Free Speech and being debt free belong on the same page.
Now that the folks in the Cornwall region have launched their initiative for language fairness–please forward my compliments. I was a founder and builder of the federal Reform Party in Osoyoos, BC– the Okanagan town on the border with Washington State.–The BC Reform Party was started by Ron Gamble in Vancouver {before} Preston Manning launched his party.
The Quebecers have voted again for their independence. Their “free loading attitude and behavior” is wonderful news for western Canadians–particularly the people in Alberta and Saskatchewan: Note, AB and SK are the “only have” provinces in Canada. The next referendum will be a national vote–where western Canadians will vote to throw Quebec out of Canada.
A serious thought: Alberta and Saskatchewan may themselves be independent before Quebec gets around to voting for separation.
The combined debt of Ontario and Quebec is about half a trillion dollars: a trillion is 1000 billion.
In English that debt number is 500,000 million dollars. Most conservatives remember the Bob Rae NDP debt disaster in Ontario when it was $120 billion: McGuinty has run up the debt to $250 billion, plus he added a $15 billion annual deficit. Neither McGuinty or Charest could not run a Peanut stand. ! ! !
Realistically, the only 2 provinces that could pay down that debt are Alberta and Saskatchewan. When Ontario’s McGuinty and Quebec’s Charest plus the NDP mayor of Toronto openly bashed Alberta’s oil sands in front of the world at the Copenhagen conference on climate control; why would the two western power houses concern themselves with central Canada’s debt.? ? ?
Note: American coal powered electricity generating plants produce 70 X as much green house gases that the Alberta oil sands do. ! ! !. The oil sands produce less than 5% of Canada’s green house gases.
Since the beginning of Canada, when it came to “screwing the west” Ontario and Quebec always voted as a block to limit western influence. Compare western U.S. States to western Canadian provinces: When they were ready to join the Union–the States were considered as equals–with the same rights and responsibilities.
David Smith–A Liberal senator–he’s a Trudeau Poodle– always uses this line in elections: “we will screw the west and take the rest”.
Western Canadians have some favorite expressions: 1. What goes around, comes around. 2. Sooner or later you run out of BS. 3. The big line with power is “let those eastern bastards freeze in the dark”. The bottom line is that the west will never get over Trudeau’s National Energy Policy (NEP): Bad as that disaster was, Dion, had he defeated Harper would have launched NEP 2.
The new Alberta premier is a BC NDP socialist; before going to Alberta she was a UN lawyer. I believe she is in for a rough ride. Believe it or not, she is flirting with the idea of another NEP: She calls it a {National Energy Strategy}. She is playing with fire and is bound to get burnt.
Alberta has paid $600 billion in Transfer Payments and is running a deficit.
Alberta and Norway started their Heritage Saving Funds at about the same time. Norway has $574 billion in their account. The Alberta fund has $2 billion left in their account. When the present Alberta premier–Alison–‘the Red’–Redfern, joined the government a few years ago, the fund had between $13 & 17 billion in the bank. An interesting comparison: The Norwegian government does not have a “free loading Province” threatening to break up the nation, if it does not get what it wants, at the expense of all other parts of the country.
Most of Alberta’s conventional oil is gone–the oil sands should last for another 100 years. After the end of oil — Alberta and BC still have a 1000 year supply of coal.
Regards:
Ernie Slump: Canadian Army retired: Penticton
Last Unit: Load Master on the Chinook at 450 Transport helicopter Squadron, CFB Ottawa (Uplands) 1977-80.
(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.)
PJ Robertson:
Your FDR quote about fascism brings to mind how true it is in all governments as due to donations many if not most polititians get their hands dirty by receiving corporate financing and smoozing while in power.
Us pee ons don’t stand a chance at a democraticly elected governance who listens to us, instead of their pockets.
So unfortunate that we have come to believe this.
More new names… It’s great… Oh hey, Dukers1 I enjoyed reading your post on October 1, 2012 at 8:58 pm
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If you haven’t been already, i would like to welcome you (and any others who are interested) to have a look at my YouTube page.
http://www.youtube.com/user/edudyorlik?feature=mhee
You “may” find some entertaining vids that are in line with this topic… Be sure to leave a comment or two 🙂
Hi Cory, Thank You for the information. After asking “Give me one once of proof that shows BC, Alberta and Saskatchewan wanting to separate! Please use facts and not opinions; which I doubt you can!”
You provided proof that the majority DO NOT want to SEPARATE and have only proven my point that your comment based on personal opinion and is backed by no facts!
As per the information you provided!
AS FOR LINK #1: NO SEPERATIST MEMBERS ELECTED!…..THE LEAST POPULAR PARTY DURING THE LAST ELECTION!
Alberta separatism: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberta_separatism
2000s
Despite these events, Alberta separatism is still considered by many Albertans (including most of the political establishment) to be the domain of fringe groups. Furthermore, Alberta’s first past the post electoral system makes it very difficult to elect any candidate who represents what is perceived to be a fringe party.
As of 2006, no elected political parties or Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) in Alberta unconditionally favour outright secession.
In the 2004 general election, the Separation Party of Alberta nominated 12 candidates who won 4,680 votes, 0.5% of the provincial total. No candidates were elected. This was less support than the Alberta Independence Party had attracted in the 2001 election, when 15 candidates attracted 7,500 votes.
0.5% DOES NOT MEAN PEOPLE WANT TO SEPARATE IT ACTUALLY MEANS THE EXACT OPPOSITE!
AS FOR LINK #2: THE LEAST POPULAR PARTY DURING THE LAST ELECTION….AGAIN!
B.C., Alberta, Sask., Man. provinces issue of separating: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Canada_Concept_Party_of_British_Columbia
In the May 5, 1983, British Columbia provincial election, the party nominated 18 candidates. They won 14,185 votes, or 0.86% of the popular vote. Another western separatist party, the Western National Party, ran two candidates, who collected 474 votes (0.03% of the total).
In the October 22, 1986 election, the party nominated one candidate, who won 322 votes, or 0.02% of the popular vote.
In the October 17, 1991 election, the party nominated 5 candidates, who collected 651 votes, or 0.04% of the popular vote.
In the May 17, 2005 election, the party nominated 2 candidates, who collected a total of 374 votes, 0.02% of the popular vote. Doug Christie won 202 votes (0.76%) in Saanich South, and Pattie O’Brien won 172 votes (0.66%) in Malahat-Juan de Fuca.
AGAIN NEVER EVEN GAINING 1% OF THE VOTE!
AS FOR LINK #3,4 & 5: All blogs and opinions no FACTS as I requested!
I am grateful for the information and share many of the same feelings and displeasure for some current affairs but would never recommend sepertism as credible solution to any problem!
Thank You,
Mike Bedard
Mike there are many many people who are extremely upset with the decisions that our federal leaders are making in regards to Canada as of now.
I see these websites as proof that there are fundamental problems with the goings on within our nation. If there weren’t any problems with our nation and everyone was content with it – then why all the evidence to the contrary? Why would these websites exist in the first place?
Discontent is becomming so widely spread that our political leaders cannot ignore it anymore. There are problems in our country and language is but one of them Mike.
Now, ask yourself this question, in regards to the language debate and Quebec separatism in general. We’ve all asked ourselves if our Canada includes Quebec? However, ask the PQ and their millions of supporters if their Quebec includes Canada?
If there were an invasion tomorrow of Canada, who amongst our nation’s peoples would answer the call? Would the Western provinces answer the call who feel that Ottawa has betrayed them? Would our Eastern provinces answer the call who also feel that Ottawa has betrayed them? How about Quebec? I would like to point out that during WWII, many of Canada’s young men ran for the hills because of conscription. Don’t believe me, I would like to introduce a new term I haven’t seen here for readers of CFN used to describe these conscript dodgers. They were known as ‘zombies’.
Why is it that you, Stella and Patrick have shunned LFA and its few dozen supporters and will not touch the subject of equality for all? Or how about the concept of Langauge Fairness for All – especially in regards to jobs?
Mike, you have openly insulted the LFA group and its beliefs and methods (which by the way receives no funding from any outside sources including those of government), and yet you don’t criticize an openly separatist political party that receives it’s funding from Canadian taxpayers for the sole purpose of breaking up the nation? Are you saying Mike that although you don’t endorse Western groups who wish to separate from Canada you are not hostile to the idea of Quebec nationhood? Am I and others here led to believe that your silence on this issue is part and parcel to be support for Quebec separatism?
I find this very puzzling Mike to say the least. More puzzling is that I find no instances of anyone here or group outside of LFA and CLF who support or for that matter supported the Anglophone community on the eve of the PQ coming to power in Quebec. Again, do you not feel bad for the million+ Anglophones living in the province of Quebec who face an openly hostile French government on a day-to-day basis? Mike, these people are facing Language Apartheid on a day-to-day basis!
And guess what? This all things French idea has passed into Eastern Ontario and is alive and well. Whenever groups of Language Rights people need to attend a City Hall meeting in order just to pass and support a By-Law allowing the posting of whatever language of their choice there is a problem with our society, Mike. I know you support this idea of Freedom of Expression as stated in your other posts but I need to understand why you don’t support a few dozen people asking for fairness in hiring practices? Is it because Mike you see us as being against bilingualism or even for that matter the French language? Is it the protests that bother you Mike? Again Mike, why not complain about the few hundred thousand Quebec students that have impacted business in and around Montreal? http://metronews.ca/news/canada/226905/quebec-student-protests-hurting-bar-district/
Or how about the more than 5 million dollars in damages in Quebec?
http://oncampus.macleans.ca/education/2012/05/25/the-quebec-standoffs-clear-loser-taxpayers/
I think Mike the idea of Freedom and Equality you’re all for unless the battle is occuring in your back yard.
Cory
To what or whom do you think we should take up this issue with Mike?
YAWN!!!…..Know what? (to no one in particular) When a small group has to attend a council meeting to request a signage by-law when there was no problem to begin with, that tells me they are making up problems where none exist. Some people like drama and bellyaching. One should take time to read the letter to the editor in the SF this AM, quite interesting indeed. I am assuming Barrie lives in SS.
So, it’s still operating in the USA. Now I bet none of this happens in Canada, pardon moi?
See if you can se the sense of it all.
THE NIGHT WATCHMAN
Once upon a time the government had a vast scrap yard in the middle of a desert.
Congress said, “Someone may steal from it at night.”
So they created a night watchman position and hired a person for the job.
Then Congress said, “How does the watchman do his job without instruction?”
So they created a planning department and hired two people, one person to write the instructions, and one person to do time studies.
Then Congress said, “How will we know the night watchman is doing the tasks correctly?”
So they created a Quality Control department and hired two people. One was to do the studies and one was to write the reports.
Then Congress said, “How are these people going to get paid?”
So they created two positions: a time keeper and a payroll officer then hired two people.
Then Congress said, “Who will be accountable for all of these people?”
So they created an administrative section and hired three people, an Administrative Officer, Assistant Administrative Officer, and a Legal Secretary.
Then Congress said, “We have had this command in operation for one year and we are $918,000 over budget, we must cut back.”
So they laid-off the night watchman.
NOW slowly, let it sink in.
Quietly, we go like sheep to slaughter. Does anybody remember the reason given for the establishment of the DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY during the Carter administration?
Anybody?
Anything?
No?
Didn’t think so!
Bottom line is, we’ve spent several hundred billion dollars in support of an agency, the reason for which very few people who read this can remember!
Ready??
It was very simple… and at the time, everybody thought it very
appropriate.
The Department of Energy was instituted on 8/04/1977, TO LESSEN OUR DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN OIL.
Hey, pretty efficient, huh???
AND NOW IT’S 2012 — 35 YEARS LATER — AND THE BUDGET FOR THIS “NECESSARY” DEPARTMENT IS AT $24.2 BILLION A YEAR. IT HAS 16,000 FEDERAL EMPLOYEES AND APPROXIMATELY 100,000 CONTRACT EMPLOYEES; AND LOOK AT THE JOB IT HAS DONE!
(THIS IS WHERE YOU SLAP YOUR FOREHEAD AND SAY, “WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?”)
34 years ago 30% of our oil consumption was foreign imports. Today 70% of our oil consumption is foreign imports.
Ah, yes — good old Federal bureaucracy.
NOW, WE HAVE TURNED OVER THE BANKING SYSTEM, HEALTH CARE, AND THE AUTO INDUSTRY TO THE SAME GOVERNMENT?
Hello!! Anybody Home?
Signed….The Night Watchman
Like it duckers1. Like stuff like that…
Cory,
I am against seperatist beliefs period as a resolution to any problem/s!
I would stand by you to defend the english people in Quebec anyday!
However, I am sorry but I don’t believe that the CCH should be Anglophone or Unilingual! I also believe that having Bilingual candidates is progressive and not regressive! I also recommended the use of Translators but ensure to mention that this would be costly but would be worth discussing!
My openly and definitely not cowardly statements about the LFA are my opinion! Which I am entitled to just as you are entitled to yours!
Let’s get one thing perfectly clear! I did not start to degrade nor make statements of unprofessionalism until your group started PERSONALLY ATTACKING me for disagreeing with some of your opinions and methods!
Also, I have stated before this is a Federal and Provincial matter that needs to be brought to parliament and not set in an atmosphere where hospital workers, clinic workers and patients are scared of visiting our passing due to protest! No one seeking care should be obstructed nor harrassed while seeking professional help!
Thank You,
Mike Bedard
Mike Bedard said:
” Also, I have stated before this is a Federal and Provincial matter that needs to be brought to parliament and not set in an atmosphere where hospital workers, clinic workers and patients are scared of visiting our passing due to protest! No one seeking care should be obstructed nor harrassed while seeking professional help!”
Now mike where the people harassed?Scared?Obstructed?
Now Sir that’s called propaganda ,furthermore I guess those scared people 2800 signed that petition or were they forced at gunpoint? Is that what you will propagadize next?
Patients first, no question, however, people protesting an injustice or even a perceived injustice have no alternative but to protest at site of in grievousness. Where else would you have them foster and demand their due justice, Morristown, Lancaster or some other innocuous location having no part in their cause.
To pound on the doors or either parliament, provincial or federal would also be out of plausibility due to distance costs and hearing range of local media and local politicians who can be noted directly and or via all media.
One would think that the bilingual stratasferits would be getting the message via the recent downsizing of the language portfolio that should NEVER have been placed in this function in the first place as ALL potential employees for all non public funded employment are required to take full personal responsibility for their language training via formal schooling either through grades to 1 through 12/13 and beyond via personal tuition costs to include any other languages just as history, sciences or technical college or university courses would require. Not by sucking off the public purse and by double dipping on that same purse if they don’t make it the first time or even fake a failure so they can get to do another year or two again. How stupid has that been. Billions wasted with this farce of a program. Bravo Prime Minister for dumping 179 bully pulpit employees.
If you paid for them, you should ALSO have paid for all private sector employees desiring or requiring French or English as a second language.
PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR LANGUAGE UPGRADE TRAINING IS DEFINITELY THE WAY TO GO. If an English study upgrade is required by an English language person within the government, would you have paid their further education as well? How about a Francophone wanting upgrade within his mother tongue language, would you have given these people a year off their job entitlement as well as another year or two for an alternate language study? Your bottomless pit is ticking off millions of taxpayers who have had enough of this farce so a BIG THANKYOU FOR DISMANTLING THE LANGUAGE TRAINING DEPARTMENT and as was suggested if you are farming (contracting) out this function you better watch your purse strings, no ‘our’ purse strings ultra close my friends cause we don’t like bottomless trough sucking any more. If an MP candidate can get the votes required despite his/her language deficiencies too bad. Work with them as is.
Regarding your recent changing of MP pensions to age 65 before collecting, in what year is that suppose to start, 2025 so all current MP’s can hold on to current contracts to retire with full pensions with full cola clause or 10% increase which ever is higher starting immediately until some later obscure date. Also, I have no doubt though MP’s are required to increase their personal input, that you will still require $24.00 of the peoples money to be placed in their pension future funds for every dollar they input. How true is that and more, how fair is that.