It's almost over - Week 190 & 191 - Dec 15-30

The end of the year.  Time for the annual "The average CEO makes your yearly salary by wiping his ass" stories.

This is why income tax is progressive.  The bottom 50% of wage earners have only 5% of the wealth in Canada.

Two MP's who developed the Conservative voting app may have committed a conflict of interest in voting to allow scrutineers to use their app.

Here is a telling sentence - "Public Safety Minister Peter MacKay’s Bill C-13 lumped together measures designed to combat cyberbullying with a series of new warrants to enhance police investigative powers"

Sweet headline - Feds leave $321-million unspent for green programs, overspend on oil and gas research, ads

Man.  This might be a monkey wrench in Trans Mountains expansion plans.  10% chance of a major spill?  Yikes.

A lawyer is trying to force Steve to appoint people to the Senate.

Steve might slowly be changing his mind on carbon pricing?

These NFA kooks are a hoot!

We're seeking rich immigrants again.

Parents are listening to the scientifically dubious IQ claims of the latest Reefer Madness ads.

Not much info on the changes to the Indian Act.

We're not doing much to protect Caribou.

Canada Revenue just did a blanket destruction of all employees text messages, and won't save them in the future.

I don't know what this means.  More people seem to think Steve is doing a good job on the environment, but it's still a minority.  And the change is most likely within the margin of error.

Once again, we screw up a military purchase and pay twice the going rate for some cargo planes.

This is definitely torture - Week 189 - Dec 8-15

Steve insists US torture isn't our problem.  We need to remind ourselves of our diplomat trying to tell us that we directly handed Afghan detainees over to be tortured.

We've already totally fucked up our Syrian refugee program.  We're about to throw another curveball into it...We're going to prioritize Christian minorities.

Canada has decided to not do it's part in protecting endangered species.  76 endangered species!

Steve knows better.  Cons reject recommendations on solitary confinement from Ashley Smith inquiry.

"BC needs LNG for jobs!" sez Christy.  "Most of those jobs will go to non Canadians" sez Petronas.

Steve has another reason to do nothing about oil patch emissions.  Falling oil prices.  At one point they actually claimed they couldn't do anything due to high oil prices.  Through quotes, McLean's shows how Steve and his band of assholes are a bunch of fucking liars.

Cops can now search your phone on arrest without a warrant.  This might not sound like a big deal.  But are they maybe not more likely now to arrest you so that they can search your phone, if that is their desire?

Steve doubles down on denial that they treat Veteran's poorly.  Writes off BC lawsuit as being against a Liberal policy.  Even thought the Veteran's Charter was passed by the Conservatives with all party support.

An analysis on how the Cons are starving spending with new process and requirements.  Smaller Government evidently means more bureaucracy, somehow.

Remember that ever ratcheting up F-35 price tag?  Add another billion.  As well, if you leave the fuel truck in the sun, they won't run.

More partisan ads.  This is getting tiresome.

"Fair Elections" strikes again.  Scrutineers will now be allowed to use smartphones and keep in touch with the mothership.  Nice that the Conservatives had a head start to develop an app to take advantage of the legislation that they changed.  And a lesson - WHEN RIVAL POLITICAL PARTIES COME TO YOUR DOOR DON'T TELL THEM HOW YOU ARE PLANNING ON VOTING.  As well, the Cons are trying to make it harder for ex-pats to vote in elections.

I know our food safety system isn't terrible.  People aren't keeling over all over the place, after all.  But this is disturbing.  An E.Coli outbreak was caught not by the first line of defense, but by a secondary test outside of the regular system.  As well, the recall wasn't initiated until the meat was past it's best by date.

Israel is proposing a very controversial bill that I won't pretend that I understand.  Thing is, pretty much everybody is speaking out against it.  Except Canada.  Which is what unconditional support means, I guess.

This tears apart the idea to raise fees for access to information.

Somebody other than Trudeau thinks we should try to understand just why we have all these terrorists all of a sudden.

A Jury member who selected the winning entry for Steve's Communists are Bad memorial wonders why it's been given such a prominent site.  And thinks the cost estimate is insanely low.  Amongst other things.

Rules were bent to allow an anti abortion protest to take place on Parliament Hill.

The Liberals suggest their membership numbers are rising handsomely.

The Feds continue their Omar Khadr crusade.

Harsh repercussions for medical marijuana advertisements, lack of enforcement for prescription drug advertising.

House prices are fine!  Don't worry about it!

Oh man.  Gross.  Cruise ships produce insane amounts of pollution, and just dump that shit right into the ocean.  Every one of your old relatives is guilty of killing baby dolphins.

There is a report detailing the costs of "Corporate Sovereignty" clauses in European free trade agreements.  It's not cheap.

Screwing Veterans - Week 188 - Dec 1-8

The Cons officially tell veterans they don't give a shit about them.  "No special obligation".  But then again, how do you come off as the good guy when you're fighting disabled veteran's in court?  As well, the $200 million the Conservatives have promised in veterans support will be dispersed over 50 years.  Not the six or seven originally promised.

Leona Aglukkaq actually admitted to some wrongdoing.  She admits reading a newspaper while people tried to ask her questions in the House of Commons was a bad idea.

The Cons suggest that the Information Commissioner should "raise fees" for information requests if she can't make her budget.  Never mind that the fees all go in to general revenue and charging more would have no impact on her budget.


Steve announces a pittance of funding for University science.  And kicks the Health Research Grant program in the nuts, forcing researchers to hit up industry for matching funds.  A masterstroke.  Make research more difficult and make all the researchers beholden to industry.

The cover up is worse than the crime, right?  Nobody would have noticed a report detailing RCMP aircraft flying overweight and pilots falsifying records.  Okay.  People would have noticed.  But it's a lot bigger thing now.

The US is requiring us to pass laws in their favour to enter into the TPP.

Our homicide rate is the lowest it's been since 1966.  Time to get tougher on crime.

An analysis of the Michael Sona conviction.  Bad news for low level election workers, great news for candidates looking to commit future election fraud.

Many, many groups have come out in support of the full decriminalization of prostitution.

Strange, strange things are going on with the wheat board.  Why does it need to be privatized?

There's now dueling audio experts in the surreptitious recording scandal.

The brother of our Multiculturalism Minister was arrested in a drug sting.  Imagine that conversation with their parents.

Canada lost 10,000 jobs in November.

Why has nobody reported on the oil spill in Alberta?

Everybody freaks out when a politician or civil servant has high expenses.  The Acting Human Rights Commissioner has been called out for $760 thousand in travel and living expenses over the past 8 years, largely due to his living in Winnepeg and working in Ottawa.  As he points out, he'd move to Ottawa if he was named permanently to the gig.  So why have the Cons taken so long to find somebody permanent for this job?

Preston Manning has become a more palatable human since he left politics.  He's in favour of carbon pricing.  Or at least suggests the Conservatives should be.



We're selling off more consulates and properties in cities around the world.  "Fire sale" the Globe calls it.
We've signed a "customs agreement" with China to share information.  Nobody seems to know what this means.

Ahhh fuck these guys.  The Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses want...oh who fucking cares?  Special visas for their slave labour or something.

Spilling Oil - Week 187 - Nov 24-Dec 1

There has been another pipeline spill in Alberta.  60,000 liters.  There is not much news on this at all.

Leona Aglukkaq is threatening to sue the Deputy Mayor of Rankin Inlet.  He says she demanded an apology when he suggested citizens of Rankin Inlet are scavenging for food at the City dump.  She says it never happened.

How many times have we heard about the insane laws in the US where Monsanto is allowed to sue the shit out of farmers for re-using seeds?  Canada is trying to pass similar laws.  How the fuck are these jackasses popular on the Prairies?

Are actual corporate tax rate compared to our official corporate tax rate is insane.  We actually collect 3.9% on profits compared to the official rate of 26%.

The Conservatives continue to try and bait Liberals into saying controversial things on tape through dishonestly and surreptitious recordings.  Their latest attempt met with some backlash, as another person claims to be the one who spoke, not the Liberal MP they were trying to trap.  The Conservatives response?  "We have an audio expert who can prove otherwise."  CSI Harper Conservatives.

Health Canada has come down hard on the advertising of medical marijuana companies.  This is a bit rich, considering how pharmaceutical companies are allowed to advertise.

The Cons are in tight with SNC Lavelin.  One minister (Christian Paradis) received what looks like a $25,000 slush fund.  And they allowed a former SNC Lavelin exec. to remain on the public payroll after he was caught in an illegal donations scam.

In other oil news, Opec makes Canada weep.  This is why you don't bet the farm on one volatile industry.  One industry that doesn't really pay their own way.  Three key points from this report:
1) It is almost impossible to find out how much The Government Take (i.e. what the citizens receive) is for Oil and Gas revenues in Canada, what with subsidies and loopholes.
2) A study by PWC notes that the Alberta take is very low compared to the rest of the world.


Ding ding ding ding ding.  Pre election infrastructure jackpot!

Julian Fantino has gotten the fuck out of Canada, just in time for the Auditor General's scathing report to hit.

One of the MP's involved in the sexual assault allegations has spoken out anonymously about what happened.  Hearing this...I'm not sure what else Trudeau should have done.  Which, unfortunately, seems to be what this is about now.

A Walrus article on the militarization of Canadian police.  Timely, seeing as they just killed a guy armed with a 2x4.

Another fantastic safe seat Conservative...Peter Goldring, he who was accused of drunk driving after refusing to give a breathalyzer sample, has suggested that MP's wear cameras to...fuck...I don't even know... to prevent rape accusations, I guess. The PMO had to step in and help him run away from his statements.

Canada Revenue has leaked a bunch of tax records related to donations made by famous Canadians.