Forget Tuition Fees: If Anything Calls For A Riot, It's Harper's Stealth Government
Forget Tuition Fees: If Anything Calls For A Riot It's Harper's Stealth Government - by Richard Poplak
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/forget-tuition-fees-if-anyt...
"...We find ourselves at the cusp of one of those moments in history books (not that there are many history books in the countries where bills like C-38 are routinely passed): Prime Minister Haper and his legions are trying to shove an omnibus bill, disguised as a budget, down the throats of sleepy Canadians.
Yet the Official Opposition has yet to muster anything meaningful on C-38: The NDP has held a series of meetings; attendees included some party members, an activist, and a guy looking for a free veggie platter.
By not making this the issue of our generation, by not linking this with other efforts calling for democratic instituions and by not understanding that this trend is not just local but global - Canadians are just rolling over and playing dead..."
DON'T forget tuition fees OR C-38! Make the links. The NDP WON'T Stop either...
"Canadians are just rolling over and playing dead.."
The NDP have been busy with this in the House, including moving a motion - which they lost. A lot of debate on the subject.
that may be but it's a profoundly anti-democratic deadly Bill and it's not been stopped and as we saw with the provincial NDP cave-in on the Ontario budget - it's us poor that will have to live with it. To the pols it's just politricks - their big fat paycheques, pensions and cave-ins will continue as the rest of us suck up their messes. But never fear, all will become clear - who are friends, enemies or collaborators.
May 3rd, 2012
Mr. Dennis Bevington (Western Arctic, NDP):
Mr. Speaker, there are many things about Bill C-38 that I could speak about, such as the total rewriting of Canada's environmental protection law, repealing the Fair Wages and Hours of Labour Act, raising the age of retirement to 67, the elimination of the National Council of Welfare, the elimination of employment equity for federal contractors, weakening the Auditor General, having cabinet-approved pipelines rather than the arm's length National Energy Board and the gutting of the regional employment insurance appeal process. However, as the only member of the opposition from the three northern territories, I will speak about how the bill would change the three acts that could be considered the constitutions of the three territories without having consulted the people of the north.
Clauses 214, 215 and 216 of Bill C-38 would amend the Northwest Territories Act, the Yukon Act and the Nunavut Act. They would amend these acts to give the federal cabinet the ability to make more regulations governing the fiscal capacity of the three territories. Instead of moving toward the Conservatives' promise of improving and devolving northern governance, which is the fourth pillar of the Prime Minister's much-promoted northern strategy, these amendments would actually increase the amount of control Ottawa would exercise over the three territories. There is no provision to ensure that the three territorial governments would have any input or that there would be any measure of consultation or approval over the nature of these regulations or any changes made to them by future federal cabinets. This is hardly responsible government for the territories.
All of us who use the Westminster system of democracy know the key to responsible government is having control over fiscal matters. These amendments completely make a mockery of any statements from the Conservatives that they believe in consulting with and building a better north.
In the past Parliament, I tried to lessen the intrusiveness of the federal government over the people of the north. Over and over, I spoke to northern leaders and my constituents and then presented a bill that would give more certainty and control in the Northwest Territories over their fiscal capacity. It was to be achieved through actual legislation.
Speaking to my bill at committee, Mr. Chris Forbes, the assistant deputy minister, Federal-Provincial Relations and Social Policy Branch, Department of Finance, described how the borrowing limit provisions were a holdover from when the only institution the territories could borrow from was the Government of Canada. Since 1983, the territories have been able to borrow on the open market. Colonial at the start and colonial it continues under the Conservatives.
My bill was well supported across the Northwest Territories.
If the Conservatives had consulted with the people in the north, they would have heard that what northerners wanted was this federal control over borrowing removed. So far we have not been any consultations on these amendments, unless they have been done in secret. They exclude Canadians because they do not care what Canadians have to say about many of these aspects.
The Prime Minister has made a point of stressing the growth of governance in the territories. If that is what he wants, then the Conservatives should have done the right thing in amending these three acts, and that is to take the federal government and the federal Department of Finance completely out of the process.
Where are the members for Yukon and Nunavut on these changes? Do they support increased control over the territories by Ottawa? Is it okay with them that the legislative assemblies of the territories lose autonomy with these changes? Why the silence?
The people of the north have proven they can govern themselves. They have proven they are capable managers of money. Moody's Investment Services has given the Northwest Territories an Aa1 rating. This rating is second highest and places the NWT in line for credit risk with most of the provinces.
Moody's rating takes into account recent developments related to the Deh Cho Bridge project.
The credit opinion notes that Moody's:
"...had already included the Deh Cho Bridge liability in our calculations of the NWT's net direct and indirect debt, reflecting the government's debt-like obligation to make periodic availability payments. As such, formal assumption of the related debt is not expected to alter the NWT's credit profile in a material way."
According to Moody's, the rating reflects:
"....prudent fiscal policies that have, over the past several years, limited debt accumulation. A well-developed fiscal framework (including a Fiscal Responsibility Policy which guides the NWT's fiscal policies and use of debt) should help to ensure that the debt burden remains low and affordable."
The NWT's fiscal responsibility policy mandates how the NWT may borrow. The policy guides the GNWT fiscal policy and use of debt and includes guidelines respecting the types of activities for which debt can be issued, as well as limits on total debt and debt servicing costs to ensure affordability. A borrowing plan is required to detail options and preferred choices for funding the short-term and long-term borrowing requirements of the government at minimum cost.
Our territory is responsible. It is acting in a manner which many other provinces should emulate.
However, these amendments do not treat the territories as responsible. Instead, they treat them in a paternalistic, uncaring fashion, without any concern what northerners think about changing their constitutions.
The people of the north have the same political rights as Canadians who live in the provinces. History has given us a designation as territories rather than provinces, but regardless what we are called, changes to our laws in Parliament should make northerners more equal to other Canadians instead of less.
All three territories are anticipated to be the great growth area of our great country. Northerners say "Respect us, treat us as equals, don't make us come cap in hand to Ottawa to be treated in a manner that other Canadians take for granted".
The Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees all Canadians a right to a legislative assembly. It guarantees all Canadians that rights are held equally and that Canadians are treated equally by laws. These amendments do not move our legislative assemblies closer to equality with the provincial legislatures. These amendments actually move the northern legislatures further from equality.
Through a long and arduous process and negotiations on this issue over three years, my government was never told that the Minister of Finance would create these new powers for the federal cabinet.
Is the Conservative government so insensitive that it thinks it can now operate by decree?
A process that started as government-to-government negotiations has ended up as laws from master to vassal. Shame on this process that is blind to the desire of all northerners for equality, for respect and for their own political rights in our great country.
Federal Budget 2012: CARP members supporting NDP, not Tories
excerpt:
OTTAWA-CARP, the national seniors group, says for the first time in four years its members are expressing more support for the federal New Democrats than Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservatives.
An internal poll of 2,600 CARP members found support for the NDP has risen to 39 per cent, substantially above 31 per cent support for the Conservatives. The Liberals trailed at 25 per cent, CARP said.
Craig Scott Speaks Against Omnibus Budget Implementation
I think most NDP MPs have had their say on this omnibus bill. Harper/Flaherty have a majority, and are determined to push it through - but it's not over yet. Personally, I'd like to see a General Strike over this.
Whatever it takes...
If Poplak thinks bill C-38 is the first time an old line party government has tried to pull the wool over Canadians eyes, he's mistaken. Transparency and accountability to the public in Ottawa? HA! Where has he been hiding? What's taken him this long to get in lather about Ottawa's lack of transparency and accountability to the public? Wake from your slumber, Mr Poplak.
If Poplak wants information dispersal, he's going to have to elect a totally different party to federal government than either wing of the exact same property party in power and sharing power in Ottawa for twice as long as the Soviets ruled the former USSR.
Poplak, princess, it's time to realize that the movie 'Canada' was filmed and released some time ago, and you're just another hapless character in this long-running horror show.
I think it should go without saying that a government that cheated and is associated with mass election fraud and criminally elected doesn't have the right to pass any bills whatsoever and that when it comes to pass and they are actually stripped of party status or tossed out on their criminal asses that all the legislation they created should be if not automatically rolled back and nullified just like the election they think they stole and got away with.
That's what people should rioting over ...the fact that the government isn't legitimate in the first place.
Could be the NDP are playing it safe ..quite content to wait for the next election and point out all these things, because if they dare lift a hand they know the national biased conservative media will turn against them ..actually you can count on that.....it's actually happening right now with the NDP showing number 1 in the polls.
The NDP encouraging a massive overthrow would be playing into the crooked little neocons hands..oh they would love that..so any rioting etc would have to be done or organized at a grassroots level and even overwhelm them....Besides Western Canada is sitting real pretty basking in their oil richs and they aren't about to stir the pot in any way, shape or fashion.
So while the media tries to paint Mulcair as a divider maybe they should look at the fact that Harper has already divided and conquered...
New http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zky2bn0Gtyg New
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-QvXax88J8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0eQgUpkJ1Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ns8LD5Q8ecc