COVID-19 Canada: Promises of Money and The Path Takes Before You Get It

From Justin Trudeau’s Announcement to Actual People’s Bank Accounts in Canada

Here’s the lowdown, with linked sources and the simplest explanation possible.

Since the coronavirus began to take hold in Canada, the government has been meeting and trying very hard to sort out a plan for slowing the spread of the virus.

Just as Italy’s numbers began to skyrocket, Sophie Trudeau tested positive for the virus. As recommended by health officials, she, her husband Justin and their children went into self-isolation at home.

Sophie’s husband Justin Trudeau, is the Prime Minister of Canada and affectionately known as JT. He went to work from home along with many other Canadians. During this time, he held almost daily pressers from his front porch. We have all seen him out there regularly addressing Canadians through the media. He’s been saying a lot of stuff about the virus and social distancing. As things started to escalate, he spoke of travel restrictions and urged Canadians to return home and self-isolate. He offered them money they could access through email if they found themselves stranded away from home. He eventually, closed the Candian borders including the border between the U.S. and Canada.

These pressers were peppered with money announcements and government jargon and a special thank you to the children of Canada for trusting in science and helping their parents work from home.  All very nice.

JT announced a huge economic aid package for businesses and individuals over several days in the past couple of weeks. It included billions in federal guarantees on loans through the BDC (Business Development Bank of Canada) with a specific 50 billion earmarked for small and medium-sized businesses.

With that announcement, the Government had hoped to encourage as many companies to keep employees on the payroll and allow them to work from home or wait until work can begin after the COVID-19 crisis comes to an end.

People were laid off anyway.  No one has received any of this promised money yet.

Then they announced a plan to get money to Canadians through the Employment Insurance system. Anyone with enough hours to qualify should simply apply and those who have been working but do not qualify would be able to get E.I anyway.

500,000 Canadians applied for E.I. in the first week and the system is now overloaded. Money that Canadians can use is still delayed.

The Government spoke directly with banks regarding mortgages and then announced that they had negotiated with the 6 big banks in Canada and got them to agree to mortgage deferrals up to 6 months for homeowners.  The idea being, that if homeowners didn’t have to make the mortgage payments, they wouldn’t need to get rent from tenants until the crisis was over.

Of course, banks fucked it by tying in very unfavourable conditions. Homeowners quickly discovered that the banks would only defer the principal amounts, everyone would still need to pay the interest portion and then at the end of the deferral period, would be required to make larger payments. Very few takers on that one.

The Government of Canada is trying to get money to Canadians before April 1. They tried to pass a bill yesterday that would have given new temporary powers to the government to make decisions during the COVID-19 Crisis.  On March 24, it did not pass unanimously as needed. Some MPs claimed the Liberals were trying to take advantage of the crisis.

There are 3 main takeaways from that bill.

1. The Government would have been able to make quick spending decisions.
2. The Government could make very quick decisions on borrowing
3. The Government could make quick decisions on taxes.

It would have allowed them to bypass parliamentary procedures for certain decisions. Questions would be put to committee instead of 1st, 2nd and 3rd readings all with debates and a vote to send it up to be put on the Senate agenda. Depending on what it is and how it goes, that process can take weeks, months or years start to finish. The new powers were to remain in place until March 2021.

The government MPs stayed all night to debate the new bill again and did come to an agreement first thing in the morning.

Under the new version of the agreement, the government’s emergency powers will remain in place until September 2020 instead of March 2021.

Here’s what it looks like for Canadians:

1. $2000/month for Canadians who are off work, due to the COVID-19.
2. A temporary boost to Canada Child Benefits.
3. Up to $900 biweekly for workers who don’t qualify for E.I., or are self-employed. Through the CRA.
4. A six-month, interest-free reprieve on student loan payments.
5. Double resources for the homeless.
6. Tax filing extension to June 1 and deferred tax payments.
7. $305 million for a new Indigenous Community Support Fund to address immediate needs in First Nations, Inuit and Métis Nation communities.

As soon as the bill passed the House this morning, Finance Minister Bill Morneau spoke to a Senate Committee of the Whole.

The way this is went down is a perfect example of why the government needs this bill so badly during this time of unprecedented crisis. Remember, this is as fast as it can possibly happen. I listened to the broadcast so you don’t have to.

Morneau presents the bill and speaks to it and says individuals need money in the next hours to buy groceries etc.

Here are some highlights of this morning’s questions from senators.

Senator: Will the Government of Canada pressure airlines to give refunds for travel because many had trips planned and then had to cancel them. He went on at length about airline websites and the drop-down menu of options such as ‘cancel my trip’, ‘travel at a later date’ and because it was easier, many chose ‘travel at a later date’. Those people received an airline travel voucher instead of money. Wouldn’t it be better for the Canadian Government to speak to those airlines and convince them to turn those travel vouchers into a refund and put the money back onto people’s cards?

Morneau didn’t really answer that one, because truly how would he and it’s a pretty stupid question. It sounded like this guy had a trip planned and had to take a travel voucher. No one feels sorry for you.

Senator: Canadian banks are wealthy and healthy. Blah, blah blah blah Canadian banks are great.

No real answer to that either. Like, OK, buddy. That’s great. Thanks.

Senator: Will the government of Canada provide money to the oil and gas sector? Why did the Government choose to use the Employment Insurance system because it is the worst approach because so many Canadians are not on the registry and now the system is overloaded? Why didn’t we subsidize wages instead?

Morneau had already said this bill is to subsidize small and medium-sized businesses. The government is not worried as much about big companies who have existing relationships and available credit with their banks.

Senator: Why doesn’t the government want to fund thousands of companies to keep people on the payroll as opposed to funding millions of Canadians? It would be so much easier. Then the employer/employee relationships could be maintained.

Morneau disagrees. Says the government wants to send money directly to Canadians – no need to break employer/employee relationship. His government wants to offer benefits directly to people. He goes on to say it is ‘important for people to receive direct benefits’.

Senator: I’ve been speaking to accountants and they have been issuing work cessation statements. That breaks the relationship due to layoffs.

Morneau answers him saying we changed our approach if employees find themselves with no income, they have access and it is not necessary to be laid off.

Senator Pate asks what steps will the government take to ensure a Guaranteed                     Livable Anual Income.

Morneau responds that there are lots of gaps, that’s why this bill is to address that and make sure we get money to people who are impacted by this crisis.  Guaranteed Annual Income is a separate issue that needs debate. Says he is talking about ‘right now.’ There is no time because Canadians need money for food and rent in the short term. April 1 is around the corner. We need to deal with it right now, not be dragged into a debate about Guaranteed Annual Income. It will have to wait until later. Right now, we are seeking extensive powers because of where we’re at.

Senator: Has the gov’t considered using CRA system to direct deposit into people’s bank accounts?

Morneau: We are trying to use CRA system and others to direct deposit. 70% of Canadians have direct deposit already, but some people will still need cheques. We are trying to get things done that are urgent while people are being asked to stay home.

After a mere 2 hours of questions, the bill passed the Senate. That was only possible because the Senate suspended all other business to deal with the COVID-19 bailout bill. It now awaits Royal Assent.

Royal Assent has been given. All systems go.

 

 

 

 

I’m Rubber; You’re Glue

I think it’s funny that the Robocrisis has caused such a hullaballoo. Put it in perspective. Considering all the other more serious infractions perpetrated by the Harper Government over the years, voter suppression is relatively minor. Let’s compare it to some other stuff like ooh, contempt of parliament, the illegal campaign financing of the in and out scandal, proroguing parliament multiple times. All of which we know about and they are definitely guilty of. But, whatever. At least everyone seems to care about Robocrisis. Probably because its just become all too much.

I’m so entertained by trying to keep track of it all. The Harper Conservatives have been trying everything to make this go away. Luckily for me, they always seem to return to the classics. It’s hilarious. “I’m rubber; you’re glue. Whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you”. Let’s make a list. Come on. It’ll be fun.

1. It’s no big deal and who cares anyway…
Alleged Election Crank Call Just an Honest Mistake Tories Say

2. Wasn’t me.
Absolutely Definitely No Tory Role in Robo-calls Harper Insists

3. You’re just jealous…
Harper Dismisses Robo-call Scandal as Smear Campaign by Sore Losers

4. The butler did it.
Tory Staffer Leaves MPs Office in Wake of Voter Suppression Probe

5. You know, now that I think about it, there was this one guy…
Robocalls Phone Number Registered to Pierre Poutine

6. It was The Liberals. They are always so mean to us.
Conservatives Blame Liberals

7. We don’t know who it was, but we have hurt feelings too.
Tory Backers Also Got Robocalls

8. Look over there! What’s that?
Grit Behind Vikileaks Called Before Ethics Committee

Yes. Create a diversion. The perfect last ditch effort. Now the guy who created the Vikileaks thing will endure a public shaming. The difference is; all of Canada cheered when Vikileaks came out. Even me. Why? Because when someone gets all pointy they deserve a dose of their own medicine. Everything on Vikileaks was public information anyway. The guy simply took the time to compile it and then clicked “tweet”. Besides, the Liberals took it seriously and fired the guy as soon as they found out who he was. Bob Rae even gave an apology.

As much as the HarperCons wish for this whole nasty mess to ricochet over to the Liberals; I really hope it doesn’t.

Mystery of The RoboCrisis

You know what? I think perhaps we should change our way of thinking re: Bill C-30, the so-called internet spying bill.

Initially, I was among the millions of Canadians who hate the idea of having my emails and messages read by who ever feels like accessing them without a warrant. I wondered why on earth the Conservatives would ever need my banking information or credit card numbers. Those numbers are useless to both them and me.

Then I was imagining some Con MP getting his assistant to access my 13 year old son’s Playstation Network history. Could information like that be used to gain unfair advantage for his own kid in Call of Duty? Would my boy be prevented from further advancement in his favorite online gaming community? Would his life be forever changed? It just might kill his confidence completely. He would grow up with no hope of a bright future. The Con Artists could bestow more privilege than ever upon their own children. It would surpass private schools and launch them into a whole new realm of possibility. Non-Conservative offspring would be forever doomed to a life of hopeless failure.

Then I decided to stop thinking about it at all. So I did.

That only lasted until today. I’m back on it because I read that Vic Toews got permission to find out who accessed his court records and put them online. Then a light bulb went off somewhere above my head. That story made me start to think of Bill C-30 in a whole new way. Wait a minute! If Bill C-30 does pass (oh, the suspense is killing me!) it could come in handy for us non-Conservatives too. It might just work both ways!

Maybe let’s support the stupid thing. For awhile at least. Then the Con Artists in Ottawa won’t have to agree to anything. Elections will just be able to access all their records without permission or a warrant. That way we can get to the bottom of the Robocrisis lickety split and move on with our lives.

See Ya; Wouldn’t Wanna Be Ya

Today marks the day that Harry Wolbert and Sandra Hoskins received some kind of punishment for their damaging behaviour toward my precious Manitoba Liberal Party. Finally, Harry and Sandra were slapped with 10 month suspensions. Good. It’s about time.

Both of these characters thought it wise to call the press and make public statements against the Leader and against other party members on a pretty regular basis. Their latest escapade through the pages of the newspaper, focused on yakking out loud about the details of a confidential party meeting. Neither one of these two can manage a short statement to a reporter without demanding that Gerrard step down as leader. And then what? The Manitoba Liberals will elect one of them as the new Leader? Ha! Not bloody likely.

Keep in mind that these two are allowed the same privileges as anyone else at meetings. They are given a chance to speak and make their case. Afterward, if everyone else promptly disagrees with them, its on to the next topic. As it goes. This would all be fine if they would accept that, but they won’t. They have both convinced themselves that somehow, nobody in attendance understood them. That must be it. Because no one is as smart as they are. Yes. Frustrating. I think they both imagine if only more people could hear what they had to say, so many would be enlightened that Harry and/or Sandra would be held up as shining new beacons of hope for society. People would flock to join the Manitoba Liberal Party and rally around one or the other as the chosen one. And we’d all live happily ever after.

I can understand it. Sure. I love when everyone agrees with me. It’s a great feeling. A real confidence booster. It sucks when I think I have a fantastic idea and someone else thinks its totally insane. The difference is, I don’t phone up the newspaper about it.

During the 2011 Manitoba Provincial Election, both Sandra and Harry were candidates. Sandra ran her campaign mostly on facebook and directed a significant amount of time at arguing with other Liberals. Harry, thought his best chance for a win was to make public statements against the Liberal Leader and offer to take the leadership himself. Wrong and wrong. Not only did they damage their own campaigns, they did significant damage to the Liberal campaign overall. They put zero thought into how their bullshit might affect some others who were campaigning against the opposition. They didn’t realize that all the Manitoba Liberals were sharing one lifejacket, when they poked a big hole in an already leaky dinghy.

Allowing this sort of thing and these sort of people to play such a key role in managing the party has driven many Liberals away. It is disheartening for more sensible party members to continually have to read about this crap in the paper and when people become disheartened they lose hope and stop coming around. At the moment, I know more disillusioned and prodigal Liberals than active Liberals in Manitoba.

The 2011 election result gives The Manitoba Liberal a chance to rebuild themselves into whatever they want. Step one is to admit that we are judged by the company we keep.

What Kind of Person Goes Giraffe Hunting?

Today, I came across exactly the kind of information that makes me wish I had never heard of the internet. A story about hunting white buffalo in Texas lead me to the horrible realization that there are people out there that pay big money to hunt not only the white buffalo in the picture, but giraffes and elephants. What for?

American Indians and Native Canadians are rightfully furious about hunting the white buffalo which of course, is sacred to them. I thought white buffalo were scarce and unusual. Isn’t that what the plaque says at the Winnipeg Zoo?

In my google adventure for today, I made all sorts of awful discoveries. You can go giraffe hunting, for example. These people at Safari Guides dot net are happy to take your money. Again, why would you pay someone to let you kill a giraffe?

It seems to me that its all a bit much.

This company in Texas offers hunting packages of every description including the white buffalo and three different kinds of DOVE HUNTING adventures! Why dove hunting? What did doves ever do? Do you become more manly when you kill doves? I thought we were using doves as a symbol of peace. Did someone change that?

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you; these hunting packages include free booze!

According to their website, “There are no seasonal restrictions on hunting the Zebra in Texas, which makes it a suitable trophy year round.” Could that be because since there aren’t supposed to be any zebras wandering around the Texas wilderness, nobody thought they would need any zebra hunting rules? Maybe.

My favorite option might just be this little gem. “We typically let our hunters choose the method of hunting that they prefer”. Then there’s a list, which includes handguns. Yes. Handgun hunting. They can accommodate the physically disabled hunter as well as those hunters confined to a wheelchair. Handgun hunting of endangered animals from a wheelchair. I can picture it now.

“Texas Hunt Lodge allows the opportunity to hunt and harvest the extremely rare Bongo you’ll want to hang on your wall.” I actually don’t know what to say about this, because it gets better, “if you don’t see a species of Exotic Game animal on our website which you would like to hunt, please let us know, and we’re fairly confident that we can locate it for you.” Then you can kill one to hang on your very own wall. Yeesh!

Don’t get me wrong, I haven’t joined PETA or anything and I still stand behind Canada Goose. After all, fur trimmed hoods are extra warm and we are in Canada.

Like, I am not a complete fool. I am aware that hunting is big business. I just always thought they were talking about deer and whatever plentiful game there happens to be where you are. You know, like wild boar and whatever. I guess I was taken by surprise with this white buffalo hunting story.

More Asbestos Arriving on Thursday

Here’s an update on the situation at the dump in Gillam Manitoba.

According to CBC news, the Mayor of Gillam Manitoba said that “another load will be dumped Thursday and all of it will be buried.”

He also said the town is getting paid $40-$50 a tonne to accept the material.

He further stated that it was all “double bagged”. He did not mention anything about a tarp thrown haphazardly over it or any of the bags being torn.

Query: Does it stop being poison when you bury it? Just curious.

Asbestos in Gillam

These photos were shared on facebook today by a resident of Gillam Manitoba.

This is the local dump in Gillam Manitoba. According to the tags, these are bags of asbestos fibres.  

I got this from the Town of Gillam website,

GILLAM WASTE DISPOSAL GROUND	[Return]
March 3, 2012
The Town of Gillam Council made an informed decision to accept non-hazardous waste into the Gillam waste disposal ground. Approval and guidelines were received from Manitoba Conservation for the handling and disposal of the material and the work will carry on over the next few days. Due to the increased traffic at the waste disposal ground, we are asking the public to use caution when utilizing the site. MAYOR AND COUNCIL

Non-hazardous material.  Nice try.  We already know that asbestos is a dangerous poison and it was removed from all the houses when I was a small child in the 1970s.  I have vivid memories of workmen coming to drill holes in the sides of many houses and removing it as I played nearby. You can still see evidence of those holes on some houses. 

From the photos, you can see some of the bags are all ready coming apart.  Those that aren’t, will come apart eventually.  

If you have ever been to a dump, then you’ll know that dumps are a favorite hangout of birds, bears and other creatures.  Does it cause cancer and lung disease in animals do you think?  Or does it only do that to humans?

I would have been shocked, save for the recent stories about the asbestos industry in Canada over the past year or so.  

Prime Minister Harper has been the new champion of the Canadian Asbestos industry for sometime.  So I guess situations like this were only a matter of time.

 

Why Is Anyone Still on The Fence About Being A Liberal?

Just watch Justin Trudeau’s selflessly giving his all to increase voter awareness and then try and tell me you won’t at least consider voting Liberal next time…

It’s Not Rocket Science Just Mark Your X

Kids, kids, kids….

When they told you at school that voting was a privilege, a right and your duty. You know, the way to have your say in how this country is run. They were actually not joking. It wasn’t an exaggeration or some fancy newspeak way of tricking you.

It’s great that lots of you have paid enough attention to be worried about the state of Canada. It’s even more great that you guys have bothered to speak out all over this vast internet via facebook and youtube. A+. Excellent. Good job making viral videos and this nifty website called shitharperdid.com. Super pleased.

However; we have a serious problem. There is another movement going on that has gathered way too much steam. Boycott The Federal Election is a completely dumb idea (Dave, I mean you too even though you are totally NOT a kid anymore). Not voting because someone you have never met doesn’t think the way you do, is not going to be a very effective way of making them think your same kind of thoughts.

I will tell you a sneaky way to exchange ideas with other people that actually works. Try talking to them. Hell, it even works on people who are old and people who are rich. I’ve tried it many times and man is it ever cool. You can even use it on politicians.

Here are some general instructions:

Step 1. Using your GOOGLE machine, attempt to find the local contact info for a Canadian political party in your vicinity.

Step 2. If you happen to have a CELL PHONE or an ORDINARY PHONE, dial the number provided by GOOGLE. If someone answers the telephone, tell that person that you are interested in getting involved in politics and you would like to find out more about their party and what they stand for. Chances are that person will say GREAT!!! and proceed to start a conversation with you. If that conversation goes well, you might go to their geographical location to meet those people and see if you like them.

**helpful hint…if you go and meet those people and discover that you can’t stand them because they seem crazy; (and this can happen. Hey, it’s a risk you take whenever you put yourself out there) By all means, run away. Do not FREAK OUT. Simply repeat step 2.**

You should now be able to cast your ballot with confidence. Steps 3 – 5 are only for those who have extra time on their hands and/or feel that we could all benefit from their revolutionary ideas.

Step 3. Once you have discovered a group of people who seem somewhat reasonable to you, start hanging out with them. This will allow you the opportunity to spread your smart ideas and impress others with your wit and charm.

Step 4. Help out, get to know the candidates and then you will know who to vote for.

Step 5. If you still can’t bring yourself to vote for anyone, become a candidate yourself or if you get really desperate; start your own political party. That’s what Tommy Douglas did. How do you think we got The Green Party and The Pirate Party? No, it’s not easy, but it’s totally allowed.

As far as joining an existing party, shit, that’s super easy! They actually want you to! They will be all smiley and everything when you show up! They especially love it when smart young people show up at their office!

Put your money where your mouth is kids. Don’t leave politics to the losers and the wingnuts. If you care about how you live and how your neighbours live, go out and vote.

Never forget this; the wingnuts always vote and they always vote for other wingnuts.

Wave Bye Bye To The Nice People

We’ve all heard the news. Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government has fallen.

5 years of absolute bullshit….

Contempt of Parliament. Historical and shocking. (maybe he’ll go to jail and he can play piano there…)

Vote of non confidence and they’re out.

It’s about time. and I LOVE that Fox News refered to Conservative MPs as “Harper’s underlings“. Astounding.

Let’s go to the polls fuckers. Game on.