The latest Ipsos Reid poll is at best a foreboding and foreshadowing for the future of Mr. Harper’s minority government. The wisdom of the public is reflected in that the Bernier affair has not changed the overall support rankings of the various political parties. It should not – at least not yet, until we know more about what went on with the security breach around the classified Cabinet documents.
The troubling trend for me in the new poll is the fracturing of the country on regional lines. Harper is a growing lightning rod for the fragmentation of the country based on perceptions of if the country is on the right track as a nation and the support to re-elect Harper's government.
His support for putting the country on the right track is regionalized from a high of 64% support in Alberta to a low of 48% in British Columbia. This is getting translated into growing questions about if the Harper government should be re-elected. There is a majority in Atlantic Canada (56%) and in Quebec (53%) who do not want the Harper government back. Only 48% of B.C. and 47% of Ontarians think Harper should be re-elected.
The lack of a forward thinking policy agenda from Harper’s “team” (sic) is now being talked about too as a growing concern. Tepid support for Harper being on the right track for the country and the growing sense he has no vision for the direction of the country and he is a divisive force will start to show his weaknesses as a leader.
We don’t need a manager as our Prime Minister. We need a leader we can trust and depend on. Harper has been positioned as a manager, a control freak and a master message manipulator, but that is not the stuff of a Prime Minister. Canadians are quickly coming to that realization and the new Ipsos Reid poll is showing this awareness which will be growing in the 17 months until the next election.
Monday, June 02, 2008
Dion Demands the RCMP Engage in Bernier Bungling
I see Mr. Dion is in the Globe and Mail today calling for the RCMP to come in a clarify if the Bernier bungling of classified Cabinet information is serious or not.
We need this to happen and I called for the RCMP to come in on this matter in my May 26th posting.
The Globe and Mail did a strong set of stories on the implications of l'Affaire Bernier on the weekend. Good job of serious journalism that is worth the time to read. It makes the point that it is not good enough to dwell on the titillation of the scandal. We need to know just what the Coulliard connection to Hell's Angles means to the quality of the security of our government. Her past biker gang relationships and her role in securing a contract to transport criminals in Quebec is cause for concern too.
The possibility that there was a Hell's Angel's contract out on Ms. Coulliard's life means we need to worry about her well being now too. The shift in attention has to be to the larger issues of security and public safety as well as the need to worry about the safety of certain citizens as well.
So far too many people who are i the know not talking for reasons of "national Security." The information vacuum is leaving the rumour mill to take over and fill in the blanks with bluster and conspiracies. This is all very silly at one end of the story but deadly serious at the other end.
Call in the RCMP Mr. Prime Minister and stop the silliness and use your power and office to get to the bottom of this serious situation.
We need this to happen and I called for the RCMP to come in on this matter in my May 26th posting.
The Globe and Mail did a strong set of stories on the implications of l'Affaire Bernier on the weekend. Good job of serious journalism that is worth the time to read. It makes the point that it is not good enough to dwell on the titillation of the scandal. We need to know just what the Coulliard connection to Hell's Angles means to the quality of the security of our government. Her past biker gang relationships and her role in securing a contract to transport criminals in Quebec is cause for concern too.
The possibility that there was a Hell's Angel's contract out on Ms. Coulliard's life means we need to worry about her well being now too. The shift in attention has to be to the larger issues of security and public safety as well as the need to worry about the safety of certain citizens as well.
So far too many people who are i the know not talking for reasons of "national Security." The information vacuum is leaving the rumour mill to take over and fill in the blanks with bluster and conspiracies. This is all very silly at one end of the story but deadly serious at the other end.
Call in the RCMP Mr. Prime Minister and stop the silliness and use your power and office to get to the bottom of this serious situation.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Pay Politicians Well - and Pay the "Little People" Better!
I don’t begrudge the Alberta Premier, Cabinet Ministers and other elected representatives getting “healthy” raises. Let’s face it if you pay peanuts you get monkeys. I don't want to be governed by monkeys - regardless of party affiliation.
Now will they do the same for the lowest paid people in our work force? I am talking about the working poor who work in the social service sectors. What about paying a livable wage and benefits to those folks who take care of our developmentally disabled citizens, our at-risk and troubled children and our frail and fragile senior citizens who work in the not-for-profit community based service provider agencies.
Mr. Premier, during the election you never mentioned wage hikes for elected people. However you did promise to narrow the wage gap between these people and the equivalent work done by Alberta's civil servants. True more money has been put towards staff retention efforts but it is ad hoc and one-time band-aids. A more systemic and long-term commitment to closing this gap is required if people are going to stay in the social services sector.
So far with your government's union settlements and signing bonuses and increased staff benefits, the gap is wider than ever - even with the ad hoc one-time payments. What is worse, some PDD Boards have been very slow to get into the hands of agencies and employees. So much for crisis control and urgency.
I believe our elected representatives should be paid well, very well in fact. After all they are potentially more important to our well being and long term quality of life than hockey players who can make millions of dollars a year and they have about the same shelf life as a politician.
Now Alberta has pony up and honour, respect and compensate the “little people” who do the difficult and often dirty work we need done to care for the most vulnerable in our society. Quit the delay and the deflection of the issues Premier Stelmach. Pay the working poor in community based agencies a wage that can support a family. You do it for unionized employees why not the rest of the people who work in the sector in non-profit community based agencies?
Maybe that is the message the Progressive Conservative government is sending these folks. Perhaps your government is saying they should “join a union” and pick a fight if they want to be treated fairly and with respect. I hope that is not the message you intend to be sending these working poor. What else can they do to get the attention, respect of government. Remember the responsibility to take care of the vulnerable Albertans serviced by these workers is ultimately the government's.
These people need a significant raise, just like you and your colleagues just got sir. They need enough money and benefits to live in our expensive Alberta. Is it too much for such workers to expect to be financially secure enough to to actually enjoy the so-called " Alberta advantage?"
Congratulations on your raise Mr. Premier. It was the right thing to do. Now take that same philosophy one step further and show the same concern for the working poor who are doing some of the most important and most thankless (next to a politician) jobs in our society.
Now will they do the same for the lowest paid people in our work force? I am talking about the working poor who work in the social service sectors. What about paying a livable wage and benefits to those folks who take care of our developmentally disabled citizens, our at-risk and troubled children and our frail and fragile senior citizens who work in the not-for-profit community based service provider agencies.
Mr. Premier, during the election you never mentioned wage hikes for elected people. However you did promise to narrow the wage gap between these people and the equivalent work done by Alberta's civil servants. True more money has been put towards staff retention efforts but it is ad hoc and one-time band-aids. A more systemic and long-term commitment to closing this gap is required if people are going to stay in the social services sector.
So far with your government's union settlements and signing bonuses and increased staff benefits, the gap is wider than ever - even with the ad hoc one-time payments. What is worse, some PDD Boards have been very slow to get into the hands of agencies and employees. So much for crisis control and urgency.
I believe our elected representatives should be paid well, very well in fact. After all they are potentially more important to our well being and long term quality of life than hockey players who can make millions of dollars a year and they have about the same shelf life as a politician.
Now Alberta has pony up and honour, respect and compensate the “little people” who do the difficult and often dirty work we need done to care for the most vulnerable in our society. Quit the delay and the deflection of the issues Premier Stelmach. Pay the working poor in community based agencies a wage that can support a family. You do it for unionized employees why not the rest of the people who work in the sector in non-profit community based agencies?
Maybe that is the message the Progressive Conservative government is sending these folks. Perhaps your government is saying they should “join a union” and pick a fight if they want to be treated fairly and with respect. I hope that is not the message you intend to be sending these working poor. What else can they do to get the attention, respect of government. Remember the responsibility to take care of the vulnerable Albertans serviced by these workers is ultimately the government's.
These people need a significant raise, just like you and your colleagues just got sir. They need enough money and benefits to live in our expensive Alberta. Is it too much for such workers to expect to be financially secure enough to to actually enjoy the so-called " Alberta advantage?"
Congratulations on your raise Mr. Premier. It was the right thing to do. Now take that same philosophy one step further and show the same concern for the working poor who are doing some of the most important and most thankless (next to a politician) jobs in our society.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Fast Life in Alberta is Creating Serious Social Costs
Here is a disturbing sign of the times in Alberta. The annual Blueberry Festival in Fort McMurray is cancelled this year. Why? It is a community driven event but with the time starved reality of life in Alberta, the city could not find the volunteers to produce the event.
Looks like Fort McMurray had to pick up the production of the Canada Day events because of lack of volunteer capacity as well.
This is not unique to Fort McMurray. In Edmonton some 15 festivals banded together this year to run a volunteer recruiting event. The life-work balance in Alberta is way out of whack. Some will take pride that Albertans work the hardest and longest in Canada. Not me. The Alberta pace of growth and the stresses it is causing on individuals, families and now communities is not part of the success story of the economy. I think the economy should be there to serve the neds society and make it better for everyone, not the other way around and only serve the few at the top of the socio-economic food chain.
The use of GDP to measure our success is not only useless it is dangerous. We need a more comprehensive and balanced approach to measure success and progress in ourselves, our communities, if not society and the world The movement toward Genuine Progress Indicators (GPI) is a much more appropriate tool than GDP to see how well we are doing as a society.
What makes life worthwhile in terms of well-being, be it financially, professionally, personally, environmentally and in our social and civic lives all need to be considered now in how we our measure progress.
I strongly recommend people read Mark Anielski’s book “The Economics of Happiness” for some better understanding of this GPI concept. That is if you can find the time to read a book these days.
Looks like Fort McMurray had to pick up the production of the Canada Day events because of lack of volunteer capacity as well.
This is not unique to Fort McMurray. In Edmonton some 15 festivals banded together this year to run a volunteer recruiting event. The life-work balance in Alberta is way out of whack. Some will take pride that Albertans work the hardest and longest in Canada. Not me. The Alberta pace of growth and the stresses it is causing on individuals, families and now communities is not part of the success story of the economy. I think the economy should be there to serve the neds society and make it better for everyone, not the other way around and only serve the few at the top of the socio-economic food chain.
The use of GDP to measure our success is not only useless it is dangerous. We need a more comprehensive and balanced approach to measure success and progress in ourselves, our communities, if not society and the world The movement toward Genuine Progress Indicators (GPI) is a much more appropriate tool than GDP to see how well we are doing as a society.
What makes life worthwhile in terms of well-being, be it financially, professionally, personally, environmentally and in our social and civic lives all need to be considered now in how we our measure progress.
I strongly recommend people read Mark Anielski’s book “The Economics of Happiness” for some better understanding of this GPI concept. That is if you can find the time to read a book these days.
Mulroney Recalled to Commons Ethics Committee
The House of Commons Ethic Committee is also tired of waiting for Stephen (Godot) Harper to live up to his promise of last November for an inquiry into the Mulroney-Schreiber Affair.
They have voted 6-5 to recall Mulroney for June 12th. The issue is not going away and Harper's delays and excuses about calling the inquiry are shewing away at his integrity and accountability.
The former PM refused to appear at an early recall because the inquiry was supposed to be around the corner. It is not happening – at least not so far and not very fast. So the MPs on the Ethics Committee are tired of waiting and want to know if there was more to the Mulroney-Schreiber relationship.
The Siemens bribery trial in Germany, one of Schreiber’s alleged clients/funders will bring a new twist to an already sorry, sand and sordid story. The Ethics Committee vote to recall Mulroney was 6-5 and I imagine the Cons were against the recall. They are good at using their little book of committee tactics and political tricks to try to protect Harper more than Mulroney. Harper is reported widely to have consulted his mentor Mr. Mulroney on the Cons strategy to win over the hearts and minds of Quebecers. Mulroney is consedered to be the source of the Harper positioning by implying support for the soft nationalist strategy in Quebec.
First Mulroney and now Bernier – both Quebec based political embarrassments for the Harper Cons. It gets better, or worse, depending on your POV. Consider Harper’s obvious support for the falling star, the ADQ Mario Dumont and concurrently snubbing Quebec Prime Minister Jean Charest, a man whose star is on the rise now. Harper should be looking to Charest for advice and mentoring on how to successfully lead a minority government and get stuff done.
That snub of Charest was just another of the classic political cow pies the brain trust in the PMO has deftly stepped into. Now they just can’t seem shake the political consequences off its shoe in the province of Quebec.
They have voted 6-5 to recall Mulroney for June 12th. The issue is not going away and Harper's delays and excuses about calling the inquiry are shewing away at his integrity and accountability.
The former PM refused to appear at an early recall because the inquiry was supposed to be around the corner. It is not happening – at least not so far and not very fast. So the MPs on the Ethics Committee are tired of waiting and want to know if there was more to the Mulroney-Schreiber relationship.
The Siemens bribery trial in Germany, one of Schreiber’s alleged clients/funders will bring a new twist to an already sorry, sand and sordid story. The Ethics Committee vote to recall Mulroney was 6-5 and I imagine the Cons were against the recall. They are good at using their little book of committee tactics and political tricks to try to protect Harper more than Mulroney. Harper is reported widely to have consulted his mentor Mr. Mulroney on the Cons strategy to win over the hearts and minds of Quebecers. Mulroney is consedered to be the source of the Harper positioning by implying support for the soft nationalist strategy in Quebec.
First Mulroney and now Bernier – both Quebec based political embarrassments for the Harper Cons. It gets better, or worse, depending on your POV. Consider Harper’s obvious support for the falling star, the ADQ Mario Dumont and concurrently snubbing Quebec Prime Minister Jean Charest, a man whose star is on the rise now. Harper should be looking to Charest for advice and mentoring on how to successfully lead a minority government and get stuff done.
That snub of Charest was just another of the classic political cow pies the brain trust in the PMO has deftly stepped into. Now they just can’t seem shake the political consequences off its shoe in the province of Quebec.
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