Lisa - the old-line politician

Lisa McLeod, the MPP for Nepean Carleton just couldn't wait to pounce all over the new provincial budget. From her safe chair at Queen's Park where the government is not likely to call an election if the opposition does not support them (contrast that to Ottawa, Lisa), the mighty mouth from Barrhaven chooses to bad mouth everything that moves - but not moos, that would upset her rural vote.

But let's not just centre on poor young Lisa. Her interim boss at Queen's Park, some guy named Runciman or something, has called the budget worthless. He says that the harmonization of the PST with the GST is the right thing to do but giving rebates (to offset the cost) to families under $160,000 per year is a bribe. Is he actually saying that the government should NOT give the rebates. Will he stand in front of a microphone and say that? I doubt it.

But there is another Con, a potential leader of the provincial party, that has a bit of a problem. Christine Elliott MPP is the wife of federal FinMin Jimmy Flaherty. Jim is in favour of the budget. Chrissy hates it. Want to be a fly on the wall in that master bedroom?

Is the provincial budget good? Given the times... yes. Can it be improved? Yes. Is the harmonization a good thing? Yes. Will it reduce costs in Ontario? Yes. It will reduce manufacturing costs and marginal tax rates for business, and will encourage companies to establish and expand in Ontario.

And that is a good thing.

Blogger apologises to PM Harper

On December 17, 2007, I admit that I made a terrible error. Trying to be typically glib, as blogger usually are, I quipped that Canada's Greatest Government (copyright PM Harper), also known as CGG, was a little less than forthcoming on the AECL isotope controversy. I now know that I was incorrect when I gave the impression that AECL did anything improper or that the head of AECL, Michael Burns, was fired over the issue. For any reader who was offended, and I am sure there were many, by my comments; I apologize.

So let me set the record straight. Michael Burns is the greatest AECL chairman's ever. No one is, was, or will ever be, better than he. He must be, because after he left AECL, due, I am sure, to the undeserved pressure put on him (and I am certain, on his family and various household pets) by this blogger, his other company, NaiKun Wind Energy Group, was awarded $10,000,000 in grants by the CGG.

The fact that NaiKun has a Boardroom filled with well connected Cons, including two former assistants to PM Harper is just a coincidence. Anyway it is a private company and can have anyone it wants on its board! Not like that Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) that is filled with Liberal hacks according to PM Harper.

As further proof that everything is on the up and up at NaiKun, I point to their own Sara MacIntyre, who used to be a policy researcher in Harper's office when in he was Opposition Leader. One of Sara's specialities was Indian Affairs Canada (Did I mention that NaiKun is getting ready to do a big off-shore wind farm deal with the Haida peoples of BC?). She left Harper's office to become BC director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation; that dedicated group of tax-fighters that, for some reason, sprouts a huge number of Con candidates. Sara plays a selfless role in protecting the environment with NaiKun.

Enough of all that. The purpose of this entry was to apologize to Canada's Greatest Government. I stand in shame and will fully accept a teardown from John "the screamer" Baird, the federal environment minister, as my punishment.