Crux of the Matter

I am in the midst of moving and don’t have time for a full post, but ONLY the Governor General can prorogue a parliamentary session. The PM can request the action but she MUST sign the document. She opens each session of parliament, reads her “Throne Speech” and eventually prorogues that session. Ultimately, she is the head of the Canadian government and whether this coalition is given the green light is up to her.

The duties of the GG are explained here.

Update: Of course, given this Liberal/NDP/Bloc coalition, all bets are off about what can or cannot be done. Obviously anything can happen. And, thanks to regular reader Gabby, who left these figures at Blue Like You, here are some interesting statistics:

1963: Liberal minority with 41.52%
1965: Liberal minority with 40.18%
*1972: Liberal minority with 38.42%* - 61.58% did not vote Liberal
1974: Liberal majority with 43.15%
1980: Liberal majority with 43.15%
1993: Liberal majority with 41.24%
*1997: Liberal majority with 38.46%* - 61.54% did not vote Liberal
2000: Liberal majority with 40.85%
*2004: Liberal minority with 36.73%* - 63.27% did not vote Liberal
2006: Conservative minority with 36.27%
2008: Conservative minority with 37.65%

So, the argument being used that approximately 60% of Canadians did not vote Conservative is a bit much when you realize all the Liberal minorities (since 1963) that have governed while in a similar position. Ah, but of course, that was different, they were Liberal.

“When the dust settles” has a double meaning of course — referring to both our move this coming Friday and the attempted coup going on in Ottawa.

So, as of this evening, I have to unglue myself from my computer because I have a lot still to do, combined with work-related writing.  Worse yet, towards the end of the week I will not even have access to my computer for some 24-48 hours — which I know will be hard given current events!

Anyway, maybe when I get back to my keyboard, the coup will have fallen apart and everything will be back to normal. And the dust really will have settled. At least that is my hope.

Back in a week.

Note:I have had to close comments on the “coup d’etat” post because I can’t be available to moderate. I have also put all other comments, including those for this post, on “moderation.” While I will check and approve comments as often as I can, there will be that period at the end of the week where I will not be online. In the meantime, thanks to everyone for their patience.

As I wrote yesterday, trying to replace the current Conservative government with a so-called Liberal/NDP/Bloc “coalition” is nothing but a power grab, a non-violent Coup d’Etat.

Moreover, while I don’t think the party financing issue should have been included in the economic update given by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty on Thursday, November 27th, the criticism that the opposition parties must put together a coalition and a stimulus package to “save” the country is pure political posturing and nonsense.

Remember the Harper government accomplishments?

• Debt reduction — $37 billion since the start of the first mandate (Link)
• GIS – (Guaranteed Income Supplement for Seniors): changed to allow for higher earned income (Link)
• GST — Goods & services tax cut from 7% to 5% (Link)
• Income splitting for Canadian seniors and pensioners (Link)
• Tax free Savings Account (Link)
• Softwood Lumber Agreement (Bill C-24) (Link)
• Students exempted from taxation for scholarships, bursaries and fellowships (Link)
• Universal Child Care Benefit — $1200.00 per year for every child under age six (Link)

In other words, the Harper government has been providing stimulus packages for the nearly three years they have been in power. To suggest otherwise is to deny reality.

Some other points to consider:

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The mainstream media and Liberal and progressive bloggers can ignore the obvious, but it is there for all to see. The current so-called “Coalition” is nothing short of an attempted peaceful Parliamentary ”Coup d’Etat.”

Remember the Sponsorship Scandal

Taken down to its basic components, the current Liberal caucus, the party of the Sponsorship Scandal,  is so desperate to return to power that they will seek any excuse whatsoever to take over the Conservative government — that was duly elected only six short weeks ago — with the help of the NDP, an extreme socialist party who would plunge the country into an Ontario-like Bob Rae government and the Bloc, whose only reason for existing is to take Quebec out of the Federation. 

So, we all thought the Sponorship scandal was the bottom of the barrel for the Liberals. Seems it is not even close.

I have not always been a conservative supporter, I admit that. I have voted for all the parties at one time or another. But, never have I been so embarrassed to be a Canadian — a supposedly enlightened Western democracy — than to see this group of power hungry politicians try to take over the levers of government – at a time when there should be stability and a thoughtful, not panicky, steady hand.

So, the Liberals, NDP and Blog rail against the removal of party entitlements. Is it any surprise? Call it what it is. It is political party welfare. They should get their data bases in order and fund raise and stop whining.

Definitions of Coup d’Etat

Answers.com says a “Coup d’Etat” is: “The sudden overthrow of a government by a usually small group of persons in or previously in positions of authority.” Well, that is exactly what is being attempted.

Wikipedia says:

A coup d’état (pronounced /kuːdeɪˈtɑː/ AHD: [ko͞o"dā tä]), often simply called a coup, is the sudden unconstitutional overthrow of a government by a part — usually small — of the state establishment — usually the military — to replace the branch of the stricken government, either with another civil government or with a military government.

While no military are involved, some in the media are — by condoning the actions and in most cases, actually referring to the whole episode ONLY in anti-Harper terms. See both Bourque and National Newswatch, as well as Blue Like You where Joanne has a number of links. Clearly, the headlines speak for themselves. What the opposition parties are doing is far more anti-democratic than taking away taxpayer political funding, particularly when we look at how few votes and seats they got only six weeks ago.

Calling all Canadian Journalists

As such, I call on all professional journalists in the Canadian mainstream media, to take off their partisan blinders, and call it what it is  — a peaceful Parliamentary Coup d’Etat.

C/P at Jack’s Newswatch.

Can you believe it? The English Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO) has had since last May to respond to the boards of education involved about the Ontario government’s very generous (some would say too generous) compensation package.

Yet, during one of the worse global financial crisis since the 1930’s, no one from ETFO has apparently said a thing since that time.  So, with the deadline of November 30th fast approaching, that means they have only three more days left to respond.  

Here is the government’s mind boggling proposal. Link

Truly, if the union does NOT accept this compensation package and decides to go on strike, they have to be living in a parallel universe.

I am not usually favourable about anything the Dalton McGuinty government has done in terms of giving the teachers unions pretty much all they want. But, this is definitely the end of the road and the government would have the public on their side — a public that is hurting big time.

When you see jobs disappearing daily, including those that were considered steady and predictable (such as those who got their pink slips at Magna yesterday), when compared against a group of people with one of the best and most secure jobs there are, they should just accept the package and be grateful.

The probable sticking point? Closing the Gap. Meaning, that ETFO wants parity with their secondary colleagues as far as: (1) per pupil funding; and (2) teaching the same number of hours – which would cost close to another one to two billion dollars — an insurmountable amount when you consider the needs of the industries that are hurting so much.

But, of course, if the elementary teachers do vote to strike or if the unions take that action unilaterally, they won’t do it until they have completed their two week Christmas vacation.

Update Friday, November 28:

(1) Well, it seems the secondary school teachers have reached an agreement — which leaves ONLY ETFO. Read this document that was just released this morning.

(2) Read this comment from “Skinny Dipper.” He says teachers would likely only start “a work to rule campaign” to begin with. As far as I am concerned, that is already a strike action because music, band, gymnastics, chess, coaching and sports activities are an integral part of an elementary school education. And, let’s face it, if any of those types of activities are denied, the only ones hurt are the children. 

I have been writing about the dangers of political correctness for some time now. Yet, I could not have anticipated the latest follies at Carleton and Queen’s Universities — whose administrations and student representatives have shown the ugly side of supposed “inclusiveness” and “social justice” – that it is really code for including everyone except whites, particularly white males. 

As a retired academic and teacher, I am absolutely appalled. Here I thought that universities, of all places, were about freedom of thought and inclusiveness of people and ideas — where one was free to express ”defensible” thoughts and opinions that would otherwise be considered controversial.

Carleton University

Yet, the Carleton example proves what many have suspected for a long time, that the last bastion of prejudice is alive and well: anyone who is white, particularly male, should be seen and not heard — even if, through no fault of your own, you were born with cystic fibrosis.

What if CF was a strictly “white” disease — which it isn’t? Why would that fact make it an unworthy cause? How absolutely disgusting, particularly even as student and university spokespersons try to justify what was said and what happened. To be blunt, what the Carleton students did was racist. And, they should be apologizing, not making excuses.

Queen’s University 

Yet, the Queen’s situation is even scarier — thought police — essentially specially trained (brain washed) students who will interrupt conversations to provide “a teachable moment.” What a truly offensive idea, particularly as a former teacher educator. Teachable moments are NOT about trying to ”correct” people who are in the midst of a private conversation or in the middle of a seminar discussion.  

I am going to be blunt. What Carleton students did was racism, reverse racism. What Queen’s is doing is brain washing (not training) young people to be thought police in order to re-educate students to the proper way of thinking — much as was done in the former Soviet Union and still done in totalitarian states today.

Let’s be clear. We are not talking here about hate mongering. We are talking about people simply having a difference of opinion — and it shouldn’t matter what colour their skin may be.

NOT About Freedom, Inclusiveness

Therefore, to use a train as a metaphor, it is long past time our society put the brakes on this politically correct train (of an inclusiveness and social justice that is neither inclusive or just) because it is running down the track completely out of control.

Our Charter of Rights

Toronto District School Board Trustee James Pasternak — please take note. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, not only guarantees all Canadians their  democratic rights but their fundamental freedoms, mobility rights and equality rights as well. To put it another way, those rights are not exclusively for people of any one skin colour, race or religion. They are for all of us — whether we agree, disagree or outright oppose.

So, when your fellow elected trustees, like Josh Matlow, disagree, question and/or criticize any TDSB policy, it is what they were all ”elected” to do (including you) — to represent the people of their constituency, you know, those folks who voted for you to manage the public interest? 

Political Correctness

For some time now, there has been a discussion on this blog about the dangers of political correctness when it comes to ensuring our schools are safe — particularly in our large urban centres like Toronto. As I said in this post, the TDSB and the Ontario Ministry of Education (and those writing reports for either of them) have taken this correctness to extremes.

Thankfully, the Toronto Sun is dealing with this issue head on, otherwise we wouldn’t be hearing about it.

Black-focused School

I have also opposed the black-focused school policy (scroll down the archived page) from the start as a step back to the segregation of the past. While I agree that school choice should be a parent’s option, I oppose this particular decision because blacks have been fighting for decades for equal rights and equal opportunities and the very idea that they would once again be segregated “because they can’t measure up” is far more offensive to me than criticizing the decision.

Reverse Racism 

So, imagine my surprise to find out that one of the TDSB’s own trustees, James Pasternak, doesn’t want any of his fellow trustees to criticize this policy in any way. That folks is what I am talking about when I say political correctness is dangerous. It is dangerous when people are intimated into not saying what they are really thinking because simply disagreeing is not discrimination or hate speech. It is simply disagreeing. Nothing more.

In other words, this type of extreme political correctness — when elected trustees are not supposed to say anything publicly against anyone or any TDSB policy that has to do with being black — is very seriously anti-democratic.

And given what the Toronto Sun editorial says today, it seems very obvious that an extreme form of political correctness is deeply embedded within the entire TDSB — a correctness that is actually reverse racism.

It is time, therefore, for the general public to get involved and demand that everyone involved in public education, be it in Toronto or elsewhere in Canada, be able to talk openly about everything that affects ALL children. Enough about poverty making young people turn to gangs and violence. Enough about everyone else being to blame for students not graduating.

In other words, it’s time for some straight talk.

Note: H/T to regular reader Ann for the Sun link. While I am busy packing and getting ready to move, I just had to say something about this topic because our very rights and freedoms are being affected by the extent of this political correctness.

Brain Plasticity:

This article is not only about the apparent success of Arrowsmith School (and other facilities that are similar) to provide help and hope for children and youth with learning disabilities. It is also about my personal journey as a “learning specialist” into the field of brain flexibility and re-learning — what is now referred to as brain or neuro plasticity.

It wasn’t called brain pasticity in the decade between 1985 and 1995 when I was in private practice. It was referred to as remediation or learning strategies training which were to “compensate” (as the title of my textbook suggests) for learning problems.

The term brain plasticity, however, has a completely different emphasis because there is the hint or suggestion that, because the brain is not static and constant, it can be re-formed or re-structured — in other words, change itself — as a result of new skills and experiences.

What an amazing possibility that has implications for many areas of health care. It would explain why some stroke victims or those who have had a traumatic brain injury, are able to re-learn to speak, read and, in some cases, walk.

But, to even think that learning disabilities could be essentially “cured” was unthinkable only a decade ago because the definition of a learning disability was a ”central nervous system disorder” – caused by a range of possible neurological causes – that is considered a lifelong affliction. In fact, a quick look at an official learning disability site still states that a learning disability “cannot be fixed or cured.”

Arrowsmith School:

However, while learning and behaviour problems may be lifelong disabilities for some, in watching the CBC program a week ago (which will be replayed on December 30th, 2008) about Arrowsmith and its promising program, I knew, from my own experience, that some individuals can show more improvement than others.

While parents need to realize that fact before spending the money for a program like Arrowsmith, they also need to know that some improvement is usually better than none or very little. I know that because I wear two hats — as both a professional and a mother. My own son, who is now an adult and has severe learning disabilities and mild to moderate autism, showed significant improvement after attending two different private schools (that are no longer in business). They were the answer to him being able to live a normal independent life, albeit with some restrictions.

I also know that, for most children and youth, the brain exercises done at Arrowsmith should be done in conjunction with a regular school program — which Arrowsmith apparently does in some instances. I say that because in my experience, the brain needs to have opportunities to generalize cognitive and skill development — in context.

In fact, I found that a multi-sensory approach to brain exercises was key — because in my view an integrated approach works best when what you are trying to do is help a person learn to read, write, think, calculate and problem solve. But, I absolutely agree that practice, practice, practice, is crucial for changes to the brain to happen.

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While we have been  de-cluttering and getting ready to downsize for a while now, the next ten days will be especially busy as moving day fast approaches. There will even be a period at the end of the first week of December when I will not have Internet access at all. So, I will be putting comments on moderation until things are back to normal.

That said, knowing me, if something controversial or interesting does come up, I’ll take the time to post on it. However, if I don’t, regular readers will know what I am up to.

In the meantime, remember to keep the economy going in my absence. Don’t let the doom and gloom ”experts” get to you. Get out there and buy your Christmas or whatever holiday it is you celebrate — gifts — and do your bit.

For awhile now, I have been writing about the negative impact political correctness has in school violence across this country, particularly in Toronto. As today’s Toronto Sun editorial confirms, the facts don’t seem to  have anything to do with reality. 

Let’s look at who is involved in Canada’s largest city. First there is Premier Dalton McGuinty and his Education Minister Kathleen Wynn. Then, there are the school board trustees and school administrators. Lastly, we have the authors of the “Roots of Youth Violence Report” – Ontario Chief Justice Roy McMurtry and former MPP Alvin Curling.

According the findings of the Youth Violence Report, all have known precisely what the problem is regarding school violence but have refused to do anything about it because (according to the report itself) the problem is about poverty. What nonsense. There have always been families who were poor and their children were not violent.

Assumptions About School Violence:

The assumption is, and it is a mistaken assumption, that when parents and classroom teachers report and complain about “black” or aboriginal students who are being verbally and physically violent against their fellow students, it is the parents and teachers who are wrong — because they are ”over-reacting” and therefore, somehow racist.

That to me is wrong, wrong, wrong. It is wrong because it shouldn’t matter what a student’s cultural background is or the colour of their skin (or their religion for that matter because we also can’t say a word against a student who is Muslim) when reporting alleged school violence. It shouldn’t matter because many, if not most, of the kids being killed or need protection are also minorities or black.

Reverse Racism:

Violence is not about poverty. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, it is the extent of the current climate of political correctness that is endangering our children and youth — by failing to do something about those students who are lashing out at others knowing they will be ignored and excused because of their colour, culture or religion.

By doing that, what the authorities have done is give the perpetrators a sense of entitlement and power that is truly scary.

Something has to be done to turn this around. There should be zero tolerance for any kind of violence in our schools or society against anyone else and colour and religion should not be used as an excuse — unless we want our schools to become the battlegrounds they are starting to become.

Where is the the PC Opposition on the School Violence? 

And, one more thing, where are the John Tory PC’s in all this? Silent as usual. Since Tory has no seat of his own and is, therefore, completely ineffectual, he should do the right thing and resign and allow the party to get a leader who has some backbone who will fight the status quo meone has to be able to stand up and take the flack by calling this political correctness for what it is — reverse racism.

So, where is Mike Harris when you need him? Obviously paying attention. Read his column in today’s National Post.

Note:H/T to Ann, a regular reader, for the Sun and National Post links.

Update: Christina Blizzard has an article in today’s Toronto Sun that basically concurs with the point of view that political correctness has replaced common sense and the now somewhat old fashioned view that school violence could be reduced or eliminated if parents did what they are supposed to do. H/T femaleConvoter.