50 BILLION DOLLARS

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS IN 50 MILLION DOLLARS IN DEFECIT THIS YEAR

 

CONSERVATIVE Ottawa posts first annual deficit in more than a decade  National Post –’

 

Chris Selley’s Full Pundit: Brother, can you spare 500 billion dimes? National Post - ‎May 28, 2009‎ Jim Flaherty is easily the worst finance minister in Canadian history, 

 

Flaherty says he won’t resign over deficit outrage. Canada.com - ‎May 28, 2009‎ OTTAWA – Finance Minister Jim Flaherty insisted Thursday that Canada is in “good shape” despite news the federal deficit would exceed $50 billion this … 

Flaherty fails his own 120-day test: No jobs, no infrastructure, at least $50 billion deficit OTTAWA – Having arrived at Finance Minister Jim Flaherty’s 120-day self-imposed deadline for stimulus spending, the only result the Harper Conservatives can point to is a record deficit of at least $50-billion and stalled stimulus projects throughout the country, Finance Critic John McCallum said today.

Just the Facts: Jim Flaherty’s top 10 mismanagement moments ”"I’m comfortable with our projections. I’m staying with our budget projection. We’re on track.” 

- Jim Flaherty on the budget deficit, April 22, 2009 

1. Broken promise on income trusts. By imposing a punitive 31.5 per cent tax on income trusts, the Conservative government raided the hard-earned savings of Canadian seniors. 

2. Record deficits. Minister Flaherty appears incapable of managing Canada’s finances. In September, he said there wouldn’t be a recession. In October, he promised no deficits. In November, he predicted a surplus. In January, he tabled a budget with a $34 billion deficit. Yesterday, it turned into a deficit of at least $50 billion – the largest in Canadian history. 

3. Raised income taxes. The 2006 Conservative Budget legislated an increase in the lowest tax rate to 15.5 per cent as of July 1, 2006, reversing the previous Liberal government’s reduction to the lowest personal income tax rate from 16 per cent to 15 per cent effective January 1, 2005. 

4. Failure to get Building Canada Fund infrastructure spending out the door. In the first year following the launch of the $8.8-billion Building Canada Fund, the Conservative government flowed zero funding to infrastructure projects. As recently as February 2009, officials at Infrastructure Canada admitted that of the $1.5 billion announced in its first two years of budgeted spending, only $80 million has flowed for municipal infrastructure projects across the country – only 5%. 

5. Broken 120-day economic stimulus promise. Minister Flaherty’s January 2009 budget explicitly stated, “Measures to support the economy must begin within the next 120 days to be most effective.” Yet recent media reports confirm that little infrastructure money has flowed, even for projects strictly under federal jurisdiction. 

6. Broken promise on equalization. Minister Flaherty’s 2007 budget broke his government’s promise to Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador that they would honour the Atlantic Accord commitment to leave 100 per cent of benefits from offshore resources exempt from equalization calculations. 

7. Fudging the environmental benefit of the public transit tax credit. Minister Flaherty dedicated $635 million to a public transit tax credit that his government claimed would reduce green house gas emissions by 220,000 per year. Environment Canada amended the figure for expected reductions to an average of 35,000 tonnes per year-about 16 percent of the original estimate. In February 2009, Auditor General Sheila Fraser concluded that the public transit tax credit will have a negligible impact on Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions. She went on to say that it is almost impossible to measure actual greenhouse gas emission reductions attributable to the tax credit, as many factors influence public transit ridership, including the price of gasoline. 

8. Fiscal update led to Parliamentary crisis. Minister Flaherty’s 2008 Fall Economic Statement caused a Parliamentary crisis by proposing zero economic stimulus measures on the eve of the recession, focusing instead on partisan measures and cutting funding for pay equity. Prime Minister Harper was forced to prorogue Parliament to save his job, but not before he nearly sparked a national unity crisis by pitting region against region with his rhetoric in the House of Commons. 

9. Cuts to culture funding. Minister Flaherty cut $45 million of federal culture funding last year, despite the fact that Canada’s culture sector directly contributed $46 billion – 3.8 per cent – to Canada’s GDP in 2007. The cuts affected every sector in the culture industry, be it international touring for performing arts groups, funding for new-media research or independent film production, or financial support for Canadian writers – touching off a Canada-wide backlash among cultural organizations. 

10. Cuts to scientific research. Minister Flaherty cut funding by $148 million in January’s budget to Canada’s three granting councils-the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, Canadian Institutes for Health Research and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. According to Statistics Canada, total federal funding for science and technology in 2008 was $365 million less than in 2005 when adjusted for inflation.

http://thenonconformer.wordpress.com/2009/03/25/what-a-recession-in-canada/

http://thenonconformer.wordpress.com/2009/02/02/federal-budget-approved/

http://thenonconformer.wordpress.com/2009/03/10/actions-real-concrete-type-speak-louder-over-cheap-words-lies-spins/

http://thenonconformer.wordpress.com/2009/02/15/canadian-editorial-cartoons/

CHARLOTTETOWN – A Conservative member of Prince Edward Island’s legislature has been charged with assault in connection with an incident at a demonstration earlier this month over a controversial immigration program.  The charge against Mike Currie, a longtime member of the house, was filed at the provincial court in Charlottetown today.   Protester Rob MacEachern filed a complaint with Charlottetown police on May 6, alleging he was grabbed in the face and chest during the demonstration that day. MacEachern alleges the incident happened after he asked whether Currie’s wife had benefited from the Provincial Nominee Program.The controversial program, which has been heavily criticized by the province’s auditor general, required prospective immigrants to provide funds for local businesses.MacEachern has been a vocal opponent of the administration of the program for months.http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/090529/national/pei_mla_charged

why Harper could not reach his hoped majority .the first time

 

Ignatieff again threatens election if EI reforms not in place by summer  TORONTO – Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff sent his clearest signal yet that an election may be imminent if Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his minority government fail to reform Employment Insurance by the summer.

   

Canada’s very sad Prime Minister Harper, the dictator,  wrongfully already does not listen to the will of the people, firstly he does not have a majority government, or next majority parliament approval for his actions too.

 

 Stephen Harper’s personal  Dictatorship once again trumps real  democracy,  and the bad spin doctors try to justify it hoping the ends justify the means, and that the supporters and the voters wrongfully overlook this.

 

  

Conservative critics  are having concern for quite a time with the federal Conservatives for bypassing nomination meetings and their attempts at re-nominating all sitting Tory MPs as candidates even  in the next possible federal election. For a new government that was based on, and also  created a Democratic Reform cabinet portfolio, the irony is pretty stark mad, unacceptable.  

 

 

This is not the first time the Tories have done this as well; MP nominations were suspended before the 2006 election when the Tories were in opposition.  Some Tories do argue that with an election possible at any time they do not have the time to hold real, proper nomination meetings. So why not suspend democracy altogether now  then. Stop the Conservative farce, democracy pretence now.

 

 

The Proposed Tory no nomination strategy is even more suspect to be ludicrous because there are a handful of Tory MPs who, it was predicted, would face very serious nomination challenges. Personal gain  of a few is sacrificed by many of   the Tories on the altar of democracy.

  

 

” There is a slim possibility of a June election if the Liberals, emboldened by a new leader and their recent boost in support in Quebec, decide to throw caution to the wind and test the electorate’s appetite for another election. With a full legislative calendar to observe, having to go through a nomination process could put enormous stress on already stressed Tory MPs.” 

 

 

 The Tories are more stressed over any other MPs? that is funny one, rather it is the clear  incompetents who are always more visibly  stressed. There is no question about it or denial now as well that by bypassing nominations the Tories are contributing to an unacceptable,  worrisome trend that has seen democratic principle stripped from party politics  and also from the house of parliament already.. so let all now us stop electing these democratic liars, fools rather. 

 

There are supposedly always some good excuses for bypassing  many democratic traditions. But in reality  abandoning these principles, the parties are only further tarnishing the reputation of politicians, and further discouraging citizens from both participating in party politics and voting, a real trend we have seen lately and explains simply  why Harper cannot reach his hoped majority .

 

  The European ban on seal products is sparking a new battle between Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams and Prime Minister Stephen Harper.   Harper, in Prague Wednesday for trade talks with European Union officials said he will defend the seal hunt but added he wouldn’t allow the controversy to “contaminate” trade talks and risk a multibillion-dollar free trade deal.  “If we were to make our trade relations with the European Union about only the sealing issue, we will never have any trading relations with the European Union because as we know this is a disagreement of long-standing,” Harper said at a news conference The news quickly made its way to Newfoundland and Labrador’s legislature, the Confederation Building, and the ears of Williams.  “I wonder if he would feel the same if it was an Alberta beef issue, if it was a softwood lumber issue or if it was a wheat issue,” Williams said.  The premier said he wants the seal hunt to be at the forefront of any talks with Europe, and fighting the ban in front of trade tribunals isn’t enough.  “You know he’s prepared to sacrifice Newfoundland and Labrador’s interest in the interests of other issues for Canadians. And I think that’s just dead wrong and it shows what this guy is all about,” he said. 

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2009/05/06/williams-seals-506.html