Saturday, August 14, 2010

Liberals look on as Conservatives Vandalize Canada


Jim Travers of the Toronto Star has an article today entitled “Liberals look on as Conservatives Vandalize Canada”. I couldn’t agree more. Interesting that Jim Travers would select the word “vandalism” to describe the conduct of Stephen Harper, as that the exact word that Michael Ignatieff used in a speech in Toronto on September 18, 2008 during the last election when he stated:


“We're here to talk about the Liberal plan to invest in infrastructure and rebuild the ties that bind our country together.

We're here to talk about leadership in tough economic times.

Nous sommes ici pour parler du leadership quand le climat économique s'annonce orageux.

We cannot allow Stephen Harper to define what strong leadership is in this country.

Look at his record.

Harper is the man who broke his promise to millions of Canadian investors when he wiped out income trust.

This isn't leadership – it's vandalism.”

So what has Michael Ignatieff done about Stephen Harper’s income trust vandalism, apart from talk about it when it suits his purposes? In the last two years has Michael Ignatieff done ANYTHING to reveal Harper’s lie about tax leakage, or to expose the fraud about tax leakage that leaves out 38% of the taxes that Canadians actually pay on income trusts? No.

Has Ignatieff informed Canadians about the fact that Harper’s proof of tax leakage tool the form of 18 pages of blacked out documents? No. Has Ignatieff told Canadians that Harper’s income trust tax has seen over $80 billion of Canadian companies acquired by foreigners like Abu Dhabi Energy and Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka Shing who will pay NO TAXES on these companies’ earning, whereas Canadians were happily paying those taxes, and as a result over $1.2 billion in annual taxes in being lost per annum to solve a problem that was falsely alleged by Harper to be costing Canadians only half that amount? No.

Has Ignatieff done anything to reveal who the lobbyists were behind the income trust tax and what their nefarious end purposes were? No.

Has Ignatieff lifted a finger to support and give voice and visibility to a solution to the income trust mess, known as the Marshall Savings Plan solution, that knowledgeable people like Diane Francis of the Financial Post call “brilliant”? No.

And why do you suppose that is? Why is Ignatieff allowing Harper to get away with the vandalism involving income trusts, while feigning concern about the issue when its suits his purposes? Why has Ignatieff chosen to do none of the thousands of things he could have done about the income trust vandalism? Is it because Ignatieff is in bed with the very same pack of vandals that put Harper up to this shameful and fraudulent act? Hard to conclude otherwise

Second piece of evidence.....Jim Travers of the Toronto Star writes


Liberals look on as Conservatives Vandalize Canada

Jim Travers
Toronto Star
August 14, 2010


OTTAWA—This country has a problem. It has a ruling party that twists the truth and an Official Opposition that can’t, or won’t, straighten it out.

This summer’s oddly hot topic is one example. Gutting the census is nothing less than another Conservative act of public vandalism. Wagging an angry finger is nothing more than another empty Liberal gesture.

Opinion polls reflect that repeating pattern. For more than four years now Canadians have consistently told pollsters they don’t support Conservatives and don’t trust Liberals.

One unlikely way to end that impasse is for Stephen Harper to come clean about what he doesn’t like about Canada and how Conservatives are changing it by stealth and increment. Another is for Michael Ignatieff to screw Liberal courage to the sticking point and declare enough is enough.

Harper owes that explanation. Since taking control of a universally admired country in 2006, the Prime Minister has been altering Canada without a majority mandate or clear statement of ultimate purpose.

Ignatieff has a duty to oppose that strategy. Since replacing Stephane Dion, the Liberal leader has threatened elections and fumed at Conservatives while drawing flexible lines in this capital’s blowing sand.

Harper’s determination and Ignatieff’s vacillation are connected by opportunities seized by Conservatives and missed by Liberals. Without significant resistance or the debate democracy demands, the Prime Minister has consistently advanced policies that are at best controversial and at worst corrosive.

Too often Harper manages to tip-toe dubious schemes past a dozing electorate. While the nation slept, Conservatives grossly abused the budget process with an omnibus bill bulging with unrelated plans to sell the public stake in the atomic energy sector and, even more remarkably, to relax environmental regulations just when the world is reeling from the BP oil spill.

As always, there’s more. There was little discussion of military priorities and less outcry over public safeguards in the sole-sourced contract committing Canada to spend some $16 billion replacing CF-18 fighters. Much was muttered and nothing done to stop Conservatives silencing diverse civil society voices by attacking Montreal’s non-partisan Rights and Democracy and stripping core funding from the umbrella agency has advised federal governments on overseas development for more than forty years.

To Conservative credit, Harper routinely gets the best of a fissured Parliament and an Official Opposition in disarray. The result is a country being forced marched to an unknown destination.

To Liberal shame, serial leaders, with the notable exception of Stephane Dion’s quixotic defence of a carbon tax, have failed to find principled places to stand. In trying every which way to regain power they continue to fall far short of convincing Canadians that a once great party would now gladly risk its hegemony to protect the national interest.

No party or leader willingly commits political suicide. Instead, they lurk in the shadows, weighing odds and waiting for a promising moment to strike. Still, parties risk everything when what’s good for them is seen to be more important than what’s good for the country.

Ignatieff knows that Liberals have taken too long to discard the tattered cloak of Canada’s natural governing party. Liberals are proving equally slow in grasping that an opposition afraid to oppose is an empty vessel voters will fill with blame when the ruling party goes too far.

Conservatives go too far when they trample widely shared Canadian values by twisting truth to fit narrow ideology. Liberals will go nowhere until they are willing to risk something straightening it out.

James Travers' column appears Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

12 comments:

Dr Mike said...

The 18 blacked-out pages were the strongest evidence anyone could of had that these guys in power were nothing but a bunch of clowns about to dumb-down Canada by removing information---this was strike one that was ignored by most other MPs except for a guy named Turner.

By the time we get to the census debacle we are up to strike 47 & these people are still up to bat.

The 18 blacked-out pages were the dead canary in the coal mine but nothing happened.

The job of the official opposition was to make sure that the buck stopped at the trust mess but thanks to them we are now no where further ahead.

As Harper moves up & down in the polls after each debacle , the Liberals seem to never move , this has to tell the Liberals something.

Dr Mike

PS---we have to consider the possibility that one Liberal tv ad to counter the trust mess could have changed history but because of a fundamental failure to act , we will never know---what a shame.

ottlib said...

First of all it is difficult for the Opposition to really stop the government when the House is not in session.

Second, the Conservatives have been vandalizing Canada since their first election and James Travers is just figuring that out now?

Where was has he been the past 5 years? Oh yes, he like the rest of our MSM have been more focused on the Liberal Party than the Conservatives despite the fact the Liberals are not the governing party. In fact this column again focuses more on the Liberals than the Conservatives.

This guy is a hack and he has always been one and his "sudden realization" of the damage the Conservatives are doing to Canada after 5 years just proves how much of a hack he really is.

Bruce Benson said...

Right on Brent. I don’t think the Liberals will ever clue in. Pathetic pretty much sums it up. Bruce

Louis said...

Brent, what you blog is true but perhaps only half-true.

The other half of the truth is that the Conservative party has 140+ MPs and thousands of card-carrying members who have abetted the vandalizing of Canadian democracy or played Schultz-in-an-army-hat.

Actually what you blog is only one-quarter true, if you bring the Canadian media into the account.

wilson said...

The reason Libs do nothing but bark about the Income Trusts is because Dippers voted to support the government on the issue.

So regardless who wins the next election,
income trusts are gone, for good

http://judywl.ca/node/63

Gene Rayburn said...

So you really have no point to make eh Wilson.

Anonymous said...

Iggy is an academic hack.  Harper is a part-time economics grad and the rest of them are lawyers, car salesmen and boutique owners.  How can we survive?  And the US with Obama is even worse.  Heaven help us all.

Les

Anonymous said...

CONSERVATIVE FATIGUE FACTOR

Anonymous said...

Vandalism is destroying the once proud military.

Vandalism is NEP.

Bruce Benson said...

The following comments were sent to every Liberal MP along with this Blog. Unfortunately I won't get a reply.

Hey Liberals, no guts, no glory or is it you are secret supporters of your CON friends thus enabling disastrous policies all supported by lies and twisted truths. So which side of the fence are you really standing? How about answering the questions posed below. I for one would like to know where you really do stand.

Bruce Benson said...

Anonymous said...

Vandalism is destroying the once proud military.

Vandalism is NEP.

So Anonymous, how much did the NEP cost? Did it cost Canadian investors (many of whom were seniors and Canadians trying to save for retirement)the sum of 35 billion dollars? Did the NEP take away an additional 31.5 percent of their earning power(ie tax)compounding already massive losses to their livelihood? RRSP's will be hit with over 60% tax on dividends. Yup thats what is called a level playing field.

He dude you are talking about shit that happened more than 25 years ago. It's time to let it go and concentrate on the deeds of the current government who have vandalized so many with lies and twisted truths. Whats the matter, can't you see the truth? After being screwed over by Harper's lies, I sure have seen the light. Anyone that supports this government must be delusional.

Anonymous said...

We all know the Conservatives are lying incompetents. That's a given and everyone knows that. The real question of the days is, if everyone knows that and it is entirely obvious to the rest of the world, why do the Liberals remain silent? Why do they not capitalize on the $1.5billion wasted in Toronto while the people in our brave and prod military (yes I'm speaking to you Anonymous) are going with out.

Yes, fire the good Colonel for ratting out how bad our soldiers are treated. What the Conservatives want is a strong military complex – built by buying equipment from the American military complex. The fate of soldiers be damned.

Of course, the Liberals remain silent so they are just as duplicitous to the vandalism of Canada. By the way, at least Travers woke up! I’m still waiting for you Conservative hacks to do as much!

Railhound