Three more Canadian fallen soldiers - Christmas week

Three more Canadian soldiers have died this week... Rest in peace and may God be with you. Thank you for your devotion.

Pvt. Michael Freeman is pictured in this undated handout photo. Freeman, 28, was killed Dec. 26, 2008 when his armoured vehicle struck a roadside bomb during a security patrol in southern Afghanistan.

Warrant Officer Gaetan Roberge, left, and Sgt. Gregory John Kruse were killed during a security patrol in the Panjway district, in the western part of Kandahar province, on December 28.

Harper to Senate: Change or die

According to an article published on Canada.com, despite today's 18 Senate appointments, PM Harper is still committed. Electoral reform, including elected and termed Senate position, better happen or it will be the end of the Canadian red chamber.

Stephen Fletcher, the Minister of State for electoral reform, said that he will introduce legislation to implement eight-year term limits for senators, and a process to elect senators, as soon as the budget and economic issues are dealt with by the House of Commons.

He also issued a warning to any parliamentarians planning to block the reforms:

"If we don't get those reforms in a reasonable amount of time we will look to abolish it,'' said Fletcher.

Some, including the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador, argue that such a change to the Senate would require federal and provincial approval (two-thirds of the provincial legislatures, which combined represent at least 50 percent of the national population).

"They cannot in my view even introduce fixed terms without the approval of the provinces,'' said Manitoba Liberal Senator Sharon Carstairs . "Both Ontario and Quebec have said they will take them to court over this.''

The Conservatives, however, believe these could be made strictly with federal consent, meaning the Governor General, the House of Commons and the Senate would be the only ones required to vote on the legislation.

The conflict lies in the way we look at the proposed Senate reform. To pass with only federal consent, the changes in the Senate would have to be deemed to only affect the federal government. Some provinces argue that the changes would affect the federal government, but also all of the Canadian provinces.

Auto worker wage cuts out of the question

CAW president Ken Lewenza is surprised that cuts to Canadian auto employee wages are discussed as part of the restructuring needs of the sector.

Bloomberg quotes:

“I resent the fact that wages are even getting any discussion because in Canada, 7 percent of the cost of a vehicle is related to wages,” the Canadian Auto Workers chief said today in a Bloomberg Television interview.

The $4 billion bailout package approved by the province of Ontario and the federal government is dependant on the industry making some significant changes, in order to become competitive once again. The deadline for Canadian restructuring proposals is February 20, by which point Chrysler and GM must demonstrate "acceptable evidence" their plans will proceed by March 31.

Getting to know the enemy

The political landscape, post-prorogation, has become a bit of a mine field where Harper and Ignatieff are walking carefully, trying to avoid costly mistakes. The coalition talk has cooled as the two main leaders take some time to sniff each other out, waiting before tossing grenades in the trenches.

Getting to know the enemy, at this point, is essential. Ignatieff, as a newly crowned pawn, remains a bit of a mystery to the Canadian public. Unlike Stephane Dion, his weaknesses are not as apparent, but they do exist. Most of them are inherent to his strengths, too.

Michael Ignatieff's international pedigree is portrayed as a undeniable quality. He is a man who, as journalist Andrew Cohen is quoted as saying, "has lived abroad, studied abroad, worked abroad travelled widely and knows, I would think, leaders of other countries by their first names."

He is also hailed for being absent during a decade of Liberal abuse. A double edged-sword, his in-depth knowledge of the world outside of Canada, also makes him an outsider, a "martian" as he said himself. Liberal supporters are sneering at Harper for, unlike Ignatieff, having stayed in Canada most of his life.

Ignatieff's academic poise, if you can call it that, makes him seem like a winner to other elite-minded Liberals. But it also makes him sound like a condescending patriarch, father-knows-best type. He is a leader of the elite, not an average guy. I expect we will see more of that side in the media as his persona becomes better known.

Ignatieff comes with a clean slate, his supporters say. But on the other hand, he has a closet full of potentially dirty laundry, his writings.

In his recent ATV interview with Steve Murphy, Harper mentions that he is not very familiar with the new opposition leader's bibliography. But you can bet that someone atPMO is working on that. If not, task someone fast.

Ignatieff's writings cannot be denied. He will be forced to defend some of his past views, or promise they are reformed. It would be no surprise to see apologies coming from Ignatieff for some of his printed remarks over the years. If played well, these will make him seem unreliable, and maybe even foolish, as he is framed as a man whose views may have changed but still haunt him.

As Ignatieff's right-leaning tendencies are revealed, they could become ammunition for the battles to come. What truly differentiates him from Harper, the Conservative camp could argue? Why not chose a man whose views are clearly conservative, rather than a flip-flopping neo-con in liberal disguise?

More ammo on the way?

Ignatieff might be helping us out, potentially putting his foot in his mouth with a new book due out on April 28, on the eve of the Liberal convention. Titled True Patriot Love: Four Generations in Search of Canada, the book looks like a attempt to show that Ignatieff is "[nothing] less than 110% Grade A Canadian, even if he did spend 25 years or so being a Canadian somewhere other than Canada," comments Kelly McParland.

This excerpt, hollow patriotic rhetoric, reminds me of the words former PM Paul Martin used to spew during the 2006 election campaign: empty in substance, but meant to mysteriously inspire and draw you in.

“Loving a country is an act of the imagination. You love the country because it gives you the possibility of sharing feeling and belief. You cannot love the country alone. The emotions you have must be shared with others in order for them to make any sense at all. A solitary patriot is a contradiction in terms. Love of country is an emotion shared in the imagination across time, shared with the dead, the living and the yet to be born.”

This waste of paper might hold a couple a gems...

Ontario to receive 21 new House of Commons seats

The Canadian Press reports Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty saying that he has come to an understanding with PM Stephen Harper to give the province more seats in the House of Commons.

In his end-of-year news conference Wednesday, McGuinty confirmed he and Harper had resolved their disagreement over seats in Parliament when they met in Ottawa last Friday.

"I spoke with him about that and I think we've fixed it," McGuinty said when asked if the seat issue had come up during their meeting.

There had been some ongoing confrontation on the matter, with the Conservative government initially only offering 10 new seats to the province, and arguying that it should be satisfied considering Ontario would only have received 4 new seats under the previous formula.

Announced last year, the seat attribution formula is being revised through proposed federal legislation, to reflect growing populations in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia.

Ontario would go from having 106 seats, to 127.

Layton cools the rhetoric... a bit

NDP leader Jack Layton spoke of the upcoming budget and coalition plans at the United Steelworkers annual Christmas luncheon in Toronto yesterday. The National Post colourfully adds the meeting took place "at a luxury hotel," how ironic!

During this meeting, Layton seemed to show more of the reservation he has adopted in recent days, following Michael Ignatieff's selection as Liberal interim leader.

When discussing the upcoming Conservative budget, Layton said that while he believes stimulus elements proposed by the Liberal-NDP Coalition should be included, that it may be a miracle for it to happen.

"One must always leave one's mind open to the possibility of miracles, but I don't think it's going to happen with Mr. Harper," Mr. Layton said. "We have not been able to develop confidence in Mr. Harper to deliver, because he doesn't really believe in the direction we're suggesting."

Layton continued to demand speedy action on the economy, repeating that the auto industry needs an immediate bailout. The Ontario Manufacturing Council released a study yesterday estimating employment losses linked to a collapse of the Detroit Big Three automakers in Canada to nearly 600,000 jobs within five years.

While not completely renouncing his confrontational tone, Layton remained ambiguous about his party's intentions on the Budget vote, saying only that Harper makes promises but doesn't keep them.

"It is the season of miracles and one has to keep one's mind open to that but I'll remind Canadians that Mr. Harper promised a major infrastructure program and put it in the budgets of 2006 and 2007 but mayors of most communities haven't received that money yet," he said.

Still, sounds like our friend Layton might have resigned himself to the fact that his coalition government dream is nothing more than a bargaining chip, and not a real desire on the Liberal side. He did make sure to keep it alive, at least in script, saying that he and Ignatieff has a good discussion on Monday.

"The coalition continues as a very significant presence in the debate that's taking place now."

Wearing his tin-foil hat, Layton added that if the January 27 budget were to pass, that it would only lead to a period of instability.

"Everyone will be talking if there will be an election. Every month, it'll be a new crisis," said Layton.

On the other hand, the Liberal-NDP coalition, with support from the Bloc Québécois, would offer a stable government, he said.

Yeah, good one Jack.

Canadians asked to voice their opinion on the 2009 Budget

The website for the Department of Finance is hosting a survey, looking for popular feedback on the proposed stimulus measures considered by Minister Flaherty:

Federal Pre Budget Survey

The following ideas have been proposed as ways of providing stimulus in Budget 2009. Please rank them according to the priority they should have in the Government’s plan. If you’ve got another idea, rank that one as well. You will have the opportunity to spell out your ideas...

Thanks to DavidK at Blogging Tories for pointing this out.

Senate appointments 'the only option': Harper

In an interview with Steve Murphy on ATV, Prime Minister Stephen Harper defended his intention to appoint 18 senators to the red chamber.

"It's the only option. There is no prospect for electing these senators in the near term. There's none," Harper said. "So the option is do we appoint them -- the government that people elected -- or do we allow an un-elected coalition to appoint them?"

Harper also said that his decision to appoint senators was never one that we would have dreamed to make. He explains that while he has waited and waited to see Senate reform pass in Parliament, there is now a certain expectation from his party to work within his means.

"In a way, it's a sad day for me," said Harper. "I've waited for three years. We've invited provinces to hold elections. We've put an electoral bill before the House of Commons. But for the most part, neither in Parliament nor in the provinces has there been any willingness to move forward on reform."

When asked if Canadians would see this move as hypocritical or as another example of broken promises, Harper answered confidently:

"Quite frankly, I think the public would prefer to see senators supporting the government they elected."

The PM and his staff have apparently been flooded with applications to become senator since the news broke of his intention. One story mentions that one Conservative staffer says he even received an email from a high-school teacher he never got along with and hadn't heard from in years.

Harper jokingly mentions during his ATV interview that never before now had he received requests of appointment to the Senate.

"Now I'm getting deluged. [...] It's not the favourite thing I've ever done – but at this point it's the right thing."

Opposition to the move has been vocal, calling out the PM for his "hypocritical" decision, which goes against his electoral promises as well as those in the Speech from the Throne.

CTV writes:

Liberal MP Wayne Easter, meanwhile, said that Harper has no right to make patronage appointments when the House of Commons remains locked in a constitutional grey area.

Easter noted that the majority of MPs don't have confidence in the prime minister, and that it is unacceptable that Harper "would turn around and stack the senate with his friends" after proroguing Parliament.

But constitutional experts say that there is nothing illegitimate or wrong in Harper's move:

"Absolutely, unreservedly so, there are no limitations on his appointment powers," said Peter Woolstencroft, a political science professor at the University of Waterloo, in an interview with CTV Newsnet."The opposition will fume ... but he's not doing anything out of line."

NDP Leader Jack Layton also criticized the decision to appoint Conservative senators in a letter, asking the PM to wait until after the House resumes before making the appointment.

"You have often stated ... you would not appoint any new senators until that body becomes truly representative."

"Why then, Prime Minister, would you choose to make 18 costly and undemocratic patronage appointments in this time of unprecedented economic crisis?"

In their current form, Senate appointments pay $130,000 a year. Members can keep other jobs while pulling in their Senate salary until mandatory retirement at age 75.

Harper also discussed Afghanistan, the economy and the current minority government situation. Watch the full clip.

New poll numbers show Conservative momentum slumping

I do not like where this is going...

A brand new poll prepared by Angus Reid for the Toronto Star shows that while the Conservatives continue to lead the Liberals in voter intentions, their margin has shrunk significantly since last week. Released Sunday, it consulted with 1004 Canadian adults between Dec 11 and 12.

The numbers show that Conservative support has dropped by five points, to 37%, while the Liberals support has risen by nine points to reach 31% in a week. With a 3.1% margin of error, the numbers could be even closer.

This is partly due to the coronation of Michael Ignatieff as new Liberal interim leader, giving the party a bit more bite. Preferred leadership numbers show Harper and Ignatieff neck to neck, sitting at 27 and 28 respectively.

However, Harper does lead Ignatieff on a number of characteristic traits, according to the poll.

While Ignatieff posted significantly higher numbers than his predecessor, Harper continues to dominate as being a strong and decisive leader (45%), an effective economic manager (35%), and a person who understands complex issues (42%).

But 34% said Ignatieff inspired the most confidence, leading both Harper and Jack Layton.

The full survey results can be found here.

Budget and stimulus package taking shape

Rumours and possibly facts regarding the content of the upcoming federal Budget are starting to show up in the news.

Industry Minister Tony Clement has come out this weekend saying he expects the White House to come forward with a rescue plan very shortly, despite the main bailout plan being stuck in the American Senate.

The White House could use some of its own financial resources to give out a rescue package to the ailing automotive industry. It has come out last week saying that it may dip into the US$700 billion bank bailout fund to help the auto sector.

"The Bush administration has made it pretty clear that they think that a rescue is necessary to save the entire industry, to keep the economy from going further into troubled waters in the United States," he said during his Question Period appearance on Sunday.

"So I expect over the next few days the U.S. administration to cross some t's and dot some i's," he added.

This means that a made-in-Canada bailout plan may soon follow North of the border, earmarked last week at $3.3 billion, which is likely to put Canada in a deficit position.

Shipbuilding stimulus considered

Defence Minister Peter MacKay has spoken out about the upcoming federal Budget saying that his department might be involved in part of the economic stimulus plan the government in considering.

The Department of Defence is expected to implement a continuous shipbuilding program. If announced through the coming budget, the money would come from already planned purchases.

…the plan hinges on the country's shipbuilders and trade unions setting aside their differences and sharing the billions of dollars worth of work, says Defence Minister Peter MacKay.

"There is enough work for the Canadian shipyards on both coasts and in Quebec to keep people employed, and to keep that sector of the economy going full-tilt," MacKay said in an interview with The Canadian Press.

"I see this as being in keeping with economic stimulus and getting people to work. And there's enough work in these projects to get all of these shipyards humming again."

Infrastructure spending red tape reduction

This field of federal spending was already touted by Prime Minister Harper as one of the areas that would help pull Canada’s slowing economy out of the gutter.

Yesterday, Transport Minister John Baird announced a series of consultation meetings with provincial and municipal counterparts to accelerate project spending within the $33 billion Building Canada Fund. The main focus of these discussions will be to find the best means of removing administrative red tape that lie in the way of approving these projects.

Flaherty meets Liberal members

And this morning, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty is scheduled to meet Liberal MPs Scott Brison and John McCallum to discuss his budget plan. Of course, the opposition members are showing some reservations about the meeting.

This morning, Brison told CBC News that the Liberals need the government to present its real figures, notwithstanding revenues from Crown assets yet to be sold, in order to give a clear picture of Canada’s economic situation.

"If Minister Flaherty and if Prime Minister [Stephen] Harper are actually interested in having an honest discussion about stimulus ideas, they have to be prepared to be honest about the fiscal situation," said Brison.

He also reiterated the Liberal demands expected in the budget in order to support it, including investments in infrastructure, industries, housing and training.

"We want to see meaningful stimulus that not only helps Canadians get through this economic downturn but builds a more competitive and productive Canadian economy in the future as we move back into a period of recovery."

Flaherty is expected to meet with NDP Finance critic Thomas Mulcair in coming days. These informal meetings are replacing the usual budgetary consultations that would have taken place at the House of Commons Finance committee.

Canadians misunderstand political system: Survey

Wellity, wellity... It looks like a recent survey prepared by Ipsos Reid for the Dominion Institute might explain the lack of interest for politics in the general Canadian population: ignorance. I mean, we all could have guessed it, but this put down on paper some of the misses among Canadians when it comes to what's going on in Ottawa.

"Canadians certainly were interested by what was going on in Ottawa, but lacked in many cases the basic knowledge to form informed opinions," said Marc Chalifoux, executive director of the Dominion Institute.

According to the CTV article quoting the survey which asked four seemingly simple questions to respondents, 75 % misidentified our Head of State as either the PM or the GG, when the right answer remains the Queen.

Only 59 % correctly picked constitutional monarchy, when asked to identify our political system. Better than nothing, those number do strongly match voter turn out from the 2008 general election. While 25 % picked a "co-operative assembly," 17 % answered a "representative republic."

How is our PM selected? 51 % wrongly answered that Canadians elect the prime minister directly. But in fact, Canadians elect local members of Parliament and the leader of the party with the most members by tradition becomes PM at the request of the GG.

Finally, and unsurprisingly thanks to recent events, 90 % responded correctly that the GG does have the power to refuse the PM's request for an election, if the opposition defeats the government with a confidence vote in the Commons.

"These questions we're asking aren't just trivia," Chalifoux said. "These are part of the basic tool kit of knowledge that citizens need to function in a democracy. Our school system needs to be doing a better job of training young people to be citizens."

No doubt on that one. Somebody, come and save us from ourselves, quick!

Canada named "most obstructive country" at UN climate talks

The Poznan UN climate conference, which finished yesterday in Poland, saw Canada named the most obstructionist country attending the talks.

Climate Action Network International, a network of over 400 environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOs) attributed 10 "Fossil of the Day" awards to Canada over the conference, which amounted to the "Colossal Fossil" prize at the closing of the talks.

In response to this "prize", Environment Minister Jim Prentice said:

"Not everyone necessarily agrees with our positions.

"However, we have been quite clear that we wish to be a constructive force in concluding an effective international protocol.

"I have engaged in bilaterals with many of the countries that are here and will continue to do that as we work toward Copenhagen."

Again, Canada is made to look like the bad guy.

What else is new, 400 ENGOs from across the world cannot be wrong... /end sarcasm.

Three more Canadian fallen soldiers

A thought goes out to the families of Cpl. Thomas James Hamilton, left, Pvt. John Michael Roy Curwin, centre, and Pvt. Justin Peter Jones, the latest victims of an explosion during a patrol in Kandahar, yesterday.


Rest in peace, dear men.

$3.3 billion Canadian bailout plan for auto industry - but strings are attached

Nothing is for sure here as of yet, but CBC reports that the federal government and the province of Ontario have come to an agreement to offer a $3.3 billion bailout package to the auto sector. But this agreement relies on the US passing their own bailout plan, which is easier said than done.

The U.S. [$14 billion] bailout appeared to have died late Thursday night after hours of heated negotiations between lawmakers, representatives from automakers and unions.

The Canadian segments of the Detroit Big Three also need to find a long term solution for their industry's woes. Again, it is less than certain that they can commonly agree on any type of measures that would see unions offer up some of their employees benefits, for example, in order to save their sector.

But if they were to meet these demands, then we will likely be headed toward a deficit, which Minister Flaherty is now willing to admit. This positioning is good, it shows willingness to cooperate, but at a cost to those seeking help.

"As we prepare to present the next budget [on Jan. 27], the challenge we are facing is how to fix a short-term problem without creating a long-term problem for our country."

In my opinion, we cannot support with taxpayer dollars a failing sector, unless it is willing to completely revamp itself in order to become self-sufficient again, in the near future. Like others have said before me, many other car manufacturers have come and gone. And as sad as it can be for the employees laid off, sometimes you simply have to get with the times.

Coalition nightmare fading rapidly

Some delightful poll results from CanWest and Global National yesterday reveal that most Canadians do not want a Liberal-NDP coalition - and even want Ignatieff to vow not to work towards one:

Almost two-thirds of Canadians say they want Michael Ignatieff, the new head of the federal Liberal party, to seek a compromise with Prime Minister Stephen Harper to keep the Conservatives in power instead of joining the New Democratic Party and Bloc Quebecois early in the new year to defeat the minority government, according to the findings of a poll released Friday by Ipsos Reid.

[Five] per cent of those surveyed said they believe Ignatieff should try to find a compromise with Harper, compared with 27 per cent who said they should "stick with the Liberal-NDP coalition." Eight per cent said they didn't know how Ignatieff should proceed.

Poll results also suggest Canadians are so uncomfortable at the prospect of a Liberal-NDP coalition government, backed by the Bloc, that a majority - 56 per cent - would prefer going to the polls again early in 2009 if Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean is forced to choose between the two options. That number is unchanged from a similar poll conducted last week, prior to Ignatieff's promotion to the Liberal leadership.

The poll also said the Conservative party would garner 45 per cent of the vote and score a majority victory if an election were held today.

Now, if Ignatieff has a shred of common sense, he will look at this result and consider what is best for his political ambition. Bringing down the government on the budget could damage him and the Liberals for a decade, perhaps. I think he will see the same and let Stephen Harper's Conservatives govern.

The Globe and Mail also commented on the fate of the coalition agreement, with no one coming out clearly about if the prospect is still on the agenda or not.

...on the few occasions that Mr. Ignatieff has been pushed to clarify the most central question in all of Canadian politics - is the agreement to bring down Stephen Harper still in force? - the most erudite washing machine in Canadian politics goes into full spin cycle.

And out tumbles yes, no, and maybe as if they were synonyms.

I think that with the change in conviction from coalition members we can safely say that this nightmare won't return to haunt us for a good long while.

Another reason why we cannot afford a Liberal-NDP Coalition

Bloomberg writes:

Canada’s opposition parties would implement tough carbon-dioxide emissions targets if they vote to topple Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s minority Conservative government next year, the country’s Green Party leader said.

A coalition government would aim to reduce output of the greenhouse gas by 30 percent by 2020 from 1990 levels and 80 percent by 2050, Elizabeth May said in an interview in Poland where United Nations climate negotiations are taking place.

[...]

As part of a possible coalition pact, the Liberals had to give up their plan to introduce a carbon tax, May said. Sources of tension in environmental policy among the opposition parties include oil production from Alberta’s tar sands, she added.

Either Lizzy May is spewing hot air (wouldn't be surprised) or she is actually talking from her knowledge of the backroom coalition negotiations. If this is really considered by a potential coalition government, Canada would be in serious economic trouble. We cannot possibly meet those targets in such a short period of time without this having disastrous repercussions.

"The ball is in Mr. Harper's court": Liberals

Earlier today, Prime Minister Harper and newly appointed Liberal interim leader Michael Ignatieff met to discuss, according to reports, the economy and the upcoming budget. While the Liberals, during the election and the short-lived Parliament session, insisted on implementing measures rapidly, it looks as though they yet have to come up with a plan.

During this meeting, Ignatieff presented no concrete economic proposals. A Liberal spokesperson said following the hour-long meeting that:

"The ball is in Mr. Harper's court. [...] He needs to put forward a credible economic plan."

I was under the impression that Ignatieff was opening up to the Government, and showing a willingness to cooperate. Under those circumstances, you would think he would have been willing to share at least some of the party's ideas on how Canada can avoid getting into deeper economic trouble.

It seems however that, despite the oppositions loud-mouthed rhetoric about the Government's lack of stimulus package in the Fall economic statement, the Liberals still have not come up with a plan.

Ignatieff is currently meeting with experts (of sympathizing views, one might add) in order to finally create a plan. These include Ontario Minister of Finance Dwight Duncan; Frank McKenna, deputy chairman of TD Bank Financial Group; Don Drummond, a former senior Finance official and the TD's senior economist, as well as Liberal MPs John McCallum and Scott Brison.

Time is going by fast before the House resumes. I think I know what Ignatieff is asking Santa for this year: A concrete economic plan.

Introducing Capital C

After much time spent reading conservative blogs and forums, I have finally decided to jump in the action and start one of my own. The urge had been with me for a while, but I lacked the motivation to put my words and ideas down officially.

With the recent political and parliamentary crisis, namely the proposal of a Liberal-NDP coalition government, propped up and vetoed by the Bloc Quebecois, I felt the need to finally create my outlet to discuss these events and those that will surely follow.

In coming weeks, as Stephen Harper's Conservative government continues to prepare its 2009 Budget, the Liberal camp will be working on a strategy for its response. While I hope the opposition will be willing to work with the government, many of us also know that when it comes to political ambition, we are looking at a very eager crowd.

So, as the posts add up here in the weeks and months to come, I will be mostly looking at the state of the Liberal Party with its newly crowned leader, Michael Ignatieff. Also, at the attitude the Jack Layton and his NDP. I will pay attention to what the media is saying in all of this, and where they are trying to lead public opinion. But let's not forget, we will look at what our Conservative government is doing with its power, as it looks to regain control of the agenda in the New Year.

Thank you and welcome to Capital C.