Did you see PM Harper's speech coverage last night.

[ASRG]

I suspect Mr. Harper is going to get a real dose of reality if he tries to raise the age for old age security? I suspect he will get another dose of reality if he tries to buffalo those BC Indians?
If the Indians don't burn down Parliment, the baby boomers might!

[stubblejumper]

Craig Oliver, CTV Chief Political Correspondent

Date: Friday Jan. 27, 2012 3:38 PM ET

If you listen carefully to what all of the senior conservative government officials are saying these days, it appears they want to turn Canada into an economic juggernaut. At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Stephen Harper told investors and bankers that Canada is getting ready for major transformational change.


Having scolded the Europeans for the failure of their post-war welfare state, Harper told them that Canada, worried about its aging population, will soon be dealing with the pension costs, which their nations have failed to tackle until it's too late.


Everyone's trying to ferret out the nature of Harper's grand scheme for the country. So here's my guess: First he knows what we all know, that the globe is undergoing a tectonic shift, one which is moving wealth, money and power from the old industrial west to the emerging nations of the Asia-Pacific.


Second, he also knows that globally Canada is increasingly seen as an energy superpower. It's clear to me at least that Harper intends to put his shoulder to the national psyche and heave it away from being as Eurocentric as it has been since the beginning and into seeing itself and acting to a greater degree as a Pacific nation.


Naturally, our neighbours next door will always be our most significant trading partner but Americans are suffocating in debt which along with other deeply rooted problems will restrain that country's long-term prospects.


Obviously, because he said as much, Harper believes Canada's economic well-being will depend heavily on our ability to find other customers and especially in the emerging nations of Asia, such as China, India, Indonesia, Korea.


That's why he appears so anxious and frustrated with the resistance and slow pace of environmental approvals for projects like the Northern Gateway pipeline, which would carry Alberta oilsands bitumen across British Columbia to tankers on the West Coast.


He told the crowd in Davos getting Canadian energy resources to Asian customers is a national priority. More than that, it appears Harper intends to task every department of the government from Foreign Affairs to immigration and energy to make trade, investment and jobs their daily priority.


On Question Period this week we'll talk to Joe Oliver, the minister of natural resources, who wants to speed up and put deadlines on the ability of the National Energy Board and others to get final approvals for major projects, such as pipelines.


We will also speak to Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, who says one of the important matters slowing the Canadian economy down is a shortage of skilled labour, and he intends to do something about it.


In addition, we'll hear from our finance panel of Members of Parliament from all three parties, for their view of the Conservative government's new agenda, which could be titled The Business of Canada is Business.


Not everyone will agree with that narrow definition of what Canada is about



Read more: http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/QPeriod/20120127/criags-take-harper-oilimmigration-120127/#ixzz1klVlbDva

[riders2010]

The best we can come up with to solve debt is throw grandma out on the street? Why does steve hate grandma?

Does he know how many people that are so called retiring at 65 with nothing more than the pension? What an imoral thing to do.

Here's a brain wave, if the world wants our oil so bad why not make them pay for it, instead of giving it away.

But it is good the self destruction is starting.

[ASRG]

What is really funny is when he says the northern Gateway is a "national priority"? In fact it is a "multi national corporatrion priority"! Not much sense turning Alberta into an industrial toxic waste dump if the robber barons can't sell their product?
Then Kenney comes up with this gem: "We need to increase immigration to get skilled workers".....presumably to work at the oilsands mega projects, seeing how that is all that matters in a petro state? Hey Jason, how about training our own kids and the natives' kids...you know, so they can have a future? Maybe a better solution than bringing in a bunch of Asians who can't speak the language or know anything about the principles of our country? Or maybe he wants coolies that will work in appaling conditions for rice and beans?
Harper has never met a foreign corporation he didn't like. Look up the definition of a fascist sometime?

[bucket]

The nice thing about a pipline to a ship is you can have many customers and pick the ones that pay the most.

Conversely, by tieing the pipeline to one end user you limit your options.

But we have all heard this story before.

Too bad the americans will end up buying at the nozzle at the west coast. But they might have made us alot of money in the process.

[groundspeed]

If they need to cut on pensions, set an example and cut political pensions to.

[bucket]

What do you mean cut them, how about eliminate politician pensions.

Eight years and they get a pension plus a tax free salary during that time.

Name one job that after paying taxes for eight years you get a gold plated pensions plan????????

[TOM4CWB]

Bucket... 'Public service' jobs have VERY good benefits... of this there can be no doubt. Our 'Service' jobs are now 25-35 percent of the economy (depending on who is included)? Muni/Prov/Fed... Utilities...healthcare... mandatory transport services... education... telecom... the 'public' sevants are vast and very well paid...
They encourage politicians to be dippers in the sensual pension waters.

New lawyers and sales of Carbon Credits, Environmental goods and services... banking... insurance... there is soooo much sensual work for folks who can latch into this vast gravy train. Politicians are the least of the real concern... it is the entitlements they dole out that should be of grave concern... especially here in Alberta!!! Where are we at? 20 percent of the population must provide the productivity to pay 80 percent of those who vote to extract resourses from those 20 percent who MUST produce the prosperity for everyone.

[cottonpicken]

i might end up eating crow on harper

looks like somebody found out what an
unfunded liability is

hard concept for people to except that
eventually one hundred percent of
corporate and personal incomes will be
needed to fund our welfare state