This is from the Star.
Of course, not all voices counted equally I expect! His economic advisory council crammed with corporate leaders no doubt has a big say. Ultimately Harper and company make the final decision. It sounds as if Harper has learned his lesson and will put enough in the budget to buy off the Liberals and also pacify if not please the majority of Canadians. Ignatieff may growl and complain but in the end will likely help pass the budget.
WHO HAD A SAY
The Harper government claims to have conducted the most comprehensive and inclusive budget consultations in Canadian history. Here's its accounting by the numbers:
46 municipalities consulted
5,400 letters, emails and submissions from groups, individuals
70 formal roundtables
4 meetings between Flaherty and his economic advisory council
7,200 online responses
102 discussions with provincial/territorial officials
680 organizations consulted included manufacturing, forestry and mining
As their careers hang in the balance, Harper and Flaherty bank on a plan for all reasons
January 25, 2009 Les WhittingtonBruce Campion-SmithOTTAWA BUREAU
OTTAWA–While the rest of the world turned their eyes to U.S. President Barack Obama's inauguration ceremonies in Washington, Stephen Harper and Jim Flaherty spent last Tuesday afternoon fine-tuning the budget that will spell the fate of their Conservative government.
With only days to go before the most important federal budget in many years, the Prime Minister and his finance minister got together at a Toronto hotel where Harper had just finished a prebudget session with business executives.
After unprecedented Canada-wide consultations prompted by the near-death of the government in December, decision-making on Tuesday's economic package was still in play even as the deadline for sending the budget out for translation and printing neared.
"There was a myth that the budget was written two weeks ago, but it was a work in progress almost right up to the last moment," a Conservative official said last week.
As one of the earliest federal budgets in memory – the finance minister normally speaks to Parliament in late February or March – the blueprint to be unveiled Tuesday was by necessity a hurry-up job.
On top of that are the unusually high stakes. Hanging in the balance is not just the fate of the Conservative government but the political careers of Harper and Flaherty.
Only Harper's suspension of Parliament last month saved him from defeat at the hands of opposition MPs angered by the lack of economic stimulus in Flaherty's Nov. 27 fiscal statement. And the Liberals and New Democrats are still threatening to topple the Conservatives if the budget fails to live up to Canadians' expectations.
Above all, the $250-billion package of spending and tax measures was being prepared against the backdrop of the worst economic crisis in modern times.
"The process is certainly the most challenging, the most difficult of the four budgets I've done, this being number four," Flaherty told the Star.
For both Harper and Flaherty, the transformation from anti-spending hawks to purveyors of a massive deficit has been a harsh one.
Private-sector markets have broken down "and the only player who can fill that gap is the government," Flaherty said.
After last Tuesday's meeting, things began to move quickly.
Trying to prime the public for bad news, the Prime Minister's office took the step Thursday of breaking budget secrecy to reveal the planned deficit would reach $64 billion over two years.
As far back as mid-December, Harper had alerted Canadians to the depths of the developing economic calamity by revealing Ottawa might run up a huge budget deficit to try to rescue the economy.
But the roots of Tuesday's budget can be traced back further – to the economic turmoil that gathered momentum last autumn. At the time, the Conservatives insisted as part of their election campaign that Canada would duck the worst of the downturn, even as stock markets plunged and job worries grew.
"We will not be running a deficit. We will keep our spending within our means," Harper said in a Toronto speech on Oct. 7, 2008. "This government will not panic at a time of uncertainty."
Was the Prime Minister too slow to confront the rapid economic slide? His critics think so. But, in an interview, Harper dismissed that criticism, saying the recession was not evident at the time of the election. "The leader of a country doesn't go out and predict a recession when nobody else is," he said.
He was soon forced to put the economy at the top of his agenda. The day after the Oct. 14 election, he said his government would be focused on protecting "our earnings, our savings and our jobs."
Within the government a realization hit home that dramatic action would be needed to kick-start the economy as the housing market slowed, domestic automakers floundered and pension savings were battered. That view was confirmed as Harper spoke to other world leaders – including November's summit of G20 leaders in Washington – where they jointly pledged to take action to stimulate the global economy.
By then it was apparent to the Prime Minister and others that "this was not just a financial crisis," a senior aide to Harper said.
As the crisis shifted from Wall Street and Bay Street into the wider economy, business conditions began to worsen faster than anyone had predicted, the aide said. "It was probably clear to him (Harper) earlier than many others that we would have to take actions that were pretty significant."
Fast forward to now and the federal Conservatives are on the edge of what they call the "most important" budget in several decades.
The document to be tabled in Parliament on Tuesday is in part the product of extensive consultations by Harper, Flaherty and other Conservatives with interest groups, premiers, economists and others across the country. More than 7,000 people sent ideas to Flaherty on the finance department's online consultation site.
The Conservatives say this process has put them in a position to respond with confidence to Canadians' needs.
"Our main job was to listen and the listening has been very helpful," Flaherty said. "The people who have given us advice will see many of their views reflected in the budget on Tuesday."
But the consultations were also a public relations offensive to make up for the fact that the Conservatives' fall economic statement fell flat, disappointing both business leaders and ordinary Canadians.
As usual, the finance department had since late summer been putting together a series of recommendations and policy alternatives for the government to consider for its fall update, which serves as a jumping off place for the full-scale budget early in the following year.
A pivotal figure in this effort is Rob Wright, the deputy minister of finance and an official with 34 years' experience in the federal government. He funnels the department's prebudget work upward to the minister's attention and carries the Conservatives' political priorities back to the department so officials can shape the final policy measures.
Also in the forefront of the budget exercise were key figures in Flaherty's office – chief of staff Derek Vanstone and Kevin McCarthy, his senior policy adviser – as well as Harper's own top officials and several top bureaucrats.
They include Guy Giorno, Harper's chief of staff; Patrick Muttart, his deputy; Darrel Reid, director of policy, and Jasmine Igneski, an adviser on economic affairs, environment and energy security. Kory Teneycke, the director of communications, is advising on how to sell the budget – and its whopping fiscal shortfall – to the media and, through them, to Canadians. A key figure for two reasons is Kevin Lynch. He's clerk of the Privy Council, government's most senior bureaucrat. And for four years he was deputy minister of finance.
Still, political reality trumped policy analysis this time around. And ultimately the major decisions were taken by Harper and Flaherty. The budget, likely to run about 300 pages, is being printed this weekend: 12,000 copies (8,000 in English and 4,000 in French). It is expected to contain multi-billion-dollar spending promises for infrastructure, training for laid-off workers, support for auto and other industries, tax breaks to help average Canadians and measures to free up consumer and business lending.
Will it be enough to win over the opposition parties and keep the Conservative government alive?
Harper says he doesn't expect his opponents in Parliament to agree with every measure but hopes politicians of all stripes will co-operate for the sake of the economy.
"I know that parliamentary politics is about conflict," he said. "But I think everyone is expecting – from provincial, federal governments, business and labour, opposition and government – that people will try and find common ground on the things they agree on rather than focusing on the things they don't agree on."
Showing posts with label Harper budget. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Harper budget. Show all posts
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Brison "confident" government will address Liberal concerns.
It seems that Harper has gone into co-operation mode at least in some areas. The budget will probably contain enough of goodies and stimulus to buy off Ignatieff and the Liberals. Strange that Brison trusts now the same government that tried to make them eat the fecal economic update and who dodged the reality that the government did not have the confidence of parliament by proroguing parliament. Seems everyone is acting as if they are changing gears, all because this is what Canadians want apparently! Actually it seems that many core Conservatives are probably in a flap because Harper is now acting like the "socialists" such as Bush in the US. Imagine how the Obama stimulus will be looked at by these clowns. Maybe they will start speaking of the United Soviet States of America!...
Brison 'confident' government will address Liberal concerns
Last Updated: Monday, December 15, 2008 1:45 PM ET
CBC News
Opposition Liberals say they're hopeful Finance Minister Jim Flaherty will move quickly to address their concerns following "constructive" pre-budget discussions on how to stimulate the economy.
Flaherty met with Liberal finance critic Scott Brison and John McCallum, chairman of the party's advisory committee on economic strategy, for about an hour in Toronto on Monday as part of pre-budget consultations happening throughout the week.
Both said they told Flaherty of the need to be straightforward about the state of Canada's economy if the minority Conservative government wants to put together an effective stimulus package.
Brison, who called the meeting "very constructive and businesslike," said he's hopeful the government will respond quickly.
"I would hope that prior to Christmas, we can have our concerns addressed and realistic, up-to-date and honest fiscal numbers for us to work on," said Brison.
"I'm confident that we will get the information that we need to proceed."
The Liberals on Monday released a letter they sent to Flaherty last week outlining their demands. Signed by Brison and McCallum, the letter asks for:
"Honest budgetary numbers" and an updated economic forecast.
A detailed plan on any Crown assets the government is considering selling.
A Finance Department briefing for the parliamentary budget officer.
A commitment to a two-year, multi-industry economic stimulus package.
The letter asks for a response from the government by Friday, Dec. 19.
Meeting worthwhile: Flaherty
Flaherty released a statement calling the meeting businesslike and worthwhile.
"We must strive to meet the needs of Canadians, which is why we are listening closely to make our economy and our country stronger at a time when it is clear that the entire world economy is deteriorating," he said in the statement.
Brison said the Liberals are looking for the government to present its figures in a way that doesn't include revenues from Crown assets yet to be sold, which he said is a generally accepted accounting practice for the government and private sector.
Flaherty has publicly mulled the possibility of selling some Crown assets as a way of avoiding a deficit, although he hasn't been specific about what might go up for auction.
The Opposition is also seeking an indication of the scale and scope of the stimulus package the government will present in its budget, Brison said, noting that the Liberals are pushing for investments in infrastructure, industries, housing and training.
"We want to see meaningful stimulus that not only helps Canadians get through this economic downturn but builds a more competitive and productive Canadian economy in the future as we move back into a period of recovery," Brison said.
Confidence vote for budget
While meetings with industry representatives and interest groups are usually a routine part of constructing any federal budget, there is an added urgency to this year's consultations, the CBC's James Fitz-Morris reported Monday.
The minority Conservative government will face a highly anticipated test of confidence when it tables its budget on Jan. 27 — a day after Parliament resumes following its prorogation earlier this month.
If the opposition parties vote against the budget, as they threatened to do with the November fiscal update, the country could find itself facing another general election or see the Conservatives replaced by a Liberal-NDP coalition government.
Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe made an effort to keep a proposed Liberal-NDP coalition alive Monday, calling it the best solution to the economic crisis.
The BQ has agreed to support the coalition on any confidence measures if it forms a government.
Although Duceppe maintained the coalition is the desired solution, he declined to predict whether it will survive until the end of January, when the Conservative government has promised to release its budget.
"I don't make predictions, especially those considering the future," Duceppe said. "A lot of things could happen till the end of January."
Budget consultations are normally carried out by the House of Commons finance committee, which has been prevented from meeting since the government asked for Parliament to be suspended. Instead, the job has been left to Flaherty, who is also slated to meet with NDP finance critic Thomas Mulcair.
Mulcair said he plans to give Flaherty "our view of what's gone wrong in what the Conservatives have done for the last three years, and what we plan to do taking it forward."
Mulcair has also accused the finance minister of not being forthcoming with the economic numbers.
NDP Leader Jack Layton warned Monday that the government risks "facing the coalition again" if it's not willing to open its books.
He said the New Democrats have been clear with the Conservatives about their ideas for economic regeneration, including immediate help for key industries, tougher rules on banks to loosen credit and assistance for senior citizens.
In the fiscal update delivered at the end of last month, Flaherty projected balanced budgets and small surpluses through 2012-13, but warned that world economic uncertainty made it impossible to rule out future deficits.
Opposition parties have lambasted the Tories for failing to include a stimulus package for the slumping economy in the fiscal update, accusing the Conservatives of using tumultuous times to try to push through ideologically driven measures they said attacked women and public servants.
Aid, stimulus packages in works
Meanwhile, there are reports the Conservatives are preparing to offer aid to Canada's beleaguered mining and forestry sectors in the budget.
In an interview with CTV's Question Period on Sunday, Industry Minister Tony Clement said a number of other industries are "under distress" and "other industrial sectors, other extraction sectors are on the table for our budget coming out on Jan. 27."
Support for resource industries wasn't included in the fiscal update or Prime Minister Stephen Harper's recent throne speech.
Harper told CBC News last week that the federal government may have to produce sector-by-sector stimulus measures to ease Canada's economic pains in the weeks ahead, but that the "big stuff" will have to wait for the budget.
Clement announced Friday that the federal government and Ontario had reached a deal to offer proportional funds to Canada's auto industry if a proposed $14-billion US aid package is approved in Washington. That aid would amount to approximately 20 per cent of the U.S. proposal, or about $3.3 billion.
The approach has been met with criticism from some opposition members who say that while Canada should work in some measure of harmony with the U.S. in providing financial assistance for the auto sector, stronger steps must be taken to protect Canadian jobs from being moved south.
"The Canadian government's approach is after these discussions [in the U.S.] are over, Mr. Harper and Mr. Clement hope that somehow we're going to dovetail in and add on at the end and somehow we'll get good consideration in terms of jobs in Canada and in terms of product mandates," Brison said.
"And I think that's very naive."
Brison 'confident' government will address Liberal concerns
Last Updated: Monday, December 15, 2008 1:45 PM ET
CBC News
Opposition Liberals say they're hopeful Finance Minister Jim Flaherty will move quickly to address their concerns following "constructive" pre-budget discussions on how to stimulate the economy.
Flaherty met with Liberal finance critic Scott Brison and John McCallum, chairman of the party's advisory committee on economic strategy, for about an hour in Toronto on Monday as part of pre-budget consultations happening throughout the week.
Both said they told Flaherty of the need to be straightforward about the state of Canada's economy if the minority Conservative government wants to put together an effective stimulus package.
Brison, who called the meeting "very constructive and businesslike," said he's hopeful the government will respond quickly.
"I would hope that prior to Christmas, we can have our concerns addressed and realistic, up-to-date and honest fiscal numbers for us to work on," said Brison.
"I'm confident that we will get the information that we need to proceed."
The Liberals on Monday released a letter they sent to Flaherty last week outlining their demands. Signed by Brison and McCallum, the letter asks for:
"Honest budgetary numbers" and an updated economic forecast.
A detailed plan on any Crown assets the government is considering selling.
A Finance Department briefing for the parliamentary budget officer.
A commitment to a two-year, multi-industry economic stimulus package.
The letter asks for a response from the government by Friday, Dec. 19.
Meeting worthwhile: Flaherty
Flaherty released a statement calling the meeting businesslike and worthwhile.
"We must strive to meet the needs of Canadians, which is why we are listening closely to make our economy and our country stronger at a time when it is clear that the entire world economy is deteriorating," he said in the statement.
Brison said the Liberals are looking for the government to present its figures in a way that doesn't include revenues from Crown assets yet to be sold, which he said is a generally accepted accounting practice for the government and private sector.
Flaherty has publicly mulled the possibility of selling some Crown assets as a way of avoiding a deficit, although he hasn't been specific about what might go up for auction.
The Opposition is also seeking an indication of the scale and scope of the stimulus package the government will present in its budget, Brison said, noting that the Liberals are pushing for investments in infrastructure, industries, housing and training.
"We want to see meaningful stimulus that not only helps Canadians get through this economic downturn but builds a more competitive and productive Canadian economy in the future as we move back into a period of recovery," Brison said.
Confidence vote for budget
While meetings with industry representatives and interest groups are usually a routine part of constructing any federal budget, there is an added urgency to this year's consultations, the CBC's James Fitz-Morris reported Monday.
The minority Conservative government will face a highly anticipated test of confidence when it tables its budget on Jan. 27 — a day after Parliament resumes following its prorogation earlier this month.
If the opposition parties vote against the budget, as they threatened to do with the November fiscal update, the country could find itself facing another general election or see the Conservatives replaced by a Liberal-NDP coalition government.
Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe made an effort to keep a proposed Liberal-NDP coalition alive Monday, calling it the best solution to the economic crisis.
The BQ has agreed to support the coalition on any confidence measures if it forms a government.
Although Duceppe maintained the coalition is the desired solution, he declined to predict whether it will survive until the end of January, when the Conservative government has promised to release its budget.
"I don't make predictions, especially those considering the future," Duceppe said. "A lot of things could happen till the end of January."
Budget consultations are normally carried out by the House of Commons finance committee, which has been prevented from meeting since the government asked for Parliament to be suspended. Instead, the job has been left to Flaherty, who is also slated to meet with NDP finance critic Thomas Mulcair.
Mulcair said he plans to give Flaherty "our view of what's gone wrong in what the Conservatives have done for the last three years, and what we plan to do taking it forward."
Mulcair has also accused the finance minister of not being forthcoming with the economic numbers.
NDP Leader Jack Layton warned Monday that the government risks "facing the coalition again" if it's not willing to open its books.
He said the New Democrats have been clear with the Conservatives about their ideas for economic regeneration, including immediate help for key industries, tougher rules on banks to loosen credit and assistance for senior citizens.
In the fiscal update delivered at the end of last month, Flaherty projected balanced budgets and small surpluses through 2012-13, but warned that world economic uncertainty made it impossible to rule out future deficits.
Opposition parties have lambasted the Tories for failing to include a stimulus package for the slumping economy in the fiscal update, accusing the Conservatives of using tumultuous times to try to push through ideologically driven measures they said attacked women and public servants.
Aid, stimulus packages in works
Meanwhile, there are reports the Conservatives are preparing to offer aid to Canada's beleaguered mining and forestry sectors in the budget.
In an interview with CTV's Question Period on Sunday, Industry Minister Tony Clement said a number of other industries are "under distress" and "other industrial sectors, other extraction sectors are on the table for our budget coming out on Jan. 27."
Support for resource industries wasn't included in the fiscal update or Prime Minister Stephen Harper's recent throne speech.
Harper told CBC News last week that the federal government may have to produce sector-by-sector stimulus measures to ease Canada's economic pains in the weeks ahead, but that the "big stuff" will have to wait for the budget.
Clement announced Friday that the federal government and Ontario had reached a deal to offer proportional funds to Canada's auto industry if a proposed $14-billion US aid package is approved in Washington. That aid would amount to approximately 20 per cent of the U.S. proposal, or about $3.3 billion.
The approach has been met with criticism from some opposition members who say that while Canada should work in some measure of harmony with the U.S. in providing financial assistance for the auto sector, stronger steps must be taken to protect Canadian jobs from being moved south.
"The Canadian government's approach is after these discussions [in the U.S.] are over, Mr. Harper and Mr. Clement hope that somehow we're going to dovetail in and add on at the end and somehow we'll get good consideration in terms of jobs in Canada and in terms of product mandates," Brison said.
"And I think that's very naive."
Monday, April 28, 2008
Conservatives "tightening the screws on the federal government"
This is from straightgoods. Flanagan is one of Harper's key advisors on strategy and part of the "Calgary School". Part of the strategy is to make Harper look to be a moderate while skilfully introducing right wing policies by degrees. As this article shows Harper has made it difficult if not impossible to introduce new federal programs. Of course NAFTA also makes many new programs impossible if the involve nationalisation since investors would have to be compensated for lost profits. This makes new public auto insurance programs virtually impossible.
Harper's "nation of shopping centres"
Conservatives have re-engineered the budget to prevent any future government from introducing new national programs.
Dateline: Monday, April 21, 2008
by Frances Russell for the Winnipeg Free Press
Tom Flanagan, Prime Minister Stephen Harper's longtime confidant and former chief of staff, is delighted at the Conservatives' success in "tightening the screws on the federal government" to dramatically reduce its significance in the daily lives of Canadians.
The Conservatives' three budgets have left Ottawa financially incapable of offering any new national social program like affordable housing, higher education or day care. Although overall spending went up, mostly on the military, measures were taken to deplete revenues to the point future governments' hands will be tied unless they raise taxes or run deficits, both prescriptions for political suicide.
By 2010, federal revenues as a share of GDP will fall to their lowest level since John Diefenbaker left office in 1963. Three years before national medicare, revenues were 14.9 per cent of GDP. They rose to a peak of 19.5 per cent in 1974-75 but are projected to drop to just 15.3 per cent in 2009-10.
In fact, the federal Finance Department's fiscal monitor, released at the end of March, shows that revenue growth came to a sudden halt in January, shrinking that month's surplus to a mere $600 million as the GST and personal income tax reductions started eating into Ottawa's tax take
"They've gradually re-engineered the system. I'm quite impressed with it," Flanagan told The Canadian Press in an interview last month. "They're boxing in the ability of the federal government to come up with new program ideas... The federal government is now more constrained, the provinces have more revenue and conservatives should be happy."
Harper "really didn't have the option of the cataclysmic approach because you can't do that without a majority," Flanagan continued. "So he's made the incremental approach work — all the time having the insecurity of a minority government. It's really quite a performance, I think... Over a period of a few years they've got all this in place and they never appeared to be making a radical shift. But the cumulative impact of all these together is creating a new profile."
Not only have the Conservatives boxed in the federal spending power in general, he said, but "they're also boxing in the Liberals from being able to campaign on expensive promises."
Flanagan is impressed that Harper managed to execute his stealthy revolution in Canadian public policy with barely a whimper from the public. But that, too, was the strategy according to the University of Calgary professor and Reform party founder....
For the whole story, please go to the related site below.
Frances Russell is a Winnipeg-based freelance journalist and author. She is a regular contributor to the Winnipeg Free Press and is the author of two books, Mistehay Sakahegan — The Great Lake, a historical "biography" of Lake Winnipeg which won her the 2000 Manitoba Historical Society's Margaret McWilliams Award for popular history, and The Canadian Crucible — Manitoba’s Role in Canada's Great Divide, an examination of how French-English relations in the "Keystone" province affected the course of Canadian history. It received the 2003 Manitoba Historical Society's Margaret McWilliams Award for popular history.
Related addresses:
URL 1: www.winnipegfreepress.com/subscriber/columnists/top3/story/4161048p-47...
Harper's "nation of shopping centres"
Conservatives have re-engineered the budget to prevent any future government from introducing new national programs.
Dateline: Monday, April 21, 2008
by Frances Russell for the Winnipeg Free Press
Tom Flanagan, Prime Minister Stephen Harper's longtime confidant and former chief of staff, is delighted at the Conservatives' success in "tightening the screws on the federal government" to dramatically reduce its significance in the daily lives of Canadians.
The Conservatives' three budgets have left Ottawa financially incapable of offering any new national social program like affordable housing, higher education or day care. Although overall spending went up, mostly on the military, measures were taken to deplete revenues to the point future governments' hands will be tied unless they raise taxes or run deficits, both prescriptions for political suicide.
By 2010, federal revenues as a share of GDP will fall to their lowest level since John Diefenbaker left office in 1963. Three years before national medicare, revenues were 14.9 per cent of GDP. They rose to a peak of 19.5 per cent in 1974-75 but are projected to drop to just 15.3 per cent in 2009-10.
In fact, the federal Finance Department's fiscal monitor, released at the end of March, shows that revenue growth came to a sudden halt in January, shrinking that month's surplus to a mere $600 million as the GST and personal income tax reductions started eating into Ottawa's tax take
"They've gradually re-engineered the system. I'm quite impressed with it," Flanagan told The Canadian Press in an interview last month. "They're boxing in the ability of the federal government to come up with new program ideas... The federal government is now more constrained, the provinces have more revenue and conservatives should be happy."
Harper "really didn't have the option of the cataclysmic approach because you can't do that without a majority," Flanagan continued. "So he's made the incremental approach work — all the time having the insecurity of a minority government. It's really quite a performance, I think... Over a period of a few years they've got all this in place and they never appeared to be making a radical shift. But the cumulative impact of all these together is creating a new profile."
Not only have the Conservatives boxed in the federal spending power in general, he said, but "they're also boxing in the Liberals from being able to campaign on expensive promises."
Flanagan is impressed that Harper managed to execute his stealthy revolution in Canadian public policy with barely a whimper from the public. But that, too, was the strategy according to the University of Calgary professor and Reform party founder....
For the whole story, please go to the related site below.
Frances Russell is a Winnipeg-based freelance journalist and author. She is a regular contributor to the Winnipeg Free Press and is the author of two books, Mistehay Sakahegan — The Great Lake, a historical "biography" of Lake Winnipeg which won her the 2000 Manitoba Historical Society's Margaret McWilliams Award for popular history, and The Canadian Crucible — Manitoba’s Role in Canada's Great Divide, an examination of how French-English relations in the "Keystone" province affected the course of Canadian history. It received the 2003 Manitoba Historical Society's Margaret McWilliams Award for popular history.
Related addresses:
URL 1: www.winnipegfreepress.com/subscriber/columnists/top3/story/4161048p-47...
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Liberals demand action in budget.
The Liberals are pathetic. They have absolutely no backbone. If the polls were suddenly to shift strongly to the Liberals then they would finally find the gumption to topple the Conservatives but otherwise whether the Conservatives take decisive action or not the Liberals will take dramatic action themselves by abstaining. If the Conservatives should actually provide a stimulus package that the Liberals find people approve then you can bet your bottom dollar the Liberals will vote for the budget.
Canadians need to take advantage of the fact that Canada has a multi-party system We can vote for other parties and fork the two main parties on to the compost heap. Of course the main parties have so few grass roots organic material they may not even make good compost.
By asking for action in the budget the Liberals are in effect asking for an addition to what they have already called a bribe, the promised Harper aid program.
Liberals demand action in budget
Tories urged to address possibility of recession and help Canadians
Jan 22, 2008 04:30 AM
Les Whittington
Ottawa Bureau
KITCHENER–Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion is demanding the Conservative government take decisive action in its upcoming budget to help Canadians steer clear of a recession.
"We hope that the government will not be passive, that the government for once will have a plan to help this country face the economic difficulties that this government did not foresee at all," he said after meeting with his caucus.
Behind Dion's demand is the threat that the Liberals could join other parties to defeat the minority Conservatives – forcing an election – if the budget fails to adequately address the economy's woes.
"We all agree that we need to look at the budget to see if it is in the interests of Canadians to accept this budget or not accept this budget," Dion said.
The sudden prospect of a recession in Canada's industrial heartland added an urgent new note to the Liberals' three-day caucus retreat, where pre-election strategy is the dominant theme.
While some MPs and senators want to hold off to give their leader more time to establish his reputation with voters, Dion is said to be impatient to dump Stephen Harper's government, which he passionately believes has shirked its economic management responsibilities.
"The burden of responsibilities on the shoulders of all of us is bigger than ever and it includes the Prime Minister, who has been unable to prepare the nation for these international (economic) difficulties," Dion said.
Liberals are confident that they can only benefit when voters compare Harper's approach with Dion's willingness to use Ottawa's resources to soften the economic shocks. The Conservatives have often rejected pleas for help from manufacturers, the provinces and cities, preferring to rely mainly on tax cuts to stimulate the economy.
"Where we really differ from the Conservatives – and this is particularly important when the economy is showing weakness – is that we think it's crucial for the government to play an active role in partnership with sectors that are in trouble, with cities and communities and with individuals who are in trouble," said John McCallum, Liberal MP and finance critic.
He contrasted this approach with that of the Conservatives. "Stephen Harper is the ideological soulmate of (former Ontario premier) Mike Harris – and (Finance Minister) Jim Flaherty worked for Mike Harris – so they are taking a totally stand-off approach to the economy."
With economic uncertainty mounting, Flaherty may move up the date of the next budget to early February. But the Conservatives appear to have precious little resources to undertake the spending and new programs that might be needed to inoculate the economy from the recession threatening to take root in the U.S.
By increasing program spending by a whopping 14 per cent over two years while chopping income taxes and the GST, Flaherty has left his cupboard mostly bare. Projected planning surpluses amount to only $1.4 billion in 2008-09 and $1.3 billion in 2009-10.
Aside from a promised extension in the two-year tax break for companies buying machinery and the $1 billion in aid for one-industry towns announced earlier this month, there are few indications of what, if anything, Flaherty is planning to put in his next budget.
Dion is calling for targeted spending measures to help individuals and businesses weather the likely economic storm.
Gerard Kennedy, the Liberal candidate in Parkdale-High Park, said: "I think we have to protect Canadians. I think we have to protect the Canadian economy."
But he and other Liberals expressed fear that toppling the government during a period of economic trouble might be seen as unsavoury political opportunism.
"Mr. Harper has had a dearth of initiatives and stewardship on that front but we have to also be mindful that there may be measures required where government has to be in place."
The caucus meeting wraps up today with a speech by Dion. MPs return to Parliament next week.
Canadians need to take advantage of the fact that Canada has a multi-party system We can vote for other parties and fork the two main parties on to the compost heap. Of course the main parties have so few grass roots organic material they may not even make good compost.
By asking for action in the budget the Liberals are in effect asking for an addition to what they have already called a bribe, the promised Harper aid program.
Liberals demand action in budget
Tories urged to address possibility of recession and help Canadians
Jan 22, 2008 04:30 AM
Les Whittington
Ottawa Bureau
KITCHENER–Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion is demanding the Conservative government take decisive action in its upcoming budget to help Canadians steer clear of a recession.
"We hope that the government will not be passive, that the government for once will have a plan to help this country face the economic difficulties that this government did not foresee at all," he said after meeting with his caucus.
Behind Dion's demand is the threat that the Liberals could join other parties to defeat the minority Conservatives – forcing an election – if the budget fails to adequately address the economy's woes.
"We all agree that we need to look at the budget to see if it is in the interests of Canadians to accept this budget or not accept this budget," Dion said.
The sudden prospect of a recession in Canada's industrial heartland added an urgent new note to the Liberals' three-day caucus retreat, where pre-election strategy is the dominant theme.
While some MPs and senators want to hold off to give their leader more time to establish his reputation with voters, Dion is said to be impatient to dump Stephen Harper's government, which he passionately believes has shirked its economic management responsibilities.
"The burden of responsibilities on the shoulders of all of us is bigger than ever and it includes the Prime Minister, who has been unable to prepare the nation for these international (economic) difficulties," Dion said.
Liberals are confident that they can only benefit when voters compare Harper's approach with Dion's willingness to use Ottawa's resources to soften the economic shocks. The Conservatives have often rejected pleas for help from manufacturers, the provinces and cities, preferring to rely mainly on tax cuts to stimulate the economy.
"Where we really differ from the Conservatives – and this is particularly important when the economy is showing weakness – is that we think it's crucial for the government to play an active role in partnership with sectors that are in trouble, with cities and communities and with individuals who are in trouble," said John McCallum, Liberal MP and finance critic.
He contrasted this approach with that of the Conservatives. "Stephen Harper is the ideological soulmate of (former Ontario premier) Mike Harris – and (Finance Minister) Jim Flaherty worked for Mike Harris – so they are taking a totally stand-off approach to the economy."
With economic uncertainty mounting, Flaherty may move up the date of the next budget to early February. But the Conservatives appear to have precious little resources to undertake the spending and new programs that might be needed to inoculate the economy from the recession threatening to take root in the U.S.
By increasing program spending by a whopping 14 per cent over two years while chopping income taxes and the GST, Flaherty has left his cupboard mostly bare. Projected planning surpluses amount to only $1.4 billion in 2008-09 and $1.3 billion in 2009-10.
Aside from a promised extension in the two-year tax break for companies buying machinery and the $1 billion in aid for one-industry towns announced earlier this month, there are few indications of what, if anything, Flaherty is planning to put in his next budget.
Dion is calling for targeted spending measures to help individuals and businesses weather the likely economic storm.
Gerard Kennedy, the Liberal candidate in Parkdale-High Park, said: "I think we have to protect Canadians. I think we have to protect the Canadian economy."
But he and other Liberals expressed fear that toppling the government during a period of economic trouble might be seen as unsavoury political opportunism.
"Mr. Harper has had a dearth of initiatives and stewardship on that front but we have to also be mindful that there may be measures required where government has to be in place."
The caucus meeting wraps up today with a speech by Dion. MPs return to Parliament next week.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Harper: Election could come at any time
This is from the Chinese People's Daily. It isn't too bad an article although the Green Party and Bloc Quebecois do not get mentioned.
Canadian PM says election could come "at any time"
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper warned on Saturday that an election could come "at any time," two days before his monority government tables its second budget.
Harper, who went to power in February last year, made the remarks when delivering a campaign style speech to about 5,000 party nominees, parliamentarians and volunteers in Toronto.
"We are here to plan," said Harper. "Plan for a future that could include an election ... An election that the opposition could impose on Canadians at any time."
Harper's government, which has only 125 seats in the 308-seat parliament, is to deliver its second budget on Monday, and any votes on budgets are matters of confidence in the government. If the opposition votes down the budget, an election will be triggered.
The prime minister has maintained he did not want an election, but said Saturday he was "ready and willing" to put the party's track record on issues such as crime to voters.
In the past few months, Harper has announced, in a manner of pre-election spending spree, some 13 billion Canadian dollars (about 11billion U.S. dollars) in financial commitments for environment programs,farmers, public transit, medical wait-times, AIDS research, border safety and crime prevention.
A Strategic Counsel poll, released on Friday, suggested that Conservatives, Liberals and New Democratic Party (NDP) -- Canada's three major parties -- were in a stalemate with the same support results as the last time an election was called.
Harper's Tories had the support of 36 percent, while the Liberals garnered 31 percent, according to the survey of 1,000 Canadians conducted on March 10-13. The NDP had 15 percent. Analysts say Harper may want an election in order to win a majority government.
Source: Xinhua
Canadian PM says election could come "at any time"
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper warned on Saturday that an election could come "at any time," two days before his monority government tables its second budget.
Harper, who went to power in February last year, made the remarks when delivering a campaign style speech to about 5,000 party nominees, parliamentarians and volunteers in Toronto.
"We are here to plan," said Harper. "Plan for a future that could include an election ... An election that the opposition could impose on Canadians at any time."
Harper's government, which has only 125 seats in the 308-seat parliament, is to deliver its second budget on Monday, and any votes on budgets are matters of confidence in the government. If the opposition votes down the budget, an election will be triggered.
The prime minister has maintained he did not want an election, but said Saturday he was "ready and willing" to put the party's track record on issues such as crime to voters.
In the past few months, Harper has announced, in a manner of pre-election spending spree, some 13 billion Canadian dollars (about 11billion U.S. dollars) in financial commitments for environment programs,farmers, public transit, medical wait-times, AIDS research, border safety and crime prevention.
A Strategic Counsel poll, released on Friday, suggested that Conservatives, Liberals and New Democratic Party (NDP) -- Canada's three major parties -- were in a stalemate with the same support results as the last time an election was called.
Harper's Tories had the support of 36 percent, while the Liberals garnered 31 percent, according to the survey of 1,000 Canadians conducted on March 10-13. The NDP had 15 percent. Analysts say Harper may want an election in order to win a majority government.
Source: Xinhua
Green critics not invited to budget lock-up
Harper's green rhetoric notwithstanding he doesn't want critical remarks about his budget immediately it is released. This is no doubt a sign that there are weaknesses in his environmental policy evident in the budget.
Green critics locked out of budget lock-up
Mar 17, 2007 04:30 AM
Les Whittington
Ottawa Bureau
OTTAWA–Environmental groups that have been critical of the Conservatives say they are no longer being afforded the privilege of going over the federal budget before it's released publicly.
Climate Action Network, Friends of the Earth and others have not been invited to a budget "lock-up" being held by the federal finance department to give interest groups a chance to familiarize themselves with the complex document so they can comment knowledgably as soon as it becomes public.
"It's the first time we have had such a cold shoulder," said Beatrice Olivastri, chief executive officer of Friends of the Earth. The group has been critical of the Harper government's environmental approach and "its intention not to comply with" climate-change reduction requirements under the Kyoto Protocol, she said.
La Presse said Greenpeace and Equiterre were also not invited to the preview.
Green critics locked out of budget lock-up
Mar 17, 2007 04:30 AM
Les Whittington
Ottawa Bureau
OTTAWA–Environmental groups that have been critical of the Conservatives say they are no longer being afforded the privilege of going over the federal budget before it's released publicly.
Climate Action Network, Friends of the Earth and others have not been invited to a budget "lock-up" being held by the federal finance department to give interest groups a chance to familiarize themselves with the complex document so they can comment knowledgably as soon as it becomes public.
"It's the first time we have had such a cold shoulder," said Beatrice Olivastri, chief executive officer of Friends of the Earth. The group has been critical of the Harper government's environmental approach and "its intention not to comply with" climate-change reduction requirements under the Kyoto Protocol, she said.
La Presse said Greenpeace and Equiterre were also not invited to the preview.
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