maplesyrup

NC......while I agree with you that the GG's role is outdated, and probably no longer needed, although she might come in handy with our current minority government situation, don't you think there is something to be said for traditions, ceremonies, and all that jazz? I think we need our rituals, especially us newcomer countries like the ones in North America. I would like to see a much more prominent role for our First Nations's people somehow, and would even consider allowing a few people from the West to participate (just kidding about the West comment).

Well the GG's position is currently essential to our way of governing. And I think Clarkson and her author husband John Ralston Saul have offered some real class to the position or role. God knows, we need to celebrate the artistic community in this country. His Excellency John Ralston Saul was even born in Ottawa! His Excellency John Ralston Saul You are correct, of course about the press - it is a universal problem! :angry:

BD....thanks. Well if he has lost his head think of the money he will save not having to buy any more shampoo or hair gel. Probably CIA!

Newfie Canadian.....welcome, and that's a great Trudeau quote. Jeez I miss him.

Howling media distorted visit This disgusting display by Canada's media would be hilarious if it were not so sad. Vancouver is a perfect example of the tragedy of a one newpaper or medias outlet town.

Who is nick berg?

I have seen a bit of him in action. He is pathetic. Seems like a bully to me.

cabbageleaf.....welcome. Great site.

Canada is a wonderful country, and yes we have some problems, but the sooner we cut loose from the US the better. Who needs them? Everywhere they go they stink up the place The US reminds me of the movie "Trailer Park Boys"

Article Interesting article - who is Albert Walker?

Right. Sell another part of our sovereignty to a dying empire, the US. What percentage of our trade is with the US - 85% or is it 90%. We need to seriously look at ways to reduce that to 50% or even less if we are to remain a healthy vibrant society. I guess there are some Canadians who will always want an Avro Arrow economy. The Avro Arrow: Canada's Broken Dream Basically if your dollar appreciates your country is doing better than others in the eyes of investors as they study the risk factors. I'll take a higher Canadian dollar anytime thank you, and so will the vast majority of Canadians.

Tolerance and respect for others will become a dominant issue in this by-election. Surrey has a huge East Indian population, maybe the most of any place in Canada.

Guaging election results particularly these days with the low citizen response rate is a constant challenge. Am not aware of any polling firm details, however was driving through Surrey and saw the overwhelming signage for NDP candidate Jagrup Brar. Combined with the fact that this guy Brar has impeccable business credentials, while the Liberals are in disarray over a candidate, is enough for me. for some details on Brar's background go to: bc.ndp.ca Liberals acclaim Polak in Surrey

What's our dollar now, 78 cents US. I am going to forecast 85 cents US by Christmas. Go Canada Go!

Always the naysayer about Canada, eh! Strong economy pushing loonie upward As Trudeau, a man with a vision suggested, Canada needs to detatch itself as much as possible from the US economically, as their economy goes down the toilet with Bush's astronomical deficit. Canadians have too many eggs in the proverbial US basket. :angry:

B.C. Green Party leader enters race for Surrey Panorama Ridge byelection A huge wake up call both for the right wing BC Liberal Campbell Regime, and for the right wing BC Green Party, is coming soon in BC. While the next general election in BC is still 8 months away, BC has to have a by-election in Surrey Panorama Ridge by November this year. And a very rude shock is waiting for the present government. The New Democrats have chosen a popular local businessman to represent them, and he is probably going to win with one of the biggest majories ever recorded in BC history. Leader Adrienne Carr is running for the Greens, and the last I've heard, an idiotic Surrey School Board Chair, who apparently opposes gay rights, is contesting the nomination for the Liberals. This is a tactical error for the Greens, as when the ballots are counted and the Greens Carr's poor showing becomes apparent, it is going to severely damage the the Green's credibility, and their future possibilities in the general elections next year. Never mind what any polls say, and what the capitalist right wing media will spout off. This will be a massive victory for the social democratic New Democrats, who will use their powerful election results in this Surrey by-election, to propel themselves to victory in the coming general elections next year. To get a feel for what is really going on now, all you have to do is drive around the Surrey Panorama Ridge community. Every street it seems now has many snazzy new Blue and Gold New Democratic lawn signs, a sure sign of the surging support for NDP candidate Jagrup Brar.

Unreported Felderhof trades alleged As I have said before this guy Felderhof was incompetent, and why Walsh ever got involved with him I guess we will never know for sure. Anyway Felderhof broke some insider trading laws or he didn't. You have to ask yourself why this court case is being spun out over a period of years. If he is found guilty though I hope he gets jail time, and they send a bounty hunter down to the Cayman Islands to drag him back to Canada to do the time. Did you know once Freeport announced there was no gold, Felderhof fled Canada and never ever has returned since. Does that tell you something about what kind of person he is? The Calgary guy, the Bre-X CEO hung around and faced the press, the RCMP, the Securities Commissions, etc. Maybe having a coward for a partner like Felderhof is what killed him.

If I had people like the Suharto family connections looking for me I might want to live in the bush as well, although I would prefer not to be fed to the wild boars like it appears Michael de Guzman was!

Are we going through this stuff once again? Why is it always the rich who exploit the poor that want to abolish minimum wage, whereas the poor want minimum wages raised? :angry: If you want a prosperous and healthy society for all, raise the minimum wage to $15-$20 per hour depending on the cost of living where you live in Canada.

tfb....why do you say that? This guy seems to be one person who is talking about what has really happened. 'BUSHMAN' OF THE SHUSWAP Cartman on another thread suggested his Dad was a bit eccentric because he did not watch TV. Let me be clear there is no comparison being made here. But just because this Bushman guy is a bit different from your average Canadian, whatever an average Canadian is, does not mean we should discount what he he knows or has to say.

What I would really like to see is for that Bushman of BC to write a book. It would expose all those other so-called expert authors, for the unprofessional abilities which have seriously misled the Canadian public about what really happened with Bre-X. :angry:

The Short History of Fabulous Bre-X Minerals Not a bad summary. tfb.....I think the basic difference between Bre-X and Enron is that with Enron it was some of the corporate executives themselves who were the crooks, whereas with Bre- X it seems that it was the executives of the company that got screwed just like "joe" investor.

tfb....you got that right, about the media that is, although Kelly Crow and the CBC I thought provided reasonable coverage. Yea and Beethoven was blind. Yes, and if I was taken advantage of, and made a fool of by mafia types, and inadvertently my kids get caught up in the situation, I might do more than a bit of drinking myself. That is probably what eventually killed Walsh - the way his kids were being drawn into the shame of it all. Actually considering the circumstances, Bre-X management did extremely well. Whatever happened about that incident concerning Walsh's son? Wasn't it about some moronic journalist who jumped out the bushes and startled them, and Walsh's son pounded him out as he thought it was an attempted physical assault on his father, or something like that?

Just think about this: Who in their right mind would name a fraudulent activity after one of their own children? David Walsh the man behind Bre-X, named the company after his second child, Brett Walsh (Walsh named the original company, the parent company Bresea Resources after his two children). And John Felderhof, quite frankly was too stupid to have engineered such a massive fraud in the first place. Nope sorry folks, but the Canadian business community will not get their pound of flesh by persuing these fruitless trails that are utter nonsense, without a shred of substance, as to either of their cupabilities. Walsh and Felderhof were victims of this giant fraud by the Suharto family, just like the many investors that lost money on Bre-X (BTW lots of people made money on Bre-X as well).

THE BRE-X FRAUD Some of the actual losers were the authors of the several books on Bre-X, who never once explored the possibilities who was behind this massive mining fraud. Authors such as Goold and Willis didn't have a clue, and never entertained for a second, that it was connected to the Indonesian Royal Family - the Suhartos. This is so typical of the business community. One person, in this case let's say Diane Frances at the National Post, gets an idea and everyone loses their own thinking processes and climbs on board. The Canadian business community has egg all over its face because of the Bre-X scandal, so they needed a scapegoat to try and justify their own greedy behaviour. They could care less who the scapegoat is, or whether or not they were involved, as as it takes the Establishment off the hook. Only in this case it is beginning to look worse and worse for the Canadian Business Establishment.