"Limiting information" on oilsands probe demonstrates Harper government problems with both openness and the environment

This story out of The Star hits at two major problems of the Harper government - an inability to take environmental concerns seriously, and a desire to limit access to critical information by the media and citizens.

"Environment Canada’s enforcement branch asked a spokesman to “limit information” given to reporters about how long it took to launch a federal investigation into a serious Alberta oilsands leak last summer.

The comments were included in more than 100 pages of emails obtained by the Star that were generated in response to questions from journalists last summer about the mysterious leak in Cold Lake, Alta., that now totals about 1.2 million litres of bitumen emulsion, a mixture of heavy oil and water.

The incident itself was not publicly disclosed until a report by the Star in July 2013. More than 100 animals died near the site of the spill, which continues to release heavy oil above the surface, one year later....

Liberal environment critic John McKay said the case seems to be another example ofHarper’s government favouring one industrial sector over others, while attempting to keep news about spills and environmental damage “secret” for as long as possible.

“It is upsetting that the Harper government’s lack of transparency and disregard for our wildlife, water and environment is something we have come to expect,” said McKay, who represents Scarborough-Guildwood in Parliament."

It is absolutely critical to develop Canada's and Alberta's natural resources in a responsible way to help grow the economy. But stories such as these do nothing to help the Harper government's reputation as uncaring towards the environment, which has had a significantly negative impact on Canada's trade relations with the United States and the ability to market Canada as a responsible energy power. Canada will not see it's full economic potential from natural resources until we have a government that doesn't see the economy and the need for strong environmental regulations and social licences as enemies, but as complimentary to ensure prosperity for all Canadians. 

Anita Vandenbeld on the "Fair" Elections Act

Anita Vandenbeld, past federal candidate in Ottawa West-Nepean and green lit candidate for the 2015 nomination has written a fantastic post for iPolitics about the "Fair" Elections Act and how regressive it truly is.

"The last time I worked in a country where a government used its majority in Parliament to ram through changes to an election law without public input was in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2011. I never would have expected this in Canada."

"I can honestly say that in all my years of working on democratic development with the United Nations, OSCE, NDI and other international organizations on five continents, I have not found another electoral commission that was prohibited by law from speaking to the public about elections or doing public awareness campaigns to encourage people to vote."

This is one of the best commentaries on the Harper-Poilievre scheme to make it harder for you to vote, I encourage you to share it widely.  

Focused on the economy? Finance Minister Flaherty and "Minister of Jobs" Kenney nearly "come to blows" over Toronto politics

CBC reporting, and Conservative MP's and Kenney himself confirming.

"In a voice loud enough for several of their cabinet colleagues to hear, Flaherty told Kenney to "shut the f--k up" about Ford.

Kenney responded angrily in kind, and although the two men were separated by four other ministers, alarmed caucus colleagues, who requested anonymity, were concerned the bilious debate might escalate beyond their control.

"I thought they might come to blows," said one MP who was not authorized to speak publicly about the incident.

Another MP said there was shock at the sight of two senior ministers battling in such a public way....

Kenney did not deny the confrontation took place. 

"Not everyone agrees with each other on everything all the time," Kenney said. "There is always going to be some disagreements from time to time."

Kenney and Flaherty are Harper's most trusted ministers and control the key economic and job creation portfolios, so it seems lots of tension in the Conservative caucus these days. 

"Stephen Harper’s climate-change record can’t be ignored anymore" - because it's putting Canadian jobs and our economy at risk

Worthwhile article from Chantal Hebert here.

She's not the first to link Harper's gutting of environmental regulations, skeptical attitude towards climate change and attacks on the environmental movement to other countries (particularly our major trading partner south of the border) reluctance to embrace Canada's natural resources, but in just two sentences, Hebert does a good job of exposing the box that the Conservative government has painted Canada's economy into:

"Harper has made it impossible to have a national conversation on the economy without talking about pipelines, but just as impossible to debate those without addressing his climate change record. When it comes to Canada’s energy agenda, it is the elephant in the room that will no longer be ignored."

When other countries and trading partners read reports that state Canada ranks worst on climate policy among industrialized countries, that doesn't encourage confidence. 

As someone who was part of the Young Liberals of Canada delegation to the United Nations Conference of the Parties climate change negotiations in Copenhagen in 2009, it is disappointing that Canada's leadership sees the environment and the economy as competing interests, but I am happy that the the Liberal Party and Justin Trudeau have a sustainable and balanced energy policy.

This understanding that responsible approaches to environmental and energy policy can benefit all Canadians also contrasts nicely with Thomas Mulcair and his NDP, who are when speaking in front of a Calgary corporate oil sands audience say "Pipelines...should be a priority...[we] will be a partner with the development of energy resources...We will be there with you." while attacking the oil sands in Toronto Centre.

Former Conservative candidate and "shadow MP" on your tax dollars arrested in Quebec corruption probe

http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Saulie+Zajdel+arrest+UPAC+surprise+Conservatives/8536640/story.html


"He was known as the “shadow MP” of the federal Mont-Royal riding, hovering and thinking about making another run at the job after losing in 2011….Saulie Zajdel’s stunning arrest Monday on five charges including breach of trust, corruption and fraud sent a shock wave through the ranks of the Conservative Party from the top down…


Zajdel, who bagged a controversial adviser’s job in the office of Heritage Minister James Moore after his defeat in Mont-Royal…was hired by Moore, a close associate, to work as a “liaison” between the government and Montreal’s cultural communities from October 2011 until March 2012.

His role with the Conservatives was vague, and for months he refused to explain his duties or his salary…. Cotler expressed his annoyance, suggesting Zajdel was being paid by Ottawa to prepare his political rematch, calling him Mont-Royal’s “shadow MP.”…the Conservatives indulged in a dirty tricks campaign, with workers phoning people in Mont-Royal strongly suggesting Cotler was going to retire. The speaker of the Commons later ruled the stunt as “trickery.”…

Zajdel was part of Harper’s entourage on a visit to Montreal that included a stop in a pub. It was there he revealed to a Canadian Press reporter [Zajdel] was dissatisfied with his salary in Moore’s office.

“Oh, (it’s) not as much as I want it to be,” Zajdel quipped. Asked how much he’d like to earn, he said, “Something in the six digits and it’s not that.”

There was a report later in Le Devoir that Zajdel’s salary was $60,000 a year."

  So, get rejected by the voters, have the party run a "trickery" campaign against your opponent, get paid with your tax dollars to raise your political profile in the riding, complain about making a more than middle-class salary, get arrested?   Harper is a Beatles fan, so I'm sure he'll appreciate that stories like this are just another day in the life of his government.  

  Here's Harper talking about how great a guy the now arrested Zajdel is.

Harper wants $80 million of your tax dollars to creep your emails

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2012/02/22/pol-lawful-access-costs.html

That's what it'll cost you to give Stephen Harper the privlidge to look through your email's and browsing history.

It's going to cost at least $80 million to implement the government's lawful access bill to force internet and telecommunications service providers to collect customer information in case police need it for an investigation, CBC News has learned.

C-30, a bill to update Canadian law when it comes to crimes committed online, will cost $20 million a year for the first four years and $6.7 million a year after that, Public Safety Canada told the CBC's Hannah Thibedeau on Wednesday.

Harper wants your $80 million to spy on you at the same time he's slashed over $200 million and over 1000 jobs from Environment Canada. Sign the Liberal petition to keep Harper out of your inbox, because the government does not belong in the hard drives of law abiding Canadians like you:

http://petition.liberal.ca/online-privacy-surveillance-lawful-access-bill-c30-liberal-amendment/

Meet Richard Ciano, new Ontario PC President

A big issue Tim Hudak had during the provincial election was his unwillingness to put Ontario first, as he never discussed in a real way he would show independence from the federal Conservatives and the Ford braintrust at Toronto City Hall. We all remember Harper declaring to a partisan Tory crowd how happy he was to seeing a Tory hat trick, Jim Flaherty jumping into the provincial election, etc. As Premier McGuinty put it to Tim Hudak in the leaders debate, Ontario families couldn't count on Hudak standing up to Harper on important issues like health care and equalization reform.

Well, by electing Richard Ciano as PC President, the PC's have demonstrated they still do want that hat trick, and want Ontario to be run out of downtown Toronto and 24 Sussex. Here's just a few of Ciano's greatest hits:

"Richard Ciano is another Harper insider"

Wed Jan 25 2006
Georgina Advocate

Mr. Ciano says…"I love Rob [Ford], I love Doug [Ford]"

The Globe and Mail
Sat Jul 31 2010

Conservatives' Cotler poll 'reprehensible'…the calls had come from a firm called Campaign Research. Among the firm's senior members are…Richard Ciano.

Postmedia News Regional News - East
Tue Dec 13 2011

Cuts to Canadian Federation for Sexual Health show Harper can't be trusted with maternal health

As a Liberal, and a member of the Pro-Choice Coalition of Ottawa, I am very pleased to see Michael Ignatieff take a stand for choice by pressuring the Prime Minister on the issue of maternal health at the G8.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/blogs/bureau-blog/include-abortion-in-maternal-health-pledge-michael-ignatieff-tells-pm/article1453666/

"We want to make sure that women have access to all the contraceptive methods available to control their fertility because we don’t want to have women dying because of botched procedures, we don’t want to have women dying in misery.”

In the face of moves like this, it is crucial to keep the pressure up on the Harper social conservative agenda:

http://www.theinterim.com/features/ottawa-cuts-funding-for-cfsh/

An Interim investigation has found that over the past half decade, the Canadian Federation for Sexual Health has had its federal government grants cut by more than 99 per cent.
The federation, formerly the Planned Parenthood Federation of Canada and still the Canadian member of the International Planned Parenthood Federation, has charitable status, according to the Canada Revenue Agency. The CFSH says on its website that it “promote(s) sexual and reproductive health and rights in Canada and abroad.” It also admits being a “pro-choice organization.”

And just in case Harper's piano-playing ways have made anyone forget his real secret agenda, lets let his caucus speak for him:
http://www.liberal.ca/en/newsroom/media-releases/17427_liberals-ask-harper-to-keep-ideology-out-of-maternal-health-initiative

October 2009 - Brad Trost, Conservative MP, Saskatoon-Humboldt launches a Petition to Stop Federal Funding of Planned Parenthood:“Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to present in the House today petitions... They are calling upon this House to promote the values they cherish, which are Canadian values in support of pre-born life. They are particularly calling upon the Government of Canada to stop the funding of Planned Parenthood by CIDA, the Canadian International Development Agency, believing that CIDA should be concentrating on dealing with fighting poverty instead of concentrating on destroying human life.” (MP Brad Trost, Hansard, October 5, 2009)

“In Trost's opinion, the government has continued funding IPPF (International Planned Parenthood Federation) because of ‘inertia.’ ‘The bureaucracy's done it before and no one wants to rock the boat,’ he explained. ‘... I'm encouraging people to let their voice be spoken so that the unelected government, i.e. the bureaucrats in CIDA who support Planned Parenthood, don't get to dictate where people's tax dollars go.’ He is encouraging people to write the Prime Minister and CIDA's Minister, Bev Oda. He would like those who write ‘not only to oppose it because abortion is wrong, period, but also because there's other better ways to spend ... Canadian international development aid money.” (Lifesitenews.com, November 2, 2009)

“[Conservative MP Brad Trost] presented a petition in the House calling for CIDA to stop funding IPPF saying it ‘promotes the establishment of abortion as an international human right and lobbies aggressively to impose permissive abortion laws on developing nations.’” (Saskatoon Leader Post, November 4, 2009)

Maurice Vellacott, Conservative MP, Saskatoon – Wanuskewin:“Saskatoon's doctors should be commended for the leadership they are showing by reducing the availability of abortion in our city and for supporting real alternatives for women in need.” (MP Maurice Vellacott, “Outspoken MP Slams Canada’s ‘Abortion Regime,’ LifeSiteNews.com, November 27, 2009)

“[MP Maurice Vellacott] says pro-life feminists view abortion as ‘part of a male agenda to have women more sexually available,’ and adds abortion has been used to cover up the sexual abuse of young girls.” (Saskatoon Star Phoenix, November 24, 2009)

Stockwell Day, Conservative MP, Okanagan Coquihalla:“The thinking is, if you can cut a child to pieces or burn them alive with salt solution while they're still in the womb, what's wrong with knocking them around a little when they're outside the womb?” (MP Stockwell Day arguing in 1988 that abortion leads to child abuse, Edmonton Journal, March 10, 2000).

Jim Flaherty, Conservative MP , Whitby-Oshawa:“On abortion services he [Jim Flaherty] said, ‘I would not change that status quo. Would I expand it? No. . . . I would not authorize the creation of any more clinics.’” (LifeSite Daily News, February 11, 2002)

Jason Kenney, Conservative MP, Calgary Southeast:“Mr. Harper’s Immigration Minister Jason Kenney has compared abortion to child abuse and slavery, saying that if politicians refuse to take a political stand against abortion, people should ‘ask them if they're personally opposed to child abuse, ask them if they're personally opposed to slavery.’” (Canadian Catholic News, May 24, 2004)

Cheryl Gallant, Conservative MP, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke:"We saw that young American (in Iraq) have his head literally cut off in front of the cameras, but what's happening down there is absolutely no different!" (MP Cheryl Gallant referring to an abortion clinic, CBC, May 13, 2004)

Garry Breitkreuz, Conservative MP, Yorkton Melville:Mr. Breitkreuz introduced Private Members Bill M-83 in the House of Commons: “That the Standing Committee on Health fully examine, study and report to Parliament on: (a) whether or not abortions are medically necessary for the purpose of maintaining health, preventing disease or diagnosing or treating an injury, illness or disability; and (b) the health risks for women undergoing abortions compared to women carrying their babies to full term.” (Private Member’s Business, voted on October 1, 2003)

“Since sending me to Ottawa in 1993, I’ve been working on two issues vital to the vast majority of my constituents – democratic reform and rights for the unborn.” (MP Garry Breitkreuz News Release, March 31, 2003)

“In 1996, Breitkreuz called for a national referendum on tax-funding for abortions.” (MP Garry Breitkreuz News Release, March 14, 1996)

Gary Goodyear, Conservative MP, Cambridge:“‘I always have hope, I'll never give up hope,’ Goodyear added after calling on anti-abortion groups to continue striving for a new law.” (The Standard, May 12, 2006)

"I'm pro-life and that's the answer to the question." (MP Gary Goodyear, Cambridge Times Friday, June 11, 2004)

Rob Nicholson, Conservative MP, Niagara Falls:“When this issue was before the House the last time I voted against the bill. I could not in good conscience give approval to something that I have always fought against in my life. I have fought for the protection of unborn children and I fought against the abortion law that was in place in Canada for many years.” (MP Rob Nicholson, Hansard, May 23, 1990)

Vic Toews, Conservative MP, Provencher:“Vic Toews told the National Pro-Life Conference on Sept. 8, 2004, in a speech entitled ‘Abuse of the Charter by the Supreme Court,’ that the right to abortion is a result of ‘activist judges’ abusing the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to develop and implement their own social policy... ‘Do not look at the issue of abortion as an issue that stands alone... this issue has a much broader significance in areas related to the policy of government concerning marriage, the family, and the response of government to social problems generally.’ (Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada, http://www.arcc-cdac.ca/action/conservative-danger.html)

With a government that has vocal anti-choicers in the critical positions of the Minister of Justice, Minister of State for Science, Minister of Finance, Minister of Immigration, President of Treasury Board, Minister of Public Safety and others, I applaud Michael Ignatieff for standing up for choice.

The Economist slams Harper over suspending democracy

With the words of Conservative MP Brent Rathgeber in mind; "Parliament and democracy are not being sidestepped - they are only suspended", these not one but two articles in The Economist, (that crazy left-wing rag which endorsed Harper in both 2006 and 2008) take on a special meaning:

http://www.economist.com/world/americas/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15211862

The danger in allowing the prime minister to end discussion any time he chooses is that it makes Parliament accountable to him rather than the other way around...Canada cannot afford a part-time Parliament that sits only at the prime minister’s pleasure.

http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15213212


Never mind what his spin doctors say: Mr Harper’s move looks like naked self-interest. His officials faced grilling by parliamentary committees over whether they misled the House of Commons in denying knowledge that detainees handed over to the local authorities by Canadian troops in Afghanistan were being tortured. The government would also have come under fire for its lack of policies to curb Canada’s abundant carbon emissions. Prorogation means that such committees—which carry out the essential democratic task of scrutinising government—will have to be formed anew in March...He bars most ministers from talking to the media; he has axed some independent watchdogs; he has binned campaign promises to make government more open and accountable. Now he is subjecting Parliament to prime-ministerial whim. He may be right that most Canadians care more about the luge than the legislature, but that is surely true only while their decent system of government is in good hands. They may soon conclude that it isn’t.

Who exactly did Canada work with at Cop 15?

The Harper talking points:

“This agreement is the result of two weeks of negotiations in which Canada and Environment Minister Prentice, our chief negotiator, played a key part...Canada is working to align our clean energy and climate change policies with those of the Obama Administration."

If that's the case, how do you explain these?

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/091218/world/climate_cda

Harper not on he guest list as Obama meets with world leaders on climate change.

http://thestar.blogs.com/copenhagen/2009/12/us-snubs-canada.html

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu gets an order from "pretty high up" not to even get a photo op with Jim Prentice.

The Cop 15 talks produced a result which many found dissapointing, and it is clear that the only leadership Harper showed at the Cop was leading Canada to another fossil of the year award. If our biggest trading parter is ignoring us when it comes to the environment, which will be the lynchpin of the 21st century economy, what does that say about the Conservatives ability to manage a 21st century economy?

Toronto mayor David Miller blasts Harper Conservative government at Copenhagen

http://tinyurl.com/y8szcgf

Make sure to take a look!

Numbers don't lie: Tories doing pork-barrel politics in Nova Scotia and beyond

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Front/1147364.html

It should come as no shock that the Chronicle Herald is reporting that in Nova Scotia, stimulus money is pouring overwhelmingly into Tory held ridings:

More money — $162 million — is being spent in those three Tory ridings than in Nova Scotia’s other eight ridings put together...Defence Minister Peter MacKay’s riding of Central Nova is the big winner, with $87.7 million in stimulus money, 13 times as much as the $6.6 million being spent in Dartmouth, held by a Liberal. In fact, Mr. MacKay’s riding received more money than all five Liberal ridings in the province combined...

If the $322 million in federal stimulus funding so far announced were divided evenly among Nova Scotia’s 11 federal ridings, each riding would get $29 million. Central Nova is receiving about three times that much, while Dartmouth has received only a fourth of that amount...

The metro Halifax ridings — which lacked Conservative representation at either the federal or provincial level — got the smallest amounts of money, except for Halifax, which benefited from university infrastructure spending...

And further down the line:

Two large funding commitments in Tory ridings weren’t added to the list because they were not made under the Economic Action Plan. They are $66 million in funding for CFB Greenwood, including a new recreation centre, in Conservative MP Greg Kerr’s riding of West Nova, and $12 million for a new recreation centre in Pictou County, in Mr. MacKay’s riding...

Several similar projects in opposition-held ridings have been unable to get federal money even though they, unlike the Pictou County centre, have firm funding commitments from the provincial and municipal governments.

One of the Tory talking points when confronted with objective facts that money is flowing more into Tory held ridings is that Tory ridings tend have higher unemployment, so they need more funding.

Of course, the information gathered by the Chronicle Herald and census data clash with this. According to Pundits' Gude, the riding in Nova Scotia with the highest unemployment rate is Syndey-Victoria, a Liberal held riding, yet it has collected barely 1/3rd of the money that Central Nova, the seat of cabinet minister Peter MacKay has, $33 million compared with $83 million, despite having the 8th highest unemployment rate in the country. Going down the list, the riding with the second highest unemployment rate, and thus according to the Tory talking point, the most deserving of funding, is Cape Breton-Casnio, with the 10th highest unemployment rate, yet it has, according to the Chronicle Herald, received a relatively paltry $18 million. West Nova, a Tory held riding with an unemployment rate over 4 points lower than Cape Breton-Casnio, has received $41 million.

Here are some province-wide numbers, again using Pundits' Guide:

Average unemployment rate in Liberal ridings in Nova Scotia: 10.5%

Average unemployment rate in Conservative ridings in Nova Scotia: 10.4%

So as you can see, Liberal and Conservative ridings on average have virtual the same unemployment rate. Lets compare that to the number of projects on average in Liberal vs. Tory ridings, and the amount of spending calculated by the Chronicle Herald:

Average number of projects and spending in Liberal held ridings in Nova Scotia: 18, and $16 million

Average number of projects and spending in Conservative held ridings in Nova Scotia: 38 and $54 million

This extends beyond Nova Scotia obviously. According to the Status of Infrastructure Funding Report by Gerard Kennedy, in Ontario, of 10 ridings which recieved the most funding, 6 were Tory held, and 5 of those 6 were held by either cabinet ministers of the Parliamentary secretary to the Prime Minister. Indeed, Carleton-Mississipi Mills, home of cabinet minister Gordon O' Connor recieved more money than the Liberal held Mississauga East-Cooksville, despite Mississauga East-Cooksville having an unemployment rate almost twice as high. Tory arguments that Tory ridings get more funding on average because of they are larger and rural and need more money are also debunked, as the Tory held riding of Oakville, a suburban riding of 83 square km, got $10 million more than Liberal held Guelph a demographically similar riding at 92 square km. It's also worth noting that the different between Guelph's and Oakville's unemployment rate is 0.2%. Additionally, John Baird's suburban Ottawa West-Nepean district of 88 square km got almost as much spending as Guelph, despite OW-N having almost half the unemployment rate as Guelph.

The numbers don't lie: If you don't live in a blue riding, Stephen Harper just doesn't care.

Fear of a Bloc planet

The Tories are trying to stir up the ghosts of coalitions past, but I'm a little more scared by this:

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/693808

So for those of you playing at home kids, thats half a million jobs lost in a year, a $100 billion+ deficit, 9% unemployment, and a plan to get the economy and the books back on track that basically consists of the Homer Simpson-sque strategy of hiding under a pile of coats until the problem goes away.

The gang that couldn't shoot straight

They were wrong about the recession. They were wrong about the deficit.

Now they are wrong about any economic recovery: (http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090831/tories_election_090901/20090901?hub=TopStories)

McCallum also pointed to Monday's news that Canada's economy grew by 0.1 per cent in June, about half the growth the private sector had expected.

"Well I certainly think a strong case can be made for a change in government on grounds of economic mismanagement because yesterday's growth numbers showed that, far from leading the G7 out of recession, Canada was dead last in its economic performance in the second quarter,"

And they simply have no idea about their own stimulus package:
(http://www.torontosun.com/news/canada/2009/09/01/10697446-sun.html)

"The Conservatives spent the summer announcing billions in infrastructure spending, but the minister in charge won't say how many jobs the cash has created."

Canadians deserve better on the economy than Harper's misleading, Flaherty's incompetence, and Baird's guesswork.

Two signs the Tories are done in Quebec

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/conservatives-reject-funding-for-montreal-gay-festival/article1226490/

The removal of funding for Divers-Cite is particularly ironic, given that:

The directors of Montreal's Divers-Cite had actually sprung to the defence of Stephen Harper's government earlier this month, telling The Canadian Press that the Conservatives had never treated them differently.

Well, now they are being treated differently. The Montreal gay community has to be pretty low on the list of demographics voting Conservative, but this action proves that the social conservatives are running the show in the Conservative Party right now, and the Tories are seemingly in a race to the bottom in Quebec.

Which might explain this: http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/est-quebec/2009/07/20/010-bernard_genereux_elections_fed.shtml

Which says that local mayor Bernard Généreux is considering running for the Conservatives in Montmagny-L'Islet-Kamouraska-Rivière-du-Loup, which is due for a by-election around November. Bernard Généreux is really only notable as a candidate in the sense that he is not Mario Dumont. Dumont resigned his Rivière-du-Loup seat in the National Assembly, and Paul Crête, the BQ MP for the federal riding, also resigned to unsuccessfully try and win the seat for the Parti Quebecois. More than a few pundits have suggested that getting Dumont to run for the seat federally could be the Conservatives last chance to pull out a game changer in Quebec (to show how much of a personal vote Dumont had, in the provincial by-election in the riding he had represented for over a decade, the ADQ candidate could barely muster 15%). Dumont had remained at least somewhat in the Quebec Tory loop, showing up at Harper's big speech in Montreal a few months back, but other than that has refused to comment on a potential run for the federal Conservatives. If other candidates are looking at the riding, I think that is a good sign that Dumont will not run, depriving the Conservatives of the only real star candidate they could have potentially mustered in the province.

Kevin Page is doomed

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/business/Economists+call+safeguard+budget+office/1803118/story.html

More than 130 economists have signed an open letter to parliamentarians calling on MPs to provide the fledgling Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer with the independence and funding required to continue the "commendable record" of analysing the state of the federal government's finances.

Based on Harper's record of ignoring overwhelming expert consensus in the name of partisan advantage on everything from the GST cut to global warming, to carbon taxes, to crime policies, I think Page being endorsed by people who actually know what they are talking about is a kiss of death.

4 Days

4 days ago I wrote a blog post asking how long it would take Harper to respond with a negative threat towards Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page, and today we have our answer:

http://www.canada.com/news/Stephen+Harper+withdraws+blistering+attack+Ignatieff/1778259/story.html

On the same day Harper had to flip-flop and take his foot out of his mouth over a phoney attack on Iggy, he said this of the Parliamentary Budget Officer:

That's a very dumb policy and, to the extent, frankly, that the parliamentary budget officer suggested it, it's a dumb position," he said.

The "hide under a pile of coats" strategy continues. Harper also showed how out of touch he was, and how much the so-con wing of the party has crushed any sensible economic conservatives out, by confirming that the tourist support program which funded Pride is being reviewed. That's Harper for you. Blast all those who say you have mismanged the economy, then revoke funding for events that actually help stimulate the economy because they dare to take place in the gay district of Toronto.

Harper's plan for the deficit?

Let it run wild! http://www.reuters.com/article/bondsNews/idUSMOB00001720090710

He (Harper) also said he would let the deficit run if needed and would not hike taxes or cut spending to bring it under control.

Why bother using the actual policy levers of government to fix a problem when you can use the Homer Simpson strategy of hiding under a pile of coats and hoping the problem goes away?

Nevermind that Harper's statement of Canada recovering by 2011 is pretty much totally contradicted by the Parliamentary Budget Officer. But hey, Harper wants to get rid of Kevin Page anyway, who has been a thorn in the side of Harper by constantly reminding Canadians that Harper's talk back in the 2006 election of running open and accountable government, and his 2008 election talk about Canada not going into a recession or a deficit aren't worth the hot air they produced.

As the son of a mother who had to have chemo, nothing is "sexy" about Raitt's attitude

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Front/9012061.html

Given that one of the images the Tories used against Dion in the last election was "not to roll the dice" with him, this is pretty ironic. Raitt was "ready to roll the dice" on the isotope crisis, and that that the crisis was "sexy" and "all about money."

We had one Tory cabinet minister earlier wishing for the death of a Liberal MP from a disease which popped up under his watch, now we have another belittling her own governments mismanagement of the isotope situation by calling it "sexy." As the son of a parent who had to undergo chemotherapy, I would like to tell Ms. Raitt that there is nothing "sexy" about her handling of herself and her government on this issue, reaching back to the firing of Linda Keen.

And, what does Raitt have to say about her fellow cabinet mate, Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq?

"...it’s hard for her to come out of a co-operative government into this rough-and-tumble. She had a question in the House yesterday, or two days ago, that planked. I really hope she never gets anything hot.”

While her now fired aide is critical of Ms. Aglukkaq's ministerial handling, saying "you need to also demonstrate leadership as a minister."

How long until Harper reverses his decision to not accept Raitt's resignation, hours or days?

Tory cat-fight!

http://jamesbowie.blogspot.com/2009/06/story-stephen-harpers-lawyers-dont-want.html

According to one unconfirmed report*, the federal Minister of Natural Resources was recorded making some less than flattering comments about her cabinet colleague, Leona Aglukkaq, the fed Health Minister who entered parliament for the first time last year as the MP for Nunavut.

It will be verrrrrry interesting to see if these allegations can be confirmed, particularly as Raitt, who is now seen as not exactly a cabinet heavyweight after her first nuclear meltdown, seems to be taking pot shots as Aglukkaq, who won praise across the political spectrum for her handling of the swine flu, and for being a relatively good minister, particularly by Harper standards.