Scandal: Lies, lies and More Lies

In another long day of lies in front of the House of Commons public accounts committee, Gilles-Andre Gosselin testified that he worked day and night to justify the lucrative consulting contracts with the federal government.

Ad man says he worked 10 hours a day, 365 days a year for Ottawa

OTTAWA – The head of one of the companies at the heart of the sponsorship scandal insisted yesterday he spent 10 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year working on federal government business.

Gilles-Andre Gosselin told MPs that is how he was able to personally bill the government for 3,673 hours of work in one year plus run his company and serve his other clients. He billed the Canadian government $625,325 in 1997 — just for his own services.

Sour Grapes Clark Prefers Martin over Harper

It’s a pity that a former Prime Minister of Canada has been relegated to the far back corner of the House of Commons to sit as a independent while his former party continues to move forward. It is also a pity that the former red Tory cannot seem to understand when to bow out with dignity. His past comments about Harper and the merger and now his statements that he would rather see Martin elected over Harper go a long ways to show his bitterness towards the new party.

Clark slams Harper, urges support for Martin

Former Progressive Conservative leader and onetime Prime Minister Joe Clark says he’d prefer to see Paul Martin, and not current Conservative leader Stephen Harper, win power in the next federal election.

“I have seen nothing in the Stephen Harper-led party that suggests on human-right issues, envrionment issues, bilingualism…anything like the governments that either Mr.Mulroney or I led,” Clark said.

Interestingly enough, in the video of the interview, Clark repeatedly claims that the new party is not the broad progressive party that he and Mulroney lead in the past. Which is fairly humorous seeing that it was under Clark’s watch that the Progressive Party was nearly rejected in a slim and short lived minority government in 1979 and it was Mulroney’s government, and its particular style of governing, that lead to the wholesale rejection of the Progressive Conservative party in almost every region in the country – particularly their strong holds in the West and Quebec.

Taxing your way to stability

In a very un-conservative manner, the Nova Scotia Progressive Conservative government has decided that it will balance its budget on the backs of the corporations and the upper middle class.

Nova Scotia raises corporate taxes

The Nova Scotia government has chosen to largely tax its way to a balanced budget with a sweeping series of revenue measures that will add $271.4 million to the provincial treasury in the coming year.

In addition to partly rescinding its much-hyped 10 per cent personal income tax cut, the Conservative government used Thursday’s budget to hit the business sector with $17 million in additional taxes, increasing both the large corporation tax and the capital tax on financial institutions.

“This puts us at a competitive disadvantage,” said Valerie Payn, president of the Halifax Chamber of Commerce. “If a business is looking at locating here, or an existing business is looking at expanding, this a clear reason not to.

Seems like no one has bothered to inform this government that by taxing the corporations that provide valuable jobs and opportunity to average Nova Scotians, they are effectively handicapping the very industry that will eventually assist in the recovery of the province’s fortunes. When provided with the option of locating to Nova Scotia or Alberta, where do you think a large business or corporation will want to do business? Quick fact: Alberta’s corporate tax for 2005 will be 11.5% (the lowest in Canada) and will Nova Scotia’s will be 16% – you do the math.

The articles goes on to say,

Anyone earning less than $29,590 a year will not be affected by the clawback.

Those taking home between $29,590 and $59,180 will lose a portion of the tax break, while anyone with income above that threshold will lose the benefit entirely.

The Conservatives have also introduced a new high tax category at the upper end of the scale for people earning over $93,000 a year – a move that affects 18,100 people.

In this case, the government seems to value wage earners that make considerable less than what is considered average in other parts of the country. What kind of fiscal environment is this creating for skilled/educated immigrants who are considering coming to Nova Scotia? Why would anyone willingly choose to place themselves in a province with such a high tax burden? Quick Fact: Alberta has an extemely easy to understand single-rate system or flat-tax provincial income tax of 10%. Nova Scotia has a complex/confusing tax structure that taxes at three levels of income: 9.77% (0 – $29,590), 14.95% ($29,590 – $59,180), 16.67% ($59,180 and above).

Polling is NOT an exact science

While not a huge problem now, the growing number of people who have ditched their landline and are now only using their cellphone as their primary telephone won’t be included in opinion polls. Polling companies also have a hard time polling those who live in group homes, such as the elderly and the sick.

Pollsters can’t connect with cell phone society

As marketing surveys and polls for the 2004 election ring phones across the nation, one of the hottest topics among pollsters is their inability to reach cellular phone customers who are dropping home phone lines in favor of going entirely wireless.

“If enough people have no chance of being included, survey results will be invalid,” said the National Council on Public Polls, an association of polling organizations based at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

Polling experts say the problem is minimal for now, but they differ on how serious it might become. Already hard to reach because they spend little time at home or are living in group quarters such as college dorms, members of the 18-to-24 set, and to a lesser extent the group up to age 30, are rapidly isolating themselves from wired communications.

Dying Princess is somehow more important

Can someone please explain to me why showing photos of a dying Princess is any more deplorable than showing photos of dead soldiers coming back from the War on Terror and the War on Iraq? Or how about the moving images of dead Palestinians and Israelis or the long parade of other suffering individuals worldwide? They sure seem to be fair play in a game of sensationalism spread by the various media agencies – why not “two black-and-white pictures” of the Princess’s last few moments of life.

Outrage as CBS airs photos of dying Diana

London — British media and associates of Princess Diana expressed anger Thursday after CBS broadcast photos of the dying princess taken moments after a car accident.

The Guardian newspaper said the U.S. network had decided to “plumb new depths of prurience in the Princess Diana industry.???

The network insisted the pictures, which showed an unconscious Diana being treated by a doctor as she lay slumped in the back of a car in the Alma road tunnel, were neither graphic nor exploitative.

New TV Ads for the Conservatives and Liberals

The Conservative Party of Canada has released three (two English, one French) campaign ads which featuring Stephen Harper in an office speaking directly to Canadians. The ads are well written and Harper comes off as sincere and prime ministerial. What is interesting about this ad is the way in which it ends – after stating that Canadians deserve better Stephen states, “and my name is Stephen Harper.” I assume this is the Conservatives Party’s way of introducing Stephen to Canadians.

The Liberals have also started their own ad campaign featuring Prime Minister Paul Martin speaking, in what appears to be, a local focus/discussion group. The jerky camera along with the particular camera angles gives the impression that this is an impromptu meeting by Martin and a handful of voters. This particular style of ad fits in well with Martin’s campaign strategy to focus on himself and to give the impression that he’s speaking to Canadians.

The difference in style between the two ads is interesting and is glimpse as to how this federal campaign will be waged.

Paul Martin Continues to Flog the Kyoto Accord

Martin’s obsession with imposing Kyoto targets on Canadian industry appears to be bordering on pathological these days. Despite the fact the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitters have failed to show the slightest interest in joining the Kyoto Club, our historically-challenged Prime Minsiter seems hell-bent on crippling Canada’s carbon-based industry solely to achieve some feel-good, pie-in-the-sky ideal.

Of note is the fact that the byline to this piece is “Martin plans to make Canadian air cleanest in the world”.

This is despite the fact the article in question never once mentions that the Kyoto Accord has anything whatsoever to do with making Canadian air “the cleanest in the world”. This is also in spite of the fact the Kyoto Accord has absolutely nothing to do whatsoever with making Canadian air “the cleanest in the world.”

However, once again the media has chosen to reinforce the most commonly held misperception about the accord: That it actually accomplishes something.

PM pledges to push Kyoto

Prime Minister Paul Martin yesterday pledged to push Canada to the front of the pack when it comes to meeting greenhouse gas emission targets. Martin said European countries will hit the panic button as they fall further behind on their Kyoto commitments, while Canada will lead and benefit economically from the accord.

Martin promised that Canada will be a great defender on the international stage of the commitment to reduce gas emissions when other countries start talking about shredding the agreement.

“At some point people are going to start talking that this thing is all washed up,” the PM said.

Svend, say it ain’t so! You’re Stealing?

In an incident that will undoubtably go down as one of the most bizarre moments in Canadian political history, New Democratic Party MP Svend Robinson admits to stealing a piece of expensive jewelry.

Svend Robinson steps down over theft of jewelry

BURNABY, B.C. – Svend Robinson, Canada’s first openly gay MP, said Thursday he’s taking a leave from politics while he resolves legal and health issues.

While attending a jewelry sale last Friday “I pocketed a piece of expensive jewelry,” he said.

“I’m also stepping down at this time as the federal New Democrat candidate for Burnaby-Douglas while these issues remain unresolved.

This incident reminds me of the time when Pam Barrett, then the leader of the New Democratic Party of Alberta, resigned from politics after she claimed she had a “near-death experience” in the chair of her dentists office.

Hey PM: Juno anything about D-Day? Nor-way!

So you say there’s no Liberal bias in the media? Now what do you suppose the response would have been if former Canadian Alliance leader “Scary” Stockwell Day, or Conservative Party leader “Firewall” Stephen Harper were to have made this little gaffe…

Martin commits geography gaffe

Prime Minister Paul Martin rewrote Canadian military history Wednesday as he described the great Canadian contribution to the liberation of Europe in 1944 as the invasion of Norway instead of Normandy.

“Sixty years ago, Canadians were working alongside their British and American allies planning for the invasion of Norway and the liberation of Europe,” Martin said in an address to 350 soldiers at the CFB Gagetown training base outside Fredericton, N.B.

A few minutes later, he repeated the gaffe…

China Issues Threat to Canada

Should Prime Minister Martin meet with the Dalai Lama? President Bush and Prime Minister Blair have both already meet with the spiritual leader from Tibet, should we?

China warns PM not to meet Dalai Lama

OTTAWA – China has issued a stern warning to Paul Martin about whether he should meet with the Dalai Lama this month in Ottawa: Do not even think about it if you value good trade relations with China.

“On this we are very clear-cut — that we are opposed to any foreign government officials to meet with him. Because, you know, the Dalai Lama is neither a political figure nor a religious figure. He’s just somebody involved with separating China,” said a senior official with the Chinese embassy in Ottawa.

Next Page »