The Alberta Treasury Branches Financial Sentiments Index for the last Quarter of 2008 in Alberta shows the province is still anticipating being busy and growing. But we are not as confident about the future as we used to be. Northern Alberta is significantly more confident (134.7 on the Index) than the south (122.2 on the Index) and that is an interesting shift.
Oil and Gas confidence has rebounded from their anxiety of the Royalty Review when they were below 80, meaning they were negative about the future. thay are now at 160 showing the sector's confidence has more than doubled. Construction has moved from a high of over 150 two years ago to a neutral stance of no growth now with an Index of about 100 today.
The seasonally adjusted Business Activity Index has dropped from a second Quarter high in 2006 of about 153 to 111 today. Things in Alberta are slowing down but still happening. Optimism is steadily declining from a high 2 years ago of 160 to128.5 today. Optimism is higher than actual activity of 111 these days. Optimism has also been steadily in decline but overall confidence in the Alberta economy is still vibrant.
There is about 6 months of work in the hopper for most sectors but the US and likely Canadian recession an US financial sector bailout is going to take a toll on business confidence and availability of risk capital financing. Alberta will feel the impacts less than others but we will not escape unscathed. That said, today only 6% of all Alberta business sectors anticipate a decrease in business activity next year. We shall see.
Hiring activity was at a peak of 150 at the end of 2007. It is down to 121.3 now. Alberta is still hiring but not a frenetically as before. The new hiring intentions are at 126.4 so the balance between actual hires and intentions means a more reasonable HR environment going forward.
The marketplace is doing it job and is responding to the past silliness of the unsustainable growth of the Alberta economy. The slow down is welcome. We need to catch our breath. The looming clouds on the world economy that is being caused by the American meltdown will be a factor that has not ye become part of the Alberta consciousness...but it will. I wonder what the results of the ATB survey will be next Quarter when we are starting to feel the early stages of that reality.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Harper's Youth Justice Platform is DiscriminaTORY
Don’t be duped by the fabricated softer gentler, “I want to be your Daddy so make me your Prime Minister,” Stephen Harper. Once again he shows his true colours and his dark side. His very dark side.
Harper says that putting children in jail for life will be good for them and it will teach them a lesson they will never forget. That is true – but a life sentence for a child will not teach any life lessons we would want them to learn. Nor will they learn anything in prison that will serve them, and the rest of us, well in the long run. Those lifelong prison lessons will not prepare them to come out of incarceration and be ready to be well adjusted and contributing citizens to the benefit of society.
Thinking life in prison will be just the ticket to get bad kids to pull up their socks and straighten up is insane. Harper’s abject ignorance of the consequences of his policy and his well polished penchant for willful blindness is yet another character flaw and so disappointing to discover in such a well educated man. How can he simply choose to ignore the reams of research that overwhelming concludes the contrary outcomes of such a merciless policy? Blind adherence to a faulty political ideology it the key here, don’t you think
There is an astonishing level of personal commitment that Mr. Harper continues to show towards steering Canada into a neo-Republican authoritarian Bush/Cheney model of governance. This is epitomized by his youth “justice” election platform.
Harper's youth crime policy shows us just how opportunistic and shallow he truly is. Though this policy that is framed as getting tough on crime, Harper believes that, in his world, social justice concerns should have nothing to do with dealing with root causes of crime. Concerns over poverty, family violence, developmental disabilities and mental illness don't count. Addictions and even abuse of children are not in his repertoire of responses he needs be concerned with in dealing with children who may have committed serious crimes.
Currently there is a presumption of juvenile court status fr accused youth. That presumption can be rebutted thereby putting the accused child in an adult court. This is an evidence based objective assessment process and decided at the discretion of the Courts. And it works very well. Harper’s vision of Canada would eliminate any mealy mouth concern for such soft on crime issues of equity or extenuating circumstances for children who are accused of a serious crime.
There would be no stinkin’ judge making no stinkin’ judgment call about any concern of circumstances or consequences for bad kids in a Stephen Harper vision of Canada. No context or nuance in Mr. Harper’s family man facade of how to get tough on children who are bad. A bad kid who does bad things deserves life imprisonment. Pure and simple!
This policy is unconscionable, callous and once again shows that Harper’s governing style is one of atavistic authoritarianism. Harper’s Canada sees himself as more that a mere Prime Minister. He aspires to be a demagogue and the dominant source of political and public policy power, who will be free exercise total personal command and control of Canadian society.
Harper is also quick and easy to be discriminaTORY too. His youth justice policy is based on age discrimination. He is pandering in the most puerile of political posturing that is aimed directly at an appeasement of Quebec voters. Quebec voters actually believe in rehabilitation as part of a modern criminal justice system and so there are different rules for bad Quebec kids. The rest of Canada also overwhelming believes in rehabilitation as part of any modern criminal justice system. We do leverage more votes for Mr. Harper so the concerns in the rest of Canada don't count in Mr. Harper's vision of Canada.
A bad kid in Quebec has to be 16 before he deserves to be tried as an adult and sentenced to life in prison. A bad kid in the rest of Canada must turn bad earlier because he deserves life in prison at only 14 years old. This is a breach of the Charter and again shows the situational ethical standards ingrained in Mr. Harper. This is a man who sees politics trumping any other Canadian value as he pursues his personal quest to gain political power and dominion over all of Canada.
Wake up Canada and be afraid of this man. He is famous for bullying political opponents inside to outside his party. His has descended to picking on children now…vulnerable children. Children who are most likely to be unable to defend themselves and who will usually lack strong advocates and any effective family support systems to help them in such devastating times. Children are amongst the most vulnerable citizens in our society. Children in serious trouble with the law are extremely vulnerable...but still innocent until proven guilty. Remembering of courae that the child soldier, Omar Khadr, is not included in that foundational principle of Canadian law in Mr. Harper's Canada.
This is more evidence that Mr. Harper does not want to become our Prime Minister just to serve our society and make it better for all of us. He wants to hold the most powerful office in the country and then use the discretionary power of that office to make laws that he is above and could well break at his discretion, yet again!
He broke is his own fixed election date law. And if he is not now breaking the electoin campaign advertising law, he is at the very least, wantonly breaking the spirit of campaign financing and advertising laws. Elections Canada thinks so and a court of law will soon determine the truth of the matter.
He has spent millions of dollars on producing a bunch of bullying attack ads all aimed at debasing Stephane Dion's leadership. All this was done and aired outside the election writ period so he did not have to account for the money spent. He still used tax deductible donated dollars and it was all designed to avoid the requirements of accountability and transparency that is required in our election laws. These are egregious character flaws are likely just the tip of the iceberg, especially if he wins this election.
Imagine what damage this man can do to the country, to you and your family if he gets his majority government. That means at least four full years of unchecked and unbridled Stephen Harper in absolute power and ostensible authority over so much of our lives. With his puppet caucus and trained seal cabinet obliging him every step of the way. I say four full years of power presuming he would actually obey his own fixed date election laws next time. One can only hope!
Be afraid of this man Canada. Danny Williams is right – vote Anybody But Conservative on October 14.
Harper says that putting children in jail for life will be good for them and it will teach them a lesson they will never forget. That is true – but a life sentence for a child will not teach any life lessons we would want them to learn. Nor will they learn anything in prison that will serve them, and the rest of us, well in the long run. Those lifelong prison lessons will not prepare them to come out of incarceration and be ready to be well adjusted and contributing citizens to the benefit of society.
Thinking life in prison will be just the ticket to get bad kids to pull up their socks and straighten up is insane. Harper’s abject ignorance of the consequences of his policy and his well polished penchant for willful blindness is yet another character flaw and so disappointing to discover in such a well educated man. How can he simply choose to ignore the reams of research that overwhelming concludes the contrary outcomes of such a merciless policy? Blind adherence to a faulty political ideology it the key here, don’t you think
There is an astonishing level of personal commitment that Mr. Harper continues to show towards steering Canada into a neo-Republican authoritarian Bush/Cheney model of governance. This is epitomized by his youth “justice” election platform.
Harper's youth crime policy shows us just how opportunistic and shallow he truly is. Though this policy that is framed as getting tough on crime, Harper believes that, in his world, social justice concerns should have nothing to do with dealing with root causes of crime. Concerns over poverty, family violence, developmental disabilities and mental illness don't count. Addictions and even abuse of children are not in his repertoire of responses he needs be concerned with in dealing with children who may have committed serious crimes.
Currently there is a presumption of juvenile court status fr accused youth. That presumption can be rebutted thereby putting the accused child in an adult court. This is an evidence based objective assessment process and decided at the discretion of the Courts. And it works very well. Harper’s vision of Canada would eliminate any mealy mouth concern for such soft on crime issues of equity or extenuating circumstances for children who are accused of a serious crime.
There would be no stinkin’ judge making no stinkin’ judgment call about any concern of circumstances or consequences for bad kids in a Stephen Harper vision of Canada. No context or nuance in Mr. Harper’s family man facade of how to get tough on children who are bad. A bad kid who does bad things deserves life imprisonment. Pure and simple!
This policy is unconscionable, callous and once again shows that Harper’s governing style is one of atavistic authoritarianism. Harper’s Canada sees himself as more that a mere Prime Minister. He aspires to be a demagogue and the dominant source of political and public policy power, who will be free exercise total personal command and control of Canadian society.
Harper is also quick and easy to be discriminaTORY too. His youth justice policy is based on age discrimination. He is pandering in the most puerile of political posturing that is aimed directly at an appeasement of Quebec voters. Quebec voters actually believe in rehabilitation as part of a modern criminal justice system and so there are different rules for bad Quebec kids. The rest of Canada also overwhelming believes in rehabilitation as part of any modern criminal justice system. We do leverage more votes for Mr. Harper so the concerns in the rest of Canada don't count in Mr. Harper's vision of Canada.
A bad kid in Quebec has to be 16 before he deserves to be tried as an adult and sentenced to life in prison. A bad kid in the rest of Canada must turn bad earlier because he deserves life in prison at only 14 years old. This is a breach of the Charter and again shows the situational ethical standards ingrained in Mr. Harper. This is a man who sees politics trumping any other Canadian value as he pursues his personal quest to gain political power and dominion over all of Canada.
Wake up Canada and be afraid of this man. He is famous for bullying political opponents inside to outside his party. His has descended to picking on children now…vulnerable children. Children who are most likely to be unable to defend themselves and who will usually lack strong advocates and any effective family support systems to help them in such devastating times. Children are amongst the most vulnerable citizens in our society. Children in serious trouble with the law are extremely vulnerable...but still innocent until proven guilty. Remembering of courae that the child soldier, Omar Khadr, is not included in that foundational principle of Canadian law in Mr. Harper's Canada.
This is more evidence that Mr. Harper does not want to become our Prime Minister just to serve our society and make it better for all of us. He wants to hold the most powerful office in the country and then use the discretionary power of that office to make laws that he is above and could well break at his discretion, yet again!
He broke is his own fixed election date law. And if he is not now breaking the electoin campaign advertising law, he is at the very least, wantonly breaking the spirit of campaign financing and advertising laws. Elections Canada thinks so and a court of law will soon determine the truth of the matter.
He has spent millions of dollars on producing a bunch of bullying attack ads all aimed at debasing Stephane Dion's leadership. All this was done and aired outside the election writ period so he did not have to account for the money spent. He still used tax deductible donated dollars and it was all designed to avoid the requirements of accountability and transparency that is required in our election laws. These are egregious character flaws are likely just the tip of the iceberg, especially if he wins this election.
Imagine what damage this man can do to the country, to you and your family if he gets his majority government. That means at least four full years of unchecked and unbridled Stephen Harper in absolute power and ostensible authority over so much of our lives. With his puppet caucus and trained seal cabinet obliging him every step of the way. I say four full years of power presuming he would actually obey his own fixed date election laws next time. One can only hope!
Be afraid of this man Canada. Danny Williams is right – vote Anybody But Conservative on October 14.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Why Do Some Politicians Think We Have to Choose Between the Environment and the Economy?
This link is so well done and worth a visit. It points out stuff you likely already know but does it in a context that asks why do some politicians think we have to choose between the environment and the economy. We can have both thrive with enlightened public policy and leaders with political will to exercise wisdom and judgment.
H/T to guy Dauncey for the link.
H/T to guy Dauncey for the link.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Conservative Candidates Canned for Character Flaws.
Another Tory candidate call it quits…or gets fired.
It has happened before - over a party appointed candidate who had a criminal record. OUCH!
I am at least thankful the fundamental character flaws in some Conservative candidates are coming out before the election and not afterwards. After being elected such poor quality candidates with obvious lacking of judgment would mean they would have the power to do some serious irreparable harm to Canadians and the country.
This all adds to the ballot question that Canadians are just starting to consciously ask themselves. “Is Stephen Harper the kind of person we want to lead this country if you can’t trust and believe him?” Is his party trustworthy enough and caring enough to govern us and speak for us? Or is this election all about Stephen Harper’s personal goal of gaining political power through control freak philosophies by using bullying and belligerent campaign tactics?
You already know can’t believe their political promises…think Income Trusts. He has no respect for the Rule of Law proven by his own breach of his own fixed date election law. Last weeks triple play of gaffe apologies that Harper had to admit to now seems like the tip of the iceberg. What else this politician still trying to hide from us?
Be careful who you vote for. And as you reflect carefully on that most serious decision about the future of you and your family think about if you can trust Stephen Harper. Are you going to be better off with a guy who raised taxes for the working poor and cut them for the upper class?
Are you doing better today because of his infamous GST reduction? Did you know that he did not really mean it when he said the private sector would provide 250,000 day care spaces. Did he tell you the $100 per child he provided last election, so you would have a choice for child care, was going to be tax back? It is not as if you forget to red the fine print on that promise is it? Ask yourself, is your child care situation improved and how much more choice do you have with this Harper half truth?
The Conservative campaign slogan, “We’re Better Off With Harper.” As a compassionate progressive Canadian I have reflected on this slogan. I think it could use an editing. Here is how I feel about Canada and being Canadian.
Here is how I would change the Conservative slogan: WE’RE BETTER! OFF WITH HARPER!” Seems closer to the truth don’t you think?.
It has happened before - over a party appointed candidate who had a criminal record. OUCH!
I am at least thankful the fundamental character flaws in some Conservative candidates are coming out before the election and not afterwards. After being elected such poor quality candidates with obvious lacking of judgment would mean they would have the power to do some serious irreparable harm to Canadians and the country.
This all adds to the ballot question that Canadians are just starting to consciously ask themselves. “Is Stephen Harper the kind of person we want to lead this country if you can’t trust and believe him?” Is his party trustworthy enough and caring enough to govern us and speak for us? Or is this election all about Stephen Harper’s personal goal of gaining political power through control freak philosophies by using bullying and belligerent campaign tactics?
You already know can’t believe their political promises…think Income Trusts. He has no respect for the Rule of Law proven by his own breach of his own fixed date election law. Last weeks triple play of gaffe apologies that Harper had to admit to now seems like the tip of the iceberg. What else this politician still trying to hide from us?
Be careful who you vote for. And as you reflect carefully on that most serious decision about the future of you and your family think about if you can trust Stephen Harper. Are you going to be better off with a guy who raised taxes for the working poor and cut them for the upper class?
Are you doing better today because of his infamous GST reduction? Did you know that he did not really mean it when he said the private sector would provide 250,000 day care spaces. Did he tell you the $100 per child he provided last election, so you would have a choice for child care, was going to be tax back? It is not as if you forget to red the fine print on that promise is it? Ask yourself, is your child care situation improved and how much more choice do you have with this Harper half truth?
The Conservative campaign slogan, “We’re Better Off With Harper.” As a compassionate progressive Canadian I have reflected on this slogan. I think it could use an editing. Here is how I feel about Canada and being Canadian.
Here is how I would change the Conservative slogan: WE’RE BETTER! OFF WITH HARPER!” Seems closer to the truth don’t you think?.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Is Harper Against Free Speech and Freedom of the Press?
Harper is gagging the military and the media. Read Blast Furnace here and here for some disturbing but insightful commentary. Harper is a clear and present danger to democracy and freedom of speech.
He demands total control over the political messaging from his Cabinet and Caucus, and given the Ritz, Sparrow, Cannon worker gaffes and others, one can sympathize. But to shut up the military and the freeze out the media for pure political purposes is not leadership. That shows he is not interesting in serving the needs of a free and democratic Canada, only his own hidden agenda and a personal pursuit of power.
Be afraid of this man…be very afraid - especially if he gets absolute power from a majority government. One can only imagine what he would do to the rights and freedoms of Canadians in such an event.
Harper is about power and politics. He doesn't care about people and progress. He is not a leader. He is a MISLEADER!
He demands total control over the political messaging from his Cabinet and Caucus, and given the Ritz, Sparrow, Cannon worker gaffes and others, one can sympathize. But to shut up the military and the freeze out the media for pure political purposes is not leadership. That shows he is not interesting in serving the needs of a free and democratic Canada, only his own hidden agenda and a personal pursuit of power.
Be afraid of this man…be very afraid - especially if he gets absolute power from a majority government. One can only imagine what he would do to the rights and freedoms of Canadians in such an event.
Harper is about power and politics. He doesn't care about people and progress. He is not a leader. He is a MISLEADER!
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