NDP to try to topple government over climate change policies

The New Democrats will try to bring down the federal government on Friday by introducing a confidence motion criticizing the Conservatives' record on climate change.

But the Liberals have already indicated they will not vote for the motion, meaning the government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper will not fall.

The NDP will use their opposition day to say the House of Commons has lost confidence in the government for failing to live up to its international climate change agreements and refusing to adopt opposition-approved legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

"I think that it's clear that Canadians cannot have any confidence in the Harper government when it comes to climate change," NDP Leader Jack Layton said. "Heavens, he's shovelling subsidies into the tar sands faster than anyone could imagine."

While Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion, who has made climate change a top priority, said he supports the NDP motion in principle, it will not be used to topple the government.

"Well, we'll certainly vote supporting the idea that that this government has been wrong, wrong, wrong about the environment, but we'll not trigger an election because Mr. Layton is asking for one."

Dion indicated that only a handful of Liberal MPs will support the NDP motion and the rest will boycott the vote. The Liberals have employed similar tactics on other budget votes — a move heckled by Harper and the other party leaders.

Liberal environment critic David McGuinty said the NDP are just playing political games.

"In order to try to score cheap political points, the NDP are playing cheap mischievous games in the house with motions they know are not going to succeed."

McGuinty made the comments after the Liberals tried to pass a motion that condemned the "irresponsible and self-serving actions" of the NDP and Bloc Québécois in defeating the previous Liberal government in 2005, thus enabling the Harper Tories to take power.

The motion also comes as CBC News has learned a yet-to-be-released federal report concludes that Canada can expect to see more devastating storms and extreme weather because of climate change.

REPLY from” Assistant 1″, Saskatchewan MP’s Ottawa Office

Sometimes they just don't get it LOL

received March 06, 2008

From: Breitkreuz, Garry- Assitant 1

Subject: Federal Government Message

Hello Ms. Yuile:

My apologies if you received more than one flyer from the Conservative Party of Canada.

CPC asked Canada Post to deliver just one unaddressed piece per household, and if this didn’t happen in your case, we are sorry.

Regards,

Garry Breitkreuz, MP
House of Commons
Room 685, Confederation Building
Ottawa ON K1A 0A6
Phone: (613) 992-4394
Fax: (613) 992-8676
E-MAIL: breitg0@parl.gc.ca
www.garrybreitkreuz.com

My reply:

Assistant 1,

Thank you for clarifying that it was actually Canada Post’s error and wastefulness in sending multiple flyers to each household- because it was not only my home, but several thousand others who received them.

I will be sure to send them your reply and take that matter up with them directly. Their response will be interesting, I am sure.

However, this does not address why a Saskatchewan MP is sending costly flyers to BC residents who are quite obviously not his constituents? I,and my readers, would appreciate an answer regarding this matter, perhaps from Garry himself.

Thank you

Conservative MP from Saskatchewan now sending junk mail for Surrey’s recycling program

Check out I’m Laila Yuile, and This Is How I See It

An open letter to Garry Breitkreuz, MP, Yorkton-Melville, SASKATCHEWAN

Dear Garry,

You must know Mark Warawa, MP, from Langley British Columbia. Here is a link to an open letter I sent to him, for which I have yet to receive a reply. http://lailayuile.wordpress.com/2008/03/03/the-cost-of-stephen-harper-courtesy-of-mark-warawa-mp/

I received yet another junk mail flyer from Mr. Warawa today, bringing the total to 7 unaddressed conservative flyers trashing the Liberal Party. I thought surely, this is some kind of joke.

Then I discovered your junk-mail flyers in the pile- two of them, identical in format, using the threat of losing the childcare benefit as a way to scare potential voters away from the Liberals.

Not recognizing your name, I did a quick MP finder search, and imagine my surprise to discover you don’t even hold a BC riding! You are the MP for Yorkton-Melville, Saskatchewan ! Utterly amazed at this turn of events, and turning the flyer over, I see that like Mark Warawa’s junk mail , I can check my little box on this one and return it, free of postage to the House of Commons - all courtesy of tax-payer dollars.

What would the people within your own riding think if they were to know you were so thoughtfully informing British Columbians of our choices to lead the government? Can you please tell me what this is all costing us? As with Mark Warawa’s unending stream of wasteful expenditures on this junk mail, I must shake my head at the arrogance of your choice to send this all the way to the province of BC. We do have TV and newspapers here, you know, and are all very literate. We know who stands for what in the government, because it is all we hear about in the press.

I would appreciate a reply as soon as possible, as I am quite puzzled why you would be spending so much money to send junk mail all the way to Surrey ,British Columbia.

Next time, harass your own constituents.

Sincerely,

Laila Yuile, Canadian taxpayer

www.lailayuile.wordpress.com

The following is taken from the Art Threat:

Jack Layton and the NDP weigh in on Bill C-10

By Ezra Winton, March 5, 2008 Comments (1)

Apologies to all our readers in the US who may not be as interested in this issue, but up here in Canuckland, Bill C-10 and its implications are big news and Art Threat is committed to providing steady updates as they come in. Now a word from the NDP's Jack Layton:

Thank you for contacting me about Bill C-10 and the Harper government's plans to censor film in Canada that it finds "offensive". I agree that expanding the criteria used for denying tax credits to artists amounts to censorship and will have devastating consequences for the film and television industry.

New Democrats are standing up in Parliament to protect freedom of artistic expression in Canada. NDP House Leader Libby Davies was the first to raise the issue in Question Period and NDP Industry Critic Peggy Nash has made a formal statement in the House of Commons. NDP Culture and Heritage Critic Bill Siksay pushed this matter at the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage and in related media interviews. I invite you to support our petition to rescind any provisions of Bill C-10 which allow the government to censor film and video production. Please find below copies of our House interventions and the petition.

We believe that to be successful in its goal of encouraging Canadian film and video production, the tax credit system must be transparent and objective. We strongly object to having either the Minister of Canadian Heritage or nameless bureaucrats as the arbiters of what stories should be told or how they should be portrayed. Calls for subjective decision-making amount to censorship and have no place in a free and democratic society. I am sure you will agree that we must never confuse controversy for inappropriateness in a diverse country like Canada.

Again, I appreciate your efforts to protect artistic expression in Canada. I encourage you to pass along my response to all who may be interested. All the best.

Sincerely,

Jack Layton, MP (Toronto-Danforth)
Leader, Canada's New Democrats

Bill 5 and Bill 6? UNION BUSTING, plain and simple.

I invite you all to please check out Larry Hubich's blog for important information on BIlls 5 and 6. This is now in critical stage!!!!

The Saskatchewan Federation of Labour (SFL) has posted it's brief to Sask. Party Minister of Advanced Education, Employment and Labour Minister Rob Norris on the SFL Web-Site.