Well, It's About Time!

It seems like MPs are finally breaking to the pressure from the public on opening their books to Auditor General Sheila Fraser in having a look at their expenses. They have been stonewalling for weeks now giving all kinds of lame excuses why not to have their expenses audited.  They could have saved all this trouble  by telling Ms. Fraser from the get go, she can see anything she so chooses at her convenience. They wouldn't have looked as though they're trying to hide something.  I think though, the optics were terrible and has left a bad taste in the mouths of the public.

At least now the Conservatives have come up with some proposals that Government House Leader, Jay Hill will present to the Board of Internal Economy next week.

The moves come as a new poll suggests four out of five Canadians believe their MPs are breaking the rules on expense claims.

The Conservatives have come up with a plan to end the controversy around the disclosure of MP expenses that would allow Auditor-General Sheila Fraser to look at the books of members of Parliament and senators.
In developing the proposal, the Tories hope to halt the barrage of criticism directed at MPs of all stripes since the Board of Internal Economy, the committee of MPs responsible for House of Commons expenses, declined two weeks ago to let Ms. Fraser audit Parliament’s financial statements.

Well it's at least a start. The MPs and Senators  must not put any conditions on the AG in what she can see and not see.  She should be given full disclosure. If they don't, the whole thing will still stink. The public has been outraged over this as indicated by a Harris Decima poll,  and rightly so.

The moves come as a new poll suggests four out of five Canadians believe their MPs are breaking the rules on expense claims.
The Canadian Press Harris-Decima survey is bad news for parliamentarians who have collectively rejected a request by Auditor General Sheila Fraser to examine half a billion dollars in annual spending.

 The Harris-Decima poll of just over 1,000 respondents found that just 12 per cent believe it unlikely that MPs are claiming expenses against the rules.
The survey follows high-profile news coverage of expense claim scandals in Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and Britain.
Fully 85 per cent of those polled said they were concerned about the MPs’ refusal to let Fraser look at their books, including 52 per cent who were very concerned.

The public does have a right to know how our MPs and Senators  are spending our money.  It just makes sense.
This  is proof we can have an affect on our politicians and that we still have power over them.  We need to keep our foot on their throats until the AG has access to whatever she needs and is actually in doing what she does best, making sure Canadians are getting value for money.

I want to thank my fellow Canadians for  applying the pressure.  Keep it up!  We are their employers, they are our employees.  Let us all keep that in mind. 

PM Harper Gets Top Grade From Usual Libluvin Columnist

Jeffery Simpson is usually tepid at best in heaping any praise for PM Harper and his government. This time he gives resounding praise for this government.   He gives PM Stephen Harper an "A" for Canada's new research program.

Stephen Harper’s government deserves an “A” for the conception, execution and delivery of the program that lured 19 renowned scientists to Canada from overseas.
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So good is this program that the federal government should repeat the exercise in a few years, widening the criteria to include humanities and social sciences and insisting that the winners teach some undergraduates.
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The CERC program, with its lofty but limited ambition, was not designed to address any of these endemic problems. Instead, it set out to improve the country’s scientific research capabilities by adding excellence from overseas. The process was well-conceived, the public policy purposes important and the results, well, excellent.

I just want to give Jeffery Simpson an "A" for this decent piece where he gives credit where credit is due.  
Quite a difference from Susan Delacourt's piece griping that no women were included in the program.

OTTAWA – Not one woman was among the recipients this week when Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government handed out big dollars for big thinkers.
Of the 19 people who were selected to be the first of the “prestigious” Canada Excellence Research Chairs, receiving up to $10-million in total in federal money over the next seven years, all were men.

Delacourt's piece basically turns what should be positive story that is good for the country into a women's issue and a slag fest against the PM.
Kudo's to Simpson for his well thought out positive column. Keep it up.  It's not very often the PM and his government get positive press from  usual lefty journalists. Thank you Mr. Simpson!

Liberals Pine for Ole Days

Libluvin columnist Larry Martin, speculates the Libs are pining for the "good ole Chretien days." Probably, but the way writes his column, I think he is the one that 's pining.

It’s Jean Chretien’s day today.

The old warrior’s portrait, which is to be hung in the halls of Parliament, will be unveiled in a ceremony hosted by Prime Minister Stephen Harper tonight.

A safe bet is there will be a lot of Liberals in attendance wishing Chretien was still around.

“Ah, the good old days.” That will be the phrase on everyone’s lips as his three straight majority election victories are recalled.

His legacy is getting better with time, particularly on account of what has happened since he stepped down in 2003. The once-proud party has staggered ever since. Paul Martin won a minority and then was defeated. Stéphane Dion took over and the party declined further. Michael Ignatieff replaced him and the party’s latest poll standing is at 25 per cent.

 Yeah right, pine for HRDC  boondoggles, Shawinigate, Adscam, decade of darkness for the military, treat farmers like criminals. and "the culture of entitlement" 

The Chretien good ole days? "Da little guy from Shawinigan" who throttles an innocent protester almost to death.  Yeah right! What a legacy!  Good ole days for Liberanos not for Canada.

More fond rememberance.

 One piece of encouragement Chretien will be able to provide is a reference to his own experience. He served as opposition leader for three years and had a terrible time almost every step of the way...and won.
Another sign of hope is that the party’s major opponent isn’t exactly setting the world on fire

Larry your party isn't exactly exciting the population either. Your leader is a dud.  All your party has to offer is muckraking trying to drum up faux scandals.  And oh, Larry, btw, good ole Chretien faced a very fractured right. 
It's not the '90's anymore. The world has changed. Larry, you're living in the past. Time to get with the times. The population is getting older and more conservative. Apparently Larry hasn't heard what Stephane Dion's wife, Janine Kreiber has said about the state of Libranos.

The Liberal Party is falling apart, and will not recover. Like all liberal parties in Europe, it will become a weakling at the mercy of ephemeral coalitions. By refusing the historic coalition that would have placed it at the helm of the left, it will be punished by history.

Larry Martin might as well face it, the Libranos will not be the powerful force it once was in the forseeable future if a at all anymore. I don't see the Libs getting enough seats to even get a small minority never mind a majority. They would have to gain at least 50 seats. I don't know where they would get those.  Where as the Conservatives only need 10 to 12 more seats for majority. That is very doable.

A coalition with the NDP will form enough seats to govern, they would have to include the Bloc and Canadians will not tolerate that at all.
 So get used to Conservatives in government for the foreseeable future. 

Mr. Ziffy's Trip to Edmonton

Mr. Ziffy was in Edmonton yesterday trying to up his popularity. He was harping about how the oilsands must clean up they're act.

EDMONTON — Alberta's oilsands need to be "cleaned up" and development must be both environmentally and socially sustainable, federal Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff says.
Government must create incentives that will encourage industry to do less damage to the environment while extracting oil in northern Alberta, he said Thursday in Edmonton.
"Our position is very clear: The oilsands have got to be cleaned up ... They've got to be environmentally sustainable and they've also got to be socially sustainable; that is, they've got to be good for aboriginal communities, they've got to be good for the workers," he said

First of all the oilsands are just as clean as the coal fired power plants in Ontario and Hydro in Quebec.
Second leave the industry alone to clean up, they don't need government. They'll do it on their own.
Then this about the deficit and corporate tax cuts.

He told the crowd the federal Conservatives have dug the country into a $56-billion financial hole and now Prime Minister Stephen Harper wants to hand out $6 billion in corporate tax cuts to address the problem.

"All Stephen Harper can offer is a corporate tax cut on your dime. We're borrowing to do that," he said. "Then a 2011 budget ... which will involve savage cuts to the services on which Canadians depend. It's just not good enough."

He said the corporate tax cuts should be suspended until the country gets its financial house in order.

Mr. Ziffy give your head a shake. Uh, yeah, it's because Mr. Ziffy and the coalition of the losers pressuring Harper to come up with a stimulus plan we have that big deficit plus it wasn't enough. They were hounding for more spending. Had the government caved, or had the coalition of the losers were allowed to take over, we'd have a much larger deficit. We could very well be not much better off than Greece.

Corporate tax cuts, yes we need them. It encourages investment and allows business to be competitive and hire more people. That's only good for the economy.

He believes that post-secondary education should be open to all students who have the grades to get in.

I agree a good education is a must these days but how is he going to pay for it? How about students working a part time and get summer jobs to pay for their post secondary education?

Then he goes fishing to poach votes back from the CPC in the immigrant communities.

It was his fourth official visit to Edmonton. He also visited with leaders of the city's Chinese and Muslim communities.

New Canadians have seen with the leadership of PM Harper and Minister Jason Kenney. They have discovered they have more in common with the Conservatives than the Liberals. Most have c-conservative leanings. Liberals had taken advantage of them and have taken them for granted for too many years. Don't think Libs are going to woo them back in the near future.

It looks to me Mr. Ziffy is still out of touch, doesn't know what he's saying, and I think seems to be pandering to the left wing of his party. We have a lefty MP from Edmonton,NDP Linda Duncan only because Jaffer so neglected that constituency. Next time we'll get it back.

Don't think he's going to make in roads in Edmonton or any part of Alberta for that matter. He might as well write Alberta off. He's just not resonating anywhere in Canada either expect maybe, Toronto.

Mr. Ziffy Blames Tories For His Low Poll Numbers

The new poll that came out this morning by the Lib lovin' supporter Frank Graves, Ekos has the Libs tanking again. Mr. Ziffy's personal approval numbers are abysmal as well.
But you know what the latest is?  He's blaming the Conservatives   I mean come on, he can't be serious, can he?

Michael Ignatieff blames his lowly status in the polls on his adversaries, who he says have “done a number on me.” And that was before today’s EKOS results showing the Liberals slipping even farther into the basement of public opinion.

Uh, maybe he should look at himself in the mirror.  He's been leader now for over 16 months and hasn't been able to make inroads with Canadians.  Canadians just don't trust him. Trust needs to be earned. How can he or his party be trusted when they offer no credible policies and continually engage in faux scandals, smears, and a cultural war? Besides, they still need to pay back the $40 million they stole from us.

You can't blame your opponent for all your short comings.  You need to stand up and take personal responsibility  for why you are losing ground.  Didn't a well known Lib politican say to the affect once that "the more mud you throw, the more you lose ground?"  

As long as Mr. Ziffy and the Libs keep up the scandal mongering, the culture war and keep blaming the CPC for their low poll numbers they aren't going to get traction with the voters and their numbers will keep dropping.