Battletoads Posted August 10, 2011 Report Posted August 10, 2011 (edited) Not a surprising move, well at least for anyone familiar with the Cons war on science. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2011/08/04/pol-environment-job-cuts.html Absolutely sickening. Edited August 10, 2011 by Battletoads Quote "You can lead a Conservative to knowledge, but you can't make him think."
capricorn Posted August 10, 2011 Report Posted August 10, 2011 Cons Slash 700 Environment Canada Positions More to come promises Clement Good! That's a start. Quote "We always want the best man to win an election. Unfortunately, he never runs." Will Rogers
TimG Posted August 10, 2011 Report Posted August 10, 2011 (edited) Not a surprising move, well at least for anyone familiar with the Cons war on science.What? A government is actually reducing the number of government workers? We can't have that can we. No lets keep increasing the size of the civil service until the country collapses.The fact is every civil servant is doing a job that someone thinks is useful and every cut will be greated by wails of anguish and predictions that the world will end. I am sure I am not going to necessarily agree with every job cut but it needs to be done. Edited August 10, 2011 by TimG Quote
Battletoads Posted August 10, 2011 Author Report Posted August 10, 2011 What? A government is actually reducing the number of government workers? We can't have that can we. No lets keep increasing the size of the civil service until the country collapses. Its more along the lines of the Cons financing their drunken spending habits on the backs of civil servants. The fact is every civil servant is doing a job that someone thinks is useful and every cut will be greated by wails of anguish and predictions that the world will end. I'd label weather, air, and water monitoring useful. It's sad that most cons can't say the same as the union head said: "When you start to erode the professionals doing this work, down the road it will certainly hurt Canadians … maybe their water quality, maybe their air quality" I am sure I am not going to necessarily agree with every job cut but it needs to be done. Had the cons not cut and spent us into a structural deficit it would not be necessary. Quote "You can lead a Conservative to knowledge, but you can't make him think."
capricorn Posted August 10, 2011 Report Posted August 10, 2011 as the union head said: "When you start to erode the professionals doing this work, down the road it will certainly hurt Canadians … maybe their water quality, maybe their air quality" Man, are you gullible. What the union head is really concerned about is that cuts to jobs means reduction in union dues, means less income for the union's coffers. Quote "We always want the best man to win an election. Unfortunately, he never runs." Will Rogers
eyeball Posted August 10, 2011 Report Posted August 10, 2011 Cons Slash 700 Environment Canada Positions More to come promises Clement There's lots of openings over at Corrections Canada apparently. Quote A government without public oversight is like a nuclear plant without lead shielding.
WWWTT Posted August 10, 2011 Report Posted August 10, 2011 Makes sence. After all someone has to pay for all the extra cabinet portfolios. And like the saying goes "no news is good news",better yet control the news! WWWTT Quote Maple Leaf Web is now worth $720.00! Down over $1,500 in less than one year! Total fail of the moderation on this site! That reminds me, never ask Greg to be a business partner! NEVER!
Shwa Posted August 10, 2011 Report Posted August 10, 2011 Not a surprising move, well at least for anyone familiar with the Cons war on science. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2011/08/04/pol-environment-job-cuts.html Absolutely sickening. Or the Cons war on the Professional Institute of Public Servants. There was another announcement that the Federal Government has created Shared Services Canada, an agency that will coordinated IT within the bureaucracy. The idea - a good one - has been batted around for decades. Problem is, with all the promises of "savings" in a time of austerity, it might cost them millions: Fact Sheet: Shared Services Canada Our email systems are also not fully compatible. While approximately 80% of departments use Microsoft Outlook, 15% use Lotus Notes, and 5% use Novell Groupwise for their email system, departments have different versions, and have adopted a variety of rules and practices. So there will likely be a need for Shared Services Canada to standardize the email system, which likely means the MS Exchange & Outlook system. However they will need extra licences for those 20% not currently on the MS system. 20% of the estimated 265,000 staff, is about 53,000 licences. Plus extra servers, MS Exchange & OS licences, etc. Luckily, their business plan will likley include an aging out of the old useless licenses and they will be counted towards the normal costs of upgrade over time. Right? New federal IT agency, Shared Services Canada, has no business plan Oh-oh... The Conservative government has no business plan for its newest agency despite promising it will save taxpayers between $100 million and $200 million annually through streamlining the federal information technology strategy.And as of Monday, Public Works, which assumed responsibility for the new agency, couldn't explain how those savings were calculated. No business plan, but some nice promises... On Friday, the ministers said about 8,000 employees from "IT-intensive" departments would have new responsibilities, that all of government would eventually operate on one email system and that the number of data centres and networks would be whittled down - all at no extra cost. Quote
Bonam Posted August 10, 2011 Report Posted August 10, 2011 700 government employees is approximately $70 million / year. Or, if we put it into the language of the debate on the debt ceiling in the US, that's about a $0.1 bn cut to our national debt over the next 10 years. Sounds like a good deal to me. Our email systems are also not fully compatible. While approximately 80% of departments use Microsoft Outlook, 15% use Lotus Notes, and 5% use Novell Groupwise for their email system, departments have different versions, and have adopted a variety of rules and practices. Err, those guys should just switch to gmail. It is free, and faster, better, and more convenient than all those options. Are governments really using email systems that they have to pay for? That is just crazily wasteful in this day and age. Quote
Battletoads Posted August 10, 2011 Author Report Posted August 10, 2011 700 government employees is approximately $70 million / year. Or, if we put it into the language of the debate on the debt ceiling in the US, that's about a $0.1 bn cut to our national debt over the next 10 years. Sounds like a good deal to me. I like your logic, if we stopped funding the military we'd save 220 billion over the next 10 year. Sounds like a good deal. Err, those guys should just switch to gmail. It is free, and faster, better, and more convenient than all those options. Are governments really using email systems that they have to pay for? That is just crazily wasteful in this day and age. Oh yeah, lets get the government using a totally insecure system. Brilliant. /sarcasm Don't quit your day job Quote "You can lead a Conservative to knowledge, but you can't make him think."
dre Posted August 10, 2011 Report Posted August 10, 2011 There's lots of openings over at Corrections Canada apparently. :lol: Good thinking! These guys can keep the pot heads from escaping! Quote I question things because I am human. And call no one my father who's no closer than a stranger
Shwa Posted August 10, 2011 Report Posted August 10, 2011 Err, those guys should just switch to gmail. It is free, and faster, better, and more convenient than all those options. Are governments really using email systems that they have to pay for? That is just crazily wasteful in this day and age. It seems, by and large, that the federal government is a Microsoft shop so it must cost them a bundle. They could likely save 100's of millions by porting over to a custom Linux package, but I don't see that ever happening. Quote
cybercoma Posted August 10, 2011 Report Posted August 10, 2011 Like I said on Facebook the other day, "Given Harper's track-record on the environment, do we really want him making business deals in the rainforests?" Quote
Michael Hardner Posted August 10, 2011 Report Posted August 10, 2011 It seems, by and large, that the federal government is a Microsoft shop so it must cost them a bundle. They could likely save 100's of millions by porting over to a custom Linux package, but I don't see that ever happening. Wouldn't that require more support and customization ? That's a big cost too. Quote Click to learn why Climate Change is caused by HUMANS Michael Hardner
TimG Posted August 10, 2011 Report Posted August 10, 2011 It seems, by and large, that the federal government is a Microsoft shop so it must cost them a bundle. They could likely save 100's of millions by porting over to a custom Linux package, but I don't see that ever happening.Look up TCO. Linux is not free. Quote
Oleg Bach Posted August 10, 2011 Report Posted August 10, 2011 Good for the cons.. 700 envionmentalist working contribute to the destruction of the environment - better to hage them eat rice and fish and stop driving to work and taking those oh so polluting jet setting holidays...How about hiring 20 naturalists...for next to nothing to guard and advise on the sustaining of the natural world - hell with the environment. This moderen term is so Orwellian and has nothing to do with keeping things green and alive. Quote
Shwa Posted August 10, 2011 Report Posted August 10, 2011 Wouldn't that require more support and customization ? That's a big cost too. Depends on how it is installed I suppose, but not necessarily. It would require a LOT of retraining though. What kid surfs the command line or batch file anymore? Quote
Shwa Posted August 10, 2011 Report Posted August 10, 2011 Look up TCO. Linux is not free. I didn't say it was free, just that there could be savings on a custom package. Quote
PIK Posted August 10, 2011 Report Posted August 10, 2011 Some friends of mine work for the federal goverment, I can tell you ,we don't need them all. Quote Toronto, like a roach motel in the middle of a pretty living room.
Shwa Posted August 10, 2011 Report Posted August 10, 2011 Some friends of mine work for the federal goverment, I can tell you ,we don't need them all. You don't need friends? I didn't think you had any to begin with. Sorry, couldn't resist. Quote
TimG Posted August 10, 2011 Report Posted August 10, 2011 I didn't say it was free, just that there could be savings on a custom package.Microsoft still has a large piece of the Enterprise market because the costs of keeping a Linux system running are often higher than paying Windows license fees. Quote
Shwa Posted August 10, 2011 Report Posted August 10, 2011 Microsoft still has a large piece of the Enterprise market because the costs of keeping a Linux system running are often higher than paying Windows license fees. If you buy in to what their slick ad campaigns are telling you, of course. Actually, nowadays, I have to agree. Back in the day, Linux had its chance, the government had its chance and they bought into all that MS slickness too. (and probably some free trips, bling didn't hurt) Plus, until you get a Linux package tight and locked down, it would take a smarter IT workforce to make it happen. Smarter and more expensive. Quote
Moonbox Posted August 10, 2011 Report Posted August 10, 2011 Some friends of mine work for the federal goverment, I can tell you ,we don't need them all. Not just the federal government. It's all the governments. I have a friend who just lost her job working for the province in water testing etc. You can tell from her Facebook updates just how little work she's doing. Quote "A man is no more entitled to an opinion for which he cannot account than he is for a pint of beer for which he cannot pay" - Anonymous
Army Guy Posted August 10, 2011 Report Posted August 10, 2011 The slashing is all across the federal Government. slashes Quote We, the willing, led by the unknowing, are doing the impossible for the ungrateful. We have now done so much for so long with so little, we are now capable of doing anything with nothing.
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