Saturday, 25 March 2017

CANADIAN DAILY DIGEST March 25, 2017.


The DAILY DIGEST: INFORMATION and OPINION
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>HEADLINES ACROSS CANADA <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

CBCBritish Columbia Calgary Edmonton Saskatchewan Manitoba Thunder Bay Sudbury Windsor Kitchener-Waterloo Hamilton Toronto Ottawa Montreal New Brunswick  Prince Edward Island Nova Scotia  Newfoundland & Labrador

North CTV Atlantic  CTV Montreal  CTV Ottawa  CTV Toronto CTV Northern Ontario CTV Kitchener CTV Winnipeg CTV Regina CTVSaskatoon CTV Calgary CTV Edmonton CTV British Columbia

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>NATIONAL NEWSWATCH<<<<<<<< http://www.nationalnewswatch.com/

Trudeau�s popularity takes hit

Liberals must sell budget to premiers after �challenging� health talks
        Federal Budget Unpopular: Poll
Minister Hajdu says longer leave not for all, but higher-paid moms need help too
        Conservative Party urged to trace fake memberships

Scott Brison listen up, Canada�s information commissioner has some advice for you
        PM: UN peacekeeping mission possible in 2017, even though Canada mum on details
Airport Privatization Opposed: Poll
        O�Leary taught us (seriously) to confront unpleasant truths about Canadian politics
Kevin O�Leary�s �vicious poisonous toxic� attack on Alberta self-determination should offend us all
        This is not how a liberal society responds to criticism
Strategy Session: �Shivers and Jitters�
        Wildrose and PC party inch closer to a merger, maybe
In the Senate and the courts, an erosion of our humanity

What the budget didn�t tell you: Toronto is getting an A.I. institute
        Canada�s CF-18s to fly 2 NATO overseas missions in 2017
Wynne downplays falling popularity as former minister warns Liberals face election disaster
        Katimavik Youth Program Receives 11th-Hour Reprieve From Trudeau Liberals
B.C. Liberals to refund $93k for indirect donations, cites clerical errors
        Slow and steady only way to go on infrastructure funding, Morneau says
Progressive Conservative, Wildrose discussion teams set to take first steps toward unity
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>LOONIE POLITICS<<<<<<<<<<<<<< http://looniepolitics.com/
This is not how a liberal society responds to criticism - Andrew Coyne, National Post
        On First Nations issues, �sunny ways� was just a phase - Rob Gillezeau and Jeffrey Ansloos, Macleans
Canada�s House of Commons doesn�t need to be modernized - Dale Smith, Macleans
        Liberal MPs gather in Ottawa for rare weekend caucus meeting - John Paul Tasker, CBC News
Federal government withheld documents from residential school survivors, lawyer says - Colin Perkel - The Canadian Press, Toronto Star
        Time for Wynne to step down? - Jerry Agar, Toronto Sun
Liberals� second budget leaves big questions on vets� pensions, defence spending - Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press, CTV News
        Fat debts, inflated home prices: The warnings grow ever louder- Michael Babad, The Globe and Mail
Does a sales tax on Uber pave way for a �Netflix tax� in Canada? Probably- Emily Jackson, Financial Post
        Canada�s inflation rate dips 2.0 per cent in February: StatsCan- CTV News

TOUTES LES NOUVELLES PUBLIES DEPUIS 24 HEURES http://fr.canoe.ca/infos/aujourdhui/

L'Union europ�enne f�te les 60 ans du trait� de RomePlus
        Une heure pour la Terre: samedi soir, on �teint pour la plan�te!Plus

FOREIGN AFFAIRS & GENERAL INFO

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>LOONIE WORLD<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< http://looniepolitics.com/
Spicer after bill failed: �You learn a lot about who you can count on� - Nikita Vladimirov, The Hill
        Paul Manafort to Testify Before House Intelligence Panel - Emmarie Huetteman, New York Times
GOP tries to move on after healthcare defeat - Robert King & Nicole Duran, Washington Examiner
        Trump Blames Dems After Bill Pulled, Says Obamacare �Will Explode� - Ali Vitali and Chandelis R. Duster, NBC News
Trump learns that dealmaking is not the same as leadership - Karen Tumulty, Washington Post
        France�s Marine Le Pen urges end to Russia sanctions- BBC News
Over 250 migrants feared drowned in Mediterranean- France 24
        Hosni Mubarak, symbol of dashed hopes, goes free- AFP, The Times Of India
Have Germany�s Social Democrats found a winner in Martin Schulz?- Kate Connolly, The Guardian
        Geneva talks resume as fighting rages in Hama, Damascus- Al Jazeera

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>THE LEBANON DAILY STAR<<<<<<<< http://www.dailystar.com

Iran denies harassing US warships in Gulf, warns of clashes
        Erdogan: Turkey might hold referendum on EU membership
Serbian PM to visit Putin ahead of April 2 presidential vote
        Thousands demonstrate in London against leaving the EU
EU leaders renew fraying Union's vows on 60th anniversary
        Photographer captures world's glacier melt over decade
Tillerson to meet allies as NATO races to save talks
        The universalism of human development
EU stalls Russian gas pipeline, but probably won�t stop it
        Is the dollar overvalued? That depends how you view it

Syria�s decentralization road map
        Israeli rights group video: Troops harass Palestinian boy
Unavoidable typos in DNA help fuel cancer
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>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Sign Of The Times <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
http://www.sott.net/

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>GLEANED POSTS<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Russia vs. USA: Who is the Threat, Who is the Aggressor? (1/2)
Russia vs. USA: Who is the Threat, Who is the Aggressor? (2/2)

BELOW(30)(30)(30)(30)(30)(30)(30)(30)(30)(30)(30)30)(30)(30)(30)(30)(30)
From: David Bell.
Subject: Re:  Posting by "John Feldsted" <jfeldsted@shaw.ca>
Subject: Why do we believe them?

Joe,

I agree with much of what was said and would add:

When I was a lobbyist in the mid 90s there was a $200M Canadian Federal initiative ($$$ to be dispersed to Provinces) to foster adoption of new digital X-Ray equipment in clinics and hospitals (because of the radical increase in image resolution and medical usefulness).

3 years after the initiative was announced, it was disclosed that the money had been spent.

About $6M of the $200M had been dispersed to Provinces, and about $190M had been spent on Health Canada employee salaries, related to workgroups drafting conditions under which the Provinces could apply for the money.   These conditions took 2 years to draft by Health Canada.

In the private sector, this would have taken 2 days. 

The Health Canada representative, on being questioned in Vancouver, related that this special project �outcome� (where the money went) was typical and not to be considered a failure or even unusual.  More than 80% of most projects went to Ottawa salaries.   It was common knowledge at the time that almost any special funding would be spent (mostly) on salaries in Ottawa. 

As a lobbyist to Health Canada, Industry Canada and Foreign affairs and International Trade, it was obvious that Health Canada could be literally shut down witth zero impact on the Canadian Health care system. 

Health Canada agreed.  In fact Health Canada had a  new mission statement at the time that did not even refer to the Canadian Health care system and they heatedly rejected my suggestion (in a conference) that their mission should somehow include support for the health care system.  

In their view, Health Canada has no responsibilities for the health care system.  None.  Zero. Zip. Nada.

I think I know how to save some taxpayer dollars.

The Government of Canada has about the same effect on running the country as the Railways have on running transportation.

Cheers
David Bell

===================================
From: Larry Kazdan
To: letters@macleans.ca
Subject:
Re:  The unmasking of Bill Morneau, caped budget crusader, Evan Solomon, March 23, 2017

http://www.macleans.ca/politics/ottawa/the-unmasking-of-bill-morneau-caped-budget-crusader/

Those who criticize Liberals for not returning to fiscal balance fail to appreciate that governments of advanced developed countries typically run deficits, and when surpluses are achieved, their economies usually deteriorate. The United States experienced six depressions and a recession between 1817 and 2001, and every one was preceded by significant debt reduction. When governments increase taxes and decrease spending, monies are withdrawn from the economy, often with severe contractionary effect. 

And those who shed crocodile tears over the burden our grandchildren will inherit should realize that government debts typically grow and are never repaid.  Should funds ever be needed to cover interest payments, taxing the young and vulnerable is not obligatory -  taxing the rich always remains a preferred option.  

Footnotes:

1. What do these data tell you?
http://rodgermitchell.com/usnationaldebt.html

            1817-1821: U. S. Federal Debt reduced 29%. Depression began 1819.
          1823-1836: U. S. Federal Debt reduced 99%. Depression began 1837.
          1852-1857: U. S. Federal Debt reduced 59%. Depression began 1857.
          1867-1873: U. S. Federal Debt reduced 27%. Depression began 1873.
          1880-1893: U. S. Federal Debt reduced 57%. Depression began 1893.
          1920-1930: U. S. Federal Debt reduced 36%. Depression began 1929.
          1998-2001: U. S. Federal Debt reduced 9%.    Recession began 2001
 
2. Almost Everyone's Guide to Economics
John Kenneth Galbraith, Nicole Salinger
Bantam Books 1978  Page 92
            "If there is idle capacity and unemployment, the government must spend more that it receives in taxes.........there is no merit at all in a policy that just balances income and outgo, none whatever."

3. Economist Abba Lerner on The Burden of the National Debt
http://bilbo.economicoutlook.net/blog/?p=32809
Lerner wrote (p.256):
Very few economists need to be reminded that if our children or grandchildren repay some of the national debt these payments will be made to our children or grandchildren and to nobody else. Taking them altogether they will no more be impoverished by making the repayments than they will be enriched by receiving them.

In other words, there are distributional consequences within generations but not between them.
In this regard, Lerner noted that (p.261):
The growth of national debt may not only make some people richer and some people poorer, but may increase the inequality of distribution. This is because richer people can buy more government bonds and so get more of the interest payments without incurring a proportionately heavier burden of the taxes. Most people would agree that this is bad. But it is no necessary effect of an increasing national debt. If the additional taxes are more progressive  more concentrated on the rich  than the additional holdings of government bonds, the effect will be to diminish the inequality of income and wealth.


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