Since politicians hire people to control and manipulate their own language and ideas...into something that is difficult to understand, we must be very careful to make sure we understand the things they want to change.
The best aspects of Canada are our health programs, our tolerance, and legislations to support tolerance and not hate crimes, rights for Canadians protecting their equality regardless of gender, age, religion and skin colour. And our incredible natural resources and wilderness.
Many Canadians do not understand how our laws and constitution works and it's unique structure prevents the kind of poverty and health catastrophes seen in other nations.
Equalization is a protection in our Constitution, that no province should have less health care opportunities one over another. Same for education and legal recourses. Even though Ontario and Alberta are the most financially able provinces, health care in Quebec and Newfoundland and B.C. and education programs are subsidized by the wealthy provinces. This is a beautiful function in our economy and philosophy. It's part of what makes Canada so special. And human.
Stephen Harper is acting like a freak.
Slap Upside The Head
On Politics
He (Harper) is said to be suggesting that Ottawa could, over time, entirely vacate areas specifically assigned to provinces by the Constitution. This might conclude with a constitutional prohibition on federal spending in provincial fields.
This is breathtaking. It would mean an end to federal funding of health care, universities, welfare and cities (at a minimum), and (possibly) infrastructure, job creation and regional development. It would also seem to doom the federal Equalization program. From here.
The Fraser Institute is a "think tank" made up of and for the very rich and very self annointed elite. In the above link take careful note of their perspective. My motto is whatever Harper or the Frazer Institute wants to propose, shoot it down.
These few bastards do not give a shit about the rest of us. Then the influential Fraser Institute published Canada’s most radical policy paper to date on the subject. It proposed that Ottawa discontinue all major social transfers (health, universities, welfare and Equalization), cut federal business taxes, and that provinces cope by reducing programs and/or raising provincial sales taxes.
Remember Harper has never publicly renounced of his past overt stance against womens and gay rights. On that alone he should be ousted. (even Mel Gibson made an "Apology Tour")
"The establishment came down with a constitutional package which they put to a national referendum. The package included distinct society status for Quebec and some other changes, including some that would just horrify you, putting universal Medicare in our constitution, and feminist rights, and a whole bunch of other things."
- Conservative leader Stephen Harper, then vice-president of the National Citizens Coalition, in a June 1997 Montreal meeting of the Council for National Policy, a right-wing American think tank.
10 comments:
Thanks for this Candy.
I REALLY appreciate having politics spelled out to me.
Especially by someone so widely read and educated as yourself (meaning that I trust your opinion)
great stuff.
Thanks...I have to laugh because I'm not a political person per se...and I have to really concentrate to understand. I believe politicians are our public servants. They don't have time or interest to come up with inventive ways to help people, they are merely paper pushers...and that's all they should be. People need to write the papers and analyse the ideas.
Then tell their public servants how to do it for them.
I'm glad you got a chance to read this Healing Room, because there has long been a kind of tension between provinces in a have and have nots situation...and it's really important for us to remember it's actually a beautiful economy we have in place.
It doesn't need cut backs, it needs TLC.
There are so few politicians out there who are worth a shit. They are absolutely supposed to be working for us, and yet they go off and fight wars and do other stuff that the majority of us don't want.
That said, sometimes those "in power" probably do have to decide what's right for the country. Trouble is, that's a wholly subjective point. And what one leader thinks is right for the country, another person, given the chance, maybe wouldn't.
Once in a while these people need a wake-up call, so they really know who the bosses are.
I agree a lot with what you are saying. But why fix something that ain't broke?
Harper wants to change the Heath and Equalization laws so that Canada can change priority to a "profit country" rather than profit and community supportive country that it has been since second world war.
I agree sometimes we need to tweak things and alter...but not health insurance or equalization.
Besides, that is why we have education teaching civics and history...and people need to study social benefits already in place.
Can we imgine what would happen to the huge population of poor if Quebec separated? They would not have the economic support of the rich provinces. The leaders are not reminding the millions people in small towns around the country that the reason they can go to school and have computers and science labs...is because the money was divvied out across the country.
In the late 80's and 90's several right wing politicians started this idea of Canada as a corporation. They made cutbacks and closed hospitals across the country, taking away jobs and health care. In Ontario this prick Harris made cutbacks...so the water purification was compromised. He left office stepping, literally, over the dead bodies of small town Walkerton residents who were poisoned from poor water...from his ciutbacks. He had to resign.
We have a lot of money and respources, there is no need to change this economic balancing between the provinces. If anything, we have the opportunity to not only make money but use it to spend on innovating products or lifestyle changes so theat we live more environmentally sound in Canada...plus, every Canadian could have a raised quality of life froma few cool ideas.
But not cutting health care, that is counter-productive. And any savings would never be felt by the people, only by rich doctors and pharmacuetical companies who would then charge the poor in small towns huge costs for the same medical help they recive now by our fantastic medical system and the Equalization laws in our Constitution.
The only reason Harper and his "think tanks" want these changes to the cConstitution is to be able to offe a very few people intense profits.
The working poor can not afford to pay health insurance on their own. Even the middle class would not be able to afford it. Why not keep it the way it is?
Lets use our imaginations and see if we can set up a profit situation for helping other countries, and helping the working poor have an even better quality of life in Canada.
Candy, your motto is right on.
You know what I think.
Its so much easier talking about food.
Did anyone hear Anthony Germain covering Harper in China. Good god.
Harper's lack of respect for the media, especially the fact that it was a public broadcasting reporter, ie people working to tell Harper's BOSSES (us!) what he was doing there, was offensive.
Just thinking about it is going to make it impossible for me to sleep now.
This is a concerning development for Canada, no doubt. What kind of support does this Harper guy have? These crazy guys tend to do their crazy things at times when there is a lot of political/social discontent. Berlusconi would never have risen to power in Italy if people had not been sick to their back teeth of the corruption that was going on before. Little did they know that Berlusconi would be even worse...
I'll keep an eye on this through your blog, Candy. I have already hinted at the possibility of emigrating to Canada when the Conservatives return to power here in the UK, so the political climate there is certainly of interest to us at Casa AsteRed...
Good reminder Red. The thing is almost all politicians get into leadership roles because they get voted in as a backllash to the corruption by previous politicians and their parties.
I figure we are forced to vote for the least damaging kind of corruption. For example, people have died when the Harpers party was in power in Ontario. Last party, they stole money. (well don't they all steal money?) And the other party tends to "overspend" on social programs.
So see, I'd rather vote for the party that corruption=overspending on social programs.
Sure it makes people pissed that we go into debt or over spend but at least no one DIED.
And the garbage seems to be a big issue. When the same chacha who made cutbacks that allowed water to become contaminated and kill people...also cutback garbage service in Toronto. Now you can't find a public garbage bin for blocks, and people just toss their stuff on the sidewalk or kerb.
Why why why? Why give up on those services? They have lots of job oppportunities and make the city more hygenic and comfortable.
All in the name of saving taxes for the rich sector.
and halfthe time the middle class jumps on this band wagon , finds out their taxes aren't cut and then complain about the garbage everywhere.
Oy!
and wow!!! You moving to Canada would be cool! It's very cold though....
:)
Unfortunately, the government in BC is conservative now, under the guise of Liberal.
Campbell sutback on health and social services immediately creating a crisis
then offered privitization as an "answer" to the very problem he created!!
They're politicians = they're arseholes.
Same shit different country
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