Conservatives penalty doesn't match the crime

This week, the Conservative Party plead guilty to spending more than its national limits in the 2006 election, just as Elections Canada had said in 2006, and which the Conservative Party has been denying for the last 5 years. This outcome is no surprise to anyone who has struggled with the election campaign budgets and the key distinction between national and local campaigns.

The party was fined $52,000 for spending $1.3 million over their limit. Big deal. Not a bad price to pay for winning an election, particularly relative to roughly $8 M the party spent nationally and the roughly $30 M they spent in individual ridings.

I think their spending limit for the next election should be reduced by $1.3 million. That would demonstrate some restorative justice. After all, aren't these the "tough on crime" people?

On deficit reduction

Today, our finance minister announced that they would have to postpone the date that they would ultimately balance the federal budget. They should have talked to us during the election, because that's what we told them then. It was extremely obvious to anyone who cared to look that they could not possible pursue a path of "lowering taxes" and investing in fighter planes and military ships (did they actually buy any?) and eliminate 50 billion in spending from the budget. Nothing has changed, but they act like some new event or thing has changed their "outlook". Just another deception in a long line of deceptions.

The thing that really troubles me is that, according to recent polls, about 40% of Canadians still think that these idiots are the best people to manage the economy in difficult times. The same party that wanted to remove restrictions on banks to invest in derivatives, which would have made our financial sector exactly equal to the US so we could tank together in 2008. Of course, now they claim that Canada is strong because of our strict regulations. Good thing they weren't in power prior to 2006, or we would be really screwed now.

Let's hope that good analysis trumps good old feelings. Last century's parties are not an answer to this century's problems.

Jim

On the politics of fear

There have been recent press articles about the interim leader of the NDP, Nycole Turmel, belonging to the Bloc Quebecois in recent years. Detractors say this represents poor judgment on the part of the NDP leadership or at worst a shift towards separatism in the party.

I say this is nonsense. People change. Times change. The things that we once thought were the best of ideas can lose their luster, and when that happens, we need to change.

In the last decade or so, and up until the general election this year, support for the BQ was as much based in getting the best federal-provincial deal for Quebec as it was about sovereignty. In truth, many of the voters in my riding in Ontario are only concerned about what we can do for them specifically, or for the province. They see the election system as a way of selecting a champion who will go to Ottawa to fight for their share (or even, perhaps, more than their share) of government funding. I used to believe myself that this was the role of the federal politician.

But I have changed. While it is important to represent the interests of your constituency, it is equally important to contribute to the greater economic and social wealth of our country. Much as a rising tide lifts all boats, we all benefit from programs which assist everyone. Economic studies have show, for example, that improvements to education create a net benefit to society which far exceeds the net benefit to the individuals being educated!

So why is it such a big news story that Nycole Turmel used to belong to the BQ? Well, I submit to you that it is a smattering of what they call news on a slow day. It had the elements which make for good sensationalization, as it raised a spectre of fear. "Oh my god, what if the NDP has a hidden agenda?" the reader asks when presented with this "revelation". What nonsense. This type of story serves only the political elite who benefit from trashing the official opposition. Makes you wonder who owns the news media, doesn't it?

Let me be clear that I am Green Party member and candidate, and I would like everyone to vote Green. But this baseless attack on the NDP is an insult to our intelligence, and demonstrates how low the news media have sunk. We need to give Canadians more credit.

Congratulations to Nycole Turmel for being elected interim leader. Good luck to you.

(Opinions expressed are my own.)

Slashing at the Environmental Assessment Agency

The government has decided that one of its priorities is NOT making sure that new businesses and projects are safe. Remember the $11 Billion that during the election they said they would have to cut to balance the budget, but they wouldn't say where they would cut? This is why they wouldn't say. And this is only 0.1% of the amount they will have to cut to make sure they can give corporations their tax cuts.

From the article:

"The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency is looking at a 43.1 per cent cut in spending, dropping from $30 million in 2011-12 to $17.1 million in 2012-13, according to the agency's planning documents."

Who else in this country is going to prevent businesses from polluting and contributing to an increasingly toxic playground for our kids?

And who will we hold accountable for this decision?

An interesting perspective on what's going wrong

The link above is to an article published in the Toronto Star written by Kai Nagata, who recently resigned as the CTV Bureau Chief in Quebec. It is not a story about how bad CTV is, or CBC, Nagata's previous employer. It is a story about news, and how the news business is not serving us the way it should. It is an excellent read.

Jim

Now that the dust is settling ...

I am caught between two outcomes, one good and the other, not so good.

The good outcome is Elizabeth May's election in Saanich-Gulf Islands. With Elizabeth in the House, we can expect to see a different and more cooperative level of discourse there. Issues that were ignored during this election, such as the environment, aboriginal issues and democratic reform will be discussed and the public, if they choose to look, will see the benefit of having a Green voice.

The not so good outcome is that we have a majority government. This is, in fact, a mixed bag for me. I am relieved that after 5 years of high alert, and having to be ready to run in another election at any minute, we can now step down from that tension, and resume the process of building our constituency. This is a welcome outcome. However, I fear for the future of this Parliament, as we must remember that the party that was found in contempt of Parliament (that is, ignoring the will of the people through their elected representatives) now has permission to completely ignore Parliament.

We must accept the wisdom of the electorate, but we must also acknowledge the distortion provided by the first past the post system. The government did not get a majority of the votes in this election. They got about 40%. 60% of the voters did not want this government. 50% more did not want it than wanted it. We are already hearing about receiving a mandate from the people .. the truth is, no such thing happened. But with more than 50% of the seats in the House, they can pass any legislation they like, without consultation, and without regard for the 60% of the people whose values are different.

So what will they do with this power? I fear for democracy, the poor, the environment, First Nations, and small business. I wait for the government to prove me wrong to worry. With a majority, there are no excuses. What happens now is squarely the responsibility of the governing party.

It remains to us to document the events of this parliament, so that intention cannot be re-spun in the next election. I hope that the government will do its best to reach out to all Canadians, and exercise compromise in its approaches to issues, rather than deepen the shallow, partisan, mean-spirited and heavy handed approach to governance that we have come to expect from this government.

I wish you all well.

Jim

LKM Green Party AGM today at 2:00 in Strathroy

Going to #LKM Green AGM today at 2:00 at Duke of Earl (Frank and Centre) in Strathroy .. come on down #elxn41 #cdnpoli