NEWS UPDATE
      Harold Camping  has postponed "The Rapture" (commonly known as the "end of the world") until October 21st. I suggest you mark this date on your calendar. It would be a shame to miss it . . . again.


THE CANADIAN FEDERAL ELECTION
     I guess the election results have answered my blog heading question “Where Has My Canada Gone?” It has gone into a Conservative majority government under the leadership of arguably the most powerful Prime Minister in Canadian history.
     PM Harper has not only a majority in the House (and hence can get any bill passed) but also has a Conservative dominated Senate thanks to some 39 new appointments (unelected) and will have a Conservative majority in the Supreme court (after he fills the upcoming vacancies).
     And that isn’t even mentioning a totally inexperienced official NDP opposition, a decimated Liberal Party (34 seats) and the Bloc Party without even official party status (4 seats), and the establishment of the new Sun News Network to provide an easily controlled Conservative media outlet.
     On the upside, The Green Party now has its first seat elected seat in Parliament.

     The answer to where my Canada is going in the next four years can maybe best predicted by two quotes:
1) Stephen Harper's speech in 2004 when he won the leadership of the Conservative Party,
"We can create a country built on solid Conservative values not on expensive Liberal promises. A country the Liberals would not even recognize. "
2) Bette Davis (as commonly misquoted in the movie 'All About Eve'), "Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy ride. "
                           FYI the correct quote is, "It's going to be a bumpy night".

UPDATE ON CANADA'S NEW "FOX NEWS" network
     After a couple of false starts, the Sun News Network is officially on the air as of April 18th, 2011,on a few stations/channels. Their start-up problems have been “resolved” and Kory Teneycke, VP of development for Quebecor and a former director of communications and chief spokesperson for Prime Minister Stephen Harper, is again at the head of the organization,
     The news program has two slogans: 'Canada's Home for Hard News and Straight Talk' and 'We're On Your Side'.
     I can accept the possibility of the first slogan but I have two problems with their second slogan. Firstly, how can they say they are on “my” side when they obviously don’t know me or what “my side” is on any given topic?. And, secondly, how can they say they are on everyone’s side a the same time?

THE CANADIAN FEDERAL ELECTION  
      I guess the election results have answered my blog heading question “Where Has My Canada Gone?” It has gone into a Conservative majority government under the leadership of arguably the most powerful Prime Minister in Canadian history.
     PM Harper has not only a majority in the House (and hence can get any bill passed) but also has a Conservative dominated Senate thanks to some 39 new appointments (unelected) and will have a Conservative majority in the Supreme court (after he fills the upcoming vacancies).
     And that isn’t even mentioning a totally inexperienced official NDP opposition, a decimated Liberal Party (34 seats) and the Bloc Party without even official party status (4 seats) Oh yes, and the establishment of the new Sun News Network which should make it easier to provide controlled Conservative national media outlet.
     On the upside, The Green Party now has its first seat elected seat in Parliament.


     The answer to where my Canada is going in the next four years can maybe best predicted by two quotes;

1)  Stephen Harper's speech in 2004 when he won the leadership of the Conservative Party,

 "We can create a country built on solid Conservative values not on expensive Liberal promises. A country the Liberals would not even recognize."
 2) Bette Davis (as commonly misquoted in the movie 'All About Eve'), "Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy ride".
                              FYI the correct quote is, "It's going to be a bumpy night".
 
UPDATE ON CANADA'S NEW "FOX NEWS" network"
      After a couple of  false starts, the Sun News Network  is officially on the air as of April 18th, 2011,on a few stations/channels. Their start-up problems have been “resolved” and  Kory Teneycke, VP of development for Quebecor and a former director of communications and chief spokesperson for Prime Minister Stephen Harper, is again at the head of the organization,
     The news program has two slogans: 'Canada's Home for Hard News and Straight Talk' and 'We're On Your Side'.
     I can accept the possibility of the first slogan but I have two problems with their second slogan. Firstly, how can they say they are on “my” side when they obviously don’t know me or what “my side” is on any given topic?. And, secondly, how can they say they are on everyone’s side a the same time?

NON-POLITICAL NEWS

       In keeping with my plan for this blog to be unbiased I am ignoring the current election. In the present campaign any comment would be taken by someone as being partisan. 

REALLY?  2,564 miles per gallon?
    For the third year in a row students from Université Laval in Quebec, Canada, took home first prize in Shell’s Eco-marathon Americas fuel-efficiency competition, with a vehicle that was able to get 2,564.8 miles per gallon.


FOX NEWS NORTH?
A new 24-hour TV news station in Canada has been quietly launched by the Quebecor-owned Sun News Network. This is their second attempt. Their first run was held up when the CRTC blocked the use of “fake news”.
The specialty channel was the brainchild of Kory Teneycke, former spokesman for Canada’s Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

INCOME TAX DATE RANT
Doing my income tax reminded me of one of my pet peeves – the lack of common sense in dates. Can you tell me what date 12/11/10  is? 12h of Nov 2010?  or Dec 11th  2010?   or maybe even  Nov 10th 2012 ?  And have you noticed that receipts, banks and income tax forms are nowhere consistent in their use even within their own forms?
How hard can it be for Canada and the USA to decide on a format? I have noticed that the bank cheque printers have begun this silent revolution by printing “yymmdd” under the blanks for the date. Maybe FaceBook could move this revolution along.
And while we are at it why not promote a slashed 0 to distinguish it from a capital O like early computers did. and maybe some way to distinguish more clearly the numeral 1 from the letter l. Airlines like to use a mix of capital letters and digits for your unique reservation code.
There are a few other examples too, but I have to finish sorting my medical bills by date for my income tax.


BTW , today is April 20th which`could be written as 20/4. A lot of younger people prefer to think of it as 4/20. You know – “420”?  If you still don’t get it ask anyone between the ages of 17 and 30. Or just hang out in a public park or place where kids gather at 4:20 this afternoon. And there are people who don't think it matters how you write dates !

Only 27 days until Canada’s Federal Election (May 2nd)

     Our American friends are fascinated by Canada’s ability to find a reason (a vote holding the government in contempt of our Parliament), pass a motion of non-confidence to defeat the government, hold a federal election and count the votes all in less than 5 weeks. That’s less time than it took to count the ballot’s for one of Bush’s elections. But to be fair, the USA has a lot more voters than we do.

     The Canadian elections need to be fast because there is sometimes a short time between them. For example, shortest terms for being Prime Minister are:
        - Sir Charles Tupper shortest at 69 days
        - John Turner for 79 days
        - Kim Campbell (first and only female) for 140 days
        - Joe Clark for 273 days

We thought that problem was solved in 2006 with the passing a law requiring  fixed election dates - one every 4 years (except by a vote of non-confidence). Since this law was passed this will be the 3rd election and the only one resulting from a vote of non-confidence (the other two by unprovoked prorogation). Go figure.

    I found it interesting in 1996 when the Official Opposition in the Parliament was the Parti Québécois which was dedicated to the separation of Quebec from the rest of Canada (known currently as the “ROC”). As I recall those days they made an effective opposition party (although a philosophically bizarre political situation).
  
    In the current election campaign the Bloc Québécois (dedicated to promoting Quebec over the ROC) are being demonized as being unfit to be a part of the government because of their policies (or for only existing in Quebec) and hence should not be part of the upcoming political debate. The Green Party is not allowed to be part of the National debate (presumably because they do not have a sitting MP).

    If people or organizations with power can decide who should or should not be heard (based on non existent criteria by ab arbitrary consortium) , that would be a major blow to democracy in Canada. Surely Canadians should be able to hear all 5 official parties in a televised discussion, even if it isn’t really a debate.

     OK,  I agree 5 party leaders in a debate is unwieldy and confusing to watch – let alone to hear. But where is it written that only one debate is allowed? Maybe if our “system” were less strictly controlled by arbitrary rules then more people might get involved in the electoral process. Sport events manage to handle a large number of teams in one-on-one competitions. It could easily be done with the 5 official federal parties. Why not?

     FYI, Canada has 19 registered political parties:

Animal Alliance Environment Voters Party of Canada

Bloc Québécois

Canadian Action Party

Christian Heritage Party of Canada

Communist Party of Canada

Conservative Party of Canada

First Peoples National Party of Canada

Green Party of Canada

Liberal Party of Canada

Libertarian Party of Canada

Marijuana Party

Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada

New Democratic Party

People's Political Power Party of Canada

Pirate Party of Canada

Progressive Canadian Party

Rhinoceros Party

United Party of Canada

Western Block Party

A Canadian Federal Election??? Where Did That Come From ?

      "Everyone" is saying Canadians do not want an election now.  MP's state in the house they have not heard a single Canadian say they want an election.  Well, I am one Canadian who says we DO need an election if it will provide an opportunity to get more than the approximately 58% of our population that usually votes in a federal election out to vote in the upcoming election. If you have watched Question Period in the House you will understand why I say it varies from being a "mad house" to being a "circus" to being a "sideshow".

     You may not notice much difference when we are officially in election mode. We have already had a 2 or 3 month barrage of radio and TV political attack ads.  There was even an attack ad from the Green Party attacking attack ads.

      I read an editorial attacking the Green Party for attacking attack ads. I resisted the impulse to write a letter attacking the editorial for attacking the Green Party for attacking attack ads. 

      Somewhat facetiously (and I am trying not to be partisan), I suggest that the major parties all are hoping for something from this election:
      - the Conservatives hope for a majority
      - the Liberals hope for a minority
      - the Bloc Québécois hope for some 2.2 million dollars and a hockey rink
      - the NDP hope for many more seats
      - the Green party wishes for a greener, gentler world but I have no idea for what they specifically hope

     What do YOU wish FOR?  Not what are you against, but what do you want YOUR Canada to be like?

    Personally, I hope for a Parliament made up of MP's who can be less partisan, more thoughtful and capable of some semblance of DEBATE on issues. That's all we really need for an effective functioning government. Everything else is empty rhetoric, posturing, and over active egos on steroids.

     For this election, I hope that Canadians will open their minds to facts and thoughtful opinions. Surely, there are at least 75% of us who care enough for their future and the future of their country to VOTE. If you don't like any of the parties or their leader then chose the PERSON who is running in your constituency that you trust to make good decisions for the country. But please, do VOTE. Otherwise we can not ever have a functioning democratic Parliament.

    Talk to all the young people you know and help them to separate political rhetoric from facts and then to VOTE as they wish. Their vote (or lack of it) will shape the Canada in which they will be living.  The MP for whom they cast their vote makes up the government and passes the laws.

Do We Really Want Fake News In Canada ???

         The initial stimulus for this blog was a discussion I had a couple of years ago with a fellow at a party in the USA about politicians telling lies. I, (being naively Canadian), felt that honesty was high on my priorities for a politician. His position, (being worldly American), was that he would never vote for a politician who DIDN’T lie.  At that point we became ships that passed in the night – never to meet again. However, it has given me much cause for thought. Should we really expect our politicians to be liars? Maybe there are cases where the end justifies the means? I’m not as sure as I used to be.
    But when it comes to our public news media being allowed to spew forth information they know to be false I would have said, “NOT IN MY CANADA. NOT NOW. NOT EVER.”
    
    I had always thought that there was a ban (legal, or at least moral) on allowing the Canadian TV and radio news media to spew forth false information. And I find I was right. The CRTC has had a ban on broadcasting false information on radio and TV, and the CRTC was content with that current ban on fake news.
    Then, late in 2010 the commission was “coerced” to approve a proposal to make "fake news" acceptable on Canadian TV and radio. One can only guess from where this political pressure came, but it is most likely related to the earlier move to establish a “Fox News North”.
" We never wanted to touch this thing. We put it forward because we were ordered to do it," von Finckenstein told reporters.
   
     The CRTC is dropping this proposal to allow fictitious news items thanks to on the support from a Parliamentary committee. "All I can say is, 'Thank you committee.' I will withdraw this proposal tomorrow. This is the end of the issue,’”Finckenstein  said.

     I sincerely hope this is “the end of the issue.” MY CANADA didn’t (and never will) approve of giving right to broadcast information that is know to be false or deliberately misleading.

But it scares me that this sort of thing was going on without the knowledge of the Canadian public.

Our Government: Fomerly Know As "Canadian"

      It has been made public by CBC news that a directive has been given by the PMO to public servants to use the works "Harper  Government" on all communications in place of  the words, "Canadian Government".

     When a Bloc MP tried to query this in the Friday Parliamentary Question Period, she was blocked by the Speaker of the House because MP`s cannot be named and must be referred to by the riding they represent. She tried to rectify her error by referring to `Harper` as the `H - word`.

     So, we now have added one more to our list of unspeakable words: `the f - word`, the `n - word` and now the `H - word`.

     I don`t much like the sound of the `H - word Government`. I would much prefer to follow the example of TAFKAP (The Artist Formerly Known As Prince).

     The `Government formerly known as Canadian` has a much nicer ring to it.

NOW I Know Where “My Canada" Went

     The “Canadian Government” has been officially replaced by the “Harper Government” in all federal communications by an order given late last year to public servants.

     I now know where “My Canada” has gone. I really want it back because I don’t like where it went. And I am afraid of where it is heading.

     Wikipedia states:
Because the prime minister is, in practice, the most politically powerful member of the Canadian government, he or she is sometimes erroneously referred to as Canada's head of state,^{[n 2]} when, in fact, that post is held by the Canadian monarch, represented by the governor general.^[12] The prime minister is, instead, the head of government . . . “

     Harper is the head of the government, but it is not HIS government. We still have a Parliamentary government, not a personal one.

     No matter what Harper may choose to say.