What is Stephen Harper hiding?
It’s no secret that Stephen Harper’s government is the most secretive in the history of Canada, but what are they hiding?
Tags: Conservatives, PMO, secrecy, Stephen Harper
Conservatives were trying to “Harperize” government afterall.
After much delay and many refusals for political reasons, the Canadian Government has finally released documents that show there was in fact a concerted effort to re-brand itself as “The Harper Government.” In true Conservative fasion the government is sticking with the original lie.
Anyone surprised?
Tags: Canadian Government, Conservatives, Dimitri Soudas, PCO, Stephen Harper, The Harper Government
Kelowna votes, disappointed but not surprised.
Well, Kelowna has voted and it seems the voters want to shake things up a bit. When I heard about an increase in voter turnout this time around, both at advance polls and on election day, I figured we were in for some changes. Unfortunately, the majority of voters are under the impression that bringing back the mayor from six years ago is change. This is the same Old Gray Mayor (pun intended) that commented after his defeat in 2005 that he was done with politics and that it was a younger person’s game. He also made comments about his female rival putting up pink, frilly curtains in city hall, and cost the taxpayers thousands of dollars fighting a human right tribunal because he doesn’t like gays. I guess none of that matters to the 13,995 people who filled in the bubble next to his name.
Next came the disappointing council results where it seems instead of electing people based on their experience, their work ethic, or their being suited for the job, voters chose to go with celebrity. (Gerry Zimmermann – fire chief during the OK Mtn. Park fire of 2003; Colin Basran – former CHBC News reporter who doesn’t live in Kelowna; Maxine DeHart – Capital News business columnist; Mohini Singg – former CHBC News reporter) I suspected this may happen from the start, but I guess I held out some hope that voters would want better for their city.
The only encouraging news I can think of from the voting results is the aforementioned rise in voter turnout. Of course it’s not too encouraging when you consider the estimated turnout was a pathetic 33%!
Kelowna Municipal Election 2011, My Choices
On Saturday Kelowna residents, or at least those who bother to vote, will decide the future of this great city by electing a mayor and council along with a board of school trustees. To be honest, I’ve never voted in a municipal election before, be it here, or in Calgary when I lived there. Since moving back to Kelowna I’ve become keenly aware of my love for this city and my concerns, hopes, and dreams for its future. That’s why for this municipal election I’ve done my best to follow the huge slate of candidates and pick those who I think can make this city even greater.
Though I’ve seen some nice changes in Kelowna in recent years, overall I’m not pleased with the direction being taken by Kelowna’s mayor and council. Therefore, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that no incumbents made it on my list.
For mayor:
Kelowna needs a fresh new leader that will listen to the citizens of Kelowna and put their interests first. We don’t need more of the same or more of the past. (Here’s looking at you Walter Gray) We need a leader who will listen to our concerns and addresses them instead of looking only at what will best benefit the business community.
Cal Condy is that leader. Throughout his campaign Cal has shown himself to be a no-bullshit, get-things-done kind of guy who listens to the people around him. Plus the guy cracks me up. City hall could use a guy with a sense of humour.
For council:
Sadly, with 40 candidates running for council I can’t see eight of them who I would give my support to. Of course that helps the candidates that I will be voting for, since a vote for an eighth-choice candidate could mean a first-choice candidate doesn’t get a seat on council. And so my choices, in no particular order, are:
Rob Mabey is a progressive voice that has a plan to take back our city, to build on its momentum, and to make it a better place for all. Rob speaks of a Kelowna with development that is attainable for all levels of income, creating jobs, and reducing crime. Those are three things I’m voting for.
Mary-Ann Graham is a dedicated and hard working advocate for Kelowna and for Rutland specifically. She has an impressive record with many years of tirelessly working for her community including working to extinguish the repressive HST. She also has previous political experience working on many boards and committees through the years.
Tisha Kalmanovitch is a volunteer community advocate for a number of organizations and offers a progressive approach to move Kelowna forward. Plus, if she got Jack Layton’s blessing as a federal candidate in the last election, she’s got mine for Kelowna Council.
For school trustee:
Greg Krasichynsky is another New Democrat running in this election. His platform includes some unique and innovative ideas to provide the very best education to the students in this city.
Tags: 2011, city council, election, Kelowna, Kelowna Votes, mayor, municipal election, school trustee
Today the HST, tomorrow the BC Liberals.
http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/08/26/b-c-votes-to-scrap-hst/
Congratulations to British Columbians for working against great challenges and defying great odds to dispose of this regressive tax. Let’s now work even harder to dispose of the government that brought it in.
Tags: British Columbia, Christy Clark, Gordan Campbell, HST, referendum, tax, taxes
Unreported Crime #1: Stephen Harper appointing Stockwell Day as a cabinet minister
Does Stockwell Day actually believe we need more prisons to house people who’ve committed unreported crimes?
http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/TopStories/20100803/stockwell-day-crime-100803/
At the very least, he thinks Canadian’s are stupid enough to be fooled by his reasoning. Does the Conservative government plan to fill these new prisons by suspending habeas corpus and locking up anyone who looks like they may have committed an unreported crime?
*Blog title blatantly stolen from Tyler Kinch’s Facebook status.
Tags:
Ok, let’s try it Jack’s way…
It seems the Conservative government now concedes Jack Layton was on to something when he suggested we open a line of communication with the Taliban to end the decade-long war in Afghanistan. Of course, you won’t hear the Conservatives telling it that way.
Lawrence Cannon, Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, quietly announced this week that our government wants to engage the Taliban and others in a “reconciliation process that is inclusive of all Afghans, no matter their ethnicity.”
I’m not sure I agree that this will be an effective tactic, I don’t agree with Layton on a lot of things when it comes to Afghanistan, but I’m glad our government has finally acknowledged that it’s worthy of consideration instead of dismissing it with childish name calling like they did four years ago when Jack suggested it.
Via: John Moore.
Tags: Afghanistan, Conservative Party of Canada, Conservatives, government, Jack Layton, John Moore, Taliban, Taliban Jack
Canadians think politicians get little done, Harper proves them right.
A recent Ipsos Reid poll shows that 72% of those surveyed said they disagreed with the statement “Politicians in Ottawa got a lot done this year.” Meanwhile, Stephen Harper is boasting about all his government has done. Harper’s decision to prorogue parliament, and the Governor General’s moronic decision to allow it, show that 72% to be correct. Harper’s decision to shut down parliament this way for the second time in two years cancels thirty-something bills that Harper had previously said were important. He slammed the Liberals for threatening to force an election because they would cancel these same “important” bills. The truth is Harper is a power hungry asshole who has proven time and again that he will do whatever it takes to cling to power and avoid being held accountable for his actions.
Stephen Harper doesn’t give a shit about what’s best for our country. It’s time to toss him out on his ass!
Federal Liberals will support HST
Michael Ignatieff says federal Liberals will support legislation to implement a harmonized sales tax in Ontario and British Columbia, despite previously bashing it as a job-killing “Harper sales tax.”
Liberal, Tory, same old story.
Tags: British Columbia, flip flop, Harper Sales Tax, HST, Liberal Party of Canada, Liberals, Michael Ignatieff, Ontario
Harper’s Conservatives Silence Desent Again.
Once again, a government official speaks his opinion and gets canned because the Conservatives don’t agree with him. This time it’s the chairman of the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP.
OTTAWA – The watchdog over the RCMP won’t be invited back for another term, prompting critics to accuse the government of muzzling him.
The government says it’s not renewing the appointment of Paul Kennedy, chairman of the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP.
Kennedy, who assumed the job four years ago, has harshly criticized the RCMP’s use of Tasers and recently sparred with the government over his budget.
In a statement Friday, the government thanked Kennedy for his service, but gave no reason for not extending his term.
Don Davies, the NDP public safety critic, said Kennedy’s departure is the latest example of the Conservative government’s inability to withstand negative comments.
“I think it’s wrong and I think it’s unfortunate,” he said.
“It smacks of political partisanship. I don’t think they like to be criticized and I think they like to put their own people in.”
Davies noted others have been marginalized for saying things the government doesn’t like, citing parliamentary budget officer Kevin Page, author of unflattering reports about federal spending, diplomat Richard Colvin, who raised alarms over the treatment of Afghan detainees, and Military Police Complaints Commission chair Peter Tinsley, who is conducting a probe of the detainee file.
Liberal public safety critic Mark Holland was travelling and unavailable for an interview. Through his assistant, he expressed disappointment – though not surprise – with the government’s decision.
Holland said the government has consistently done everything in its power to stifle independent oversight.
Kennedy is preparing to release a report on RCMP actions in the high-profile case of Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski, who died at the Vancouver airport in October 2007 after being Tasered by the Mounties.
A Public Safety official called Kennedy last week to tell him he won’t be renewed.
Kennedy’s term expires at the end of December and a replacement has yet to be named.
He declined comment Friday.
Kennedy, a veteran public servant, is a trained lawyer who spent 25 years with the federal Justice Department before joining the then-solicitor general’s portfolio, now Public Safety, where he retired in May 2005 as a senior assistant deputy minister.
The government has been working on a long-awaited modernization of RCMP oversight. But it has outlined no timetable for making changes.
Kennedy has taken a keen interest in the process, arguing his office doesn’t have enough powers to properly oversee the RCMP.
Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan says he is waiting for the report of a federal commission into the 1985 Air India bombing before moving ahead.
But critics have pointed out that a 2006 commission of inquiry report into the Maher Arar affair has already produced a detailed blueprint for keeping an eye on security and intelligence agencies like the RCMP.
Holland said Friday the government continues to find excuses for not implementing the important changes.
Earlier this year it appeared the government wouldn’t replenish millions in special funding that Kennedy’s office received to carry out in-depth studies.
The complaints commission said the cutback would endanger research about how police deal with mentally ill suspects, and how forces often end up investigating themselves when officers get into trouble.
In the end, the commission got $3.1 million of the $3.7 million it hoped to receive for the research.
This from the party that, as opposition, slammed the Liberals for their partisanship.
