Friday, December 31, 2010

Daily Digest December 31, 2010


The DAILY DIGEST: INFORMATION and OPINION from ST. JOHN'S to VICTORIA.
ARCHIVED at http://cdndailydigest.blogspot.com/

EDITORIAL PAGEs

ST.JOHN'S TELEGRAM -
Crowned leader
http://www.thetelegram.com/Opinion/Editorial/2010-12-31/article-2083101/Crowned-leader/1

CORNER BROOK WESTERN STAR -
And on we roll
http://www.thewesternstar.com/Opinion/Columns/2010-12-31/article-2082363/And-on-we-roll/1

CHARLOTTETOWN GUARDIAN -
Predictions? Snow, rain, sun block – and elections
http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/Opinion/Columns/2010-12-31/article-2082104/Predictions%3F-Snow%2C-rain%2C-sun-block-%26ndash%3B-and-elections/1

CAPE BRETON POST -
For auld lang syne
http://www.capebretonpost.com/Opinion/Editorial/2010-12-30/article-2082138/For-auld-lang-syne/1

HALIFAX CHRONICLE HERALD -
Hard times ahead
http://thechronicleherald.ca/Editorials/1219636.html

AMHERST DAILY NEWS -
A promise is still a promise
http://www.amherstdaily.com/Opinion/Editorials/2010-12-29/article-2079458/A-promise-is-still-a-promise/1

SAINT JOHN TELEGRAPH-JOURNAL -
Canada's big debt dilemma
http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/opinion/article/1366456

MONTREAL GAZETTE -
Haiti's long agony continues unabated
http://www.montrealgazette.com/opinion/Haiti+long+agony+continues+unabated/3911430/story.html

OTTAWA CITIZEN -
Hope for the new year
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/opinion/editorials/Hope+year/4044039/story.html
Ghosts of predictions past
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/opinion/op-ed/Ghosts+predictions+past/4044043/story.html

OTTAWA SUN -
Good riddance to 2010
http://www.ottawasun.com/comment/editorial/2010/12/30/16713761.html
'We the people' are not amused
http://www.ottawasun.com/comment/columnists/michael_harris/2010/12/30/16713896.html
Free drugs for inmates?
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Politics/2010/12/30/16712386.html

KINGSTON WHIG STANDARD-
Good judges of character
http://www.thewhig.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2911165

BELLEVILLE INTELLIGENCER -
Have a great New Year's, but don't drink and drive
http://www.intelligencer.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2910859

TORONTO STAR -
Darts and laurels: Star's annual year-end picks
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/article/913933--darts-and-laurels-star-s-annual-year-end-picks
Banned words list for 2011 includes 'viral,' 'epic,' a dozen others
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/914146--banned-words-list-for-2011-includes-viral-epic-a-dozen-others
Halt corporate tax cuts, Liberals say
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/913988--halt-corporate-tax-cuts-liberals-say
Ottawa clamps down on immigrants found cheating
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/914035--ottawa-clamps-down-on-immigrants-found-cheating

GLOBE & MAIL -
New cigarette warnings are a necessary message from the dead
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/editorials/new-cigarette-warnings-are-a-necessary-message-from-the-dead/article1853706/
It's time for the 'falling on my sword' ritual
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/opinion/its-time-for-the-falling-on-my-sword-ritual/article1853703/
Pariah products will always find their way
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/opinion/pariah-products-will-always-find-their-way/article1853699/
New site sought for government command centre during emergency
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/new-site-sought-for-government-command-centre-during-emergency/article1853806/

NATIONAL POST -
National Post editorial board: A modest wish list for 2011
http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2010/12/31/national-post-editorial-board-a-modest-wish-list-for-2001/
Gary Clement: 2010 from A to Z
http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2010/12/31/gary-clement-2010-from-a-to-z/
Paul Russell: Why write letters? Here are 40 reasons
http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2010/12/31/paul-russell-why-write-letters-here%e2%80%99s-40-reasons/
Dan Gardner: Castro lives to defy another pundit
http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2010/12/31/dan-gardner-castro-lives-to-defy-another-pundit/
Lawrence Solomon: 75 climate scientists think humans contribute to global warming
http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2010/12/30/lawrence-solomon-75-climate-scientists-think-humans-contribute-to-global-warming/
Liberal MP brushes off talk of early election
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/index.html#ixzz19i0zQxMx
Year in Ideas: Social networking and the end of privacy
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/index.html#ixzz19i1ie6eW
Year in Ideas: Unlocking the night's secrets
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/Year+Ideas+Unlocking+night+secrets/4038263/story.html

HAMILTON SPECTATOR -
What is a journalist?
http://www.thespec.com/opinion/article/307840--what-is-a-journalist
Be, become, be fulfilled, be happy, be whole
http://www.thespec.com/opinion/columns/article/307385--be-become-be-fulfilled-be-happy-be-whole
Turn past negatives into future positives
http://www.thespec.com/opinion/columns/article/307381--turn-past-negatives-into-future-positives

K-W RECORD -
A coming year of new political possibilities
http://www.therecord.com/opinion/columns/article/305047--a-coming-year-of-new-political-possibilities

THUNDER BAY CHRONICLE JOURNAL -
What a year it has been
http://www.chroniclejournal.com/editorial/daily_editorial/2010-12-31/what-year-it-has-been

WINNIPEG FREE PRESS -
The baby boom reaches retirement age
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/westview/the-baby-boom-reaches-retirement-age-112711669.html
Spring election? Only if Iggy wants to go pop
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/westview/spring-election-only-if-iggy-wants-to-go-pop-112711649.html
Internet addiction treatable, sort of
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/westview/internet-addiction-treatable-sort-of-112711634.html
Big Canada Pension Plan reform not needed
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/westview/big-canada-pension-plan-reform-not-needed-112711574.html

EDMONTON JOURNAL -
2010? On balance not a bad year
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/opinion/editorials/2010+balance+year/4044650/story.html
 To cut, or not to cut: Ted, Jim a pair of Hamlets?
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/opinion/editorials/pair+Hamlets/4040573/story.html

LETHBRIDGE HERALD -
That was 2010; more of the same in 2011?
http://www.lethbridgeherald.com/opinions/that-was-2010-more-of-the-same-in-2011-123110.html

RED DEER ADVOCATE -
Doing better next year
http://www.albertalocalnews.com/reddeeradvocate/opinion/Doing_better_next_year_112678014.html

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN -
Backward glances
http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/article/20101230/PRINCEGEORGE0302/312309973/backward-glances

VANCOUVER SUN -
In sum, 2010 was a wash for all parties in federal politics
http://www2.canada.com/vancouversun/news/editorial/story.html?id=72bee8e6-c54e-4a93-bd14-50fa9289b787

VICTORIA TIMES-COLONIST -
Honoured for right reasons
http://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/Honoured+right+reasons/4045018/story.html
Resolutions that really matter
http://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/Resolutions+that+really+matter/4045017/story.html


OPINION AND INFORMATION -
INFOS -
VENDREDI 31 DÉCEMBRE 2010
BELOW(30)(30)(30)(30)(30)30)(30)(30)(30)(30)(30)30)(30)(30)(30)(30)(30)30)(30)(30)(30)(30)(30)(30)(30)(30)30)(30)(30)(30)(30)30)30)(30)(30)(30)(30)(30)(30)(30)

IF YOU'VE DRUNK, DON'T DRIVE

I never had to face the choice, never having learned how to drive.
When a youth and double dating what value in driving? NONE!

Most reading this will wonder why their time is spent on a truism.

It is this.  If this be the admonition that leads one of our number
to bury ego, to think of potential consequences for family and
others and hire a cab or get a ride home with friends, its worth our while


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From: Rebecca Gingrich
_______
Subject: criminals need illegal drugs and needles on our dime
A woman in Cambridge Ontario died because she could not afford the drugs to keep her cancer at bay, but our tax dollars will be used to enable these convicts to use illegal drugs?  Is this not enabling them to break the law, or does that law only apply to the rest of us?  If they only need needles where are they getting the heroin from?  Convicts already get instant and complete medical care while the rest of us suffer wait times.  Maybe the only thing we can do is to become criminals?  I can understand why the Liberals would want this implemented--likes attract???
becky

Free drugs for inmates?
http://www.torontosun.com/news/canada/2010/12/30/16712391.html

_______
Subject: C36/NWO!!!!

  Hundreds of herbal products to be outlawed across EU in early 2011
http://www.naturalnews.com/030873_EU_directive_medicinal_herbs.html

===================================
From: Robert Ede
Subject: The GG may 'dare to tread' wherever S/He wishes -- BNA/Constitution
To: "Letters (National Post)" <letters-2@nationalpost.com>
Cc: Governor General <Info@gg.ca>, Rt Hon Stephen Harper <pm@pm.gc.ca>
 
 
Perhaps you will see
an epiphany re:
the BNA's kind of GGee.
 
Dear NatPost Editor, Ladies & Gentlemen of the Editorial Board

Your Editorial Board's comments re: the new GG's desire to influence policy demonstrate they (& most Canadians) are forgetting that the Canadian governance model is "similar in principle" to the UK (of 1867) and by that very definition, not identical or 'the same'.

HRH Elizabeth II has defined her role in the UK as "to be consulted, to encourage & to warn" in alignment with their system of (actual) Ministerial Responsibility, where the Monarch is held faultless and any reversals or errors in policy are atoned for by the resignation of the "recommending" ministry/minister.
In Canada, it's quite different, albeit 'similar', the Monarch**, the Governor General and Privy Council are the Executive Power, BNA ss.9-13, the Upper & Lower House are merely the patrician and plebeian arms of the Legislative Power. 
 
**In 1867 (and now) the Privy Council of the UK (styled as Monarch-in-Council) held(holds) all the powers of the Monarch in their country ....  but since 1982, the Queen-of-Canada is no longer bound to be 'in-council' by virtue of the Canada Act 1982, (U.K.) 1982, c. 11. (Endnote #80)  NB. appreciating this aspect is key to the difference between the "similarities" and to understanding the thrust of this letter.**

The as-written BNA explicitly describes the Monarch's veto over all Canadian Acts (Disallowance + the Signification of Reserved Bills) and the Governor General's powers (as an individual, and/or with Advice and/or Consent s.12 vs s.13) to Withhold or Reserve Royal Assent in ss. 55-57 and further the Lt Governors' powers to Withhold or Reserve Assent on provincial Bills + the GG-in-Council's power to Disallow any provincial bills and signify any Reserved provincial Bills( s.90).
So, the question is NOT the new Vice-Regal's openly-declared feistiness, but the public (and pundits') lack of knowledge on the prescient design of Canada's hierarchical system of checks and balances.
 
IMHO, Canada's much-discussed 'Democratic Deficit' is actually a "Popular-Sovereignty Deficit" based on the fact that we are NOT FOLLOWING the provisions of our as-written Constitution. Our blithe indifference-towards this blatant defiance of the highest law and our apparent lack of engagement regarding the political process is based on not-knowing what we don't-know!
 
After years of being conditioned to be benign(ly) neglect(ful) and we just continue to put up with it. We don't even bother to search for the root of the problem .... even when it's right under our noses.
 
Perhaps you will see
an epiphany re:
the BNA's kind of GGee.
 
Endorsement by thee
just might possibly
save us from more misery

 
 Similarly, on your point about "turf treading":

Our Constitutional Monarchy system indeed has an elected (democratic) element, purposely-termed the Lower House (notwithstanding frequent gerrymanderish and preferential amendments to the ss.51-52 on districts of representation), but the s.17 composition of our 'One Parliament' includes the Monarch and the Upper House.

Therefore, contrary to your Board's heartfelt cautions regarding the GG's mandate and regardless of the wide-spread nescience concerning the as-written provisions for the operation of the ConFederal government, the Governor General can (and should) tread wherever S/He wishes.

With this information about the as-written mandate of the GG, then it changes the thinking about "who" could/should be selected as the Recommendation to the Queen for Governor General and "how" to select the person to be recommended.
My choice? Elect-at-Large the GG simultaneous with every-other General Election, with a term starting 365 days after the return of the Writs. Whoever wins is the recommendation.
 
In addition, the 'Kick-off' of initial GG election campaign and every GG investiture should include a public reading of the applicable provisions of the BNA/Constitution Acts and the Letters Patent of 1947.

Soon thereafter, I'm confident the Rt Hon Wn L M King's Order in Council P.C. 1940-1121 will be rescinded ('twas craftily enacted between the death & and arrival of GG's in 1940) and the Privy Council can be restored to the Executive Power and the Lower House's Leader's and members can go back to being an assembly of popular representatives making and debating recommendations on behalf of their constituents, without all the limiting bother of party-discipline and constant party-re-election financing functions.

Perhaps too the never-adjusted $4,000.00 property-ownership and net-worth qualifications/disqualifications for Senators ( s.23 & 31)can be adjusted-for-inflation ... thus re-establishing the Upper House's original role as representatives of the taxpaying-class.

I blame no one for not-knowing these facts.... except our teachers and those who instructed these teachers what not to teach.

May it be a Happy  (and epiphanous) New Year
rce
 
Robert Ede
Thornhill ON

Plain Language (annotated) BNA/Constitution Act

===================================
From: alan heisey <hize@earthlink.net>
 
i dare to think that my assessment of the considerations in electoral 
justice is ahead of where the party's is! cz

Publisher is Alan Heisey, 38 Avoca Avenue, L.P.H #6, Toronto, ON, 
Canada, M4T 2B9,    Phone 416 923 5381, 239 513 0444, 705 756 3289. 
From dreary Toronto!

Publisher comments

Under the catchphrase of "ONE ˆPERSON"
I urge fellow G.T.A. residents to address the urgent need to reform 
electoral legislation!

I set out this statement as a life-long, active member of the federal 
and provincial Progressive Conservative, and Conservative parties, 
very concerned at the century-long reality of weakening the political 
equality of the individual person.

There has been too little attention paid to the impact of the upcoming 
national 2011 Census on the political rights of all Canadian, more 
particularly the inadequate rights of urban dwellers everywhere across 
the country!

When the census results are available provincial re-districting 
commissions will be required by law in every province to set about 
revising numbers and boundaries of electoral districts. Particularly 
in Ontario, where the great majority of federal and provincial 
constituencies adhere to the same boundaries it is essential that more 
attention is paid now to what revisions are desirable toward more 
equitable election processes

At this particular time in the political calendar the structure of the 
nation’s governing party, The Conservative Party of Canada, is open 
to a far-ranging review by its national membership, through the 
mechanism of the 308 local constituencies, culminating in a massive 
voting process at the party’s generally-biennial conventions, next 
scheduled for June 2011 in Ottawa.

In that connection the party has distributed widely, and through its 
national web site, the text of the policy positions previously adopted 
in November 2008. It is my considered opinion that its statement on 
Electoral Reform, reproduced here, is profoundly inadequate and needs 
the most far-reaching examination by party members and others.

“The Conservative Party believes the discussion of possible changes 
to the electoral system is valuable in a healthy democracy.
i) In reviewing options for electoral reform, we believe the 
government should not endorse any new electoral system that will 
weaken the link between Members of Parliament and their constituents, 
that will create unmanageably large ridings, or that will strengthen 
the control of the party machinery over individual Members of 
Parliament.
ii) A national referendum should be held prior to implementing any 
future electoral reform proposal.”

“Others”,  in my opinion, who should be examining this statement 
include firstly the members of the provincial Progressive Conservative 
Party of Ontario, and other provincial counterparts, as well as other 
political parties, and the general public, because of the looming 
decennial census and the immediate, direct impact on the political 
authority of the individual person and the country as a whole.

For lay members of my own party the requirements of due process have 
set a (probably too arbitrary) deadline of January 31, 2011 for 
individual electoral districts to forward considered resolutions 
affect the constitution and policy of the party and through it the 
national government of Canada.

I sound an alarm that there are profound matters of individual rights 
which local Conservative constituencies need to address directly and 
powerfully and urgently if they are to influence decisions which will 
arise thereafter affecting the makeup of the parliament of the country 
for the whole of the next census-decade.

Therefore I charge the board of directors of my own St. Paul’s 
Conservative Electoral District Association with the responsibility of 
convening a meeting or meetings of themselves and ideally our general 
membership to assess which of the profound options open to them they 
might choose to address by way of a resolution to the national 
convention in June of this next year.

I suggest the other 40+ G.T.A. Conservative electoral district 
associations that they will be remiss in their duties if they fail to 
give their members opportunities to address electoral issues while 
their time to have opinions count.

Here are some aspects of present electoral policies which I recommend 
be reformed:

1. The comparative importance of one person one vote in determining 
the population size of individual ridings.: This concept is the 
single, rigorously honoured arithmetic principle in determining the 
population of all but a very few of the 435 congressional electoral 
districts in the United States, with population variances remarkably 
close to 1%, between them all!  The pattern was established in the 
1960’s and thereafter by the Warren Supreme Court. (This is not to 
suggest my endorsement of the brazen gerrymandering of electoral 
district boundaries by state politicians to reap partisan advantage!)
Earlier this year the government of Great Britain announced that it 
was going to re-district constituencies to ensure that population 
variances are not more than 5% above or below the national average.
The Canadian Supreme Court has established the concept of “effective 
representation”. In practice this remarkably subjective process gives 
major importance to population but considers nine other factors  as 
well. In practice the Canadian supreme court allows population 
variances of plus or minus 25% from the average, or more in certain 
cases. This policy has consistently led to smaller populations in 
rural ridings, discriminating in the process against the interests of 
the urban dweller in equal voting authority. More pointedly, in 
contrast to the U.S. or the U.K. Canada today has 22 constituencies of 
the 308 total with populations of from 26 ,000, to 68,000 while 
permitting upsides of up to 170,000!
I recommend that our party more clearly endorse population as much the 
single most important consideration, with variances of not more than 
5% from the norm to allow for any other considerations.

2.  How closely voters choose to live to each other was a major 
consideration at cconfederation nearly a century and a half ago, 
because of the difficulties and costs of communications and 
transportation, principally for the M.P., and also for constituents. 
This led to outlying “ridings” (as on horseback) having populations 
as little as 60% or less of the national average.
Today communication is effectively instant and transportation 
innovations have shrunken days’ travel times to hours. I suggest that 
where one chooses to live, in relation to neighbours or communities, 
can no longer discriminate against the pensioner in the city tenement 
in favour of the gold miner on the outback. Thus within Ontario 
(alone, some examples elsewhere are more extreme) the near 20% 
discrimination in favour of the ten northern constituencies’  
political power can no longer be justified by realities changed 
greatly by the passage of more than four generations!

3. Perpetuity in political negotiations is an implied, but not 
articulated element in  constitutional, judicial and political 
decisions on representation which distort individual equity. As an 
inducement to join confederation four seats for the miniscule 
population of Prince Edward Island was seen at the time as a 
reasonable deal! But the passage of the decades makes that seem a 
heavy burden to place on the backs of generations to come forever! I 
make the case that such perqs need to shrink, predictably, to equality 
with all other Canadians.

4. The presumed sanctity of urban and provincial boundaries are 
overdone, to the detriment of the individual person. Particularly in 
the case of boundaries across contiguous lands, one wonders why, if 
the largest city in the country can accept federal and provincial 
contituency boundaries which do not match its own defined municipal 
boundaries, that individual, smaller provinces must have their own 
demarked lines of authority determine the boundaries of federal 
constitutencies!

5. “Bloat!” Among the characteristics of the American congressional 
system carefully ignored in Canadian discussions is the shifting of 
congressional seats with flows in population. Thus in recent decades 
with shifts from northern states to southern states the number of 
congressional districts within each state rise and fall in careful 
proportion to population shifts.
Whille this was at one time the case in Canada a simple parliamentary 
vote in 1985 ended the practice of shrinking the number of seats as a 
province’s population dropped as  a percentage of the nation’s 
total. Thus one calculation says that there is a bloat of 18 more 
M.P.s holding seats, compliments of this virtual gerrymandering, than 
are justified by population realities. (One analysis pegs the 
distribution of these unjustified seats as 5 for Saskatchewan, 4 
Manitoba, 7 Quebec and 1 each N.S. and NL! All quite separate from the 
senate floor provision which gives N.S. 2, N.L. 1 and P.E.I. 3! )
 The first implication of this never-considered bloat is the 
additional expense to taxpayers. The contemporary M.P., before add-ons 
from parliamentary secretaryships or elevations to the cabinet draws a 
handsome salary and expenses plus superior pensions, travel, second 
residence allowances, and offices with secretaries in at least two 
locations.
The larger implication, quite skipped over in current pleas to 
maintain present numbers of seats in all  7 provinces which cannot 
justify increases as Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia can, is the 
additional distortions of voting power which will follow when the 
government finally makes clear what its proposed number of possibly 
elected, regional senate seats might be!
The reason the 1985 legislation came into existence of course, was 
that the prime minister of the day did not want to lose safe seats, 
and there was much more fear in Ottawa of losing that existing, known, 
regional seat, than plaudits for transfering that extra, unpredictable 
seat to a growing province!

6. Parliamentary productivity. While not often raised in our 
country’s newspapers, the much more widespread travel of Canadians to 
the U.S. has made many aware that Americans’ 10 times greater 
population functions with only 435 members of the house of 
representatives and 100 senators!
To address the too-long-tolerated disparities within our current 
practices the present government plans to add som 30 new M.P.s. rather 
than looking hard-nosed at the bloat and productivity factors.
It would be a filip for lower taxes to have Conservative 
constituencies in the country’s urban ridings make the case that the 
present total number of members and senators are probably more than 
enough, right now!, and some tough choices should better be made on 
the whole subject!

7. Runoff ballotting. Within the terms of “electoral reform” new 
consideration might well be given to runoff ballotts within individual 
electoral districts until one candidate has a clear 50% of the 
voters’ mandates. This avoids the incredible loss of accountability 
which preferential ballots entail, which is among the reasons that 63% 
of Ontario voters rejected that concept in a province-wide referendum 
recently.
But it also answers the complaint of marginal parties’ voters that 
their votes do not count! In runoff ballotting everybody ends up 
voting for the exact winner or one of the close losers!

A consideration about process. In the 19 days since I wrote a member 
of the national policy committee as to what distribution there would 
be of a powerful new manual detailing our party's excellent "Policy 
Review and Development Process" I have not had an acknowledgement, 
let alone an answer! But the processes are in place and working and 
provide proven mechanisms for caring local Conservative associations 
to recommend, and eventually influence party and national policies.
(A policy director of a local e.d.a. who has not received a copy of 
the document suggests scanning and mailing it to the "worm" list of 
2,000+. Naughty! )

===================================
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