NDP Hold American Style Leadership Debate - Rick Mercer
(You'll have to endure a 20 second ad first ... )
Thanks to Huffington Post for embed ability.
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Buckdog
Fresh Winds
From The Prairies
Welcome to Buckdog©!
- BUCKDOG© contains the opinions of a Canadian citizen journalist - Extreme Right wing nonsense is not tolerated well here. Abusive or libelous comments will be deleted. I am a former member of the Federal NDP who has left the Party because of it's current incompetent leadership!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
(You'll have to endure a 20 second ad first ... )
Thanks to Huffington Post for embed ability.
Saskatoon Star Phoenix Editorial Board Acts As Flunky For Stephen Harper's Pension Slashing Agenda!
(Here's the political nonsense that the Saskatoon Star Phoenix Editors want you to believe) ....
"Without any changes, Canada will be hard-pressed to provide any social or institutional programs beyond seniors' income supplements and health care.In this light, opposition parties' efforts to panic Canadians that the Harper government is targeting seniors are as disingenuous as they are dangerous."
Saskatoon Star Phoenix
(HUH!?? In REALITY ... it's the Editorial Board of the Saskatoon Star Phoenix that is trying to panic Canadians by repeating the false arguments of the Harper's Conservatives!)
"Expert advice commissioned by the federal government contradicts Stephen Harper’s warnings that Canada can’t afford the looming bill for Old Age Security payments.
The Prime Minister and his ministers forcefully defended their surprise plans to review OAS on Monday, as the year’s first sitting of Parliament exploded with accusations from the opposition that the Conservatives misled Canadians during the 2011 federal election.
Mr. Harper held his ground, insisting Canada’s aging population means Ottawa must change the rules for future seniors to ensure it has the long-term cash to cut a growing number of monthly cheques. The Prime Minister’s decision to signal his planned pension changes while in Europe last week was partly to remind Canadians of the deep problems European governments are facing because of social programs they can’t afford.
But research prepared at Ottawa’s request argues Canada’s pension system is in far better shape than the Europeans’, and there’s no need to raise the retirement age. Edward Whitehouse – who researches pension policy on behalf of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development and the World Bank – was asked by Ottawa to study and report on how Canada stacks up internationally when it comes to pensions.
His conclusion: “The analysis suggests that Canada does not face major challenges of financial sustainability with its public pension schemes,” and “there is no pressing financial or fiscal need to increase pension ages in the foreseeable future.”
While other OECD countries face big pension problems, the report predicts Canada will do just fine as the baby boomers retire. That’s because, as Canada heads into the boomer crunch, it spends far less than the OECD average on public pensions. Further, Canada’s relatively high levels of immigration will partially offset the distortions of an aging population, and Canadians tend to save more independently through RRSPs and workplace pensions than Europeans.
The report is one of six that fed into a larger summary paper written by the University of Calgary’s Jack Mintz that reported to federal and provincial finance ministers at a December, 2009, meeting. While this supporting research was overshadowed at the time, it stands in sharp contrast to forceful warnings now coming from the Conservative government.
Mr. Harper repeated his view Monday that Canada’s aging population threatens social programs. “Everybody understands that there are demographic realities that do threaten the viability of these programs over the longer term, and we will make sure that these programs are funded and viable for the future generations that will need them,” he told the House of Commons.
A spokesperson for Human Resources Minister Diane Finley responded to questions about Mr. Whitehouse’s report by pointing to the latest actuary report on the OAS, which stated the cost of the program will nearly triple by 2030.
Ministers refused to provide details of the proposed changes and would only say that current recipients of OAS will not be affected.
The government’s claims leave experts baffled. Thomas Klassen, a York University political science professor who co-authored a 2010 report on Canada’s pension system, said his own research concluded that the OAS program is sustainable.
“I haven’t heard any academic argue that there’s a crisis with OAS, which is why I was surprised a few days ago when the Prime Minister seemed to say there was a crisis,” he said. “Because I don’t know where that came from.”
Prof. Klassen said he suspects the federal government has concluded that reducing OAS costs is an easy way to save money over the long term because it can be done unilaterally without negotiating with the provinces or public-sector unions. “It’s okay to look at Old Age Security pension payments,” he said, “but I think there’s got to be a lot more evidence that there’s a problem, and I don’t see that evidence.”
Kevin Milligan, a University of British Columbia economics professor who co-authored another of the supporting research papers prepared for Ottawa, is also of the view that there is no OAS crisis. He says the government’s use of statistics showing the cost of OAS will climb from $36.5-billion in 2010 to $108-billion in 2030 is not very meaningful because of the impact of inflation. He notes the rise is less alarming when measured as a percentage of economic growth.
“As an economist, I would never characterize things in terms of nominal dollars in the future because it’s hard to put those in context,” he said. “I don’t know what we’ll be paying for a litre of milk then.”
When the House of Commons finance committee studied pension issues in 2010, Mr. Whitehouse appeared as a witness and discussed his research.
“Canada's pension system is looking good on the measures of adequacy. It is also looking good on measures of financial sustainability,” Mr. Whitehouse told MPs. “Canada does not face the same financial sustainability problems as many other OECD member countries do, particularly in Europe and among the East Asian countries, Japan and Korea, whose populations are aging most rapidly.”
At the end of its study, the committee’s final report did not recommend raising the age of eligibility for OAS or reducing benefits. However, a minority report by the committee’s Conservative MPs said payment rates for the OAS and the Guaranteed Income Supplement for seniors should be reviewed."
Globe & Mail
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Saturday, January 28, 2012
"He who plays around with pensions ........ "
"He who plays around
with Old Age Security Pension
May walk away ....
with broken political fingers."
with Old Age Security Pension
May walk away ....
with broken political fingers."
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Friday, January 27, 2012
"Good Bye Charlie Brown"
"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
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Thursday, January 26, 2012
What Stephen Harper DID NOT Tell Delegates At The Davos Capitalist 'Love In'
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
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.
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Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Incompetent Senior Vancouver Police Officials Allowed Robert Picton Serial Murders To Continue Far Too Long!
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
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
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Tuesday, January 24, 2012
FREE BLOGGER CHARLES LEBLANC !!
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!
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Monday, January 23, 2012
Right Wing American Jewish Magazine Calls For Assassination Of Obama If He Doesn't Attack Iran ....
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
"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
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Friday, January 20, 2012
Dick Cheney 'Fears Being Tried For War Crimes' - He Should!!
... 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!)
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The Oil Industy IS NOT A 'Jobs Machine' - No Matter What Stephen Harper & His Oil Party Say!
"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!
Andrew Nikiforuk
January 19, 2012
H/T to Bernadette Wagner - The Regina Mom for this ... Thanks!
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Thursday, January 19, 2012
Canadians! Beware Of Radical Groups! A Message From Stephen Harper And The Oil Party
Beware of Radical Groups!!!
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Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Sunday, January 15, 2012
The Liberal Party Of Canada WAS - IS - AND CONTINUES TO BE Hypocritical On Marijuana Reform
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
"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
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Saturday, January 14, 2012
Free-Market Deregulation Of Alberta's Electrical Industry Has Seen Consumer Prices Increase By 100%
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
"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
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Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Elections Canada De-registers Five Liberal Riding Associations - Four More Slated For De-registration Soon
"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
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Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Same Old Liberal Politics - Good Riddance To Lise St-Denis
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!
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!
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Monday, January 09, 2012
Get Ready For Harper's Massive Infusion Of 'War Of 1812' Theme Into Next Canada Day
"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
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Saturday, January 07, 2012
Le Canadien défait Tampa Bay 3-1
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
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Friday, January 06, 2012
Різдвом Христовим
Христос Раждаєтся – Славімо Його!
Веселих Свят!
Merry Christmas to my Orthodox friends ... Ukrainian, Greek and Russian!
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Sask Taxpayers Will Now Fund The Teaching Of Creationist Science In Private Religious Schools
Mr. Wall ..... what are you doing sir???
CBC News
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Monday, January 02, 2012
Harper Doles Out MORE Corporate Welfare Without Any Mechanism For It To Create Jobs
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
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Sunday, January 01, 2012
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