Canadian Conservatives gov't: chasing away the votes

It’s too bad that the Conservatives are so obstinately determined to not offer a credible alternative to gov’t by the still-slowly-imploding Liberal party. The Conservatives have been characterized by petulance, resentment and ideologically-driven ill-humour since being split into the Progressive Conservative, Reform, and BQ parties… which only grew worse under Harper and Joe Who.

You might think that – having reunited two-thirds of the party and won a minority gov’t – they’d be able to drop the bad attitude, grow up, and show the country what it had be missing by allowing the Liberals to govern by corrupt, insider-baseball means.

Nope. They may have dropped the oft-mocked “Canada’s New Gov’t” previous slapped on everything remotely connected to the government, no matter how far removed from the political fora, but they’re still stuck in an ideological rut with a bad attitude and a determination to put the boots in to anyone on the wrong side of their self-declared culture war.

The latest target: Vancouver’s successful safe-injection site.

[quote=“Globe and Mail”]Ottawa is determined to shut down Vancouver’s safe-injection site because it’s necessary to “draw a line” about which public health measures are acceptable, Canada’s Health Minister says.

Tony Clement said that while the government supports needle exchanges as a legitimate intervention, providing a site to facilitate the injection of illegal drugs is going too far. He also invoked the slippery-slope argument.

“There are already people saying injection sites aren’t enough, that true harm reduction is giving out heroin for free,” the minister said.

“You have to draw the line somewhere and we feel we’re drawing the line in a place Canadians are comfortable,” Mr. Clement said in an interview in Mexico City, where he is attending the 17th International AIDS Conference.[/quote]

So the Conservatives are going to ““draw a line” about which public health measures are acceptable”? Why not draw a line around public health measures that are effective? The safe-injection site is surely a blemish on the city’s reputation… high-lighting as it does, the need for such… but compared to the chaos and squalor of the downtown eastside, it’s a positive beacon.

It pisses me off to no end that corruption and ideologically-driven idiocy enjoy as much latitude as they do in Canadian politics because there are no credible alternatives. Pretty pathetic that the best hope for the next election is another minority parliament… more seats (gag!) for the the separatist BQ (which consistently comes up with the most intelligent and innovative programs, as well as the most asinine identity-politics driven-hogwash) and maybe a huge surge for the never-yet-elected Green party.

Ottawa’s the world’s coldest capital city, and yet still better than this crop deserves.

A long perpetuated Canadian myth: geography.about.com/od/physicalg … apital.htm

If the Tories are chasing votes away, those votes certainly ain’t going to the Liberals. There will be an election this fall and the determining factor will not be a local issue in Vancouver. It will be whether the voters find Dion credible with his Green Shift plan.

If Harper’s left the outcome of the election in Dion’s hands, he’s making as great an error as Martin did betting against Harper’s dreary disposition. Let Dion catch fire on his pet issue at a couple of opportune moments and the Libs will govern the next minority.

Harper’s squandering a great opportunity on petty grievances.

More needless needles.

[quote=“Globe and Mail”]Alain Pineau was disappointed, but not terribly surprised, when the federal government last week announced it was ending PromArt, a $4.7-million cultural program administered by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.
[…]
But Mr. Pineau, national director of the Canadian Conference of the Arts - on vacation and cut off from the news - was shocked to learn yesterday that the Tories, late last week, had also decided to terminate Trade Routes, another cultural subsidy initiative, effective next year. “This is amazing,” Mr. Pineau said. “I can’t believe they would be so stupid. It’s just provocative.”

Administered by the Department of Heritage, Trade Routes, valued at about $9-million annually, helps cultural groups such as Hot Docs and the Canadian Independent Record Production Association export and sell products abroad.
[…]
“It’s pure speculation,” Mr. Feldman conceded, “but maybe their intention is to get rid of all the former Liberal government’s Tomorrow Starts Today programs.” That might include Cultural Spaces Canada, a capital renovation fund, and Arts Presentation Canada, an operational subsidy.

Kory Teneycke, the Prime Minister’s press secretary
, declined yesterday to address the decision to close Trade Routes, but noted that Ottawa “spends $3.5-billion on arts funding … and is spending more on arts than did the previous [Liberal] government. In the case of PromArt, we think the [funding] choices made were inappropriate … inappropriate because they were ideological in some cases, with highly ideological individuals exposing their agendas or [money going to] wealthy celebrities or fringe arts groups that in many cases would be at best, unrepresentative, and at worst, offensive.”

Mr. Feldman disputed the contention that the Tories have been more generous to the arts. “If they are spending more, it’s in adjusted-for-inflation dollars. This is about some right-wing troglodytes in the party overcome with self-righteous indignation that people like [Toronto broadcast journalist] Avi Lewis received funding.” He estimated that programs like Trade Routes deliver a 10-to-1 return on investment. "Would we not love to get that from our stock portfolios? If these cuts will save the country’s economy, God help us. We’re in worse shape than I ever thought."[/quote]

Last year, Margaret Atwood tore a strip off of the Conservatives over just this issue:

[quote=“CBC”]It was particularly short-sighted to cut funding for cultural tours that allow Canadian artists to develop fans overseas, she said.

“When selling artistic things abroad, that money comes into Canada and is taxed in Canada, so it’s a net gain for Canada,” she said.

“Would they like to guess how much Yann Martel’s novel The Life of Pi generated abroad? Would they like to know … how much my foreign editions bring in? Would they like to know how much [Canadian producer] Robert LePage generates abroad?”[/quote]
The thing is, they really don’t want to know the numbers, which are in the artists’ favour. It’s a petty ideological issue, as Kory Teneycke said today.

But…Canucks have free healthcare!

How long is too long to wait for a cancer operation?

Canadians are nothing but a bunch of complainers. Heck, they have the identical system in N Korea and NO one complains there. No one complains TWICE anyway.

[quote=“TainanCowboy”]But…Canucks have free healthcare!

How long is too long to wait for a cancer operation?[/quote]

Yes, we do. Well, not really. Everybody pays; everybody gets treated.

[quote=“from your article”]The tumour in Debbie Trelenberg’s abdomen was so large she was unable to fasten her jeans. She feared the mass might rupture – a sentiment shared by her family doctor – but an operation to remove it in Edmonton was nearly four weeks away.

So Ms. Trelenberg packed a bag, put on sweatpants and headed to the United States.

A grain farmer near Leduc, Alta., south of Edmonton, she paid $78,000 – money borrowed from her mother – for treatment that included surgery and a hospital stay in Amarillo, Tex., around this time last year. [/quote]

My own mother had a very similar, very rapidly growing successful treated a couple of years ago. Following that, she had unrelated breast cancer treated, and didn’t even lose the family home to pay for it.

Next month, I’ll be going home to get married, Mom will be there, and so will the house.
Shocking socialism. Absolutely shocking.

Btw, US cultural institutions receive vastly greater gov’t support than their Canadian counterparts. Also a socialist plot???

My sincerest best wishes to your Mum. That is a very bad time for all involved, I hope she’s well and safe.

In the linked story the woman did not have the time to wait…
[i]"In doing so, she raised an increasingly relevant question in a health-care system afflicted with disquieting waiting times: How long is too long to wait for a cancer operation?
In Ms. Trelenberg’s case, she said it’s a good thing she didn’t wait. By the time the tumour was removed, on Aug. 8, 2007, it had nearly doubled in size from just two weeks prior, reaching 25 centimetres.

“It was becoming more painful by the day; it was growing,” said Ms. Trelenberg, now 44. “If you bent over slightly, there was this feeling that this thing is gonna blow.”

"Despite the tumour size, her cancer was early stage, so it is highly likely she will be cured of the disease.

Since her operation, Ms. Trelenberg has twice been refused reimbursement by the Alberta government, most recently in June, when the Out-of-Country Health Services Appeal Panel said a wait of about four weeks was not found to be unreasonable by the surgeon who initially saw her."[/i]

I’m not going to reprint the entire article, one can read it at the link; but its clear that the system is f*cked and is costing people their lives. Touting it as a ‘world model’ is ridiculous.

The lady might well have received the same treatment at a lower cost in another country. Spain or possibly Brazil or Argentina perhaps…?

Just a bit of the latest on the state of Canadian Free Speech.

A win for free speech? Hardly
National Post, Friday, August 08, 2008

[i]"This week’s dismissal of the Alberta Human Rights and Citizenship Commission (AHRCC) complaint against the defunct Western Standard magazine (which was published and part-owned by National Post contributor Ezra Levant) is being celebrated as a win for free speech. The commission’s director for southern Alberta, Pardeep Gundara, correctly observed that the Standard had republished controversial Danish cartoons about the Prophet Muhammad in a relatively antiseptic, balanced context – presenting them as the subject of a legitimate international news story. The Standard’s case was also strengthened because it gave space to opinions both for and against the cartoons in the disputed issue and in the letters column of the one following it.

Yes, it’s heartening that the basic practice of news-gathering has been protected in this fashion. But the decision hardly represents a full-throated defence of free expression. In a free marketplace of ideas, it is not just “balanced” media that have the right to publish, but pundits from all corners of the ideological landscape – the hard-left, the hard-right, Islamists and anti-Islamists alike.

"In any case, appeal or not, the AHRCC’s inquisitorial process has inflicted more than enough financial hardship on Mr. Levant and the corpse of the Standard to
discourage other publishers from speaking up. Indeed, strategically minded supporters of political correctness will see this outcome as ideal: Having dismissed the complaint, the commission avoids the danger that judicial review of its decision will end in a loss of its power over the press.

Moreover, the dismissal gives Alberta’s Stelmach government a convenient excuse not to revise the province’s human rights statute and take away the commission’s right to review published opinion for political correctness – even though most of Alberta’s voters would almost certainly be in favour of such a thing. Indeed, unless Albertans rally behind Mr. Levant and apply pressure on the government, there is little hope even for the rudimentary reforms recently suggested by B’nai Brith Canada, such as allowing defendants in nuisance cases to recover their legal costs.

A win for free speech, you say? With wins like this, who needs losses?"[/i]

Doesn’t someone have a relevant quote in their sig about this?

[quote=“Jaboney”]If Harper’s left the outcome of the election in Dion’s hands, he’s making as great an error as Martin did betting against Harper’s dreary disposition. Let Dion catch fire on his pet issue at a couple of opportune moments and the Libs will govern the next minority.

Harper’s squandering a great opportunity on petty grievances.[/quote]

Harper is going to go massively negative on Dion’s Green Shift plan. That will be the Conservatives’ main strategy – that Dion is not to be trusted with promising a net zero tax shift plan. They’re going to hit him hard on suggesting a plan to tax carbon fuels when fuel prices are already high. They’re not just going to leave it to Dion to sell his plan. Of course, Dion’s personality as a stiff, inarticulate, non-salesman doesn’t really help either. Working for the Liberals is the fact that most Canadians seem to favour a more aggressive environmental policy, but will they go for what Dion has offered with actual votes?

Nationally, the Conservatives doesn’t seem to have any big ideas to sell the public. They are, however, trying to court the Quebecois vote real hard as that’s where they need to break through to get a majority gov’t. That explains the recent announcement that the Feds would allow Quebec to independently negotiate a labour treaty with France.

Why even bother talking about such petty things as arts funding? Voting patterns will hardly be changed based on this issue. The arts community ain’t gonna vote Tories funding or no funding. The Conservatives haven’t given away any votes with this issue.

I see the Conservatives winning a minority again with a smaller seat count.

More silly high-handed political bs.

[quote=“Globe and Mail”]The Harper government says the 2010 Winter Olympics opening ceremony must reflect its agenda as the price of its $20-million commitment to the event, an internal government briefing memo says.

The memo, marked secret and released under an access-to-information request, describes the role of the Canadian government in wording that appears to mix politics and sports, despite widespread criticism of China for politicizing the Beijing Olympics.

“The Minister has recently confirmed with VANOC in writing that the Department of Canadian Heritage intends to invest $20-million toward the opening ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games in order to ensure that the event adequately reflects the priorities of the Government and helps to achieve its domestic and international branding goals,” the memo says.

“The 2010 Federal Secretariat will be leading the effort to ensure that all of the conditions associated with the investment are incorporated into the contribution agreement. These conditions will ensure that the department has appropriate input and oversight into VANOC’s ceremony planning.”

Frank King, who was the organizing committee chairman for the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary, said that no level of government was given authority over any of the events at those Olympics, including the opening and closing ceremonies. Members from each level of government sat on individual committees, but the organizers had the power to make all final decisions over events, he said. Financial commitments from the municipal, provincial, and federal levels were made to fund facilities only.

[b]“No one level of government told us which way to go,” he said. "It was complete synergy. There was nobody who was lobbying because what they wanted wasn’t getting done.

“The governments have to get over only one thing,” he said, referring to his experience in Calgary. “They’re not in charge.”[/b][/quote]
I thought it was supposed to be the leftists who were all-too-willing to flex gov’t muscle in all the wrong places.

[quote=“Jaboney”][quote=“TainanCowboy”]But…Canucks have free healthcare!

How long is too long to wait for a cancer operation?[/quote]

Yes, we do. Well, not really. Everybody pays; everybody gets treated.

[quote=“from your article”]The tumour in Debbie Trelenberg’s abdomen was so large she was unable to fasten her jeans. She feared the mass might rupture – a sentiment shared by her family doctor – but an operation to remove it in Edmonton was nearly four weeks away.

So Ms. Trelenberg packed a bag, put on sweatpants and headed to the United States.

A grain farmer near Leduc, Alta., south of Edmonton, she paid $78,000 – money borrowed from her mother – for treatment that included surgery and a hospital stay in Amarillo, Tex., around this time last year. [/quote]

My own mother had a very similar, very rapidly growing successful treated a couple of years ago. Following that, she had unrelated breast cancer treated, and didn’t even lose the family home to pay for it.

Next month, I’ll be going home to get married, Mom will be there, and so will the house.
Shocking socialism. Absolutely shocking.

Btw, US cultural institutions receive vastly greater gov’t support than their Canadian counterparts. Also a socialist plot???[/quote]

I’m not against socialized health care per se. I’m against the limitation of choice so inherent in the current system. The best systems I’ve experienced (e.g Singapore, Malaysia) have been hybrid systems that offer low-price high-quality care for the masses, but also offer some higher-priced private-sector options for people who are willing to pay.

Opening screening clinics in Canada or private hosiptals would help take the strain off the public system. The current system, by outlawing private initiatives, is more similar to North Korea and Cuba’s system than to many hybrid systems in Western Europe or Asia.

Your mother may have fared well in the Canadian system, but she is lucky. My mother recently didn’t have such a great experience. She needs a double knee replacement. They told her everything would be ready in September. As a result, my mother took sick leave from her university position. A week and a half before her operation they tell her its been delayed and they don’t know when it will be escheduled. Considernig my parents have made six figure salaries for decades and have paid a lot of taxes year after year, it is ludicrous my mom has to wait this long. My father has a chronic intestinal problem and has had to wait 3-4 months for treatment. Again, considering the money they’ve put into the system, this is really shoddy indeed. Of course, being huge supporters of the exisiting system, she or my old man haven’t complained about it. But the wait is causing her pain at the moment. If this was the States and she had the same sort of job down there, she would be in the next day. Ditto for a lot of the hybrid systems (Singapore, France, Hong Kong etc.). What’s even nastier are some of the tactics of people on the left in Canada when it comes to health care. If you question the system or even mention a preference for some sort of private system you are classified as being anti-Canadian or something,

Similar story here, Canadian health care certainly let my family down. After my mother was diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer some ten years ago, we were told to wait for more tests and likely surgery, which would be weeks to months away. At stage 3, you don’t wait for availability. You get it done or face the end.

My parents ended up having to go to the Mayo Clinic in the US to get surgery and chemo, at a hefty USD$100,000 price tag. It bought my mom some extra years, before the cancer finally got her last year. Had they not gone to the States though, it would have been a much different story. I know enough about ovarian cancer to confidently say that.

Sure feels wonderful paying your taxes in your own country and getting shit back for it. The present health care system in Canada leaves a lot to be desired.