Canada in Electoral Crisis

Canada is in an electoral crisis, and because of voter negligence, we have no one to blame but ourselves. Corruption, blatant disregard for rules, regulations and laws are rampant in all levels of government.

The disappointing thing is, the more we get taken advantage of; we seem to become increasingly apathetic, and even accepting, of these practices. It is time to stand and be counted and what better place to start than with the next Federal election.

How many of us would stand idly by as someone looted our homes or made decisions for us detrimental to our lives and that of our families? None, that’s how many. But increasingly we have become indifferent as politicians and bureaucrats at all levels of government take our most valued possessions, which we work hard for, and utterly destroy them. The decay of our society could easily be blamed on the people in power, as that would be the most obvious and logical conclusion.

That belief is where we have abandoned our duty as a responsible electorate and where we need to take up this fight. The truth is painfully obvious when voter turnout is at an all time low and respect for public institutions and politicians is virtually non-existent. The powers that be are just doing what has become acceptable practice, and we in fact reward them for their misdeeds and irresponsible decisions by electing the same people over and over.

Why would they change their ways when we, the supposed defenders of democracy, are not holding them to account at the ballot box and incumbent politicians have proven to be practically unbeatable in recent elections. What to do? The answer lies in this Federal election where we must flex our political will and muscle.

Local politicians are the closest to the people and their decisions have the biggest impact on the average citizen so this is where our votes count the most. Newspapers, radio programs and community meetings are overflowing with disgruntled citizens voicing endless complaints about how our country is being run and in particular how we as a province are being treated.

To make matters worse, while this goes on, we have watched our communities and neighbourhoods deteriorate to the extent that honest, law-abiding citizens are afraid to walk the streets after dark. This is not just a downtown problem but people in all areas of our province are beginning to feel uneasy about their safety and that of their families.

Over the past number of years we have had to watch our money squandered by the Federal and Provincial Governments while politicians take pot shots at each other over whose priorities are in the best interest of the province. It is our duty to take responsibility for our lives and know the important issues at election time. We must set the agenda for government by electing politicians who share our values and concerns instead of letting them dictate to us what their priorities are, or…what our priorities should be.

Fundamental change is needed in how government operates and a complete changing of the guard would send the message that we have had enough. Not until we elect politicians that put our interests first and implements policies that are good for everyone, instead of a select few, will voters see that casting a ballot is not a waste of time and we will be on the road to reclaiming our dignity one vote at a time.

Diagnosis Disaster for NL Healthcare

Originally published in June 2007 in the Newfoundland Herald


Over the past couple of weeks the news out of Eastern Health has been to say the least troubling. On Friday May 18th the Chief Executive Officer of Eastern Health George Tilley made a public apology for not disclosing the full details concerning the faulty tests that may have affected hundreds of breast cancer patients.

I am sorry but that apology to me is just unacceptable. Mr. Tilley you need to resign your post as CEO of Eastern Health and any of your conspirators on that board that participated in the deception should also be relieved of duty.

Our publicly funded healthcare system is an intricate part of Canada and something that Canadians and Newfoundlanders and Labradoreans hold dear. We place our faith in every aspect of this public institution and trust its caretakers always put the best interest of patients and their families as the number one priority.

As it appears right now the priority here was to protect Eastern Health as an organization and not the lives of those people that may have received false information. This false information which in some cases may have cost them their lives should have been disclosed right away. Some of these women may be still alive if they had received accurate test and subsequent treatment.

We may never know for sure if the actions of the board had a direct or indirect influence on the outcomes of any of these patients. One thing we do know for sure is the seed of doubt has been planted in the minds of Newfoundlanders and Labradoreans and will surely continue to grow if drastic steps are not taken to change public perception of our healthcare system.

The provincial government has announced that they will be holding a judicial inquiry into this matter to try and get to the bottom of it. I would hope that the inquiry has an unimpeded mandate to look into all areas of this debacle including the role government may or may not have had In fact one of the things that I think they should look at is the make up of that board.

Currently the board is made up primarily of people that are Nurses, Doctors and Executives from various areas of the health profession. That in itself is not a bad thing as we need to have knowledgeable people in these positions to make decisions based on experience and expertise. The problem that I see is that there needs to be a member of that board to represent the users and financiers of the healthcare system which is the people. Also the government should be represented on that board so that incidents like this can be reported to the minister as soon as they come to light and therefore enabling the government to act on these issues immediately or face the wrath of the electorate in they abdicate their responsibility.

To make matters worse in the wake of this startling discovery we are informed that another potential disaster is looming with regards to the work of a radiologist at the health centre in Salt Pond on the Burin Peninsula. They have temporarily relieved the physician of his duties pending a review of what appears to be every case that was worked on since starting, some 6000 cases involving about 3500 patients. This person only started working at that health centre last November and was recruited from outside the country; he graduated from an African medical school more than 20 years ago. This is sure to open another can of worms as it relates to hiring practices and the approval process of foreign doctors by the Newfoundland and Labrador College of Physicians and Surgeons which controls licenses that allow doctors to practice.

Originally Eastern Health estimated the review could take up to five weeks to complete and thankfully and to his credit Health Minister Ross Wiseman stepped in and has directed Eastern Health to get the review done in two weeks. That two weeks could be very tense and stressful for the patients waiting to have their various scans reviewed but it is certainly better than having to wait six.

These events raise very serious question with regards to Eastern Health and our healthcare system as a whole in my opinion. Would Eastern Health have been so quick to act on this latest incident if they had not been ridiculed so strenuously for hiding the facts from the receptor tests? I don’t know but it seems to me that these are the kinds of doubts people are going to have in this Eastern Health board as we move forward. In the future every time an issue is raised with Eastern Health or any area of our health care system people will be asking them selves, how long did they know? Are they hiding something? Is the diagnosis I am receiving accurate? Does this physician really know what he or she is doing? Sadly another question that will surely cross peoples minds will be in relation to foreign doctors and questioning whether they are actually qualified.

This is a sad commentary as it relates to one of our most treasured institutions and people are well within their rights to question every aspect of this unfortunate chain of events. If the government is diligent and the judiciary inquiry does its job then we may be able to begin to rebuild the trust we have in our healthcare system. Unfortunately until all of these cases are reviewed on the Burin Peninsula and the inquiry runs its course to get to the bottom of the receptor test issue then for many the Newfoundland and Labrador health care system will undoubtedly be a health scare system. Sadly many people impacted the hardest by these problems especially the ones that have died since they had their receptor test done will never know if their lives ended prematurely. I hope that all parties involved in this will put politics and legal mumbo jumbo aside to get these people the accurate tests they deserve so that no-one has to suffer unnecessarily while they fight over who is to blame.

Craig Scott
Torbay

Danny, Split or get off the pot!!

Originally published in the Newfoundland Telegram.


I think Newfoundland and Labrador is at a crossroads in our relationship with the Federal Government and subsequently where we stand as a Province of Canada.

As a recent repatriated Newfoundlander after many years living in Ontario I feel that we as Newfoundlanders have a very serious decision to make. Are we content with being the black sheep of the family or is it time that we really tried to forge our own destiny?

I think that it is time to take the gloves off and seriously consider ending our current relationship within confederation. I am not just talking about saber rattling and posturing either. We as Newfoundlanders and Labradoreans should take stock of exactly where we stand and ponder whether we would indeed be better off on our own.

Last week I heard Mr. Williams say that he doesn't put any faith in the Federal Governments promises made on other projects where Federal funds will be needed like the Lower Churchill and that we will have to find ways to do these projects on our own. He also said that we can expect relations between the Feds and province to get much worse...in fact he said "we aint seen nothin yet". Now to me they sound like fighting words.

If we are going to put so much energy into fighting for what we believe is ours then I think we should go a step further and lay all of our cards on the table. Do we want to remain the welfare state of Canada or finally make a decision that will really have a profound impact on how the future of Newfoundland and Labrador is forged?

Let’s stop all this posturing and "he said" "she said" bickering and fire a shot across the bow of Canada that will finally make people in this country take notice. In the October election give us the opportunity to voice our opinion. Ask us whether we want to continue the status quo within a dysfunctional country or pursue a new destiny where we can split from Canada and become the country that many believe we can be.

I know many people will chalk up what I have to say as unpractical and impossible but is it really? We have all the resources necessary to be self sufficient and if we had total control of how they were administered and managed we could make them work for us instead of someone else.

Do we really believe that Newfoundland and Labrador will be better off or get a better deal of the Federal Government changes? I don't! Why would it be any different? It was years and years of Liberal rule at the Federal level that got us in the mess we are in today. We have never been a priority to the ruling party and that will never change.

Year after year we as Newfoundlanders and Labradoreans have to go hat in hand begging to the Federal Government for what ever scraps are left over after Quebec and Ontario are done ravaging the carcass of the Canadian Treasury. Then we get federal ministers showing up with some new program designed to shut us up instead of helping out of a vicious cycle of dependency.

Mr. Williams the time is now for Newfoundlanders and Labradoreans to step up to the plate and seize our destiny. These times and circumstances can't be what our proud forefathers envisioned or fought for over many generations. How can we be satisfied lapping up leftovers under the table of confederation while the big dogs in Ottawa dish out the spoils?

Simply stated Danny it is time to Split or get off the pot!!

Got to get me moose bye'

Check out these pictures of this moose near Badger...No job to tell that it is Moose Hunting Season...all the moose are moving to the highway where it is safe LOL.

We Need the Truth About Kyoto

So let me get this right....people are calling Harper, Bush's lap dog because he is being honest with Canadians and exposing a terrible commitment that the Liberals got us into. The Conservatives are on the right track here and I hope they can do a better job than the Liberals. This policy has been flawed from the beginning and yet another example of a hastily constructed Liberal policy designed to satisfy a few lobbiests, just like the gun registry and day care.

On a per capita basis, Australia was the targets emitter when the protocol was signed but they managed to negotiate an 8% increase in emissions under the agreement. Canada produces only 2% of the worlds emissions but we managed to negotiate a 6% decrease from 1990 levels but under the excellent leadership of the Liberals we are actually 35% higher than those levels right now.

At the same time it was the Clinton administration that refused to ratify Kyoto and bring it to congress for a vote. Bush is getting all the blame, this is hilarious. This is possibly the only thing Bush has done right since being elected and the US has actually done a better job of reducing emissions than Canada.

I commend the Conservatives for looking at this thing realistically and look forward to them coming up with some real policy on the environment. Why should Canada continue on the current path we are on when it clearly isn't working. China has 3 times as much emissions as we do but they are exempt from the agreement as are India. Russia can easily meet its targets because the baseline emission calculation is 1990 when Russia was collapsing and their emissions were low because most of their emission producing industries were basically shut down. So Russia is producing way more emissions now but they can still sell credits for millions of dollars. Any one who doesn't see the flaws in the agreement are just blinded by their political partisanship.

What Is The Real Story Here??

Ottawa probes gun registry leak

We have been putting up with leaks from the Liberals for years...It doesn't surprise me that this would be leaked by the Conservatives. Leaks are part of the political landscape and is where the press gets most of their information. Who cares...These guys like the Liberals before them can't contain their excitement when it comes to exposing the other side for some wrong doing. Lets get over the leak and concentrate on what this story is really about...More Liberal Corruption.

Cecilia's killer to serve at least 15 years

Is this really justice or should deport him to China now to serve his sentence. Why should Canadian tax payers foot the bill for this guy to stay in our prison and most likely receive some type of degree at our expense. Send him to China now and let him get his just reward from their government. My guess he would be dead within days of landing on their soil.....That would be a fitting end for him.

Shut Up...Shut UP...Shut Up already!

Gerry Reid why don't you just shut up about this Fibre Optic deal? The Auditor General is going to take a look at it and if there is a problem then I am sure he will report it to the house. Fact is this is a partisan political attack and you are grasping at straws here. Liberals love to rail against business and this is just another example of your incompetence when it comes to creating a competitive climate in Newfoundland where companies would want to set up shop. Get a grip on yourself and move on.

UN Rejects Bottom Trawling Ban

Good! The friggin UN is a waste of time anyway. The fact is it would have made no difference what so ever what the UN says because they are irrelevant. Why in the world would Canada sign on an agreement that would undoubtedly devastate what is left to our scanty fishery.

The Environmentalists don't give a damn for fisherman or the companies that employ them. I think that Canada needs to take a bigger role in protecting the waters that are within our jurisdiction as well as the water that extends to the end of the Continental Shelf. The only way I think we can do this is through Custodial Management and take a more forceful role in stopping Canadian and Foreign vessels from breaking the law.

This issue will never be solved at the UN or NAFO, it needs to be solved at the end of a barrel of a gun. That is the only thing these people will understand and when our government gets the balls to do the right thing our fish stocks will have a chance to recover.

Do The Liberals Ever Stop Whining?

I am so sick of hearing Gerry Reid whining in the house about every little story that comes up. This latest dustup over the Premier's expenses during the Council of the Federation meeting in July is just stupid.

Over the past number of years since Danny Williams has been Premier our province has been gaining respectability across this country. It has been a hard road and has had its share of bumps along the way but overall it has been positive. When you want to be considered a world class province you need to host world class events. I think the government is justified in the spending they did for this meeting of the countries Premiers and just goes to show how out of touch the Liberals are with reality.

Putting off a first class event like this goes a long way towards gaining some good will from the other Premiers that may prove to be invaluable sometime down the road. We have some issues with the Federal Government right now that other Premiers like the new leader in Alberta may be able to help us with in regards to Oil and Gas.

Mr Reid if you have any hopes of ever unseating this Premier you had better find something else to complain about that the Premier spending too much money promoting our Province. As far as I am concerned we can never do enough to advance our assets across this country and our Tourism and Entertainment sectors should get all the help they can get.

Is Danny A School Yard Bully?

That is what it sounds like when you hear things like "Take it outside" when referring to a comment that Leader of The Opposition Gerry Reid made in the Legislature about how much money Danny made in the private sector.

Well I for one would like to see him make that comment outside where he is not protected by parliamentary privilege. I am so sick of listening to all the allegations flying around in the House and no one ever has to be held accountable for what they say. Members should not have the gaul to say anything in the house that they would not say outside if for no other reason than to demonstrate dignity.

I don't give a damn how much money Mr Williams made in private sector as it is irrelevant to the topic at hand. It only makes sense that the major players in the telecommunications industry would have former ties to the Premier as he was a leader in the industry for many years. This appears to be just more partisan rhetoric to me.

Is Newfoundland TOO Liberal?

I think so. For as long back as I can remember Newfoundland has been too Liberal for my liking. We always seem to elect Liberals to the Federal Parliament no matter what they have done to us. Two elections ago the Conservatives promised us what we got in the Atlantic Accord and then Johnny come lately Paul Martin begrudgingly promised the same thing. Only thing was he had no intent on delivering that promise and even had John Effort telling us take it or leave it and we all know how that worked out in the end.

Then last election we still elected a number of Liberals to the House despite the stealing and lying they did. I guess us Newfoundlanders can't get too much of a bad thing. That is what happens when you don't vote based on principles and only care about what you can get out of the government. Then we wonder why people across this country laugh at us and call us a welfare state.

Newfoundlanders have a high ratio of members of the Military so you would think an issue like that would resonate with voters. Not bloody likely, we just keep electing Liberals who year after year destroy the military and make our country a laughing stock and not to mention put our fellow Newfoundlanders and Canadians serving in the forces at risk. I guess that is what is meant by you get what you vote for.

Every politician in Ottawa knows is all you have to do to get votes in Newfoundland is offer a few more programs for the unemployed or extend some kind of social benefits and we will all fall into place like a bunch of lemmings. That is disgraceful that they would think like that and even more so that we keep proving them right.

When are the people of our province going to wake up and start demanding better from our Federal Government...I didn't say more, I said better. Make politicians accountable and when they reneg on their promises turf them out in the friggin street and give someone else a shot. But please when you make that decision look at some facts and policy, don't just say "maybe I will give the NDP a try they can't be any worse" That kind of statement is the stupidest thing I ever heard and if you don't have a better grasp on the political landscape then you should stay home and not vote.

The more I see of this Danny Williams government the more Liberal it appears to me. Running deficits one year after having a surplus when your economy is doing well is unforgivable. Danny get your financial house in order and cut the waste of out government or we are all doomed. It is a sad day when the Conservative alternative to a Liberal is just another Liberal, please prove me wrong.

This Story is STUPID!!!!

Who the hell cares if these guys worked for Danny Williams when he owned Cable Atlantic. They are entitled to compete for Government contracts the same as everyone else. This story should just go away but now that the House is set to resume it will only pick up steam.

They are complaining that the spirit and intent of the law for lobbiests was not followed. Well I though we created laws based on specific legal language with specified guidelines. If there is an exception in it which in this case is a good thing then companies are entitled to work within that law. Surely we don't want every company that submits a proposal to the government registering as a lobbyist, the bureaucratic nightmare that would be created by that would prove to be another waste of tax payers dollars.

If this is a good deal for the government and for the tax payers then I don't have a problem with it.