madmax

Training money will be coming from the Feds regardless of who is in power. That is a popular easy way out to duck the issue of a unemployment. Training is a good thing, and most Provinces have strong training programs and could use the extra cash. Watch Harper go down the same path. However, typical of Iggy he didn't mention expanding EI's catchment area. He never mentioned, how little people receive on EI compared to over a decade ago. Nor are the LPC interested in tackling the fact that they made all the changes that have made EI a lucrative cash grab for the government.

And that is what Iggy is doing right now.

I don't believe that stance has changed. The CPC have a minority government not much different then last term. The CPC unreasonable, they were reckless, let alone untrustworthy. Parliment hasn't changed how it functions, and the Prime Minister and his MPs are enjoying PAY without work. I have no idea if Iggy will trust the tongue of Harper. The Prime Minister didn't bother to tell the public in his national address that he was going to ask the GG to give him and his pals an extended holiday in order to avoid work.

You sound like a politician. Ontario is a diversified Province. Industry is a key part of that diversification. If you lose it you become less diversified. Ontario will not be at the forefront of the Canadian economy anymore then it currently is. It has great potential to slip and continue to slide into a non skilled economy with well trained and educated workforce. Nothing like insulting people. It is the unskilled labour force which goes to Alberta and returns to Ontario. Regardless of the higher wages for "unskilled" general labour and service sector work, the cost of living is beyond the means of many of those people to stay in Alberta. However, the Skilledworkforces is in such demand that Ontario has been bleeding skilled labour to Alberta, where the job postings are still steady. Sorry bub, but every skilled trade I could put on a train, bus or Plane and fly out to Alberta in a heartbeat, and Ontario is the poorer for it. Every person who leaves their non transferable, non credential trade and gets retrained by Ontario, faces few jobs and piss poor pay, but that ticket is a ticket to freedom out west, where they make far more then they ever made in Ontario. On top of that Ontarios private sector is only 6% Unionized, where as in Alberta has a high private sector unionized rate just over 30%. Some believe they died and went to heaven. Many of those from Auto/Farm/ etc find the work easy, but the drug use and alcohol in Alberta to be a very dangerous situation. How has it worked so far? Do you have any idea how much technological equipment, intellectual property, etc is being sucked out of this economy for the last 4 years? All these plans of "education and technology" come from bozos that have never been involved in manufacturing and think people in manufacturing operations are a bunch of dummies. It is those same group of people who used to piss me off calling me farmer, and farm boy, because "farmers were stupid, or uneducated". Farming is industrial in nature, and thus it is understandable why manufacturers set up in farming communities. There are many farms with full machineshops in their barns.... of course the work is drying up for them as the industries leave. Yes there is a University in Windsor, Hamilton, Thunderbay, etc. training people is only half the equation. The employment opportunities must exist. There are also community colleges and private training and college facilities but since you didn't mention them, they probably don't count in your mind. I am University Educated, and I didn't enter a manufacturing field until in my late 30s. I was on the other side, service sector, business and marketing. So, I believed in many of the myths. If you want to have fun, the meat grinder of JIT production, shipping and 5S, 6 Sigma and Kaizen is a treat for anyone to see management by stress and stressed out management. Its all fun. But talking to so many managers in new fields, they are happy with the slower quieter pace with far less responsibility, and less use of their knowledge... comparatively. I have heard this all before.... don't hold your breath.

In many circumstances yes, in many circumstances no. It is a mixed bag. Canada can look great on paper.... I look at the local economy. Free Trade is an agreement that isn't "free trade". It could simply called a "trade agreement" but the word "free" is a beautiful marketing ploy. We have had many trade agreements in the past. Some on a more individual basis then the broad outline of the FTA and NAFTA. Often on these one on one agreements Canada did very well and could exercise its leverage and independance and its sovereignty. The reverse was also true of our trading partner. I don't recall a time when Canada didn't have a positive trade balance. But what is clear, with the glory of NAFTA and the NAFTA preachers we have lost our #1 trading partner status to the US to be replaced by CHINA who has no such agreement. It certainly would be in the situation it is in. Autoworkers paid far less in other countries are victim to the same set of circumstances and the economic forces and the same auto corporations. Your Mexican and Korean vehicles cost the same as the Japanese vehicles. North American vehicles made offshore and in Mexico cost the same as ones made here. VWs made around the globe cost the same here. Infact, many vehicles made here, sell for less in the US then we can purchase them here, and that is dictated by the manufacturers, not the government. The only thing an $80 wage has an effect upon, is that it is one of many factors an autogiant looks upon when choosing to build a new plant or relocate. As for making cars or vehicles people want, perhaps you are missing something. All Auto manufacturers overproduced, and Toyota is sitting with at least a 4 month inventory. Unusual for a company that never makes more then it sells. GM made a fortune on its SUV and Large Trucks. Their cars sell for less then the Japanese and Koreans. the Japanese choose to enter the large truck market, dropping their own small trucks. GM maintained its small truck line as did Chrysler/Dodge. Don't mistake the fact that GM was relocating its Oshawa truck plant for closing truck manufacturing completely. Their intent was to use the new Mexican facility in order to avoid the 80$ wage your worry so much about, and because of the lower currency, and energy costs. ALso Mexico was about to overtake Canada as the number 1 supplier of Autos to the US. (Free trade again:) Regardless of Canadian operations being more productive, award winning and profitable, these decisions are made at boardroom tables with thoughts decades into the future. In the midst of this relocation, came the high energy costs and fuel shot up. Many people attributed the truck operation to fuel costs, but that is not the case. That would be a problem of the future for the GM facility in Mexico, but the technology paid for here (hybrid truck) had already been developed and would be built in Mexico if necessary. In the meantime, Nissan couldn't build a truck for the life of them, and farmed it out to Chrysler. As for the dire straits of Auto, Chrysler is owned by a company with enough financial resources to buy it 10 times over. You are right, and our products are natural resources to aid in their industrial production to sell goods to us. We don't have access to those 3rd world markets, and while Japan would be a nice coup, I would be hard pressed to know just what product we are going to sell to China that we don't already have a market for there?

Iggy is speaking political talk. Everyone including the CPC and the LPC SHOULD already know EI reform changes have been in the works, and the only thing political parties would do is block them, and that isn't going to happen. 1) EI was reformed last month and he should know this, he has had time off to investigate. The anti poverty groups and social groups as well as members of the NDP/LPC/BQ and even CPC MPs have known the bureaucracy was making changes to EI. http://www1.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/ei/typ...r.shtml#Working Basically effective December 11/08 if you are receiving EI benefits you are eligible to earn 40% of your benefit rate without penalty. This is an increase from the 25%. New EI rates will be coming into effect early January/09 but it has not been formally released just yet so keep an eye out. http://www1.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/ei/types/regular.shtml The fact that these changes haven't been formally released, just mean that the IGGY is placing a sure bet. He is a political opportunist. Further EI enhancements are in the works, but the full details aren't known, and many groups are pushing for a restoration of the EI program in this time of need. Iggy is the last one at the breakfast table. Jack Layton..November.. Shortly there after the first change to EI came, but clearly no one told Iggy. Nor would Iggy even know how EI works, as most MPs couldn't give a rats ass about it, it is just a political tool to say good positive things with no risk.

I read the article and that is exactly what first came to mind. That kind of talk is pre-election drivel. Typical easy statements for a Leader to make, or more importantly, don't make waves. I could have heard Harper make similar statements.... maybe I did

The quote doesn't include a Mr. Canada header. But if it is a quote of Mr. Canada, I haven't seen someone burned this bad since Mikedavid00 moment a couple years back.

Only by condom companies test marketing in Latin America.

Al Qaeda is the base, Mujihadins do the fighting.

The amount of money funnelled to Al Qaeda is above zero. The amount of money funnelled to the Taliban for guerrilla actions is Zero, because they were a latter creation of the pakistanis and to a much lessor extent the Saudis, other then taking Islamics practicing Pashtunwali and giving this code a stronger religious element with the adoption of wahhabism. Al Qaeda..the base, was one of several such places among the 7 main mujahideen groups in Afghanistan. They never amounted to more then a few thousand at any given time. They existed as a direct result of Saudi, Pakistani and US terrorism/guerrilla activities to aid the insurgency against the USSR backed communist regime.

I think the gaming that is going on between this women and this man is shamefull and does the children harm. Regardless of biology he took on the role of father and maintained that role. The kick in the pants is the exwife demanding more money, and allowing him less time and access to the twins. She sounds like a player.... but you never know what is really going on in private households and broken marriages. I know many men who are happy to take on children that are not biologically theirs. Its probably alot easier when you know that fact "upfront".

The Conservative MPP won with a mere 10,000 vote cushion . The Region has always voted Conservative. I would put John Tories chances for another election loss at 50%

The track record for tamtam is to create a new topic thread with a link to an informedvote.ca article.

The problem would be if dwatch.ca was opening a new thread every 3rd day with a link to their site on a topic they are covering, with no intent to have the discussion on MLW. MLW has articles and I don't believe the hosts here are opening up threads on babble with a link to articles here. But I do that, if there is a topic I want to discuss there and the information is here.

There are 5 independants not 4. There are no NDP Senators.

Short of sarcasm, Jdobbin pulls articles from everywhere to support his position, and is active in the discussion. No different then yourself. MLW shouldn't be used like a SPAM vessel for informedvote.ca nor for anyother webpage. Most people use an article and such to promote a discussion they are interested in or back up a position. Clearly informedvote is simplying trying to promote their website by having, if the above is true, paid staff post on MLW. No thanks.

Arty boy agrees with the above...

Private Sectors bureaucracies eventually have to deal with financial restrainst, deficits, and an inability to change, with cuts, downsizing, and new efficient hiring practices. As well as concessions if necessary. The Public Sector continues on the path you laid out above and deal with problems by tax increases, and deficits. The system above allows you to maintain a secure job, and an above average pay with demonstratable poor results and inefficient service. Cuts to your position and others would be effective. Pay rates and benefits on par with the private sector set goals and maintain a wage parity. The idea that you can produce so little yet maintain so many perks is absurd. And with the recession coming down the pipes, the Harper Governments inability to deal with the above incompetence and irrational budget behaiver, suggests that there are plenty of ways to cut wages, benefits, and pensions if every other aspect is how "bureaucracies work ....they're all the same".

He is someone who talks sanely, and I might even do business with some day..... but never let him put my real name and MLW handle together.

How is Satan doing, I guess you haven't seen him in awhile since he trained you for the insurance business : ) Ok, I backtrack.... CarSales??

It will look like the house the LIBERALS Built. Enjoy!!!

It's never been "just the auto". Infact, Auto was one that has been gradually increasing, thus creating a constant level of crises and people have been able to visibly watch the domino effect. If the CAW had been silent this past year, (they weren't vocal last year), we would be continuing to recognise a recession, but not necessarily pay attention or care about Auto, anymore then we cared, about washerdryers, textiles, construction supplies, and food processing. It just happens to be on peoples radar screens as Auto. When I spoke on MLW over a year ago about the industrial collapse that is occuring, mainly from foreign operation purchasing smaller Canadian operations and closing them down, eliminating competition while grabbing technology, people continued to comment on Auto, as if Auto was Industry. HAMMERED is an understatement.

That's Angus, not to be confused with our ever helpful and well paid federal civil servant Argus.

..... accounting, killing and Insurance.... All you are missing from your CV is Politician, Lawyer, Used Car Saleman and devil worshipper. I will overlook these career choice character faults for the greater good of your posts, in making the bureacracy, accountable, efficient, smaller, with wages, benefits, sickdays, hours of work, paid holidays, and pensions that are inline with the private sector.