Canadian taxpayers will no doubt applaud the Conservative government’s plan to freeze MPs’ pay and bureaucrats’ budgets as a welcome move towards fiscal sanity.
The measures won’t eliminate the country’s massive deficits, but there is no doubting the popular political appeal of a government austerity program that starts with politicians and federal cheque-writers.
The unexpected Conservative plan was a rare bit of news in Wednesday’s throne speech.
The hour-long hot-air marathon we affectionately call the drone from the throne was supposed to represent the Conservative government’s new plans for the country — its so-called “recalibration” that required Parliament be shut down for almost three months.
Instead, it was simply a super-sized version of what throne speeches have always been — a compendium of platitudes and warmed-over policy not worth the trees they’re printed on.
Aside from the creation of Seniors’ Day, and an idiotic idea to rewrite O Canada, the only headline in the throne speech was the government’s plan to tighten its own belt.
Vowing to “lead by example,” the Harper government is promising to introduce legislation that would freeze the salaries of all senators and MPs, including cabinet ministers and the PM himself.
It is also putting a lid on ministers’ office budgets.
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Well the gov. had to start somewhere. As usual, the Conservatives had to be carefull not to be seen pulling back the entitlements of those entitled to their entitlements.
How long before they freeze Union wages for public employees.
Agree MaryT. It all depends on what happens to the unionized public sector which is such as big part of the overhead in Ottawa and in fact in each level of government throughout Canada.
But just freezing the public sector won’t deal with a Federal deficit of $56B. Moreover it isn’t just a case of dealing with the deficit, those unsustainable above market salaries and benefits in the unionized sector are harming our competitiveness in the real economy that has to carry this entire public sector burden on its back. Unless a serious effort is taken to trimming that unionized public sector back, we’re all going to be PIIGS … call this the Canadian Bacon Budget.
Put a lid on their expense budgets too, so that trough-hounds like the “jouralist” writing this piece of fluff, pay their own way in the “interview” or pack their own brown-bag lunch.
I found a saying that I’d like to pass along to PMSH.
“I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure: which is: Try to please everybody.”
Must be a really slow news day that Weston is gabbling on about MP wage freezes. Of course such wage freezes won’t cut the deficit but could you imagine the howling if the government tried to cut spending without MP wage cuts?
Canadian taxpayers who think that Harpers MP wage freeze is anything more than simple grandstanding probably
[a] don’t know the difference between an annual deficit and accumulated debt,
[b] can’t add; and,
[c] voted conservative in the last few elections
Curious Stage, if you delivered the budget what would your three priorities be?
Stage Left has been listening to Glen Beck and stealing his talking points, Ward. I have heard a lot of lefty ilk doing this of late; I listen to Glen every day so I would know! Different country, Different political scene, Stageleft.
I didn’t hear any green fanaticism in that speech – that made me happy.
@ward:
[1] Reducing the size of government and it’s role in individual citizen lives
[2] Getting rid of nanny state laws that waste money in the enforcement of, that waste money in the judicial process, and which waste money in the cost of incarceration of those found guilty under said nanny state laws
[3] Allowing taxpayers to keep as much of their money as is absolutely possible so that they can keep the economy going and not government
@jema54: I used to watch Glenn Beck now and again, he made me chuckle sometimes – but I haven’t watched him for a while now.
As soon as his sad and pathetic factor exceeded his comedic factor it just wasn’t worth it anymore.
Stageleft :You are likely afraid to watch and learn – you will actually learn history if you watch Glen Beck – something the moronic ‘social’ studies never even touched. Have you ever read the American Constitution? Have you ever read the BNA Act? Have you ever read the Soviet Constitutions (all three versions) and then compared them to Turdos thingie that he forced on Canadians? If you have not then you are not watching Glen Beck – maybe you are reading the signs of Tea Party attendees.
No Jema54, I quit listening to Beck for the same reason I quit listening to Randi Rhodes, Bill O’Reilly, Al Franken (when he had a show), and Rush Limbaugh – they’re partisan kooks making large fortunes playing on (and creating) the fears of hyper-partisan kooks.
For a while they, and their respective audiences, all held some comedic value for me – when that waned so did my interest. Lowell Green and Sean Hannity still manage to amuse me somewhat.
PS: Does Beck still pretend to tear up? I always found that quite amusing…….
Beck’s history is more of sunny-side-up propaganda. Most of the material is true but of course it is never the whole story.
It’s extremely hard to find someone who doesn’t simply fit historical factoids to their agenda.
Stageleft – if you have read all three documents then why do you have a problem with what Glen Beck says? FYI, most people have read none of the above, some guments and education people like to keep citizens unaware of their sovereign rights – did you know income tax is not a law but an amendment in Canada? It was a ‘temporary war measure’ during WWI; Canada was in the black by 1960 but the people of this country did not manage to squawk enough to make the $$ addicted Feds rescind the ‘temporary measure’. It is never even discussed by politicians wanting to get their snouts into the trough; I presume it is because the bureaucratic ilk fear that we, the people would demand retroactive reimbursement! It would be a winner at the ballot box !
Glen Beck quotes from the original ( as some of my pre 1920 teachers did) and then he gives the audience a current example to put the quote into everyday context – as we did when we were in University. We always had to read and use the original source to get a grade above C-. Schools do not demand those standards anymore so as Glen beck says, we must educate ourselves; the internet makes this job a lot easier than it was in our day (I don’t know how old you are but I grew up rooting through library shelves). There is no excuse for responsible citizens to be ignorant of their rights. Glen Beck encourages this curiosity, he inspires people to read and learn – why do you have a problem with that?
@Jema54: I did not say I had read those documents, as a matter of fact the only one on your list I have read is the BNA Act.
I tuned into Fox online after reading your comment and forced myself to sit through a whole segment and a 1/2 of Beck – nothing has changed since the last time I watched, he’s still a fear mongering kook playing on (and creating) the fears of hyper-partisan kooks.