Parliament is on its Easter break and MPs are fanned out across the country to take the pulse of the nation or, in the case of CPC members, to show-off their campaign battleship’s nerve centre in the hope of striking terror in the hearts of their enemies. It’s also a good time to take stock of what has been happening on the federal scene over the last few weeks.
The budget: the key to understanding the budget is recognizing that Jim Flaherty has become the biggest spending Canadian finance minister in history. He claims to be doing so in the context of a balanced federal budget. Ontarians will remember him claiming the same thing in Ontario while preparing to head into a provincial election to renew the Ernie Eve’s lease on the 3rd floor corner office at Queen’s Park. And they know how that turned-out when Dalton McGuinty’s Liberals were elected and got a look at the books. It’s taken four years to get out of the financial hole Flaherty covered-up.
In opposition, the CPC called for tax breaks and reduced spending. In government, they deliver higher spending and few tax concessions. Unless, for example you choose to buy an “alternate fuel” car built by Flaherty’s constituents. Then you’ll get a $2,000 “environmental” rebate - even though there is only one refuelling station in Canada where you can fill-up with the clean, alternate fuel it requires. This rebate didn’t have anything to do with securing jobs and votes in Durham, I am sure. You will also be in for a bonus if you answer Mario Dumont’s call to make lots of babies for Québec and Canada but not many will be going down that road.
$3.0 billion to help finance provincial tax cuts in Québec and re-elect a federalist provincial government maybe wasn’t such a good idea after-all. The sovereignists/automonists won and the calls for more provincial powers and transfers are already ratcheting up. Flaherty’s budget is long on short-term electoral expediency but short on long-term vision for building a strong economy and nation.
What to say about the Mounties? Like almost every other Canadian boy, I admired, near revered, the red coats for the legend of their policing of the North West Territory in the 19th century. That admiration paled with the RCMP’s illegal acts in the 1970s to fight Québec separatism and it’s been fading ever since. Tom Walkom wrote in The Toronto Star abut why the Mounties scare politicians so much. It’s generally accepted that the Mounties conspired with the NDP to blow out of the water any claims by Paul Martin’s government to have “reformed” and ensure the election of a CPC prime minister. Somebody must be kicking himself new that the Commissioner has been forced to resign and public security minister Stockpile Day is being forced to launch an albeit secret inquiry to alleged criminal acts at the force’s highest echelons. If Day and the PM weren’t so scared, it would be a public inquiry, but that’s a big risk with an election possibly pending.
What about an election? The CPC claims, while giving the media tours of its “war room” and previews of its new slag-Dion TV spots, not to want an election. The CPC claims to support fixed election dates but won’t move to get Royal Ascent for a bill doing just that; a bill approved by all parties in Parliament and requiring only a technical amendment recommended by the Chief Electoral Officer. Hypocrisy, they name is Harper. And Liberals best be ready.
The budget: the key to understanding the budget is recognizing that Jim Flaherty has become the biggest spending Canadian finance minister in history. He claims to be doing so in the context of a balanced federal budget. Ontarians will remember him claiming the same thing in Ontario while preparing to head into a provincial election to renew the Ernie Eve’s lease on the 3rd floor corner office at Queen’s Park. And they know how that turned-out when Dalton McGuinty’s Liberals were elected and got a look at the books. It’s taken four years to get out of the financial hole Flaherty covered-up.
In opposition, the CPC called for tax breaks and reduced spending. In government, they deliver higher spending and few tax concessions. Unless, for example you choose to buy an “alternate fuel” car built by Flaherty’s constituents. Then you’ll get a $2,000 “environmental” rebate - even though there is only one refuelling station in Canada where you can fill-up with the clean, alternate fuel it requires. This rebate didn’t have anything to do with securing jobs and votes in Durham, I am sure. You will also be in for a bonus if you answer Mario Dumont’s call to make lots of babies for Québec and Canada but not many will be going down that road.
$3.0 billion to help finance provincial tax cuts in Québec and re-elect a federalist provincial government maybe wasn’t such a good idea after-all. The sovereignists/automonists won and the calls for more provincial powers and transfers are already ratcheting up. Flaherty’s budget is long on short-term electoral expediency but short on long-term vision for building a strong economy and nation.
What to say about the Mounties? Like almost every other Canadian boy, I admired, near revered, the red coats for the legend of their policing of the North West Territory in the 19th century. That admiration paled with the RCMP’s illegal acts in the 1970s to fight Québec separatism and it’s been fading ever since. Tom Walkom wrote in The Toronto Star abut why the Mounties scare politicians so much. It’s generally accepted that the Mounties conspired with the NDP to blow out of the water any claims by Paul Martin’s government to have “reformed” and ensure the election of a CPC prime minister. Somebody must be kicking himself new that the Commissioner has been forced to resign and public security minister Stockpile Day is being forced to launch an albeit secret inquiry to alleged criminal acts at the force’s highest echelons. If Day and the PM weren’t so scared, it would be a public inquiry, but that’s a big risk with an election possibly pending.
What about an election? The CPC claims, while giving the media tours of its “war room” and previews of its new slag-Dion TV spots, not to want an election. The CPC claims to support fixed election dates but won’t move to get Royal Ascent for a bill doing just that; a bill approved by all parties in Parliament and requiring only a technical amendment recommended by the Chief Electoral Officer. Hypocrisy, they name is Harper. And Liberals best be ready.
