Speculation grows that the federal Conservative government will be toppled if not before the budget, by the budget.
There are many writing about this. Here is an editorial that puts it on Jack Layton and the NDP. They (or the Bloc) tend to hold the power when it comes to confidence votes.
I have put together a list of reasons for and against an election. I invite you to make your own conclusions and decide if an election is necessary.
Reasons AGAINST an election:
- Cost $$ - The last federal election (2008) cost Canadians around $300 million dollars, not much change from the previous 2.
- Lack of Issues - Many would have trouble identifying any stressing issues that would be the centre of an election campaign that Canadians care about. The economy seems to be the only main focus, however it's strong standing at this point seems to take much debate away.
- Lack of Leaders - Despite a personal annoyance at the focus on "who should we elect PM" this is what the vast (and I mean vast) majority of Canadians care about. Based on the last 2 elections it seems Canadians aren't willing to give Harper and the Conservatives a majority, but aren't willing to forgive and trust an Ignatieff led Liberal party. Not enough of the population believes in Jack Layton and the Greens aren't anywhere near enough seats for Elizabeth May to become PM. The bloc is not a national party, and as such will never be a threat for government.
- Lack of caring - Low voter turnout seems to be the story for every election and with a lack of issues to care about I doubt this one would be different.
Reasons FOR an election:
- Complacency - Parliament seems to lack any progress on completing anything on the agenda.
- Scandals and more Scandals - It seems every week there is a scandal of some kind whether for or against the government. The best way to eliminate "dead wood" is to vote them out.
- To get rid of leaders - Stay with me on this one. Many out there (and I am one of them) believe that there is a lack of choice for party leadership. Right now there is no reason to believe the Conservatives will win a majority, and having failed 3 times to deliver anything but a minority I doubt Stephen Harper will survive another minority government.
Many Canadians distrust Ignatieff (justly or not) and the Liberal Party will probably never govern while he is leader, so an election loss of the same or less seats will probably see him ousted as party leader. Some scenarios could also see the Liberal Party rebrand, retool or possibly even be close to collapse.
Jack Layton will probably never govern this country. However, he is so popular within the NDP I doubt anything but a massive loss will cost him his job. That said he may retire as he is going through a few health concerns.
The Bloc may be "separatist" in constitution, but anyone who spends time examining Canadian politics and society can tell that separation is further away now than it ever has been. Duceppe will run again, and the party will have a good showing but I question if he will be around much after that.
It is going to be an interesting few weeks.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
I'm horrible at this!
I have probably started a blog about 4 times and have never continued it. I guess I am just a statistic that most blogs end after 1 month. This one didn't end, it just became lonely. But things seem to be picking up politically so I will try and blog when things peak my interest (confuse, amuse or piss me off).
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Government and Teachers "wage" war!
At the annual Alberta Teachers' Association General Assembly, Education Minister Dave Hancock told teachers that they should consider the possibility of not receiving salary increases in the coming years to help fund the education system. Oh the problems that this could cause as I have mentioned in previous posts.
Like everything there are two sides to this story. Both with reasonable concerns and issues. I will try and weave through the issues and come to a possible solution.
Government: The issue here is that the government of Alberta is under extreme scrutiny as of late by the electorate, as small as that is here, for spending and management. Thus their scrutiny of teachers is an easy target for them to show that they are trying to rein in spending.
Teachers: The ATA signed a multiyear deal with the Government to ensure that no strikes will be taken, and that the government would cover the pension fund (which the Klein government raided in the 90's). As a part of this deal it was agreed that teachers would receive a wage increase if and when the average wages of albertans (calculated by stats-canada) increased. In laymen terms, salaries are tied to inflation. If there is inflation, salaries increase. This past year teachers received a 2% increase which the government intends school boards to cover resulting in cuts and job losses.
The problem: The problem here is that school boards will not be able to cover increases each year without budget increases from the government. If the boards can't cover these costs and the government refuses to cover them, we have a breach of contract. Teachers and support staff lose jobs, class sizes increase, technology decreases. You get the idea.
Solutions: Unfortunately things never tend to work out in a balanced, fair way. Often the government wins. Here is what I would like to see done.
1) Because the government has taken the position it has, I believe the ATA has no choice but to pressure the government into covering the raises and fulfill their terms in the contract. Thus the government agrees to cover raises .
2) Once the government has agreed to this, the ATA show leadership and encourage school locals to either "forfeit" or "donate" raises for the following year back to the school boards/districts or donate it to parent councils, which in turn donate it back to the schools.
3) Alberta Teachers take the stance that they are partners in the public education system, and by forfeiting raises show that they are committed to this.
The result is that the government is shown it must uphold terms of the contract, as well it will save $$ and the teachers gain much needed publicity in this province.
Can it be done? Sure. Will it be done? Probably not.
Like everything there are two sides to this story. Both with reasonable concerns and issues. I will try and weave through the issues and come to a possible solution.
Government: The issue here is that the government of Alberta is under extreme scrutiny as of late by the electorate, as small as that is here, for spending and management. Thus their scrutiny of teachers is an easy target for them to show that they are trying to rein in spending.
Teachers: The ATA signed a multiyear deal with the Government to ensure that no strikes will be taken, and that the government would cover the pension fund (which the Klein government raided in the 90's). As a part of this deal it was agreed that teachers would receive a wage increase if and when the average wages of albertans (calculated by stats-canada) increased. In laymen terms, salaries are tied to inflation. If there is inflation, salaries increase. This past year teachers received a 2% increase which the government intends school boards to cover resulting in cuts and job losses.
The problem: The problem here is that school boards will not be able to cover increases each year without budget increases from the government. If the boards can't cover these costs and the government refuses to cover them, we have a breach of contract. Teachers and support staff lose jobs, class sizes increase, technology decreases. You get the idea.
Solutions: Unfortunately things never tend to work out in a balanced, fair way. Often the government wins. Here is what I would like to see done.
1) Because the government has taken the position it has, I believe the ATA has no choice but to pressure the government into covering the raises and fulfill their terms in the contract. Thus the government agrees to cover raises .
2) Once the government has agreed to this, the ATA show leadership and encourage school locals to either "forfeit" or "donate" raises for the following year back to the school boards/districts or donate it to parent councils, which in turn donate it back to the schools.
3) Alberta Teachers take the stance that they are partners in the public education system, and by forfeiting raises show that they are committed to this.
The result is that the government is shown it must uphold terms of the contract, as well it will save $$ and the teachers gain much needed publicity in this province.
Can it be done? Sure. Will it be done? Probably not.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Coalition - an affront to democracy?
I have been dying to say something about this for 2 years, since the supposed coalition scandal that heated up politics in Canada (since then they have predictably cooled off)
When Stephane Dion and Jack Layton entered into an agreement of coalition to overtake the government run by the conservatives there was a huge debate on whether this was democratic or not. Risky words, such as coup de tat and power grab created an excitement that has barely existed in this country since its creation. But was it really undemocratic? a coup de tat? Here are some arguments I heard that need to be dispelled.
"I did not vote for Stephane Dion to be Prime Minister"- well you are correct that you did not vote for Dion to be PM...however, unless you are a member of the riding of Saint-Laurent - Cartierville, or Calgary Southwest (Harper), Toronto - Danforth (Layton) you didn't vote for anyone to be PM. You voted for a member of Parliament that happened to be a part of a specific party.
"Coalitions are un-democratic" - not really. If you consider the make up of parliament and the true purpose of it, coalitions are more democratic than one party rule. The CPC received 37% of the votes in 2008, where as the Liberal and NDP received 44% of the total votes. When you add in Bloc support that is 54%. That is a majority in any terms.
Whether or not this coalition was capable of running this country is not the point of this blog. The point is to outline just how unknowledgeable Canadians are about their own system. The parliamentary system was modeled after the British parliamentary system, only we have a written constitution enforcing this system. As this coming week will prove, coalitions are commonplace in a parliamentary system.
Some questions that are raised due to this whole "debacle":
1) Exactly who holds the power in parliament: Parliament or the Prime Minister? Our system is not set up as one where the PM is above the will of parliament on any occasion. Yet 2 times in the past year Harper has prorogued parliament, both seemingly to "save his ass".
2) How knowledgeable are Canadians, and how much do they need to be taught? The scary thing here is if the right person comes along, with the right charisma and manipulative personality, Canadians can be pulled in a very bad way.
Government fails to uphold contract
With the 2010 budget out, schools are getting their budgets in order. Unfortunately school boards are being put into a precarious position as the government has stated that they will not fun the 2% increase in teaching salaries this coming year. There are, of course, numerous problems with this.
As the ATA outlines, the 2010 budget does not include funds for the 2% increase for the 2010-2011 year. First it must be clarified that this increase is tied to the Average wages of Albertans, calculated by Stats Canada. Recently Stats Can redid how they calculate it, giving the teachers an extra 1% this past year.
The reason this is tough on school boards is that it puts the onus on school boards to provide those increases. What does this mean? Job losses .
If the boards fail to pay this increase it is a breach of the contract signed between teachers and boards for 5 years labour peace (which included a payment of the unfunded liability).
Not only does this impact me personally, it will impact future teachers, support staff and most important students. Kids who were in classes of 20 students this year will be in 25+ next year.
As the ATA outlines, the 2010 budget does not include funds for the 2% increase for the 2010-2011 year. First it must be clarified that this increase is tied to the Average wages of Albertans, calculated by Stats Canada. Recently Stats Can redid how they calculate it, giving the teachers an extra 1% this past year.
The reason this is tough on school boards is that it puts the onus on school boards to provide those increases. What does this mean? Job losses .
If the boards fail to pay this increase it is a breach of the contract signed between teachers and boards for 5 years labour peace (which included a payment of the unfunded liability).
Not only does this impact me personally, it will impact future teachers, support staff and most important students. Kids who were in classes of 20 students this year will be in 25+ next year.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Political Beliefs
I believe it is important to outline my political beliefs so that they are understood and fully explained in my own terms. This however, does not mean that my views are static. They are evolving and changing as new knowledge and ideas come to me. As I stated before I am not asking you to agree, just to listen and consider the other side.
So here they are.
First I would like to state that as far as political parties go, I classify myself as independent. Some argue that this is a whishy-washy way to participate in politics, but I believe that that committing yourself to one ideology leaves you shorthanded in debates and in worldview.
Education Obviously I am biased when it comes to this topic, but the views are still valid. I believe it is the role of the government to provide essential services at cost, not for profit. This is similar for healthcare, social services, retirement. I have a fundamental belief that education provides people with the freedom of intellect, the basis of a strong democracy.
Fiscal Responsibility Governments have the responsibility to be fiscally responsible to its constituents. It is impossible to successfully predict expenses, it is important to control unnecessary expenses included some expense claims that have been made in the past.
Crime and Punishment I am fundamentally against capital punishment for any human, no matter the crime. I don't believe in 100% correct evidence, nor the inherent right of anyone to take a life. While not all crimes and horrific events can be explained by cycles of violence.
More as they arise...
So here they are.
First I would like to state that as far as political parties go, I classify myself as independent. Some argue that this is a whishy-washy way to participate in politics, but I believe that that committing yourself to one ideology leaves you shorthanded in debates and in worldview.
Education Obviously I am biased when it comes to this topic, but the views are still valid. I believe it is the role of the government to provide essential services at cost, not for profit. This is similar for healthcare, social services, retirement. I have a fundamental belief that education provides people with the freedom of intellect, the basis of a strong democracy.
Fiscal Responsibility Governments have the responsibility to be fiscally responsible to its constituents. It is impossible to successfully predict expenses, it is important to control unnecessary expenses included some expense claims that have been made in the past.
Crime and Punishment I am fundamentally against capital punishment for any human, no matter the crime. I don't believe in 100% correct evidence, nor the inherent right of anyone to take a life. While not all crimes and horrific events can be explained by cycles of violence.
More as they arise...
Welcome
Welcome to my political blog. This blog is intended as an insight to my observations and views on the world that is happening around us. It will range from local politics and current events to provincial and national issues that may arise. It is not my intention to "make" you believe what I do, but to make you think and reconsider your beliefs and affirm those beliefs.
The reason for this blog is will walk to the line of the political spectrum, but also defy it completely. I don't believe in pure partisan beliefs or "I am this, so this is what I think." BUT I will get into that in my first blog.
Happy reading!
The reason for this blog is will walk to the line of the political spectrum, but also defy it completely. I don't believe in pure partisan beliefs or "I am this, so this is what I think." BUT I will get into that in my first blog.
Happy reading!
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