Saturday, October 4, 2008

Daily Digest October 4, 2008


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

EDITORIALs

ST.JOHN'S TELEGRAM -
Rethinking Afghanistan

CORNER BROOK WESTERN STAR -
Who's really moving back

CHARLOTTETOWN GUARDIAN -
A late-nighter for Atlantic Canadians
The leaders English debate kept Atlantic Canadians up, but it was worth watching.

CAPE BRETON POST -
Leader debates a needed respite
http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=177528&sc=151

HALIFAX CHRONICLE HERALD -
Debates give the last lap a new look

AMHERST DAILY NEWS -
No respite for those in poverty

MONTREAL GAZETTE -
Harper pays for George W. Bush's sins

BELLEVILLE INTELLIGENCER -
Blue-collared voters may opt for Layton's orange

Harper fails to impress Quebec during French-language debate

Harper fate now rests with economy

NIAGARA FALLS REVIEW -
Harper had little trouble fending off the attacks in final debate

Don't scare us over economy. Tell us your plan

How Stephen Harper talked himself into another minority

PM's assurances aren't soothing anyone

K-W RECORD -
Election boils down to Harper, economy

WINDSOR STAR -
Dion's plan

A tale of two debates

SUDBURY STAR -
No change in voter intent

WINNIPEG FREE PRESS -
Where's the plan?
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/editorial/story/4234503p-4876329c.html

SASKATOON STARPHOENIX -
Leaders on left miss big chance to sell alternative

REGINA LEADER-POST -
Election clock locked on snooze

GRANDE PRAIRIE DAILY HERALD TRIBUNE -
Reality check for Harper - Insisting 'everything's fine' economically doesn't make it so

Permanent funding solution needed - Infrastructure needs ignored by politicians at all levels for too long

Tories get creative with arts tax credit - Election promise sounds good, but may not be all it's cracked up to be

'Thanks for nothing' - Using Alberta as a pawn to look green may backfire on Tories

RED DEER ADVOCATE -
 Biofuels not so green, after all

Ruthless pals damage Harper

VANCOUVER PROVINCE -
Gaffes galore on campaign

ASIAN PACIFIC POST -
 Inside China's milk scandal

Should Canada have mandatory voting rules?


ISSUES

AFGHANISTAN -
Pakistanis bury 'US strike' dead
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7652614.stm


ECONOMIC AFFAIRS
The gloom spreads north
http://www.reportonbusiness.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081004.weconomy04/BNStory/Business/home

Lending freeze creeps across the border
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081003.wliquidity1003/BNStory/National


FOREIGN AFFAIRS
A mediocre UN address


OPINION AND INFORMATION
Who's censoring whom?

Alberta gives Tories free ride

Strategic voting doesn't work

The people know when something is wrong  

Here's why your favourite candidates win every debate  

Youth justice solution? Not likely

Vote for minority government
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/subscriber/westview/story/4234558p-4876303c.html

Harper on hot seat
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/subscriber/westview/story/4234204p-4875851c.html

Newfoundland and Labrador in the Canadian federation
Duceppe Debate Rhetoric Crosses Line
http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/5364


INFOS 
Des munitions pour attaquer Harper
http://www.ledevoir.com/2008/10/04/209134.html

Paul Martin s'attaque à Stephen Harper

Nouvelle accusation de plagiat contre le chef conservateur

Lendemain de débat - Harper a consolidé son avance en dépit d'une gaffe, disent des experts

Harper dit qu'il ne faut pas paniquer, ses adversaires répètent qu'il faut agir
http://info.branchez-vous.com/Nationales/081003/N1003135AU.html

Jim Flaherty soutient que les propriétaires canadiens vont bien s'en tirer
http://info.branchez-vous.com/Nationales/081003/N1003105AU.html

Des soldats canadiens sont blanchis d'allégations de mauvais traitements
http://info.branchez-vous.com/Nationales/081003/N100393AU.html

Le président George W. Bush signe un accord pour protéger les Grands Lacs
http://info.branchez-vous.com/Nationales/081003/N1003137AU.html

Stephen Harper a reçu pour 20 000 $ de cadeaux du président George W. Bush
http://info.branchez-vous.com/Nationales/081003/N1003141AU.html

Harper est déconnecté de la réalité économique, arguent ses adversaires
http://info.branchez-vous.com/Nationales/081003/N100304AU.html

L'Ontario et Québec veulent entendre parler de l'aide au secteur manufacturier
http://info.branchez-vous.com/Nationales/081002/N1002111AU.html

Économie canadienne
Flaherty rassurant
http://www.radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/National/2008/10/03/001-flaherty-rassurant.shtml


Le Bloc dans l'embarras

Les conservateurs gardent une forte avance

Harper rêve d'un mandat «fort»

Bachand vole au secours de Fortier


Election Coverage

CTV Coverage
CBC Coverage
G&M Coverage
Maclean's Coverage
Nat-Post Coverage
Canada.com
Sun Media
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)

Is it normal/usual to pump billions into the system? Just asking

Harper conceded on Saturday that domestic growth was slowing but repeated there was no need to worry about the Canadian financial and banking system. http://ca.reuters.com/article/topNews/idCATRE49322X20081004

Bank of Canada pumps billions into system
The central bank said it is increasing its plans to inject extra cash into term lending markets from $8-billion, announced recently, to $20-billion.

Reality check for Harper - Insisting 'everything's fine' economically doesn't make it so

It's the economy, business leader says
Party leaders not grappling with crisis, chamber president says
Canadian politicians appear to be in denial about the financial crisis, the head of a national business group says.
 http://www.cbc.ca/news/canadavotes/story/2008/10/04/chamber-economy.html

The party leaders don't seem to recognize that there is a crisis, said Perrin Beatty, president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

"It's clear that something profound is happening, yet the politicians up to now have wanted to talk about everything else," he said.

The politicians are living in one universe, while media reports of the international financial crisis paint a different picture, he said.

"Ordinary Canadians, people who are middle aged today, planning for retirement, have seen much of their retirement savings evaporating this week in the stock exchange," Beatty said.

But campaigning Saturday, the leaders did talk about the economy.

Asked why he is not proposing steps like the initiatives taken in other jurisdictions, Conservative Stephen Harper told a meeting in Yarmouth, N.S., that the Canadian economy and banking system are in much better shape than those in the U.S. or Europe.

He repeated the Tory position that the government has cut taxes, maintained a balanced budget and is focusing on job creation.

Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion, in Dieppe, N.B., accused Harper of doing nothing. "We are facing enormous economic challenges," he said, and "Harper is in his bubble."

Dion has proposed calling a meeting of regulators and financial experts to consider the economy within 30 days of taking office, and also said a Liberal government would accelerate investments in infrastructure and manufacturing.

Harper said "that is just panic" and the opposition would raise taxes and put the government into a deficit. Dion's ideas "will take us into a recession, not around one," he said.

More than 500 delegates from the Chamber of Commerce were meeting in Quebec City on Saturday, where each party was expected to pitch its financial plan.


«¤»¥«¤»«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»

From: "Real. Gagne"

Joe:

Conspiracy theorists are a dime a dozen.

I lost faith in anything that Mel Hurtig or Maude Barlow and their ilk have to say a long time ago.

Real

===================================
From: alan heisey <hize@earthlink.net>

j, as a yanksymp of the first rank i congratulate you on printing hurtig's piece. this makes a positive contribution. it is classic big business /big government instincts to keep as much info as secret as possible - why exactly the same pattern shows up in my own, dear conservative party where the committee charged with proposals to amend the party constitution while requiring submissions at the end of 2007 has uttered not one bloody word to us peasants out in the ridings about what they propose, even though the national convention. to address  their deliberations publicly is less than six weeks away!

so secretivenes is part of so many major organizations mentalities, can/usa execs not excluded. you, j, and i recognize that there is an instinctive fearfulness amongst us peasants about groups addressing such substantial issues so privately and they fail to realize that their very secrecy feeds the paranoia -"just because we are, doesn't mean it can't be happening"- of mel who is totally untrusting of any more cordial relations with the excited states.

rather than squawking about such private meetings, which we are all allowed to organize and participate in, the hurtigians might better focus on  trying to draw back into canada secondary processing of materials such as raw logs which we too willingly sell wherever.

the hurtigians smell conspiracy against the interests of our country in all of this as in the following paragraph:

"All of this covert, under-the-table planning is happening in Canada despite the fact that the overwhelming majority of Canadians, year after year, in poll after poll after poll, show that they believe that Canada has been too good a country for us to surrender to our greedy and selfish big-business leaders whose values are so very different from those of most Canadians who are still very proud of our country, our culture, our history, our values, our civility and tolerance, and are not the slightest bit interested in further "harmonization and integration" with the U.S."

this is blatant hurtigian class warfare in which he accuses our country's big business leaders as less concerned for the country's wellbeing that the likes of mel. i think he is dead wrong in his view that the average canuck is not the slightest bit interested in further association with united stations. it is a wondrous reality that in the second founding congress americans swept away inter-state trade barriers, creating a north american common market 150 years ahead of the europeans. for my taste i have huge confidence, which mel so totally lacks, in our leadership community protecting our interests while seeking to take maximum advantage of closer association with those dear people who "live outside our borders" as william davis so charmingly described them some years ago.

that's why mel has so little standing in the leadership of all our political parties, with virtually no concern in the current election. let him rant. me too. cz
On 2008 Oct3, at 22:58, Joe Hueglin wrote:

Our Sovereignty Secretly at Risk

===================================
From: "Claudia Hudson"
Subject: Game Over

 http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/20081002154355/myblog/myblog/prime-minister-harper-has-already-officially-endorses-north-american-union.html
 
For those of us, who have been following the reality of what has been happening to our country, this comes as no surprise. As for the  others, what can one say ? Game Over--oh Canada --no Canada!
 
Claudia

===================================
From: "Suan H.Booiman"
Subject: CANUSA/USACAN

October 4, 2008
 
Joe,
 
Will not reply in book form,about all the question not ask 90% of the Canadian people
don't know what you are talking about. Those that do is so small and belong to what
is called the "Elite", people with all the answers but deaf, like lawyers.
 
Sorry that Harper is not from Ontario or Quebec, but an import from Alberta. no
don't agree with all his actions but what choice is there, vote splitting, all those
wonderful political experts, will give us another minority bowing to Quebec the
Harper State with the largest amount of unwed couples, gay people, most abortions
and welfare "Cultural" artists, living in the past, the majority have no clue who their
French forefathers were or are intermarried with around the world individuals.
 
Suan
 
===================================
From: Maxine Morrison
Subject: Threat to Canadian Medicare:   Questions for your Candidates -- and an  Appeal to your Colleagues plus  CoC article


Are you aware of this little gem of information?  Is it important enough for your consideration?
mjm


QUOTE:  FRANCES RUSSELL IN THE WINNIPEG FREE PRESS - On September 24, Frances Russell wrote in the Winnipeg Free Press that, "a group of 200 private investors led by Arizona businessman Melvin J. Howard is planning to use the NAFTA national treatment mechanism to pry open Canadian medicare -- often described by neoconservatives as 'the last great uncracked oyster in the North American marketplace.'

  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-----Original Message-----
From: Info@canadiandoctorsformedicare.ca [ mailto:info@canadiandoctorsformedicare.ca]

Subject: Questions for your Candidates -- and an Appeal to your Colleagues

                
Dear Dr. Dale Dewar:

While CDM does not endorse any political party, on October 14 Canadians will elect a new government whose policies could profoundly affect the direction of Canadian health care. Canadians need to know where the major parties stand on our country's most valued social program.  At the end of this letter, and on our web site at www.canadiandoctorsformedicare.ca, you will find five questions we are asking the leaders of the major parties. 

You may want to ask your local candidates the same questions.

CDM's Five Questions

1. Patients are increasingly being charged for access to medically necessary services. This violation of the Canada Health Act (CHA) often occurs when patients are asked to pay for an uninsured service as a condition of accessing an insured service. Please outline how your party will monitor and enforce the CHA both in the letter and spirit of the law, which intends that Canadians will not pay at the point of service.

2. Given evidence that private care costs more overall than public care, robs scarce health providers from the public system, and often delivers inferior care, how would your party improve the Canadian health care system without resorting to privatization?

3. Despite progress in decreasing wait times many patients wait too long for services. This can lead to frustration and despair, causing patients and providers to consider private for profit care as an alternative to the public system.  How will you address the remaining problem of wait times for medically necessary procedures?

4. Many patients need prescription medications, home care and long term care. Coverage for these medically necessary services is inconsistent across the country. How would your government ensure that all Canadians are able to access these services regardless of their ability to pay?

5. Millions of Canadians cannot find a primary care provider. How will you address this serious problem?

On behalf of our entire Board of Directors, thank you for your support as we strive to protect and improve Medicare for all Canadians.

Sincerely,

Danielle Martin, MD, CCFP, Chair
Simon Turcotte, MD, Vice Chair
 
----- Original Message -----

A recent Investment Treaty News article states, "In a letter sent to the Canadian government in July 2008 - a so-called Notice of Intent - (American businessman) Melvin J. Howard accuses provincial authorities of putting up 'politically motivated' roadblocks to proposed investments in health-care facilities, in breach of the government's commitments to American investors under NAFTA. The letter sets in motion a 90-day period which must elapse before formally serving a claim. Mr. Howard alleges breaches of the national treatment and most-favoured-nation treatment provisions in NAFTA's Chapter Eleven, and seeks nearly US$ 160 million in damages...Having allowed private investors into the health-care market, Mr. Howard contends that the provincial government of British Columbia was bound to treat American and Canadian investors with the same standard of treatment. He argues that they were not."

 The article continues, "For its part, the Canadian government has only provided a brief comment, saying that they are 'currently assessing this claim and is consulting with the Government of British Columbia'. Canada is gearing up for an election on 14 October 2008, and a spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade said they would not issue any comments that could be used to stoke partisan debates."

 Winnipeg Free Press columnist Frances Russell has written that, "In July, Howard filed legal papers to set the suit in motion and is only awaiting the outcome of the Oct. 14 federal election to start negotiations."

Russell also writes, "Howard and his partners want to open a private surgical centre in B.C. similar to the Cambie Clinic owned by Dr. Brian Day, past-president of the Canadian Medical Association, but are facing what they call anti-American roadblocks in several municipalities." (Please note that an Ontario Health Coalition media release today states, "For more than a year, researchers have worked to find all the private for-profit clinics across the country. The findings are being released in a new report on Monday, Oct. 6. Information includes: How many for-profit clinics are operating in Canada? How many clinics are violating the Canada Health Act? How are the for-profit clinics affecting costs and access in the public system? Where are they recruiting their staff from? What do they mean for the future of our public health system? What are our governments doing about it?")

The full ITN article can be read at http://www.investmenttreatynews.org/cms/news/pages/us-investor-threatens-arbitration-over-investments-in-canadian-health-care-sector.aspx . 

--Background--

EMBASSY MAGAZINE ARTICLE
The full Embassy article can be read at, http://www.embassymag.ca/html/index.php?display=story&full_path=/2008/september/17/nafta/   

 LINDA DIEBEL'S TORONTO STAR BLOG
 The full blog can be read at http://thestar.blogs.com/decoder/2008/09/free-trade-chal.html

FRANCES RUSSELL IN THE WINNIPEG FREE PRESS

 This column can be read at http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/subscriber/columnists/top3/v-printerfriendly/story/4229990p-4871159c.html

OTHER

As posted on the Centurion Health Corporation website, Mr. Howard writes, "We have responded back to the Government of Canada via faxed letter on August 8, 2008 that we are prepared to sit down and meet on the subject matter. As I want our stakeholders to keep fully abreast of the proceeding matter. I intend on addressing this issue with both US Presidential Candidates. Why are there still trade barriers to American health care companies wanting to enter Canada? When indeed these services are being provided privately by Canadian practitioners. If after 90 days we have not heard back from the Government of Canada we will proceed to file for arbitration under NAFTA rules." That 90 day period would elapse on Wednesday November 5, after both the Canadian and American elections have concluded.
This post can be read at http://centurionhealthcorp.blogspot.com/2008/08/melvin-j-howard-responds-back-to.html .  

The Howard Capital Management website notes: "THE HOWARD GROUP SUBMITS INVESTOR CALIM AGAINST CANADA Claim submitted July 14, 2008 amount of damages claim $155,000,000.00." This is at https://sites.google.com/site/thehowardgroupagenda/announcements/THE-HOWARD-GROUP-SUBMITS-INVESTOR-CALIM-AGAINST-CANADA .

 CUPE highlights these concerns in a media release they issued this morning at http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/September2008/18/c5796.html . 

===================================
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)