The Harper Conservatives are making a move to cut off Old-Age Security. Their internal communications are framing Old-Age Security as a burden on ordinary Canadians. I don’t see many Canadians complaining that a small portion of their tax money goes into ensuring that low-income seniors… ..
Continue readingTag: Harper
Dumb on crime indeed
Much of Harper’s “tough” on crime agenda has been described as dumb and that is particularly true in the area of parole or supervised release. Inmates in our prison system live in an environment of constant tension where even the most insignificant mistake can have extremely dire consequences.Prisoners are also
Continue readingTrashy's World: Yup, there are more than…
… few Grit and Dipper lips smacking at the prospect of running against Harper on the issue of raising the retirement age to 67. While some of Harper’s holy pronouncements in Davos are basically no-brainers (e.g., reforming the immigration system), bringing up the spectre of changing retirement rules mid-game is NOT going to be a
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: About that "Secret Agenda"
L’il Steve Harper has spent the past six or more years assuring Canadians at every opportunity that he really doesn’t harbour any “secret agenda.” Then he goes all the way to Switzerland, drops his pants, and announces that he’s got “major transformations” in store for his small folk at home.
Continue reading“Let Me Be Perfectly Clear…”
Our Canada is gone. Harper made that perfectly clear this morning in Davos, Switzerland. Sweeping changes to Old Age Pensions. Privatisation of science and innovation. Deregulation. MacKay signed off our military sovereignty quietly yesterday, authorising Homeland Security operations on Canadian soil, in the event of an emergency, or a terrorist
Continue readingImpolitical: More on raising the Old Age Security age eligibility
A brief follow-up to yesterday’s post on the possibility of a hike in OAS age eligibility here. Here is the first of many analyses likely to come along now that Harper has raised the issue of “major” reforms to Canada’s pension system, namely the OAS: “Does Harper really need to
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: The Liberal Identity
The Liberal Party lost the last election not because they didn’t know what they stood for, but because they stopped looking. After the last election many party officials, pundits and members of the public claimed the Liberals lost because they didn’t stand for anything, that Liberals didn’t even know who
Continue readingImpolitical: 67
Harper is talking pension reform in Davos and one big change could be coming: In the wake of Harper’s speech, it now appears that the Conservative government could be poised to gradually change the Old Age Security system so that the age of eligibility is raised to 67 from 65.
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Dances With Oil
If Stephen Harper were a character in a Hollywood epic movie about the western Canadian frontier, and went to live with the First Nations people, I can’t help but think his alternate name would be Dances With Oil. He sure doesn’t dance with the one he brings to the ball.
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Capitalism No Longer Fits
“Capitalism, in its current form, no longer fits the world around us.” What a curious thing for the founder and chairman of the Davos World Economic Forum, professor Klaus Schwab to declare. “A global transformation is urgently needed and it must start with reinstating a global sense of social responsibility,”
Continue readingRandom Ranting Raving and Ratings: The Harper government, Ethical Oil and Sun Media connection – rabble.ca
What do EthicalOil.org, OurDecision.ca, JasonKenney.ca, JoeOliver.ca, GoNewclear.com, the original SunTVNews.ca website, Amerians4OPEC.com, Wildrosecaucus.ca, RichardDur.ca, CalgaryWard14.ca, Cummins4BC.ca, CorrieAdolph.com, HeatherForsyth.com, PaulHinman.ca, PierreMP.ca, and DriveOutTheTax.com… ..
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: What Did Steve Harper Just Say?
The Grand Dissembler, Steve Harper, picks his words carefully. That’s why it’s often worthwhile to pay close attention to what comes out of his mouth. Take his remarks to a conference of First Nations chiefs in which he promised not to scrap the Indian Act: “After 136 years, that tree
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Make It Stop
“Unlike Big Oil, [greens] are not transparent about their motives.” – Financial Post complaining about American environmental groups who oppose leaky pipelines destined to spoil freshwater and the Pacific coast. And what are Big Oil’s unvarnished motives: A car in every driveway, and a top hat and monocle for every
Continue readingScott's DiaTribes: Harper to First Nations: Bother my MP’s, not me, with your issues.
I’ve not seen another article come out yet on the meeting that Harper had with the First Nation’s Chiefs other then this one, but from the First Nations perspective, their concerns appear to have been taken rather lightly by the PM, to say the least: First Nations leaders will be
Continue readingRandom Ranting Raving and Ratings: EI financing agency spends millions doing nothing – Politics – CBC News
So much for being fiscally responsible! Maybe the reason the number of Service Canada’s E.I. offices is being slashed by over 80% is to pay for this boondoggle. EI financing agency spends millions doing nothing – Politics – CBC News: Backlogged by Design Conservative ridings benefit from… ..
Continue readingScott's DiaTribes: ‘Canada is becoming a jingoistic petro-state’
Who made that declaration a couple of days ago in the US? The Nation? Daily Kos? Some other left-wing publication? Nope. Slate did – and Slate isn’t exactly known for its left-wing tendencies. A rather unflattering portrait of it’s northern neighbour: It’s well known that America’s dependence on foreign oil
Continue readingTrashy's World: Newt and The Robot…
… would be most excellent BFFs if the former pulls off the near impossible and wins the GOP nomination AND defeats Obama. I can just picture them walking in the rose garden together, complaining about lefty radicals, the evils of abortion and the scourge of free expression… then kneeling to
Continue readingImpolitical: Late night
The victory speech by Newt Gingrich in South Carolina last night. If you missed it, there’s a notable mention of Stephen Harper by Gingrich. It happens shortly after the 20 minute mark. You may wish to fast forward to that moment if your blowhard threshold is low. Long story short,
Continue readingA long story and an action item
First Nations leaders are justifiably angered by the HarperCon government’s blatant support for the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline. “The First Nations Leadership Council is greatly troubled by recent comments by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Minister of Natural Resources Joe Oliver advocating for the proposed Enbridge Gateway pipeline to proceed
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Prime Minister Chicken Shit, or Chicken Hawk?
“I’ve watched and listened to what the leadership in the Iran regime says, and it frightens me,” Mr. Harper said in a CBC interview. Prime Minister Stephen Harper takes a serious matter, and turns it into an opportunity to help his oil buddies. Bruce Carson would be so proud of
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