This comes on top of Conservative cuts to the Indian Head Tree Farm, all community pastures, food inspection services (including the key livestock office in Moose Jaw), the CARD fund for rural development, co-operatives, research, border services, international trade, and more.

Goodale said, “Again and again, the Harper government takes Saskatchewan for granted, removing local staff, programs and services – to be handled remotely from somewhere else.

“This directly contradicts the original ‘Service Canada’ plan that put Regina at the very centre of a new national system of ‘federal service to the public’, with the renovated Galleria mall (now the Alvin Hamilton building) intended to be a prime delivery site for all federal services.

“But the Conservatives have thrown all that away, at Regina’s expense, including these 10 lost jobs in immigration alone.”

Goodale said it is also “highly contradictory” for the Harper government to be cutting immigration services when Saskatchewan needs more, not less immigration.

“Our small population and skills shortages in Saskatchewan are exactly what’s holding us back from our full potential,” Goodale said. “If anything, federal immigration and trade programs in and for this province should be expanding.”

Goodale noted how Immigration Minister Jason Kenney seemed highly reluctant to admit his cuts when confronted by the media in Regina yesterday. The Liberal MP also pointed out that internet sites and call centres are no substitute for dealing with “real live human beings”, especially in a field like immigration. Immigration cases constitute the single largest number of files dealt with everyday through Goodale’s Wascana constituency office.

“With these immigration cuts, and so many others, it’s apparent that no one inside the Conservative Caucus is standing-up for this province,” Goodale said.

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Contact
Scott Bardsley
613-25-1791

Immigration cuts again take Saskatchewan for granted

Visit to Ukraine

Speaking near the end of a six-day, three-city visit to Ukraine by seven MPs representing the House of Commons Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development, Goodale said Canadian policy needs to strike “the right balance of carrots-and-sticks.”

The Committee is being accompanied by Taras Zalusky of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, Bob Onyschuk of the Canada-Ukraine Foundation and Borys Potapenko of the League of Ukrainian Canadians.

 ”Nearly 1.3 million Canadians trace their heritage to Ukraine, so Canada cares a great deal what happens here,” Goodale said. “We rejoiced about Ukrainian independence 20 years ago and we were even happier when greater democracy arrived with the Orange Revolution in 2004. But since then, progress has been slow and the country has recently slipped backwards.”

To reinforce the point that “Canada cares” and “the world is watching,” the Parliamentary Committee met with the families and lawyers of jailed political prisoners, citizens groups, independent media, academics, government and opposition leaders, regional officials and others.

They heard troubling reports of election tampering, improper legal proceedings, media muzzling, bribery and corruption.

After two days of hearings in Kyiv, and before finishing their visit in Lviv, the Canadians spent Wednesday in Kharkiv. That being where former Ukrainian Prime Minister Tymoshenko is being held prisoner, and having been denied a formal visit, the MPs stopped by informally at both the hospital where she’s being treated and the prison where she will be returned – just to demonstrate Canada’s deep opposition to Ukraine’s handling of Ms Tymoshenko and many other political leaders.

The Canadians called for competent independent medical attention for all these prisoners, their early release and demonstrably free, fair and transparent elections in Ukraine this fall.

Goodale is already on record urging Canada to supply at least 1,500 qualified observers for those elections, and he wants the mandate of the Canadian International Development Agency to be bolstered to re-emphasize democratic development and support for civil society. He also wants Canadian broadcasters (including Radio-Canada International) to become more deeply engaged in eastern Europe to help ensure an honest independent source of news and information.

In addition, Goodale says Canada should proceed with current negotiations for a Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement, but ratification should be held in abeyance until the credibility of this fall’s elections can be determined.

The former Finance Minister also says Canada should raise in G-8 and G-20 forums next week the issue of money laundering in Ukraine, and the tools available in the international community to restrict the travel and the financial dealings of corrupt government officials and monopolistic oligarchs in the private sector.

Goodale said, “this trip has been invaluable in informing Parliamentarians of both good and bad developments in Ukraine. It has also demonstrated that Canadian concern about Ukraine, and the political will to help, cuts across all Canadian Party lines.”

Goodale thanked Canadian Ambassador Troy Lulashnyk and his staff for excellent advice and support.

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Contact
Scott Bardsley
613-295-1761

Photos of the trip
Available on Flickr

Goodale calls for more Canadian action to push Ukraine toward greater democracy

Such nasty hyper-partisanship serves no useful purpose.

The federal Conservatives should not see themselves as “critics” of the provincial Liberals. They are both duly elected governments and should be working for the common good.

Equally off-base is Thomas Mulcair’s attack against natural resource developments in western Canada. He referred to them as some sort of “disease”, doing harm to the manufacturing sector in eastern provinces.

Professional economists offer mixed opinions on whether thriving energy and mining activity has an indirect impact on the manufacturing sector, but that’s beside the point. The real problem is Mr. Mulcair’s tone and purpose.

His message sounded divisive, pitting region-against-region and sector-against-sector. He’s trying to set up an economic confrontation with Stephen Harper, and he seems prepared to use provincial economies in the West as sacrificial pawns.

This is the sort of thing you inevitably get from sharply polarized politics.

Look at the toxic political environment in the United States. As their economy continues to stagger, there is no possibility of finding solutions that might earn broad-based support because their politics is all about “driving wedges” to push people apart, not pull them together.

Political polarization feeds off conflict. It is deeply divisive and corrosive. And it’s a dangerous game to play in a complicated country like Canada where our national cohesion is always delicate and we need to handle our vast diversity with great care.

Surely what we want and need are successful resource and manufacturing sectors all across this country. Our economy must not become a zero-sum game where if I win, you must lose, and vice versa. We want sustainable growth and expanding prosperity that is broadly based and broadly shared.

Real Leadership Builds Bridges, Not Wedges or Firewalls

Goodale’s last visit to the country was 10 years ago as Canada’s energy minister, before the 2005 Orange Revolution. He said he was anxious to measure the differences over that decade.

The Canadian all-Party committee will spend time in the cities of Kyiv, Kharkiv and Lviv. They are accompanied by a number of prominent Ukrainian Canadians and will meet representatives of the Ukrainian government, opposition groups, businesses, academics, civil society, regional agencies and organizations and the media.

Their encounters will include direct discussions with the families of political leaders jailed by the incumbent regime. Goodale has raised issues pertaining to these individuals in Canada’s Parliament, and was instrumental in advancing the idea of getting independent international medical assistance for former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

“For more than 120 years, there have been strong family bonds between Canadians and Ukrainians,” said Goodale.

“With the rest of the world, we were elated with the prospects for greater freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Ukraine following the initial triumphs of the Orange Revolution. But lately, some momentum has been lost and important progress may have been reversed.”

Goodale said, “We want to show that Canadians remain keenly interested in further and better Ukrainian democratic development, and the world is watching.”

He said he would press for a large Canadian contingent of well-trained and strongly-led observers to help oversee this fall’s Ukrainian elections, renewed emphasis on democratic development in Canada’s CIDA programming, and the return of Radio-Canada International into eastern Europe.

“I will be asking the people we meet what more Canada can and should do to push for more progress — complete academic freedom, free and independent media, and completely impartial and trustworthy policing and judicial systems are essential.

“I would also like to know what Canadian and Ukrainian businesses can do to promote both democratic and economic development,” he said.

Discussions begin this evening in meetings between the Canadian Parliamentarians and Ukraine’s deputy foreign minister.

-30-

Contact
Scott Bardsley
613-295-1761

Photos of the trip
Available on Flickr

Goodale arrives in Kyiv to begin 6-day visit to Ukraine

Hon. Ralph Goodale (Wascana, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, here is an example of why the massive budget bill needs fixing. To be eligible for a registered disability savings plan, people must first qualify for the disability tax credit, meaning that they have to have a severe disability right now. However, if they suffer from a debilitating condition like multiple sclerosis that leads to serious future problems, but not right now, they are not eligible for the DTC and therefore they cannot have a savings plan now when they could really use it. That is just wrong. For the second time, will the government correct that flaw?

Hon. Gail Shea (Minister of National Revenue, CPC): Mr. Speaker, it has been common practice to include various measures in the budget in the subsequent budget implementation bill. This is nothing groundbreaking, but simply reflects the central and important role of the budget to the government’s agenda. There will be seven full days of debate on the budget bill at second reading alone, before being referred to a committee. This is longer than the average time of debate for a budget bill in at least the last 20 years.

This is the second time this spring that Mr. Goodale has raised the issue of better access to Registered Disability Savings Plans for people with long-term debilitating conditions like MS. The government has shown complete indifference on both occasions.

Afterward he said: “The Conservatives’ hyper-partisan attitude is really appalling. They show no interest the human needs of ordinary Canadians – just crass politics all the time.

“Their approach is unfeeling and cruel, and it will ultimately cause their defeat.”

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STATEMENT: Troubling Conservative indifference to income needs of MS sufferers

It came from a convicted US Republican (named Allen Raymond) who was thrown in the slammer for election fraud — to be precise, for making illicit phone calls to annoy and suppress voters who weren’t supporting his Party.

Sounds just like the Conservative robo-call scam that started in Guelph last year, and appears to have affected 200 ridings across Canada. The Republican ex-con praised that scam as “sophisticated” and “systematic”.

It involved “burner” cellphones, camouflaged credit cards, phonebanks, computers and technology platforms across the country (including Saskatchewan), and apparent access to the Conservatives’ massive national database which contains personal information on millions of Canadians.

It’s not credible to suggest such an enormous operation was the work of a couple of over-zealous volunteers.

But Mr. Harper tries to laugh it off. Just as he did the “In-and-Out” election financing fraud a couple of years ago — until charges were laid. The Conservative Party was convicted and fined. So we’ll see where the robo-call investigation leads.

Pile this mess on top of Bev Oda’s $16 orange juice, the fiasco around the F-35 fighter-jets, the totally unnecessary cuts to Old Age Pensions, and the bizarre slashing of food inspection, environmental science, search-and-rescue services, border inspections, prison safety and proper civilian supervision of Canada’s spies — and you’ve got compelling evidence of bad governance.

Mr. Harper thinks Canadians don’t care. He keeps bragging about his “majority”.

While he can claim a majority of seats in the House of Commons, he has never had majority support among Canadians. He got 40% of the vote from the 60% who actually voted. That means he has a mandate from just 24% of eligible voters — pretty small actually.

A little modesty might be appropriate.

Government’s Mandate Is A Modest One

Both of these are long-term issues. The pension cuts begin about 10 years from now, and get phased-in over a further seven years. That is exactly the same period during which the fighter-jets would be purchased.

Are these planes being bought with money taken from seniors? It’s hard to avoid that conclusion.

Anyone under the age of 54 today, beware! Your Old Age Pension won’t be there for you when you turn 65. You’ll have to wait longer.

This breaks an explicit Stephen Harper election promise. It’s an attack on the lowest-income seniors because they’re the ones who lose the most. And no money is saved overall, because the burden just shifts onto provincial welfare.

Most importantly, this mean-spirited maneuver is entirely unnecessary. Canada’s Old Age Pension is already fully affordable and financially sound for the long term. Punting the age from 65 years up to 67 is NOT required to keep it sustainable.

The PBO makes a telling point about timing:

Mr. Harper says the big problem is all those retiring Baby-Boomers. But his plan to delay eligibility won’t be fully phased-in for 17 years, until 2029. That pretty well misses the Boomer-Bulge altogether. By 2030, they’ll have largely worked their way through the system, and costs will steadily decline.

As for the planes, the Airforce says they need at least 65 new fighter-jets to replace their ageing CF-18s. Mr. Harper claims to have frozen the budget for all “acquisition costs” at $9-billion. For that, the PBO calculates, the government can get just 40 of these ultra-expensive planes, not 65.

So who is telling the truth – Stephen Harper or the PBO?

PBO Demolishes Government On Pensions & War-Planes

with
Wascana M.P.
Ralph Goodale

“Governing” or “Ruling”:
the difference really does matter!

Thursday, May 24, 2012
11:30 am Registration

Conexus Arts Centre
Quebec & Ontario Rooms

$35 Member pre-registered / $40 Member at the door
$50 Non-member pre-registered / $ 55 Non-member at the door
$23 Student pre-registered / $28 Student at the door
(Prices include GST)

Register in advance at http://www.reginachamber.com/
(under the “Events” tab)

A year into Stephen Harper’s long-coveted majority, how is Canada faring? How is Saskatchewan faring? Former Finance Minister and veteran Wascana Member of Parliament, Ralph Goodale, assesses how this Parliament is performing and what lies ahead.

Everyone welcome!

Regina Chamber & District of Commerce Luncheon

Representing agriculture, forestry, minerals, chemicals, fertilizers, industrial and manufactured goods – just about everything shipped by rail – the coalition shared the common problem of suffering through lousy treatment at the hands of the railways.

The railways got away with it because all these shippers were basically “captives”. There was no competition, no shipping alternative. And no legal recourse against arbitrary railway power.

In 2008, after two years of badgering, the Conservatives finally agreed to hold a “Rail Service Review”. But they waited another year before actually appointing the people to do it. And that group took a further year to complete its work. They filed their report in October, 2010 – with compelling proof of railway abuses of power and inferior service.

It’s now 18 months later. The government says they accept the Review’s key recommendation that shippers need the legal right to enforceable “Level of Service” contracts. But after endless rehashing and stalling, no such legislation has yet been introduced.

The time for concrete action is painfully overdue. There can be no excuse for failing to introduce the necessary new law this spring. But it will need to be scrutinized carefully, because the railways will try to water it down, and they have this government under their thumb.

For example, watch out for a scheme that sets up arbitrary categories or “tiers” among shippers that would allow the railways to discriminate against some of their customers. In every case, all Level of Service agreements with all shippers should include six mandatory elements:

1. Services and Obligations;
2. Communications protocols;
3. Performance Standards;
4. Performance Metrics;
5. Consequences for Non-performance; and
6. Dispute resolution mechanisms.

This is just normal, good business behavior. Nothing less is acceptable.

Federal “Rail Service Review” – Expect A Disappointing Outcome