Stephen Harper Lied in an Attack Ad. Say it ain't So

In the 'Bull Meter' Ericia Alini takes a shot at the Conservative claim that "Ignatieff voted for an iPod tax of up to $75" - Conservative attack ad April 3, 2011

Apparently totally false.

The claim a $75 levy was ever on the table—and that it was supported by the Liberals—is dubious for two reasons: first, contrary to Conservative claims, the Copyright Board never suggested the levy should be up to $75. That amount was proposed by a non-profit called the Canadian Private Copying Collective, which collects and distributes private copying royalties. But while they may not be the ones who collect it, it’s the Copyright Board that fixes levies on MP3 players, such as the ones that were in place until a December 2004 Federal Court decision struck them down. These ranged from $2 to $25.

Secondly, the Liberals changed their policy on taxing digital audio devices in December and have explicitly rejected the notion of an “iPod levy.” They now support compensating artists with a yearly transfer of $35 million.

The GST quote was made when several of Canada's leading economists were suggesting that the cut to the GST was the worst possible cut to our revenue source.

The worst tax, and the one most people are complaining about is the HST and that was Jim Flaherty's and Stephen Harper's baby.

Jim Flaherty, Oct. 23, 2008. Being from Ontario, as you may have heard, I have a bit of a challenge with my provincial government and I’m gently nudging Premier McGuinty and the Government of Ontario and encouraging them in the direction of reducing the burden of business taxes in that province and, importantly, since that province and a few others are not harmonized, to harmonize the PST and the GST in those provinces, which would be the single most important step that could be done to help relieve the tax burden on business … we need harmonization of sales taxes in some provinces

From Stephen Harper's 2008 budget:

"Replacing remaining provincial retail sales taxes (RSTs) with value-added taxes harmonized with the GST is another area where provinces can contribute to strengthening Canada's Tax Advantage. Provincial RSTs impair competitiveness because they apply to business inputs, increasing production costs and deterring investment. By comparison, a value-added tax system provides most businesses with full tax relief through the input tax credit mechanism. Provincial sales tax harmonization is the single most important step provinces with RSTs could take to improve the competitiveness of Canadian businesses."

He was not the "father of the carbon tax", but the Green shift plan was the work of Stephane Dion and applauded by Nobel prize winning environmentalists. It was both transparent and revenue neutral.

They just lie and it doesn't matter. Nobody questions anything they say.

And they are also currently lying about supporting the CBC.

At the direction of the Prime Minister's Office, Conservative MPs have engaged in a national campaign to mislead voters concerning the Harper government's investment in the CBC. In reply to messages from constituents who have written to express concern about the future of the CBC, at least eighty Conservative MPs have stated in correspondence that:

"In fact, this government has increased support to CBC in every one of our budgets. This year the CBC is receiving $1.1 billion dollars in funding - this being the highest amount of funding ever allotted to the CBC - more than any government in Canadian history. " This statement is false.

More RCMP Investigations of the Harper Government. Maybe They Should Move In

Just when you thought things couldn't get worse for the Government of Harper, we learn of an additional RCMP investigation, this time for yet another lobbying scandal.

Purple files of secrecy, forged documents, fabricated receipts and now this. Time to pull the plug.

“Yesterday afternoon our office became aware of the existence of materials in the possession of the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network,” wrote Raymond Novak, the prime minister’s principal secretary. “These materials contain troubling details about recent actions and claims made by Mr. Bruce Carson, a former employee of the Prime Minister’s office.”

Novak also wrote the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner and the Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying asking for an investigation into Carson’s activities. In the letter to the Ethics commissioner, Novak wrote that the information shown the PMO “may provide evidence” of Carson having breached two sections of the Conflict of Interest Act.

In other words, he got caught. Why was there no investigation before the story broke? Nothing goes on in this government without Harper knowing about it.

Tim Hortens may ask Harper to stop suggesting he represents the 'Timmies' crowd. Not good for business to be associated with RCMP investigations.

Kory Teneycke Reveals That the Harper Government is Lying

Another university professor has gone public with fears that he has been blacklisted by the 'Harper' government, because of his commitment to peace, and criticism of Harper himself.

A Canadian political scientist, whose peace proposals won national and international awards, believes his criticism of the Harper government was the final straw that led the conservative-minded University of Western Ontario to drop his courses and land him on a blacklist.

As difficult as it is to believe that something like this could happen in Canada, I've actually investigated this before it was brought to the attention of the media.

Working with an American journalist, we discovered that liberal minded educators are being not only blacklisted, but for many, their careers have come to an abrupt end. Naturally Harper's people are denying it.

American David Horowitz wrote a book The 101 Most Dangerous Academics in America which has served as a "list" of university professors who must be purged from Academia.

The McCarthyism That Horowitz Built: The Cases of Margo Ramlal Nankoe, William Robinson, Nagesh Rao, and Loretta Capeheart, By Dana Cloud, April 29, 2009

But perhaps the best evidence that this is taking place in Canada comes from Kory Teneycke.

This former spokesperson of Harper's, and longtime Reform movement activist, is reported to be trying to start a witch hunt against liberal academics … At a conference, he was heard telling a student, "If you have a teacher or examples of teachers who are trying to jam lefty philosophy down your throat, please send me an email … I’d love to make them famous."

These are not isolated incidents:

Heather MacIvor, a professor at the University of Windsor and a longtime researcher and commentator on the Conservative party, said she believes that there is a concerted effort to put a “chill” on academic critics of the Harper government, especially from the hard-right partisans who appear to see campuses as hotbeds of left-wing dissent. “This government has a hostility toward people who think for a living or people who write for a living,” MacIvor said, noting that Ignatieff’s academic past has made him an object of Conservative ridicule, too.

We have to start paying attention. This not only reeks of McCarthyism, but is eerily reminiscent of Germany in the 1920s and 30's, when Academia was being "purged" by a group of brown shirts.

This is not normal and this not Canada.

Further Evidence That Stephen Harper is Just Not Listening to Us, as he Chooses the NRA Over Canadians

Further evidence that Stephen Harper is not going to listen to the Canadian people, but will again just do what he pleases, comes with the gun registry.

The majority of our elected MPs, acting on the wishes of their constituents, voted to keep the gun registry.

But Harper has instead chose the American NRA over us, just telling people to ignore the law.

It's time for him to go.

Stephen Harper and His Cheating Ways

Your cheatin' ways,
They make us weep,
We'll cry and cry
And try to sleep,
You broke the law
We're onto you
Your cheatin ways, mean that you're through...

When you're brought down,
For causing pain,
You'll flail around,
And curse our name,
But there's the door,
We've had enough
You tried to lie, but we called your bluff...

Your cheatin' plan,
to steal from us,
It's been exposed,
Now eat my dust,
You knew the rules,
You made your bed,
You didn't think. What was in your head?...

But it's now come down,
To a beaten man,
And his frightening base
Who no longer rule the land,
There's just one more thing
Before you go
Tell me who is, the jackass now?

Simpson is Right. Harper is on the Wrong Side of History With the Egyptian Issue

An excellent column by Jeffrey Simpson on Egypt's victory. He suggests that Stephen Harper is on the wrong side of history, as he should have been backing their fight for democracy. Although, he doesn't back ours, so what am I talking about?

The Egyptian revolution, a mass people’s movement, represents something democrats everywhere should celebrate. It’s too bad, therefore, that the Harper government, once again seeing the Middle East through the exclusive prism of Israel’s interest, remained throughout so hesitant, cautious and, frankly, on the wrong side of history in commenting on Egyptian developments.

I'm glad that those in the mainstream media are starting to speak out about Harper's obsession with Israel. It's rather alarming and may just be for show. Who knows, but someone needs to remind him that he's the head of Canada, not Israel. They don't need our protection. They've got enough nuclear weapons to destroy us all.

James Travers says: Once a Middle East player, Canada now a spectator

In today’s roiling Middle East, Canada isn’t even in the ring. Knocked out by domestic politics, this country is a spectator reduced to mumbling incoherently about freedom, democracy and stability. Nothing Ottawa says now isn’t being said more clearly by others with more credibility. Nothing it can do at this pivotal moment in the region’s evolution will make a significant difference.

... Historically this country has been most influential when it stood close enough to its allies to be trusted yet far enough away to be seen by the international community as speaking truth to great power. Now Canada is too cozy with the U.S. and Israel to be a wise and independent advisor. It’s voice is that of the ventriloquist’s dummy.

Always steadfast in supporting Israel, Canada incrementally recalibrated its pressure and commitment to resolving the region’s defining conflict. It failed a seminal test in refusing to accept the result of Palestinian elections. It repeatedly signaled bias in undermining Canadian organizations and the UN agency trying to relieve the daily misery of Gaza and Middle East refugee camps.

We've completely lost all credibility.

Another Assignment Army of Us's. Women's Rights

There is no denying that women have suffered under the Harper government, though many of the effects have yet to be felt.

Spread the word.

The Story of the F-35 Boondoggle

I've blogged on this a few times:

Here

Here

Here

And Here.

There is also a good story here.

Stephen Harper is telling workers they will lose their jobs if the opposition succeeds in cancelling the contracts. Nonsense. There's no guarantee that Canadian companies will even get the maintenance contracts. They can only bid on them.

More politics of fear.

My New Years Top Ten List of Conservative Misdeeds

In the spirit of the New Year, when everyone is listing their favourite music, movies, worst dressed, etc., I thought I'd list my top ten Conservative misdeeds. The worst of the worst.

These aren't the obvious things, like 130 million for self promo television ads, 45 million for signs or 100 million for opinion polls, and then ignoring our opinions completely.

These took a lot more work. A lot more cunning. And a lot more deceit. And several of them you may not have even been aware of until now.

I'm listing them as David Letterman presents his top ten lists, beginning with the last.

10. The creation of an AstroTurf group called Canadians for Afghanistan, whose role was to change public opinion on the war. Turns out it was funded by military companies eager to continue their lucrative contracts, and run by party insiders.

A self-described grassroots youth organization that wants Canada to continue its mission in Afghanistan was organized with help from a lobbyist who, until recently, worked for a prominent Conservative MP. The group, Canadians for Afghanistan, introduced itself to the national media on Parliament Hill yesterday by calling on Canada to remain committed to ongoing military and humanitarian support.

The Canadians For Afghanistan website lists its main contact as Josh McJannett, a former Conservative staffer who worked for government whip Jay Hill until September. He had previously worked as an aide to Conservative MP Rahim Jaffer. After leaving the Hill, Mr. McJannett became a lobbyist with Summa Strategies, an Ottawa government-relations firm that counts some defence contractors, including U.S. aircraft manufacturer Boeing, among its clients.

9. The appointment of a big Pharma Vice-President to a government agency responsible for distributing funds to the industry.

Last October, the Harper government appointed Bernard Prigent to the governing council of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the federal agency that distributes about a billion dollars annually for health research. That appointment was met with near-universal condemnation from medical ethicists, because Prigent is a vice-president of Pfizer Canada, a firm that stands to profit from the decisions made at CIHR.

8. The creation of an AstroTurf group promoting the continued subsidy of the coal industry, mostly American, by having the operation of Ridley Terminals, paid for by tax payers.

In the great scheme of Canada’s economy, Ridley Terminals Inc. is no big deal. With annual revenue of just under $25-million, the Crown corporation operates a bulk-commodity handling facility off Ridley Island in Prince Rupert, B.C., 1,000 kilometres north of Vancouver. FP Comment’s editorial team has never been to Ridley Terminals, and wouldn’t know a bulk handling facility from the Coney Island Cyclone Ride. What we do know, when we see it, is big time corporate subsidy seeking, backroom politics, scheming lobbyists and cabinet ministers throwing their weight around to satisfy the big time corporate interests.

The AstroTurfers were the Ridley Terminals Users Group and they were financed by the Houston based (with ties to G.W. Bush) Global Public Affairs.

The focus of opposition activity is the Ridley Terminals Users Group, a cabal of major B.C. and Alberta coal mine operators, including such giants as Husky Energy, Suncor Energy, Tech Coal and Coal Valley Resources, headquartered in Mr. [Rob] Merrifield’s riding. The listed federal lobbyist for Ridley Terminal Users Group is Philip Cartwright, of Global Public Affairs in Ottawa. With Global Public Affairs leading the campaign, a sudden un-spontaneous groundswell of opposition is sweeping local governments in and around Prince Rupert. The National Post called them Harper's Ridley terminators.

And to avoid the problem of pandering to an American organization, Harper broke the rules of his own accountability act, by removing Erin Wall, assistant to Brian Jean, Member of Parliament and Parliamentary Secretary for the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities [John Baird] and sent her to work for Global Public Affairs.

Ms Wall was then registered as a lobbyist for the Houston based International Commodity Export Corporation, the largest beneficiary of government subsidies to the [Ridley] terminals. Her appointment took place on June 19, 2009; just before the firing of Dan Veniez (the operator of the terminals who went public), and on the same day that ICEC underwent a name change to give it the appearance of a Canadian company. And they get 25 million dollars annually, as a gift from Canadian taxpayers.

7. Breaking election laws by allowing a non-profit organization, then headed up by Kory Teneycke, to campaign for the Conservatives under the guise of promoting renewable energies. The Conservatives 2005-06 election platform on environmental issues, was called 'Made in Canada'. Coincidentally the same 'Made in Canada' solutions promoted by Canadian Renewable Energies, which was funded in part by the oil and gas industry. They were also given a two billion dollar grant by Jim Flaherty.

The brochure used to be available on-line, but it has conveniently disappeared (I have a printed copy that I'll scan and show later). However, it was filled with pictures of Harper Conservatives and headed 'Made in Canada'. A steal at two billion dollars.

6. After Dr. John O'Connor, a family physician who was a visiting doctor to the small northern Alberta community of Fort Chipewyan, reported high levels of a rare cancer in those living downstream from the Tar Sands, the Harper government set out to destroy him.

... the family physician never anticipated that speaking out about his concerns would land him in a career-threatening struggle against the federal government with his medical licence on the line."Looking back, it's been a nightmare for me," O'Connor said in an interview. "It's just something I never expected in a million years. I just wanted to be the family doctor that I was when I went up there."

In April of 2009, Dr. O'Connor and Andrew Nikiforuk, author of Tar Sands: Dirty Oil and the Future of a Continent; were asked to speak at a special parliamentary committee on 'the impact of world's largest energy project on water: 130 square kilometres of waste water, acid rain, fish deformities, rare cancers and city-scale withdrawals of freshwater.'Expecting to be treated as the experts that they were , they were instead ambushed by, for lack of a better term, a gang of thugs, all from the Conservative goon squad. As Nikiforuk recounts:

But both O'Connor and I made a terrible mistake. We assumed that all committee members would be interested in rigorous dialogue regardless of political affiliation. But that's not what Ottawa delivered. Instead, several Tory MPs subjected us to abusive Republican tactics geared to dismiss, discredit and dishonour.

And yet they claimed they didn't know about deformed fish in the Tar Sands rivers.

5. Another AstroTurf group was created to sell Canadians on the notion that Climate Change was a hoax. Calling themselves Friends of Science, they ran ads on radio stations aping Harper's environmental policies.

David McGuinty was baffled when he first heard provocative advertising about global warming in the midst of the 2006 federal election.The radio spots criticized a consumer energy conservation program along with the climate change policies of the government of the day and appeared to come from nowhere.

But Charles Montgomery, from the Globe and Mail, uncovered the truth:

Friends of Science has taken undisclosed sums from Alberta oil and gas interests. The money was funneled through the Calgary Foundation, to the University of Calgary and on to the FOS though something called the “Science Education Fund.” All this appears to be orchestrated by Stephen Harper’s long-time political confidante and fishing buddy, U. Calgary Prof Dr. Barry Cooper. It seems the FOS has taken a page right out of the US climate change attack group’s playbook: funnel money through foundations and third party groups to “wipe the oil” off the dollars they receive.

4. The Listeriosis outbreak that was the direct result of Stephen Harper allowing meat processing firms to inspect themselves. Twenty Canadians died and hundreds more fell ill from tainted meat that came from Maple Leaf Foods.

According to Council of Canadians:

"At the heart of [the system] is a reliance on industry reporting and monitoring, rather than independent government testing, and an emphasis on cleaning up the mess (to the environment or human lives) caused by bad products after the fact. They call this “risk management,” an about-face from the “precautionary principle” of better safe than sorry."

And despite promising to put meat inspectors back on the job, nothing has been done.

3. The hiring of Nigel Wright as Harper's new Chief of Staff, secured the contract for the F-35s.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper's designated new chief of staff was until last week a director of a major U.S. aircraft manufacturer that is partnered with defence industry giant Lockheed Martin in a bid to sell a fleet of precision attack and reconnaissance warplanes to the U.S. Air Force. Opposition MPs are raising red flags over the link between Nigel Wright, expected to take over as Prime Minister Harper's (Calgary Southwest, Alta.) chief of staff in January, and the U.S. defence bid because of the controversial $17-billion sole-source contract Prime Minister Harper's Cabinet is awarding to Lockheed Martin to supply Canada with 65 stealth fighter jets.

And Canada recently won a golden lemon award for the purchase of these planes from an American foreign policy magazine.

The Golden Lemon Award goes to the Conservative government of Canada for shelling out $8.5 billion to buy 65 Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighters. According to Defense Minister Peter MacKay, “This multi-role stealth fighter will help the Canadian forces defend the sovereignty of Canadian airspace.” Exactly whom that airspace is being defended from is not clear.The contract also includes a $6.6 billion maintenance agreement, which is a good thing because the F-35 has a number of “problems.” For instance, its engine shoots out sparks, and no one can figure out why. It is generally thought a bad idea for an engine to do that.

They are junk that no one wants, so why not pawn them off on the Canadian taxpayer?

2. The "In and Out" election financing scheme that took place in 2006. The Conservative Party HQ deposited large sums of money into the bank accounts of candidates who would not be spending their maximum. They then used that money to buy national ads, meaning that they were able to spend over a million dollars more than the opposition, in direct violation of the Elections Act.

But to top it off, those candidates were able to claim those expenses as their own, receiving large cheques in the mail on behalf of us again. In one case a Quebec hopeful had only raised $ 1500.00 but got a nice bonus of over $ 12,000.00.

In April of 2008, at about the same time as the Friends of Science scandal broke, the RCMP raided the Conservative Party headquarters, as part of the investigation.

During the campaign, the Conservative party conducted a series of financial transactions in which it wire-transferred money to Tory candidates, who then returned cash to the party in the form of advertising purchases. One campaign official interviewed by Elections Canada staff referred to these transactions as “in-and-outs.”Many of the ads in question were for the national party and the only reference to the local candidates who paid for them were small tag lines at the end.

1. And my number one favourite Conservative misdeed, that has certainly flown under the radar, was the secret bailing out of our banks. This was necessary after allowing sub-prime mortgages to infiltrate our once sound banking industry.

And not only did Flaherty give them 150 billion dollars of our money, but they also tapped the U.S. government for 111 billion dollars more. And yet everywhere they go, Flaherty and Harper sing their praises.

And you would think that after such a generous gift, our banks would ease up on service charges. Nope. Instead they gave their execs bonuses of 8 billion in 2009 and 10 billion in 2010. Rewarded for the fine job they are doing.

In the November 2009 "Markets At A Glance" investment newsletter by Eric Sprott and David Franklin, they revealed:

"Acknowledging the leverage levels above, you may wonder how the Canadian banks escaped the 2008 meltdown unscathed. The answer is that they received significant assistance from the Canadian government. First, they received $65 billion in liquidity injections from the Insured Mortgage Purchase Program (IMPP), whereby Canada Mortgage and Housing (CMHC) purchased insured mortgages from Canadian banks to provide additional liquidity on the asset side of their balance sheets. Next, the Bank of Canada provided them with an additional $45 billion in temporary liquidity facilities. Finally, a Canadian Bank (that shall remain nameless) also received assistance from the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) through the purchase of $4 billion in mortgages prior to the IMPP program, for a total government expenditure of $114 billion. For reference, the entire tangible common equity of the Canadian Banks in 2008 was $68 billion. Can you put two and two together? The Canadian government injected a sum through mortgage purchases worth more than the entire tangible common equity of the Canadian banking system!

The incident was reported on randomly in Canada when it hit 150 billion, but is now alleged to be in the neighborhood of about 186 billion dollars of our money (I haven't been able to confirm the additional 36). And another 111 billion dollars of American money.

So there you have it folks. My top ten. But let's not forget all the people Harper has fired, simply because they dared to cross him. Afghan Detainee abuse and the attacks on Richard Colvin. Two self-serving prorogations. Abolishing the mandatory long-form census. Selling us off to the Americans with an aggressive trade deal. Cardboard cheques ....

Maybe I'll need to make another list.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

More Lists:

1. My Next Top Ten List of Conservative Misdeeds

2. Another List of Conservative Misdeeds

3. Today's Top Ten Conservative Misdeeds

4. Ten More Conservative Misdeeds for TGIF

5. My Next Ten Reasons to Throw the Bums Out

Fox News North is Still Trying to Get us to Pay For Their Filth

After dropping their bid for special licencing, it would appear that Fox News North is now using their corporate clout to force cable stations to include it as mandatory in their packages.

I've already phoned my cable company and told them that if they adopt this nonsense, I will be switching.

Maybe one of the satellite companies could cash in by saying we do not include Fox News North in anything we sell.

The non-Fox company.

Fox News has ruined American politics, created the Tea Party and turned the brilliant Obama into a lame duck president.

With this toxic station in Canada, even if we get rid of Herr Harper, we will still be stuck with his mug 24/7.

It will forever change the fabric of Canadian culture.

AVAAZ is asking for our help again.

Send a message to the Presidents of Shaw, Bell and Rogers demanding that they offer Sun TV as a stand alone option. When we reach 100,000 messages, we will take out newspaper ads across the country. Forward to your friends:

“Fox News North” first tried to force Canadians to pay for its content by applying for special treatment from the CRTC. In the course of that fight, they threatened legal action against Avaaz, involved themselves in the sabotage of our petition and published smear pieces in their newspapers across the country. We won. But now, “Fox News North” wants to use their corporate connections to still force Canadians to pay for their content even when we don’t want it. Public outcry against these dirty tactics has shut down Sun TV before and can again. We caused the resignation of Sun TV frontman Kory Teneycke, we forced Sun to abandon their application for special treatment and now we can make cable companies give us a real choice when it comes to paying for “Fox News North”. Send a message to cable giants Shaw, Rogers and Bell by clicking here:

Canadians should not be forced to pay for right-wing agenda news. “Fox News North” is trying to use corporate power to strong arm our cable companies into giving Sun TV a package deal. We can call on Shaw, Bell and Rogers to stay strong and offer their consumers a real choice when it comes to “Fox News North”. With determination, Ricken, Emma, Laryn and the rest of the Avaaz team Sources:Sun TV gets go-ahead as a stand alone option:

Rogers offers news in a package deal:

Stephen Harper Sticks His Head in the Oven and the Oven Says Get Out

My mother used to have a saying if we presented an argument that one of our siblings did something, so why couldn't we. She'd ask "if they stuck their head in the oven would you do it too?"

After learning that the Harper government has spent 100 million dollars on polling, they presented the "but they did it too" argument.

Funny. They campaigned on not doing what previous government had done.

But then they campaigned on a lot of things, so what's one more lie?

However, I do have to challenge their facts.

In 2007, Stephen Harper hired someone to investigate the Liberals' polling practices, hoping to revive the notion of corruption, since he was having some difficulty fending off that of his own party.

For example:

Here

Here

Here

Here

Here

Here

And here.

But the report found that the Conservatives were outpacing the Liberals almost two to one.

An independent investigator hired by the Harper government to look into past Liberal polling practices has wound up shining an unfavourable light on the Tories' penchant for polling. Daniel Paille notes that the Conservative government commissioned more than two polls per business day in the past year, a figure he calls "quite astounding.''

His report shows that the government spent $31.2 million on opinion research in the last year -- more than any previous year and almost twice the $18 million spent on average during the Liberal years.

Stephen Harper wouldn't stand a chance with my mother.

Stephen Harper Addresses Medicare and Pensions With Stone Cold Silence

It isn't what Stephen Harper says about the protection of pensions or Medicare, but what he doesn't say that we should be concerned with.

As the person responsible for drafting Reform Party policy, he had a lot to say back in the day:

In August 1988, 250 delegates met in Calgary to go over a draft platform of policies drawn up by Stephen Harper ... Economically, the party called for a greater reliance on the market, free trade, an end to all government agricultural subsidies ... privatization of government agencies ... right-to-work (that is, anti-union) legislation.

... Finally, on social policy, the party called for an end to the social welfare state; a rejection of proposals for state-run day care; an end to government financial involvement in the unemployment insurance system; an end to federal encroachments on provincial jurisdictions in the areas of medicine (through the Canada Health Act which underpins the medicare system), education, and the like; an end to official bilingualism, immigration policies based on primarily economic reasons, "justice system which places the punishment of crime and the protection of law-abiding citizens and their property ahead of all other objectives." (1)

But that's not exactly the way he would present that platform to the public. Instead the policies were veiled in calculated ambiguity. As Murray Dobbin reported after attending an information session:

[in Medicare] Not only was the policy one of eliminating the nation-wide health care system, but it was phrased in such a way that the impact of the policy was obscured. The resolution called for the "provincialization" of medicare, an odd way of saying that the National Health Act would be rescinded. But rescinding the Health Act is what "provincialization," with "unconditional" funding from Ottawa would mean. Its implications were enormous: it could and probably would mean the balkanization of medicare and, eventually, one system for the rich and another for the poor. There was no popular outcry for changing the medicare system, so why was this populist party calling for this radical change? (2)

Dobbin also speaks of how, many seniors, left the party, after translating their "pension reforms", as an attempt to put an end to Old Age Security along with a dramatic scaling back of Canada Pension.

And knowing that pensions and Medicare were going to be election issues used by the other parties against them, an internal memo shows how Stephen Harper wanted his candidates to handle it. With silence.

"To avoid problems, stick to the themes and the Party priorities. Do not talk about Medicare -that is a Provincial issue. Because Medicare is not a Federal issue, the Reform Party does not have a position on it.

"Pensions: this is a issue where common sense and fiscal responsibility have to be brought to bear. It would be examined in a context of suggesting ideas to control spending and making sure people who need help get it.

"The biggest problem candidates will have is when they get off our themes. Don't fight the issues that other parties bring up. Make incumbents defend their party's record rather than debate Reform proposals."

He uses the same techniques today. Party members must stick to a few scripted responses, even when they make no sense to the questions asked, while allowing few to attend local debates or speak to the media.

And it has many wondering about the future of the Canadian healthcare system. After blowing off an important Canadian Medical Association conference, Andre Picard asked:

Does Canada still have a federal health minister? And, more important, does it have a government with the slightest interest in maintaining the national health-insurance program called medicare? For all practical purposes, the answer to both of those questions is a resounding “No.”

And on the pension front, Linda McQuaig reminds us that the issue is guaranteed to be a pot boiler.

An excellent example is the looming battle over public pensions, an issue that will be the focus of a meeting of Canada's finance ministers in December. While reducing poverty among the elderly has been one of the success stories of Canada's social welfare system, the situation threatens to deteriorate significantly, largely because of the recent failure of employers to expand private-sector pensions.

The Canadian Labour Congress is pushing to expand the CPP, to double the average benefit, currently only about $500 a month. This expansion, which would involve mandatory increases in premiums paid by workers and employers, would be phased in over time and benefit younger workers most. Support for an expanded CPP has come from former CPP chief actuary Bernard Dussault, but business and the financial sector would prefer Canadians rely more heavily on private investments in mutual funds and RRSPs. This is a costly alternative, however, since the financial sector siphons off a significant amount through management fees.

Eerily similar to the policy on "helping" the aged, hammered out by Stephen Harper back in the day. Grandma and Grandpa should look after themselves, forgetting that they paid into those pension plans for years though premiums and taxes.

Expect to be bombarded with reports from groups like the Fraser Institute and the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, attacking those selfish Baby Boomers (aka seniors).

Has Their Back-Up Plan Backfired?

However, there is something else going on here showing that people like Rob Ford may be a day late and a dollar short.

The Neocons have always relied on turning citizens against each other. The new Toronto mayor is attempting the same strategy. According to McQuaig:

Mayor-elect Rob Ford famously painted the city's garbage collectors as a pampered elite enjoying a "gravy train." Appealing as it must be to pick up Toronto's garbage, that's one gravy train I don't mind missing out on.

Similarly misleading attempts to portray public-sector workers as overindulged have come from business spokesperson Catherine Swift, who implies that relatively generous public-sector pensions -- for workers cleaning schools and emptying hospital bedpans -- are imposing a huge burden on Canadian taxpayers. (Swift omits to mention that public-sector workers pay into their pensions, both as workers and taxpayers.)

But they are running out of armies to do their dirty work. Because of corporate welfare we have turned into a nation of bed pan emptiers and cleaners.

As Thomas Walkom reported recently:

... the gap between those at the very top and the rest of us — also known as the middle class — are growing faster than at any time in recorded Canadian history. Canada’s middle classes have been under attack before. [but] Programs like unemployment insurance, welfare and old age pensions — as well as union-friendly labour laws — were designed in large part to prevent social upheaval.

Today, we see the same impoverishment of the middle classes that Canada endured 75 years ago. Employers use high unemployment levels to beat back unions. Governments use recessionary deficits as a rationale for cutting social
spending.

As more and more Canadians fall victim to neoconservatism, they are running out of victims to blame things on.

It will then be time to look at these guys.

Talk to us Stevie. You got some 'splainin' to do.

Sources:

1. Of Passionate Intensity: Right-Wing Populism and the Reform Party of Canada, By Trevor Harrison, University of Toronto Press, 1995, ISBN: 0-8020-7204-6, Pg. 119-120

2. Preston Manning and the Reform Party, By Murray Dobbin, Goodread Biographies/Formac Publishing, 1992, ISBN: 0-88780-161-7 4, Pg. vii

Corporate Dirty Deeds Were Done Dirt Cheap

News from the United States, reveals how the corporate sector exploited the financial crisis, by tapping into cheap money, designed to help the most vulnerable.

Would it surprise you to know that several Canadian lending institutes were also there with their hands out?

Obvious beneficiaries such as Citigroup and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. are on the list released Wednesday, but so are a surprising number of international banks, including all of Canada’s biggest lenders, which borrowed $111-billion (U.S.) through their U.S. divisions.

A list of companies released yesterday, gives face to the culprits.

McDonald’s, General Electric and Harley-Davidson also turned to the Fed when no one else would buy their commercial paper. Hedge fund managers John Paulson and Julian Robertson put up toxic assets as collateral for Fed loans that they and similar investors used to buy sounder asset-backed securities.

The data released Wednesday details loans the U.S. central bank gave through 11 separate programs created to stave off an economic depression. The transactions date from December 2007 through July 2010. The Fed’s disclosure of 21,000 different transactions will change the way the financial crisis is interpreted, providing layers of context that will help economists and academics better understand the crisis.

Instead of creating jobs and helping citizens cope with the devastating losses of their incomes and homes, these fat cats bellied up to the bar and bought their house a round.

...the reminder that big corporations, international banks, billionaire investors and foreign central banks were among the recipients of the Fed’s lending will stir up political animosity that already is running high because of the policy maker’s recent decision to create $600-billion to buy financial assets in a bid to stimulate the flagging economy. “This will not be good for the Fed politically,” said Douglas Elliot, a finance expert at the Brookings Institution in Washington and a former investment banker. “Everybody hates bankers right now and this shows the Fed helping bankers.”

Public funds were used to stick it to the public.

And Stephen Harper plans to go ahead with further tax cuts for the wealthy, while promising the rest of us an austerity budget. This is criminal.

We need to tell the corporate welfare bums to leave our money alone. If they can't run their businesses better than that, they need to find a real job. I hear McDonald's might be hiring.

Ezra Levant Also Wants Julian Assange Dead

Ezra Levant reminds me of the Energizer Bunny ... on crack.

I swear if there was ever a better poster child for ADD, I'd hate to meet them. But this purveyor of nonsense is at it again.

According to Eric Mang: Ezra Levant wondering why Assange not dead

The Ottawa Sun published a bilious, vile piece by Ezra Levant. Levant is known for saying provocative, lacking-in-fact statements. Contrarians challenge the status quo, knock down prevailing opinions and the brilliant ones do so with erudition and an examination of evidence. Levant is no contrarian.

The opening line of his op-ed screed asks, rather airily: "Why isn't Julian Assange dead yet?" He goes on to paint Assange, founder of Wikileaks, as being on the "other side" and declares that Assange is "anti-American". Levant, like many others of his ilk, seek to silence dissent by careful application of "anti". Levant spends the remainder of his venomous column issuing pointless "facts" about Assange's childhood.

This after Harper mentor Tom Flanagan, was suggesting that the man be assassinated. (Assange not Levant) Be sure to views the video below with Assange speaking of how the world needs these WikiLeaks. I couldn't agree more.

A few related stories:

US envoy hopes WikiLeaks leaks won't hit Pakistan ties

WikiLeaks has claimed that the US and Britain had deep concerns about Pakistan's nuclear capability falling into wrong hands and the country had refused requests for inspection visits from the US and Britain.

Noam Chomsky: WikiLeaks Cables Reveal "Profound Hatred for Democracy on the Part of Our Political Leadership"

In 1971, Chomsky helped government whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg release the Pentagon Papers, a top-secret internal U.S. account of the Vietnam War. Commenting on the revelations that several Arab leaders are urging the United States to attack Iran, Chomsky says, "latest polls show] Arab opinion holds that the major threat in the region is Israel, that’s 80 percent; the second threat is the United States, that’s 77 percent. Iran is listed as a threat by 10 percent," Chomsky says. "This may not be reported in the newspapers, but it’s certainly familiar to the Israeli and U.S. governments and the ambassadors. What this reveals is the profound hatred for democracy on the part of our political leadership."

"We Have Not Seen Anything Yet": Guardian Editor Says Most Startling WikiLeaks Cables Still To Be Released

"In the coming days, we are going to see some quite startling disclosures about Russia, the nature of the Russian state, and about bribery and corruption in other countries, particularly in Central Asia," says Investigations Executive Editor David Leigh at the Guardian, one of the three newspapers given advanced access to the secret U.S. embassy cables by the whistleblower website, WikiLeaks.

Harper’s ‘political trouble’ prompted last-minute D-Day invitation: WikiLeaks

It's no secret French President Nicolas Sarkozy wanted to keep last year's D-Day commemoration a Franco-American event, leaving out countries that sent thousands of soldiers to fight the Nazis on the beaches of Normandy. Now, leaked U.S. diplomatic cables suggest political crises in Canada and Britain, not their sacrifices during the war, were behind the last-minute invitations for Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Britain's then-prime minister Gordon Brown.

WikiLeaks: India declines comment, defends U.S. ties

India on Tuesday said it has a multi-faceted and forward-looking strategic partnership with the U.S. and there was a regular, open and candid dialogue between the two countries. While reacting to release of diplomatic cables by whistle-blower Website WikiLeaks, the Ministry of External Affairs said, “We would prefer not to comment on the issue of Wikileaks, which purportedly are an account of privileged internal U.S. government assessments and correspondence.

Leaked files: North Korea over by 2018

South Korean top government officials have told the United States that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il was unlikely to live beyond 2015, and predicted that the reclusive regime will collapse within three years after his death, according to the Web site WikiLeaks. In an official U.S. telegram disclosed by WikiLeaks on Monday, South Korea's Unification Minister Hyun In Taek told U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell on July 20 last year that although Kim Jong Il remained firmly in control of the regime for now, he was unlikely to live beyond 2015.

WikiLeaks: Demystifying “Diplomacy”

Compared to the kind of secret cables that WikiLeaks has just shared with the world, everyday public statements from government officials are exercises in make-believe. In a democracy, people have a right to know what their government is actually doing. In a pseudo-democracy, a bunch of fairy tales from high places will do the trick.

Don't you love this?

Will Intergenerational Warfare be Next on Harper's List?

There was a piece in the Globe and Mail recently, written by two young members of the Religious Right: Not their parents’ conservatism

It may have been in response to several earlier articles, including one by Don Newman, reminding Canadians that our current conservative government is not affiliated with the party of Sir John A, but is in fact the Reform-Alliance, a neoconservative party.

The piece by the two young fundamentalists starts out:

"If the past month has proven anything to a baby boom about to turn 65, it’s this: Millennials are sending a firm message that it’s time for you to move on and, just maybe, take your institutions with you."

There is a new sheriff in town, and apparently Baby Boomers are to get out of Dodge. We no longer matter.

This is not really a new concept in the neoconservative movement. After Conrad Black took over Saturday Night, and turned it into a vehicle for the far right, the magazine ran a story (1995): "Grandma! Grandpa! Get Back to Work!"

It was horrible. They attacked seniors like they were the same "welfare bums" they had been squealing about in previous articles.

"Retirement isn't a birthright, those who enjoy it haven't earned it."

The author suggested that retirees were enjoying themselves at the expense of their kids and grandchildren. These "leeches were relaxing on the golf course in Florida, sucking off resources from the people who needed them — the productive workers of today and tomorrow." The implication, of course, was that the elderly weren't productive.

It went on to suggest a higher retirement age, means tests for eligibility to pension plans and part-time work for the elderly.

"....an intergenerational fight for public funding has begun in Canada".

The response was immediate with many seniors angrily reminding Black's hack that they had earned their pensions by wartime service and contributions to society, as well as with payroll deductions.

But this has been the theme of neocons, as we see with the Tea Party in the U.S. Pit the sick against the elderly, the working poor against families on welfare. So why not encourage students to go after grandma and grandpa, blaming them for the high tuitions and lack of decent jobs?

The Harper government refuses to raise taxes to pay for their financial mess, despite the fact that many of us Boomers are encouraging it. And yet they are going through with more tax cuts, for the "corporate welfare bums", who are "sucking off resources from the people who need them".

But if they can handle the PR as cleverly as they handle all other propaganda, we will turn on each other and not them.

And if we do turn on them, they've got riot police and they know how to use them. And when it comes to beating on Canadians, age is not a factor. They just "whack 'em and stack 'em". It's up to us to claim the victims.

This may not be their parents' conservatism, but it isn't their parents' Canada either.

More Views From the West on Harper's Corporate Takeover of Canada

The people of Saskatchewan are not pleased with Stephen Harper's callous disregard for their province and their economy, by clearly taking sides with Bay street over the sale of their potash industry.

From the Regina Leader Post:

One could pontificate until the cows come home on the unfettered free-market beliefs of Stephen Harper and how he seems true to his philosophical principles. But the real question that Harper needs to answer right now is
this: Why would it be a good thing to allow the Australian-based, world's biggest mining company to take over what is essentially still a Canadian company that controls 25 per cent of the world's supply of a strategic resource?

On Wednesday, Harper had described it as "a proposal for an American-controlled company to be taken over by an Australian-controlled company". It was a factually inaccurate description, but a great insight into the prime minister's view of the world. It wasn't reflective of traditional Canadian conservative views on protectionism, or westerners' views of their resources.

This potash takeover is more than a right-wing philosophical debate over some distant shareholder's right to profit as much as he or she pleases. And the strange thing is that Stephen Harper may actually be one of the few Conservatives in the country who doesn't get that.

Touche!

If Stephen Harper is an Economist, What Does That Make You?

There is another great column by Gerald Caplan, headed 'If Stephen Harper’s an economist, I’m the Queen of Sheba'.

We could almost make that part of a theme. Invite others to complete the statement - 'If Stephen Harper is an economist, I'm ....'

I've often said that as an economist Harper makes a great shoe salesman, but maybe it should be a snake oil salesman.

Because Stephen Harper is NOT an economist. His only known real job was in the mail room at Esso, but that doesn't make him a postal clerk either.

The only reason that Harper has been able to fool people into believing that he knows what he's doing, is because of salesmanship.

Taxpayer funded salesmanship.

100 million dollars of our money for self promotion ads. Another 50 million for signs. And a high price communications team, also paid for by us. In fact while asking everyone else to tighten their belts, this man had the nerve to ask for an increase in his own budget.

His makeup was wearing thin and we were starting to see the man behind the mask.

Economist indeed.

If Stephen Harper is an economist, I'm a nuclear physicist.

Is Alberta Getting Tired of Stephen Harper?

After a Muslim was elected as Mayor of Calgary, the anti-Islamic, pro-Israel Harper must be fuming. The man who in 2000 wrote a piece for the National Post: "Separation, Alberta-style: It is time to seek a new relationship with Canada" (December 8, 2000), and suggested building a firewall around Alberta so the feds couldn't get them, may be losing his maniacal grip.

Born and raised in Toronto, he also claimed after winning the Alliance leadership, that he was "for Alberta first and Canada a distant second". Something John Geddes called "a recklessly hotheaded move for a man with national aspirations." (Maclean's May 9, 2005)

And what he deemed should be "Canadian values".

"Westerners, but especially Albertans, founded the Reform/Alliance to get "in" to Canada. The rest of the country has responded by telling us in no uncertain terms that we do not share their 'Canadian values.' Fine. Let us build a society on Alberta values." (National Post, December 8, 2000)

But after almost five years of running this country, many of us are asking what "Alberta values" are, including many Albertans. I don't think this is what they had in mind when they said they wanted "in".

One of them, Tom Turner, wrote an op-ed piece for the Edmonton Journal: PM shows contempt

The contempt Stephen Harper has for all Canadians has hit a new high with his contention that the reason Canada lost the election to sit on the UN Security Council is the position taken by the opposition in Canada, specifically Michael Ignatieff. .... His government has chosen, against the wishes of a majority of Canadians, to place more importance in the war in Afghanistan than maintaining Canada's traditional role as peacekeeper. His government has committed itself to following the leadership of the United States rather than the consensus of the UN. To top it off, He has chosen to deprive veterans of the war in Afghanistan of their rightful compensation and care. It is no wonder the mighty power of Portugal has taken over the position that should be filled by Canada.

My challenge to Canadians is, what are we to do about this leader who, despite having a minority government, insists on destroying the very nature of our country and our identity? We must rid ourselves of this cancer now.

Alberta is not a regressive province. But look who they have representing them. The likes of Rob Anders and Jason Kenney, now represent "Alberta Values". What else are we supposed to think? Religious fanatics and bigots.

Maybe things are about to change. We can only hope.

Stephen Harper Says That We Can't Handle the Truth and the Media is Dangerous For Thinking we Can

The fact that we now have the most secretive government in our history, is once again validated in memos confirming that every single solitary bit of information, must be vetted through the Harper regime before reaching our sensitive ears.

Clearly he's just trying to protect us, right?

I mean can you imagine the chaos if we knew about recent scientific discoveries?

We all know that scientists are the enemies of the state because they contradict just about everything that Harper spews from his "elitist" Toronto mouth.

Media requests that used to be handled by government experts and communication staff across Canada now require a small army in Ottawa to answer, say the documents obtained this week under the access-to-information law. They show how it takes seven — and often more — “subject matter experts,” including media officers, senior bureaucrats and political staff, to craft and approve responses .... The summary stresses in bold type that: “Approval from the minister’s director of communications must always be sought — no exceptions.”

And remember, these guys are our employees, not the exalted one's.

Good Job Baird. Reminding us That Canada Has it's First Prime Minister From Toronto

John Baird is trying to gain support for demolishing the gun registry, on the advice and behind the scenes manipulation of the American NRA, so he is once again falling back on the old "divide and conquer".

Toronto "elites".

Unfortunately for the buffoon, as Chris Rands reminds us, Stephen Harper was born and raised in Toronto. In fact according to William Johnson in his biography of the man, he was an "elite" from an upscale WASP neighbourhood. His father was an executive at Imperial Oil. Doesn't get much more "elite" than that.

Oh, oh!

Yet this is not stopping the Reformers from sending out fundraising letters to incite their base, with the tired old "coalition" nonsense.

John Baird is blaming “Toronto elites” for pressuring rural opposition MPs into switching their vote to save the long-gun registry. This, as Conservative Party strategists issued a memo to their supporters darkly suggesting the Liberal-NDP coalition is alive and well and fighting hard to save the controversial program. As next Wednesday’s vote approaches, the rhetoric over the future of the long-gun registry is escalating. The Harper Tories are trying hard to paint this as a fight between rural and urban Canadians.

Under the headline, “Michael Ignatieff’s Coalition is working hard to save the registry,” the memo says: “On September 22, MPs from all three parties will have a choice. Will they stand with their constituents – the law-abiding farmers and hunters unfairly targeted by the registry? “Or will they follow Michael Ignatieff and his Coalition partners who are determined to maintain the registry regardless of the cost and effectiveness?”

"Michael Ignatieff's Coalition"? The coalition was Stephane Dion and Jack Layton in 2008 and Ignatieff was the one who pulled the plug on it.

In 2004 the Coalition was Stephen Harper, Jack Layton and Gilles Duceppe. In 2000 the intended coalition was Stockwell Day and Gilles Duceppe.

These guys must really be getting desperate.