Gerry Ritz is predictable in nothing else. Known for making it up as he goes along and never accepting responsibility for anything unless it makes him look good, has done it again.

The Regina Leader Post reports the former ostrich farmer turned Agriculture Minister who, should by rights have resigned over the XL Foods tainted meat scandal, is now blaming the Federal inspectors at XL for being "too nice" Not tough enough?

No mention from Gerry that, under his watch, the number of inspector on the floor in meat packing plants was substantially cut. The message from the Harper Conservatives has always been clear, "Things work better when industry polices itself."  Under the guise of "cutting red tape" these guys put Canadians at risk daily.

Who has the guts or the time to be "tough enough" under Gerry's watch. Conscientious inspectors very likely would be accused with threatening meat packers' profits.

So no word that Gerry Ritz has learned any lessons from all this;

• No promise to get more inspectors on the floor, 
• no word that Gerry has listened to the workers on the floor who complain that the speeded productions  lines are a risk, 
• no sign that Gerry who visited the plant soon after the American inspectors found the problem his department had missed, ever visited the citizens who were made sick by his incompetence, 
• and actually no word that Gerry gives a fiddlers fart about anything but his own survival.

Get used to it folks. There are years to go before we gt another kick at the cat.

Corporate Canada Doesn't Have a Vote

I read in the paper this morning that corporate Canada is concerned about the NDP surge and particularly the possibility of  Jack Layton becoming Prime Minister. The fact that there is much hand wringing in corporate  board rooms should come at little surprise. I would imagine any big corporation facing tax cuts implemented by the Harper crowd would worry about extra taxes and if Jack gets in power they will have to re-think their lobbying strategy on Parliament Hill. Doors won't be propped open in anticipation of their arrival any longer.

Hold on to your hats over the next few days. Corporate spokespeople will be speculating that the NDP surge will lower the Canadian dollar, create financial instability and threaten you with higher mortgages. The thing to remember that these bright lights in the economic brain trust are the same bunch whose incompetence brought us the recent economic collapse.

The real question the media should be asking is "Who cares what corporate Canada thinks?"

The best thing corporate Canada can do is butt out. Wake up boys and girls of the fourth estate, corporate Canada doesn't have a vote and seldom look out for any interests other than their own..