Wednesday, November 30, 2005

Jobs Not Tax Cuts

The issue in this election has to be jobs. Election front runners promise tax cuts

As manufacturing declines in North America its impact on the industrial working class in Southern Ontario is devistating.
Not only on those currently being laid off but those who have retired and rely on their pensions and long term benefits for their daily bread. The impact on the local economy is is increased personal and business bankruptcies.

Canadian job cuts highlight decline of North American manufacturing "The real story is what doesn't happen in the headlines; it's the five or 10 jobs that are lost each week or each month and eventually they really tend to add up."

In the last two weeks we have had announcements of the pending layoffs of 6717 people.
Literally a small town wiped off the face of the map.

Tax Cuts have not paid for the technology upgrades to make these companies competitive. They have been invested in the market in order to make quick profits off high interest rates, meanwhile Canadian workers lose their jobs. As do workers in all the advanced industrialized countries, capitalism functions the same world wide. This election the issue for workers has to be jobs and pension security.

While jobs are booming in the West and in the North in resource extraction whether Tar Sands in Alberta or Diamond mines in the NWT, these construction jobs are temporary and the actual plant workforce is small and will not be working for a number of years yet.

As the Liberals and Conservatives promise more tax cuts for corporations and Income Trusts, ask them how these are going to guarntee jobs for Canadians.
Cause they don't right now.


What Does It All Mean?

Poll finds Ontario support unchanged for federal parties
Last updated Nov 29 2005 11:22 AM EST
CBC News

Canada's three main political parties each enjoy about the same amount of support in Ontario now as they did coming out of the last federal election, a CBC poll has found. The Environics poll found the Liberals have the support of 44 per cent of Ontario voters. The Conservatives have the support of 32 per cent, while 22 per cent say they support the New Democrats. Coming just as the current campaign begins, the poll results can't be considered an accurate prediction of how the 2006 election will end, said Environics vice-president Donna Dasko. However, Dasko said, "it certainly looks like a deja vu right now." Environics interviewed 626 Ontario residents between Nov. 21 and Nov. 25. The results are considered accurate within four percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

Say It Ain't So

I am Shocked, simply Shocked! Nunavut MLA says companies pad books with phoney hirings A member of the Nunavut legislature says companies are hiring Inuit then paying them to stay home in order to thwart a government rule aimed at boosting native employment.

Modblog Sucks

Canada's Four Solitudes

The Thousand Day War

"For our men and women in uniform, this debate can be unsettling," Bush said. "When you're risking your life to accomplish a mission, the last thing you want to hear is that mission being questioned in our nation's capital."

Both the Vietnam War and the Iraq war were launched based on intelligence failures and possibly outright deception.



Chretien In The News


Unite the Right in Alberta

Interesting note in Tom Olson's column in today's Calgary Herald where he notes a potential Unite the Right campaign in Alberta between the Alberta Alliance and the Alberta Social Credit party. Hinman, the rookie Alliance leader, tabled a petition from the province's Social Credit party demanding the government reverse itself on electricity deregulation. Seemed odd, until Hinman confirmed the two parties are looking at merging. Still small potatoes (neither has a massive membership), but any union of conservative forces in small-town Alberta makes the rural Tory rump nervous. Not that there is much to unite since the AA was formed by former Socred Leader Randy Thorsteinson.

But what will they call themselves? Alberta Social Credit Alliance? Social Alberta Credit Alliance? Credit Alberta Social Alliance? That should take them at least a year to figure out. No threat here, except in the rural south of the province, where the left hasn't a snowballs chance anyways. But a right-wing alternative to the Tories would be welcome to help split the vote.

The Real Liberal.ca Blog

Disclaimer I am not a Liberal supporter. But If the you want to read the real Liberal Blog and not the Official Liberal Blog, the blackandblueberry bumblings of Mop and Pail reporter turned PM flack/hack Scott Feschuk, I reccomend none other than Jason Cherniak.In fact the Liberals should have him blogging for them rather than the boy on the bus. He even manages to challenge his old pal, Chretienite turned Harperite; Warren Kinsella. No small feat that. Yes I know there are alot of good Liberal blogs out there, including several from Alberta but, what I am talking here about an election blog with substance, oh am going to get in trouble for this...not that youse guys don't have substance youse do, sigh I think I will just shut up now.....

Tit for Tat Except That...

The NDP issued a press release on controversial Michael Ignatieff today;
Liberal "Star" Candidate Supports War on Iraq
Ignatieff says he's on the "far right" of Canadian opinion
Faster than you can say take that, the Liberals hit back with their factcheck
Now what's interesting about this is that they did not mention Ignatieff once. Nope nary a peep. All they did was challenge an old throw away quote from Paul Martin claiming the NDP took it 'out of context'. Ignatieff, the War in Iraq, not a word....can you smell the disaster thats about to hit in
Etobicoke-Lakeshore. Too bad the NDP can't take advantage of it sincethey don't have a candidate there yet.