Trudeau Event To Be Largest Google Hangout In Canuck History!

A little Canadian history being made in Vancouver this Thursday...

Make History.

Canada's largest Google Hangout with Justin Trudeau! Thursday night, at Relish GastroPub in Vancouver... Great opportunity to learn more about this Canadian Tour de force!
https://www.facebook.com/events/218364328307378/219517531525391/?notif_t=plan_mall_activity


VICTORY FUND

Family Day For All?

Ralph Goodale discusses the perils facing those poor souls who can't enjoy Family Day. Great read. Thanks Ralph!

RALPH GOODALE'S REPORT
A commentary by the Member of Parliament for Wascana

February 18th, 2013

FAMILY DAY, BUT NOT FOR ALL

Many Canadians enjoy their mid-February "Family Day" holiday, but not all families can celebrate equally.

Think, for example, of those low-income families who are caring for elderly parents, or would like to get their kids into sports or arts programs, or have disability issues, or volunteer as community firefighters. They are deliberately excluded from the federal tax credits that more wealthy families get.

This sounds perverse, but it's true -- our tax system says you must have income above a certain level to access a variety of family tax credits. The more wealthy can benefit. Those on the most modest incomes cannot. Close to 9-million Canadians are left out.

This discrimination should be remedied in the next federal budget.

On Family Day, think also of those Aboriginal families who mourn more than 600 missing or murdered women and girls -- daughters and sisters, mothers and grandmothers, wrenched from their families, some known to be dead, others long unaccounted for.

Indigenous women make up 3% of Canada's population, but represent 10% of all female homicides. About 85% of all homicides are solved by police investigations, but that "clearance rate" drops to just 50% when the victim is an Aboriginal woman or girl.

If non-Aboriginal women were being killed or disappearing at the same rate as Aboriginals, there would be 20,000 Canadian women missing or murdered.

Indifference toward this carnage must end. Strong action is required to expose the truth about these 600 victims, achieve justice, and build a society in which violence toward all women is far better prevented.

That's why, for more than five years, Liberals in Parliament have pushed for a comprehensive Public Inquiry to dig out all the facts about these 600 unsolved cases. Such an initiative is necessary to get to the truth, and to start building a new era of trust and respect with indigenous peoples.

We also want the appointment of a Special Prosecutor or other civilian authority to launch proper investigations into allegations of police complicity in the violence.

You cannot expect traumatized women and families to report their allegations to some of the same authorities who may have victimized them in the first place. The government must provide safe and secure ways for them to tell what happened.

The House of Commons gave unanimous support last week to a Liberal Motion setting up a Parliamentary Committee to get to work on various policy questions related to violence against Aboriginal women. This is a good move, but only a small first step.


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Conservatives Try To "Con" Sask Voters

I can't believe this is happening in Canada!

From the Goodale Report:


RALPH GOODALE’S REPORT
A commentary by the Member of Parliament for Wascana


February 6th, 2013

GERRYMANDERING & ROBOCALLS – WHAT A TANGLED CONSERVATIVE WEB!

It’s a sad story of manipulation and deceit. Let’s begin at the beginning …

Following the publication of new census numbers last year, a Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission was appointed, as required by law, to re-draw the map of Saskatchewan’s 14 federal constituencies.

The Commission consists of a Queen’s Bench Judge (Mr. Justice Ron Mills), a Professor Emeritus from the University of Saskatchewan (Dr. John Courtney) and the President of the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (Dave Marit). Their report was made public last week, and the Conservatives have been having a hissy-fit ever since.

Political parties may disagree with the Commission, but it’s the Commission – not any politician – that has the legal authority to determine where the boundaries go. That independent, arm’s length, non-partisan approach is fundamental to fair and honest elections.

Drawing electoral maps is a tough job. People can have differing views. The Commission had one dissenter, Mr. Marit. But the Mills/Courtney majority position was strong, clear and well-reasoned, with the backing of SUMA (the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association) and a great many others.

The proposed new map provides Saskatchewan with a fair and balanced outcome that more accurately reflects the province’s reality, including six rural ridings (one more than before), five urban seats (instead of none before), and three rural/urban blends.

In a bizarre twist last week, residents of Regina and Saskatoon began receiving automated telephone calls attacking the proposed new boundaries. The tone was abusive, suggesting those who agreed with the new map – including the majority of the Commission – were betraying Saskatchewan’s values.

Conservatives immediately tried to distance themselves from these despicable robocalls. Local MPs and Conservative headquarters in Ottawa both denied having anything to do with them. “Not something we would do”, Conservatives claimed.

But after complaints were filed with the CRTC (Canada’s telecommunications regulator), the Party had to confess that these calls were, indeed, a Conservative scam. Their initial attempt to hide their involvement shows they knew what they were doing was wrong.

It was wrong to mislead Saskatchewan people and try to intimidate them. It was wrong to interfere with what was supposed to be a totally independent process. It was wrong to discredit the commissioners and their work. It was wrong to try to cover it up.

The last time a scam of this kind was discovered, the Conservatives had to admit to a deceitful “disinformation” campaign maligning Montreal-area MP Irwin Cotler. The Speaker of the House of Commons (Regina MP Andrew Scheer) quite properly called the Conservative tactics “reprehensible”. This latest escapade is no less so.

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NDP Toys With Quebec

Ralph Goodale with another solid analysis of the national political scene, as viewed from the trenches in Ottawa.

RALPH GOODALE’S REPORT
A commentary by the Member of Parliament for Wascana
goodale@sasktel.net


February 4th, 2013

SOFT-PEDDLING SEPARATISM IS NOT GOOD FOR CANADA

Thomas Mulcair’s NDP keep coming up with troubling prescriptions for Canada’s future.

First, last summer, they depicted the development of natural resources in western Canada as a “disease” harmful to manufacturing in the east. They deliberately attacked western Premiers, and pitted sector-against-sector, region-against-region.

Obviously, Mr. Mulcair was going after votes elsewhere than in the West, and he was specifically prepared to sacrifice the well-being of Saskatchewan and Alberta.

Now, this past week, there’s another NDP gambit, playing fast-and-loose with another dimension of Canadian unity – i.e., the terms upon which a province might claim the right to separate from the rest of the country.

Having faced two previous separatist referenda in Quebec, which put the country through great anguish and uncertainty, the Parliament of Canada adopted The Clarity Act in the year 2000.

Based on advice from the Supreme Court, this law says the federal government shall not negotiate any province’s separatist aspirations unless the population of that province “has clearly expressed its democratic will that the province secede from Canada”. The referendum necessary to determine that “democratic will” would have to involve a clear vote on a clear question.

The NDP supported The Clarity Act back in 2000. During the most recent federal election, they said they were not calling for its repeal. But all of that changed last week. They tabled draft legislation to get rid of the Act, and make it easier for separatists to win.

The NDP would eliminate the role of the Parliament of Canada – i.e., the one legislative body that includes the elected representatives of all Canadians – in determining whether any proposed referendum question is unmistakably clear.

But even worse, the NDP say a bare majority voting “yes” – i.e. 50%-plus one – would be sufficient to cause this country to be broken up. And that’s 50%-plus one of those who actually turn-out, not the total voting age population.

It takes a two-thirds majority to amend the constitution of the NDP as a political party, but Mr. Mulcair would let Canada disintegrate based on the ambiguous views of a minority share of the population in one province. Surely that’s just wrong!


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A Very Conservative Loathing For Their Very Own Budgetary Officer

The Conservative Party had - at one time - at least pretended to be promising "accountability".  Since taking office, however, that remains a pipe-dream for the hoodwinked targeted voters who lent them their votes.

The Harper Gov't has been ANYTHING BUT ACCOUNTABLE.  Beyond simply not addresses past government weaknesses, the Harper Government decided they would simply invent their own realities.  Shucking science, and any sort of evidence to support their wonton embrace of a narrow ideology, the Conservatives have elevated public lack of accountability to a new art form.

In most democracies there are a few checks and balances to keep a government from running away with public freedoms and disregard for accountability:

- Parliamentary respect for ALL MPs ("honourable members")

- Responsibility to provide all parties access to details on government spending

- Active engagement of political media and Parliamentary press (so the public can find out what is going on)

- Respect for a highly trained civil service which will advise the gov't if they are heading the wrong way.

- Being open and honest with committees.

- If all else fails, most governments will still respect their election watchdogs and courts.

Forget about getting the facts from this bunch.  They are beyond that.  They've followed none of the principles listed above.  Rather, they have thumbed their noses at more than tradition - they've created a government that is accountable to no-one. 

Now some will say, "but, they are accountable to voters".  Really?  When the Conservative Party does everything they possibly can to ensure voters are not aware of their actions... When they go out of their way to obfuscate...  When they are being investigated for potential election fraud... THEN, the so-called accountability to the electorate is meaningless.

Here is Ralph Goodale's take on the Kevin Page situation.

RALPH GOODALE`S REPORT

A commentary by the Member of Parliament for Wascana

January 28^th, 2013

WHY DO CONSERVATIVES HATE KEVIN PAGE?

It was almost exactly a year ago now that Stephen Harper jetted off to Switzerland to give a speech to the world’s economic elite, announcing that Canada could no longer afford its Old Age Pension program, and he would soon cut it back.

That program to help low and middle-income Canadians has been in place since 1952.  Subject to income-related eligibility rules, it provides a monthly payment to each individual Canadian when he/she reaches the age of 65.  The total cost of doing that is currently about $36-billion.  That amounts to a modest 2.2% of our GDP.

This makes Canada’s Old Age Pension one of the most affordable social security programs in the whole world.  Similar systems in other countries use up 10% or more of their GDPs.  Ours is a bargain by comparison.

But Mr. Harper says the impending retirement “bulge” caused by all those post-war Baby Boomers, soon turning 65, will blow the bank.  He claims the Old Age Pension will become too costly.  So, he says, the eligibility age must be changed – from 65 to 67 years.  That will save big money, right?

Not really.  If no changes are made, the cost of Old Age Pensions will increase by the year 2030 to consume about 2.9% of GDP.  That’s up from 2.2% today, but still a small total cost by global standards.  With Mr. Harper’s changes, pension costs will still rise, but only to about 2.6% of GDP in 2030.

So all-in, the saving to the federal treasury is a rather tiny 0.3%.  Clearly, there can be no allegation that Old Age Pensions are unsustainable.

Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page pointed all this out, last February – just a couple of weeks after Mr. Harper’s erroneous claims in Switzerland.  The PBO’s findings were later confirmed by the Auditor-General.

Something similar happened on the Conservatives’ proposed purchase of F-35 stealth fighter-jets.  First, the PBO disclosed the Harper government’s colossal mismanagement and dishonesty in this multi-billion-dollar procurement boondoggle.  And then the Auditor-General confirmed he was right.

Time and time again, this pattern has repeated itself.  Kevin Page has been fearless in blowing the whistle on incompetence and deceit.

That explains the tirade against PBO this past weekend by Finance Minister Flaherty – ironically, just as he was jetting off to Switzerland for this year’s meeting of the world’s rich and famous.

VICTORY FUND

Harper's Malevolent Regime

Ralph Goodale discusses Canada's resident "enfant terrible" government... Ralph spoke to a packed room at the LPCBC Policy Conference in Surrey on Saturday.

Mr. Goodale encouraged the large gathering to lead the fight for change in our great land.

RALPH GOODALE’S REPORT
A commentary by the Member of Parliament for Wascana

January 21st, 2013

HARPER GOVERNMENT UNDERMINED BY ITS OWN SENSE OF IMPUNITY

Stephen Harper’s government is perhaps best known for its over-reaching sense of impunity – the notion that “might makes right”.

They believe that a majority (for the time being) in the House of Commons should allow them to get away with anything they want, with no regard for what others believe or hold dear. They trample on people, values and institutions, just because they can.

A sense of impunity leads to excessive ministerial behavior – like Bev Oda’s orange juice, Jason Kenney’s limousines, Peter MacKay’s helicopter rides to fishing holes, Tony Clement’s ornamental gazebos and sidewalks-to-nowhere in Muskoka, Julian Fantino’s misuse of government websites, and Jim Flaherty’s meddling at the CRTC. They think they’re exempt from the rules.

That sense of impunity also leads to massive mistakes like the F-35 fiasco. It’s the biggest sole-sourced, untendered procurement (against all the rules) in Canadian history.

The Parliamentary Budget Officer, the Auditor-General and the private firm of KPMG have all exposed the incompetence which riddled this file since the Conservatives came to power in 2006. Worse still is the deceit. They kept two sets of figures to hide the truth. What they disclosed to Parliament and the public was deliberately misleading.

And make no mistake. They haven’t changed. There’s no admission of wrong-doing. No apology. No change of course. Just a lot of spin and blather to obscure that reality that they’re plowing ahead to get the exact same result as first contrived.

Their sense of impunity also corrodes democracy.

No questions ever get answered in Question Period. Parliamentary committees are forced to go behind closed doors to conduct the public’s business in secret. Ministers’ offices delay and subvert Access-to-Information. Omnibus bills and Closure motions are used routinely to kill debate and stymie scrutiny of legislation.

In addition to the vicious attack-ads they use to malign political opponents, there’s also a systematic campaign of character assassination designed to intimidate non-governmental organizations, public servants, scientists, statisticians, Officers of Parliament, public-interest “watchdogs”, even churches and charities – to shut them up.

So much for freedom of speech! From the Parliamentary Budget Officer to the Nuclear Safety Commission, from ecumenical groups like KAIROS to Indian Chiefs like Theresa Spence, if you dare speak truth to power, this government will try to slander you.

That same sense of impunity also leads to the illegal election financing scam for which the Conservative Party was investigated, charged and had to plead guilty.

And don’t forget the still unexplained election irregularities in Etobicoke-Centre, Peterborough and Labrador, and the massive on-going investigation into thousands of illegal telephone calls, starting in Guelph, but potentially contaminating elections in some 200 ridings across the country.





-- Post From My iPhone

Goodale: Harper Must Step Up

There really is a LOT more the Reform-Conservatives can do for First Nations. Ralph Goodale discusses some of what must be done...

RALPH GOODALE’S REPORT
A commentary by the Member of Parliament for Wascana

January 14th, 2013

MR. HARPER MUST GO “EXTRA MILE” FOR ABORIGINAL PEOPLES!

As commentators dissect last week’s confrontations between the Harper government and various First Nations Chiefs and leaders, the situation is obviously at a delicate point – presenting real risks, but also opportunities.

While some will blame the Aboriginal side for being unclear, too theoretical or having a poor track-record, the same criticisms could apply to the government. There’s lots of blame to go around. The onus for making progress now rests on the Prime Minister. He’s the one who holds power and he always likes to tell us that he’s the one “who makes the rules.”

That was clearly demonstrated in 2006, the moment he took office, when he cancelled the Kelowna Accord. That fully-funded, five-year Accord dealt with Aboriginal housing and water, healthcare, education, economic development and stronger governance (including the concept of a First Nations Auditor-General to ensure transparency and accountability).

It took nearly 24 months of careful dialogue to build the trusting relationship in which Kelowna was rooted. The Accord had the support of the federal government, all 10 provinces and three territories, and the five national Aboriginal organizations – until Mr. Harper killed it.

Much goodwill was lost, but some hope was rekindled in 2008 when the government apologized for Canada’s sorry role in Indian Residential Schools. Sadly, there was little follow-up. The same happened in 2011 after out-going Auditor-General, Sheila Fraser, described Aboriginals as the most impoverished people in the country – nothing changed.

Then, a year ago, in response to the widely reported misery at Attawapiskat, Mr. Harper agreed to a Crown-First Nations Summit. But again, a year has passed with no progress, which brings us to the Idle-No-More movement, a hunger strike by Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence, and the tumult last week in Ottawa.

So where to from here? First, out of the glare of publicity, Mr. Harper needs to give Chief Spence the private but sincere assurance that the neglect of past years will be truly rectified. She must be persuaded to live, not starve.

Secondly, it will take time to restore the respect and trust that made Kelowna possible, especially in the complicated fields of treaty rights and land claims, but a credible beginning must be made very quickly. On the federal side, the government needs to be consultative, not unilateral. They must be prepared to serve the greater public good, not merely a narrow ideological base.

Third, immediate progress can be made in several areas. For example, a Royal Commission could get to work on what happened to hundreds of missing and murdered Aboriginal women.

The budget this spring could bring federal funding for the K-12 education of First Nations children up to the higher amounts-per-child that provinces invest in non-Aboriginal kids. And the feds could get rid of their “cap” on funding for post-secondary education and child welfare.

These things would be a start.



-- Post From My iPhone

Goodale on "#idlenomore"

Ralph discusses #idlenomore... A born in Sask movement...


RALPH GOODALE’S REPORT
A commentary by the Member of Parliament for Wascana
goodale@sasktel.net

December 31st, 2012

CANADA’S GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE “IDLE-NO-MORE”


Over the past few weeks, a remarkable movement has taken shape among indigenous peoples in Canada. It’s called “Idle-No-More”.

Beginning with four women from Saskatchewan, the movement is driven largely by women and youth using social media like Twitter and Facebook. With the advice of elders, it’s committed to peaceful public events highlighting unacceptable realities in the lives of First Nations people, the Metis, Inuit and others.

Their spontaneous activities have reached across Canada and beyond. The initial spark was Stephen Harper’s second Omnibus Budget Bill (C-45).

In that incoherent hodge-podge of dozens of unrelated measures – all lumped together to prevent intelligent scrutiny – the Conservatives slipped-in several items that detract from the inherent rights of indigenous peoples, including weakened environmental rules and intrusions on First Nations’ land. There was no prior consultation or consent. It was totally arbitrary.

But Idle-No-More is about more than C-45.

It’s about this government running roughshod over Treaty Rights – something the Conservatives were bluntly warned about by none other than former Cabinet Minister, Jim Prentice.

It’s also about Mr. Harper’s failure to take any meaningful action to help build some genuine hope for the future following his 2008 “apology” for the tragic legacy of Indian Residential Schools. All those fine words are proving vacuous.

And then, just over a year ago, along came the housing crisis and human misery at Attawapiskat. The government’s reaction was a combination of indifference and scorn. They were shamed into meeting with indigenous leaders last January, but 12 months later the results are nil.

In the spirit of Idle-No-More, Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence is now on a hunger strike in Ottawa, trying to get Mr. Harper to pay some attention. He doesn’t seem to realize that he has a personal constitutional obligation toward Chief Spence and all other Aboriginal people.

What’s needed is a rekindling of the hopeful sincerity that generated the “Kelowna Accords” of 2005.

It took 24 months of personal effort by then-Prime Minister Martin to establish the trust and respect upon which progress could be based – engaging the federal government, all provinces and territories, and all national Aboriginal organizations. Sadly, that ground-breaking initiative was cancelled the moment Stephen Harper took power.

And nothing of consequence has been accomplished since. On things that indigenous peoples need, the Harper government has been painfully idle far too long.


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Ukrainian Democracy - Possible?

Ralph Goodale on the Right to Democracy. Ralph displays his wealth of knowledge of democratic systems and lawmaking...

RALPH GOODALE’S REPORT
A commentary by the Member of Parliament for Wascana

January 7th, 2012

UKRAINE STILL STRUGGLING FOR DEMOCRACY

This week, many Ukrainian Canadians are celebrating Orthodox Christmas, and then Malanka – New Year’s! Greetings and best wishes to all those of the Orthodox faith who practice their sacred traditions according to the Julian calendar.

Ukrainian settlement in Canada began 122 years ago. Some 1.3-million Canadians can trace their family heritage to Ukraine, including 13% of Saskatchewan’s population.

But even as they celebrate this joyous season, many will be thinking about the difficult struggle for true democracy which continues in Ukraine unabated.

The Parliamentary elections held this past fall were again tainted by serious irregularities. Corruption is a big problem. The main leaders of the democratic opposition are in jail. Academic and religious freedoms are under pressure. Freedom of the press is compromised. Human rights and the rule of law are in jeopardy.

Eugenia Tymoshenko, the daughter of jailed former-premier Yulia Tymoshenko, is calling for international sanctions against the current regime of President Viktor Yanukovych. So what can/should Canada do?

Our response needs to be carefully tuned and targeted to have the most useful effect, including:

· Relentless lobbying for the release of political prisoners and competent independent medical care for them in the meantime;
· Adjustments in Canada’s foreign aid to focus on democratic development and the successful functioning of civil society;
· Encouragement for Canadian broadcasters and business-people to invest in independent media outlets and honest news coverage in Ukraine;
· Insistence that any Trade Agreements between Canada and Ukraine must include enforceable provisions about the rule of law and respect for human rights;
· Canadian leadership through the G-8, G-20, IMF and UN to combat money laundering and obstruct the world travels and illicit business operations of oligarchs and corrupt officials.

This latter point may be among the most important. The objective would be to prevent those who undermine democracy, violate human rights and flout the rule of law from jet-setting around the globe with impunity, enjoying the fruits of their misbehaviour.

Canada could not accomplish such a result all on our own, but we could be an advocate and catalyst to bring the US, the EU and other nations into an effective partnership to this end. We need to have an impact before the next presidential elections in 2015.



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Harper Conservatives Toy With Tin-Pottery

(Credit to Creekside Blog for this image).

Conservatives will often claim that they are not "right wing".  Heck, some of them even call themselves moderates.  With the money behind their spin machine, they can certainly convince a lot of voters of this.

For Conservatives wanting to practice these lines of "truthiness" the challenge is the old "actions speak louder than words" adage.  The Conservative government has successively (and successfully) begun a "remoulding" of Canada in a very reactionary, right-wing way.  In their "war on logic" and "war on words", they've managed to twist the language of politics just enough that the general public is always one step behind the fibs.  If we are careful to check facts, however, we'll see that their actions do not follow their words - at least not their "sanitized-for-public-consumption" talking points.

Take the recent story of a backbench Conservative MP asking a question (obviously fed to him by the PMO, because ALL Conservative MPs are spoon-fed their questions and statements from Dear Leader) about the cost of the Opposition asking questions.

Wait-a-minute, you say, did you read that correctly?  The government is questioning the Opposition's RIGHT (and DUTY, we might add) to ask questions?

Yes they are.  And they'll probably convince a lot of people of the need to free the government of "pesky little things" like questions to enforce accountability.

Let's go over a little history here...  When the Harper Party came to power back in 2006, they were promising to uphold the accountability of the Canadian Government.  Harper appointed several watchdogs - hand-picked them actually - an "Accountability Commissioner", and new Parliamentary Budget Officer, among others.

Throughout the intervening time period Harper's Party has come up against these watchdogs, as they try everything in their ability to by-pass accountability.  The Harper PMO gave his caucus a guide to subvert the work of Parliament, forced an election over the Opposition questions about the F35 fighter purchase his government has championed - and vehemently defended cost-wise (you can read more about their attempts to mislead Canadians here), are trying to silence local mayors, and using EVERY opportunity under the sun to advertise his POLITICAL motives using tax-payer dollars (even angering his friends at the right wing National Citizen's Coalition).

Beyond gagging Parliament and any questioning of his government in the House, Harper's gang have tried to muzzle the very journalists who have sought to do the work they are trained to:  to question the government on issues that matter to Canadians.

This is all part of a very effective Harper strategy taught to Canadian Conservatives by their Republican cousins like Frank Luntz in the USA.  The strategy is quite insidious:  The goal is to subvert language itself.  Make people believe they are hearing one thing, when the government is actually doing something else - often the opposite.  Luntz has become somewhat of an expert at twisting reality.  He's been censured for it on more than one occasion, yet he is a favourite of Canadian Conservatives.

The reality is that Conservatives understand most Canadians (or even Americans for that matter) WILL stand up for the liberal principles of fairness and equality.  They know that their pet policy of cutting government to nothing but a military, with full privatization of the nation, and full corporate welfare (read: corporations pay little or no taxes) does not always resonate with most of the middle class who never actually benefit from it.  They know that Canadians DO NOT agree with them on abortion, or privatization of healthcare.  They need another tact.  A way to - with the help of corporate conservative-leaning media - win over the "soccer moms" and "Tim Hortons hockey Dads", and convince them that conservative policies help them (even if they don't).

Of course, to accomplish this, they have to prevent any questions - from media, or in Parliament - and curtail facts and research that point out otherwise.  They take many of their "pet policies" and introduce them through their back benches.  When the idea is lambasted by the public and opposition, there is no accountability from the Prime Minister's Office (even thought they spoon-fed the bills and questions).  This is how you get Conservative MPs rising to bring up anti-choice measures, or defending the governments horrible record on crime prevention.

Further to simply making hidden policy choices, the other step in the Conservative agenda is the constant claim that government should be "small", and they must cut in certain areas.  The cuts, of course will be agenda/ideologically driven.  One only has to look at the attacks the Conservatives have made on church organizations who have spoken out against Harper cuts (to groups like KAIROS and CIDA), to see how far this agenda has been driven.  Eventually they'll cut all funding to anyone who may speak against them.

With information on what the government is doing, or what they are spending OUR tax dollars on, a good opposition can properly do it's job, keeping the government accountable.  The national media can also do it's job - keeping the public informed about what the government is doing, or proposing.  A government - in principle, and in tradition - has always been open to respecting the will of Parliament, the Opposition, and the free press.  It seems the "Harper Government" not so much so.

This is where today's story of the Conservative MP's question comes in.  In ANY other nation, if WE Canadians observed a government attempting to prevent the freedom of Opposition questions, we would be screaming "tin pot dictator", and "fascism"!  Anywhere there are attempts to silence opposition, or prevent voting during elections, we would be among the first nations to send election observers.  We would stand in the UN (well, at least we used to) to defend democracy.

We stand against tyrants and acts to undermine democracy in other nations because we understand history, and we understand what brought those lands to the places they are at.  We understand what lack of vigilance can result in.

For Canadians to stand pat this Holiday Season would be a complete repudiation of the democracy in which we live.  The freedoms many of us have fought and died for are being sliced away... a death by 1000 cuts (perhaps more)... We need to put away our iPods, and XBoxes, and Facebook chat sessions, and reality TV shows JUST long enough to realize what is truly at play here... what are the true costs to Canadian values and Canadian democracy.

Please.  Stand up and be an active Canadian!


VICTORY FUND

Conservatives' Economic Failures

Ralph Goodale discusses the horrible fiscal management record of the Harper Government...

RALPH GOODALE’S REPORT
A commentary by the Member of Parliament for Wascana

December 3rd, 2012

HARPER’S BUDGET LEGISLATION IGNORES WHAT CANADIANS NEED

The Harper Conservatives will force another odious “Omnibus Budget Bill” through the House of Commons this week.

A lot of attention is focused on the anti-democratic nature of their “omnibus” process, forcing MPs to deal with 50 or more unrelated issues all at once in a single vote. It makes the vote totally meaningless.

But even worse, for all the verbiage in this budget legislation, the Conservatives are doing little of consequence to deliver what Canadians really need – i.e., more economic growth and less inequality.

Indeed, they’re moving in the opposite direction. Mr. Harper’s ideological obsession with austerity drives him to cut the federal government at every turn to make it as irrelevant as possible. And that risks weakening the economy by curtailing aggregate demand just when Canadian growth is already faltering.

Yes, the federal government must always demonstrate strong management and fiscal prudence. There is never an excuse for waste. But Canada does have a fiscal ace-in-the-hole for times like these, and that’s our federal debt-ratio.

That ratio compares the size of the federal debt to the economy overall. In the mid-1990’s, it had soared to a paralyzing 70%. In other words, the debt was equal to 70% of Canada’s GDP. Thanks to essential decisions by the Chretien/Martin governments, the federal debt-ratio was chopped below 35%. Best in the world!

That’s what gives Canada some fiscal flexibility today. Some of it should be utilized to invest in growth and combat inequality.

To start, the Harper Conservatives could stop escalating EI payroll taxes. They claim they don’t raise taxes, but that’s a lie. They are hiking payroll taxes by as much as $600-million every year, and that kills jobs.

Secondly, they could make federal tax credits for kids, caregivers and the disabled equally available to all Canadians. The way they’re structured right now, people below a certain income are ineligible. That’s perverse.

They could also focus on first-time jobs for young people struggling with unemployment rates at recession-like levels. They could help families cope with the high cost of post-secondary education. They could get serious about affordable housing. They could transfer the entire federal gas tax to local municipalities to help build community infrastructure.

There are many pro-active options, but the Harper government is content with mediocrity.



-- Post From My iPhone

2012 Bye-Election Navel Gazing

So what did we learn Monday night?

Well, we learned that some polling can be pretty darned accurate.  Polls showed the Liberals about 3-5% back of the Reform-Conservative candidate in Calgary Center, and they were pretty dead-on.

We learned that there are strong rifts within the CPC - most pronounced in AB.  We also learned that voters are not “overjoyed” by Stephen Harper’s performance.  So unimpressed, in fact, that they actually voted for... wait for it... a... a... LIBERAL!!!

We learned that an incredible, well-organized campaign cannot win on it’s own merits.

We learned that cooperation with other parties is a NON-STARTER.  The LPC must build back to what it was, with a discussion of ideas - but more importantly - a means to consistently and effectively convey those ideas.  For all serious talk of “mergers”, “coalitions”, and “cooperation”, discussing it openly appears to be the “kiss of death”, and certainly leaves the ones wishing for it appearing desperate.

We learned that the NDP also has reasons to fear it’s own standing.  BC should have been an easy “layup” for the NDP after the “Orange Crush” of 2011, but the fear and mistrust of Mulcair within that party is showing.  There are divisions within the NDP which are starting to fester. Word is, there are some speed bumps ahead which may just rattle the Orange jalopy apart.

We learned that the Greens ARE a factor... and it’s NOT only because they’re another “alternative” to this or that party.  It’s because people in North America as a whole are WAKING UP to the realities of climate change and WANT to do something about it, no matter what the mainstream parties say.

We learned that the LPC didn’t actually do bad at all - actually did exceedingly well in a Conservative bastion.

So, where does the LPC go from here?  

The LPC leadership contest will provide a partial answer to that question.  Liberals are fairly preoccupied with the leadership right now (for good reason).  There is still much work to be done.  Much of the excitement around an LPC leadership race won’t really translate to activity on the ground until the new year.  At that time we’ll see the BC LPC AGM (with several candidates from BC, this will be a key stop for all candidates), an OLP leadership race involving many LPC members, MPs and former candidates (this will draw out a lot of new supporters), and a general strong focus as April draws near. Add a busy Quebec Liberal leadership race, and you're going to see a lot of the word "liberal" in the media over the next 6 months (like it or not).

Once the leadership battle is “joined” in earnest (and before the membership cut-offs), we’ll see more of an effort to recruit and grow the party from the leadership camps.  You’ll see more discussion of details behind platforms and strategies, and you’ll see a general increase in media and public attention.

The convention - like many before it - will help define the “personality” of the party.  Is the Liberal Party youthful and brimming with new ideas, as we saw at the 2012 Biennial Convention?  Is it a party mirroring the LPC that existed merely 5-7 years ago?  Or, will it reflect the moxie, energy, and verve of the Chretien years, and the Trudeau years before that?

The January 2012 Biennial did much to begin the process of renewal.  The new LPC National Exec has taken the lead in pushing along the communication required for a dialogue - with what resources they have.  The party has been growing, raising funds, and building on new ideas.  The raw membership and supporter numbers are most encouraging.  With them we’ll eventually see the increase in funds, but the increase in numbers also means that the message - the IDEA - of a moderate centrist party of economic responsibility with social conscience, still resonates with Canadians.

Making a dent in “Fortress Alberta” (Firewall and all) was a great “show of force” during the Liberal comeback...  Hard work and a vigorous leadership contest should help clear the rest of the way. Hard work will be required in rural Canada, and a strategy to cut into the Green and NDP vote needs to exist. In the West, Liberals will face tougher competition from these two parties in urban centers. In the East the LPC must draw in Progressive Conservatives who want a government that practices "fiscal competence".

Tough task? Always has been. For over 100 years the Liberal Party of Canada has pragmatically done what was right for Canada and Canadians. It has balanced the rhetoric of the far left and far right with policy which benefits most Canadians. Policy which helps grow the "middle class". Policy which helps build this great nation. When Canadians are once again able to clearly hear that Liberal vision painted boldly by a party comfortable with itself in conveying it, the LPC will be back.

Don't be surprised if this happens some time before 2015.

VICTORY FUND

Goodale Blasts HarperCons On Omnibus Bills

Ralph Goodale has a really good write-up on omnibus bills, and he explains the concepts clearly for the layperson.  Have a read...

October 22^nd, 2012

 

ABUSIVE “OMNIBUS BILLS” SHOULD BE LIMITED AND SUB-DIVIDED

 

The language used in Parliament can sometimes get pretty obscure.  Over the last few weeks, for example, many people have asked:  “What is an omnibus Bill?”

 

A “Bill” is the written proposal that a government presents to Parliament to create a new law or change an existing one.  Bills are very specific.  Every word is scrutinized to make sure it’s the right word to convey Parliament’s exact meaning, with every “i” dotted and every “t” crossed.

 

Usually, each Bill deals with only one topic, so the debate on its principles and the expert committee work to examine its details can be thoroughly and professionally done.  And so the voting on whether to approve it can be clear-cut.

 

An “omnibus Bill” is one that includes several different topics bundled together.

 

Within reasonable limits, omnibus Bills can be managed by Parliament – if all the different topics in any such Bill are actually inter-related and inter-dependent.  And if the overall volume is not overwhelming.

 

Before the Harper government took power, omnibus Bills were used to implement the core provisions of federal Budgets.  They averaged fewer than 75-pages and typically amended a handful of laws directly related to budgetary policy.

 

Under the Harper regime, the “omnibus” procedure has been pushed to unprecedented extremes, causing massive abuses of power.

 

Conservative Omnibus Bills since 2006 have averaged well over 300 pages.  The latest, introduced just last week, has 556 sections, filling 443 pages, touching on more than 24 disconnected topics – everything from navigable waters to grain inspection, from disability plans to hazardous materials.

 

It’s a complete dog’s breakfast, deliberately designed to be so humongous and convoluted in a single lump that it cannot be intelligently reviewed by Parliament, and any votes will be largely meaningless.

 

Such abusive tactics have been condemned by none other than Stephen Harper himself.  But now in power, he behaves like a Third World despot – seemingly afraid of a properly functioning Parliamentary democracy.

 

That fear of democracy is also evident in Conservative election financing violations (for which they’ve been charged and convicted), robo-call schemes to manipulate voters, and vicious attack-advertising.  It’s all beneath contempt.

VICTORY FUND

An Opinion on the Harper/Kenney Immigration Policy by BC Thinktank

Came across this article on a BC South Asian think-tank website...  Certainly makes you think if Harper's misleading of New Canadians will have any lasting impact.  Seems there are already lots of reasons for the South Asian community to rethink any serious commitments to a Conservative cause bent on "turning back the clock" on any progress they've made in Canada...

Check it out here:

http://www.indusglobalpolicy.com/2012/10/13/harper-conservatives-create-another-roadblock-for-new-canadians-minorities/


VICTORY FUND

Conservatives Making Misdirected, Mean-spirited Cuts

The Harper government continues to make mean-spirited cuts to any and all institutions they are ideologically opposed to, while they keep their wasteful pet projects (projects that are more expensive than ALL the cuts they are trying to make combined) on the board.  They prefer mega-billion dollar jets and jails, while they nickel-and-dime Canadians with cuts to agencies and groups that did valuable service to the communities they are in, Canada, and the World.

Ralph Goodale touches on a few more "gosh, what are they doing?" cuts by this lost and misdirected "government".

INTEGRITY MISSING FROM CONSERVATIVE BUDGET CUTS

Last week, I met some great people at Abernethy, Saskatchewan who run the “Motherwell Homestead National Historic Site”.  One was an employee.  The others were volunteers.

For them, preserving and telling the story of W.R. Motherwell is a labour of love.  They rightly believe it’s fundamental to what rural western Canada is all about.  Born in Ontario in 1860 and transplanted to the Northwest Territories in 1882, Motherwell was a visionary who helped lay the foundations of prairie agriculture.

His original farm-site is a priceless piece of history.  Among many innovations, he pioneered food safety principles, and was an early advocate of shelterbelts to combat soil erosion.  An historic prairie “tree nursery” was set up in 1901 only a few miles from his homestead.

Also that year, Motherwell helped create the Territorial Grain Growers Association, and later, the Saskatchewan Cooperative Elevator Company.  He established the College of Agriculture at the University of Saskatchewan.  Beginning in 1905, he served 13 years as Saskatchewan’s first Minister of Agriculture, and through the 1920’s, he filled that role federally.

It’s no wonder people around Abernethy feel strongly about this National Historic Site.  It costs less than $400,000/year to operate as a vital community asset, tourist attraction, educational tool, job creator, and living monument to a prairie hero. 

But none of that matters to Stephen Harper.  Like that tree nursery at nearby Indian Head, the Motherwell Homestead got chopped in this year’s budget.  It’s being drastically downsized and left to languish as a pale shadow of what it used to be.

This is a dumb decision.  But worse still, it’s biased and discriminatory.

While the Motherwell Homestead is being gutted, the Harper Conservatives are putting $2.5-million into the home-riding of Treasury Board Minister Tony Clement for a National Historic Site near Muskoka, Ontario.

Remember “pork-barrel” Tony?  He’s the Harper Minister who mis-spent $50-million without lawful authority on sheer waste (e.g., ornamental gazebos and sidewalks to nowhere) to puff-up his riding before the G-8 fiasco there in 2010.

Now he gets yet another spending boondoggle, while Abernethy gets cut.  Why?

VICTORY FUND

Canada's Democratic Crisis

Ralph Goodale's June 15th update... It's a good one!

June 15th, 2012

THE REAL "MARATHON" IS OUTSIDE PARLIAMENT ... AND ONGOING!

From about 8:40 pm this past Wednesday until just before midnight on Thursday, the House of Commons was locked into non-stop marathon voting on 159 proposed amendments to the Harper government's so-called "budget" legislation.

For some 27 consecutive hours, MPs voted on a wild mixture of Conservative policies -- everything from cutting old age pensions and killing community pastures to the elimination of environmental protection at the federal level, a more restrictive and arbitrary immigration system, fewer food inspectors, less civilian supervision over Canadian spies, etc., etc., etc.

This "omnibus Bill" was completely unprecedented -- 750 clauses spread over 421 pages purporting to alter 70 other Canadian laws all at once, with only about a quarter of all that flowing from legitimate "budget" matters.  Everything else was just jammed in and rammed through under ludicrous time constraints, without decent democratic scrutiny or debate.

One thing was obvious.  The government didn't want the public to be informed!

When it was all over -- and 308 bleary-eyed MPs had finally gone home -- the Harper regime forced its will on Canadians.  Not a single comma was modified.

The Conservatives claim to have a "strong mandate" to do this sort of thing -- to do anything they please, actually.  But in truth, only 24-percent of voting age Canadians actually supported Mr. Harper in the last election.

And I bet none of them cast their ballots intending to slash the small pensions available in future to elderly widows living on the lowest of incomes.

Stephen Harper doesn't pretend to care about folks like that. Neither does he respect the hopes and aspirations of the 76-percent of Canadians who did not vote Conservative. To him, they're just road-kill getting in his way.

But many other people DO care.

I was amazed at the high volume of social-media chatter all through this grotesque procedure.  The vast majority were strongly supportive of doing everything possible to stand in Mr. Harper's way.

There were also a handful of right-wingers on the other side -- typically abusive and some downright vulgar.  It's telling how they cannot argue the substance of their convictions. They resort quickly to slogans and profanity.

But mainstream Canada is so much better than that.  Most people in this fine country want government that's smart and efficient, but also compassionate and inclusive, to bring out the best in Canadians.

For these folks -- the vast majority -- the "marathon" toward that worthy goal is still ongoing!


VICTORY FUND

"Irregularities"

Election overturned due to "irregularities".

Just think about that for a while. In Canada.

We used to only hear about this type of stuff in 3rd World dictatorships. Our troops and police go overseas to supervise elections to prevent this type of stuff.

Shameful and embarrassing day for Canada.


-- Post From My iPhone

Conservative Priapism For "Playing Soldier" Continues to Cost Taxpayers Billions

While children are living far below the poverty line, infrastructure crumbles, and soldiers in Northern Canada go without vital supplies, our government want so play army.

We hear that our Def Min knew about massive cost overruns on the Libya mission... We hear about the government possibly hiding the cost of the jet fighters... Sole sourced contracts going out for heavy lift aircraft...

What is it about "chicken hawks" that pushes them to military adventurism? Is it that they never got a chance to really defend the land? Is it that years of playing online war games has ingrained it in their minds? Is there a need for 3rd world dictatorial bravado?

Canadians ARE feeling the need for change.. It may be a few years yet, and may be preceded by criminal investigations and possible charges, but change is coming. It may not be Liberals, but they will have a say in Harper's future.

Change is coming.

People are clamoring for it...


-- Post From My iPhone

Why Isn't It Done Yet?

The painful lament of a Fort Mac truck driver after dragging the lifeless body of an infant from a flaming wreck of a brutal accident on one of Canada's busiest roads - the stretch from Edmonton to Fort Mac.

Across Canada the public is speaking out about crumbling (or non-existent) infrastructure... Bridges kill innocent motorists in Quebec. BC's "Highway of Death" - the stretch of the national highway (TCH) from Alberta to Kamloops - claims lives regularly. The Sea-to-Sky route from Van to Whistler is better now, but still claims lives on busy stretches... Highway 1 west of Swift Current and near the Manitoba border is death trap quality.

Voters ask... Why isn't it done yet?

Why? Because there is a disease in this land that causes people to despise their duty as citizens - to pay taxes. People are being convinced taxes are bad by a rich and powerful lobby of multi-nationals, right-Wing media and politicians, and right biased think tanks like the Fraser Institute. A few hundred dollars a year are sinful, we are told, while we are asked to pay 1000s in fees to private profiteers.

No one dares say taxes are useful. The automatic mantra is that taxes are bad. The media reinforces it. The politicos - even Socialists - ape it. Too spineless to stand up for public infrastructure... Meanwhile our infrastructure crumbles. Trade, transit, and transport suffers... And families are killed.

Stephen Harper has been "trimming" so-called "fat" for 6 yrs. We have not seen a desire to build Canada. It was always stated by the right that there is too much fat to trim... So... There probably will never be money for anything as important as highways. Hard to believe when there are untold Billions for space fighters and mega prisons.

Who's responsible for the deaths? The tax-haters are.

Why did innocent children die in Alberta? Why are highways not being twinned?

Ask the right wing policy think tanks and politicians. And remind them of the deaths that are on their hands.

-- Post From My iPhone

Parliamentary Budget Officer Lambastes Harper Conservatives

Ralph Goodale knows a little bit about Parliament... And his latest info on the recent Parliamentary Budget Officer's Report (a Harper appointee, by the way) is a great read:

PBO DEMOLISHES GOVERNMENT ON PENSIONS & WAR-PLANES:

The Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) has just issued another report – backed by solid facts and figures – that destroys Conservative justifications for cutting Old Age Pensions while spending mega-billions on F-35 “stealth” fighter-jets.

Both of these are long-term issues.  The pension cuts begin about 10 years from now, and get phased-in over a further seven years.  That is exactly the same period during which the fighter-jets would be purchased. 

Are these planes being bought with money taken from seniors?  It’s hard to avoid that conclusion.

Anyone under the age of 54 today, beware!  Your Old Age Pension won’t be there for you when you turn 65.  You’ll have to wait longer.

This breaks an explicit Stephen Harper election promise.  It’s an attack on the lowest-income seniors because they’re the ones who lose the most.  And no money is saved overall, because the burden just shifts onto provincial welfare.

Most importantly, this mean-spirited maneuver is entirely unnecessary.  Canada’s Old Age Pension is already fully affordable and financially sound for the long term.  Punting the age from 65 years up to 67 is NOT required to keep it sustainable.

The PBO makes a telling point about timing: 

Mr. Harper says the big problem is all those retiring Baby-Boomers.  But his plan to delay eligibility won’t be fully phased-in for 17 years, until 2029.  That pretty well misses the Boomer-Bulge altogether. By 2030, they’ll have largely worked their way through the system, and costs will steadily decline.

As for the planes, the Airforce says they need at least 65 new fighter-jets to replace their ageing CF-18s.  Mr. Harper claims to have frozen the budget for all “acquisition costs” at $9-billion.  For that, the PBO calculates, the government can get just 40 of these ultra-expensive planes, not 65.

So who is telling the truth – Stephen Harper or the PBO?

VICTORY FUND