stupidangrycanajun

Not Too Late

Yesterday I read the article "Leaving the Left" by Seth Swirsky. Seth is a little younger than me, and lives in a different country, and we share Ronald Reagan's view on political directions: "I didn't leave the party -- it left me!"

How odd, that I would find myself in the same general range as an American songwriter, author, recording artist and memorabilia collector, and an American movie star given the honour of President of his country. Canadians are not Americans. Canadians spent several decades defining themselves largely as the not Americans. Americans produced the Academy Awards and "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In". Canadians produced the Gemini Awards and "The Wayne and Shuster Hour". One of my earlier involvements with the Canadian entertainment industry (I appeared on a TV show that might have been "Reach for the Top" but don't ask me what we were reaching for) hardly left me gasping for more. When I toured the stages in L.A., I realized Canada mistook the facade of Hollywood for reality. For L.A. awards shows, the limos drive around the block, pick up the next star, dump 'em at the door, rinse and repeat until the big names are gathered in the appropriate building. In L.A., appearance counts. In Canada -- to be specific, in Toronto -- it was most important to appear American without being American. Later brushes with Canadian fame hardly left me gasping for more. L.A. knew appearance was a substitute for substance; Canada tried and failed to replace appearance with low-budget substance.

When I decided to get involved with the Liberal party, I was attracted by the appearance of forward thinking that other parties seemed to lack. The Liberals working at the mid-levels were dedicated to creating a country where people were educated and independent. The Conservatives seemed to focus on big business as living entities, and the NDP lacked focus unless you could focus on doing nothing more than opposing everything Conservatives believed.

But the Liberals -- they stood for improving the lives of regular people, they stood for individual freedom, responsibility and dignity, a just society, the pursuit of equal opportunity for everyone -- Liberals appealed to thinking Canadians! Besides, I was young, quite young, and if you are not socialist when you are young, you have no heart.

The corollary is true: If you are a socialist when you are old, you have no brain. Or, at least, you are not using your brain to preserve life, yours and many others. This is particularly true of today's Canada Liberal party. As I met higher-level Liberals entering and during the Trudeau era, I noticed a particularly disturbing trend. These so-called leaders were frequently arrogant, smug and privately disrespectful of the very people they were elected to (or hoped to be elected to) represent. While the Liberal Party principles highlighted individual responsibility, the Liberal Party "leaders" pressured for increased governmental responsibility and decreased personal responsibility. Liberals were supposed to promote meaningful participation by all interested persons, yet many of the higher level Liberals I met promoted the appearance of meaningful participation so they could develop phrases and keywords to dismiss any ideas or requests that did not promote personal agendas. The more I worked within the Party, the less I trusted others within the Party. In the end, I realized the Party leaves ideals at the door when those ideals do not serve the people at the top. I could become a person at the top, attain a significant level of power and not a small amount of financial freedom, as long as I abandoned the very principles that drew me to the Party.

One day, I declined the chance to obtain my then dream car, a Porsche 911 3.2. As a recovering moron, I am required to review decisions and learn what I can from them. That particular day, I realized the Liberal Party abandoned the Liberal principles at an early stage, and as I believed in many Liberal principles, I therefore could not belong to the Liberal Party.

Alberta is not so much a Canadian province as it is the Canadian silent partner: hand over the money and shut up. Alberta would not do well as an American state: somewhere along the line, Albertans managed to develop a culture distinct from the American culture without disrespecting Americans. Alberta will do best as a separate country. It is almost, but not too late, for this to happen, and this step will lead to the salvation of Canada in the form of the country of Alberta.

Mood Swing Rating - Mildly Optimistic: A Handful Of Peeves

Shipping Your Tax Dollars To Dingwall

On Wednesday, September 28, 2005, at approximately 2:20 pm, the Right Honourable Prime Minister Paul Martin spoke about David Dingwall during Oral Questions in the House of Commons. He said, "The fact is that I have accepted his resignation, but let me just say that he gave me the reasons for his resignation. Among them was that he does not want any distraction at the Mint while he replies to that kind of an allegation."

Now we learn arbitrator George Adams rules David Dingwall was fired. Adams says this means Dingwall is entitled to $417,780 of Canadian taxpayers' money as compensation for being fired.

Is he the same George Adams who was a professor of Law at Osgoode Hall from 1971 to 1978 and served as Assistant Deputy Minister of Labour during this time? The man who was a partner at Cassels, Brock and Blackwell from 1978 to 1979, and at Fasken Campbell Godfrey and Fasken Martineau Davis from 1985 to 1990?

Fasken Campbell Godfrey are listed as Maritime Lawyers. Did anyone notice that Paul Martin specializes in shipping? A representative of Fasken Campbell Godfrey recently sat on the CBC Board of Directors. Did anyone notice the close ties between the outgoing Liberal government and the CBC?

Fasken Campbell Godfrey is now known as Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP. In 2001, this law firm contributed $17,052.22 to the Liberal Party of Canada ($4,759.30 to the Conservatives and $500 to the Bloc). In 2002, this firm contributed $14,898.87 to the Liberals and $4,396.90 to the Conservatives. In 2003, the firm contributed over $50,000 to the Liberals; contributions to other parties pale in comparison.

A law firm that specializes in maritime law and contributes heavily to the Liberal Party of Canada is an important part of the selection process for an arbitrator? When that arbitrator only worked at that firm for five or six years, more than a decade ago? If you don't think these facts are important, you don't know Canadian politics.

This is not to say Mr. Adams made a bad decision. He has access to more facts than we do. Perhaps Dingwall was fired. Perhaps Dingwall does deserve to continue living off the hard-earned cash of Canadians.

Perhaps Canadians don't know, or don't care, that Joseph Maingot's Parliamentary Privilege states "The Commons may treat the making of a deliberately misleading statement as a contempt."

Mood Swing Rating - Very pissed off: 82,000+ Peeves

How Liberal Of Them

Liberals want you to know Conservatives think EI is a bad idea.

Liberals do not want you to know Canadians think Liberals do a piss poor job of administering EI. Canadians also question "compassionate care benefits" -- the poorly advertised, poorly administered, highly restrictive EI plan that is supposed to allow caregivers time to attend to the needs of terminally ill loved ones.

Liberals want you to know they are working hard to improve this plan.

Since the Liberals claim to have created this plan, why is it so hard for them to improve it, and why didn't they get it closer to right before first implementing it?

In 2002, the fed announced up to six weeks of paid leave to Canadians with EI covering up to $413 per week to cover lost wages so Canadians could care for dying relatives. Six weeks is not a long time, but it exceeds what the Liberals had offered to Canadians before 2002.

By the end of the 2003-2004 fiscal year, Ottawa had approved $2.5 million under the compassionate care benefits plan (presumably, most of this money was paid out to Canadian caregivers). Ottawa held onto 94.8 per cent of the budget for compassionate care benefits and paid out $2.5 million.

In fiscal year 2004-2005, Ottawa approved 5,400 Canadians under this plan out of an estimated 270,000 claimants and paid out $7.5 million out of the $190 million budget.

How do the Liberals manage to hold onto, and possibly redistribute, money that they claim is earmarked for Canadians in distress? They deny benefits to legitimate family members, hoping the people involved are too distraught and/or too busy handling the immediate needs of the dying person, to engage in an appeal process. One woman did appeal her denial and the board ruled in her favour, that a sister is a family member. Then the minister appealed this woman's right to take care of her dying sister. This is reported in Hansard on Wednesday, March 23, 2005.

Here is a quick review of how deeply Liberals care for other Canadians: they force a sister to argue that sisters are family members during the time one of the sisters is dying. That is real, true and deep Liberal commitment to Canadian values. Everyone can get married. Siblings are not family members.

Does this mean Liberals are leading us into allowing brothers and sisters to marry?

Then again, maybe Liberals want to first legalize polygamy. Justice Minister Irwin Cotter assures us that "At this point, the practice of polygamy, bigamy and incest are criminal offences in Canada and will continue to be." Until the Supreme Court rules that polygamy is OK. Then Canadians will leap to embrace it. I know I will.

What if The Mister finds some Liberal woman who knows it is better to create daycare spaces in institutions than it is to buy beer and popcorn? Maybe she'll be a foreign stripper who knows it is better to strip for loonies than for rubles. Maybe she won't clean the house, but maybe she'll bring home more money than I will. Maybe she'll have a couple of friends who failed as strippers in their homeland but who will work for loonies in Canada and keep their new Canadian husband living in the standards to which I am sure he would love to consider normal. Tell me, how could I lose in this situation?

Pension benefits? I'm sure the Liberals will find a way to make sure each wife gets full benefits, and not merely a splitting of the benefits that would have been made available to a solitary spouse.

Medical benefits? Same thing, I'm sure.

I am sure the Liberals will take all of this into consideration long before the Supreme Court declare polygamy a valid marriage option in Canada. Because the Liberals reflect real and true Canadian values, and these values include making other people pay for the lifestyles to which we all aspire.

On Thursday, January 20 2005, Justice Minister Irwin Cotter denied any link between polygamy and same-sex marriage. "We don't see any connection -- I repeat, any connection -- between the issue of polygamy and the issue of same-sex marriage."

We now know Martin's government "commissioned a $150,000 study into the legal and social ramifications of polygamy in early 2005, just weeks before it introduced divisive same-sex marriage legislation" according to a report from the Ottawa Citizen. "Chief author Martha Bailey told the Canadian Press that criminalizing polygamy serves no good purpose."Why criminalize the behaviour?" she said. "We don't criminalize adultery. In light of the fact that we have a fairly permissive society, why are we singling out that particular form of behaviour for criminalization?"

At the time of his announcement regarding same-sex marriage, Cotter did not have the report condoning the legalization of polygamy. Anyone with a modicum of experience in higher government circles will realize that at the time of his announcement, Cotter or some members of his staff were planning the report to study polygamy. Those with government experience know that the reports are generally commissioned to reach the conclusion of the party paying the price tag for the report.

Mood Swing Rating - Waiting: 150,000 Peeves

By And Above The People

Every time I hear Paul Martin speak, my attention rivets to a specific item. Tonight, the item was "the government."

Paul Martin answered a question about providing support to caregivers. He said the government owes caregivers more support.

Mr. Martin could have said, "Canadians want to support caregivers. We as Canadians want to make sure all Canadians can provide care to loved ones in their homes." Instead, he said the government wants to do this.

The government. Not the people. The government.

As if the government is some entity removed from and above the people.

That, ladies and gentlemen, is your political lesson for this campaign.

Mood Swing Rating - Pissed off: 37 per cent Peeves

Taxi!

Buy a bus pass. All the cool candidates are doing it.

The Liberals introduced campaign finance laws in 2003. The Liberals said the laws improved Canadian elections. Companies can donate a maximum of $1,000 to a federal candidate. There are approximately 360 small and medium-sized businesses in Etobicoke-Lakeshore. Donations from these businesses would total approximately $3,600,000 if each gave the limit allowed. Michael Ignatieff could raise more money from larger businesses in his area. Etobicoke-Lakeshore has 79,918 electors on the preliminary list. Etobicoke-Lakeshore is 44 square kilometres and has one time zone.

Nunavut has 16,521 electors on the preliminary list. There is one riding, Nunavut. It is 2,093,190 square kilometres and has three time zones.

The Northwest Territories has 28,745 electors on the preliminary list. There is one riding, Western Arctic. It is 1,346,106 square kilometres and has one time zone.

The Yukon has 20,717 electors on the preliminary list. There is one riding, Yukon. It is 482,443 square kilometres and has one time zone.

Etobicoke-Lakeshore: 1,816 electors per square kilometre of paved, easy access transit.
Nunavut: 0.008 electors per square kilometre of northern transit and three time zones.
Western Arctic: 0.02 electors per square kilometre of northern transit.
Yukon: 0.04 electors per square kilometre of northern transit.

Is anyone else seeing the discrepancies here?

Could it be that the Liberal's Canada stops somewhere south of Kapuskasing and somewhere east of Sioux Lookout?

"With no road links at all in Nunavut and sketchy highways and winter roads in the N.W.T., air travel is critical in the North. It's also expensive … the new laws are making the situation worse, even though this campaign will be longer than most." – ctv.ca

Mood Swing Rating - Very pissed off: 1,816 Peeves

Nanny Knows Part Two

Canadians – please, vote Liberal.

What other choice do you have?

The Green Party wants to close the widening gap between rich and poor. Canadians are rich. The Greens want Canadians to share their wealth. Newspoint to Ontario: the Greens want you to share

The NDP wants to provide safe and decent housing. Canadians are rich. The NDP want Canadians to share their wealth. Newspoint to Ontario: the NDP want you to share

The Conservatives want to impose their hidden agenda. Canadians are rich. The Conservatives might want Canadians to share their wealth. Newspoint to Ontario: the Conservatives are scary

The Natural Law Party of Canada, the National Alternative Party of Canada, the Ontario Party of Canada and the Absolutely Absurd Party no longer exist.

The Animal Alliance Environment Voters Party of Canada, the Canadian Action Party, the Christian Heritage Party of Canada, the Communist Party of Canada, the Libertarian Party of Canada, the Marijuana Party, the Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada, the Progressive Canadian Party, the Western Block Party and First Peoples National Party of Canada – fringe at best, no? Newspoint to Ontario: wasted vote - they will never form the government.

The Bloc – only in Quebec, eh?

But the Liberals – ah, the Liberals. They speak for you. They know what you think. They know what you want and they are prepared to protect you from yourself. Wrap yourself in Liberal love. It is the Canadian thing to do.

Mood Swing Rating - Very pissed off: 1905 Peeves

Blow, Blow, Blow Your Vote

Scott Reid appeared on "CBC News: Sunday" to insult Canadians again. "Working families need care," he said. "Don't give people $25 a week to blow on beer and popcorn. Give them child-care spaces that work."

Of course, PM[squared] apologized for Reid's comment. So, too, did Reid.

On October 22, 2005, Reid told Calgary Herald's columnist Don Martin, "Alberta can blow me."

Of course, PM[squared] did not apologize for Reid's comment. Neither did Reid.

Liberals live by a code of individual dignity. The people who voted in Liberal governments thought Liberals believed in the dignity of individual Canadians.

By January 24, 2006, everyone will know if Canadian parents learned as much as Albertans have: the only dignity Liberal leaders care about is their own.

Mood Swing Rating - Very pissed off: A Quarter of a Billion Peeves

Predictions: Cash and Dash

Predictions for Ridings that will receive excessive funding and attention during this federal campaign

Alberta: Edmonton-Beaumont, Edmonton Centre
That's right. Only two ridings in Alberta that might merit attention

B.C.: Burnaby-New Westminster, Burnaby-Douglas, Dewdney-Alouette, Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca, Fleetwood-Port Kells, Nanaimo-Alberni, New Westminster-Coquitlam, Newton-North Delta, North Vancouver, Richmond, Saanich-Gulf Islands, Skeena-Bulkley Valley, South Surrey-White Rock-Cloverdale, Southern Interior, Vancouver Centre, Vancouver Kingsway, Victoria, West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast
19 for the west coast

Manitoba: Charleswood-St. James, Churchill, Kildonan-St. Paul, Vancouver Island North
4 for the west coast of central Canada

NWT: Western Arctic
If this surprises you, check a map and do the math

New Brunswick: Saint John, Tobique-Mactaquac
These two will get more money and attention than the two in Alberta

Newfoundland-Labrador: Bonavista-Exploits
This one riding will get more money and attention than all of Alberta

Nova Scotia: Dartmouth-Cole Harbour, South Shore-St. Margaret's, West Nova
Again, more cash and glad-handing here than in all of Alberta

Ontario: Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing, Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale, Barrie, Brampton West, Brant, Burlington, Cambridge, Chatham-Kent-Essex, Clarington-Scugog-Uxbridge, Dufferin-Caledon, Elgin-Middlesex-London, Essex, Grey-Bruce-Owen Sound, Haldimand-Norfolk, Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock, Hamilton East-Stoney Creek, Hamilton Mountain, Kenora, Kitchener-Conestoga, London-Fanshawe, Middlesex-Kent-Lambton, Nepean-Carleton, Newmarket-Aurora, Niagara Falls, Niagara West-Gladbrook, Nickel Belt, Nipissing-Timiskaming, Northumberland-Quinte West, Oshawa, Ottawa Centre, Ottawa-Orleans, Ottawa South, Ottawa West-Nepean, Parkdale-High Park, Parry Sound-Muskoka, Perth-Wellington, Prince Edward-Hastings, Sault Ste. Marie, Simcoe-Grey, Simcoe North, St. Catharines, Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry, Thunder Bay-Rainy River, Timmins-James Bay, Toronto-Danforth, Trinity-Spadina, Wellington-Halton Hills, Whitby-Oshawa, Windsor-Tecumseh, York-Simcoe
My tally is 50. Bulk of cash and dash here

Quebec: Ahuntsic, Alfred-Pellan, Beauce, Brome-Missisquoi, Brossard-La Prairie, Chicoutimi-Le Fjord, Gatineau, Honore-Mercier, Hull-Aylmer, Jeanne Le Ber, Louis-Hebert, Louis St-Laurent, Megantic-L'Erable, Nunavik-Eeyou, Papineau, Pontiac, Shefford, Vaudreuil-Soulanges
My tally is 18. Much gladhanding and financing here

Saskatchewan: Churchill River, Outremont, Palliser, Regina-Lumsden-Lake Centre, Regina-Qu-Appelle, Saskatoon-Humboldt, Saskatoon-Rosetown-Biggar, Souris-Moose Mountain
These 8 ridings might be busier than usual during the campaign

Mood Swing Rating - Waiting: 50 Peeves

A Blast From The Past

May 4, 2000 - The Canadian high commissioner in Sri Lanka sends a classified message to Ottawa, warning that a "minister of the crown" is about to attend a dinner for a Tamil terrorist front organization: "In view of the timing and sponsorship, consideration must be given to the perception of attendance of a minister of the Canadian government." The minister is Paul Martin, Finance Minister. The dinner is a "new year celebrations dinner" in Toronto. The Tamil terrorist front organization refers to the Tamil Tigers. The Tamil New Year was in April. The agency selling tickets for this dinner said the event was to raise funds for the Tamil freedom struggle.

January 3, 2004 - Prime Minister Paul Martin increases the pay of senior political staff for cabinet minister by more than $32,000 annually. Twenty-nine chiefs of staff now earn up to $147,300, more than $12,100 over what most MPs earn. Martin then freezes hiring in the public service and stops work on all capital projects over $5,000,000.

February 11, 2004 - "There is no excuse for what happened. Those people who took that money should be punished. Let us understand that the end never justifies the means. National unity in this country is going to be protected by thousands of Canadians who stand up for their country. It will not be protected by people who violate the laws of this land." - PM Martin on AdScam

February 24, 2004 - "In the end, public interest must dominate." - PM Martin on suspending the president of Canada Post with pay pending results of an interim report on AdScam and general management practices.

May 25, 2004 - "Governments exist to help people, to make their lives better." - PM Martin

Check out political quotes from May 2004.

Mood Swing Rating - Very Hysterical Historical: 2301 Peeves

Husha Husha They All Fell Down

How exciting. I cannot wait to find out how I can help Landslide Annie's campaign.

Mood Swing Rating - Very amused: 721 Peeves