NDP Propaganda at its finest

Even though it's exam time, I couldn't help but notice two nuggets of NDP propaganda, released by Hamilton Mountain's MP Chris Charlton, that prove exactly why that party will never form a national government. The first will be addressed here and the other will be in a later post. It's bad enough this riding is saddled with an NDP MP as is, here's hoping that changes when voters choose the 'right' candidate in Conservative Terry Anderson in the upcoming election.

Exhibit A for the jury is a media release that came out late Tuesday night and was picked up by some of Hamilton's radio stations Wednesday morning. Charlton's simplistic argument was that gas prices are too high and there should be an "oil and gas ombudsman" (but not an ombudswoman? Hmmm.) responsible for investigating consumer complaints about the industry and its players. To that I say poppycock. At first glance, this position assumes that it is permissible for a government agent to be involved in the free market, a view that only left-leaning people can properly have. Consumers are not stupid, they know that the price of gas is high and it is impossible to do anything about it. As is the case with every other consumer good, the price has risen over the years yet people still buy gas in increasing volumes. If you really want to send a message to oil and gas companies, start riding a bike or taking mass transit. It's not that hard to figure out.

On top of this, Charlton does not offer any sort of costing for this position. An effective ombuds would likely require a budget of hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not into the one million-plus level. So, let's get this straight, not only does Charlton think gas prices are too high, but she also proposes hosing taxpayers some more by having them pay for an ombuds office! Frivolous waste of money. It's also the height of hypocrisy for the NDP to gripe about how high gas prices are when they actively support carbon taxing, a practice that would easily raise prices some more. You think $1.20 a litre is high? Just imagine when prices go north of $1.75 a litre if we implemented a carbon tax plan. That ombuds office sure would be busy!

Another obvious problem with this ombuds proposal is that that person would be absolutely powerless to make any change in the price of oil and gas. How effective is an oversight body when they cannot implement their own recommendations? Issuing an annual report would be an act of futility. Here's a sample of the contents, "The price of oil and gas has gone up 25% in the last fiscal year. This office has received 10 million complaints and delivered zero solutions. Oh, and our budget has increased at a faster rate than the price of oil so we hope you all pay your taxes this year. Sincerely, The Oil and Gas Ombuds Office." Such a patently absurd waste of taxpayer dollars.

The NDP and Ms. Charlton can propose things such as an oil and gas ombuds is only because of the simple fact that they are the fourth party, with ever-decreasing popularity, and will never form a national government. Their pet projects such as this demonstrate the short-sighted nature of NDP policies and the general disregard for hard-working Canadians and their money.

NDP Propaganda at its finest, part deux

Exhibit B is far less complex, but never-the-less worthy of putting into balance.

In Thursday's mail I received a postcard from MP Charlton with the headline 'Credit cards: are you getting gouged?' Of course, a highly rhetorical question, but not for the reasons the NDP would like you to believe.

Once again in this proposal, Charlton and her party have proposed an intrusion into the free market, specifically at the big banks, long-time giants in their own right. Their plan entails capping the interest rates on credit cards at 5% over prime, bringing interest down to around 10%. Additionally, the plan calls for interest being charged only on amounts owing, not additional interest. If you believe in the regulation of private business by government, this proposal is fine and dandy. However, for those who know better, this plan is nothing more than another shameless attempt by the NDP to gain some exposure.

The only people to be held responsible for high credit card debts are those who spend themselves into debt in the first place. Debt is bad news for anyone, but at the end of the day, responsibility must be placed on the consumer for their own actions. If you can't afford to keep a credit card, cut it up. It's not a difficult thing to do. What this NDP proposal says to the educated folk is that people would be able to spend even more because their interest rates will be lower. So much for actually helping people work their way out of debt. The NDP plan would drive people under even further. When that happens, what will the NDP do? Call for another ombuds office to receive complaints about high debt?

Folks, what both of these proposals show is that the NDP will say anything and do anything to keep their message in the media. With the party losing relevance every time voters go to the polls and former high-profile members jumping ship, the NDP do not have a sustainable future. To that end, Hamilton Mountain voters ought to think long and hard about what sort of representation they want from their MP. Party rhetoric and unrealistic promises that fall well short of actually helping people or real action and sustainable solutions that only the Conservative Party offer. Here's hoping voters make the right choice.

Abandoning their constituents: The Opposition's betrayal of Immigrants

Ottawa’s latest controversy surrounds the new immigration reforms that have been proposed by Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Diane Finley. While debate in the House has been taking place for the last two weeks, the Opposition has kicked up the rhetoric and threatened to vote against the budget implementation bill that contains these reforms, thus triggering an election. Their strategy is short-sighted and does a disservice to immigrants across Canada and those looking to come here.

The heart of this policy is that the Immigration Minister would be allowed to move certain identified groups of immigrants to the front of the queue and have their applications processed faster. To give you an idea of how long that list is now, it takes upwards of six years to file an application and have it processed in order to legally come to Canada. The number of people waiting is over 800,000. That is simply unacceptable for any nation, particularly Canada, where multi-culturalism is seen as a national touchstone. By the way, under the Liberal government, the waiting list ballooned from about 130,000 in 1993 to the current 800,000-plus.

Canada needs immigrants to arrive in an efficient, smart way and the new immigration bill allows that to happen. The country’s labour market is on the verge of being desperately short of skilled labourers to fill some of its most important jobs. Canada’s rate of replacement has historically been lower than the world average and this trend will only continue as the population further ages. Additionally, the reforms, if passed, will bring families together faster, which is a basic right and totally fair. Opposition members should be ashamed for not supporting this motion that would bring more families to Canada to enjoy some of the highest standards of living in the world. Minister Finley’s plan to clear the backlog of immigrants waiting to have their applications processed is practical and smart and will be a benefit to Canada as a whole.

The fact that these reforms are being written into a budget implementation bill is not only smart policy but a good tactic of the Conservative government. For policies as important as this, including them in confidence motions allows the government to give them priority in debate and inform the public of its intentions. Minister Finley’s proposals involve spending public money and are part of the country’s larger economic plan, both of which are traditionally part of the government’s budget regardless of party. These reforms are not out of the ordinary and are hardly being rammed through the vote process, despite what the Opposition would have the public believe.

Obviously, the Opposition has been doing everything short of accusing the Government of racism in their criticism of this new plan. Official criticism is that the Minister will “cherry-pick” (Judy Sgro, Liberal) immigrants based on discriminatory standards. As well, the Opposition seems to think that this plan will deny immigrants the opportunity to get into Canada altogether, which couldn’t be further from the truth. A sensible, smart Minister would not abuse their powers as the Opposition accuses. It would not only be illegal, but a terribly unpopular political move to tamper with Immigration policy to benefit the Minister or their friends. In today’s era of higher scrutiny of government, any sort of illegal activities are uncovered and brought to the public’s attention, bringing about changes and electoral defeat (the Liberal party should be familiar with that).

The NDP, as usual, have pledged to vote against this bill even before it is introduced in the House. While this trend is nothing new, it should be very disturbing to Canadians and particularly immigrants, who the NDP claim as their own constituents. In this situation, the NDP are again abandoning their core supporters and are not standing up for their own beliefs. The fact that they do not have the courage to stand by their policies to help everyday Canadians reflects their lack of identity as a whole. For those Hamilton Mountain voters who read this blog, Chris Charlton plans to vote against this plan. Contact her office and demand an explanation because she is abandoning her own constituents on a very important issue.

I can understand that the Opposition parties are upset about this bill, particularly because they did not introduce it on their own. Minister Finley’s immigration reforms further demonstrate that the Conservative Party is looking out for the interests of all Canadians, including those who are potential citizens. The Hamilton Mountain Conservative candidate, Terry Anderson, is committed to working on behalf of residents and on issues such as this, will have an effective voice in government to ensure that smart, sensible plans such as these immigration reforms are passed.