So many of you have sent on this David Frum piece in the National Post, I just figured everyone had read it. In case you haven’t, here’s a teaser;
If there is any problem in Toronto, the Mayor insists, it is traceable to the United States: “The U.S. is exporting its problem of violence to the streets of Toronto,” David Miller complained on Dec. 27.
I think you’ll have an idea where Frum goes with this one.
Reality checking the Paul Martin policy towards China: “Whether or not Stephen Harper and the Conservative Party are “scary” is something Canadians will decide for themselves, but the prospect of Prime Minister Martin’s re-election is absolutely terrifying.“
Earnscliffe finally makes an appearance in the campaign – represented by a suitcase of cash. If you don’t know who Earnscliffe is, perform this SDA search for background.
Pascal Bighetty, chief of the Mathias Colomb First Nation raises the prospect of Indian terrorism. His “warning” has the ring of an “or else” about it.
Add your own in the comments.
test
Oh please don’t kill us Mr Bighetty ,.. please!
Where exactly would you like us to build your FREE house, panelled office, and cheesy empty rec. centre shaped like a giant typee.
Sorry we didn’t build it fast enough,..a thousand pardons wise native leader.
Well, I think the chief might have a valid point with Indian Affairs. That place is a mini version of the Lieberal government. Tax money goes in, money goes out (somewhere) but the people at the end get nothing but a “fuddle-duddle”. It is also true that some (but not all) bands run their affairs with all the due diligence of a Liberal Cabinet Minister.
I honestly think that the CPC should let Canada’s First Nations know that along with the housecleaning in Ottawa, Indian Affairs will be cleaned up. So get with the program and be a part in the making of a new and more accountable Aboriginal Dept.
I think the Chief has spoken the truth–and I get the feeling that it is not just the Natives who feel this way. I have not met many Canadians who are happy with our money disappearing into the black Liberal hole in Ottawa, with no improvement in our lives.
It is not just the Natives who suffer from Liberal mismanagement–it is just more obvious on a Reserve–they are a microcosm of our society in the ROC.
The Department of Indian Affairs should have been removed a long time ago. Such a government construct is blatant legislated racism. Can you imagine a department of Chinese affairs? The department of Jewish affairs?
Settle the outstanding claims and get on with it. Indian Affairs has kept a large number of Canadians in poverty and disrespect for generations, and is the first and oldest example of the nightmare consequences of the nanny-state.
1) Mark Steyn’s brilliant article, “It’s the Demography, Stupid: The real reason the West is in danger of extinction”, Wall St. Journal, Jan. 4:
http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110007760
2) A very good article in the Ottawa Citizen, Jan. 4, on immigration policy and politics: “Open doors, closed minds: Fearful of smear campaigns linking immigration curbs to racism, the opposition parties are not asking the right questions”, by Martin Collacott.
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/opinion/story.html?id=e6c65964-7c70-4484-aaff-eea7d8df00a1&p=2
Excerpts:
“In recent weeks there has been no shortage of reports that raised serious questions about immigration policy and the problems it is creating for Canada. One study indicated that levels of poverty are much higher among the children of immigrants than the rest of the population. A Fraser Institute report concluded that the cost to taxpayers of bringing in recent newcomers has been billions of dollars a year because they had below-average incomes and tax payments while enjoying all the social and economic benefits provided by the state.
Public-opinion surveys indicate wide-ranging concerns among Canadians about immigration policy…
Rather than determining why current immigration policies are failing both Canadians and newcomers so badly, the government has announced that it will raise immigration levels by 40 per cent. It will also throw hundreds of millions more of taxpayers’ dollars at the problems in an attempt to convince the public that this will bring the situation under control.
Given the level of public concern about the current state of immigration policy and the lack of debate about the proposed increases in intake and additional expenditures, one has to ask why the opposition parties are not demanding that the government explain its actions…
What the opposition parties have failed to grasp is that there are legitimate questions about immigration that the public wants to have discussed. These question, if framed the right way, will increase rather than lose electoral support. A party with the courage to take on this challenge has to make abundantly clear that it is not anti-immigrant but only concerned that immigration policy serves the best interests of Canadians as well as newcomers. It must also leave no doubt that its approach to immigration policy will in no way compromise the policy of welcoming equally people of every colour and ethnic background from around the world…”
3) Note that Harper is now pandering to immigrants too: “Harper also vows to cut fee”
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060104.weltories0104/BNStory/Front
‘MISSISSAUGA, ONT. Stephen Harper made his own pitch for the ethnic vote today, promising to slash the $975 immigration landing fee in half and to try to reduce it to $100 over the term of a Tory government.’
…
4) Afstan update: Chris Wattie of the National Post is on to the NATO divisions: “Elite troops bound for Afghanistan”:
http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=42f8826a-fba4-483e-bda6-fa351644ff2f&k=39489
Excerpts:
‘The Dutch, who were to provide a third of the troops for the Canadian-led Task Force Aegis in Kandahar, may pull out of the mission entirely. And Australia, which has an estimated 190 special forces in Afghanistan, is considering delaying a 200-strong military reconstruction team that was to be sent to the south…
…British officers say Taliban and al-Qaeda forces in southern Afghanistan are preparing for a large offensive soon after the Canadian and British troops arrive, backed by sophisticated weapons and training from Iran and Iraq.
Britain is contributing a battle group to the Canadian-led task force in Kandahar and is to set up its own task force in the neighbouring province of Helmand, for a total of about 3,000 troops.
The warnings of increased danger in the region have given the Dutch pause. Their Cabinet approved the deployment of 1,400 Dutch troops, including Apache attack helicopters and F-16 fighter-bombers, last month, but the full Dutch parliament will vote later this month on whether to withdraw that commitment.’
Mark
Ottawa
Liberal Canadian Gum*-Gum*-Gum* Registry:
An Act of Desparation, Duly Promised, Mouthed, $ etc. by Three/Free-Gum Martin. Where? Regina, not far from Ralph Goodale’s Broad Street office where cash is accepted, but nowhere else.
Exhibit: As promised by Martin:
January 4, 2006 – In the That Was Then, This Is Now Department:
…
Martin open to changes in gun registry: report
REGINA – Liberal Leader Paul Martin said Wednesday he would consider changing the law so people who fail to register their guns would be ticketed and fined instead of receiving a criminal record.
Failing to register rifles and shotguns is a criminal offence.
In an interview with the Regina Leader-Post, Martin said he would be open to changing the law so violators would be ticketed and fined instead of receiving a criminal record.
Martin is on a swing through the West as the campaign winds down to its final few days.
A Conservative candidate running in Regina accused Martin of softening his stance on the gun registry to boost the sagging campaign of Liberal cabinet minister Ralph Goodale.
The gun registry program has come under fire for its soaring cost overruns, expected to reach $1 billion by 2005.>>>
http://www.warrenkinsella.com/musings.htm
*** H/T David Dingdingdingwall @ $1.29 cud of gum.
Suitcases of cash may forestall the terrorist uprising.
Further to Mark’s note on Harper pledging to get rid of the immigrant landing fee, Harper got in some good digs:
When asked why he’s not pledging to fully eliminate the fee, as Martin has promised, Harper replied: “I’m just not going to make a promise I can’t keep.”
�
Today, Harper reminded voters that it was Martin (then finance minister under prime minister Jean Chretien) who imposed the fee in his 1995 budget.
“It was his $975 welcome mat,” said Harper.
“Through a decade of budgets and surpluses, he never announced any plan to remove it,” he added. “Through no less than three budgets and hundreds of announcements in 2005, he never uttered a peep about its unfairness. He did not do it, he did not even plan to do it when he had the chance. I will do it.”
Welcome to the CSSR!(Canadian Soviet Socialists Repubic)
Too bad people have forgotten that the Nazi were socialists too!
More Harper “ethnic pandering” that I like: he’s calling for a more substantive Air India inquiry.
Good on ya, Stephen.
When I first skimmed through the article (I didn’t read it completely as I had seen a discussion of it over at Dust My Broom), my initial reaction was to smack the CBC for apparent bias. What stood out on the page was the one single sentence saying ” Top native chief condemns violence” that was highlighted in bold. Why, I wondered, did they not bold some of the other statements, such as, “I am talking about violence. It’s going to happen here in Canada” or “You will be seeing terrorism in the future”?
Then I had a closer look and realized that the “Top native chief condemns violence” bit had been intended as a sub-heading, and was for some reason not shifted to the left margin on a separate line as it should have been.
But the question remains, even then, of why that sub-heading should have been bolded. Or even why it was required – starting a new paragraph with the following sentence about Ron Evans would have been sufficient to get the point across.
Maybe this is standard format for the CBC website (I never read it without prodding). But the suspicion remains.
the reserves are already the most violent places in canada
The statistic that is really “scary” is that Canada, with it’s liberal gun control regime focused at the law abiding citizen, has resulted in a crime rate 50% higher than the US. We are now less safe in TO than NY.
If we want to blame Amerians for our crime problems why don’t we share their lower crome rates? We have a made in Ottawa crime spree.
It seems Canada (or at least the dystopian portion acceptant of liberal social engineering via criminal justice) wants to run head long into the same murderous mistake Britain did. In Britain radical, reactionary civilian firearms and self defense bans resulted in violent crime increases of up to 300%. Last year Britain surpassed US crime rate for the first time ever.
Recently, the socialist British government had to admit defeat in continuing this policy of legally oppressing law abiding people to stop violent crime….primarily as it was becoming undeniably obvious it was endangering home owners (hot burglaries or armed “home invasions” increased 300% after criminalization of civilian arms and self defense and was leaving a body count of well-heeled Brits). They quickly passed an act to allow home owners to acquire and use firearms in defense of their life and limiting exercise of this right to their homes. Although it may be too early to study the effect of this, the immediate impact seems to be obvious as home invasion incidents started decreasing immediately after the act was passed. The last figure I have is that home invasions and hot burglaries decreased 123% the first year and armed confrontational crime ( mugging) seems to have taken up the slack with a slight increase…this suggests that the armed empowered home owner has dissuaded criminals from engaging in confrontational crimes with armed home owners and they shifted their attentions to assured disarmed cvilians in street muggings.
Canada OTOH continues to disarm and disempower the law abiding and our violent crime rate increases show the result…. a dyslexic criminal justice policy which punishes the innocent for the crimes of the guilty.
So, if the handouts don’t come, the violence will flow?
Sounds like the chief has been talking to Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton.
What a jerk!
Mark in Ottawa,
I don’t think getting rid of the Cretien Levy is necessarily a bad thing. What has to happen is the whole process needs to be changed. Having a Phd, degree,MD or necessary trade are good qualifications to get into Canada so why don’t Canadian regulators allow these people to do what they are trained to do and not drive taxis? I know of a British immigrant who has been trying for over three years to get Canadian authorities to recognize his Engineering Degree. The degree is from England for crying out loud not Bugga Mumbo. Healthcare? Lots of doctors out there not doctoring.
I’d say Mr Harper will have a lot of work to do when they get in and it won’t be done in a week or two. Gotta start by closing the ” I was a crook in the old country but here I am just misguided” loopholes in the system.
How about this for the first immigration policy change: Open door to any non-criminal, healthy applicant from anywhere. But NO welfare, NO free healthcare, or any other kind of social services until the immigrant becomes a citizen. Any trouble with the law and back you go. And make that a minimum of 5 years before citizenship can be conferred.
Remember, our “Poverty Line” is luxury to many in this world…
Afstan upperdate: At least the Australian and Dutch governments are talking about the NATO problem (and I support the Canadian combat role there): “Afghan plan on hold until NATO commits troops”, The Australian, Jan. 5.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,17732947%255E31477,00.html
Excerpts:
‘AUSTRALIA will not put its 200-strong military reconstruction team in harm’s way in Afghanistan until NATO sends an extra 6000 troops to the troubled country.
Defence Minister Robert Hill said yesterday he was waiting for a resolution to Dutch indecision on numbers of reinforcements it will send as part of NATO’s plan to boost its forces.
“We have decided in principle to send the team, but we are awaiting NATO’s next step on who they will send into the southern provinces,” Senator Hill said.
“As the Australian reconstruction team will rely primarily on the NATO force for security, we want to know who is going to put in, and what their timelines will be.”..
The Dutch parliament is divided over the proposal, citing concerns that resurgent Taliban and al-Qa’ida fighters could inflict heavy casualties…’
Mark
Ottawa
I just found this on canoe.
http://lfpress.ca/Includes/Polls/LFP_news_poll_results.html
Kate. With so many great news stories appearing daily maybe you need to set up a couple more blogs. The main objective now though is this election. Once it’s over we can concentrate on everything else.
Threats of Indian warfare.Threats of terrorism. Threats from immigrant gangs. And the f**king Liberals have effectively disarmed all ordinary Canadians. Some will pay for this.
Texas Canuck. “I honestly think that the CPC should let Canada’s First Nations know that along with the housecleaning in Ottawa, Indian Affairs will be cleaned up.”
Indian affairs is a racist department. The whole idea of putting a people on reserves was racist in the beginning, and it’s racist now. The Department of Indian and Northern Affairs needs to be closed. Any self-respecting Indian would have nothing to do with them. But then Indians are no different from most Canadians. There are too many people, including Indians, who are looking for free handouts from the Liberal socialist Party. Mad Mike has it right. (By the way, as I always say when commenting on anything to do with Indian Affairs, I am part Indian.)
Mark Collins. “Mark Steyn’s brilliant article, “It’s the Demography, Stupid: The real reason the West is in danger of extinction”
This is the beginning of WWIV. And it *will* be a world wide war. It has already started in many parts of the world.
Harper gives Martin a swift kick in the gonads!
[excerpt from a CBC story]
Harper also responded to accusations that he is less patriotic than other leaders.
Responding to reporters’ questions, Harper said Martin is the leader who has been musing about a Parti Qu�b�cois victory in Quebec, and said the Liberal leader had avoided paying taxes in Canada while running Canada Steamship Lines.
Martin, he said, lived much of his corporate life under the flags of Barbados and Liberia for tax purposes.
JC,
“Indian affairs is a racist department” which I agree whole heartedly. The point I was trying to make is that it can’t be shut down cold turkey. The government has addicted these people so the government has to wean them off the public’s teat. Having said that, I don’t think the process should take generations or even longer than the election mandate of 5 years.
BTW, wifey is 1(small) part native and thinks this way too.
Texas Canuck. Good for the wife. I agree that it can’t be cold turkey. But the message has to be said hard and cold, that the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs is not the correct way to deal with anyone. This needs to be hammered home by the government and needs to be part of any negotiations with Indians to right past wrongs. All agreements for land exchange, etc. need to be made with the express agreement that, once consumated and signed, both parties are then equal. This means of course that those now sitting on reserves waiting for the
“government” to solve their problems will have to begin solving their problems themselves. This can be part of any agreement. If a problem of housing exists then it needs to be addressed. If a problem of safe water exists then it needs to be addressed. Of course there will be “experts” in each of these problem areas that can be brought in and made available for those who are working to solves these problems. It does not matter what their nationality. An expert is an expert. Many experts I know are Indian by the way.
Warning from Warren!
Quote: “But my sense is Dithers won’t resign, even when he loses.”
Coup d’etat by Dithers & gang?
No. Warren means Martin would not resign from the leadership of the Liberal Party. Paul Martin, Jr., Leader of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition? BTW, Warren says,”when”, not if. >>>>
January 4, 2006 – You know, I’d love to be able to turn down the anti-Dithers volume from 11, after Election Day. I really would. After a while, shooting fish in the proverbial barrel wearies even the most energetic firearms enthusiast. After a while, it doesn’t seem sporting anymore.
But my sense is Dithers won’t resign, even when he loses. It will likely be in Harper’s interest to keep the fallen Great Grit Hope around – just as Mulroney did with Turner. For the same reasons.
So the gritty, grimy civil war will continue.
To the ramparts!>>
http://www.warrenkinsella.com/musings.htm
JC, True enough, we are on the same page. I just hope Mr Harper has a BIG broom. Over 12 years of trash, not to mention the stuff in the closet PET left, is a lot of cleaning.
Do Canadians know that Paul Martin Jr. is estimated by Forbes to be worth over a quarter of a billion dollars? That’s a lot of coin. From Wikipedia via Don at All Things Canadian:
“His declaration of assets upon entering Parliament included ownership of dozens of companies around the world, thirty-three ships, office buildings, apartment blocks and movie theatres. In 2004 Forbes.com estimated Martin’s personal wealth at $225,000,000 (USD)”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Martin
I’ve looked for a source for this and can’t find it but didn’t I read that Paul Martin “sold” his controlling interest company to his sons for under $900,000? That seems very low for a steamship company.
TC. Even if it takes 50 years it will be worth it for the next generation. It will take a political leader with guts to begin though, and then some others in the Indian community with guts to negotiate with.
Cadbury Creme Eggs are out now.
Best is the Caramilk one.
I heard that military personnel were now carrying �talking point� cards with phrases such as: �We are a values-based, people-focused team that strives to uphold the dignity and respect of all.�
I heard Staff Sergeant Craig Patrick, who was training Iraqi troops, say: �It�s all about perception, to convince the American public that everything is going as planned and we�re right on schedule to be out of here. I mean, they can bullshit the American people, but they can�t bullshit us.�
What I heard about Iraq in 2005
As one who served in Canada`s military in both war and peace with many native people who risked their necks to receive no rehab benefits and to watch how our country dishes out to new immigrants I would not blame the Indians if they revert to violence. While we send foreign aid all around the world little native kids are dying from e coli. Shame on all Canadians epecially the Liberal government
As one who served in Canada`s military in both war and peace with many native people who risked their necks to receive no rehab benefits and to watch how our country dishes out to new immigrants I would not blame the Indians if they revert to violence. While we send foreign aid all around the world little native kids are dying from e coli. Shame on all Canadians epecially the Liberal government
As one who served in Canada`s military in both war and peace with many native people who risked their necks to receive no rehab benefits and to watch how our country dishes out to new immigrants I would not blame the Indians if they revert to violence. While we send foreign aid all around the world little native kids are dying from e coli. Shame on all Canadians epecially the Liberal government
Hi gar. I guess you made your point, three times too. 🙂 I know, it’s easy to do, I’ve done it.
I basically agree with you. Violence however is not the way to go. A change in government and a policy for settling the Indian’s claims, where appropriate, and doing away with Indian Affairs as soon as possible is the way to go. I hope Harper will make a statement on this. It will cost the Canadian government a lot of money to fix this mess and I would love to see Harper announce the end of *all* foreign aid until the treatment of our native peoples is dealt with to the satisfaction of all.
Man, that is going to be a big problem however because it involves provincial jurisdiction, two levels of government and the Indian bands themselves. It should be done through the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, either that or scrap the Charter and start over.
Everyone is afraid of setting a precedent.
Time for a real leader to step up to the plate.
Go Trojans!
Mark
Ottawa
This essay (long) is a “classic” study of CSL Martin/Earnscliffe & more: >>>
Blind Trust
How much do we really know about Canada’s next Prime Minister?
by Marci McDonald
Excerpt:
“During his 1988 race�campaigning against Mulroney’s U.S. free trade agreement as a threat to Canadian jobs�Martin found himself in an awkward position. It was he who had closed CSL’s last shipyard in Collingwood and ordered up a half-dozen new ocean-going carriers from the Verolme yard in Brazil. He had sent Canadian jobs overseas himself.” >>>
http://www.walrusmagazine.com/article.pl?sid=04/06/21/1935240
I would love to see Harper announce the end of *all* foreign aid until the treatment of our native peoples is dealt with to the satisfaction of all.
Wouldn’t Buono have a fit!
BOURQUE has important stuff: