PMJT: The First 100 Days

[cavalryman]

One less 'backroom boy' for Mr Trudeau to lean on
http://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/canadian-born-climate-and-development-pioneer-maurice-strong-dies-at-86

 

[Fishbone Jones]

One less 'backroom boy' for Mr Trudeau to lean on
http://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/canadian-born-climate-and-development-pioneer-maurice-strong-dies-at-86

Must be Harper's fault, part of his hidden agenda.

 

[The Bread Guy]

Prior to the dissolution of parliament, forty-nine people were re-appointed to patronage positions - many of them years in the future.  In other words, PM Harper made appointments that take effect in the future, well beyond his government's mandate.  This is unprecedented in Canada.

http://ipolitics.ca/2015/11/23/doomed-harper-government-made-49-future-patronage-appointments/

Interesting counter-move ....

A letter sent Monday by the Liberal government leaves more than 30 ​people appointed to plum patronage posts in the dying days of Stephen Harper's Conservative government with a​ tough choice: step away ​voluntarily ​from their lucrative posts ​or face the possibility of a public backlash.

The letter targets ​dozens​ of ​board members, museum directors and advisers who were either appointed or had their appointments extended in the days before Harper called a summer election. Many of the appointments come with annual salaries well in excess of $100,000.

Among the recipients: the veterans ombudsman, the president of Canada Post, the director of Via Rail and the executive director of Telefilm Canada.

There are also five members of the Immigration and Refugee Board on the list and seven members of the Payments in Lieu of Taxes Dispute Advisory Panel.

The Liberals say they want to put a new appointment process in place. The letter refers to an "open, merit-based appointments system for Governor in Council appointees with greater access to all Canadians." ....

Letter attached.

 

[PuckChaser]

"Step aside so we can appoint our own cronies to patronage jobs."

Calling the Vets Ombudsman a patronage appointment is a slap in the face of all veterans as well.

 

[Oldgateboatdriver]

I think this is a bad move by JT. It can only backfire on him.

First of all, there are literally thousands of appointments available within the purview of the government. Appointing 49 of them shortly before an election is no big deal. Some were made well in advance? Unusual but not necessarily illegal, and good fodder for politicking. But why use up good political scoring points against the Conservatives right after you got elected with a majority and four years before the next election? Ignoring those 49 appointees and waiting for the next round of appointments to roll out your own new era of "open and merit-based" appointments is a lot better.

But to now ask them to resign to save money for his own government instead of paying the piper to appoint other people he would rather see at the helm will not endear the JT government in the face of the public - and if he has to pay them to remove them from office, I think the public backlash will be against Trudeau and his government, not the appointees, for waisting such money, unless Trudeau can demonstrably prove that the appointees are incompetent for the job they were appointed to. That is a difficult demonstration to make. Merely asking them to step aside to allow "merit-based" appointment is like calling those appointees already there incompetent; and if someone called me incompetent at work, I would definitely put them to the test of proving why.
   

 

[Fishbone Jones]

You can smell Chretien and his pals all over these decisions. In order to operate the way they have in the past, they need to clear the decks of any non believers and replace them with liberal drones.

 

[George Wallace]

You can smell Chretien and his pals all over these decisions. In order to operate the way they have in the past, they need to clear the decks of any non believers and replace them with liberal drones.

Speaking of Liberal drones.  First we hear about the Department of Foreign Affairs conducting itself in a, or near to, treasonous fashion towards the Harper Government; being exposed in the Hillary Clinton tapes. Now we hear that Elections Canada paid $1 million to the Assembly of First Nations, a very partisan group, in a "Sole Source" contract for two Federal Elections, contrary to Treasury Board of Canada rules on awarding contracts for such a large sum. The Assembly of First Nations blatantly told First Nations people to vote strategically for anyone who would beat the Conservative candidate in their Ridings. Makes you wonder where the "LOYALTIES" of some of our senior Public Service people lie.

http://www.therebel.media/elections_canada_assembly_of_first_nations_1m_for_voter_outreach

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Speaking of Elections Canada, have they made any attempt to get the Trudeau Liberals or Angry Tom's NDP to pay off the outstanding monies they, and their party members, owe to the Canadian taxpayer?

Didn't think so.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

All these promises to First nations are going to cost a pretty penny, looking at what they are saying, we need to hire 2 more aboriginal consultation advisers to keep things moving. Rolling back the accountability requirements will be a disaster for the long term health of the bands. The members need to see where the money goes.

 

[George Wallace]

All these promises to First nations are going to cost a pretty penny, looking at what they are saying, we need to hire 2 more aboriginal consultation advisers to keep things moving. Rolling back the accountability requirements will be a disaster for the long term health of the bands. The members need to see where the money goes.

One idea that is being floated around in some circles is the getting rid of the "Indian Act", as it is obsolete in some parts, and out of date irrelevant in others.  Would the Liberal Government actually have the courage to address this?  I highly doubt they do.  Would the change of status of Canada's aboriginal persons, to that of "equal status" to all other Canadians be acceptable to them?  Again, I highly doubt it.  The loss of Government Grants, and other handouts and benefits, would likely not be an option that they would find acceptable. 
It would take a very STRONG Government to take large segments of Canada's various social assistant recipients off the dole.  That would involve reforms, not only to the Indian Act, but to the Welfare and IE systems as well.  None of this I can see in the cards.

 

[The Bread Guy]

It would take a very STRONG Government to take large segments of Canada's various social assistant recipients off the dole.  That would involve reforms, not only to the Indian Act, but to the Welfare and IE systems as well.  None of this I can see in the cards.

Have to agree -- Conservatives had a majority, and didn't have the appetite (or thought that not enough Canadians had enough appetite).

 

[ModlrMike]

Have to agree -- Conservatives had a majority, and didn't have the appetite (or thought that not enough Canadians had enough appetite).

The cynic in me says that people would only focus on what they were losing, not gaining. Even if the amounts are the same.

"The evil government is taking something away from me..."

 

[GAP]

I wonder if the Liberals are going to bring back the EI/seasonal work bandwagon on the East Coast again.....

 

[Fishbone Jones]

I wonder if the Liberals are going to bring back the EI/seasonal work bandwagon on the East Coast again.....

It should be a given. They'll have to reward all their loyal voters for the PC shutdown out there.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Speaking of Liberal drones.  First we hear about the Department of Foreign Affairs conducting itself in a, or near to, treasonous fashion towards the Harper Government; being exposed in the Hillary Clinton tapes. Now we hear that Elections Canada paid $1 million to the Assembly of First Nations, a very partisan group, in a "Sole Source" contract for two Federal Elections, contrary to Treasury Board of Canada rules on awarding contracts for such a large sum. The Assembly of First Nations blatantly told First Nations people to vote strategically for anyone who would beat the Conservative candidate in their Ridings. Makes you wonder where the "LOYALTIES" of some of our senior Public Service people lie.

http://www.therebel.media/elections_canada_assembly_of_first_nations_1m_for_voter_outreach

First Nations will be the first to scream at you. There are many who are entrenched in the current power structure. What you need to do is leave it in place for now, set a timeframe for replacement and have a fulsome process to determine what the next Act will look like, make sure First Nations, local governments and the Public all have a say and ability to respond to the drafts. You will not please anyone, as everybodies sacred cow is going to get hurt and trampled.

 

[a_majoor]

Or you can look to the future and repeat the mantra of Instapundit:

Something that can't go on forever, won't. Debts that can't be repaid, won't be. Promises that can't be kept, won't be. Plan accordingly

 

[dapaterson]

A new study suggests that being a head of state or head of government shortens your life and prematurely ages you.

The Ottawa Citizen let PhotoShop do the rest.

https://twitter.com/OttawaCitizen/status/677284649727602688

 

[ballz]

If he's got anything smart about him, he'll maximize the use of Rogaine before he let's go of that hair.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

hah those election promises coming back to haunt them.


West Moberly First Nations Chief Roland Willson finally got to sit down with a federal cabinet minister and talk about the Site C’s dam after crashing a Liberal Caucus Christmas party.

According to an article in the Globe & Mail, Willson had failed to get an audience with anybody in the Trudeau cabinet until he tracked them down at the party and spoke with several cabinet Ministers.
After speaking with Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould, Indigenous and Northern Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett, and Fisheries Minister Hunter Tootoo, Willson ended up with a meeting invitation Natural Resources Minister James Carr’s office, where Willson said he “had an hour long meeting, that’s an hour longer than we ever got with the Harper government on this issue.”

According to Chief Willson, he didn’t get the impression any of the Liberal ministers he met believes the project is too far advanced to stop.

Meanwhile, BC Hydro says that unseasonably warm weather hasn’t allowed construction on the Site C dam to pull ahead of schedule.

In an email to the Alaska Highway News, Hydro spokesperson Dave Conway says that “The warmer weather has not impacted construction as the contracting schedules anticipate winter conditions. Our schedules and work flow plans anticipated working on those items that could be worked on during the winter.”

According to the Globe and Mail, Hydro has already spent $423 million on Site C construction.

With files from Moose FM/Energetic City News & Alaska Highway News

 

[Bird_Gunner45]

$30 million pledged to build a road to the shoal lake reserve.


http://www.ctvnews.ca/mobile/canada/isolated-shoal-lake-40-first-nation-to-get-its-freedom-road-1.2704415