The Common Sense Conservative

Liberal Budget Plans For $12.5 Billion Deficit?

2014-05-01T15:57:00.000-07:00

Well the free wheeling liberals are at it again in Ontario. This budget just announced will give the taxpayers a $12.5 billion deficit all in hopes of buying votes come the next election. Problem is the people see through it and even the people who have continued to put these clowns into office are realizing that they cannot afford to keep this government in place. So what's it all mean? It is election time in Ontario and this time if the Conservatives do not present themselves as the clear and shall we say, better alternative to the liberals they may find them selves in the same position they are now.

Hudak et al need to sharpen their pencils, bring out an alternative budget that will make Ontario the powerhouse that Canada needs it to be. Unlike the Liberals taxes on corporations would go down under a Hudak government, thus making them more competitive on the world markets. This would lead to employment gains, more income taxes and more money being spent in their local economies, win/win!

What Ontario doesn't need right now is to be piling on more debt, further kicking the can down the road where our youth will have to pay it back. Do these politicians not see the problem that they are creating, how can they do this to their children and grandchildren? Ontario needs change, let's hope Hudak comes through this time around....

From the Toronto Sun:

Liberals table budget with $12.5B deficit

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BY ANTONELLA ARTUSO ,QUEEN'S PARK BUREAU CHIEF

FIRST POSTED: THURSDAY, MAY 01, 2014 04:04 PM EDT | UPDATED: THURSDAY, MAY 01, 2014 06:31 PM EDT

Ontario Liberals Release Budget

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TORONTO - The 2014 Ontario budget hikes taxes on smokers, high earners and frequent flyers.

Ontario will hit up upper-income earners for $635 million more this year, smokers for $140 million, corporations for $40 million and users of aviation fuel by $25 million.

The Ontario Liberal budget released Thursday jacks up the Personal Income Tax Rate by 1.56% on those earning more than $150,000 a year, and by 3.12% for people making more than $220,000.

Cigarettes are jumping by $3.25 a carton plus HST which brings the increase to $3.67 on 200 cigarettes.

Aviation fuel taxes will soar by 248%.

The budget calls for $130.4 billion in spending on programs and debt repayment in 2014-15, up $3.4 billion from the previous year.

The revenue that the treasury takes in will rise to $118.9 billion, up $3 billion, leaving a shortfall of $12.5 billion including a $1 billion reserve.

The government is predicting significant increases in revenue to bring the deficit down to zero by 2017-18.

Annual interest payments for paying off the province’s ballooning debt will grow to $11 billion this year, $12 billion next year and $13.3 billion in 2016-17.

Net debt — the amount Ontario owes — will hit $317.2 billion in two years, which is $21,019 for every person in the province.

In 2003-04, when the Ontario Liberals first took over government, the net debt was $10,971 per person.

Finance Minister Charles Sousa also put in a number of measures to help low income families and workers. He said 98% of Ontarians will not see their personal income taxes go up.

Sousa said he believes that NDP Leader Andrea Horwath and her caucus can find good reasons to support his budget.

The minority Kathleen Wynne government will be plunged into an election within a month without support from the NDP but the object of Liberals’ affection stood them up.

Horwath was a no show in the budget lock up — the first time veterans can remember an opposition leader blowing off the media availability, and one wag immediately dubbing her “absent Andrea.”

“I’m perplexed as to why the leader of the Third Party would not stand before Ontarians … because this is about the well-being of Ontarians,” Sousa said. “They deserve to know where (the NDP) are at.

“It’s frankly letting Ontarians down by not standing here today responding to your questions,” Sousa said.

PC Leader Tim Hudak said this budget is more than a fiscal document, it’s about the future of the province, and Horwath should have appeared to provide her view on it.

“We’re paid a good salary to make decisions and take a stance,” Hudak said.

Horwath has scheduled a media conference for Friday morning to discuss the budget.

After years of flat or declining profits in beer and wine taxes, the Ontario government thinks people will be boozing it up a bit more and anticipates a $16-million increase in revenue.

The treasury is also counting on $935 million more in “sales and rentals” from its plan to “maximize” the value of Ontario Power Generation (OPG), Hydro One and the LCBO, and also the possible sale of Ontario-owned General Motors sales.

Spending is up in 19 of 26 ministries — only the ministries of the Attorney General, Francophone Affairs, Infrastructure, Natural Resources,

A billion Jobs and Prosperity Fund will allow the government to dole out $2.5 billion to its chosen businesses over the next 10 years, and a recent example is last week’s $120-million grant to the country’s largest software producer, OpenText.

As previously announced, the government will retire the debt retirement charge bill as of Jan. 1, 2016, but with the end of the Ontario Clean Energy Benefit at the same time, average hydro customers will pay just over $120 more a year.

There are hydro cost breaks for low income families and for more industrial users.

Ontario government plans to spend more than $130 billion over 10 years infrastructure such as roads, bridges and public transit with new borrowing, redirected taxes and proceeds from high occupancy toll lanes

Obama and His Bowing Down To The Far Left

2014-04-30T18:00:00.006-07:00

It is well documented that the Obama administration has continually stuck roadblocks in the way of approving oil pipelines in fear that the environmental lobby dollars will dry up. First it was his fear of not getting re-elected and now it is in fear of losing both houses if he were to give the government's approval of the long awaited Keystone Pipeline, thus leaving him two years of having to work with those across the isle in order to move government forward.

It should come as no surprise that there is yet another train derailment and consequential inferno from a crude oil shipment. It leaves me to think there really is no such thing as common sense anymore in government. I mean we have had billions of barrels of oil travel through pipelines with very few large scale spills. In the last year we have had many train derailments and many lives have been lost due to the large fires that break out in such situations. Yet, those in power refuse approvals for new pipelines, pipelines that would create thousands of jobs, create wealth and most importantly of all reduce America's dependence on oil that comes from Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and other nations that do not have America's best interest at heart.

The "enviro nuts" will continue to say that approval of pipelines will slow the uptake of renewables or other environmentally friendlier energy solutions. This is where they are wrong, it will not slow the movement to renewables, the all mighty dollar will. Once these types of energy are made cheaper and more efficient I think you will find most people will be willing to switch, until then oil and gas will be needed to bridge until we get to that point. But in the meantime these people would rather support rogue states than supporting jobs right at home and up here in Canada. Am I the only one who sees the flawed thinking here? How can these people sleep at night knowing that they are supporting sending billions of dollars overseas to people who may support terrorists that target American and other Western nation interests? Go figure, but today's derailment should serve as a reminder that Obama and his bowing down to the far left is holding America up and in doing so are putting countless lives at stake.

Oil tanker train derails in Lynchburg, Va., triggering fire and spill

Paresh Dave

April 30, 2014, 3:21 p.m.

About 15 train tanker cars carrying crude oil derailed Wednesday afternoon in Lynchburg, Va., plunging several of them into the James River, sparking a massive fire and spilling oil.

The derailment prompted evacuations in the downtown district near the railway for hours until the massive fire that spewed black, acrid smoke was extinguished. There were no reports of injuries or damage to nearby buildings.

Downstream more than 100 miles, a spokeswoman for the city of Richmond said utility officials stopped capturing water from the river as a precaution until the extent of environmental damage caused by the oil spill became clear. Instead, Richmond is relying on a backup canal for water. Lynchburg said the oil spill did not affect its water supply.

“We are committed to fully supporting the emergency responders and other agencies, meeting the needs of the community and protecting the environment,” the rail company said. CSX Transportation, which operated the Chicago-to-Virginia freight train, said the fire erupted from three punctured cars after the 2:30 p.m. derailment. In a statement, the company said it was sending safety and environmental experts to the scene.

Lynchburg spokeswoman JoAnn Martin told the Los Angeles Times that firefighters were “keeping an eye” on the train cars to make sure they didn't spark up again as night fell.

Wednesday’s fire is the latest in a series involving trains carrying crude oil as the nation’s drilling boom fuels a surge in oil transportation. Fearful of seeing similar accidents in their own jurisdictions, some officials have called for tougher safety regulations for freight train operators.

Pat Calvert, who monitors the James River's ecology for the nonprofit James River Assn., said he received reports that “blobs of black glue” had been seen floating in the river after the derailment. The river has been surging after recent heavy rainfall, stoking concerns that the spill would quickly spread.

“We’ve had train derailments on the river before, but it’s never before been a toxic substance,” Calvert told The Times as he drove to the scene. His office is about 150 yards away from the site, but he was in a meeting in Charlottesville on Wednesday afternoon.

“I hope a real national discussion will ensue so this doesn’t happen to anyone else’s river or community,” he said. “ I just wish it wasn’t happening in our river.”

Calvert said the area near the derailment had undergone a renaissance in recent years, switching from a heavily industrial area to a residential and commercial neighborhood that has embraced the riverfront.

“A great deal of effort has been put into making it into an asset,” he said. The river stretches 350 miles, with the freight rail line along its bank most of the way, Calvert said.

He and other critics of existing safety standards for rail cars worry that similar accidents could happen along riverways or even more densely populated areas such as Richmond.

On Wednesday, Philip Wilmarth felt the heat from the fire on the sixth floor of a building a couple of hundred yards away. He told The Times that he didn’t hear an explosion, but he saw at least a few train cars off the tracks.

“The train had completely come off the tracks, and the fireball, it’s very large,” Wilmarth said. “They evacuated us out pretty quickly. My guess is something ruptured in the tanks, and they got sparks from cars hitting together.”

He said he couldn’t see the end of the train, but all of the cars he saw were exactly the same – black cylinders.

While he waited on the street before being told to leave the area, other witnesses told Wilmarth that the explosion had blown the windows off Depot Grille restaurant.

One witness told WSET-TV that the train was traveling along as usual when the earth appeared to collapse beneath it, suggesting a possible sinkhole after heavy rains in recent days.

Other people in the downtown district said they heard a roar, like a jet passing by.

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe said he sent state-level emergency responders to the scene of the derailment.

“Deputy Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Adam Thiel has been dispatched to the scene and will provide my team and me with constant updates as this situation unfolds,” the governor said in a statement. “I have also spoken with Lynchburg Mayor Michael Gillette and offered him any and all resources he needs to respond to this incident and keep Virginians safe.”

The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Railroad Administration were expected to investigate the derailment.

http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-lynchburg-virginia-train-derailment-20140430,0,4007820.story#ixzz30Q6Cpcmh

Canada Sending Frigate To Eastern Europe

2014-04-30T14:08:00.003-07:00

Canada sending frigate to join NATO in eastern Europe

STEVEN CHASE

Ottawa — The Globe and Mail

Published Wednesday, Apr. 30 2014, 3:15 PM EDT

Last updated Wednesday, Apr. 30 2014, 4:23

Canada is dispatching the frigate HMCS Regina to join the NATO military alliance’s efforts to beef up security in central and eastern Europe as the crisis in Ukraine deepens.

The ship is currently deployed in the Arabian Sea and will join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s Standing Maritime Forces “as part of NATO’s reassurance package,” the Canadian government said.

On Tuesday Canada sent six CF-18 fighters to Romania to help with air patrols of NATO members as neighbours of Russia remain anxious over Russia’s territorial ambitions.The Conservative government would not immediately say where the HMCS Regina is heading now.

“Russia’s illegal occupation of Ukraine and provocative military activity remains a serious concern to the international community,” Prime Minister Stephen Harper said.

“Canada remains committed to working with our NATO Allies to promote the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.”

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/canada-sending-frigate-to-nato-security-effort-in-eastern-europe/article18343817/

More Ukranian Government Buildings Taken By Pro-Russian Rebels

2014-04-30T12:17:00.000-07:00

It will be interesting to see how long the Ukrainian Government will hold back lethal force against these rebels/Russian Infiltrators? I am sure the Ukrainian Government is asking the EU and the rest of the West for direction here but for me the best bet is to hit Russia hard with an all out sanction blitz. As I said in a previous post, Putin will not pull these rebels back unless he is feeling the pressure at home. There has already been a real drop in the Russian GDP, but is it enough to get Putin to reconsider his moves? I don't think so and it is time for our leaders to show that they are capable of leading and go for the throat of the main players at the top of the Russian government.

Where is our generation's Maggie and Ronnie? Why must we not back up our red lines as we have done in the past? I think we have a leader here in Canada that would be that type if he had the clout of the US, or UK, but alas he is Canadian and as such he will not be given the time of day that a leader of one of those great nations would garner.

Obama has had many of these dealings throughout his tenure, and each and every time he leaves the citizens of the world asking the same question. When will he back up his words? Time to man up Mr. Obama and show that you are deserving of being the president of the most powerful nation in the world. Take more decisive action against the Russians and hit them hard where it hurts.....in the pocketbook!

Pro-Russia Separatists Seize More Ukraine Buildings

Pro-Russian armed men take cover behind a car near the local police headquarters in Luhansk, eastern Ukraine, April 29, 2014

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VOA News

April 29, 2014 8:40 AM

Hundreds of pro-Russian separatists overran more Ukrainian government buildings near the Russian border Tuesday, seizing a prosecutor's office in Luhansk and attacking a police station with clubs and automatic weapons.

Local authorities say police did not offer resistance, and witnesses say gunmen raised a separatist flag over government headquarters in the city of 450,000 residents.

The takeover appears to give pro-Moscow rebels control of a second provincial capital in the east, after separatists seized control of Donetsk Monday and set a referendum on secession for May 11. A similar vote last month led to Russia's annexation of the Crimean peninsula.

The government in Kyiv has all but lost control of its police forces in parts of eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian activists have seized buildings in the region's second biggest city of Donetsk and several smaller towns.

Pro-Russian activists storm an administration building in the center of Luhansk, Ukraine, one of the largest cities in Ukraine's troubled east, April 29, 2014.

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"The regional leadership does not control its police force,'' said Stanislav Rechynsky, an aide to Interior Minister Arsen Avakov. "The local police did nothing.''

Meanwhile, Hennady Kernes, the mayor of eastern Ukraine's biggest city, Kharkiv, was in a stable condition on Tuesday in a hospital in Israel, where he was flown after an apparent assassination attempt.

US, EU sanctions

U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said Tuesday that international sanctions imposed on Russia are putting pressure on the country's economy, and that more actions may be taken if Moscow's behavior does not change.

"You have to look over the period of time Russia went into Crimea, since we've imposed sanctions, there has been a quite substantial deterioration in Russia's already weak economy," Lew told a U.S. House Appropriations subcommittee hearing. "We see it in their stock exchange, we see it in their exchange rate, we see it in a number of important economic indicators.''

Lew said the United States is keeping its options open and is prepared to take further action if Russian policy toward Ukraine doesn't change.

The European Union Tuesday announced asset freezes and travel bans on 15 Russians and Ukrainians over Moscow's actions in Ukraine, but the measures were seen as less aggressive than sanctions imposed this week by the United States

While visiting Cuba Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov slammed U.S. and European Union sanctions, saying they defied common sense and were the work of weak politicians in the West "attempting to blame others."

Putin on sanctions

President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Russia sees no need for counter-sanctions against the West, but could reconsider the participation of Western companies in its economy, including energy projects, if sanctions continued.

“We would very much wish not to resort to any measures in response,” he told reporters after meeting leaders of Belarus and Kazakhstan in Minsk.

“But if something like that continues, we will of course have to think about who is working in the key sectors of the Russian economy, including the energy sector, and how,” added Putin.

Putin reiterated his accusations that the United States was orchestrating the Ukraine crisis.

Intercepted calls

Secretary of State John Kerry says the United States has recordings proving that Moscow is running a network of spies inside eastern Ukraine, reports The Daily Beast which says it obtained a recording of a closed-door meeting attended by the U.S. top diplomat.

“We know exactly who’s giving those orders, we know where they are coming from,” Kerry reportedly said at a private meeting of the Trilateral Commission in Washington.

Kerry, according to The Daily Beast, didn’t name specific Russian officials implicated but claimed that the intercepts provided proof of Moscow deliberately fomenting unrest in eastern Ukraine - and lying about it to U.S. officials and the public.

“This is insulting to everybody’s intelligence, let alone to our notions about how we ought to be behaving in the 21st century. It’s thuggism, it’s rogue state-ism. It’s the worst order of behavior,” Kerry reportedly said.

Status of OSCE monitors

In separatist-held Slovyansk, the self-declared mayor said he would discuss the release of detained military observers only if the European Union dropped sanctions against rebel leaders.

But later in the day, Vyacheslav Ponomaryov said "good progress" had been made in talks with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on the release of seven of its observers held since Friday. The observers had travelled to eastern Ukraine under the auspices of the democracy watchdog.

Troops on border

Meanwhile, there is no visible sign of any sizeable troop movements away from Ukraine's border where Moscow deployed tens of thousands of soldiers and hardware, a NATO official said Tuesday.

In a phone call Monday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel that Russian forces, which he said started drills near the border last week, had returned to their permanent positions, according to the Russian government.

"We currently have no information that indicates a withdrawal of Russian troops from the Ukrainian border. We continue to urge Russia to abide by the Geneva agreement and to pull back all its troops along the Ukrainian border in favor of diplomacy and dialogue,'' a NATO official told Reuters.

^{Some information for this report contributed by AP and Reuters.}

What To Do With Russia and The Ukraine?

2014-04-29T19:35:00.001-07:00

Well the weeks have gone by since Russia took over control of Crimea with little, to no real sanctions to pressure Mr. Putin and his inner circle. What have we done so far? Sanctions on a select few within the Russian government and companies/banks that are close to the upper echelon of the government. These sanctions may have long term consequences but nothing that will be felt for quite a while. So what more can be done?

Lets first look at hitting the top decision makers within the Russian government. I am talking Mr. Putin, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev. How about placing hard hitting sanctions on these guys, freeze their foreign assets, restrict air travel etc, make these sanctions be felt by the heads of state.

Next we need to look at getting the message across to the people of Russia, they are being hoodwinked by their government. But how do you do this with most media strictly controlled by Putin? You need to look at the media not controlled by the government and feed them the true stories, I mean a Ukrainian Mayor shot in the back by a pro-Russian assailant, what are the chances that this is being reported in Russia.....slim to none I would think and you can guarantee it is not being reported on any of the state controlled media outlets.

There are other ways to get the word out as well, social media is the best way in my opinion, problem is that the government is making sure nothing is being passed on that they do not want their people to know. The EU, US, Canada and others can look at ways to unlock these social media sites and make others like Facebook and Twitter more accessible. The top Russian social media site VKontakte, was just taken over by pro-Putin supporters after founder Pavel Durov stated he would not censor his site. Durov has since fled the country and will not return fearing for his safety. Durov says that VKontakte is "under the complete control of Igor Sechin and Alisher Usmanov", the chief executive of state-owned oil company Rosneft and Putin's former deputy chief of staff, and the richest man in Russia, respectively. Is it time for this site to be infiltrated by the international community, although governments say they do not take part in this type of activity there is no doubt in anyone's mind that this is the case.

Energy is of course the big stumbling block here, Russia controls it's neighbours by controlling their energy needs. Ukraine, Poland, Georgia, UK, and many others are held hostage by Russia in this department. For years they have wielded this power over these countries by pressuring them into concessions on state matters They have just recently dramatically increased prices for gas going into Ukraine and increase are sure to come for the rest of the countries dependent on Russia for natural gas imports. Russia will strike back at any of these nations that impose sanctions on them so in the coming months you will see the cost of natural gas go up dramatically in the rest of Europe. So what can we do? Canada, the US, and the Middle East need to do their part here, make our energy more accessible to Europe and thus try to ring in this stranglehold Russia has on them. We can also look at domestic energy within these nations, maybe give some sort of tax breaks for companies willing to go into these countries and drill. Poland, Spain, France and the Uk have enough domestic oil and gas that could supply the rest of the continent in a few short years, all they need is the expertise and money. This is where targeted tax breaks by not only the EU but maybe Canada and the US as well that would go a long ways in helping to unlock these resources.

I am sure I am going to miss hundreds of other options but the last option I want to talk about is military support. We should be looking to beef up the Ukrainian defenses and help them take back their government buildings in east Ukraine that have been taken by heavily(re:Russian Paramilitary) armed pro-Russian rebels. We don't want a civil war to break out here but there needs to be law and order instilled which should be the ultimate goal.

The one thing I do know is that Obama, and the rest of the world need to make a hard stand here and let Russia know that they cannot just go around annexing their neighbour's land nor bullying them in any way. The world is civilized Mr. Putin, it is time for you to get on board.

Stephen Harper Stepping Up!

2013-06-17T09:23:00.000-07:00

After Harper's comments, Putin cast as pariah at G8 hare on pr

Steve Rennie, The Canadian Press

Published Monday, June 17, 2013 11:26AM EDT

ENNISKILLEN -- If this G8 meeting if any indication, the next gathering of world leaders in Russia is shaping up to be a strained affair.

A chasm has emerged between Russian President Vladimir Putin and the rest of the Group of Eight leaders over the deepening crisis in Syria.

That division was laid bare on Sunday night when Prime Minister Stephen Harper called Putin, who hosts the G20 summit in St. Petersburg in September, the outlier of the G8.

How to persuade Putin to drop his seemingly unshakable support for the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad is the main challenge facing the other leaders at this meeting at the lakeside Lough Erne resort in Northern Ireland.

The bloody Syrian conflict has now raged for two years and at least 93,000 people have died.

Tensions escalated last week after the United States announced it would begin arming opponents of Assad's regime.

Russia -- which is in the G8 and has a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council -- has been highly critical of the U.S. move to give weapons and ammunition to the rebels.

"One does not really need to support the people who not only kill their enemies, but open up their bodies, eat their intestines in front of the public and cameras," a Reuters report quoted Putin as saying.

"Are these the people you want to support? Are they the ones you want to supply with weapons? Then this probably has little relation to the humanitarian values preached in Europe for hundreds of years."

Putin was apparently referring to a Syrian rebel commander caught on tape last month cutting into a dead soldier and biting into one of his organs.

Russia has steadfastly stuck with the Syrian regime even as the United States claims to have proof that forces loyal to Assad have used chemical weapons. Russian officials have dismissed those claims, saying they're based on flimsy evidence

Harper -- speaking on the eve of the summit -- said Putin is unlikely to drop his support for Assad at this gathering of the leaders of the world's eight wealthiest countries.

In doing so, Harper all but called Putin the pariah of the G8 when it comes to Syria.

"Look, I think that dialogue will be interesting. I think it's important to have that kind of dialogue," Harper said Sunday night in Dublin. "But I don't think we should fool ourselves. This is G7 plus one. OK, let's be blunt. That's what this is, G7 plus one.

"We in the West have a very different perspective on this situation. Mr. Putin and his government are supporting the thugs of the Assad regime for their own reasons that I do not think are justifiable and Mr. Putin knows my view on that."

British Prime Minister David Cameron on Monday said he hoped to narrow the gap between Putin and the other leaders over the course of the two-day summit.

Two senior Canadian government officials, who spoke to journalists on the condition their names not be published, said Putin can expect an earful from the rest of the G8.

"It won't be an easy discussion," one of the officials said.

"They get heated sometimes," added the second official, "particularly on these kinds of issues."

They also underscored what's at stake in these closed-door talks.

"It's part of the ebb and flow of the G8," the second official said. "You know, we had a different position from Russia on Libya and yet we managed to have that discussion and I think the value of the G8 is the small format.

"Leaders can have frank discussions behind closed doors. So this is not the first time it's happened where there's been a core difference of opinion among G8 members. You're right, this one's serious. So was Libya."

The Harper government, meanwhile, announced Monday that Canada would give $90 million in new humanitarian assistance to Syria this year. That's on top of $100 million announced on Sunday to help Jordan cope with the fallout from the Syrian conflict.

Sick Days Come Into Question

2013-06-10T11:54:00.000-07:00

Public servants’ number of sick days are ‘unsustainable’: Clement

BILL CURRY AND JOHN IBBITSON

OTTAWA — The Globe and Mail

Published Monday, Jun. 10 2013, 12:38 PM EDT

Last updated Monday, Jun. 10 2013, 12:54 PM EDT

The Conservative government is taking aim at sick leave in the public service, where it says the absenteeism rate of 18.2 days a year is more than two-and-a-half times the the private sector average.

Treasury Board President Tony Clement outlined the new policies Monday in the foyer of the House of Commons, releasing the first details on plans that were hinted at in the March 2013 budget.

Mr. Clement wants to replace the existing rules, which haven’t been changed since 1970, with two new programs. A short-term disability system will be put in place for workers with temporary illnesses.

The long-term disability program will be reformed with an aim to improve reintegration into the workplace.

Mr. Clement points out that the current system of banked sick days leads to an absenteeism rate that is well above the average of 6.7 days in the private sector.

“That is simply unsustainable for any employer that intends to run a modern, high-performing and effective work force,” said Mr. Clement.

The minister argues that not only is the current system a problem for taxpayers, it is not fair to employees.

Relying on banked sick days is an “inefficient and haphazard” way of managing human resources, according to the minister, because it does not involve case management and rehabilitation support.

“It’s also unfair to employees. If you are stricken with a sudden illness and you need an operation that will force you to be off work for three or four months, but you don’t have enough sick days, you are simply out of luck,” he said.

According to the minister, 11 per cent of public servants do not have any banked sick days and nearly 60 per cent don’t have enough sick days to cover them until the 13-week mark, when long-term disability insurance kicks in. This is seen by the government as discriminatory toward newer and younger employees.

It is not clear exactly what the change in policy will mean for sick days and whether there will be an annual amount set aside.

This latest government proposal will become part of the bargaining mix when negotiations get seriously under way in 2014. Changing the rules surrounding sick leave and disability will require changes to collective agreements, many of which expire in 2015.

Monday’s announcement is the latest tranche in a serious of reforms and proposed reforms aimed at saving money and improving productivity.

Previous changes included requiring workers to foot half the cost of pension programs, eliminating voluntary severance for workers who quit their jobs and implementing mandatory performance management reviews.

The changes – combined with consecutive years of budget cuts in federal departments – have led to a sometimes hostile relationship between the government and public sector unions. The largest federal union – the Public Service Alliance of Canada – has run several versions of a campaign called “Harper Hates Me” that criticizes Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Mr. Clement notes that at annual cost of $43-billion, spending on public sector pay and benefits is the most significant federal expenditure.

Will The US Back Down Now?

2013-06-07T13:09:00.002-07:00

Ottawa to retaliate against ‘illegal’ U.S. meat labeling rules

BARRIE MCKENNA

OTTAWA — The Globe and Mail

Published Friday, Jun. 07 2013, 1:37 PM EDT

Last updated Friday, Jun. 07 2013, 3:05 PM EDT

Canadians could be paying more for imported U.S. wine, ketchup and chocolate bars as the federal government prepares to retaliate against meat labeling rules deemed illegal by the World Trade Organization.

The items are on a hit-list of 38 possible targets for punitive tariffs unveiled Friday by the federal government.

The list includes a wide range of mainly agricultural and food items, ranging from live pigs to cookies and California chardonnay. Also on the list are mattresses, wooden furniture and swivel chairs.

“Despite consistent rulings by the World Trade Organization, the U.S. government continues its unfair trade practices, which are severely damaging to Canadian industry and jobs,” Trade Minister Ed Fast and Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Gerry Ritz said in a joint statement. “Our government is extremely disappointed that the United States continues to uphold this protectionist policy . . . and calls on the U.S. to abide by this WTO ruling.”

Ottawa isn’t yet saying how much it hopes to reap from the punitive tariffs. But Canadian hog and cattle producers have estimated that U.S. country-of-origin labeling rules have cost it more than $1-billion a year in lost sales, higher costs and depressed prices.

The move is the latest chapter in a long-running dispute that began in 2008, when the U.S. required grocery stores to put country-of-origin labels on meat and other products.

The WTO ruled last year that the country-of-origin rules discriminated against Canada and Mexico. The U.S. had until last month to bring its regulations into line with the WTO.

The Obama administration responded by modifying the labeling requirements, which it says are designed to help consumers make more informed food choices.

Canada insists they remain afoul of WTO rules.

The Canadian Pork Council (CPC) says that the new rule “increases the discrimination against imported animals.”

“The U.S. is making a mockery of the WTO rules,” said Rick Bergmann, first vice-chair of the CPC.

The labelling rules have been devastating for Canadian cattle and hog producers, which saw exports drop by more than 40 per cent as U.S. food producers found it cheaper to source meat at home rather than track it through a long cross-border food chain.

The rules, for example, require that Canadian-raised animals remain segregated from U.S. hogs and cattle at slaughtering facilities and meat processing plants.

Ottawa said it will soon publish the retaliation list in the Canada Gazette – the first step in a process that could take as long as two years to resolve.

Federal officials said they won’t impose retaliatory duties until authorized by the WTO.

O.P.P. You Know Me!

2013-06-07T13:03:00.000-07:00

Just like the old Naughty by Nature song suggest, you know me! Seems that if you run for office these days you book your brain at the door. Not only elected officials but their support staff seem to do the same! Just why is it so hard to have elected officials use common sense? Maybe if we start tossing these people in jail it would shake the foundation a bit and make these people use their head for more than a hat rack!

The Ontario Provincial Police will open an investigation into the erasing of documents in the offices of former premier Dalton McGuinty and his energy minister.

The Progressive Conservatives asked the OPP to get involved after the information and privacy commissioner revealed this week that David Livingston and Craig MacLennan, chiefs of staff to Mr. McGuinty and the former energy minister, respectively, had deleted all of their e-mails. In addition, Mr. Livingston asked the head of the civil service how to “wipe clean the hard drives in the Premier’s Office” shortly before Mr. McGuinty stepped down earlier this year.

Deleting these electronic records may have obliterated evidence in the costly cancellation of gas-fired power plants.

On Friday, OPP Commissioner Chris Lewis wrote to the Tories to inform them he had referred the matter to the force’s criminal investigative services branch “for investigation.”

“I appreciate the opportunity to respond to your concerns,” Commissioner Lewis wrote.

The New Democratic Party, meanwhile, has uncovered evidence that three more top aides to Mr. McGuinty also had their e-mails deleted.

What’s more, the e-mails of at least two of the staffers – who were both involved in the gas plant file – do not appear to have been wiped by the staffers themselves. Their e-mails were deleted on the same day, a significant time after the pair had stopped working for Mr. McGuinty.

New Democrats said Friday the former premier and several Liberal staffers must testify again before a legislative committee on the deleted records.

“Dalton McGuinty needs to come back and answer this new information from the privacy commissioner that in fact his chief of staff asked for information to destroy all the records on computers and frankly, we need to know: did he tell him to do that?” said NDP Energy Critic Peter Tabuns. “On the other hand, did he in fact, make it clear to him that information had to be preserved and the law followed?”

A Freedom of Information request filed by the NDP reveals that Chris Morley, who preceded Mr. Livingston as Mr. McGuinty’s chief of staff, Jamison Steeve, Mr. McGuinty’s principal secretary and Sean Mullin, a policy adviser in his office, also had their correspondence wiped clean when they left Mr. McGuinty’s office. It is not clear who erased the e-mails.

But in the case of Mr. Steeve and Mr. Mullin, their e-mail accounts were deleted on Aug. 17, 2012 – 10 months after Mr. Mullin had stopped working in Mr. McGuinty’s office and six weeks after Mr. Steeve had left.

When the government cancelled the Oakville gas plant in the fall of 2010, Mr. Steeve and Mr. Mullin were charged with breaking the news to TransCanada Energy, the firm contracted to build the plant.

According to their notes from that meeting, Mr. Steeve and Mr. Mullin told TransCanada the government wanted to “preserve value” of the company’s contract – a key pledge that informed later negotiations.

The province is estimated to have spent $585-million to cancel the Oakville plant and a second facility in Mississauga.

The cancellations were widely seen as a partisan ploy to save Liberal candidates from defeat in the 2011 election.

Premier Kathleen Wynne has called the deletion of e-mails “unacceptable” and says she has put in place procedures to make sure it does not happen again.

The power plants were cancelled, she said, because the towns where they were to have been built didn’t want them.

The Tories, however, say the Liberals only pulled the plug on them for political reasons.

“They’re concerned about protecting their own political hide and they’re concerned about protecting being in power,” MPP Monte McNaughton said Friday.

Biggest Jobs Gain In A Decade

2013-06-07T08:45:00.001-07:00

Great numbers coming out of Eastern Canada, let's hope that this is the start of a trend and that employment starts to accelerate. Our numbers out west are weaker than expected but not surprising with the late spring/construction season.

Could we be starting to a rebound from Quebec and Ontario? Too soon to say but this is a good start, if we see this carry on for a few more months then we may be onto something.

I still feel that our country needs to figure out what to do with Atlantic Canada though. In the States the work force is much more mobile, they will go where the jobs are. Here in Canada our safety net system has become so liberalized that people will spend half of their lives unemployed or severely under-employed in Atlantic Canada while other jurisdictions are crying for workers. It may be high time the government reams in our employment insurance system so that it encourages more mobility. The rest of Canada should not have to continually pumps billions of dollars into economies in Atlantic Canada that cannot sustain itself. Their unemployment rate is typically 12%, that in no way is sustainable you simply need more employment in order to sustain the services for everyone who is needs them.

This may sound mean and all but some times some bad tasting medicine is the best for you. These people don't want to have to leave but should they be held up by the safety net for life? I don't think this is what the system was put in place for. It is not good for them and their families, nor good for local , provincial and federal governments to keep propping them up. Make it harder to continually be on un-employment year in year out and make it easier for them to get better training and maybe some help with moving to jurisdictions where the jobs are. There is no reason in this nation that our unemployment rate should ever be 7%, we should be trying for 3-4% tops.

Canada posts biggest jobs gain in more than a decade

TAVIA GRANT - ECONOMICS REPORTER

The Globe and Mail

Published Friday, Jun. 07 2013, 8:33 AM EDT

Last updated Friday, Jun. 07 2013, 10:31 AM EDT

The Canadian economy churned out 95,000 jobs last month, the second-biggest monthly gain on record, mostly in full-time positions in the private sector.

The jump in job creation is the largest since August, 2002, and sent the country’s jobless rate down a notch to 7.1 per cent in May, Statistics Canada said Friday. The increase was eight times what economists had expected.

The report shows a comeback in the private sector, where job creation had been lacklustre in preceding two months, a reflection of shaky business confidence. Last month, construction accounted for nearly half the job gains, with the retail, trade and business support services sectors also adding to head count.

“A pleasant surprise after a string of generally soft job gains in the prior six months,” said Avery Shenfeld, chief economist at CIBC World Markets in a note.

Jobs numbers have been volatile in recent months and one month does not make a trend. A smoothed-out average over the last half year shows gains of 19,000 a month, “indicative of a job creation engine chugging along, as opposed to revving up, noted Sonya Gulati, senior economist at Toronto-Dominion Bank.

She expects job creation to average 10,000 to 20,000 a month through the rest of this year.

Private companies led the way. The private sector added 94,600 positions while the public sector created 6,600 jobs. Self employment fell by 6,200. The construction sector added 42,700 jobs, the biggest gain on record.

Wage gains, though still modest, are running above the rate of inflation, with average hourly wages growing 2.3 per cent in May from last year.

Youth – a segment that has struggled in the job market – saw improvements in May. Employment among those aged 15 to 24 rose 54,400, pushing their jobless rate to 13.6 per cent from 14.5 per cent in April.

Core-aged workers saw little employment change while those over the age of 55 saw 34,000 new positions.

By province, employment rose in Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, New Brunswick and Manitoba. A gain of 50,600 jobs in Ontario sent the province’s unemployment rate to 7.3 per cent, the lowest rate since November, 2008.

Unemployment rates fell in every province from Manitoba east, while they rose in the Western provinces. Saskatchewan has the lowest jobless rate in the country, at 4.5 per cent.

Compared with a year earlier, employment has grown 1.4 per cent or by 250,000, all in full-time positions.

Unions Will Have To Get In Line Like The Rest Of Us

2013-06-06T10:26:00.002-07:00

Proposed union finances bill passes constitutional muster, ex-Supreme Court justice says

BY TYLER DAWSON, POSTMEDIA NEWS JUNE 5, 2013

A proposed bill would require all labour unions to provide the Canada Revenue Agency with financial information. That includes spending on education and training, and the percentage of time union employees spend on political activities. Some observers say the Supreme Court of Canada should test the constitutionality of the law.

Photograph by: The Canadian Press , Postmedia News

OTTAWA – A controversial private member’s bill that would require unions to reveal staff salaries, operating expenses and political activities to the Canada Revenue Agency doesn’t run afoul of the Constitution, says a former Supreme Court justice.

Michel Bastarache, who retired from the Supreme Court in 2008, wrote that “if Bill C-377 is enacted into law, it would likely be upheld by the courts as a valid enactment of (the) federal Parliament’s power over taxation.”

That view from a respected senior jurist will dismay opponents of the bill, who have argued it is invasive of privacy and would be costly to carry out. Bastarache’s view is not shared by all legal experts.

What financial information a union should disclose might be a perfectly legitimate debate, said Osgoode Hall Law School Prof. Bruce Ryder, but the reality is “most of this law falls under provincial jurisdiction.”

The bill would require that all labour unions provide the Canada Revenue Agency with financial information. That includes spending on education and training, and the percentage of time union employees spend on political activities.

Merit Canada, an organization that advocates for a union-free construction industry, commissioned Bastarache’s opinion. No one from Merit Canada could be reached for comment Wednesday.

Bob Linton, director of legislative affairs for the United Food and Commercial Workers Canada, said the big concern is the added expense of this system, as unions will need to collect and report this information, and the Canada Revenue Agency will need staff to monitor information and enforce the new provisions.

The Canadian Labour Congress, which will testify before the Senate on the bill, is also concerned about the level of personal information that would be disclosed. In a brief, CLC president Ken Georgetti said it would require disclosure of all transactions over $5,000, which, for example, could include personal information about a union member who is receiving money under a health plan for a prescription.

Ryder, the law school professor, said the proposed legislation, introduced by Conservative MP Russ Hiebert, is a “labour bill dressed up as a tax bill,” which Ryder predicted could lead to an expensive battle in the courts.

Provincial governments have the bulk of the responsibility over labour law, and the federal government has power over taxation law. It is this distinction – and, ultimately, which sort of law Bill C-377 actually is – that raises the question of constitutionality.

In a legal opinion released Wednesday, Bastarache wrote that as long as the motive of expense disclosure is “rationally and functionally connected” to an area of federal jurisdiction — that is, income tax law — then it is constitutional.

Bastarache wrote that the link between the Income Tax Act and this legislation is that there are tax benefits accorded to labour unions.

“In exchange for these benefits, it appears, the new section (of the Income Tax Act) would make public certain financial operations of these organizations,” he wrote.

However, Ryder disputed this assessment, saying there isn’t a rational connection between expense disclosure and income tax, and that Bastarache cites no examples of “benefits” or provisions under the act.

“The amount of information that needs to be disclosed is quite extraordinary, and how that has any connection to the goals of the income tax act is completely obscure,” he said. “The bill comes as (a) transparency and accountability measure for unions.”

Ryder proposed that, in light of the constitutional questions, the government should refer the bill to the Supreme Court of Canada, to determine whether or not it is constitutional.

Hiebert, the MP who introduced the bill, said the connection to the Income Tax Act lies in benefits received by unions.

“I modelled my legislation after the existing clauses within the Income Tax Act that deal with disclosure,” he said. “Union members receive benefits, unions themselves operate tax free and strike pay is also deemed tax free.”

He said that charities, for example, are already required to disclose finances. This is no different, he said.

Time For The Liberals To Come Clean In Ontario?

2013-06-06T10:17:00.001-07:00

Tories ask OPP to probe deleted gas plant emails

The Canadian Press
Published Thursday, June 6, 2013 7:26AM EDT
Last Updated Thursday, June 6, 2013 12:35PM EDT

TORONTO -- The Progressive Conservatives said Thursday they want the Ontario Provincial Police to investigate the destruction of government documents by senior Liberal staff in former premier Dalton McGuinty's office as theft.

"My intention is to actually phone the (OPP) commissioner and report a crime," said PC energy critic Vic Fedeli.

The police must investigate the conclusions of Ontario's privacy commissioner, who found the chiefs of staff in McGuinty's office and the Ministry of Energy broke the law by deleting emails on cancelled gas plants in Oakville and Mississauga, added Fedeli.

"The decision by premier McGuinty's office to remove electronic records from government computers and put them onto USB sticks needs to be investigated by the OPP," he said.

"These vital records are government and taxpayer property, and until they are returned they should be considered stolen."

The Tories and New Democrats accuse the Liberals of destroying emails to hide the true cost of cancelling the two gas plants, which has grown to an estimated $585 million, well above the government's original claims of $230 million.

The Conservatives went on the attack against Premier Kathleen Wynne during question period, insisting the police should be called in.

"Premier, since you won't acknowledge any wrongdoing, will you at least get out of the way when the OPP comes to your office to get to the bottom of this scandal on behalf of the people of Ontario," asked Tory Rob Leone.

Wynne bristled at the suggestion she wouldn't fully co-operate with police.

"I take offence at the suggestion that I would not," the premier told the legislature.

"I would absolutely comply with anything that I was asked to do by police, and I think the member opposite actually knows that."

Wynne didn't dispute the privacy commissioner's conclusion that the emails on the cancelled gas plants should never have been deleted by Liberal staffers.

"I agree with her conclusions that this should not have happened," she said. "I have committed to making changes to ensure that all staff follow the rules."

The New Democrats said Wynne can't wash her hands of the problem by saying she's changed practices to make sure political staff know their obligations on document retention since she took over from McGuinty.

"I know for sure, or at least I believe that the premier has known about this all along," said NDP Leader Andrea Horwath.

"I don't believe for a minute that she took the reins of power of this party without knowing all along what had been done in terms of the cover-up."

The Conservatives also called on the NDP to vote against the budget next week to defeat the minority Liberals, saying only a change in government will help get to the truth about the cancelled gas plants.

However, the NDP warned an election would kill the justice committee hearings into the gas plants, where they say the truth is slowly coming out.

"Our first responsibility is to do what's right for people back home and that's what we did in the budget, we got concessions that are important for people like a 15 per cent cut in auto insurance," said NDP house leader Gilles Bisson.

Privacy Commissioner Ann Cavoukian reported Wednesday that McGuinty's former chief of staff, David Livingston, tried as late as January to have email accounts for several Liberals permanently deleted from government databases.

There are no penalties for violating Ontario's Archives and Recordkeeping Act, but Cavoukian's findings could help the opposition parties find the Liberals guilty of a rare contempt of parliament motion, which can carry legal sanctions.

Federal Conservatives Unraveling?

2013-06-06T10:13:00.002-07:00

Is this the beginning of the end for the federal Conservative party as it currently sits? Is this going to be the start of calls made quietly for Harper to step down and have a new leader for the next election?

Having met Mr. Harper and finding him a very sincere person I think it may be time for the conservative movement to look for a successor. Although getting no kudos from the left leaning media for guiding Canada through some very rough waters the past 5 years or so, Prime Minister Harper has done a great job. Our country is strong coming out of the world wide recession that still grips most of Europe and our neighbours to the south. Though not helped by provincial governments here, looking at you BC, Quebec and Ontario! Were it not for these three governments fighting anything the Harper government put forth to move our country forward I think we may have been in an even better position than we currently are.

So, what do we need in a new leader? Well, one that is more open to the media for starters! You know that any conservative leader will be vilified via the media, you still need to be able to get your message across and let the voters decide who to believe. So a more outgoing leader is a must in my opinion.

Our next leader should also work on transparency within government and stick to it, meaning if we elect you to clean up government, do so! This is where this conservative party has failed us. We want a clean, lean government and they have failed to provide us with one.

Cut spending, our next leader needs to sign onto deep cuts in government spending. We do not need the federal government creating an economy with spending. Mr. Harper buckled under pressure by the EU and President Obama to turn the taps on and spend out of recession. Although not going as far as some would have liked I feel we spent and continue to spend too much.

Our next leader should start to move the Canadian economy away from depending on resources and into the new era of technology. We need to foster growth in this industry as it is the way of the future and we currently are being left behind. We need to entice companies to set up her, develop here, we need to have our universities involved in the science, we need more in order to remain relevant in the world. Our dependence on resources as a major driver of the economy although has served us well in the past should not be looked at as a leader in our future. Most resources are finite and if we do not move on to a more technology based economy I fear for our nation's future. Our next leader should call on companies, universities, provinces and more to invest, foster and make our nation attractive for businesses to come to Canada, this is the future.

Our new leader must tackle immigration as well. Our immigration system is so flawed that a complete tear down may be required. We have provinces(Alberta & Saskatchewan) that desperately need immigrants but are being handcuffed by the federal limits. While provinces such ad Ontario, Quebec and BC have much higher unemployment numbers and continue to take in their quota of immigrants. Either raise the quota for the provinces that need more or have an overall quota for all of Canada and limit areas with higher unemployment. Makes sense doesn't it? I mean do provinces with over 7% unemployemnt and much large under-empoyment rates really need to bring in more immigrants while other provinces are crying for help, help that would drive growth across the nation and help out the "have not" provinces?

Is it time for a new leader, I think it is, but feel Harper is content trying his hand at the next election. This I feel will be a terrible mistake and hand the country over to Trudeau who has proven time and time again that he is not a person capable of leading a nation.

Dismayed Conservatives confront news that MP Brent Rathgeber has quit Harper’s caucus

BY MIKE DE SOUZA & MICHAEL WOODS, POSTMEDIA NEWS JUNE 6, 2013 11:08 AM

Conservative MP Brent Rathgeber

Photograph by: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick , Postmedia News

OTTAWA — Alberta MP Brent Rathgeber’s decision to quit the federal Conservative caucus over what he believes is a lack of commitment to transparency by the government left his Tory colleagues in turmoil Thursday.

Several said they were disappointed by the news. Rathgeber announced his decision late Wednesday, saying the government was trying to dilute a private member’s bill he has introduced on financial disclosure of senior public service salaries. He fears the government is not living up to its own rhetoric on transparency and openness in government.

Conservative government whip Gordon O’Connor disagreed, saying Rathgeber would have to explain himself.

“We are open and transparent,” O’Connor said. “We provide all the financial information. Every day we explain what we’re doing. We have announcements here all the time. There’s no secrets going on. People know what’s going on in the government.”

Some Conservative MPs, including John Williamson, a New Brunswick MP and former head of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation which supports more transparency, declined to comment.

Ontario Tory MP Larry Miller said he had supported the intent of a financial transparency bill for public servants that Rathgeber has been trying to have passed, but had concerns it could actually drive up wages of some senior government officials.

“At the same time, if his bill was totally gutted, which it sounds like that’s what he’s ticked off about, then I have some concerns. But until I actually see what came out of the committee or whatever, I can’t really comment,” said Miller.

Rathgeber tweeted his decision to sit as an independent from the Conservative caucus after the governing party rewrote his legislation designed to improve transparency about federal records and information.

“My decision to resign from the CPC caucus is because of the government’s lack of commitment to transparency and open government,” the Edmonton MP wrote on his Twitter account late Wednesday.

Thursday morning, in an extensive blog post, he called it the “straw that broke the camel’s back.”

My decision to resign from the CPC Caucus is because of the Government’s lack of commitment to transparency and open government.

— Brent Rathgeber, MP (@brentrathgeber) June 6, 2013

The government had just voted major changes to his bill, which would be similar to “sunshine” laws in some provinces by requiring highly paid public servants to disclose their salaries at federal departments and agencies as well as Crown corporations such as the CBC. The Conservatives amended it so that the minimum salary that would trigger public disclosures would be more than $444,000, not the $188,000 level Rathgeber proposed.

A spokesman for the prime minister’s office confirmed via Twitter that Rathgeber had resigned from caucus, and said the MP should resign from the House of Commons. “The people of Edmonton-St. Albert elected a Conservative Member of Parliament. Mr. Rathgeber should resign and run in a by-election,” Andrew MacDougall wrote.

The people of Edmonton-St. Albert elected a Conservative Member of Parliament. Mr. Rathgeber should resign and run in a by-election. (2/2) — Andrew MacDougall (@PMO_MacDougall) June 6, 2013

“It really smacks of hypocrisy,” Rathgeber told the CBC, referring to MacDougall’s comments. “It’s a little rich.” He pointed to the example of David Emerson, who quit the Liberal caucus after the 2006 election to join the Tories. The Conservatives did not suggest he should run in a byelection.

In his blog entry posted, entitled “I Stand Alone,” Rathgeber outlined the rationale for his decision.

“Clearly, the Government’s decision not to support my Private Member’s Bill on CBC and Public Sector disclosure and transparency in Committee was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back; however, this decision and my comfort level in caucus has been evolving for at least a year.”

“Recent allegations concerning expense scandals and the Government’s response has been extremely troubling. I joined the Reform/conservative movements because I thought we were somehow different, a band of Ottawa outsiders riding into town to clean the place up, promoting open government and accountability. I barely recognize ourselves, and worse I fear that we have morphed into what we once mocked.

“My constituents demand better. My constituents simply do not care what somebody, who they hope will never become Prime Minister, did or didn’t do seventeen years ago. They do care, however, about the relations between a sitting Senator and Langevin Block (PMO). For a government that was elected on a platform of accountability, my constituents are gravely disappointed.

“I still support and greatly respect the Prime Minister; I continue to question the decisions and actions of many of his advisors. I will continue to support the government generally, but not unequivocally. I will deploy my independent vote on a case by case, issue by issue basis.

“I can only compromise so much before I begin to not recognize myself. I no longer recognize much of the party that I joined and whose principles (at least on paper), I still believe in. Accordingly, since I can no longer stand with them, I must now stand alone.”

Tory MP Mark Warawa responded to Rathgeber’s announcement via Twitter on Wednesday, saying, “Brent, you are a man of integrity and will be missed.”

@brentrathgeber Brent, you are a man of integrity and will be missed.

— Mark Warawa (@MPmarkwarawa) June 6, 2013

Two days before the amendments to his bill were made, Rathgeber had recommended a sweeping review of existing laws granting people access to government records, saying that Canada is a “laggard” in making information available to taxpayers.

He made the comments this week as a parliamentary committee continued its review of the private member’s bill which would expand the existing federal access to information law.

NDP MP Alexandre Boulerice said Thursday that the resignation from Tory caucus shows that Conservatives, who had come to change Ottawa, were being changed themselves. He also said some Tory MPs are privately complaining that they no longer have the freedom to speak freely without permission from the prime minister, and are warning opposition members to be careful they don’t suffer the same fate.

But Miller rejected Rathgeber’s suggestions that the Conservative party had changed.

“That’s totally wrong,” Miller said. “I’m sure that Brent said some things when he was not in very good humour and that’s fine. But I totally disagree with that and that’s all I’m going to say.”

NDP leader Tom Mulcair said Rathgeber’s frustration was part of a pattern of behaviour with the Harper government that incuded recent events in the Senate.

“That’s the reality of Ottawa. These are people who got themselves elected on a promise of transparency and accountability.

Rathgeber has argued his government’s suggestion of a high baseline salary to trigger public disclosure was too high and would only allow for information on salaries of some CEOs at Crown corporations, chairs of boards and commissions or a few judicial appointments, while excluding information on salaries of deputy ministers across government.

Obama Picks Rice?

2013-06-05T14:12:00.001-07:00

Obama picks loyalist Susan Rice as national security adviser

By Steve Holland and Mark Felsenthal

WASHINGTON | Wed Jun 5, 2013 4:44pm EDT

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama chose close confidante Susan Rice as his new national security adviser on Wednesday, increasing White House control over foreign policy and defying Republican critics of her handling of last year's deadly attack on a U.S. compound in Libya.

The hard-charging Rice, selected to replace low-key Tom Donilon in the post, is expected to play a high-profile role in defending Obama's foreign policy, particularly on the civil war in Syria. Obama has come under fire for his cautious approach in response to mounting evidence that President Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons against rebels seeking to oust him.

Obama will nominate Samantha Power - a Pulitzer Prize-winning author about genocide, former White House aide and Harvard professor - to replace Rice as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, White House officials said.

The selection of the pair raises the question of whether Obama's foreign policy might put more emphasis on human rights issues during his second term.

Rice's appointment could anger Republicans who have sharply criticized her role in the handling of last September's attack on a U.S. compound in the Libyan city of Benghazi that killed four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens.

Obama had been expected to pick Rice, 48, as national security adviser since she withdrew last December from consideration to replace Hillary Clinton as secretary of state under criticism by Republicans about Benghazi. She had been Obama's first choice to replace Clinton. The job instead went to John Kerry.

Rice will take over from Donilon in July as the official who coordinates U.S. foreign policy from the White House. Obama will avoid a congressional fight, though, because the post does not require Senate confirmation.

"She is at once passionate and pragmatic," Obama said, flanked by Donilon, Rice and Power in the White House Rose Garden. "I think everybody understands Susan is a fierce champion for justice and human dignity, but she's also mindful that we have to exercise our power wisely and deliberately."

In her remarks, Rice did not mention the Benghazi attack or Republican criticism, but did say she looked forward to working with "our country's most experienced leaders from both parties."

Republicans accuse Rice of playing down the Benghazi incident for political purposes by initially describing it on Sunday TV news shows as the result of a spontaneous protest, rather than a terrorist attack.

White House spokesman Jay Carney defended Rice's performance in the days after the incident.

"Ambassador Rice went out to the Sunday shows and conveyed what was the intelligence community's best assessment of what had happened in Benghazi at the time," Carney told a briefing.

Under Rice, the conduct of foreign policy is likely to be centralized out of the White House, raising questions about how much leeway will be given to Kerry, said Aaron David Miller, a foreign policy expert at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

"She's very direct, very outspoken, very tough but extremely skilled and confident, which makes her formidable," Miller said. "The fact that she's close to the president makes her extremely formidable."

The shakeup comes as Obama grapples with a welter of foreign policy challenges, from Syria to China's rise on the world stage, an issue that will be brought to the fore this week when Obama meets Chinese President Xi Jinping in California.

Power's selection for the U.N. post was a bit of a surprise. U.N. and U.S. diplomats had anticipated Obama would choose Deputy Secretary of State Williams Burns.

Power's discretion and diplomatic skills were called into question in 2008 when she labeled then-Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton - running against Obama at the time for the party's White House nomination - a "monster." The remark prompted Power's resignation from Obama's campaign team.

She also has been criticized by conservatives for seeming to suggest in a 2002 interview with an academic that bringing in the U.S. Army to police the Middle East conflict might be needed if either Israel or the Palestinians move toward genocide.

Carney said Power's record as a White House aide shows ample support for Israel.

"Samantha Power is a proven friend and supporter of Israel and the U.S.-Israel relationship," Carney added. "And she will continue to carry that forward as our next U.N. ambassador."

HOLDING FIRE

Rice's critics largely held their fire. Republican Senator John McCain, a leading opponent of how Obama has handled the Benghazi controversy, tweeted that he disagreed with Rice's selection but that "I'll make every effort" to work with her.

Rice is one of the original members of the team that helped Obama win election in 2008, then became the first black woman to serve as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

During her years at the United Nations, she acquired a reputation as a tough, often uncompromising diplomat who had no qualms about cursing behind closed doors.

Some Security Council diplomats say that Rice at times has been overbearing, though they acknowledge that she has a good sense of humor and has been very effective in getting U.S. policies across at the United Nations.

Obama has drawn scrutiny for taking a cautious approach to evidence that Syria used chemical weapons after declaring any such usage would cross a "red line." He has also been reluctant to take steps to arm the Syrian rebels or participate in a "no-fly" zone, to the frustration of the Syrian opposition.

Rice appears to be of like mind. U.N. diplomats familiar with her thinking say she has been extremely cautious when it comes to supporting Syria's insurgents with weapons.

Rice's reputation took a hit over the Benghazi attack. She went on television days after the incident to say it appeared to be the result of a spontaneous demonstration by Muslims upset at an video that insulted the Prophet Mohammed.

It eventually became clear that Islamist extremists had launched the attack on the anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

Republicans continue to pound the Obama administration for what many of them contend was a cover-up to protect Obama from political damage as he sought re-election last year. The White House denies any such effort.

White House officials said there was nothing precipitous that prompted the shakeup now. Donilon had talked for some time about leaving the post and he was most recently in Beijing preparing the details of the Obama-Xi meetings later this week.

(Additional reporting by Susan Heavey, Arshad Mohammed and Roberta Rampton in Washington and Michelle Nichols and Lou Charbonneau in New York; Editing by Alistair Bell and Will Dunham)

Transparency In Government....What A Neat Idea!

2013-06-05T12:55:00.001-07:00

Although this is just a ploy by Mr Trudeau to grab some headlines I do think it may be a good idea to have complete transparency within government. I mean should we not know as taxpayers who is spending our money and on what? Just how many Bev Odas and Mike Duffys do we have within our elected officials?

I would like to call on the Harper Government to enact such transparency but also to make all upper and middle government employees fall under the same scrutiny. I would suggest we start at the CBC and work from there. If we want to cut government waste, let's get at it and do the job properly! Within our ministries there is countless billions wasted and I think a government that came to power under with aspirations of cleaning up government should get on with the job and start cleaning. Some will say they have, but let's face it, they really haven't. The conservative government I think has been so scared to be labelled extreme that they have gone soft in the areas that the country elected them for. Government waste needs to stop and stop now! In fact it may be time for the federal government to enact a LEAN program developed by Toyota and generally accepted as the guiding principle for most fortune 500 companies and many government organizations around the world.

From the National Post...

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau made the announcement in Ottawa Wednesday, laying out a proposal to boost transparency in government at a time when, he says, questions about Senate expenses have shaken Canadians’ faith in the system. It extends rules that currently apply to cabinet ministers.

“Over the past weeks, we’ve seen a tremendous level of cynicism increased and a level of disenchantment with both our parliamentary institutions and the people who serve them. It is our sense that the proposals…. are going to go a long way toward restoring Canadians’ confidence in institutions we believe in,” Mr. Trudeau told reporters.

The data will be released quarterly in searchable formats so that people can “search, play with, utilize, share and actually get to the heart of concerns anyone might have,” Mr. Trudeau said. Presently, some Senate expenses, for instance, are published in a series of PDFs that are cumbersome to compare.

Mr. Trudeau has been under fire from Conservatives for defending the Senate, saying it’s to Quebec’s “advantage,” and for not immediately passing a Conservative motion for an audit of all Senate expenses. Senator James Cowan, the Liberal leader in the Senate, said he expects that motion will pass Wednesday.

The Wednesday announcement was interrupted by a small group of roughly one dozen protesters, who appeared to target Mr. Trudeau’s support for the Senate by chanting “Trudeau loves the status quo, what about the average Joe?” Mr. Trudeau stopped his speech, watched them, and then suggested the group was sent by Conservatives.

“One can see why the Conservatives are so worried that the openness and the transparency that the Liberal party is demonstrating and is serious about demonstrating. They want to change the channel, they want to talk about anything else, but we are going to talk about how we’re restoring Canadians’ confidence in the Senate,” he said.

The group of people, all young adults and most of them male, did not identify themselves, and left Parliament Hill once approached by reporters. They declined to say their names, whether they work on the Hill or for the Conservative party. One said he was unemployed. Photos suggest that person is a former employee of the Conservative Resource Group, a research agency serving the Tory caucus. An RCMP officer said the group had no permit but was not asked to leave.

Mr. Trudeau’s move to announce the disclosure of expenses was applauded by former Liberal MP Michelle Simson, who served from 2008 to 2011 and voluntarily disclosed her own. “At last, a party leader leading by example,” Ms. Simson wrote on Twitter, adding: “Shame on all other MPs that don’t follow suit.”

The Liberal proposal also includes a bill, due in the fall, to make the House of Commons’ secretive Board of Internal Economy meetings open to the public in most cases. The Conservatives would have to support that bill for it to pass. Mr. Trudeau also called on the House and Senate boards of economy to work with the Auditor General to develop mandatory performance audits.

Before the announcement, however, Mr. Cowan, the top Liberal Senator, said it’s a “cop-out” to blame rules and that audits would not have caught a $90,000 cheque from the Prime Minister’s former chief of staff to Senator Mike Duffy. “I don’t think the real problem we have here [are] the rules. I think it’s the lack of respect that some people have for the rules. That’s the problem,” he said.

Senator Claude Carignan, a Conservative appointed by Mr. Harper, said the cases of Pamela Wallin and Mike Duffy are “exceptions” to the performance of the Senate.

“We are very good senators, we are here to serve citizens and not the inverse,” he said.

What To Do With Syria?

2013-06-04T13:20:00.001-07:00

When will the UN finally do something here? This war has already spilled it's borders and could end up making a larger regional war. The UN needs to come down hard on the Russians for supplying weapons to Assad's regime and get off the sidelines and go in and create a peace. We cannot and I stress cannot arm the rebels as it is well known the the rebels have been infiltrated by Al Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood who cannot be trusted. The only way this will come to a conclusion is to put UN boots on the ground and try to force a resolution. The last thing I want to see is Canadian troops on the ground but with a unilateral approval from the UN it may be the only way.

We have seen this happen time and time again in the last 50 years, this is yet another example of the UN going in too little too late. After the atrocities, the use of chemical weapons and the involvement of terrorist organizations...way to go UN, you are showing the people of the world that you have their back!

UN, France Allege Chemical Weapons Use in Syria

Karen Koning Abuzayd (R), member of the International Commission of Inquiry on Syria for the United Nations Human Rights Council talks to commission chairperson Paulo Pinheiro before a news conference on the presentation of their latest report at the U.N. VOA News

June 04, 2013

A new United Nations report says there are "reasonable grounds" to believe a limited amount of chemical weapons have been used in Syria - as France said Tuesday it is certain that the nerve agent sarin was used multiple times.

Paulo Pinheiro, chairman of the U.N. Commission of Inquiry on Syria, also stressed the human toll of the two-year conflict as he presented the report to the U.N. Human Rights Council.

"Crimes that shock the conscience have become a daily reality. Humanity has been the casualty of this war. Syria needs not a military surge, Syria needs a diplomatic surge. We cannot continue to sit idly by and watch this catastrophe unfold," said Pinheiro.

The commission's report says there is not enough evidence to determine which chemical agents have been used in Syria or who deployed them. It says those conclusions would require testing victims and collecting samples at the site of four alleged attacks.

But in Paris, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said tests performed by a French laboratory showed with certainty that the deadly nerve agent sarin was used in Syria on several occasions. He said the results were handed over to the United Nations, but did not disclose where or by whom the sarin gas had been used.

The White House said Tuesday the United States needs more evidence about the use of chemical weapons in Syria before making decisions on how to respond.

Syrian rebels prepare to fire locally made rockets in Idlib, northern Syria, June 4, 2013.

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The U.N. report urges Syria to allow a team of U.N. investigators into the country to investigate chemical weapons use. The Syrian government has said investigators would only be able to visit one site.

Both the government and rebels trying to oust President Bashar al-Assad have accused each other of using chemical weapons and committing human rights violations.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Tuesday the atrocities detailed in the U.N. report were "sickening and staggering."

The U.N. commission said both sides in Syria are guilty of human-rights abuses, but that violations by rebels have never reached the intensity and scale of those carried out by pro-government forces.

Russia and the EU held a second day of talks Tuesday, overshadowed by friction caused by the EU's backing for the Syrian opposition and Moscow's continued support for Assad.

The summit took place as Russia and the United States continue to try to arrange an international peace conference to bring together both the Damascus government and the opposition pushing to oust the Syrian leader
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Dr. Henry Morgentaler Dead At 90

2013-05-29T13:08:00.000-07:00

Like him or hate him, Dr. Morgentaler changed the course of Canadian history.

Canadian pro-abortion crusader Henry Morgentaler dead at 90

Canadian Press and National Post Staff | 13/05/29 | Last Updated: 13/05/29 3:47 PM ET

TORONTO — To his enemies he was a mass murderer, but to many he was the man who shed light on back-street abortions and put women’s health and choice on the front pages of newspapers, TV screens and radio airwaves.

Dr. Henry Morgentaler, who helped overturn Canada’s abortion law 25 years ago, died Wednesday at his Toronto home. He was 90.

John Ivison: Anti-abortion MPs advance their agenda by using Harper’s playbook against him

In 1967 Morgentaler, then a family practitioner, emerged in Quebec as an advocate for the right of Canadian women to have abortion on demand, at a time when attempting to induce an abortion was a crime punishable by life in prison.

The issue became a polarizing issue in Canada: On one side the growing women’s liberation movement pushed for the right to choose, while the other was made up of those who equated abortion with murder.

Carolyn Egan, with the Ontario Coalition of Abortion Clinics, says Morgentaler had a huge impact on the lives of women in Canada, bringing them reproductive freedom.

Joyce Arthur, executive director of the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada, says he is a “Canadian hero,” who saved the lives of countless women.

Morgentaler’s crusade earned him many opponents, and in reaction to his death today a spokeswoman for the anti-abortion group Campaign Life Coalition says she hopes Morgentaler repented before his death and that this marks what she called “an end to the killing in Canada.”

“Our country has lost a man of great courage, conviction and personal bravery,” Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne said in a statement.

In an interview with The Canadian Press in 2004, the pro-choice crusader said his five-year stay in the Nazi concentration camps of Auschwitz and Dachau prepared him for his showdown with Canada’s legal system.

“I had decided to break the law in order to help women — a disadvantaged class of people who were being unjustly treated and exposed to terrible danger,” said the slight man from behind a desk surrounded by family photos in his Toronto clinic. He was 81 at the time.

“The fact that it was the law didn’t play with me because in my mind laws can be wrong,” he said remembering his boyhood when simply being a Jew was reason enough to be imprisoned.

Morgentaler was born in Lodz, Poland and came to Canada after the Second World War. He completed his medical studies at the Universite de Montreal and interned at the Royal Victoria Hospital.

It was there that he happened upon a ward that made him realize the plight of women with unwanted pregnancies. It changed his life as well as the future rights of Canadian women.

“The Royal Victoria Hospital — and many other Montreal hospitals — had a whole ward specially designed for women who had bad abortions, and many of these women would die. Many would be injured to the point where they couldn’t have any more children.

“It was a terrible situation.”

In 1967, Morgentaler spoke before a government committee considering changes to the abortion law.

He told of the dying and sick women he’d seen and said publicly that it was a woman’s choice to terminate a pregnancy.

After his speech, desperate women approached him for abortions, but as it was still an illegal procedure, he turned them away.

It was only after much soul-searching, that Morgentaler — with the hopes of eventually changing the law — started performing illegal abortions to women who requested his help.

“I felt, as a humanist and as a doctor, that I had a moral duty to help these women,” he told The Canadian Press.

In 1969, the federal government amended the law to make abortion legal under restricted conditions: A hospital committee would decide whether the continuation of the pregnancy would endanger the mother’s life or health.

Soon Morgentaler opened his first clinic in Montreal.

I felt, as a humanist and as a doctor, that I had a moral duty to help these women

By 1973, the clinic had been raided several times by police and charges laid. Later that year a Quebec jury acquitted Morgentaler but the Quebec Court of Appeal threw out the verdict. After the Supreme Court rejected his appeal, Morgentaler began serving an 18-month sentence.

Canadians on both sides took action: Those supporting abortion on demand held rallies calling for Morgentaler’s release while those who opposed abortion petitioned Ottawa.

Even in jail Morgentaler was defiant; he threw his boxer shorts in the face of a prison guard who told him to strip after being moved to an isolated room. The guard punched and kicked the doctor to the ground.

Morgentaler was released after serving 10 months.

In 1976, the newly elected Parti Quebecois government decided not to proceed with the charges against Morgentaler and doctors providing abortions in Quebec would not be prosecuted.

Morgentaler opened more clinics across the country.

More rallies, protests and legal battles followed until Jan. 28, 1988, when the Supreme Court struck down Canada’s abortion law as unconstitutional. Morgentaler was one of the key players in the case.

In 1990, the government tried to bring back the criminal control over abortion but the bill was narrowly defeated.

Morgentaler’s critics paint a very different picture, far from a benevolent advocate of women’s rights.

Gwen Landolt, national vice-president of REAL Women Canada, is a prolifer and a longtime Morgentaler adversary.

She believes that if abortion is an assertion of women’s rights, why aren’t more forthcoming about abortions they have had?

“Morgentaler was an opportunist,” Landolt said in an interview in 2004. “The only thing he could do was abortions and that, with the help of the media, he turned it around to be a great crusade.”

Morgentaler was an opportunist. The only thing he could do was abortions and that, with the help of the media, he turned it around to be a great crusade

“But he was really out for Morgentaler and money.”

As part of REAL Women and legal counsel for the anti-abortion Campaign Life Coalition, Landolt’s barbs are verbal. But other critics have been more than vocal about their opposition to abortion.

At the opening of Morgentaler’s Toronto clinic in 1983, a man lunged at him with garden shears. That and the 1993 bombing of the clinic left Morgentaler shaken but unharmed.

Political commentator and feminist Judy Rebick was walking beside Morgentaler when the man came at the doctor. Without hesitation, Rebick chased the man to his yard nearby.

But she remembers Morgentaler as the hero.

“I think Morgentaler is a hero because he risked his life many times for the struggle. The incident you describe was the one time I risked mine,” she said in early 2008.

The shootings of other doctors in Canada in the 1990’s and the murder of an abortion provider in the United States forced Morgentaler to acknowledge he was a target. He started wearing a bullet-proof vest.

But he soon abandoned the vest, convincing himself he was invulnerable.

“Maybe it’s by accident it succeeded,” he said in 2004. “Because it was possible that some religious fanatic would come up and pump a few bullets.”

Morgentaler’s legal battles continued when he opened a clinics in Nova Scotia in 1989 and again in 1994, when he opened a clinic for the women in New Brunswick as these provinces passed legislation prohibiting abortions outside of hospitals. By 1995, provincial and federal rulings forced both provinces to allow private clinics.

Maybe it’s by accident it succeeded. Because it was possible that some religious fanatic would come up and pump a few bullets

Morgentaler closed his Halifax abortion clinic in 2003, 13 years after it opened. He said women were able to get appropriate care at Halifax’s Victoria General Hospital, where the procedure would be covered under provincial health insurance at the hospital.

Prolifers saw the closure as a victory.

In 2004, an honorary-degrees committee at Western University agreed to confer the degree on Morgentaler.

Those against the degree circulated a petition to demand the committee’s reversal, garnering 12,000 signatures. An anonymous donor withdrew a promise of a $2 million bequest to the university when it announced that Morgentaler was to be honoured.

Morgentaler said that all the fuss over the honour was proof that some people still opposed the rights of women.

In 2008, Morgentaler received the Order of Canada, prompting an immediate backlash from abortion opponents.

Jean-Claude Cardinal Turcotte, the Archbishop of Montreal, asked that he be removed from the order to protest Morgentaler’s appointment.

Turcotte’s resignation was officially accepted by Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean later that year. He was among several abortion opponents who resigned from the order.

It’s because of the debate people have changed their minds. Now they have the additional knowledge and experience that women no longer die as a result of abortions

The controversy surrounding Morgentaler made him a celebrity as his story yielded countless media profiles and a few television movies.

Morgentaler trained more than 100 doctors to perform abortions and opened 20 clinics across the country.

There are no longer hordes of protesters outside his clinics.

“It’s because of the debate people have changed their minds. Now they have the additional knowledge and experience that women no longer die as a result of abortions,” Morgentaler said in the earlier interview.

“We’ve come to a situation where women accept [abortion on demand] as part of their rights.”

Should Omar Khadr Ever Be Released?

2013-05-29T11:06:00.002-07:00

He was a child "soldier" in some eyes, in others he was a young terrorist from a terrorist family. The Khadr family have used the Canadian system to it's full extent all the while breeding hatred and turning their children into home grown terrorists.

There is no doubt that Omar Khadr knew exactly what he was doing when he killed a military EVAC, he was fighting, not as a soldier which means he would be wearing a uniform but as a terrorist and as such should be treated as such.

Should Mr. Khadr be free or should he spend the rest of his days in the pen? Many point to the fact that he was a child at the time,while others point to the fact that he still holds the same values as he did as a child terrorist. So what do we do with him, let him go into the general public in Canada, send him and his family back to their homeland, or keep him imprisoned?

If we let him go into the Canadian public CSIS will have to keep close tabs on him as he stand a good chance of re-offending and killing innocent civilians like his father, Taliban and Al Qaeda trained him to do.

I personally like the other two options better, although keeping him in prison for life is not an option in this liberal penal system that we have in Canada.

No, it is time for the Khadr family to go back to their homeland. Send them packing and get them the hell out of our country, they have used our resources against us at every chance and this ultra-liberal/socialistic safety net needs to let them go. Our system was meant for Canadians who pledge allegiance to our nation, not individuals who just come to use the system all the while hating everything we as Canadians stand for. This individual and his family do just that and I think the majority of Canadians feel that the most common sense thing to do is get them out of our country and stop wasting tax payer money on people like this...

Former Guantanamo detainee Omar Khadr woke up in an Alberta prison Wednesday after months stuck in isolation at a penitentiary in Ontario where an inmate had threatened his life, The Canadian Press has learned.

Khadr was flown to the Edmonton Institution Tuesday, potentially ending a situation in which he had been deprived of prison programming that complicated efforts to seek parole, his lawyer Dennis Edney confirmed.

“Hopefully, this is a positive step in his long journey to freedom,” the Edmonton-based Edney said.

“I hope that this is a new start for Omar, an opportunity for people to see him as he really is – as someone who poses no threat to Canada, someone who has no radical viewpoints.”

The transfer allows Khadr to be closer to his lawyer and should obviate concerns about any negative influence from his family in Toronto, some of whom expressed sympathy for extremist groups several years ago.

The maximum-security Edmonton Institution is home to about 225 inmates.

The Toronto-born Khadr, 26, was transferred to Canada last September to serve out the remainder of an eight-year sentence handed down by an American military commission for war crimes he pleaded guilty to committing as a 15-year-old in Afghanistan.

He spent the next several months in segregation in Millhaven penitentiary west of Kingston, Ont., classified as a maximum-security inmate even though he was considered minimum security before leaving Guantanamo.

Khadr was finally allowed onto the range in February. In March, prison authorities asked him to work on the food line, handing out pieces of butter to other prisoners. When an inmate asked for more than was allowed, Khadr refused.

“This guy threatened to stab Omar,” Edney said in an interview.

As a result, authorities moved him back to strict solitary confinement, where he remained isolated in his cell for at least 23 hours a day ostensibly for his own protection.

“This is someone who has just spent 10 years of his life in that hell-hole that is Guantanamo Bay,” Edney said.

“Is there any difference between Guantanamo and what has taken place here?”

Efforts to reach Khadr were stymied by Public Safety Minister Vic Toews, who overturned the Millhaven warden’s decision allowing him to talk to a reporter, according to documents obtained by The Canadian Press.

Khadr was eligible for day parole in March but has yet to have a hearing.

Edney said stringent rules around the “hole” made it difficult for the prisoner to take part in programming, something a parole board would want to see in considering whether to grant him any early release.

“Nothing works for this kid,” Edney said Tuesday ahead of the transfer, adding Khadr was “just desperate” to get on with his life.

“He tells me it’s horrible in prison.”

Correctional authorities have repeatedly refused to discuss any aspect of Khadr’s case, citing privacy concerns.

Edney, who said his client poses no risk to public security, said he wondered whether the “illogical” maximum-security classification was another example of political interference by a government determined to portray him as a hardened terrorist.

Prison guards over the years have described him as friendly and compliant.

“Consultation with the unit staff indicates that he has not presented with any behavioural problems,” according to a recent internal Millhaven assessment.

Khadr has been following a special curriculum developed for him by faculty at King’s College in Edmonton. He was recently assessed as having the equivalent of a Grade 10 education, scoring marks that ranged from 91 to 97 per cent in the five subjects tested.

However, the restrictions made getting on with his studies difficult.

The last book sent to him, a short story called The Hockey Sweater, was returned as unauthorized.

Khadr is also looking to appeal his military commission conviction based on similar successful appeals by two other former Guantanamo prisoners.

Essentially, they argued they were found guilty of crimes that did not exist at the time of they committed the offences.

Let's Hope That This Is The End Of Robo-Calls

2013-05-29T09:31:00.000-07:00

The Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission has issued unprecedented fines against several political parties and politicians for robo-calls that broke regulations by not properly identifying the caller.

The fines total $369,900 and were levied against the federal Conservatives, the federal NDP, the Ontario Progressive Conservatives, Alberta’s Wildrose Party, Liberal MP Marc Garneau, Conservative MP Blake Richards and a robo-calling firm, RackNine Inc.

The fines come after a “wide-ranging investigation” by the CRTC, the agency said. The calls in question didn’t properly identify themselves under CRTC telemarketing rules.

The Conservatives and Mr. Richards did not co-operate with investigators, the CRTC said. The others did, and have voluntarily agreed to settlements totalling $277,500. The Conservatives and Mr. Richards were fined $78,000 and $14,400, respectively, and now have 30 days to respond or pay the penalty.

Until last week, the largest fine levied by the CRTC against a political party was $4,900.

Political parties and candidates “didn’t understand [the rules] and didn’t appropriately do their homework to make sure they understood the rules,” Andrea Rosen, the CRTC’s Chief Compliance and Enforcement Officer, said in an interview. “…Canadians have a right to know who is calling them, and people should adhere to the rules to make it as easy as possible for a Canadian to voice their concern.

“What this is is an effort to ensure that everyone respects the rules,” she added.

The robo-calls are not tied to an investigation into misleading calls made during the 2011 election that a judge ruled were fraudulent. Instead, they are calls that didn’t identify the caller sufficiently.

At least part of the investigation was sparked by a complaint by Liberal MP Ralph Goodale, a source told The Globe and Mail. The Saskatchewan MP filed a complaint to the CRTC on Feb. 5 about robo-calls in his province. The calls were sent Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, 2013.

“The robo-calls were entirely anonymous,” Mr. Goodale said. “They identified a research company, Chase Research, which I gather is based in Alberta although we couldn’t find it listed in any corporate registry anywhere.”

The federal Conservatives later said they were behind the calls, which were placed by Edmonton-based RackNine Inc. Chase Research is an affiliate of RackNine. The CRTC collected information from RackNine on Feb. 11 and Feb. 12. But, according to a source close to the investigation, the CRTC then asked for more details – everything on any phone number RackNine had registered.

That included 3.4-million calls made for Wildrose in 2011 and 2012, none of which entirely complied with the strict laws. In particular, six Wildrose call blitzes – including one poll during last year’s election – raised concern. It paid a $90,000 fine, the largest of the seven issued.

One source called the RackNine search a “fishing trip” by the CRTC. RackNine co-operated, but many Canadian robo-calls are done by companies based partially or entirely outside the country. “What’s left to be seen is if all they do is go after low-hanging fruit,” the source said.

Ms. Rosen, however, said many investigations are still ongoing, acknowledging some of those are “possibly” targeted at other political parties or candidates. She considers the five cases where the subject was co-operative – Wildrose, the Ontario PCs, the federal NDP, Mr. Garneau and RackNine – to be closed books.

The fines signal a crackdown by the CRTC on robo-calling, which is increasingly used by political parties, charities and unions as a cheap way to communicate broadly. However, the rules state that every call must include, at the beginning, a local or toll-free number and a mailing address of the entity behind the call. This rule appears to have been widely broken. Recordings of similar calls places in Alberta from other parties, candidates and charities, provided to The Globe and Mail, indicate that these rules are not followed in a range of other cases.

The Ontario PCs paid an $85,000 fine for two robo-call campaigns that occurred between Sept. 1 and Sept. 7, 2011. It didn’t name the party or provide sufficient contact information, the CRTC ruled. The Ontario PCs co-operated, and spokesman Alan Sakach called it “an administrative error.”

The federal NDP was fined for robo-calls made Jan. 11 and Jan. 20, 2012, in the riding of Lise St-Denis, who crossed the floor and joined the Liberals. They calls didn’t say they were on behalf of the NDP, and didn’t include sufficient contact information. The party paid a $40,000 fine and co-operated. “We apologize for the error and are committed to ensuring it does not happen again,” the party’s national director, Nathan Rotman, said in a statement.

Mr. Garneau was fined for calls made in March of this year as part of his campaign for the Liberal leadership. They identified “the originator of the call” and had some contact information, but did not explicitly state they were on Mr. Garneau’s behalf and had no mailing address. He paid a $2,500 fine and co-operated.

RackNine paid a $60,000 fine and co-operated after 15 robo-call campaigns it carried out between March, 2011, and February, 2013, when Mr. Goodale complained. “RackNine was not aware that its practices were in violation,” the CRTC said.

The Conservatives were fined for robo-calls in Saskatchewan related to electoral boundary changes. They did not co-operate. Mr. Richards, an Alberta MP, was fined for two robo-call campaigns in 2012 that did not say they were on his behalf, or include a mailing address. He did not co-operate.

If either the Conservative Party of Mr. Richards chooses to argue a case, they’ll appear before a three-commissioner panel that has the power to reduce their fine, Ms. Rosen said. “You know, all I can say in terms of those two cases is that they were given an opportunity like everyone else,” Ms. Rosen said.

That revelation comes after Canada’s Chief Electoral Officer said the Conservative Party was not co-operating with his agency’s investigation into fraud committed during the 2011 election. A court ruling last week on another robo-call scandal – where voters, mostly in Guelph, Ont., were misled about polling station locations – found six Conservative MPs engaged in “trench warfare” to block or delay proceedings.

RackNine works often for both Wildrose and the federal Conservatives, but says it’s nonpartisan and doesn’t refuse any client. In an interview earlier this week, RackNine founder Matt Meier said he co-operated with the CRTC but declined to comment on specifics of the case, suggesting the CRTC case is still ongoing. “I can’t comment on any of this until I know [the outcome],” he said.

Last week, when its fine was first revealed, Wildrose warned that the ruling could affect other parties, including Alberta Premier Alison Redford’s Progressive Conservatives. The parties have traded jabs, each writing Alberta’s provincial chief electoral officer to ask for an investigation.

Wildrose has said it didn’t know so much contact information had to be included, and pointed to a previous TV interview by former Alberta PC campaign strategist Stephen Carter, saying such calls don’t require identification. He declined comment.

The Alberta PCs did not use RackNine during the last provincial election and officials wouldn’t comment on the unidentified survey type robo-calls that Wildrose is complaining about.

“We have not had any contact with the CRTC so we don’t know whether there’s anything going on with regards to investigating us,” said PC Party president Jim McCormick. “We have a high level of confidence that we obeyed the rules as laid out.”

Conservative spokesperson Fred DeLorey declined comment.

Drew Westwater, a spokesman with Elections Alberta, said his office received more than 800 complaints about robo-calls during the 2012 provincial election. Of the complaints, 15 to 20 per cent were about anonymous surveys, he said.

Elections Alberta passed them onto the CRTC along with all the other complaints. “This is the first time we’ve really run into this on a large scale like this and we really didn’t have a lot of authority in our act or legislation to deal with the calls related to surveys, which was a big bone of contention,” he said. It’s not clear what the CRTC did with those complaints.

Time For Obama To Come Clean On Benghazi?

2013-05-28T09:12:00.001-07:00

There is no doubt that in the fall last year, with an election looming, that those in the senior administration of the US government knew more about Benghazi than they to this day are letting on. Through the months that have passed Obama has steadfastly denied knowing more about the attack even though transcripts and emails have revealed top level communications that day and into the next about how they will spin the attack.

They held onto the damning parts until the election was won and now several months later we are hearing just how far up the administration these communications went. Not a whole lot linking Obama directly but one has to think that if a terrorist attack is ongoing the president would be up to date on all happenings, no matter what campaign mode he is in. There may be no online communications linking him but I have a hard time believing that there was not any face to face communications taking place at which time the wrong calls were made.

The fact that four Americans died in this attack that Obama and his administration deemed unworthy to try to take any action isn't enough, the administration has yet to come clean and hold anyone accountable for this inexcusable lack of judgement.

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As a president you are to do your very best to lead by example, surround yourself with top level administration and be 100% up to date on any, and I mean any security threat. This attack showed the lack of ability of this man to lead the nation in times when a leader is needed. He did not make any call to action, he didn't so much as pick up the phone to see if action was even possible(which has since been proven that there could have been). What did Obama do? Well he heard of the attack, jumped into bed and got up the next morning and headed off to Las Vegas for some big campaign fundraising event.

Is this the action of a leader? I think many, even those on the left would agree that this is far from leadership. Even if he was being sheltered from the reality of the situation he fails as a president for not having the trustworthy staff around him. If he was not brought up to speed it means his staff, Clinton and everyone else were more worried about winning the election than saving American lives.

The fact that the Marines were told to stand down by the administration is inexcusable in every aspect. These are trained fighters who had been needed and felt the urgency of the situation and refused to listen to orders to stand down and went in to fight, fight for every American human life that was in danger. This sense of pride in nation is what sent them into a very dangerous and hostile situation, full knowing that they could easily die. But fight they did and are about the only ones in this whole situation that should be held in high regard and as heroes, Obama proved he is not, Clinton surely isn't and the rest of the senior military command certainly aren't.

What transpired in Benghazi is first and foremost a tragedy, but the ongoing cover ups, the lack of leadership and the complete incompetence of senior administration in the military and the White House call into question Obama's ability to lead America. All those associated need to be held accountable forthwith including those within the White House.

Was Obama more worried about re-election, keeping Americans safe, not trying to anger the Muslim world or a good nights sleep? Who knows for sure, but he did not act as a president that is fit to lead his nation and time is up for him to come clean once and for all!

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Time To Abolish The Senate?

2013-05-27T11:34:00.002-07:00

For many years discussions have taken place across the country. From what does the senate actually contribute to Canada to can we actually live without it?

Being a common sense conservative I will be the first person to state that I believe the time has come to disband the senate and it's un-elected officials. Sure we could have elected officials in the senate but then stand the chance that we would have a house and senate controlled by polar opposites much like in the States and end up with nothing being accomplished in a political gridlock that can last a generation. I do like to have checks and balances but is there really a way to accomplish this without a properly elected senate? Maybe a senate that is elected with no party affiliation, but you would still know where people sit before every voting for them and hence the same problem that the U.S. faces year in and year out.

Our provinces seem to make out just fine without senates and I would argue that maybe without the extra step that is the senate, government seems to become more efficient at running itself. We the people elected our MP's and MLA's to speak for us and we hold them accountable every 4 years, if they are not doing what we like, well you know what happens... The senate on the other hand, un-elected and unaccounted for which makes it a disease in of itself in the Canadian Constitution, a disease that we have an easy cure for. But the cure has it's side affects...

In order to abolish the senate you need to open up the constitution to reforms and there in lies the problem. We have too many groups within our nation that will want more perks tossed in that will cost the rest of Canada. Don't think for a second that Quebec will not want more out of equalization than they currently get, or that maybe Saskatchewan can fight and finally get non-renewable resources pulled out of the equalization math(and rightfully so as is the case in other jurisdictions), or natives wanting more land, Ontario wanting more representation... Well soon you see where this is going, it is a can of worms that I think will be hard to close.

There are constitutional lawyers throughout the country working on this as we speak, some for governments some for self interest groups and all ready to pounce at any given moment. Can the senate be abolished without opening the constitution, that will play out in the courts of the land as we move forward, most are under the assumption that you cannot reform without opening the constitution so abolishment seems to be the only path that "may" be able to be taken. Kind of strange that reform would be harder to accomplish than abolishment but who am I to argue with the political scholars, lawyers and judges?

It costs the Canadian public well over $100 million to run the senate every year, does not sound like to much in the grand scheme of things but over time it adds up and because they are not held to account it is my belief that it is time for it to go.

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Labour(Union) Issues In Saskatchewan

2012-05-10T16:03:00.000-07:00

With the review that currently is ongoing in Saskatchewan and the whole labour movement uproar, I thought I would re-post my common sense approach to the union problems in Saskatchewan. The Saskatchewan Federation of Labour, unions of course will hate this but it better represents the workers, saving families upwards of $4,000/year in union dues.

At any length this is my proposal in a nutshell;

I have suggested that the government bring in Right To Work Legislation. This would not be quite what they have in some States, it goes further to protect the worker than their legislations do. As part of this Right To Work Legislation each worker hired within a union environment will have the right to join union or not. The worker, if so wishing not to join the union, would then become part of a fund or pool that holds a labour relations firm on retainer for when their collective bargaining agreement is about to expire.

In the legislation, when the collective agreement is one year from expiring it would mandate that both sides get to the table. Your lawyers would sit down with the employer for up to 6 months to try to bring about an agreement fair to both sides. If no agreement is in place at the end of six months then a mediator would come in and try for 3 months to get a deal in place. After three months and still no agreement then a move to binding arbitration with an arbitrator brought in from outside the province and who is acceptable to both sides. A deal would be in place by the end of the contract and the he said/she said political games would be taken out of the equation. There would be no strike actions taken as contracts would be done before any labour agreement ends, which further brings down the whole ability to play political game by both labour and employer.

Now you may say how is that fair to workers? Well they get the same protection that they currently have under unions but without the huge expense and games unions play. Many union members are charged well over $1000/year(some over 2,000) in union dues with no choice on how the unions leadership spend the money. Under this particular Right To Work legislation you could cut those union dues from over $1000 to maybe less than $100/year. Imagine what this change would do for the families? Having an extra $1000 in your pocket each year is nothing to sniff at, you can use it for what ever you see fit.

With this approach, you would not have the hard feelings between employer and employees as you know the process will be the same each and every time your contract comes due. The lawyers and employer will work together to make sure any agreement is fair and will ensure the growth of the company or if government make government more streamlined and sustainable.

Unions of course would fight this tooth and nail saying that labour cannot be represented nearly as well by a firm and to this I would answer that lawyers are trained to negotiate, this is what they do when it comes to labour relations. They are more likely to come to an agreement without all the background noise that union leadership puts out before and during negotiations. If the union leadership is really looking out for their members then they should have no problem with them choosing this path and keeping $1000 in their pocket on a yearly basis? The worker can then choose how they spend their money, not like how it is today under the unions where there is no vote for advertising, political contributions or the like.

We have to look at the role unions play in today's society, are they really needed any longer? We have labour relations boards, workers compensation boards and more. These boards do what the unions claim they do for the average person in the workplace, so why have the redundancy? The unions have served their purpose in the past, but in order to build an economic powerhouse where labour and employer have the same goals, we must leave the unions in the past. It is a whole new world out there and we must be able to compete on a global scale and I feel this is a step in the right direction.

There is no doubt that unions hold back our ability to compete, they protect the weak workers, those with no work ethic and hold back the ones who are hard working and would ultimately rise to the top in any other system. With this Right To Work Legislation our economic output would see a tremendous increase because the best people will rise to the top thereby creating an environment where people know that they need to work in order to succeed and therefor production would increase dramatically.

Far too long union has held us back, it is 2012 and it's time for change, let's change our labour legislation to better protect the worker and create a society more in tune with the ever changing global economic landscape. But first things first, we must be willing to talk to friends and family about this, without that grassroots movement things don't change. If you agree with my thoughts do not be afraid to write your MLA, your MP, the Premier and even the Prime Minister, this is how change starts.

This plan of course would need a lot of legal polish but it is a framework that could take us through to the next century in my opinion. Why is it that labour and business must butt heads are we not more civilized than that?

An example of this approach is say CUPE....29,000 members, each of them paying at least $1000/year union dues. That is $29,000,000/year revenue for the big business....I mean union, taken over 4 years equals $116,000,000!!! This total is probably very conservative as I know many CUPE members pay much more than $1,000/year.

Now to have a law firm under retainer may cost ten grand or so, and then in the 3rd year of bargaining maybe costs of $300,000 more or less. Total four year commitment is $330,000.

SAVINGS is $115,670,000 All of this money back into the pockets of the working men and women. Money better spent by them, how they want and not by some union figure head playing political games! Common sense says that the workers would be farther ahead with the money in their pockets

Common Sense Solution To Our Union Problems

2012-01-19T11:30:00.000-08:00

I have taken time to think about how I would approach this topic. I know being a non believer in unions does not sit too well with the mainstream media but I believe our society is ready for a new approach to labour relations and thus now is the time to roll out my idea.

I have sent a letter to Premier Brad Wall, who then sent it on to Minister of Labour Don Morgan, I received a reply from Mr. Wall before Christmas and now I just received Don Morgan's response. In his response to me, Mr Morgan stated that he is sending it off to the Ministry Of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety for further analysis. Where this will end up is anyone's guess, it may get tied up in the house of bureaucracy, or who knows, something may come of it.

At any length this is my proposal in a nutshell;

I have suggested that the government bring in Right To Work Legislation. This would not be quite what they have in some States, it goes further to protect the worker than their legislations do. As part of this Right To Work Legislation each worker hired within a union environment will have the right to join union or not. The worker, if so wishing not to join the union, would then become part of a fund or pool that holds a labour relations firm on retainer for when their collective bargaining agreement is about to expire.

In the legislation, when the collective agreement is one year from expiring it would mandate that both sides get to the table. Your lawyers would sit down with the employer for up to 6 months to try to bring about an agreement fair to both sides. If no agreement is in place at the end of six months then a mediator would come in and try for 3 months to get a deal in place. After three months and still no agreement then a move to binding arbitration with an arbitrator brought in from outside the province and who is acceptable to both sides. A deal would be in place by the end of the contract and the he said/she said political games would be taken out of the equation. There would be no strike actions taken as contracts would be done before any labour agreement ends, which further brings down the whole ability to play political game by both labour and employer.

Now you may say how is that fair to workers? Well they get the same protection that they currently have under unions but without the huge expense and games unions play. Many union members are charged well over $1000/year in union dues with no choice on how the unions leadership spend the money. Under this particular Right To Work legislation you could cut those union dues from over $1000 to maybe less than $100/year. Imagine what this change would do for the families? Having an extra $1000 in your pocket each year is nothing to sniff at, you can use it for what ever you see fit.

With this approach, you would not have the hard feelings between employer and employees as you know the process will be the same each and every time your contract comes due. The lawyers and employer will work together to make sure any agreement is fair and will ensure the growth of the company or if government make government more streamlined and sustainable.

Unions of course would fight this tooth and nail saying that labour cannot be represented nearly as well by a firm and to this I would answer that lawyers are trained to negotiate, this is what they do when it comes to labour relations. They are more likely to come to an agreement without all the background noise that union leadership puts out before and during negotiations. If the union leadership is really looking out for their members then they should have no problem with them choosing this path and keeping $1000 in their pocket on a yearly basis? The worker can then choose how they spend their money, not like how it is today under the unions where there is no vote for advertising, political contributions or the like.

We have to look at the role unions play in today's society, are they really needed any longer? We have labour relations boards, workers compensation boards and more. These boards do what the unions claim they do for the average person in the workplace, so why have the redundancy? The unions have served their purpose in the past, but in order to build an economic powerhouse where labour and employer have the same goals, we must leave the unions in the past. It is a whole new world out there and we must be able to compete on a global scale and I feel this is a step in the right direction.

There is no doubt that unions hold back our ability to compete, they protect the weak workers, those with no work ethic and hold back the ones who are hard working and would ultimately rise to the top in any other system. With this Right To Work Legislation our economic output would see a tremendous increase because the best people will rise to the top thereby creating an environment where people know that they need to work in order to succeed and therefor production would increase dramatically.

Far too long union has held us back, it is 2012 and it's time for change, let's change our labour legislation to better protect the worker and create a society more in tune with the ever changing global economic landscape. But first things first, we must be willing to talk to friends and family about this, without that grassroots movement things don't change. If you agree with my thoughts do not be afraid to write your MLA, your MP, the Premier and even the Prime Minister, this is how change starts.

This plan of course would need a lot of legal polish but it is a framework that could take us through to the next century in my opinion. Why is it that labour and business must butt heads are we not more civilized than that?

The New Saskatchewan

2012-01-17T12:14:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! As promised I am back blogging, although with work and family commitments I will not be able to spend as much time as I would like right now. Hoping that this will change going forward.

So here we are 2012, a lot has changed over the past few years, socialism has reared it's ugly head to the point of taking down large amounts of the world's economies, dictators have fallen, countries are waking up to a new conservatism while others are diving in deeper into the socialist/communist regimes.

In Canada and particularly here in Saskatchewan we have taken a look at what has continued to transpire around the globe and decided we do not want to fall prey to the same left wing tactics that have taken Europe by storm over the past few generations. We see countries losing their Triple A status, we see the unrest in the streets and we see the fall of many leaders who have done little or nothing to help their own people.

In Saskatchewan we spoke loud and clear this past fall, we do not want to fall back into our socialist ways, we have seen what comes of it over time and that has served as a wake up call.

Socialism has worked in Saskatchewan for many years because of the hand outs we always knowingly accepted from the Federal Governments. We were always there with our hands out asking Ontario, Alberta and the like to pay for our out of control spending, our socialist practices and out offensive union contracts. Without that help we would have suffered the same fate as Greece, Italy, Spain!

But we have turned the corner in Saskatchewan and we like what we have found, prosperity that could last many generations based on our resources alone. But does that mean we can sit back? Not at all, we must use some of this wealth to develop others areas of our economy that will move us forward after the resources. We cannot look at a 5-10 year plan, we must think 50+ years into the future. Where will future wealth be created? I will not try to make myself sound like a person who is capable to seeing the future but I am capable of realizing that most resources are finite and some day they will run out. By then our population could be around 2 million people and this is where some outside of the box thinking can go a long way.

We have seen a growing trend right next door in Alberta, they have taken their economy from a mostly resource driven economy to a more balanced economy. With large investments in financials, medicine, engineering, services and much more you have borne witness to an economy that has been able to weather the storm better than in the past. You may think that Alberta went through the recession with a lot of bumps and bruises and that is true, but a large part of this slowdown was caused by their own government getting greedy and upping the royalty rates on oil & gas. I submit that they would have done much better if the rates had gone unchanged. There still would have been a slowdown but not nearly as deep as it ultimately came to be. Sure oil & gas still plays a huge roll in Alberta's treasury but not nearly as much as in the 70's and 80's. Alberta has done a great job of diversifying their economy so that if one segment goes down it will not affect them nearly as much. This is what Saskatchewan needs to now do, we have oil, gas, potash and uranium, plus our yearly crops, but we need more. We witness the crash of potash prices a couple years back and how is impacted out government finances. Diversification would allow for us to better absorb a slowdown in certain parts of our economy.

Diversification will lead to a more sustainable economy, one that will be able to buck the trend, one that will weather the ever increasing storms and one with a bright future. No longer can we be considered socialists, but at the same extent we must not lose sight of what is important and what will help Saskatchewan continue to be the envy of our country and even the world. We cannot sit back, we need to keep moving our economy forward through innovation and of course value added businesses for our resources. We made the right choice in November and going forward we need make sure that socialism stays where it should.......in the past!

Unions In My Sights!

2011-12-13T09:02:00.000-08:00

Over the next couple of weeks I will be working on a plan that could bring about a large change to how the labour movement works in this country. Their feet will be held to the fire and let me tell you the details will be exciting. I will be forwarding this plan off to all levels of government and I hope with your support maybe change will come! Our country can and will become much more productive under this plan and allow for us to more evenly compete with the other economies of the world. Stay tuned!

The Common Sense Conservative

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TAVIA GRANT - ECONOMICS REPORTER

The Globe and Mail

Published Friday, Jun. 07 2013, 8:33 AM EDT

Last updated Friday, Jun. 07 2013, 10:31 AM EDT