Welcome to Harperville: PT 2 More smoke and fire down your pants

[“We made, I think, an important promise to the people of Canada, and that was to accelerate our plans to get back to a balanced budget by 2014.” Tony Clement, president of the Treasury Board, June 25, London Free Press]

I have a feeling that when Tony (Conservative MP, Minister of ALL THAT ISN’T NAILED DOWN and the one assigned to find $4 billion a year in savings by 2014 - 15) tries to balance the budget there will be some winners (especially in his own riding) and many losers (especially among those not in his riding).

“Chop Chop” Clement may initially focus much of his attention on provinces with few Conservative MPs.


[A Canadian Forces Cormorant helicopter, left, and a Canadian Coast Guard hovercraft conduct a search and rescue mission on English Bay in Vancouver, B.C., on October 13, 2008. Armed with his first majority, one of the first things the Conservatives are doing is to move a search-and-rescue centre out of St. John's, N.L., to Halifax. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck]

For example, the search-and-rescue centre in St. John's, N.L., is already in his sites. (Nfld. and Labrador elected only one Conservative MP in the most recent election. Silly toots. Up next? Smoke and fire down their pants!)

Some interesting news about the cuts from the Winnipeg Free Press:

Search-and-rescue centre in St. John's, N.L., falls victim to budget cuts

One of the first things Stephen Harper did after his Conservatives won minority power in 2006 was restore a federal weather station to Gander, N.L., that had been moved to Halifax.

"The closure may have saved the Liberal government a few dollars, but Newfoundland and Labrador have had to suffer the consequences," Harper said on April 12, 2006, in Gander.

...The prime minister called the Liberal weather station transfer "a real danger to public safety" that affected the "thousands of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who work offshore."

"These men and women have to contend with some of the harshest conditions in the Atlantic on a good day," Harper said in Gander.

"On the bad days, raging winds and frigid swelling waters pose a grave danger to their personal safety.

This is a reality that Newfoundlanders and Labradorians know only too well." (June 8, Winnipeg Free Press)

Nfld. and Lab. felt only love and concern in 2006 under Harper’s minority government.

That was then.

This is now.

Now, armed with his first majority, one of the first things the Conservatives are doing is to move a search-and-rescue centre out of St. John's, N.L., to Halifax. (Winnipeg Free Press)

Smoke and fire down your pants, Newfoundland!

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