FYI: $60 billion in tax cuts will cost Canadian taxpayers about $5 billion per year in interest payments on the debt.

Click on image to enlarge.

Update: Neil Reynolds of the Globe pens this laughable column exhorting Layton to get on the corporate tax cut ball. In it he makes some rather absurd statements such as this one.

In the end, they reported that corporate income taxes have a “significant negative impact” on workers’ wages.

Oh really? If that’s the case, then how is it that despite a 50% reduction in corporate taxes since 1970–as per the above graph–wages haven’t risen over the past 3 decades?

But when the researchers looked at wages, they found that after registering strong increases in the early and mid-1970s, real wages adjusted for inflation have remained virtually unchanged for the remainder of the last three decades even though productivity continued to increase.

The undeniable–to everyone who isn’t a corporate shill–fact is that corporate tax cuts only benefit corporations whose profits have risen to record highs. The Canadian worker gets nothing, except reduced government services, from it.

From Paul Wells.

The real world is sooo much more complicated than the comic-book strutting of the current government. One of the more striking things I learned during a recent trip to Afghanistan is that everyone is talking to the Taliban. Including the Brits and the Americans.

What Threat?
Oops, the truth has slipped out.

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said a few months ago in a series of closed discussions that in her opinion that Iranian nuclear weapons do not pose an existential threat to Israel, Haaretz magazine reveals in an article on Livni to be published tomorrow.

Oil Royalties
If Big Oil doesn’t like Alberta’s higher royalties then perhaps they should consider moving their business elsewhere.

A Canadian may be one of two oil workers abducted by Darfur rebels during an attack on an oilfield in Sudan on Tuesday, media reports suggest.

A Reasonable Proposal
I doubt the Imperial Warmonger will see this as a reasonable request however.

Ecuador’s leftist President Rafael Correa said Washington must let him open a military base in Miami if the United States wants to keep using an air base on Ecuador’s Pacific coast.

Ontario NDP Leadership Rumour Mill
Here are some of the names being talked about as a replacement for Hampton.

Rumours are swirling that Hamilton Centre MP David Christopherson and Windsor Tecumseh MP Joe Comartin are testing the waters for a possible run at the Ontario NDP leadership.

Cheri DiNovo is also being talked about as a possible replacement for Howard but until someone can figure out why women politicians in Canada have bombed in leadership roles I wouldn’t want to pin my hopes on her.

The NDP has introduced job protection legislation for reservists.

Today in the House of Commons, NDP Defence Critic Dawn Black (New Westminster-Coquitlam) introduced legislation to protect the jobs of reservists while they are deployed on operations. “Reservists put their lives on the line to protect Canada; they shouldn’t come home to find that their jobs are gone.” said Black.

This is the first step to victory for everyone who joined the facebook group and signed the petition. Now we need to put pressure on the Members of Parliament to support this legislation and make it law.

Imbeciles.

New Democrat MP Charlie Angus and another one million Canadians could find themselves unable to vote if the minority government falls, according to Elections Canada.

Voters now need a residential address with a street name and number before casting a ballot, because of an amendment to the Canada Elections Act that Parliament enacted four months ago.

But more than one million rural Canadians have no proper residential or civic address. Many of them use post office boxes, and on some native reserves residents only use the name of their community.

A new study claims we reached it last year.

World oil production has already peaked and will fall by half as soon as 2030, according to a report which also warns that extreme shortages of fossil fuels will lead to wars and social breakdown.

The German-based Energy Watch Group will release its study in London today saying that global oil production peaked in 2006 - much earlier than most experts had expected. The report, which predicts that production will now fall by 7% a year, comes after oil prices set new records almost every day last week, on Friday hitting more than $90 (£44) a barrel.

Turkey’s Casus Belli
If Israeli soldiers taken hostage by Hezbollah were sufficient reason to launch a war against Lebanon does this mean Turkish soldiers taken hostage by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party is sufficient reason to launch a war against Northern Iraq? And because Turkey is a member of NATO is NATO now committed to take action?

After the terrorist attacks in the United States on September 11, NATO’s secretary general, Lord Robertson, said, “If it is determined that this attack was directed from abroad against the United States, it shall be regarded as an action covered by Article 5 of the Washington Treaty.” The Washington Treaty, part of NATO’s charter, says that an attack against one or several member states will be considered as an attack against all of NATO. The article commits NATO members to take measures, including the use of force, to restore security.

I ask because it’s vital that Canadians know whether or not Prime Minister Harper will involve Canada–a member of NATO–in a Turkish led war against Northern Iraq.

Hampton Needs To Go
Now Magazine also thinks it’s time for Howard Hampton to move on.

As a former colleague confides, “Howard has a narrow comfort zone.” Rather than depart from the tried and true to capture the public imagination, Hampton could only rely on his worthy fight for a $10 minimum wage to fuel interest in an otherwise flat campaign directed by his close friend Rob Milling, architect of two previous disastrous showings. “There was nothing shiny and new,” laments a party insider.

This is one of the key reasons I think it’s time for Howard to go. He’s bland and his personal blandness is responsible for the widespread apathy amongst Ontario’s NDP supporters. I mean, just look at the coverage given to the Ontario election by the Blogging Dippers. Oh right, there wasn’t any to speak of.

Hampton may be the nicest guy in the world. He may be intelligent, caring and honest. But he’s not inspiring and that sort of deficiency is mortal to any political party.

Consensus This, Bitches
When you lose the Americans–the Zundels of climate change denialism–you’ve clearly lost the battle.

Most Americans blame emissions from cars and industrial plants as the primary cause of global warming and believe the United States should reduce levels even if other countries don’t, a survey shows.

Fifty-six percent of poll respondents said the phenomenon of global warming has been proven, and can be largely blamed on human endeavors, such as power plants and factories, according to the CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll.

I Hate To Be a Ditto Head, But…
…ditto.

“These crime bills aren’t new,” said NDP Justice Critic Joe Comartin (Windsor-Tecumseh). “They represent the net effect of the work that got done in the previous minority parliament. We have heard from experts and witnesses, we have studied these issues and ensured charter compliance; now is the time to move forward.”

Comartin proposed that the bills be re-instated to the stage they were at the time of prorogation, thereby ensuring speedier passage in parliament.

PMS has already wasted enough of Parliament’s time and the taxpayer’s money with his little prorouging stunt. There’s no reason to allow him to continue doing so by rehashing business from the last session of Parliament that was already effectively dealt with. Let’s move on. If PMS wants to harass the Liberals he can do it on his own time and dime.

Me five months ago;

What’s worse is that this anti-immigrant hysteria will be impossible to keep directed at its obvious target; Muslims. In fact it’s already beginning to leech out and affect other minority communities in Canada.

From a Montreal Gazette article today on the “reasonable accomodation” hearings in Quebec;

The concern echoes that of Quebec’s Jewish community leaders, who told a national Jewish newspaper last week they fear the commission has become a forum for intolerance.

“A soapbox for venting racism and a beat-the-immigrant festival” - that’s how Steven Slimovitch, national legal counsel for B’nai Brith Canada, described the proceedings to the Canadian Jewish News.

The proof was nowhere more evident than Sept. 24 in St. Jerome, north of Montreal, when speaker after speaker took the open mike to vent their frustration with Jews: their money, their kosher labels on foods, their cottages in the Laurentians.

Macleans also has a lengthy piece on the growing bigotry problem in Canada; though it amazes me that the writer failed–in six pages–to mention even once the connection between it and ugly conservative rhetoric.

Bonus flashback from last March;

ARE THE SKINHEADS RESURGING IN CANADA
Sure looks like it to me…
Neo-Nazis generally don’t operate out in the open like this unless they feel they can confidently do so.

A few days ago;

About a dozen members of the white supremacist group Aryan Guard were demonstrating against a decision that lets Muslim women wear niqabs or burkas while voting in Monday’s municipal elections in Calgary, Edmonton and other Alberta communities.

Michael Coren takes a step back from the precipice.

A little over a year ago I wrote a column in this newspaper that caused a major controversy. I advocated a tactical nuclear strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities. I did not, of course, call for all-out nuclear war, but I did support what would be a massively destructive campaign against the Tehran regime’s military ambitions.

Thirteen months later I feel obliged to say that I wish I had never written such an article. I was wrong.

Over the past several months I’ve actually become quite a fan of the Michael Coren Show broadcast each weekday on CTS. I know that might shock some people, but I’ve found that while I don’t share Coren’s views on many issues he at least doesn’t reek of the rampant hypocrisy embraced by many of those on the right. He also isn’t afraid of differing points of view and unlike most of the rightwing media, doesn’t overload his show with conservatives and actually brings on guests whose views are socialist.

So kudos to Coren for recognizing his error and addressing it; something very few on the right are willing to do these days.

The Not So Free Market
Commie!

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty says he will meet with retailers next week to discuss how prices can be dropped on a bevy of goods to reflect gains made by the Canadian dollar against the U.S. currency.

All kidding aside, methinks someone is mighty worried about creeping inflation and is looking for a quick fix.

Afghan Support For Nato Troops Plummets
The real story on that Afghan poll.

2007 : 60% support foreign troops and Canadian soldiers
2006 : 80% support American troops

I don’t know how any sane person can see a 25% drop in support in just a year as good news.

Consensus This, Bitches
Like I’ve said before, the right whingers lost the climate change argument but are just too stupid to realize it.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment yesterday became the first government agency in the United States to cite carbon dioxide emissions as the reason for rejecting an air permit for a proposed coal-fired electricity generating plant, saying that the greenhouse gas threatens public health and the environment.

Cry “Muslim!” And Let Slip The Concern Trolls Of War
Le Revue Gauche takes apart Ezra Levant’s newfound concern for the rights of gays and women.

Some SDA readers in action.

About a dozen members of the white supremacist group Aryan Guard were demonstrating against a decision that lets Muslim women wear niqabs or burkas while voting in Monday’s municipal elections in Calgary, Edmonton and other Alberta communities.

By the way, where was the faux outrage from the Blogging Whories over Alberta allowing veiled voters?

Shorter speech from the drone: Canada must honour its international commitments by abandoning Kyoto.

Murray Dobbin takes on the unasked question I brought up a week ago.

There are extremely worrying indications that the U.S. is planning — and soon — to attack Iran.

But in this country it’s as if the no one is listening.

Certainly Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said virtually nothing about the subject. He has not revealed whether he agrees with the U.S. analysis of the alleged Iranian threats, he hasn’t commented on the revelation that the U.S. is considering using nuclear weapons, he has said nothing regarding what he or the foreign affairs department think the consequences would be.

Does the prime minister have an opinion?

This will be an election issue.

The most apparent failure of the modern global conservative movement is that conservatives have become so disagreeable they can no longer even agree to disagree.

I could go into length on why Howard Hampton needs to be replaced as leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party but I think the popular vote numbers alone present the case.

1963: 15.5%–Donald C. MacDonald
1967: 25.9%–Donald C. MacDonald
1971: 27.1%–Stephen Lewis
1975: 28.9%–Stephen Lewis
1977: 28%–Stephen Lewis
1981: 21.1%–Michael Cassidy
1985: 23.8%–Bob Rae
1987: 25.7%–Bob Rae
1990: 37.6%–Bob Rae
1995: 20.6%–Bob Rae
1999: 12.6%–Howard Hampton
2003: 14.7%–Howard Hampton
2007: 16.76%–Howard Hampton

After 11 years as party leader and 3 kicks at the can, it’s more than obvious that Howard Hampton is not getting the job done.

In fact, from what I’m told their inability to affect the foreign policy of any nation proves that Jewish lobby groups are miserable failures. So I have to wonder why they don’t just recognize the futility of their efforts and shut down their organizations.

…I’d spend the next five days picking apart the last throne speech to reveal how relatively meaningless throne speeches are to our political process. I’d begin by noting the absence of anything on the environment, or more specifically climate change, then pointing out how that very topic dominated a significant portion of the last session.

Throne speeches are analogous to announcing the starting lineup in a hockey game and the subsequent vote is merely the opening face off. As the last session of Parliament revealed, neither one is particularly significant to the final outcome of the game.

Ontario in a nutshell
“37% of the vote is a “crushing defeat” for MMP, while 42% of the vote is a “massive victory” for the provincial government.”

When I read this press release from the National Citizens Coalition I had to check my calendar to make sure it wasn’t April Fool’s Day.

The National Citizens Coalition (NCC) today responded to the Liberal party’s majority victory in the Ontario election by setting out clear priorities for Dalton McGuinty and the Ontario government to follow over the next four years.

“Access to healthcare should be the top priority of the Ontario government over the next four years,” said NCC president Peter Coleman. “The first promise Premier McGuinty needs to keep is the promise to hire more nurses and doctors in this province. There are over 1 million Ontario residents who do not have a family physician, and the first step to improving access to Ontario’s healthcare system is to hire the number of medical professionals necessary to meet the needs of this ever growing province.”

Wow! If the NCC, an organization that came into existence to fight against public healthcare in this country, is throwing in the towel it’ll be a huge blow to the rightwing blowhards.