I'd Give Them An 'F'

The New Conservative Government that is.



Maybe it is premature to mark them this early in their new mandate so let's just call it an Interim Mark and hope that things improve over the longer term.


Why an 'F' ?


Okay let's start with my most recent Blog - introducing Back To Work Legislation for both the Post Office and Air Canada with indecent haste.



Both Organizations have the legal right to strike and there was little evidence to suggest that the public is being seriously inconvenienced.


The Tories were wrong to so quickly introduce Back to Work Legislation and for that they get an 'F' from me.


Note to Report Card: if you aspire to an "A' at the end of term, you will need to Bring In Legislation Revoking A Public Servant's Right To Strike since that is the real issue here.



So that's One Area - there are more ...As Follows:

• Your attempt to Reform the Senate will render the Upper House even more dysfunctional. Elected Senators, with but one term, will cause them to think they are of equal or greater importance to the lowly MP. As well, with no need to worry about re-election, they will be entirely without accountability. Interim Grade F-

Note to Report Card: if you aspire to an 'A' in this subject, you must find a way to Disband the Senate & redeploy the freed up resources to making the House more effective (i.e. more powerful committees).

• Proposed cuts to the Civil Service of 5 to 10 % are anemic and will have little effect on reducing the Deficit / Debt. Interim Grade F+

Note to Report Card: if you aspire to an 'A' in this subject, you will have to cut much deeper - 25 to 40%*

*(I expect many of you will find these numbers to be draconian but please realize, the world is facing a debt crisis the likes of which we have not seen since the Great Depression and the only way for Canada to minimize its affect on us is to get our financial house in order pdq. Programs will also have to go under the knife.)

• Your Stand on Asbestos is most incomprehensible. It is a known carcinogen. To continue to allow its export from Canada is nothing less than inhumane. Your vote this week at the UN to block its addition to its list of dangerous substances is simply bizarre. You rate an F-- and a lower mark if one was available.

Note to Report Card: if you aspire to attain a higher mark at the end of term - you will need to stop these exports now. Even then, the best mark I could give you would be a B given your tardiness.

• Your policy to send people to jail for longer periods and to build more prisons is for the most part misguided. Prisons should be a very last resort save in the case of violent offenders. By following such a policy we are most closely aligning ourselves with the United States which, as shown in the Conrad Black case, has become one mean spirited country. Again an F.

Note to Report Card: To attain a better mark in this subject you will have to scrap your current policy and find ways to get people out of jail and keep them out of jail i.e. effective alternative punishments. With that, the over-crowding will be a thing of the past and we'll have better citizens for it.

• Taking Canada into Libya was a mistake since we have no idea who we are helping there i.e. the likelihood is that in the end, a greater Tyranny will assume control from the lesser Tyrant Qaddafi. Plus what about the real threat in that part of the world - Iran? Estimates now indicate that we are but days away from Iran acquiring Nuclear Weapons. Another F

Note to Report Card: Finish the work in Libya since it has been started but be prepared to live with the consequences. Also find someway to help destabilize Iran in concert with NATO.

• Heritage James Moore announced the day after the recent Election that "CBC funding was secure" and that CBC provides cultural significance for the country. An F

Note to Report Card: There are now enough private sector media outlets that we no longer need our government to support a public sector alternative. And this is not even getting into the issue of outright bias by the Mother Corp against all things conservative. To get a better mark Harper will need to scrap the CBC and cashier the Hon James Moore.

• The Conservatives continue to support the acquisition of expensive state of the art Jet Fighters. We are a middle power and simply do not have the financial resources to spend on such high end machines. Even the USA has started to cut back in the face of financial reality. Another F

Note to Report Card: Find a cheaper alternative or at the very least, reduce the size of your planned purchase.

• Their Plan to Eliminate the Electoral Subsidy I believe is wrong. This subsidy, unlike the Income Tax Deduction (i.e. refund $75 dollars for a $100 dollar donation) at least has some rationale - each Party is compensated on the basis of how many votes it received so in a sense it has a direct relation to the voters who supported it. In the case of the Income Tax Deduction, all taxpayers are financially supporting parties that they did not vote for. Plus the less public funding - more private funding is inevitable - big corps / big unions - just like the Americans.

Note to Report Card: Preserve the subsidy and deep six the Income Tax Deduction - if individuals believe in one Party they should be prepared to spend their own money in support of it and not expect taxpayers to join them in the privilege.

• I could not let this interim report go without honourable mention of Quebec. Your reimbursement of costs associated with Quebec's combining its Provincial Sales Tax with the Federal GST years ago - i.e. some $2 billion dollars is tainted. Quebec did this on its own and for its own purposes. It alleged unfairness but conveniently forgets about the $10 to $15 Billion it receives annually from the Rest of Canada in transfers and the like. If the Federal Treasury was bursting at the seems - this could possibly be overlooked, but you are broke. Hence another F.
  

Note to Report Card: To late to do anything here to redeem yourself but if you worked on getting Transfer Payments generally under control - I'd be pleased to give you an A++ in your final report.

As I see it...

'K.D. Galagher'

To Strike Or Not To Strike...

And my answer to both Questions is unequivocally -"Yes".




(This Question, as you know, has been in the News of Late with respect to Air Canada & Canada Post).




But how is it I am answering both Questions in the Affirmative?

Well dear Reader, as you know, I am opposed to public servants having the right to strike in the first place.

• Public Servants are paid by Taxpayers who are viewed by Politicians and Unionists alike as a bottomless money pit. In other words, there is no mechanism in place to bring about discipline settlements; 5 - 10 - 15% settlements fully indexed pensions - what the heck.
  
  Second - Public Servants work in a monopoly situation; there is no one to replace them should they go on strike. In the private sector, should a Marshmellow Plant shut down, there would be other such manufacturers to fill the void. Not so in government.

As a result, Public Servants now work in the best of conditions, receive much better wages and pensions that their private sector counterparts and enjoy enviable job protection (despite the threatened Tory minor cut-backs through attrition).


I could go on and on - but suffice to say - "Yes" I am opposed to Individuals Paid By The Tax Payer having the Right to Strike.


Now the Private Sector is another matter entirely, as I have alluded to above in the Marshmellow example. If Unions there go on strike - so be it. Both sides know - or should know, that if settlements are too generous, competitors in their industry will thrive at their expense. Remember GM?

The only exception to this would be in cases of Monopoly where there is not another organization to pick of the slack so to speak and where the product/ service is of critical importance to the public - e.g. private sector garbage pick-up.

So with that criteria in mind - let's look at Canada Post and Air Canada.

Canada Post first.

CP is a Crown Corp and by any other name a Public Service Organization. But even if one were to call CP a private entity, it would still be a monopoly service, entirely dependent upon you and me to buy its Stamps.

Ergo - I am opposed to its employees having the right to strike - True.

I am also opposed to them being denied the right to strike - True Too.

Been drinking Galagher?

"No".

Currently Employer / Labour Agreements at Canada Post allow for a strike. Those agreements were negotiated in good faith and should be honoured i.e. employees should be permitted to strike at least until it becomes unbearable for the public. The Tories in this regard have acted prematurely - not only was there no time for public suffering to materialize, all indications were that it was unlikely to do so to any serious extent. That was not the case back in the 1960s and 70s but that was then - this is now, with so much electronic transmission available.

So I am in favour of this Strike.

If the Government is desirous of ending the Posties Right to Strike it should do so via legislation that takes this right away from all persons paid by the taxpayer. And of course, I would be in favour of just that.

Now Air Canada.

It was a Crown Corp but now is entirely Private. It is not a Monopoly - there are other airlines to pick up the Slack - so I have no trouble with its Employees walking out and staying out permanently if they so desire.

But again, the Tories acted too fast stating that an AC strike would injure a struggling recovery.

Hogwash.

The only real explanation I have for the Government's fervour here is that they wanted to protect Air Canada - since it is Headquartered in Quebec. Remember the demise of Western based Canadian Airlines - a far superior organization?

Air Canada is struggling and has been struggling for countless years now. One of the reasons is that they retain the Crown Corp attitude after all these years. You know the one where they believe the paying public should be honoured just to fly with them. Their Stock Value is approaching penny stock status.

The Government knows AC cannot handle too many blows and hence steps in before it loses further pax miles to West Jet and Porter.

But it cannot say why it is doing that since it offends the fairness doctrine.

I think what happened here, is that the Tories came out against the strike at Air Canada first - for the reasons I have given above but were not so disposed to do the same with Canada Post. But what followed was legitimate questions as why would they not treat the two companies alike? i.e. order them both back to work.

Stuck between a Rock and a Hard Place - the Government's hand was forced to do just that.

So again, Strike or not to Strike - That is the Question

And welcome to the real world of politics Minister Riatt.

As I see it...

'K.D. Galagher'