Federal Finance Minister Announces GST and Personal Income Tax Cuts

Federal Finance Minister, Jim Flaherty announced several tax cuts today.

They include:

• A reduction in the GST from 6% to 5%, effective January 1st, 2008.
• An increase in the basic personal amount exemption to $9,600 from $8,929, retroactive to Jan. 1, 2007;
  Two years later, on Jan. 1, 2009, the basic personal amount exemption will be increased to $10,100;
• Reducing small business income tax to 11 per cent by 2008 and $10 billion in federal debt relief
• The lowest personal income tax rate moves to 15 per cent from 15.5 per cent, effective Jan. 1 2007, undoing a change made in the first Conservative budget.

As usual, the NDP and the Bloc have announced that they will vote against this mini-budget, when it comes to a vote in parliament tomorrow. It is sure to pass though, as the Liberals have indicated that they will not vote against it.

Overall, I have to say kudos to the Conservative government for this mini-budget. It is coming at the right time and will benefit most Canadians.

Omar Khadr's mother wants Canada to defend her son's rights

Mrs. Maha Khadr, wife of the late Al-Qaeda financer, Ahmed Khadr is now asking for the Canadian government to defend her son, Omar Khadr.

This is the same person who along with her daughter Zaynab openly spat on and rejected Canada and the west, accusing them of being full of teen drug addicts and homosexuals. Not only did she say this, but she also said that she would be happy to see her children die as martyrs, just as her husband did.

In Mrs. Khadr’s mind Canada was not good enough for her and her family to live in, so they voluntarily left the safety and prosperity of our country and society to live among, collaborate with and openly support Al-Qaeda in Taliban ruled Afghanistan. Now that she and her family has suffered the consequences of their actions, they come running back to Canada and expect our government to advocate for her son release? Especially after he is accused of murdering a US medic?

It is not the first time Mrs. Khadr has advocated for someone in her family. In January 1996, she advocated to former Prime Minister, Jean Chretien for the release of her husband Ahmed from a Pakistani prison, where he was being held on terrorism charges. Mr. Chretien obliged and her husband was released within weeks, but that decision came back to haunt Mr. Chretien’s government when Mr Khadr was later killed in a gun battle with Pakistani troops.

It is probably best that Omar Khadr remains where he is in Guantamo Bay, where he is currently being held instead of being brought back to Canada. He is a trained Al-Qaeda operative, and given Canada’s lax justice system, chances are that he would be quickly released and would once again be free to pursue his collaboration and association with that terrorist organization.

Premier Stelmach Expected to Raise Royalties on Oil and Gas Development in Alberta

For a long time Alberta with its attractive tax rate has been an oasis for billions of dollars in investment in its oil and gas sector. This however could change with an expected announcement tomorrow, in which Premier Stelmach may raise royalities on oil and gas development by as much as 20%.

Hopefully this will not be the case, as the initial short term gain for Alberta from this draconian measure will most certainly end up as long term losses. Nothing good can come from such a radical change in policy, as it will only serve to discourage future investment.

The one piece of advise I have for Premier Stelmach is "Don't Kill the Goose the Lays the Golden Egg" Excessive greed by the Province will turn into long term need, especially if the oil and gas companies cut back on their investment and number of people they employ in Alberta.

Update:

From the Toronto Star - John Cotter

Stelmach vague on new energy royalty system

In a televised speech Stelmach said his government will create a new system for charging royalties but will give companies time to adapt to it.

The premier did not say if the changes will yield the 20 per cent increase in royalties called for last month by a review panel commissioned by his government, how the new system will work or when the changes will kick in.

"Now we are ready to take decisive action," Stelmach said. ``One that delivers the fair share Albertans rightly expect from the development of their resources.

Alberta Liberals are distancing themselves from the Federal Liberal Party

The sponsorship scandal, internal infighting, weak leadership and the lack of direction in the Federal Liberal party have severely tarnished the once proud “Liberal” brand name. This turmoil is causing some of its provincial counterparts to begin distancing themselves from the Federal Liberal Party.

“EDMONTON -- Like a young person embarrassed by his parents, Alberta Liberals are taking great pains to distance themselves from their namesakes in Ottawa.
..
The party executive is sending out letters urging news organizations to refer to the party and its members as "Alberta Liberals" rather than "Liberals."

With possible provincial and federal elections looming, Alberta Liberals are gritting their teeth at the prospect of being lumped together with their federal counterparts.

"We need you to call us by our real name," reads the letter, adding that it is "critical" for Albertans to distinguish between the federal and provincial parties. "After all, the Alberta Liberal Party is a completely distinct Alberta-born and bred political party ... with a clear vision for sustaining Alberta's prosperity."

The letter goes on to note that Alberta Liberal Leader Kevin Taft is not even a member of the Liberal Party of Canada.

This cannot be good news for a federal party that considers itself the natural governing party of Canada. From what I see, it is just another sign of people jumping ship before the big shipwreck as the Liberal party’s fortunes have clearly declined.

Right now they are experiencing a decline in the polls, poor leadership, massive debts, a decline in donations and lack of a clear message and direction. These days many are questioning what does the Federal Liberal Party stands for? It does not seem to have a clear position on issues such as the economy, crime, the environment, the justice system and the Afghanistan mission. If they are not able to turn things around quickly, the NDP may one day replace them as the opposition.

Nine Convenient Untruths In Al Gore's Documentary

Al Gore’s documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, has been found to be an alarmist, one-sided film containing nine major errors that are presented as fact. Despite this revelation, many schools in Ontario and other Canadian provinces continue to use this movie for educational purposes. In nearly all cases where this movie is being shown, it is being presented as fact without any opposing arguments.

So now what we now have are students in schools all across Canada being indoctrinated by a film with major flaws, instead of being presented with all sides of this debate. They are not given the opportunity to see films that demonstrate an opposing view, such as the Global Warming Swindle, and allowed to decide the facts for themselves. They have become political pawns who are being manipulated by various school boards in this debate.

In regard to the court ruling, Victoria Serda, Ontario's deputy Green party leader has dismissed it as "minor".

"How can a judge in England make a determination on whether something is scientific fact when he has no background in it?" Ms. Serda said. "This is a judge that doesn't even know what he's talking about, he doesn't work in the field, he's not a climate scientist, he's not a peer-reviewed scientific journalist. He has no basis in order to even go forward with this decision he's making. It's just kind of silly."

My response to Ms Serda is:

“How can a documentary produced by a career politician, such as Al Gore, without any background or training in climateology be endorsed and presented as fact in our schools despite having at least nine major flaws? It’s just kind of silly."

Here are the nine untruths

Untruth 1

Mr Gore claims that a sea-level rise of up to 20 feet would be caused by melting of either West Antarctica or Greenland "in the near future".

The judge said: "This is distinctly alarmist and part of Mr Gore's "wake-up call". He agreed that if Greenland melted it would release this amount of water - "but only after, and over, millennia"."The Armageddon scenario he predicts, insofar as it suggests that sea level rises of seven metres might occur in the immediate future, is not in line with the scientific consensus."

Untruth 2

Gore says: Low lying inhabited Pacific atolls are being inundated because of anthropogenic global warming. "That's why the citizens of these Pacific nations have all had to evacuate to New Zealand."

Judge says: "There is no evidence of any such evacuation having yet happened."

Untruth 3

Gore says: The shutting down of the "Ocean Conveyor" would lead to another ice age.

Judge says: "According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, it is very unlikely that the Ocean Conveyor (an ocean current known technically as the Meridional Overturning Circulation or thermohaline circulation) will shut down in the future, though it is considered likely that thermohaline circulation may slow down."

Untruth 4

Gore says: Two graphs relating to a period of 650,000 years, one showing rise in CO2 and one showing rise in temperature, show an exact fit.

Judge says: "Although there is general scientific agreement that there is a connection, the two graphs do not establish what Mr. Gore asserts."

Untruth 5

Gore says: The disappearance of snow on Mt. Kilimanjaro is expressly attributable to global warming.

Judge says: "The scientific consensus is that it cannot be established that the recession of snows on Mt. Kilimanjaro is mainly attributable to human-induced climate change."

Untruth 6

Gore says: The drying up of Lake Chad is a prime example of a catastrophic result of global warming.

Judge says: "It is generally accepted that the evidence remains insufficient to establish such an attribution."

Untruth 7

Gore says: Hurricane Katrina and the consequent devastation in New Orleans is due to global warming.

Judge says: "It is common ground that there is insufficient evidence to show that."

Untruth 8

Gore says: Polar bears have drowned swimming long distances to find ice.

Judge says: "The only scientific study that either side before me can find is one which indicates that four polar bears have recently been found drowned because of a storm."

Untruth 9

Gore says: Coral reefs are bleaching because of global warming.

Judge says: "The actual scientific view, as recorded in the IPCC report, is that, if the temperature were to rise by 1-3 degrees centigrade, there would be increased coral bleaching and widespread coral mortality, unless corals could adapt or acclimatize."

Tory throne speech to embarrass Liberals over Kyoto: report

Government sources told the Canadian Press that Prime Minister Stephen Harper believes the Liberals are so desperate to avoid an election that they will roll over and accept a throne speech that describes Kyoto climate-change targets as unattainable.

If this is true, it will certainly put Opposition leader, Stephane Dion and the Liberals between a rock and a hard place with two unpalatable choices. Have an election that they are not prepared for and do not want or effectively abandoning their support on implementing the Kyoto Accord within the required timeframe by allowing the throne speech to pass?

I think the Conservatives need to be careful if they plan to use this approach. Dion's tenure as Liberal leader would certainly be severely damaged if he goes along, so he might just opt for an election.

An election over the Kyoto protocol might be the single rallying cry that may unite a Liberal party in disarray and cement Dion’s position as its leader. The environment is not one of the Conservative Party’s strong points, and a significant amount of voters view it as an extremely important issue and may become swayed by the propaganda that will certainly come from the opposition parties, so having an election on it is not a very prudent or pragmatic approach.

If the Conservatives do end up using this approach, they need to provide and communicate a very strong and clear message to Canadian voters. They need to spell out in financial and economic terms the implications of implementing Kyoto and how it will affect their daily lives. Otherwise the opposition will have a field day with this issue.

Are the Liberals doing a flip flop on their throne speech demands?

Just two weeks ago, when the Bloc and NDP were threatening to defeat the Conservative government by opposing the throne speech, opposition leader, Stephane Dion weighed in with his demands. Unless the Conservative government satisfy four key priorities, they would risk not having Liberal support said Stephane Dion,

He knew that two of these demands, including the reintroduction of bill C-30 and telling NATO allies that Canada would end the combat mission in Feb 2009 would likely not be satisfied in the throne speech, but he still included them, so he was in was in fact laying the groundwork to defeat the government.

When Mr. Dion made these demands, he thought he was being clever. The gap between the Liberals and the Conservatives were as little as two points in some polls back then and in his mind he had finally put Prime Minister Stephen Harper in a box, where he would be forced to implement the opposition’s parties agendas, as the Prime Minister would not want to risk an election. Instead he was outfoxed when the Prime Minister called his bluff with the “fish or cut bait” news conference.

Now with increasing turmoil within his own party and the loss of Liberal support in the polls, Mr. Dion and the Liberal party seems to have done a 180 degree turn. They are now saying that they don’t want an election, and if there is one, it will be Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s fault, even though the Conservatives hold a minority of seats in parliament.

Toronto-area MP, Bryon Wilfert, associate foreign affairs critic in the Liberal caucus, is now advocating partial abstentions by the 96-member Liberal caucus in the Commons, in order to keep the government in power. Mr. Dion has not refuted this, so he appears to be endorsing this change in policy. No longer is he making the minimum demands for Liberal support that he was making just two weeks ago.

Mr. Dion is now caught between a rock and a hard place, as he faces two unpalatable choices. He can either “stick to his principles” and have his party defeat the government on the throne speech, but face an election that they are not ready for, or he can grudgingly support the policies outlined in the throne speech and be forever perceived as a weak politician without any principles. It will be interesting to see whether Mr. Dion and the Liberals do a flip flop on this issue and allow the throne speech to pass without satisfying their four key priorities. If he does, he would lose a lot of creditability and it will be the beginning of the end for Mr Dion's tenure as Liberal party leader.

The Folly of Negotiating Peace with the Taliban

Politicians like Federal NDP leader, Jack Layton and others like him who are promoting the idea of Canada negotiating with the Taliban should take a look at what is going on in Pakistan right now.

Fighting resumes between Pakistan and pro-Taliban militants

In September last year, the Pakistani government signed a peace accord with pro-Taliban militants that was supposed to end five years of fighting between them in the North Waziristan region of Pakistan. Under that deal, Pakistan withdrew its military forces from that area in exchange for promises that militant tribal groups there would not engage in terrorist activities.

When the deal was announced, many criticized the Pakistani government decision, as they rightly felt that it would not be respected by the militants. As early as July, militants were already flouting the agreement by launching suicide attacks and bombings.

Militants in Pakistan Flout Peace Agreement

Pakistani authorities on Monday were investigating a weekend of suicide attacks that killed at least 73 people, tracking suspected links between the bombings and the army's recent assault on a mosque held by Islamic extremists.

Now the breakdown in the ceasefire and the resumption of fighting between Pakistani troops and pro-Taliban militants have demonstrated the foolhardiness of ever making such an agreement in the first place. The only beneficiary of this agreement was the militants, who used it to rearm and rebuild their network and resume attacks on civilians in the area and against NATO troops across the Afghanistan border.

It just goes to show that you can’t negotiate with the Taliban or their allies. Hopefully Jack Layton and others like him who want to talk peace with the Taliban will see the foolhardiness of making such a decision.

Afghan minister praises Canada as 'greatest ally'

Afghanistan’s education minister, Mohammed Atmar, praised Canada and referred to our country as its greatest ally during a visit to Toronto yesterday.

"You protect our people and advance the basic rights of our people," he said. "Our government is so proud to convey to you that you are our greatest ally -- an ally that we depend upon, an ally to be appreciated, an ally that we will long be grateful to."

Mr. Atmar also spoke on the improvement to education that has been made in Afghanistan since the Taliban were overthrown.

"What is happening in terms of education is a strategic transformation of society," he said, noting more than six times as many children are going to school now than when the Taliban ruled the country from 1996 to 2001.

Statements like these makes me proud as a Canadian that our troops, as well as other citizens, are doing a lot of good in that country. It really makes me ashamed that the Federal NDP’s position is that they want all Canadian troops to be immediately pulled out of that country. It really makes me ashamed that the Liberals, who begun this mission are now politicizing and undermining it. Not only are these parties undermining the mission, they are also doing it at a time when Afghanistan desperately needs our help.

Both Afghan President, Hamid Karzai and Education Minister, Mohammed Atmar have emphasized the good that Canadian troops are doing in that country, despite the challenges that they face. They have asked the opposition parties to reconsider their stand on the mission. Hopefully the opposition will take a genuine look at Afghanistan from a humanitarian point of view and at least reconsider their stance.

Common Myths Spread By The Left About Conservatives

I came across this post, “Confidence schmonfidence... it's just brinksmanship” by the Take off, eh? blog on the liblogs.ca website. It was in response to a challenge Prime Minister Stephen Harper made to the opposition parties if they voted in favour of the throne speech, but opposed implementation of the policies outlined in it , that it could trigger an election. This is because the vote on each policy would be considered a confidence vote.

What was interesting was that it contained the common myths spread by the left about Conservatives, which could not be further from the truth. For the longest time it was a successful tactic, but now thankfully more Canadians are seeing it for what it is. Just propaganda!

Here they are:

• The Conservatives don't support women
• They don't support native Canadians.
• They don't support Eastern Canada.
• They don't care much for Ontario, or rather the GTA
• They don't really care for anyone who invested in income trusts
• They don't really give a rats ass about climate change (even now as they feign belief in it)

Chretien recovering after quadruple heart bypass surgery

Former Prime Minister Jean Chretien had quadruple heart bypass surgery today at the Montreal Heart Institute. The news came as a shock to me.

I am wishing him a speedy recovery.

Regards,

Tony