Canada’s Parliamentary budget officer Kevin Page has had enough of the Harper government’s lack of accountability and transparency, highlighted by it’s refusal to comply with his repeated requests for information on the $5.2 billion in fiscal…
Continue readingTag: 2012 federal budget
CANADIAN PROGRESSIVE WORLD: Harper Conservatives Nuke Own $1.2 Billion Military Project
On this one, I salute Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Sort of. The Harper Conservatives have just gutted their own plan to buy 1,500 logistics trucks, 800 commercial vehicles and equipment for the . That’s $1.2 billion of Canadian taxpayers money saved. Sort of agreeable too is the explanation for the
Continue readingCANADIAN PROGRESSIVE WORLD: Budget Bill C-38: Canadian MPs, Citizens, Tweet Their Frustrations
For an incredible 24 hours, Canadian opposition MPs held up the passage of Stephen Harper and the Conservative government’s draconian budget Bill C-38. They forced votes on more than 800 proposed amendments to the 425-page behemoth. In the end the Conservatives torpedoed every opposition amendment, to score a dubious, dictatorship-style
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign
A few pictures and signs from last night’s protest near Conservative M.P David Sweet’s constituency office. As in the previous protest against Bill C- 38, we were prevented from demonstrating in front of his office by the Hamilton Police, on orders from the property owner, Kevin Vanderlaan (IPC Investments). A
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: An Opportunity To Send Harper Inc. A Message
I received the following email message last evening from Leadnow.ca: Since the Harper Conservatives announced their Omnibus Budget, more and more Canadians are rallying against a bill that would put a black mark on our democracy. Now, we’re writing to invite you to join a national day of action at
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: How The Harper Omnibus Bill Disrupted My Sunday
Yesterday started out pleasantly enough. After enjoying my wife’s home-made cereal, a piece of toast and some coffee, I decided the weather was so fine that it warranted my going out on my bicycle to be among nature’s delights. Returning home after about an hour-and-a-half, in an unusually serene frame
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Why A Budget Omnibus Bill?
It’s the best way to hide your real purpose, which, according to Thomas Walkom, is this: It is aimed at eliminating regulations — particularly environmental regulations — that interfere in profit-making. It is aimed at reducing wages (which is why the Conservatives take swipes at unions whenever possible). It is
Continue readingThe Equivocator: “Pennies 4 Katimavik” Launches Today!
Pennies 4 Katimavik (a campaign spearheaded by Bismah Haq) is officially launching today in Ottawa at 2:30pm (click here for the facebook event.) When I heard about this campaign I was very excited. Axing the program was one of the Harper government’s most maliciously-arbitrary decisions in the 2012 budget. I
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Cost of Political Disengagement
Thanks to LeDaro’s link, I was able to catch up on the At Issues panel that I missed on Thursday night. While the discussion revolved largely around the F-35 debacle, the point I found most discouraging was the statistic that only 30-35% of Canadians follow politics at all. It is
Continue readingbastard.logic: Dueling Ledes (Compare & Contrast)
TorStar, March 20th: Schools, hospitals and popular burger restaurants such as Hero’s and Lick’s are part of a suddenly massive beef recall over fears of E. coli contamination. The G&M, today: Veterinarians and other inspectors responsible for food recalls and ensuring the safety of Canadian meat are among the hundreds
Continue readingBigCityLib Strikes Back: Budget Lands With Thud
In the online survey of a representative national sample of 1,060 Canadian adults, 30 per cent of respondents expect the federal budget to have a positive impact on the country, while 33 per cent believe it will have a negative effect. However, 41 per cent of Canadians think the federal
Continue readingBigCityLib Strikes Back: Tides Canada Responds To Attempted Federal Kneecapping
“Tides Canada welcomes the provisions in the 2012 federal budget concerning transparency and accountability in the charitable sector. Tides Canada operates well within the Income Tax Act threshold for allowable “political activity.” The organization’s grant-making is, and will continue to be, fully compliant with the Income Tax Act and Canada
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Star Readers’ Reactions To OAS Changes
In an earlier post I expressed both my bewilderment and disappointment at the muted ‘person-in-the-street’ reactions to the the Harper regime’s change to Old Age Security that will require people currently under the age of 54 to wait until age 67 to begin receiving their benefits. That I may have
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Thomas Walkom’s Budget Analysis
Earlier today I wrote a post congratulating The Toronto Star for its journalistic integrity and the crucial role it plays in helping to keep citizens informed of the important issues affecting our country. Columnist Thomas Walkom, who epitomizes that integrity, has written his analysis of the federal budget, reminding us
Continue readingCanadian Progressive World: Federal Budget 2012 Cuts: Statement from Katimavik
It is with extreme disappointment that we learned today that the Government has decided to end its funding commitment to Katimavik. Today’s announcement comes as a surprise, since we are entering the third year of a funding agreement whose terms … Continue reading →
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