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I agree with you. I believe Harper is the best PM Canada has had in many years. Being an American, I would gladly swap Obama for Harper Obama is destroying the US.
You clearly haven't lived in Canada in recent times then. I don't know what it's like before Harper, but for the time that I've been in Toronto, it wouldn't be hard to see how short-sighted and politically-calculated his views can be. Simple example - Harper consistently short-changes Ontario in transfer payments, and drags his feet in giving greater revenue power to municipalities like Toronto. As a result, Toronto - being Canada's premier economic capital - can't even afford to expand our vastly antiquated transit system. At the same time, city council has no power to finance its capital projects because all local sales taxes go straight to the federal government under the PM. Now, everytime Toronto wants to engage in some infrastructure project we literally have to squeal and beg from the Ottawa for the VERY TAXES that they received from us.
I just love how Harper is pretending to be some responsible fiscal conservative protecting traditional family values (with rumors of a mistress living in Toronto). Under his "fiscally conservative" administration, Canada's gone from a healthy surplus before 2006 to repeated deficits every single year since he has taken power. Where's the fiscal responsibility now? Where's the balanced budget?
Out of the 9 years since Harper has become PM, there is only grand total of ONE year (2007) when Canada had a budget surplus. 1 year out of a grand total of 9 years in power. In 2009 alone, the Conservative government accumulated a budget deficit of -$58.21 Billion Canadian Dollars - the only other time in recent history when this deficit number was broken was 1984 ($72 billion) - oh look which party was in power in 1984. All I can say about the conservatives is this - old habits die hard.
You might want to look at your numbers again. The 1984 figure isn't in real dollars and should really be c. $37 billion, which isn't far off from what the Liberals had been doing in previous years. And it was really under Trudeau's Liberals that this problem began to spawn, and the claim that it was the Liberals of the 1990s that were correcting the problem isn't so simple. Martin only managed to accomplish what he did because he gained power through vicious infighting that ended with the Liberals in shambles and the left-leaning faction jumping ship. And you seem to forget what 2009 was -- the year after 2008. You know, when that big global financial crisis occurred. Not sure how much Harper can really be to blame. First of all he had to spend to make up for the Liberal's not spending to make their numbers look more impressive than they should have been. Second, there was the need to maintain some stability through spending. Third, there was a war going on. I'm sure Harper was not reveling in the fact that he had to spend to this extent and run deficits, but on the other hand if he wanted to go all out with austerity measures the lefties would be going ballistic.
I agree with you. I believe Harper is the best PM Canada has had in many years. Being an American, I would gladly swap Obama for Harper Obama is destroying the US.
I agree.
Only thing I don't like about Harper is a certain amount of arrogance has crept
in the longer he has been in power.
That arrogance could be his downfall in the next election.
I still personally like Harper better than either Trudeau or Muclair.
W. Edward Demmings said it best "You can't manage what you can't measure" - but hey, at least we have a visionary, inspirational and down to earth leader who can relate to the common man LOL....lalala
We got a census form the last time around and filled it out and sent it in. Some time later somebody showed up at the door and stated that I need to complete a census form. I told her I already did and sent it in. She said that I had to do a long-form census. I responded with: "No, I don't" and firmly closed the door. It's one thing if they come around asking people to volunteer to do the long-form, but the way she tried to "pressure" me into it was ridiculous. The long-form is too intrusive and it's a good thing that at least it's no longer mandatory. I know we had to do it in the past. I also did the census one year and some of the stuff that went on was pretty "interesting" and really lead me to wonder how reliable the information could be. Many people don't care, and some try to find ways around it like suddenly not being able to understand English. One family seemed to have some sort of grievance with the government and decided that they would take me to task over it -- as if I had any power to do anything about it... I was filled in on neighborly disputes and issues with landlords. In the end the situation was so bad city-wide that they had to set up an emergency command post somewhere and ads were taken out (iirc) in the local media imploring people to phone in. It's just so wasteful and inefficient.
We got a census form the last time around and filled it out and sent it in. Some time later somebody showed up at the door and stated that I need to complete a census form. I told her I already did and sent it in. She said that I had to do a long-form census. I responded with: "No, I don't" and firmly closed the door. It's one thing if they come around asking people to volunteer to do the long-form, but the way she tried to "pressure" me into it was ridiculous. The long-form is too intrusive and it's a good thing that at least it's no longer mandatory. I know we had to do it in the past. I also did the census one year and some of the stuff that went on was pretty "interesting" and really lead me to wonder how reliable the information could be. Many people don't care, and some try to find ways around it like suddenly not being able to understand English. One family seemed to have some sort of grievance with the government and decided that they would take me to task over it -- as if I had any power to do anything about it... I was filled in on neighborly disputes and issues with landlords. In the end the situation was so bad city-wide that they had to set up an emergency command post somewhere and ads were taken out (iirc) in the local media imploring people to phone in. It's just so wasteful and inefficient.
I filled out the short census, and the long farm census and filed the optional long census in the trash. The farm census was long enough. Then they called me and tried to pressure me into filling out the long census, not mentioning the fact that the long census was voluntary but acting as though I had neglected to fill out the census. That bugged me more than anything. If they had come out and said that they realised the long census was voluntary, but please could I... But they didn't.
I do understand the need for census information, but I am busy, and unless they're taking DNA samples I can't think what the long census would have done that I hadn't already answered on the farm census form. And that's what I told them. I am a little bewildered why the 'random' selection of people for the long census form wouldn't somehow have been better thought out. I don't see why farmers should have to fill out two long census forms. I was feeling picked on by the time I finished the farm census.
The Harper government certainly screwed up on that.
You clearly haven't lived in Canada in recent times then. I don't know what it's like before Harper, but for the time that I've been in Toronto, it wouldn't be hard to see how short-sighted and politically-calculated his views can be.
I'm no great fan of Harper, but how does this make him any different from an icon of the left like Trudeau the Elder?
Quote:
Originally Posted by bostonkid123
... and drags his feet in giving greater revenue power to municipalities like Toronto. As a result, Toronto - being Canada's premier economic capital - can't even afford to expand our vastly antiquated transit system. At the same time, city council has no power to finance its capital projects because all local sales taxes go straight to the federal government under the PM. Now, everytime Toronto wants to engage in some infrastructure project we literally have to squeal and beg from the Ottawa for the VERY TAXES that they received from us.
This has always been the case. In Canada, there are only two levels of government who enjoy the constitutional right to raise revenue: the feds and the provinces. If you have a beef with taxes and with the tax raising powers of Ontario municipalities, then take it up with Queen's Park, the place responsible for creating Toronto and empowering it to tax. You won't get far there, but please do go right ahead. This isn't a federal matter and it won't be anytime soon. Part of it is because provinces don't want to surrender taxation powers to the cities and part of it is because no one trusts municipalities. The Canadian Federation of Municipalities has been pushing for constitutional change to recognize municipal government for decades now. It isn't going to happen.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bostonkid123
Under his "fiscally conservative" administration, Canada's gone from a healthy surplus before 2006 to repeated deficits every single year since he has taken power. Where's the fiscal responsibility now? Where's the balanced budget?
Part of that is to provide them with justification to gut spending at some point in time. I'd also add that the economy of Ontario has been in the toilet for almost every year since then. This isn't Harper's fault, whatever some Ontarians might have you believe, and the tax receipts that Ottawa might otherwise enjoy from a buoyant Ontario have been significantly reduced because Ontario itself has yet to reinvent itself in a way that might see it return to the prosperity it once enjoyed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bostonkid123
Out of the 9 years since Harper has become PM, there is only grand total of ONE year (2007) when Canada had a budget surplus. 1 year out of a grand total of 9 years in power. In 2009 alone, the Conservative government accumulated a budget deficit of -$58.21 Billion Canadian Dollars - the only other time in recent history when this deficit number was broken was 1984 ($72 billion) - oh look which party was in power in 1984. All I can say about the conservatives is this - old habits die hard.
Please don't take offense, BK123, but you should do a great deal more reading about Canadian politics. You have much to learn.
In America census information is required by law. Last year I forgot to send in my U.S. census form online and was sent a warning letter stating a list of offences for failure to do so and possible prosecution with fine of up to $5,000 USD and criminal misdemeanor. If you want to be part of a modern society, are a beneficiary of any public services, and you care about the community you live in and how its future course will be shaped, then there is an absolute need to submit census data.
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