What is the most important election issue?

[capricorn]

Have to say that the future of the public service is one of the more important issues for me. If Harper manages to win a majority, there's no telling what he might do - already, his mismanagement of resources is threatening to undermine the capacity of our public servants.

I attended a debate hosted by PIPSC on Tuesday night on the future of the public service in Canada - some very interesting issues were raised. For those in Ottawa, it's replaying on channel 22 this Saturday (the 30th) at 2pm. Might want to check out their website too - http://forthepublicgood.ca/ - lots of interesting info about the work public servants do for us.

Dear Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) representative. You and your membership need not worry. First, the public service bureaucracy has grown since Harper has been in government. Furthermore, any future human resources cutbacks will be done through attrition therefore no one will be laid off. Of course that will mean a reduction of union dues making it into union coffers and I suspect that is the real issue bugging public service unions.

[bjre]

Dear Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) representative. You and your membership need not worry. First, the public service bureaucracy has grown since Harper has been in government. Furthermore, any future human resources cutbacks will be done through attrition therefore no one will be laid off. Of course that will mean a reduction of union dues making it into union coffers and I suspect that is the real issue bugging public service unions.

Some public services such as CAS should be cut to make Canada a less horrible place so that people can have some basic human right.

Vote is not human right, vote can not prevent politicians from designing evil laws to bully others.

[ToadBrother]

Some public services such as CAS should be cut to make Canada a less horrible place so that people can have some basic human right.

Then bring that up during the next provincial election in Ontario. This has nothing to do with the Federal election.

Vote is not human right,

It is in Canada:

Section 3 of the Constitution Act, 1982:

Every citizen of Canada has the right to vote in an election of members of the House of Commons or of a legislative assembly and to be qualified for membership therein.

vote can not prevent politicians from designing evil laws to bully others.

But it can kick them out of office.

Edited April 28, 2011 by ToadBrother

[eyeball]

The economy, of course.

I learned in business and in life a long time ago that if you have no money, you have no options.

All the rest is just wankery and in second place, the usual forgetting that you need to generate wealth before you can distribute wealth.

True enough but as a fisherman I learned that if there are no fish there is no money, in other words, the environment and even more to the point, healthy productive ecosystems come before the economy. How can the latter exist without the former?

[cybercoma]

True enough but as a fisherman I learned that if there are no fish there is no money, in other words, the environment and even more to the point, healthy productive ecosystems come before the economy. How can the latter exist without the former?

What's even more damning is that there is very little cost associated with destroying the environment. Businesses, which are made up of people but not people in themselves, are not bearing this burden, but passing it along to all of us that rely on it. People are not thinking long term. We may not be in imminent danger, but we need to be aware of the sustainability of our practices. The real cost of doing business is hidden because there is no cost associated with unsustainable practices and doing things that damage the environment.

[blueblood]

True enough but as a fisherman I learned that if there are no fish there is no money, in other words, the environment and even more to the point, healthy productive ecosystems come before the economy. How can the latter exist without the former?

And I as a cowboy learned that if you don't adapt to better animal production methods the environment and healthy ecosystems arent a hill of beans. The fact that fishermen haven't grasped the 8000 year old practice of animal husbandry is why their industry is such a gong show.

[eyeball]

And I as a cowboy learned that if you don't adapt to better animal production methods the environment and healthy ecosystems arent a hill of beans. The fact that fishermen haven't grasped the 8000 year old practice of animal husbandry is why their industry is such a gong show.

As a cowboy you have the luxury of being in possession of your own private resource. As a fisherman I don't have the luxury of being able to ensure what some people, like farmers for example, do with their resource. I have to depend on Ottawa to ensure your activities don't impact the environment and the ecosystems that produce the fish I depend on.

This is why transparency and accountability is so important an issue to me.

As for animal husbandry I explained to you before we tried that. Local fishermen rallied the community together to initiate the construction of a small production hatchery in our harbour. It produced 4 million fish and was so successful that communities up and down the coast requested permission to build their own hatcheries. Ottawa refused, shut down our's and have done little since but try to drive what's left of our fishery into oblivion.

Ottawa is why our industry is such a gong show. I think it was just easier for Ottawa to snuff our industry than do it's job and ensure that industries that impact salmon habitat, like your's for example clean up their acts.