Flaherty's Credit Card Announcement

Yesterday's announcement of new rules for credit card companies was very good news for Canadians.

Unbeknownst to many Canadians, credit card companies have been introducing scandalous rules for charging interest. Once upon a time, I goofed up paying my Capital One credit card bill by entering the wrong amount. I was short a few dollars on my bill. As a result, I ended up paying $60 dollars in interest! It was quite literally a costly mistake.

Just recently, my credit card company changed their interest policy again. Now if I carry interest on my card, they will start charging interest from the date of my purchases, plus interest on any new purchases. In the end, you don't get any grace period and you have to pay interest for approximately three months.

It's no bloody wonder people collapse under credit card debt. People don't have a fighting chance. Until the new rules take effect, my only option is to throw a bunch of money at my card and stop using it for two months. God help you if you don't have any cash to put on your card.

Audit of Parliament

Very rarely do I look to the Toronto Star for good news, but today is the exception with reports Auditor General Sheila Fraser wants to open the books for the House of Commons and the Senate.

Only a few days ago, I wrote a post asking for greater transparency with Parliamentary expenses. It appears I may get my wish, but Fraser is going to have to fight tooth and nail to gain access to their books. I wouldn't be surprised if parliamentary privlege is invoked (repeatedly) to prevent her access.

At the end of the day, MPs and Senators are on my dime, so I want to know where it goes. It's not asking too much.

Mulroney and Oilphant Commission

What in the name of God's green earth are we doing holding a public inquiry into the affairs of Brian Mulroney?

Mulroney only received $225,000 from Karlheinz Schreiber. I reckon the Government of Canada has spent well in excess of a million dollars on this inquiry, not to mention the cost of other investigations.

What's more, there is nothing obviously wrong with this payment. Plenty of former politicians move on to collect huge fees in return for using their international contacts.

This "scandal" pales in comparison to Chretien misappropriating millions of public funds to benefit the Liberal Party of Canada.

Parliamentary Ethics and Accountability

Politicians in Britain are in a world of hurt with reports of widespread abuse of Parliamentary expense accounts. Even the most unscrupulous person would gasp at the thought of expensing a country-manor heliport or moat cleaning.

The most shocking revelation was that MPs can submit their mortgage payments as accommodation expenses! No wonder they live in castles. An MP is allowed to buy a flat in London and expense all the payments. When the MP leaves office, they can sell the property and pocket all the profits.

So, are Canadian politicians any better? No seriously, are they? I don't know.

I attempted to locate the by-laws of the Board of Internal Economy, which "regulate the use of parliamentary resources that are made available to Members to perform their parliamentary functions". The only information I could find was a one-page summary on the Parliament of Canada website. This summary indicates that by-laws are a public document, but I sure can't find them. I am beginning to sense they are a buy-a-ticket-to-Ottawa-visit-the-Speaker's-Office-and-ask-to-see-the-by-laws kind of public document. (If anyone can find this document on-line, please post a link in the comments section.)

When there is a lack of transparency and accountability, it quickly leads to a culture of entitlement. Canadian politicians should take some (hopefully) pre-emptive steps to avoid a Canadian version of this British scandal. Publishing the by-laws of the Board of Internal Economy and more details on MP expense claims would be a good start.

Dhalla and the Drama

As every day passes, Parliament becomes more irrelevant to the lives of ordinary Canadians.

Today's example is with the Parliamentary inquiry into Ruby Dhalla's personal affairs. Don't get me wrong, I think some of her actions were reprehensible, but I hardly believe they are worthy of an examination by a House of Commons committee.

Withholding a person's passport borders on criminal, however, if crimes were committed, it is a task for the RCMP, not our beloved MPs.

I implore our federal politicians to do something more important with their time. What about tackling the drug wars in BC and Toronto?

What about looking into bailing out criminals? Did you know that the only time a criminal has to make a case for bail is when they are accused of killing someone in cold blood? Otherwise, Crown prosecutors must demonstrate why people charged with lesser crimes (such as rape, torture and assault) shouldn't be given bail shouldn't be granted bail. What?

Truly Certifiable

If a government has done good work and no one knows about it, was it ever done?

This weekend, I learned of a new certification for organic food in Canada. The new standard, which takes effect on June 30th, was created by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. To be eligible to display the label, the food must be at least 95% organic.

With increased public concern over food safety, many products claim to be organic, but it is next to impossible to know the truth. This new symbol will provide Canadians with a trustworthy guide.

I have no doubt this new certification for organic food will be a hit with soccer moms. The government would stand to benefit quite a bit by actively promoting this new standard.