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Soldiers Get Camo Designed for Canadian Cities

David Pugliese
The Ottawa Citizen
November 17, 2009

OTTAWA — Future Canadian soldiers could be wearing new uniforms designed to provide camouflage on the streets of our largest cities.

The Defence Department will know by March what designs might work for what is being called a Canadian Urban Environment Pattern.

Those designs are to be based on the “unique requirements” of the urban settings of Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto, according to an outline of the project being co-ordinated by scientists at Defence Research and Development Canada in Suffield, Alta.

Ottawa, the nerve centre of government and the military, was left off the list because it doesn’t rate as a major metropolitan centre.

Read entire article

Canada to issue first U.S. dollar bond in decade

The Department of Finance said Friday Canada plans to issue up to US$3-billion in U.S.-dollar-denominated bonds – the first foreign currency global debt in more than a decade.

OTTAWA -- Canada plans to issue up to US$3-billion in U.S.-dollar-denominated bonds -- the first foreign-currency global debt issue in more than a decade.

The U.S.-dollar bond issue would provide funds to augment the country's foreign exchange reserves and meet requirements to support lending by the International Monetary Fund, the Department of Finance said Friday. A department spokesman said the bond offering could be as large as US$3-billion. There are no details about timing, other than it could be done "shortly."

Earlier this year, at the Group of 20 summit in London, Canada agreed to provide the IMF with US$10-billion so the global institution can provide funds to countries that need help with their balance of payments during the economic crisis. Plus, in June, Canada agreed to contribute US$200-million to a World Bank program aimed at enhancing global trade financing.

Canada has foreign currency reserves of US$45-billion, as of earlier this month.

Analysts say the move is likely to have no impact on the movement on the Canadian dollar, which was trading in the US92¢ range Friday. Nor should it be interpreted as a move by Canadian policy makers to pull down the currency.

"The announcement does not signal a move toward Canadian dollar intervention," said Derek Holt, vice-president of economics at Scotia Capital, in a note to clients.

If anything, analysts say, the move would be positive for the loonie should the U.S. dollars raised be converted back into Canadian dollars -- something analysts don't expect to happen given the concern raised by Bank of Canada officials and Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance, about the Canadian currency's strength.

In a speech this week, Bank of Canada deputy governor Timothy Lane said the Canadian dollar represented an "important" risk to the country's economic outlook and raised the spectre of deploying so-called quantitative easing -- by which the central bank floods financial markets with cash through the acquisition of securities -- in an effort to minimize that risk.

Eric Lascelles, chief economist and rates strategist at TD Securities, said it seems "reasonably clear" the money to be raised will not go toward funding government operations, which have increased substantially due to a two-year, $46-billion stimulus plan that will result in a $50-billion deficit this fiscal year.

In fact, Mr. Lascelles said the government's existing debt-management strategy -- to raise $101-billion in Canadian-dollar bonds in capital markets this fiscal year -- appears "more than ample" to handle the deficit spending.

"Frankly, my sense is that the schedule for bond issuance be in excess of the ultimate needs," he added, noting there is now little take-up among chartered banks of the government's $125-billion buyback of insured mortgages -- an initiative meant to ensure ample liquidity during the financial downturn.

"This really is a side note that addresses some U.S. [dollar] obligations that have come up in sporadic cases."

In recent years, the country has acquired funds for its foreign-exchange reserves through cross-currency swaps. The reserves provide foreign currency liquidity and support the Canadian dollar in foreign exchange markets.

The bond issue, Finance said, "will prudently diversify the government's sources of foreign currency financing."

Mr. Lascelles added the amount of outstanding foreign-denominated Canadian bonds has dropped sharply in the past year, from $8-billion to $200-million.

Financial Post

pvieira@nationalpost.com

Paul Vieira, Financial Post Published: Friday, August 28, 2009

Canada needs 'health czar' with powers to co-ordinate response to H1N1: Journal

at 19:46 on August 17, 2009, EDT.
By Helen Branswell, THE CANADIAN PRESS

Canada's chief public health officer, Dr. David Butler-Jones. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Patrick Doyle/ file

TORONTO - Canada needs an independent health czar to co-ordinate the country's response to the swine flu pandemic, the Canadian Medical Association Journal said Monday.

In an editorial signed by editor-in-chief Dr. Paul Hebert, the journal called for the appointment of someone who would serve as an independent "national champion" with the necessary legislative powers to be able to facilitate the response across provincial and territorial boundaries.

The position would have different - and broader - powers than those of the current federal point person for pandemic response, Canada's Chief Public Health Officer Dr. David Butler-Jones.

"That's definitely not David's job. I mean, it could be. But it's not set up that way. And arguably that's the issue," Hebert said in an interview.

The publication of the editorial coincided with the start of the annual meeting of the Canadian Medical Association, held this year in Saskatoon. The pandemic is among the hot topics being discussed at the meeting.

Federal Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq addressed the group Monday. But she refused to answer questions about the CMAJ's call for a health czar after her speech, brushing past reporters on her way out of the hall.

Hebert said that while federal, provincial and territorial governments have done a lot of pandemic planning, the early experience with the new virus shows there are holes that need fixing.

As well, there's a potential for problems that could arise as a consequence of the fact that health-care delivery is a provincial and territorial responsibility, Hebert suggested, noting Butler-Jones' authority relates strictly to public health and doesn't cross into delivery of health care.

"He cannot cross a provincial (power) boundary, except with just making guidelines," Hebert said, offering an example of how the lack of anyone with the power to address health-care delivery problems in a pandemic might be problematic.

"Let's say Province A, B and C don't do what they're supposed to. ... who can force them to do it? Well, no one," he explained.

"What if in the middle of the epidemic it really breaks out badly and certain things need to be done and it's clear at a national level they have to be done?... We have nobody who has legislative authority to say: 'You're going to do this."'

"To me, it's OK when the whole system works," Hebert continued.

"And it may well (work), and we may not get anything here that's really serious.... But if we don't, we have no ability to manage the crisis the way it needs to be managed. Because there's no one who can step up and say: 'This is what we have to do and you have no choice."'

Dr. Andre Corriveau, Alberta's chief medical officer of health, disagreed with the proposal, saying he saw no need at present for such a position.

"We already have a chief public health officer in Canada, and also we are working collaboratively in Canada," Corriveau said Monday.

"In our federal system, the responsibility for delivery of health services is a provincial or territorial responsibility, so although we work closely with our federal colleagues and we depend on their support for many of our programs ... the final decision even when we get guidelines on priority groups or other issues, they're really guidelines that we have to make our own at the provincial level."

Hebert said the health czar should convene a summit to link public health officials, critical care staff, first responders and other decision makers and community planners to ensure actions taken will work in practice.

Pandemic planning at the top has been well executed, he said. But it's not clear the message has trickled down to certain constituencies, including groups such as family doctors, and the public at large. Hebert said he's heard lots of complaints that family doctors feel they aren't being adequately prepared for the role they are going to play.

"The top has done its job well. Many communities have done their job well. But rest assured that everybody needs to do their job well this time coming. And that's not so self-evident," he said.

The time to get the message out to those groups is now, Hebert said. "You don't do it in the fall, when you're really in the mess."

The editorial, which was co-written by Dr. Noni MacDonald, the journal's public health section editor, also called for the development of priority groups for vaccination when pandemic vaccine is ready as well as plans to ensure health professionals and specialized medical equipment can be moved across provincial and territorial borders if needed.

The ability to move personnel and equipment across jurisdictions is critical, said Dr. Anand Kumar, an intensive care specialist from Winnipeg, where ICUs were swamped in the spring by a heavy load of swine flu patients. Kumar supports the position laid out in the CMAJ editorial.

"I think if we're really going to plan, at least have some plans for a worst case scenario, then I think you've got to talk about the problem of the way there are barriers between provincial responses," he said.

"Personally I think that a really important thing will be the ability to move resources from one place to another."

Butler-Jones has said the Public Health Agency of Canada will recommend priority groups for vaccine closer to the time of vaccine availability, in order to be able to incorporate the latest evidence on who is being hit hardest by the virus. Butler-Jones projects pandemic vaccine is likely to be available to Canadians in November.

The licensing restrictions that limit the ability of health-care professionals to pitch in temporarily in another province in a medical emergency came to light during Canada's SARS crisis in 2003.

Some provinces such as Ontario have since put measures in place to ensure doctors and other health-care workers from other provinces can come to help in future medical emergencies, Hebert said. But he said others haven't, noting Manitoba faced problems in this regard this spring when it was hard hit by swine flu.

Distinguished Canadians Call for a New 9/11 Investigation

9/11 Blogger
July 28, 2009

of the All-Stars of the 9/11 Truth Movement in Canada. While the grassroots movement has grown from 2 or 3 groups in 2007 to over 25 groups in 2009, the list of scholars, scientists, intellectuals, pilots, engineers, journalists, authors, public figures, etc has also continued to grow. We present some of those whom we are aware of here.

This clip will be on our forthcoming DVD called Canadians for 9/11 Truth, featuring some of the best evidence refuting the “official story”, as well as, some recorded presentations by several of the people shown in this clip. This is also in conjunction with an article we will be publishing soon about the 9/11 Truth Movement in Canada, as we approach the 8th anniversary of the 9/11 events.

The unsung heroes, however, are those in the grassroots movement, who generously devote so much time, effort, talent, and their personal resources to “Being the Media” and getting the word out to their fellow citizens. You guys rock!!

Because of you, Canada is waking up, and a new investigation IS taking place, whether the government likes it or not, and whether the corporate media wants to acknowledge it, or not.

The clips you see are from :
http://www.patriotsquestion911.com/

To find a group near you, visit:
http://www.911truth.ca/

If there is no group near you, start one! Or go out on your own and use 911Truth.ca as your homepage.

*The music track is “Inside Job” by Roy Shivers. It is open source, and includes some commentary by Alex Jones.

We’ve added Connie Fogal, Splitting the Sky, Will Thomas, and Rodrigue Tremblay who are not yet listed at patriotsquestion911.com for a total of 30 individuals mentioned in this clip.

We also added Michael J. Fox who is named on patriotsquestion911, and we presume it is the Canadian actor.

Government of Canada Participates in Major Security Exercise

OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwire) -- 07/27/09 -- Canadian federal officials will participate in a large scale security exercise known as National Level Exercise 09 (NLE 09), led by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Canadian officials will work with their international counterparts in an exercise responding to a simulated terrorist attack.

Massive US Terrorism Simulation Involving Foreign Agencies Begins Today 270709feature

"NLE 09 offers a valuable opportunity to confirm intelligence and information sharing protocols with our partners and strengthen our response to potential threats," said the Honourable Peter Van Loan, Minister of Public Safety. "Participation in this exercise is an example of our government's on-going commitment to the security and safety of Canadians, and making our communities safer. We are pleased to work with our allies on this important exercise."

This exercise will involve senior officials of the United States government, as well as participants from Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and, for the first time, Mexico. The objective for this exercise differs from previous exercises that practised disaster response and recovery. For NLE 09, the objective is to demonstrate the capability to prevent a terrorist attack from occurring through effective information-sharing and coordination.

Canada has participated in the U.S. National Level Exercises since 2003. It is one of the many preparedness activities that Public Safety Canada organizes across the country on an ongoing basis. Participating in exercises such as this one, and applying the observations and lessons learned, enhances Canada's ability to prevent, manage or mitigate emergencies of all kinds.

Contacts:
Public Safety Canada
Media Relations
613-991-0657

Canadian PM Harper at G8: “There Is Going To Have To Be Global Governance”

Infowars
July 13, 2009

China Urges New International Reserve Currency

Terence Poon
The Wall Street Journal
March 23, 2009

People’s Bank of China Gov. Zhou Xiaochuan called Monday for the creation over time of an international reserve currency that isn’t linked to any one nation as part of reform of the international financial system.

“The reestablishment of a new and widely accepted reserve currency with a stable valuation benchmark may take a long time,” Zhou said in an essay published on the central bank’s Web site Monday, titled “Reform of the International Monetary System.”

Zhou didn’t explicitly mention the role of the U.S. dollar, but said having a national currency act as an international reserve currency may have outlived its usefulness and that a desired goal now should be creating an international reserve currency that is disconnected from individual nations and is able to remain stable in the long run.

Beijing also Monday reiterated its call for reform of the International Monetary Fund but said it would be willing to consider short-term ways of bolstering the IMF’s resources to help it fight the global financial crisis.

PBOC Vice Gov. Hu Xiaolian said Beijing would “actively” consider buying IMF bonds if the institution decides to issue bonds.

A long-running debate about giving developing nations a bigger say in the IMF in exchange for more funding has grown more urgent as the financial crisis ensnarls a growing list of nations, most recently in Eastern Europe. While the U.S. and some European countries, such as the U.K., look to nations like China to bolster IMF resources, Beijing has linked contributions with increasing the voice of developing nations and broader IMF reforms.

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Military readies reservists for threats to 'domestic front'

Adrian Humphreys, National Post Published: Wednesday, March 04, 2009

Reserve units across Canada are being trained in securing perimeters in case of an emergency. Master Cpl. Brian Walsh/DNDReserve units across Canada are being trained in securing perimeters in case of an emergency.

The Canadian military has embarked on a wide-ranging plan to turn its reserve soldiers into focused units trained and equipped to respond to a nightmarish array of domestic threats, including terrorist "dirty bomb" attacks, biological agent containment, Arctic catastrophes and natural disasters.

The creation of seven units within each region of the country -- including unusual all-terrain vehicle (ATV) squadrons and perimeter security teams to cordon areas of potential devastation -- prepares reserve soldiers for operations on the "domestic front" while freeing regular force soldiers to concentrate on foreign battlefields.

Camp Aldershot, NS – Soldiers learn to adapt when planning operations during leadership course.

"There is a recognition, certainly within the military and we have heard the government say, that domestic security is the number one priority. A number of these conclusions come from the post-9/11 world we live in," said Brigadier-General Jean Collin, commander of the army in Ontario, during an exclusive interview with the National Post."The reality is an army needs to train, an army needs to equip itself and an army needs to be ready."

The remodeling of the reserves will see the development of specialist units in four of the military's regional divisions -- Atlantic, Quebec, Ontario and the West. The units will include perimeter security teams prepared to cordon off an area if there was an atomic detonation, nuclear accident or similar source of wide contamination and "Arctic response" groups that are trained and equipped to live and operate in the far north.

The changes highlight both a renewed focus on domestic security and the increased role of reservists, who are part-time volunteer soldiers augmenting the ranks of full-time soldiers, who are referred to as the "regular" forces. The place of reserves in the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan was shown yesterday when one of three soldiers killed by a roadside bomb was a reservist from Ontario.

"Some of the stuff we are now asking the reservists to do is because we need them; because the regular force simply does not have sufficient people, sufficient resources, to do it on their own," said Brig-Gen. Collin. "And the reservists have certainly demonstrated that they have the capability to do all this and more."Brig-Gen. Collin, who has served in Bosnia and Afghanistan, has also been a special advisor to the Chief of the Defence Staff on homeland security issues.

The military divides operations into two broad divisions: away missions, such as the action in Afghanistan, called "expeditionary operations," and home missions, such as helping with floods in Winnipeg, called "domestic operations." "The lead -- the main contributor -- for expeditionary operation is the regular force. They form the core for expeditionary operations and are augmented by reservists," said Brig-Gen. Collin. "What we have now said is that for domestic operations, the core will actually be provided by the reserve force, augmented by the regular force.

The reserves take a dominant role in domestic operations in the future, once they are properly equipped and trained to do so."The remodeling of the reserves, ordered at the start of 2009, is expected to take two to three years to complete. The remodeling will also likely see the reserves play a larger role in domestic security situations, including the 2010 Winter Olympic Games inVancouver and the G8 summit of world leaders that has been announced for 2010 at a resort in Huntsville, 220 kilometres north of Toronto, he said.

The national plan places the reserves at the forefront of grim scenarios that are the stuff of apocalyptic Hollywood movies."We all know the threat from dirty bombs, chemical contaminants. This is certainly one of the more dangerous situations that can arise," said Brig.-Gen. Collin."You can certainly get it from a terrorist act. You can also get it from a man-made disaster. You can get nuclear contamination from a nuclear power plant -- Three Mile Island, Chernobyl.

"We are training to establish a perimeter. Do I see a scenario when we might be obliged to keep people in? Probably. You need to be trained to be able to make sure that you don't become a casualty in the process of doing that security."The Arctic units -- companies of about 120 people in each region, that can come together as a single force if needed -- poses a challenge of a different sort, primarily training for the harsh conditions of the far north.

"We are going to have up to an entire battalion of soldiers who are prepared to go live and operate in the north and that entire battalion will come from the reserves. We are having them trained now, as we speak, to operate in the north," said Brig.-Gen. Collin, who himself just returned from a visit to several remote aboriginal communities where he suffered though the deep cold in a military-issue tent.

"It was bloody cold... But you can dress, equip and operate up there if you know what you're doing," he said. Currently, about 120 reservists from southern Ontario are involved in Exercise Polar Warrior, a week of training in Arctic warfare and survival in Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug, a First Nations community on Big Trout Lake. To equip the ATV Squadron, the first commercial vehicles are arriving in the coming months. They will not be armed or painted in camouflage and are not intended for combat use. They could be deployed in rural and remote areas to traverse wooded ravines or in an urban setting that has suffered devastation, such as an earthquake or massive explosion.

The plans also call for turning over responsibility for the force's Reverse Osmosis Water Purification Units -- mobile, high-capacity machines for cleaning water to drinkable standards -- to the reserves. The machines have been used abroad, in Sri Lanka helping victims of the 2004 tsunami, and also domestically in Kashechewan, Ont., when the community's water supply was tainted by E. coli bacteria in 2005.

David Bercuson, director of the Centre for Military and Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary, said the changes make sense given the current global security situation. "Reserves are all local and spread out across the country. It seems to me the people best situated to help the first responders would be the reservists. It makes a lot of sense. Also, the regular force is so stretched and stressed right now," said Mr. Bercuson.

Mr. Bercuson was surprised to hear, however, of envisioned scenarios that might require a form of constabulary or policing function for reserves in civilian containment and security."People in Ottawa sometimes forget that the reserves are volunteers. If you try to change the reserves in ways they don't want to change, they just might not show up."

National Post

ahumphreys@nationalpost.com

Canadian Military Units To Undertake “Domestic Security”

Paul Joseph Watson
Prison Planet.com
Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Canadian Military Units To Undertake Domestic Security 100309top

The Canadian military is reorganizing its priorities to suit a “post 9/11-world,” by creating reservist units for each area of the country that would be tasked with providing “domestic security,” and involve roles such as the mass internment of citizens in the event of a terrorist attack.

“The Canadian military has embarked on a wide-ranging plan to turn its reserve soldiers into focused units trained and equipped to respond to a nightmarish array of domestic threats,” reports the National Post.

“The remodeling of the reserves will see the development of specialist units in four of the military’s regional divisions — Atlantic, Quebec, Ontario and the West.”

This is an open announcement that Canada has been subdivided into military units that will be policed by military reserves, who will take a “dominant role in domestic operations in the future,” according to the article.

Of course, the necessity of the change is dressed up using the notion of troops helping people in the event of earthquakes, floods and nuclear accidents, but we also learn that one of the duties that the reservists would potentially undertake would be mass internment of citizens in camps or quarantine zones after a biological terror attack.

“We are training to establish a perimeter,” said Brigadier-General Jean Collin. “Do I see a scenario when we might be obliged to keep people in? Probably. You need to be trained to be able to make sure that you don’t become a casualty in the process of doing that security.”

In light of that comment, it’s interesting to note that, according to the report, Brig-Gen. Collin, who has served in Bosnia and Afghanistan, “has also been a special advisor to the Chief of the Defence Staff on homeland security issues.”

Other roles for the military reservists would be to undertake law enforcement and other “security” duties for domestic events such as the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver and the 2010 G8 summit of world leaders in Huntsville.

The story dovetails with a report out of Barrie, Ontario, where authorities are considering using troops from the local army base to patrol bar areas on weekends in a supposed attempt to prevent rowdiness.

Mention is also made of “scenarios that might require a form of constabulary or policing function for reserves in civilian containment and security.”

David Bercuson, director of the Center for Military and Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary, attempted to dismiss the premise by claiming reservists would oppose such measures.

“People in Ottawa sometimes forget that the reserves are volunteers. If you try to change the reserves in ways they don’t want to change, they just might not show up,” he said.

Would reservists oppose the use of military units for purposes of domestic law enforcement and not show up, or would they just follow orders under the justification of a breakdown in authority after a biological attack or mass rioting after a total economic collapse?

I’m not so confident that people who have been kicking down doors, abducting, torturing and killing people in Afghanistan for seven years under the justification that they are terrorists would be unwilling to do the same to Canadian citizens if they were drilled with the same propaganda.

The militarization of law enforcement duties in the U.S., Canada and Britain is accelerating at a pace never before seen.

Last week it was revealed that the British Army is on standby to deal with rioting on UK streets as a result of the economic crisis, according to a newspaper report, which states that MI5 is targeting political activists who could help create a “summer of discontent”.

Meanwhile, in the U.S., urban warfare training drills are taking place across the country as Northcom announces that tens of thousands of active duty troops will be stationed inside the U.S. for domestic purposes.

The U.S. Army War College in November released a white paper called Known Unknowns: Unconventional ‘Strategic Shocks’ in Defense Strategy Development. The report warned that the military must be prepared for a “violent, strategic dislocation inside the United States,” which could be provoked by “unforeseen economic collapse,” “purposeful domestic resistance,” “pervasive public health emergencies” or “loss of functioning political and legal order.” The “widespread civil violence,” the document said, “would force the defense establishment to reorient priorities in extremis to defend basic domestic order and human security.”

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Bush to visit Calgary March 17 , 2009.

www.calgary-convention.com

A Calgary audience might be the first group to hear George W. Bush's take on the state of the world since he stepped down as U.S. president earlier this year.

Bush is to speak to an anticipated audience of 1,500 at a private event in the city on March 17, according to organizers Andy McCreath and Christian Darbyshire.

"It's our understanding it's one of the first -- if not the first -- times he'll speak since leaving office," said Geoff Pradella, vice-president of public and government affairs at the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, which is partnering in the event.

Calgary Telus Convention Center
120 Ninth Avenue S.E.,
Calgary, Alberta,
Canada T2G 0P3

Main 1.403.261.8500
Toll Free 1.800.822.2697
Fax 1.403.261.8510

CTV News

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/print/CTVNews/20090212/Bush_Calgary_090212/20090212/?hub=Canada&subhub=PrintStory

Canada's 75 Billion Dollar Bank Bailout

The $64 Billion Federal Budget Deficit is intended to Finance Canada's Chartered Banks By Michel Chossudovsky
URL of this article: www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=12007
Global Research, January 25, 2009
The Conservative government has leaked the details of Tuesday's budget. They have announced a $64 billion deficit. The Harper government, which has consistently committed itself to a "balanced budget", now claims that deficit spending is required to boost the economy at the height of a major economic recession. Does this constitute a turnaround in federal government economic policy? Is the government really committed to running a budget deficit with a view to stimulating demand and reversing the tide of economic decline. Or is there a hidden agenda? A modest $500 million farm modernization program, a $1 billion fund "to send workers from hard-hit industries back to school", the reduction in the Goods and Services Tax (GST)... The figures do not seem to add up to a staggering $64 billion. Where is the bulk of the money going? These budget allocations do not explain the dramatic increase in the budget deficit. Bear in mind that barely a month ago, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty had projected "a $2.3-billion surplus for the current fiscal year" (Edmonton Sun, December 24, 2008) Canada's Bank Bailout The 64 billion dollar budget deficit should come as no surprise. It is directly related to a 75 billion dollar bank bailout program for Canada's chartered banks, announced, virtually unnoticed, four days before the October Federal election. The bank bailout received close to no media coverage; its budgetary implications were not analyzed. In a statement by Prime Minister Harper on October 10, the bank bailout was casually presented as a commitment by the Federal government to purchase an initial $25 billion in "secure" bank mortgages from the Canadian chartered banks. The transaction would be implemented through Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp: "Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) will purchase up to $25 billion in insured mortgage pools as part of the Government of Canada's plan, announced today, to maintain the availability of longer-term credit in Canada." (Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation Supports Canadian Credit Markets, CHMC Press Release, 10 October 2009) The decision implies a money transfer into the coffers of Canada's financial institutions. The money is "fungible" and can be used by the banks as they see fit: "The federal government's [initial] $25-billion takeover of bank-held mortgages to ease a growing credit crunch faced by the country's financial institutions is not a bailout similar to recent moves made in the United States and other Western countries, Conservative Leader Stephen Harper said Friday. "This is not a bailout; this is a market transaction that will cost the government nothing," he told reporters at a campaign rally in Brantford, Ont., ahead of Tuesday's federal election. "We are not going in and buying bad assets. What we're doing is simply exchanging assets that we already hold the insurance on and the reason we're doing this is to get out in front. The issue here is not protecting the banks." (CBC News October 10, 2008, emphasis added) The 25 billion dollar allocation was announced four days prior to the elections. Two days following the federal elections, the first mortgage purchase took place leading to an initial cash injection of 5 billion into the coffers of the chartered banks. Barely a month following the federal election, on November 12 2008, another $50 billion allocation was announced. It received no news coverage. Moreover, opposition party leaders did not analyze the official statement of the Ministry of Finance. The likely consequences of the Canada bank bailout on the federal fiscal structure were not the object of discussion or political debate. The text of the official statement reads as follows: "The Honourable Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance, today announced the Government will purchase up to an additional $50 billion of insured mortgage pools by the end of the fiscal year as part of its ongoing efforts to maintain the availability of longer-term credit in Canada. This action will increase to $75 billion the maximum value of securities purchased through Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) under this program. "At a time of considerable uncertainty in global financial markets, this action will provide Canada's financial institutions with significant and stable access to longer-term funding," said Minister Flaherty.(The Main Wire, November 12, 2008, emphasis added). At the height of the election campaign, Prime Minister Harper stated emphatically that: "this is not a bailout... it will cost the government nothing." (CBC News, October 10, 2008). According to Finance Minister Jim Flaherty: "This program is an efficient, cost-effective and safe way to support lending in Canada that comes at no fiscal cost to taxpayers."(Ibid) Yet Fiance Minister Flaherty contradicts his own statement when he acknowledges that the project will drive up the public debt: Under the proposal, Ottawa plans to sell a combination of government bonds and other public debt instruments to raise the $25 billion. Then CMHC will ask the banks and other financial institutions to ascertain how much debt they would like to sell to the agency, using a process known as a reverse auction. ... Flaherty said the action would "make loans and mortgages more available and more affordable for ordinary Canadians and businesses."(Ibid, emphasis added) The official Ministry of Finance statement confirms that the bailout will be financed by the Treasury. The necessary funds requiring the issuing of government debt in the form of T-Bills and government bonds will be transferred to CHMC, which will then channel in the form of mortgae purchases to the chartered banks: "The first tranche of the program, for purchases up to $25 billion, was announced on October 10. These purchases will be completed by November 21. Under the initiative announced today, Canadian financial institutions will have access to up to an additional $50 billion of longer-term funding, bringing the total for the IMPP to $75 billion. The extension of the IMPP will be financed through increased issuance of Treasury bills and bonds. The Government will be consulting with market participants about the operational plan in the coming weeks." Ministry of Finance, Government of Canada Announces Additional Support for Canadian Credit Markets 2008-090 (November 12, 2008) First Tranche: October 10: 25 billion. Already disbursed. Second Tranche: November 12: 50 billion. The total is a staggering $75 billion handout to the chartered banks, financed through the emission of public debt. What we are dealing with is an amount equivalent to approximately 4.6 percent of Canada's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). (1,639. 54 billion in 2008 at current prices) The initial $25 billion tranche has already been disbursed and nobody in Canada seems to be concerned. Government Financing Its Own Indebtedness The recipients of the bank bailout are also the creditors of the federal government. The chartered banks are the brokers of the federal public debt. They sell treasury bills and government bonds on behalf of the government. They also hold a portion of the public debt.. In a bitter irony, the banks lend money to the federal government to finance the bailout, and with the money raised through the sale of government bonds and T-Bills, the government finances, via the CHMC, the bank bailout. It is a circular process. The banks are the recipients of the bailout as well as the creditors of the State. The federal government is in a sense financing its own indebtedness. While the Canadian bailout procedures differ from those of the US Treasury under the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP), they essentially serve the same purpose. Both programs contribute to bank centralization and the concentration of financial wealth. Under TARP, some 700 billion dollars bailout money was allocated to major Wall Street banks. Canada's population is slightly less than 11 percent of that of the US. The numbers are consistent. The 75 billion dollar Canadian bailout is slightly less (numerically US dollar for Can dollar) than 11 percent of the US 700 billion bailout under TARP No Parliamentary Debate The $700 billion US bank bailout under the Troubled Assets Relief Program, was the object of debate and legislation in the US Congress. In contrast, in Canada, the granting of 75 billion dollars to Canada's chartered banks was implemented at the height of an election campaign, without duly informing the Canadian public. Canada's media and financial press bears a responsibility in this regard. The matter was barely mentioned. It passed virtually unnoticed a few days before a federal election. Media coverage was minimal. There was no parliamentary debate. No discussion, no debate as one would have expected from the opposition parties at the height of an election campaign as well as in its aftermath. Nobody seemed to have noticed. Most Canadians do not know that there was a 75 billion dollar bailout of Canada's financial institutions. The decision was casually presented as an effort "to ease the credit crunch" and encourage Canadian banks "to loosen their purse strings and extend more lending to businesses and consumers." The impact, however, is likely to result in exactly the opposite: the centralization and concentration of financial wealth to the detriment of the real economy.. Mergers and Acquisitions We are not dealing with a Keynesian style deficit, which stimulates investment and consumer demand, leading to an expansion of production and employment. While, the bank bailout is a component of government expenditure, it does not constitute a positive spending injection into the real economy. Quite the opposite. The bailout is a handout to the banks. It contributes to financing the restructuring of the banking system leading to a massive concentration of wealth and centralization of banking power. The bailout money will be used by Canada's chartered banks to consolidate their position as well as finance the acquisition of several "troubled" financial institutions in the US. (See text box below) The Destabilization of the Federal Fiscal Structure This is the most serious public debt crisis in Canadian history. The bank bailout potentially destabilizes the federal fiscal structure. It leads to a spiraling budget deficit, which must be financed at tax payers expense. The entire structure of public spending is affected including federal-provincial transfers. The (federal) public debt is slated to increase by 14 % over a two year period. The provincial debts are also likely to increase dramatically. The 75 billion dollar bailout is to be partially financed by increasing the public debt. The Minister of Finance has intimated that further measures are envisaged "to bolster the availability of credit" with the government "injecting capital into banks if necessary." (Bloomberg, January 23, 2009) It is worth noting that in addition to the $75 billion, the government has pledged "to backstop more than $200 billion in interbank lending so banks can boost their lending capacity." (Toronto Star, December 13, 2009). The implications of this decision remain to carefully analysed. What we can expect is a combination of budgetary compressions coupled with an increase of the public debt. Most categories of federal expenditure (excluding defense) are likely to be affected. The federal fiscal structure is in jeopardy. The budget deficit finances the bank bailout. What is likely to occur are more government "handouts" to banks and corporations coupled with a massive austerity program and a spiraling public debt. The size of the public debt is also affected by the economic crisis. Company layoffs and bankruptcies seriously affect the revenues of the State. Unemployed people and bankrupt companies do not pay taxes. The increase in unemployment and the contraction in salaried earnings will backlash on tax revenues, which in turn contributes to exacerbating the fiscal crisis both at the federal and provincial levels.

There are big things in store for Canada

Dan Dicks
Press for Truth
January 17, 2009

There are big things in store for Canada. The global elite are preparing for the emergence of a North American Union which can be described as nothing less than the centralization of power into fewer hands ultimately bringing us one step closer to a new world order.

Over the years, Canadian politicians have been moulded shaped and manipulated by the Bilderberg group to think that deepening our integration is a good idea. Consider the fact that the following men have all attended Bilderberg meetings:

Paul Martin – Signed the SPP

Jean Chretien – Implemented NAFTA

Allan Gotlieb – Instrumental in the signing of the FTA

Stephen Harper – Current poster boy for deeper integration.

The first three men in this list have all attended the same meeting! Gotlieb, Chrétien and Martin all sat together around the same table at the Bilderberg conference in 1996. All three men have contributed to the North American Union agenda and all three men have stated to me complete denial of participation in this nefarious plan.

I asked Paul Martin if he was aware of a plan to integrate the three countries into one nation and I asked him as a former Bilderberg attendee to explain what his intentions were when he signed the SPP on behalf of the Canadian people. He shrugged off the Bilderberg connection by stating that “just because I go to a Maple Leaf game that doesn’t mean I’m a Maple Leaf fan”. He than stated to me that the SPP “had nothing to do with any kind of a Union”.

Jean Chretien said NAFTA was such a bad deal he would insist that it be renegotiated. He even voted against it in Parliament. Then when he became Prime Minister he implemented NAFTA without amendment. NAFTA was almost set up to fail through disagreements on softwood lumber in order to be able to suggest that we need something better (like the SPP or eventualy the NAU). I asked Jean Chrétien if he was in favour of a North American Union and in an effort to move me along as quick as possible he simply replied “NO".

I am currently producing a new documentary on the North American Union and we recently interviewed Allan Gotlieb about his involvement in the NAU agenda. Gotlieb is the North American Deputy Chairman of the Trilateral Commission and he was the Canadian ambassador to the US from 1981 to 1989. When asked about being at the same Bilderberg meeting as Chrétien and Martin, Gotlieb denied being there! When we asked him about his views on sovereignty he stated that “sovereignty is a 19th century concept” and that “the UN was the first great body that sacrificed/tossed sovereignty out the window”.

We asked him if “order out of chaos” could be utilised to bring about a North American Union and Gotlieb stated that “I certainly agree that in periods of great instability and chaos, you have the greatest opportunity for creating new institutions and moving in new directions” he than suggested that “when you have incremental damage and it keeps increasing you can wake up one morning and realize that something has to be done”

We interviewed the “father of the Amero” Herbert Grubel. His interview was also very telling in that he denied having any involvement in a plan to form the NAU, yet at the same time was very proud of his accomplishments and contributions to the academic community with his document outlining the benefits of a North American common currency.

Grubel stated the following;

“ I have been paid very generously all my life, being a professor devoting myself to putting out these ideas and my hope is that eventually if there is a major catastrophe, there will be enough people around who will say, well this may be the time to try out this new idea, when and whether this will happen, I don’t know, but as far as I’m concerned I’ve done my job of introducing these ideas into the public domain and now its up to your generation of young people the next generation, to see whether its worth it or not”.

And then there’s Harper. It has been 6 years since Stephen Harper attended the Bilderberg meeting in Versailles, France. Three years later he became Prime Minister of Canada. The same year he became Prime Minister, the Bilderberg group came to Ottawa Canada to discuss the plan for a North American Union. (I caught one of them on tape). The following year Harper meets in Montebello Quebec with George Bush and Felipe Calderon to discuss the SPP and the agenda for a North American Union. My last documentary “The Nation’s Deathbed” documented the horrific events that transpired at the SPP summit in Montebello Quebec. Stephen Harper has indeed sold this country out by doing the bidding of his Bilderberg overlords.

Trailer for The Nation’s Deathbed

In a few days from now President elect Barack Obama will be sworn in as the President of the United States. He has already stated that his first official visit to another country will be to Canada. Our Parliament is currently suspended until January 26th. Within that one same week there will be major changes to how both Canada and the US govern themselves.

Yes there are big things in store for Canada alright. The Bilderberg group (along with the CFR and the Trilateral commission) have stated that they would like to see the beginning of the North American Union by 2010. Canada is hosting the Olympics in British Columbia in 2010. It is absolutely crucial to wake up your fellow citizens to the elite’s agenda for a North American Union, especially when I consider the fact that the elite often gain their control by utilizing “order out of chaos”.

We are living in historic times. We must inform as many people as we can about the NAU and subsequent NWO agenda.

Do your part. Spread the word. Press for Truth.

VIDEO: Are Stephen Harper's Speeches Drafted in Washington DC ? Australia and Canada: exactly the same speeches....

Who's in charge?

I was under the impression that Canada and Australia were sovereign countries.

I guess not.

This video shows the heads of both these states reading the same exact statement - word for word - supporting the invasion of Iraq.

Who wrote this thing?

Who distributed it?

Note: Canada's Harper was not yet Prime Minister when he made this speech selling out his country for god knows who - but he is now.

US debt vs Canadian

The estimated population of the United States is ...

305,232,475

The Outstanding Public Debt as of 07 Dec 2008 at 08:35:00 PM GMT is:

so each citizen's share of this debt is

$34,940.79.

The estimated population of Canada is ...

33,212,696 (July 2008 est.)

The Outstanding Public Debt as of Dec 11 2008

718,171,397,566.00

so each citizen's share of this debt is

$21, 623.40

Stephen Harper is the Primeminister

We the people who sign his paycheck demand a vote...

A referendum (plural referendums or referenda), ballot question, or plebiscite (from Latin plebiscita, originally a decree of the Concilium Plebis) is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. The referendum or plebiscite is a form of direct democracy ideally favouring the majority.To Determine if he can keep his job!
Stephane Dion ,Jack layton,the bloc or the
Queen cannot determine our fate!

Only Canadians have the Power !!!!

http://www.youtube.com/user/StephenHarperPm

The King-Byng Affair

Canada had never seen anything like it. In 1926, Prime Minister Mackenzie King wanted to call an election to spare his scandal-gripped government an embarrassing vote in Parliament. But the governor general, Lord Byng, said no. Instead, Byng invited the opposition Conservatives to replace King's Liberals as the government. As we see in this retrospective television clip, however, it was King who had the last laugh.

The King-Byng Affair

• Mackenzie King was elected prime minister with a minority government in 1921. He called an election in 1925, hoping to win a majority for the Liberals. Instead, the Conservative Party under Arthur Meighen won 116 seats compared to 101 for the Liberals.
• Despite the loss, King retained his grasp on power with support from the Progressive party, which had 24 seats. King's Liberals remained in power even though the Tories represented more ridings.

• A year later, King's Liberals were hit by scandal. The Customs and Excise minister, Jacques Bureau, promoted a known bootlegger to a senior ministry position during Prohibition in the United States. Bureau also protected customs officers accused by the RCMP of smuggling alcohol.
• King announced Bureau was stepping down because of ill health and immediately appointed him to the Senate.

• King was losing the support of the Progressives and facing a non-confidence vote that accused his government of corruption. It was to avoid that vote that King asked the governor general, Lord Byng, to dissolve the government and trigger an election. The Conservative government established at Byng's invitation lasted only five days before falling on a non-confidence vote.

• In the resulting election campaign, King accused Byng, the Queen's representative, of interfering in Canadian politics. Voters agreed and, ignoring the Customs scandal that sparked the row, elected 128 Liberals and Liberal-Progressives, compared to 91 Conservatives. King remained prime minister until 1930, was voted out and then back into office from 1935 to 1948.
• The politician who sparked the crisis, Jacques Bureau, remained a senator until his death in 1933.

• Sir Julian Hedworth George Byng was British but became a war hero commanding Canadian troops at Vimy Ridge in the First World War. After finishing his term as governor general in 1926, he moved back to England.
• The scandal and its aftermath paved the way for the Statute of Westminster in 1931 clarifying Canada's independence from Britain. By extension, it clarified the governor general's role as that of a figurehead while real political power rests in the hands of the prime minister and other elected officials.

Governor General grants PM’s request to suspend Parliament

By David Akin, Andrew Mayeda, Juliet O’Neill and Meagan FitzpatrickDecember 4, 2008 10:14 AM

File photo of the Governor General of Canada Michaelle Jean.

Photograph by : Srdjan Zivulovic, Reuters

OTTAWA — Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean has granted Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s request to suspend Parliament, a decision that means his government has staved off certain defeat in a non-confidence vote scheduled for Monday.

Harper arrived for a meeting with the Governor General at Rideau Hall, just across the street from his own home at 24 Sussex Dr., promptly at 9:30 a.m. ET Thursday. He gave a quick wave to reporters before heading inside for the historic meeting, which lasted more than two hours.

Dozens of people were there to greet the prime minister — some to support him, others to show their support for the proposed Liberal-NDPcoalition government.

The Governor General, who cut short a state visit to Europe and returned to Canada Wednesday to deal with the situation, had an unprecedented decision to make. Typically, the Governor General grants a request to prorogue as a matter of course at the end of a long Parliament, but Jean had to consider the prospect of a government trying to suspend Parliament in the face of certain defeat.

Harper has been fighting to keep his job since the Liberals and NDP formed a coalition to replace his government, citing its failure to act on the slowing economy. The coalition, which would be led by Liberal Leader Stephane Dion, has advised the Governor General the House of Commons does not have confidence in the government and is prepared to replace it.

Dion and NDPLeader Jack Layton also want to meet with Michaelle Jean Thursday but nothing has yet been confirmed.

Dion and Harper both made televised addresses to the nation Wednesday night to appeal to Canadians to support their respective sides of the debate.

The prime minister argued the Liberal-NDP coalition government would be illegitimate, undemocratic and would thwart the will of voters. He maintained his government had taken several steps to protect Canada’s economy from the global economic downturn and promised to do more when his government tables a budget on Jan. 27.

“Unfortunately, even before the government has brought forward its budget, and only seven weeks after a general election, the opposition wants to overturn the results of that election,” Harper said. “They propose a new coalition, which includes the party in Parliament whose avowed goal is to break up the country.”

The Conservatives have been hammering the point all week that the coalition has the support of the Bloc Quebecois, a separatist party, and therefore is putting national unity at risk.

The opposition has shot back Harper sought the support of the Bloc Quebecois himself in 2004 when he was trying to unseat the minority government of Paul Martin.

Dion, in his address, rejected the prime minister’s arguments, saying Harper had lost the confidence of the House of Commons by rolling out an economic update that focused on “partisanship and settling ideological scores,” rather than the struggling economy.

“The Harper Conservatives have lost the confidence of the majority of members of the House of Commons. In our democracy, in our parliamentary system, in our Constitution, this means that they have lost the right to govern,” said Dion. He maintained in Canada’s parliamentary system, a government that loses the confidence of the House of Commons loses the right to govern.

All week the two leaders, along with Layton and Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe, and their parties have been angrily jousting in the House and engaging in public-relations campaigns that have included radio and television advertisements by the Conservatives.

Layton, who wanted to make a television address Wednesday night but was not afforded the time by networks, held a news conference where he echoed Dion’s remarks.

“Stephen Harper simply refused to act,” Layton said. “Now, he is trying to turn an economic crisis into a political one. But Stephen Harper has broken his trust with the Canadian people and, because of that, he has lost the confidence of Parliament. He seems to be more interested in his job than in protecting your job.”

Duceppe, speaking to reporters Wednesday night, charged that the prime minister was denigrating Quebec in a bid to save his government.

“Rather than respond to the crisis, Mr. Harper is denigrating Quebec in order to consolidate his base outside Quebec,” Duceppe told reporters.

He said Harper is resorting to old Reform Party tactics of confrontation and intimidating his opponents.

“It is not worthy of a prime minister,” said Duceppe, adding that Harper is usually more rational than he has been acting in recent days.

Canadian Govt Poised to Fall After Less Than 2 Months Less Than

Jane Taber, Bill Curry, Campbell Clark and Steven Chase
Globe and Mail Update
December 2, 2008

OTTAWA — The leaders of the three opposition parties presented their plan to topple Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s minority government at a press conference in Ottawa late Monday afternoon.

The leaders of the Liberal Party, the New Democratic Party and the Bloc Québécois publicly signed a coaltion accord and sent a letter to Governor-General Michaëlle Jean saying the opposition has lost confidence in the Conservatives.

The proposed coalition government between the Liberals and the New Democratic Party would last until June of 2011, but the Bloc is only pledging support for 18 months.

Under the plan, Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion would become prime minister until May, when his successor would take over.

"Canadians elected 308 members of Parliament in October, not just Stephen Harper," Mr. Dion told a news conference with NDP Leader Jack Layton and Bloc chief Gilles Duceppe. "We are ready to form a new government that will address the best interests of the people instead of plunging Canadians into another election."

The coalition accord stipulates that the prime minister and finance minister would be Liberals, with six of 24 cabinet positions filled by New Democrats.

Earlier Monday, the three candidates running for the Liberal leadership emerged from a closed-door caucus meeting to endorse Mr. Dion as head of the proposed coalition government, which they said would pour billions of dollars into the economy.

Standing side-by-side, Michael Ignatieff, Bob Rae and Dominic LeBlanc made clear they see no scenario in which the Conservative minority can remain in power. "There’s no turning back," Mr. Rae said.

The three Liberal leadership candidates said there is no deal to place them in cabinet, but Mr. LeBlanc and Mr. Rae noted there are several precedents for sitting cabinet ministers vying for the leadership.

"I support the accord because it’s fiscally responsible, it provides responsible economic leadership in tough times and it also conserves the basic principles of national unity, equality, that our party has always believed in," Mr. Ignatieff said. "We are at one, the three of us, that the only person that can lead the country is the duly elected leader of the party, Mr. Stéphane Dion."

READ ARTICLE

Liberals, NDP and Bloc intend to dissolve Parliment with a coalition

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I would like to create documentries about how positive media can influence the masses to leave the concious control of mainstream media. Mainstream media sells and engineers what they deem as acceptable or unecceptable.100 percent of media is to promote big business , their intrests and agendas. I wish to create media that tells what the people want and what is in there intrest. It seems that is has been changed from 'we the people' to ' we the Corporation'.

Budget deficit 'essential' if economic stimulus needed: Harper

Budgetary deficits may be an inevitable reality for countries intending to use financial stimulus packages to revive their economies, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Saturday.

During a speech at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Peru, Harper suggested the Canadian government will introduce a stimulus package to boost the economy while trying to avoid setting the stage for a long-term government deficit.

Signalling a shift in his usual anti-deficit stance, he acknowledged that countries that choose to implement fiscal stimulus packages will likely find it necessary to run budgetary deficits.

"We did agree at the G20 [summit in Washington] last week that additional fiscal stimulus should be used to sustain global demand if monetary policy continues to prove to be inadequate," Harper said in Lima.

"These are, of course, the classic circumstances under which budgetary deficits are essential."

It was an about-face for the prime minister, who in the lead-up to last month's election dismissed the possibility of a deficit, saying they were addictive and out of the question for Canada.

Harper said Saturday that whatever short-term new spending his government pursues, it "will ensure that Canada does not return to long-term structural budgetary deficits."

His comments came as the 21 leaders at the APEC summit pledged to invoke a 12-month moratorium on new trade barriers in an attempt to stabilize the global economy

"We reiterate our firm belief that free market principles, and open trade and investment regimes, will continue to drive global growth, employment and poverty reduction," the statement says.

"There is a risk that slower world growth could lead to calls for protectionist measures which would only exacerbate the current economic situation."

The statement comes on the heels of a broad plan adopted by leaders at last weekend's G20 summit in Washington, and goes one step further by pledging not to impose additional economic trade barriers in the next 12 months.

Leaders also pledged to reach agreement next month on the outline of a World Trade Organization pact that collapsed in July after seven years of negotiations. Concern over the global financial crisis injected new urgency into the so-called Doha round of trade talks.

Harper also used his speech to send a message that a freer trading system is the best way to restore global economic prosperity, saying the world is entering an economic period that is "potentially as dangerous" as anything the world has seen since 1929.

The Great Depression of the 1930s was not caused by a stock market collapse but by government policies and protectionist trade barriers that followed the crash, Harper said.

He criticized policymakers of that time for allowing the banking sector to contract and deflation to take hold, then trying to manage the problem by balancing government budgets instead of providing financial stimulus.

"Notwithstanding our current difficulties, the prosperity generated around the world in the last part of 20th century, and the beginning of the 21st century, has been unprecedented in history," Harper said.

"Removing protectionist barriers and easing trade restrictions was a big factor in ushering in this extraordinary era. ...We cannot allow ourselves to turn back."

Countries around the world should be "vigilant" against the rise of protectionism as they grapple with their slowing economies, he said.

Canada is committed to "pursuing mutually beneficial economic relations with like-minded nations" around the world, Harper said, pointing to a free-trade agreement signed this year with Peru, as well as a similar, tentative agreement with Colombia, announced Friday night.

"When it comes to Canada's support of free and open economies and markets, our view is based on the success of our North American partnerships," he said.

"We took a close and trusting relationship with the United States and we transformed it into the most successful commercial partnership in the history of the world."

Harper and outgoing U.S. President George W. Bush held a bilateral session earlier Saturday, where they discussed the economic slump, the Detroit-Windsor bridge and Canada's concerns about new U.S. rules requiring meat and fresh produce to be labelled by country of origin, the Prime Minister's Office said.

The Canadian livestock industry has complained it is being hurt by U.S. labelling rules.

Harper and Bush also reflected on the work they've done together, with the prime minister saying there were many things the two had agreed on and a few they hadn't, but that Bush was always willing to listen.

For his part, Bush called Harper a good friend and a strong leader.

With files from the Canadian and Associated Press

Tories slammed for lack of stimulus package

Nov 26, 2008 02:20 PM

Julian Beltrame
THE CANADIAN PRESS

OTTAWA – The Harper government is fighting back against criticism that it's not acting fast enough to confront the economic crisis, saying Canada will likely beat the U.S. in getting shovels in the ground.

A senior official conceded there will be no stimulus package in tomorrow's fiscal update and said that will have to wait until next year's budget.

The official would give no estimate about when the stimulus – expected to be mostly in the form of massive infrastructure spending – will be passed by Parliament, but said it will likely be in place before the Americans act.

That's because Barack Obama won't be sworn in as president until Jan. 20 and then the legislative wheels begin grinding.

"We have an administration already in place. The prime minister is the prime minister today. And our legislative process tends to move more quickly," the official explained.

This week, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said the budget will be moved up to ensure stimulus is introduced as soon as possible, but he wouldn't give a date.

The government has come under increasing pressure to move quickly on a multibillion-dollar spending program to stimulate the economy, but the official insisted Ottawa will not act prematurely just to satisfy "the media and stakeholders."

That is unlikely to satisfy the growing chorus of demands that the government show more urgency, as have the governments of the U.S., Britain and many European countries.

The Liberals slammed the slow action, with Toronto MP Gerard Kennedy saying the teetering auto sector can't afford to wait until the next budget.

"They won't last that long," he said.

On Tuesday, former Liberal prime minister Paul Martin and former Bank of Canada governor David Dodge joined many leading economists in urging speedy action.

Although stimulus is not part of Thursday's announcement, Flaherty has said economic statement will outline real "actions."

Those are expected to be measures to rein in discretionary spending by ministers, MPs and top bureaucrats for such things as travel and hospitality. It could also involve a freeze of the automatic pay increase for MPs that kicks in on April 1, and on bureaucrat bonuses.

"This will be worth tens of millions of dollars a year in savings," said Kory Teneycke, the prime minister's director of communication.

It is also expected to contain changes to pension provisions that would offer temporary relief to corporate pension plans and so-called investment income funds for individuals that have been hammered by the meltdown in the value of equity stocks.

The government official said the government will not announce program cuts.

Vancouver Liberal MP Ujjal Dosanjh said the government is only moving quickly on "gimmicky" things.

"I'm concerned that they're into the gimmicky stuff and they're not acting quickly enough on the substantive issues that are effecting people. These are jobs in the auto sector, the forestry sector and other sectors," he said.

If the government wants to lead by example, added Kennedy, it should reduce cabinet to the same size as last year thereby eliminating the need for 10 extra limousines and more than 100 extra staff.