Sunday, January 15, 2006

Huh?

I just came across this headline on my google news page. Really. No it does say this. Now how did that happen I wonder? Is it true Harper is criticizing his own party?


Martin, Harper target Tories
Toronto Star - 1 hour ago

But when you click on it you get this...

Jan. 15, 2006. 06:30 PM
Whew had me worried I thought Harper had gone Alberta Avenue on us.



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Metro Toronto
Martin, Harper target Tories
Toronto Star - 1 hour ago
OTTAWA - New Democrats and Liberals alike focused their campaign attacks on front-runner Stephen Harper and his Conservatives today as the federal election campaign entered its crucial final week.


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This is Fearmongering?

Canwest, a big financial backer of the Harper leadership campaign and now officially endorsing the Conservatives have now begun blatant editorializing in their election news articles. Liberal and NDP campaigns are being identified as 'fearmongering'.

In an article circulated by Canwest News,
Splitting up the vote, they quote this as an example of fearmongering by Jack Layton. It is anything but.......

Layton, too, delved into fearmongering politics, suggesting Harper has a hidden agenda to dismantle Canada's social fabric.

He told more than 1,000 trade unionists in Liberal-dominated Toronto that Martin is headed for defeat and fleeing Liberal voters must back the NDP so there is a strong force in Parliament to fight a Tory government's tax-cutting and program-slashing agenda.

As well, he said the Conservative party's U.S. Republican-style views on issues from the Iraq war and child care to gay marriage increase the threat that Canada could break apart after the next Quebec referendum.

He made the comments during an interview with CanWest News Service after the largest rally of his campaign. He said the best result for Canada would be a Parliament with enough New Democrats in opposition to make sure Quebecers don't suffer from program cuts.

"It would seem to me that many Quebecers would take a look at a Conservative government, with those very conservative values of more of an American-style perspective on issues, or Republican point of view, and they wouldn't see the resonance" with their own views, he said. "I don't know how that could strengthen the chance for national unity."

Through most of the campaign Layton has refused to follow the Liberal lead in trying to scare Canadians about the surging Conservatives, fearing that could play into Martin's hands. Several times this week, including Saturday, he mocked Martin for attempting to scare Canadians about the repercussions of a Liberal loss.

Prefacing these comments Canwest writers editorialized by adding the introductory sentence which contradicts they last paragraph above.

So which is it? Layton has not fearmongered through out the campaign or he is fearmongering now, or Canwest is in the pocket of the Conservatives in the final days of this election. I will opt for the later. Canwest has a history of this kind of editorializing, specifically they have been caught doing it around coverage in their papers on the Iraeli Palestinian conflict, firing reporters and columnists that disagree with the Aspers and providing their own publisher produced editorials for publication in their papers.

As William Burroghs said in the Ticket That Exploded, and I quote in my header, Canwest Reporters DO NOT REPORT THE NEWS THEY WRITE THE NEWS. And he who pays the piper calls the tune, in this case David Asper, Stephen Harpers new found friend.




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Jaffer Denies Climate Change

Here is a quote published in the Edmonton Weekly VUE this week. It's from David Suzuki about Edmonton Strathcona MP Rahim Jaffer. Thought it was worth reprinting since his NDP opponent is an Environmental lobbyist. As they say some things can come back to haunt you. Right Rahim?

David Suzuki: In ’97 in Kyoto, you had groups like Alberta working very hard to subvert the Kyoto process; I remember [Edmonton-Strathcona MP] Rahim Jaffer, who was there, saying there was no evidence that global warming was even taking place. And at that time, there was still a lot of discussion how serious this was as an issue. In Montreal, there was none of that; no one was there as a delegate who would argue whether climate change was happening or not. And that was a huge step forward.

I wonder if after this abnormally warm winter, today is -5 no snow anywhere, its a brown out, if Rahim still believes Climate Warming is a myth. You know like the tooth fairy, Santa Claus, etc.

Well global warming is a fact. Warm winter wreaks havoc

Beloved Birkie ski fest falls prey to green winter
EDMONTON -- The 800th anniversary of the Birkebeiner legend won't be celebrated with an Edmonton race this year because there's no snow for the international cross-country ski event.

And it is only get expotentially worse. And niether the Liberals or Conservatives have a plan to deal with it. Which leaves only one party with electoral chances that does....the NDP.


More blog articles on Edmonton Strathcona here.

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Edmonton Strathcona A Race To Watch

Gee its nice to be right. As I have said since the writ was dropped.

Rare three way federal election race in Edmonton called 'trench warfare'

EDMONTON -- Three-way federal election battles in Tory-dominated Alberta are about as rare as a Prairie winter with no snow, but in one Edmonton riding this January, both the snow and foregone conclusions are missing.

The Liberal and NDP candidates have been dashing door-to-door in what one called "trench warfare'' to unseat veteran Conservative Rahim Jaffer in Edmonton Strathcona. And even Jaffer concedes that a large undecided vote is adding spice to his bid for re-election Jan. 23.

Jaffer, 34, has won three times and has represented the riding for more than eight years. He won his seat by more than 5,000 votes last time.

The rival parties are trying out new candidates and the race is creating a buzz in a province where the Conservatives are expected to dominate nearly every election contest.

"There is a large undecided swing,'' Jaffer said in an interview at his campaign headquarters. "Anything could happen.''

He said his support among the riding's 84,000 eligible voters is solid, but he believes a lot of people who voted Liberal in the last election may change their vote.

"That's where there's a bit of uncertainty as to whether all of those votes would go towards the NDP or whether some of them would come to us,'' he said. "Or if they just stay home, that's one of the things that we're still not entirely sure of.''

The Liberals finished second in the riding last time, with the New Democrats 2,500 votes behind them. This time the NDP candidate is Linda Duncan, 56, a lawyer and environmentalist who has fought several high-profile battles over coal-fired power plants and contentious dam projects.

Duncan points out the NDP vote has increased substantially in the last three elections.

"Indeed I'm seeing lots of Liberals who are coming over to me, but I'm also seeing plenty of Tories who are upset,'' said Duncan between quick bites of pizza in a campaign office busy with volunteers.

"They don't like Stephen Harper and they think that Jaffer hasn't done anything for them in nearly 10 years.''

The riding is made up mainly of working-class neighbourhoods. It also includes the University of Alberta and the trendy Whyte Avenue district, which is home to many students and young people and also the centre for a large chunk of Edmonton's arts community _ all groups that tend to be left-leaning.

More blog articles on Edmonton Strathcona here.

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Edmonton Sun Asks Where is Jaffer

So do folks in Edmonton Strathcona. Have been for his last three terms. Never around. Never here for his constiuents. The Conservatives slogan is Stand Up For Canada, Rahims is Stand Up for the Conservatives. Funny that I thought they were big on representing their consituents. Guess that only counts when they find constituents that agree with them like Rahim does when he speaks out against Same Sex Marriage, etc. Which is diametrically opposite of what one of the Red ridings in Alberta actually supports.

This is from Fridays Edmonton Sun and it tries to be a white wash of Jaffer allowing him to explain himself.
Too little to late. They failed to interview Linda Duncan the front runner against Jaffer. But that's ok they noted its a two way race between the NDP and Conservatives here. See what did I tell ya.

Now you see him ...
Incumbent MP answers for his no-show at Edmonton-Strathcona candidates' forum

He concedes winning re-election is not a given. Although he defeated Liberal Debby Carlson by 5,000 votes with 39.4% of the vote in 2004, the Liberals and NDP together amassed 53% of the vote.

If Liberal support shifts to the NDP as a result of the Adscam scandal, it could be a tight battle.

Yep that support has shifted to Linda Duncan and the NDP which is why Paul Martin is visiting the Edmonton Strathcona Liberal campaign office today.

More blog articles on Edmonton Strathcona here.

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Listen To Edmonton Strathcona Forum

Couldn't make the All Candidates forum at the U of A this week for Edmonton Strathcona candidates. Fear not our favorite peoples radio station CJSR was there and recorded the whole thing. It helps the station is in the basement of SUB where the forum was held. Listen here.

More blog articles on Edmonton Strathcona here.

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The Corporate Friends of Mr.Harper

Below is the list of Corporate donors to Harpers Leadership campaign. The full document of donors of $200 or more can be found here. A tip o the blog to Politicagrll

I have bolded those I find interesting such as;

The Asper media chain, CanWest which just came out in favour of the Conservatives and Harper this election. David Asper also personally donated $200 to Harpers Leadership campaign.
David Asper, Steve Posen endorse Conservatives

Peter Kent, St. Paul's Conservative candidate, announces key supporters at Big Tent event

Key Liberals defect and join others in supporting Peter Kent, highlighting his big tent campaign
 Also joining Peter Kent's Big Tent was the Chairman of the National Post,
David Asper. David Asper and his family have been well-known for their past
support for the Liberal Party. In his statement, Mr. Asper said in a prepared
letter of recommendation that, "the need for a man of Peter's integrity became
even more clear to me after hearing the Prime Minister say during the last
English language debate that 'we've got to have a more intelligent debate.
Enough is enough: this idea of drive-by smears doesn't make it true', and then
the next day launch a series of Liberal advertisements that are some of the
most insulting, base attack ads that I have ever seen. The Prime Minister is
correct. Enough is enough. It's time for a change and Peter Kent is someone
who represents not only change itself, but change for the better."
Bell Canada was another big donor. Ironic since the Blogging Tory's have been denouncing Bell/BCE/Bell Global Media as a Liberal front and which I blogged was no such thing. Much Ado About BCE

Encana is the largest gas distribution company in North America, and out going President Gwyn Morgan has been touted to replace Ralph Klein as CEO of Alberta.

One of the interesting ones of is Rio Can Real Estate Investment Trust. Income Trust. Remember them. They pay no taxes, and Monte Solberg and the Conservatives lobbied for them this past six months. CanWest slams Ottawa over handling of trusts

The Corporate Elite Wants You To Vote Conservative For Change.

2004 Conservative Party Leadership Event
Contribution reporting for donations in excess of $200
Name of Leadership Candidate Stephen Harper
Contributor or Corporate Name
Contribution

Burns West Coporation 2 ,000
Ifco Systems Canada Inc 5 ,000
715502 Alberta Ltd -- David Malwry 2 50
866615 Ontario Inc. 3 00
Alexander Tools Limited 2 0,000
Alkin Corporation 1 ,000
Atkinson & Atkinson 5 00
Axor 1 0,000
Balboa Land Investment Inc 1 ,000
Bell 2 0,000
Bellport Resources Ltd 3 ,000
Bennett Insurance Agency Ltd. 5 00
Bicklette Limited 1 ,000
Canaccord Capital Corp 3 0,000
Canwest Media Inc 2 0,000
Capital Hill Group Ottawa Inc 1 ,000
Capital Sports Properties Inc. 5 00
Caplan Industries 1 ,000
Caplan Industries Inc 1 ,000
Career Essentials Inc 1 ,000
Cement Association of Canada 5 00
Comdel Developments Inc 5 ,000
Copps Buildall 1 ,500
Credit Suisse First Boston 6 ,000
Crystal Glass 5 00
DWPV Management Ltd. 2 ,500
Eastern Hemlock Limited 5 ,000
EF Moon Construction Ltd 5 00
E-L Finacial Corporation Ltd. 1 0,000
EnCana Corporation 2 5,000
Future Electronics Inc 5 ,000
Garwood 1 ,000
George Weston Ltd 8 ,500
Giant Tiger Stores Ltd. 5 ,000
GlaxoSmithKline Inc. 1 ,000
Goodmans LLP 5 ,000
Grant Forest Products Inc 2 5,000
Gunnar Office Furnishings 5 ,000
Haven Manor Inc. 5 00
Heathbridge Graham Inc. 5 00
Hill & Knowlton 5 00
Hill & Knowlton 5 00
IGRG Inc. 5 00
INCO Ltd 5 ,000
Inkan Group 7 50
Internationl Forest Products Ltd 2 ,000
J & S Hokanson Investments Ltd 5 50
Kathnan Investments Limited 5 ,000
Key Maintenance Technologies 2 50
Krakiwsky Consulting Ltd 1 ,000
Lamplighter Inns (London) Limited 1 ,500
Lincoln-McKay Development - 135482 Canada Inc 1 ,000
Lopresti Pharmacy 1988 Ltd. 4 00
Maceachern's Deep Steam 1 ,750
Macleod Dixon LLP 2 ,500
McDowell Brothers Industries Inc 4 00
McMillan Binch LLP 1 ,000
O & Y Properties 1 0,000
Onex Corporation 1 0,000
Orlick Industries Limited 3 0,000
Pfizer Canada Inc 2 ,500
Pfizer Canada Inc. 5 00
PMA Brethour Real Estate Corporation 5 ,000
PMA Brethour Real Estate Corportation 5 ,000
Power Corporation of Canada 2 5,000
Promographix Inc. 5 00
R & D 2 ,000
Rio Can Real Estate Investment Trust 5 ,000
River Oaks Developments Inc 5 ,000
RNH Holding Ltd. 1 ,000
RSW International Inc 1 ,000
Shelter Canadian Properties Limited 1 ,000
Silver Sage Holdings & Development Ltd 1 ,100
SolowayWright SW Management 1 ,000
St Lawrence Starch Ltd 1 ,000
Summit Insurance Brokers Inc 1 ,500
The Logit Group 2 ,000
The Responsive Marketing Group 5 ,000
Torys LLP 5 ,000
Walton Management Inc 3 50
Weatons Holdings Limited 2 0,000
Whippoorwill Holdings Limited 3 0,000

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Andy is In Trouble

You know you are in trouble when you have to bring Paul Martin in to support you. The Liberal candidate for Edmonton Strathcona, Andy Hladyshevsky, will be holding a rally this evening with PM.

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Stupid Quote For Sunday

Dear Brothers and Sisters of the faith we are gathered here today to hear the word from on high. Let it never be said that stupidity was not an article of our faith. Peace be on to you. In the name of the most High.

"Abortion is a worse moral scandal than priests sexually abusing young people."
--Archbishop George Pell of Sydney, Australia, speaking during World Youth Day in Toronto, Canada. [Agence France Press, "Archbishop honored for Australia's most sexist remark of the year," September 13, 2002.]

The Neo Liberal Canadian State



A Canadian Lefty in Occupied Land is fellow left wing blogger after my own politics I would say, and he recently linked to my article below on Voting for Capitalism on January 23. His analysis of this election is more about how the ruling class operates under capitalism with it's various internecine conflicts between elites. Its an interesting series of articles that folks would do well to read, especially American readers who visit here.

He observes that there is very little real difference between the Parties running for government as they reflect only aspects of opinion of the ruling elites in Canada.

It's a concrete stripping away of bullshit to look at the nature of the Neo-Conservative/Neo-Liberal (these terms are interchangeable*) State in Canada. A state that regardless of who wins on January 23 will not change much. It will only be a matter of degree.

The largest scandals under the Liberals HAVE NOT been addressed by the Conservatives or their syncophantic cheerleaders over at the Blogging Tory's or in the MSM. They can't address them because they are ideologically in agreement with them, that is the contracting out and privatization of state services.


The result for the last twelve years have been massive rip offs of funds, the failure to regulate third party service providers, and to monitor services they provide while costs have soared. The privatization and contracting out of these services has left the door open for conflict of interest rip offs by government empolyees who set up third party service organizations to sell back to government services they normally would provide as employees. This has been done predominately in the area of computer and IT services.

As I wrote here during the last election about the P3 Boondoggle that is the Firearms Registry, the Liberals under Chretien as PM and Martin as Finance Minister embraced the neo-liberal idea of restructuring the State in the market model of service delivery. They introduced public private partnerships, P3's, and fashioned the restructuring based on the book Reinventing Government that also influenced Blair and Clinton/Gore.

Reinventing Government, How the Entrepreneurial Spirit is Transforming the Public Sector, by David Osborne and Ted Gaebler published in 1993. It became the bible for the reduction in government services in order to reduce deficits by using contracting out, outsourcing and public private partnerships. It was the bible of the ‘new ‘ way for governments to do ‘business’. It was a liberal version of the harsher conservative view that all government services could and should be privatized.

It became the rallying cry of governments under siege from business and the right wing. In the United States it was embraced enthusiastically by the Democrats and Vice President Gore. In Canada it became the Chretien Liberals alternative to the Klein Revolution in Alberta. And it is the reason that Canadian Firearms Program ended up being a billion-dollar boondoggle.

Facing a massive deficit and debt crisis that was world wide, governments began to end their Keynesian approaches to social spending and embrace the new neo-conservative agenda. Reduce spending, outsource government contracts and increase tax cuts to business. The Liberals were no different, and Reinventing Government became an internal bible within the various departments. It was read by Cabinet Ministers, deputy ministers, and most importantly its ideas of contracting out and outsourcing was embraced in every department as a way of supposedly saving money.



It is important to understand that in the Ninties the provincial governments and the Federal government was besieged by the business lobby and its right wing political parties to change the way it delivered services due to the Debt and Deficit Hysteria. The current attacks on Martin for having cut back funding to provinces is hypocritical in the extreme, since this is exactly what was demanded of the right wing in Canada. The cut backs in funding to provinces dovetailed with the cut backs in funding that the Provinces were engaging in in delivery of services and funding to Health Care, Education, Post Seconday Education and Cities.

The whole MUSH sector was being restructured by financial cut backs preparing it for alternative delivery models of service, that is contracting out and privatization. Therefore the agenda which had been planed and promoted by the right wing think tanks since the 1970's; the end of Keyensian social welfare and its replacement with private sector delivery of public services, was coming to fruition. The Debt and Deficit hysteria was all that was needed to allow governments, provincially, federally and municipally, to end union contracts, and look to private sector servicing.

If the Debt and Deficit was so important then one has to ask why it is dismissed today as the United States enters into a record Trillion dollar debt and deficit regime. It was not important, even at the time few voices on the left could challenge the right on this issue, they dominated the debate. And the left and cosil democratic left failed to mobilize an effective counter attack.

Ralph Klein explained it best when he said that Alberta had to renovate its house, used mortgage payments and personal debt to get the average person to understand this complex issue of Government bonds and high finance. What he forgot to mention was that Alberta's debt was incurred because his government had given a tax holiday to the oil industry for a decade after the collapse of the oil market in the crash of the eighties. That the deficit was a temporary phenomena, for 1993 only after that the govenment has run surpluses ever since.

The fact was that Government has always incurred debt, its called bonds, and bond financing. Governments borrow money and also issue bonds and debentures for investments, thus they are always in debt, either to the market place or their own citizens. It was the deficits though that allowed them to combine the immediate financial shortfalls with the long term debt that created the image of a government on the edge of economic collapse.

Of course what was not talked about but is apparent even again today, is that business operates on debt financing as well. While it hopes for quarterly gains, thus avoiding a deficit, in the eighties and ninties most business was in debt financing, thus allowing it vulnerablity to take over in the market. The rise of mergers and aquistions, the use of hedge funds and junk bonds reflected this economic vunerability. Since then buisnesses that restructered, reduced workers, sold off assests, and relabled themselves have been successful. They also now sit on piles of cash. Which is why you see them buying back their debt, their shares. Not all though as the collapse of America's number one business; GM shows.

What the right did was create a sturm and drang about Debt and Deficit around the world, the Big Lie. The reality was that it was an excuse to implement their plans to reinvent government.

As I wrote in 2004 about the Firearms registry, this reinvention of government in Canada focused not so much on government services in general but a specific service sector; computers and IT. The Firearms registry is the very example of why P3's are a failure.

The Liberals began the promotion of private-public partnerships (P3’s) and contracting out not based on any real economic analysis but based on popular business ideology. One of the areas the government saw, as perfect for outsourcing was its IT needs. The computer and information technology boom meant that the government could easily contract out these services rather than developing them in-house. Various departments began wholesale contracting out of IT services, including hardware purchasing and installation, computer programming and data base construction, as well as data inputting.

Unfortunately in their rush to privatize and outsource, they failed to develop a business plan that would allow for project oversight, and worse they failed to tender specific contracts for services. The government became a slush fund for private sector IT companies which were not the small computer companies of struggling entrepreneurs of the Wired generation, but large-scale corporate monopolies.

Such was the case with the Canadian Firearms Program, as is clearly shown by all the audit reports. In the case of the creation of the CFC, not only was the IT contracted out but also so was all the staff who did data intake, customer service and data input. The entire Centre is one large venture in private delivery of government services. Cost overruns occurred because of having “ multiple headquarters deployments (Edmonton and Ottawa) and processing sites (Montreal and Miramichi).�? These were staffed not by public sector workers, but by contracted out workers.

Management was the only area that was not contracted out, but in this case the management also did not have the knowledge or experience to oversee the IT component of creating a brand new data base for registering Canada’s gun owners.

In the years following that more and more contracting out was done for computer technology, software and hardware purchases. It was the mystique of the dot.com boom, of the Wired world, that somehow all this computer stuff was specialized knowledge, was too difficult and too costly for Government to procure and operate in the old model. A new model had to be adopted to deal with the risky business of high tech transformation of information.

The result was theft by monopolies providing services ,second rate equipment, purchasing over priced computers, creating outdated software, updating that same software, holding proprietary ownership over the software. It was bait and switch, the largest swindle in history, and it was all wrapped up in the great Dot.Com boom of here comes the future. The government of Canada bought it hook line and stinker. And it has cost taxpayers billions not only in the failure of the Firearms registry, but in other sectors as well, where ever government bought computers or software, they contracted this out, earning third parties enormous profits at taxpayer expense. Some of those third parties turned out to be their own managers!

Such was the case with the Department of Defense scandal in 2004.

Ex-DND employee being sued over billing scandal

Updated Thu. Aug. 12 2004 7:03 AM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

Paul Champagne, an Ottawa man who claims his wealth comes from the stock market, is being sued by the federal government and Hewlett-Packard.

They allege the former Department of National Defence employee stole over $100 million of taxpayers' money and they want to recover some of it.

But the fact remains that Champagne's signature appears on cheques he personally received from military computer sub-contractors. CTV saw one such cheque that was for $95,000.

"He was telling people the contracts were all top secret military work so no one really knew what was going on except Paul Champagne," said investigative journalist Andrew McIntosh of the National Post.

In court documents, the government and Hewlett-Packard allege that over a 10-year period, Champagne stole over $100 million using a phony invoice scheme.


Ex-DND employee's signing authority questioned
By Scott Foster, Ottawa Business Journal Staff
Mon, Aug 30, 2004 12:00 AM EST

Gordon O'Connor, defence critic for the Conservative Party, has said the Champagne case brings into question the system of checks and balances within DND.

But Howard Grant, founding partner and president of Ottawa-based Partnering and Procurement Inc., said the Champagne case is an isolated event and should not colour the public's opinion of public servants.

"The majority of public servants work hard and do their best to provide a good service to the public. We have tarred all public servants with the same brush and, in essence, told them we don't trust them."

Public servants must deal with a lot of rules designed to protect them from appearing to favour particular private sector vendors, said Mr. Grant.

However, some of those rules actually hinder public servants from making sensible business decisions, he added.

For example, if the government needs a small piece of business done quickly, public servants still have to tender to at least three companies, which is a "prolonged and expensive process for both the government and the vendors", Mr. Grant said.

"Vendors are unwilling to spend, for example, $3,000 to have a hope of winning a $20,000 contract. Approval processes leave projects hopelessly delayed before they even get started," said Mr. Grant.

Another example is when the government has selected a private sector vendor to do the first part of a project and then is unable to contract with that same vendor to do the next stage without again going out to at least three companies, he said.

"Assuming the private sector company has done a good job on the first phase, switching companies mid-project just doesn't make sense."

Currently, the system causes procurement officers to use "work-arounds" to achieve the outcome that was "the sensible decision" in the first place, said Mr. Grant.

"We see procurement officers having to split a large contract into several small ones because the approval processes to select one vendor are just so cumbersome.

"So sometimes when procurement officers are seen to be breaking the rules, they are actually doing so to get their projects underway and are improving the service to the public by saving time and money."

Mr. Grant believes the system needs an overhaul but said the government needs to move away from task forces that discuss the issues and move toward making "tangible changes that will support those public servants who want to be both accountable and do a good job for their departments and the public".

I am not the only one that has raised this issue of the Gun Registry Boondoogle being a failure of contracting out Computer and IT services. After I published my article this appeared at Baselinemag.com
July 1, 2004
Canada Firearms: Armed Robbery
By Mel Duvall


Nor am I the only one who is concerned that the increasing use of P3 models for government delivery of services, now including the sell off and lease back of Federal Buildings done under the Martin government, with barely a peep out of the Conservatives when in opposition (kind of hard to oppose an ideological position you promote).

Oracle of Ottawa has an interesting take on Department of Defense Contracting Out, the Bomarck Missile and P3's.


Part 6 - Outsourcing - Public Sector

My main concern about outsourcing in Public Sector IT is that it relinquishes much of any advantage and control IT provides the Public Sector. Once you outsource any Public Service activity you relinquish control to the Private sector which does not have the same focus as the Public Sector.

It's not in the Private Sector's interest to debate the merits of IT requirements with a Government client. The Private Sector ideal is to please it's Public Sector client by accepting whatever modifications may occur whether they be practical or not. The Bomarc is the best example of how we lose control of our Sovereignty once the Government outsources Public Services to another entity Corporate or otherwise.

Corporate entities do not have the same overall objectives or controls as the Public Sector. The trend in Government to outsource is very disconcerting as it's an abdication of the role of Government to Private interests. I don't know about you, but I have read so many news items of Government records and personal information landing up in open waste containers. I just shudder to think what would happen should a Government IT network be compromised.

I have deep concerns of what type of controls would be given to Private Sector employees having access to confidential Government information.

I don't know about you, but I have read so many news items of paper tax records and personal information landing up in open waste containers. I just shudder to think what would happen should an Government IT network be compromised containing millions of sensitive files.

I have deep concerns of what kind of controls would be given to a Private Sector employee have in access to Government confidential information.

Who does the Private sector employee report to, his Private sector Corporate employer or the Government ?

Unlike the Bomarc scenario, Government still controls IT in the Public Sector.

Do we really want a repeat performance of relinquishing control in such a sensitive area ?

The few dollars we save will cost us much more sometime down the road.

Where is the Internet Going ?

Part 5 - Outsourcing - Private Sector



*Footnote:
In the United States the term used is Neo-Conservative, as if this new form of State Capitalism stripped of it's Keyensianism is somehow a return to pre-FDR Republicanism. In Europe they use the term Neo-Liberalism, which is far more descriptive, but because Amercians literally go apoplectic over the term liberal, the term they use is neo-con to describe themselves. What it is simply is the reduction of state delivered services in favour of the state paying for private delivery of services, and the reduction of government regulation (bueracrcy) in the market place.




Also see Privatization


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