Pushing for transparency

In 2006, PM Harper's campaign promise was to make the government accountable. The Federal Accountability Act, 2006 gave PM Harper some unintended consequences. The office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer was created. Its task was to effectively make sure Canadians weren't being lied to when it came to numbers and fiscal projections.

Despite giving this monumental task a token budget ($3M compared to $60M for our auditor general), the PBO has done a phenomenal job. Its given Canadians REAL NUMBERS to look at. The PBO gave us a good picture about the cost of Afghanistan, was the first to tell us how much our deficit was really going to be, and gave us the goods on our structural deficit.

The PBO often found itself at odds with the government and has even caused our finance minister some embarrassment. As our politicians want to give us rosy numbers, the PBO gave us real numbers (most of his figures that disagreed with our government is starting to prove true). His reward for such meticulous accuracy? Getting his budget slashed of course.

Please join me in supporting the PBO. It is absolutely vital that Canadians have non-partisan, accurate numbers when it comes to the financial health of our nation.

Sign this petition asking for our parliamentarians to make the PBO a independent Officer of Parliament. (So far he's relegated to the parliamentary library).

www.realnumbers.ca

Demand that Canadians have continued access to real numbers.

My Loyalty is not for Sale

I was very discouraged by the democratic process last night. Someone who I was campaigning for lost, but that’s not what upset me. I discovered that my candidate had paid canvassers. I had to ask myself where the people were who should be doing this out of pure conviction.

It is naïve and childish of me to think that politics should be pure… I should know better. Perhaps it is an elitist viewpoint that people should be out volunteering and contributing to the democratic process out of the courage of their convictions. Politics should be about thoughts, ideas, and the betterment of society, not money. I was hoping that the people knocking on doors with me were doing it for the same reason I was, and not because there was money at the end of the day. I know that money can buy a lot of things, but I was hoping that a seat in the House of Commons was not one of them.

On the other hand, do I really have a right to feel betrayed? If I wasn’t busy spending time on my career and making money, I could have spent more time canvassing and volunteering. I know that people need to make a living, and volunteering is a privilege of the well to do. This is my internal conflict. I want as many people to get into the democratic process as possible, but at the end of the day, only the financially elite can afford to.

I do what I do because I believe in it. Am I silly to ask the same of others? I am either standing for something, or standing in solidarity against something. Stand with me, or stand against me, but don’t stand there because you’re paid to. Stand because you believe. There is no price for my loyalty; it can only be earned.

Stupidity gone hog wild

I have been skeptical of the housing market for some time now, particularly in the United States where I read of people getting mortgages that are worth more than the value of their home. Something in the business and economic model just didn’t make sense to me. I am told again and again that Canada is immune to a housing collapse, but I also find that hard to believe. The recent headlines about the sub-prime lenders starting to foreclose homes just reinforce my gloomy outlook on the economy and markets at large.

An article on CNN Money has me thinking about the housing market and the “victims” of sub-prime loan sharks. The article featured a nice young couple with a $5,000 down payment on a $300,000 home facing the possibility of foreclosure. The company that lent the money was made out to be evil snakes from hell and the young couple an unsuspecting victim of money hungry people out to get them. My question is, what are they doing taking out a mortgage they can’t afford in the first place? Why am I supposed to feel sympathetic for a couple stupid enough to pay 10.7% on one loan and a variable interest rate on a second loan which has a fluctuating interest rate that they are worried about?

Don’t make the lenders out to be evil people. They were just out to make some money. Most of the people working are also at the mercy of commissions and high sales targets. If you know you can’t afford the interest payments going up, don’t enter into the agreement in the first place. Why do we vilify people for making a few bucks? Sure, they did it irresponsibly and I am against big business at large, but this time the customers are just as much to blame. If you know you are going to get screwed, don’t sign on the dotted line!

Monopolies are clearly above the spirit of the law

Six months ago I entered into a 3-year contract with Bell Canada for mobile phone services. I had a plan through my employer I that although was expensive, was fair. I constantly feel that I’m overpaying for these services but as the world evolves, I shell out to keep up.

This month I took a closer look at the bill and realized that my base charge went up by $10/month and system access fees increased as well. They failed to write me a letter to notify me, or even a courtesy text message. My bill just went up. Last I heard, if one wants to change the terms of our agreement, I should be given a) notice, and b) an option to rescind. Bell Canada gave me neither. I am just supposed to accept this. If I were a rich woman, I would take them to court just out of principle. As it stands, they are the monopoly with lots of highly paid lawyers, and I’m just an average Joe that supposed to get my own Vaseline when they want to screw me.

Better Business Bureau is fine when you are going after fellow little people, but who listens when you want to take on the monopoly for breach of contract? I’m sure I will find in the fine print somewhere that prices subject to change without notice, but then what would be the point of signing a contract?

If you have an answer, let me know. Its not about the extra money I pay every month, this one is about principle.