Con"service"ative With A Smile

Friday morning the news hit the airwaves that the planned expansion of Limebank Rd. (scheduled for completion next year) would not happen on time after the NCC refused to go ahead with the planned sale of some land for the widening of the road.

With a couple of Conservative MPs on the job, the plan is back on schedule less than 24 hours after the hiccup appeared. THAT’S Service!!

Nepean-Carleton MP Pierre Poilievre confirmed at about 2:30 p.m. that the NCC will no longer be blocking the sale of land.

“They (the NCC) are now out of the way,” said Poilievre. “They will no longer be blocking the sale of land needed for the expansion of the Limebank Rd.”

Poilievre said he and federal transport minister Lawrence Cannon, who is also responsible for the NCC, had two emergency meetings today to reverse the decision by the NCC.

How Many Times Is The Earth "Officially" Warming?

Thanks to John Robson for these 6 historical quotes:

“It appears 1998 will go down as the year that atmospheric and scientific evidence finally put to rest any doubt that the planet is being subjected to global warming, with human activity the probable cause.”

– – Globe and Mail, 1998

“Now, what was once a hotly debated theory – that a vast layer of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other man-made gases in the atmosphere are causing the Earth’s envelope to heat up – has hardened into near certainty.”

– – Macleans, February 2000

“Scientists Now Acknowledge Role of Humans in Climate Change.”

– – New York Times, October 2000

“Scientists have dispelled most of the lingering doubts about the increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere with new evidence from satellites orbiting the Earth.”

– – National Post, 2001

“Consensus grows on climate change”

– – BBC, 2006

“In the past five years or so, the serious debate has quietly ended. Global warming, even most skeptics have concluded, is the real deal, and human activity has been causing it.”

– – Time Magazine, 2006

Now let’s look at today’s headlines.

Science Panel Says Global Warming Is ‘Unequivocal’
– – NY Times, Feb. 2nd, 2007

Paris report calls climate change ‘unequivocal’

– – CBC, Feb. 2nd, 2007

Global problem – Climate-change report released in Paris

– – Ottawa Citizen, Feb. 2nd, 2007

Climate change: The DeniersStatistics needed — The Deniers Part I

Warming is real — and has benefits — The Deniers Part II

The hurricane expert who stood up to UN junk science — The Deniers Part III

Polar scientists on thin ice — The Deniers Part IV

The original denier: into the cold — The Deniers Part V

The sun moves climate change — The Deniers Part VI

Will the sun cool us? — The Deniers Part VII

The limits of predictability — The Deniers Part VIII

Look to Mars for the truth on global warming — The Deniers Part IX

Limited role for C02 — the Deniers Part X

Plenty of reading for fellow skeptics.

Who Will Be The Next Liberal Critic For The Environment Portfolio?

First we had Scott Brison who said:

Instead, the previous plans in terms of Kyoto agreement was written on the back of an airplane napkin on the way to Kyoto. There was no altered planning. There was no real negotiations with the provinces or with industry sectors. In fact, it was a last minute, hastily drafted, agreement.

Scott was removed:

Well on Wednesday, the new Environment Critic, David McGuinty, brother of the infamous Dalton McShifty, showed me what kind of politician he really is.

First, he get’s bitchslapped by Environment Minister, John Baird when Baird quoted past statements by McGuinty:

While we are talking about quotes, what about this quote, “when people see the cost of Kyoto, they are going to scream”. Who said that? It was the environment critic for the Liberal Party, the member for Ottawa South.

Note the member from Ottawa South is David McGuinty.

Here is another quote that I wonder if the hon. member opposite will agree with: “If Canada does ratify Kyoto…the cost…would be as much as $40-billion a year.”

Do we know who said that? It was the official spokesman, the Liberal critic for environment, the member for Ottawa South, who said that.

Note the member from Ottawa South is David McGuinty.

So how does the grown up David McGuinty react? Let’s take a look. During points of order the following conversation took place.

Mr. David McGuinty (Ottawa South, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, during question period the Prime Minister was asked 18 times whether he was misleading Canadians then or misleading them now on climate change. In answering those questions the Minister of the Environment continued misleading the House of Commons and Canadians by taking out of context comments I have made in the past as a professional. This is precisely the kind of conduct that Canadians have come to count on from the new government.

I would ask the Minister of the Environment to table the documents. I would ask all Canadians to understand these comments were taken out of context.

I would ask the Prime Minister again to answer the question as to whether he was misleading Canadians then or whether he is misleading them now.

Hon. John Baird (Minister of the Environment, CPC): Mr. Speaker, I am very happy to give the references for my comments in question period.

When I said, “if Canada does ratify Kyoto, the cost would be as much as $40 billion a year”, that was from the Globe and Mail of January 29.

When I said that the Liberal member for Ottawa South said that the Liberal Party was involved in a “medium sized car crash during the recent federal election”, that came from the National Post of March 23, 2006.

When I said “but when people see the costs of Kyoto, they are going to scream”, that came from Canadian Speeches, January 1, 2003, volume 16, issue 6.

The Speaker: I do not know that we are going far with this. It sounds to me like debate.

Is the hon. member for Ottawa South rising on another point?

Mr. David McGuinty: Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate the Minister of the Environment for his extensive detailed research into my background. I thank him very much.

I would remind him on this point of order that the kind of conduct he is pursuing is conduct unbecoming of a Minister of the Environment. He should understand that Canadians are watching; his constituents and my constituents are watching. This does not advance the cause of climate change one iota. In fact, what the Minister of the Environment should do is prevail upon his boss, the Prime Minister, to answer the question.

The Speaker: I do not think we are on a point of order here, so we will move on.

Even the Speaker says it is not a point of order. I call it a point of whining on behalf of Liberals everywhere and with comments like these, I can’t imagine Dion will keep McGuinty on the Environment portfolio for long.

Smackdown – Deception In The House Of Commons

We wouldn’t say the deception is intentional because that would be unparliamentary of us. But MP’s Maria Minna (Lib-Beaches-East York) and Irene Mathyssen (NDP-London-Fanshawe) tried to sling some mud at the Minister of Heritage and for the Status of Women, Bev Oda, yesterday.

But as usual, the Minister gave a straight answer that 1) Smacked back the attackers and 2) displayed that the Status of Women groups that are in an uproar over the recent cuts won’t even meet with the Minister.

I find it reprehensible for two MPs to try to portray the Minister as the one who won’t meet when she has offered these groups three dates to meet and all have been rejected.

You can watch the video of Oral Questions by clicking the link below ONCE.

If the above video did not play for you, try clicking the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5zLfLKlL4E

Burnt Babies Blamed On Global Warming

Baby FormulaParents around the world prepare baby formula in a consistent manner to feed their newborns.

Hundreds of millions of forearm tests indicate the formula is perfect body temperature.

But by the time the bottle reaches the babies mouth, the formula has heated up and burned the babies.

Environmental scientists have concluded this can only be attributed to Global Warming.

I’m not making this up … I’m not allowed to do that.

Liberals Would Have Us Believe Lightweight Lift Aircraft Are Heavyweight Lift Aircraft

On Tuesday January 30th, 2007 the Minister of Defence, Gordon O’Connor, cleared up any question of the heavy lift aircraft tender with one statement.

In answering Liberal Denis Coderre’s question regarding the contract being changed so that only one aircraft could meet the requirements, the Minister said:

Requirements are set by the military and they go through a process from a desk officer all the way to the Chief of the Defence Staff, and then they come to me. At that point I get the requirements from the military.

The military requirement was not changed after the Chief of the Defence Staff gave it to me. By the way, the weight I think was 39 tonnes and the aircraft we eventually selected lifts 85 tonnes.

(emphasis mine).

So let’s figure this out. Let’s say that the contract weight lift requirement was dropped to 35 tonnes to allow a second or third bid to be eligible, these options would be lifting LESS THAN HALF what the Boeing airplanes can lift.

Since the armed forces were not looking for a lightweight or middleweight lift aircraft, I think the arguments being made by opposition are simply baseless and the Boeing C18’s are clearly the king of heavy lift … twice over.

To accept other bids from aircraft that can lift 30 odd tonnes would be like a soccer mom buying a Volkswagon Golf instead of a Suburban. Oh sure, it can get our team to the game, but it would take two or even three trips to do it and when it comes to the troops putting their lives on the line, I would rather they get what they need as quickly as possible.

But the ulterior motive is that the Liberals would rather have a non Boeing company provide us with the aircraft because Boeing spreads the wealth around the country, whereas other contractors would focus much of the reinvestment in Quebec.

HandoutThis ties in nicely to how Gilles Duceppe is looking for 60% of the Boeing reinvestment to be in Quebec as Quebec has 60% of the military contractors in Canada. Does Mr. Duceppe not see the hypocrisy of his request? He is trying to slam the government for not addressing the fiscal imbalance but he wants a completely disproportionate amount of the Boeing money in his province. He is starting to look like a ragged beggar with his hand out all the time.

Dion's Playground Tactics

Reminiscent of the days we played tag and foot hockey behind the school, Stephane Dion has crossed the line back to childhood antics.

The Liberal leader joked that the exercise room at Stornaway — the official residence of the leader of the Opposition — had been refurbished.

And he said the new workout room would benefit his successor.

“Maybe Mr. Harper will have the opportunity to lose his (extra) weight now because we have this exercise room,” Dion said.

From a family member or close friend this would not be taken as an offensive remark, but from the head of an opposing party?

Say you’re sorry Stephane.

H/T to DBT

Green Ribbons On Liberal Lapels

Green Ribbon 2Today, Liberal MP’s, including Citoyen Dion, were all wearing green ribbons on their lapels.

So I thought I should find out what green ribbons stand for. And this is what I found by googling “Green Ribbon Campaign”

1. Open Adoption Records

2. Ban The Stupid Campaign

3. Free The Irish Political Prisoner Campaign

4. Hemp For All (NORML)

5. Support Marijuana Smokers

6. Rural Community and Family Support

7. Sexual Assault Coalition

8. End institutionalized aggression

Green Ribbon 1I wonder which of these the Liberals were showing their support for.