NJN Network

Guardian didn’t get the whole story again

By Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, February 20, 2009
with story from the Guardian

You are getting used to hearing the news first on NJN Network. We are happy to report The Guardian confirmed our story of last Friday, Premier Ghiz’s office with Mike Duffy…late Friday night.

Today Wayne Thibodeau reported Duffy, Ghiz meet but fail to resolve differences. Well that’s a week late and a dollar short boys. Let’s see if we agree.

Premier Robert Ghiz and Senator Mike Duffy had a secret, 20-minute meeting last Friday to try and iron out their differences. On Monday, Ghiz wouldn’t confirm the meeting. “If I did, it was private,” Ghiz said. But on Thursday, Ghiz confirmed the meeting did take place but wouldn’t get into the specifics of the meeting.

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By Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, February 19, 2009 11:45 EST

US President Barack Obama has just arrived in Ottawa. He pulled up in his limousine pulled up under the Peace Tower at the Parliament Buildings. President Obama got out of his car, came inside and then went back out with Prime Minister Stephen Harper to wave to the crowd. The crowd roared back.

Why is that so exciting? I’m a hard boiled news person. My dad was a harder boiled newsman and I was an even tougher business man before that. People like Nils Ling who pretend they are liberal minded take shots at me everyday. Bigots and creeps take shots at me. I’ve been physically threatened because I stand up for the disabled and the underdog. I just shrug off those bigoted fools.

So why is Obama so exciting? Because he represents hope. Hope is hard come by any time but in Canada we live in an age of cynicism. Old governments don’t care about minorities. New governments like Robert Ghiz get elected promising to help. As soon as they are in office, they start gorging themselves on money and expensive luxury living. The poor, the disadvantaged, the disabled, minorities of language and race, rural people – all tossed aside by the cynical new government.
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ÉDITORIAL

Par Jacinthe Laforest, La Voix Acadienne

De plus en plus, le dossier de Rustico se précise. En plus de prendre une ampleur politique, il prend maintenant une tangente juridique. Au cours de la dernière semaine, l’idée de retourner se battre devant les tribunaux s’est imposée comme une possibilité.

Si la communauté, les parents et la Commission scolaire de langue française sont o bligés de considérer cette option, ce n’est pas de gaieté de coeur. Ils y sont forcés par les actions de la province et en particulier de la ministre responsable des Affaires acadiennes et francophones, Carolyn Bertram, députée du district électoral qui inclut Rustico.
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Dear President Obama,

When you come to Canada would you ask the Prime Minister of Canada to treat Canadians with disabilities better.

We don’t have a Canadians with Disabilities Act so employers, schools, universities, governments, public and private institutions abuse our human rights.

We don’t have an Equal Opportunity Commission to help enforce the law either. If we try to fix that, we have to hire expensive lawyers to take them to court.

When the Canadian Government came up with its stimulus package, it didn’t budget anything near the $18 billion you are spending on the disabled.

Please just put a bug in their ear. We need help.

Yours truly,

Stephen Pate
PEI Disability Alert

Ghiz overheard humming, Now and then there’s a fool such as I.

By Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, February 16th, 2009

PEI’s Premier Robert Ghiz showed his inexperience and ineptitude by dividing Rustico along linguistic lines and not closing the file quickly. Today he turned down the request of the Commission scolaire de langue française de l’Île-du-Prince-Édouard for the a cultural centre to go with their new French school in Rustico. While the money was apparently coming from Heritage Canada, it mattered not to Premier Ghiz. He tried to play Solomon and divided Rustico along language lines, a deft act. The conflict was between the Cymbria Lions Club who were renting an old school building to the French School Board. The Lions fought to retain their $90K per year income from rentals. While the Lions Club could not stop the school from moving to the new building, they could act like a monkey in the works by interfering in the negotiations between the Federal Government, the Province and the Commission scolaire de langue française.
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Protect your right to free speech and freedom of the press over the internet

By Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, February 16, 2009with story from Canadian Press

Plans to review Federal Canadian regulation of internet and cell phone media is waste of time and dangerous to the economy. While the old economy of newspapers, television networks and cable are dying, the internet is supporting a whole new world of creative media. Government control only benefits the established providers who are boring young Canadians to tears.

Canadian Press reports “The federal broadcast regulator will begin hearings on Tuesday in Gatineau, Que., to review its policy of allowing broadcasting content to be unregulated on the Internet and cellphones. Predictably, there are those who want rules to ensure Canadian content on the Internet and there are others who believe home-grown content already has a presence on the Internet without the encouragement of regulations.”
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Fighting the Acadian parents isn’t going to work

By Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, February 15th, 2009

This is for the Cymbia Lions Club. You lost. You cannot win.

I’m sure that if the Lions put their minds to it, they will come up with lots of great ways to serve the community that don’t block the rights of the Acadian minority.

It should be a win-win for them.

From my read of the comments and players, this is a male versus female battle. Women are arguing for soft issues – culture, language, education, children – and men are arguing about money.
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By Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, February 14, 2009

The recent episodes of vulgar and unseemly speech are not the only instances of Mike Duffy the social boor. One of the more famous incidents was just prior to the funeral of former Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau. Duffy’s remarks caused Margaret Trudeau to collapse in tears. The Globe and Mail reported that Mike Duffy, then working for CTV, reminded Mrs. Trudeau, already grieving, that it was her dead son’s birthday as well.

“Then, CTV newscaster Mike Duffy offered his condolences, and noted to her that it was the birthday of her son Michel, who died nearly two years ago in an avalanche.

A shocked Ms. Trudeau turned on her heels and ran onto the Parliament Hill lawn, where she collapsed in tears. An RCMP officer asked bystanders to allow her some space as a number of relatives gathered around her. When she had recovered herself, her relatives led her away.

One can hardly imagine someone with so few social graces as Mike Duffy. He is an embarrassment to Canadians and a very poor choice on the part of Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Over heard by the cleaning staff

By Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, February 14, 2009

Editor - Freshly minted Senator Mike Duffy, recent of CTV political commentator fame, has garnished considerable press with his “not your daddy’s son”, “rambo”, in “bed with Premier Danny Williams”, and “getting the shaft” comments. The press is hounding Duffy who avoided the reporter’s scrum yesterday in Charlottetown. Well you could hardly call a lame duck question from PNP nominee John Jeffery a scrum, more like a scum. Duffy is a media darling everywhere. He even got his own NJN Network video, Mike Duffy Shut Up. Here is the transcript from the Jones Building cleaning staff interviewed Friday the 13th. UPDATE The Guardian reported on February 20th, 2009 that this meeting occurred but you read it first here.
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Some kind of wonderful in hiding this week

By Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, February 14th, 2009

It may be Valentine’s Day but it’s been Februarius horribilis for Minister Carolyn Bertram. She’s nobody’s favourite dance partner anymore. With all the deftness of a 300 lb ballerina, she has divided the placid waters of Rustico Harbour. She’s taken a Federally funded program and make herself goat of the week. Swift but not sweet Carolyn. Carolyn even has Noella Arsenault, one of the two mothers who whipped Pat Binns in the Supreme Court of Canada, calling for her resignation.

No wonder she sent Richard Brown to announce the funding for the Confederation Centre. Here are the honorable no-shows for the event -

On behalf of the Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, Senator the Honourable Michael Duffy (Cavendish, Prince Edward Island) and on behalf of the Honourable Carolyn Bertram, Minister of Communities Cultural Affairs and Labour, Honourable Richard Brown, Minister of Environment, Energy and Forestry today announced funding for the Fathers of Confederation Buildings Trust to continue renovations and infrastructure improvements to the Confederation Centre of the Arts.

If I was Carolyn, an improbable suggestion to be sure, I’d a’ made that safe bet. Everyone would have been all happy happy with the Charlottetown elite’s favourite cultural white elephant. I like the Confed Centre: it’s just too rich for my budget. I like a club where the beer is $3.75 and the show is less than $8. My gal she likes those Confed shows that cost $35 each and the water is $5. I hold out until she buys the tickets. Sometimes she takes me: sometimes she goes with her girl friends. You win some and you win some.
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His friends say he’s acting wild as a bug

By Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, February 13, 2009 with stories from everywhere, newspapers, TV, bars, you name it

NJN broke the “shut up” Blackberry story and now we can report Mike Duffy’s addiction. Newly minted Conservative Mike Duffy has admitted to friends his addiction is out of hand. “I can’t seem to stand on my own two feet,” Duffy told friends at a party in Ottawa.

In Halifax on Saturday he told one female dinner guest “I’m itching like a man on a fuzzy tree.” She declined to be identified and declined to sit next to the Duffster after his remarks.
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Federal MP’s are supposed to support the Charter, aren’t they?

By Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, February 13, 2009

Conservative MP Gail Shea is a reasonably nice person. She was a minister in the Pat Binns government. She likes the spread the pork barrel around but that’s typical. She might be a little heavy on the gravy for close relatives, but hey we’ve seen that before. But what’s with the new sensitivity to criticism in the media?

This is clearly a freedom of speech and freedom of the press issue. Even before the Charter, Canadians enjoyed freedom of speech and the press. We need that to talk about politics, the weather and who’s doing what to whom on Rennie’s Road. It’s the Island way.
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When your neighbors have a potential savior?

By Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, February 13, 2009

Will Stephen Harper care about the poor, the unemployed, the disabled and other minorities? It will take a miracle.

We realize the wrong man is Prime Minister of this country. While the formerly imperialistic United States has adopted a kind, people loving leader in Obama, we are stuck with a man who’s only goal in life is to reduce taxes. Last night on CBC Newsworld, they were debating if Stephen Harper should go around Canada talking at town hall meetings to sell his budget.
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By Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, February 9, 2009

We are happy to report newly minted Conservative MP Gail Shea has not been restling on her laurels this weekend. She was working hard in the fight against freedom of the press and freedom of speech. She even worked overtime on Sunday night to take down our Mike Duffy story from her Facebook page. There is not doubt and her right wing supporters will be resting easy today knowing Gail is working tirelessly to reduce Free Speech whenever and wherever she can. We will continue to monitor this story and advise, although not everyday. There are many more important things in the world than Gail Shea.

Newly minted Canadian Senator Mike Duffy gave his maiden speech and started a firestorm of controversy when he suggested two Canadian Premiers climb into bed in a sexual act. What message was on the Blackberry that interrupted his speech?

PRLog Press Release

Newly minted Canadian Senator Mike Duffy gave his maiden speech and started a firestorm of controversy when he suggested two Canadian Premiers climb into bed in a sexual act. What message was on the Blackberry that interrupted his speech?

Read the complete press release

Or is she a right-wing Fascist

By Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI Canada February 8th, 2009

Obviously Gail Shea can’t read, at least the Charter, because she doesn’t care about Freedom of the Press. Stompin Tom went to school in Skinner’s Pond and he can read. How come she can’t. She took down not only the West Prince Graphic article I posted on her Facebook page. Then she took down the story I wrote about it. Conservative Gail Shea Censors Freedom the of the Press

What kind of a country is this where the elected MP’s, sworn to uphold the law, defy the Charter of Rights and freedoms. You know that Stephen Harper is going to have to speak to Gail. First she forgot all her manners since she left PEI and went to Ottawa. Second she’s going to give him a bad name. Stephen is a big supporter of Charter Freedoms like the press and free expression. I think I’ll send him and email and cc all the other MP’s.

They’ll
want to know
About Gail
Without fail
Hope she doesn’t
Go to jail
with no bail

By Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, February 8, 2009, 12:30 PM EST

Senator Mike Duffy was not truthful with Canadians when he said in the Senate (Hansard)

,”My BlackBerry just went off with a message from my staff person in Prince Edward Island, who reminds me, having read this text in advance, not to forget how important small business is to P.E.I. Sixty per cent of all our economic activity is small business.”

To put it politely, his remarks were disingenuous, a fib, a tall tale, a white lie, a prevarication.

It is true his Blackberry went off. The message was shorter than Senator Duffy reported. It only had two words,

“Shut Up.”

Those are the two words Senator Duffy read on his Blackberry, simply “Shut up.”
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In a swift move this morning, Conservative MP Gail Shea removed a West Prince Graphic article from her Facebook page

by Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, February 6, 2009

Conservative MP Gail Shea, Egmont (West Prince, PEI) moved quickly this morning to restrict Freedom of the Press and Freedom of Speech on her Facebook page. The story Spinfree: Federal budget a failure for Shea was first printed in the West Prince Graphic and Eastern Graphic. Written by publisher Paul MacNeill, the story criticizes Shea for failing to deliver much needed benefit to her home province.
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But somebody should clam up this sailor on shore leave

By Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, February 5th, 2009

The glow on Mike Duffy’s appointment wore off faster than the polish on Gail Shea’s boots. A few weeks ago all the buzz was Mike is our guy. He’s from the Island. The worm has turned this week as Duffy clearly made his position clear: I’m a rough neck sailor who likes to talk dirty politics and salivate at the feet of my master Stephen Harper. Yeah yeah, the old lying down with dogs wake up with fleas metaphor. But did you have to get into graphic sex? I mean rent a porno and get it over with. The Canadian people probably might realize that Senators have sex but it never came up at the supper table before.

Poor Mike, no rich Mike doesn’t know if he’s still a TV personality or a senator. TV personalities have big ego’s and get to pontificate on TV. I personally couldn’t stand Mike Duffy in more than 30 second bites. His ego is as big as the body. A whole hour of him was too much. Change the channel.

Senators are quiet people. They study things and issue reasoned reports. It’s like molasses moving up hill in February. Don’t worry folks. Mike’s ego will trip Mike up in no time. Mike is the boss except Stephen is the boss. Remember when Conservative Senator Hugh Segal wrote a paper supporting the Guaranteed Annual Income? He lost his committee chairmanship because Harper couldn’t tolerate any opinion other than his own. Mike Duffy will make a gaffe like that weekly. He needs the attention, the adoring public. He won’t be able to help himself.

By Paul, MacNeill, Eastern Graphic, February 3, 2009

If you’re Gail Shea it takes a lot of political cojones to claim the federal Conservative budget will actually benefit Prince Edward Island. There is little proof of that. The opposite is true. Gail Shea, the Island’s new political master in Ottawa, failed to deliver anything substantive. Equalization is being cut. Employment insurance is not expanded. There is no mention of a license buy-out for Island fishermen.
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Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, Feb. 3 2009

The US Congress passed a stimulus bill with a “Buy American” clause. Canadian politicians and pundits along with the citizenry are crying fowl. We had it coming. We should have known it. We brought it on ourselves. Canadians like to loudly complain and criticize US policy, lifestyle, morals, health care and human rights abuses with the sanctimonious pride of the little guy.

As I have said for years, it’s bad for business. Freedom of speech is great. I love it but you have to watch your manners with your best customer. The Canadian economy – your standard of living and mine – depends on our biggest customer, the United States of America. About 80% of our lifestyle to put a number on it. Try this out: at work today, start criticizing your boss, then move up to his boss, then go to the Board and your CEO. That’s a silly suggestion unless you’re leaving and even then a bad career move. Here’s a better way to get fired. Call up your big customers’ CEOs and tell them what they are doing wrong. If you get past the first one without being fired, let me know.

Why did we think we could publicly castigate our largest customer and not expect some heat. The good news is the “Buy USA” policy only applies to $900 billion of a $14 trillion economy, about 6%. If we learn to mind our own business and treat our biggest customer with respect, the protectionism won’t spread. Like the blues man said “Before you accuse me, take a look at yourself.” I think Jesus said that first, something about the straw out of our neighbors eye. Put your customer first, I said that.

File under, somebody tell him he’s the leader now

Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, Feb. 3 2009

Over at Michael Ignatieff star of stage and screen on Favebook, not a word that Michael is now King of the Liberal Party. It could almost be a MySpace page with nothing but Michael, Michael, Michael everywhere. Psst, Michael you are the leader of the Liberal party. You aren’t the Liberal party. A small note: Rick Mercer is there sucking up to power again. Remember when Rick had standards, you know before he sold out the Stephen Harper two elections ago. Then he was funny and sharp. After that all we got was Rick fawning over Harper at the Prime Minister’s residence and other weak humour. On Ignatieff’s site, there’s poor old Rick boot licking with Ignatieff. You’ve got to work both side of the street. No telling where you might get a Senate seat. No whore like an old whore.

File under “Hey Ma, who forgot to turn out the lights?

Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, Feb. 3 2009

Stephan Dion wasn’t the only one asleep at the Liberal Party. The Facebook official page for the Liberal Party of Canada, with 1,264 members has Stephan Dion’s picture. I thought he left. Where is Michael?

Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, Feb. 3 2009

The US election of Barak Obama has created a new Gold Standard for western democratic leaders. Blackness is not Obama’s primary characteristic. It’s honesty, integrity, respect for all mankind no matter what their race, national origin, religion, sex, physical or mental state, disabled or not. He is a left of centre progressive who believes in the US Constitution as evolved with the Civil Rights Act and Americans with Disabilities Act. He doesn’t want to be run by lobbyists. Canadians have been pretending we had that for the past thirty years. We’re going to start giving our own feckless leaders the close scrutiny. None so far can even come close. NDP Jack Layton comes closest in ideology but no one thinks he is sincere like Ed Broadbent or Tommy Douglas. Sincerity is also part of the package. Our Charter of Rights has been watered down by a conservative Supreme Court, just like the US Supreme Court rulings on the Americans with Disabilities Act. At least same sex couples have rights in Canada.

With no time, file to big and no audit plan expect a white wash or plea for time

Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, Feb. 3 2009

The promise of the PEI’s Auditor General to release his audit report in early April rings hollow. Considering the enormity of his task, he thinks we are stupid. Today’s revelations in the Guardian that he is using the client’s staff to interrogate Chinese immigrants is just another nail in his coffin. Newcomers upset with PNP translator. The basic principal of audits is “Independence of the Auditor” from the client, in this case Island Investment Development Inc (IDI). As a Chartered Accountant, Colin Younker knows this. His ethical standards must be questioned in this case. Based on Younker’s past performance of two years to report on a $30 million loss at Polar Seafoods with less than 10 shareholders, the PNP project will take him a decade. Colin Younker is PEI’s Auditor General but he has lost his grip on professional practices. What is to be made of that? Will the Public Accounts Committee dig into this or do they even care? After all it is Chinatown.
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Golfing in Florida, poker in Vegas or sick

Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, Feb. 1 2009

Where was PEI Premier Robert Ghiz last week. When the PEI Rural Alliance invited him to their first meeting, the Premier’s office said he was out of town. During the another big week of Federal crisis, we heard from Premier Danny Williams of Newfoundland about Federal cuts to transfer payments. Premier Charest of Quebec held a special Legislature vote condemning the same thing. By Thursday PEI Treasurer Wes Sheridan was reporting Ghiz as on-side with Williams and Charest. Where was Ghiz? The first time he surfaces all week is an announcement the Legislature will re-open in April, hardly news and there was no direct quote. Where is Premier Robert Ghiz and what has he been doing all week?

By Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada January 31, 2009

You know how we’ve been reporting that Liberal Premier Robert Ghiz rigged the 2008 Federal Election to defeat Liberal Keith Milligan and give the seat to Conservative Gail Shea. Shea delivers $3.5 million after Ghiz rigged her election win. It was one of series reporting this stab in the back from Ghiz.

An alert reader sent us a picture of, low and behold, Liberal Party President Brenda and newly minted Conservative MP Gail Shea. Well aren’t they just the smiling pair somewhere in Ottawa where they think Island eyes can’t see them. Gail is probably giving Brenda the big thank you reward for helping to torpedo poor Keith. Here’s Brenda in a threesome with Premier Ghiz, yup that’s here all right.

Brenda is real busy these days after her double agent job. She’s the Liberal Party President and working as double-agent, under cover as Fisheries Minister Neil LeClair’s special assistant. Somebody should snap her up. She’s real good at doing dirty work obviously.

Farm report misses the point, farming is strategic not just any business

By Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, January 30, 2009
with story from the CBC

The report of the Commission on the Future of Agriculture and Agri-Food is a predictable urban reaction to farming. City people think farming is just another business which is not true. Farming is a strategic business to life itself. Without food we die, like water and air. Without a domestic food industry we become victims of international food conglomerates. As Opposition Leader Olive Crane reminded the folks in Covehead this week, the amount of first class farm land in the world is very small and PEI has the some of the best, some of the best in Canada for that matter.
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By Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, January 30, 2009
with stories from The Toronto Star and The Guardian

Federal Finance Minister is waving the perennial HST flag asking the provinces to sign onto a blended provincial and GST tax system. Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan said the HST would cause Ontario’s gross domestic product to decline. However business groups in Ontario are lobbying for the change since businesses can claim a net refund on taxes paid. Essentially what HST does is shift the tax burden to consumers.
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By Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PE, January 29, 2009

You can’t trust the Stephen Harper government for a second. They almost lost the government in November by pretending there was no recession. This week they bamboozle everyone with beads and baubles in the 2009 Budget. Here’s $115 in tax savings for you Billy. Oh and we’re taking away a few $$ Billion in transfer payments.

The devil is in the details. Newfoundland’s Premier Danny Williams caught the cut to his transfer payments and screamed bloody murder. He wants Liberals to defeat Harper. Quebec’s Premier Charest says Harper broke his word on federal transfer payments. The Quebec legislature passed a unanimous resolution condemning the unilateral change.
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By Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, January 29, 2009

President Barak Obama has only been President of the United States for a week and people feel better. We felt better on inauguration day. Why? Because he offers hope for everyone. Hope for a better life for you and me, even for Muslims who might hate us over religion. For blacks he is hope of joining America, Canada and the rest of the world as equals.

For people with disabilities who suffer discrimination in society he offers hope. The US has the laws, regulations and regulatory framework to make equality real.

Who is our Obama in Canada? That’s the new political standard. Politics as usual is not enough. We want leaders who offer hope and deliver on it. Political, community and business leaders who fail to deliver will be unemployed as soon as the people speak.

Non-confidence motions possible if Harper fails to get the money out

By Stephen Pate, NBN Network, Charlottetown PEI, January 28, 2009 11:50 EST

Liberal Opposition Leader Michael Ignatieff announced the Liberals will propose amendments to the Stephen Harper Budget holding the government accountable in writing at the end of March, June and December 2009. Ignatieff is not satisfied the Budget will get money into the hands of the Canadians who need it most.
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By Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, January 28, 2009

We went to bed unsettled and woke up assured the new budget is pretty weak and will not jump start the economy. CIBC Economist Jeff Rubin told CBC it was a “down payment on the recession. We’ll be back looking for more within six months.” $80 billion and its not enough, or not the right spending. The labour people on PEI say it does nothing for the workers and the poor and they are correct. The NDP and Bloc don’t like it. The Bloc, like Atlantic Canada, are asking for Employment Insurance reform to help laid off workers. They didn’t get it.
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By Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI Canada, January 28th, 2009

The Canadian government brought in a massive deficit budget, the biggest in Canadian history. What does it mean for you and me? Probably not allot. Are you going to get all excited and start spending money if they give you a $100, $200 or $500 tax saving. Not if you just lost your job or think it could happen in the next few months. One commentator said a single mother with one child and $20,000 in income would get about $500 back in their taxes. Whoopee, she’s still $4,000 below the poverty line. Is her extra $500 going to make the economy boom?
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By Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI January 26, 2009 3:15 PM EST

The Throne Speech is over. Canadians yawn and wait for tomorrow. On Tuesday they will learn how to apply for their share, if they get a share, of the $64 billion deficit spending bonanza being sold by the Stephen Harper Conservatives. The rhetoric is for pundits. Canadians will want to know how much and where they get paid. The Throne speech’s 6 point plan for recovery is the usual talk-talk-talk about “direct government action..private expenditure…invest in infrastructure …protect stability…access to credit…support forestry, manufacturing, automotive, tourism, agriculture… and to protect the families and communities”. For Stephen Harper this is probably his last and best hope at making friends with Canadians and a faint hope at that. Let’s hope the government web-sites and offices have the application forms on Wednesday. It’s a cold winter of our discontent.

Deal with Shea will deliver Ghiz promises to McKinley

By Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PE, Canada, January 24, 2009

Federal Fisheries Minister Gail Shea announced yesterday $3.5 million to upgrade the Summerside Raceway and improve gaming in partnership with Atlantic Lotto. This almost closes the circle on the deal Premier Robert Ghiz made with Shea to help her defeat Liberal candidate Keith Milligan in the 2008 Federal Election. Shea has one more big promise to deliver: infrastructure money to finish the Cornwall bypass which will pay off PEI Transportation Minister Ronnie McKinley and his friends.

Premier Ghiz engineered Shea’s October 2008 election win by sending Treasurer Wes Sheridan to Summerside just before the election. Sheridan loudly announced that the Liberal Government would not fund the raceway improvements. Within a week Shea and Prime Minister Harper arrived on the scene pledging Federal Conservative money to renovate the track facility. With the Liberal knife deep in his back, Milligan lost the election by 62 votes. See Dec 30/08 More trouble for Premier who can’t shoot straight and Dec 24/08 CBC corruption evident in Conservative bias
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By Stephen Pate, NJN News, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, January 24, 2009
President Obama said this week his government is going to be more transparent, going beyond the letter to the spirit of freedom of information laws. MP Gail Shea got the message: she was in town announcing $50 million in Federal grants and loans. Five P.E.I. innovative projects get millions in funding The Guardian. Now that’s transparent. We know who got the money, how much and what they promised to do with it.

Innovation Minister Allan Campbel needs to get the message on $400 million PNP investments and provide the public with full disclosure, including name of the recipients, amount received and the purpose of the funding. Only then can the public see what happened and close the PNP file once and for all. Anything less is obstruction and will likely bring down the government like the Watergate cover-up brought down the Nixon presidency.

According to sources, the new Government of PEI website doesn’t follow Web 2.0 standards. Patronage spending gone wrong again since it’s a close copy of the really bad PEI Liberal site. While claiming to follow the W3C’s Accessibility Guidelines, the site does not have alt tags on its images or RSS for press releases. Ghiz spent $50K of patronage money for a bad design. For example, the federal government allows you to hover over a graphic (or view in a screenreader) and get the textual representation of the picture. When you spend from the patronage trough, it all looks like swill.

Will money supplies ease up?

Canadian Press from Yahoo Finance By Julian Beltrame, THE CANADIAN PRESS Sun Jan 18, 11:49 AM

OTTAWA – The Bank of Canada is all but certain to again take an axe to interest rates Tuesday, but as economic woes deepen and money markets tighten – despite aggressive central bank action globally – a sense of the very real limits of monetary policy is emerging. Canada’s central bank has already sliced 1.5 percentage points from its so-called trendsetting rate since October – three points in the last 13 months – but the economy continues to slide, and arguably, credit for companies and consumers is as tight as it has ever been. As well, Canada’s chartered banks are balking at obediently following the Bank of Canada’s tune, as seen last month when they passed on only two-thirds of Governor Mark Carney’s dramatic three quarters of a percentage point cut. Read the Yahoo report