Election Pork about to Fall like Manna from Heaven -- PM will need votes -- your $$$

Quid pro Quo

MP Pat O'Brien is staying with the Liberals; he reports that Paul Martin has said he would revisit same sex marriage; the "legislative committee will hold public meetings" -- for whatever Paul Martin's promises mean.

I just heard that Paul Martin makes a fine distinction between:

"whether he ever had lunch with Claude Boulay"

and

"whether he had lunch with Claude Boulay to discuss contracts"

It all depends upon what the definition of . . . . . . is, as Bill Clinton so memorably put it.



Canada forms links with India Financial Post, April 7, 2005

Canada and India have signed a declaration regarding science and technology, just as a federal trade delegation ends a five-day mission to the world's second-biggest market. Jim Peterson, the International Trade Minister, said the pact, or declaration, will set the groundwork to further negotiate details that would extend science and technology linkages between the two countries in academia, government and the private sector.

[. . . . A] Canada-India CEO round table will be held in Canada later this year.

What is coming? Or should I ask what taxpayer $$$ are going where?




Canada, India to begin talks on open skies -- Move comes as Ottawa seeks to expand ties Chris Sorensen, Financial Post, April 08, 2005

[. . . . ] Canada's trade with India jumped 12% last year to $2.5-billion, despite the fact that Canadian businesses have been relatively slow to establish a presence in the world's second-largest market behind China.

[. . . . ] Last year, Air Canada became the first North American airline to offer non-stop service to India with daily flights, five days a week, between Toronto and New Delhi.

[. . . . ] The former Indian flag carrier had suspended its service to Canada after the 1985 Air India disaster, which killed 329 people off the coast of Ireland.

Union Muscle vs efficiency-generating contracting out provisions / public private partnerships -- When the PM needs votes, what stands in the way?

Certainly not the left-leaning Toronto city council!

Howard Moscoe is chair of the Toronto Transit Commission and Paul Martin will use any of your money necessary to win . . .

Down the tube Terence Corcoran, Financial Post, April 09, 2005

Attention federal taxpayers. Want a close-up look at where all the New Deal for Cities and Communities billions are going to end up? Keep an eye on the city of Toronto's negotiations with its transit union. In the wake of a strike announcement yesterday by union leaders, the city's top politicians caved in on the one and only hope for public transit financial sanity, contracting out.

Howard Moscoe, chair of the Toronto Transit Commission, issued the death notice: "The TTC has no plans to contract anything out, we have not had any plans to contract anything out, there has been no change in the language to contracting out in the TTC and we contract out less than any other transit system on this continent, so I do not understand that comment."

[. . . . ] There goes a big whack of the cash John Godfrey, federal minister of state for infrastructure and local buyoffs, plans to shower on Toronto over the next few years.

[. . . . ] By promising to transfer more money to Mr. Miller and similarly rigid city and provincial power brokers across Canada, the federal government is not only pandering to local politicians and buying votes, it is reinforcing an economic model that is draining the economy. Mr. Godfrey and his Liberal cronies are rewarding local inefficiency, waste, stagnation, and extravagance at a time when the Canadian economy needs exactly the opposite.

Search:
padding and protecting
private-public partnerships
John Godfrey, federal minister of state for infrastructure and local buyoffs