Harper to prorogue parliament AGAIN?

[Bryan]

As one US president said to the voters before the election, ask yourself if YOU are BETTER off today?? So... are you better off since the Harper government took over?

Absolutely, significantly so.

[capricorn]

Well, here's a link about Queens University:

http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/nov/08111907.html

It talks about how they hired "thought police".

Here's another from YOUR university! Apparently there is some disagreement about such issues:

---

A quick google had pages and pages more. I guess when you attended that school you didn't get out much.

You were saying?

And who can forget this.

Ontario's largest university workers' union is proposing a ban on Israeli academics teaching in the province's universities, in a move that echoes previous attempts to boycott goods and services from the Jewish state.

The resolution, proposed by CUPE's Ontario University Workers Coordinating Committee, is in protest against a Dec. 29 bombing that damaged the Islamic University in Gaza.

"In response to an appeal from the Palestinian Federation of Unions of University Professors and Employees, we are ready to say Israeli academics should not be on our campuses unless they explicitly condemn the university bombing and the assault on Gaza in general," said Sid Ryan, president of CUPE Ontario.

The resolution is still being drafted but the union said it will seek to prohibit Israeli academics from speaking, teaching or researching at Ontario universities. The CUPE committee will distribute the resolution to its members at the end of the month.

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=1144758

Unions and academics, working hand in hand to close down free speech thereby limiting the intellectual growth of our leaders of tomorrow. Disgraceful!

[ToadBrother]

Unions and academics, working hand in hand to close down free speech thereby limiting the intellectual growth of our leaders of tomorrow. Disgraceful!

Disgusting behavior, of course. There is something of a long tradition of anti-Zionism in universities, which oddly enough, has little to do with political affiliation.

[William Ashley]

What happened to the top ranked google Canada article

http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2243824

another page ordered shut down the the Cons? Censoring the the free press?

It existed an hour ago....

Prominent NDP member slams decision to suspend Parliament

Peterborough Examiner - Brendan Wedley - ‎1 hour ago‎

A prominent local NDP member slammed the Conservative government on Thursday for its decision to suspend Parliament until March 3. Prime Minister Stephen Harper is trying to avoid criticism from the elected members of Parliament on not properly

Edited January 1, 2010 by William Ashley

[Jerry J. Fortin]

What happened to the top ranked google Canada article

http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2243824

another page ordered shut down the the Cons? Censoring the the free press?

It existed an hour ago....

Prominent NDP member slams decision to suspend Parliament

Peterborough Examiner - Brendan Wedley - ‎1 hour ago‎

A prominent local NDP member slammed the Conservative government on Thursday for its decision to suspend Parliament until March 3. Prime Minister Stephen Harper is trying to avoid criticism from the elected members of Parliament on not properly

Are you serious...can you actually prove this?

[William Ashley]

Are you serious...can you actually prove this?

Can I proove the Cons pay too much for their airfare?

Isn't it obvious, who else would do such a thing?

[Jerry J. Fortin]

Can I proove the Cons pay too much for their airfare?

Isn't it obvious, who else would do such a thing?

You slay me dude! No ya dipstick.....!!! Can you prove that the government actually censored the press?

[capricorn]

Isn't it obvious, who else would do such a thing?

William, rather than jumping to conclusions, use your imagination. Why don't you email the Peterborough Examiner and ask them what happened to the online article? Let us know if they answer that the long arm of the Conservative Government has taken over control of their paper.

[eyeball]

What I'd like to see is a Triple-E Senate, more in line with the American setup, so I guess, on that particular point, I'm very much in the same room as the old Reformers (who I did happen to vote for a couple of times). Don't try to paint me into some box so you don't have to debate me and instead just say "Liberal a$$hole" over and over.

Instead of a Senate, how about an assembly and referenda?

I'd love Senate reform, I'd love a real check on the powers of the Commons, and in particular on the Prime Minister.

I think an elected Senate would result in two Parliaments with people still beholden to themselves first, their parties second and us a distant third. A better way to check the power of the Commons and especially the PM is to redistribute it to as local a level and as many Canadian hands as possible.

Edited January 2, 2010 by eyeball

[William Ashley]

William, rather than jumping to conclusions, use your imagination. Why don't you email the Peterborough Examiner and ask them what happened to the online article? Let us know if they answer that the long arm of the Conservative Government has taken over control of their paper.

Harper would probably reply "Ooops, it was just an accident" Hehehhe

Signed Editor of Peterbourgh Examiner

Look at the abuses Free expression are suffering under his regime, that dastardly pro rogue.

He plays with the press like he does parliament!

I have contacted them though.

Edited January 2, 2010 by William Ashley

[William Ashley]

You slay me dude! No ya dipstick.....!!! Can you prove that the government actually censored the press?

Can you proove they didn't?

[capricorn]

I have contacted them though.

Good for you William. That's the way to do it...right to the source.

[g_bambino]

Can you proove they didn't?

What a silly question. The onus is on you to support your assertion.

[g_bambino]

Instead of a Senate, how about an assembly and referenda?

No.

[g_bambino]

No, that would mean the DESTRUCTION of democracy. Subversion isn't destruction.

Mmm... okay. Technically, you're correct; but, the impression I got from your words was that you were inciting fear of something more sinister. For, if we stick to the literal definitions, as you wish, democracy is "subverted" every time parliament is prorogued, every time parliamentarians are off on holiday, hell, every time they go home for the evening to have some supper and be with their families. So what?

[William Ashley]

Good for you William. That's the way to do it...right to the source.

"We dont want to run story until we can get a hold of further sources.

The article was posted prematurely, and in error."

"Further Sources?"

No story is run until "Further Sources?" are contacted after submitting it for publication, and it being added to their website?

Also I just noticed most of the bloc stories have vanished from the feeds on

http://canadian-politics.net/

earlier today they were full.. and a few stories are missing from each feed.

Edited January 2, 2010 by William Ashley

[myata]

I agree the system can be blamed for a great many things, yet I still hold Harper to account for his own actions.

There's no doubt the control freak should go. He's an insult and affront to the very democracy he's ostensibly trying so hard to instruct to barbaric people who simply can't figure it out on their own. The real question is though, who (and what) is there to replace him? Just the "do better" bunch? Or meaningful measures to advance the democracy and bring it more in line with the times? Let's remember that in respect of arrogance towards media and the minority in the Parliament, Chretien PM was just as good as Harper PM. I'm really getting tired of the twiddledum adage. Either one of the duo (easy to guess which) shall come up with a real, practical program of modernising our democracy. Program like:

- improving by order of magnitude access to information, perhaps eliminating all discretions by governments on release of information, or making it mandatory to claim any such discretions in the court;

- House appointed and responsible independent watchdogs. No more "jobs for agreement" ridicule.

- real, not quasi una a la Harper fixed election dates

- and elimination or maximum restriction (to emergency, extraordinary nature that again has to be claimed before courts) of government's privileges to interfere with the work of Parliament, media and civil society (via interfering with work of independent watchdogs, preventing access to information, and so on)

Let's see. If Iggy comes up with something like the above, and takes on Harper at the first opportunity, I may consider supporting him this one time, despite what I said previously. If not, good luck federal Canadian politics. If this is not the alarm bell to bring the government under examination and check, we'll have to wait for the real one. As other's experience shows, there's always first time.

[Argus]

If they get a majority, I'm getting a plane ticket.

Are you trying to give people an incentive to donate money to the Conservatives?

Edited January 2, 2010 by Argus

[Jerry J. Fortin]

Are you trying to give people an incentive to donate money to the Conservatives?

There are a great many people who have in the past supported the Conservatives who are little miffed at how Harper is doing things. This latest ploy to get Iggy to force an election could well backfire on him. Not all of that legislative effort was Conservative, and much of it really did have the true support of the Commons. That will all be lost and lots of folks will be upset about it.

This time the NDP, The Bloc, and the Liberals are all pretty choked about all this. Granted they were about a year ago as well, but Iggy was fresh out of leadership campaign. His feet are now wet, and he is primed and ready to go. I think Harper has bitten off too much this time. His bluff will be called and we are off to the polls in the spring.

[Argus]

however in my experience business gravitates toward less social aspects and more economic aspects of life within this society. Society needs a balance between the two and over the last couple of decades we have leaned toward a more pro-business and less socially beneficial slate of initiatives.

I disagree. Our social programs have actually expanded at all levels, and we provide services now that we did not provide decades ago. But that's neither here nor there as all of what we do relies ultimately on economics.

The best example which comes immediately to mind were when the generous social programs put in place by the NDP and Liberals in Ontario had 1 out of every 10 citizens of Ontario living on welfare. It was economically and socially unsustainable, and brought about by bleeding heart social reformers who shrugged off economic concerns as morally invalid compared to their concern for helping the poor. It wasn't just the cost of maintaining so many freeloaders, but that business could not find lower skilled employees without paying a high premium, which in turn meant they had to charge more, which actually wound up making it harder for the poor. Also, the high taxes necessary to pay for all the freeloaders made it harder for everyone else while deterring business expansion.

Now you're "intellectual Left" just waxed prosaically about how they were helping the poor, while the greedy "business types" you complain about were trying to point out the obvious before the province went into bankruptcy.

Now, of course, the "intellectual Left" has been in power in Ontario for some years now, which helps to explain why Ontario is now a have-not province with crumbling infrastructure, shrinking manufacturing base and a truly massive deficit (largely unrelated to incentive spending).

[Argus]

William, rather than jumping to conclusions, use your imagination.

I thought that was what he did with everything he posted here.

[capricorn]

This time the NDP, The Bloc, and the Liberals are all pretty choked about all this. Granted they were about a year ago as well, but Iggy was fresh out of leadership campaign. His feet are now wet, and he is primed and ready to go.

True is feet are wet, but he is not ready for the PM's job, as he himself admitted.

"I think I've got things to learn. I think there's no question about it," Mr. Ignatieff said. "I've been in Canadian politics for four years and it's been a vertical climb, learning every day. I think I'm getting better at it, but there's lots more I can learn."

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/story.html?id=2366003

And if that's not enough, his performance demonstrates he is not ready and may never be. I don't think Canadians want a Prime Minister who confesses publicly he is not ready for the job.

I think Harper has bitten off too much this time. His bluff will be called and we are off to the polls in the spring.

Yes, an election is looming. It wouldn't surprise me that the Liberals want an election, which they know they will lose, simply to get rid of Ignatieff and install Rae as leader.

[nicky10013]

Disgusting behavior, of course. There is something of a long tradition of anti-Zionism in universities, which oddly enough, has little to do with political affiliation.

Did the ban happen? Of course not. The university constitution forbids it precisely because of freedom of speech. As I mentioned before which people clearly ignored, even the most radical ideas are discussed within the university and like in society, they are usually swept to the side.

[nicky10013]

Instead of a Senate, how about an assembly and referenda?

I think an elected Senate would result in two Parliaments with people still beholden to themselves first, their parties second and us a distant third. A better way to check the power of the Commons and especially the PM is to redistribute it to as local a level and as many Canadian hands as possible.

In comparison to the US, Canada was designed to be a far more powerful federal state. There's a good reason for it. The idea that is Canada is far more fragile than the US. Canadian national myths are no where near as strong as they are in the states. In the end, the more local we become, the more divisions there are between us. Harper and his Conservatives have used this to their advantage. Preaching more powers for provinces pits province against province and rural agains urban. We can't see ourselves as provincial citizens ahead of Canadian citizens which is exactly what is happening now. Quebec has always been a problem but now the west is causing troubles as well. The founding fathers knew this and thats why they gave the federal government any responsibilities not mentioned as opposed to the US where unnamed responsibilites fall to the state level. The federal government needs to be a strong, uniting force.

[Jerry J. Fortin]

I disagree. Our social programs have actually expanded at all levels, and we provide services now that we did not provide decades ago. But that's neither here nor there as all of what we do relies ultimately on economics.

The best example which comes immediately to mind were when the generous social programs put in place by the NDP and Liberals in Ontario had 1 out of every 10 citizens of Ontario living on welfare. It was economically and socially unsustainable, and brought about by bleeding heart social reformers who shrugged off economic concerns as morally invalid compared to their concern for helping the poor. It wasn't just the cost of maintaining so many freeloaders, but that business could not find lower skilled employees without paying a high premium, which in turn meant they had to charge more, which actually wound up making it harder for the poor. Also, the high taxes necessary to pay for all the freeloaders made it harder for everyone else while deterring business expansion.

Now you're "intellectual Left" just waxed prosaically about how they were helping the poor, while the greedy "business types" you complain about were trying to point out the obvious before the province went into bankruptcy.

Now, of course, the "intellectual Left" has been in power in Ontario for some years now, which helps to explain why Ontario is now a have-not province with crumbling infrastructure, shrinking manufacturing base and a truly massive deficit (largely unrelated to incentive spending).

I seem to recall that the NDP was tossed by the PC's and they were around for a number of years as well were they not? The Liberals came to power as a rejection of the PC platform did they not? So The reality is that the people wanted the changes that were made by a democratic majority, and they got what they wanted.

I don't live in Ontario, and I don't have any idea what your stats look like, but over here in Alberta that welfare thing is not looked upon very well by the citizens or the provincial government. Over here we think working for a living is better than living on the tax payers dime. What I can assure you of is that here in Alberta they are many "greedy business types" who are decidedly anti-labour and actively pursue lobby efforts to avoid the expansion of trade unions and restrict the incomes of labour with low minimum wage laws. Corporate governance is something we are well aware of over here.

A recent foray into taxation reforms and royalty changes has backfired in Alberta and cause the migration of petro-investment dollars out of the province. We have been through some tough times in the past and have had to cut programs and services. Some of those were in the process of being restored decades later after our fiscal picture changed, but that has now gone by the wayside and we may again face some cuts. Education and healthcare have already been notified of reduced funding for next year. The provincial administration is compelled to react and manage its affairs in such a manner as to provide the greatest benefit for tax dollar expenditures. All provinces have similiar social programs, and there are left and right wing administrations everywhere. You cannot simply blame the left, nor the right for social programs. These things were desired by the citizens.

What I am saying is that there is no partisan group willing to reverse these programs due to the political fallout that would result. You can play your partisan games till the cows come home but that will not change the reality of the political fear and greed found within government.