» Opinion

Letter to the Editor – Elaine MacDonald On Harper Canada Pension Jacking – February 1, 2012

admin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:44:52 +0000

To the Editor, re Threats to Old Age Security

The Harper government is crying poor on pensions for seniors while it lavishes 13 billion in tax cuts for big corporations that don’t need the money. What’s wrong with this picture? They can’t afford to staff the EI phone lines so workers can access benefits for which they’ve paid, they can’t afford to maintain meat inspection levels that were instituted after the listeriosis outbreak, they can’t afford the non-taxation of veterans’ disability benefit, they can’t afford to let the ecoENERGY Retrofit program run its course till March, even though less than half of the budgeted funds have been allocated, and they can’t even think about a national childcare, homecare or pharmacare program.

But on January 1, 2012, the corporate tax rate was cut to 15%, right on schedule. It’s hard for a government to cry poor when they are shovelling money out the back door. It’s high time tax expenditures were reviewed like all other program spending. The conservative government of Canada is using the Eurozone crisis as an excuse to inaugurate a spiral of diminishing support for and investment in the programs that people count on. Canadians understand the need to economize and manage shared resources, but a tax cut program that is depleting the common treasury just looks like a cynical and opportunistic attempt to minimize government and shrink public services.

Harper’s plan for the OAS is a way to download cost and responsibility to lower levels of government which will have to pay out more to support seniors who are forced into poverty. Old Age Security and the Guaranteed Income Supplement are inadequate now. The right way to deal with a looming retirement income crisis is to expand the Canada Pension Plan now to raise incomes for seniors in the future. Income supports for seniors need development, not diminishment.

Elaine MacDonald, president, Cornwall & District Labour Council

(Comments and opinions of Editorials, Letters to the Editor, and comments from readers are purely their own and don’t necessarily reflect those of the owners of this site, their staff, or sponsors.)

Share on Facebook

The City of Cornwall Chokes Voices on Its Facebook Page – Deletions; Censorship – Is this Really 2012?

admin — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 02:53:36 +0000

Bob "Vienna Sausage" Peters - Economic Development - Cornwall Ontario

CFN – Cornwall Ontario fascinates me. It’s part Twin Peaks; part Peyton Place, and full bore Cornwall. Since founding the Cornwall Free News nearly three years ago the person I have dealt with the most has been Mr. Bob “Vienna Sausage” Peters with the Economic ~~destruction~~ Development department.

Mr. Peters was the author of the report to council; voted in 6-3, that essentially has started the City on a slippery slope; on how it’s perceived by the public online.

At first it was Online Anonymity that was the issue; but deep down it’s more about being highly thin skinned; like say a possum…

Mr. Peters wrote the following in his report which was signed off by his boss; Cornwall Ontario’s Million Dollar Man, CAO Paul Fitzpatrick.

A review of local news websites show that only two allow anonymous posts: the Standard-Freeholderand the Cornwall Free News. Both sites have some moderation of comments, but a review of activity over the past several months have led staff to concur with the generalized assessment of the practice by the American Journalism Review: “Comment sections are often packed with profanity, and vicious personal attacks.”

We contacted the mayor; council, and of course Mr. Fitzpatrick and told them straight out. You can’t repeat lies about a local business; especially if you aren’t going to allow us to speak before council to repudiate them.

See Syd Cuss & Swear

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CTb9UCI5KE

This was not only refused, but of course resulted in being commented on at council; picked up by the CBC and other media. As you can imagine as we have always been moderated, and extremely RARELY as opposed to OFTEN have any profanity or vicious personal attacks on CFN this was shocking.

But the City’s new online position posed another very interesting question. What about their Facebook page? It had zero pre-moderation and as any facebook user can tell you there is quite a bit of profanity and attacks.

It also resulted in Mr. Peters and his sidekick Kevin Lajoie spending countless city hours at the taxpayer’s expense moderating the facebook page; which at the end is a city tool and therefore falls under usage similar to how City Hall would be.

See “some” of the elected officials and city management aren’t perfect either like the rest of us. Some of them have funny notions as Councilor Grant had in the video below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6FIdNl7vB4

Cronyism and Bullying are not rarities to how business is done down at City Hall in Cornwall; nor unique in the world. Here is Councilor Carr responding to a polite media question from yours truly on the mural covering the empty pit on the Corner of Pitt & Second that Heart of the City spent a minimum of $12,000 on and that the owners of the land didn’t have to pay a penny for.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fm9QhKWv55k

Today Kevin Lajoie posted that the city has decided to not allow users to post subjects any further. He and Mr. Peters had been deleting comments, posts, and even quotes in the name of their terms of service which of course had nothing to do with Facebook’s terms of service.

One local lawyer last week stated that it was a gross charter of Canada violation for Messer’s Peters and Lajoie to behave in this manner in such a heavy handed manner. Some people’s posts would be removed and some not for the same alleged infraction.

One long thread attacking this scribbler was allowed for days. It was all frankly; embarrassing for the City of Cornwall and we residents and business people.

What the City now has is a Facebook page where they only can post something and they pick and choose which comments to allow.

Those actions of gross censorship and manipulation of information to the public so outraged a portion of their Facebook users that a new page was created, and has had over 700 people join in less than 10 hours as of this printing.

It is now the fourth spin off page as the public reacts strongly condemning Mr. Peters actions.

You can find that group by following this LINK to Facebook. .

Here are some quotes remaining on the City’s Facebook page (many have been deleted as the city has now added two more admins)

JpVee Desaulniers I agree whether comments were rude or not the original post wasnt and as fire attacking moon she simply started she was disgusted and wouldn’t be back as a resident of Cornwall these are the types of things as well as events that I personally would like to know I urge someone to create a new group too in which the truth can be spoken about Cornwall good bad and ugly without having to ask someone if its ok to post the truth

Chris Mellon thanks Corey Roachi requested to join this group was BS to begin with! this group is nothing but fake they wanna post all the positive but what about the negative that they fail to tell us about this town????? The admins are trying to portray this city as though nothing ever goes wrong, nothing is bad here when in fact there is alot of stuff needing to be fixed here! Like our medical care that ive seen NUMEROUS people post about but all post get deleted! It almost seems as though they are trying to hide something!

Cory N Ashly I think the city is AWESOME, I think the ppl trying to “run” it are in over their heads! HAVE FUN withh this! I know the media will!!

Steph Beaudette ok i understand what your saying Paul, but what about the people who are wanting to move their families here and want to know everything they can about Cornwall? Are we gunna give them false views that Cornwall is the perfect place in the world where nothing ever goes wrong? I love Cornwall personally but there is a lot of issues here that need to be resolved! Just like every other city!

David Jans Not able to post anymore? Depending on your own view of the purpose of this group, it’s value can vary quite a bit but for me and probably hundreds, if not thousands of members, this group just lost pretty much all of it’s value.

Kevin Coleman Its Censorship and everyone should be entitled to oppinions. Cornwall is famous fo an elite group controlling everything. for example

Ryan Lalonde When u put a lock on the group like this it looses way to much, when people cant post and find help for employment and many other topics i know when i posted for employment it was a big help , oh well just another thing that Cornwall should really review there policy’s on.

The internet really frightens a lot of people. I guess in some ways it should as the flow of information can be lightning fast and ripe for opportunities for inaccuracies to be spread like wildfire. With the median age of the mayor, Council, and the CAO hovering near where Mr. Harper wants to move retirement age for Canadians it’s understandable; especially when some of them don’t know how to turn on their computer, never mind understand the intricacies of Social networking.

It should be interesting to see whether people on City Council and management have the integrity to right their wrongs or simply make things worse?

The founders of the new Cornwall Ontario Facebook page posted that they hope to eclipse the city’s page shortly. It should say something about social networking and the internet itself if they are successful.

What do you think amazingly valued viewers of The Cornwall Free News? You can post your comments below.

Share on Facebook

Earth Matters by Jacqueline Milner – the 411 on CFL’s (Compact Fluorescent Bulbs)

admin — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:18:29 +0000

CFN- One of our Earth Matters’ followers sent a note asking if we could supply information about light bulbs as he wasn’t convinced that switching from Incandescent Light Bulbs to Compact Fluorescent Bulbs (CFL’s) was the best choice for his pocket book or the environment. In writing this article we at Earth Matters hope to provide information which will help you in formulating a clear course of action based on your needs and wants.Firstly, the life span of a CFL is on average ten times that of an incandescent bulb. Now the CFL’s average about four times the cost of an incandescent bulb however considering the proposed length of service the higher cost of the bulb is definitely offset assuming all other things such energy consumption are equal.

CFL’s consume considerable less power which produces huge savings for your wallet and translates into a lighter carbon footprint in producing the product.

According to www.ajdesigner.com using a compact fluorescent bulb can save about $42.00 in total costs over the lifetime of the bulb and reduce greenhouse gas produced by power plants by about 690 pounds of carbon dioxide. According to the U.S. Energy Star program the CFL will pay for itself in about six months time.

Each CFL contains a small amount of toxic mercury. Absorbing or inhaling mercury has been attributed to causing brain damage in adults and children. Breaking a CFL in your home or disposing of your used CFL’s in the garbage unleashes poison into your environment. The following link gives clean-up instructions should a CFL be broken in your home. http://www.epa.gov/cfl/cflcleanup-detailed.html

All burnt out bulbs can be disposed of in your hazardous waste recycling days in your community or may be returned to your local Hardware store who will (if they offer the service, check before taking) look after disposing of this products safely. I phoned two of our local Hardware Stores, Canadian Tire and Rona; both offered safe, FREE disposal of CFL’s. Inquire in your community. Many vendors of CFL’s offer disposal of CFL’s for the benefit of their clients and community. Please do take advantage of this service for the benefit of our living planet.

Now one might think that an incandescent bulb offers a better alternative because it does not contain this toxic mercury however further investigation proves otherwise. While the incandescent bulb does not contain mercury it does have a higher overall mercury footprint when compared to the CFL. This is due to the additional energy required to use the bulb over the same time frame.

This energy is often supplied by coal-fired power plants which are our number one source of mercury pollution according to www.mnn.com Consider that the exposure to mercury from a CFL will take place only if the glass that contains the mercury breaks. So your potential for risk is determined by the amount of times that you have every broken a light bulb.Some words for thought. According to www.earthfriends.com only 5% of consumers use CFL bulbs. Surprising given the bulb is widely available. According to Energy Star, as noted on the Earth Friends site, “The United States could eliminate greenhouse gas emissions equal to 800,000 cars if each household in the country replace just one incandescent bulb with a CFL bulb.”

According to www.mnn.com using CFL’s are one of the easiest ways to shrink your electricity bill and help the environment.

Earth Matters encourages and always welcomes your commentary below or to earthmatters@cornwallfreenews.com

Share on Facebook

View From the Hill by Keith Beardsley – They’re Back! MP’s return to Parliament Hill – January 30, 2012

admin — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:45:53 +0000

CFN – With the House of Commons returning today we can expect a raucous session. Already the battle lines are forming as the opposition party’s line up to take shots at the Prime Minister over pension reform. Not since 1985 when Brian Mulroney stated that he would de-index Old Age Security (OAS) have we seen such a feeding frenzy around pension issues.

The Prime Minister’s office is in full damage control mode with talk points that insist there are no immediate plans to make changes and they are pushing back on media reports that the government plans to extend the age from 65-67 (before you can receive the benefit), insisting that no final decision has been made. They even had the Parliamentary Secretary to the Finance Minister on TV discussing the issue and the Minister of State for Finance Ted Menzies was also giving interviews. All of this point to the fact that they see the potential damage this can do to Conservative prospects down the road.

With so many baby boomers near retirement age (myself included), this issue strikes close to home for many of us facing imminent retirement. Many of these baby boomers live in those hard fought for suburban ridings that the Conservatives needed to win to obtain their majority. There are political consequences for this government if they cannot turn this story around to their advantage.

This issue is a gift for the opposition and tailor-made for Question Period. The issue of extending the age from 65 to 67 is the figure that is out there. With the House recessed there was only limited opportunity for the government to shut down this line of attack. This story and those figures percolated along over the weekend, you still see it mentioned in numerous stories, it already has legs and the opposition attack will most likely focus on that point.

Whether or not that number is accurate and whether or not the Conservatives intended to act quickly on OAS will be buried in the opposition attack. The task facing both the Liberals and the NDP will be to convince the public that the Conservatives really do intend to change the OAS to the detriment of all of those retiring baby boomers. With all of us watching what has been happening to pensions in Europe as governments there fight their fiscal problems, it is not a stretch to think that quite a few Canadians will believe the opposition attacks.

The Conservative platform in the last election did address pension issues, but said nothing about making changes to the OAS. How long do you think it will take for the Liberals to resurrect their old attack points from the 2004, 2005-2006 elections and bring up the well-worn phrase “hidden agenda”?

Adding additional fuel to the fire in Question Period will be Immigration Minister Jason Kenney’s comments on revamping the immigration process. His comments will be unsettling news to many of the multicultural communities who supported the Conservatives in the last election. Combine that with the pension issue and the opposition parties will see a golden opportunity to snatch back voters that moved to the Conservatives. For the NDP it will be an opportunity to entrench their hold on Official Opposition status; for the Liberals it will provide a chance to resurrect their brand, especially in vote rich Ontario.

With so much at stake, these two issues combined with pre-budget maneuvering will guarantee that this session will be loud, noisy and full of over the top rhetoric as the three parties use Question Period to fight for the minds and future votes of Canadians.

Keith Beardsley is a senior strategist for True North Public Affairs in Ottawa, as well as a blogger and political analyst. He can often be found running or cycling on his favorite bike trails.

Share on Facebook

Cracks Appearing in Government’s Northern Gateway Pipeline Proposal by Richard Komorowski – Jan 30, 2012

admin — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:12:41 +0000

CFN – With the Harper Government now proceeding at full throttle to push through the Northern Gateway oil pipeline to supply China, an unexpected crack has appeared within the governing party’s ranks. Calgary West Ultra-Right Conservative MP Rob Anders is publicly questioning the proposal to sell Canadian “Ethical Oil” resources to non-ethical Communist China, despite Ezra Levant’s invention of the ethical oil mantra becoming official government policy.

Earlier this month Sun News Network reported Anders as speaking out against the Chinese takeover of the MacKay River Tar Sands project. Anders condemned the sale of project to China, whom he describes as “the world’s worst human rights abuser.” However, in keeping with government policy, he still considers Tar Sands oil as “ethical”, but describes the Chinese as being an “unethical client.”

Anders, a staunch anti-Communist, vetoed an all-party resolution in the House of Commons to grant Nelson Mandela Honorary Canadian Citizenship, claiming that the South African leader was a Communist and terrorist. He has claimed that the Chinese Government has tried to set up “unattractive male Conservative MPs with hookers”, and has compared the 2010 Beijing Olympics to the 1936 Berlin Olympics. However, despite his anti-Communist, pro-human rights feelings, Anders stopped short of condemning the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline, which will export unrefined Tar Sands bitumen crude to China.

In 1994, Anders worked for Far Right Oklahoma Senator Jim Inhofe as a professional heckler(!) and was labelled a “foreign political saboteur” by CNN. Inhofe is a prominent science denier, who benefits from major campaign contributions from the oil and gas industry, and the electric utilities.

Tar Sands Crude Vital for Chinese Economy

The Chinese, as part of their shopping list for worldwide natural resources and energy sources to fuel their economy, recently closed a deal with the Athabasca Oil Sands Corporation. The MacKay River plant currently produces 35,000 bbl of crude bitumen per day, but this is scheduled to increase to 150,000 bbl per day in a four-phase expansion project. As part of the same deal, PetroChina will also be taking over Dover Oil Corporation’s Tar Sands operations at the end of 2012, which will bring the total production under Chinese control to approximately 400,000 bbl per day when the MacKay River expansion reaches completion.

The pipeline, from the Alberta Tar Sands, will cross the Rocky Mountains and Northern BC to a proposed super tanker facility at Kitimat, BC. The pipeline has provoked major criticism from Canadians and people worldwide because of its potential for ecological damage to the area through which it will pass, that it is “dirty oil” insofar has it has an even greater global warming impact than regular crude oil, and for the long-term economic damage it will do to Canada.

Given that the pipeline will have a maximum capacity of 525,000 bbl/day, it will easily be able to transport the entire Chinese portion of total Tar Sands production to China. This will give the Chinese economy a major boost compared to the West – as the Chinese government will take all the profits from the MacKay River and Dover projects, they are, in effect, buying the oil for the cost of production, and not the much higher world price, giving them a major competitive advantage. However, what is not well known is that the Northern Gateway pipeline will be two parallel lines – one transporting the bitumen to Kitimat, the second (with a capacity of 325,000 bbl/day) carrying light natural gas condensates from the coast to the Tar Sands.

Normal Tar Sands bitumen cannot be pumped through a pipeline as it is simply too thick. To make it economically transportable, it must either be upgraded into a lighter, less viscous synthetic crude, which would require refining facilities in Alberta, or it must be thinned out with a much lighter hydrocarbon fluid (a diluent) – hence the second pipeline.

The light natural gas condensates will be imported from Mexico or OPEC sources, and would therefore not fit under Levant’s category of “ethical oil.” Although the Chinese will be paying for the product out of their profits, it further undermines the Canadian economy – profits are reduced, and therefore the already low taxation revenue from PetroChina will also be correspondingly reduced. In addition, the cost of the diluent will reflect in Canada’s overall balance of trade – the difference in the value of what the country sells abroad, compared to what it imports. The pipeline scheme will do nothing to reduce the influence of “non-ethical” OPEC countries on the world’s energy markets.

Stephen Harper announced to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that he will make it a “national priority” to export our “energy products” (i.e. Tar Sands Bitumen) to China, and make sure there are no regulatory delays. The Northern Gateway Pipeline is now official government policy regardless of the environmental, economic or human rights consequences.

Anders May Face Consequences for Criticising Government Policy

Since taking power as a minority government in 2006, the Harper Government had strictly enforced what its senior civil servants, diplomats and MPs can say to the media. Any of these people, whether the High Commissioner to Great Britain on a speaking engagement, or a lobby-fodder back bencher at a constituency barbecue, needs to file a “Message Event Proposal” (sometimes known as a Media Event Proposal), or “MEP” through the Privy Council Office, and ultimately the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). Without an approved MEP, the person is forbidden to speak. The purpose is to ensure that whoever is speaking toes the line and only promotes official Conservative Government policy.For MP Anders to have made such a statement regarding exporting Tar Sands oil to China marks a clear rebellion against government policy, as no MEP criticising any aspect of the Alberta Tar Sands would have been approved by the PMO. Ezra Levant, author of “Ethical Oil” and the Harper Government’s Tar Sands policy considers that the Chinese will start behaving “ethically” now that they are doing business in Alberta. So far he has published no reaction to the criticism from his long-time friend Anders.

Share on Facebook

Notes from Abroad – Tabatha Pilon on COLD & Snow from Denmark! January 29, 2012

admin — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:59:58 +0000

CFN – One of the most common things that I get asked about Canada, is the weather. It actually surprises me how many people don’t actually know anything about Canada, and so, when someone asks me “do you get much snow?” I always have to laugh! For, it is Canada’s stereotype to be known for having so much snow! So when I tell them that I’m used to having about knee to waist deep snow in the front yard, which isn’t counting the mountain that usually comes from the shoveling of the drive way, they tend to look at me like I’m crazy!

.
As I update my classmates daily on the current weather in Cornwall, they continuously ask me how it is possible to survive in such treacherous climates when they’re all freezing when it has barely even chartered into the negatives yet! And as today is upon us, my classmates now have a new thing to complain about: snow. I don’t know how long I should expect it to last, but as of this morning, sticky fluffs of white powder have been falling ever so gently from the sky, filling the ground and buildings and people into white blobs.

Running out of my first class, I threw my hands into the air and spun around in circles as I let the flakes swirl down around me as my friends—and strangers— looked on in bewilderment. “It’s SNOWING!” I screamed, “I’m so HAPPY!” as I ran around letting the snow hit my skin and collecting it from the benches and tables to form it into a ball. Had there been a lot more snow at the time, I’m sure I could have started a massive snowball fight…or maybe that’s just something that Canadians enjoy too much…the Danes don’t particularly enjoy the cold!

As I ran around in merriment and caught snowflakes on my tongue and occasionally yelling, “IT’S SNOWING!” to my friends, they just shared a look that classified me as a crazy person, but I don’t mind in the slightest! Now that the snow is FINALLY arriving, I can finally feel like it is January! Or, even just winter for that matter!

As everyone is cold and wishing for the winter to be over with in Canada, this Canadian is wishing it would get a lot colder and a lot more snowier!

Tabatha Pilon is a 17 year old student from Cornwall Ontario spending a year in Denmark. She will be writing to us each week or as her “gymnasium” schedule allows. If you have questions for her or would like to sponsor her column email us at info@cornwallfreenews.com

Share on Facebook

Shafia Family Convicted of Four Counts of First Degree Murder – Editorial by Jamie Gilcig – January 29, 2012

admin — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 22:03:29 +0000

CFN – Today a Canadian Jury and Judge have taken a stand that many will applaud.

Zainab, (19), Sahar, (17), and Geeti, (13) Shafia , as well as Rona Amir Mohammad, 52, their father’s childless first wife in a polygamous marriage were found dead in a vehicle in Kingston Ontario.

It was a strange case resulting in the Shafia family being arrested and now convicted for First Degree murder.

The murders of this Montreal family stem from an “Honour System” practiced by this family from Afghanistan. This sense of honour seems quite odd to many here in Canada; and of course placing the dead bodies in a car and putting it in a canal didn’t seem “honorouble” either?

Mohammad Shafia, his wife and son have been found guilty of four counts of murder which carry a minimum of 25 years in jail.

In the purest sense this was simply a sad murder case that resulted in a family’s destruction. It also sends a loud message to Canadians that our laws should be observed, and if they wish to practice such barbarity that perhaps immigration to Canada isn’t the solution to their life goals?

It also is grist for discussion around this Country, and the world about the roles of women and rights of women.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpwqtRefqls

We live in a gracious country that tries to accommodate newcomers, and we as a country should always be welcoming and allow people to retain and add their culture to ours; but certain practices have to be left at the border, and for the vast majority of people that come to our country those are not issues; but for the Shafia family sadly; that lesson has been delivered home by our Canadian justice system, and hopefully a message to those that would hurt their families within our borders.

The values that cost four innocent women their lives have no place in our society.

Share on Facebook

Tea Party Tim Trashes US President Obama – Snubs Bruins White House Celebrations – January 25, 2012

admin — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:07:48 +0000

CFN – We owe Tea Party Tim Thomas a debt of gratitude. It’s a slow week in the NHL. No major news out there as the All Star break approaches. Nobody really cares about the All Star game so Mr. Thomas deciding to be a totally classless human being is making the news far and wide in sports columns.

I have a friend that works for the US government and we once chatted how he had been on “Bush Duty” ie; he was assigned to protect the President of the United States of America; a role that would require him to step in Harms Way if the President attacked.

I asked him how he personally resolved it as he certainly wasn’t a Bush supporter and he said:

It’s the office of the President you Dumb Ass!

Yes, Mr. Thomas is a free man; chiefly because his country has a President and is a Democracy. Mr. Thomas was not PERSONALLY invited to the White House.

His TEAM of which he’s simply one player as great as he is a goalie was invited to be honoured. Instead of being a TEAM PLAYER he stole the spotlight from his team mates and made it a platform to espouse his personal political position.

This is wrong on so many levels. The Bruins, in the thick of a race to win Lord Stanley’s Cup again so they are trying to not have this impact their team.

What do you think of Mr. Thomas’ play Hockey fans? You can post your comments below.

Share on Facebook

View From the Hill by Keith Beardsley – Inching Forward on Native Issues in Canada – January 25, 2012

admin — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:40:49 +0000

CFN – Most reports indicate some progress was made at the Crown-First Nations Gathering yesterday. This is positive news and a sign that both sides are inching forward and making progress. While there was speculation that Harper would only attend for a few minutes, he surprised observers by committing much of his day to the proceedings.

While we can concentrate on the differences between the sides right down to what symbolism was used IE Harper referred to a tree and Atleo referred to a rock, there are other positive signs. Clearly Atleo and Harper get along and can communicate with each other. I get the sense that there is a mutual respect for each other and this comes across in public. This bodes well for any private discussions they might have.

Another significant feature of yesterday’s meeting was the amount of time the Prime Minister committed to the event. Anyone who has worked with a Prime Minister knows the intense pressure their schedule is under. This holds true at the ministerial level as well. Meetings and time commitments are measured in minutes, not hours. The fact that Harper set aside his agenda to spend a significant amount of his day at the conference sends a signal to both ministers and departmental officials that the Prime Minister has now taken a keen interest in these files. That translates into there had better be results.

Clearly the Indian Act will be overhauled. While Atleo suggested doing away with it, in effect that is what will happen by the time it is updated, amended and changed. This will be a significant step forward providing of course both sides cooperate, show good faith and agree on the necessary changes.

Some of the items announced in the joint statement are important to First Nations as they try to manage their affairs. Moving to a multi-year funding arrangement is crucial. No longer will Chiefs have to go cap in hand to the minister and department each year.

The same holds true for educational reforms and developing an action plan for economic development for First Nations. Both sides are inching forward. If the constructive tone on display at the Gathering continues there is a possibility of real progress. Long overdue progress, maybe measured in inches, but at least things are moving in the right direction.

I was disappointed to see former Prime Minister Paul Martin come out and attack Harper on the conference. I think this was a missed opportunity. Martin has built up considerable experience working with First Nations. His foundation and its success in working to advance education and training opportunities offer one model, although not the only one, on ways to move educational issues forward. He has also had success in attracting corporate donations and investment to encourage aboriginal business development. I would have preferred to see him offer to work with the present Prime Minister, rather than refight old battles. In the same way I hope the present government will not ignore Martin’s work or expertise simply because he is a former political opponent and Liberal Prime Minister. First Nations issues should cross party lines, solutions not scoring political points should be the end game.

Keith Beardsley is a senior strategist for True North Public Affairs in Ottawa, as well as a blogger and political analyst. He can often be found running or cycling on his favorite bike trails.

Share on Facebook

Letter to the Editor – Ashly Desaulniers of Cornwall Ontario Wants the People of Cornwall to Take Back the City from Its Government

admin — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:13:39 +0000

I understand for the most part that people don’t want to hear negative things. It’s really understandable, but standing behind the secret destruction that is going on in this city, is just shameful.

What got me thinking wasn’t that people are upset that any of this secret destruction is out in the open and they want answers, No, it’s the fact that its exposed and that these people are angry and lashing out. Isn’t the reason we have media is to expose the good AND bad?

How can we be upset with them for telling us what has been kept from us? It makes sense to me to have these news teams around in order to expose some of these things, but it’s up to the reader to decide what it is they want to read and whether or not to allow what they are reading to have an impact on them, but NEWS FLASH, that isn’t the publishers or newspapers fault.

Again, the media is around to expose the TRUTH, regardless of whether or not you like what that is, it’s mandatory! My questions aren’t for council at this point in time but rather to the civilians who stand behind council, if what you see is wrong then why not speak up and say something?

If it’s a fear of what the truth may bring isn’t that better than the destruction of a society? Isn’t it better than losing our morals as a community?? And if your answer is No it’s not worth it, then my question is why?

We have seem to have lost sight, this town isn’t about who is running it, it is about the people who live here, work here, go to school here, we have lost our voice and I’m saddened by those who stand by, not because they agree and think it’s right, but because they are afraid of facing the truth.

We are not just the “City of Cornwall” we are the PEOPLE of Cornwall and for that I think we owe it to each of ourselves to stop for ONE minute and ask us, what is the BIGGER picture in all of this? Is it the medias sole intentional purpose to destroy the “City of Cornwall” to gain perspective for the “People” of Cornwall, some would say yes.

I say your delusional, the media is bringing forth these issues because it BELIEVE’s it is important and needs to be addressed, appropriately. The media is addressing the concerns FOR the People of Cornwall. That being said, let’s get this image that city council has imposed on us and take back our City.

Share on Facebook