Makes one sorta wonder why any polling is being done. Seems to be a waste of time.
Thanks to ThreeHundredEight for the graphic and the analysis. The hard work put into that site will pay off once we see some issues that provoke some real voting intention swings….
Looks like the congressional elections in the States this fall might prove to be interesting.
With the rise of the über-right-wing-nut Tea Party whack jobs, the GOP nominations are facing ideological splits, and this may harm them mightily at the polls.
It encourages me to see that there is still some sanity within the ranks of the Republicans.
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Question - Why doesn’t McDonald’s sell hotdogs? It seems like it would be a no-brainer.
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Here at home, Harpy seems to be trying to dare the Opposition into forcing an election through a non-confidence vote over the detainee documents issue.
While the robot was initially all “sure, whatever the Speaker has ruled is something we’ll live with”, he has now backpedalled…
Initially, Harper said he “looks forward to complying” with the ruling, adding that he’ll consider any reasonable suggestion that will give MP’s access to the documents while protecting national security.
But he later said that the government may prevent the release of all of the requested documents.
He also said that the other parties can have a vote of non-confidence on the matter, possibly sending Canadians to the polls.
No big surprise, though. The politics of cynicism is Harper’s specialty and if he senses a bullying and polarization opportunity, then he will go for the jugular. Don’t take the bait, dudes of the Opposition… it is exactly what the Harperites want!
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Question: If you had an envelope that someone told you contained the date of your death, would you open it?
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Bilingualism in Canada’s Public Service has long been a sticking point for unilingual folks. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to be bilingual to get a job in the PS, but you do have to learn your second language if you want to advance up the food chain.
The latest debate is about whether new Supreme Court Justices should be bilingual.
Bill C-232, a private-members bill, would require that any future Supreme Court justice “understands French and English without the assistance of an interpreter.” It passed the House of Commons last March, with the opposition MPs uniting against Conservative MPs, and is now being considered by the Senate.
As long as we have the English/French duality in this country, we will have debates like these. But as long as Canada is n officially bilingual country, we need to require those in charge of the ship of state to be capable of communicating in both of the founding languages.
Yet, like we can see with the language requirements in the PS, many very well-qualified people would be automatically excluded from the bench of the highest court in the land because they cannot conjugate an irregular French verb. And that to me is a pity. Only 7 per cent of Anglophones outside Quebec speak both official languages, and most of those live close to the Quebec border, meaning that if you are a highly qualified judge who is from somewhere west of the Ottawa valley, your chances of being a Supreme Court Justice are slim unless you are one of the rare ones who speaks both languages.
The fear in this matter is that there is always a danger that language will trump everything – including ability – and that while we may appoint a judge qui peut dire «il faut que je sois bilingue», they may not necessarily be the best person for the job. Me, while I do support the requirement that senior members of the PS and those who interact with the public on a daily basis need to have level of proficiency in both languages, I don’t think the argument that “a unilingual English judge has only limited access to the large body of legal commentary and scholarship written in French” is strong enough.
But that’s just me.
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Question: How do you handcuff a one-armed man?
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Finally, here’s hoping the Habs make a quick exit from the playoffs! If there is one thing more annoying than Sen fans, it’s a fan of les glorieux (moi, je préfere les pathetiques…)
I don’t get this. Why doesn’t Sheila Fraser push the issue?
Ten months ago, Auditor General Sheila Fraser formally asked two committees for permission to audit Parliament’s expenses, including the expenses of MPs and senators. She still hasn’t received a reply. Silence equals no.
Similar audits in Great Britain and Nova Scotia resulted in major scandals after revelations of major abuse.
In Ottawa, MPs and senators are determined to prevent anything like that from happening.
But I somehow think that it wouldn’t turn out good for me.
Yeah, I do realise that all of the parties are reluctant to release this information and this is abhorrent to say the least. BUT the Harperites have trumpeted transparency-this and accountability-that since they rode their horses into Ottawa. So where are they now? I mean, what a great way to prove to nay-says like me that they really are going to carry through with all of that talk!
However, we have been down this road before, haven’t we?
Remember the Harperites when they tried to destroy the credibility of:
Now which direction do you think Sheila Fraser’s departmental budget is going to dive toward?
LOOK OUT BELOOOOOWWWWW!!!!
But Fraser has already been warned by the PMO to play nicely. New directives from the PMO prohibit Sheila Fraser from to speaking directly to the public without vetting her comments through the PMO first. All communications must be approved by political staffers. Here in town, they are called MEPs (Message Event Proposals).
You can read about them here in The Hill Times.
In the meantime, will someone on the Hill stand up and say something about this cloak of secrecy?
Anybody?
Beuller?
…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???
I thought I would post a short note about why I keep going on about this whole proroguing shitstorm. I have received some comments, both here and on Facebook (from the Resident Love Goddess no less!) that I’m getting my knickers all in a twist about something that is constitutional and that the Grits had no compunctions about when they were in power.
“Another line of defence (for those who don’t think that prorogation is such a big deal) is that Mr. Harper isn’t the only proroguer. Liberal PM Jean Chrétien did it too, although none of his closings could match the desperation of Mr. Harper’s prorogation of December, 2008. So what’s the big deal? This is a common Conservative defence refrain. As in, the Liberal record on global warming was terrible too. So what’s the big deal? As in, the Liberals sent disproportionate amounts of stimulus monies to their own ridings too. So what’s the big deal?
One big deal is that we’re supposed to be making progress, moving down the field, not staying on the 30-yard line.
Another is that we have a Prime Minister who thinks he can get away with anything, but who may well find out otherwise.”
And based on the latest polling numbers, maybe Canadians are starting to call him out on this.
As a result of it’s government’s complete lack of global responsibility and environmental negligence, my country has been awarded the Colossal Fossil on the last day of the COP 15!
Woo-hoo! We’re Number 1!
“Thank you to the Alberta Tar Sands and the Alberta Government for this dishonour. As well, I’d like to thank the National Post, The Fraser Institute and the National Taxpayer’s Federation for helping to bring this about. But of course, my most sincere and deepest thanks go to Prime Minister Harper whose lack of leadership and vision on this file have led to the greatest international vilification that this country has ever known!”
COPENHAGEN — Canada was handed a “Colossal Fossil” award in Copenhagen on Friday, a scornful accolade meant to shame countries that a coalition of environmental groups believes are stalling on greenhouse gas emissions reductions and climate adaptation financing packages.
Canada has already won a number of Fossil of the Day awards, but Friday’s award made it the fossil leader for the entire Copenhagen climate change conference.
“This is the third year in a row that Canada has won,” said Victoria activist Maia Green, the co-ordinator of the Canadian Youth Delegation to Copenhagen. “They’ve been blocking progress, and been very obstructionist.”
The awards are judged by a coalition climate change organizations under the banner of Climate Action Network International, which counts a significant number of Canadian environmental organizations as members.
Canada has been targeted for what the group characterizes as weak emission-reduction targets, a 20 per cent reduction from 2006 levels by 2020. The group says leaked cabinet documents suggest the government is contemplating a cap-and-trade plan that would set special rules for certain industrial sectors, such as the oilsands. Canada has also not offered any concrete numbers when it comes to adaptation financing for poor countries in the short or long term “beyond vague platitudes,” said a released from the climate group.
As Alberta Environment Minister Rob Renner prepared to leave Copenhagen on Friday, he didn’t make much of the title, saying the Canadian government has set realistic climate change timelines and objectives.
“It’s pretty predictable,” Renner said of Canada being named the Colossal Fossil.
O Canada!
Interesting to see all of the bluster that, just a little while back, was being puffed out of NDP mouths everywhere has now faded to mere indifference. The rhetoric has gone from “we’re gonna drive the CPC back into the caves from which they emerged!”
to:
“meh”.
Jack, a few months ago (June 22): (1)
‘Anybody who’s holding their breath and thinking that’s going to change should think twice,’ NDP Leader says
NDP Leader Jack Layton says his party will not prop up the Conservative government if the Liberals move a motion of no-confidence in the fall.
“Our party has opposed the direction of Stephen Harper 79 times in confidence motions so anybody who’s holding their breath and thinking that’s going to change should think twice,” Mr. Layton told a press conference on Monday morning.
“I think that everybody involved would want to see us co-operate in the House of Commons and get some results for people — especially those that are struggling right now: the unemployed and people being left behind,” Mr. Layton said as he inched away from reporters at an archway opening in Toronto.
“So that’s going to remain our preoccupation.”
Personally, I don’t mind if Jack props up Stevie for a while since I am not convinced that this is the best time to defeat the ReformCons (plus it will give many a good belly-laugh). Yes, Iggy had not choice but to throw down the proverbial gauntlet, but realistically the best the Grits can hope for, IMO, is a slim Grit minority. They still need more time to re-build the Grit brans and more specifically, the leader’s brand.
But hey, I don’t get paid for these opinions, so I can say what I like, eh?
So why has the NDP cooled their jets? Likely resources – or a lack thereof. The Dippers would dearly like a few more months to build up their war chest and get their issues into the faces of Canadians. The Grits and the Harperites have grabbed the “helping out the downtrodden and unemployed” banner in recent weeks and Layton and his team will have to work hard to get it back.
And that will take some time.
1. Original article was in the G&M but is now archived and only accessible on a fee-for-service basis.
…if they really think that we allow our health care system to pull the plug on Grandma if her care becomes too expensive.
OK, I’m getting real sick, real fast of all of this crap going down in the U.S. about health care. Henry Champ has penned a good “lay of the land” piece on the cbc.ca website today. Called “Decorum takes a holiday in the health-care debate”, Mr. Champ outlines some of the misinterpretations and outright lies being tossed around by the right wing-nut sector in America. Busing in and stacking so-called “Town Hall” meetings, the anti sane-and-equitable-health-care-system dimwits are holding Canada’s system up as something that falls somewhere between socilised death camps and an Orwellian bureaucracy. Which is totally farcical and frankly, an insult to me as a Canuck.
As I have pointed out before, our system is by no means perfect and can stand to be reviewed with a critical eye. Wait times are too long – especially outside the major centres. There are other issues that are broken and need to be fixed. But overall, I have been fairly happy with what we have and I say this having three kids – all of whom have needed medical of one type or another – as well as my own experiences. In fact, I can think of only one instance involving my family where I feel the care was inadequate.
Not a bad average.
So, for my American readers, and I know there are a few, I humbly submit the following list of facts about our health care system. This is not propaganda. I am not paid by anyone to do this. I simply want to, in my own very minor way, correct some of the falsehoods that are circulating.
1) Grandma will NOT be unplugged by “the system”. Only the family can do this. And the family will not do this for want of money to pay medical bills. It is utterly ridiculous that this is being bantered about.
2) Medical bills. We don’t get them. Usually. There are some services that one does have to pay for depending on what part of the country you are in and the policies of your own doctor’s practice. Sick notes, for example, as well as some inoculations, cosmetic procedures, etc., are not covered. Here is a link to a medical office here in Ottawa which lists which services are for a fee. All other services are covered by the plan.
3) Access to care. Yes, there is a shortage of family physicians and specialists. No doubt. I know folks who have looked all over for a family doctor who is accepting patients but to no avail. BUT, this does not mean that they do not have access to care. There are many, many walk-in clinics who take anyone with a health card. The waiting room time varies, but if you are going in for a minor ailment, time your visit accordingly and it usually takes very little time to see a physician. And of course there is always Emerg… but don’t go unless neccesary. It is very expensive, can take a while to see someone and really, that ingrown toenail can’t be tended to by your family physician or at a clinic? However, the triage at the ER will NOT turn someone away.
For specialists, the problem is more acute. Though I have had no problem whatsoever in getting access to a specialist for one of my kids who had infected lymph nodes. We saw a pediatric surgeon the day after our family doc referred us. A pediatric ENT specialist and an infectious diseases doctor soon followed – again with a very short wait. Of course we in Ottawa are very fortunate to have one of the world’s foremost children’s hospitals.
4) There are some patients who are treated in the corridors due to lack of space. Yes, due to a woeful lack of funding in some hospitals, this is sometimes the case. But from my own experiences (a physician would be more qualified to comment on this) this is the exception and not the rule. I have been hospitalised twice in my life, had a few day-surgeries and two my kids have all had stays and never were left in the halls and nor did I see anyone in the corridors. Four different hospitals in 4 different parts of Ontario. Maybe it is worse on other provinces.
Our system has some warts and flaws. It is expensive but on a per cpaita basis, I believe it is cheaper than Medicare in the U.S. – though I’d have to verify that. Yet at what price care? Isn’t a sign of an advanced society the willingness to look after the health of its citizenry; ALL of them? Does Canada need to reform its system? Of course. We need some ilk of a two-tier system where all of the population is guaranteed basic care – NO ONE should evr be turned away due to ability to pay. But we should consider the options.
Is our medical delivery system completely broken? No way. Just a little rusty. And I hope (naively) that the morons to the south who are buying the script depicting our system as a dreadfully inefficient, anachronistic, unconstitutional waste of dollars would do a little research and learn that it really isn’t that bad.
Canada’s health care system has been under a barrage of attacks both in the blogosphere and in the MSM lately – not to mention the mass idiocy that is taking place at those so-called “Town Hall Meetings”. What a crock. Here’s an excerpt:
In one particularly heated exchange, Craig Anthony Miller, 59, stood inches from Mr Specter’s face screaming at him and waving a copy of the US Constitution.
“You are trampling our Constitution,” Mr Miller yelled while police officers hovered nervously around him. “One day, God is going to stand before you, and He is going to judge you and the rest of your damn cronies [in the Congress], and then you will get your just deserts,” he ranted to loud applause before storming out of the room.
Seriously. How do these morons summon up the brain capacity to breathe and talk at the same time?
These attacks have been well-coordinated and organized by the usual right-wing nut groups whose alleged motivation is the preservation of good health care and free enterprise but whose real impetus is the protection of their own collective ass.
I haven’t said much about this whole health care thing – and I have been saving a sort of “omnibus” entry about our system for a later date. Yet, what I do see at the moment is a perfect chance for Iggy and Grits to define themselves as the defenders of the faith – if you will.
What a great issue to latch on to and gain exposure from!
What a high profile and attack-ad proof way to define the leader’s persona and purpose than to vigorously defend an institution that most Canadians identify as being a hallmark of our society!
Yes, most of us realize that it has its blemishes and warts and I don’t differ from this view. It is indeed a system that is in need of a new focus and new thinking. But that being said, it is a fair and modern system of which we should be conditionally proud. And from coast to coast, I would guess that this would be the consensus opinion.
But will Ignatieff step up to the plate? The Harperites are, of course, silent on this. They know that by defending a system that their core supporters (the religious right and the ultra right wingnuts) view with suspicion, they are opening themselves up to internal dissent. And we all know that the ReformCons go tut-tut at any type of dissent.
How about it Grits? Here is a tailor-made, made-in-Canada, attack-ad-proof issue for you to grab and run with? Are you going to take it?
Some bald guy from the nation's capital.
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Zee plane Mr Roarke, Zee plane!
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