Nobleton Clear

We see the Conservative Government's total lack of understanding of the depth of the world wide financial down turn and how to plan for Canada's recovery again yesterday. We have gone form the strong fundamentals to a possible depression to having create a panel of prominent Canadians to help them focus on what to do. If we had elected the Liberals back in October by now a stimulus package for ordinary Canadians would be in place and we would be working to protect the environment.
This Cabinet of Yes "people" has to go!

Canada deserves visionary leadership. A plan to address not only the financial crisis but at the same time the environmental crisis. We can not lose sight of the fact if we don't save our world's environment/climate the financial bailout won't be worth a plugged nickel.

McGuinty announced last summer a plan to protect large tracks of northern Ontario's boreal forests through the creation of a plan built on consultation. In essence McGuinty is saying the old cut line is history and the north is open for development and come on in forestry and mining companies. I don't see the current Ministry of Environment or Ministry of Natural Resources protecting our endanger species or the and delicate northern ecology because of their history of justifying environmental abuse in the name of development. Thousands of song birds and other species like the woodland caribou will become just be pictures on the wall.

Our Government was represented by Mr. Prentice recently in Poland as the World tries to grapple with the survival of the world as we know it. Canada was shunned because of our stand on intensity targets and do nothing approach to the Tar Sands environmental disaster. We should look to Norway who has a CO2 capturing programme in place for its oil fields off Stavanger.

Canadian political leaders need to put the environment right at the top of crisis to deal with along with the current financial mess. Both are a result of human greed and the lack of Government oversight.

Why has it taken nearly a century to update the mining legislation. Until it is passed there should be no mining activities on sensitive and cultural landscapes.
Land owners need to have a say on who walks onto and marks up their land, therefore, prospectors should get informed consent.

Why do we have to wait 15 year to have a land use plan in place for the Boreal forests. This area of Canada houses in is soil and trees the world's larges supply of carbon. In Ontario alone, about 97 billion tonnes. Terrestrial disturbances lick mining, road building, and logging ,disturbs the physical environment releasing carbon into the atmosphere prematurely, where it forms CO2, contributing to global warming. In the 2004 election McGuinty promised there would be no more new logging commitment until a land use plan was in place. This is yet another broken promise from that campaign.

Keep the carbon where it is stored in trees and the soil. this will help us fight climate change.

If Mr Ignafieff is to Mr with Mr. Harper to discuss the new budget I modestly suggest that the environment be at the top of the list. Infrastructure stimulus could focus on technologies, such as, solar,wind and Geo-thermal power, plus green transit construction, bus only lanes, bike lanes, high occupancy lanes, car pooling parking lots, public transit vehicles from our own transit manufacturers.

As I watch my fellow Canadians I see we are in the season of being egocentric consumerism. The question I ask myself is can we change our behaviour and look at what we can do for our environment. I think it starts with selflessness asking ourselves are my purchasing decisions ones that will have a minimal impact on my environment and therefore, on every one's environment.

Let us all make one decision that is environmentally protecting Canada's ecosystem.

Governor General Michaelle Jean diminished the stature of the role of governor General in the manner she handled the request of Harper last week. To not have talked to Her Majesties Loyal Opposition show a lack of understand of that office in the Parliamentary system. To have set a constitutional precedent by proroguing parliament and at the same time being secretive as to the rationale treats the citizens of Canada as if we were in a tin pot third world dictatorship where the elected representatives of the majority of citizens need not be heard from. I am sure if she had called upon the parliamentary constitutional experts available to her a fuller more measured consultative less secretive approach would have been take.

At the end of Michaelle Jean's term the we must have a new Governor General. This Canadian needs to have a fuller knowledge and understanding of the constitutional role of the office and the intricacies of the Parliamentary constitutional precedent. The person must also ensure the decision is open and transparent.

Harper is to Parliamentary decorum AS Avery is to the NHL>

The difference is one is working in the southern USA and the other belongs there.

Our Government in waiting is one that right off the start has demonstrated it understands the need for fiscal responsibility. We will have a Cabinet on third smaller than the current Government dropping from 37 to 24 ministers. The savings in executive branch costs can be use as part of a stimulus package. Mr. Dion has made it clear they will be looking for the most able members to form this coalition government. When you look at the members in both parties there is a a depth of experienced quality to choose from.

Canada will be in good hands.

In an interview with Rick Mercer back in the fall (Prime Minister in waiting) Mr. Dion said "I am always being under estimated."
Today in the Q&A Mr Duceppe said " Mr. Harper has been pulling a lot of rabbits out of his hat lately. We need a Prime Minister no a magician."

I find Mr. Harper’s actions and statements over the last eight weeks to be contradictory and misleading. During the election he was adamant there was no economic crisis and he could never foresee a need for a deficit He then went on to ridiculed the Liberals for putting forward a plan to deal with the crisis which included having a series of meeting. Immediately after the election he declared we had a crisis and implemented the Liberal plan calling a series of meetings.

Mr. Harper also attended a number of international meetings to deal with the global crisis that his Government had not for seen during the election. At each of those meeting with the G 8, G20 and APEC members the message was clear, we have a world wide economic crisis and all Government should implement a stimulus package, not make financial cuts to programmes, not become protectionist and deficit was expected. I clearly remember Mr. Harper in Peru standing at the podium stating he foresaw a deficit as necessary along with a stimulus package.

Mr. Harper also stated after the election he would work in a co-cooperative consultative way with the other parties to make the minority government work. The content and manner of the financial statement delivery is diametrically opposite to his recent statements and opposes the commitments he made in public to our international trading partners. The financial statement included no stimulus package; it did include cuts to programmes and was not built on cooperation with the other elected members of parliament. Instead he used the opportunity to attack things he did not like, such as, pay equity, collective bargaining, and unions.

In the past three elections Mr. Harper has not gained the support and votes of a majority of Canadians and only in the last two elections did his party get more seats. When Martin’s Liberal Government was in a minority position and asked to go to the polls he wrote to the Governor General asking her to ask the opposition to form a government before calling an election. Now he claims it is undemocratic for parties to form a coalition and rule. Yet the other three parties represent 64% of Canadians voters. The election was so recent that for the Governor General not to request the other parties to see if they can form a coalition would not be acceptable and is constitutionally the correct thing to do. He had the nerve to stop parliament and prevent votes because he was not getting his own way. What right does he have to stop our elected representatives from fulfilling their constitutional rights??

This man has shown a total disregard for the majority of Canadian voters. He has shown disrespect toward the institution of parliament by continually being obstreperous, belligerent toward the majority our elected representatives.