Category: Politics/Conservatives

Interesting.

After aiming frequently and often over the last year at the impuissance of Gilles Duceppe and the Bloc Quebecois when speaking to Quebec voters, Prime MInister Stephen Harper this evening warns Quebeckers against Michael Ignatieff and the Liberals, La Presse reports. In fact, La Presse says Harper hardly talked about the BQ and accused Ignatieff of being the most — and forgive my French here — centralizing leader the Liberals have ever had, a contrast to Harper and his (often vague and undefined but sometimes popular) open federalism:

Stephen Harper a décrit le chef libéral Michael Ignatieff comme «le chef libéral le plus centralisateur de l'histoire de ce pays».

Il a d'ailleurs opposé ce fédéralisme «centralisateur» des libéraux à ce qu'il a appelé «le fédéralisme d'ouverture» que lui dit pratiquer face au Québec. Il a cité en cela la reconnaissance du Québec comme nation et son siège au sein de la délégation canadienne à l'Unesco.

La Presse also notes that, though the party says it sold 2,300 tickets at $150 a pop for the fundraiser in Montreal tonight, its reporter only saw about 1,800. A Canadian Press reporter counts 2,000. La Presse and CP both noted the presence of former ADQ leader Mario Dumont at the event — he says he was attending as a journalist.

I know, I know,: I'm a cynical, “Liberal”, “Taliban-loving” member of the mainstream media. Not only that, but I'm part of a particularly loathsome MSM sub-group: The Parliamentary Press Gallery, which, as everyone knows, you cannot be a member of unless you are a hard-core avowed Harper-hater and Liberal-lover.

Which is why, of course, as a member of that loathsome sub-group, I was hardly surprised to hear this morning that Prime Minister Harper had popped up unannounced in Afghanistan. The cynic in me figures that whenever the Tories seem a bit down in the polls, there's nothing like wrapping yourself in the flag or standing tall with our troops to revitalize some sagging numbers at home. And so, with that grumpy preamble, here's two pics of Harper in Kandahar today. Both pics were taken by PMO photographer Deb Ransom and were distributed by the Parliamentary Press Gallery at the request of the PMO. The guy on Harper's right, incidentally, in both photos, is our Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. “Uncle” Walt Natynczyk.

The Small Craft Harbours Program is a $100-million-a-year fund the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans manages to ” to accelerate harbour repair and maintenance, as well as undertake dredging projects.” But, as with just about every penny the federal government spends nowadays, any expenditures out of this fund are sold as “Canada's Economic Action Plan.” Fair enough. To the fishers and others who use these harbours, it most likely doesn't matter what you call it, so long as the work gets done. On the weekend, two regional ministers announced more than $50 million worth of projects for PEI and Nova Scotia.

Over the weekend, Fisheries Minister Gail Shea (left) announced $13.9 million worth of projects in her native PEI and, next door in Nova Scotia, Defence Minister Peter MacKay put his name on a fisheries press release to make sure he gets a little political credit for the $40.2 million Shea's department will spend fixing up harbours in his province.

Here's the Nova Scotia projects:

• Major harbour development projects currently underway will be accelerated this year at Arisaig, Margaree, Newellton, Pictou Landing and West Head. New major projects will be starting at Canso, Centreville, Dennis Point, Falls Point, Lower East Pubnico, Lower Sandy Point, and Saulnierville. Planning for future major projects will take place at Caribou Ferry, Cheticamp, Havre Boucher, Louisbourg, Murphys Pond, Neils Harbour, Port Bickerton East and Wedge Point.
• Wharf repairs and improvements are planned for Abbots Harbour, Bush Island, Caribou Ferry, Cribbons Point, Delaps Cove, Fox Point, Halls Harbour, Hampton, Indian Point, Ingomar, Jones Harbour, Little River (Digby County), Lower Prospect, Lower Wedgeport, Mabou, Marie Joseph, Meteghan, Mill Cove, Neils Harbour, Owls Head, Port Morien, Shag Harbour, Skinners Cove, Sonora, Toney River, Wallace, West Green Harbour, West Head and Westport.
• Dredging work is scheduled for Dennis Point, Dingwall, Pleasant Bay, Little River Harbour, Port Morien, Skinners Cove and Toney River.
• Breakwater construction and repairs will take place at Baileys Brook, Bay St. Lawrence, Cripple Creek, Ingonish Ferry, Margaree, Pleasant Bay and Port La Tour.
• The construction and repair of launching ramps will be undertaken at Battery Point, Bay St. Lawrence, Big Bras d'Or, Canso, Central Port Mouton, Little Liscomb, Margaree, Owls Head, Peggys Cove, Pictou Landing and West Berlin.
• Electrical service improvements will be carried out at Cheticamp and Bay St. Lawrence.

And here's the PEI projects:

• Major harbour development work is well underway at Alberton while new major harbour projects will be starting at Tignish and West Point. Planning work for future large, harbour development projects will be starting at Machons Point and Nine Mile Creek.
• Wharf repair and reconstruction projects are slated for Bay Fortune, Beach Point, Covehead, Georgetown, Graham Pond, Howards Cove, Launching Pond, McAuleys Shore, Montague, Murray River, Naufrage, New London, Miminegash, North Rustico, Red Head, Seacow Pond, Skinners Pond, Tracadie and Wood Islands.
• Dredging is scheduled for Covehead, Malpeque, Miminegash, Naufrage, North Lake, Skinners Pond, Tracadie and Victoria.
• Breakwater reconstruction at Seacow Pond will protect harbour facilities while armourstone will be installed on the west entrance breakwater at Naufrage. Shore protection is planned for Miminegash while the slipway at Graham Pond will be reconstructed.

Quickly glancing through the location of these projects, it seems to me that money is being spent in ridings held by government MPs (Tignish and West Point in Shea's riding, Pictou Landing and Caribou Ferry in MacKay's riding) as much as it's being spent on wharves held by Liberal MPs – Cheticamp and Louisbourg in NS and Murray River and Montague in PEI, for example — but if you think these projects have a partisan slant to them, I'm all ears.

Just released by the PMO. You can read the back story here.

The Conservatives, as we all know, were beaten silly when they decided to trim a few million from the $2 billion or more Ottawa spends every year to support the cultural work of the country. So, it's only fair that, just as we noted the cuts, we should also note some of the additions — and there have been nearly $6 million worth of funding announcements made today. Similarly, I assume that those who decried the Tories for the cuts will now applaud their generosity. Pardon me? You think I'm a bit naive. Maybe so.

In any event, several MPs have been dispatched to cities across the country announcing grants to arts and cultural groups. These funds come from a program, run out of the Department of Canadian Heritage (James Moore, prop.), called the Endowment Incentives component of the Canadian Arts and Heritage Sustainability Program.

From the boilerplate on all the releases: “This year, the Government of Canada is providing 72 cents for every dollar donated by the private sector. Since 2006, this program has provided more than $44 million to various endowment funds, while the private sector has provided $72 million, for a total of more than $116 million. This initiative complements other measures taken by our Government to encourage private-sector participation in arts funding, such as the tax exemptions on capital gains for donations of publicly traded securities to registered charities announced in the 2006 and 2007 budgets.”

Here's the list of recipients announced today and the grants they are getting from federal funds:

Edmonton

• Alberta Ballet

Calgary

• EPCOR Centre for Performing Arts: $217,008.95
• Calgary Philharmonic Society: $122,514.21

Banff

• Banff Centre for Continuing Education: $947,760

Regina

• Globe Theatre Society: $3,616

Montreal

• École nationale de cirque $108,504.48
• École nationale de théâtre $117,287.55
• Ensemble Contemporain de Montréal $19,422.30
• Festival des arts de Saint-Sauveur $14,467.26
• Festival International de Lanaudière $54,512.65
• Jeunesses Musicales du Canada $284,197.82
• La Compagnie Jean Duceppe $35,518.00
• Les Grands ballets canadiens de Montréal $1,446,726.36
• Orchestre de chambre I Musici de Montréal $7,233.63
• Orchestre symphonique de Montréal $1,446,726.36
• The Leanor & Alvin Segal Theatre $657,894.47
• Théâtre de la ville $30,370.40

Quebec City

• Manifestation Internationale d'art de Québec: $6,328.20
• Le chœur les Rhapsodes: $10,586.60
• Orchestre Symphonique de Québec $37,008.69

Pierre Poilievre (left), the Ottawa MP who is also the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister, was back in the House of Commons today but earlier this week, the PM had dispatched him to Geneva to what had been dubbed the “anti-Durban” conference. Officially titled The Conference Against Racism, Discrimination and Persecution, it was held at the same time as the controversial Durban Review Conference. That's where Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad got the podium for his anti-semitic screed. Canada had boycotted that conference due to “the unacceptable anti-Semitic rhetoric that has saturated the entire Durban process,” a government release said.

Poilievre, too, got some podium time in Geneva and here's some excerpts of what he had to say:

Our Government recognizes that, for the UN to live up to its potential and be a positive force in the world, its actions must reflect its stated ideals.

For this reason, it is painful for me to find myself speaking here, outside of a UN Conference that could have had so much promise, but has degenerated into a soapbox for those who would demonize the democratic State of Israel—the beacon of liberty and freedom in the Middle East, and, as Natan Sharasnky has so rightly highlighted, the only country in the region “that respects right of Arabs, women, [and] sexual minorities.”

Furthermore, there is growing concern and increasing evidence that Israel is being used by some as a thin cover for a new, burgeoning form of anti-Semitism.

Our Prime Minister Stephen Harper, has been a global leader in the fight against this modern anti-Semitism. He recently stated that “Anti-Semitism is a pernicious evil that must be exposed, confronted and repudiated whenever and wherever it appears. Fuelled by lies and paranoia, it is an evil so profound that […] it is ultimately a threat to us all.”

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s attendance at the Durban II Conference this past Monday, and his offensive tirade, only made more obvious what was so apparent to Canada a long time ago—that this event was the exact inverse of what it purported to be.

And all the while, Durban II perversely ignores actual racism and human rights abuses elsewhere.

As Elie Wiesel has brilliantly pointed out, “There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.” While time has run out to prevent Durban II from performing an injustice to the UN’s reputation, we must stand strong and protest.

I am tremendously proud of the fact that our Government has been a true global leader in voicing opposition to Durban II.

In fact, it was in January of 2008—almost 16 months ago to the day—that Canada was the first country to withdraw from Durban II.

We also refused to fund NGOs that wished to participate in the conference.

It is something that our Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, the Honourable Jason Kenney—who has been an outspoken and articulate defender of human rights—recently called his “proudest moment as minister.”

It should be made clear that Canada, as an international leader in promoting multilateralism, firmly believes in engagement and diplomacy. As such, we take every opportunity to make improvements to the UN process from within.

That said, we must also recognize when something has fallen so short that it is now beyond the pale. Durban II is exactly such a case. Participating would provide it with a legitimacy it absolutely does not deserve.

… we are heartened that several other countries that share our values and live up to the UN’s founding principles have reached the same conclusion as we have, and have also decided not to participate in Durban II.

My presence here today—at the real anti-racism conference—is to say to you and the world that Canada will never stop the fight against racism.

We will never stop the fight against discrimination.

We will never stop the fight against persecution and genocide.

And we will never stop the fight for peace, liberty, democracy and human rights.

With this, I want to say that Canada is here with outstretched arms and open hands, eager to work together with the international community to help the UN achieve its full potential, and to continue the fight against racism, discrimination and persecution, wherever they arise.

During the last election campaign, Prime Minister Stephen Harper came in for a little heat when he said, in response to a question from CBC's Peter Mansbridge, that the collapse in equity prices meant that ” there's probably a lot of great buying opportunities emerging.”

Ottawa Citizen reporter Glen McGregor quickly put up HarperDex.ca (mostly, he says, as a fun exercise in some Web programming techniques). The idea was simple: If you had invested $1,000 in the S&P/TSX Composite Index the day after Harper said “Buy”, the HarperDex will tell you what that $1,000 is worth.

McGregor says that, in the 136 trading days since the Buy Call, HarperDex has closed out of the red 14 times.

At 1 pm, with the TSX trending up today, you would now be up $4.12 on your $1,000 investment from the Harper “Buy Call”.