I live in the south end of Simcoe Grey. Long term residents lovingly refer to our village as Dodge. We small urbanites do not have the luxury of postal delivery. Such is life. After almost 30 years of going to the box I no longer complain.
A few months back, a new postmaster arrived and removed the recycling bin. In the past many residents left a small mountain of flyers. They clearly did not want to receive them. It was a simple yet effective way to register your complaint about the amount of junk mail. Many place their postal remittances on the floor where there used to be a blue bin once stood; so much for recycling in the postal service.
Every so often, the bin overflows with flyers from our MP; lovely pronouncements on government policy and the progress of the Harper Crew’s now Honourable Lady in pictures and print. Recently in Tottenham we have seen two similar pieces. Both had Happy Birthday to Tottenham, happy 120th that is. There is only one problem with this junk mail, paid for by the taxpayer, and known as 10 percenters.
It was our 125th anniversary celebration that the Honourable Lady attended at the Tottenham Conservation Area. On a beautiful sunny day in July, she, surrounded by local dignitaries, handed out one of those now infamous oversized cheques. Several months later the facility is still not started, although the other addition, paid out of the property tax, is slated for completion in early February.
For those who missed it, an article in one of the Toronto dailies on Sunday pointed out our Honourable Lady received the silver recently. In what you say, did she win a literary award; is she now a sports star? No, she placed second of all 308 MPs in the amount of taxpayers’ money she spent on informing the populace in ours and others’ ridings, of the record of her and her Conservative cronies. Remember the controversy when she sent one to hubby Rahim Jaffer’s former riding.
I suspect there will be another drop to apologize for this inaccuracy.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Friday, November 6, 2009
The Honourable Helena Guergis, P.C., M.P., Minister of State (Status of Women) is a pretty impressive title. It comes with a staff of about 80, a salary in the low $200,000’s, a car and driver, and as we all know after six years, a pension to die for, which the member from Simcoe Grey will qualify for on June 28th 2010.
On the Status of Women website it states and I quote.
Status of Women Canada (SWC) is a federal government organization that promotes the full participation of women in the economic, social and democratic life of Canada. SWC works to advance equality for women and to remove the barriers to women's participation in society, putting particular emphasis on increasing women's economic security and eliminating violence against women.
The point I wish to make here, is in respect to the last few words, i.e. eliminating violence against women. This past Wednesday, (Nov. 4, 2009), the Honourable Lady voted in favour of a bill that will go a long way towards eliminating the long gun registry. My question is who does she represent with this vote? Simcoe Grey being a large mostly rural riding, has many hunters and farmers, who I suspect are mostly male, but it also has, if it fits the bill in this country, about 52% women. For the record, about 1.9 million people or 5.5% of the population is licensed to own a gun in this country. They own just over 7 million guns.
Does she represent the many women’s groups that have appealed to MP’s to keep this legislation? Does she represent the Chiefs of Police, who have come out in favour of the long gun registry? Does she represent the people of Simcoe Grey, who I suspect are split on the issue, or does she represent the Conservative Party, in it’s ever on going battle to form a majority government, by spitting off groups, putting rural against urban, men against women, province against province? It is the job of government to unite not fracture, as this government continues to do.
I suspect that the Minister was in on the spin that this is a free vote, but knew what do to and did it. One would think that the Minister of State (Status of Women)’s first responsibility would be to women. Given that the long gun registry came about after the slaughter of fourteen women, at the L’Ecole Polytechnique with a long gun, known to this day as the Montreal Massacre, almost twenty years ago now, should she not consider the effects of this change on women, not only in this riding, but across Canada first. Long guns are the most common type of firearm used in spousal homicide, according to the RCMP.
Many women’s groups including the Ontario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres are opposed to this bill. On The Status of Women website under the link Minister of State, there is a brief biography that notes that the minister volunteered at the Barrie Rape Crisis Centre. Clearly she does not listen to her fellow volunteers.
Our Conservative government and our MP clearly think that they know better than the Canadian Association of Police Boards which recently stated. “As civilian oversight bodies of municipal policing, CAPB cannot support any attempt to weaken police ability to deal with gun violence, as this bill will surely do, if passed.”
It does not have to be absolutely clear that the lack of the registry will hurt women. It should be enough, that there is a chance that violence against women may increase, if this bill is passed. I have many friends that are farmers and hunters, and I have no fear that they are about to go out and shoot someone. That is not the point. The registry is about knowing where these guns are, and ensuring they are stored properly.
Some say that the penalties are too high for not following the law. So follow it. As the saying goes, don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time. It is that simple. Yet we have a large group that has taken a vigilante approach to this law, and refused to participate. This group has been encouraged to do this by our Conservative government, our so called law and order, accountability government. There is nothing accountable, about how they have diluted the registry.
If elected, Green MPs will work hard to create a registration system that is fair, free, and easy to use. We will eliminate registration fees and decriminalize registration for hunting rifles and ensure law-abiding citizens do not have their firearms confiscated.
As a male it is not for me to decide what is best for women in this country. Yet I would, if I was a woman, want the Minister responsible for the Status of Women to put women’s safety and security first, no matter what.
On the Status of Women website it states and I quote.
Status of Women Canada (SWC) is a federal government organization that promotes the full participation of women in the economic, social and democratic life of Canada. SWC works to advance equality for women and to remove the barriers to women's participation in society, putting particular emphasis on increasing women's economic security and eliminating violence against women.
The point I wish to make here, is in respect to the last few words, i.e. eliminating violence against women. This past Wednesday, (Nov. 4, 2009), the Honourable Lady voted in favour of a bill that will go a long way towards eliminating the long gun registry. My question is who does she represent with this vote? Simcoe Grey being a large mostly rural riding, has many hunters and farmers, who I suspect are mostly male, but it also has, if it fits the bill in this country, about 52% women. For the record, about 1.9 million people or 5.5% of the population is licensed to own a gun in this country. They own just over 7 million guns.
Does she represent the many women’s groups that have appealed to MP’s to keep this legislation? Does she represent the Chiefs of Police, who have come out in favour of the long gun registry? Does she represent the people of Simcoe Grey, who I suspect are split on the issue, or does she represent the Conservative Party, in it’s ever on going battle to form a majority government, by spitting off groups, putting rural against urban, men against women, province against province? It is the job of government to unite not fracture, as this government continues to do.
I suspect that the Minister was in on the spin that this is a free vote, but knew what do to and did it. One would think that the Minister of State (Status of Women)’s first responsibility would be to women. Given that the long gun registry came about after the slaughter of fourteen women, at the L’Ecole Polytechnique with a long gun, known to this day as the Montreal Massacre, almost twenty years ago now, should she not consider the effects of this change on women, not only in this riding, but across Canada first. Long guns are the most common type of firearm used in spousal homicide, according to the RCMP.
Many women’s groups including the Ontario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres are opposed to this bill. On The Status of Women website under the link Minister of State, there is a brief biography that notes that the minister volunteered at the Barrie Rape Crisis Centre. Clearly she does not listen to her fellow volunteers.
Our Conservative government and our MP clearly think that they know better than the Canadian Association of Police Boards which recently stated. “As civilian oversight bodies of municipal policing, CAPB cannot support any attempt to weaken police ability to deal with gun violence, as this bill will surely do, if passed.”
It does not have to be absolutely clear that the lack of the registry will hurt women. It should be enough, that there is a chance that violence against women may increase, if this bill is passed. I have many friends that are farmers and hunters, and I have no fear that they are about to go out and shoot someone. That is not the point. The registry is about knowing where these guns are, and ensuring they are stored properly.
Some say that the penalties are too high for not following the law. So follow it. As the saying goes, don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time. It is that simple. Yet we have a large group that has taken a vigilante approach to this law, and refused to participate. This group has been encouraged to do this by our Conservative government, our so called law and order, accountability government. There is nothing accountable, about how they have diluted the registry.
If elected, Green MPs will work hard to create a registration system that is fair, free, and easy to use. We will eliminate registration fees and decriminalize registration for hunting rifles and ensure law-abiding citizens do not have their firearms confiscated.
As a male it is not for me to decide what is best for women in this country. Yet I would, if I was a woman, want the Minister responsible for the Status of Women to put women’s safety and security first, no matter what.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
If I may sir or madam, I would like to use this forum to ask a few simple questions of the grey haired crowd out there, who, as we all know tend to vote Conservative. Where were you on Saturday Oct 24, when people in almost 5000 centers around the world stood up to say stop this insanity? It’s time to get back to 350. Around the world and throughout Canada young people are saying enough is enough. For the record, I personally attended the rally in Collingwood and yes I’m grey.
What is 350 you say? 350 is the most important number in the world--it's what scientists say is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide in parts per million in the atmosphere. Currently we are at 395 p.p.m.
My questions of the grey hairs out there, is what kind of world do you want to leave your grandchildren? And secondly where were you this past Saturday? And finally why are you supporting a government that has made it quite clear that they do not see a solution coming from the next round of global climate talks in Copenhagen this coming December?
What has this government done to deserve your support? What are you putting ahead of this catastrophe that the Conservatives are encouraging. Is it the giant metal box you drive around in? Is it registering your gun? Is it their American style crime agenda, that has worked so well there? If it is, the only real crime they are not going after is poisoning the world and that is a crime against future generations that they deserve to be held accountable for.
And yes accountability, something that the Conservatives say they believe in, includes leaving this planet in better shape than when you accepted the reins of government. Asking for the right to pollute more, to not cutback, so you can keep your seats is not being accountable.
Mr. & Mrs. Grey Hair out there it is time to act. Time to say what is more important than this big blue planet? Your remaining time here is not great, but with life expectancies increasing, your progeny will have long lives. Do you want to leave this planet in better shape than on your arrival, or do you want you grandchildren to blame you for this mess we’re in? We will soon see ships traveling through the arctic 12 months a year, and island nations such as the Maldives may actually just disappear from the planet. The future is indeed grim.
I suspect you really do care. I suspect that you worry about your family’s future. If you do, call your MP, email the Prime Ministers Office, wave a placard in front of Environment Minister Prentice's office and tell these guys to get a life, so that your children’s, children’s, children will have one too. And tell them that you are part of that grey haired mass that steadily goes to the polls, and you intend to change your vote if they do not change their attitude and put your great grand-children’s future ahead of everything else. That is the only thing that will get it through to them.
Tell them to work with the likes of Britain’s PM Gordon Brown who is warning that the world is on the brink of a catastrophic future of floods, droughts and killer heat waves unless governments speed up negotiations on climate change. Brown argued that agreement can not be deferred beyond the Copenhagen talks.
My last question is how come he gets it and our guy doesn’t?
What is 350 you say? 350 is the most important number in the world--it's what scientists say is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide in parts per million in the atmosphere. Currently we are at 395 p.p.m.
My questions of the grey hairs out there, is what kind of world do you want to leave your grandchildren? And secondly where were you this past Saturday? And finally why are you supporting a government that has made it quite clear that they do not see a solution coming from the next round of global climate talks in Copenhagen this coming December?
What has this government done to deserve your support? What are you putting ahead of this catastrophe that the Conservatives are encouraging. Is it the giant metal box you drive around in? Is it registering your gun? Is it their American style crime agenda, that has worked so well there? If it is, the only real crime they are not going after is poisoning the world and that is a crime against future generations that they deserve to be held accountable for.
And yes accountability, something that the Conservatives say they believe in, includes leaving this planet in better shape than when you accepted the reins of government. Asking for the right to pollute more, to not cutback, so you can keep your seats is not being accountable.
Mr. & Mrs. Grey Hair out there it is time to act. Time to say what is more important than this big blue planet? Your remaining time here is not great, but with life expectancies increasing, your progeny will have long lives. Do you want to leave this planet in better shape than on your arrival, or do you want you grandchildren to blame you for this mess we’re in? We will soon see ships traveling through the arctic 12 months a year, and island nations such as the Maldives may actually just disappear from the planet. The future is indeed grim.
I suspect you really do care. I suspect that you worry about your family’s future. If you do, call your MP, email the Prime Ministers Office, wave a placard in front of Environment Minister Prentice's office and tell these guys to get a life, so that your children’s, children’s, children will have one too. And tell them that you are part of that grey haired mass that steadily goes to the polls, and you intend to change your vote if they do not change their attitude and put your great grand-children’s future ahead of everything else. That is the only thing that will get it through to them.
Tell them to work with the likes of Britain’s PM Gordon Brown who is warning that the world is on the brink of a catastrophic future of floods, droughts and killer heat waves unless governments speed up negotiations on climate change. Brown argued that agreement can not be deferred beyond the Copenhagen talks.
My last question is how come he gets it and our guy doesn’t?
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