CANADIAN DAILY DIGEST December 25-26, 2017

The DAILY DIGEST: INFORMATION and OPINION
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�Battle for relevance�: Despite their flashy new leader, the NDP faces a long, hard road in 2018

Garneau makes push for voice, video recorders in locomotives after Amtrak crash
        On her way out, lobbying watchdog makes final appeal for legislative changes
Kenney says he won�t back away from controversy as UCP hammers out policy
        Canadian Hockey Hall of Famer Johnny Bower dies at 93, family says
These Moments Show The House Of Commons Has Some Grace, Too
        Power & Politics: Top 5 news stories of 2017
Pot policies: everything you need to know about marijuana legalization

2018 to mean more challenges for Canadian retailers
        Big pharma snub, placebo snag to blame for lack of medical pot research: experts
Trudeau may lose some like-minded premiers in 2018
        For 2018, Boring is Better
Trump just narrowed Trudeau�s fiscal options
        How governments get stuff done
A taste of humble pie due Trudeau
        What a federal ethics report reveals about how Justin Trudeau sees his job
Power & Politics: Top 5 news stories of 2017
        Blame Quebec when your Netflix bill goes up

Canada revokes Venezuelan diplomats� credentials
        Justin Trudeau�s visit could help overcome irritants in India-Canada ties
Horgan says next year�s electoral reform referendum likely B.C.�s last attempt
        Canada�s rising star Jagmeet Singh reckons he could take on Justin Trudeau in a vote � or on a wrestling mat
B.C. premier says housing top issue for 2018, but much more on NDP to-do list
        Scheer challenge: Conservative leader wants to be recognized in 2018
New party leaders may change the dynamics of Saskatchewan politics
        Notley still working on relationship with Calgary
80% of travellers confident in airport security screening, internal government survey suggests
        Anti-poverty activist files $1 billion class-action lawsuit over bread price-fixing scheme

To govern, NDP has to �set aside our activism and start being better administrators�: Horgan
        Despite Site C, Andrew Weaver says Greens have no plan to end agreement with NDP
Meghan Markle joins royals for Christmas service

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Apr�s sa gr�ce, Fujimori demande � pardon � aux P�ruviensPlus
        La marijuana plus populaire que jamais aupr�s de femmes enceintesPlus
�gypte: pendaison de 15 hommes jug�s coupables de �terrorisme�Plus
        Plus de 130 000 $ pour une victime de la fusillade � la mosqu�e de Qu�becPlus
Une sexag�naire tu�e par deux pitbulls, leur propri�taire accus�Plus
        La Cor�e du Nord pr�pare un lancement de satellitePlus
Un nouveau-n� retrouv� mort dans un stationnement de CalgaryPlus
        No�l glacial dans les PrairiesPlus
Trois-Rivi�res: une s�rie d'accidents sur l'autoroute 40 ouest ralentit la circulationPlus
        Le d�neigement d�butera mardi � 19h � Montr�alPlus
Mexique: s�isme de faible intensit� � Acapulco

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Russia's Lavrov tells Tillerson US "aggressive rhetoric" on Korea unacceptable
        Number of registered Syrian refugees in Lebanon drops below one million: UN
India to become fifth largest economy in 2018: report
        Syrian, Iranian backed forces advance in border area near Israel
Russia defends opposition leader's election ban
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Pakistan, Afghanistan appeal to Taliban to join peace talks
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North Korea likely to pursue talks, South says in rosy New Year forecast
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Putin critic Navalny barred from Russian presidential election
        Text of Pope Francis' traditional Christmas day message
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US To Officially Send �Lethal Arms� To Ukraine, Russia Says US �Crossed The Line� But US Has Been Arming Kiev Forr Years

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From: Larry Kazdan
To: Letters Editor Cc: mforrest@postmedia.com
Subject: Re:  'Battle for relevance': Despite their flashy new leader, the NDP faces a long, hard road in 2018, Maura Forrest, December 26, 2017

http://nationalpost.com/news/politics/battle-for-relevance-despite-their-flashy-new-leader-the-ndp-faces-a-long-hard-road-in-2018#comments-area

On the occasion of his retirement as leader of the New Democratic Party in 1971, Tommy Douglas gave this farewell message: "In 1939, when we declared war against Nazi Germany, for the first time we used the Bank of Canada to make financially possible what was physically possible. We took a million men and women and put them in uniform. We fed and clothed and armed them. The rest of the people of Canada went to work.....if we could mobilize the financial and the material and the human resources of this country to fight a successful war against Nazi tyranny, we can....mobilize the same resources to fight a continual war against poverty, unemployment, and social injustice."

In returning to its roots, the NDP must adopt what Tommy Douglas advocated in 1971:  Using the fiscal power of the federal government's wholly-owned central bank to put 1.2 million unemployed Canadians back to work.  By means of infrastructure renewal and a Job Guarantee program that hires "off the bottom" (to provide community benefits in areas of senior care, youth recreation, environmental stewardship, and public arts), the federal government can deliver a fully productive economy with price stability.

Jagmeet Singh is correct in asking Canadians to dream bigger and imagine the country we can build.  And using the fiscal tools described by Tommy Douglas, the NDP can get the job done. 

Larry Kazdan,

Vancouver, B.C.

Footnotes:

1. Tommy Douglas was a �macroeconomist�, not a �provincialist�!

http://www.progressive-economics.ca/2016/12/05/tommy-douglas-was-a-macroeconomist-not-a-provincialist/

(speech April 24th 1971 on stepping aside as leader of the New Democratic Party)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUwRULlgMec&t=360

"In 1937 when the CCF proposed in the House of Commons a $500 million program to put single unemployed to work, the Minister of Finance said where will we get the money? Mr. Benson asked the same question today. My reply at that time was that if we were to go to war, the Minister would find the money. And it turned out to be true.

In 1939, when we declared war against Nazi Germany, for the first time we used the Bank of Canada to make financially possible what was physically possible. We took a million men and women and put them in uniform. We fed and clothed and armed them. The rest of the people of Canada went to work. The government organized over 100 Crown corporations. We manufactured things that had never been manufactured before. We gave our farmers and fishermen guaranteed prices and they produced more food than we had ever produced in peace time. We built the third largest merchant navy in the world and we manned it.

In order to prevent profiteering and inflation, we fixed prices, and we did it all without borrowing a single dollar from outside of Canada. � And my message to the people of Canada is this: that if we could mobilize the financial and the material and the human resources of this country to fight a successful war against Nazi tyranny, we can if we want to mobilize the same resources to fight a continual war against poverty, unemployment, and social injustice."

2. Standing Committee on Banking and Commerce, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence Respecting the Bank of Canada, 1939.

http://www.michaeljournal.org/appenE.htm

Some of the most frank evidence on banking practices was given by Graham F. Towers, Governor of the Central Bank of Canada (from 1934 to 1955), before the Canadian Government's Committee on Banking and Commerce, in 1939. Its proceedings cover 850 pages. (Standing Committee on Banking and Commerce, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence Respecting the Bank of Canada, Ottawa, J.O. Patenaude, I.S.O., Printer to the King's Most Excellent Majesty, 1939.) Most of the evidence quoted was the result of interrogation by Mr. �Gerry� McGeer, K.C., a former mayor of Vancouver, who clearly understood the essentials of central banking.

Q. Would you admit that anything physically possible and desirable, can be made financially possible?

Mr. Towers: Certainly. (p. 771)

3. What is a Job Guarantee? 

 http://bilbo.economicoutlook.net/blog/?p=23719

But in general, there cannot be inflationary pressures arising from a policy that sees the Government offering a fixed wage to any labour that is unwanted by other employers. The JG involves the Government �buying labour off the bottom� rather than competing in the market for labour. By definition, the unemployed have no market price because there is no market demand for their services. So the JG just offers a wage to anyone who wants it.

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From: "John Feldsted" <jfeldsted@shaw.ca>
Subject: Statement by the Prime Minister on Christmas

Statement by the Prime Minister on Christmas

Ottawa, Ontario
December 24, 2017

�Merry Christmas, Canada!

�In 2017, people across Canada gave us much reason to be proud, and showed us the strength in our diversity. Canadians are neighbours helping neighbours, sharing warmth, compassion, and generosity�not just at Christmas, but all year round.

Who is �us�?

Canadians respect one another and are proud of our society. There is no �strength in diversity�. Our strength lays in good people from a wide variety of backgrounds, beliefs, faiths and persuasions. We are weakened by ethnic, religious and tribal groups who cling to beliefs, customs and heritages incompatible with our society. Diversity itself is not a positive; people from diverse backgrounds are.        

�For Christians around the world, this season is a time to celebrate Jesus Christ and his message of compassion. For all of us, it is a chance to come together to give thanks for everything that unites us.

Christ taught us that ethics and morality matter, that respect for the family and compassion for our most vulnerable matters. He taught us to "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and to God the things that are God's."

Our governments have and own nothing. They have forgotten that they are custodians of public property, trustees of the public purse and representatives of those who elected them.   

�As the 150^th anniversary of Confederation draws to a close, all of us have a role to play in shaping our world for the better. In the New Year, and throughout the years to come, let�s commit to making a difference. Whether by lending a hand to a neighbour, or volunteering for a cause we believe in, let�s give generously, and live out the values that bring us together.

Canadians were living together and working out our differences before Confederation. We continue to do so despite political parties and governments that act as if they are wiser than those who elected them. That is chicanery. Governments can only help us manage those affairs that we cannot manage as individuals or communities.

Our federal government does not have powers over the provinces. Our constitution sets out different powers for each body and makes provisions for the federal government to assume power where an issue or matter is not covered by the constitution. The �sharing� evident in current intergovernmental affairs is unconstitutional and unlawful. Our federal government cannot be allowed to use taxpayer funds to buy jurisdiction in provincial affairs.

Few people realize that �equalization� at the time of confederation was fully funded by the federal government as provinces had limited taxing powers and it was in the interests of the federal government to assist the poorest provinces to grow and strengthen the nation.

The federal government decided to formalize equalization in 1953 and has turned the concept into a cesspool of mistrust and unfairness despised by most Canadians.         

�Let�s also reach out and listen�to those next door, across the aisle, and at the dinner table. Building a better world starts where we work and live, in our communities, and at home.

You would do well to listen to your advice. We are too often faced with federal and provincial governments that are arrogant, presumptuous, unwilling to consult with elected representatives, the electorate or the people, and providing us with what they want to provide rather than what we need.

If we wanted to be represented by a caldron of kvetches and czars we would elect them. To have candidates campaign as representatives of the people and then act as representatives of the political party or government that they are affiliated with is fraudulent and unacceptable.

We need a change to parliamentary rules to eliminate political party whips and whipped votes. Our elected representatives must be free to vote in accordance with constituent direction and conscience without undue influence. We have drifted into a swamp of demanding to know what our governments are going to do for us instead of holding them to account to provide services in accordance with their constitutional responsibilities and to stop spending our tax dollars on matters outside their jurisdiction.

Politics is the business of bread, circuses and illusions. We are short on bread, but the circuses are ever more elaborate and expensive. Use Google to look up the 2017 budgets province by province if you want to see exercises in fantasy. Try to find a consolidated financial statement in the mass of verbiage. The worst governments have the most complex budgets and our federal government is a contender.          

�During the holidays, I also ask you take a moment to remember our brave servicewomen and men, and their families. They make extraordinary sacrifices to keep us safe.

Our military personnel, as well as our police, firefighters, first responders, prison guards and sheriffs are in our thoughts constantly. We have family members, neighbours and friends who serve and we care about them. We are concerned over those who are killed or injured and the effect on them and their families.

Our governments have not provided them with compensation, benefits and pensions they have earned through service. That is shameful. They don�t need our thoughts; they need our support and need to know their loved ones will be secure if they are killed or injured while serving.

�From our family to yours, Hadrien, Ella-Grace, Xavier, Sophie, and I wish you joy, health, love, and peace this holiday season. Merry Christmas.�

We wish you and your family a wonderful and peaceful Christmas season and pray that you will be blessed with maturity and wisdom.   

* * * * * ^END * * * * *

Use of the royal �we� is consistent with Trudeau�s mind-set. His �we� does not encompass the Canadians he serves. There is a difference between an intelligent person and a smart-ass. Trudeau strikes me as the latter.

If I sound a bit chippy, it is because I find this �Christmas message� vacuous and uninspiring. Our Prime Minister should bring a modicum of gravitas and statesmanship to the table. This missive was written for delivery to Ms Higgins� Grade III class.

John Feldsted

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