentary Secretary for Canadian Heritage.</li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Analysis:</span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">The Accountable Government rule looks to be intentionally </span><i style="background-color: white;">written to have the <b>appearance </b>of rather than actual accountability. </i><span style="background-color: white;">If the Prime Minister was truly serious about ethics and accountability he would have said "There </span><i style="background-color: white;"><b>will be no</b></i><span style="background-color: white;"> singling out,..." instead of "There should be no singling out...". </span><b style="background-color: white;">The word should only indicates that the action is a bad idea and not that it is prohibited.</b><span style="background-color: white;"> Being a lawyer Mr. Harper would have been aware of the legal difference between the words "should" and "will"or "shall". </span></li>
<li>Wishy washy wording aside it is clear that a significant amount of money was donated by individuals, with official dealings with the Parliamentary Secretary's department Canadian Heritage, that were singled out as targets for fundraising. </li>
<li>Failure of the Ethics Commissioner to investigate this incident would imply complacency on the part of the Federal Government.</li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXsg7MnlxLCLMkeVcwbCsbAp6lyAMMKlC-Emizu1r18VnRojNgAO-IyllUc8ou8hG5_OwcCfp7wd1Upkn6EDV5is2H2EZ4t5VQbL3_O9TjB4_snkw6I_fEQKqbgpIs2NkgT7Ko7sXhyphenhyphenRVW/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXsg7MnlxLCLMkeVcwbCsbAp6lyAMMKlC-Emizu1r18VnRojNgAO-IyllUc8ou8hG5_OwcCfp7wd1Upkn6EDV5is2H2EZ4t5VQbL3_O9TjB4_snkw6I_fEQKqbgpIs2NkgT7Ko7sXhyphenhyphenRVW/s1600/images.jpg" title="Paul Calandra, Parliamentary Secretary to Heritage Minister" /></a><a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/man-vying-for-broadcast-licence-urged-to-donate-to-tory-fundraiser/article4443557/?cmpid=rss1">Man vying for broadcast licence urged to donate to Tory fundraiser - The Globe and Mail</a>: <br />
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So here are my notes and thoughts from the presentation:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Bread and Butter Canadians (definition) are people not interested in a particular political party. These individuals work for a living or are recently unemployed. Most 'bread and butters' believe that the government is out of touch with their reality and challenges being faced with.</li>
</ul>
<div>
At the beginning of the bread and butter discussion I felt a faint glimmer of hope that Conservatives were in fact becoming aware of the 99% only to have them dashed by the conclusion reached which was:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>They will vote for Conservatives if topics are framed in right way and candidates are mindful of wording.</li>
</ul>
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Next it was on to a discussion of "Near Customers".</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Near Customers are people that Conservatives believe should be voting for them but are not. </li>
<ul>
<li>These "customers" (their word) are in "particularly affluent urban areas" where the profile of a Green Party voter and a Conservative voter are almost the same.</li>
<li>Blue Collar and Trade Unionists that believe in law and order.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<div>
If I didn't already know they were discussing citizens voting in an election I would have thought I'd wandered in to an quarterly sales report. The discussion was more about how can we sell people on voting for us then what could be done to advance Canadian society. In fact at no time did anyone stop to ask what the party could do to meet the needs of these citizens. Nope it was all about the approach (i.e. the sales pitch) and strengthening "the brand".</div>
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Just when I thought this couldn't get any more surreal.... out comes the results from their focus group testing on the catch phrase "government as facilitator". I am guessing that is the sales pitch for government getting out of the business of governing because the preface for the discussion was "that people understand government cannot offer solutions to problems". By the way 78% of respondents reacted favourably to the phrase so watch for it coming out of some Conservative pundits and politicians soon.</div>
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I turned off the T.V. when the Institute of Marriage and Family presenter started to talk about God getting people off of welfare.</div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">The government announced that it will be introducing legislation to ban the practice of Credit Cards sending unsolicited "cheques" in the mail. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">I'm all for that! First the cheques themselves are treated like cash advances and </span>begin<span style="font-size: 100%;"> accumulating interest as soon as they clear so it is better to use the card itself to make purchases.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">S</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%;">econd it cuts down on the junk mail we receive. I hope this bill passes </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">unanimously.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%;"> </span></div>
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<a href="http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Government+moving+forward+proposed+unsolicited+credit+card+cheque/6249181/story.html" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">Government moving forward on proposed unsolicited credit card cheque ban</a><span style="font-size: 100%;">: </span><br />
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