Friday, January 18, 2008
My belief that the Harper Government lacks respect for the objectivity of the civil service and is vindictive was reaffirmed this week with the firing of Dr. Keen. What has not been properly address is when in the spring was Mr. Lunn’s department made aware of AECL’s lack of compliance with a basic safety issue. Dr. Keen was responsible for nuclear safety in our country. Her commission’s role was to identify safety problems and then the responsibility of the operator comes into play and they take corrective action to see the safety issue is resolved. AECL did not act and created the medical crisis. Mr. Lunn’s department is responsible for this company and if AECL was in violation of a nuclear safety order he should be fired for not seeing they complied. Mr. Harper again is showing he is not capable of making objective nonpartisan prime ministerial decisions on be half of the safety of all Canadians.
Friday, January 11, 2008
I have recently seen more evidence that the Harper Government opposes environmental protection.
First, there is the federal government’s appeal of the Federal Court decision that the Red Chris mine project must have full environmental assessment to proceed. This means public consultation must take place unless the government lawyers win the appeal. I strenuously object to my tax dollars being use on government lawyers to ensure the environment cab be destroyed!
Second, is the governments cutting of the grants to the recovery programme for the Eastern loggerhead shrikes. There are only 24 nesting pairs in the wild and the funding was part of the cost of the captive breading programme through such organizations as the Toronto Zoo. To date 43 of the loggerheads breed in captivity had been released.
Third, is the federal governments failure to protect the Nooksack dace as the government removed specific, key sections from the scientist’s plan to protect its habitate. The dace now joins the spotted owl and piping plover as examples of the government failure to honor a law that requires the identifying and protecting of the homes of endangered species.
We know that the loss of each species puts the risk of a healthy viable environment that we all depend on for our long term well being in jeopardy.
First, there is the federal government’s appeal of the Federal Court decision that the Red Chris mine project must have full environmental assessment to proceed. This means public consultation must take place unless the government lawyers win the appeal. I strenuously object to my tax dollars being use on government lawyers to ensure the environment cab be destroyed!
Second, is the governments cutting of the grants to the recovery programme for the Eastern loggerhead shrikes. There are only 24 nesting pairs in the wild and the funding was part of the cost of the captive breading programme through such organizations as the Toronto Zoo. To date 43 of the loggerheads breed in captivity had been released.
Third, is the federal governments failure to protect the Nooksack dace as the government removed specific, key sections from the scientist’s plan to protect its habitate. The dace now joins the spotted owl and piping plover as examples of the government failure to honor a law that requires the identifying and protecting of the homes of endangered species.
We know that the loss of each species puts the risk of a healthy viable environment that we all depend on for our long term well being in jeopardy.
Sunday, January 06, 2008
Conservatives Have put the Economy in Trouble
Well I welcome in a new year but with some trepidation as to the ability of the current government to mange the econaomy.
In November Flaherty brought down a budget that implemented a round of tax cuts. Both he and Harper went out and made speeches about how strong our economy was. Yet, when I read the Toronto Star of Saturday December 22nd I see our surplus had shrunk by $2.7 billion in November after recording the first monthly deficit in the current fiscal year. Last week Harper was our downplaying the strength of the economy to dampen expectations. Lets face it the current Government is fiscally inept! They bring in tax cuts for purely ideological reasons when the economy cannot sustain such cuts.
This does not surprise me as the Conservative governments of the last century have a history of depression/recession economies. We have Bennett in the 30s, Diefenbaker in the late 50s and early 60s then Mulroney in the late 80s and early 90s. We need a change in Government.
Well I welcome in a new year but with some trepidation as to the ability of the current government to mange the econaomy.
In November Flaherty brought down a budget that implemented a round of tax cuts. Both he and Harper went out and made speeches about how strong our economy was. Yet, when I read the Toronto Star of Saturday December 22nd I see our surplus had shrunk by $2.7 billion in November after recording the first monthly deficit in the current fiscal year. Last week Harper was our downplaying the strength of the economy to dampen expectations. Lets face it the current Government is fiscally inept! They bring in tax cuts for purely ideological reasons when the economy cannot sustain such cuts.
This does not surprise me as the Conservative governments of the last century have a history of depression/recession economies. We have Bennett in the 30s, Diefenbaker in the late 50s and early 60s then Mulroney in the late 80s and early 90s. We need a change in Government.
