Shorter Gerry Ritz: “I have no effing idea”
It turns out that my previous post on government’s attitude towards the use of public funds was a perfect segue into this post. Gerry Ritz was on Power and Politics…
Canajun
What would Peter do?
The Canadian Taxpayers’ Federation has recently been uncovering some rather embarrassing expenses incurred by the Minister of National Defence, including $3,167 for flights to Boston to attend a “seafood show”.…
Caught between two worlds
With all the negative news coming out of Attawapiskat these days it’s easy to simply assign blame to a) the government; b) the reserve; c) the Canadian public, or d)…
“Some honourable members: No.”
On Wednesday November 2 Members of the House of Commons stood to mark the start of Veterans Week. As appropriate the Hon. Steve Blainey, Minister of Veterans Affairs, started off…
What can be so hard about maintaining an accurate voters list?
Today was election day in Ontario and, as any good citizen should, I did my duty and cast my ballot. But first I had to prove my identity and place…
Ethical oil
Anyone following the latest news on the Keystone Project is aware of the heavy and very public resistance to the project in some parts of the US and Canada. To…
Conservative debating tactics
I recently entered into an online Facebook discussion over the recent Supreme Court Insite decision. This person (whom I don’t know personally - a friend of a friend) opened with…
Targeting the non-Cons
During the Harper Conservatives’ time in power they railed against the long gun registry as being heavy-handed, unfair to duck hunters and farmers. “We must stop targeting law-abiding gun owners…
Politics: the art of double-speak
Dalton “Dad” McGuinty announces a special program that will provide a tax credit of $10,000 to employers to hire immigrants who are having difficulty gain Canadian experience and/or credentials. The…
Justin Bieber – two words I never thought I’d use in a post
But I will make an exception in this case simply because this is so ludicrous it screams out for comment. The intertubes and media today are awash in news of…
May contain Nuts
Up at the cottage last week we were drowning worms at a furious pace in a futile attempt to entice the exceedingly rare Doe Lake walleye to latch on to…
CBSA – Canada’s ambassadors? Not really.
It used to be said that travelling into the US and having to deal with the US Customs authorities was an ordeal, the price of admission so to speak. And…
Crime is on the rise in Canada – not!
Statistics Canada has just released their ‘Police-reported crime statistics in Canada, 2010’ report (link). And it supports what many have been saying for some time: Police-reported crime reaches its lowest…
There’s something wrong here
This story in yesterday’s Ottawa Citizen is indicative of the laissez-faire attitude of those whose job it is to “serve and protect” when petty crime is involved. The story, in…
What a spring it’s been
“The sky was dark and gloomy, the air was damp and raw, the streets were wet and sloppy. The smoke hung sluggishly above the chimney-tops as if it lacked the…
The digital dilemma: What will we leave for future generations?
I recently completed a family photo album/history that relied heavily on faded photographs, some going back nearly 100 years, and various pieces of written correspondence and other documents. And as…
So you sent him packing….
Now he's gone and you rejoice in your victory. You have politically destroyed a man who's only failings seemed to be that he was a decent and intelligent person. And…
A man with two watches
There’s an old adage that goes something like, “A man with one watch knows what time it is; a man with two watches is never sure.” Well the same applies…
The party for the perpetually angry
From the here-we-go-again files, Canadians with Liberal Party lawn signs are finding tires slashed, brake lines cut, and their property vandalized. True to form some Conservative supporters are trying to…
“That’s not true”: Stephen Harper channels Alberto Fujimori
According to the Sun’s intellectually challenged editorial writers and various blogging wingnuts, Michael Ignatieff’s comment in the debate about letting flowers bloom clearly demonstrates that he is a closet Maoist…