- Kafka Esq.
- Jan 1, 2005
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"If you ever even think about calling me anything but 'The Crab' I will go so fucking crab on your ass you won't even see what crab'd your crab" -The Crab(TM)
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edit: thank you Joe!
Don't forget to join the lost souls in the #Diefenbunker on IRC @ irc.synirc.com
canada.gif wins out over canada.jpg
Welcome to the Canadian political megathread! We use this thread to post about anything related to Canadian federal, provincial, municipal, regionalism or food politics. (La Bottega > German Town)
For those of you who have been drawn in by the Ford scandal involving crack cocaine, we invite you to consider these alternate reasons to be mad at everything:
- Mike Duffy continues to elude cameras, journalists and his office. Sources on the hill say his office has been dark for two days and his mail is sitting outside in a growing pile of secure bags.
- Harper continues to dodge questions as to the propriety of his Chief of Staff giving $90K to a sitting senator by referring to events concerning Mulcair from 14 years ago, unpaid taxes by a senator (both currently being investigated), and a silly quote by Trudeau.
- Arthur Porter and Pamela Wallin have been added to the list of possibly corrupt people.
- According to @jordan_presse, the Tory dominated committee meeting regarding Senators Duffy, Harb and Brazeau's improper expenses lasted one minute in camera.
- Frank Graves of EKOS says that the reason they got it so wrong (again) in British Columbia is because, while they correctly polled who people would vote for, they incorrectly assumed people would vote.
- The F-35 is still a loving joke, but it has been joined by some silly all purpose jeep things, ships, and helicopters.
- The Conservatives cancelled federal inspections of new oilpatch sites after meeting with the petroleum producers' association six times, and meeting with environmental groups a total of one time.
- Basically, Toronto somehow stole the thunder of Quebec's entire infrastructure being corrupt.
- Ontario is still completely in the dark as to how much the gas plants cost so that the Liberals could win some NIMBY ridings.
- I'd throw a bone to Saskatchewan or the Maritimes, but we talk gently caress all about them.
Sources for news:
I personally rely on a couple of things to get my news. First of all, if you can sign up to the iPolitics Brief (may require a subscription, but mine has expired and I still get it), you are guaranteed at least basic knowledge of what to search on Google News that day. Our major national news sources are, sadly, the National Post, Macleans, Globe and Mail, and the CBC. For partisan news on the left and right, you will want to check out Rabble.ca and Sun News Network, respectively. I also make judicious use of Blogging Tories. Good regionals include the Tyee for BC, Toronto Star, Ottawa Citizen ,and I guess Cyberpresse or Le Devoir for Quebec?
Opinion editorials to watch include Chris Selley's pundit round up, Aaron Wherry, Paul Wells, Andrew Coyne, Johns Ibbitson and Ivison (I'm not convinced they're different people), Dan Gardner... this list is pretty leftist, but Coyne makes up for all of the others.
The rest of the time I use RSS feeds, Google news search alerts, and Twitter. If you're handy, you can use RSS feeds and your Twitter account in conjunction with something like Flipboard (as I do) to find articles that are making big waves. Watch #cdnpoli for a while to get an idea of the best twitter feeds to watch for serious retweeters, then follow them and watch who they're retweeting. Easy, and your smartphone can keep you up to date at all times.
And now, our cast!
Stephen Harper, King in the North.
Note possible heir and four time Sexiest MP Peter McKay grinning in the background as King Harper inspects his troops prior to the battle with:
Lord Outremont, Thomas Mulcair
Here he is, laughing at a performance of the Rains of Toronto, where he defeated his rivals for the throne.
Lord Papineau, Justin Trudeau, known to absolutely no one as "the Mountain that Rides".
The Queen of Thorns, Elizabeth May of the Flowers.
Don't forget Littlefinger! Ahem, I mean Lord Paille.
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May 30, 2013 21:37
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ADBOT LOVES YOU
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Apr 27, 2024 12:48
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- Kafka Esq.
- Jan 1, 2005
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"If you ever even think about calling me anything but 'The Crab' I will go so fucking crab on your ass you won't even see what crab'd your crab" -The Crab(TM)
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Why did it go back to poo poo post? I definitely set it to Canada.
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May 30, 2013 21:40
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- Kafka Esq.
- Jan 1, 2005
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"If you ever even think about calling me anything but 'The Crab' I will go so fucking crab on your ass you won't even see what crab'd your crab" -The Crab(TM)
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Yahoo News posted:'Raise taxes on the rich' is a verse straight from the NDP hymn books.
Well, according to a new Ipsos Reid poll released on Thursday, most of us feel that way:
Nine in ten (88%) Canadians ‘support’ (48% strongly/40% somewhat) the following resolution...the rich should pay more taxes. Just one in ten (12%) Canadians ‘oppose’ (3% strongly/8% somewhat) this resolution.
The survey also shows a similar proportion (89%) of Canadians also indicate they’d be ‘supportive’ (54% very/34% somewhat) of a ‘millionaire’s tax’, whereby families with a combined annual household income greater than $1,000,000 would pay a special or additional tax on all income over a million dollars.
The pollster also asked Canadians what they considered to be "rich". That answer —which might surprise you — is a household income of $195,000.
Gregory Thomas of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation says that raising taxes on the rich won't work in the long term. "The CD Howe Institute illustrated this recently in a study of Ontario’s tax hike [in their 2012 budget] for incomes over $500,000. CD Howe forecasts that hiking taxes to an effective rate of 49.73 per cent will bring the government extra revenue this year, because Ontario took taxpayers by surprise with the revenue grab," Thomas told Yahoo! Canada News.
"But within a few years, all that extra revenue will disappear, as taxpayers make adjustments, moving assets and income into other jurisdictions to avoid the high rates."
Charles Lammam of the Fraser Institute suggests higher personal income taxes would be a mistake and would lower our competitiveness in relation to the United States.
"Comparing our personal income tax system with the United States shows that our combined federal-provincial rates on upper-earners are generally higher than comparable rates down south. What’s worse, our marginal rates here kick in at relatively low levels of income. Consider that Canada’s top federal income tax rate applies to income beginning at CA$135,054 while the new top rate in the U.S. applies at US$400,000 for singles," he told Yahoo! in an email exchange.
"It is important to have competitive personal income taxes for many reasons. Doing so allows us to better compete with other countries in trying to attract and retain entrepreneurs, investors and skilled workers like doctors, lawyers, accountants and engineers.
"Higher income taxes are also a poor way to raise revenue to close budgetary deficits. Higher tax rates almost always lead to lower than expected revenues, in part since higher-income earners respond by arranging their affairs in a way that minimizes their tax burden. Revenues can also be lower because higher rates discourage additional income earning activity."
The poll was conducted online between May 16th and May 23rd, 2013 with 1,055 Canadians and is accurate to within +/- 3.4 percentage points.
Taxing statistics: (Source: Ipsos Reid)
- The top 1 per cent of income earners in Canada contribute 21.2 per cent of all federal, provincial and territorial taxes
- The bottom 20 per cent of income earners contribute just 1.6 per cent of all income taxes
- The bottom 50 per cent of Canadian earners pay approximately 17 per cent of all income taxes
(thanks hand knit)
edit: this is very interesting
Kafka Esq. fucked around with this message at 21:57 on May 30, 2013
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May 30, 2013 21:49
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- Kafka Esq.
- Jan 1, 2005
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"If you ever even think about calling me anything but 'The Crab' I will go so fucking crab on your ass you won't even see what crab'd your crab" -The Crab(TM)
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Another minor scandal broke today - we all knew about how the Conservatives have been blandly redesigning sites to be generally less useful except as billboards for the Economic Action Plan. Now, the office of Julian Fantino (development minister), has basically denied knowing that why two articles saying "Dear NDP, CIDA doesn't need your advice" and "Liberals make promises, Conservatives get results" were posted. However, emails exist to the contrary, and the Canadian Press has them. Via the National Post:quote:OTTAWA — International Development Minister Julian Fantino’s office has said it had nothing to do with the posting of two partisan letters to a government website — but new documents appear to contradict that statement.
On Jan. 12, a series of opinion pieces penned by Fantino appeared on the Canadian International Development Agency website. Two of them included political content, with the titles “Dear NDP: CIDA does not need your economic advice,” and “Liberals make promises, Conservatives get results.”
A few days later, when media and the opposition began to question the propriety of putting partisan material on a federal government website, the letters were quickly taken down.
“CIDA was asked to add appropriate web content and these were posted in error. CIDA has been asked to remove them immediately,” Meagan Murdoch said on Jan. 15.
But emails released to The Canadian Press under the Access to Information Act show that Jo-Ann Purcell, a CIDA employee who worked directly inside Fantino’s office, was in the loop on the web content. Purcell acted as the main liaison between the department and the minister.
“Can you let me know what format/section of CIDA’s website these will be posted on? If possible, can you send a mock-up before posting all of them?” Purcell, then the senior departmental assistant in the minister’s office, asked in a Jan. 3 email with the subject line “Ministerial editorials.”
Part of Purcell’s email was withheld under the Access to Information Act because it apparently contained advice, recommendations, consultations and/or deliberations with officials or the minister. An email that followed directly afterward was also withheld for the same reasons.
Two items were posted by officials in error. CIDA was asked to remove them immediately and they did
Few additional details were forthcoming Wednesday from the minister’s office.
“CIDA was asked to add appropriate web content,” Murdoch said in an emailed statement that echoed her Jan. 15 reaction. “Two items were posted by officials in error. CIDA was asked to remove them immediately and they did.”
In the documents, bureaucrats told Purcell that the nine selected articles would have to go through a translation process. The minister’s office was then asked which order to put the articles in: “Would OMINE (the minister’s office) have a preference?”
On the day they went online, Jan. 12, Purcell wrote to the president of CIDA and other senior officials telling them “all” the material had been posted.
“OMINE (minister’s office) aware,” Purcell wrote, pasting links to the website.
Three days later, when media began questioning the letters on Twitter and calling CIDA, Purcell told confused bureaucrats to remove all the content from the web.
Officials from the Treasury Board Secretariat, which oversees the rules on non-partisan communications in the government, immediately got involved. Bureaucrats from the Privy Council Office — the prime minister’s department — had their hands in the communications response to media outlets.
And there seemed to be some concern from the Privy Council Office about just how much the minister’s office knew.
“We also need the email that was sent to the minister’s office advising them of this posting on Saturday,” wrote one PCO official.
A copy of Purcell’s redacted email of Jan. 3 was forwarded to the Privy Council in response.
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May 30, 2013 22:11
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- Kafka Esq.
- Jan 1, 2005
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"If you ever even think about calling me anything but 'The Crab' I will go so fucking crab on your ass you won't even see what crab'd your crab" -The Crab(TM)
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It's alright. I exported the poo poo post tag to Detroit so you can have your nice Canada one back.
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May 30, 2013 23:18
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- Kafka Esq.
- Jan 1, 2005
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"If you ever even think about calling me anything but 'The Crab' I will go so fucking crab on your ass you won't even see what crab'd your crab" -The Crab(TM)
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http://www.cbc.ca/news/yourcommunity/2013/05/whats-the-deal-with-the-senate-anyway-join-us-thurs-7-pm-et.html?cmp=rss&utm_source=feedly
quote:Marjory LeBreton has stated that if the Senate cannot be fixed "once and for all," then it cannot survive -- bold words coming from the leader of that very institution.
"The public do not see the Senate as a legitimate institution," LeBreton said in an interview with CBC News. "One of the options that the Supreme Court should have to consider is whether the Senate should be abolished."
Watch the CBC interview with Marjory LeBreton and read more
Review key moments in the Senate expenses controversy
Tonight on CBC Live Online, host Lauren O'Neil welcomes:
Senator Mobina Jaffer, Liberal senator from British Columbia.
Alison Loat, co-founder and executive director of Samara.
Peter Loewen, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Toronto.
Together, along with audience members, they'll chat about the embattled institution, what it does and how it affects our lives.
The 30-minute Senate refresher chat is ideal for young Canadians -- or anyone who wants to understand what it does for Canadians.
Bookmark this page and join us tonight at 7 p.m. ET to chat live with our panel and other audience members in the window embedded below.
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May 31, 2013 00:04
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- Kafka Esq.
- Jan 1, 2005
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"If you ever even think about calling me anything but 'The Crab' I will go so fucking crab on your ass you won't even see what crab'd your crab" -The Crab(TM)
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http://rabble.ca/news/2013/05/introducing-unifor-new-union-opens-its-doors-to-rebuild-labour-movements-power
What do you guys think? Is Unifor a good idea, bad idea, neutral?
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May 31, 2013 01:36
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- Kafka Esq.
- Jan 1, 2005
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"If you ever even think about calling me anything but 'The Crab' I will go so fucking crab on your ass you won't even see what crab'd your crab" -The Crab(TM)
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Regardless any talk of giving Alberta to the US is hilarious so I suppose serious talk wasn't a very good idea. That being said let's also give them our freshwater lakes.
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May 31, 2013 06:53
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- Kafka Esq.
- Jan 1, 2005
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"If you ever even think about calling me anything but 'The Crab' I will go so fucking crab on your ass you won't even see what crab'd your crab" -The Crab(TM)
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The officer who beat Adam nobody was just found not guilty. Most clear cut case we had, no sale. Doesn't look good for the rest. Edit: Never mind, it was Dorian Barton.
Kafka Esq. fucked around with this message at 16:59 on May 31, 2013
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May 31, 2013 16:54
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- Kafka Esq.
- Jan 1, 2005
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"If you ever even think about calling me anything but 'The Crab' I will go so fucking crab on your ass you won't even see what crab'd your crab" -The Crab(TM)
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I think I found the most shocking Canadian news story of the week:
As a British Columbian of English and Scottish ancestry, I feel the exact same way.
Second, yeah, seeing European monarchs as imperialists blah blah blah isn't exactly unique to Quebecois.
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May 31, 2013 18:49
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- Kafka Esq.
- Jan 1, 2005
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"If you ever even think about calling me anything but 'The Crab' I will go so fucking crab on your ass you won't even see what crab'd your crab" -The Crab(TM)
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I'm astounded that the off-topic chat continues to go down when headlines like this are roaring around.
http://www2.macleans.ca/2013/05/31/the-worst-month-in-the-history-of-canadian-politics/
Also, Aaron Wherry is right up there with other liberal luminaries with on-the-nose political reporting. He always summarizes so well.
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Jun 1, 2013 16:02
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- Kafka Esq.
- Jan 1, 2005
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"If you ever even think about calling me anything but 'The Crab' I will go so fucking crab on your ass you won't even see what crab'd your crab" -The Crab(TM)
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That's an interesting idea. Part of "sober second thought" part of the Senate is still wholeheartedly embraced by its members, that because they are no longer subject to party and voter whims they can be better impartial adjudicators of legislation. I've watched three interviews now where Liberals and Conservatives have said this is still their purpose. However, I haven't seen much other come out of the Senate other than in camera sessions, where the debate is masked. We haven't a clue how these proceed normally, under a Liberal or Conservative chair. Is the debate rigourous? Does the ruling party limit debate like they do in the house? Are people actually sober?
Your system is less technocratic than the current system, but the problem with the Senate right now is a lack of accountability. I feel that party lists drawn up by party elders wouldn't do much to appease the elect-the-senate crowd, and unless the opacity of their current operations is handled, I doubt it would appease us policy wonks either.
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Jun 1, 2013 16:16
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- Kafka Esq.
- Jan 1, 2005
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"If you ever even think about calling me anything but 'The Crab' I will go so fucking crab on your ass you won't even see what crab'd your crab" -The Crab(TM)
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edit: ^^ a caucus is a voluntary association that politicians have has much of a right to associate with as anyone else.
You're as close to an expert as we have, then. I've read that the debates the public would be most interested in - as in, not the boring financial stuff - is largely done in camera. Any thoughts?
Kafka Esq. fucked around with this message at 16:35 on Jun 1, 2013
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Jun 1, 2013 16:33
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- Kafka Esq.
- Jan 1, 2005
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"If you ever even think about calling me anything but 'The Crab' I will go so fucking crab on your ass you won't even see what crab'd your crab" -The Crab(TM)
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Also, poli-chat, has everyone seen Don Martin tearing into Duffy on Powerplay?
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Jun 3, 2013 03:12
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- Kafka Esq.
- Jan 1, 2005
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"If you ever even think about calling me anything but 'The Crab' I will go so fucking crab on your ass you won't even see what crab'd your crab" -The Crab(TM)
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I find it frustrating that whenever newspapers talk about the NDP, they're "opposition MPs". Whenever a Liberal opens his mouth, they make sure to identify him by party and name. How are you supposed to build up brand when the media pretends your party doesn't exist?
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Jun 3, 2013 15:23
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- Kafka Esq.
- Jan 1, 2005
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"If you ever even think about calling me anything but 'The Crab' I will go so fucking crab on your ass you won't even see what crab'd your crab" -The Crab(TM)
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There is a Canadian cellular thread in Inspect Your Gadgets, along with phone threads, plan threads, and app threads. If you want to chat about things unrelated to Canadian politics, take it to the IRC channel.
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Jun 4, 2013 02:47
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- Kafka Esq.
- Jan 1, 2005
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"If you ever even think about calling me anything but 'The Crab' I will go so fucking crab on your ass you won't even see what crab'd your crab" -The Crab(TM)
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Identifying Harper with American politics loudly and often DOES help.
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Jun 5, 2013 15:31
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- Kafka Esq.
- Jan 1, 2005
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"If you ever even think about calling me anything but 'The Crab' I will go so fucking crab on your ass you won't even see what crab'd your crab" -The Crab(TM)
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I suspect that statement describes just about everyone who isn't a fanatical pro-lifer.
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Jun 5, 2013 16:50
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- Kafka Esq.
- Jan 1, 2005
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"If you ever even think about calling me anything but 'The Crab' I will go so fucking crab on your ass you won't even see what crab'd your crab" -The Crab(TM)
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I think one of the nuance elements about May's interview is that there is a time, and a place, for eco-talks about shrimp. 6 minutes, in a short lunch with a reporter, is a huge chunk of time that could be spent otherwise on a subject that can be summed up fairly decently in a few.
Let's get to "real-talks" about how May will avoid destroying the economy with her reckless eco-saving, or maybe a $90K cheque that is getting more than enough screen time? Rob Ford's crack? What else should the sole Green Party MP talk about than things being ignored by everyone else in the horse race?
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Jun 5, 2013 17:38
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- Kafka Esq.
- Jan 1, 2005
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"If you ever even think about calling me anything but 'The Crab' I will go so fucking crab on your ass you won't even see what crab'd your crab" -The Crab(TM)
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I'm gonna eat some shrimp scampi tonight and I'm going to enjoy the tears of Thailand.
I get what she's trying to say and I don't refute that it is an issue (the mangroves) but it's not applicable to Canada and her time could have been better spent increasing awareness of her party, her policies, and issues IN Canada.
Pretty sure imposing a trade embargo* on Thailand to get their poo poo in order isn't going to appeal to Canadians.
*she did not say this, don't lose your poo poo.
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Jun 5, 2013 19:40
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- Kafka Esq.
- Jan 1, 2005
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"If you ever even think about calling me anything but 'The Crab' I will go so fucking crab on your ass you won't even see what crab'd your crab" -The Crab(TM)
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Thanks for the one liner poo poo and run, Funkdreamer.
edit: just so we're clear, we're talking about homeopaths, a group of people who sometimes advise against immunization.
Here's Mulcair getting good press.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=RZnrYIqLSoA
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Jun 5, 2013 22:53
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- Kafka Esq.
- Jan 1, 2005
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"If you ever even think about calling me anything but 'The Crab' I will go so fucking crab on your ass you won't even see what crab'd your crab" -The Crab(TM)
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Somebody post ford-homer.gif of him pulling the candy off that woman's rear end.
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Jun 6, 2013 13:45
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- Kafka Esq.
- Jan 1, 2005
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"If you ever even think about calling me anything but 'The Crab' I will go so fucking crab on your ass you won't even see what crab'd your crab" -The Crab(TM)
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The NDP appeals perfectly to the Internet message board poster. They've failed almost every time to appeal to the average Canadian voter. It took the Liberal Party being led by the worst loving candidate ever to get their Opposition and unfortunately for the NDP, Trudeau has far more appeal.
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Jun 6, 2013 21:15
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- Kafka Esq.
- Jan 1, 2005
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"If you ever even think about calling me anything but 'The Crab' I will go so fucking crab on your ass you won't even see what crab'd your crab" -The Crab(TM)
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Literally pennies compared to Nigel. You've got apples and oranges. Not us, not us at all, and not corrupt. I mean Nigel specifically with reference to money. You creating a drumbeat that isn't there.
Frankly I'm surprised any of you find this to be a surprise. Though as noted above it seems most of you don't.
Anyway this is going to turn into rabid conjecture as I will go "there is no proof to suggest he..." And then you will go "but there is no proof he hasn't". Then "innocent until proven guilty" then "yea but CPC corruption etc".
Anyway I'll stay out of this for now until some definitive proof saying anything comes out. Good ole Liberal Democracy and innocent until proven and whatnot.
I can't be surprised. Look who's in charge.
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Jun 6, 2013 23:09
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- Kafka Esq.
- Jan 1, 2005
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"If you ever even think about calling me anything but 'The Crab' I will go so fucking crab on your ass you won't even see what crab'd your crab" -The Crab(TM)
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This is where you stop being good old neutral conservative and become a total hack, Team Theology.
What surprises me is you think (really? Tell me more about what I think) every party opposition or otherwise don't have exactly the same or similar funds at the discretion of their PL and CoS. I'm not sure if its naivety or wilful blindness.
But anyway yea I remember "etc etc evil, etc etc". (quote out of nowhere)
Anyway again, it'll be all partisan shots and totally non-corroborated nothing's until there are some definitive points released and data seen. (like, say, the drumbeat the Conservatives put up as Gomery started going?)
edit: I am so loving sick of sophomoric equivalency arguments.
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Jun 6, 2013 23:16
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- Kafka Esq.
- Jan 1, 2005
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"If you ever even think about calling me anything but 'The Crab' I will go so fucking crab on your ass you won't even see what crab'd your crab" -The Crab(TM)
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The problem with that metaphor is that means it's kind of none of our business?
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Jun 8, 2013 00:00
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- Kafka Esq.
- Jan 1, 2005
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"If you ever even think about calling me anything but 'The Crab' I will go so fucking crab on your ass you won't even see what crab'd your crab" -The Crab(TM)
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@Colinfreeze is extensively covering Canadian metadata mining, if you're interested. edit: Michael Geist is also on the case.
Here's something he wrote for G&M months ago, before the NSA story broke. edit 2: incidentally, this would explain CSEC's Taj Mahal, and the related building that seems to be a server farm.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/data-collection-program-got-green-light-from-mackay-in-2011/article12444909/#dashboard/follows/quote:Defence Minister Peter MacKay approved a secret electronic eavesdropping program that scours global telephone records and Internet data trails – including those of Canadians – for patterns of suspicious activity.
Mr. MacKay signed a ministerial directive formally renewing the government’s “metadata” surveillance program on Nov. 21, 2011, according to records obtained by The Globe and Mail. The program had been placed on a lengthy hiatus, according to the documents, after a federal watchdog agency raised concerns that it could lead to warrantless surveillance of Canadians.
There is little public information about the program, which is the subject of Access to Information requests that have returned hundreds of pages of records, with many passages blacked out on grounds of national security.
It was first explicitly approved in a secret decree signed in 2005 by Bill Graham, defence minister in Paul Martin’s Liberal government.
It is illegal for most Western espionage agencies to spy on their citizens without judicial authorization. But rising fears about foreign terrorist networks, coupled with the explosion of digital communications, have shifted the mandates of secretive electronic-eavesdropping agencies that were created by military bureaucracies to spy on Soviet states during the Cold War.
The Canadian surveillance program is operated by the Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSEC), an arm of the Department of National Defence.
In recent days, disclosures of secret surveillance programs operated by the U.S. National Security Agency have set off a storm of debate. Leaked documents and accounts have described an NSA project known as PRISM that allegedly gives the agency access to data from nine U.S. Internet companies including Google and Facebook. Another leaked document describes the existence of a government program that collects the “telephony metadata” surrounding millions of phone calls placed by Americans every day, without anyone listening to the actual conversations.
In Canada, a similar sensibility – though not the same sweep – appears to have also taken root. “Metadata is information associated with a telecommunication … And not a communication,” reads a PowerPoint briefing sent to Mr. MacKay in 2011. “Current privacy protection measures are adequate,” officials said, as they sought renewal of the Canadian metadata program.
CSEC and the NSA take pains to distinguish between the contents of a communication (which is out of bounds legally, if it involves a citizen) and the surrounding metadata (which is considered in play).
Mining metadata may never reveal what is said. But phone records, Internet Protocol addresses, and other data trails can reveal who knows whom, and how well. Authorities who suck up signals on a vast scale can use the metadata to create pictures of social networks, even terrorist cells, if they armed with enough raw computing power to sift through gigantic pools of data.
In Canada, a regime of ministerial directives – decrees not scrutinized by Parliament – have authorized the broad surveillance programs. How the data is obtained has not been disclosed in the documents obtained by The Globe or in comments from CSEC.
Officials do say that CSEC “incidentally” intercepts Canadian communications, but takes pain to purge or “anonymize” such data after it is obtained. Beyond that, “metadata is used to isolate and identify foreign communications, as CSEC is prohibited by law from directing its activities at Canadians,” wrote spokesman Ryan Foreman in an e-mail to The Globe.
CSEC is subject to oversight by a watchdog agency known as the Office of the CSE Commissioner, which has given broad approval to the metadata-mining program.
Five years ago, however, Justice Charles Gonthier, a retired Supreme Court judge, raised questions about the practice, according to government records released to The Globe.
Could CSEC, he asked, be wrongly passing along information to partner agencies, such as the RCMP or CSIS? While raw intelligence is sometimes allowed to pass between these agencies, Justice Gonthier’s broad concern was that CSEC’s metadata-mining efforts could be used as an end run around lawful warrants.
He wrote in a 2008 memo that ironing out such rules was important, since they set up “the legal requirement (e.g. ministerial authorization vs. a court warrant) in cases where activities may be ‘directed at’ a Canadian.”
CSEC suspended its metadata-mining program for more than a year in 2008. The documents show that Mr. MacKay signed a new ministerial directive in 2011 to continue the surveillance under new rules – and also authorized other espionage programs, some of which have been completely censored from the Access to Information documents obtained by The Globe.
Kafka Esq. fucked around with this message at 14:39 on Jun 10, 2013
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Jun 10, 2013 14:24
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- Kafka Esq.
- Jan 1, 2005
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"If you ever even think about calling me anything but 'The Crab' I will go so fucking crab on your ass you won't even see what crab'd your crab" -The Crab(TM)
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What an odd definition of marriage you seem to have. If my spouse and I had an expectation of openness with our finances, then finding out my spouse had a secret massive bank account would be a Huge loving Deal, especially if their attitude was that it was 'none of my business'.
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Jun 10, 2013 17:01
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- Kafka Esq.
- Jan 1, 2005
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"If you ever even think about calling me anything but 'The Crab' I will go so fucking crab on your ass you won't even see what crab'd your crab" -The Crab(TM)
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Team Theology, what do you think about this, and how does supporting the Conservatives mesh with a presumptive support for science? I assume since you work on the hill, this has been shared with you at least once.
http://scienceblogs.com/confessions/2013/05/20/the-canadian-war-on-science-a-long-unexaggerated-devastating-chronological-indictment/ (has links to all the different stories)
quote:This is a brief chronology of the current Conservative Canadian government’s long campaign to undermine evidence-based scientific, environmental and technical decision-making. It is a government that is beholden to big business, particularly big oil, and that makes every attempt to shape public policy to that end. It is a government that fundamentally doesn’t believe in science. It is a government that is more interested in keeping its corporate masters happy than in protecting the environment.
As is occasionally my habit, I have pulled together a chronology of sorts. It is a chronology of all the various cuts, insults, muzzlings and cancellations that I’ve been able to dig up. Each of them represents a single shot in the Canadian Conservative war on science. It should be noted that not every item in this chronology, if taken in isolation, is necessarily the end of the world. It’s the accumulated evidence that is so damning.
Most of the items come from various links I’ve saved over the years as well as various other media articles I’ve dug up over the last week or so. This series at The Huffington Post has been particularly useful as has this article at the Wastershed Sentinal.
A long list of various environmental programs that the Harper government has discontinued or slashed funding to is here. I haven’t found individual media stories about all of them, so they aren’t in the list below. If you can help me find stories about some of those programs, etc, please let me know. As well, some stories are treated multiple times, with perhaps an initial story telling the big picture or introducing a large series of cuts and later stories fleshing out details.
Update 2013.05.27: Undated list of science or environmental libraries closed is here: Natural Resources Canada is set to close six of fourteen libraries in 2012-2013, Parks Canada will consolidate 5 libraries into one, Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. Undated list of women’s programs cut since 2006, including many science or health-related, including: Assisted Human Reproduction Canada, Atlantic Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health
Apr 2006. One Tonne Challenge funding stopped
Jan 2008. Office of National Science Adviser phased out
Jan 2008. Nuclear safety watchdog head fired for ‘lack of leadership’
Jun 2008. 16 Canadian lakes are slated to be officially but quietly “reclassified” as toxic dump sites for mines
Oct 2009. Document delivery outsourced at The Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information (national science library)
Feb 2010. Layoffs at The Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information
Mar 2010. Information restrictions brought in by government have severely restricted the media’s access to government researchers
Jun 2010. Statistics Canada discontinues the mandatory long form census
Jul 2010. AIDS funding announcement insufficient and disappointing, out of step with international community
Aug 2010. Cuts to Environment Canada weather-service programs have compromised the government’s ability to assess climate change and left it with a “profoundly disturbing” quality of information in its data network.
Mar 2011. NRC Press privatized to Canadian Science Publishing, removing Open Access to many articles
Mar 2011. NSERC reduces funding for basic research
Mar 2011. Tri-Council reallocates funds from discovery to industry research
Jun 2011. Blocks asbestos from hazardous chemicals list at UN summit
Jul 2011. Budget cuts to Climate Change and Clean Air, Substance and Waste Management, Weather and Environmental Services, Water Resources and Internal Services, Action Plan on Clean Water, the Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan, Chemicals Management Plan, the Clean Air Agenda, the Air Quality Health Index, Species at Risk Program
Jul 2011. NSERC Discovery Grants reduced
Oct 2011. Canadian Environmental Network closes
Dec 2011. Withdraw from the Kyoto Accord
Jan 2012. Natural Resources Minister accuses foreign radical environmentalists of hijacking the system
Feb 2012. Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory (PEARL) loses funding (later partial reprieve)
Feb 2012. Closure of Kitsilano Coast Guard station
Feb 2012. Canada threatens trade war with EU over tar sands, over the bloc’s plan to label oil from Alberta’s vast tar sands as highly polluting
Mar 2012. Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospheric Sciences closes
Mar 2012. Gutting the Fisheries Act
Apr 2012. Cereal Research Centre cut
Apr 2012. Muzzling of scientists at international conferences
Apr 2012. Repeal of Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, download to provinces
Apr 2012. Sustainable Water Management Division cut
Apr 2012. Transport Canada Aircraft Services cut
Apr 2012. The Centre for Plant Health relocated (later reprieve)
Apr 2012. Scientists monitored at polar conference
Apr 2012. National Aboriginal Health Organization’s funding cut
Apr 2012. Parks Canada cuts affect four national marine conservation areas
Apr 2012. 47 scientists and researchers at the NRC Institute for Biodiagnostics laid off in Winnipeg and Calgary.
Apr 2012. 2012 Budget cuts Women’s Health Contribution Program, Canadian Women’s Health Network, National Network on Environments and Women’s Health, Federal Tobacco Control Strategy
Apr 2012. 2012 Budget cuts Centre of Excellence at B.C. Children’s and Women’s hospitals in Vancouver, Quebec Network of Action for Women’s Health, Prairie Women’s Health Centre of Excellence
May 2012. 1000 jobs cut at Department of Fisheries and Oceans (details follow)
May 2012. Ocean Contaminants & Marine Toxicology Program axed.
May 2012. Centre for Offshore Oil & Gas Energy Research cut
May 2012. Freshwater Institute cut
May 2012. Centre for Off-shore Oil, Gas, and Energy Research cut
May 2012. Maurice-Lamontagne Institute cut
May 2012. Smokestacks Emissions Monitoring Team cut
May 2012. Cuts to NSERC Discovery, Major Resources Support and Research Tools and Instruments programs
May 2012. Mersey Biodiversity Centre slated for closure
May 2012. Transport Canada library closed
May 2012. Environment minister Peter Kent accuses environmental charities ‘laundering’ foreign funds
May 2012. Killer whale expert out of work as Ottawa cuts ocean-pollution monitoring positions
Jun 2012. Eliminate Experimental Lakes Area program
Jun 2012. Addictions Research Centre cut
Jul 2012. Arctic Institute of North America’s Kluane Research Station cut
Aug 2012. Major Resources Support (MRS) Program Moratorium impacts National High Field Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Centre, the Canadian Centre for Isotopic Microanalysis and the Canadian Charged Particle Accelerator Consortium and others
Sep 2012. Revamp Species-at-Risk act
Oct 2012. DFO Habitat Management Program cut
Oct 2012. Declining grant success rate for Post Doctoral Fellows
Oct 2012. Ozone science group falls victim to government cuts
Oct 2012. Job cuts at NRC
Oct 2012. Navigable Waters Protection Act changed to weaken environmental oversight, changes sought by pipeline industry
Nov 2012. Bill C-45 weakens environmental laws and democracy, such as Navigable Waters Protection Act
Nov 2012. Salmon research lab run by Frederick Kibenge at the Atlantic Veterinary College-University of Prince Edward Island targeted
Nov 2012. Navigable Waters Protection Act altered to give developers more freedom to build around most Canadian rivers and lakes without obtaining permission from the federal government
Dec 2012. Eliminating the Hazardous Materials Information Review Commission
Jan 2013. Very long list of scientist muzzlings from Democracy Watch
Jan 2013. Canadian Space Agency battered by budget cuts, Steve MacLean leaves, sweeping changes expected
Jan 2013. Oil & Gas Industry thanks government for changing a series of environmental laws to advance “both economic growth and environmental performance.”
Feb 2013. Restrict how researchers can share data
Feb 2013. Department of Fisheries & Oceans muzzles its scientists
Feb 2013. Information commissioner investigates ‘Muzzling’ of federal scientists, called a threat to democracy
Feb 2013. Prairies Regional Office: Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency closes
Mar 2013. Muzzling of scientists
Mar 2013. Experimental Lakes Area environmental research project loses funding
Mar 2013. The government votes against public science, basic research and the free and open exchange of scientific information are essential to evidence-based policy-making
Mar 2013. $100 million cut from Department of Fisheries & Oceans over three years
Mar 2013. National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy closes
Mar 2013. Centralizing, Slashing Federal Web Info
Mar 2013. Quit UN anti-drought convention
Mar 2013. Unnecessarily sabotaging ongoing research at the Experimental Lakes Area and deliberately robbing international and domestic scientist of the 2013 field season
Mar 2013. Environment Canada/Peter Kent give mixed messages to First Nations and oil industry about reform of conservation laws
Mar 1013. Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver says that Canadian oil imports are greenest option for US, as rationale for Keystone XL support
Mar 2013. Burrard Inlet Environmental Action Program and the Fraser River Estuary Management Program (BIEAP-FREMP) closing
Mar 2013. 2013 Budget cuts: Health Canada’s Controlled Substances and Tobacco Program, Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, Drug Treatment Funding Program, Drug Strategy Community Initiatives Fund, Public Health Agency of Canada, Patented Medicines Prices Review Board
Apr 2013. Create barrier to public participation in pipeline hearings
Apr 2013. Environment Canada name removed from its weather website, replaced with government promotional links
Apr 2013.Closure of Department of Fisheries & Oceans libraries
Apr 2013. Prime Minister & cabinet take over power to dictate collective bargaining and terms for other salaries and working conditions at the CBC and three other cultural or scientific Crown corporations
Apr 2013. Scientist at National Water Research Institute in Saskatoon muzzled
Apr 2013. Minister blames David Suzuki, Environmental Groups To Blame For Pipeline Opposition
Apr 2013. Minister of Natural Resources Joe Oliver condemns climatologist James Hansen, says he should be ‘ashamed’ of his ‘exaggerated rhetoric’ on exploitation of tar sands (and here)
Apr 2013. Conservative MP Ryan Leaf has been peddling what researchers describe as “bogus” information on polar bears and citing U.S. climate skeptics as experts on the iconic creatures
Apr 2013. Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver told the editorial board of Montreal’s La Presse newspaper that “people aren’t as worried as they were before about global warming of two degrees.”
Apr 2013. Agroforestry Development Centre wound down (and here)
Apr 2013. Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration with numerous environmental benefits closed
Apr 2013. Amends list of industrial projects requiring environmental reviews
May 2013. Minister of the Environment Peter Kent refuses to correct Conservative MP’s crackpot views on polar bears
May 2013. Minister of Natural Resources insults oil sands critics
May 2013. National Research Council overhauled to do business-friendly research rather than basic science
May 2013. Hundreds of jobs cut at Agriculture Canada
May 2013. Agriculture Canada cuts including Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration, Semi-Arid Prairie Agricultural Research Centre and various centres for beef and dairy research
May 2013. Free-speech report takes aim at Harper government’s ‘culture of secrecy’
May 2013. Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre budget reduced by a third
May 2013. Science, Technology and Innovation Council finds that Canada losing ground in global science race
May 2013. Astronaut MP Garneau snubbed at museum opening of Canadarm exhibit
May 2013. Government identifies PR challenge of promoting both energy efficiency & green programs at the same time as massively supporting oil & gas industry
May 2013. Prime Minister Harper tells US Keystone XL pipeline ‘needs to go ahead’ — in spite of how bad an idea it is Kafka Esq. fucked around with this message at 22:37 on Jun 10, 2013
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Jun 10, 2013 22:30
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- Kafka Esq.
- Jan 1, 2005
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"If you ever even think about calling me anything but 'The Crab' I will go so fucking crab on your ass you won't even see what crab'd your crab" -The Crab(TM)
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Yea I have read it all, I'm not super thrilled about it but generally cuts to research based science have been contrarily positioned against more practical scientific finding usually related to economic drivers like the oil (evil, depending on your view) sands etc. without going into it to much because it isn't a defensible position unless you believe in an economy at all costs approach (which I often embrace, so guilty) that's what the governments position has largely been.
The government invests in practical and revenue generating science now primarily and two, there what's been a huge push by the government to encourage public private partnerships to create a sustainable scientific community that is not primary reliant on government funds.
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Increased success in this arena will be directly related to our capacity to first create the nascent technology that will attract the private sector – dependent on federal support in the provision of predictable and sustainable levels of funding for discovery research - and the creation of a national policy regime that attracts and enables public-private partnerships.
So again it's not perfect but the government is trying to create a scientific community that isn't wholly reliant on gvmt funding. Whether this is good or bad of course, is debatable.
Again I can't stress enough that I'm not arguing anything here. Just presenting the governments side.
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Jun 11, 2013 00:06
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- Kafka Esq.
- Jan 1, 2005
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"If you ever even think about calling me anything but 'The Crab' I will go so fucking crab on your ass you won't even see what crab'd your crab" -The Crab(TM)
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Well there are a lot of things I support them on really. I just don't always have the time to argue out my reasoning and therefore don't bother bringing up the disagreeable position.
As for the rest of the thread - what the gently caress, I didn't ask him for his papers or something. I pressed him on the incredibly important issue of science and innovation funding, something the Conservatives made a key plank as far back as 2004. Over the past six years they've done basically nothing to improve it and everything to sabotage general discovery. If he wants to take a dodge, he can, but pressing him on it isn't gotcha journalism.
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Jun 11, 2013 02:09
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- Kafka Esq.
- Jan 1, 2005
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"If you ever even think about calling me anything but 'The Crab' I will go so fucking crab on your ass you won't even see what crab'd your crab" -The Crab(TM)
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I really don't think I made a point I wanted to argue and I definitely don't have the amount of free time to dig out an argument and it would be debatable at best. I can think of a few examples, oil sands collaborating with scientists to create more efficient and economic ways to withdraw resources is one I'll run with.
Maybe you could quickly summarize some of the positions you'd take on the stuff we talk about constantly here - unions, the environment, accountability, foreign affairs, debt and deficits, and so on? You can take your time, we'd rather hear a calm and clear voice of conservatism than a frenzied quote war, anyway. That only applies when the voice is actually heard, though - right now you're kind of just sheepishly walking in and out of the room trying not to draw too much attention.
I'm utterly bewildered as to why anyone in Canada would or should give a poo poo about Israel.
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Jun 11, 2013 02:36
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- Kafka Esq.
- Jan 1, 2005
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"If you ever even think about calling me anything but 'The Crab' I will go so fucking crab on your ass you won't even see what crab'd your crab" -The Crab(TM)
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Sheepishly walking in and out of what is basically the Opposition Lobby to occasionally offer the alternative side. Yup, sounds about right - I'm not looking to be a Conservative hero.
I'm not here to argue, I never have been just to provide some insight from the Blue team I don't really have any interest in being more on a forum. I mostly just enjoy listening and understanding the other side.
You win bro, if I can't write out a succinct argument I won't post. I really wish I had the time to, I spend most of my days doing it and I don't really mean to repeat my days on the forums. All that said I respect were you're coming from and I'm sorry.
Maybe you can answer a simple question: who's closest on the Harper resignation front, Paul Wells or the various other people like den Tandt/Hebert who said he's one budget away from it?
Kafka Esq. fucked around with this message at 03:55 on Jun 11, 2013
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Jun 11, 2013 03:52
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- Kafka Esq.
- Jan 1, 2005
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"If you ever even think about calling me anything but 'The Crab' I will go so fucking crab on your ass you won't even see what crab'd your crab" -The Crab(TM)
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If only Angus hadn't opened his big dumb mouth when Polly did it.
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Jun 14, 2013 02:53
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- Kafka Esq.
- Jan 1, 2005
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"If you ever even think about calling me anything but 'The Crab' I will go so fucking crab on your ass you won't even see what crab'd your crab" -The Crab(TM)
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It's rare you see one of the twitterati going after someone like that, even if he's an opinion columnist.
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Jun 17, 2013 15:59
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- Kafka Esq.
- Jan 1, 2005
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"If you ever even think about calling me anything but 'The Crab' I will go so fucking crab on your ass you won't even see what crab'd your crab" -The Crab(TM)
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In another Twitter catch, Judith Baxter is a Harper Government appointee to the Canadian Museum of Civilization board. She's also probably the source behind the letter to Trudeau about charity speaking fees.
edit: Seems iPolitics is on the case.
Kafka Esq. fucked around with this message at 16:58 on Jun 17, 2013
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Jun 17, 2013 16:56
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- Kafka Esq.
- Jan 1, 2005
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"If you ever even think about calling me anything but 'The Crab' I will go so fucking crab on your ass you won't even see what crab'd your crab" -The Crab(TM)
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http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/06/18/tories_stumble_and_bumble_without_nigel_wright.html
quote:OTTAWA—Exactly one month since Prime Minister Stephen Harper was forced to accept the resignation of his chief of staff in the Senate expenses scandal, the effects of Nigel Wright’s loss are becoming evident within the Conservative government.
Before Wright wrote a cheque to cover the repayment of ineligible expenses that Senator Mike Duffy claimed, the Bay St. business veteran was praised for bringing a level of quiet professionalism to the prime minister’s operations.
Since Wright’s resignation on May 19, however, the Prime Minister’s Office has been veering toward overt stunts and hyper-partisanship in a bid to deflect attention from the ongoing controversies over the Senate and other troubles for the Conservatives.
Some examples from the past four weeks:
The PMO openly orchestrated a campaign over the last few days to “leak” information about Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau’s speaking engagements, including an apparent bid to recruit some Conservatives into complaining about the fees charged to a New Brunswick charity.
Rather than let the Conservative party office do the partisan job of attacking Trudeau, the PMO itself has taken the lead, offering up quotes to reporters or MPs made available for comment.
On Tuesday, Harper deflected questions about how his staff was handling the Trudeau-spending fracas and whether the PMO should have been involved in smear-opponent tactics.
“As someone who is paid by the public, I get good remuneration from the taxpayers of Canada,” he said at the close of G8 meeting in Northern Ireland.
“I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to then take money from charity. I give money to charity, I don’t take money from charity.”
In the past, PMOs have stayed at arm’s length from more base partisanship, since the PMO, technically at least, is supposed to speak for all Canadians.
Even more clumsily, the PMO circulated to the media Monday more documents on the Trudeau speaking fees, but this time demanding to be simply described as a “source.” One newspaper, the Barrie Advance, “outed” the odd, highly partisan effort by the highest political office in the land, and other news outlets, including the Star subsequently revealed the effort, too.
In the Commons last week, cabinet ministers carried “Stop Mulcair” prop signs into the chamber to poke fun at NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair’s driving incident on Parliament Hill (in which he failed to stop for security and ran through several stop signs).
At a Trudeau news conference on Parliament Hill, which was organized to call for more openness in MPs’ budgets and expenses, young Conservatives staged a disruptive protest, with handmade placards and chants. Though they described themselves as students, some were recognized as Conservative staffers on the Hill.
When Conservative MP Brent Rathgeber recently quit the caucus to protest against how the PMO had gutted a bill on public-sector transparency, PMO officials past and present took to Twitter to demand that Rathgeber run in a byelection. Problem: This was not the position that Harper’s government had taken in the past, when Liberal defectors such as David Emerson, Wajid Khan and Joe Comuzzi joined the Conservatives.
A failure to co-operate with Elections Canada has resulted in the unusual request for MPs James Bezan and Shelly Glover to be suspended from their seats in the Commons — a request that has now had to be bounced to a Commons committee after a Speaker’s ruling Tuesday.
In yet another dispute with Elections Canada and the ongoing “robocalls” saga from the 2011 election, a federal court judge ruled on May 23 that the Conservatives had treated the trial as “trench warfare” and that their database was probably used in a widespread scheme to suppress votes in the last election. The Conservatives replied by declaring the result a victory.
And in the Senate scandal, the biggest cloud hanging over Harper’s government, the prime minister has responded with a mix of stubborn silence or evasive answers about the depth of the problem for his office.
All these things have happened in the few short weeks since Wright left the PMO and even Conservative insiders are saying these haven’t been the government’s finest hours — reaction-wise. It does seem to prove that Wright was a steadying influence on the hyper-partisan zeal that has been exhibited now in his absence.
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Jun 19, 2013 14:47
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May 30, 2013 21:37
