Now that the fight for the Republican nomination has been settled, Canadians should keep a close eye on Mitt Romney. His future is Canada’s future. Romney personifies the financialization of the North American economy in the past thirty-five years. He did not make his money by making things. He became
Continue readingAuthor: Owen Gray
Northern Reflections: Taking Aim At Their Enemies
Jim Flaherty claims that the public service cuts he is making are moderate. He argues that the Harper government is simply demonstrating prudent financial management. But, Susan Riley notes, the cuts present a textbook case on how not to downsize. Worse still, it’s becoming more and more apparent that, under
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Deja Vu All Over Again
Peter Mackay is peddling the line that the Auditor General advocates a new kind of accounting when it comes to the purchase of military hardware. But Andrew Coyne points out that Sheila Fraser criticized the Harper government for the same violation of established accounting procedures when it purchased 43 Cyclone
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: History Repeats Itself
The Globe and Mail reports this morning that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency in particular will feel the consequences of the Harper government’s drive to reduce spending. Bill Curry reports that: the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Agriculture Canada will be among the hardest-hit departments as Ottawa rolls out where
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: The Joke’s On Us
It was a classic con. Pose as stolid, competent managers while you raid the business then burn it down. And they pulled it off — until now. Linda McQuaig writes about how the Harperites must have laughed at all the rubes in The Great White North. They cut back on
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: It All Depends On Who Keeps The Books
Yesterday, Peter Mackay admitted that the Auditor General was right. Mackay and his cabinet colleagues had known that each F-35 would cost $25 billion. The difference between the $14.7 billion figure, which the government touted, and the Auditor General’s number was simply a matter of accounting: The $10-billion difference is
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Stephen Harper: International Statesman?
Over the next four years, the Harper government will cut $523.5 million from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Rights and Democracy was only one of the victims of the cuts. In reality, the Harperites killed that agency three years ago. In fact, over the last three years, the Harper government
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: The Cult Of Efficiency
The Harper government tells us that its recent budget is all about making government more efficient. It’s an argument the world has heard before. In the 1930’s, Dan Gardiner writes: Liberal democracies withered while authoritarianism blossomed. And many leading thinkers became convinced that open societies simply couldn’t compete. Open societies
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: The Hard Sell
Stephen Maher and Glen McGregor keep digging. This morning, in the Ottawa Citizen, they report that: A training manual used by call-centre workers soliciting donations for the Conservative Party outlines high-pressure tactics designed to overcome the objections of pensioners, widowers and the unemployed to raise money for the party. The
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: We Were Warned
Now that the Auditor General has confirmed the figures which Kevin Page made public over a year ago, and now that Elections Canada has confirmed that it has received reports of election fraud in 200 of this country’s 308 ridings, it might be worthwhile recalling that the roots of Stephen
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Swinging The Wrecking Ball
The Harper government has killed Rights and Democracy. The decision — even though it wasn’t mentioned in Tuesday’s budget — should come as no surprise. In fact, it’s pretty clear that the Harperites had no respect or use for the organization which Brian Mulroney founded in 1988. Former board member
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: The List Grows Longer
The Harper government keeps adding to its enemies list. First and foremost, there are the “radical environmentalists.” And, of course, there is the CBC. And then there is the entire province of Quebec. Now, the government has turned its sights on the province of Ontario. When Bob Rae rose in
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Harrper’s War On The Environment
Canadians were quite happy not go to war in Iraq — even though Stephen Harper said we had a moral duty to be there. And they were shocked this summer when the prime minister suggested that Canada should take on Iran. But, when Canadians learned during last week’s budget that
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: What’s That, David?
David Frum, writing in the National Post, gushes with praise for the Harper government. “Canada,” he writes, “can fairly claim to be the best governed country in the world.” The occasion for Frum’s accolades was the release of the Conservatives’ 2012 budget — which cut government spending, gave almost 20,000
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: The Insufferable Mr. Flaherty
Jim Flaherty came to Toronto yesterday and lambasted Ontario for its poor fiscal management: “Frankly, Ontario’s spending mismanagement is a problem for the entire country,” he said. “They have no one to blame but themselves.” That really was a bit rich. After all, Mr, Flaherty and Mr. Harper just increased
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: About Those 19,200 Jobs
“Our government,” Jim Flaherty announced yesterday, “has chosen prosperity.” He then announced that the government would be slashing expenses by $5.2 billion and laying off 19,200 civil servants. In an interview with CTV’s Graham Richardson, John Baird heaped scorn on those who had predicted 60,000 job losses. Baird, like the
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: The Pitbulls And The Statesman
Since Thomas Mulcair assumed the leadership of the NDP, much has been written about Stephen Harper having met his match. Others have speculated that, between them, Harper and Mulcair are plotting the demise of the Liberal Party of Canada. Certainly Harper deserves the kind of opposition he will encounter in
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: The Wizard Of Austerity
Like Dorothy and her companions, Stephen Harper’s Conservatives and Dalton McGuinty’s Liberals are skipping down that yellow brick road, hoping that the Wizard of Austerity will take them back to the good old days. The Canadian Press reports this morning that Jim Flaherty will take $7 billion dollars out of
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Whose Sacred Cow?
Lawrence Martin writes this morning that Canada is about to take a sharp right turn. In the process, several of the country’s sacred cows will be sent to the abattoir: If there’s a theme, it’s market efficiency. If there’s a target, it’s some of the country’s long-standing sacred cows. The
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Shining A Light On ALEC
Paul Krugman writes that one of the consequences of the Trayvon Martin shooting is that people are beginning to focus on so called Stand Your Ground Laws and the people behind them. What we’re discovering is that the people behind these laws have gathered under the acronym ALEC. And the
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