Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Paul Calandra Must be Replaced as Member of Parliament for Oak Ridges - Markham

Paul Calandra is the Reform-Conservative Member of Parliament for Oak Ridges-Markham. He won the seat in 2008 by just 545 votes, and has been completely underwhelming representing the riding.

Like Bob Dechert, Calandra is an old Alliance member, running unsuccessfully for the party in 2000.

He is also from the old Mike Harris gang, having acted as Chief of Staff for one of the worst Harris MPPs, Steve Gilchrist.

I was surprised that Calandra mentioned working for him in his bio, because that's not really a name that I would like to be associated with.

In 1999 he was under investigation, after two prominent developers complained that Gilchrist's personal lawyer, Peter Proszanski, offered to allow them to influence policy for a $25,000 fee.

He was eventually cleared of these charges but the probe unearthed a few other things from his past, including a conviction in 1984 for tax evasion, a government contract recently secured by Proszanski and an alleged conflict of interest during his first term.

Harris removed him from his cabinet post, but not from his caucus. Tony Clement took his place.

Calandra also mentions that he was the MPPs Chief of Staff when Gilchrist was Chair of the Red Tape Commission and first Commissioner of Alternative Energy.

The Alternative Energy Commission never really materialized, but the Red Tape Commission was blamed in part for the Walkerton water tragedy.

Like the 'risk management' policy of the Harper government, under the auspices of removing 'red tape', it also removed proper inspections, and hindered people from doing their jobs.
Mark Winfield, of the Pembina Institute ... called for the elimination of the Tories' much-touted Red Tape Commission the body that O'Connor points to as being a stumbling block for environment ministry staff looking to bolster protections.

"The Red Tape Commission has got to go. It's that simple," Winfield said. "I think its actions clearly placed the health and safety of Ontario residents at risk." In his report, O'Connor says despite attempts by staff at the ministries of health and the environment to push for regulations that would have forced all private labs to notify provincial officials- including the local medical officer of health- about any adverse water test results, the anti-red tape tone of the Harris government got in the way.

The Walkerton tragedy killed four people and made hundreds of others severely ill. Harper's scheme killed a dozen people from listeriosis, and yet he still hasn't changed his policy.

Paul Calandra's former boss was also one of the worst little pit bulls in the Harris kennel. In his 1999 book Mike Harris Made Me Eat My Dog, Linwood Barclay talks about how Gilchrist would go on radio talk show debates, and refuse to answer questions, only make pooch sounds. Grrr! Rrrr! Rufff! Grrrrrr.

During one such debate, Gerard Kennedy, who was then in the Ontario Legislature, commented "I hate to be a bother, but Steve just bit me. Does anyone know whether he's had his shots?'

And he hasn't changed much. During the recent provincial leadership contest, he backed Christine Elliot, wife of Jim Flaherty. But to try and take the wind out of Tim Hudak's sails, he announced that he had been a Hudak supporter but had lost faith, so joined Elliot instead. Of course that was a lie, and Hudak ultimately won.

I used to vote PC in Ontario, but this party has gone to the dogs, no pun intended.

So here's how we will win this riding back. I just learned that Liu Temelkovski will be running for the Liberals again next election. Since strategically he will be the best option to take out Calandra, I'm throwing my efforts into promoting him. He's an experienced member of Parliament with an excellent record.

I couldn't locate a website for him yet, just his bio, but Vejay Sappani has an excellent site for the area, so can provide you with details. He also posted as a guest on Morton's Musings here.

If you live in this riding, here's what you can do:

1. Join the Liberal Party. It's only about $10.00 and is a great way to show your support. They will keep you up to date with what's happening in the community and on the federal scene.

2. If you are able to find a bit of time, volunteer; perhaps with canvassing or some other promotions.

3. If you can afford it at all, donate a bit now and then. I'm set up to contribute a regular monthly donation, but it's whatever you feel comfortable with. Remember that the Conservatives have a lot of wealthy backers and it takes money to launch a campaign.

4. Join Catch 22 Harper Conservatives to learn more tips, and encourage others to join. They also have a website that is currently under construction.

5. Join Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament. There are more than 20,000 links to stories with reasons to vote the Reform-Conservatives out. The better informed you are the more motivated you will be.

I'll keep this page updated as often as possible and will continue to provide more reasons why Paul Calandra and these destructive Reformers have got to go. And I will also provide plenty of information, as to why Liu Temelkovski must be brought back.

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More Postings on Paul Calandra

5 comments:

  1. In the spring of 2009, as the civil war in Sri Lanka was at its worst, Paul Calandra gave a speech to a Tamil community group in Markham. The speech was covered by one of the two King Township newspapers, but unfortunately I did not keep it for reference. In the speech, Calandra said that (paraphrasing) he would like to send Tamils in Canadian prisons back to Sri Lanka. Not surprising - we've seen the same kind of thing with criminals being sent back to the UK, Jamaica, etc.
    But this was different - it is, I believe, contrary to at least the intent of the Fourth Geneva Convention to send civilians into a war zone, or even into occupied territory.
    I have to doubt that Calandra was aware of the import of his words, but that doesn't make them less troubling.
    Any chance you could get a copy of this speech?

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    Replies
    1. Calandra in a 2009 meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, and Olivia Chow's subsequent beat down upon him.

      http://www.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?DocId=3791384&Language=E&Mode=1#Int-2685374

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  2. Paul Calandra has also lied about having a university degree (big surprise) and tried to hide a lawsuit against him by his own family members:

    http://accidentaldeliberations.blogspot.com/2007/06/none-too-bright.html

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  3. March 31,2009 Paul Calandra moved on the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration;
    " Sir, I move that in the opinion of the committee, the Government of Canada should continue to deport individuals to Sri Lanka who may have serious criminality issues or may have participated in war crimes, and that the recent motion passed by this committee be withdrawn; that the committee add these recommendations as a report to the House and that, pursuant to Standing Order 108(1), the chair present it to the House."
    Here is the link
    http://www.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?DocId=3791384&Language=E&Mode=2&Parl=40&Ses=2

    ReplyDelete