Saturday, March 19, 2011

Is this government the best we can aspire to?

As a Halton Federal Liberal Candidate, I oppose a PMO's office that has almost total control of Parliament; that keeps the public in the dark - reference the secret border agreement, and untendered contracts,  as with the F-35’s.

I do not approve of lowering corporate taxes ever further even when Canada is already amongst the lowest in the world.  And I especially don't support lowering taxes when we're in a deficit situation.  The lost revenue means having to get the money elsewhere to cover the gap - what programs will suffer as a result? There is no proof anywhere that cutting Corporate taxes creates jobs.  Take a look at Ireland - the situation the people find themselves in there. 

The safety nets of our parents and grandparents are so thin as to be almost transparent.  My immediate action would be to push for the GIS to be a one-time application.  A great may seniors don't realize they must apply annually.

I do not support building super jails - let's do something about the root causes of what puts people in jail. 1 in 10 people live in poverty (3.4million Canadians, 800,000 of whom are children).  The majority of people in prison come from below the poverty line.  Don't interpret the following to suggest in any way that all Canadians living below the poverty line resort to crime but statistics show that 10% of Canadians live below the poverty line but nearly 100% of prison inmates come from that 10%.  All costs considered, Canada spends $147,000 per federal prisoner each year.  It would take $12,000 to $20,000 annually to bring a person above the poverty line.  This would represent a saving to taxpayers of $127,000 per federal prisoner each year!

Many existing programs, instead of helping, hold people down.  A Liberal government will provide the leadership in the federal government that is absent now.

Immigrants.  As a Halton Multicultural Council board member, I've heard stories that would make you weep. The Conservative government has made some needed reforms but they have deprived newcomers of the family support they need to integrate successfully, they've off-loaded responsibility for immigration, and given Canada a harsher, more forbidding face (Toronto Star, Editorial, Sat, Feb 19 – The Conservative Record - Immigrants see a harsher Canada).


Getting the Canadian work experience and accreditation for overseas’ credentials is something I will work toward.

A Conservative MP wrote to his Minister asking that his  government write a letter to the Egyptian government to express outrage at the religious persecution of Egyptian Coptics. 40 Liberals MPs signed his letter in support but he's heard nothing from the minister yet.
Geoffrey Stevens asked in his Opinion column (Guelph Mercury, Mon, Feb 7, 2011):
  • Is a Harper government the best that Canadians can aspire to?  
  • Are we satisfied with a government that preaches accountability, then (prorogues) Parliament rather than face opposition questions? 
  • A government that has no foreign policy beyond what it borrows from Washington?  
  • A government that can’t win a United Nations Security Council seat that would have been a slam dunk in years gone by?
I say No, No, No, and No.  We can do better, we must.
I am contesting the Halton Federal Liberal nomination because I care too much to just to sit by. I want better for Canada, Ontario and Halton.  I want Canadians to have hope for the future.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Renewing Democracy in Canada

A Liberal government will renew democracy in Canada by:

    * Making open government our default position for releasing information to the public;
    * Holding a weekly People’s Question Period to allow Canadians to directly engage the prime minister and cabinet ministers with unfiltered questions;
    * Limiting the prime minister’s power to prorogue Parliament;
    * Reducing the size of the Prime Minister’s Office and returning to cabinet government; and
    * Respecting the independence of watchdogs, boards and commissions.

It’s time to fight for our democracy.

Friday, March 4, 2011

Canada and F-35 strike fighters

--What they will cost, what Canada will get for that money, and whether we should be wating.  There are a lot of unknowns.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Canadian census being dismantled?

Here is an interesting article about the Canadian Census... 


During the course of the Post-1901 Census campaign, then opposition Conservative MPs, including now Prime Minister Stephen Harper voiced support for public access to historic Census records. That support in fact, was part of an official Conservative party program. In the past year however, the Conservative government has taken steps that leaves one wondering whether or not there will be any Census records left to view in 92 years. 

Read the rest of the article: http://globalgenealogy.com/globalgazette/gazgw/gazgw-0128.htm.