Going too far - or satirical honesty?

Harper's CPC government ministers lied in Parliament about the F-35 procurement process.

CON MPs have started petitions against the CBC.

The CBC and Radio-Canada - unlike StunTV, the Sun tabloids and other Quebecor infotainment media products - has reported on the investigations of a number of CPC initiatives which may eventually lead to criminal charges being laid against the party, particularly with regard to electoral fraud, voter suppression and other illegal activities including corruption at the highest levels.

Thus the political cartoon from Le journal de Montréal is quite amusing - and honest about the CPC intent and tactics.

Just how far will the CONs go, to destroy the CBC?

NewsFlash: ReformaTories' Key New©™ Speaking Points.

Since the beginning of the reign of Stevie the Spiteful, the ReformaTories have observed the same standard operating mode when dealing with communications.

1. Hammer out the fundamental lie untruth premise.
2. Spin it out in small words that the sycophants can understand and deploy.
3. Include some version of "But ... but ... but ... the Liberuls!!!!" or "But ... but ... but ... the evul Opposition!!!!"
4. Send out a trial balloon in the francophone media.
5. Crank up the fax machines.

The "trial balloon" of the day is the dishonourable member for Jonquières-Alma, Jean-Pierre Blackburn.

Just minutes ago, he was speaking in forked tongues on Radio-Canada, churning and frothing away, as he bloviated le sapin du jour.

Shorter Blackburn and PMO propaganda: The Opposition is preventing Harper's Government from "progressing".

Listen for it. That's the basic message the ReformaTory orcs will be spewing in defense of the budget, to deflect criticism from the loyal Opposition.

Where's Larry?

That Lawrence "Larry" Cannon is just full of surprises. From CC at Canadian Cynic we hear that he's planning to give Gadhafi a piece of his mind when the Lybian leader's plane lands in Newfoundland next week to re-fuel.

The ReformaTories have a bizarre approach to international politics. There was Maxime "Unzipped" Bernier who handled confidential documents with the same grace and sense he used in conducting his personal affairs. Larry was MIA during the Abousfian Abdelrazik situation which seemingly was resolved in spite of his desultory neglect of the case.

And Harper held a press conference at an Oakville Tim Hortons while world leaders spoke at the United Nations assembly. I think that was engineered in the hopes Ignatieff might label him as some Western Canada hayseed with no international creds. And the Cons could have pulled a gotcha! and leveraged that response to their advantage.

That didn't happen because the media and most Canadians are on to the Con; Stevie grew up in Toronto and acquired his Alberta neocon identity as a young adult. He's a Con-vert with serious self-confidence issues, needing galleries and Harper government websites jammed with his photographs to bolster his fragile ego.

Update: I predict that Larry will call this a great victory and an achievement. It seems Gadhafi's advance team has changed the original plan that called for a stop in Newfoundland and rerouted his flight.

How Stevie and his RepubliCons celebrate IWD.

Notice has been served to the United Nations, in the form of an intent to file a formal complaint regarding the removal of remove the right of public sector workers to file pay equity complaints with the Canadian Human Rights Commission.

"We just heard Helena Guergis speak to the UN Committee of the Status ofWomen, touting the Harper government's supposed record on women's rights. It's appalling that she would set foot on an international stage to make claims about women's equality while the government is in the midst of implementing policies that are trampling women's equality rights at home," said Patty Ducharme, PSAC's National Executive Vice President. The signatories to the "notice of communication" will work together in the coming weeks to formalize their complaint and submit it to the United Nations. "We will not sit back and watch as our government retreats from its international obligations and undermines women's equality rights," said Robyn Benson, Regional Executive Vice-President, responsible for women's issues at PSAC.

More information about how the bill introduced and passed by Stevie's RepubliCon government represents a systemic attack against women’s equality rights can be found in this document:

...several reforms proposed in this bill quite simply have no budgetary ramifications: for example, federal government spokespersons have admitted that they have not estimated the costs or savings related to the new pay equity regime for the federal public sector that is being introduced by this bill. There was no significant consultation with trade unions, women’s groups and other civil society actors before introducing these reforms. In addition, the gender-based impact of these reforms were not taken into account ...

This is how the RepubliCons merrily observe International Women's Day.

Soccer Mom Budget

I have nothing against women who can afford to stay home and raise their kids, or those who can follow a successful career outside their home and afford a nanny or other costly daycare. However, they are not the majority of women.

The budget conjured up by Harper and Flaherty, under threat from a potential coalition government, does not address the needs of the most vulnerable, and that includes many Canadian women.

The income tax cuts will mostly help fairly affluent households. Upping the "baby bonus" amounts will not address the need of affordable day care and is just another perk for affluent households. Ditto for tax credits in support of kids' hockey camps and piano lessons. The "cottage deck" initiative does nothing to provide affordable housing for low income, fixed income, under-employed, unemployed and unable to work women across this country. There is also the failure to change Employment Insurance eligibility to provide income relief to many women who work in jobs that make them ineligible or hold onto part-time work that doesn't allow them to access the program.

I didn't expect better from Harper. Nor did I expect him to respect pay equity. You only have to look at the list of resolutions passed at the last Conservative Party convention to recognize how despised women's rights are in his party.

What really burns is to recognize that neither pay equity nor the failure to address the needs of the most vulnerable was not considered a "poison pill" by the official opposition.

Sadly, I was hoping that Ignatieff would prove me wrong and display some courage. Unfortunately, I was wrong. It seems that vulnerability is an abstract concept for this Ivy League "human rights" expert.

Thanks to the Regina Mom, who reminded many of us that Anita Neville is the LPC critic for Status of Women, I fired off this letter:

Dear Ms. Neville,

I live in a riding adjacent to yours so I am not writing as one of your constituents but as a concerned Canadian woman. I am writing to you today since you are the Liberal critic responsible for the status of women.

The budget presented by Harper's Conservative government is a failed attempt at addressing the severe recession we are entering. Mr. Ignatieff seems to recognize this but still insists on supporting it with the proviso of periodic report cards. This is a meaningless gesture that does nothing to protect the most vulnerable, which includes many women across Canada. This budget provides little of no relief for low income, single income, unemployed and working women.

Those who are fortunate enough to still have jobs need meaningful childcare supports, something former PM Martin recognized but didn't act upon fast enough. Those without jobs or earning low incomes need refundable tax credit mechanisms to supplement household income and not increases in income exemptions and bracketing that fail to provide women with non-taxable incomes little relief. Many of the women who will lose their jobs will not qualify for EI benefits based on the current system. And lose their jobs they will since most women are employed in the retail and services sectors (including health care) and the taxation and economic stimulus measures will not create very many opportunities or protect jobs in these sectors.

But what really galls me is that the Liberals have failed to demand a reversal of the government's attack on pay equity. We have known that this was on the table since Flaherty first presented his economic update in November. Failing to demand that this loathsome and regressive move be struck from the budget is reprehensible. While President Obama moves the US a step forward, PM Harper with support of the official opposition moves Canada two steps backwards.

I beg of you that you vote with your conscience and engage your caucus to re-examine their official position. This is not the time to play petty politics.

Yours respectfully,

Beijing York

Cross-posted at Resettle THIS!