Conservative to Blame for Cancelled Construction Projects

Go Home Boys

In the past few days, an awful lot of construction projects have been cancelled across Canada, and I lay the blame at the feet of Stephen Harper.

 I design and sell buildings for a living. I deal with hundreds of prospective clients all across Canada, and generally it’s a satisfying and well compensated occupation. This year has been  quite a roller coaster, with freight costs yo-yo’ing, steel costs surging by up to 50%, and uncertainty in the marketplace. OK, thats what makes life interesting, and there are sound reasons for all these things.

This year has seen agricultural construction demand collapse due to surging fuel and fertilizer costs all spring and summer, followed by the drop in many crop prices at harvest time. Construction for the manufacturing sector in Ontario, traditionally a huge and stable market has totally collapsed with the slow death of the whole automotive sector. Other manufacturers do not have a stable exchange rate environment, so despite the drop in the Canadian dollar, it is not dependable enough for exporters to sign long term contracts, without paying punitive fees to hedge the dollar.

Alberta has seen a raft of projects frozen, or even cancelled, for all the reasons above, PLUS collapsing energy prices.

There is still super strong demand in NewFoundland, and Saskatchewan, but fear is starting to set in, and good solid projects are being shelved due to uncertainty, and fear. It is that fear that is capping a bad year under the stewardship of the Conservatives, with a totally preventable disaster.

This week alone, I have had a significant number of building projects collapse. Due to the Conservative induced, and ONGOING political uncertainty, the Canadian dollar is moving down, like a basketball bouncing down the stairs. There is no rhyme, nor reason, but with an integrated North American materials market, every participant has to build ever increasing hedges into their project costs. This is pricing marginal projects out of the market, and I have personally witnessed HUNDREDS OF CONSTRUCTION JOBS LOST because of this volatility. They are mostly good projects, and when the situation settles, then the projects will mostly proceed in the 2009, and 2010 construction season. What really pisses me off, is that these, plus a large number of Government funded projects could, and should be starting RIGHT NOW! Canada really needs this to happen, and every small town that sees a project delay is losing 20 – 50 jobs over the winter.

So, why do I blame the Conservatives? They started this mess with their gratuitous attack on the opposition. They piled more rhetoric onto the hyperbola, and continually raised the stakes. Now they are putting their communications team into high gear, inventing a spurious constitutional crisis. The world is starting to listen, and political risk premium is now driving the dollars crazy ride. The Conservatives need to acknowledge that they screwed up, and surrendered their right to govern. They need to pay the price for their screwup, and step aside so a majority coalition can take the reigns with the full confidence of the house. It’s no longer about partisan interests, it is the only solution that will kill the uncertainty dead. The fact is that the Conservatives cannot, under any circumstances form a majority in the house TODAY, and that is now the only thing that will settle the uncertainty, and stop this death spiral.

I’m talking to you Ottawa, are you deaf to Canada’s Plea?

Elizabeth May Appointed to Senate?!

This Globe and Mail article is a good synopsis of Canadian political situation at this moment.

A second Reuters piece discusses much the same.

Spot Elizabeth May

There is a real eye opener, that has some very interesting, and potentially controversial implications.

“And Green Party Leader Elizabeth May is endorsing the proposed coalition government and says she has spoken with Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion about the possibility of her being appointed to the Senate.”

Holy cow! Appointment to Senate? First off, is this Elizabeth May’s entree to cabinet? Jack Layton will have

Jack Layton

something to say about it if that’s the case. The Dippers AND Dions fellow Liberals will not want the GPC sitting on the front bench in Parliament. It would be good for Canada, and Elizabeth would make a brilliant Minister of Environment, but that’s another question. They will not want the GPC to have such a prominent role PERIOD.

Secondly, The GPC has a long standing commitment to democratic reform. How well does it sit in YOUR craw that she may have an appointed seat in the Senate? The counter argument is solid, and obvious. In what respect is it undemocratic that someone who received just short of 1 million votes should sit in the Senate?

Dig a bit deeper. The CPC will probably fashion a wedge to split soft Liberal supporters, on the issue that the coalition is a constitutional coup. If they succeed in managing the debate, then the electorate will be debating the democratic legitimacy of this coalition Government. Square the issue for the GPC, because the democratic legitimacy of Senate appointments does raise an ethical quiver with most people (I believe).

The GPC stood to gain simply by standing above the fray, and pointing to the children battling in the Parliamentary sandbox. Isn’t it a terrible shame, support the clean Party that wants to do politics a different way. Ask yourself this question. Is the Green Party of Canada going to do better with Elizabeth in the Senate, and perhaps in Cabinet, OR will the GPC do better by picking more support amongst an increasingly disillusioned, and disaffected electorate?

Parliamentary Democracy in Action.

I just read a partisan Tory blog, with a difference. It didn’t rant at the undemocratic nature of the proposed coalition government, it addressed the potential weaknesses of the coalition. This is the kind of Tory that doesn’t eat babies, and should be wooed by the Green Party, as we did so well in 2004. I would enjoy debating these points with the author in a Pub, over a pint or two.

Here’s my non-partisan take on the current controversy:

We are governed by a Westminster Parliamentary Democracy. That means a Representative democracy, as any

He would agree

true political conservative, like myself, or the members of the now defunct Progressive Conservatives, we seek to preserve our political traditions, because they are well establish by custom, law, and convention, and they work very well indeed.

I realise that in many respects this is contrary to official Green Party policy, especially with respect to proportional representation, but despite it’s imperfections, and blemishes, I am content to live under this ploitical system. In fact, this weeks events demonstrate that it IS robust, and it works well.
In order to form a government, a prospective Prime Minister must seek, and acquire the confidence of the house. Our current Prime Minister has a minority in the house, and an even weaker mandate from the country, with less than a third of the popular vote. There is no doubt that Stephen Harper sought to sow discord, and exercise power beyond the limits imposed by his parties minority position.

Hundreds of years of Parliamentary tradition support the Liberals and NDP in their intention to seek the confidence of the house, and form a coalition government. If the Bloc supports them, then it will be right and proper that they govern. If you seek to rule this country, and you pretend to be Conservative, then you are doubly bound by Parliamentary convention. There’s a pretty good discussion of this in todays Globe and Mail.
The Green Party has absolutely nothing to do with it, as they have no sitting members. The GPC will continue to build organisational strength, and continue to attract progressive conservatives, making it increasingly unlikely that the neo-conservatives will ever earn the confidence of the house. I am happy to say that Parliament is working, and that a Government that best represents the views of the majority of Canadian electors is about to take power. This is the my position, as a Green, and a Canadian.

Now don’t forget, the Green Party has room for many competing views of Canada. If you want to be part of a real political movement, that is sweeping away the cobwebs, JOIN THE GREENPARTY NOW!