Swift Current NDP News

A Canadian soldier was among the ones killed when a helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan. Read about it here. This brings the total Canadians killed to 56 Canadian soldiers and 1 diplomat.

What is wrong with the federal Conservatives anyway? They still refuse to admit that Harper lied about Equalization payments to Saskatchewan during the election. Angela Hall from the Regina Leader Post looks at Equalization again in an article called "Equalization: great deal or election lie?" Whether it was an election lie should not be in question. It was an election lie, plain and simple. It said in the Conservative's own pamphlets that 100 percent of oil and gas revenue would be excluded in the calculations. There were no caveats, there was no "unless" statement, it was there to purchase votes. Once the Conservatives got the power that they desired, they decided to ignore the promise made to the Saskatchewan people. What Harper failed to realize is that our elected officials would surely stand up for the communities that they represent right? Surely Conservative MP Carol Skelton would say that she wouldn't rest until Saskatchewan was given what they were promised right? Wrong!

In an open letter late last week, National Revenue Minister Carol Skelton, MP for Saskatoon-Rosetown-Biggar, said the federal budget gave Saskatchewan $878 million in new money, more per capita than any other province.

OK, so she is trying to distract us from the fact that Harper lied by talking about something we would be getting anyway. It is sort of like someone getting stopped for DUI and explaining to the officer that they had paid all of their outstanding parking tickets. It's great that they paid their parking tickets, but one has nothing to do with the other. Well maybe Gerry "Harper is so dreamy" Ritz will stand up for the people who elected him.

Battlefords-Lloydminster MP Gerry Ritz echoed the sentiment during debate at the House of Commons Monday.

"(Premier Lorne Calvert) is getting the best deal of any premier in this country, more new dollars per capita than anyone else," Ritz said during question period in Ottawa.

Nope! "But officer, did I mention that I purchased raffle tickets to support the police force?" The sorry attempts by the Saskatchewan Conservative MPs at slight-of-hand with the truth would make any amateur magician blush. I wonder what our representative, David Anderson, has to say on the subject? Probably something like "Harper is my god, and he is allowed to lie because he is infallible...oh, and screw the farmers and the Canadian Wheat Board!"

Let's ask Harry Van Mulligan what the real story is.

But provincial NDP Government Relations Minister Harry Van Mulligen has argued the $878 million figure is misleading, and in no way meets an election commitment that would deliver an estimated $800 million in annual funding to Saskatchewan through equalization payments.

"One of the things I've learned in the bit of experience I've had in public relations is that you can advertise a horse's rear end all you want, but at the end of the day you still have a horse's rear end," Van Mulligen said Tuesday.

According to a breakdown from his department, 85 per cent of the $878 million is one-time funds.

Some of the money is the province's share of national programs and -- while there is funding for worthwhile projects -- it isn't a "special deal" for Saskatchewan, Van Mulligen said.

A breakdown from the province of some of the $878 million coming from Ottawa includes $250 million for Saskatchewan's share of new federal investments in agriculture, $180 million for a biofuel project if it proceeds, $87 million for income tax reductions, $48 million for infrastructure, $45 million for the province's share of the EcoTrust program, and $10 million for the Canadian Police Research Centre.

"A fair amount of this money, 60 per cent, is not going to the provincial government to put towards priorities of Saskatchewan people," Van Mulligen said.

Well, that makes sense. We were promised that funding anyway. Once Gerry Ritz heard this, he probably responded thusly "and officer, did I mention how your uniform really brings the blue out in your eyes?"

Stephen "horse's rear end" Harper needs to simply come clean. Just admit that you lied. He could even say that he had every intention of fulfilling the promise, but when he actually got ahold of the funding, he realized that it wasn't realistic. He should explain why it isn't viable. Talk to us like adults. Show us some respect. Don't insult our intelligence by denying that you promised something that we have in print, on audio, and on video. Don't get your insane "minions" to tell the people of Saskatchewan to shut up and be happy with whatever Harper throws us.

Be an adult. Just admit it already!

A Canadian soldier was killed by an IED near Kandahar today. Read about it here. This brings the total Canadians killed in Afghanistan to 55 Canadian soldiers and 1 diplomat.

Congratulations to Gary Doer and the Manitoba NDP for forming a majority government for a third consecutive time.

When I heard on the news, and read in the paper that some Saskatchewan Party MLAs chanted "Na na na na...Hey Hey Goodbye!" at the end of the session last week, I couldn't believe it. It flabbergasted me. That these maturity challenged cretins would soil the legislature with tactics that would make a 10 year old cringe. What the hell is wrong with them? In what dimension of reality did these pieces of excrement's excrement believe that it is okay to sing a classless taunting chant, that is embarrassing when used at a hockey game, in the legislature?

In my opinion, this is far worse than if they flipped the NDP the bird or gave the "up yours" arm gesture. These gestures tend to be given in the heat of emotion, and are quick to do, so one may almost involuntarily perform them. But to sing a refrain from a song, that takes commitment. It isn't quick. It isn't in the heat of debate. It is a vicious, conscious, totally classless act of childish immature arrogance. The fact that the reports said that more than one Saskatchewan Party member was involved is even more disturbing. This wasn't a spontaneous act of a lone Saskatchewan Party member done in the heat of debate, it was a group of members participating in a despicable act of unbelievable arrogance and classlessness. Is this how the Saskatchewan Party wishes the Saskatchewan public, Canada, and the world to perceive them? To be seen as a bunch of immature, classless, arrogant brats? Is this the "change" that the Saskatchewan Party is talking about? From respected government to disrespectful, arrogant, immature government?

This is embarrassing to every person who is currently residing in Saskatchewan, or ever resided here, because MLAs represent us. There is no excuse for this action...none. They consciously belittled the sitting government, and all of the people who voted for them. They couldn't have acted more disrespectfully if they had spit on Premier Calvert himself. In Pee Wee hockey games, or football games, the two opposing teams meet after the game and respectfully shake hands. These Saskatchewan Party MLAs taunt their opposition instead of showing respect for their service...and the Saskatchewan Party hasn't won anything! How will these dung-heaps act if they are the actual ruling government? This is how seriously these MLAs take public service, they equate it to being fans in the stands of a sporting event. They think that governing the province is a game, to be won and not earned. Well, maybe they weren't thinking at all...and that is much worse.

What does this behavior show the rest of Canada, and the rest of the world? How can we garner respect if we don't show respect to those we don't agree with? The Saskatchewan people deserve to know which of our elected representatives haven't yet achieved the maturity of a grade 5 or 6 child.

It is time for Brad Wall to be a leader of his party. It is time for him to denounce these members and force them to apologize and then step down from their seats. It is time for him to prove to the youth of this province that disgraceful behavior such as this among our elected representatives will not be tolerated in a civil society. This is a rare opportunity for Brad Wall to show that he can be a great leader. It is his opportunity to show Canada and the World that he is a person of class and integrity, and demands that his colleagues be held to the same standard. That is, of course, assuming that he disapproves of the actions. For all I know, Brad Wall was one of the ones singing.

Is there anyone out there who believes that behavior such as this, by elected officials of any stripe, is acceptable? If you voted for the Saskatchewan Party in the last election, it is time for you to step up as well. I hope that you are as embarrassed about this as I was with some of the actions of the NDP. And I hope that you will let "your" party know (as I have done with mine) that when they act with such disgracefulness, it is unacceptable to you. Remember that elected officials are mirrors of the ones who voted for them. Call Brad Wall's office and demand accountability. After all, Mr. Wall is the apparent leader of the Saskatchewan Party. Or is he simply the babysitter?

According to this article;

The rate of teen pregnancies in Canada has hit an all-time low and has fallen more dramatically than in the United States and England over the last three decades, says new research published Wednesday.

This is good news. A decrease in unwanted teen pregnancies results in a decrease in abortions. Now why are teen pregnancies down? Is it abstinence only education? Is it because abortion is illegal? Of course not. Abortion is not illegal, and, for the most part, we don't teach abstinence only. So what is the cause? According to Alex McKay, author of the study published in the Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality;

The findings suggest young women are better informed and have greater access to contraception than ever before, said Alex McKay, author of the study published in the Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality -- though it does not mean teens are less sexually active or routinely engaging in safer sex.

"The current generation of teenage women in Canada is more knowledgeable about sexual and reproductive health than any previous generation. And that's a progressive phenomenon," he said in an interview. "Basically it reflects the increasing opportunities and capacities for young women to control their sexual and reproductive health to a greater extent than ever before."

It's been said by many people many times, "Knowledge is Power". You can't stop behavior by simply punishing it. You need to educate people as to why the behavior is destructive and how they can avoid the destructive consequences. Unwanted pregnancies and abortions are down because we have given Women control over their bodies not in spite of it. I know, those of you who want sexual education out of the schools, availability of contraception diminished, and abortion to be made illegal, will stick to your convictions. Don't let pesky facts and statistics get in the way of your non-sensicle ideology.

This article in the Regina Leader Post mentions that both the NDP and the Saskatchewan Party are considering more oversight and transparency over the government funding provided to MLA Caucuses.

NDP MLA Kevin Yates, a member of the legislature's board of internal economy, said the government would be supportive of changes that would see the provincial auditor audit caucus funds.

As well, the government "would have no difficulty" with caucuses being brought in line with the disclosure rules for government departments, which must make public their payments to employees and suppliers that exceed $50,000.

It's about time! We, the taxpaying public, pay for these caucus expenses, so we should know where the funds are going. For example, in the article it mentions that;

In this year's provincial budget the Saskatchewan Party received $1,110,000 while the NDP caucus received $596,000.

What? Why did the Saskatchewan Party recieve nearly double the amount of our money for their caucus than the party that is actually in power? It must have been all of the campaign commercials and mail-out cards that they sent out. Isn't it nice to know that our tax dollars are being used so that the Saskatchewan Party can attack the incumbent government by putting down our fine province. If I wanted to contribute to the Saskatchewan Party's campaign fund, I would do it directly. No party should be able to use our tax dollars to campaign, unless we bring in publicly funded elections.

Maybe we should. All taxpayers appear to be contributing to the Sask Party's campaign anyway, maybe we should fund the entire thing. That would level the playing field. All of the Corporate Alberta money that the Sask Party is counting on to warp reality in its next election campaign would not be allowed. Each candidate would be allowed a certain amount of money to spend on their election bid. I like it. Let's take all of the Corporate money out of our democracy.

I wonder if the two parties would agree?

I don't often agree with Regina Leader Post columnist Murray Mandryk, but I think that he was on to something in this article. In this article, he points out that both the government and the opposition have been less than forthcoming with the truth. He points out:

But as unacceptable as it is for governments to either withhold information or downright mislead the public, it's worth noting most of those in the federal Conservative and provincial NDP caucuses are fighting for their political lives. Desperate times spawn desperate acts.

But what would be the excuse for an opposition party already 25 points ahead in the polls to be anything other than absolutely truthful? And if you're already twisting the truth while you're in opposition, what are you going to like after a few years in government?

This is what's so disturbing about the Saskatchewan Party sitting since April 2006 on leaked police reports on the Ann Lord investigation, then misleading the press, public and legislature by stating it just received these documents this March.

The Saskatchewan Party isn't outraged over the fraud case, they simply see it as ammunition to wrestle power away from the NDP. If they were legitimately outraged by the fraud case, they would have brought it up when they had the evidence. What else are they sitting on?

This shouldn't be the case. The province is doing extremely well. This article talks about how exports from Saskatchewan will lead the nation. And we hear stories of success from returnees to the province.

“In Canada we have a two-track economy. We know we’re on the good track here,” EDC’s chief economist Stephen Poloz said Thursday during a luncheon held by the Saskatchewan Trade and Export Partnership (STEP).

Saskatchewan’s growth comes during an overall levelling of the export sector in Canada as the country copes with a slowing global economy triggered by the United States.

...

Poloz said he doesn’t foresee a dip in Saskatchewan’s export growth, as development of the biofuels industry promises sustainability in the long term.

The news is welcome for Saskatchewan exporters, said STEP president and CEO Dale Botting.

“It’s quite gratifying given we’ve worked hard to further put Saskatchewan on the map,” Botting said.

“Our economy is diverse and that’s helped contribute to the export success.

“We’re doing things that the world needs now,” he said.

I remind all politicians that they serve at the pleasure of the voters. Stop your political grandstanding and get to work. And the voters (us) need to be diligent as well. Do your research and demand better of your representatives, whatever political stripe they may be. And more important, don't let cynicism turn into apathy. Voting is a privilege and a duty as free citizens of both Saskatchewan and Canada. Don't take it for granted.

Un believable that the Sask Party members would wave " stolen possessions" in the legislature and then claim the ends justify the means. I believe Hitler did the same in the 40,s! Here we have a party , the Sask. Party, claiming the corruption of the NDP. I am not apologizing for the NDP actions but what about the HUGE swindle of the Liquor Commission by Brad - was the wedding a huge success? The character assination Carried out by the Sask Party was a disgrace not only to the NDP but to the people of Saskatchewan who deserve better than this!

You know, when the situation concerning the theft of $6,000 dollars from the NDP caucus first came out, I thought "the Sask. Party will have a field day with this". And they are. Then I began to purge the political poison from my blood and looked at it from a non-partisan perspective. What the NDP did was wrong. It was politically motivated, and they should have known better. I hold them to a higher standard than Conservatives. I expect Conservatives to try and cover up their transgressions because that is what they do. Conservatives care only about money, power and winning. They believe that the ends always justify the means. They believe that they haven't broken any rules if they don't get caught. They, quite frankly, make me sick. I have very little respect for most Conservatives, so when they are crooked and get caught, it has little effect on me because I already know their ideology.

Now the NDP, who are supposed to be more left-leaning than the Sask Party and other Conservatives, are supposed to believe in transparency and truth. They know that transparency opens the party up to criticism, but principles matter damnit! Politicians need to learn from Richard Nixon, it isn't the crime that gets you, it is the cover up. But transparency requires commitment. To falter, even once, relinquishes the moral high ground just a little bit. Pointing out the numerous times that fraud was committed by the Conservatives is irrelevant. Just because they broke the law and the public trust, in no way, exonerates the NDP. This doesn't mean that I will now vote for the Sask. Party. You don't get rid of a loyal family dog because it growled once, and instead get a dog that destroys the furniture and bites everyone. You work with the family dog and hope that it learns that growling is unacceptable.

That being said, let's get on with the people's business. The Saskatchewan Party is free to use the NDP's transgression in their attack ads if they will. They are free to bloviate about how wrong it was to the press. They can feign their outrage over it in public if they wish. But let's not waste any more time in the spring sitting over this. There is work to be done. This petty bickering in the house is not accomplishing anything. Both parties need to keep their political positioning out of their place of work. The questions were raised, and answered. Let it go. At least let it go in the legislature. Talk about it all you want to outside of the legislature, but when you are at work, do the people's work. Pass laws, discuss items that effect the people of Saskatchewan's well being. Stop with the childish antics and act like adults. I am talking to both parties here. The tax payers of this province pay your salaries. Do our work. Don't throw your feces back and forth like two rival groups of Capuchin Monkeys. This isn't a productive use of our money, and frankly it is beneath both the NDP and the Saskatchewan Party.