The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Cooperation and Confrontation Confrontation between parties in parliament and the provincial legislatures is often the order of the day, particularly in minority situations. But cooperation is not unheard of, most notably in relationships between the federal and provincial governments. A good example is the newly elected Liberal Premier of PEI, Robert Ghiz. In an interview, Ghiz, a devoted Liberal, pledged to cooperate with the Harper government in the best interests of the people of his small province. He cited his father, Joe Ghiz, premier of the same province at the time of Brian Mulroney. The elder Ghiz and the Prime Minister got along well and signed agreements on the mainland-island bridge and many other things for the good of the province. Manitoba Premier Gary Doer is also very cooperative with the Harper government, expressing approval of its latest budget and other things, but why shouldn't he? He got oodles of federal dollars for health care, the floodway, a human rights museum and more transfer payments. Contrast this with Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams, whose style is confrontational. He is so hostile because his province didn't get as much money as it wanted that he threatens to help defeat the Harper government - and he's a conservative! The confrontation between the parties in today's minority parliament is classical. There is little cooperation as the opposition parties constantly gang up on the governing party, always in their own interests, whether it is on the economy, foreign affairs or climate change. The opposition seems determined to govern, which can't work in our system, but is obviously afraid of forcing an election. A good example is the controversy over the cost of military funerals, with the opposition taking a holier than thou attitude. A couple whose son was killed in battle came to Ottawa because they had not received enough reimbursement for his $25,000 funeral. The government pledged reimbursement, but some bureaucrat in Defense had blocked payment, making the Defense Minister and General Hillier look weak and uncaring, which is far from the truth. Of course the government should pay for military funerals, but there has to be a limit. At present the family determines how grand the funeral is, and some have suggested that all military funerals cost the same. What is sad is that this became a political issue. The best thing that happened to this parliament is that it shut down for the summer, with hopefully more cooperation in the fall. Fiasco Elsewhere, Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe is at it again. His latest fiasco is a plan to take over 51 per cent of all foreign businesses in his country. Like his disastrous land reform (he confiscated white-owned farms and gave them to his followers, thus driving the rich agriculture of the former Rhodesia into the toilet), this one should finish off the economy. The companies that employ thousands of locals will simply pull out and leave the rest of the people unemployed and facing starvation. Is there no way of getting rid of this lunatic? What about NATO or the UN? As long as the so-called freedom-loving countries of the world do nothing, Africa will remain an unsafe continent. "I'm from the government and I'm here to help you" is often considered a frightening statement. This is not so with Connect 2 Canada. This is a government network designed to look after the interests and safety of Canadians in, or travelling in, the United States and abroad. Their latest warning relates to the dangers of hurricanes. It is predicted that three to five hurricanes will be a danger to the East and Gulf coasts, and Canadians in affected areas are urged to plan for the danger. They also say that in order for the Canadian government to help Canadians in times of emergency, they need to know where we are. Thus the Foreign Affairs Department operates a registry of Canadians abroad, either residing or travelling. The ROCA registry allows the department to contact Canadians to offer advice during a natural disaster, civil unrest or a family emergency. You can get on the list by registering at www.voyage.gc.ca. You can also get emergency assistance by calling 1-800-387-3124. Sign up for a free membership in Connect 2 Canada. It certainly sounds helpful to this writer! Roger's Right Corner runs Wednesdays.
