Lead Now - Rally against Omnibus Budget Bill.

Since the Harper Conservatives announced their Omnibus Budget, more and more Canadians are rallying against a bill that would put a black mark on our democracy. Now, we’re writing to invite you to join a national day of action at Conservative MP offices, and supporting locations across Canada, this Saturday, June 2nd.

Even some traditional Conservative allies are now saying that the Harper Conservatives have gone too far. Last week, David Wilks, a Conservative MP, told a small group of his constituents that he, and many other Conservative MPs, were deeply troubled by the Budget Bill and that he would consider voting against it if 12 of his colleagues, enough to stop the bill, stood with him.
It’s time to stand up. This Saturday, we’ll gather at Conservative MP offices and support locations across the country to bring Canadians together in opposition to a Bill that contains a sweeping agenda to remake Canadian society. And, we’ll shine a spotlight on the Conservative MPs who can stop the bill, split it apart and start over by inviting Canadians to help them make better laws.

Join Canadians at confirmed locations across the country, or sign up to host an action in your area.

Click here to search for an event near you.
...or view the events taking place across the country at http://blackmark.leadnow.ca

Locally citizens will be gathering on Saturday 2 June at 12:00 noon - outside Larry Miller's Office in Owen Sound (1131 2nd Avenue East, Suite 208, Owen Sound ON, N4K 2J1)

Entire Marine Pollution Monitoring Program Scrapped.

The entire Department of Fisheries and Oceans contaminants programme is being axed effective April Fool's Day.   In B.C. that means the entire staff of nine marine scientists and support staff are being canned.   Across Canada, this is the firing of almost all federal employees responsible for monitoring ocean pollution.

“The entire pollution file for the government of Canada, and marine environment in Canada’s three oceans, will be overseen by five junior biologists scattered across the country — one of which will be stationed in B.C.,” said environmental toxicologist Peter Ross., a expert on marine mammals, notably killer whales.

“I cannot think of another industrialized nation that has completely excised marine pollution from its radar,” Ross said. Hired as a research scientist at Fisheries and Oceans Canada in 1999, Ross was one of the nine employees who received a letter Thursday informing him his position will be “affected as your services may no longer be required due to a lack of work or discontinuance of a function.”

Any doubt that this was a targeted hit was dispelled, totally unintentionally, by a DFO spokesperson trying to polish this turd.

“Between the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, we have found $79.3 million of savings for Canadians primarily by adjusting our internal operations and administration,” said Melanie Carkner, a spokesperson for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, in an e-mail, Friday.

“To put the impact on employees in perspective, we will be removing about 400 positions from DFO’s 11,000-strong workforce. This works out to less than 2 per cent a year over three years.”

Okay Melanie, DFO needs to trim a paltry 2% of its workforce over the next two years, we get that.  And it starts by immediately axing the entire contaminants monitoring programme?    Sorry sweetie, that's a targeted hit and you made that obvious.

Thanks to The Mound of Sound for this one.

Morning Reality Check

The following is a copy of the news headlines from Ontario News Watch for Friday May 11 2012. If the content here does not bother you, make you wonder what kind of government we have, make you wonder what else the Harper Regime is hiding and generally make you want to go out and kill something then you are either brain dead or so brainwashed by the spin machine that you need therapy. Read it and weep!

PMO letter on Helena Guergis is released The letter that Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s office fired off to the federal ethics commissioner that triggered Helena Guergis’ political woes was a straightforward referral of allegations that “she promised to advance private business interests.

• NDP, Liberals preview tactics on budget bill
  The NDP and Liberals today outlined some of the tactics they are considering to pick apart the government's massive budget bill in the coming weeks, including more than 20 motions at committees to study the bill in detail.

• Conservatives stifling information flow on military spending: sources
  Under fire for bungling multibillion-dollar equipment programs, the Conservative government is clamping down on the information Canadians receive about military spending, declaring previously public documents as now secret and quietly awarding a $105-million contract for 13 new armoured vehicles, then claiming the deal was for transmission parts.

True cost of Libya mission was seven times gov't. estimate: documents Amid allegations the Conservative government intentionally lowballed the price of the F-35 stealth fighter project, newly released National Defence documents indicate the full cost of last year's Libya mission was nearly $350 million - seven times what Defence Minister Peter MacKay told Canadians it cost.

• Private member’s bills cut corners on lawmaking, say critics
  The federal Conservative government is shifting the way lawmaking is done. Private member’s bills — which get less legislative analysis or parliamentary debate than government bills — are the new black.

• Internet billing records point to single culprit in robocalls investigation
  A comparison of Rogers billing records shows that “Pierre Poutine” did not use a computer in the headquarters of a Guelph Conservative candidate to launch the election-day robocalls, casting doubt on the theory that the culprit could have been any of a number of campaign workers operating out of the office.

• Auditor-General's office to cut 60 jobs, reduce number of audits
  Senators on six committees are quizzing government officials on what legislation is trying to accomplish

Former foreign affairs minister Lawrence Cannon to become ambassador to France Prime Minister Stephen Harper is naming one-time Tory cabinet minister Lawrence Cannon to be Canada’s next ambassador to France.

• Foreign donors not flocking to Canadian environmental charities
  Tax returns filed to the Canada Revenue Agency show most of the foreign money that fills the coffers of Canadian charities does not go to the environmental groups now in Tory crosshairs.

Tories overrule officials to fund project of Baird's 'dear friend' Rabbi’s grant application failed to meet criteria - only 25 of 355 submissions passed - but still emerged as one of five approved for federal funding