Canada under Harper drops out of UN top ten most developed countries

[art-in-the-making]

I guess the higher you are the harder you fall, eh?

Canada, perennially ranked #1 country in the world on the UN development index under the Chretien Liberal government, has now fallen right out of the top 10 under Harper's mismanagement and pandering to the corporate elite.

Worldwide, the wealth gap is on the rise everywhere. In Canada this has been accelerating with Harper cutting corporate taxes and pulling all sorts of gutless shenanigans to hammer the middle class.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2013/03/14/canada-slips-.html

This is hard enough to swallow. Maybe we better not get into the news that global temperatures now appear headed for a 4 degree increase this century, which would leave several of the world's most populated areas uninhabitable, according to the study in the news today.

Canada under Harper, backing out of Kyoto and aggressively purveying tar sands oil, and tearing up environmental laws and attacking science, among the worst offenders on a per capita basis among developed countries contributing to global warming.

Anyone think we'll be fed up with this by 2015?

[salesgroupcanada]

And, that's why I didn't vote him in...

1% of Canada is extremely wealthy

Yet, they vote him in majority

Conservatives = Rich / Corporations

Liberals = Middle Class

NDP = Poor People

I believe NDP should run Canada as a minority - They can't balance a budget if their live depended on it. Look at what they did here in Manitoba - They're for the people but they're too much for the people to where books don't get balanced.

[prior-of-verity*shake-hands-with-your-devil]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkI21I9LY5Y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=564JiuSbll0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kc-C8aZXz4Y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdtuBFtU1t8

[portfelt]

The Liberals are usually a bunch of crooks who get into politics to steal as much as they can for themselves and their supporters. The NDP have good intentions but haven't a clue about reality and balancing a budget. The Conservative politician enters politics foremost to serve the public. They do favour business and the wealthy, but at least they are honest.

[pierrelebel]

"but at least they are honest."

Of course.

Most of us have already forgotten about the greatest Conservative of them all: Brian Mulroney with his brown lunch bags loaded with hundreds of thousands of dollars.

He admitted to the money and even explained why no GST was paid on the amount. Then his lawyer arranged to pay only half the income tax normally payable on the bribes.

Honest?

Not my choice of word for Conservatives.

[prior-of-verity*shake-hands-with-your-devil]

"but at least they are honest."

You would be hard pressed to find an 'honest' politician anywhere. The only honest politician is one who hasn't been caught.....yet.

[pierrelebel]

... and then there was Bev Oda, a model of honesty for a Conservative minister!

[art-in-the-making]

Great Rick Mercer videos,

"The truth will not harm democracy, only secrets and lies will do that..."

secrets and lies, Harper's specialties...

Here's the article about the global warming timeline

http://www.vancouversun.com/mobile/story.html?id=8071552

Unfortunately those who believe the Cons are the "good guys" are mostly earnest, sincere people. These people just can't get their mind around the fact that the Conservative Party has been hijacked by corporate interests. It always has been to some extent, and the Liberals also to a lesser extent. But the Conservative government today really only works in the interest of a very small corporate elite. Some independent business people "think" they win by having a government that punishes arts, education, social programs, etc. They are dead wrong.

[pierrelebel]

"Conservatives = Rich/ Corporations

Liberals = Middle Class

NDP = Poor People"

You may want to rethink that one!

Organized labour (teachers, government employees, etc...) generally favour the NDP.  It is difficult to classify them as "poor".

Frankly, I think your concept is simplistic.

You will find much support across the country for Conservatives in rural areas.  Does that make them rich?  corporations?

[art-in-the-making]

Very true Pierre. You're also brushing on the last part of my last post...

When addressing these rural Conservative supporters, the Conservative Party uses platitudes like "free enterprise" or "free market" - which those target people instinctively view as the exact opposite of what they consider to be the "socialism" that they perceive the NDP or to a lesser extent the Liberals to represent.

But in the modern world especially, "free" enterprise is less and less free.

Global corporations are taking control of water resources, seeds, DNA, municipal services etc. etc. ... all to an alarming degree - in complete and total opposition to any understanding I have of "freedom".

All with the enthusiastic support of Conservative (and sometimes other) politicians.

I also agree with you that the NDP supports the middle classes as well as the poor, for sure.

[valve37]

[pierrelebel]

I should have mentionned that the Conservative Party does attract a few rich guys: valve is a good example! 🙂

[ilurkthereforiam]

How much of this has to do with McGuinty flushing the richest province in Canada down the toilet?

[pierrelebel]

absolutely nothing.

[ilurkthereforiam]

I think this has a lot to with McGuinty.

Ontario is now a have not province.

It wasn't too long ago when we were the richest.

His failed energy program is ruining the province.

[prior-of-verity*shake-hands-with-your-devil]

Harper is the discussion and Ontario started going downhill when free trade was adopted and we lost a lot of good manufacturing both large and small.

[firehair]

We had NDP governments in Saskatchewan for close to 50 years and under them Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver became the provinces three largest cities. Glad to get them the hell out. Bunch of welfare bums. they will never get voted back in here. They had a leadership convention here last weekend and in a poll 60 percent couldn't name even one person who was running for the leadership!

[ilurkthereforiam]

You can't blame free trade on this.

If you can't compete in the labour market do you deserve a job?

[prior-of-verity*shake-hands-with-your-devil]

Ontario was the hub of manufacturing in Canada. After free trade products were increasingly made in the US, Mexico and off shore. This was a huge loss of jobs that Ontario never really recovered from. It was easy to send jobs to Mexico and off shore where corporate owners could get labour for slave wages because the people were desperate. These same corporate owners could care less about their own Canadian people.

[aqyera]

If someone got hurt by free trade, it was mainly US. Free trade is a long term strategy, markets need to equalize first and that may hurt for the moment.

Wages in Mexico and China are climbing and sooner they equalize, better for Canada.

... with rock-bottom wages now soaring in China, the average cost of factory labor in the two nations will be roughly the same.

... The Boston Consulting Group, a major business strategy consultancy, says average factory wages in China this year have hit about $4.50 an hour – including benefits and other costs – and are likely to climb to $6 an hour by 2015. Mexico’s National Statistics Institute says average manufacturing wages stood at $3.50 an hour in June, the most recent month tallied, but that figure doesn’t include benefits.

- 2012

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/09/10/167930/as-chinas-wages-climb-mexico-stands.html