Super Late - Week 165 - June 23 - July 2

It's funny how by-elections are always pumped up as some huge deal.  But then nothing dramatic every really happens.  Except for only 12% (or something like that) of eligible voters showing up in Fort McMurray.  Don't make me open the link again.

Some details have come out in the Dean Del Mastro trial.  He backdated cheques (allegedly) so that expenses incurred during the election didn't look like they had occurred during the election.  This seems like it will be fairly easy to prove/disprove.  And this guy was a Minister!

Government departments are starting to point out that climate change is happening.  That's a pretty good way to get branded a radical bureaucrat and have your funding cut.  Meanwhile, rising sea levels.  Dropping lake levels.  Lack of water in the Great Lakes could become exceedingly expensive.  I wish they'd finally get some scientists to prove this global warming shit.  Gawd.

Washington State is concerned that our pipelines and tanker traffic might impact them negatively.  Especially their otters.  I've seen one of these little guys.  They're pretty awesome.

Peter MacKay never does anything wrong.  It wasn't his fault that he sent out sexist e-mails for Mother's Day.  It was a female staffer.  He just signed them without reading them.  His actual excuse...which is supposed to make it okay.  "I'm not sexist...I just don't give a shit about these things and I'm going to blame some poor staffer."

The Conservatives have always been up in arms about the Temporary Foreign Workers program.  I mean, until recently they were up in arms that it was too difficult to bring them in to the country...Meanwhile, Complaints about the Temporary Foreign Workers program date back to 2006.  Quick action, I tell you!  More details on how decisions about Temporary Foreign Workers are made using terribly awful data.

The Egyptian journalist jailing lays bare the absurdity of the Conservatives citizenship stripping bill (not to mention their terrible response to the whole thing).  By the letter, this guy should be a non-Canadian according to the Conservatives.  But don't worry, in their infinite wisdom and judgement he will remain a Canadian.  But this should be left to the governments judgement?

A Conservative Senator hired his girlfriend.  Twice.  But it's somehow not a conflict of interest.  She looks just his type, no?  There's some info on him bilking for expenses buried in the story as well.

Tough Talkin' Stephen Harper has inspired Putin to start flying bombers towards Canada.

Why are there so many sketchy "loans" to Conservative MP's and why is Nigel Wright in the shadows in dealing with all of them?  details on Mark Adler and his court case/"loan" repayment.

So it begins.  The CBC starts cutting back.

Come on Vice, this is weeks old news (about the request for information on any and all protests by the government).

Is this still a good thing?  Turns out Starbucks isn't actually contributing any money towards employees educations as they suggested in their employee scholarship announcement of a few weeks ago.  It looks like they just negotiated with the University to drop the prices a bit for Starbucks employees.

Scaring Russia - Week 155 - April 14-21

Really?  We're sending six CF-18's to Eastern Europe scare big old Russia?

Nigel Wright appears to be let off the hook.

This whole temporary foreign workers thing is a disaster.  Another story out of Saskatchewan where  a bunch of waitresses have been displaced by temporary foreign workers.  This is starting to stoke some crazy racism and anti-immigrant rhetoric.

Conservatives don't like the answers that they're getting on Economic Action Plan Ad questions.  So they're not going to ask the people of Canada what they think any more.  In other survey news, Canadians aren't convinced that pipelines are the answer.

I tend to not put too much stock into these "Conservative insider" reports.  But really...who would be shocked that Conservatives think Pierre Poilievre is a douchebag?  Where has this cartoon been all my life?  From the Tyee article here.  Another summary of the terribleness of the "Fair Elections" Act.

This is an interesting theory.  As Conservative incumbents flock to safer ridings, who is going to fight the tougher battles?  This could impact their numbers at the next election.

My argument against owning Real Estate in Vancouver has long been this - the carrying costs for the average home are far higher than the average annual household income.  If the average person can't come close to affording the average home, how can that be sustainable.  Garth summarizes this nicely.

Vic Toews! - Week 114 - July 2-8

Well...We won't have Vic Toews to kick around any more, as he announces his resignation (shortly before getting kicked out of cabinet?).

So a train full of crude oil derailed and levelled a town in Quebec, if you haven't heard.  Which has logically prompted some questions about our practices of hauling crude oil in trains.  At first, I was taking the position that it is easy to blame the government after a disaster, but that perhaps we shouldn't jump to conclusions.  But then on the CBC I heard a man from Greenpeace explaining the history of hauling oil on trains:  Train companies lobbying to use obsolete cars, self regulation, etc.  And ya, I think there might be some blame for the government here.

So now that the RCMP are digging in to things, a whole lot more information is coming out about Mike Duffy and Nigel Wright.  The party had originally agreed to make the payment?  And then decided not to?  And the PM didn't know?  Ya right.

The Conservative Senate Leader is stepping down.  And another MP is announcing that she won't seek re-election.  Rats from a sinking ship?  Polls suggest maybe so.

Peter Kent thinks his upcoming demotion is going to be awesome!

It seems like the majority of failed terrorist plots, especially in the US, reek of entrapment.  A disillusioned loaner is spurred along to act in a violent manner by a police informant.  They tend not to catch to not catch the ones with the ambition and ability to truly act on their own (see multiple school shootings, Boston bombing, etc.).  The bumbling idiots are encouraged and caught.  The scary ones follow through.  We've talked about this before.  So why is there so little information out there about the BC Legislature bombing?  Yes, it's only been a few days, but this Tyee article speculates that perhaps something like this is going on with this case.

More on the bombing suspects.  Sounds like there were a number of people who continually met with them leading up to the bombings.  But nobody else has been arrested.  Were they police?  How responsible were they for the actual plot planning?  How does a guy, described as broke and a bit slow by friends, pull this off?  I'm all for stopping terrorists.  I'm not for creating boogiemen to justify our state security apparatus.

Something about this really pisses me off.  Not only are you cutting funding to Environment Canada...but you're bringing in communications experts to provide advice?  This suggests that you know it's not the right thing (or at least the popular thing) to do.  Are they providing spin control as well?

Like a deadbeat parent, Patrick Brazeau is going to have his wages garnished to pay back his expenses.  Which sounds awesome, but when you think about it...essentially he's just getting a bit less taxpayer money to screw us over in the future.

Oh man...we're still talking about flood residents guns?  This is a story?  "Onus on law enforcement"?  Here's a new headline: "Idiots don't properly look after guns"

Perp Walk - Week 111 - June 10-17

As in...the Conservative caucus meetings are turning into a bit of a perp walk.

Nigel Wright is under investigation by the RCMP for the Mike Duffy payment.

Dean Del Mastro is demanding to be either charged or cleared by Elections Canada.

Irwin Cotler catches a break!  Lost in the shuffle of the mayor of Montreal getting arrested...also arrested was Saulie Zajdel, infamously hired by the Conservatives as a "shadow MP".  Nice candidate selection, guys.

Conservatives just don't seem to understand election expenses.  And it seems to be somebody elses fault every time this happens.  Eve Adams attempts to claim personal campaign expenses way over and above what is allowed.  Including Salon visits.  And a cupcake.

Some of the records related to Conservative MP elections expenses are missing/not publicly available?  I'm not clear here on who the CBC seems to be blaming.  Elections Canada or the campaign?

So Peter McKay launched his own secret surveillance program a few years ago.

Why is Stephen Harper not interested in International Tax Evasion cooperation?  As well, the CRA seems to be making things up and including non offshore tax evasion arrests in their statistics.

Crikey!  Mac Harb may owe up to $240,000 in improper expenses.  And the Conservatives jump for joy!  Surprising that they seem so eager to get this information out there.

How come every spill or disaster related to Oil and Gas comes with some sort of "The new stuff is going to be totally different!" disclaimer?  Another bad leak in Alberta.  Whose fault?  I'm guessing anybody but the company responsible for all the chemicals or the government tasked with regulating it.

Big moves on "transparency".
- The Conservatives defeated a bill that would create more independence for the Parliamentary Budget Officer
- Rumour has it that the next Parliamentary Budget Officer is going to perhaps be a Conservative party flunky (former Chief of Staff to Peter Van Loan)

Vic Toews!  Rejects the idea of a civilian management board for the RCMP as recommended by a federal advisory panel.

A fart in a windstorm.  The Harper Government announces $12 Million to fund "history education" in Canada.

Don't worry about the expense scandal or leaking pipelines.  Thomas Mulcair didn't stop at a security checkpoint!  That's the real tragedy.

What a schmozzle.  It's actually kind of absurd that QuebecSoccerHeadwareGate has reached a level where it requires comment from our Federal Politicians.  And even sadder that there are actually people defending their decision.  And that this has anything to do with language relations in this country.

So this is why governments are so pissed off at Snowden.  His leaks have compromised the shady world of international, government on government espionage.  I'm sure Britain isn't too happy about their G20 spying efforts made public.