All Tories Are Racists …

 

So said a caller to one of the local radio stations here in Ottawa yesterday.

My reply to him is that ‘all those thinking such are Morons’.  So there.

But first and just to confirm, I am going into a siesta state but first have decided to get one or two Blogs off my chest…so to speak.

The nimwit’s comment would have ordinarily fallen on my deaf ears but it was the second time in two days that I had heard more or less the same thing; the first time was by a Chinese Canadian woman who up until then I had respected.

It happened during our Wednesday discussion group and the topic was the Northern Gateway Pipeline.

I had led off the discussion by saying it had to go through and fast given that the centre – Ontario and Quebec, were rapidly losing their manufacturing, which was not likely to ever return.

Oil and Gas, especially from the West were the things that would keep our economy afloat.

Others joined in, and not surprisingly the issue of native opposition to the pipeline came up.  The essence of their concerns was that native groups should not be allowed to disrupt the process by way of violence, as some of their Chiefs have threatened to do.

I too added to the discussion by saying that natives who did interfere in such a way, should have their Government of Canada funding cut off.

The discussion continued.

It was then that our Chinese Canadian woman piped (pun?) in by saying ‘Canada consists of many racists as is evident by the discussion here today’.

I was dumbfounded on two accounts:

First, I was saddened that such a bright lady would stoop to invoking racism for the sole purpose of shutting down the discussion. 

Second, I was angered by her suggestion since it is totally false.

It was the second result that caused me to reply to the dear lady.

I said, “if being critical of those who would use civil disobedience to defy the Will of the People is racist, then call me a Red Neck”.

“My only concern is for the welfare of all Canadians –be they red, black, blue and white as I truly believe we will all benefit by having our oil and gas reach world markets”.

I made my point but probably made an enemy in so doing.

The fact is though, the World runs on oil and will do so for the better part of this current century. And we in Canada are blessed to have it in abundance.

As stated above,Canada, like the Western World generally, is losing its manufacturing.  It is relocating to parts of the world that provide cheap, abundant labour.  But those countries are not self sufficient, they need oil and gas to operate and if Canada does not meet this need, other countries will gladly do so.

We therefore have an opportunity to move forward or fall back.

And in that regard, to say that we will not condone violent native protests is not racist; it is only common sense and in the end will be best.

Later I got in another relevant point.

I pointed out how bizarre it is for such projects as the Northern Gateway Pipeline to literally takes decades to get approved. “If it were China – the about to become largest economy in the World – approval can be obtained within a day”.  I also stated that in saying this I was not defending dictatorship but only voicing the need for these types of decisions – for or against – to be made more quickly.

Our lady piped up again to say that she was from China and their projects were done in such a way as to cause needless death to its workers.

Once again, the dear lady missed the point but sadly I know that she is not alone in her misguided thinking but I do think they are in the minority.

As such, the Conservatives have a golden opportunity to push the pipeline through to completion and in doing so re-set the political agenda in their favour as both Young Trudeau and Angry Tom have come out against it.

The Conservative’s tepid support of late for the project causes me to wonder though if they are smart enough to seize the moment.

It would be a shame.

As I see it…

‘K.D. Galagher’

Happy 104th Mr. Hees !!

 

Today, June 17, 2014, is the birthday of our former boss and much loved politician, the Honourable George Hees.

A year ago, I wrote a belated Eulogy for this late great Statesman, and it seems fitting to publish it once again:

When we see how politics has fallen into disrepute in recent times, we consider ourselves most fortunate to have worked for one of Canada’s last great statesmen-politicians, the Honourable George Hees.

Mr. Hees passed away in Toronto on June 11, 1996 at the age of 85.  This Monday, June 17th, would have been his 103rd birthday.

Married in 1934 to Mabel Dunlop..’the Pembroke Pearl’, the Hees’ had three daughters and a life together full of interesting times and adventure.

Save for a brief interlude between 1963 and 1965, our Boss was continually a Member of Parliament from 1950 until his retirement in 1988.

His accomplishments were legend: all star athlete culminating with his being on the 1938 Grey Cup Champion Toronto Argonauts; a war hero wounded in the heavily fought battle for the Walcheren Causeway in Holland in 1944; a most successful businessman having had to take over the family business at a young age after his father was killed in a riding accident; he served as Cabinet Minister in the Diefenbaker Government of 1957-1963 both as Minister of Transport and Minister of Trade and Commerce;and, later in life served in the Mulroney Government as both Minister of Veterans Affairs and Minister of State for Seniors.

The list could go on and on but for us, Mr. Hees was far more than these biographical entries.  He was a gentleman of the first order.

Always cheerful and never critical he inspired his staff to do their utmost simply by the fact that we never wanted to let him down.  On those occasions when we did, he encouraged us to shake it off “we all make mistakes” he said, “and no one more than me”.

When asked one time what best prepared him for a life in politics he replied simply, “that’s easy, sports, in sports you have to depend on your teammates and with sports comes both victory and failure and the lessons learned in how to successfully deal with each”.

He did not view the Members of other parties as the enemy, rather he considered them friends, all working in the interests of a better Canada and he lived that philosophy by example, as well as by word.  When we came to work for him as the newly appointed Minister of Veterans Affairs his first order of business for us was to get to know the Veterans’ Opposition Critics. He asked us to find out what he could do for them to make their jobs easier all with the goal that this would benefit veterans whom he viewed as the most special of Canadians.

We can hear him now … in his speeches … telling audiences of the sacrifices made by these young men and women, “they risked their lives, risked having their heads were blown off and too often their limbs destroyed, all so that we might enjoy the many freedoms we have today.”

Our Boss was fond of mottos; while Minister for Trade and Commerce in the early 1960s he promoted the phrase You Can’t Do Business Sitting On Your Ass and neckties of a donkey accompanied with the letters YCDBSOYA soon flourished.  While Minister of Veterans Affairs he coined the phrase Courtesy, Generosity and Speed (C.G.S.). Both these mottos encouraged his departments to double their efforts on behalf of their respective clientele.

Mr. Hees was very much from the old school in that he was proud of his profession and proud of his colleagues on all sides of the House of Commons. Often he would coach newly elected M.P.s regardless of party just because that was the way he was. Few know this, but he met often with Pierre Elliott Trudeau to discuss issues of the day.

Also of interest, was the fact that he was offered a Senate position by both the Liberals and the Conservatives but dismissed them by saying “I’m too young to retire.”

Perhaps the best way to sum up this Eulogy is to refer back to Hansard on the last day George Hees appeared in the House of Commons, the date was September 1, 1988:

Neil Young the NDP Critic for Veterans Affairs stood and asked the Boss a rather soft question – he began with the following lead-in – “My question is to the Minister of Veterans Affairs, and it may very well be the last chance I have to ask the Minister a question in the House or indeed for him to give a response.  And I regret that very much Mr. Speaker, because the Minister has been appreciated by all members on all sides of the House and certainly by the Veterans of Canada”.

Mr. Young’s question was met with thunderous applause throughout.

George Hees then replied -

“To start with, Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank all Honourable members for their very kind and generous expression of good will that they accorded me a few moments ago. This is one of the reasons that makes serving in Parliament the finest profession that anyone can have. I’ve enjoyed it tremendously not only because of the work that we’re all able to do,but because of the associations that we make, not only with members of our own party, but with members of all other parties.”

This was followed by several standing ovations.

It has been a quarter century since the voice of George Harris Hees echoed in the Halls of Parliament but for many and most especially for those like us who had the honour to have worked for him, those words will never be stilled.

Respectively submitted by:

Keith Bell … Former Chief of Staff

Shirley Cheevers … Former Executive Assistant

It is all about the Children …

 

I have decided to take a break once again from Blog writing.

Before I do however, I want to leave you with two more blogs – today’s and then one to follow about the little gaffer in the White House.

Today’s is about the future … for our once proud Province of Ontario.

Kathleen Wynne, in her recent campaign, urged voters to forget the past – you know the numerous scandals and such … and to focus on the future.

The past, said Wynne, was all about her predecessor Dolton McGuinty.

So okay, let’s do what dear Kathleen wants and focus on a Wynne Ontario.

And let’s do it from the perspective of the future … namely our children and our children’s children.

First … Sex Ed.

As Minister of Education, dear Kathleen tried unsuccessfully to introduce radical sex education into our schools.

This was something that even the Dolster could not stomach and, to his credit, quickly shelved the idea.

But now Wynne is in the driver’s seat, she has announced that one of the first things she will do, as Premier, is to bring back the ill fated Sex Ed Program.

Now some background is in order to better understand the curriculum to follow:

1st., Wynne is a lesbian;

2nd., the person she hand picked to introduce the new sex ed program, while she was Minister, has been charged with being a pedophile, and,

3rd., the most recent study in the United States found only 4% of Americans self identifying as homosexual.

Begs the question what is fuelling this most controversial initiative.

And Controversial It Is:

Starting in Grade One the little gaffers will be exposed to graphic lessons and pictures of sexual body parts.  (as a aside this alone could run educators afoul of the criminal code… but I digress).

In Grade 3, the little urgings will be taught gender theory, that is to say, that it is normal to question whether or not a you are a boy or a girl, regardless of your physic.

In Grade 6, you will be taught how to masturbate and,

In Grade 7, your studies will focus on oral and anal sex.

(And to think, I was always of the opinion that there was not enough history being taught in our schools.)

And at a time when our youth – Grades 1 and 3 should be playing cops and robbers or with dolls.

And then the lessons for Grades 6 and 7 go even further afield.

Bet you did not hear much about all that in the recent election campaign?

So that’s bad, but so is the fact that our children and their children will have to pay off our debts racked up under 4 successive Grit terms.

The Debt is approaching $300 Billion Dollars, our Deficit is slated to climb this year to over $12 Billion Dollars and the Liberal Promise to balance the Budget within 2 to 3 years is … simply pie in the sky.

It won’t happen.

So hug a kid today and thank him or her or whatever, for their kindness.

Talk about a reverse inheritance.

Sadly though, there will be less of them to thank since our Energy costs are three times the norm and rapidly climbing, there will be less jobs for them and the lucky ones will continue, as they do today, to escape the Province for jobs elsewhere – primarily in the West and in the United States.

So go girl go – you are the Wynner; let’s see what you can do.

We can afford to wish you well since it will be our children who will get the bill.

As I see it …

‘K.D. Galagher’

‘CASEY’ JONES AT THE THROTTLE …

 

On the night of April 30th 1900, ‘Casey’ Jones and his Cannonball Express collided with a stalled freight train on the tracks of the Illinois and Central Railroad.

We in Ontario too have a train wreck in motion and one being engineered by none other than ‘Casey’ Kathleen and her Gritty Crew.

And like the night of April 30th one hundred years ago, things will end in disaster.

But, the Voters of Ontario have spoken and none can later say they were not warned. 

Pundits today, are suggesting that Premier elect, Kathleen Wynne will be forced to be fiscally prudent by the Bond-Raters.

They’d be wrong … they do not realize how inculcated Wynne and her followers are in the obsessive need to spend massive amounts of other people’s money on hair brained schemes and general waste.

The day will come when the party is over – so to speak, but the Liberals will do their best to delay taking meaningful action as long as possible.

So do not expect any quick fixes in the near to medium future and that, dear reader, is what the voters of Ontario are content with in any event.

I do expect Wynne will soon announce a freeze on hiring and salaries but things are so bad economically in Ontario that that would be like spitting in the wind and hoping to put out the fire.

Jobs will continue to be lost with energy rates 3x what they are in neighbouring provinces and states.  Wynne’s new ill advised pension scheme will create even more incentive for businesses to pick up- and go elsewhere.  All, will cause more and more unemployment in all sectors of the economy.

It is for that reason I am not happy with yesterday’s election results but I am happy that the voters were given the opportunity to have their say.

And I am also absolutely delighted by the fact that it is Wynne who, for the next 4 years, will have to live with the disaster created by her Grit forebears over the course of the last decade and more.

So keep your hand on the Throttle dear Kathleen and remember, like the ill fated ‘Casey’, when the crash ultimately occurs … you will be riding right up at the very front of the Train.

As I see it …

‘K.D. Galagher’

 

Read Them And Weep …

 

The Polls leading up to tomorrow’s Ontario Election that is.

A couple of days ago, in my last ‘let’s pretend it is election day in Ontario’ I pointed out that although it is virtually a dead-heat between the two major parties, the Liberals were apt to win if for no other reason than they have a lock on GTA’s 40 seats.

Now, on the Eve of Election Day, I do not see that anything has changed from then.  If anything, the Grits have pulled slightly ahead over the course of the last two days.

I am not going to recite here the many reasons why Wynne and company deserve a good thrashing nor am I going to list the critical mistakes made during the campaign by the Hudak folks … by this time, you are as well aware of this as I am.

There will be lots of time to review what went wrong post election day.

In the old movie ‘Harvey’, starring Jimmy Stewart, his character Elwood had this to say; “In this world you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant. Well for years I was smart; I now prefer pleasant”.

So for me I would rather vote for the nice guy who finishes last than for the crook who finishes first. …

I will be casting my vote for Hudak.

The Unions, which have spent millions upon millions of their members dollars to see this win come about will one day soon see their victory tomorrow as hollow since sooner or later even the Liberals will be forced to take steps to clean up the mess they have created for Ontario’s economy.

In that regard, there is justice in the Liberals winning tomorrow … it could not happen to a more deserving bunch.

As I see it…

‘K.D. Galagher’

 

One Last Time …

 

Let’s Pretend Today, is Thursday June 12Th, Election Day In Ontario.

So What are the Polls saying?

A Dead Heat:  Tories 36.5; Liberals 36.0; and NDP 20.0 %.

To me, this translates into a minority Liberal Government, with some important caveats.

The Liberals have the lead in core Toronto – 43 to the Tories 31 and with the NDP at only 17% there, it means most if not all of Toronto’s 20 seats will continue to be Red.

The surrounding area of Toronto – the important 905 Region too remains Liberal – but less so – with the Liberals now at 37% to the Tory 30% and the Dippers at 20%.  If that holds to election day the Grits will get the over half of the 905 vote – so they will leave the GTA with at least 30 of the 40 available seats.

They only need 54 seats to form a majority.

Now the caveats:

First, a greater % of Tory Voters say they are committed to going to the polls – so the dead heat numbers above have to be read with that in mind – i.e the Tory vote is firmer.

Second, with such a large lead in Toronto and to a lesser extent in the 905 – many liberal votes there will be wasted as overkill. But they still will most likely come out of those two areas with at least 30 seats.

Third, momentum – the big MO is beginning to turn on the Liberals. In other words, the longer the election goes on – the less overall % they can expect.  In that regard, the Liberals can be thankful that the election is but 3 days away.  - and -

Fourth, the Unionization of the Election is starting to wear thin and is starting to turn voters off.  This will move more voters into the Tory ranks.

Taken together, the above could very well put the Tories in the win category and I will do my final Blog on the June 12th Election – on the 11th and will read the tea leaves as they then present themselves.

Right now though – my read is a slight win for the Liberals.  Their best hope is that more Dippers come their way between now and Thursday as the realization continues to sink in that the NDP really are not serious players in the 2014 Election.

As I see it …

‘K.D. Galagher’

 

ROBOCALL

 

Never in the History of Politics has So Much Been Written about So Little.

(My apologies to the late Sir Winston Churchill)

A Trial is currently underway in Guelph, Ontario in connection with the Great Robocall Scandal of the 2011 Federal General Election.

A lone individual, Michael Sona is facing one charge under the Elections Act for making misleading telephone calls (Robocalls) to Liberals in that Federal Riding.

In the lead up to his trial, ink has been splattered all over the place and in some cases awards have been given out to a newspaper – Ottawa’s own left leaning ‘Citizen’ and to two of its writers.  If they had any integrity those awards should be returned for handout to those more properly deserving.

Even Elections Canada got into the act claiming at one point that the Guelph experience was but the tip of the iceberg. That Robocalls had taken place right across Canada. It had to have orchestrated.

Suggestions were strongly made in Parliament and around the country that the Conservative Party itself was behind this nefarious scheme.

At the time, I believed that there was no way the Conservative Party nor any official Political Party would be involved in such shenanigans and I placed this incident, if it in fact had occurred, in the laps of some over-zealous riding volunteers.

Long ago, Elections Canada has had to admit there were no grounds for thinking a massive fraud on the voters had taken place.

Moreover, from the evidence presented so far at young Sona’s trial, it appears that it was he and he alone who carried out this ill advised stunt.

And stunt is the word to sum-up what occurred.

I have worked on elections since I was 11 / 12 years old, I have been a Riding President as well as a regional organizer for the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada and am well aware of what occurs at the local levels of politics.

When an election is called hundreds of volunteers from every background and stripe come forward to get involved in each of the main riding campaigns.

And dear reader do you know why that is?

If you guessed they are looking for IOUs form the winning Party – you’d be wrong.

Most are in it for the fun and I can tell you as an aside, more and more the fun is being taken out of it in this age of political correctness … but I digress.

So in Sona’s case here is a little guy who comes on board the Guelph Tory Campaign and he feels he is doing something worthwhile and the fact of the matter, he is.  He is having fun and gets over enthused and does something stupid and the media, Elections Canada, the Opposition Parties, the Pundits go wild.

It is to laugh out loud, since many of this righteous lot should and do know better.

And in that regard, I have a confession to make.

When I started out working on local campaigns as a kid, my main function was to go around the town and put up election signs on wooden telephone polls.  Yes, you younger ones, they were made of wood way back then.

And sometimes, not often, but sometimes I would tear down an opposition’s election sign ‘if it got in my way’.

So there, once upon a time, I too got overly zealous.

But what a sad commentary it is when one lone volunteer can cause such a national uproar.

Gotcha Politics has descended into new depths and we are all the poorer for it.

As I see it …

‘K.D. Galagher’