Ralphy, You Had Your Chance

My, my, my, now the opposition gripes and complains. When they were their asked for their input a year ago, no complaints then, why? Why now? What is it?

OTTAWA - Opposition parties complaining about Conservative "sabotage" of an independent rights agency were consulted on all the government's appointees last year but failed to raise objections, ministerial documents show.

Ralphy, baby, you accuse the Conservatives of sabotaging the independent rights agency but why didn't you say anything at the time when you were consulted?

Now, Liberal MP Ralph Goodale is accusing Prime Minister Stephen Harper of "sabotage" of the 20-year-old agency.His objective here, obviously, is to destroy this organization from within, to cause such absolute turmoil that it will simply collapse," Goodale said in an interview

This is your excuse?

But what Liberals say is now self-evident was not so apparent to the party last year, when it failed to comment even as the government was packing the board with partisans.

Sorry, Ralph, it won't fly. Don't think a whole lot of people are gonna buy that one. No use bawling and squalling now. Too late, you had your chance! Go find something constructive to do so you can actually contribute something positive for the country for a change.

Is US Cap and Trade Dead?

Despite the recent revelations that exposed the IPCC and their manipulated data, President Obama seems to be going ahead with carbon emission plan focusing on clean energy technology not cap and trade. In his recent State of the Union address, he didn't even mention one word of cap and trade. So is it dead? What does that mean for us? Minister Prentice and PM Harper has stated that we need an harmonized plan with the US. Does that mean there will be no wealth transfer through cap and trade?

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama, trying to save a stalled bill to fight climate change, said on Wednesday clean energy investment could power jobs growth and made no mention of creating a market in planet-warming emissions.
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.Obama, in his first State of the Union speech to Congress, instead focused on the bill's potential to drive huge investment in solar panel making, wind farms and other green energy, saying this would boost jobs and exports to rivals such as China and India
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"But even if you doubt the evidence, providing incentives for energy efficiency and clean energy are the right thing to do for our future because the nation that leads the clean energy economy will be the nation that leads the global economy," Obama said.

Hmmm.......... Clean energy. Isn't that what PM Harper and President Obama committed to do when the President visited Ottawa last February?

This is what PM Harper said just days ago in Davos Switzerland

.During a roundtable discussion with five other world leaders, Harper said there are consequences of going green too quickly.

"A lot of the demands for targets or for actions — whether it's on developing or developed countries — will have very significant impacts on their economy," he said.

The prime minister said short-term emission goals can't be met without sinking economies, adding that the focus must be on developing new technologies that could reduce emissions down the road."

PM Harper Third Report on the Action Plan on 28 September 2009, Saint John, New Brunswick

"We've also invested in the economy of the future by upgrading knowledge infrastructure, expanding graduate student internships and investing in green technology."
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November 30, 2009
"What we have been arguing for very vigorously is a genuine global agreement where there is widespread participation of all countries. If everybody is participating, the relative costs for any one country are quite modest," he said. "The costs go up astronomically when there are those who don't have to reduce their emissions or radically increase their emissions."

But the development of new green technology is key to achieving even modest targets, Mr. Harper said."

Canadian-American Business Council and Canadian Association of New York
September 17, 2009

New York, New York
"In short, Canada is emerging as an energy superpower, and through the Canada-U.S. Clean Energy Dialogue, we are working closely with the Obama administration going into the Copenhagen meeting on climate change. We want to also develop clean energy technologies and a North American approach on emissions reductions to ensure we are a green energy superpower as well. "

It looks like President Obama is taking PM Harper's lead on clean energy technology IF you believe in global warming and want to do something that isn't going to kill the economy. It looks like they are are still on the same page.

Alberta Dippers Want More Access to Abortion

The Alberta NDP supposedly held hearings around the province last fall on health care. Apparently they believe more access to abortion is a major health care issue. I would think wait times, shortage of long term care facilities, doctors etc. would be high on the priority list as would the most of Albertans feel, I presume. But then again who am I to judge what the most important health care issues are. I'm after just a lowly Alberta citizen that doesn't know what is important to me as far as health care goes. On the other hand the Dippers know better. They seem to think it's access to abortion.

The Dippers decided that there is not enought access to abortion facilities especially in rural areas. (h/t) Edmonton Sun

"Women are concerned over the lack of abortion services available in the province, according to an Alberta NDP health report released Wednesday.

Three abortion clinics operate in Alberta – one in Edmonton and two in Calgary – forcing many women in surrounding areas to travel hours to get the procedure, said NDP MLA Rachel Notley.

The report, compiled from public hearings and titled Alberta’s Health Care: What People Want, recommends the province add more abortion services in rural areas.

“Many women do have to travel and often travel expenses and accommodation expenses are a barrier to accessing the services for some women,” said Laura Wershler, executive director of Sexual Health Access Alberta. “It’s been a problem for a long time.”

For example, Fort McMurray women must travel for nearly five hours to the nearest clinic, Women’s Health Options, in Edmonton.

Edmonton used to have two abortion centres. But in 2005, Royal Alexandra Hospital’s clinic was closed.

Adding to the problem is that abortion procedures are not taught to all medical students, says the NDP report.

Some students elect to not learn the process, Notley said. But she argues abortions fall in the spectrum of health services provided by the province.

“This is a women’s health issue and it’s very frustrating. It’s somehow underground and not openly talked about."

A 2006 Canadians for Choice report found just 6% of Alberta hospitals provide abortions, the third lowest rate in the country.

In Alberta, the rate of reported abortions has remained steady since 1996.

In 2005, there were 14.4 induced abortions per 1,000 females in the province, according to the latest Statistics Canada figures.

An Alberta Health and Wellness spokesman was not available for comment"

We need fewer abortion facilities not more IMHO. We do not need more places where babies get butchered. We need to encourage women to have more babies not fewer. Those who want to abort, encourage them to give the little one up for adoption.

In the coming years as our population ages, we are going to face a worker shortage. The current birth rate is Canada is 1.54 children. That is not enough. We need at least a birth rate of 2.1 children just to maintain current population level.

In Alberta the latest record I could find from the Government was in 2008, a record 50,543 babies were born in the province. That is good. We need to keep it up.

So I don't know what the Dippers are smokin'. They like the social welfare programs. Well how in the heck do they get paid for? The taxpayer pays for them, that's who.

Immigration is not going to totally solve a future worker shortage.
Dippers, are you listening? We need these babies and more! We need more future workers, the taxpayer of tomorrow to pay for the social programs you demand! We need more Albertans! So no more abortion facilities!

NDP ,on your side, really? Not mine! Better slogan, NDP out of touch!

Facts About the Progressives

Glenn Beck did a fantastic job today outlining what progressives really are and how they've rewritten history etc. Many parallels to our progressives.

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3
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Part 4


Part 5


Part 6


Part 7

Mr. Iffy Is Wasting an Opportunity

Mr.Iffy is missing a valuable opportunity with the PM proroguing parliament.

While PM Harper and his government are busy working getting things done for Canada, what has Mr. Iffy been doing? He's been busy grandstanding and griping with his arrogance.

As is pointed out by Michael Bliss, historian and author, Mr. Iffy and his party should be working hard on policy and explaining to us the voters why he should be the next Prime Minister.

"Ideally, prorogation would also have been seen as providing a much-needed breathing space for the Liberal Official Opposition to develop policy ideas, improve organization, reintroduce the leader to Canadians and explain why he is qualified to be prime minister.

Instead, the dancers just kept on, encouraged by their media and academic acolytes, not noticing that the music had stopped and the audience had gone home. They were too manic to take a golden opportunity to rest, reconsider and recuperate. Prorogation appears to be wasted on those who need it most."

From James Murray Netnewsledger doubts whether Mr. Iffy will has enough grit especially during an election campaign. Mr. Dithers II anyone?

"Ignatieff's real problem is that he combines some of the worst traits of both Paul Martin and Stephane Dion.

From Martin, Ignatieff borrows the mantle of "Mr. Dithers". Think about it, can you name some solid policy that Ignatieff has offered Canadians? There is no granite in the Liberal leader's policy process. Every now and then, Ignatieff comes out with a policy proposal. Then it quietly vanishes"

More

"From Stephane Dion, Ignatieff maintains the mantle of university professor. Rather than offer ideas and policies in a manner that people can quickly understand, the Liberal leader offers explainations that often require footnotes.

During an election campaign, where the media focus will be forever on the 10 and 15 second soundbites, Ignatieff will end up looking like the new incarnation of "Mr. Dithers".