Q: How can you tell if a politician is lying? A: His lips are moving.

Yes an old joke and unfortunately still true… and applicable to the current regime of Lord Stephen and his Harper Party.

It must have burned something awful to sit and listen to the report drawn up by the Auditor General, Michael Ferguson. Keep in mind this is the fellow all the shouting was about a few months ago, when Stephen Harper installed him in his new role as AG. Apparently he went and took his job seriously…

I wonder if it burns more than that other Harper appointee, Kevin Page who kept knocking holes in the F-35 procurement plans of the Stephen Harper Party.

Remember how Mr. Page said the F-35 fighters were going to cost us around $29 Billion and how the Harper Party pooh-poohed this and stated over and over and over again that it would be around $9 Billion or $16 Billion with everything figured in.

Stephen Harper, Peter MacKay, Julian Fantino all using the same talking points about how wrong Kevin Page was and how right they were.

And now the AG comes along and says the Department of National Defence was figuring about $25 Billion, and that it was in writing, and Harper and his cronies should have known about this…

There appears to be somewhat of a credibility gap growing here.

And those wonderful little echo boxes, the Harperistas are blathering on about it being the Liberals fault for signing us up for this way back in 1997.

Yep, they signed the agreement and paid out some money, so that Canadian companies could bid on contracts to do with the Joint Strike Force Project. But they didn’t sign up to buy any planes.

As a matter of fact, the planned competition to find a replacement for our current fighters, the CF-18 Hornets was put in place by the Liberals. And ignored by the Harper Party.

So, around 2006, the Stephen Harper Party decided that the F-35 was The Plane… and we were going to buy it. I’m a little fuzzy here whether the Harper Party told the DND or if the DND told the Harper Party, but it was decided and agreed to by the both of them. We didn’t get much of a say in this did we? Neither did the Opposition Parties in the House of Commons.

This meanders along until 2010 and the pre election electioneering that never seems to end under the Harper Party.

Stephen Harper accuses the opposition of wanting to tear up the contract to buy the F-35 fighters.

Peter MacKay says that he has a contract that says we are buying 65 F-35 for $9 Billion [we touched on that earlier]

In January of 2011 Stephen Harper again accuses the Opposition Parties of wanting to rip up the contract to buy these planes.

However, by April of 2012, Stephen Harper, Peter MacKay, and Julian Fantino are all saying there is no contract signed to buy these planes… at least not signed by the government….

Right after the AG released his report.

If this was a business rather than a government, Stephen Harper and his cronies would have been tossed out the window at the Board of Directors’ meeting.

They have either been lying to the shareholders [us] through their teeth or they are so grossly incompetent that they are unable to wipe their own bums after using the washroom. In either case they are not fit for office.

The AG report touches on this as well… remember the contempt charge that dissolved the last government? The report mentions that Stephen Harper withheld the information of the true costs of the program from the House.

In the all too familiar frenzy of finger pointing from the Harper Party crew, the DND and the bureaucrats are all getting blamed for not passing the information up the chain of command to the appropriate people.

In a business, if you are too lazy or too incompetent to pick up a phone and call to find out what is going on, you are just as culpable as the people who are allegedly sitting on the reports. Why should government be different?

It seems far more likely that the reports and documents made their way to the Ministers’ offices and were either ignored or shredded.

Anyhow, the government is spinning and dithering away, no contract has been signed, no money has been spent, the procurement money is frozen…

But what of our existing planes?

By ignoring the planned competition we are now left with a fleet of jets whose “Best Before Date” is rapidly approaching.

The CF-18s performed admirably in their service in Libya, being credited with performing much of the “heavy lifting” and “punching well beyond their weight” in that theatre.

But they are getting old.

The last refit of these planes occurred between 2003 and 2010 to ensure they would be capable until their replacements arrived. This refit was at a cost estimated at $2.6 Billion. Their replacements were supposed to start arriving around 2016 and that doesn’t look very promising now.

Of the 138 CF-18s originally purchased, 80 were upgraded.

Of these 80 upgraded fighters, how many will need to be upgraded again in order to still be viable until the replacements do finally arrive and at what cost?

Had the Harper Party acted responsibly, most of this would never have occurred.

If the competition had gone ahead in 2010 as scheduled, we either would have selected the F-35 or another fighter in its place. If the F-35 appeared to be impractical, as it now does, Plan B would be to go with the runner up. Right now Plan B appears to be casting blame.

If Stephen Harper had put someone in charge, there would at least be a point person to explain why we are where we are at. In a mess.

As Minister of Public Works, Rona Ambrose should have been in charge but either could not control the DND, MacKay , and Fantino, or could not be bothered to control them. The proposed solution appears to be put Rona in charge of a Secretariat with basically the same cast of characters. If it didn’t work the first time, maybe it will work the next time, right?

I all seriousness, I am getting very tired of this nonsense. We have saddled ourselves with a government who has no issue with lying to the House of Commons and to the people of Canada. This is a government that can admit no wrong and spends more time and effort pointing fingers and placing blame than they do actually governing.

How can anyone respect a Party whose communications strategy consists of denial and talking points? Do you not find it telling that when the idea of shuffling Julian Fantino out of the Deputy Minister position was raised in a media story, one of the media representatives suggested he could easily be replaced with a tape recorder?

Even as I sit here and type, the news is on and they are relating how the Harper
Party has now changed tactics and is explaining why their costing of the F-35 is so much lower… a long list of items not included in their cost estimates.

More smoke and spin.

Here’s a thought Stephen… start firing the incompetent people in your cabinet, and when you are done, you can fire the one who hired them.

Works for me.

Tougher foreign policy vital to Canada: Baird

By Lee Berthiaume, Postmedia News
December 28, 2011

OTTAWA — Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird knows some of his government’s positions on the world stage are unpopular. Supporting Israel and walking away from the Kyoto accord earlier this month are two examples.

Baird won’t apologize for either.

“We don’t develop foreign policy to be popular around the world,” he says in a recent interview with Postmedia News. “Sometimes you’re alone saying something, and then a number of years later, it’s conventional wisdom.”

The refusal to concede on issues of importance to the government is one of the clearest marks that Canada’s approach to world affairs has undergone a dramatic change since the Conservatives first came to power nearly six years ago,

Gone is the so-called “soft power” and “human security agenda” of the previous Liberal government, symbolized by consensus building at the United Nations and diplomatic initiatives like peacekeeping.

In its place is a clear pursuit of interests linked to an uncompromising projection of values backed up by a strong military.

The government’s top concern, says Baird, is Canadian economic prosperity.

“It is a lens through which we view almost anything,” he says. “Foreign policy has become even more important to the economy. It’s really essential.”

The Foreign Affairs Department budget has increased by about $700 million since 2006 to $2.8 billion. Where it has resulted in more feet on the ground, those have largely been trade commissioners in trade offices opened in China, India, Brazil and other economic hotspots.

At the same time, Baird is quick to list the number of free trade and foreign investment agreements being pursued by the government. Perhaps not by coincidence, when Canada’s embassy in Tripoli, Libya reopened in September, the first officials deployed were trade officers, not political and human rights experts.

But nothing is bigger than the United States, and Baird identifies the recent Canada-U.S. border security agreement as the best example of “traditional diplomacy” from the last year.

“It took a solid, personal relationship at the top between the prime minister and the president in order to initiate something, successfully see its conclusion and announce it,” Baird says.

The same is true with the mission in Libya, he adds.

“I think Libya’s a big success because of strong leadership on behalf of the prime minister,” Baird says, though he also praises Gen. Charles Bouchard, the Canadian commander who oversaw the NATO operation.

In fact, the foreign affairs minister describes Libya as Canada’s biggest diplomatic accomplishment in the past year.

“No doubt the diplomatic work, the coalition-building and the military success in Libya was a big one for Canada,” he says. “How many thousands, tens of thousands, of civilian lives were saved? It’s just a remarkable accomplishment. (Moammar) Gadhafi was just the worst of the worst.”

The Canadian military has emerged as a major player in Canadian foreign policy in recent years, bolstered by the fact the Defence Department budget has increased nearly $5.6 billion to $20.3 billion since the Conservative government came into power. This has included the purchase of new aircraft, ships and armoured vehicles, as well as heavy combat roles in Afghanistan and Libya.

Critics have lamented what they say is the Conservative government’s prioritizing of military power over Canada’s traditional strength, diplomacy.

Sitting in his 10th-floor office at Foreign Affairs headquarters, known in Ottawa circles as Fort Pearson, Baird says the government is simply undoing years of damage wreaked by Liberal governments in the 1990s and early 2000s.

“The military was gutted for 13 years,” he says. “Hollowed out. Even the man the Liberals appointed to be chief of defence staff (Rick Hillier) called it a ‘decade of darkness.’ That didn’t happen here at DFAIT.”

But while the government is preparing to spend billions on new F-35 fighter jets, Baird refuses to rule out the closure of Canadian embassies abroad through budget cuts next year.

“I’m confident within the department we can achieve our mandate,” he says. “If spending is unsustainable, that’s the biggest threat to the public service, that’s the biggest threat to the department.”

Baird’s appointment to the Foreign Affairs portfolio in May came as a surprise to many. Known for his bombastic style in the House of Commons, many wondered whether he would be able to make the transition to becoming Canada’s top diplomat.

Baird says the biggest lesson he’s learned is that nothing matters more in Foreign Affairs than personal relationships.

“When we have an issue, whether it’s in the United States, whether it’s in Turkey, being able to pick up the phone and talk to my counterpart directly about it,” he says.

The country’s failure to land a UN Security Council seat in October 2010, ultimately losing to Portugal, has called into question whether the Conservative government has squandered the goodwill built up over the decades by previous Canadian governments.

Baird initially tries to blame North Korea and Iran, but eventually acknowledges some of the unpopular positions taken by Canada in recent years were a factor in turning away countries in the Middle East, Africa and other parts of the world.

When asked how he reconciles the importance of strong relationships with the fact a number of positions adopted by the government are unpopular with the international community, Baird indicates those who are most critical of Canada’s stances aren’t likely to be friends anyway.

“We’ve taken a tough stand on human rights in some parts of the world, and that makes some people feel very uncomfortable,” he says. “If you’re a government which doesn’t respect human rights, you’re probably not keen on Canada talking about the rights of women, the rights of religious minorities, the rights of gays and lesbians.”

In recent weeks, Canada has been called out by many nations, including European allies, for abandoning the Kyoto Protocol.

Baird says only a few countries have brought the issue up with him personally, adding that the government is simply leading where other nations will eventually follow.

He says this is exactly what happened with Canadian calls several years ago for all major emitters to be included in whatever climate change agreement is negotiated after Kyoto.

“People may not have liked our position on climate change in 2007, but they’ve adopted it almost wholly across much of the world today,” he said

original source: http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Tougher+foreign+policy+vital+Canada+Baird/5916863/story.html

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Ten critical reasons for getting rid of Harper’s Conservatives

April 7, 2011

Should Stephen Harper ever get his coveted majority, you can kiss our compassionate, caring Canada goodbye!

It will be replaced by a mean, lean, spiteful dictatorship. This is not an ordinary election like any other. We must try to save Canada from an impending catastrophe.

1. The Economy: Harper considers the economy his “chateau fort,” He thinks he is the most trustworthy steward of the Canadian economy! Yet the facts prove otherwise.

He spends money as if he had a bottomless pit; but he spends it on his rich friends. When he took over power, he inherited a surplus of $16 billion, which he blithely turned into a deficit of $55 billion.

He spent $75 billion on a bail-out package for the banks, while they were making record profits.

He spent $1.2 billion on the G-20, boondoggle, entertaining a few friends, with an artificial lake and imprisoning hundreds of innocent demonstrators in the process.

Democracy is good for Libyan demonstrators, but not good enough for Canadian protesters!

He now proposes to spend $30 billion on the purchase of Lockheed Martin, F-35 warplanes, without a public tender or any discussion in parliament.

He promised to give away $6 billion to the rich banks & corporations, with no strings attached.

The Conservatives are Bad for business: A MacLean’s’ article questioned the Conservatives’ laissez-faire attitude: “Ottawa has stunned investors with populist decisions that took precedence over sound policy. Prime Minister, Stephen Harper is actually hurting Canada’s reputation as a stable and open market for business investment… No issue has sparked as much public fury as Internet download limits. The Tories protected Air Canada from competition with Emirate Airlines, an airline regularly ranked among the top 10 in the world.” (MacLean’s Feb.15, 2011.)

Poverty levels are at an all time high. Twelve per cent of Canadians are living in poverty, most of them women and children. Harper declared war on women, although they earn 69 per cent of what men make, Harper still refuses to install an urgently-needed national day-care programme, or to recognize pay equity, which would relieve women’s poverty. He is a pig-headed misogynist.

Guess what he will do to our public services if he ever gets a majority?

2. Democratic Deficit: For the first time in the history of Canada, Harper’s government has been found guilty of contempt of parliament! Harper behaves like a dictator. It’s his way or the highway!

He treats parliament with brazen disdain. And when he is found out, he lies blatantly.

He flouts parliamentary democratic institutions by hiding documents from parliamentarians, as well as freedom of information requests by journalists.

He threatens witnesses, and sabotages parliamentary committees; then he suspends parliament whenever a scandal or controversy is brewing.

Harper is a control freak.

He makes a mockery of accountability and transparency, although he campaigned on these principles. He muzzles his M.P.s and his ministers. Every news-release or pronouncement must first pass inspection by his officers or “mind controllers,” just like the despots in the Middle East.

Elections Canada has found Harper’s team guilty of spending more than the allowable maximum of $1.2 million. Then he tried to camouflage the crime. Harper was accused of behaving like a dictator when he fired Linda Keene, Canada’s Nuclear Safety Watchdog, for refusing to give the green light to a nuclear reactor she deemed unsafe.

Mounir Sheikh, head of Statistics Canada resigned over Harper’s decision to scrap the mandatory long-form census.

Peter Tinsley blew the whistle on Canada’s participation in the torture of Afghani prisoners, when he was the chairman of the Military Police Complaints’ Commission. Harper did not renew his contract.

Harper wants to kill the CBC, the only non-commercial, independent broadcaster that binds Canadians from coast to coast; flouting all recommendations against the concentration of the media in the hands of a few barons.

3. Governance: Harper lies blatantly about “a Coalition,” since he himself, tried to form one, in 2004, when he made a deal with the leaders of the Bloc Québécois and the NDP to unseat Paul Martin’s Liberals.

Most democratic countries rule by means of coalitions. Moreover, most democracies have proportional representation, which rules out the formation of a government with a third of the popular vote.

Harper wants to ban public funding of parties, so that they will not have a level playing field. The Conservatives will be able to outspend the other parties because their corporate base is very rich and very powerful.

The Harper government has muzzled Civil Society groups, environmental organizations, women’s advocacy groups, anti-poverty groups, progressive think-tanks and watch-dog agencies, by means of intimidation and budget slashing.

Having basically silenced all his critics, all that is left are the courts. Harper has already filled any Federal Court vacancies with his own supporters. If he should ever get a majority, he will replace 8 out of the 9 Supreme Court judges eligible for retirement.

4. Environmental Degradation: The Harper government refuses to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

They campaigned aggressively to get rid of the Kyoto Protocol and insist they will build the Western Gateway pipeline to bring tar sands oil to Canada’s west coast.

The Conservatives intend to expand the Alberta tar sands’ production, despite the contamination of water, the destruction of forests and the resulting C02 emissions of 100,000 tons daily,

His Senate appointees even killed a Climate Change Bill C-311, an Act to ensure Canada assumes its responsibilities in preventing dangerous emissions, already passed by the House of Commons.

5. Lopsided Justice: Harper is obsessed by punishment as a sort of “vengeance,” instead of the “rehabilitation” of criminals.

Although crime rates are decreasing, Harper insists on building more prisons, American style, at a cost of $10 billion.

Amnesty International has just slammed the Conservative government for its poor Human Rights’ record, especially in matters of freedom of information, the selective funding of N.G.O.s, violence against aboriginal women, and the silencing of dissent.

If Harper were to ever get his coveted majority, he would certainly bring back the death penalty.

He also flouts international law. He refused to repatriate Omar Khadar, a Canadian child-soldier, who was left to rot in Guantanamo Bay, even though all other countries retrieved their citizens from this illegal hell-hole.

Harper tried to cancel the long-gun registry against a national outcry by women’s groups and the RCMP, who regularly consult it for security reasons.

An OECD Committee has just issued a stern condemnation of Canada’s soft approach on corporate crime. Only one single case has been found guilty since 1999, although Canada signed an International Treaty in 1997, which aims to fight commercial corruption.

6. Warmongering: Harper practices fear-mongering unabashedly. He continues his obsession with arms by increasing military-spending; although a majority of Canadians oppose our participation in Afghanistan. We are now engaged in two wars.

7. Immigration: Ethnic groups beware!

Harper changed the immigration law by making reunification of families more difficult. He also changed the law so that his minister of safety will be the final arbiter of who comes into the country. The minister can declare any group of immigrants coming to Canada as “a smuggling incident,” whereby authorities could jail men, women and children for a minimum of one year. Harper makes the rules!

8. International Shame: Harper lost Canada a seat on the United Nations Security Council.

He alienated a majority of nations with his unconditional support for the state of Israel, right or wrong. He was disrespectful of the U.N. when he snuck out of a meeting for a photo op, to celebrate the opening of a Tim Horton’s in New York.

9. Aboriginal Abuse: The rightful owners of this country live in abject poverty.

The Harper government refused to sign the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples that was adopted by 144 other countries. The Conservatives also decided not to respect the Kelowna Accord that was intended to improve the lives of aboriginal people.

10. Canada’s Sovereignty at Risk: Harper is secretly negotiating a free-trade agreement with the European Union (CETA) without any input from Canadian citizens or any discussion in parliament.

Only Corporations and business moguls are privy to the negotiations. This treaty will touch every aspect of our lives. It will further deregulate big business, decrease workers’ rights and will accelerate the privatization of our resources, such as water. Our public services, such as health care, education, etc. will be up for grabs. Beware!

Nadia Alexan is the founder of Citizens in Action Montreal, e-mail: nadia.alexan@videotron.ca

Vote strategically for (ABC) “Anybody but Conservatives,” For more information: check out the following websites: Catch 22, Lead Now, Project Democracy, Why Stop Harper? One Hundred Reasons to stop Harper.

http://www.thecanadiancharger.com/page.php?id=5&a=859

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