Softwood Lumber Deal: Right-Wing Conspiracy?

I know my beef with the liberal media is bordering on obsession, but their antics continue to enrage me!

Unless you've been hiding under a rock, you will know the Conservative's achieved a major feat this week with the softwood lumber deal. This deal will help our lumber industry along the road to recovery after the devastating impact of the trade barriers imposed by our southern neighbour.

But even this incredible good news story is not "good enough" for the CBC. Surely, they will conclude in their media reports that the deal was the result of the Prime Minister's cosy relationship with the US President. No doubt.

Why on earth is it not possible for Canada to have a public broadcaster that upholds a high-level of journalistic integrity while producing world-class programming. It is possible, in the UK they have done it with the BBC.

I suspect this will not be my last rant about the CBC...

Flag Flap

Pretty soon the National Press Gallery will resort to name calling to express their displeasure with the Conservative Government's recent changes to their communications strategy. Until then, the media will make cheap shots reporting on how the government has no remorse for our fallen soldiers by not lowering the flag on the Peace Tower.

What complete nonsense. For decades, there has been a very clear policy dictating the circumstances under which the Canadian flag may be lowered. It was only under Paul Martin the flags were lowered on an ad hoc basis to mark the death of a Canadian soldier.

I, for one, am very glad the practice has been ended. Lowering the flag does not provide any added comfort to the families of fallen soldiers, it only leads to a greater possibility of offending the men and women who serve. Would Canada lower the flag only for soldiers serving overseas? What about a soldier who dies from a training accident on base in Edmonton? Is his or her life or service to Canada any less valuable to the nation? The practice of flag lowering on the Peace Tower for individual soldiers should never have started in the first place. So far, the veterans' association, the Toronto Star, Globe and Mail and the Sun all endorsing the move.

It seems the CBC hasn't caught on yet. Last night's CBC National broadcast had Paul Hunter reporting on the flag flap with quotes from the Liberals and NDP denouncing the move. Layton naturally told the media that the move was the result of the Prime Minister mimicking US President George W. Bush. What? The opposition is now name calling?

The CBC story looked really cheap and ill conceived. National reporters know that opposition MPs will give reporters whatever quote they want.

You just need to ask a leading question...

Environmental Leakage

Today, the Globe is reporting on a secret cabinet document it received outlining the Conservatives plans for Environment Canada. But how on earth did the reporters get their hands on a cabinet document of all things? Cabdocs don't fall out of the sky and land on fortunate reporters in Ottawa, it takes someone with a bone to pick with the government.

Cabinet documents are very secure documents. Very few people have access to them in Ottawa. Since the cabinet submission in question outlines cuts to programs for Kyoto, I'm guessing it's someone moderately ticked off that their hard work just went out the window. Enter Samy Watson, stage left.

Samy is the Deputy Minister of Environment Canada, and a Liberal appointee. Rumour has it, Samy was appointed by Chretien at his wife's urging. During his tenure at Agriculture Canada, he created havoc in the bureaucracy while authoring farm aid programs of absolutely no use to anyone. My guess, he's peeved his little fiefdom is falling down around him.

So the government wants to cut funding for Kyoto programs. Good for them! BILLIONS of dollars were allocated for programs that had no measurable impact on achieving results. Loads of money went to environmental lobby groups so they could turn around and preach to Canadians about their dirty habits.

Perspective

In a stroke of shear genius, the Conservatives have implemented a communications plan that would circumvent the National Press Gallery. Rather than rely on the crew of jaded reporters with their hidden agendas, the government has implemented a strategy to interact with local media outlets directly. Why didn’t they think of this earlier?

For all major announcements, Ministers will conduct a series of interviews with regional media outlets across Canada. As well, they will distribute media feeds of interviews or video footage via satellite to stations for free. If a news producer needs to fill a 2 minute spot in their evening news line-up, all the material necessary to create a story is available to them gratis.

It is no wonder our blessed political reporters in Ottawa are disgruntled with the PMO Press Office. If the government continues to circumvent the national press corps, reporters in Ottawa could very well lose their job.

Stephanie Rubic, who is a Sun reporter and President of the National Press Gallery, commented on the issue to Mike Duffy on his show last evening. When Duffy asked if Canadians should care if the government uses this new media strategy, Stephanie pointed out that the public will not benefit from the “perspective” national reporters give to their stories.

So when Julie Van Dusen barks questions at the Prime Minister about his waistline at a government announcement, for instance, what sort of “perspective” is she bringing to the story?

Reporters in Ottawa are going to have to seriously clean up their act or risk being replaced by a journalist who will properly do their job. Why would any media outlet pay for a reporter to be in Ottawa who can't do their job? Perhaps if some of these longtime Ottawa journalists were posted to Calgary, Vancouver or Toronto, they may gain some valuable insight as to what Canadians actually care about.

Greatest American President?

Maclean's website poll asks the [leading] question, "is George W. Bush the worst U.S. President in 100 years?" A fairly strong majority responding to the poll agree.

I hold the minority opinion on the matter. In social settings, I often try to avoid talking about 'dubya' because I know my views will not be welcomed.

I honestly believe George W. Bush will be viewed as one of the greatest American presidents of all time. (I admit this may take some time.) This viewpoint could be defended based solely on the actions taken by the President following the September 11th terrorist attack.

Among President Bush's list of achievements:

• Removed the Taliban regime from Afghanistan
• Removed Saddam Hussein from Iraq
• Introduced democracy to the Iraqi and Afghan people
• Committed $15 billion to provide AIDS relief in Africa
• Overseen the most peaceful relations between Israel and Palestine during my lifetime

In contrast to other Presidents, history will view President Bush favourably for the substantial achievements during his Presidency.

Can you tell the difference?

I went for a spring stroll in my bustling neighbourhood of Yonge and Eglinton today and stopped for a quick bite to eat in a bagel shop. While I was enjoying my meal, I overheard the conversation of two patrons.

"... they cut the funding to the Palestinian Authority."

"Who did?"

"Prime Minister Harper. You know, with the new Conservative government?

"Canada is changing. We are getting things done.

"We're more assertive now."

Assertive..... I nearly fell off my stool after hearing that word. It is probably the word that best describes how the Conservatives want to conduct business and how they want to be viewed by the voting public.

Don't tell me Canadians aren't watching the Conservatives every move (and so far liking every bit of it).

Right Honourable Prime Minister of Canada

Would someone please call CTV and tell them Stephen Harper is now the Prime Minister?

Last night's CTV news broadcast had Lloyd Robertson repeatedly referring to the Prime Minister by name. In my opinion, this is incorrect and disrespectful. I've previously posted on this subject, and going to continue to do so until it is resolved.

Consider this, back when Paul Martin was still the Prime Minister, did news outlets refer to him as just Paul Martin or the Prime Minister Martin? Shouldn't the same respect be granted to the current office holder?

Am I completely off the mark on this subject, or what?

Answer Period

Today's Question Period was so good, it should be called Answer Period!

The Conservatives, while in opposition, made their performance in QP look easy, but after the Liberals dismal showing, clearly there's a trick to being in opposition. The Conservatives, especially Prime Minister Harper, did a fantastic job!

"I don't think I've ever been accused of seducing anyone, even my wife." - Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Talk about hilarious!

Get ready, Canada, you're about to be confronted with a Prime Minister with intelligence, integrity and a wicked sense of humour!

Confidence

The Conservative Government is entering a critical time when Canadians will be watching their actions very closely. The Speech from the Throne marked the first occasion the general public had to 'kick the tires' of their new government. So far, it seems they like what they see - and for good reason.

A good communications strategy will take into consideration every aspect of how the public will perceive their message. Well-written publications, impressive commercials and articulate press releases are all very important. I would argue an equally important component to a good communications strategy is body language.

Last evening's interview between the Prime Minister and Mansbridge was evidence of the importance of good body language. While watching the interview, I was surprised to see the Prime Minister slouching in his chair. I found this incredibly distracting and disappointing.

I realize some will call me a naysayer for pointing this out, but it's important. The Prime Minister is an incredibly important person. For this reason, he should exude confidence to leave Canadians with the impression he is in control and competent in his role.

It could be argued this was a deliberate strategy, having the PM 'lean forward' in his chair, to give a more 'relaxed' feel to the interview. In my opinion, this did not work. It is possible to sit straight up, shoulders back, in a chair and not come across too stiff.

On another note, I would like to tell Eric Sorenson of the CBC to kiss my rump. Your story last night comparing the Conservative's Speech from the Throne to an American State of the Union address was bloody outrageous. When is the PMO going to do something about the CBC's editorial board?

Preemptive Praise

The Speech from the Throne will begin in approximately 34 minutes. Before wasting time waiting for the Speech to actually be delivered by the GG, I'm just going to go ahead and give it my wholehearted endorsement.

I found the Speech to be visionary, spectatular and inspirational. A sharp contrast to those delivered by former Liberal govenrments.

Congratulations!

Protect your PIN

For years, I've heard about the dangers of bank card fraud, but never thought I would fall victim to the crime. I rarely use my bank card, because not often do I require cash. Even so, I have always protected my PIN and used only bank machines belonging to my bank, RBC.

This past weekend, I attempted to get cash from a Royal Bank machine, but it would not process the transaction, instead giving me an error message. I thought my card was euchred, so I figured I would have to visit a branch to obtain a new card. Monday morning, I logged into my on-line bank account only to find a transaction amount of more than $800 withdrawn from my account. This unauthorized transaction worked wonders for all of my monthly withdrawals scheduled for the beginning of the month.

After working with my bank to resolve the issue, I was impressed by how they try to alleviate the stress of the situation by doing much of the required work themselves. Apparently, bank fraud is fairly common. When I walked into my branch mid-Monday morning, the Account Representative assisting me had already handled FOUR other cases that morning - at a relatively obscure branch!

From what they told me, these crime rings are fairly organized. They know to drain bank accounts on the weekend when the fraud departments of banks are closed. In my case, I luckily tried to withdraw money, which triggered an automatic security alert freezing my account. If I had not done this, they would have taken more money, which they tried to do unsuccessfully.

Once the bank completes their investigation, I will have my money back, but to add insult to injury, I was charged a "Plus" network service charge of $5.00 from the thieves stealing from my account.

I hoped I have impressed upon you that bank card fraud is a real and present danger. The banking industry does not want the public to know how often it occurs, because then, people may feel safer putting their savings under their mattress than their bank account.