With a possible election looming the political bantering becomes more and more entertaining. Here are my favourites from last week on Parliament hill.
Garth Turner was thrown out of the Conservative Party in November. After flirting with the Green Party and a vow to fight for the rights of independent MPs he decided to join the Liberal Party. He has been a strong proponent that when members cross the floor there should be a by-election. His first day with the Liberals he declared that he would resign his seat on condition that a by-election be called immediately (the PM has 6 months to call a by-election) and by-elections be called in the two ridings where Liberals crossed the floor to join the Conservative Government.
The House Leader Peter Van Loan greeted Turner to his new position.
"Mr. Speaker, the member for Halton has not been in the caucus for 24 hours and he has already gotten a standing ovation for the concept of him resigning."
The opposition parties have once again tried to get the government to comply with Kyoto. In a committee meeting David McGuinty (brother of the unpopular Ontario Premier Dalton) grilled the Environment Minister if he was in favour of implementing a carbon tax.
The response from John Baird
"We don't sit around the cabinet table dreaming up ways to increase taxes. That's certainly more common in the McGuinty family than it is in the Harper cabinet,"
I expect this week to be just as entertaining.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Quotes of the week
With a possible election looming the political bantering becomes more and more entertaining. Here are my favourites from last week on Parliament hill.
Garth Turner was thrown out of the Conservative Party in November. After flirting with the Green Party and a vow to fight for the rights of independent MPs he decided to join the Liberal Party. He has been a strong proponent that when members cross the floor there should be a by-election. His first day with the Liberals he declared that he would resign his seat on condition that a by-election be called immediately (the PM has 6 months to call a by-election) and by-elections be called in the two ridings where Liberals crossed the floor to join the Conservative Government.
The House Leader Peter Van Loan greeted Turner to his new position.
"Mr. Speaker, the member for Halton has not been in the caucus for 24 hours and he has already gotten a standing ovation for the concept of him resigning."
The opposition parties have once again tried to get the government to comply with Kyoto. In a committee meeting David McGuinty (brother of the unpopular Ontario Premier Dalton) grilled the Environment Minister if he was in favour of implementing a carbon tax.
The response from John Baird
"We don't sit around the cabinet table dreaming up ways to increase taxes. That's certainly more common in the McGuinty family than it is in the Harper cabinet,"
I expect this week to be just as entertaining.
Garth Turner was thrown out of the Conservative Party in November. After flirting with the Green Party and a vow to fight for the rights of independent MPs he decided to join the Liberal Party. He has been a strong proponent that when members cross the floor there should be a by-election. His first day with the Liberals he declared that he would resign his seat on condition that a by-election be called immediately (the PM has 6 months to call a by-election) and by-elections be called in the two ridings where Liberals crossed the floor to join the Conservative Government.
The House Leader Peter Van Loan greeted Turner to his new position.
"Mr. Speaker, the member for Halton has not been in the caucus for 24 hours and he has already gotten a standing ovation for the concept of him resigning."
The opposition parties have once again tried to get the government to comply with Kyoto. In a committee meeting David McGuinty (brother of the unpopular Ontario Premier Dalton) grilled the Environment Minister if he was in favour of implementing a carbon tax.
The response from John Baird
"We don't sit around the cabinet table dreaming up ways to increase taxes. That's certainly more common in the McGuinty family than it is in the Harper cabinet,"
I expect this week to be just as entertaining.
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
Sextuplets
The sextuplets born in B.C. were a big news story again last week. Two of the babies have passed away and the government took temporary custody of three of them in order to administer blood transfusions. The parents are angry. They have requested an apology from the government. They have also launched a Charter challenge under freedom of religion (the parents are Jehovah's Witnesses)
The response from the public seems to be unanimously in favour of the government intervention. When Boo was in the NICU we had a situation where we were told that she had to undergo a particular medical procedure. When we were informed it also required our consent DW and I did our research and determined that it was not in Boo's best interest. We worked out an alternative form of treatment with her medical team. At one point a Fellow thought he knew better and decided to do what he wanted despite our explicit protests. (DW is convinced I was ready to slug the doctor before the nurse practitioner intervened.) With the benefit of hindsight disagreeing with the doctors and standing up for Boo was what was best for her. Parents are the best advocates for their child's best interests.
If the doctors of the sextuplets have worked with the parents to examine all possible options in the best interest of the children I fully support the governments decision. However, if the doctors were unwilling to consider all forms of treatment available, the parents have a right to be angry.
On a seperate point a growing number of countries have passed legislation or adopted policies that make babies born before 27 weeks or under 2500g an automatic DNR. In one of these countries Boo would not have received any medical treatment. The sextuplets would have been in the same boat. Canadians are lining up to condemn these parents, without a second thought to parents in other countries. What happens if the babies who received the blood transfusions don't make it? How much more grief would the parents face in light of an unwanted life saving treatment that didn't work.
The response from the public seems to be unanimously in favour of the government intervention. When Boo was in the NICU we had a situation where we were told that she had to undergo a particular medical procedure. When we were informed it also required our consent DW and I did our research and determined that it was not in Boo's best interest. We worked out an alternative form of treatment with her medical team. At one point a Fellow thought he knew better and decided to do what he wanted despite our explicit protests. (DW is convinced I was ready to slug the doctor before the nurse practitioner intervened.) With the benefit of hindsight disagreeing with the doctors and standing up for Boo was what was best for her. Parents are the best advocates for their child's best interests.
If the doctors of the sextuplets have worked with the parents to examine all possible options in the best interest of the children I fully support the governments decision. However, if the doctors were unwilling to consider all forms of treatment available, the parents have a right to be angry.
On a seperate point a growing number of countries have passed legislation or adopted policies that make babies born before 27 weeks or under 2500g an automatic DNR. In one of these countries Boo would not have received any medical treatment. The sextuplets would have been in the same boat. Canadians are lining up to condemn these parents, without a second thought to parents in other countries. What happens if the babies who received the blood transfusions don't make it? How much more grief would the parents face in light of an unwanted life saving treatment that didn't work.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Dumb Canadian Immigration Law
Over the summer the Canadian government spent millions of dollars to rescue Canadians in Lebanon who had been trapped in the war. Many of the rescuees had moved to Canada during the civil war and moved back to Lebanon as soon as it ended. There some public uproar that these people were Canadians by convenience and perhaps did not deserve the protection of the Canadian government.
With the requirment for Canadian passports to visit the US coming into effect a little known really stupid law is causing havic with people's lives. It was in effect between 1947 and 1977. The law states that if you lived outside Canada on your 24th birthday and failed to sign the right form, you automatically lost your citizenship. Under one of the stupidest laws I have heard of in a long time it is believed there are between 10,000 - 20,000 living in Canada who think they are Canadian citizens.
I just can't imagine waking up one day to find out you are not a citizen of any country. Hopefully this situation can be resolved quickly.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2007/01/23/citizenship-passports.html
With the requirment for Canadian passports to visit the US coming into effect a little known really stupid law is causing havic with people's lives. It was in effect between 1947 and 1977. The law states that if you lived outside Canada on your 24th birthday and failed to sign the right form, you automatically lost your citizenship. Under one of the stupidest laws I have heard of in a long time it is believed there are between 10,000 - 20,000 living in Canada who think they are Canadian citizens.
I just can't imagine waking up one day to find out you are not a citizen of any country. Hopefully this situation can be resolved quickly.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2007/01/23/citizenship-passports.html
Wednesday, November 8, 2006
A Pirate, A Pirate, A Pirate says..... Iowa???
The most intersting candidate in this election has to go to James Hill's bid to win a Congress seat Iowa (1st District). He claimed to be the only drunken pirate running in this election. As can be expected he was blown away. He did manage to get 1896 (1%) votes with 84% precincts reporting.
I believe that the reason he lost was that he alienated his key supporters.
Hill traveled on a motorcycle instead of 3 masted schooner. He had a dog as a pet instead of a parrot. He ran on a platform of bringing accountability to Congress. He wanted to stop politicians from stealing from people. This must have upset the traditional pirate voters who would have seen a pirate in government as an opportunity for more privateering contracts. Despite his claims he was staying true to his pirate roots the voters clearly disagreed.
By emphasising the pirate ideals he alienating the rest of his supporters. He claimed he would be the most honest politician in government which probably would have been true. This would have tremendous voter appeal. He just placed too much emphasis on promoting his values as a Pirate instead of his American ideals.
"I would have your wife right in front of you. I would smoke the last of your glaucoma medication. Then I will surely drink your liquor cabinet dry. However, know this my friend. I will never break an oath to uphold the public trust. My affidavit will be signed in my own blood. A Pirates crimson mark, with real binding effects into my after life. Laugh if you will then ask yourself if you could do it. "
The whole Pirate thing probably scared off the voters to voting for more traditional privateers like Democrats & Republicans.
Perhaps he will try to expand his party to run in Saskatchewan. I heard they have a significant pirate population there.
I believe that the reason he lost was that he alienated his key supporters.
Hill traveled on a motorcycle instead of 3 masted schooner. He had a dog as a pet instead of a parrot. He ran on a platform of bringing accountability to Congress. He wanted to stop politicians from stealing from people. This must have upset the traditional pirate voters who would have seen a pirate in government as an opportunity for more privateering contracts. Despite his claims he was staying true to his pirate roots the voters clearly disagreed.
By emphasising the pirate ideals he alienating the rest of his supporters. He claimed he would be the most honest politician in government which probably would have been true. This would have tremendous voter appeal. He just placed too much emphasis on promoting his values as a Pirate instead of his American ideals.
"I would have your wife right in front of you. I would smoke the last of your glaucoma medication. Then I will surely drink your liquor cabinet dry. However, know this my friend. I will never break an oath to uphold the public trust. My affidavit will be signed in my own blood. A Pirates crimson mark, with real binding effects into my after life. Laugh if you will then ask yourself if you could do it. "
The whole Pirate thing probably scared off the voters to voting for more traditional privateers like Democrats & Republicans.
Perhaps he will try to expand his party to run in Saskatchewan. I heard they have a significant pirate population there.
Amusing Election Results
Aside from the problems once again with voting machines, a group of voters from both Connecticut & Florida deserve the award for stupidest election choices.
Florida-- Former Republican House leader Mark Foley was for to resign from the House of Representatives in September in his male pages. He still managed to get 110,000+ votes (48%) for and barely missed being re-elected.
Connecticut-- Senator Joe Lieberman lost his bid to defend his own seat for the Democrats in the recent primaries. Rather than give up his seat he choose to give up his party instead. He managed to gain 50% of the votes to clearly defend his seats. Way to go Democrats.
Florida-- Former Republican House leader Mark Foley was for to resign from the House of Representatives in September in his male pages. He still managed to get 110,000+ votes (48%) for and barely missed being re-elected.
Connecticut-- Senator Joe Lieberman lost his bid to defend his own seat for the Democrats in the recent primaries. Rather than give up his seat he choose to give up his party instead. He managed to gain 50% of the votes to clearly defend his seats. Way to go Democrats.
Thursday, November 2, 2006
I Love Canadian Political Satire
DW decided to surprise me with tickets to the Royal Canadian Air Farce today. It was very different than seeing them on stage or on TV. It took time to set up each skit and they had to find ways to keep the audience entertained. I thought it was really cool when the sang the hot dog song. They also had a stage manager who just always had a look on his face like he had not laughed in 150 years. To quite down the audience he would make announcement like "prepare to laugh this is funny" & "I laughed at this skit this morning" A good time was had by all and we get to go back in a few weeks.
In the last few weeks my interest in politics and political satire has been re-sparked. With all of the political controversies in the last few weeks it has been realy easy to sit back and enjoy. Here are my thoughts on some big news stories.
Foreign Affairs minister Peter McKay has been accused of referring to his ex-girlfriend Belinda Stronach as a dog. The comment was not recorded on the official record and McKay has denied making the comment. Demands for an apology by the opposition and women's rights groups have gone unanswered. In the mean time the opposition was too distracted to worry about other minor world events like North Korea setting off a nuclear bomb.
Just as Canadians are starting to get sick of our politician not devoting enough time to real work along comes the Conservative advisor and former Ambassador to Israel a "bitch". Now there are opposition calls for his resignation as well.
The whole controversy is blown so completely out of proportion. I am just amused that so much time is being devoted to such a little thing. I am sure Tie Domi's wife had much worse names to call her when she accused Stronach in court documents as the women who destroyed her marriage.
Just before the last federal election the Liberals were in a lot of hot water when they made announcement about changes to the Income Trust Accounts. Unusual trading occurred a few hours before the announcement. An RCMP investigation determined their was a leak but it was not the Finance Minister's fault.
Yesterday, it was time for the Conservative announce on Income Trust Accounts. The government completely broke an election promise not to tax Income Trust Accounts. The tax loophole was growing out of control and had to be dealt with. The decision has been met with what appears to be a severe backlash from all Canadians. The TSX dropped over 300 points today and shares effected by the moved dropped between 12 -30% today.
When you dig into the issue deeper the backlash is not as universal as the media has been reporting. A number of tax breaks are being granted to the elderly who potential stand to be hit the hardest by this move. The NDP has come out and openly supported the move as it gives a fair balance between personal and corporate taxes. The Liberals are outraged that the Conservatives broke a campaign promise. Under the same circumstances the Liberals probably would have made the same decision. It just wasn't one of their campaign promises.
The Quebec Finance Minister said that he supported the change as it will mean more money from the provinces. Liberal Ontario Finance Minister sympathized with being forced to break campaign promises. (Something he is accustomed to). He also feels that it was a decision made on sound economic principles.
I think it will take some time for the markets to adjust to the new rules. It is a decision that had to be made sooner or later to deal with an out of control tax loophole. The markets will take some time before they correct themselves. The average Canadian taxpayer will be better off in the long run.
In the last few weeks my interest in politics and political satire has been re-sparked. With all of the political controversies in the last few weeks it has been realy easy to sit back and enjoy. Here are my thoughts on some big news stories.
Foreign Affairs minister Peter McKay has been accused of referring to his ex-girlfriend Belinda Stronach as a dog. The comment was not recorded on the official record and McKay has denied making the comment. Demands for an apology by the opposition and women's rights groups have gone unanswered. In the mean time the opposition was too distracted to worry about other minor world events like North Korea setting off a nuclear bomb.
Just as Canadians are starting to get sick of our politician not devoting enough time to real work along comes the Conservative advisor and former Ambassador to Israel a "bitch". Now there are opposition calls for his resignation as well.
The whole controversy is blown so completely out of proportion. I am just amused that so much time is being devoted to such a little thing. I am sure Tie Domi's wife had much worse names to call her when she accused Stronach in court documents as the women who destroyed her marriage.
Just before the last federal election the Liberals were in a lot of hot water when they made announcement about changes to the Income Trust Accounts. Unusual trading occurred a few hours before the announcement. An RCMP investigation determined their was a leak but it was not the Finance Minister's fault.
Yesterday, it was time for the Conservative announce on Income Trust Accounts. The government completely broke an election promise not to tax Income Trust Accounts. The tax loophole was growing out of control and had to be dealt with. The decision has been met with what appears to be a severe backlash from all Canadians. The TSX dropped over 300 points today and shares effected by the moved dropped between 12 -30% today.
When you dig into the issue deeper the backlash is not as universal as the media has been reporting. A number of tax breaks are being granted to the elderly who potential stand to be hit the hardest by this move. The NDP has come out and openly supported the move as it gives a fair balance between personal and corporate taxes. The Liberals are outraged that the Conservatives broke a campaign promise. Under the same circumstances the Liberals probably would have made the same decision. It just wasn't one of their campaign promises.
The Quebec Finance Minister said that he supported the change as it will mean more money from the provinces. Liberal Ontario Finance Minister sympathized with being forced to break campaign promises. (Something he is accustomed to). He also feels that it was a decision made on sound economic principles.
I think it will take some time for the markets to adjust to the new rules. It is a decision that had to be made sooner or later to deal with an out of control tax loophole. The markets will take some time before they correct themselves. The average Canadian taxpayer will be better off in the long run.
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