Junction Triangle

A reminder what Harper gov’t has accomplished

Given all the federal election speculation at the moment now is obviously the time to remind all Canadians, regardless of their political affiliation, some of what the Harper government has accomplished over the last five years. To do that, I would refer visitors to the list of Harper government accomplishments below or here. There is also speculation, given the negative behaviour of Liberal/NDP and Bloc coalition MPs in the Standing Committee on Procedures and House Affairs Committee this past week, that the expected federal election campaign is going to be very nasty.

The Harper Gov’t Record:

(1) African Development Fund Replenished – Instituted in 1972, the Conservative government replenished the fund as promised at the G20 conference in Toronto in 2010 (Link)

(2) Age of Consent Legislation — Raised from 14 to 16 effective May 1, 2008 (Link)

(3) Agent Orange Compensation Package of $96 Million –$20,000 to all veterans and civilians who lived within 5 kilometers of CFB Gagetown in N.B.when Agent Orange was sprayed over a seven day period in 1966 and 1967 (Link)

(4) Air India Final Report of the Commission of Inquiry — PM Harper apologies to the friends and relatives of all those who died in that disaster (Link)

(5) Apology to Native People — By the Government of Canada on June 11, 2008 for residential school abuses (Link)

(6) Arctic Research Station Announced – The feasibility study started in 2007 was completed in August 2010 with the announcement that it will be built over the next five years in Cambridge Bay, Nanavut (Link)

(7) Auto Theft and Property Crime Bill — Legislation passed that would crack down on auto theft and trafficking in property that is obtained by crime (Link)

(8) Canada Employment Credit — Of $1000.00 (Link)

(9) Child Tax Credit — $2000 for every child under eighteen (Link to all the family tax credits)

(10) China Signs New Initiatives– PM Harper and President Hu Jintao signed a new initiative that built on December 09 Joint Statement — such as re-opening the Chinese market to Canadian beef products (Link)

(11) Chinese Head Tax Apology– By the government on June 22, 2006 (Link) (Link)

(12) Chinese Immigrant Provision – Of $20,000 to every individual and/or surviving spouses who paid the head tax plus $24 million towards an “historical recognition program”(Link)

(13) Columbia Free Trade Agreement — Signed at the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation meeting in Lima, November 21, 2008 (Link)

(14) Consumer Product Safety Legislation — To strengthen Canada’s product safety laws and better protect Canadian consumers and their families. (Link)

(15) Criminal Code Amended (Bill C-14 ) — Measures against organized crime, with 25 years for murder without eligibility for parole — passed on June 23rd, 2009, coming into effect October 2, 2009 (Link)

(16) Disability Savings Plan — Part of the 2007 budget, it was fully implemented in December, 2008 (Link)

(17) Doer, Gary, former NDP Manitoba Premier, appointed — The Ambassador to the United States on August 28, 2009 (Link) — an accomplishment because it is a concrete example how the Conservative government can be bi-partisan

(18) Economic Action Plan, Phase One — First phase of the 12,000 “stimulus” projects approved across the country, with 8,000 already started (Link)

(19) Economic Action Plan, Phase Two — Second phase based on measures outlined in the 2010 federal budget. (Link)

(20) Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario – Officially launched on August 13th, 2009 in Kitchener- Waterloo, Canada’s fifth such regional organization (Link)

(21) European Free Trade Association – Canada Agreement — Signed on July 2, 2009 — between Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland (Link)

(22) Food Labelling Initiative — to clarify and modernize labelling on food products, including “Product of Canada” and “Made in Canada” claims (Link) (Link)

(23) Gender Equity in Indian Registration — Legislation that addresses a court ruling on gender discrimination in the Indian Act (Link)

(24) GIS — Guaranteed Income Supplement Improvements — For seniors, changed to allow for higher earned income – (Link) (Link)

(25) Governor General– David Johnson was just named as the next GG. He is a lawyer and academic and was chosen following a length and by-partisan advisory process, thus making it a gov’t accomplishment (Link)

(26) GST — Goods & Services Tax Cut — From 7% to 6% and then to 5% (Link)

(27) Haitian Earthquake Response — (Link)

(28) Haiti’s Debt to Canada Cancelled — On June 25, 2010, at the G8 meeting in Huntsville, PM Harper announced that Haiti’s debt to Canada was eliminated (Link)

(29) Harper Government the longest serving minority — since Lester Pearson (Link)

(30) Hep C compensation Redressed – For latest court rulings that clear the way for national $1 billion package (Link), as well as how to apply for compensation (Link)

(31) Identity Theft Legislation– (Bill S-4) — Received Royal Assent on October 27, 2009 — for obtaining and possessing identity information, trafficking in that information or unlawfully possessing or trafficking in gov’t documents (Link)

(32) Income Splitting for Canadian Seniors — A change to the Income Tax Act for pensioners (Link)

(33) India-Canada Nuclear Co-Operation Agreement– PM Harper and Indian PM Manmohan Singh sign a memoranda of understanding that lays foundation for future bilateral trade negotiations (Link)

(34) Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement — Signed (Link)

(35) Internet Spam Protection — Signed December 15, 2010 to protect consumers and business from the most harmful and misleading forms of online threats (Link)

(36) Jordan Free Trade Agreement — Signed by Canadian and Jordanian government officials and reported on June 28, 2009 (Link)

(37) Kid’s sport tax credit — up to $500 per child (Link)

(38) Kuwait Foreign Investment Promotion & Protection Agreement (FIPA) — Completed in April 2009 (Link)

(39) Land Claim Agreements — Five-point plan for Aboriginal Canadians (Link) — to compare the years the Conservatives have been in power to previous years (Link) — 256 claims since the gov’t came into power, with 623 remaining (Link)

(40) Lobbying Act — Passed July 2, 2008 (Link)

(41) Manley Report — Approved (Report) (Link)

(42) Marquee Tourism Events Program — Part of the 2009 Harper government budget, it is intended to provide timely economic stimulus now and in the next 24 months. (Link) (See also the example of the Shaw Festival Theatre in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, which received $2.1 million dollars)

(43) Mental Health Commission of Canada — Established and incorporated as a non-profit corporation in March of 2007 (Link)

(44) Military Equipment Purchases – As we discovered at the time of the Haiti earthquake, the Conservative government has purchased four C-17 Globemaster Heavy Lifting Aircraft, 17 C-130 Hercules, new battle tanks and German patrol cars, as well as several thousand trucks (Link)

(45) Northern Regional Development Economic Agency — Announced by Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Tuesday, August 18th, 2009 in Iqaluit, Nunavut (Link)

(46) Nunavik Inuit Land Claims — Agreement (Link)

(47) Old Age Security legislation — To eliminate the payment of Old Age Security benefits from prisoners. (Link)

(48) Ombudsman for Victims of Crime — Established (Link)

(49) Open Access to Gov’t – the expansion of an initiative to provide all Canadians with more data, information and opportunities to dialogue (Link to March 18, 2011 Media Release)

(50) Panama-Canada Free Trade Agreement — Signed in Panama on Tuesday, August 11th, 2009 (but still to be ratified by Parliament) (Link) Ratified on May 15, 2010 (Link)

(51) Peru – Canada Free Trade Agreement — Adopted by Parliament June 18, 2009 (Link)

(52) Poland — Youth Mobility Agreement — Signed on July 14, 2008 that allows youth from either country to work and travel for up to one year (Link)

(53) Protecting Victims from Sexual Offenders – Signed on December 15, 2010 to protect children against sexual predators (Link)

(54) Public transit tax credits (Link)

(55) Quebecois as a nation — A motion to confirm Quebec within a united Canada (Link)

(56) Red Tape Reduction Commission – Announced on January 13, 2011 to greatly reduce bureaucratic administration for small and medium sized businesses that have a clear and detrimental effect on growth, competitiveness and innovation (Link)

(57) Savings Account that is tax free (Link)

(58) Self-employ Fairness Act – (Bill C-56) — Provides special benefits to the self employed on a volunteer basis (Link)

(59) Seniors Day — A law in the fall of 2010 that recognizes the contributions seniors make to their families, communities and workplaces (Link)

(60) Softwood Lumber Agreement (Bill C-24) (Link)

(61) Street racing crack down (Link)

(62) Students exempted from taxation for scholarships, bursaries and fellowships (Link)

(63) Tackling Violent Crime Act (Link) (Link)

(64) Taxpayers Bill of Rights (Link)

(65) Taxpayers Ombudsman (Link)

(66) Tax Treaties with Columbia, Greece and Turkey — A law was finalized to recognize these tax treaties on December 15, 2010 (Link)

(67) Truth in Sentencing Act – Bill C25 received Royal Assent on October 23, 2009 — ending the two for one credit for time served in pre-trial custody (Link)

(68) Ukraine-Canada Youth Agreement — Signed that would allow youth in both countries to experience freer movement (Link)

(69) Ukrainian & Eastern European immigrants — $10 million to educate Canadians about the internment in Canadian work camps during WWI (Link)

(70) UN Global Fund contribution for mothers, newborns and young children — $540 million pledged by PM Harper at the UN on September 21st, 2010 – when added to the $1.5 billion already promised at the G8 summit in Muskoka and G20 in Toronto, it is the largest contribution ever made by Canada to an international health institution (Link)

(71) Universal Child Care Benefit — $1,200.00 per year for every child under age six

* shudder *

(and yes, I know he's provincial. Just thinking of horror movies for some reason)

Just now it says:
"Of Portuguese background, Silva is popular locally for his help with immigration matters, community involvement, and record on international human rights."

...umm, community involvement? How? When? Where? Anyone notice?
I guess it's a truism that you cannot believe everything that you see in print.

See it for yourself: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Silva

Ironic. Mario lost his city councillor to an NDPer, Adam Giambrone in 2003.
(I SO hope Andrew Cash is not another Giambrone fail!)

Will it be the NDP curse against him again? (especially given that the polls say the Liberals and NDP are in a dead heat).

I think Silva is trying to keep a lid on the Phd because he knows he's done nothing for the riding and the doctorate is more important to him. It looks bad too. Unfortunately it's an all too common case of a politician looking after himself and not representing the constituents. Just what has he done for Davenport since 2004? In fact what has any Liberal, provincial or federal, done for the riding in the past 40 years?

I think that education is a brilliant thing as long as it contributes to, and doesn’t take away from, effectiveness.

I can't say that I have been involved in all political issues in Davenport, but I have been well involved on the electrification of the air rail link, and I feel that Silva is overselling his involvement when he says, "Residents of the Junction Triangle will be very familiar with my regular contact with them both through mailed newsletters and in person on a number of issues but in particular with respect to the Union Station/Airport rail link." I haven't been impressed with his efforts on this front. As far as I know, he has spoken about this issue briefly in Parliament, written a couple of very typical letters, published some uninspired articles in his newsletter, and shown up at one Dig-in meeting. I've had a hard time getting him to respond to my personal letters on this issue, and it isn't clear to me that he has contributed to a vision or strategy on this issue. If he is using electrification as one of his main examples of community involvement and consultation, then I would say that he probably really hasn't been very involved.

I emailed with Prof. William A. Schabas OC MRIA, Director, Irish Centre for Human Rights who is the scholar in charge of Mario Silva's doctorate and the person who coined the "spare time" comment.

They meet in Toronto at Silva's office according to Schabas and no, Silva has never been to Ireland.

I personally still have some questions about whether Silva is able to devote all his time to being an MP, like missing the Clean Train Rally, and I dont understand why he has seemingly tried to play down his doctorate pursuit because in theory one would be proud of it. I still think that he needs to answer how he is able to do both but for our purposes his claims about Ireland are true, his pursuit of a doctorate are true.

It should be pointed out that Ms. Rodrigues is not the only candidate whose neighbourhood ties contain some loose ends. I understand that NDP candidate Andrew Cash lives in the East end around Danforth and Pape.

I'm not sure it it will be watchable online. Rogers does stream certain things, like council debates... Their website is a bit confusing.

Some recent shows are available to watch, but I didn't see any episodes of Goldhawk Live listed. And I couldn't find a live stream.

So...we might need someone to record this and post online. :)

I also emailed Rogers and asked them if it would be posted.

It would be a shame if the only debate (that I know of) requires Rogers Cable TV service to watch it.

For your information Kenny boy just because Theresa Rodrigues the Conservative or con as you call her website is not running does not mean her campaigne is not in full swing. I work the phones on a daily basis and I speak to a lot of people. Let me tell you something kenny Boy their are many people who are switching their vote from Liberals to Conservative. Big Thanks goes to Fantino and Rob Ford. Let me tell you another thing their would never be a NDP MP or MPP in Davenport.