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Published
September 2008 The Lethbridge Herald Editor:
The latest news regarding the infection of meat with the listeria
bacteria shows how dangerous Stephen Harper and the Conservatives'
policies are to the health of Canadians. According to news stories
published on August 30th Harper and his band of free marketers bent
to pressure from the meat industry and cut back on inspections by
meat inspectors across Canada.
Most Canadians think their inspection regimes are tougher than the
American ones, but not in the case of meat inspection. The policies
of the Canadian Department of Agriculture are significantly weaker
than those of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
However, because many meat-processing plants export to the USA,
Canadian processors must open their doors to USDA inspectors who then
take their reports back to the USA to inform USA consumers. Canadian
consumers are left in the dark. But freedom of information requests
to the US government are very revealing. An example is one at a PEI
company where the floor drainage was so poor that a worker had to
stand surrounded by water with blood in it.
Cutbacks to inspectors began with the Liberals under Jean Chrétien
and Paul Martin and have picked up pace with Stephen Harper whose
government now wants to turn over inspection of food processing
plants to the companies themselves with the federal inspectors simply
auditing the work now and then. It's like putting the foxes in charge
of the henhouse.
Canadians should turf out Harper and turn over government to a party
that's not in bed with the corporations.
Mark Sandilands
NDP Candidate, Lethbridge Federal
Published 2008-08-2 The Lethbridge Herald
Editor
One would think that if Canadians soon will face temperature related
illnesses, rodent-borne diseases, possible water and food
contamination, and increased air pollution, our federal government
would be eager to tell us about them. Problem is these concerns are
linked to global warming and Stephen Harper doesn't really seem to
want Canadians to think much about global warming, because they will
then see how pitifully his government has addressed the problem.
Health Canada has had the following announcement on its website for
many months: "Human Health in a Changing Climate: A Canadian
Assessment of Vulnerabilities and Adaptive Capacity is scheduled for
completion in the Spring of 2008." Hello? It's now a month into the
season we call summer!
According to a recent editorial in the Globe and Mail, the report has
actually been ready for several months, but the staff who wrote it
were told on July 3 that the launch would be "low profile"--it would
simply be posted online.
Look for it to be posted late on a Friday afternoon, a time slot
favoured by Harper's people to guarantee it won't get much attention.
They did the same thing in March with a
related report from the Ministry of Natural Resources, "From Impacts
to Adaptation", which was a forecast of future effects of climate
change. Oh yes, they paid a PR firm 50,000 of your tax dollars for
that release, money that was totally wasted.
Canadians will definitely have to deal with climate change, in part
due to the lack of action by the Conservative government and the
Liberal one before it. That the government wants to down-play what
the health effects will be is just sick.
Mark Sandilands NDP Candidate, Lethbridge Federal Riding
Published 2008-06-22 The Lethbridge Herald
Editor
On June 9th, the House of Commons passed Harper's Budget
Implementation Act, the one that contained controversial changes to
immigration rules that give the Immigration Minister arbitrary powers
to screen out hopeful immigrants. The Liberals were mostly absent,
allowing this offensive legislation to pass. What went mostly
unnoticed was the confiscation of $52-billion worth of workers'
Employment Insurance premiums, certainly the greatest heist in
Canadian history,
In 1996, the government of the day changed the EI rules in ways that
left two-thirds of Canadians ineligible for EI benefits-even though
they kept paying full EI benefits. The result: successive governments
built up a $54-billion EI "surplus"
by hoarding workers' EI premiums and spending them elsewhere.
What happened this June 9 was the legalization of that theft of
workers' EI premiums. On the surface, Harper's Budget Implementation
Act finally creates a standalone $2-billion EI Fund.
But this means that the remaining
$52-billion is gone.
This move, which undercuts the security of working families, should
have died on the floor of our minority Parliament. But, despite
telling Canadians he opposed this bill, Stéphane Dion let it pass-by
telling 79 Liberal MPs to skip the vote. That's a terrible failure of
leadership.
The NDP opposed this bill-and all 30 NDP MPs voted against this bill.
Surely that's the kind of leadership that working Canadians deserve.
Mark Sandilands NDP Candidate, Lethbridge Federal Riding
Published 2007-12-7 The Lethbridge Herald
http://www.lethbridgeherald.com/article_9063.php
Editor,
Two recent stories in your paper have caused me to pause
and think. One was about the increase in bus fares by 25 cents on January 1, 2008 (Bus fares to rise in '08, Nov. 27). The second was "No reduction in child poverty in 18 years" (Nov. 27). These stories are related because it is those
who can't afford automobiles who depend on busses for transportation.
Also, a story from a few days earlier (Canada holding up climate-change deal at Commonwealth: sources, Nov 23) is related. This story is linked because, in
order to counteract climate change, humans will need to get off their addiction to oil. We all need to use public transit much more.
All levels of government should encourage more use of transit and less use of private
automobiles. This should be a national priority. Cities should not be left alone trying to encourage public transit on their own. However, some cities are doing exactly that. In the State of Washington, Whidby Island has had free fares
for 20 years and, in Hasselt, Belgium, a city of 70,000, there has been free public transit since 1997. TheTyee (http://thetyee.ca/Series/2007/07/05/NoFares/),
an online journal, had a series on this issue last summer.
In Lethbridge, transit fares 35 years ago were much more affordable than they are today. In 1972, Lethbridge actually lowered transit fares to 10 cents as an experiment,
but raised them again a year later to 15 cents. How much is 15 cents in today's money? The Bank of Canada's inflation calculator says it's 75 cents. Thus, transit fares have gone up far faster than inflation. But raising transit fares is
a losing game--the more it costs, the more riders make a calculation of what they'd pay in gasoline and wear and tear on their auto and decide to drive. Those who can't afford to own a car just have to pay or take fewer trips.
The
series in TheTyee discussed some of the problems of a totally free transit fare, but I believe city council is going in the wrong direction in raising fares to $2.25.
Mark Sandilands NDP Candidate, Lethbridge Federal Riding
Published 2007-11-27 The Lethbridge Herald
http://www.lethbridgeherald.com/article_8941.php Editor:
Your headline, "NDP defends denunciation of death penalty reversal" (Nov. 22), was among the most confusing I've ever seen and
leaves a reader scanning headlines with the impression that the NDP supports the death penalty. When the headline is analyzed, it is correct (albeit awkward) but it takes a bit of work to sort out all the negatives included.
In
English, a double negative makes a positive so, for example, if I say I am not unhappy, it means that I am actually somewhat happy. But a triple negative? I guess that makes the statement a negative again. Thus a careful analysis leads
to the correct conclusion that the NDP opposes the death penalty. What is this analysis?
- The Harper Conservatives reversed a long-standing Canadian government policy of seeking clemency for Canadians sentenced to death in any foreign country. In democratic countries, such as the USA,
where those accused are deemed to have received a fair trial, the Harper Conservatives will let the execution take place without comment. Nor will they co-sponsor United Nations resolutions urging a moratorium on executions.
- The NDP, with the other opposition parties, denounced this reversal. Jack Layton, for example, said this action and others are ruining Canada's reputation.
- Then, under criticism from the Harper Conservatives, the NDP defended its denunciation.
Make no mistake, the NDP opposes the death penalty: it does not deter criminals; it is often racially discriminatory--being applied more often to non-white races; it is not reversible--if there's a
wrongful conviction, there's no going back; one could go on and on. Those who are interested in a balanced perspective on this issue may want to visit the Public Library and look up the Subject heading of "capital punishment." They might
find a short book by Scott Turow called "Ultimate Punishment: a lawyer's reflections on dealing with the death penalty" or they can can look up "Capital punishment debate" on
www.wikipedia.org
Mark Sandilands NDP Candidate, Lethbridge Federal Riding
"Tories failing our troops" Published 2007-10-05 The Lethbridge Herald
http://www.lethbridgeherald.com/article_8437.php Editor:
Many Canadians have chosen to "Support Our Troops." Some do
so by placing a sticker on their vehicle or wearing a lapel pin. There is enormous support shown for our troops on Nov. 11 each year. Canadians respect the difficult task the troops have been given, although many combine this support
with a fervent wish that the troops could come home from this impossible situation they've been placed into. However, Canadian veterans of the armed services are realizing Stephen Harper can't be
trusted. He talks about "supporting" Canada's soldiers, but slogans aren't making life better for hard-serving veterans and their families. Harper's Conservatives have abandoned our vets:
- Home care denied: They've failed to extend VIP home care services to widows of Second World War and Korean War vets-in 2005, Harper promised in writing to do that "immediately" on taking power.
- Pension fairness denied: They've refused to implement the NDP's Veterans First Motion - a motion that Parliament passed in 2006 to end five unfair pension restrictions that veterans still face.
- Agent Orange inquiry denied: They refuse to call a public inquiry into the 50-year cover-up of defoliant spraying at CFB Gagetown - the inquiry the Conservatives demanded while in opposition.
- Victims of Agent Orange have been short-changed: After promising "full compensation for persons exposed to defoliant spraying from 1956-1984," they've offered pitiful one-time payments-and have only
included vets exposed in 1966 and 1967.
NDP Veterans Affairs Critic Peter Stoffer puts it bluntly: "It took the Liberals 13 years to reach this level of deception; it has taken the Harper Conservatives 18 months." After a lifetime of
dedicated service, Canada's veterans deserve better. Mark Sandilands, NDP candidate, Lethbridge federal riding
"Casson's numbers cut down to size" Published 2007-09-28 The Lethbridge Herald
http://www.lethbridgeherald.com/article_8365.php Editor:
In the past few weeks Canadians have been treated to some
outlandish examples of Conservative spin doctoring. First there was Rick Casson's newspaper column saying in Kandahar, "more than 420,000 square metres of land has been cleared of mines, benefiting more than 10,000 people." This sounds
impressive! Four hundred and twenty thousand square metres. Most Albertans are not all that familiar with square metres or hectares, so I converted the number to acres. It turns out the amount of
land cleared of landmines is 104 acres, less than a quarter section. Think of the area of Nicholas Sheran Park which, coincidentally, is the same area (104 acres). Henderson Lake Park is a bit bigger - 116 acres. Not very impressive. By
contrast Kandahar province's total area is over 20,000 square miles so the amount of Kandahar province that has been cleared of land mines is far less than 1/100th of one per cent. A second example
of spin doctoring is what Harper and Casson and the rest of the Conservatives (it's an insult to John Diefenbaker to call them Tories) are starting to use on the global warming front. This week Harper trumpeted what's called the AP6, the
Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate. The fact George Bush strongly supports this is a signal nothing will be done. Indeed, the AP6 have agreed on what they're calling "aspirational
goals." All this means they hope they'll meet the goals. As the old saying goes, "if wishes were horses, beggars would ride." Voters shouldn't believe Conservative spin-doctoring on Afghanistan, global warming or anything else.
Mark Sandilands, NDP Candidate, Lethbridge
"Decals like bake sales for the troops" Published 2007-08-06
Editor:
The
Herald editorial (Don't read too much into a decal, July 27) mentions revenue from the sale of "Support Our Troops" merchandise goes to the Canadian Forces Personnel Support Agency which uses the revenue to support morale and welfare
programs for the Canadian Forces family. This reminds me of an anti-war button that says, "It will be a great day when our schools get all the money they need and the air force has to hold a bake sale to buy a bomber." It seems they are
now actually holding the equivalent of bake sales to provide morale and welfare programs for the troops. Meantime Harper's government can find billions of dollars for tanks, battleships, icebreakers,
helicopters, and heavy lift airplanes. What's really needed are dollars spent on the soldiers and their families for proper salaries, and support programs to allow them to return to a normal life. A recent report said 28 per cent of
soldiers returning from Afghanistan show mental health problems and six per cent show post-traumatic stress syndrome. There is totally inadequate support for these soldiers and their families. Oh yeah, we still hold bake sales for our
schools. Mark Sandilands, NDP Candidate, Lethbridge
"An Alternative to Gouging" Published 2007-06-22
Editor:
In his letter (Attempts to control gas
prices will only make matters worse, June 12), John Wilson takes the position that nothing can be done about the fact that corporations continue to gouge Canadians. Apparently he believes, along with most Conservatives and Liberals (I
don't know if he counts himself among these groups), that Canadians should be quiet and just take what the corporations are willing to give us. I, for one, reject this kind of thinking. The oil corporations would love us to believe that
the cause of high gasoline prices is a shortage of refining capability. On the other hand, Hugh Mackenzie, an Ontario economist, recently analyzed the price of gasoline and rejected refining capacity as an explanation.
His report can be
accessed at http://www.policyalternatives.ca. The oil corporations, who've been showing record profits recently (e.g., Petro Canada's
first quarter earnings rose from $486 million last year to $580 million this year), are testing just how much Canadian consumers will pay for gasoline and have discovered that the one dollar per litre barrier has been passed. Mackenzie
calculates that given the cost of crude oil, and at traditional costs for refining and taxes (which are mostly fixed per litre) and with previous levels of profit, gasoline in Lethbridge should be $.86/litre. These days, gasoline is very
much a utility. It used to be that governments believed that utilities (e.g., electricity and natural gas) were too important to be left to the market place and therefore regulated the prices. We all know where de-regulation of
electricity and natural gas have left us. Governments, particularly those that are not in the pockets of large corporations, should have the guts and will to regulate those commodities that are important to their citizens' lives.
Mark Sandilands, NDP Candidate, Lethbridge
"Gov't action needed to deal with soaring gasoline prices" Published 2007-06-06
Editor:
In the May
11th Herald there was a story entitled, "Feds have foes fuming over high gas prices." I read the story carefully but was not able to learn which opposition parties were demanding that the government take action to rein in gas prices.
Some research revealed that some key paragraphs were omitted. Here they are: NDP Leader Jack Layton said the government should call an inquiry into record oil company profits and high gasoline prices, which have hovered above $1 a litre
for several weeks in most cities across Canada. "Despite these so-called increases in costs, actually these big companies are simply profiteering," he said. "If there is competition it's the most unusual competition I've ever witnessed,
where everyone changes direction at exactly the same time." Hamilton NDP MP Chris Charlton plans to introduce a private members bill next week calling for an oil and gas price ombudsman's office to
receive and investigate complaints, require a response from industry, and report findings to the industry minister. Charlton says Canadians are right to be skeptical of the wild fluctuations in prices, and when prices for gasoline rise
each weekend and fall mid-week. The Liberal party, which did not intervene in the price of gas when it was the government, also called for action. Leader Stephane Dion said it was time to give more powers to the Competition Bureau to
deal with gas prices even though previous attempts have failed, even under his party. "The Competition Bureau must have more tools, and National Resources must have the possibility to make studies ... to make sure nothing inappropriate
is happening," he said. Bernier said it was ironic that the same parties calling on his government to bring down gas prices also support a bill to respect Kyoto that would have the effect of increasing gas prices to much higher levels.
With respect to the final paragraph, yes, we are calling for measures to meet our Kyoto commitments, but there are many, more effective ways to reduce gasoline usage, such as providing vastly improved public transportation, and
incentives to make cities more walkable and bicycle-friendly.
Mark Sandilands, NDP Candidate, Lethbridge
"Terminator seed technology" Unpublished 2007-05-31
Editor:
What do farmers in India and Brazil
have that farmers in Canada lack? The answer is legal protection from terminator seed technology. For over 10,000 years, farmers have saved a portion of their seeds for planting in the next season. Terminator seeds, also known as suicide
seeds, contain artificial genetic material that makes second generation seeds sterile. They've been invented by the same multinationals that brought us genetically modified canola crops that have shut Canadian canola oil out of European
and other world markets. The plan of these companies is to sell terminator seeds to farmers so they'll always have to buy their new crop seeds instead of following the practices of hundreds of previous generations. Terminator seeds
aren't yet sold anywhere because of a huge outcry from farmers and indigenous peoples around the world. These protests have been supported by over 500 civil society organizations, including 118 from Canada (e.g., Inter Pares, National
Farmers Union, Oxfam Canada, United Church, Council of Canadians). The concern of these organizations is not only for farmers, but also for preservation of the huge diversity of crops that are
grown around the world. This is why the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity has passed a motion temporarily prohibiting terminator seeds; however, Stephen Harper's government voted against the motion and has actually been
working behind the scenes against this consensus. On May 31, the NDP agriculture critic, Alex Atamanenko announced in Ottawa the tabling of a Private Member's Bill to ban "terminator technology" as is done in India and Brazil. One has to
wonder if Rick Casson, Ted Menzies, and Stephen Harper are on the side of the powerless or on the side of the powerful. If you believe in the independence of farmers and the health of the planet, contact your MP and ask him to support
Atamanenko's Bill. The website http://www.banterminator.org/ has information about supporting the fight against terminator seeds. Click on Take Action. Those without internet
access can ask for assistance from a librarian at a public library.
Mark Sandilands, NDP Candidate, Lethbridge
"Climate Change No Card Game" Published 2007-05-22
Editor:
Duane Pendergast (Canada should fold on
Kyoto Herald) reminds me of the copper topped battery--he never quits. It seems he's forever attacking David Suzuki and climate science. Recently (Letter May 16th) in saying Canada should fold on Kyoto, Duane attempted to be humorous by
suggesting that climate change is like a game of poker. Climate change is not a game, but a potential disaster for the world. Kyoto is only the first step. Canada must not only meet its Kyoto commitments, but starting in just a few
years, it must exceed them. Stephen Harper's climate pit bull, John Baird, convinced very few with his statement that Canada can't meet Kyoto targets short of economic collapse. He was cheered on
by the oil and coal industry-sponsored think tanks such as the Fraser Institute, but the assumptions Baird made were so extreme that even economists who were in his panel distanced themselves from the analysis. The economists had to work
with the assumptions Baird gave them such as carbon tax of $195 per tonne, almost 8 times what other experts say is needed. Baird's report also glaringly ignored the positive economic effects of tackling climate change--the jobs, the
investment, the new markets created. These effects will come IF CANADA ACTS SOON. However, the foot-dragging of the Harper government, aided and abetted by think tanks like the Fraser Institute and
climate change skeptics like Pendergast, may mean that Canada will be left behind like buggy whip manufactures 100 years ago. Just one example 11 USA states are converting their school buses to plug-in hybrid engines. Canada has a major
school bus manufacturer, but it won't be able to get into this kind of business unless it has a secure home market.
Mark Sandilands, NDP Candidate, Lethbridge
"Security and Prosperity" Unpublished 2007-05-10
When Stephen Harper was Opposition Leader, his
admiration for things American and for George Bush seemed boundless. For example, he called for Canada to join in the Iraq war, he agreed with Bush's rejection of the Kyoto treaty, and he spoke disparagingly about Canada to USA
audiences. Now, his support for the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP) is truly frightening. By the way, it was the Liberal government of Paul Martin that initiated SPP. As was pointed out recently by Gordon Laxer
of the Parkland Institute, "The real goal of the SPP is more about integrating Canada into the American way of doing things." A very troubling aspect of Canada's current situation is that we have
lost control of our energy. NAFTA has a clause, called the proportionality clause, which states that Canada cannot cut its exports of natural gas and oil to the USA even in a time of Canadian national emergency. As part of the SPP, the
Bush administration is now putting pressure on Harper for even greater control of Canada's energy resources. Additionally, on the table in the semi-secret SPP negotiations are moves to "harmonize" Canadian regulations with USA ones,
apparently in over 300 areas. These include pesticide use (we've already seen that harmonized), food safety, and air safety. Canadians need a full and accountable debate so we can learn the agenda around the SPP, not secret meetings in
Banff and elsewhere. Parliament should be involved and there should be public disclosure.
Mark Sandilands, NDP Candidate, Lethbridge
"Federal Tories not keeping their word" Published 2007-04-27
Editor:
Stephen Harper constantly
reminds Canadians that he would turn the page on "13 years of broken Liberal promises." And, lately, his message, repeated ad nauseam, is that his Conservative government has kept its promises to ordinary voters. This is total nonsense.
- They promised to guarantee wait times, but Harper is presenting scaled-back, loophole-filled provincial deals. Each province gets to pick one area to say they give a wait-time guarantee. This
doesn't even come close to what the Conservatives promised in 2006. What if your medical issue is one not chosen by your province?
- They promised 25,000 new child care spaces for 2006 and the same number each year for five years. We're well into 2007 and the Conservatives have created exactly zero spaces. The $100 a month was a
nice return to family allowances, but it doesn't at all pay for early childhood learning and care. And, to the dismay of those whose savings are slim (i.e., most working Canadians), it's taxable!
- They promised fairness for veterans, such as saying they'd extend Veterans' Independence Program benefits to widowed spouses. But they failed to deliver on that promise and then voted against an NDP
motion formalizing the commitment.
- They promised to fight crime by funding more police: "at least 2,500 more police on the beat," they said. Communities are still waiting for these officers.
- They promised to fix equalization. Instead Harper is at odds with three provinces, one of which is so angry they sponsored national ads saying Harper lied.
If Harper thinks this is keeping promises, it's no wonder he thinks things are going well in Afghanistan, just like Bush thinks things are going well in Iraq. Canada is going to have minority parliaments
for the foreseeable future. It's the Prime Minister's job to get things done, not play politics trying to influence the polls. Mark Sandilands, NDP Candidate, Lethbridge
Unpublished Editor:
The slanted Canadian Department of Agriculture advertisements stating "Barley Producers Choose Marketing Choice" in the Lethbridge
Heralds on April 18th and 19th show again how Harper's Conservatives are serving the interests of multinational corporations. From this sell-out of Canadian farmers, to the war in Afghanistan, to the massive tax cut for corporations, and
many other instances, Canadians can see that Stephen Harper is showing the stripes (and stars) that Canadians could easily see when he was president of the business lobby group misnamed "The National Citizens' Coalition." The CWB is
farmer-owned and farmer controlled and its disappearance would bring in the "five sisters" that dominate the international grain trade; none of them are Canadian. These companies have been trying to
get rid of the CWB for decades; Harper's Conservatives are doing the job for them. The ballot with three choices (1. CWB single desk, 2. producers' choice of buyer, and 3. CWB having no role) was like an election with three candidates.
After the results are in, if it's found that one of the candidates was not eligible, what does one do? A preferential ballot would have led to dividing the votes among the other two possibilities. In the barley plebiscite, the second
option turns out to be a non-option (as many CWB supporters maintain), so votes for that choice should be split among the other two options. This would lead to an outcome of CWB-single-desk receiving 61%, and CWB-no-role receiving 39%.
It all depends on whether the CWB can survive in an open market. Chuck Strahl's task force (Strahl is Harper's BC-based puppet) said that it would be difficult for the CWB to operate in an open market, as do other experts and the CWB
itself. Even Conservative MP Inky Mark said the government-designed questions in the barley vote were misleading. Farmer organizations have complained loudly about the clarity of the questions. The Harper Conservatives should scrap this
flawed vote and keep the CWB. -- Mark Sandilands, NDP Candidate, Lethbridge
"Independent analysis shows true impact of barley plebiscite" Published 2007-02-16
Editor:
Rick
Casson's recent column on the barley plebiscite for the Canadian Wheat Board, which by the way is unavailable on his website, misleads farmers about the effect of ending the single desk. Other recently published letters lead to the
belief that it's all about freedom of choice versus "government" control. In reality, the CWB is controlled by farmers and works for farmers. Instead of his party's press releases, Casson should read some independent analyses of grain
marketing, for example, those done by respected agricultural economists such as Murray Fulton. Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, College of Agriculture and Bioresources, University of Saskatchewan, or Professor Andrew
Schmitz (B.S.A., M.Sc., M.A., Ph.D., D.Litt.), the Ben Hill Griffin, Jr. Eminent Scholar and Professor of Food and Resource Economics, University of Florida, Gainesville; Research Professor, University of California, Berkeley; and
Adjunct Professor, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon. These eminent scholars, with nothing to gain, have studied the Canadian Wheat Board and concluded that doing away with the current single
desk selling of barley would take millions of dollars away from farm income in Canada. In the words, of Professor Schmitz, "This study clearly establishes that the CWB single-desk-seller barley marketing system creates more sales revenue
for Western Canada's farmers than will result in the presence of a multiple-seller marketing system because of the ability of the CWB to exercise market power on behalf of Western Canada's farmers."
(Report available at
http://www.kis.usask.ca/CWBLiterature.html.) Yes, individual sellers can, on occasion because of price spikes, make a few dollars more than
the year-long average price by selling their barley on the spot market. But getting rid of the single desk selling by the CWB, will permanently change the grain industry in Canada. Murray Fulton says it very well: "Contrary to what the
recent task force report indicates, the most likely impact of removing the single-desk selling powers is that the CWB will cease to exist. The elimination of the CWB would transform the Canadian grains industry, with the impact of this
change felt in virtually every part of the system. "The changes that would accompany the loss of the CWB's single-desk selling power would make the Canadian system more and more like that in the United States. It is expected, for
instance, that grain company and railroad competition would fall, that producer cars and short line railways would suffer, that the current freight revenue cap would disappear, and that less value would be returned to farmers. Once these
changes are made they are irreversible - it would be virtually impossible to go back and restore the system to what is currently in place." Available from
http://www.kis.usask.ca/CWB_Open_Mkt_Fulton.pdf Mark Sandilands, NDP Candidate, Lethbridge
"NDP not propping up Tories" Published 2007-02-7
Editor:
Carey Turner (ATM fees as Priority 1?,
Feb. 1) asks what are the priorities of the NDP and suggests that the NDP are keeping in power a government which has lied to Canadians in respect to income trusts, cheated with monies at their national leadership convention, and so on.
First, there has been no vote of confidence since the Conservatives announced their flip-flop on taxing income trusts. There have been three confidence votes in parliament since Harper & co. took office. The NDP is the only party that
voted unanimously against the Conservatives on every one. Bloc MPs supported Harper's budget. Some Liberals and the Bloc voted with Harper on the softwood deal. Many Liberal MPs supported the extension of the Afghan mission after only
six hours of debate, that grudgingly allowed. So it's not accurate to say the NDP is keeping this government in power. Particularly on Afghanistan, it's the NDP that's been consistently calling for
a re-examination of that mission. The ATM fee campaign is not the NDP's priority. Yes, the NDP has spoken out against ATM fees. American and British banks, some of them branches of Canadian banks, don't charge these fees, why should
Canadians have to pay them? In Jack Layton's recent words, "The NDP's priorities are to fight for fairness for working families and the middle class. Fairness means reversing the squeeze on working people and their families. Fairness
means more education, skills training and apprenticeship opportunities for young people, and better health care for seniors and families. And fairness also means taking on the big polluters so ordinary Canadians have clean air for their
kids to breathe and clean water for their kids to drink." Furthermore, before Parliament recessed, the it was the NDP that forced Harper's flawed "Clean Air Act" into an all-party committee for a full re-write, even before first reading.
This will allow extensive amendment, something that wouldn't have happened otherwise. Then the NDP tabled 15 tough amendments, challenging Parliament to adopt a plan for immediate action to combat global warming and meet Canada's Kyoto
targets. It's crucially important for Canada to get control of its carbon emissions; the NDP's goal is to make parliament work, not play partisan games. -- Mark Sandilands
"Corporations not the champions of Prairie farmers" Published 2006-12-29
Editor:
Regardless of
where one stands on the issue of whether the Canadian Wheat Board should retain its monopoly over wheat and barley in the Prairie Provinces (more below on that), the actions of Steven Harper and Chuck Strahl in dismissing Adrian Measner
should disgust those who believe in due process. The actions show again that this government is not open to dissent. Canadians, including Harper and Strahl when in opposition, complained that the previous Liberal prime ministers had too
much power and acted as if they were dictators. What hypocrites this new crew are! The Board of Directors of the CWB hired Mr. Measner after a careful search of potential candidates. Mr. Measner piloted the Wheat Board through some very
difficult challenges backed by American and European private grain marketers who resent the power that the CWB has in the marketing of the products of Canadian farmers. He should be cherished rather than fired. If the CWB loses its
status as the sole exporter of prairie wheat, some farmers may be able to make a quick buck shipping wheat to the USA, but they'll be at the mercy of the five big corporations that control 80% of world grain markets.
Lawrence Herman, a trade lawyer with Cassels Brock & Blackwell in Toronto, who was quoted in the Globe and Mail (20 December), said the wheat board could disappear if it is no longer the sole exporter. The CWB has been given special
rights by WTO because it's a state monopoly, according to Herman; those rights would be under attack by the private grain corporations once the CWB's monopoly is taken away. The CWB was formed by farmers to defend them against the very
private corporations who'll profit if it disappears. (Some suspect that these corporations are actually funding the fight against the wheat board.) Anyone who believes these corporations have the farmers' best interests at heart is naive
and should be careful of other scams such as invitations to help rich people get their money out of Nigeria, or phone calls saying they've just won a big lottery prize. Mark Sandilands, NDP
Candidate, Lethbridge
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