Dissent Among the Ranks

BREAKING NEWS

A near unanimous condemnation of the federal government was just provided to the Seditious Times:

Joint Delegation Statement: Transfer Payments

The federal government’s refusal to hear a near-unanimous request from the provinces to ensure the strength of federal transfer payments is extremely disappointing. That the federal delegation is unwilling to preserve the stability of essential services such as health and social programs speaks to the narrow-mindedness of its approach to the global economic slowdown. The people of Canada, French and English, need stability. By diminishing the capacity of provinces to assure their citizens’ health and security, the federal government has betrayed their commitment to the well-being of the Canadian people.

We, the collected delegations of the First Minister’s conference affirm our commitment to improving standards of health care and social programs. We also express our dissatisfaction with the actions of the federal government in this regard.

Signed,

Delegation of Quebec

Delegation of Ontario

Delegation of Nova Scotia

Delegation of New Brunswick

Delegation of British Columbia

Delegation of Manitoba

Delegation of Alberta

Delegation of Prince Edward Island

Delegation of Newfoundland and Labrador

Delegation of Saskatchewan

Delegation of the Yukon and Northwest Territories

Nick Banerd ~ The Seditious Times

Providing Health Care for Northern Territories

                      

 

                                                               

 

Yukon and Northwest Territories – Press Release

The following views and opinions expressed are those of the Yukon and Northwest Territories delegation.

“Whitehorse – Health care is a fundamental right, which all Canadians deserve. The Northern territories want to have the ability to provide the same basic health care services to their constituents, which other Canadians enjoy.

At the 2003 First Ministers’ Meeting, the First Ministers agreed that universality, accessibility, portability, comprehensiveness and public administration are the principles to be applied to Canadian Health Care. Unfortunately, the North has not been able to meet these targets. Without the status of a province, the North relies heavily on the federal government to meet these goals on our behalf.

In the past, the federal government has dealt with the health care problem of the North by allocating money hoping to fix the problem. Without allocating the authority of health care to the territories, inefficiencies exist in the system, which money cannot fix. Funding is necessary but the power to control its own health care is more important.

The Northern territories are pushing for the reduction of wait time and improving accessibility at this conference. The Northwest Territories has four hospitals with only one that provides specialty care. Two hospitals service the Yukon Territory and can only provide half of the specialty care that most provinces can provide for their constituents. The argument that with low population density, the territories do not deserve basic medical care is absurd. The accessibility to health care is a promise that the Government of Canada guarantees its citizens, so unless the Northern Territories suddenly have become second-class citizens, basic accessibility to health care is not a preposterous demand.

The more pressing issue regarding accessibility is the lack of primary care physicians in the North. Due to prior established partnerships with southern provinces, rare specialty cases are flown into Vancouver, Calgary and Winnipeg. Without sufficient front line medical professionals, basic health care is inefficiently delivered to the communities. In the Northwest Territories, only five out of thirty-three communities have resident general practitioners. Having basic screening services such as mammography and imaging services, such as X-ray and computed tomography are not extravagant demands. These basic medical services should be accessible to all Canadians; with the capabilities to complete these tests in the North would also decrease congestion in provincial health care.

The Delegation of Yukon and the Northwest Territories will be addressing the issue of accessibilities at the upcoming conference during the session on health care. Providing basic health services for all Canadian is not an inappropriate request by the Northern governments. A transfer of the administration of health care to the territories is a suitable approach to increase accessibility to the Northerners.” 

 

 

On Northern Healthcare: Why the NWT and Yukon and Nunavut Delegations are Wrong

I take issue with the northern delegations plans for addressing the healthcare disparity between the territories and the provinces.

Walker Smith

Seditious Times

Good For Canada? More Like A Cash Grab.

I take issue with Nunavut, Nwt and Yukon, and PEI. Watch the video below if you want to know why.

Walker Smith

Seditious Times

Profiles: Tim Chu

An outspoken proponent of the NDP, this left-minded idealist is a reliable source of information on the policies and history of Canada‘s other liberal party.

Chu is a member of the Yukon/NWT delegation and his NDP background shows itself readily in their press release when they “call upon the Government of Canada, to create a national, unified plan to combat the effects of climate change.” They further state that “Strong national standards must be set.” Chu has brought the NDP’s strong conviction on environmental issues to the delegation. Also, by asserting that Canada should single-handedly take on the worldwide issue of climate change, he has brought a measure of their inherent naïveté with him to the table as well.

Regardless of what you think of his politics, Chu will no doubt continue to be a strong and consistent voice and his influence will shape the tone and content of political discourse in Canadian federalist politics for the foreseeable future.

Walker Smith, Seditious Times

Baier Blog: What financial crisis?

So, it’s happened. Financial Armageddon has struck Canada. After performing modestly better than its global peers so far this year, Toronto stocks have plummeted in recent weeks, along with the savings and pension plans of those poor souls tied up in the markets. After losing 16% of their market value in what is essentially the bloodiest week on Bay Street since the 30’s, Canadian companies have proven that alas, they are far from immune to the global credit meltdown. While sitting at their dinner tables this Thanksgiving weekend, it is doubtful that many investors will have much to be thankful for. Seemingly, many would have been better off should they have stored their money in a paper bag, defecated on it, and lit it on fire.

Of course, proponents of Harpernomics continue to trumpet the fundamental advantages that continue to lend favor to the Canadian economy. One: housing starts and real estate prices remain high on this side of the border, and Canadian lending practices have prevented a similar sub-prime housing crisis from developing in Canada.  Of course, with Banks hoarding money and unwilling to lend much more than bus fare, these new houses will be so empty that they risk becoming a national fire hazard. In an odd turn of events, securing a mortgage in Canada today can now take longer than the average wait time for a hip replacement.

Two: Canadian companies remain far healthier and better capitalized than their American counterparts. True, although as 90% of our country’s exports flow south, the Canadian economy decidedly moves in tandem with that of (as quoted by a colorful former Prime Minister) its elephantine bedtime partner. The favors bestowed upon Canada from this intimate relationship are sure to subside, as our nocturnal partner has seemingly fallen out of bed, broken its arm, and cracked its head open on the edge of the nightstand.

As recently as Friday, a government report in Canada revealed job creation numbers ten times higher than expected, momentarily bolstering the spirits of Bay street traders. But in the absence of an ensuing rally, the short-lived flash of optimism was again replaced by the macabre ideology of the times: sell no matter what. In a desperate attempt to regain liquidity amid the carnage, traders will soon contemplate auctioning the watches off their arms, as well as intimate back massages, and tickets to their children’s Thanksgiving school plays.

Of course, it is to be expected that provincial delegations would uphold the economy and their plans for its resuscitation front and centre in their agendas for the upcoming first ministers meeting. In the recent English language debate, federal opposition leaders tore into the Prime Minister much like wolves tear into a piece of chunky Alberta beef—after his failure to offer any new ideas or policies which might stabilize the ailing economy.

Oddly, however,  most delegations failed to even mention what could be the worst economic collapse since the great depression, let alone propose solutions. As usual, most griped for more monetary kickbacks from Ottawa. Meltdown or no meltdown, it’s provincial politics as usual for most delegations. Nova Scotia whined about equalization, BC pined away (no pun intended) about their beetle infestation, and PEI demanded twelve wind turbines per capita to be placed at every street corner in downtown Charlottetown. Oh, and those up in Yellowknife want to become a province. Um, okay.. whatever.

It was only the Federal delegation, along with Quebec and Alberta, which directly addressed what has become the most salient issue this election campaign. New Brunswick preferred to fight tooth and nail over its deposits of Potash—undaunted by the recent collapse in the fertilizer industry and analysts pessimistic outlook for once unassailable potash prices. Nunavut is calling for immediate and “very expensive” aid programs to combat the effects of climate change in the Territory—sure to be a sound investment that ameliorates conditions for the territory’s seventeen permanent residents and its host of polar bears and sled dogs. Iqaluit’s recent troubles with massive ice chunks breaking off its arctic selves could surely be remedied using a much more cost effective team of Inuit carpenters with the help of a sturdy hammer and some scotch tape. Nunavut might equally ask for provincial status, as it alone can most effectively threaten to separate should its demands not be met—by detaching itself completely and floating away into the Arctic.

Canadians are scared. Should the crisis worsen, jobs will be lost, growth with come to a standstill, and the country will be thrown quite possibly into another great depression. Of course, since so few of us were around back then, we really cannot fathom how profound the effects of an economic meltdown are on everyday life. Mainstay issues in Canada such as health care reform and the environment are salient only in rich, developed countries, which can afford to debate trivialities in these areas thanks to robust economic growth. Those in the 1930’s were hardly fretting over the loss of a few trees in BC, or the wait times at Toronto General.  These issues, however important, must be temporarily put on the backburner and leaders must focus their efforts on what inevitably keeps everything going: it’s the economy, stupid.

This is no time for Saskatchewan to rehash the niceties of the equalization formula. It is no time for Alberta to whimper incessantly about Senate reform. After billions of dollars of investment, Ontario’s newly educated workforce (that is, formerly unemployed GM workers) might just be picking apples in Niagara Falls should the carnage on Bay Street continue. The provinces must come up with a cohesive, effective plan to shelter their economies as much as possible from the global financial turmoil. Besides, a little bit of global warming would be kind of nice up here in the frigid North. The silver lining is that we’ll all be a bit warmer as we sleep in the alleys behind our foreclosed former houses.

And if that doesn’t appeal, may I suggest using your last few twoonies to take a trip to beautiful Prince Edward Island, which is nagging Ottawa for funding to revitalize its Tourism industry. And should the sheer beauty of the land of Green Gables fail to alleviate your woes, there’s always the option of taking a suicidal leap off one of their brand new wind turbines.

Nick Banerd, The Seditious Times

A United Northern Voice? Sadly no.

It always strikes me as comical when the northern territories use words such as “demand” when addressing the federal government. In their recent press release the Nunavut delegation makes the bold “demand” that the federal government assert its arctic sovereignty in the north by strengthening northern infrastructure. They “demand” that Nunavut be allowed to administrate itself as much as possible. Nunavut, with its population of 31,000 and a single representative in the House of Commons, will be hard-pressed to be heard at all, let alone to make a serious demand straight-faced.

The most comical of their demands, however, is also the most realistic. I am talking about the Nunavut delegation’s demand that the federal government assist in addressing “Climate Change Adaptation for Northern Communities.” Apparently the tiny population of Nunavut is having a difficult time with the effects of climate change and need some help, and as a result their delegation is making a reasonable request for some aid. The comedy of this demand lies not in any flaw in their thinking, but in the incredible contrast that it makes with that of their neighbors to the west.

The NWT and Yukon delegations ironically titled their press release “A United Northern Voice,” but perhaps they should have called it “A United North-Western Voice,” as their approach to the issue of climate change could hardly be more different from that of the Nunavut delegation. They “call upon the Government of Canada, to create a national, unified plan to combat the effects of climate change,” asserting that “strong national standards must be set.” Instead of prioritizing and addressing the immediate problems faced by their populace, they have taken it upon themselves to lead Canada in its climate change policy. As much as I am loathe to employ a cliché, it seems they are planning to engage in some vigorous dog wagging.

So while the northern delegations are both guilty of puffing up their importance, at least the Nunavut delegation has the decency to put their people first and restrict their demands to what concerns them and their territory. I have very little doubt that at the first ministers meeting next month when the Yukon and NWT delegation starts shouting at the top of its tiny little voice, it will receive the cursory pat on the head that such childish self aggrandizement warrants.

Walker Smith, The Seditious Times

Press Release

1st press release by the Province of

The Yukon & The Northwest Territories