Mid-Week Post

 Your central point of focus of the work-week ....




That sound one hears is the sound of desperation:

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne compared the province’s opposition leader to Donald Trump and called him a liar and bully, a day after Doug Ford suggested that some members of the Liberal government belong in jail.

(Sidebar: yes, about that ...)

Ms. Wynne, who is seeking re-election in June and faces a tough campaign against Mr. Ford, said that the Progressive Conservative leader “all but chanted, ‘Lock her up,’” on Tuesday, referencing a slogan used by Mr. Trump when he was campaigning against Democrat Hillary Clinton.

(Sidebar: this Hillary Clinton.)

“Doug Ford sounds like Donald Trump, and that’s because he is like Donald Trump. He believes in [an] ugly, vicious brand of politics that traffics in smears and lies. He’ll say anything about anyone at any time because just like Trump, it is all about him,” Ms. Wynne said on Wednesday during an announcement at a Toronto hospital.

(Sidebar: this Donald Trump.)

The thing is, Kathleen Wynne doesn't have to resort to this pathetic name-calling and fear-mongering that usually works with Canadian voters who regard anything American as wicked and heathenish, especially when she knows that bribing unions will do. 

Whether one likes him or not, Donald Trump is doing what he said he would do: lower unemployment and taxes. Since he took office, 2.21 million jobs have been added to the economy. His Tax Cuts and Jobs Acts has allowed companies to reward bonuses to workers in non-management fields.

Since Kathleen Wynne took office from the fleeing Dalton McGuinty, the economy hasn't just taken a downturn. It has foundered almost completely:

Ontario now has the fastest-growing electricity costs in Canada and among the highest in North America. And those rising costs are hitting average Ontarians in the wallet. Between 2008 and 2016, Ontario’s residential electricity costs increased by 71%, far outpacing the 34% average growth nationwide. Consequently, in 2016, Toronto residents paid $60 more per month than the average Canadian for electricity.

Ontario’s skyrocketing electricity rates also hit the province’s industrial sector. Between 2010 and 2016, large industrial users in Toronto and Ottawa experienced cost spikes of 53% and 46%, respectively, compared to a 14% average increase for the rest of Canada. In 2016, large industrial users in Toronto paid almost three times more than consumers in Montreal and Calgary and almost twice the prices paid by large consumers in Vancouver. While some select large industrial consumers received rate reductions, they still paid higher rates compared to large electricity users in Quebec, Alberta and B.C.

The result? Thanks to rising costs and diminished competiveness, compared to multiple comparable American and Canadian jurisdictions, Ontario has seen the steepest decline in its manufacturing sector over the past decade. Astonishingly, Ontario’s high electricity prices are responsible for approximately 75,000 job losses in the manufacturing sector from 2008 to 2015.

So, now that we know how things were broken, it’s time to start fixing them. So far, the Wynne government has mostly employed sleight of hand to hide electricity costs from consumers and shift costs to future generations.

And she's not done yet:

Construction workers, building security guards and cleaners under government contracts would receive a “fair” wage under legislation Ontario’s governing Liberals introduced Tuesday and hope to pass before the June provincial election.

The new legislation — called the Government Contract Wages Act — would establish minimum pay rates for workers in those sectors and require contractors and subcontractors hired by the government to abide by them.

How will Wynne tax these workers when these contracts simply dry up due to the rising costs?


So let Kathleen Wynne and her flying monkeys tell everyone about the "real Doug Ford". Even if he didn't live up to the promises of auditing Kathleen Wynne's books or not making minimum wage workers pay provincial income tax, he still wouldn't be Kathleen Wynne.


Stick to bribery, Kathleen.




Today in "the country's most 'transparent' government" news:

Federal opposition parties are raising alarm bells about a new $7-billion envelope — which they call a “slush fund” — in the main budgetary estimates that Liberals introduced to Parliament on Monday.

Worried that Liberals are giving themselves billions of dollars worth of wiggle room right before an election year, Conservatives are asking for assurances that a promise to limit funds to specific measures announced in the federal budget will be legally binding.

(Sidebar: assurances? Really? From known liars?)

**

In a long-awaited public appearance, Canada’s national security adviser claimed Monday that there was a “coordinated effort” to spread misinformation about the invitation of a convicted attempted murderer to an official event during the prime minister’s trip to India in February — an invitation that threw the trip into turmoil and that continues to make headlines in both countries. 

But Daniel Jean, who appeared before the House of Commons national security committee on Monday, insists he never said the Indian government was responsible for the misinformation, or for any kind of conspiracy.

“I went out of my way to say this isn’t the government of India,” he told the committee. Jean said either individuals or “rogue elements” within the government, who were not sanctioned by the government, gave misleading information to journalists that aimed to discredit Canadian institutions, including CSIS, the RCMP, and the Canadian High Commission in Delhi.

(Sidebar: yes, about that, Daniel -  Daniel Jean says both the RCMP and CSIS said Atwal was no longer considered a threat. (This is highly questionable). This means they knew he was going to be there and had at least assessed him as a previous threat. Even Atwal calls you out.)

**

A new poll shows Canadians taking a negative view of how Justin Trudeau is dealing with the Trans Mountain pipeline crisis.

According to Angus Reid, 46% of Canadians say Trudeau is doing a ‘poor job’ handling the issue, while just 36% say he is doing a ‘good job.’
18% say they are not sure or can’t say.

Horgan gets even lower ratings than Trudeau, with just 31% saying he is doing a ‘good job,’ while 38% say he’s doing a ‘poor job.’

This John Horgan:

The British Columbia government is denying Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s claim that it has been mum on how Ottawa should reinforce environmental protections — and offering as proof a detailed list of six demands it says were provided to the federal government in February.

**

So, after Trudeau’s meeting with Notley and Horgan, Horgan is doubling down on his opposition to the Trans Mountain expansion, and promising a seemingly endless legal battle.

Saskatchewan does not like this one bit:

On Monday, the Alberta government introduced a bill that would limit exports of oil, natural gas and gasoline to British Columbia.

The majority of gasoline used in B.C. is shipped through the existing Trans Mountain pipeline. B.C.'s government is opposing the expansion of the pipeline.

Shortly after the Alberta government made its announcement, Premier Scott Moe said his government would be following with similar legislation.

"We'll be introducing our own legislation in the next number of days not weeks but days and we'll be asking the opposition here in Saskatchewan to support that," Moe said.

Moe did not give away any specifics but said it would involve putting in export permits on energy products going to British Columbia.

"We hope it doesn't come to this, we truly don't. This is not a conversation we want to be having," Moe said.

And Justin does not like Saskatchewan one bit:

When Saskatchewan refused to impose Trudeau’s job-killing carbon tax, Trudeau threatened to take away $62 million in ‘green infrastructure’ funding.

Yet, even as the B.C. NDP was ignoring federal law and blocking the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, Justin Trudeau gave Horgan’s government $4.1 billion in infrastructure funding.

**

Iqra Khalid and the Trudeau government are facing criticism after Khalid reportedly brought greetings on Justin Trudeau’s behalf to Palestine House – an organization with a controversial past.

(Sidebar: this Iqra Khalid.)

Khalid reportedly presented the head of public relations at Palestine House – Amin El-Maoued – an award on behalf of Justin Trudeau. Khalid is also facing criticism for “introducing Palestinian Archibshop Atallah Hanna at an event in Mississauga,” according to iPolitics.

The Conservatives say Atallah Hanna is a support of Syrian Dictator Bashar Al Assad. MP Rachael Harder said Khalid was sent by Trudeau to “bring greetings on his behalf at an event organized by the anti-Israel Palestine House. This event starred a Palestinian activist who supports suicide bombings and who met with President Assad of Syria in 2017,” said Harder.

(Sidebar: this Rachael Harder.)

**

ProPublica was founded when a pair of wealthy billionaire donors to the Democratic Party decided they needed to fund journalism. In addition to millions from Herb and Marion Sandler, who also fund the left wing Center for American Progress, ProPublica is backed by a long list of left leaning foundations.

Among the list of donors, the Foundation to Promote Open Society, set up by none other than  George Soros.

Now this doesn’t mean Soros is going to be dictating news stories at CBC HQ but why on earth would CBC want to give it’s critics George Soros to wave around as further proof of their left wing bias? Soros has a history of funding projects in an attempt to change the political landscape in his direction.

He has funded projects to try and flip local political races to the Democrats, he has funded state races and he funds a lot of journalism, all of it in a left wing direction.

So what exactly is CBC doing with ProPublica?

They want you to help them track political ads on Facebook by installing an extension on your web browser and then reporting to them, through the extension, when you see a political ad on Facebook as opposed to a non-political ad.

Also - who cares if proles get their Internet news or not, right, Liberals? :

A cross-party parliamentary committee is unanimously calling on the federal government to take more action to address the roughly $7-billion problem of connecting rural and northern residents to high-speed internet.

Oh my God:

While the Harper government changed the rules around pardons after that 2010 report, name changes are handled by provincial governments and it seems being a predator that seeks out children for sexual assault won’t keep you from getting a new identity.

On Sunday the Toronto Sun told the story of Adam Laboucan, now known as Tara Desousa. While the Sun went with the titillating headline that read, “Youngest dangerous offender gets DD breast implants” my concern was with the name change.

Laboucan was 17 when he was arrested for a brutal sexual assault on a three-month old baby in Quesnel, B.C. The child was so badly injured reconstructive surgery was needed.

Laboucan became Canada’s youngest person ever to be named a dangerous offender and therefore is held behind bars without any firm release date. So far, Laboucan, now Desousa, has been denied parole thanks to bad behaviour behind bars including prostitution, assault, drugs and threatening to kill a female guard.

British Columbia, where Laboucan/Desousa is held, requires anyone with a criminal record to get finger prints before a name change to allow police to track.

But what about the public?

If you remember Adam Laboucan’s crimes, would you know a thing about Tara Desousa if she moved in next to you?

Moron:

A Canadian drug mule broke down in tears in an Australian court on Wednesday when she was sentenced to eight years in prison for her part in an attempt to smuggle cocaine worth $16 million into Sydney in luggage aboard a luxury cruise ship.

Melina Roberge, 24, told the New South Wales state District Court that she risked a life sentence in an Australian prison for the opportunity to take selfies “in exotic locations and post them on Instagram to receive ‘likes’ and attention” during a $17,000 vacation she couldn’t afford.

Yes, I am sure Libya will get right on to that, Canada, because who doesn't see this airport as pivotal to global peace? :

As conflict between rival governments and militias in Libya continues years after the Arab Spring, Canadian diplomats tasked with monitoring the situation are still stuck operating out of a neighbouring country. 

An inspection last year of Canada’s missions to Libya and Tunisia found problems with having both operate out of the same building, according to documents the National Post obtained under access-to-information law. And as other countries considered moving embassies back to Tripoli despite the Libya’s instability, the Canadians worried they would be left out of important conversations on regional security.

Scum:

Two young men wearing Jewish skullcaps were attacked and insulted in an apparent anti-Semitic assault in Berlin by three other men, who whipped one with a belt, Berlin police said Wednesday.

There has been a big to-do over reports that the Korean War finally will be ending.

If one believes that then perhaps I can interest one in a bridge I no longer want.


Why would Kim Jong-Un or China (which is playing nice by "freeing" defectors it once caught and which will visit its North Korean vassal state soon) relinquish this dictatorial plum?


Further:

After the speech ends, as the NIS guys are hustling Thae into a black SUV, the reporter asks him, in effect, what cards he expects the North Koreans will play at the summit. Thae starts to answer, saying that he thinks Pyongyang may well promise to denuclearize again because of the high pressure it’s under, but the NIS men prevent him from finishing his answer. At another point, Thae predicts that despite its promise to denuclearize, Pyongyang will try to stall two or three years until Trump is out of office, presumably to frustrate verification.

This doesn't sound like openness and extrapolation on the event of peninsular peace.

Why would the South Koreans hush this up?

Oh, yes - Thae's prediction that this truce is based on bullsh-- is quite embarrassing for the Moon government.


Also:

Veteran actress Choi Eun-hee died on Monday after a long life fuller of ups and downs than a Hollywood film. She was 92.

Her son, movie director Shin Jung-kyun said his mother died while undergoing dialysis. 

Choi was born in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province in 1926 and debuted on the silver screen when she was 21. She married movie director Shin Sang-ok (1926-2006) in 1953 and divorced him in 1976.

In 1978, Choi was abducted by North Korean agents in Hong Kong, and Shin was also abducted when he went there to find her.

The two made 17 movies in North Korea for late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, who had them kidnapped because he was a movie fan.

(Kamsahamnida)





Still, there are good people in the world:

The GoFundMe page dedicated to the Humboldt Broncos, believed to be the largest of its kind in Canadian history, will remain open for two more days before being transferred to a newly created memorial fund, the team’s officials announced Monday.

More than 130,000 individuals and businesses from Canada and other countries have donated between $20 and $50,000 to the GoFundMe campaign, called Funds for Humboldt Broncos. The campaign was started by Humboldt resident Sylvie Kellington after the horrific bus crash earlier this month, which killed 16 players and staff. In nine days, the online campaign has raised more than $12 million.

 
(Merci beaucoup)