- Harper: 'Let Them Eat Cake', I mean, Keep them Distracted on Guergis-Jaffer Affair

Excerpts submitted: 7:28am, & 10:08am, PDT, 24 Apr.'10 The Toronto Star
Travers: Scandal noise hides political silence, April 24, 2010, James Travers
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/799904--travers-scandal-noise-hides-political-silence#article

The big thing with the Guergis-Jaffer affair is that the indications are that there is a lot more to it than has been brought to light. And, it may even go to the Prime Minister and senior Ministers like John Baird and Jim Prentice. Given how Harper came to power, his viscous personal attacks on Liberals, his self righteous and extremely dishonest promises of transparency, openness, eliminating corruption, etc. This issue is very important to wake Canadians up to just exactly what Harper and his Con's stand for and the damage they are doing to our way of life.

However, The Afghan Detainee Transfer scandal and the Speaker of the House' upcoming ruling is probably the most important issue for Canadians as a country since the Charter of Rights. Ignatieff should be going coast to coast meeting Canadians and discussion this one issue and its importance, explaining how the Canadian Parliamentary system works, why it is very different from the US Presidential system with its built in check and balances, and why parliamentary paramountcy is vital preventing the PM from becoming 'king'.

It seems that Canadian troops may 'leave' active combat to work with and support the Afghan police (a rose by any other name . . .). Given the degree to which the Taliban target police in Afghanistan, I'm not sure there would be much of a change in practical terms. Then there's the Congo déjà vu.


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Excerpts submitted: 7:38am, PDT, 24 Apr.'10 The Toronto Star

Canada should be discussing what will happen to Canada's Health Care system after the agreement made by Paul Martin that expires in 2014. More important is the trend in Alberta to oppose any equalization payments flowing out of the province.

vis.: "Medicare and the Canada Health Act will be kept on life support until 2014 thanks to former Prime Minister Paul Martin's 2004, 10-year health accord. It gave the provinces an additional $41 billion cash to reduce wait times.

But four years from now, all bets will be off. Prime Minister Stephen Harper has pledged not to touch the accord while it exists. But he is a constitutional strict constructionist. If he is still in power in 2014, he will likely move swiftly to terminate Ottawa's role in health care, which he considers an exclusive provincial jurisdiction."
(Ignatieff blows best opportunity, Frances Russell, 14/04/2010, Winnipeg Free Press
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/westview/ignatieff-blows-best-opportunity-90816469.html)

The Equalization payments is another issue that ought to be debated right now, before its too late. There is no doubt that Harper and the Con's are in favour of eliminating it. Not only does it fall in libne with harper's life-long goal of tearing Canada asunder. It is a big 'pay-off' for his core of die-hard supporters in Alberta. Consider how fast the deficit would be reduced if transfers were eliminated. Consider how much Harper could reduce taxes.

Stelmach: "Alberta pays a lot more money in federal taxes than it receives, yet the province is criticized for its vast energy wealth, which helps many other Canadians, said the premier on Thursday."
(Alberta to chase feds on equalization
Last Updated: Thursday, January 14, 2010 | 9:26 PM ET .CBC News
http://www.cbc.ca/politics/story/2010/01/14/alberta-equalization-cabinet-stelmach-morton-liepert-oil.html )

One need only look at how hard it is to increase taxes after it has been reduced, even wrongfully like the 2 points off the GST.

What do you think Albertans reactions would be if a government tried to re-instate the equalization payments, once they had been eliminated and the taxes reduced.

"You want fairness? Great. Here's some fairness: Alberta has decided that if it's going to get crapped on by other provinces, maybe it shouldn't be handing over billions of dollars a year to those same . . ."
(
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2010/01/15/alberta-s-answer-to-emissions-problem-stop-flying-equalization-money-to-ontario-and-quebec.aspx
Alberta's answer to emissions problem: Stop flying equalization money to Ontario and Quebec, January 15, 2010)

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Submitted: 10:04 am PDT, 24 Apr.'10

landscape wrote 11:59 AM " Lloyd 10:38: Ontario has never recieved equalisation payments since the 40's. Alot of Canada has recieved a lot of money from Ontarian tax payers."

Landscape.

I can remember not too long ago Premier McGuinty pointing out that 23 billion was flowing out of Ontario due to transfer payments.

Vis.: In 2005: "McGuinty also launched a campaign to narrow the so-called '$23 billion gap' between what Ontario contributes to the federal government and what is returned to Ontario in services."
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalton_McGuinty)

Now Ontario meets the definition of a 'have not' province.

If anyone in Ontario thinks that Harper will somehow defend Ontario's interest in this, they are in a for a rude awakening. For Harper and the Con's it's Alberta all the way. They are the reason he is in power and that's the reason they put him in power. Oh, yah, to get rid of the Gun Registry, which Harper doesn't even have the nerve to make part of his legislative agenda.


Lloyd MacILquham cicblog.com/comments.html