Alberta Finance Ministers Remarks, Mental Illness, Crime, and Bill 44

Lost in the uproar over Alberta Finance Minister Iris Evans remarks attacking Alberta working parents ability to raise children, were these remarks about education, as reported by the CBC:

She also said a lack of education is ruining the upbringing of some children and leading to mental illness and crime.

"The huge failure of Canadians is not to educate the children properly, and then why should we be surprised when they have mental illnesses or commit dreadful crimes?" she said.

Can we assume the minister would thus disapprove of giving parents the right to pull their children from school when they do not like what is being taught, or is it just more conservative doubletalk.

More Liberal Nothingness From Ignatieff

So what are the Liberals' conditions for keeping the government in power. Well actually there are none. The Liberals are not demanding that the government actually do anything, only that it report on what it is doing.

As the CBC reports:

According to Ignatieff, the government must meet the following four conditions to maintain support from the Liberals:

- Provide more details about improving the employment insurance system before the House of Commons votes on budget estimates at the end of the week. The government has said it will introduce unspecified new EI proposals in the fall.

- Give more information about the rate of stimulus spending than included in last Thursday's progress report.

- Show more details on the government's plan to contain the ballooning deficit, instead of offering what Ignatieff called "rosy projections."

- Provide clearer answers on the government's plan to deal with Canada's medical isotopes shortage.

Yessirree, they have to “provide more details”, “give more information”, “show more details” and “provide clearer answers”. However, they are not required to actually do anything.

That's the Liberal hardline. Go Iggy Go.

Damn Lawyers Causing Problems – Catholic Church on Priest Child Sexual Abuse

It's all because of the lawyers. If it weren't for the lawyers child sexual abuse victims would approach the church quietly and ask for hush money. So it appears. The Catholic Church has an army of lawyers to help it cover up it's actions and avoid responsibility for the abuse it's priests, and itself as an institution, have perpetrated on young boys. They should understand it is a lawyers responsibility to advise his clients on the best means to obtain justice, especially when they have been abused by the people, and the institution, that were supposed to safeguard their spiritual well being. Does it not occur the them that the responsibility for them being sued lies with the abusive priest and the complicit church as an institution, and not with the victim's lawyer.

Apparently not, according to the Ottawa Citizen.

Congratulations to the People of Nova Scotia

Read All About It

Mayor Larry's Lawyer Calls His Client a Stooge ?

The Ottawa Citizen reports:

Lawyer David Paciocco said the law Crown prosecutors used to charge O’Brien was never intended to apply to conversations between private individuals who are unable to affect a government patronage appointment.

The article continued:

He called these “Larry, Curly and Moe conversations” between private citizens.

We know who Larry is. Who are Curly and Moe ?

Canada's Hockey Legacy

Can they do it. The Toronto Star reports:

The dream of another NHL team in Toronto was unveiled today, though even the pitchmen for the project admit it is a long way from coming true.

The proposal contains some unique features that may be the key to the teams success.

-- Twenty-five percent of the Legacy's annual profits would be divided between charitable foundations and non-profit organizations. Carnegie's Future Aces Foundation for at-risk youth would be the first recipients.
-- About 15,000 seats for every Legacy game would cost no more than $50 apiece.

So how would such a team be financially feasible. Perhaps by appealing to the players love of the game rather than their greed. There may just be enough players in the league, and some of them superstars, who see this as a chance to be part of something special – a team in the best hockey town in the NHL (and the best market) that allows ordinary working hockey fans to watch the games and devotes a substantial portion of profits, not to owners greed, but to charity. For this there may be enough Canadian players willing to play, not for outrageous salaries, but for decent salaries looking for a chance to put a superteam together and keep the Stanley Cup in Canada forever.

Indeed it is a dream. Will they make it come true.

The Everyone Else Does It Defence

Is this the best that Mayor Larry's defence team can come up with.

Rex on Michaelle on the Inuit and Seals

I am not usually a big fan of Rex Murphy but his rant above is right on.

And those looking for a more substantive argument can read An Enviro's Case for Seal Hunt at thetyee.ca.