Arctic Oil, Port-Halifax, Banks-Mergers, Citigroup, Private Medicine, Marxist Masseys-"Skeptical Environmentalist", Language

Tim Allen, comedian, had this to say about Martha Stewart:

"Boy, I feel safer now that she's behind bars. O.J. & Kobe are walking around, but they take the one woman in America willing to cook, clean and work in the yard and haul her a** to jail."

Atlantica's rise -- "Major changes in shipping technology, and projected huge increases in shipping volumes, have now put the east coast of North America on the Pacific Rim." -- Halifax

Oil at the top of the world -- Atlantica's rise Brian Lee Crowley, National Post, Dec. 17, 04.

Is this a publicly funded think tank? The author is "president of the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies, a public policy think tank in Halifax (www.aims.ca). He is co-author of Port-Ability: A Private Sector Strategy for the Port of Halifax."

[. . . . ] Three trends are driving Halifax's rise. One is the stunning increase in container ship capacity. The garden variety container ship carries up to 4,200 containers. These ships are the Port of Montreal's bread and butter. . .

But the largest container ships now carry 9,500 containers. Ships with a 12,000 container capacity are not far off. These ships have a 50-foot draft and are so large that they exceed the maximum capacity of most ports and of the Panama Canal (hence their name: Post-panamax (PPM) ships). These ships cannot get up the St. Lawrence, for example. Halifax has a natural harbour with a 55-foot depth (65 in the channel), and is the only east coast port that deep north of Virginia.

[. . . . ] Port, rail and road infrastructure throughout North America is creaking under the strain. [. . . . ]

You do remember that Li Ka-Shing gained control of the ports at either end of the Panama Canal, don't you? China needs oil and steel and obviously, ships will carry these.

Mr. Martin will be off to China with a business group after his trip to Libya to meet with its leader. One plane will fly the PM; an empty one will fly along to bring back the extraneous bodies when our PM goes to Morocco on holiday afterward. Jet set.





Oil at the top of the world -- cylinders of ancient rock from a submerged mountain range hint at rich deposits near the North Pole

canada.com -- Oil at the top of the world -- cylinders of ancient rock from a submerged mountain range hint at rich deposits near the North Pole or here Andrew C. Revkin, National Post, Dec. 1, 04

I read this one but I do not have it now and it is not available with this title at the NP site. Try the following, published the day before. I think the information is substantially the same.

Under all that ice, maybe oil or here . Both link to The New York Times article by Andrew C. Revkin, Nov. 30, 04 and there is a related article here, Canada wary of Arctic oil drilling -- Drive to open national wilderness for exploration has Ottawa government and lobbyists on edge. Nov. 30, 04, Barrie McKenna / Toronto Globe and Mail in the Detroit News

WASHINGTON -- For two decades, Canada has been an uneasy bystander in the U.S. pitched battle over drilling for oil in a wild and remote patch of Alaska wilderness. But a renewed push to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas exploration soon could force Canada to take a more strident position.

President Bush's electoral win, a shift of a few votes in the narrowly divided Senate and $50-a-barrel oil prices have put the refuge in play again. And this time, the oil industry and its backers in Congress say they finally have enough votes to win, perhaps as early as April.

[. . . . ] "Canada has a stake, and I want their voice to be heard," said Melinda Pierce, the Sierra Club's top Washington lobbyist. "To the extent that he can, the Prime Minister should prevail on Bush to exercise caution."

[. . . . ] Canada has long argued that an international treaty requires both countries to protect the habitat of the 120,000-strong Porcupine caribou herd, which migrates annually from the Northwest Territories through Yukon and into Alaska.

Now, we hear talk of how the ports are inadequate at present. Would anyone like to make a guess as to what is happening or about to happen? Think about who needs oil, who has ships and who would make money.




CBC Radio's Marxist Masseys

CBC Radio's Marxist Masseys -- originally published by the Financial Post Peter Foster, National Post, Dec. 1. 04
]

[. . . . ] Mr. Wright trots out what Danish enviro-skeptic Bjorn Lomborg has called "the litany" of alleged ecological disaster caused by capitalist development. The problem is that it is simply not true, as Mr. Lomborg exhaustively demonstrated in his book, The Skeptical Environmentalist. We are not running out of resources. Increased wealth under democratic markets systems leads to improved environmental performance. Climate change may well be happening but it is unlikely to be caused by anything humans are doing, and Kyoto-like plans won't make any difference.

[. . . . ] "We have," he claims, "the tools and the means to share resources, clean up pollution, dispense basic health care and birth control, set economic limits in line with natural ones."

Here speaks -- in its historical and psychological ignorance -- the "fatal conceit" that has so consistently led to repression and disaster in the past century.

[. . . . ] But for him, anybody who supports laissez-faire principles is a knave, villain or media "courtier." Anybody who questions the principles of redistribution is a public menace. [. . . . ]

Mr. Wright's images of industrialists/capitalists are demonic.

[. . . . ]Ronald Wright's mind. . . [carries]. . . emotionally based moralistic assumptions derived from the structure of his primitive ignorance about markets and economics.[. . . . ]

Banks, Mergers, Citigroup

The mention of bank mergers which would allow globalized banks has been talked about lately. We should be considering the implications for Canadians. Since more and more, it sounds as if at least some of our citizens are about to become big players in the game of getting into business with China, knowing something about international banking groups already in the game might give us food for thought. Don't forget the personal and banking information of several clients has already been faxed in error over a period of four years by one of our Canadian big banks. This is BEFORE big bank mergers.

A while ago, this article caught my attention, "Citibank Japan hauled on carpet over abuses -- Hefty compensation seen for private banking customers", David Ibison, National Post, Dec. 1, 04 -- no longer online. However, there are others.

Citigroup has been--may still be-- doing due diligence on the buyout of Noranda /Falconbridge and yet the name Citigroup has some very negative connotations in the financial world, so I have learned.

Citibank caught money laundering again

Citibank caught money laundering again Deirdre Griswold, Workers World News

[. . . . ] Citibank has been caught before courting big depositors, no matter how nefarious their operations may be. On Oct. 30, 1998, the General Accounting Office issued a report giving detailed information showing that the bank ignored the law and its own internal procedures in assisting Raul Salinas, brother of the former president of Mexico, to move between $90 million and $100 million of suspected drug money out of Mexico. [. . . . ]

[. . . . ]




Citigroup maintains its focus on Asia

Citigroup maintains its focus on Asia Financial Times, Dec. 16, 2004

Citigroup's consumer business could double the portion of profits it derives from Asia to about 20 per cent within a few years as it strives to capitalise on the region's rising wealth, according to the head of its retail bank in Asia.

[. . . . ]




German probe targets Citigroup

German probe targets Citigroup Financial Times - Dec. 14, 2004

German regulators are investigating Citigroup for possible market manipulation in the eurozone government bond futures market, people familiar with the probe said on Tuesday. [. . . . ]

Citigroup: “scandal”, “embarrassment”

Lex: Citigroup Financial Times, Dec. 15, 04

Play a game of word association and the likely links for Citigroup are “scandal”, “embarrassment” and “apologies”. It is no wonder: the group's private bank in Japan was recently closed down amid revelations of mismanagement and the London office was hit by a controversial European bond trade. While the worst of Citigroup's Japan scandal seems to be over, the European problems may be getting worse. [. . . . ]

Hopping into the Pot

Hopping into the Pot -- Jay Currie comments -- advises Conservatives




Practical Bilingualism

The other day, I wrote on bilingualism and the need for other languages to be taught. Then, I noticed today that the Ottawa Citizen / National Post has published an editorial, "practical bilingualism" .

It makes sense. For some background to what this language policy and its "promotion of French" program is costing all Canadian citizens, link to the articles below.

Think of the utility of learning other languages--Mandarin, Spanish, Arabic, Urdu, for example; meanwhile our Languages Commissioner has her attention on the promotion of French -- and then I suppose it will be native languages. Check some of these items detailing what this has cost Canadians already and we hear that it has not been very successful.

Canadian Taxpayer Federation on this "social engineering exercise"

The next time you hear the Federal government saying that they cannot afford to fund Medicare, Education, Defence Spending, Aid to farmers out west, anything....... just ask your MP why it is that we can keep throwing money at this policy which is divisive, discriminatory and totally unfair to the majority of Canadians!!

The Cost of Official Bilingualism -- Bruce Winchester -- "The bottom line is that since bilingualism began federal taxpayers have doled out approximately $37 billion."

$ 37 BILLION!

The government disputes this but read for yourself; use of the government's own statistics is a feature of this site. Read what the government does NOT include; the list is on this site. See if the government includes educating federal public servants, media services to the public, regulation of the private sector's use of official language(S), advocacy groups, and more. This quote is from the site and it expresses what many of us see of the government's social engineering.

“Pay your taxes and speak French!”

The Cost of Official Bilingualism

There is information from Scott Reid’s book Lament for a Notion

[. . . . There is a table which] adapts material presented in Scott Reid’s book (page 247). Using public documents and Access to Information data, Reid has generated a comprehensive estimate of federal spending on bilingualism. Reid’s calculations cover the fiscal years 1971 to 1991. [. . . . ]

Liberals refuse to audit billions spent on language --Federal auditors repeatedly urge look at $250M-a-year program

Liberals refuse to audit billions spent on language --Federal auditors repeatedly urge look at $250M-a-year program Chris Cobb, The Ottawa Citizen, June 5, 2000

The Chretien government has ignored repeated requests from its own internal auditors to probe the spending of billions of dollars on official languages programs. [. . . . ]

Check Jackie Jura's website: Chretien -- PM unveils $751M plan to make nation bilingual. CanWest News Service, Mar 21, 2003

Has there not been $750 million announced just lately for the same thing? Is this the Chretien money or another $750 million from Paul Martin's government? Or is it now considered rude to ask?




Ottawa fines B.C. for private care

This is one of those I meant to post previously, but didn't.

Ottawa fines B.C. for private care -- alleged violation of act -- Federal government so far ignoring other provinces' clinics Tom Blackwell, National Post, Nov. 30, 04

[. . . . ] In fact, a Liberal member of the provincial legislature reportedly paid about $7,000 to have back surgery performed at a private clinic earlier this year.

[. . . . ] The Health Canada documents also note that Nova Scotia, Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia allow residents to pay for MRI scans at private clinics and "thereby junp the queue by receiving quicker access."

Ontario has five private MRI and Cat-Scan services, but operators cannot charge patients for medically necessary services, one report says.

Christmas Good-bye from the House: Hansard Dec 13, 04--Canadian Security depends on luck

Hansard Dec 13, 04--Canadian Security depends on luck

Of course, security is tighter than a drum here. How many security personnel have been actually hired (above the retirement rate) with that $7.7 billion (over 5 years)? Scroll down to see if that question is answered. There is lots of hot air, but little action so far.

With so many demands on the RCMP--from white collar crime, to terrorists, to organized crime--the government still fails to provide them with the necessary resources. Why? Who benefits when it takes years to do an investigation because of lack of experienced manpower?

Perhaps you should read this very carefully and come to your own conclusions about who benefits.

Air Transportation Security

Hon. Roy Cullen (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, Lib.): [. . . . ] Mr. Speaker, there is no role more fundamental for government than the protection of its citizens. That protection includes, but extends beyond, their physical safety. It encompasses the security of our economy and society at large. . . . [Government Orders (1535) ]

Please note that I have not set the following in block quotes to indicate that it is from Hansard.

Mr. Rick Casson (Lethbridge, CPC): Mr. Speaker, the lack of diligence by the government has, in the words of the Auditor General, created a serious threat to security at our airports.

Let us look at the facts. As early as last March the Auditor General warned that airport employees could have ties to organized crime. Then airport shields and badges went missing. Now 73 cases of suspicious clearances given to airport workers are deemed serious enough to be forwarded to the RCMP.

Why has the minister allowed this dangerous combination of security breaches to occur?

(1420)

[Translation]

Hon. Jean Lapierre (Minister of Transport, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I think the hon. member ought to see this in a positive light, since the Auditor General was speaking of some 4,000 or 5,000 potential cases.

Now that 123,000 files have been rechecked, however, the reality is that there are 73 cases. These are not people with criminal records but people with possible ties.

The RCMP is looking into this information and they will advise us if there is any problem. The passes of these people will then be immediately withdrawn. There is not, therefore, any security problem at this time.
[English]

Mr. Rick Casson (Lethbridge, CPC): Mr. Speaker, the minister's officials themselves indicated the focus of their investigation would be centred on the possibility of airport workers having ties to organized crime.

With the RCMP now investigating 73 cases, could the minister tell us what parameters the department used when it decided to call in the RCMP? Could he also tell us in what positions the workers involved in these security breaches were working, where they were employed and are they now off the job site?

[Translation]

Hon. Jean Lapierre (Minister of Transport, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, concerning these 73 cases out of 120,000, yes we are talking of possible ties. Not one tie has yet been demonstrated however, Not one of these people has a criminal record that would imperil this country. The RCMP is therefore looking into these 73 cases at this time.

If anything comes up that casts doubt on national security, the RCMP will advise us accordingly, and we will immediately recall the pass of the employee concerned.

Citizenship and Immigration

Mr. Jack Layton (Toronto—Danforth, NDP): Mr. Speaker, we will believe it when we see it.

Let us talk about the independent Ethics Commissioner on the immigration minister's file. He has contracted out the investigation to a well known Liberal legal firm that employs a former Liberal cabinet minister. It is the same law firm that the Prime Minister used for his own corporate interests. How convenient: a Liberal law firm investigating a Liberal cabinet minister. Does the Prime Minister not think Canadians have had enough of Liberals investigating themselves?

Hon. Anne McLellan (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I hope the hon. member is not calling into question either the integrity or the credentials of Mr. Shapiro, the independent Ethics Commissioner. [. . . . ]

[Did she answer the question asked? Of course not! She "misunderstood" -- conveniently -- or she is getting overtired from having to answer for the Prime Minister so often.]

Mr. Leon Benoit (Vegreville—Wainwright, CPC): Mr. Speaker, the immigration minister gave special treatment to campaign workers and received campaign cash from others whom she helped into the country, with ministerial permits. Her actions have hurt the reputation of our country and our immigration system.

My question is for the Prime Minister. Before he goes on his next vacation, will he do the right thing and fire the minister of immigration?

(1430)

Hon. Anne McLellan (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, Lib.): [. . . ] unsubstantiated allegations. [. . . . ] the Ethics Commissioner is an independent officer of Parliament. [. . . . ]

Mr. Leon Benoit (Vegreville—Wainwright, CPC): [. . . . ] She has had people campaigning for her on the public dime. Her assistant visited strip clubs to do business. She gave preferential treatment to campaign workers. She defended the stripper program, after saying these strippers were victims of abuse. This is an embarrassment.

When will the Prime Minister, hopefully before his next vacation, do the right thing and fire the minister of immigration?

Hon. Anne McLellan (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, Lib.): [. . . . ] unsubstantiated accusations[. . . . ]

The Ethics Commissioner [. . . . ] an independent officer of this House. [. . . . ]

Mr. Michael Chong (Wellington—Halton Hills, CPC): Mr. Speaker, the immigration minister has proven she is not competent to hold office. She let a campaign worker jump the queue ahead of 700,000 other applicants. She accepted a $5,000 illegal donation from a member of her riding executive who also obtained eight special ministerial permits. Her office used thug tactics to dissuade MPs from further questioning any of these matters, by threatening to withhold special ministerial permits for real cases.

When will the Prime Minister do the right thing and fire the minister?

Hon. Anne McLellan (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, Lib.): [. . . . ] have the guts to make those allegations outside this House, free from parliamentary immunity.

Mr. Michael Chong (Wellington—Halton Hills, CPC):[. . . . ] Rumours are flying around Ottawa about who will be the next immigration minister. The member for Beaches—East York and the member for Parkdale—High Park both have been rumoured to be the next minister of immigration.

The immigration department is directionless, as the current minister spends all her time in damage control. Liberal caucus unity is in disarray, as members openly campaign for the job.

When will the Prime Minister put an end to this uncertainty, put some order and discipline back into his own caucus, and appoint a new minister of immigration?

Hon. Anne McLellan (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, in my opinion, the hon. member should spend a lot less time on the cocktail circuit and a whole lot more time working on behalf of his constituents and discharging his responsibilities as a member of Parliament. [The minister may be tired or perhaps extremely exercised over Question Period]

* * *

Border Crossings

Mr. Claude Bachand (Saint-Jean, BQ): Mr. Speaker, while the U.S. government has announced massive investments to enhance the Champlain border crossing, in the State of New York, the Canadian government has been neglecting the Lacolle border crossing, to the point of seriously compromising the free movement of goods.

How does the government explain investing $300 million in the Windsor border crossing, in Ontario, while allowing the situation in Lacolle to deteriorate? Is this another instance of double standard?

[English]

Hon. Anne McLellan (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, Lib.):[. . . ] investing in border security and border crossings all over the country.

The Canada Border Services Agency makes an assessment on an ongoing basis [. . . ]

* * *

Securities Industry

Ms. Judy Wasylycia-Leis (Winnipeg North, NDP): Mr. Speaker, it is getting harder and harder to keep track of broken Liberal promises. We only have to look at the Minister of Finance today on the Nortel file. Today more promises on a national security commission, 11 years of dilly-dallying, meanwhile pensioners and investors are losing millions.

Why does corporate cronyism run so deep in the Liberal ranks that it allows corporate corruption to trump human compassion and any sign of decency by the government? When will the government stand up and protect the hard-earned dollars of Canadian pensioners?

Hon. Ralph Goodale (Minister of Finance, Lib.): [. . . . ] amendments to the law, working with accountants and auditors in terms of the functioning of that profession, working on stronger corporate governance. . . mentioned the need for the idea of a national securities regulator. [. . . . ed. emphasis]

* * *

Scroll down to Government Orders -- Canada Border Services Agency Act. This is lengthy.

Mr. Peter MacKay (Central Nova, CPC): [. . . . The] the optics and the very high sounding language and references to multifaceted, integrated approach, streamlining and harmonizing are not really supported by the resources to carry out the task. (1550-1555)

[. . . . ] The difficulty has been that we have seen this ongoing trend of announcements and re-announcements and efforts to garner as much public attention and support without actually doing it, without actually taking the important productive steps of implementing rather than talking about these particular initiatives. [1600-1605]

[. . . . ] Mr. Loyola Hearn (St. John's South—Mount Pearl, CPC): [. . . . ] Coast Guard [. . . . ] ports police [. . . . ] How, in light of the cuts that we have seen to the Coast Guard in particular, can we talk about beefing up security when the very agencies that have and have had to do a tremendous amount of the on-the-ground, on-the-ocean work are being decimated by budget cuts with one already disappearing? How, in light of that, can we have an agency that will be effective? [1555-1560] [. . . . ]

Mr. Peter MacKay (Central Nova, CPC): [. . . . ] I am going to refer first to the issue of the number of border guards or agents who are working alone at some of the ports of entry. Canada has 147 land and 13 marine border crossings. Some 103 of them are designated as work alone sites and are found mostly in remote parts of the country.

Seventy per cent of the work sites have technical difficulties with respect to communications tools. What I am talking about is the ability to access something as simple as the CPIC system. This causes real problems in terms of accessing important information as to who may have outstanding warrants, who may be seen as a security risk, information about individuals that is relevant to their crossing, such as whether they have a criminal record. I am told that much of that system is either inaccessible or is not up to date. . . . (1605)

I understand as well that in some of the remote locations it would take over an hour for the RCMP to actually respond. . . .

Students are being used currently to replace rather than supplement border agents. . . .

In some cases there are less indeterminate full time officers than there were before the planes hit the towers in New York on 9/11.

Last July in Sydney, Nova Scotia, one of the Prime Minister's ships, and I point this out only for illustration, the Sheila Anne, was found to have more than $1 million worth of cocaine in a grate attached to the bottom of the ship. Customs officers indicate that they found this as a fluke and Susan Horne, the president of the Customs Excise Union in Nova Scotia said:

The security is not good... there are not enough officers in Sydney to search a vessel.

I also understand they had to hire a private diver to inspect this particular ship. The disbanding of the ports police as referred to by my colleague from St. John's again highlights the lack of security often found at ports in this country.

We also know that individuals have been identified who have criminal records who are particularly vulnerable to being co-opted or are simply told not to show up at a certain point on the port at a certain point in time when goods are being brought in. Not to sound alarmist, but I have often maintained that the clearest danger, the present danger to this country is not through the air and is not across land; it is on the water.

Anything from child pornography, to trafficking in individuals, or a nuclear bomb can come into this country undetected. We currently inspect less that 3% of the containers coming into the major ports.

. . . . The decimation of our Coast Guard . . . . Equipment and interoperability of equipment is another issue

[. . . . It] is an issue of putting the people in place, not simply talking about the benefits, not simply talking about the new equipment but putting actual personnel in place.

There are terrorist watch lists at border controls, yet if we have those lists and cannot access them, they do no good.

[. . . . ] We need to look at the broader picture of having a North American security perimeter. If we protect the perimeter, then the border becomes less of a threat. . . .

[There is more from Mr. Loyola Hearn (St. John's South—Mount Pearl, CPC): but time is a problem. Do link and check for yourself. He has been against the gun registry.]
(1625)

Yes, we can have a much more secure country. Yes, this bill can help, provided we look after the necessities of putting on the ground the equipment, the personnel and particularly the funding that it takes to do just that.