St. Boniface Federal Riding

New Session of Parliament - Time for a Review

2011-09-29T11:04:00.000-07:00

The 41st parliament is sitting in session. The Harper government has tabled a sweeping crime omnibus bill that essentially increases penalties of crimes. As a Canadian, I feel that Harper has taken a step backward by creating a repressive atmosphere in Canada. I will state my conviction that the law is a system that is in place to solve problems. If rather than using the power of the law to solve root causes of crime and to rehabilitate and reintegrate convicts into productive members of society, the Harper regime tightens the chain of the law to effectively enslave criminals as a commodity to be owned by private corporate prisons as is the case in the United States.

One of the problems that I am very conscious of is the ethnic makeup of the Canadian prison population. The aboriginal population in Canada makes up 4% of the general population but makes up 18% of the prison population. Aboriginals in Manitoba make up 15% of the general population but make up 71% of sentenced admission in 2005/06. Saskatchewan has an even greater disparity where they make up 15% of the general population and 79% of the prison population. In the US, in contrast, non-Hispanic blacks makes up 39.4% of the jail and prison population while the US census reports them as making up 12.6% of the national population.

These statistics support the idea that a regime is in place that is tantamount to Canadian Apartheid -- this despite the fact that the Canadian Museum of Human Rights is being constructed right now and right here in Winnipeg and in the St. Boniface federal riding!

If there is any justice then the Harper government should use all powers in its means to introduce a bill that criminalizes poverty but treats individuals living under poverty as victims of crime. Then it can actually use the law properly to help solve real social problems.

PrisonJustice.ca - Prison Facts and Stats

Wikipedia - Incarceration in the United States

Jack Layton Passes Away

2011-08-22T09:04:00.000-07:00

This year saw the greatest political performance in recent years. As the Canadian elections engaged us, this one did seem different. It felt like it was a fight like no other -- it turned out to be a result like no other. The NDP surged ahead to be the official opposition for the first time due mainly to the staunch character of Jack Layton and what his party stood for.

The first battle lay in wait in a bitter postal labour dispute. Mr. Layton again shone and he gave his newly elected MPs their first major parliamentary dispute with the official majority over back-to-work legislation.

Whereas many took offensive and defensive stances in their position, Jack Layton often sought cooperation in solving problems so in that sense he was not only a leader, he was someone who wanted to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with you to accomplish things.

Jack Layton's passing sadly closes a chapter in Canadian politics. My condolences to the family.

Canada Post Goes Postal

2011-06-22T07:23:00.000-07:00

The current Canada Post lockout of unionized postal workers seems to have been the trick that the government needed to initiate back-to-work legislation. I declare that I am not a union member but I am a postal customer depending on some important mail. Even though the rolling strikes were local strikes and not national strikes, when the strikes were local to me I still received my mail! It wasn't until the lock-out occurred that I stopped receiving any mail.

Labour relations and negotiations can be difficult but the recent escalation does not seem to pan out in the logic of the current government.

St. Boniface MP Shelley Glover released in a statement:

"Our government is concerned about the effect the Canada Post work stoppage is having on Canada’s economic recovery and on Canadians.

"There is evidence that it is causing serious harm to small businesses across the country.

"We have received a strong mandate from Canadians to complete and protect our economic recovery.

"That is why the minister of labour today tabled the Restoring Mail Delivery for Canadians Act to ensure resumption and continuation of postal services.

"Our government is acting to protect the public interest and the country’s economy as a whole."

This is a boilerplate response and it is due to a union sit-in at the St. Boniface constituency office precipitated by the lockout. Shelley Glover seems to think this is a work stoppage rather than a lock-out and that the lock-out is not the cause of harm to businesses. She seems to think that back-to-work legislation will resolve business-labour relation issues.

It's unfortunate that Shelley Glover's boilerplate response shows her contempt for the business-labour relationship that is at the heart of the economy. The sit-in was a response to the legislation and there's a general consensus that the legislation is good neither for Canada Post and its employees nor as good as a negotiated settlement. The Harper government is taking a less than constructive approach to this economic exercise.

MP Glover responds to postal worker sit-in

Harper setting up showdown with labour movement over strike bills: expert, union

Budget 2011 and the Dirty Thirties

2011-06-14T08:54:00.000-07:00

The Conservatives have tabled the 2011 budget and is was under debate in the House of Commons. I have emailed the honourable Member of Parliament for St. Boniface for information how this budget will impact the St. Boniface constituency. While waiting for response, I had the chance to read, follow the debate and to read some of the budget online.

From the Government of Canada website for the budget:

"The global economy is emerging from the deepest and most synchronized financial and economic crisis since the Great Depression.

"Having learned from the mistakes of the 1930s, governments and central banks responded to the downturn with unprecedented fiscal and monetary stimulus. With a strong fiscal situation and a sound banking system, Canada was able to act boldly and effectively to protect jobs and to minimize the impact of the recession on Canadians."

A lot has changed since the 1930s and it is surprising that the government has reached as far back in its analysis for today's economic problems. In case you don't remember, the Great Stock Market Crash occurred on October 29, 1929 and the Dirty Thirties spanned the years 1930 to 1936.

Jump back to November 12, 1999 when the then US President Bill Clinton signed into law the bill that repealed the Glass-Steagall Act. It took several years for the devastating 1999 law's effect to be felt in the form of the US housing crisis and toxic derivatives in 2008. The Glass-Steagall Act was implemented in June 16, 1933 in order to reform the US banking industry and to prevent widespread speculation that created the Great Depression.

In the introduction to the budget, it furthers explains that stimulus spending and tax relief will protect against a fragile economy. Against the backdrop of the Great Depression, the causes of the Great Depression had nothing to do with government spending and tax relief.

Budget 2011

Great Depression, Wikipedia

Harper Majority Rewards Non-Voters

2011-05-20T10:15:00.000-07:00

Stephen Harper spoke about ending party subsidies citing the need to cut costs. Although it may on the surface be questionable that parties should receive government monies for votes, it does make sense to financially reward parties that support the democratic process. Harper's intent is fiscally responsible but socially degrading since the people who will be most rewarded are those Canadian taxpayers who do not vote.

Harper needs to answer why it will reward non-participant taxpayers. In addition, stronger parties generally benefit from low voter turnout. Rather than using negative reinforcement to increase voter turnout it is much better to use positive reinforcement, and party subsidies is one method of positive reinforcement.

Until Canada has a form of direct and daily democracy, party subsidies are necessary in this representative democracy to balance the playing field for all participant parties.

Harper government moving to end party subsidies

The Face of the New Cabinet

2011-05-18T17:30:00.000-07:00

It is quite interesting to see the social makeup of the Conservative cabinet as well as Prime Minister Harper's latest Senate appointments.

The Prime Minister has announced the new cabinet appointments - it speaks volumes in terms of the social makeup. The St. Boniface MP Shelley Glover has been passed over for cabinet appointment but has been previously appointed as the Parliamentary Secretary for Official Languages.

While the cabinet lineup is predominantly a social makeup of men from all across Canada it will seem to be on the surface of things a general indicator of the social effect this will have beyond fiscal balance. Prime Minister Harper has also selected three failed election candidates from this previous election to serve as Senators, and two of these people had resigned their Senate seats to run in the election.

As far as the Senate appointees goes, it seems that the Prime Minister wants to taint the Senate in an anti-democratic fashion in order to highlight the inadequacies of it in a modern Canada. This does not make sense since this also taints how the PM values democratic outcomes but in light of Harper's contempt of parliament a new kind of contempt needs to be coined.

To use a hockey metaphor, giving losers of the election Senate seats is like giving losers of the Stanley Cup playoffs Stanley Cup rings.

Tim Harper: PM favours men for senior portfolios in cabinet

3 defeated Tories named to Senate

Reacting to Disaster

2011-05-17T20:42:00.000-07:00

Devastation can happen immediately or it can happen slowly. Slave Lake is an example of a natural disaster that happened before people could react. The conditions were ripe for the type of disaster - hot, dry conditions with high winds that drove a fire quickly to ravage the town of Slave Lake.

Manitoba and Quebec had the opposite disasters where water engulfed homes and communities from overflowing rivers and skies over many days and weeks.

These are examples where government at all levels need to try and can do a lot more than individuals. This is an example where huge monetary funds can mobilize resources. The Canadian military assist in brawn where the heavy lifting is needed. Once the pieces are in place the coordination can occur with non-profit organizations.

These are the good pieces: funding, military and non-profit organizations. It is never too early, before the next series of disasters, to plan for disasters. It may be bold but the national strategy of how tax dollars and the military should be focusing on a changing climate. If the government does not plan for:

a disappearing arctic ice shelf that will contribute to raising sea levels
for a changing climate that will contribute to more extreme weather conditions
opening Arctic seas that put Canadian sovereignty at risk

then it will be a disaster for the government as well as for its citizens.

The solution will mean bringing home the military to be on the ready on Canadian territory not foreign territory.

A domestic military will be able to react quicker to natural disaster, help communities and bunker the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements budget.

Most importantly, the government needs to, no, has to plan how Canada will cut CO2 pollution. Doing less puts our shores and our communities at risk.

Quebec has received largest chunk of Canadian disaster relief

Provincial Harm Reduction vs. Federal Health Jurisdiction

2011-05-12T10:14:00.000-07:00

The Supreme Court of Canada is hearing a case on whether the federal government has jurisdiction over provincial operation of a safe-injection site in Vancouver. The Harper government wishes to close down the site despite research showing that the site is achieving the goals that it has set out to do, namely, reducing the potential of disease and reducing the endangerment of public safety.

The Harper government wishes that the Criminal Code of Canada trumps provincial jurisdiction of health care delivery. The Harper government is implying that recipients of the site's services are criminally guilty before the eyes of the federal government.

The case is before the Supreme Court of Canada and it will take time for a ruling to be issued.

In the meantime, it will be necessary to review the definition of prejudice.

Prejudice:

(v) Cause harm to (a state of affairs)
- delay is likely to prejudice the child's welfare

(n) Preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience
- English prejudice against foreigners
- anti-Jewish prejudices

Given evidence that the safe-injection site is reducing harm to addicts and that public safety is being protected, it implies that the Harper government has a preconceived notion of the site's services, is willing to ignore evidence, and that it is willing to ignore the harm of closing this provincial health delivery service in order to enforce the Criminal Code of Canada with respect to Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.

In the Interest of Public Health Care

2011-05-05T19:58:00.000-07:00

The Government of Canada (not the same as the Harper Government) specifies that the Canada Health Act criteria must be satisfied in order to receive federal funding by the respective provinces and territories.

It remains to be seen whether the Harper Government will allow increased privatization of health care delivery while allowing the increase in health care costs due to the corporate pharmaceutical industry among other factors.

Elections 2011 is Over - A New Blog has Begun

2011-05-04T16:18:00.000-07:00

Reality has sunk in but the repercussions are yet to be determined.