Harper's Chopping Block

World wide fresh water monitoring program

2008-11-15T23:13:00.000-08:00

The Harper government wants out of a Canada-led UN program that monitors freshwater around the world — a move seen by critics as the latest Tory abdication of global causes once championed by Ottawa.
Not going to impress people on your World Stage™ that way, Harper. Maybe no one will notice.
(Maude Barlow, national chairperson of the Council of Canadians said) "I have people say to me around the world: whatever happened to your country? We used to be able to count on Canada to take stands. And now, Canada is in some cases worse than the United States — just absolutely refusing to partake and participate in international programs."
Whoops. Steve’s reason?

Environment Canada spokesman John Carey says the Global Environment Monitoring System is no longer a priority. "We like the program. It's just not a priority for Environment Canada."
Not a priority? We like the program? Sounds rather like fluffy window dressing, doesn’t it?

Errol Mendes, a University of Ottawa law professor and former adviser to the United Nations, says the timing is baffling. "What will be the most important commodity in the second half of this century? It will not be gold. It will not be oil. It will be water," Mendes said. "Water is not a question of whether or not you have more money in the bank. It's a question of whether you live or die.”

Oh, just a question of whether you live or die. I see, not a priority, that. Not really important like a UFO festival.

Well, maybe the cost of maintaining the program is exorbitant. Seems the CONs looked and looked, but just couldn’t find the cash, according to Carey Spokesthingy.
"We considered within the department at our management board last spring whether there was any opportunity to replenish the trust fund, and we could not find one."
So how much was this life saving fund? The cost must have been astronomical.

The previous Liberal government set up a five-year trust fund worth $1.5 million that was allowed to expire last year, Carey said in an interview.

$1.5 mill over 5 years? That’s...let me see...$300 thou a year. I wonder if there’s some unnecessary fat that could be trimmed to save this worthwhile program?

Food labelling

2008-11-08T22:45:00.000-08:00

(T)he newly validated Harper government unaccountably seems to feel empowered to quietly continue along its path of incrementally dismantling the regulatory structures of the federal government. Amazingly, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, busier than ever before considering the aforementioned flashpoints, has decided to kill a program designed to stop companies from making outrageous claims on labels, along with purveying incomplete nutritional and ingredient information to consumers.

Although Ritz's office has claimed there will be no changes to existing label requirements, from now on it will be up to the "marketplace" to determine whether companies "are meeting health and safety, and consumer-protection obligations." That is, he's moving to a self-policing system.

Portrait Gallery of Canada

2008-11-08T22:35:00.000-08:00

The government has cancelled plans to build a permanent home for the Portrait Gallery of Canada, a move that is likely to anger members of the arts community who slammed the federal Tories during the recent election campaign over cuts to cultural programs. Citing the uncertain economic conditions, James Moore, newly appointed Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, announced yesterday evening that after years of stops and starts and squabbles, the selection process to grant the new gallery to one of three competing cities has been cancelled.

The Gallery was in the works before Steve took power in 2006 and was important in promoting arts and Canadian artists..

"international embarrassment" - Harper's climate change plan

2008-11-04T21:15:00.000-08:00

In 2007, Harper shut down a federal climate-change research network and blocked new studies on the impact of rising greenhouse-gas emissions in the atmosphere.

"I can only put it down as one of two things," said Dr. Andrew Weaver, a climatologist from the University of Victoria's School of Earth and Ocean Sciences. "It's vindictive, because the climate-science community has been quite outspoken, or stupidity, and not really knowing what's going on out there." (T)he climate researchers said the Conservatives are delivering a short-sighted plan that is becoming an "international embarrassment." "Harper waffles on about trying to call for 50-per-cent emissions reductions. Where on earth is he getting those numbers from?" Weaver asked. "They're certainly not coming from Canadian scientists. Maybe it's coming from a Ouija board."

EnerGuide

2008-11-04T20:40:00.000-08:00

On May 12, 2006, Harper’s government announced the termination of funding for the popular EnerGuide for Houses.

Since 1998, EnerGuide for Houses has been used to scientifically assess over 300,000 Canadian homes and determine how energy savings could best be achieved.

Undermining the role of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency

2008-11-02T10:31:00.000-08:00

A leaked secret government document revealed plans to “shift from full-time CFIA meat inspection presence to an oversight role, allowing industry to implement food safety control programs and to manage key risks” and “eliminate federal delivery of provincial meat inspection programs” in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and BC.

NFU Ontario Coordinator Grant Robertson said ... “This is a government that has worked steadily to undermine the role of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) as a public watchdog. Harper has cut funding for food safety programs and shifted responsibility for monitoring compliance with safety standards to the food companies themselves.”

Treasury Board forecasts funding for food safety programs were set to decline by nearly 30 percent from $359 million in 2006-07 to $254 million in 2010-2011 – all under the Harper administration.

Since March 31, 2008, CFIA meat inspectors are now directly supervising from the plant floor only 25% of the time, with the rest of their time devoted to reviewing company-generated reports.

The Harper government has also prevented CFIA inspectors from taking direct action when serious health problems arise, instead they are directed to give the offending company a 60-day “corrective action request.”

Finally, when the Harper Government took office in 2006, it phased out the reporting and ranking of meat processing facilities inspected by the CFIA.

The politicization of science under Harper

2008-11-02T09:52:00.000-08:00

In January, 2008, Harper, through then Industry Minister Jim Prentice, cut the position and office of the national science adviser, less than four years after the post was created.

Arthur Carty was originally appointed to the role of national science adviser by then prime minister Paul Martin on April 1, 2004.

Carty, who previously held positions as president of the National Research Council and dean of research at the University of Waterloo, was tasked with providing advice on global science and technology issues and how government can better support and benefit from science conducted in-house.

Celebrated Arctic biology John Smol, at Queen's University, says there are worrying shortfalls in Canadian research support. "Funding for day-to-day operational costs of running a laboratory are dismally poor and frankly, a national embarrassment when compared to other First-World countries," says Mr. Smol, who is also troubled by the elimination of the national science adviser. "Science should be a far greater portion of the ‘decision making pie' for policy makers, not less," he says.

Wimin'

2008-11-01T19:00:00.000-07:00

(picture)

October 2006, Harper cuts the word “equality” from Status of Women’s mandate.

The program devoted to improving the condition of women in this country is dropping the word "equality" from its mandate. Status of Women Canada (SWC) has changed its statement of purpose to reflect, in the view of one critic, the "conservative ideology, […] that systemic discrimination [against women] doesn't exist."

He also gets the useless, spineless and incredibly dim-witted Oda to cut programs and the SWC budget.

Bev Oda, the minister for the Status of Women announced on October 3 that organizations would no longer be eligible for funding for advocacy, government lobbying, or research projects, as part of new terms and conditions for SWC grants. SWC has a grant fund of $11 million. This follows an announcement, made the previous week, that the government was reducing SWC's $13-million operational budget by $5 million over two years.

"Conserva-tueur de la culture" - "culture killer."

2008-11-01T18:46:00.000-07:00

Harper axed $45 million in arts and culture funding including the PromArts, Trade Routes, and Capacity Building programs, as well as the Stabilization Projects and various film and television funds.

Court Challenges Program

2008-11-01T17:55:00.000-07:00

“Equality rights have no meaning in Canada if women, and other Canadians who face discrimination, cannot use them.”
In September, 2006, the Conservative government announced it was canceling the Court Challenges Program (CCP).

The Court Challenges Program of Canada (was) a national non-profit organization which was set up in 1994 to provide financial assistance for important court cases that advance language and equality rights guaranteed under Canada's Constitution.