Happy Canada Day

Happy Birthday Canada! We celebrate another year getting older.

What does Canada look like another year older.

Canada, which turns a year older Tuesday July 1st, is not aging well, according to an annual report card that finds it is slipping further behind its peers economically, environmentally and with regard to the health and quality of life of its citizens.

The Conference Board of Canada, in its annual report card, notes that it’s a lagging performance that has eroded Canada’s economic standing among the 17 most advanced economies to 11th from third in the 1970s.

It’s a “myth” that Canada has one of the highest living standards in the world, the board said, noting that living standards here have fallen to ninth in the world from fourth in 1990, citing as other myths the idea that Canada has a highly educated population and that it is a world leader in science and technology Read full article

On Canada Day, British Columbia is going to bring in a Carbon Tax, the first for this country. Our Premier who likes to be seen looking green and environmentally friendly, (I think I am cynical because I think he is after the environmental votes) gave us a carbon tax at the pump, in hopes to change our habits of driving our vehicles for such neccesities as getting to work, shopping and commuting.

Considering BC really does not have a decent transportation infrastructure outside of Vancouver, it was a bit short sited to pick on people at the pumps when they fill up, but I digress, we are now going to have a 2.4 carbon tax on gasoline, more on diesel, and less on propane, and a tax on natural gas.

Great, so now we are going to be forced to pay more for buring fossil fuels, and some of us are going to be forced to spend less on the neccesities of life, like food, because we are the working poor, on disability, pensioners and on fixed bloody incomes.

The politicians assure us that this is a revenue neutral plan, we will see a savings in the income tax, but these overpaid people in Victoria, forget for a number of people that have to drive older vehicles, earn a little income, like people on pensions, disabilities, low income earners, don’t pay income tax so they won’t get a reduction.

My question is, when the gas bubble breaks, and it will, will the Provincial Government begin to force the price up to curtail falling prices, or will the Premier allow the price to come down. As the tax was brought in to raise the price and alter our driving habits, surely, they cannot afford to let the price tumble when crude goes back down in price.

If they do allow the prices to fall, then we will see what this carbon tax is, a political stunt, to be seen doing something when you are actually not doing anything except giving more tax breaks to the oil industry so they will drill more wells in the province.

Happy Canada Day,

AX the TAX

Canadian Copyright Act

The Canadian Government is jumping on the USA DRM media bandwagon with its new legislation that it tabled in the house.

The new legislation too closely resembles the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act. It was according to media reports strongly lobbied for and by the media corporations out of the United States.

It received praise from the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, the music and film industries, and other business groups, but Jim Prentice’s new copyright legislation, which he tabled this week in the House of Commons, is getting the thumbs down from musicians, privacy advocates and consumer groups.

“Critics say the new legislation too closely resembles the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which has been criticized as too stacked against consumers in favour of rights holders such as the movie and recording industries,” wrote the Globe and Mail today. “They fear it could force ordinary Canadians to pay thousands of dollars in penalties for copying their own legally purchased music to CDs or uploading videos to sharing sites such as YouTube.”

Among those critics is Brendan Canning, a member of the Canadian Music Creators Coalition and a co-founder of the band Broken Social Scene, who told the Globe: “The question is, who gains from this bill? It’s not musicians. Musicians don’t need lawsuits. … What we do need is a government that is willing to sit down with all the stakeholders and craft a balanced copyright policy for Canada that will not repeat the mistakes made in the United States.”

As University of Ottawa law professor Michael Geist has been saying for some time, this new legislation is not the product of a balanced public consultation but probably “Born in the U.S.A.?”:

“The concern expressed by tens of thousands of Canadians is that calls for balance have not been heard, drowned out by the vocal lobbying from the U.S. and well-connected lobby groups,” wrote Geist in a February blog entry. “The Conservative government campaigned in 2006 on a platform of government accountability and transparency to put an end to these forms of secretive influence. If the copyright bill proceeds without addressing public concerns and before conducting the promised House of Commons review of the WIPO Treaties, Canadians will be left to ask whether Prentice’s plan is a made-in-Canada solution or, as it appears, a bill that was born in the U.S.A.”

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Then just when you think it can get no worse out comes this report from the Vancouver Province:

OTTAWA - The federal government is secretly negotiating an agreement to revamp international copyright laws which could make the information on Canadian iPods, laptop computers or other personal electronic devices illegal and greatly increase the difficulty of traveling with such devices.

The deal could also impose strict regulations on Internet service providers, forcing those companies to hand over customer information without a court order.

Called the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), the new plan would see Canada join other countries, including the United States and members of the European Union, to form an international coalition against copyright infringement.
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This is supposed to stop illegal downloads from peer to peer networks and piracy of copywrite material. But in reality this is all about the Harper government caving into the Corporate Interests of the United States.

Sharing copyrighted works on peer-to-peer networks is legal in Canada, a federal judge ruled on Wednesday, handing the record industry a sharp setback in its international fight against file swappers.

Canadian record labels had asked the court for authorization to identify 29 alleged file swappers in that country, in preparation for suing them for copyright infringement, much as the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has sued more than 1500 people in America.
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So it appears that we soon will have laws on the books stating that we cannot use our digital material in a fair use manner anymore in this country, even though the Supreme Court of Canada has stated otherwise.

I just wonder if the government will now remove all the extra levies off of tapes, CD’s, DVD’s and other recordable devices and stop giving the music and movie industry huge amount of Canadian Tax Money because it is now illegal to use them for storing digital material that you do not create yourself.

Natural Health Wins Fight

The Health Minister Tony Clement has finally listened to the voice of the Canadian Consumer.

The natural health products industry launched a grassroots campaign against restrictions on homeopathic medicines and herbal remedies which were in the new legislation.

The Health Minister now admits it was a mistake not to create a separate category under the law. He said “it became clear that some things that we thought were implicit in the bill” needed to be spelled out. So, I listened to that, I listened to my own caucus who were getting the feedback from people as well, and to me it was a no-brainer. We can make the bill a better bill. We can make it explicitly, as well as implicitly, more balanced, and we still achieve our goals, which is protecting the health and safety of Canadians,”

As a lower-risk product than prescription drugs, the government is proposing other changes to make it clear natural medicines will follow a different process to get to market. The new amendments make explicit mention that traditional knowledge and history of use can be considered for obtaining authorization to sell a natural health product.

The government is going to insert a definition of natural health products into the Food and Drugs Act to “clearly recognize” that they’re distinct from foods and drugs under the law.

Sometimes it looks like the little people can make a difference!

Arrogance of BC Liberals

Campbell used to go ballistic when the NDP brought down the guillotine and cut off debate on bills. It was an affront to democracy, Campbell said back when he led the opposition party of British Columbia.

Now Campbell is in charge of the government Gordon Campbell has closed the spring session of the Legislature by ramming through 10 controversial bills with a single closure motion.

The bill on the carbon tax needed to be fully debated as did the election gag law bill that was pushed through. If this government fails to get re-elected it will not be the opposition that brings them down it will be it’s arrogance and overconfidence that could hurt this Liberal Government chances of re-election now.

The Officil Opposition have put out a PDF that shows how out of touch this government has become.

Keep in mind while reading that BC was at the top for wealth produced in Canada, these are some quotes taken from it:

FIVE MONTHS IN BRIEF
A Study in Arrogance
by the Government of the Day

JANUARY ‘08
[ January 1 ] A NEW YEAR’S GIFT FOR METRO TRANSIT RIDERS … Fares increase again for the most expensive urban transit in Canada. A return trip from Surrey to Vancouver is $10.

[ January 16 ] THE LONG WAIT … The Canadian Medical Association reports that the average BC wait time for an MRI is 84 days – far worse than the national average.

[ January 31 ] PLAYGROUND ANTICS … Education Minister Shirley Bond reveals that schools in most need were deprived playground funding because the money was distributed through a lottery system, and only to schools with active Parent Advisory Councils.

FEBRUARY ‘08
[ February 1 ]COLEMAN CAN’T COUNT … A new study of homelessness in BC finds up to 15,000 people with addictions or mental illness are homeless. Housing Minister Rich Coleman stands by his figure of 4,500, but offers no proof.

[ February 8 ]BUT THE PREMIER’S FRIENDS GOT A RAISE … The Campbell government’s hand- picked TransLink board vote themselves a 500% raise… after raising transit fares 10%.

[ February 12 ]CRISIS? WHAT CRISIS? … On the same day the fire marshal is called in to deal with overcrowding at New Westminster’s Royal Columbian Hospital, the government Throne Speech salutes the success of the Premier’s $10 million Conversation on Health.

[ February 13 ]BUT IT LOOKED BRIGHT AND SHINY… ICBC announces an internal investigation into the sale of write-offs to unsuspecting car buyers.

[ February 14 ]“BOO HOO”… Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon gives the Campbell government’s official response to mill shutdowns and job losses in forestry communities.

[ February 14 ]I SAID “BOO HOO”… Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon gives the Campbell government’s official response to concerns about skyrocketing ferry fares.

[ February 20 ] COLEMAN THROWS IN THE TOWEL … The forest minister tells workers and com- munities to lay off. “The reality is,” Rich Coleman claims, “my hands are tied with what I’m allowed to do as minister. It’s relatively limited.”

MARCH ‘08
[ March 12 ] COLLEGE CUTS … The Campbell government breaks its promise and cuts university and college budgets by 2.6% from the amounts committed in the three-year planning
cycle.

[ March 12 ]GUILTY BUT NOT GONE … Ken Dobell, Special Advisor to the Premier, pleads guilty to a criminal charge of failing to register under the Lobbyists’ Registration Act. Campbell endorses Dobell.

[ March 12 ]MACKAY MISSPEAKS… BC Liberal backbencher Dennis MacKay tells the Committee on Children and Youth that “….a lot of aboriginal people benefited greatly from the
residential school system, but we never hear from them.”

[ March 12 ]SURREY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL CHAOS … Patient overload forces Surrey Memorial Hospital to declare a Code Orange disaster. The Fraser Health Authority says Code
Orange is “usually reserved for things like a fire inside the hospital or a plane going down near the airport.”

[ March 19 ]IT LOOKED BRIGHT AND SHINY, PART 2 … ICBC apologizes for selling write-offs and keeping buyers in the dark.

[ March 20 ] ABBOTT THROWS IN THE TOWEL … “Health Minister George Abbott admitted yesterday he could offer no quick fix for the problems…. He suggested that British Columbians should get used to the possibility that elective surgeries may be cancelled to free up beds for more urgent cases, or that patients at emergency may languish on stretchers
in overcrowded corridors,” reports the Globe and Mail.

[ March 28 ]A LATE FRIDAY RESIGNATION … John Les resigns as BC’s top cop after the Criminal Justice Branch confirms Les had been under a yearlong criminal investigation into
land transactions in Chilliwack.

[ March 29 ] HITTING A RAW (LOG) NERVE … 1,300 environmentalists and forest workers join together at the legislature to protest the Campbell government’s failed forest policies and raw log exports.

A PRIL ‘08
[ April 1 ]BUT THE PREMIER’S FRIENDS GOT A RAISE, PART 2 … On the day Campbell’s hand-picked ferries board increases ferry fares (setting a record for most rapid ferry fare
increases ever), board members give themselves a 60% raise.

[ April 4 ]IT LOOKED BRIGHT AND SHINY, PART 3 … Campbell’s handpicked ICBC boss Paul Taylor resigns abruptly. He says it has nothing to do with the police investigation of the write-off scandal.

APRIL ‘08
[ April 8 ]CAMPBELL’S HOMELESSNESS LEGACY … A Metro Vancouver homeless survey shows a 364% increase in homelessness since 2002, when Campbell cancelled BC’s social housing program.

[ April 14 ]MACKAY MISSPEAKS, PART 2 … BC Liberal Dennis MacKay claims his constituents are happy with coalbed methane extraction. “We heard the member talk about people turning on their taps and that you could light the gas coming out of their taps. That’s happening in Telkwa today because there’s a big coalfield there.”

[ April 15 ] WHAT, ME WORRY? … Campbell’s Transportation Minister says he doesn’t think Ferries board members giving themselves a 60% wage increase was a “particularly wise decision,” but says he can’t do anything about it.

[ April 16 ] DOES THE GOVERNMENT CARE? … The Representative for Children and Youth reports on the details of four children in care: “The investigation found an inability on the
part of the Ministry to learn from valuable lessons,” and “that the basic elements of child welfare were not consistently carried out to the level reasonably expected or as called for the Ministry’s service standards.”

[ April 17 ]IT LOOKED BRIGHT AND SHINY, PART 4 … The RCMP announces a formal criminal investigation into the ICBC scandal.

[ April 20 ]FRASER VALLEY HOMELESSNESS EXPLODES …The Fraser Valley homelessness count finds homelessness has increased in the region by as much as 33% in communities such as Mission.

[ April 21 ] MORE PLAYGROUND ANTICS … The Official Opposition discloses that more schools received playground money, but once again the money is distributed in such a way that schools most in need do not receive funding. Eleven of the 96 recipients are in the Education Minister’s own city.

[ April 22 ]I SEE YOUR CODE ORANGE AND RAISE YOU … Vernon Jubilee Hospital doctors meet with Interior Health officials and inform them there have been 41 days of “code purple” at the hospital since January 1, 2008.

[ April 29 ]THOSE MUST BE BIG APPETITES … Gordon Campbell holds a $10,000 per person fundraiser at the home of Bear Mountain developer Len Barrie.

[ April 30 ]“NEW RELATIONSHIP” CRUMBLES FURTHER UNDER SAME OLD CAMPBELL … Children’s Minister Tom Christensen abruptly yanks the proposed Aboriginal Authorities Act at the last minute. It turns out he forgot to consult First Nations leaders. He expressed surprise at their outrage.

[ April 30 ] GAG ME … In a complete reversal of previous policies, the Campbell government introduces a gag law on third-party advertising for the five months prior to the upcoming election.

[ April 30 ] AN EVEN TIGHTER GAG … The same legislation will prevent thousands of homeless people from voting.

MAY ‘08
[ May 1 ] WORKING HARDER, MAKING LESS … BC is hit by the sharpest wage decline in Canada between 2000 and 2005, reports StatsCan.

[ May 5 ] CHILD POVERTY UP … BC has the worst child poverty of all provinces for the fifth year in row, reports StatsCan.

[ May 8 ] I WORK FOR THE PREMIER. I CAN DO ANYTHING … Ken Dobell admits he reviewed documents related to the police investigation into BC rail corruption while he was the Deputy Minister to the Premier. The documents were the subject of police interviews of cabinet ministers.

[ May 8 ] UNFAIR FUEL TAX … Northern communities pass a resolution opposing Campbell’s unfair fuel tax at the North Central Municipal Association Annual General Meeting.

[ May 8 ] A BROKEN PROMISE TO SENIORS …The British Columbia Medical Association reports that contrary to Campbell’s promise of 5,000 new long term care beds, BC has actually experienced a net decline of 553 residential care beds between 2001 and 2007.

[ May 13 ] COLEMAN IS RUNNING OUT OF TOWELS TO THROW IN … Forest Minister Rich Coleman says, “Quit selling false hopes over there,” to New Democrats proposing action on massive job loss in the forest industry.

[ May 15 ] BOND IS ON SHAKY GROUND … Education Minister Shirley Bond claims the Campbell government’s promise that 80 schools will be seismically upgraded by 2008 was misunderstood. “I don’t think it said that. I think it said ‘in the process’ or whatever the definition is,” she says to explain why only 13 schools have actually been upgraded.

[ May 29 ] KILLING DEBATE… In an unprecedented use of closure, the Campbell government kills debate, ends public scrutiny, and rams many bills through the legislature, including TILMA legislation, the fuel tax, and the election gag law.

More and more British Columbians are seeing the BC Liberals for what they truly are, the care takers for those at the top. The middle class and the poor are not getting looked after anymore in this province.

# The number of laid-off forest workers passed 20,000 with 46 mills closed.
# Statistics Canada reported that British Columbians endured the steepest wage decline in Canada.
# B.C.’s child poverty rate was the highest in the country for the fifth straight year.
# The British Columbia Medical Association reported that the B.C. Liberals cut 1,400 long-term care beds since 2001.

Yet this government sees fit to ram ten important bills through without proper debate. They could have been put off to the fall session, but then again on Campbells record, we will probably not have a fall session.

Elections, Preachers, Problems

As I sit on the Northern side of the USA-Canada border I watch with a bit of amusement as Candidates for the position of President, supposedly a position that has a separation of Church and State, seem to get caught in controversies with supposed Men of God.

First it is Barack Obama, somehow it took him to get to the election trail before he decided to distance himself from remarks being made by his Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Write.

Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Write and his church is being accused of being a black separatist church, and thus Obama is being accused by default of being a black separatist.

Now it is John McCain turn to walk into controversy with the endorsement from John Hagee, the controversial evangelical leader. In a late 1990s sermon that the Nazis had operated on God’s behalf to chase the Jews from Europe and shepherd them to Palestine. According to the Reverend, Adolph Hitler was a “hunter,” sent by God, who was tasked with expediting God’s will of having the Jews re-establish a state of Israel.

Listening to John Hagee that Hitler was fulfilling God’s will makes me wonder where this man’s sensibilities lie, and why anyone with sound mind would seek his endorsement.

Now being fair to McCain he too tried to distance himself from these remarks.

I wonder if the media will pay as much attention to this as they did Jeremiah Wright?