Buckdog

"Good Bye Charlie Brown"

2012-01-27T19:45:00.004-06:00

"Intergenerational tension has yet to erupt into open warfare in Canada, but politicians are keenly aware of the dangers of segmenting the electorate into warring age cohorts. Mention the name Solange Denis in Ottawa, and finance department officials are likely to wince. She is the feisty senior who ambushed Brian Mulroney on Parliament Hill in 1985 and berated him for trying to cut pension benefits after he had promised not to touch them. Mulroney promptly backed away from the cuts. One result was that in ensuing years seniors suffered fewer cuts to social programs than other groups, particularly children and single-parent families.

Eleven years later, Martin took the trouble to stage a photo opportunity with Denis so reporters could record her nod of approval for the way he was handling pension cuts. He had to show that a fiscally responsible government could also be compassionate."
Intergenerational Warfare

-Harper's Old Age Pension Cuts Unnecessary

What Stephen Harper DID NOT Tell Delegates At The Davos Capitalist 'Love In'

2012-01-26T12:29:00.004-06:00

Canada's PM Harper spoke to delegates at the elitist Davos conference in Switzerland today. Here are a couple of key points that he DID NOT make in his speech:

1) When the free-market tanked due to capitalist greed, it was wage earning Canadian workers (paying taxes) who bailed out the auto industry and numerous other multi-billion dollar Canadian corporations. No recognition was made that it is ALWAYS working class & Middle class citizens who carry the burden of Canada's greedy class.

2) Billions in tax cuts continue to be given to Canada's corporate elite at the expense of wage earning Canadian workers. These corporate tax cuts are essentially 'gifts' to the rich because there are no conditions for job creation tied to the tax gifts.

3) Canada's wealthy and corporate sector continue to sit on over $483 Billion in 'Retained Earnngs' ... money that is not creating jobs ... is not stimulating the economy ... and gathers dust in the vaults of the Banking industry.

4) Mr. Harper gushed praise for the Corporate sector and Captains of Canadian industry, but he had no words of praise for the millions of working citizens who got up this morning and went to work, selling their knowledge, skills and labour to enrich the already affluent. In fact Harper gave warning that he is about to delay pensions to working Canadians in order to afford MORE tax gifts to his elite corporate friends.

Incompetent Senior Vancouver Police Officials Allowed Robert Picton Serial Murders To Continue Far Too Long!

2012-01-25T06:58:00.000-06:00

VANCOUVER — Geographic profiler Kim Rossmo told the Missing Women Commission of Inquiry Tuesday that his 1998 bid for a working group to investigate a possible serial killer was shot down in flames by a senior Vancouver police officer.

Former Vancouver Police Department Det. Insp. Rossmo, now an academic in Texas who consults for police agencies across the world, said mounting concern about the growing numbers of missing women led to a September 1998 meeting between himself, Vancouver Police Department frontline officers and Insp. Gary Greer, and RCMP officers from B.C.'s Fraser Valley, where three prostitutes had been found murdered.

Rossmo had drawn up a "blueprint" which he said aimed to determine if "reports of missing women represent a crime problem." He wanted to find out if the women should be considered victims of crime, if police should be looking at lists of sexual offenders and if the disappearances were linked to a particular known offender.

At the time the first police officer in Canada to earn a PhD, Rossmo said his focus was "environmental criminology," a discipline that studies links between crimes and locations. But his skills were not in high demand by VPD top brass, Rossmo testified, because finding a serial killer is challenging for a police force and requires a commitment of time and resources the force may not possess. Police typically don't want the public pressure and fear that comes from a police alert that a serial killer may be active, Rossmo added.

Rossmo suggested as early as fall of 1998 to VPD superior officers then that it might be a good idea to "inform the public" through VPD media spokeswoman Const. Anne Drennan that police were looking into the dozens of reported missing women and would be investigating whether a serial killer might be on the loose.

But the plan went awry at the second meeting of the missing women working group on Sept. 22, 1998, when senior Vancouver police Insp. Fred Biddlecombe, who had been on vacation during the first meeting, showed up and had a "temper tantrum," Rossmo said.

"He didn't believe the serial murderer theory and he was upset about the draft press release," Rossmo told the inquiry in direct examination by Commission Counsel Art Vertlieb.

Rossmo said Biddlecombe also accused him and frontline Downtown Eastside Const. Dave Dickson of "leaking" information to the media. "I found (him) to be inaccurate and quite inflammatory," said Rossmo, noting he didn't even possess the information Biddlecombe was accusing him of leaking to the press. It was also "embarrassing," said Rossmo, because officers from other agencies, including the RCMP, were present for the "tantrum."

VPD Insp. Gary Greer, who had supported the missing women working group, "folded like a house of cards" in the face of Biddlecombe's wrath, said Rossmo.

"There was no way we could continue without his co-operation," he added.

Rossmo said that he didn't believe, however, that Biddlecombe was "indifferent" or had a "negative attitude" toward marginalized or missing women — in fact, he said, Biddlecombe was "very dedicated and very compassionate" toward victims of violence.

"My opinion was he honestly believed there was no serial murderer and we were just wasting his people's time," said Rossmo.

Rossmo didn't give up, however. He co-operated with VPD Det-Const. Lori Shenher, who was working hard at the community and street level to find out what had happened to the missing women. Rossmo went to then-deputy chief Brian McGuinness. And when Shenher spoke to anxious and grieving friends and relatives of the missing women in early 1999, Rossmo asked for her data to prepare a profile of who was missing and what might have happened to them. He found a "bulge" of missing women in the late 1990s and agreed with Shenher that they were likely victims of foul play.

Rossmo concluded the women in the survival sex trade who had gone missing were not really "transient" as they didn't have cars or money for plane tickets and whatever they earned "went into their arm" since they were heavily drug-addicted. He concluded that someone who had the means or money to transport the women out of the Downtown Eastside had to be involved, since no bodies and no evidence of murder had surfaced.

But in December, 2000, the VPD refused to renew Rossmo's contract as a geographic profiler and offered him a reduced rank. Rossmo left, and since then has had a solid career as an outside and academic analyst of police behaviour.

Missing Women Inquiry Commissioner Wally Oppal served notice, however, that he will be focusing on "systemic failure" and the "inter-jurisdictional" breakdown in communication between police agencies.

"Sadly, grotesque serial crimes have happened before in B.C., in Canada and in many other countries, including the U.S. and the U.K.," Oppal noted in a brief address at the opening of the inquiry on Tuesday.

Quoting an Ontario public inquiry commissioner, Oppal noted: "Virtually every inter-jurisdictional serial killer case, including the Yorkshire Ripper . . . in England, Ted Bundy and the Green River killer in the U.S., and Clifford Olson in Canada, demonstrate the same problems and raise the same questions.

"And always the answers turn out to be the same — systemic failure."

Oppal pledged, however, that he will deliver some answers in his final report, to be handed in by June, 2012, that will make sure "what happened here must never happen again."

Hearings at the inquiry continue daily until the end of April.

There are now about two dozen lawyers representing the VPD, the Vancouver police board and union and several individual officers. The RCMP is represented by federal lawyers, with all of those lawyers being paid out of the public purse.

Community and women's groups have complained they were shut out of the inquiry due to lack of funding for lawyers, although independent lawyers Jason Gratl and Robyn Gervais are acting for Downtown Eastside women's and aboriginal groups.

Lawyers Cameron Ward and Neil Chantler represent the families of 25 women murdered by Robert Pickton, who is serving a life sentence for the murder of six women but claimed to have killed 49 in total.

sfournier@theprovince.com
© Copyright (c) The Province
Vancouver Sun

FREE BLOGGER CHARLES LEBLANC !!

2012-01-24T08:20:00.008-06:00

New Brunswick blogger charged with 'criminal libel' against a Frederickton police office - Computer seized! HUH?!!

-CBC: 8 Frederickton Police Officers Try To Silence Blogger

-Charles LeBlanc's Blogsite

-Silencing Fredericton's Gadfly - Justice in the 21st Century

-Citizen Journalist - Charles Leblanc - back blogging after Police seize his computer equipment!

Right Wing American Jewish Magazine Calls For Assassination Of Obama If He Doesn't Attack Iran ....

2012-01-23T07:08:00.003-06:00

The on-going mental illness, inherent in 21st Century Right Wing thinking, is going to take the whole world down .....

"Musing openly about murdering President Barack Obama is certain to stir some attention.

So is publicly suggesting it’s a job for Mossad – Israel’s no-nonsense spy agency with its long record of assassinating enemies of the Jewish state.

Yet that’s just what the editor of the Atlanta Jewish Times, Andrew Adler, did in a column laying out the three options Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has when faced with Mr. Obama’s unwillingness to wage war on Iran.

Option three, wrote Mr. Adler, is for the Israeli leader to “give the go-ahead for U.S.-based Mossad agents to take out a president deemed unfriendly to Israel in order for the current vice-president to take his place, and forcefully dictate that the United States’ policy includes its helping the Jewish state obliterate its enemies.”
Globe & Mail

Dick Cheney 'Fears Being Tried For War Crimes' - He Should!!

2012-01-20T16:17:00.001-06:00

... because Dick Cheney IS a war criminal!!

ABC News Online

(By the way, the Allies did in fact execute Imperial Japanese military officials FOR waterboarding POW's during WW2!)

The Oil Industy IS NOT A 'Jobs Machine' - No Matter What Stephen Harper & His Oil Party Say!

2012-01-20T14:27:00.006-06:00

"For the record, the oil industry is not a jobs machine. It is the world's most capital-intensive industry and earns more than 10 per cent of the world's GDP. But it only employs less than one tenth of one per cent of the world's workers. In Canada it accounts for but 1.8 per cent of the workforce."

Andrew Nikiforuk
January 19, 2012

H/T to Bernadette Wagner - The Regina Mom for this ... Thanks!

Canadians! Beware Of Radical Groups! A Message From Stephen Harper And The Oil Party

2012-01-19T06:45:00.002-06:00

Beware of Radical Groups!!!

SOPA and PIPA

2012-01-18T00:17:00.002-06:00

(Click on image to enlarge)

Learn more .....

.... and just a bit more ...

The Liberal Party Of Canada WAS - IS - AND CONTINUES TO BE Hypocritical On Marijuana Reform

2012-01-15T11:19:00.000-06:00

Why should anyone take the Liberals seriously on marijuana reform in Canada?

"While they were in power, Canada's former Liberal government introduced marijuana reform legislation a number of times ... and then let the Bills die on the order paper session after session, year after year.

Why?

Well because they were playing both sides of the political fence at the same time. Let me explain.

If you were absolutely in favour of marijuana law reform, the Liberals pointed to their proposed legislation that would lessen sentences for simple possession. They sounded progressive and sincere. However, if you were not in favour of marijuana law reform, the Liberals pandered to you by NEVER actually passing the many bills that they introduced.

For years, pot reform advocates let the Liberals off the hook, because, 'reform was on the horizon'! The Libs were going to show progressive action on the issue. Hmmm ... not so much.

Because they did nothing, Liberals have some explaining to do!"
Liberal Party Hypocritical on Marijuana reform

Free-Market Deregulation Of Alberta's Electrical Industry Has Seen Consumer Prices Increase By 100%

2012-01-14T13:24:00.002-06:00

I want to point out to Conservatives, Reformers, Sask Party and Right Wing members of the Liberal Party that your blind faith in 'unfettered free markets' is NOT in the best interest of most citizens. Will you never learn??

"It's uncertain to what extent Albertans' faith in free-market forces has been shaken by the province's obscenely complex electricity market, but our own admittedly unscientific poll on these pages over three days last weekend was telling.

Nearly 80 per cent of respondents said they agree with none other than NDP Leader Brian Mason that Alberta should re-regulate electricity prices. Imagine, a socialist getting widespread support on an issue in Calgary, where people genuflect at the free market altar like good Catholics kissing the ring of the Pope.

During our recent series on Alberta's electrical system, it was difficult to find any comments from readers on our website in support of deregulation. Many of the comments began with, "I don't normally agree with Brian Mason, but ..."

Ten years ago, we were promised that deregulation would lower prices for consumers. Lo and behold, retail prices are 100 per cent higher than a year ago and - according to a former Alberta Power senior vice-president and electricity system planner who crunched the numbers - an average of nearly $300 a year higher per household than when Steve West and Ralph Klein sold us what now looks like a bill of goods.

We've had the warmest winter in memory, natural gas prices are at rock bottom, and yet seniors and those with low incomes are worried about paying their utility bills.

Business appears none too happy, either. As you may have read, one Calgary company has shifted to servicing its Asian customers from overseas rather than Calgary to avoid the high cost of electricity locally, a window and door manufacturer is passing on its 40 per cent higher power costs to consumers, and a fabricator has seen no net savings despite shifting production to offpeak hours.

Isn't the free electricity market wonderful? Businesses are leaving and consumers are getting hosed. And I wonder why my grocery bill is so high.

Deregulation has been a smashing hit for wholesalers. You may have read, for instance, comments from the big electrical players arguing that the system is working because we are paying the true cost of energy - unlike those freeloaders in other provinces, where the cost of building generating plants is subsidized with taxes - and that this makes Albertans more responsible users. Isn't that just grand? Thanks to deregulation, we get to huddle around our fireplaces by candlelight and gripe at other family members for not tuning off the lights.

Also in the series, the industry made a feeble comparison to gasoline and home prices. Were they serious? I can always car pool, but I can't power pool. I can always sell my house for a profit, but not my electricity contract.

Ah yes, the contract. Perhaps you got sucked in like I did at the start, signing up just before prices tanked. When my usurious contract expired, I went on the float-ing rate, only to now be told that I should sign a contract to protect myself.

I'd rather speculate in frozen pork bellies, or study particle physics, which surely must be easier to comprehend than Alberta's electricity market.

"I don't think it's fair to force ordinary families to become experts on the electricity market and understand how to hedge and gamble with their families' budgets," Mason said.

It appears many Albertans, even defenders of free-market fundamentalism, are beginning to agree with him.

Whether this becomes an election issue remains to be seen. As Mount Royal University professor Bruce Foster noted: "Albertans seem to have a pretty long fuse. They seem to have more patience dealing with this kind of market-oriented mecha-nism than most people."

The problem for consumers is that two of the main parties won't go to bat for them. If prices remain high at the spring election, the Redford Tories will be content to lay the blame on previous administrations and the free-market Wildrose likely won't budge, despite being champions of small business.

But for the NDP, deregulation is a made-in-heaven opportunity, fitting perfectly with its traditional role as defenders of the little guy.

"I don't know why Albertans are willing to put up with this crap," Mason said in an attention-getting quote.

Brian, you silly boy. This is Alberta."

Robert Remington is a Herald editorial writer and columnist. rremington@calgaryherald.com
Calgary Herald

Elections Canada De-registers Five Liberal Riding Associations - Four More Slated For De-registration Soon

2012-01-11T10:40:00.003-06:00

Anyone who tries to tell you that the once great Liberal Party of Canada is doing well ..... is out to lunch.

"Five Liberal riding associations have recently been deregistered by Elections Canada and four more could follow suit if they don’t file their 2010 reports, iPolitics has learned.

Deregistration means that those riding associations cannot issue tax receipts, cannot maintain a bank account and are supposed to close down any bank accounts they currently hold. Elections Canada spokesman John Enright said the electoral district associations were deregistered after they missed the May 31 deadline to file their 2010 financial returns.

While the ridings can re-register with Elections Canada, there are a number of steps they have to follow first, he explained.

According to the Elections Canada database, 15 Liberal riding associations have been deregistered since 2006 and 10 have gone through the steps to re-register. Fourteen of the 15 deregistrations have taken place since May 2010."
iPolitics

Same Old Liberal Politics - Good Riddance To Lise St-Denis

2012-01-10T11:29:00.004-06:00

There is absolutely NOTHING ethical or upright about the slimy way in which Ms. St-Denis went to the Liberal Caucus. The voters of her federal riding only gave the Liberals 11.9% of the vote in the last election so there is also NOTHING democratic in what she did.

Oh well ... it will be fun to watch desperate Liberal bloggers going apeshit, imagining that they are on the rebound with the addition of this disgruntled and lackluster new member of their caucus.

If she or Bob Rae had ANY class, Ms. St. Denis would have resigned as a New Democrat and sought re-election as a Liberal by means of a by-election. Don't hold your breath expecting anything remotely like that from Rae or St. Denis.

Good Riddance!

CBC

-NOTE FOR LIBERALS: Too bad none in your federal party have the ethics and class of Saskatchewan NDP MLA - Buckley Belanger!

Get Ready For Harper's Massive Infusion Of 'War Of 1812' Theme Into Next Canada Day

2012-01-09T07:21:00.002-06:00

OTTAWA - The Harper government has hired a consultant to inject a little war into this year's Canada Day bash on Parliament Hill. A Toronto theatre expert has been asked to find ways to insert a War of 1812 commemoration into the July 1st festivities that typically include pop music, dance and pyrotechnics.

"I do big-ass special events all the time, so they asked me to do that," artistic producer Paul Shaw said in an interview. "It's sort of tricky to do a War of 1812 theme when you've got so many modern things in and around it."

The Conservative government, which has been promoting Canada's military culture and heritage, has earmarked money and resources throughout the year to commemorate the bicentennial of the outbreak of War of 1812 in North America.
Yahoo News

Le Canadien défait Tampa Bay 3-1

2012-01-07T23:47:00.000-06:00

Le Canadien l'emporte 3-1

Par la suite, le Canadien a défait le Lightning 3-1, pour savourer un deuxième gain de suite.

Le Canadien s'est ainsi détaché de l'équipe de Tampa Bay au 12e rang de l'Association Est.

En signant un deuxième succès de suite pour la première fois en l'espace de presque un mois, le Tricolore a de plus a vengé l'échec de 4-3 subi à Tampa, il y a un peu plus d'une semaine.

Michael Blunden, son premier en 18 matchs dans l'uniforme du Canadien, Max Pacioretty et Erik Cole ont déjoué Mathieu Garon, auteur de 25 arrêts. Pacioretty a aussi amassé une aide.

Vincent Lecavalier, son 15e, a été le seul qui a trompé la vigilance de Carey Price, qui a repoussé 23 lancers.

Le CH arrive donc à la mi-saison avec un dossier de 16-18-7, bon pour 39 points. C'est huit de moins qu'après 41 matchs, la saison dernière (fiche de 22-16-3).
Le Devoir

Різдвом Христовим

2012-01-06T13:00:00.000-06:00

Христос Раждаєтся – Славімо Його!
Веселих Свят!

Merry Christmas to my Orthodox friends ... Ukrainian, Greek and Russian!

Sask Taxpayers Will Now Fund The Teaching Of Creationist Science In Private Religious Schools

2012-01-06T09:28:00.001-06:00

The Brad Wall government is about to start funding private religious schools in the province. Tax money will now be used to teach students that the Universe is 8000 years old and that 2 of every creature on the planet boarded Noah's Ark as scientific 'fact'. Real science will be mentioned in these private religious schools as 'theorhetical'.

Mr. Wall ..... what are you doing sir???

CBC News

Harper Doles Out MORE Corporate Welfare Without Any Mechanism For It To Create Jobs

2012-01-02T22:41:00.000-06:00

Dear Mr. Harper;
Why aren't your multi-Billion dollar corporate tax cuts tied to ACTUAL job creation?
A Canadian taxpayer

OTTAWA - Profitable Canadian businesses are set to reap $2.85 billion in additional income tax savings in 2012, even as Prime Minister Stephen Harper complains about all the private "money sitting on the sidelines."

The last of five annual corporate tax cuts took effect Sunday, reducing the federal rate by another 1.5 points to 15 per cent.

The move comes as corporate Canada, from multinationals to midsize businesses, squirrels away hundreds of billions of dollars as it rides out a second storm of global economic turbulence in the past three years.

The latest figures from Statistics Canada through the third quarter of 2011 show Canadian business sitting on more than $583 billion in Canadian currency and deposits, and more than $276 billion in foreign currency.

Those cash reserves have climbed nine per cent since last year and 27.3 per cent since 2007, when the Canadian economy was booming and new corporate tax cuts were announced.

Even after removing Canada's banks from the equation, non-financial corporations saw their currency and short-term paper assets climb $33 billion in the third quarter of 2011.

Harper referred to all that stagnant capital at the end of a frustrating G20 summit in November in France, where global leaders failed to find much consensus.

"I should be clear on this: you know, I see every reason that markets ... there's a lot of money sitting on the sidelines, looking for opportunities," Harper said in Cannes.
WFP

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T00:26:00.000-06:00

Ooops! Santa Arrested DRUNK On afternoon Of Christmas Eve In Regina

2011-12-24T15:57:00.000-06:00

A 73-year-old man hired as a shopping mall Santa Claus has been arrested in Regina for being drunk in public. The man was escorted out of a downtown mall Friday.
Santa arrested for public intoxication in Regina on Dec 24th

Merry Christmas !!

2011-12-24T08:10:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas!
Best Wishes For Health and Happiness!!
from ....Buckdog Politics!!

Winter Solstice 2011 From Stonehenge

2011-12-21T21:09:00.003-06:00

This pic was taken at Stonehenge in England a few hours ago - Winter Solstice.

-Solstices over the years on Buckdog ....

THE HOBBIT - HD Movie Trailer

2011-12-21T20:52:00.000-06:00

Anyone who enjoyed the Lord of the Rings movies will be excited about THE HOBBIT by Peter Jackson - slated for release on December 14, 2012.

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM FedEx

2011-12-21T13:02:00.001-06:00

Security cameras caught this Christmas delivery of a computer monitor!

NOT Even One Saskatchewan MSM Outlet Reported On The Provinces's Reaction To Freezing Federal Health Transfer Payments

2011-12-20T10:49:00.007-06:00

If there is any province in the nation where the main stream media has completely bought into a political party, it is Saskatchewan.

Yesterday, Canada's Health Ministers met and were told that a ceiling on health transfer payments is looming. National media reported that 6 provinces are outraged (Man - Ont - Que - PEI - NS - Nfld) and that BC, NB and Alberta support the federal Conservatives. Not one mention of Saskatchewan.

Now look ... we KNOW that whatever Harper says immediately becomes Saskatchewan Government policy. But not even one Saskatchewan news outlet (CBC - Regina Leader-Post - Saskatoon Star Phoenix - Rawlco Radio, etc) has reported Saskatchewan's official position.

Journalists, news reporters and media outlets in Saskatchewan are not representing the public interest. Corporate media policy in Saskatchewan is based on outright support for Brad Wall and Stephen Harper. No questions are asked. In fact if you go on Twitter and take a look at the accounts of the (supposed) two most prominent political reporters in Saskatchewan, all you will see is their ongoing 'ha ha' tweets with a Right wing radio talk show host and Premier Brad Wall. Nice.

Welcome to Saskatchewan!

UPDATE:
Despite protestations from a CBC staffer and one from the Leader-Post, I stand by what I said in the title of this post. I posted the above yesterday morning an hour before noon. At that time THERE WERE NO stories on the CBC Sask website nor the L-P website. CBC carried a story around 5:00 PM and the LP has coverage today. The earliest MSM story on the topic was at about 1:00 PM yesterday on the NTR website.

American Politics In A Nutshell

2011-12-19T12:51:00.002-06:00

American politics in a nutshell ... H/T to Mike B at UBC for this ...

Kim Jong IL Dead

2011-12-18T22:15:00.000-06:00

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il died on Saturday at age 69, North Korean state television reported on Monday. An announcer said he died of physical and mental over-work.

Toronto Star

As Long As Boys Are Raised To Consider Women As 'Lesser' Or As 'Property' - Morons Like This Are Going To Keep On Killing When They Don't Get Their Way

2011-12-18T14:36:00.003-06:00

It would have been tragic enough if he had just killed himself. No, he killed 3 others plus himself because a young woman would not do exactly what he wanted. Women are not property! Raise your sons to understand that.

-Ottawa Citizen

House Of Commons Speaker Andrew Sheer Appears To Be In Conflict Of Interest Over His Ruling In The Cotler Controversy

2011-12-15T07:30:00.005-06:00

"OTTAWA — The research firm at the centre of the controversy over calls made to Liberal MP Irwin Cotler’s constituents did extensive work in the last election for Conservative candidates — including House of Commons Speaker Andrew Scheer, who on Tuesday rejected Cotler’s breach of privilege claim.

Scheer ruled on Tuesday that Conservatives’ calls to Irwin Cotler’s constituents saying he might resign were “reprehensible” but, based on technicalities, he did not find a breach of Cotler’s privileges as an MP. Not mentioned by Scheer was that the market research firm hired to make the calls — Ontario-based Campaign Research Inc. — had also done work on Scheer’s election campaign in Saskatchewan in the spring.

Elections Canada records show that Scheer’s campaign paid the company a total of $8,199, listed as two line items under the heading “surveys.”

As a result, the official opposition NDP wants Scheer to reconsider his ruling over the dirty-tricks allegations in Cotler’s riding. NDP justice critic Joe Comartin said Wednesday that a court judge in the same situation would certainly have recused himself from making a ruling.

“There is the obvious appearance of a conflict,” Comartin said. “I’d like to hear from him whether he was aware of the conflict, if he knew it was the same company. If he didn’t, there’s no problem.”

Scheer could allow the deputy Speaker, NDP MP Denise Savoie, to rule on Cotler’s breach of privilege complaint. But Comartin, a former criminal defence lawyer, allowed that he knew of no precedent for that in such a high-profile decision, either in Canada or Britain."
Ottawa Citizen

-Conservative Party's 'dirty tricks' squad worked for House Speaker Sheer!

England's Dinosauric Royal Family About To Tour The World Costing Hundreds Of Millions Of Wasted Tax Dollars. STAY HOME FOR GAWD'S SAKE!!

2011-12-14T11:05:00.009-06:00

Taxpayers around the British Commonwealth will soon be forking out millions and millions of dollars to host the English Queen and her brood as part of her 60th anniversary activities.

Fortunately for Canada, we will only have to endure one visit - from Prince Charles and Camila. Unfortunately, it is my home province of Saskatchewan that will have to pick up the tab for this free-loading event.

It's the 21st Century folks. All of this Royal nonsense should end.

STAY HOME! Have a little birthday cake at Buckingham Palace and leave the rest of the world alone.

Royal World Tour

The Saskatchewan Party ARE NOT 'Fiscal Conservatives' - They're Simply Giving The Province's Resources Away

2011-12-12T10:19:00.003-06:00

"In her first report, released Thursday, Lysyk fairly, but firmly lambasted the Sask. Party government for the accounting methodology it's using to hide the fact the province is actually running a $304-million deficit this year."
Regina Leader-Post

"The provincial auditor is criticizing the way the government tells the public about the state of its finances.

In her latest report released Thursday, auditor Bonnie Lysyk said the government has been recently talking about a $25-million surplus when it should be focusing on a $304-million deficit.

"Simply put, the way that Saskatchewan publicly reports its annual surpluses and deficits to the citizens of Saskatchewan is out of sync with the rest of Canada," Lysyk said in a news release.

The government reported a $25 million "pre-transfer" surplus in its 2011-12 mid-year financial report.

But Lysyk points out that's based on the "general revenue fund", which covers government departments, but not Crown corporations.

Lysyk noted that general revenue fund finances look rosier when money comes in from the province's so-called rainy day fund — although it's essentially a case of the government taking money from one pocket and putting it into another.

A more useful measure of government finances would the "summary financial statements" — used by the federal government and other provinces — which look at the entire operations of government, she said.

The $304 million deficit corresponds to the summary accounts.

Lysyk, like several other auditors before her, wants the government to put the summary statements at the centre of its financial reporting.

She noted that the government told the public in the 2011-12 report about an expected decrease in the "government general public debt" of $325 million.

However, the government's total debt, including all government entities, is actually expected to increase by $189 million, she said.

In the legislature later in the day, NDP MLA Trent Wotherspoon asked whether the government would adopt her recommendations.

"It's simply not acceptable for a government to set its own accounting policies," Wotherspoon said."
CBC News

Stephen Harper And His Undemocratic Conservative Gov't Will Not Take A Vote On Changes To The Canadian Wheat Board To Farmers Because THEY WOULD LOSE!

2011-12-10T10:23:00.002-06:00

"NDP wheat board critic and Winnipeg MP Pat Martin said if the government holds a vote, and gets more than half of Prairie farmers to agree to do away with the monopoly, that would be the end of the debate.

Martin said the government is instilling tremendous uncertainty for the grain industry in Canada and should put the brakes on the bill until the court challenges are exhausted."
Vancouver Sun

FOX News Caught Distorting Reality Once Again - Video Of Post Election Rioting In Russia Is Actually From Recent Greek Riot

2011-12-09T10:19:00.000-06:00

Fox News has been showing streets ablaze, violent clashes and firebombs thrown at security officers in Russia as aftermath to recent elections, but with one major problem - the images are not from Russia, they're from Greece!

Conservative Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz - Above The Law!

2011-12-08T11:33:00.000-06:00

"Nobody has a more sacred obligation to obey the law than those who make the law." - Sophocles

U. Of S. Graduate School Of Public Policy Disproves LIES Told By Ag Minister Gerry Ritz Concerning Changes To The Canadian Wheat Board

2011-12-08T09:35:00.002-06:00

Viability of a Voluntary CWB
The removal of the CWB’s single desk selling powers will almost inevitably result in either the disappearance of the CWB or the diminution of its scope and volume to the point where it is not a serious player in the market. Although farmers have indicated that they would like the option of marketing to either the CWB or to other buyers, in reality this choice is highly unlikely to ever exist. Once its single-desk selling powers are removed, the CWB will not be a viable alternative. This non-viability is not a function of insufficient desire or poor management. Rather, the inability for the CWB to operate in a so-called “marketing choice” environment is a direct consequence of the nature of pooling and of the structural realities of the grain industry at this point in time.
U. of S. Graduate School Of Public Policy
November 2011

Gerry Ritz's Discount Grain Sale (or) Farmers Dump Wheat In Front Of Saskatchewan Conservative MP's Offices

2011-12-08T06:37:00.002-06:00

Regina Conservative MP Tom Lukiwski's Riding Office in Regina had a big delivery of wheat recently ....

Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister Urges Harper Government To Continue Breaking The Law Concerning The Canadian Wheat Board

2011-12-07T18:30:00.003-06:00

Saskatchewan's Agriculture Minister reacted this afternoon to a ruling by the Federal Court of Canada concerning the Canadian Wheat Board.

Agriculture Minister Bob Bjornerud stood in the Rotunda of the Legislative Assembly this afternoon and urged the Federal Conservative government to ignore the law, ignore the Federal Court's ruling and to proceed with a 'quick kill' of the CWB.

Court Rules That Conservative Ag Minister Ritz Broke The Law On Canadian Wheat Board Legislation - (good thing Harper is building more prison space ....)

2011-12-07T14:17:00.000-06:00

“Had a meaningful consultative process been engaged to find a solution which meets the concerns of the majority, the present legal action might not have been necessary. [...] The government must be held accountable for its disregard for the rule of law.”
Justice Douglas Campbell
Federal Court Judge
December 7, 2011

"A Federal Court judge has declared that Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz broke the law when he introduced a bill to remove the Canadian Wheat Board’s monopoly without consulting the CWB or holding a Prairie farm plebiscite on the issue.

Bill C-18 is now before the Senate.

The court ruling was posted on the Federal Court website just before 1 p.m.

Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz will hold a news conference at 2:15 to comment on the ruling.

The chairman of the wheat board’s farmer-controlled board of directors immediately issued a news release calling on Ottawa to respect the court decision.

"We call on Minister Ritz to comply with the spirit of this ruling and immediately cease actions that would strip away Prairie farmers’ single-desk marketing system without first allowing a vote by affected producers," Allen Oberg said from Ottawa, where he is preparing to address a Senate committee Thursday, asking senators to halt passage of Bill C-18.

The legislation, if passed, would enable the government to dismantle the CWB single desk for western Canadian wheat and barley, without first having held a producer plebiscite as required under Section 47.1 of the Canadian Wheat Board Act.

The ruling was issued by Justice Douglas Campbell of the Federal Court of Canada. On Tuesday, he heard more than six hours of arguments in Winnipeg from the federal government, the wheat board, a group called Friends of the Canadian Wheat Board and two interveners.

In his ruling Campbell wrote: "Generally speaking, when advancing a significant change to an established management scheme, the failure to provide a meaningful opportunity for dissenting voices to be heard and accommodated forces resort to legal means to have them heard….Had a meaningful consultative process been engage to find a solution which meets the concerns of the majority, the present legal action might not have been necessary."

Oberg said farmers should have the final say over changes to their grain marketing agency.. "As farmers, we pay for the CWB, we run it and we should decide what happens to it. We are pleased the court has agreed that the minister acted in violation of laws created in 1998 to empower farmers and give them a direct say in any changes contemplated to the CWB’s marketing mandate. In light of this ruling, the government should stop steamrolling over farmers’ democratic rights.

"The minister now needs to do the right thing, obey the law and hold a vote – as he should have done from the beginning."

Oberg and CWB farmer-elected director Stewart Wells appear Thursday morning before a Senate committee considering passage of Bill C-18. Oberg said the court ruling brings additional impetus for senators to reject the Bill."
Winnipeg Free Press

Did Canada's 5 Big Banks (with $22 Billion Profit) Really Need Tax Cuts From Stephen Harper?

2011-12-06T13:23:00.000-06:00

"Canada's big five banks made a record combined profit of $6.1 billion in the three months ended in November, with the full-year earning at $22.4 billion, a sharp rise over the previous year.

The full-year combined result in 2010 was $19.5 billion, a 15 per cent increase.

The banks benefited from strength in domestic retail banking operations and loan growth."
CBC News

-Harper says Billions in corporate tax cuts intended to 'brand Canada' as business friendly!!

Tax Cuts To The Rich And Corporate Sector DO NOT 'Create Jobs'

2011-12-06T10:27:00.002-06:00

"For the larger part of human history, for example, people were sure that the sun circles the Earth and that we are at the center of the universe. It doesn’t, and we aren’t. The conventional wisdom that the rich and businesses are our nation’s “job creators” is every bit as false. [...] Significant tax increases on the about $1.5 trillion in collective income of those of us in the top 1 percent could create hundreds of billions of dollars to invest in our economy, rather than letting it pile up in a few bank accounts like a huge clot in our nation’s economic circulatory system. "
Bloomberg.com

Thanks To Guys Like Stephen Harper And Brad Wall - Canada's Rich Still Getting Richer While Working Families Struggle

2011-12-05T11:11:00.005-06:00

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his good friend, Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall, both adhere to the flawed 'trickle down' economic theory. They firmly believe that if you stoke the rich and corporate sector of the economy, the lower working class rung will benefit.

They are wrong. Their suppression of wages for working people and massive tax cuts for the rich have failed to bring any degree of economic equity for Canadians.

"The wage gap between the top and bottom income earners in Canada is widening, largely due to tax policies, a new report from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development said Monday.

The report found that the top 10% of Canadians in 2008 earned $103,500 on average, 10 times higher than the bottom 10%, who made an average of $10,260.

This is up from a ratio of 8 to 1 in the early 1990s.

The top 1% of Canadians, meanwhile, saw their share of the country’s total income increase to 13.3% in 2007 from only 8.1% in 1980.

And the very richest of Canadians, the top 0.1%, had their share of income more than double, to 5.3% from 2%.

The results suggest Canada needs to update its tax policies as taxes and tax benefits in particular have become ineffective in wage redistribution, the OECD said.

“The growing share of income going to top earners means that this group now has a greater capacity to pay taxes,” the report said. “In this context governments may re-examine the redistributive role of taxation to ensure that wealthier individuals contribute their fair share.”

The top federal marginal income tax rates declined markedly in the past 30 years, falling to 29% in 2010 compared with 43% in 1981.

As well, tax benefits now only offset less than 40% of wage inequality, compared with more than 70% before the mid-1990s.

“Taxes and benefits reduce inequality less in Canada than in most OECD countries,” the report said. “Benefit rates fell and benefits became less targeted. Changes in income tax rates played less of a role.”
Financial Post

-Here's what I'm Talking About .....

The Rise Of Right Wing Nationalism In Canada

2011-12-02T10:06:00.001-06:00

Interesting article by Lawrence Martin:

"If someone had predicted a few years ago that Canada would fall into the embrace of right-wing nationalism, they would have been sent off to the nearest home for the mentally encumbered.

A nationalism of the left, maybe. We had some of that, at least as conservatives saw it, in the Trudeau years with the National Energy Program, the Committee for an Independent Canada and the like.

Pierre Trudeau was part of a political culture that was always to the left of the Americans. At one point, the State Department labelled him a pot-smoking leftist. Caspar Weinberger, Ronald Reagan’s defence secretary, mocked our armed forces, saying you could put our entire military on a football field and still have room for the game. In his pre prime-ministerial days Stephen Harper himself lamented how Canada had a European-styled socialist bent.

To look now however is to see the dramatic degree to which the political culture is being reshaped. Patriotism pivots on pride in a resurrected military and morality-based missions. Pride in country is now linked to our refurbished armed forces and what Harper sees as moral crusades. National security, law and order, tighter immigration standards and bumper-sticker sports populism are among the features of a new right-wing nationalism. It is an accelerating trend and many Canadians worry that Harper, the anti-Trudeau, is taking it too far.

Because there are moderate elements to his Conservative government’s policy-making, such as its work on the economy, the big shift isn’t always apparent. But the changes, as enumerated below, reveal a shakedown that sees the ideology and methodology of our governing party closely aligned with those of American Republicans.

The Glorification of the Military: This is the new cornerstone of Harper nationalism. He boasts proudly that Canada is now a warrior nation and uses every opportunity to salute the armed forces. A recent report by the National Defence Department, in contrast to other years, says the Canadian identity should be shaped in good part by the military. It is 200 years since Canada was last invaded, but safeguarding Canada, says the prime minister, is his and foremost priority.

A Strict Law and Order Regime: The government’s omnibus crime bill and jail-building program, and its hard line on drugs have pushed our criminal justice system further to the right than anyone can recall. Draconian sentencing standards that have failed in the U.S. are being instituted here. Civil liberties are down and state surveillance is up. Legislation will compel internet service providers to disclose customer information.

Message Control. Central to right-wing nationalism is information control and it is one of this government’s major priorities. A vetting system of unprecedented scope requires all communications to be filtered through central command. Much is done to limit access to information in a government often criticized for its secrecy. Fifteen hundred communications officers are at work massaging the message to fit the governing agenda. Bureaucrats, including those at the Privy Council Office are pressured into becoming propagandists.

Flag-Waving Populism. The Conservatives are melding war and sport to appeal – Don Cherry style – to the masses. They raised eyebrows by using the opening ceremonies of the Grey Cup as a chest-beating tribute to their contribution to NATO’s Libya campaign.

Anti-Democratic Instincts. Harper’s government has shown no hesitation to bully its way through democratic barriers. It’s padlocked parliament, been the first government ever to be found in contempt of parliament and, more recently, imposed closure and time limits on parliamentary debate at a record-breaking clip.

Less Tolerance. The Harperites, while not xenophobic, are less inclined toward multiculturalism and inclusivity than previous governments. They have imposed tighter immigration requirements, narrowed the definition of citizenship and blocked entry to war resisters and other unsavoury types. Their less than favourable take on the United Nations resulted in their being denied a seat on the Security Council.

Anti-Intellectualism. In appealing to their populist base, the Conservatives boast of going by gut instead of erudition. They reject and sometimes suppress research and empirical data. Moves against the long-form census and the Justice Department’s handling of crime legislation and the muzzling of government scientists are foremost examples.

The Smearing of Opponents. A favorite Republican Party tactic, Harper Conservatives make frequent use of it with manslayer attack ads and demonization of critics, the latest example being their accusing NDPer Megan Leslie of treachery for opposing, on a Washington visit, the Keystone XL Pipeline. Demagogery is a favoured tactic of right-wing nationalists. Harperites impugn critics of the military as being unpatriotic.

Anti-Labour Bent. Union-bashing, particularly since the NDP has become the official opposition, is a mainstay of the Tory way. The government has used heavy-handed tactics to prevent strikes by postal workers and Air Canada flight attendants. It is considering changing the Labour Code so as to define the economy as an essential service, a move which would give the government extraordinary anti-labour powers.

Cult of the Leader. Right wing nationalism requires the elevation of the leader’s status. The Conservatives have ordered civil servants to change the nomenclature from Government of Canada to the “Harper government.” They initially denied this, only to be caught out by leaked documents.

While this is a democracy, right-wing nationalism is still a frightening prospect to many of soft-centre Canadian traditions. The change to the brash ideological style, one which has worked politically for Harper, contributes to fears of his being a dangerous reactionary. That notion is rejected by his former top strategist, Tom Flanagan. “The prime minister,” he said “has adopted the Liberal shibboleths of bilingualism and multiculturalism. He has no plans to introduce capital punishment, criminalize abortion, repeal gay marriage or repeal the Charter. He swears allegiance to the Canada Health Act. He has enriched equalization for the provinces and pogey for individuals.”

Harper is a self-defined incrementalist. While his policy-making, as Flanagan suggests, is not overly radical in many policy domains, it is his mode of operating, his command style, that has brought the system to heel and, most importantly, opened the door to bigger policy changes down the line. Having just embarked on a majority term, he has many years to build on what he has begun. With time, incrementalism defies the smallness implicit in the term.

In foreign policy, he has already moved Canada, for the first time in its history many would argue, to the right of the United States. You won’t hear anyone from the Pentagon or the State Department belittling Canada’s military any more. On domestic policy he is still handcuffed in many areas by entrenched Canadian traditions.

It will take much work to reform those. But his determination cannot be underestimated. Harper, who at root is still a Reform Party ideologue of old, is out to change the entire concept of the Canadian identity as defined by the prime minister, Trudeau, whose policies he detested.

Thus far he’s made remarkable progress. It is a long way from the politics of peacenik Pierre to today’s Harperian state."

© 2011 iPolitics Inc.

ipolitics

Two 73 year old veteran CFL players brawl at Grey Cup luncheon

2011-11-26T23:43:00.003-06:00

"At a CFL Alumni Association luncheon on Friday, Kapp and Mosca, both 73, went Ali-Frazier in front of startled onlookers. The feud dates back to the 1963 Cup when Mosca’s sideline hit on Willie Fleming put the B.C. running back out of the game and helped Hamilton win. Kapp was the Lions’ quarterback that day. News of the luncheon brawl that sent Mosca flying spread wildly. Brother Jake, a radio show host on Classic Rock 101, was seated next to Mosca and confirmed what was making the rounds.

“Angelo said, ‘Joe hasn’t looked my way once,’” Jake relayed on air. “Joe Kapp gets up and goes to get some flowers (to give to Mosca) and Angie says, ‘Shove it up your ass’ … (Kapp) popped him twice and as he’s going down, Angelo has the cane and hits Joe Kapp in the head.

“Joe Kapp goes, ‘What?’ pops him twice and (Mosca) goes over on the chair, loses his 300-pound balance, goes through the curtain and disappears off the stage.”

Others who witnessed the fracas confirmed it was indeed for real and not some staged event. Leo Ezerins, the CFL Alumni Association’s executive director, told TSN “things got a little out of hand.”

I LOVE the CFL

-Rider Prophet has more .....

You can view the video .... HERE ....

Why Does Stephen Harper Exempt Suncor From Syrian Economic Sanctions???

2011-11-22T11:27:00.001-06:00

"OTTAWA—New Democrats want to know why Ottawa’s sanctions against Syria allow Canadian energy giant Suncor to continue operating a $1.2 billion production facility in that country in partnership with a Syrian government-owned company.

Hélène Laverdière, the NDP foreign affairs critic, told the Commons Monday Canadian sanctions against Syria in October were supposed to send a strong message to President Bashar Assad’s regime but didn’t affect Suncor’s activities in that country."
The Star

We've Lost One Of The Good Ones .... Sask Blogger Joe Kuchta Passes

2011-11-22T10:21:00.003-06:00

Joe Kuchta , a great Saskatchewan Political blogger passed away at age 50 on November 16th. He will be sorely missed by his many friends and colleagues .... Thanks Joe!

Joe blogged relentlessly at Owls and Roosters.

... CBC has a bit more ...

Rob Anders - Conservative MP - Caught On Camera Falling Asleep In House Of Commons

2011-11-21T23:03:00.000-06:00

We pay this guy far too much ...

Ethical Asbestos - How Canada's Conservative MP's Continue To Push Deadly ASBESTOS Onto Poor Nations

2011-11-21T10:41:00.000-06:00

"A growing number of Conservative MPs are questioning their government's position on the export of asbestos, with a group of them independently summoning industry experts to a meeting on Parliament Hill last week.

Solid caucus discipline has been one of Stephen Harper's political achievements over six years in power. While open revolt over asbestos hasn't erupted, clear faultlines over government resistance to having the substance listed as hazardous internationally suggest the prime minister may be forced to deal with a rare case of internal dissent.

The first public cracks in the Conservative party line came on Nov. 1, when five Tory MPs broke ranks and abstained from an NDP vote that would have banned asbestos exports.

That was followed last Monday with a private Parliament Hill meeting that saw about a dozen Conservative parliamentarians ask some pointed questions of the Chrysotile Institute and industry scientists over several hours.

British Columbia MP Mark Warawa, who has expressed his concerns about asbestos in the past, organized the meeting. He said in an interview that he is simply looking for more facts.

Industry critics say it's laughable to expect top-notch safety standards in the poorer countries that import the substance."
Winnipeg Free Press

Saskatchewan's New Democrats Select Interim Leader

2011-11-19T17:31:00.000-06:00

November 19, 2011
NDP Selects Acting Leader

The Saskatchewan NDP has elected John Nilson to serve as Acting Leader of the NDP until such time as a new Leader is chosen in a leadership race.

In a meeting today at Tommy Douglas House in Regina, the Provincial Council and elected NDP MLAs met jointly and unanimously selected Nilson, the MLA for Regina Lakeview, to serve as Acting Leader.

“I am honoured to be selected to serve the NDP as Acting Leader,” John Nilson said. “Our first task is to prepare for the upcoming Fall Session. Our Caucus will work diligently as the Official Opposition to hold the government to account to ensure that all Saskatchewan residents benefit from our current resource boom.”
Nilson was first elected in June, 1995, and has represented Regina Lakeview since then. He was appointed to Cabinet as Minister of Justice and Attorney General in November, 1995, and has served in a number of portfolios, including Crown Investments Corporation, Health and Environment.

Before entering politics, Nilson obtained his education at Pacific Lutheran University (Tacoma, Washington), the University of Oslo (Norway) and St. Olaf College (Minnesota), prior to obtaining his law degree from the University of British Columbia in 1977. He was admitted to the Bar in British Columbia in 1978 and in Saskatchewan in 1979. He practised law and mediation with MacPherson, Leslie & Tyerman from 1978 until he was elected.

Nilson was Consul of Norway for Saskatchewan from 1991 to 1995 and Acting Consul of Denmark for Saskatchewan from July 1994 to 1995. He is an active member of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church and the Scandinavian Club of Regina, and many community organizations. He and his wife, Linda, have two daughters, Ingrid and Solveig. They live in Regina Lakeview, near the Legislature, and farm north of Parkbeg.

The NDP will determine the timing and rules for a leadership competition to select a new Leader at the next meeting of its Provincial Council in late February or early March 2012.

...The Globe & Mail has more ...

Stephen Harper Is Prepared To Take Canada Into War With Iran

2011-11-19T10:33:00.000-06:00

"In a blunt warning amid an escalating crisis, the Harper government declared Friday that Canada stands ready to join with other nations in preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

Supporting a resolution by the International Atomic Energy Agency that expresses “deep and increasing concern” over evidence that Iran is proceeding with plans to become a nuclear power, the Harper government vowed in its submission to “continue to work with like-minded nations on next steps.

“The question is not if, but rather the degree to which, we will act,” the submission declared.

The United States, Europe and other Western nations strongly supported the IAEA resolution, which was overwhelmingly approved by its board of directors Friday in Vienna.

The final resolution was stripped of clauses warning that action could be taken against Iran if it does not halt development of a nuclear weapon, in order to gain the support of Russia and China.

However, the resolution sends a clear warning to the Tehran regime that the international community will not stand by as it seeks to join the nuclear club.

While Iran insists its nuclear research program has only peaceful purposes, a recent IAEA report declared that there was clear evidence Iran was moving toward making a bomb.

“It is no longer within the bounds of credulity to claim that Iran’s nuclear activities are solely peaceful,” said Glyn Davies, the chief U.S. delegate to the IAEA, adding: “There is little doubt that Iran … at the very least, wants to position itself for a nuclear weapons capability.”

The Canadian government agreed. “There is no plausible peaceful use” for Iran’s uranium-enrichment program, the submission declared. “… Iran’s nuclear activities can only be understood in the context of a nuclear weapons development effort.”

There are growing indications that Israel and/or the United States might be prepared to take pre-emptive military action to destroy Iran’s nuclear weapons-making capability. Were that to happen, this submission appears to confirm that the Harper government would offer its strong support."
Globe & Mail

Maybe We Should All Yell 'FU@K'!!

2011-11-17T16:47:00.000-06:00

Stephen Harper's Conservatives have used Closure 6 times in 33 days to suppress the voice of your Member of Parliament! Maybe we should all yell FU@K!!!

The G & M - Parliament’s hastened decline under Tories

Huff Post: Harper Government Tough On Democracy, Not Crime

Oh .. and for the record, here's how some Lib (progressive) bloggers are addressing Harper's ongoing use of Closure in the House of Commons!??

Federal Conservatives Stand Behind Our Veterans ...... while they pick their pockets!

2011-11-17T07:25:00.000-06:00

Today, the Federal Court in Halifax will begin hearing arguments in the class action, which could potentially affect the benefits of as many as 6,000 injured veterans in Canada.
Chronicle Herald

City Of Regina Makes History With Raising Of Metis Flag At City Hall

2011-11-16T15:44:00.000-06:00

REGINA — The City of Regina makes history once again.
“We may be the first city to do it, but it wasn’t about us it was about the recognition of our Metis people,” said Mayor Pat Fiacco.

On Tuesday, the Metis flag was raised in the courtyard of city hall where it’s to become a permanent fixture along side the national, provincial, municipal and Treaty 4 flags.

The Treaty 4 flag was raised Oct. 16 in a similar ceremony at city hall.

“There’s no question that we’re making history and we’re certainly hoping other cities will follow,” said Fiacco. “It is a recognition of the history of our country, particularly, in our province and in our city in respect to both First Nations and Metis culture and peoples.”

Russell Fayant, member of the Regina Riel Metis Council and a teacher at the Saskatchewan Urban Native Teacher Education Program, commended the mayor and his council for being brave enough to be the first city in Canada to fly the Treaty 4 and Metis flags.

“It’s quite a momentous occasion,” he said. “I see it as a metaphor. First Nation and Metis are people starting to claim their rightful places in Regina, in Saskatchewan and in society. Symbols can be powerful things and I think both those flags speak to the growing recognition that people of this province have for our contributions.”

During the event Fayant provided a history of the Metis flag. The flag consists of two circles coming together, which represents the joining of two cultures — indigenous and European — to create a new and distinct culture, he said.

“It was given to us as a gift from the Northwest Company in 1816, which makes it the oldest flag indigenous to Canada,” said Fayant. “The Fleur-de-lis and the British ensign were imported and the Maple Leaf didn’t come around until 1876.”

Fayant said to witness the event was both motivating and miraculous.

“As a Metis person living in Regina we don’t have very many symbols of our culture to reflect back at us,” said Fayant. “For the Metis youth, who attended the ceremony today, I hope that they look at that flag and think that they have things to aspire to and be proud to show their culture.”

The event coincides with national celebrations commemorating Metis Leader Louis Riel who died on Nov. 16, 1885.

Fayant said the irony was not lost on the Metis people. He said Riel would have passed by that site on his way to court 126 years ago.

“I would like to think that his spirit is still with us today and would see this as quite a turn around in history and the beginning, of hopefully, a meaningful and positive reconciliation between Metis and non-Metis citizens,” said Fayant.

The annual Louis Riel Day Vigil will begin Wednesday at 4:45 p.m. in Optimist Park. Anyone is welcome to attend the event. Participants will travel down dewdney to the RCMP barracks. It is to include some speakers and silent vigil and prayer. The event will end with a supper at Regina Metis Sport and Culture on 1235 2nd Ave. N.
Regina Leader-Post

Louis Riel Killed by Government Of Canada 126 Years Ago Today

2011-11-16T15:41:00.001-06:00

125 years ago - at the North West Mounted Police barracks in Regina, the government of Canada executed a father of Confederation because he was not white ... was not an English speaking Conservative and because he dreamed of national equity for Canada's Metis and First Nations peoples.

Riel was elected THREE TIMES to the House of Commons by his constituents in federal elections, but he was never allowed to take his seat.

History is written by the victors of war and in the case of the Metis people, official Canadian history does a disservice to this great leader.

Louis David Riel should be recognized for his role in the creation of the provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan. His legacy speaks of the racism inherent in Canada's creation and ongoing fabric. He was a great man. He was a great Canadian.

Conservative Party Of Canada Found Guilty Of Breaking Election Laws

2011-11-10T17:26:00.002-06:00

"The Conservative Party was fined $52,000 for breaking election rules in a deal that saw charges dropped against four senior officials, but guilty pleas by the organizations for which they made the decisions.

Under a deal accepted by Judge Celynne Dorval in an Ottawa courtroom Thursday afternoon, the party and its fundraising arm, the Conservative Fund, pleaded guilty to Elections Act charges of incurring election expenses exceeding the maximum allowable and filing election records that didn't set out all expenses.

More serious charges against the party and its fundraising arm of wilfully breaking the laws were withdrawn.

Charges against Senator Doug Finley, the party's former campaign director, and Senator Irving Gerstein, head of the Conservative Fund and chief fundraiser for the party, were withdrawn, as well as charges against Michael Donison, the former national party director, and Susan Kehoe, who served as the party's interim executive director.

The prosecutor told the judge the new charges were still serious and asked for the maximum penalty of a $50,000 fine to the party — $25,000 per charge — and $2,000 to the Fund, $1,000 per charge.

The judge agreed, saying the offences were "of a regulatory nature but significant to the democratic process," and accepted a defence request for 30 days to pay.

The charges were laid under the Canada Elections Act in February relating to the so-called "in-and-out" campaign financing case stemming from the 2006 election. The charges were not criminal.

None of the four Conservative officials were in court Thursday; and were instead represented in the court by their lawyers."
CBC.ca

-Toronto Star

-The Hill Times

-Tories Plead Guilty - CTV News

Those Conservatives who assume Canadian farmers can just truck their grain into the United States are living in a dream world

2011-11-08T17:15:00.001-06:00

"One of the deeply foolish subtexts of the Parliamentary debate on the Wheat Board is the assumption that without our Wheat Board the US market will open its arms to Canadian grain, and we can send grain south by truck instead of over the mountains by train and across the sea by ship.

The Wheat Board haters seem blissfully innocent of the fact America grows mountains of its own grain and has an export subsidy program which keeps American prices up. This is a subsidy program which Americans will not allow Canadian grain farmers to benefit from.

A little acquaintance with history is sobering. When the Arthur Meighen Conservatives destroyed our previous Wheat Board in 1920 it took the Yanks less than six months to pass and invoke an Emergency Tariff in February of 1921 and later the Fordney Emergency Tariff Act to close their border to both Canadian grain and beef.

Could it happen today? The short answer is yes. The US has already instituted a “buy American” policy for their stimulus program spending which effectively sets all other trade deals aside including NAFTA which so many seem to think gives Canada special status.

The Yanks are preparing to close their border even more, just as they did in the 1920’s. The so called ‘perimeter trade deal’ signed a few weeks ago by Harper and their President contains provisions which foreshadow the border closure if our Wheat Board is destroyed.

For example, transhipment fees for containers from Vancouver to Seattle have been upped to $145.00 per container and US import fees for materials have increased to around 10% of the invoice value. That makes import fees higher than they were before the NAFTA agreement was signed. Couple that with an almost 30% increase in the value of our dollar, and exports to the United States are facing a formidable trade barrier. The Conservatives in their zeal to destroy our Wheat Board are not watching out for all the consequences.

So those assuming they can truck their grain into the United States are living in a dream world. The American paper work required is formidable. When the short lived continental barley market took place under the Mulroney regime, this writer heard many reports of Canadian farmers being confronted by Americans fed up with having their prices lowered and their elevators plugged by Canadian grain. If we lose our Board this time around Canadians may well face a more formidable and dangerous foe: US border guards armed with fountain pens and prohibitive fee schedules."
Canadian Wheat Board Facts

Hey Saskatchewan New Democrats! - "Up And At 'Em "

2011-11-08T06:58:00.000-06:00

Regina: 6:24 AM: - Sask New Democrats lost a big election last night. Well, it's time to get up and start getting ready for the aftermath and for the future. There will be some who are unsure of what we need to do now. Simple. We take the Caucus that the people have decided on and prepare to continue our role as the Official Opposition for the Province of Saskatchewan. There will be a short Legislative Session in December and we need to be ready for that. We need to understand how the decline of the Liberal Party freed up tens of thousands of votes. We also need to understand how we did NOT attract those votes to our movement. There are lessons to be learned here by BOTH Saskatchewan New Democrats and by the Federal Party.

I'm excited this morning actually. It's a new season and we need to prepare and plan for our future. Good morning New Democrats! It''s a new day! It's a NEW Caucus! Up and at 'em!!

Sask Liberals & Leader Ryan Bater Give HUGE Win To Brad Wall's Saskatchewan Party

2011-11-07T23:59:00.000-06:00

I keep saying that most Liberals should be Conservatives ... and some Liberals should be New Democrats.

In a great post, Blunt Objects demonstrates how Liberal voters moved to the Right in today's Saskatchewan election. With only 9 Lib candidates running for 58 seats, supporters of the Sask Liberal Party moved their votes to the defacto 'Conservative Party' here and gave a big victory to Brad Wall.

Thanks Liberals! :(

Sask Liberals & Leader Ryan Bater
What can I say? You fucked up.

Here's the results of tonight's vote in the 9 ridings the Liberals ran in, organized by vote totals:

(Click on image to enlagre .....)

That's right - 80% of voters were lost in those nine ridings since the 2007 election. Overall, 94% of Liberal voters in 2007 did not vote Liberal in 2011.

That's ridiculous, especially considering that Bater lost voters compared to 2007, when he got 13.36%. So much for the Lizzy May strategy.

Heads should start rolling. Now.

(PS: "Nathan Jeffries" should read "Saskatoon Meewasin", sorry about the mix-up.)
Posted by Volkov at 11:06 PM

Blunt Objects Blog

The Provinces Are Right (well except for Saskatchewan): It Is Unfair For Harper To Make The Provinces Pay For His Crime Bill

2011-11-04T06:57:00.000-06:00

"The provinces are right: It is unfair for the federal government to follow its own unsupported whims on crime and then make the provincial governments pay the bill"

Generally speaking, the level of government that enacts legislation should bear the political burden of raising the taxes necessary to pay for it. That isn't always practical in a federal system, which is one reason we have transfer payments. While the federal government amends the Criminal Code and similar laws, the provinces run some of the courts and correctional facilities. Any offenders sentenced to less than two years serve their time in provincial prisons."
The Ottawa Citizen

Brad Wall Says That Whatever Stephen Harper Asks Him To Pay For The Omnibus Crime Bill - He Will Obey

2011-11-02T18:28:00.003-06:00

"PRINCE ALBERT — Returning to the city where he made a recent campaign promise to crack down on violent offenders, Saskatchewan Party Leader Brad Wall expressed support for Ottawa’s tough on crime bill despite the potential for added costs at the provincial level."
Regina Leader-Post: Brad Wall backs Federal Crime Bill despite potential costs

The Once MIGHTY Liberal Party Contests Only 9 Of Saskatchewan's 58 Provincial Ridings

2011-11-02T10:12:00.000-06:00

Saskatchewan is nearing the end of a provincial election. The once might Liberal Party is only able to muster enough resources to contest 9 of the 58 provincial Ridings. Lack of money - lack of talent and lack of vision has driven the Liberals to this embarrassment.

The decline of the Liberal Party in Saskatchewan is a harbinger of what is happening to the Liberal Party of Canada.

-Buckdog: - Politics of Defeat: The Decline of the Liberal Party in Canada - October 16, 2008

Jedras Whines And Pines In The National Post

2011-11-02T09:02:00.005-06:00

I have always maintained that many federal Liberals should be Conservatives. Many others, however, should be New Democrats. There is no doubt in my mind that when the Liberal Party of Canada finally dies (and trust me, there is no stopping the demise of the once mighty LPC) ... blogger Jeff Jedras will surely find his comfort level in the Conservative Party of Canada. In fact, he's practicing his future Conservative affiliation by publishing petty, snarky, nonsensical, wound licking in .... (wait for it) ..... The National Post.

"No evidence has been offered to support assertions that Saskatchewan levies the world's highest (Potash) royalties and taxes" Saskatoon Star Phoenix

2011-11-01T12:52:00.003-06:00

"(PotashCorp CEO Bill) Doyle wrote, "Saskatchewan is still the highest tax jurisdiction in the potash world." The Saskatchewan Party also made this statement in its platform document and in the provincial leaders' debate.

Unfortunately, repetition is not a form of evidence. [...]

No evidence has been offered to support assertions that Saskatchewan levies the world's highest royalties and taxes. On the contrary, the province is well positioned to negotiate a better return from the extraction of its potash."
Saskatoon Star Phoenix

How Much Will Harper's 'Omnibus Crime Bill' Cost Saskatchewan? Brad Wall's NOT Saying! UPDATED - UPPERDATED!

2011-11-01T11:21:00.009-06:00

`So far, the most expensive election promise of the Saskatchewan Election campaign is the ongoing Billions in windfall profits that Brad Wall is allowing PotashCorp to rip off from the taxpayers of Saskatchewan.

Another HUGE expenditure is looming for the province and that's the amount that we will have to pay to implement Stephen Harper's Omnibus Crime Bill.

Today, both Quebec and Ontario (AND NOW ADD BRITISH COLUMBIA) told the Harper government that they will not carry these costs.

Saskatchewan's Brad Wall has been completely silent on this looming expenditure - he is usually too busy kissing Federal Tory butt to even ask what the costs will be. (Sorry Brad ... I call them as I see them. Your silence is deafening!)

Shame on Brad Wall for not representing the interests of Saskatchewan citizens on the federal stage!

-Quebec AND Ontario (AND NOW ADD BRITISH COLUMBIA) Refuse To Carry The Costs Of Harper's Crime Bill

Why Is Brad Wall Wearing NDP Orange??

2011-10-31T07:23:00.001-06:00

Halfway through last week, the Saskatchewan Party pulled all of their overly aggressive 'attack' ads on Dwain Lingenfelter. Clearly, their polling showed that these scathing ads were not being well received by the public. To replace them, the Sask Party is now advancing a softer, friendly Brad Wall ..... wearing NDP orange!??

The brain trust who run the Saskatchewan Party campaign are leaving no bases uncovered!

Photo of 'NDP Brad' courtesy the Saskatchewan Party .....

Robert Chisholm Enters New Democratic Leadership Race As A Serious Contender

2011-10-30T14:29:00.003-06:00

I've known Robert Chisholm for many years and am very happy that he has thrown his hat into the race for leader of Canada's New Democrats. Robert took the Nova Scotia party from 2 or 3 seats in the provincial legislature to Official Opposition. He is a charismatic, committed and highly skilled candidate for the position.

"Nova Scotia MP Robert Chisholm has joined the federal NDP leadership race, becoming the eighth candidate for the job.

The 54-year-old MP for Dartmouth–Cole Harbour confirmed on Facebook on Sunday that he is now part of an increasingly growing group of candidates to replace the late Jack Layton.

He later appeared at a Darmouth restaurant with supporters, including Premier Darrell Dexter and a group of provincial cabinet ministers.

Chisholm touted his experience as former leader of the NDP in Nova Scotia in the late 1990s. He led the provincial party to a breakthrough in Nova Scotia's 1998 election, when the party won 19 seats in the legislature and achieved Official Opposition status.

The unilingual candidate says he has started taking French courses and expects to learn the language. He was only able to speak a few words of French in response to reporters' questions.

In launching his campaign, he said in an online statement that New Democrats are at a "a pivotal point in their history."
CBC News

How Brad Wall Shills For PotashCorp

2011-10-29T09:41:00.000-06:00

"Yesterday’s strong earnings report from the Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan confirms what this blog and the NDP have been contending: even modestly increasing Saskatchewan’s extremely low royalties on hugely profitable potash mines could fund substantially better provincial public services.

The Saskatchewan Party still refuses to review potash royalties. In a well-timed column, Greg Fingas developed the theme that this gift to potash companies is the provincial election’s most expensive promise.

The Sask Party issued a carefully-worded press release implying that PotashCorp invested $590 million in Saskatchewan and paid nearly $332 million to the provincial government in the third quarter of 2011. Both suggestions are misleading.

While some commentators wrote that PotashCorp reinvested $590 million in Saskatchewan, the Sask Party itself stopped short of making that claim since this figure is a worldwide total. The company reports only that “the majority of the $590 million in capital expenditures” were in potash rather than nitrogen or phosphate.

The Sask Party compares this figure to $700 million of potash gross margin, at least 90% of which is from Saskatchewan as opposed to New Brunswick. If two-thirds of PotashCorp’s investment was in Saskatchewan potash mines, it reinvested something like 63% of its gross margin (i.e. $590*0.67/($700*0.9)), a far cry from the 84% put forward by the Sask Party. In contrast, 100% of every dollar in additional royalties would be reinvested in the province.

The Sask Party went on to claim, “PotashCorp paid another $332 million in potash royalties and income taxes in the third quarter – the vast majority of which would have been paid in Saskatchewan.” This figure is the sum of “provincial mining and other taxes” ($53 million) and “income taxes” ($279 million). The $53 million is Saskatchewan’s potash production tax and resource surcharge.

The $279 million is worldwide corporate income tax, more of which goes to the Canadian federal government than to provincial governments. (Note that the Sask Party wrote “paid in Saskatchewan” not “paid to Saskatchewan.”)

PotashCorp has confirmed that it paid only $82 million of corporate tax to the Saskatchewan government throughout 2010, less than it paid to Trinidad. Saskatchewan people should get a better return."

by Erin Weir
October 28th, 2011
Progressive Economics Forum

Brad Wall SCRAMBLES To Change Channel From Windfall Potash Profits To ..... No School Until After Labour Day!?

2011-10-28T15:01:00.000-06:00

PotashCorp embarrassed Sask Party Leader Brad Wall yesterday by releasing Third Quarter figures which prove that the province is being robbed blind.

The last phase of the provincial election seems to be focusing on the Billions of dollars being gouged out of Saskatchewan by the potash industry. New Democrats want to squeak out an extra 'nickel on the dollar' of these profits while Brad Wall wants to keep enriching the rich.

So back to yesterday. With the Q3 report on record industry profits, Wall desperately needed to change the channel and get the pundits, MSM and hopefully, the public, onto another topic.

Right out of the blue, without any other context, he announced that no school in Saskatchewan will be able to reconvene classes until after the Labour Day weekend in order to help out the tourism industry.

As you would expect, the MSM took the bait and we have a new issue in the campaign today.

How PotashCorp Hauls BILLIONS Of OUR Dollars Out Of Saskatchewan Every Year

2011-10-27T08:28:00.002-06:00

PotashCorp earns US $826 million in Q3 (Jul-Aug-Sept/2011)

27/10/2011
The Canadian Press
SASKATOON - Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan Inc. (TSX:POT) more than doubled its profits in the latest quarter on higher production and record sales.

The world's largest fertilizer producer reported early Thursday its net income jumped to US$826 million, or 94 cents per share in the three months ended Sept. 30.

That was more than double the 38 cents per share, or $343 million in profits the company earned in the same quarter last year.

Sales in the quarter jumped to US$2.3 billion from $1.58 billion last year as the company cashed in on growing demand for fertilizer in China, India and other parts of the world.

PotashCorp, which reports in U.S. dollars, said record third-quarter sales and significantly higher prices raised potash gross margin to $700 million - the second-highest third-quarter total in company history.

This raised gross margin for the year to $2.2 billion, well ahead of the $1.3 billion earned in the first three quarters of 2010.

Production in the quarter hit a record 1.9 million tonnes, up from 1.3 million tonnes a year earlier.

The company says offshore potash demand remained robust during the third quarter and on pace to achieve record levels in 2011.

PotashCorp president and CEO Bill Doyle said the "undeniable need for potash, phosphate and nitrogen" ensured products moved through the system to reach farmers around the world.

"Our third-quarter performance reflected the unrelenting pressure on global food production - and the strength of our growing fertilizer enterprise."

After the rejection of BHP Billiton's hostile $40 billion bid for PotashCorp last year, the Saskatoon company has moved ahead with expansion plans and developments to boost supply.

And despite recent weakness in the global economy, the prospects remain bright for the industry.

"Despite economic uncertainty around the world, a growing population has and will continue to need more food and, ultimately, more fertilizer," added Doyle.

"By recognizing this powerful long-term trend and making the commitment to be prepared for growing demand, especially for potash, we anticipate new opportunities in the years ahead. Our expanding operational capability will be increasingly valuable - in helping grow global food production and in serving the interests of all stakeholders in our company."

Sympatico.ca.Finance

Transcript Of Racist Comments Made By Saskatchewan Party Candidate During Debate In Yorkton

2011-10-26T17:59:00.000-06:00

An interesting observation in the matter of Sask Party candidate,Greg Ottenbriet's use of racist comments at a Yorkton 'All candidates' debate. The question that prompted the comments almost appears to be a 'softball' question thrown by a Sask Party supporter for Mr. Ottenbreit's benefit. According to financial statements filed by the candidate last election, the person who asked the question is a large financial contributor. (see page 9 of the financial statement):

Transcript of Greg Ottenbreit at candidate’s forum in Yorkton, Oct. 19, 2011

MODERATOR: Lawrence Wegner, you got a question?

LAWRENCE WEGNER: Thanks, Randy. Going back to royalties for a second here. Recently it was announced by the opposition that if they were elected they were going to enter into negotiations with the First Nations in regards to sharing the royalties that our province has. My question is, I’d really like you both to leave your party platforms on the table and come up and answer this personally. How do you feel about a government negotiating the royalties struc--the royalties of our province to minorities and special interest groups?
MODERATOR: Thanks Lawrence. Chad?

CHAD BLENKIN: Thanks for your question, Lawrence. On a personal note, I spent three years at Enterprise Saskatchewan on entrepreneurship council. And during my tenure there, this was one of the areas with the First Nations that I worked hard on. I think the negotiations of potash royalties with the First Nations, what we’re trying to achieve as the NDP is just to get those talks started. We have had a considerable amount of backlash since we made this announcement but I just recall going back to where we were when we made the announcement years ago to do this with the casinos and look at where we are today, especially here in Yorkton. The casino is one of the largest employers. Everybody said it wouldn’t work. It, they’re providing 60, 60 to 70 per cent, 60 per cent of their employees are of First Nations ancestry, so 40 per cent of their employees aren’t even from that community. So I think where we need to work with the First Nations is providing them some entrepreneurship training and some guidance and taking some of these royalty revenues and allowing them to build economies. Like we see even the Petro Canada, that’s a success. We have a lot of people working there. That’s what we need to do is help and train them into building their own businesses so that they can be more [in?]dependent on their own. Thank you.

MODERATOR: Greg Ottenbreit.

GREG OTTENBREIT: Well, I will sincerely agree with Chad on one thing and that is engaging the First Nations people on education, training and in the economy because that is the most important thing. If you talk to, I have a lot of First Nations friends, I’ll talk to them about this, quite a bit and they’ll tell you that. Like, the handouts, the money that comes so free and easy, all it does is go to, quite often, drugs and alcohol and other things and creates more social pro-, er social issues. As far as, with the royalty rates, and I think Lawrence talked about minorities and special interest groups, absolutely not. I felt that, many years, probably the first year I was in government, and some of these issues would come up and we would be talking about it. And in talking to a lot of my First Nations friends, they seem to be very understanding. They will say, well if we get say a portion of royalties, does that mean that we have to pay a portion of roads, highways, schools, hospitals that we use. They realize and I realized quite quickly one of the first meetings I had when I was in government was the office of the treaty commissioner. And when they are interpreting the treaty, the treaty says we are treaty people, like everybody, white, non-First Nations and First Nations alike. And those royalties are for everybody, we’re paying for the provincial debt, we’re paying for healthcare, we’re paying for hospitals, and schools and highways that everybody uses equally. So there’s no special interest group. I feel personally I’m very onside with our policy that they’re for all of us.

More ......
-Federation Of Saskatchewan Indian Nations Calls For Resignation Of Saskatchewan Party Candidate For Racist Comments

Sask NDP Leader Dwain Lingenfelter Delivers Strong Showing In Televised Leader's Debate

2011-10-25T19:28:00.004-06:00

Sask NDP Leader Dwain Lingenfelter delivered a strong, strong performance in the Leader's Debate tonight. Wall sounded like an opposition leader, having the challenge of defending the minimalist 'status quo' agenda that his party believes in.

Lingenfelter sounded and felt like a premier. Wall repeated rhetoric on the so called 'Boom' - something that simply is not being felt by the middle-class and the poor. The affluent are really 'booming' now and Wall had a hard time explaining how the 'boom' has effectively 'trickled down to average working families'. Good debate!

Stephen Harper's New Libyan Allies Start Mass Executions Of Opponents - Human Rights Watch

2011-10-25T16:42:00.000-06:00

Stephen Harper sure knows how to pick great friends for Canada ... 'eh??

"We found 53 decomposing bodies, apparently Gaddafi supporters, at an abandoned hotel in Sirte," said Peter Bouckaert of Human Rights Watch (HRW), who investigated the killings.

"Some had their hands bound behind their backs when they were shot," he added.

In a statement, the group said: "If the NTC fails to investigate this crime it will signal that those who fought against Gaddafi can do anything without fear of prosecution."

HRW's investigator found the bodies on Sunday at the Hotel Mahari in District 2 of Sirte, an "area of the city that was under the control of anti-Gaddafi fighters from Misurata before the killings took place."

"The bodies were clustered together, apparently where they had been killed, on the grass in the sea-view garden of the hotel," HRW said in a statement. "
Telegraph.UK

Federation Of Saskatchewan Indian Nations Calls For Resignation Of Saskatchewan Party Candidate For Racist Comments

2011-10-24T16:30:00.004-06:00

Brad Wall continues to defend one of his candidates for racist remarks. It is typical of Mr. Wall to NEVER back down even when he is wrong. The suitability of a candidate for ANY party is compromised by racist remarks .... regardless of whether an apology was made or not.

Greg Ottenbreit is NOT fit to be a Member of the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly because of the idiocy that came out of his mouth. Mr. Wall better figure that out quickly because now this says more about him than it does about his candidate in Yorkton!

"The Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN) is calling on Premier Brad Wall to remove Greg Ottenbreit as the Sask Party candidate in Yorkton for the November 7 provincial election.

FSIN vice-chief Greg Ottenbreit asked for the removal after Ottenbreit made a remark at an all-candidates forum in Yorkton last week.

On October 19, Ottenbreit responded to a question about revenue resource-sharing with First Nations when he said that his aboriginal friends told him handouts or free money can be used for alcohol or drugs.

“Comments such as these cause the public to form opinion and reinforce negative images of First Nation people,” said Watson.

“At their worst ignorance is confirmed and as a result First Nation people again must defend themselves against these kind of attacks.

“We call upon Brad Wall to pull Gary Ottenbreit’s candidacy from the provincial election,” said Yorkton tribal chief Gilbert Panipekeesick adding the removal of Ottenbreit will show First Nations people they are a valuable part of the province.

Ottenbreit has apologized for his remarks, saying they were poorly chosen and that drugs and alcohol are a challenge in every community, not just First Nations.

Wall has rejected calls for Ottenbreit’s resignation, saying he is a good man who understands that what he said was wrong."

Global Saskatoon

Harper's New Libyan Government Pals = "Meet The New Boss ... Same As The Old Boss" ... YIKES!

2011-10-24T13:36:00.001-06:00

I hated Gaddafi. He should have been put on trial for crimes against humanity and crimes against his own people. Harper's new Libyan allies had something else in mind.

Daily Mail - NOTE: Extremely graphic content WARNING!

Comparing The Platform Costs Of The Main Parties In The Saskatchewan Election

2011-10-23T09:35:00.001-06:00

Economist, Erin Weir lays out the fiscal impact of platforms put forward by the two main parties contesting the current Saskatchewan Election:

"Saskatchewan’s two major parties have unveiled their election platforms.

The NDP’s fiscal plan is to collect higher potash royalties and reinvest the proceeds in public priorities like healthcare, education and housing. Columnist Murray Mandryk notes the spectre of Erin Weir.

The NDP has expressed a willingness to discuss sharing resource revenues with First Nations. The Sask Party criticizes the NDP for not costing this possibility.

However, as Mike McCracken observes, successful resource-sharing arrangements with the Nisga’a in BC and First Nations in the Yukon took a decade to negotiate. There is no reason to believe that potential Saskatchewan negotiations would affect provincial finances during the four years covered by the NDP platform.

The Sask Party’s Seinfeld platform is a collection of miniscule announcements (and re-announcements) that can be funded out of projected budget surpluses. Greg Fingas points out the similarity to Harper’s federal campaign strategy.

While the Sask Party revels in the modesty of its campaign promises, guaranteeing rock-bottom royalties for potash companies is extremely costly. It would forgo at least $700 million annually by 2015-16.

As the following table shows, the main difference between the Sask Party and NDP platforms is not the dollar amount but its allocation among various priorities."
Erin Weir
Progressive Economics Forum

How Premier Brad Wall JINXED The Saskatchewan Roughriders

2011-10-22T11:20:00.002-06:00

"A sports-related curse or jinx is a superstitious belief in the effective action of some power or evil, that is used to explain the failures or misfortunes of specific sports teams, players, or even cities. Teams, players, and cities often cite a "curse" for many negative things, such as their inability to win a sports championship, or unexpected injuries."
The Nature of Sports 'Jinxes'

Okay ... here's MY personal superstitious belief:

Everyone knows that you shouldn't mix politics & religion but most avid sports fans also know that you must always avoid mixing politics and sports.

Too late now!

One of the strategies of the Saskatchewan Party was to try and co-opt the Saskatchewan Roughriders as their very own. Wall is a fan of the team, no doubt, but so are legions of New Democrats as well as the Greens and the last few Liberals that still exist in the province.

The Roughriders are a 'community owned team' - (sounds socialist!!). You would think that Brad Wall and his Sask Party would want to privatize them. If such a thing were ever proposed by Saskatchewan's angry Right, it would spell the end of the Sask Party in about a week.

So, back to the title of my post. For years the Saskatchewan Party have been playing political games with the Roughriders. A favorite slogan of Brad's was 'the Riders have never won a Grey Cup under an NDP government'. Trust me, the gods of football rolled their eyes at that early attempt by the Sask Party to claim ownership of the team.

It is true that the Saskatchewan Roughriders did win a Grey Cup a few days after Mr. Wall was elected in 2007. What he doesn't advertise is that the Riders have LOST two further Grey Cups under a Sask Party government ... (by a combined total of only 4 points in both 2009 and 2010) !

Going into this election, Brad Wall worked hard to get a playing Roughrider to stand for election as a Saskatchewan Party MLA. Enter Gene Makowsky. He is running against Regina Dewdney NDP MLA, Kevin Yates .... (who by the way once before defeated a Roughrider who was running for the Saskatchwan Party).

Go Kevin Go!

But here's the kicker ... the biggest thing that ticked off the Football gods and jinxed the team is the Sask Party sponsorship of the CKRM 620 Roughrider Pre-Game radio show.

I love the show but I hate hearing ads for Brad Wall every 5 minutes. This mixture of politics and sports is what has angered the dieties of the game of football and jinxed the team the most. It is why (in my humble opinion) the Saskatchewan Roughriders have fallen from Western Conference Champions for the last two years to the basement of the Western CFL Conference at 4 wins and 11 loses.

I blame Brad Wall
;)

Postscript:
The last time I spoke to Brad Wall was at the Allan Blakeney Memorial earlier this year. He reminded me that he reads my blog.

Saskatchewan Party Candidate Forced To Apologize For Racist Comment Towards First Nations

2011-10-21T19:44:00.002-06:00

"A Saskatchewan Party candidate is apologizing after suggesting First Nations people who get "handouts" sometimes spend it on drugs and alcohol.

Greg Ottenbreit, who is the party's Yorkton candidate, issued a written apology Friday for comments he made two days earlier at an all-candidates forum.

Ottenbreit said he made the improper remarks in response to a question about resource revenue-sharing with First Nations, something the NDP wants to hold talks about, but which the Saskatchewan Party opposes.

"I don't remember my exact words, but I said something like, 'What I have been told by some of my First Nations friends is that sometimes when there are handouts or the money comes free and easy, it can be used for alcohol and drugs,'" Ottenbreit said in a news release.

The exact wording of Ottenbreit's comments at the Yorkton Chamber of Commerce candidates’ forum wasn't immediately available.

"This was an inappropriate comment. I sincerely apologize for any pain my words have caused and ask forgiveness from anyone I have offended," Ottenbreit said.

There are several reserves around Yorkton, a city of about 15,000 people that's home to a First Nations-run casino and several other First Nations-run agencies.

"My words were poorly chosen. Drugs and alcohol are a challenge in every community and not specific to First Nations. This issue has nothing to do with revenue sharing," Ottenbreit said.

On Thursday, Sask. Party Leader Brad Wall criticized NDP Leader Dwain Lingenfelter for not being specific about how much revenue-sharing with First Nations would cost.

The Saskatchewan treasury takes in billions of dollars every year in oil, gas, potash revenues, money that goes toward hospitals, schools, highways and other expenses.

Wall and his campaign have suggested that based on what some First Nations leaders have said, a revenue-sharing deal could cost the province $1.6 billion over four years.

However, Lingenfelter has said there's no set number because there's no agreement in place — any revenue-sharing deal would have to be negotiated."
CBC Sask

-Transcript Of Racist Comments Made by Saskatchewan Party Candidate

.... But How Does Premier Brad Wall Deal With Getting Caught With False Advertising???

2011-10-20T09:27:00.004-06:00

So in a nutshell, here's how Brad Wall rolls:

1) He accuses the NDP leader of being hypocritical for wanting to keep head office jos in Saskatchewan - in their TV ad they claim that Lingenfelter was responsible for moving Nexen head office staff to Calgary;

2) The CEO of Nexen says that the decision to move staff was not Lingenfelter's to make and that the Sask Party ad was inaccurate and disingenuous;

3) Brad Wall tries to cover his error (not with a retraction of the FALSE ad), but by rephrasing the accusation ... now they are saying that Lingenfelter was indisputably "involved" with the move of staff.

(your old pal Colin Thatcher would be proud of you Brad! :)

Brad Wall Caught With False Election Advertisment

2011-10-19T18:45:00.002-06:00

This campaign, the Saskatchewan Party is putting forth a lot of 'attack ads' against New Democrat Leader, Dwain Lingenfelter. In their ususal enthusiasm to slander and slur, they have been caught with yet another falsehood:

"The New Democrats say the Saskatchewan Party is making false claims in a TV ad that touches on NDP Leader Dwain Lingenfelter's employment with a Calgary-based oil company.

And a retired executive with that company, Nexen, is backing the NDP up, saying the campaign ad is completely inaccurate.

The ad, which has been aired numerous times on Saskatchewan TV stations and has been posted to YouTube, essentially accuses Lingenfelter of serial hypocrisy on nuclear power, rent control and other issues.

"Dwain Lingenfelter says one thing but does another," the commercial says. The specific claim NDP officials are objecting to concerns Lingenfelter's role with Nexen as a vice-president of government relations at a time when the company moved an office from Regina to Calgary.

"He says he wants head office jobs in Saskatchewan but he moved his own head office and all those jobs to Calgary," the ad says.

However, Charlie Fischer, who was Nexen CEO at the time, said "that just is not true," adding the decision to move was not Lingenfelter's to make.

"He had nothing to do with that decision, so it's just not right," Fischer said.

Fischer described himself as a "fan" of Sask. Party Leader Brad Wall, but said he felt he needed to defend his former employee.

The Sask. Party, meanwhile, insists the ad is accurate. Kindersley candidate Bill Boyd says he was lobbied by Lingenfelter in 2001.

Boyd says Lingenfelter wanted the Wascana Energy Act dropped — a law which required his company to keep certain executive jobs in Saskatchewan.

Lingenfelter worked for Nexen as a vice-president of government relations when the company moved an office from Regina to Calgary.

"Once again the Sask Party focuses on negative campaigning instead of positive ideas for the future of our province," Lingenfelter said in a written statement."
CBC.ca

As is usual, the Saskatchewan Party refuses to pull the false advertisement.

Supreme Court Of Canada Rules: 'Hyperlinking doesn't constitute defamation'

2011-10-19T10:00:00.000-06:00

"The Supreme Court of Canada has erected a shield to protect those who post defamatory internet links to other sites.

The Court was unanimous in ruling that anyone whose site supplies hyperlinks that lead to another site has not published it for the purposes of libel and defamation law.

The decision effectively gives the benefit of the doubt to internet posters who may be unaware that a site they link to could contain defamatory material about another party."
The Globe & Mail

"Free Markets" And Stock Exchanges Tumble In Fear Of Losing Some Of Their Corporate Welfare And 'Socialism For The Rich' Entitlements

2011-10-17T21:24:00.001-06:00

TORONTO - "Resource stocks led the way to a sharp decline on the Toronto stock market Monday as commodity prices slipped after Germany warned that investors shouldn't get carried away on expectations for the upcoming European summit.

The S&P/TSX composite index gave back a big chunk of last week's strong advance, losing 158.7 points to 11,923.04 and the TSX Venture Exchange dropped 16.12 points to 1,541.49.

Finance ministers from the Group of 20 leading industrial and developing countries reiterated their belief during the weekend that Europe, in particular Germany and France, are thrashing out a comprehensive plan to stabilize the debt crisis.

And that led traders to hope that a program would be finalized at a European Union summit which concludes Sunday and then presented the following week at the G20 government leaders meeting.

But on Monday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman, Steffan Seibert, said the EU meeting is only an "important step" on a long road.

Seibert observed that Merkel was saying that renewed dreams of having everything solved and done with next month "will again not be fulfilled."

"I think everyone last week decided that the European crisis was over, that it was all going to get solved by the end of the month," said Kate Warne, Canadian markets specialist at Edward Jones in St. Louis.

"Nobody should be hugely surprised because the process in Europe seems to be to promise a lot and deliver a little and we've seen that for the last year and a half."

The Canadian dollar fell 1.12 cents US to 97.84 cents US as the U.S. dollar strengthened following Seibert's comments.

U.S. markets also tumbled following a solid gain last week, with the Dow Jones industrials tumbling 247.49 points to 11,397. The Nasdaq composite index lost 52.93 points to 2,614.92 and the S&P 500 index was down 23.72 points at 1,200.86."
Yahoo.com.news

A Slow Burn Underneath Saskatchewan's Ruling Party - By Brian Topp , September 2010

2011-10-17T06:43:00.012-06:00

The following article was written a year ago by Brian Topp ... prior to his election as President of the New Democratic Party of Canada and prior to the death of Jack Layton and Mr. Topp's subsequent run for Leader of the NDP. This great article sheds light on a major problem that smolders beneath Brad Wall's Saskatchewan Party:

A slow burn underneath Saskatchewan's ruling party
Brian Topp
Posted on Saturday, September 18, 2010
Globe & Mail

"To my good fortune, I got to go back to Regina for a few days last weekend to attend some interesting meetings at the request of New Democratic Party Leader Jack Layton.

Mr. Layton demonstrated some important truths about the value of deliberative democracy at those sessions. At the end of the day, adult political debate produces the best results, even if some of our country's columnists find them difficult to endure and prefer the discipline of phony "majority government". The alternative they prefer, on offer from both Michael Ignatieff and Stephen Harper, is about infantilizing our Members of Parliament and our democracy. This commentator put things very well.

Meanwhile, visiting the province gave me an opportunity to catch up with some friends and with the always-fascinating world of Saskatchewan provincial politics. The elm trees lining the city's downtown residential neighbourhoods are at their most beautiful this time of year. The marble Legislature gleams. And Conservatives are fighting each other over the net proceeds of a generation of bagmen.

What's with that?

As is explained here, in 1995 Saskatchewan's Progressive Conservative Party set up a trust fund. They reportedly tucked about $3-million into that fund, left over from many years of fundraising by their party among Albertan oil companies, on Bay Street, and among various other (shall we say) stakeholders of the former government of premier Grant Devine.

In 1995 the Progressive Conservatives were four years out of office. They rarely polled in the double digits. They were about to be clobbered again in another election. And so they decided they needed to bring some better order to their sole remaining asset -- that big pile of cash, raised from persons unknown.

In 1997, some Liberal MLAs left their party and formed a coalition with the Progressive Conservative rump in the Saskatchewan Legislature. This new entity, the "Saskatchewan Party," allowed the province's conservatives to slowly turn the page on their lamentable record in office. After a decade's work, they finally took power under Premier (and former Devine political aide) Brad Wall in 2007.

As for the province's Progressive Conservative Party, it took a two-election hiatus.

But then, it turned out, the Saskatchewan PCs had some life left in them. Progressive Conservatives were proud of their long record. As is recounted here, they first elected an MLA in 1887, and played a central role in Saskatchewan politics ever since. They were the party of John Diefenbaker. They didn't see themselves in the soft-focus "Saskatchewan Party" brand. They didn't want to disappear. And so they elected a new leader (former PC MLA Rick Swenson, a formidable politician), and ran some candidates in the 2007 election.

And they asked for their money back.

However, key figures from the "Saskatchewan Party" control the $3-million fund. They declined to make the fund available for its purpose, which (as spelled out in its charter) is to "support the operations of the Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan."

So as you'd expect, the whole matter has ended up in court.

Premier Wall's Saskatchewan Party has advanced numerous ingenious legal arguments to avoid handing these funds over to their former co-religionists, but have so far fared poorly. Most recently, on July 22, the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal ruled against the Saskatchewan Party, preventing the whole matter from being thrown out.

It's Saskatchewan politics at its best. And it is a gift that gives in a number of ways.

The Saskatchewan Progressive Conservative Party may turn out to have the better legal arguments, in which case a formidably-financed new political player may eventually resurface on the Wall government's right flank. Many Conservatives would celebrate this return of their party, and the ability to vote for an option untainted by Liberals.

Meanwhile, the increasingly successful New Democratic opposition, led by former deputy premier Dwain Lingenfelter, have been handed a useful prop to demonstrate the direct link between Mr. Wall's government and Mr. Devine's former administration and record.

Mr. Wall seems to have a problem with money. His government made a $2-billion mistake estimating the province's revenues this year, patched over through a set of desperate expedients. He must be tempted to take the $3-million in that fund and burn it in the parking lot in front of the Legislature -- not unlike what he has done to the provincial finances. Instead, the fund is doing a slow burn inside the "Saskatchewan Party's" carefully-reconstructed brand."

Brad Wall Says 'Overestimation' Of Revenues Was His Biggest Mistake - Yet He Continues To Drag Flawed Estimates Into The Election Debate!

2011-10-15T19:26:00.002-06:00

"Asked what was has been the most regrettable mistake of his first term, Wall quickly responded “that we didn’t build more caution in ’09 budget” that overestimated potash revenues by a massive $2 billion. He admits the massive economic boom in 2008 when the provincial government raked in an unexpected extra billion dollars in oil land lease sales alone likely contributed to the discarding of caution.
“But you know what? ’09 was likely the best thing that happened to us in this term,” Wall said, adding that it hopefully made both his government and party more cautious -"
Premier Brad Wall
Regina Leader-Post
October, 14 2011

"Saskatchewan Party leader Brad Wall, at a pancake breakfast Saturday in Regina, claimed the NDP's promise of resource revenue sharing with aboriginal groups would cost the provincial treasury $1.6 billion. Wall noted a return to an NDP government on Nov. 7 would mean a $900-million deficit over the next four years, even without the revenue-sharing promise. [...} The (New Democratic) party also pointed out that the Saskatchewan Party miscalculated the NDP's promise for additional health care clinics, by applying the full cost in each year of the promised four year phase-in of the plan. The NDP also say their opponent double-counted a $25 million promise for University of Regina student housing."
CBC Saskatchewan

"Even Friday's announcement of $320.8 million for a housing strategy - while a tad pricey when added to all the other NDP promises - wasn't all that bad. In a nice north Regina suburban home complete with a friendly mom and a bug's-ear-cute little girl, Lingenfelter introduced his "next-generation rent-control plan" that will include "fair-rent" legislation, $216 million to help community-based organizations build 2,500 affordable rental units and PST rebates to private developers building new homes valued under $280,000. It's not earth-shattering, but it beats Premier Brad Wall's policy of leaving it up to the landlords to sort the problem out with their renters.

Similarly, the NDP healthcare platform unveiled Wednesday was less terrifying than the Sask. Party tried to make it out to be. Again, it's a little pricey when you add up all the $10and $20-million items. But there are some good, affordable ideas here - including the much-ballyhooed 30 new primary clinics that the NDP is now pricing at $850,000 each year apiece. What Lingenfelter and the NDP are really talking about here is once-or twice-a-week walk-in clinics."
Regina Leader-Post
October 15, 2011

New Democrats Want To Engage In Some Resource Revenue Sharing With Saskatchewan's Aboriginal People - But The Saskatchewan Party .... not so much ....

2011-10-14T08:57:00.004-06:00

During his first term in power, Brad Wall had NO problem implementing the concept of 'revenue sharing' with Saskatchewan's municipal governments. However, when it comes to working with First Nations he reacts extremely negatively!

Brad Wall is more than content to have mega-corporations gouge the people of Saskatchewan when it comes to ongoing resource royalty structures. As an example, PotatshCorp continues to rip Billions in windfall profits from the province.

New Democrats will ensure that all the people of this province get a fair return for our non-renewable resources.

RED PHEASANT FIRST NATION – Provincial governments need to do a better job connecting with First Nations and Métis people by dealing directly with the issues that matter including training, education, roads and resource revenue sharing, according to NDP Leader Dwain Lingenfelter.

Speaking on the Red Pheasant First Nation, Lingenfelter announced a commitment to a better relationship with First Nations and Métis people and to negotiations on a resource revenue sharing arrangement.

“We recognize that the negotiations will be complex, but just as the NDP worked with First Nations governments to forge a new and groundbreaking Treaty Land Entitlement Agreement, we will seek a new relationship in revenue sharing upon forming an NDP government,” said Lingenfelter.

Lingenfelter also pledged $2.5 million annually toward the goal of increasing the aboriginal high school graduation rate by 50 per cent in four years and to expanding post-secondary and other training opportunities in First Nations, Métis and remote communities.

“We will build on the successful partnerships we have had with the Gabriel Dumont Institute and the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies to provide training to the people who need it in the locations where they need it,” Lingenfelter said. “And people will actually be able to drive to those locations because the NDP will fix the roads.”

Lingenfelter said that additional funding specifically targeted to roads to First Nations and remote communities is part of the government’s platform and overall commitment to highways and transportation.

The NDP has the largest number of aboriginal candidates running for a provincial party in the province’s history with 11 First Nations or Métis candidates.

“I am proud of the number of top-notch aboriginal candidates that have won our party’s nomination in their constituency and joined our team,” Lingenfelter said. “We encourage First Nations and Métis people to vote for the party that is committed to dealing with the issues that matter to them.”

'My Blackberry Is Not Working And I'm Very Disappointed'

2011-10-13T14:42:00.000-06:00

The One Ronnie - BBC

Brad Wall Supports 'Single-Desk' Marketing Of Saskatchewan Potash BUT NOT For Wheat!

2011-10-13T14:03:00.000-06:00

The following post was originally published in Next Year Country:

"Can someone explain why Premier Brad Wall, now standing for re-election in Saskatchewan, was passionate about his support for single desk selling of potash yet he can hardly lift a finger to support the majority of farmers who just voted for single desk selling of their wheat and barley?

At least Alberta is a little closer to deep water and has oil and the cattle feeding sector, but what does Saskatchewan have? A couple of potash mines that look pretty small by most standards, and a huge grain farming sector. Saskatchewan produces better than 60% of the wheat and barley the CWB markets each year.

For every dollar a farmer earns, he puts about eight dollars into circulation in the economy. Ending the CWB is estimated to remove between 500 million to one and a half billion dollars from the western economy, and most of that will come out of Saskatchewan.

If this does not become an election issue, more than just the premier have their heads in the sand.
Posted by Next Year Country

Mulcair Is IN The Leadership Race!

2011-10-13T09:33:00.002-06:00

"Thomas Mulcair officially announced his candidacy for NDP leader Thursday, bringing the number of declared candidates to six and a new dynamic to the race."
CBC

When The Sask Party Stumbles - The Regina Leader-Post Helps Them To Their Feet And Wipes Their Nose

2011-10-13T09:01:00.003-06:00

While reading Murray Mandryk's little piece on Brad Wall the other day, I realized that the writer's goal was to ensure that I got all misty eyed over the fact that Premier Brad Wall is a really swell guy. #FAIL!

I've met Mr. Wall and I've spoken to Mr. Wall. He seems like a nice enough fellow at a personal level. I am positive that if he were my next door neighbor, I could leave the keys to my house with him while I did a weekend away from home. That doesn't change the fact that I will still never vote for him because his politics are wrong.

But back to how the Regina Leader-Post has adopted an editorial policy that will not allow anything negative to be said about Mr. Wall and his Saskatchewan Party.

As we go into this election, the Sask Party has the advantage of using their role as 'government' to draw upon some of the resources of the public service. Case in point - When the New Democrats unveiled their plan for a number of rural primary healthcare clinics, the Sask Party had the option of asking Saskatchewan Health to quickly bring forward a rough estimate on the cost of the proposal. However, the Sask Party central campaign dreamed up a figure that (as it turns out) was 1000 times the real amount.

So how does the Regina Leader-Post deal with this blatant political idiocy by the Saskatchewan Party? Well .... they blame the NDP for not helping the Sask Party do their job. Yup! The Leader Post helped the Sask Party back up to their feet, dusted them off, took out a hanky and helped them blow their nose.

Nice work Regina LP! I cancelled my subscription years ago. Others should as well.

Saskatchewan Party Math VERSUS Reality - UPDATED!

2011-10-12T14:12:00.005-06:00

(Image courtesy Saskatchewan Party Website - Click on image to enlarge)

Everyone in Saskatchewan knows that Premier Brad Wall honed his political skills when he worked for the disastrous Grant Devine administration as a Senior Ministerial Aide in the 1980's. It shows!

The Saskatchewan Party has started the campaign off with a strategy of inflating the cost of all promises and policies of the New Democrats in order to portray them as 'fiscally irresponsible'. Let's take a quick look at how the Sask Party is trying to grossly overestimate the cost of New Democratic policy.

In its faulty estimation of the cost of the NDP’s plan for 30 new primary healthcare clinics, the Sask Party multiplied the annual cost of the Saskatoon Community Clinic’s ($7-million provincial cost by 30), and then multiplied that total by four (to cover 4 years of the next term). They arrived at the bizarre figure of $840 Million and then took the liberty of rounding it up a further $60 Million to a grand total estimate of $900,000,000 (see in the graphic above).

Based on Saskatchewan Health’s 2010-11 Annual Report, the NDP estimates that the average operating cost of a primary healthcare clinic will be $850,000 annually. Therefore, 30 additional clinics by the fourth year of an NDP government will cost $25.5 million in 2015-16 not the outlandish amount that Wall's staffers have stated.

The Sask Party knows a primary healthcare clinic is not the same thing as a community clinic. For example, the Prince Albert Parkland Health Region’s 2010-11 annual report indicates a cost of $4 million to operate all of the primary healthcare clinics in that region.

That investment in the health of Saskatchewan families is practical and worthwhile.

UPDATE:
CBC TV News is now reporting that Sask Party Health Minister Don McMorris has just now acknowledged that the $900 Million figure his party has been using is "grossly in error!" .... ya think?!

Harper Will Spend $28 Million On 'War Of 1812'

2011-10-12T10:13:00.001-06:00

Canadians have spend $18 BILLION on the War in Afghanistan. I still have a hard time trying to equate ANY value for this gross waste of tax dollars and human life. But leaving that aside, you really have to wonder what the wisdom is of spending $28 MILLION on a war that was fought 200 years ago.

Harper is NO fiscal Conservative. I have repeated that truism over and over on this blogsite. Harper and Conservatives simply love spending public funds. They always have.

$28,000,000 for the War of 1812 is bloody ridiculous. Torment every Conservative you know with this factt!

-The Globe & Mail

Saskatchewan Election Blog

2011-10-11T11:03:00.001-06:00

You can follow highlights of the Saskatchewan Provincial Election at Buckdog's Sask Election Blog.

Saskatchewan Election Called For November 7th

2011-10-10T18:37:00.015-06:00

Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall, timed his official election call for 6:00 pm today, just moments after the Saskatchewan Roughriders finished their match against the Edmonton Eskimos. The problem for Wall was that instead of a joyous Rider victory to set the tone for his speech, the 'Roughies' choked (again) losing 17 - 1 to their Alberta rivals.

The main theme of this election will be Wall's sales pitch that 'the province is booming' versus common wisdom which asks ... "exactly what 'Boom' are you referring to?"

Saskatchewan voters go to the polls on November 7th.

-CBC Saskatchewan

-Buckdog's Saskatchewan Election Blog

-Premier Brad Wall Insists Saskatchewan Is BOOMING! But StatsCan Says Something Different

-Sask Premier Brad Wall Uses Heavy Hand Of Government To Keep Wages Low For Working People In Order To Maximise Profits For Big Business

-What 'Boom' Are You Referring To Premier Wall??

For 53 Years Successive Liberal And Conservative Federal Governments Have Allowed Radioactive Leakage From Chalk River Reactor Into The Ottawa River

2011-10-06T09:26:00.004-06:00

John Diefenbaker - Lester Pearson - Pierre Trudeau - Joe Clarke - John Turner - Brian Mulroney - Kim Campbell - Jean Chretien - Paul Martin - Stephen Harper: All of these Conservative and Liberal Prime Ministers have turned a blind eye to a 53 year continuous leak of radiation into the Ottawa River. How many people have died from cancer as a result of this criminal negligence over the last 53 years?

"OTTAWA — The aging NRU research reactor at Chalk River has been leaking low-level radioactive water into the Ottawa River for about 50 years, a federal licensing tribunal has heard.

Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. (AECL), owner-operator of the 53-year-old reactor, has been unable to halt tritium-laced water seeping from the reactor’s control rod bays and is instead diluting the concentration of tritium with fresh water before it somehow leaks into the nearby Ottawa River, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) tribunal was told.

The five-member CNSC panel is deliberating on an AECL application to renew the operating licence of the NRU and surrounding Chalk River Laboratories (CRL) to 2016. AECL officials have assured the panel that NRU can run for at least another five years without compromising safety. One of its chief missions is producing medical isotopes. The current operating licence expires Oct. 31.

Tritium is a low-energy, radioactive form of hydrogen generated in the heavy-water used to moderate nuclear fission.

The tribunal seemed surprised to learn of the leak and that it has been depositing small amounts of tritium into the Ottawa River since the 1960s."

Ottawa Citizen

Manitoba New Democrats WIN Fourth Consecutive Majority Government !

2011-10-04T21:00:00.006-06:00

Elections Manitoba -Seat Total:
New Democrats 37
Conservatives 19
Liberal 1
Green 0

"Manitoba New Democrats have won their fourth-straight majority government."
Globe & Mail

Canada’s A Fit Place For Art, Artists And The CBC: Brian Topp

2011-10-03T10:39:00.000-06:00

"Why would Mr. Harper want to end this seemingly-profitable relationship, through a lethal attack on the CBC's funding? The Conservatives lost their chance at a majority in 2006 over cuts to the arts (and have remained almost Liberal-like in their irrelevance in Quebec ever since).

I think the answer is a philosophic one. The Conservatives just plain disdain Canada's arts and its culture. They are, it would seem, therefore spoiling to return to the file and to pick up where they left off in 2006"
Brian Topp
Globe & Mail

Editorial cartoon by Brian Gable - The Globe and Mail

Harper's Administration Is Starting To Pay The Price Of Their Arrogance With A Flood Of Public Service 'Leaks'

2011-09-30T09:21:00.001-06:00

When a heavy handed, arrogant federal administration pushes the civil service too far, get ready for a flood of 'leaks' and brown envelopes. That is exactly what we are beginning to see in Ottawa. Harper's arrogant and abusive Ministers have ticked off their officials sufficiently to start the ball rolling.

Get ready for lots more 'scandal' concerning the Harper Cabinet.

-Minister John Baird demands gold embossing on his business cards

-Military staff turn their guns on Minister Peter McKay

The Fear Factor - Stephen Harper's "Tough On Crime" Agenda by Paula Mallea

2011-09-27T15:46:00.002-06:00

The Fear Factor

Stephen Harper's "Tough On Crime" Agenda

by Paula Mallea

Canadian Centre for

Policy Alternatives

Executive Summary:
The Conservative government of Stephen Harper is pursuing a “tough on crime” agenda despite the fact that crime rates are trending downward. Proposed tough legislation will in fact be more likely to increase the risk to public safety than to reduce it.According to Statistics Canada, crime rates have been trending down for over 20 years. This includes the violent crime rate. Yet the Harper government continues to insist that there is an epidemic of crime, and that Canadians should be very afraid of increasing violence — guns, gangs and drugs — the fear factor. This mantra is picked up by the media, and the public is duly terrified of crime and willing to support the government in its tough measures. About 30% of all current legislation before the House of Commons relates to crime. This is a very high proportion for any single file, especially in view of the urgent and complex issues facing Canadians today.

Tough measures do not produce public safety. Longer sentences, harsher prison conditions and the incarceration of more Canadians will return the system to a time when prisons were extremely violent, and when the end result was more rather than less crime. Recidivism is more likely to occur when offenders have been locked up for long periods with few programs of rehabilitation. The recent annual report if the Correctional Investigator confirms that these trends have already emerged in the prison system since the Harper government took power.

Statistics, expert testimony, and the experience of decades have not deterred the government from its chosen path. It plans to create more criminal offences, many more mandatory minimum sentences, the abolition of statutory release with supervision, and the closing of many proven programs such as the highly effective prison farms which have just been dismantled. Nor is the Harper government apparently deterred by the extraordinary financial costs of its proposed legislation. No proper estimates have been provided to Canadians by the government. The Parliamentary Budget Officer, however, has costed out a single piece of legislation which he estimates will cost taxpayers upwards of $5 billion over five years (including the construction of 13 new federal prisons). This will more than double the budget for Corrections in Canada.

The additional dozens of proposed laws will have similar extraordinary cumulative effects upon the budget. Why, then, is the government determined to stay the course? It appears to be acting solely upon belief and ideology — the discredited notion that more incarceration in nastier conditions will solve the crime problem. Additionally, there is an Old-Testament vindictiveness in the approach which even victims of violent crime do not always support.

On the other hand, crime legislation is sure to divert the public away from the more pressing and difficult issues of the day, and it is sure to garner votes as well. By scaring Canadians with skewed and misleading information, the Conservative government can legislate truly draconian crime laws which are likely to increase both the incidence of crime and the deficit.

About the Author:
Paula Mallea, B.A., M.A., Ll.B, practised criminal law for 15 years in Toronto, Kingston, and Manitoba. She acted mainly as defence counsel, with a part-time stint as prosecutor, and spent hundreds of hours in penitentiaries representing inmates. She is a Research Associate with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

Tony, Tony, Tony .... You're Toast!

2011-09-27T09:33:00.001-06:00

.... or at least you should be!

"We don’t think that it’s appropriate for Tony Clement to continue sitting as a minister.’’
Thomas Mulcair, MP
Official Opposition House Leader

Note to the Editorial Boards of the Globe & Mail, National Post, Toronto Star, Montreal Gazette, Halifax Chronicle-Herald, Calgary Herald:
By letting Tony Clement off the hook with this disgusting abuse of tax dollars in his riding, you are telling the Harper Conservatives that you're prepared to turn a blind eye to their corrupt practices.

Is the main stream media of Canada TOTALLY in Mr. Harper's hip pocket?

A Personal Note ....

2011-09-27T09:23:00.000-06:00

Posts on this site have been a bit spotty lately due to some ongoing medical problems I have been experiencing over the last year and a half. I am still recovering from four eye surgeries for recurring detached retina, insertion of Scleral buckle and lensectomy. As I was preparing for a further surgical procedure recently, glaucoma complications have arisen and reduced my ability to work on the computer somewhat.

Please stay tuned. I have every intention of continuing this blog.

LD
Regina, Saskatchewan

Brian Topp Receives Endorsement From Former Premier Roy Romanow And Takes Aim At Stephen Harper

2011-09-20T13:57:00.000-06:00

"Mr. Harper has never seen a war he didn't want Canada to join. I think Canada should be a voice for peace in the world."
Brian Topp
Candidate For Leader of
Canada's New Democrats

Globe & Mail

Harper And Flaherty GAVE Billions and Billions and Billions To The Corporate Sector To Create Jobs ....

2011-09-17T11:41:00.002-06:00

..... so where, oh where, are all the jobs we paid for??

Canada's Corporate Sector continues to hoard over $500 BILLION that they are NOT investing in the economy ... and Harper just keeps handing out the corporate welfare to all the corporate welfare bums!

-Corporate Tax Cuts To Create Jobs Is Pure Economic Voo Doo

-DailyKOS: They Call It 'Corporate Welfare'