Saturday 13 February 2016

How to ruin a country in 100 days or less



With a new government it is expected that changes will happen. However to make wholesale reversal of the previous government’s policies without any intelligent thought about unintended consequences can be downright dangerous and detrimental to the country. Justin Trudeau has done just that!

The election of a new Liberal government under the leadership of a neophyte is producing results that may ruin this country for generations to come.
Having been advised by Obama operatives during the electoral campaign, expect policies based more on ideology rather than common sense.

This new government will embrace multilateralism and make decisions to please the world rather than protect the country and its citizens. The UN will determine how we do things in this country. Starting with the decision to bring 25, 000 Syrian refugees without any planned strategy has already produced consequences that will affect both the refugees and Canadians. We have homeless and disaffected veterans and yet the refugees are being given priority on housing, healthcare and financial assistance, While Europe has started to see the negative effects of its policies towards refugees who may have been infiltrated by terrorists, Canada willy-nilly continues with its feel good policy which could endanger Canadian security. Furthermore a change towards citizenship that may no longer require refugees or immigrants to have knowledge of at least one of the official languages will put pressure on the work force and the education system.

As for the foreign policy with regards to the Middle East, this government shows that it has absolutely no understanding of the gravity of the situation. As a terrorism denier PM Trudeau’s  decision to repatriate the 6 CF-18 from the combat zone, and increase the number of boots on the ground is not only risky, but places more Canadians in arms way. Despite the fact that Iran and North Korea are collaborating on missile and nuclear build up, the government has decided to start diplomatic relations with the rogue state of Iran, in the hope that Canada will benefit from trade deals. This has already shown to be flawed as Iran chose Air Bus over Bombardier.

On the economy, we have yet to see a budget, but we know about the promise that Canada will produce deficits and create debt the size of which are not determined. With a global glut in oil and gas, this government has shown absolutely no backbone in promoting Canada’s resources. In fact Trudeau has chosen ‘resourcefulness’ over resources. The result is obvious: massive unemployment in the oil, and mining industry, and soon in other industries as a ripple effect. In a PR effort to look good in front of the world, Trudeau and a cohort of 383 delegates promised the world that he will change Canada’s policy to help climate change. Provinces that depend on the resource industry who have for years been the backbone of the country’s economy will be severely affected. Alberta, once the economic envy of the country, will become a have-not province, and Newfoundland may be bankrupt within years. Lives will be affected, but to this government the environment, foreign aid to the third world, and ‘selfies’ with Hollywood stars seems to be more important.

The promise of billions of infrastructure money to provinces to kick start the economy, does not include pipelines. This government does not understand that the oil and gas industry is still very important to the Canadian economy and will be required for many more years. To ignore the need for pipelines, both East and West, is purely based on ideological beliefs. In addition the new rules for consultation for pipelines are just rhetoric and postpone decisions that should be made now and not protect this government hate for carbon.
The change in policies regarding First Nations(FN) and Unions will no doubt kill any semblance of transparency that the previous government required from these institutions. More money will be spent on First Nations without addressing the real issues of dependency. Those in charge of the finances will continue to reap the benefits while ordinary FN citizens will continue to languish in poverty and squalor. Throwing money at the problem will solve nothing. A complete revamp of the Indian Act and the abolition of reserve policies are required. Like Quebec we should be looking at new agreements that will curtail any federal funds within 12 years.

Trade Unions, in many cases have outlived their existence. While the freedom of association must be guaranteed, the right to work should be put in place. No longer should union dues be used by union officials without the permission of the membership. A worker should have the right to designate where his/her dues should be spent. Unfortunately transparency does not seem to be high on this government’s agenda.

During the next three years, Canadians should take note of the changes that this government will put in place. Many of their decisions will be to affect the demographics, financial status, and electoral eligibility through gerrymandering tactics. Any change to a proportional representation electoral system will guarantee that a Liberal government will be for ever.  The positive part of this new government is that many of their promises will not be fulfilled, either because they do not work or because they were full of platitudes which did not make sense. The negative side is that many of these government policies may change this country for the worse, and it would not have taken them 4 years to do it. Hopefully in four years Canadians will remember that feel-good governments do not necessarily a country make, and the ‘selfie’ PM will be sent packing to a new drama gig, where he always belonged.

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