Photo Credit: Maxpower

The unabashed cowardice of Stephen Harper’s latest move may rekindle the suspicions of many voters come election day. It is safe to surmise, yet early to assume, that Harper is attempting to force the opposition to trigger an election by timing his important confidence motions for the spring of 2010. With two solid election victories under his belt, it is no wonder why Harper might want to take a shot at the long coveted Conservative majority. However, this overly cautious move to suspend government business as a lead up to his big power play harkens back to the Harper from 4 years ago. It is starting to look like the long awaited socially conservative Harper may be stepping into the light.

In his recent interview with Peter Mansbridge the Prime Minister makes no bones about his effort to change his image. He admitted becoming a less partisan leader, yet he openly expressed his contempt for the opposition in his tone and his belittlement of their inquiries into government business. Harper admits that he is anxious and frustrated that Senate Reform has not moved forward, all the while drooling over the new power balance he’ll create with his new Conservative appointees. And worst of all, he admits that he will be looking to these new Conservative Senators to advance crime legislation that has been roundly rejected by our delegates in the Senate. This last hypocrisy is the most telling of what is on the mind of our Prime Minister.
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The Copenhagen summit is a hot topic for conversation. Recent polls show that a broad spectrum of Canadians are calling for decisive action on climate change. One wonders why Stephen Harper, who is on a quest for a majority government, continues to ignore an issue that speaks to so many Canadians.

A Conservative prime minister adopting an aggressively environmental platform seems ludicrous, but the political map of Canada is changing. Liberal strongholds are disappearing faster than the polar ice caps. Conservative candidates are beginning to see that environmental action is about saving the economy, not crippling it. It could be that the shortest road to a majority is for Stephen Harper to redefine the Conservative stance on climate change.
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Minister of Human Resources Diane Finley

The problem with doctors driving cabs has been staring this country in the face for decades now. The Conservative government, in conjunction with the provinces, is making a move to speed up the process of certifying foreign trained professionals, and it has been a long time coming.

While I was in university I worked evenings as a security guard and every one of my fellow workers was terribly overqualified. One was an engineer from India, another had fled tyranny in Belarus, with an MBA from Britain. He still had to eke out a living in a low paying job. All across this country there are qualified professionals who are disappointed in the life they have found here in Canada.

Just a couple days ago, Minister of Human Resources Diane Finley introduced a new framework, promising to speed up the process by which foreign workers have their credentials recognized by the ministry. This new system would allow professionals such as engineers, physiotherapists, pharmacists, nurses, architects, lab technitions and occupational therapists to have their credentials evaluated within a year of applying. In some cases, it may allow newly arrived immigrants to know the value of their credentials before they arrive in Canada. In the past it could take up to two years for foreign workers to know where they stand.
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For decades the growth of temporary employment agencies has had a real impact on how rural job markets are taking shape. A 2006 study highlights a consistent rise in part time, low wage jobs over the last several years. It claims that 11 percent of all rural workers hold temporary jobs. These jobs are often found through local temping agencies, which are thriving even in these difficult economic times. A recent piece of legislation, Bill 139, is long overdue. This bill includes new regulations for temping agencies, but it will not prevent all the abuses that take place, especially in rural areas.

I’ve found temping agencies can lend a hand in the short term. Some agencies do provide useful training to unskilled workers. However, abuses can occur with temping agencies that focus on providing unskilled labour to manufacturing facilities in rural areas.
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Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan

Many Ontarians are wondering: where is the official opposition in Queens Park? The Ontario Liberal government is drowning in deficit, mishandling taxpayer money, struggling to deal with the eHealth scandal, and now they seek to introduce a harmonized sales tax. These issues are political dynamite, so why haven’t the Tories jumped all over the wounded doe that is the Liberal government?

Dalton McGuinty and Dwight Duncan have made quite a pair of populist media darlings lately. They’ve been trumpeting the virtues of their new HST exemptions for coffee, newspapers, and homes under $400 000. While the Liberals are magnanimously laying these pearls before the swine, the weak response that has come from the Ontario opposition continues to descend into ineptitude.

Tax harmonization has been a pet project of Federal Finance Minister Jim Flarety for a long time. He has made no bones about his disgust for the high taxes on business in Ontario, going so far as to accuse Dalton McGuinty of administering the most severe tax regime in the entire G8 bloc. McGuinty has made it clear that without the funds and cooperation of the federal Conservatives, the HST couldn’t have happened. In effect, the Ontario Liberals have allied themselves with Stephen Harper’s federal government on this issue.
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