I Have Been on the CIA Website

I have been on the CIA website the last couple of days. No, it’s not what you think. The CIA, nosey buggers that they are, have an amazing amount of information about countries around the world, including Canada. They have information about Canada, our own government isn’t all that open with.

I went onto the site because I got thinking about oil. All this talk about the Keystone pipeline and the newer Northern Gateway proposal, which would export oil to Asian markets through Kitimat. Our Prime Minister says we need these markets. The growth of our economy depends on it. We have to sell our oil.

Harper wants Keystone big time. He and the oil companies have been talking about how the pipeline is win-win for the USA and Canada. This pipeline will create jobs in Texas he says. Why do these guys keep putting roadblocks in our way?

I got thinking about pipelines and about imports and exports and thanks to the CIA I have a better idea of the lay of the land.

The amounts are up and down but on average, Canada exports about 2,000,000 barrels of oil and oil products a day, mainly to the USA. By coincidence, Canada also imports about 2,000,000 barrels a day of oil and oil products a day from the Middle East, the North Sea and South America.

So, how about this idea Stephen Harper? If, instead of concentrating on building a new pipeline to Texas and creating a raft of new jobs there, why not forget about any expansion of the market, build the pipeline around the Great Lakes to Eastern Canada. Create the jobs in Canada and significantly reduce our oil imports or eliminate them altogether.

Once we start shipping our own oil to Eastern Canada the existing level of export to the USA can be sent south via the existing pipeline network.

Just saying Stevie, it is time to think outside the box.

A Sad Commentary

I am generally not a big supporter of armed conflict. I distrust military leadership and I am appalled by this new move by our Prime Minister to insert the military into Canadian life these days. Everything from citizenship ceremonies to the Grey Cup game.

I have mixed feelings about Remembrance Day. I see in it, too much celebration of the military and not enough thought about the futility of war. I do not wear a poppy in November and I don’t attend cenotaph services but I probably think about the sacrifices made by young men and women more than most.

This year, I was saddened by the Harper Government’s small-minded move to block the members of the Green Party and the Bloc Quebecois to say a few words in the House of Commons during the time set aside to honour the war dead.

As a result of the Conservatives’ petty response to the request to be allowed to say a few words I wrote the same e-mail message to 94 Conservative members of Parliament, including my own MP Tom Lukiwski, several cabinet ministers and the Prime Minister.

I said:

My father served in the Canadian Army during the second world war and when I was a boy was sent to Korea to take part that dispute, again as a member of the Canadian Army.
When I was 17, I joined the Canadian Navy and served on Canada’s ships and submarines for several years.
Given my background, I am sure you can imagine how upset I was to hear that when the House of Commons honoured our fallen soldiers, sailors and airmen. Your party twice denied the representatives from the Green Party and the Bloc Quebecois the opportunity to say a few words in the house honouring those brave young men and women.
From my perspective, this action by the Conservative Party of Canada was beyond the pale. It was unconscionable.
Too many young men and women died, and continue to die to uphold the democratic principles, which seem to mean very little to you and your party.
You should be ashamed.

I received 16 responses. Most of them simply said “Thank you for writing, We appreciate the feedback” This e-mail from MP Bruce Stanton is typical.

Hello:
Thank you for your email.
Bruce receives a large volume of email correspondence every day; it is difficult to respond to every piece in a timely manner. As such, Bruce prefers to make the correspondence of his constituents his first priority.
If you could please provide your civic address that identifies you as a constituent of Simcoe North, I would be happy to forward your correspondence to Bruce for his consideration and response.
Thank you for understanding and for taking the time to write.
Kind regards,
Ashley Brown
Parliamentary Assistant

Just one, Ed Komarnicki, actually responded to the issue saying;

Thank you for your note and for bringing the issue to my attention. I understand your frustration and upset.
Although I wasn’t part of the decision making, nor privy to the considerations that led to the decision, I do know that the consideration went beyond simply whether they could speak in the House of Commons on this issue or not. Each of the Bloc and the Green Party are not recognized as having official party status in the House.
Everything being equal and not having regard to these considerations, your desire to see them included in the speaking order is understandable.

It is a sad commentary on the democratic process.

Are you Embarrassed Yet Prime Minister?

Burkina Faso is one of those countries you seldom hear about. A country of 15 million sitting north of Cote d’Iviore, Ghana and Togo, it is one of the world’s poorest nations.   

Canada had a fairly long relationship with Burkina Faso.  Canadian companies, mostly mining firms, provide the small country’s largest source of foreign private investment. But despite our relationship with them, last year, Bev Oda announced that Canada was cutting bilateral aid to several developing countries throughout Africa, Latin America, and Asia and that development funding would be focused on just 20 “priority” countries.

Its Foreign Minister, Bedouma Yoda, doesn’t understand why Canada made that move and came to Canada to ask why. Burkina Faso wasn’t the only African country confused and angered about Canadian actions. Embassies, such as the one in Malawi, have been shut. In all eight African countries were dropped and our smaller list of 20 priority aid recipients marked a shift to Latin America  

“Africa understood that Canada was becoming disinterested in her,” Mr. Yoda said.

My guess is that to Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon, the old “You reap what you sow” message is now crystal clear.

Canada was humiliated at the United Nations yesterday having been refused a seat on the Security Council. Beat out by Portugal. It is the first time in history that Canada has been snubbed in this way.

But, it wasn’t just Africa.

• Canada’s move from taking a diplomatic role in the middle east – a mid-power broker - to that of being Israel’s most stalwart defender played a role too.
• Canada’s role as one of the world’s most active and committed UN peacekeeper has been eroded over the past several years as well, with Canada choosing instead to get involved in much more aggressive actions in places such as Afghanistan.  Canada’s Generals started to boast about killing “scumbags” instead of talking about the commitment this country had in helping to bring order to divided nations struggling under conflict.
• Canada today has only 62 peacekeepers working abroad, 10 of them in Haiti.
• This Conservative Government has snubbed its nose at other developed and developing countries over climate change.
• Harper is out of step with Canada’s allies on women’s reproductive rights
• In the face of the Global banking meltdown Canada’s refusal to impose a tax on international banking basically scotched a proposal much favoured in Europe designed to build a fund as a cushion to be used in case of a future economic crisis.
• Then last year, our less that Honourable Prime Minister Stephen Harper gave up an opportunity to speak at the United Nations for a trip to an Ontario Tim Horton’s to have a double-double and to press the flesh.

Earlier this year Harper spoke to a near empty United Nations chamber, most delegates choosing to take an early lunch.

So Stephen, are you embarrassed yet? 


You bloody well should be.

What Happens When Politicians Go-rogue

When all this prorogue business started I speculated that Canadians might not really care and, lulled into complacency by the idiot box, would probably just yawn. Much to my pleasant surprise, I think I was wrong. Our strange and awkward Prime Minister just may have over reached.

The Liberals and the gang in power, are neck and neck in the polls. A couple of weeks ago that didn't seem possible. Even the NDP who have been all but invisible, are up a few points.

You know Harper, who has a well earned reputation for running a one man show, is in trouble when he has to call out the likes of Tony Clement to fend off criticism. We all remember Tony Clement who was only saved from being completely discredited for his mismanagement of things during the listeria crisis by the bumbling Gerry "cracker" Ritz who only took his foot out of his mouth long enough to change feet.

Responding to one letter written by Fair Vote Canada and signed by leading Canadian political scientists and another by a group of academics from universities across Canada, Steve's friend Tony said that ordinary Canadians don’t consider prorogation to be a big issue.”I know it’s a big issue with the Ottawa media elite and some of the elites in our country" ...ordinary Canadians don't care.

But, hang on. Tony got it wrong. Demonstrations against the prorogation of parliament are planned in over 30 cities from coast to coast and to date over 180,000 Canadians have signed on to a Facebook site called Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament The number is growing so quickly that it is most likely already out of date.

Canadians are waking up to the fact that this government just isn't working and dispute their complacency about government in the past, they are pissed at Harper's manipulation of the parliamentary system to hide from tough questions about a long list of things.

Meanwhile, Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page says, parliament may be prorogued but that doesn't that stop him from doing his work. Page plans to release three substantive reports in the run-up to the March budget.

The first suggests that the government is ignoring the change in demographics which is nipping at the government's heels. As baby boomers retire there will be hundreds of thousands of Canadians paying less income tax. That simply flies in the face of the government's plan to reduce corporate taxes and the GST combined with all their new spending announcements.

Stephen Harper can recalibrate all he wants but he doesn't seem to be in a position to actually fix anything. Remember how he ridiculed the Liberals for saying that tax increases were probable inevitable. Stand by for a change in plan on that front.

Stay tuned and see you at the demo on January 23rd.