Trashy's World

The Harperites, under the guidance of the dry-suit guy, is gong to “unveil” (1) a plan to increase “the efficiency of the federal departments”.

Mr. Day is scheduled today to unveil a government initiative aimed at increasing the efficiency of the federal departments – which manage activities ranging from the war in Afghanistan and relief in Haiti, to income-tax collection, employment insurance and old-age security claims.

Huh, I didn’t realise we were inefficient? Haven’t all of the efficiency programs that we have been subjected to almost each and every year counted for anything or resulted in these cherished “efficiencies”?

Are we still that inefficient? After Blue Ribbon Panels? Streamlining? Corporate Business Architecture?

Man, we in the PS MUST be sooooooo incompetent! You’d think that we would by now be the smoothest and most efficient public service in the freakin’ GALAXY!

And so iut begins – Day has announced the first round of cuts by reducing the number of Governor in Council appointments by 245.

It is interesting to see where these cuts have been made.

Yes, they are patronage appointments and yes, many of these seats were already vacant, but I think this spells out the shape of things to come..

                                                            March 8, 2010

                 Reduction of Governor in Council Positions

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                     Current
                                                          number         GiC
    Department/                                           of GiC   positions
    Agency              Organization                   positions     reduced
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Agriculture and     Canadian Grain Commission              9           6
     Agri-Food Canada   -----------------------------------------------------
                        National Farm Products Council         9           2
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Canadian Heritage   Canadian Council on the Status
                         of the Artist                        12          12
                        -----------------------------------------------------
                        Canadian Radio-television and
                         Telecommunications Commission        19           6
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Citizenship and     Canadian Race Relations Foundation
     Immigration Canada  and Investment Committee             24          11
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Environment Canada  Historic Sites and Monuments
                         Board of Canada                      15           2
                        -----------------------------------------------------
                        National Round Table on the
                         Environment and the Economy          26           8
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Department of       Canada Development Investment
     Finance Canada      Corporation                          20           9
                        -----------------------------------------------------
                        Canadian International Trade
                         Tribunal                              9           2
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Fisheries and       Freshwater Fish Marketing
     Oceans Canada       Corporation - Advisory Committee     15          15
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Foreign Affairs     Asia-Pacific Foundation of Canada      7           2
                        -----------------------------------------------------
                        International Boundary Commission      1           1
                        -----------------------------------------------------
                        International Development Research
                         Centre                               21           3
                        -----------------------------------------------------
                        Roosevelt Campobello International
                         Park Commission                       3           1
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Health Canada       Assisted Human Reproduction Agency
                         of Canada                            13           1
                        -----------------------------------------------------
                        Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse     7           1
                        -----------------------------------------------------
                        Canadian Institutes of Health
                         Research                             19           2
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Human Resources     Canada Employment Insurance
     and Skills          Commission                            4           2
     Development Canada -----------------------------------------------------
                        Canada Mortgage and Housing
                         Corporation                          13           3
                        -----------------------------------------------------
                        Canada Pension Plan/Old Age
                         Security: Review Tribunals          400          40
                        -----------------------------------------------------
                        Canada Pension Plan: Pensions
                         Appeals Board                        12           2
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Indian and          First Nations Financial
     Northern Affairs    Management Board                     12           2
     Canada             -----------------------------------------------------
                        First Nations Statistical Institute   15           2
                        -----------------------------------------------------
                        National Aboriginal Economic
                         Development Board                    20           7
                        -----------------------------------------------------
                        Northern Flood Agreement               1           1
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Industry Canada     Business Development Bank of Canada   15           2
                        -----------------------------------------------------
                        Canada Foundation for Innovation       7           1
                        -----------------------------------------------------
                        Canadian Space Agency                  2           1
                        -----------------------------------------------------
                        Canadian Tourism Commission           25          14
                        -----------------------------------------------------
                        National Research Council of Canada   22           3
                        -----------------------------------------------------
                        Natural Sciences and Engineering
                         Research Council                     22           3
                        -----------------------------------------------------
                        Social Sciences and Humanities
                         Research Council                     22           3
                        -----------------------------------------------------
                        Space Advisory Board                  19          19
                        -----------------------------------------------------
                        Standards Council of Canada           13           2
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    International Trade Export Development Canada             15           2
                        -----------------------------------------------------
                        NAFTA Secretariat, Canadian Section    1           1
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Labour              Canadian Centre for Occupational
                         Health and Safety                    41          18
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    National Defence    Military Police Complaints
                         Commission                            7           2
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Natural Resources   Alberta - British Columbia Boundary
     Canada              Commission                            1           1
                        -----------------------------------------------------
                        Alberta - Northwest Territories
                         Boundary Commission                   1           1
                        -----------------------------------------------------
                        British Columbia - Yukon -
                         Northwest Territories Boundary
                         Commission                            1           1
                        -----------------------------------------------------
                        Cape Breton Development Corporation    7           7
                        -----------------------------------------------------
                        Energy Supplies Allocation Board       1           1
                        -----------------------------------------------------
                        Manitoba - Saskatchewan Boundary
                         Commission                            1           1
                        -----------------------------------------------------
                        Saskatchewan - Northwest Territories
                         Boundary Commission                   1           1
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Transport,          Intercolonial and P.E.I. Railways
     Infrastructure      Employees Provident Fund              1           1
     and Communities    -----------------------------------------------------
                        Marine Atlantic Inc.                  15           5
                        -----------------------------------------------------
                        Parc Downsview Park Inc.              13           4
                        -----------------------------------------------------
                        Via Rail Canada Inc.                  17           4
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Treasury Board      Canada School of Public Service       15           3
     of Canada          -----------------------------------------------------
     Secretariat        Public Sector Pension Investment
                         Board                                12           1
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

1) I always thought “unveiling” was a term better used for art shows, new models of cars or a line of clothing… but this?

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

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for all of the forward thinking broad brushstrokes that were uttered the afternoon!

Senior’s Day?

Rewording O’Canada?

Continued renewal of the Public Service (uh, by freezing our salaries?)?

“…launch an independent investigation of this summer’s listeria outbreak” We’re expecting another one?

And of course, this old refrain: “Gun laws will be focused on ending smuggling and stronger penalties for gun crimes, not at criminalizing law-abiding firearms owners.” Yawn…

And to conclude the Speech:

“Honourable Members of the Senate and Commons, yours is a most important task. May Divine Providence guide you in your deliberations.” I guess atheists should be guided by their own judgment?

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

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Maxime Bernier reported missing!

PMO claims that there is no link between the two!

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

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This article flew a little under the radar, but in it, ReformCon Minister Maxime Bernier states that the cautious approach to climate change has been exactly what Canadians have needed since:

the debate on the scientific basis of climate, stifled for years by political correctness, finally broke out openly in the media

and that:

De très sérieux scientifiques croient toutefois qu’on sous-estime l’influence du soleil et d’autres facteurs qui n’ont rien à voir avec le CO2 dans l’étude des changements climatiques.

which, translated, says – more or less that there are some very serious scientists who think that the influence of the sun and other factors that have nothing to do with CO2 are underestimated  in climate change studies.

Good thing they are serious scientists…

Over at bloggingtories.ca, M. Bernier is being hailed as a hero! As the second coming of Jim Prentice! As a brave soul who is breaking away from the Mamby-pambyness of the Harperites and saying it like it is!

Here are some of the reactions:

My Friend Maxime Bernier is a… – “The reaction from the chicken littles has been of course hysteria. Keep up the good work Maxime. One day you will be HM PM.”

Thank you Maxime Bernier for being the first politician to have the courage to publicly acknowledge what we all have been aware of for the last several months – that the so-called ’settled science’  is unraveling and the alarmists’ hysteria is a crock as Lorrie Goldstein points out today – Mad Max makes sense.

Yikes! They are all a-twitter! NeoCons are excited! Look out!!!! Madness will ensue!

But seriously, this is a problems for this guy:

Harper relies on strict and unwavering adherence to the message. And Max has broken this sacrament. He may have a real internal problem on his hands and the opposition parties will undoubtedly point to this in the coming months.

Of course, the distancing has begun:

Federal Environment Minister Jim Prentice’s office was quick to distance itself from Bernier’s letter.

Prentice’s spokesman, Frédéric Baril, told CBC News that Bernier’s opinions are his own and are not at all in line with those of the environment ministers or the Conservative government

It will be amusing to see how this plays out… hee-hee…

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

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Ya gotta be kidding me.

The ReformCons are following what many other authoritarian regimes have done in the past -- use sport to whip up patriotism and take credit for the athlete’s successes.

But then, what else are we to expect?

But “Our strong leader”? Has Ms. Greene signed on not only as the Olympic ambassador but as a Harperite minion as well?

Ms. Greene Raine compares the athletes to “our strong leader,” Mr. Harper, who is in a competition of his own: “With our strong leader Canada will continue to compete with the world’s best,” she says. And Mr. Duffy, who also refers to his colleague as “my Olympic champion,” goes on to say, “We Conservatives are champions in our own right.”

Shameful.

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

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I have set up two posts on this site in the past 4 hours and both have been deleted… figgers.

Those ReformCons aren’t, uh, well, let’s call a spade a spade…. anywhere intelligent enough to engage in some semblance of a debate.

But if you want some comic relief – by all means, give ‘em a look-see….

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

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…although the CBC has it wrong - the ReformCons have a slight lead because the gap is outside the margin of error.

Why no big surprise? Well, look at the calender, dummy! It’s the dead of winter! Folks down east are dealing with another dumping of the white stuff. Separatist Quebecois folks are all aghast at Lucien Bouchard’s latest remarks. Ontarians are worried that they’re going to get hit with a huge winter storm cuz it has been such a tame winter so far. And everyone to the west of Ontario is too busy skiing or watching the Olympics.

Wait till spring and then we’ll see if either party can take a step or two forward…

Remind me again why the Grits and the Dippers aren’t talking about merging???

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

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And so it begins.

PS union leaders are meeting with the President of the Treasury Board, Stockwell “cavemen fought dinosaurs” Day to talk about what they should expect in the next budget, due to be released on March 4th. And federal public servants are justifiably afraid of what the budget may have in store for the PS pension plan – already described by Jimbo Flahtery as “handsome”.

I’ve gone on and on about the PS pension plan, as have others. And if you are in the PS, you pretty much like the status quo, but if you are not, you pretty much think that the pesnions are already way too generous for a buncha lazy good-for-nothing bureaucrats.

So I’m not going to rant on and on about this yet again, except to say this:

Mr. Day, changing the rules of the game is OK if those new rules apply to new employees. They can make the decision whether or not to pursue as a vocation, a career in the PS. The rules of the game are up front and transparent.

But if you dare to change the rules for those of us who have worked hard under the assumption that what we signed on for would still be in place when we retire, then, Mr. Day, you will be in for a fight.  Mark my words.

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

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Why would anyone really think that the Reformatories would consult with the City of Toronto about where best to hold the G 20 Summit?

As reported in many places, like the G&M, the feds and the city don’t quite agree on the locale. Harper’s minions want to hold it right in the downtown core – causing a few days of massive disruption to the residents of the area as well as the businesses. While the City thinks it wiser to hold it outside the core at Exhibiton Place.

Oh wait, they DID consult with the bank towers folks, cuz, well, they are much more important than those morons who had the audacity to elect a Dipper as their MP.

What, you say? Politics couldn’t come into play with how the ReformCons operate here, could it? Naw. The Harperites would never put partisanship ahead of sound logistics!

But, if my sense of direction is correct, the Convention Centre is in Toronto Centre – which is Olivia Chow’s riding … but could be in Toronto Centre – Bob Rae’s riding. Maybe someone could help me out.

NOT that this political stuff would matter to the Harperroids….

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

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Interesting little piece over at the MotherCorp about a mad dash to the department’s mailroom, a released and then “un”released report and similarities to Adscam.

In short, a ATIP request initiated by Canadian Press asked for the annual report on Public Works’ real estate portfolio, which contained data on such things as vacancy rates and returns on investment. These reports are never made public.

Initially, the Department OKed the release after the legal eagles said that there was no real reason to not release it.

The department’s real-estate branch had consented to the full release, and the Access to Information office at Public Works had determined after extensive consultation that there was no legal basis to withhold any of the report.

The file, though, was deemed “sensitive” — partly because it was a media request — and was sent to the Conservative minister’s office for review. The office initially gave the green light, but had a change of heart on the very day it was being mailed out.

Togneri insisted that only one small section of the report be released, despite the uniform view among Access to Information officials that the entire 137-page document could not be withheld under the legislation.

The copy was in the mail room when work from the Minister’s office was received that some minion had better get their sorry ass down there and get it back. I woulda hated to be that minion!

In the end, though, the department released only a heavily censored version just as Togneri had insisted — 82 days later than allowed under the law. The final release included just 30 pages.

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

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