Buckdog

You brand cattle, not a nation of people, more than 6 out of 10 of whom voted against you.

I, for one, do not want my country rebranded, I like who we are. I think this is disturbing. I agree with always discussing how the country can be improved, and the citizens must be able to critize the government and leadership, lest we be blind patriots like some in America. But rebranding suggests to me that Harper does not like Canada, at least not what it stands for at present.

Oh yeah... "cool Britannia for Canada" just what we NEED.

We DON'T NEED NASCO, we don't need the USA...

but try telling THAT to Harper's corporate croneys!

bah!

Is he WILLING & CAPABLE of protecting CANADIANS from the Long Arm of Gringo INjustice?


Spread LOVE!,
BlueBerry Pick'nM
can be found @
ThisCanadian DOT com
"Silent Freedom is Freedom Silenced"

Given half a chance, a fire, and a canadian flag brand, I'd hold my nose and rebrand Harper.
This guy is talking about Canadian people as "products"!
Harper is talking about Canadians as CATTLE to be REBRANDED, i.e., bought by the farmer next door for instance.
Harper is crowing about putting Canadian butts to the fire AGAIN, to rebrand us.
This Harper who likens people to animals has got to go.
This guy needs to be tarred, feathered, and run out of town on a rail.
Better yet, dragged by Branded steers of uncertain origin.
Whatever works.

Can you please provide the source for this? I've been out of town on retreat for a few days so it's not that I don't believe you; it's that I want to quote the source when I write about this.

He has as much mandate as the opposition parties allow.

Strauss would be so proud of fat little Stevie.

berlynn - Hi! - I have a sound bite slice of his speech that can be played on Windows media player. It comes from the CTV website (probably down now) and I can email the attachment to you if you wish). The msm did not feature this part of the story - they focussed on the Danny Williams part of the story where he played hardball with Harper over equalization.

The sound bite is a 3:10 segment and is dated Saturday, October 14th, 2006 - Newfoundland and Labrador Povincial Convention - Conservative Party.

bbs - yes- I hope Harper remembers that as he plunges ahead with his ideological nonsense that he has NO mandate to proceed with. He is very gutsy, I will say that for him, but a majority of Canadians DID NOT ask for him to reproduce 'Bush in Canada'.

"In Ottawa, rebranding is about highlighting the differences between Canada's new government and our predecessors. It's about being accountable to taxpayers, about delivering on commitments....

Do Canadians want to keep moving forward with a government that gets things done for families and taxpayers or do they want to turn back the clock, back to scandal back to inaction?"

That is what PM said about rebranding...changing Canada's image in the world, from the past government's scandals.

Voters will encourage everyone, who found the past government's behavior honorable, to show themselves now. Hold that flag high;)

It will make picking out those who want to return to the old ways, that much easier.

But where is his mandate to change the nation to the degree that he wants?

Harper is breaking his election promises on equalization.

Harper is totally ignoring the wishes of farmers with his unilateral changes to the Wheat Board.

He is like the guy that once he gets his foot in the door he is going to do what he bloody well wants.

62% of Canadians DID NOT WANT HIS GOVERNMENT!

Statement was made:

"Harper is totally ignoring the wishes of farmers with his unilateral changes to the Wheat Board."

NOT ALL farmers want the current system of marketing their product.

Some do NOT.

And those who do not, get to have a voice, too, don't they?

And the government sometimes remembers to *listen to both sides*, and move to *provide balance to both sides*.

That is what this PM is doing...listening to BOTH sides.

Yes, leftdog, please send it my way.

berlynn, your link didn't work - send me your email address - mine is :
leftdog@hushmail.com
Thanks!

Except Harper's government has explicitely NOT listened to both sides on the Wheat Board issue. The commission into it's future was made up entirely of those opposed to the Wheat Board's monopoly - Agriculture Minister Chuck Strahl actually said: "it would be pointless to have people in favour of the status quo on the panel." Additionally the government's efforts to gag Wheat Board employees from speaking about the value of the work they do is unambiguously NOT listening to both sides.

Additionally the Wheat Board's charter straightforwardly calls for a vote by participants if it's going to be dismantled or fundamentally changed. The Harper government has said outright they have no intention of holding such a plebiscite.

Saying the Harper government is 'listening to both sides' is a falsehood of such a huge magnitude it is almost breath-taking in its mendacity.

You could even call it a 'big lie'.

Leftdog and Cliff, the point that irked you was on The PM was listening to farmers from both sides of the issue, although he is no doubt being flooded with mail from both sides.

I get that....politics is seen from different experiences.

I will leave any mention of his name out to take the tone down, if that is alright with you.

This is frankly too important to react, without careful thought.

I will go to where I hang my hat....to the individual farmer who wants NOT to be forced to belong, in order to market his product.

The Board directors, and employees though, have a certain vested interest all of their own, and it doesn't necessarily line up with the producer-members needs, does it;)

See, the thing is that here we have this huge monopoly, with the ability to force all Western farmers to market the big seller grains, only through them.

It has become a Human Rights issue as far as I am concerned!

There is a discrimination toward those Western farmers!

You can bring up all the regulations you like, and no one, not one, has been able to say why it is alright that Western farmers are being discriminated against in this way.

And Cliff, I get that your referrence to that regulation on change does not allow for changes without a vote.

But, I ask you in all sincerity, should the majority have that big of a say in the lives of a minority?

Actually, the preferrence is almost 50:50, so the bell is ringing for The CWB.

We only need to say the words SSM, to know that one minority would not put up with having a majority trump an Charter right.

Where are these Western farmers' equal rights in our Charter, when that right is already given to farmers in Ont and Que?

YOU CONTINUE TO COMPLETELY MISS THE POINT!!
Here is the Wheat Board Act.

PLEASE READ POINTS 1) AND 2) AT THE END:

"Canadian Wheat Board Act - C-24
An Act to provide for the constitution and powers of The Canadian Wheat Board

47.1 The Minister shall not cause to be introduced in Parliament a bill that would exclude any kind, type, class or grade of wheat or barley, or wheat or barley produced in any area in Canada, from the provisions of Part IV, either in whole or in part, or generally, or for any period, or that would extend the application of Part III or Part IV or both Parts III and IV to any other grain, unless

1. ) the Minister has consulted with the board about the exclusion or extension; and
2. ) the producers of the grain have voted in favour of the exclusion or extention, the voting process having been determined by the Minister.
1998, c. 17, s. 25.

Have your read 1 and 2??? Because that is our POINT - Harper is going to change the mandate of the Wheat Board without the vote that the Act calls for - GET THE POINT - he is introducing a Bill in Parliament that will remove points 1) and 2) and he is going to UNILATERALLY CHANGE THE BOARD WITHOUT A VOTE BY FARMERS - why would he do that? - BECAUSE THE VAST MAJORITY OF FARMERS DO NOT WANT TO CHANGE THE BOARD - yes there are some farmers as you note (with a right wing ideological bent) BUT THEY ARE IN A MINORITY AND CANNOT POSSIBLY WIN THE VOTE

DO YOU UNDERSTAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Q) Why are you afraid of a vote on this issue by farmers?

A) Because your side will lose the vote and will not get the changes you want (unless Harper unilaterally changes the CWB).

And here is my PROOF of what a crook Harper is - what a cheat Harper is - what a corrup bloody Tory Harper is:

Read this! (If you are brave enough)
Harper waffles on letting Farmers Vote on Wheat Board Changes

Thanks for the file, leftdog. It's pretty scary, what PMS is saying. But it's easily taken apart and I would hope that some progressive who gets media attention will take it and compost it for their garden!

I am sticking with the point that all farmers deserving equal treatment, as I said before.

I have read the CWB's mandate and regulations, including those you posted.

And the issue is that the CURRENT restictions in the CWB Act make it possible to keep the status quo, whether nearly half of the members want it or not.

I am some steps *down the road*, where a court of law, via a Human Rights Tribunal perhaps,(a handy tool some have found), challenges the government of the day, or of the next day, to break their hold on those farmers....legally.

That is how laws are changed.... through legislation, or challenges in the lowest courts, which then work their way up.

For the majority should never have sway over Charter rights of the individual.

And the model is already staring at us all, there in Ontario and Quebec.

That is what will set up the fracturing of the current laws.

The inequality in place is there for all who WILL see.

And eventually, made to see.

Typical Conservative ideology - arguing 'charter rights' for commercial transactions but denying 'charter rights' to someone for sexual orientation. I call that picking and choosing to suit your own purposes.