In a speech before the B.C. Legislature Thursday, Stephen Harper urged Canadians to forget their traditionally quiet nature and join together to loudly cheer our Olympians on to gold. “Patriotism, ladies and gentlemen, patriotism as Canadians," he said “should not make us feel the least bit shy or embarrassed." And while he acknowledged “that thoughts of grandeur and boisterous displays of nationalism, we tend to associate with others," he insisted that “we should never cast aside our pride in a country so wonderful, in a land we are so fortunate to call home, merely because the notion has sometimes been abused."
2. Disdain for the importance of human rights.- Check.
The conservative government was caught repeatedly lying about the detainee issue in Afghanistan, supports Israel unilaterally and has links to humans rights abuses in Columbia through aid to the government and corporations there.
3. Identification of enemies/scapegoats as a unifying cause.- Check.
Groups the conservatives target include Liberals, trade unionists, environmentalists and socialists. I've already posted here about how the conservative government has been using excessive tax audits against unions and environmental groups.
4. The supremacy of the military/avid militarism.- Check.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/conservatives-interest-in-canadian-history-raises-eyebrows-1.1324803
5. Rampant sexism. - This one is debatable, you decide.
http://rabble.ca/columnists/2010/02/harper-runs-roughshod-over-womens-rights
In the very first year that Stephen Harper was prime minister he moved in many ways to halt the course of progress for women. His government summarily cancelled the multi-billion dollar national child care program that the previous Liberal government had spent years negotiating with the provinces (and women's groups had fought for, for decades). It also had the support of the vast majority of Canadians.
This program was hardly a radical proposal. Canada is one of the most backward countries among Western developed nations regarding early childhood education. This program would simply have begun to close the gap.
Other cuts were part of a one billion dollar assault on things that the Harper government didn't like, and were implemented in spite of the fact that his government had inherited a $13 billion surplus. Amongst the programs eliminated was the Court Challenges Program (CCP), one of the most effective and innovative programs in the world promoting and facilitating human rights. The CCP had, since 1978, provided funding for individuals challenging government legislation that was discriminatory. In short, it made constitutional rights, and rights under the Charter, accessible to ordinary people. Amongst its major beneficiaries were women. To ensure that it would not have to accept any outside, citizens-based advice on changing the law, Harper also eliminated the $4 million in funding for the Law Commission of Canada, formerly the Law Reform Commission.
The government also closed 12 out of 16 regional offices of Status of Women Canada across the country as well as eliminating the $1 million Status of Women Independent Research Fund. Changes were imposed to the criteria for funding for the Status of Women Canada's Women's Program which precluded support for advocacy or lobbying for law reform. That meant that dozens of women-run NGOs would no longer receive funding because virtually all of them combined advocacy with the provision of services -- such as women's shelters advocating for an end to violence against women.
6. A controlled mass media.- Check
Is there really any question about this any more
7. Obsession with national security.- Check
http://thecanadianpoliticalscene.blogspot.ca/2014/05/the-harper-government-is-monitoring.html
Privacy experts believe government spying via social media may be in violation of the Privacy Act. As you scroll through your Facebook's news-feed to find people you knew in High School are now having children, comments on the latest in Entertainment and the slew of personal statuses shared to a group of people considered to be friends, note that Big Brother virtually lurks over your shoulders and agents at CSEC are paid to see what you see.
A report from Privacy Commissioner Chantal Bernier reveals the federal government is data-mining your Facebook and Twitter feeds, possibly with the help of Telecom.
I posted earlier about a woman who discovered that CSIS had been spying on the environmental group she was part of.
8. Religion and ruling elite tied together.- Check
I've also posted about the link between Harper and the extreme xtian group that believes environmentalist are an evil 'Green Dragon" that needs to be destroyed.
9. Power of corporations protected.- Check
We've just seen how McDonalds has been accused of a form of slavery by some of its former "temporary" workers here.
The conservative government also caved into demands from telecom giants which can now gouge customers.
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2013/03/06/how_long_will_canadians_put_up_with_mistreatment_from_cell_phone_companies.html
“We absolutely could do it for less - we choose not to." That’s what Wade Oosterman, president of Bell Mobility, told regulators during a recent hearing when pressed on the telecom giant’s unnecessary extra fees.
Oosterman’s response was dripping with the sense of entitlement that is all too familiar to those who keep tabs on our country’s coddled big telecom providers. At the same February hearing other telecom execs told regulators that putting a cap on roaming fees is “anti-consumer" and that Canadians actually enjoy being stuck in restrictive three cell phone contracts. I have a feeling Matt Buie, a B.C. man who was just hit with $22,000 in roaming fees from Fido (owned by Rogers), might disagree.
Then of course there's the fossil fuel sector and the tar sands which are nearly on the level of religion with the conservative government.
10. Power of labour suppressed or eliminated.- Check
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/10/24/more_unionbashing_as_stephen_harper_tries_to_deflect_attention_from_senate_walkom.html
Stephen Harper has a tried and true formula to placate his political base: When in trouble, attack either sex offenders or unions.
This month, it was Canada’s federal public sector unions who drew the short straw. Under the gun for his handling of the Senate expense scandal, the prime minister has come up with yet another anti-union move designed to make red-meat conservatives howl in approval.
The government’s latest omnibus budget bill would give the government the unilateral power to determine which civil servants are essential workers and thus disqualified from striking.
Plus the use of tax audits as I've posted earlier.
11. Disdain and suppression of intellectuals and the arts.- Check
How many nations have scientists marching in protest against their government, we do.
12. Obsession with crime and punishment.- Check
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2013/08/19/harper_governments_toughoncrime_laws_are_outdated_editorial.html
Finally in 2006, the U.S. got a willing partner in Ottawa. Prime Minister Stephen Harper took office vowing to crack down on crime, get drugs and guns off the streets, lock up dangerous young offenders and reduce the discretion of judges to set lenient sentences.
It took the Prime Minister six years to get his controversial crime legislation through Parliament, but he finally succeeded last year. The centrepiece of his law-and-order agenda was a series of mandatory minimum sentences, many for drug crimes. They ranged from a jail term of six months for growing six or more marijuana plants to three years behind bars for operating a methamphetamine lab in a residential neighbourhood.
13. Rampant cronyism and corruption.- Check
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Senate_expenses_scandal
14. Fraudulent elections.- Check
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Canadian_federal_election_voter_suppression_scandal
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_and_Out_scandal
So it's entirely possible that we do in fact have a form of fascist government in power in Canada, I certainly think it is.
I have a question in regards to the original topic. If meteorologists are being forbidden from speaking about climate change because these scientifically trained professionals are supposedly inadequate experts on this issue, why then are politicians being allowed to speak on the very same subject. Their ranks contain some of the most misinformed and scientifically ignorant members of society.
I have a question in regards to the original topic. If meteorologists are being forbidden from speaking about climate change because these scientifically trained professionals are supposedly inadequate experts on this issue, why then are politicians being allowed to speak on the very same subject. Their ranks contain some of the most misinformed and scientifically ignorant members of society.
Because the conservative government is ideologically not factually based.
Professionals who speak out on anything that runs counter to conservative ideology are seen as being unfaithful while politicians who speak out on the party line are just doing their jobs.
Professionals who speak out on anything that runs counter to conservative ideology are seen as being unfaithful while politicians who speak out on the party line are just doing their jobs.
We must pass Laws forcing the Laws of Physics to conform to the approved ideology. :lol:
psik
Is Canada one of the few countries likely to have a net benefit from warming?
psik
Some of the negative impacts that Canada is facing as well as many nations.
- Rise in sea level that in the short term will result in increased coastal erosion and higher storm surges. In the long term if the polar ice sheets do completely break down then some of the most heavily developed and populated areas of Canada will be submerged in the.
- Increase in extreme weather events like the floods and ice storms that hit across Canada last year causing billion of dollars in damages.
- Increase in the range of disease vectors like mosquitoes that carry West Nile virus.
- Loss of species diversity as isotherms continue to move polewards faster than associated biotas can follow. Arctic and alpine habitats will be lost over most of their current range.
- A projected desert that will extend from Mexico through the US Midwest into the southern Prairie provinces.
Canada isn't going to get a net benefit from global warming, no one is.
I have a question in regards to the original topic. If meteorologists are being forbidden from speaking about climate change because these scientifically trained professionals are supposedly inadequate experts on this issue, why then are politicians being allowed to speak on the very same subject. Their ranks contain some of the most misinformed and scientifically ignorant members of society.
Because the conservative government is ideologically not factually based.
Professionals who speak out on anything that runs counter to conservative ideology are seen as being unfaithful while politicians who speak out on the party line are just doing their jobs.
I realize that. I guess my question was whether there isn't some legal basis on which Canadian meteorologists could challenge this law since the same reasoning would seem to outlaw any discussion of the subject among politicians and the law is not being not being applied equally to them
I realize that. I guess my question was whether there isn't some legal basis on which Canadian meteorologists could challenge this law since the same reasoning would seem to outlaw any discussion of the subject among politicians and the law is not being not being applied equally to them
They could likely make a Charter challenge which is where the conservative government is ending up more and more. But they could also be fired which is also happening more and more, this is a government that has largely rewritten the social contract in favour of itself and its supporters.
This is also a country where the Parliamentary Budget Officer felt it necessary to take the Harper government to court to clarify its powers and his duties.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/budget-watchdog-s-case-dismissed-by-federal-court-1.1376375
The Federal Court has dismissed on a technicality a request to consider whether Canada's parliamentary budget officer has a legal right to demand the government turn over information on its cost-cutting program.
But the gist of Monday's 23-page ruling from Judge Sean Harrington suggests strongly that the government cannot use its majority to deny information to the budget watchdog, and that in case of a dispute, the court has the power to intervene.
Canada isn't going to get a net benefit from global warming, no one is.
What percentage of the Canadian population lives along the northern border of the United States? Will warming increase the amount of land being liveable and farmable? If shipping lanes through the Arctic become navigable through the summer what will that do for the economy?
That is why I said NET. Just looking at the negatives does not resolve the issue.
I have read stuff by people in Minnesota talking about the winters being milder over the last 20 years. So what does that imply about Canada?
psik
I have a question in regards to the original topic. If meteorologists are being forbidden from speaking about climate change because these scientifically trained professionals are supposedly inadequate experts on this issue, why then are politicians being allowed to speak on the very same subject. Their ranks contain some of the most misinformed and scientifically ignorant members of society.
Because the conservative government is ideologically not factually based.
Professionals who speak out on anything that runs counter to conservative ideology are seen as being unfaithful while politicians who speak out on the party line are just doing their jobs.
I realize that. I guess my question was whether there isn't some legal basis on which Canadian meteorologists could challenge this law since the same reasoning would seem to outlaw any discussion of the subject among politicians and the law is not being not being applied equally to them
Excellent point but maybe Canada has no equality guarantee as well as no free speech guarantee.
Lois
What percentage of the Canadian population lives along the northern border of the United States. Will warming in crease the amount of land being liveable and farmable? If shipping lanes through the Arctic become navigable through the summer what will that do for the economy.
That is why I said NET. Just looking at the negatives does not resolve the issue.
I have read stuff by people in Minnesota talking about the winters being milder over the last 20 years. So what does that imply about Canada?
psik
This is way off topic and there are more than enough resources here and other places for you to find the answers to that yourself.
Excellent point bu maybe Canada has no equality guarantee as well as no free speech guarantee.
We do but as VA posted we have a huge loophole in our protections due to the notwithstanding clause.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Section_Two_of_the_Canadian_Charter_of_Rights_and_Freedoms
Section 2 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is the section of the Constitution of Canada that lists what the Charter calls "fundamental freedoms" theoretically applying to everyone in Canada, regardless of whether they are a Canadian citizen, or an individual or corporation.[1] These freedoms can be held against actions of all levels of government and are enforceable by the courts. The fundamental freedoms are freedom of expression, freedom of religion, freedom of thought, freedom of belief, freedom of peaceful assembly, and freedom of association.
Section 1 of the Charter permits Parliament or the provincial legislatures to enact laws that place certain kinds of limited restrictions on the freedoms listed under section 2. Additionally, these freedoms can be temporarily invalidated by the notwithstanding clause of the Charter.
I realize that. I guess my question was whether there isn't some legal basis on which Canadian meteorologists could challenge this law since the same reasoning would seem to outlaw any discussion of the subject among politicians and the law is not being not being applied equally to them
They could likely make a Charter challenge which is where the conservative government is ending up more and more. But they could also be fired
Am I correct to assume that this law only applies to government employees and therefor meteorologist who work for private companies and TV stations can say whatever they like?
Is Canada one of the few countries likely to have a net benefit from warming?
psik
Some of the negative impacts that Canada is facing as well as many nations.
- Rise in sea level that in the short term will result in increased coastal erosion and higher storm surges. In the long term if the polar ice sheets do completely break down then some of the most heavily developed and populated areas of Canada will be submerged in the.
- Increase in extreme weather events like the floods and ice storms that hit across Canada last year causing billion of dollars in damages.
- Increase in the range of disease vectors like mosquitoes that carry West Nile virus.
- Loss of species diversity as isotherms continue to move polewards faster than associated biotas can follow. Arctic and alpine habitats will be lost over most of their current range.
- A projected desert that will extend from Mexico through the US Midwest into the southern Prairie provinces.
Canada isn't going to get a net benefit from global warming, no one is.
I'm pretty sure Fuzzy was being facetious.
Lois
Am I correct to assume that this law only applies to government employees and therefor meteorologist who work for private companies and TV stations can say whatever they like?
Yes, it applies to Environment Canada meteorologists not private sector broadcasters.
Oh Lordie, I crawl out from under my rock and lookie what awaits me.
Canada falling through the Looking Glass.
Guess it’s just a well I got a day of painting in front of me.
Forecast for the Four Corners sunny and dry, hint of clouds to tease us with reminders of the afternoon rains we used to get regularly.
For many years I envied Canada because they were apparently more advanced socially than was the U.S., but it appears that you people are going down the tubes much faster than we are. I can only hope the citizens of both our countries wake up and get rid of the sleazy, pre-bought politicians and corporations which focus only on their self-interest at the expense of everyone else.
Occam
Double ditto and here’s another aside. Last nights Cosmos featured a segment on Frank Schuman who postulated that solar power should replace all other fuels and then proceeded to prove it by using solar power to irrigate cotton farms in Egypt. In the freekin’ Saraha Desert of all places. He performed this “miracle” in 1897. Who needs tar sands and “clean” coal as our neighboring State’s Senator promotes? BS.
Cap’t Jack
Here’s an ingenious idea for solar energy, something I had never thought of. It’s a paving system that could be put on roads and freeways to capture all that wasted solar power. It has solar powered lights underneath that can be reconfigured for various striping, it lights the road, ending the need for overhead lights, and pays for itself by adding electricity to the grid, and the parts that wear out can be easily and inexpensively replaced like worn out tiles. They can also include a heating element for areas that get snow and ice–ending the need for plowing–and chains. The only downside is the initial cost, which would be more than ordinary paving. But if it takes off on a small scale, and if someone would invest in having it installed in small areas, I think it would be the wave of the future. It could start out on parking lots, short sections of highways, shoulders of highways, driveways, ramps, shopping malls. Once people see that it is superior paving and that it pays for itself in many ways, I think it will take off.
Good idea, Lois, but I think a variation of it is already in the works. The road would collect sunlight energy, convert it to electrical power, and make it available to electric driven vehicles. I worry about road wear, oil drips and other spills, rain, snow, very heavy vehicles, etc.
Occam