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Dwarf-Tossing: A Canadian Dilemma Reposted from No Apologies  By Rod Taylor, Deputy Leader of the CHP Until just recently, I was blissfully unaware of the ethical challenges posed by “dwarf-tossing”. In fact, I was blissfully unaware that such a sport existed, in Canada or anywhere else. Part of the reason for not being up-to-date on the latest in “competitive bar sports” is that I don’t hang around bars and spend very little time following the latest weird fads on TV. However, I was shocked to discover – as are many – that tossing little people across the room could be considered a sport. Even recognizing that these little people give permission to be tossed and make a little money at it still does not dispel the sinking feeling that somehow their dignity and personhood are being assaulted. True, many of our gladiator sports – football, hockey, boxing, wrestling – put participants at risk of physical injury. However, the idea of Big People displaying their manhood and power by throwing Little People around as a public spectacle, still leaves me feeling uneasy about the direction of our society. But wait! It suddenly dawned on me! In this country, Big People toss Little People all the time! They do it at abortion clinics. They do it for money. And even worse, they do it without asking the Little People for permission! In the bars, after a dwarf is tossed (presuming he is not badly injured) he can get up, collect his pay and have a beer with his “tosser”. Not my idea of a fun night but hey! Whatever floats your boat…? Not so with the 100,000 babies “tossed” each year in Canada. After being salt-poisoned or dismembered or vacuumed into fragments, these Little People are literally tossed into the trash bin. Although they have never agreed to being tossed, never signed a contract with the abortionist, who grows wealthier with every toss, never had a chance to give their opinion – they are tossed once-and-for-all. They don’t get a second chance. They will never read a newspaper article about dwarf-tossing or abortion; nor will they ever have a chance to vote for a politician, pro-dwarf-tossing, prolife or otherwise. A lot of things are made to be tossed: salads, grenades, parting comments over your shoulder and bad laws. But people are not a thing to be tossed – for money, pleasure or convenience. Details...
"Do No Harm" Video Produced by Canada Silent No More Powerful new video from Denise Mountenay and her organization, Canada Silent No More, highlights and explains the pain, agony and damage caused to women by abortion and the lies and half-truths that perpetuate it. Denise has been working for years to help hurting women come to grips with their past and work together to spare others the pain they have endured. </body> </html> Details...
Never mind the needle! Try looking for the haystack! by Rod Taylor, Deputy Leader of the CHPreposted from No Apologies I suppose we should be happy whenever a criminal is brought to justice and dark deeds hidden many years are exposed. For those who have suffered a personal loss, especially of a friend or family member, there is some consolation when a perpetrator is identified and held accountable for the misdeeds that have caused so much pain. 18 years ago, Germaine Shawn Lindo disappeared after allegedly immersing a 20-month old infant in scalding water. The child died a month later and Lindo has been on the run ever since. He was arrested Dec 14, 2011 in Connecticut on unrelated charges. Let us hope that the courts move quickly and that—if Lindo is convicted of this heinous crime—sentencing is swift and appropriate. The arrest of a child-killer 18 years after the event is important but one can’t help comparing this to the image of a man looking for “a needle in a haystack”, something most would agree is nearly impossible; but would we not hope that those hunting for child-killers could at least locate the haystack? Perhaps a more telling analogy would be “straining at a gnat and swallowing a camel”. While police forces, courts, journalists and community leaders are joined in their condemnation of this man’s ruthless act, many of them seem not to have noticed a few other child-killers who have been flaunting their activities in broad daylight. I speak of the leaders and financial beneficiaries of the abortion industry. Henry Morgentaler, the de facto “pioneer” of this tax-funded killing spree has moral culpability, or personal guilt for the deaths of over 3.3 million unborn children in Canada alone. I don’t know how many of them he killed with his own hands, but certainly thousands. He has been actively plying his grisly trade since at least 1973, 20 years before Lindo allegedly forced his step-daughter down into the scalding water. Yet Morgentaler has not had to hide. Morgentaler has been feted, celebrated and honoured. He has made a pile of money on his multiple killings. I remember hearing years ago that “…the mountie always gets his man.” Apparently that is no longer true and partly because “the courts always release him.” Morgentaler put his personal agenda against Canada’s moral law and won…at least for a time. Neither courts, parliaments nor mass media have had the moral courage to identify this scoundrel and hold him accountable for his crimes against humanity. Let’s agree together that the detention, trial and sentencing of a wicked man is a good thing, that it is a necessary part of a just and civilized society, one that is able to tell right from wrong. And let’s demand that those charged with protecting innocent human life, those who spent 18 years looking for a needle, turn their attention to the oh-so-obvious haystack, the audacious destroyers in our midst parading as “human rights activists”. Morgentaler and all who engage in his bloody business should be brought to trial, not only for murdering innocents but for the violence they have done to our nation’s innocence. Details...
Conception to Birth &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Alexander Tsiaras TED talk and visual presentation&lt;br /&gt; &lt;/body&gt; &lt;/html&gt; Details...
Missing Persons by Vicki Gunn — Executive Director, CHP Canada We hear nightly on the news about the pending global meltdown. Sometimes it’s worth looking back to see where the problem originated so we can ensure that, once dealt with, we avoid similar traps. CHP Canada often links abortion to a source of the problems visited on the world today. Is there a real connection? Could protection for innocent human life have changed where we are today, both in Canada and worldwide? What would happen if the 500+ million people, who have died by abortion worldwide, were part of today’s workforce? What about the 2 million Canadians missing from the workforce? When we look at the effect in Canada then we can simply compound this to consider the ramifications of world-wide abortion. When I think back 40 years, the normal expectation was for Dad to go out to work while Mum stayed home and raised the children. She may or may not have a part-time job when all the children were in school. But, her salary was not assumed as needed to keep the home going. Mum’s salary was ‘gravy’. Dad’s salary was taken into account when they applied for credit. To borrow money, the payments could not be more than ¼ of his salary… one week was for the mortgage and three weeks were to cover the rest of the household expenses. As women increasingly entered the workforce and fought for their salaries to be fully included as family income, our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was positively affected. More workers meant a higher standard of living. But the cold realities of life were: - Women bear children and this necessitates additional expenses to the business, both during the pregnancy and after the child is born in lost hours of work. - Women enjoy working at a job that is not continuous, monotonous routine. We cleaned house yesterday and today it needs cleaning again. We did laundry yesterday and today the laundry pile is sufficient for more laundry. We made meals today and tomorrow the meals will need to be made to feed our families again. All this monotony and no financial gain! - This can’t compare to going to work, completing today’s tasks, and having new tasks tomorrow, all the while collecting a pay cheque at the end of the week. Although, eventually most jobs fall into routine. - I still remember the sentence, “I’m just a housewife”. (“Lowly me, I spend my time cooking, cleaning and raising children.”)  If only we weren’t tied to reproduction then we could also be fulfilled in the workforce. And so, with access to abortion, for the first time, women were able to compete for jobs that were traditionally male dominated. Society only needed only to convince us that the child a woman carries was not a person. While that has been done on a conscious level to many women unfortunately, in our hearts, women still know the truth. But the damage caused to women is for another day; see “Silent No More” for help with this. The impact on our economy was initially a positive one. Canada flourished with women also in the workforce creating employment. But, at what cost? Our birth rate declined… and declined, until Canada dropped below replacement level. The initial influx of women to the workforce leveled off. We hit a plateau for growth. We began to rely on immigration to increase our population to allow growth in the workforce. This solution has produced challenges of its own. - With the decline in birthrate in all Western countries, we needed to go outside of our western worldview of freedom and equality and give ever increasing immigration to world views that do not support our traditional equalities and freedoms… but that’s for another day. See our Immigration Policy for more help with understanding this. - With immigrant families seeking to reunite, we brought in large numbers of older people, which put a strain on our government pension plans as older immigrants don’t spend a working lifetime giving into the plan. - Children are great consumers. They grow and regularly need new clothes, shoes, toys etc. When they are active then they are very hard on clothes, further boosting the consumer need to move the economy. With less children being born live, we are faced with the ‘baby boomer bubble’ with focus turning from a dwindling market to an increasing market…. seniors. But, seniors consume less per capita. Even McDonalds has recognized the changing demographics in Canada by removing their child focused play rooms and replacing them with senior focused sitting areas. - Young people in the past filled the need for casual labour; helping with farming jobs, etc. Today, farmers are unable to fill these positions so they bring in labour from other countries. This earned income, while ensuring the products make it to the stores, is money earned in Canada but spent in other countries, further decreasing our financial position. - I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the economic cost of roughly $500 per abortion procedure to taxpayers, not including the physical and mental costs of post-abortive women. That’s an ‘upfront’ cost of $50 million annually. The yearly loss of over 100,000 Canadian babies by abortion, with readily available birth control, has; caused our birthrate to drop below replacement; increased immigration of near retirees to reunite immigrant families; created a dwindling need for children’s articles; and the need to bring in labour, which does not have a positive effect on our GDP. Combined, these have had a catastrophic effect on our economy, for which our children and grandchildren will spend their lives paying the price. There are many factors that affect our economic climate but the serious effects of abortion have been felt, and will continue to be felt economically, for generations to come. This fact is indisputable, but will we make the needed changes to preserve our freedom and equalities? Only time will tell but…. with increased understanding of the far reaching economic effects of abortion, we can hope and pray that “The sun will come out tomorrow” for Canadian and worldwide economies. Details...
Catholic Health Care in Jeopardy by Steven W. Mosher, President of the Population Research Institute. As Obamacare gradually chokes out private health care in this country, the nation’s Catholic bishops seem surprised to find themselves more and more on the defensive. But the danger signs were obvious. And the solution is repeal.Evidence continues to pile up that the huge expansion of government formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) — Obamacare, for short — poses huge risks to religious freedom, to the rights of conscience, and to our very lives. Health and Human Services recently issued a directive dealing with so-called “preventive services for women” that are required to be covered under Obamacare. This reads like a Planned Parenthood wish list which, given HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius’ close ties to the abortion industry, is what it may in fact be. The Sebelius directive starts off by mandating that all private insurance plans must pay 100 percent of the cost of all FDA-approved birth control (including abortion-causing devices and drugs like the IUD, ‘morning-after’ pills, and the drug Ella) along with surgical sterilization. The insurers are forbidden to charge the users of these deadly practices a co-pay, meaning that everyone who has health insurance will be collectively bearing the cost. (That includes you, since — in case you’ve forgotten — it is illegal under Obamacare not to buy health insurance.) But Sebelius, who has been reprimanded by her bishop for advocating abortion, is not done with you yet. All insurers, her directive states, must also cover 100 percent of the cost of promoting early-term abortions, sterilizations, and contraception among all “women of reproductive capacity” through “education and counseling.” In other words, she not only insists that you and I pay for immoral acts, she wants you and I to pay for the cost of convincing women to engage in them as well. Now that is hubris. READ MORE Details...
Lia Tackles Euthanasia </body> </html> Details...
Saving some is not a compromise The case for advancing abortion legislation in Canada one step at a time*by Mark Penninga, executive director of ARPA Canada (www.ARPACanada.ca) Read the whole article at Reformed PerspectiveWhy is it that this year alone over 80 laws have been passed in the United States restricting abortion and yet in Canada we have not been able to pass one law in over 20 years?It is easy to dish out the blame: It’s our secular society! The Supreme Court! Our gutless politicians! Pierre Trudeau! Stephen Harper! The evil mainstream media! … and so on. But an honest analysis will reveal that at least part of the problem lies with us – the pro-life movement in Canada. That’s a statement liable to raise both eyebrows and blood pressure, but it is also a truth that is verified time and time again by those who are most intimately involved in this battle, including MPs, pro-life leaders, and even radical pro-abortion activists. It is also something that more people are finding the courage to openly admit, knowing full well they will be challenged for it by the pro-life community itself....Read the whole article at Reformed Perspective*Ed. note: Not all prolifers will agree with the every point here presented but all prolifers should read this excellent article and think through the complex issues Mr. Penninga has so aptly addressed. These are the kinds of analyses that we in the prolife community owe to ourselves and to the unborn that we are seeking to represent. Details...
Shattering Arguments: The Myths of Overpopulation, Grey Tsunami, & Survival of the Fittest  by Elaine Taylor, CHP Member, proprietress of Hero's Lighthouse bookstore in Smithers, BC and wife of Deputy Leader, Rod TaylorThis article was first published in 2 parts as CHP Communiques #43 and #44Part 1How can you say there are too many children? That is like saying there are too many flowers! – M. Teresa   Normal 0 false false false EN-CA X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} Normal 0 false false false EN-CA X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} Without minimizing the complexity of the issue, it is hoped this article might zero-in on some basics, in order to help equip those who are on information-overload and unable to process all aspects of the many battles we’re forced to engage in or endure. Neither is it a generalisation of the failings of anyone involved in either policy-making or front-line health care. It is a warning to Canadians that only with vigilance can we resist this downhill moral slide.    “Canada’s long history of stable democracy and respect for human rights did not happen in a vacuum. They are a result of a Christian ethos,” as Michael Wagner explains in his Christian Citizenship Guide. Our lack of understanding of this principle has brought us this far down the “slippery slope” we were warned about by many watchmen like Francis Schaeffer, Joe Borowski, Bernard Nathanson, Heather Stilwell, Mother Teresa, Paul de Parrie, Dr. Carol Everett, Keith Green, Wm. Wilberforce, Randall Terry, Ron Gray, Linda Gibbons, Mary Wagoner, Chuck Colson, Denise Mountenay, and the women of Silent No More, to mention just a few.    Right-to-die proponents continue to try to convince the public and the courts that the laws against helping another person die should be overturned. Never mind, fellow Christian, that those laws against certain acts or omissions deemed criminal acts are based on biblical law, hashed through due process by elected representatives. As with abortion and same sex “marriage,” the courts seem to feel they have a right to bypass the democratic process, and until they are reminded of their rightful role, they will continue to push their weight to engineer the brave new world that is their vision-by-revision.   Media continue to mouth platitudes that paint a compassionate picture of medical murder and suicide, and their indoctrination is effective. The guilt most people now feel at the idea of a loved one suffering through what might be their last days is sufficient to move them to justify what used to be unthinkable: the murder of another human being. But this guilt is born of ignorance of the progress that has been made in pain management, and those who understand that society’s conclusions are wrong—and deadly—must learn how to counter the ‘newspeak’ in any conversation of which they are a part.    In most polls and interviews, there are certain assumptions inherent in the very questions that are asked. Read between the lines. Every journalist, news writer, interviewer and pollster has a corporate agenda or his or her own spin on an issue. The rhetoric surrounding the so-called right-to-die issue has gradually seeped like sewage into the craws of the mindless masses, whence it is regurgitated in classrooms, over coffee, and within health-care administration. The resulting attitude will inevitably be the untimely demise of the vulnerable, namely, the costly, the unproductive, the voiceless, and the inconvenient. Sound familiar?   Various cases have exemplified the determination of right-to-die groups to accomplish their agenda by using terminally ill people who have said they want control over the circumstances of their death, and by using some in the medical profession who try to establish their ‘right’ to determine when and how a patient should die, overruling even power of attorney and parental wishes. This is our reality now, in 2011.   Sooner or later you, too, will be faced with the terrible reality that someone wants you or a loved one dead. If you understand the importance of keeping abreast of these issues, here are a few links to organisations that exist to educate and equip us: Lifesite News; Wesley J Smith; and Priests for Life. Internet users would appreciate Alex Schadenberg’s blog, Alex heads up the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, educating, intervening in specific cases, and co-ordinating efforts to counter this culture of death. Other helpful links are posted on the CHP website.   Christian Heritage Party policies state that: “human life...is sacred from conception and has God-given value, regardless of race, age, gender, or physical or mental handicap.” The value of human life is apparent in our deepest human thoughts. When one child is lost, hundreds of people show up to search because that one child has value. CHP Canada recognises the value of each and every life...this is reflected in our policies. “No person, institution, or government shall tolerate, encourage, or decree death by means such as abortion, euthanasia, or suicide.   Join your voice with Canada’s only pro-life, pro-family federal political party and endorse the value of life.    In Part 2 we will examine some of the subtle but popular utilitarian rhetoric that attempts to justify the direction currently being taken in several end-of-life areas. We’ll get some answers to the frequent question, “Why haven’t I heard this?” It is essential that we fully grasp and expose the implications of every medical and judicial initiative, while doing all we can to restore to this navel-gazing society the true value of each human being, for we are fearfully and wonderfully made!  Part 2How many stars are there in the heavens? Too many? Or too many to count? Genesis 15:5   It is said that if a lie is repeated often enough it will eventually be accepted as truth. We have heard so many lies, and they just get to sound so, well, so normal.  Who lies to us in the respectful silence of our apathy? The feminist movement and the Darwinian social engineers, who wormed their way into your living room via the CBC and its ilk, and into your children’s lives through public (and even sometimes private) education, through libraries, and even cartoons, have succeeded in indoctrinating, mostly with your own hard-earned taxes, two generations of Canadians. Even most Christians barely know up from down any more. Whether by our own rebellion, or the unconscious abrogation of responsibility by parents, ears have been tickled, and popular opinion is now the new ‘truth.’ Vox populi vox dei.  In our naiveté we now just carry on, blinded by busyness, hoping for the best, claiming there is nothing we can do, while 110,000 potential taxpaying Canadians, wonderfully made in the image of God, are eliminated in the womb, and their great grandparents languish in minimum care facilities, victims of budgets and societal attitudes, awaiting their final sentence, when the legalization of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide will end the great pretense—and the ‘grey tsunami’—CBC’s cleverly derogatory term for the aging Baby Boomers.  All this is not to say Christians are consciously complicit in our moral slide, but only that if we do not know what to believe, how can we stand up against what is wrong? If we can’t see the slide into this culture of death, if we don’t even know that we don’t know, how can we stop the evil around us? We are more often guilty of ignorance, rather than bad intentions, but we can still be part of the problem. Part 1, last week, listed some valuable sources of information to help you become an articulate voice for truth and life. Use them, please.  CHP’s message of life is censored by secular media and toned down or ignored by most Christian publications; our church leaders shrink from bold leadership, often not clearly understanding that there are some things they may still do and say without endangering their precious tax status; and our secular education system at all levels defines its one-sidedness as tolerance and religious neutrality, while our Judeo/Christian worldview is narrow, negative bigotry. We must continue to bring these issues into the light, push back the darkness, and try to regain some clear thinking. We can’t count on church, media or schools to do it. Few papers will now accept paid advertisements with a politically incorrect message. We must become bolder and more articulate, for the freedom to speak the truth, except in private conversation, is quietly disappearing.  Did you know there have again been rumblings federally about legislating presumed consent, which is but another justification for killing those who, due to incapacitation, are re-evaluated according to the sum of their body parts? This was attempted, unsuccessfully, in the Ontario Legislature a few years ago. Presumed consent is in effect in some countries and simply means if one does not carry instructions that one does not want to be an organ donor, one’s consent to be harvested will be presumed, should one be seriously injured in an accident, experience a major heart attack, or other misfortune.  For years now, pressure has been exerted on families in crisis to agree with the apparent futility of treatment for their loved one and to allow the harvesting of that one’s organs. And the conveniently ever-changing definition of death provides ever-more body parts and reduces the costly prospect of long recoveries and permanent disabilities. We have seen the amazing hand of God restore ‘brain-damaged’ patients where parents or spouses have tenaciously held onto hope and protected them from an untimely end. The ethics of the sensitive issue of organ donation deserves much more study than is generally happening among Christians, leaving most unprepared to deal with such an urgent situation in the ER. Emotive ads by the pro-organ donor camp, intimidation or guilt-trips by doctors, and media opinions put forth as status quo, do not ensure our ability to make informed decisions.  Death is inevitable, but murder is unconscionable. Christians must be careful to not justify what might be untimely death using the ‘God-is-in-control’ argument, or some rendition of ‘it must have been his time,’ or, ‘she never would have wanted to live as a disabled person.’ Taken to its logical conclusion, we can then justify murder of any sort, and death by a drunk driver, a worn-out caregiver, a suicide clinic, or an abortionist becomes just God’s way of taking someone home. Even, ‘he’s better off where he is now,’ while it may be true in a sense, can easily slide into a justification for helping him get there.  CHP is committed in its unalterable principles to protecting the first human right—the right to life—without which no other rights have any meaning. Think about these things. Discuss them. Join and support the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition. Use their resources. And support the only federal party whose worldview doesn’t change with every wind of popular opinion—CHP Canada. Details...
Maurice Vellacott press release The Dupes of Hazard Reruns - International Planned Parenthood‟s Weasel Words, Dishonesty, Deceit and DeathFor Immediate Release September 30, 2011OTTAWA – Member of Parliament Maurice Vellacott commented today on IPPF‟s deceitful language on abortion to con the Canadian government for taxpayer dollars under the Muskoka Maternal/Child Health initiative. IPPF had revised and resubmitted its funding proposal to CIDA after the 2011 election.“The IPPF is trying to dupe us into believing that because Canadian taxpayer dollars are going to countries where abortion is supposedly illegal, the money won‟t be spent on abortions,” says Vellacott. “But we know in Bangladesh, for example, where Canada is funding, this nefarious organization will do early abortion which they euphemistically call „menstrual regulation‟ by vacuum suction. If a woman hasn‟t had her period in 8 weeks, they will do a „menstrual regulation‟ – that‟s an early abortion by another name. “In this way, IPPF will be using Canadian taxpayer dollars for funding abortions directly or, to use other deceptive language, they will be „establishing non-pregnancy in the first trimester.‟“So funding IPPF in these 5 countries contradicts a criterion for Prime Minister‟s Stephen Harper‟s noble initiative to save the lives of women and children in developing countries.....Read the entire press release at Maurice's websiteRead MP Brad Trost's response to the new abortion funding Details...
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Climate Change Info
Global Warming Petition Project (Over 31,000 scientists have signed as of June 2008)

Global Warming Doomsday Called Off---CBC Documentary

Ontario Government Distributes Al Gore Climate Change Film to Schools

"Deniers" Series Exposes Poor Science Behind Global Warming

Abortion Linked to Climate Change
CTF releases new data on gas taxes, tax-on-tax

by Gregory Thomas

Reposted from Canadian Taxpayers Federation

  • CTF’s 14th annual Gas Tax Honesty Day

  • Families pay $82 a year in “tax-on-tax,” $1.7 billion nationally

Sign the CTF's Gas Tax Petition

OTTAWA, ON: On its 14th annual Gas Tax Honesty Day, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) released new data on gas taxes with several major findings.

Highlights include:

  • That the average two-car family will pay approximately $1,225 in gas taxes every year.
  • Federal and provincial tax-on-tax cost Canadians an average 2.5 cents/litre, or $82 a year for a two-car family, or $1.7 billion nationally.
  • Taxes make up nearly 29 per cent of the pump price for gasoline.
  • There is a strong positive correlation between lower pump prices in provinces with lower gas taxes.

“Gas taxes continue to eat up a disproportionate amount of Canadian household income,” said CTF federal director Gregory Thomas. “But Canadians are not only paying high gas taxes, they are paying unfair tax-on-tax.”

In 2004, the Conservative Party wrote in a national news release: “The fastest and easiest way to give Canadians relief at the pump is for the federal government to stop charging GST on top of gasoline excise taxes. It’s time to axe the tax on the tax.”

“We agree with the Conservative policy commitment of ending the tax-on-tax. The question is: do they still agree with themselves” questioned Thomas.

Every year before the May long-weekend, the CTF holds its Gas Tax Honesty Day as a reminder to motorists that nearly 29 per cent of the price at the pump is taxes, many of them hidden.  In addition, the CTF today released new data detailing gas tax breakdowns in every province.

The report showed a clear and strong correlation between provinces with lower gas taxes and lower pump prices.

“The evidence is clear: lower gas taxes mean lower pump prices,” said Thomas. “If Canadians want relief at the pump, the way to deliver it is to cut gas taxes, starting with the GST/HST tax-on-tax.”

Gas and carbon tax hikes in Manitoba and British Columbia will force significant increases in gas prices in those provinces, at $68 and $216 respectively for a two-car family.

The CTF held Gas Tax Honesty Day events in Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Ottawa and Halifax.

The CTF data with details and provincial breakdowns can be found HERE.

A graphic breaking down a litre of gasoline can be found HERE.

A graphic contrasting current tax-on-tax with the CTF's proposal can be found HERE.

By: Gregory Thomas
Posted: May 17, 2012

Contact CTF regional director Gregory Thomas for further information.

 
“Agree with thine adversary quickly…”

By Rod Taylor

Reposted from Christian Governance

I have always thought it unfortunate and unwise that the Opposition feels so compelled to oppose everything proposed by the government, both federally and provincially. Of course, we all know that “holding their feet to the fire” (deemed a solemn responsibility) has more attraction if it also embarrasses the ruling party and gives those in opposition a leg up in the next election. In that sense, it can be expected as par for the course that agreement will be the least likely path chosen by the opposition when new legislation is put forward or issues are raised.

Case in point, the recent deep concern for security expressed by the Opposition over the heavy reliance on and implicit trust in various companies operating out of the Peoples’ Republic of China which apparently have a finger—or maybe two hands—in sensitive Canadian telecommunications businesses. Although I am most frequently in opposition to the federal Opposition, in this case, I think they may be onto something. It only surprises me that they have suddenly taken up the cause of national security when their leanings have always been toward a “global village” with universal rules and shared access to all the planet has to offer…especially if it involves a new government program. But I digress. This is a topic worthy of discussion and I’m glad they brought it up. In short, I agree with them. There, I said it.

I also wanted to specifically mention two policy positions about which I agree: one item from the Finance Minister and one from the Official Opposition. I often disagree with either or both and so it is important that I acknowledge their acumen when they get something right.

In the case of the Finance Minister Jim Flaherty: in the course of defending the government’s horrible, omnivorous omnibus bill—the budget implementation bill—Mr. Flaherty received a lot of flak for his assertion that those currently unemployed should not be so fussy when looking for work. In other words, in order to legitimately claim EI benefits, job-seekers would have to show that they really were unable to find paying work and would no longer be able to claim that a lower-paying job was not suitable for them or was outside their skill and interest. I think the intent of his statement was to encourage people on EI to get busy, to be willing to take opportunities that come their way and to do all within their power to be a net contributor to the system. I agree with that sentiment. I have been “between jobs” more than once. I have taken work outside my career goals. I have moved to a new location to get work. I have benefited from a varied work experience. I also have seen other workers, even friends of mine, sit home and wait for their EI to run out, rather than hit the streets looking for work. That’s just plain wrong. EI is designed to cushion the blow of an unexpected layoff. It should not be considered as an extension of benefits owed to an employee based on his or her past efforts. As low as the EI payout is, it is far above the corresponding investment from the employee, if taken to its leveraged limit (32 weeks of benefits for 10 weeks of work.)

What Mr. Flaherty actually said is, “There’s no such thing as a bad job. The only bad job is not having a job.” This was not a good quote and I can’t fully agree. There are bad jobs. There are bad employers. There are back-breaking jobs not suited to every well-intentioned individual. There are jobs with inadequate safety and environmental precautions. Taken to the extreme, Germany once considered forcing its women receiving EI to accept jobs in the “sex trade.” Now that’s a bad job. It also runs contrary to the notion of “choice.” But in general, a car salesman could pump gas if he had to. A lumber grader could stock shelves in a grocery store until a better job came along. I’ve even heard of a doctor picking fruit. The idea that people should expect to work for their bread and butter and not to coast on EI is sound and will produce better citizens.

Now as to agreeing with the Official Opposition: the NDP, with its socialist philosophy and its tendency to reject any of the moral values I hold dear, is not often the champion of causes with which I agree. However, the NDP has found a soft spot in the Conservative’s rigid armour and I agree with them that their point is valid. It’s this: the bundling together of a myriad of controversial items, including environmental issues, Old Age Security changes and policies and procedures around Employment Insurance. I have not had the time (nor have the MPs) to read this 420-page bill and respond to it intelligently. However, it seems a brutal method of ensuring passage of potentially controversial laws by sheltering them under a budget implementation bill. It presumes that all Conservative MPs will vote for the assorted items—whether or not they agree— because, being a budget bill, it becomes a confidence measure. If it fails to pass, the government could be toppled. Mr. Harper is gambling that none of his MPs will risk their political careers to vote against this huge bill, even if they do not support all of its provisions. I agree with the NDP, the Greens and the Liberals for asking that the bill be broken up, even if I would not necessarily agree with their motives.

Now, if all the parties would just work together to protect innocent human life in the womb, to restore traditional marriage and to eliminate the gold-plated MP pension plans, I would agree with them on those things as well. If not, I’ll just have to hold their feet to the fire…

 
Taxpayers group calls for Independent Parliamentary Budget Officer

By Rod Taylor

Reprinted from Christian Governance

In an article applauding the work of Kevin Page and his Parliamentary Budget Office, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation called on Parliament to protect the independent work of that office by giving it that status and independence of the office of the Auditor General.

The article pointed out that it was the Parliamentary Budget Officer who was giving accurate information to Canadian citizens on the F-35 purchase and expressed concern that unless that work is shielded from political interference by the government, Canadians might lose the benefit of blunt and transparent assessments of the costs and benefits of future spending projects. The article specifically referenced the proposed purchase by the DND of a fleet of F-35 fighter jets, comparing the PBO’s 2011 estimate of $30 billion to the much more comfortable figure of $14.7 billion. The PBO has shown that the budget estimates put forward by the Minister of Defence, Peter Mackay, were unrealistically low and excluded costs without which the purchase of the jets would have no benefit.

“It’s now clear that the only reliable cost information on the F-35s given to Parliament or Canadians came from the Parliamentary Budget Officer – not the government, not the Department of National Defence, not any Minister responding to questions in the House of Commons, ” said CTF Federal Director Gregory Thomas.

It’s a remarkably honest assessment of the issues of government interference and partisan posturing. While the Official (and unofficial) Opposition can be expected to react negatively to any government initiative—especially when it involves national defence—the refreshing nature of this commentary by the CTF is that it is presented without partisan motives but purely in the interest of transparent, responsible disclosure of government spending.

As an aside, the revelation of hidden costs shows two things:

  • There is a political temptation to disguise motives and intentions for the sake of deluding the public, who are after expected to “forgive and forget”.
  • The reality that government spending is going up, not down. The talk of “budget cuts” and “restraint” is just so much window-dressing. It’s easier to spend other peoples’ money than it is to explain the necessity of wise and frugal cost-restraints.
 
21-Gun Salute!

First posted at Christian Governance   by Rod Taylor

With the successful passage of Bill C-19, Ending of the Long-Gun Registry Act, Mr. Harper’s Conservative government has delivered on a long-standing promise and they deserve credit for completing this task.

There will always be naysayers who equate guns with violence and who think that a focus on punishing criminals as a regressive approach to crime; in their opinion such an approach is lacking compassion and narrow in perspective. The opposite is true and those arguments have been made many times in many different ways. The NDP’s  knee-jerk resistance to C-19 was as predictable, boring and tiresome as its stance on most other issues of consequence. “If it moves, shoot! If it keeps moving, regulate it!”

For today, anyway, I say “Bravo!” to Candice Hoeppner and Vic Toews who have kept pushing this bill in spite of the broken-record objections of their critics. And a tip of the hat to Stephen Harper for keeping his promise on this issue, at least.

Now back to the budget and the notion many of us share: that a “Conservative” government should actually be pushing to achieve a debt-free Canada, which would mean getting out of deficit much more quickly than we are. A golden opportunity was missed on budget day—to establish a realistic pension plan for MPs, one that would be fair to taxpayers and hard-working citizens.  But that is a topic for another day. Today we thank those who have worked so hard to cut the wasteful spending on the registry and we raise a toast to common sense and perseverance. Well done!

 
Education and Students – Putting the Cart Before the Horse

By Rod Taylor, Deputy Leader of the CHP

In the multitude of pressing daily necessities, personal agendas and the conflicting pressures of media, governments and traditions, it’s easy to allow an idea or a project to become exalted to a place of unassailable importance in our lives—sometimes to the detriment of our deepest longings or our highest goals. In other words, a good idea or a worthwhile project can “get away” from us and become the dominating drive of our daily efforts, rather than an integral component of a well-planned life-strategy.

The same is true for nations and whole societies. In our western culture today and certainly in Canada, we often hear the cry, “What kind of a nation will we leave for our grandchildren?” Statements are made about preserving nature or saving the planet “for future generations.” Yet today, in our nation, future generations are being destroyed in the womb. Children and grandchildren whom we will never meet are being snuffed out before they can experience the world that is being preserved or shaped on their account; for them, the state of our planet will never have any significance. The pristine rivers, saved for them from pollution and mismanagement will run unfettered to the sea but those children and grandchildren, sacrificed to the gods of pleasure and convenience, will not be standing on their shores in solemn gratitude. In fact, those rivers may be spared chemical pollution but they are stained with the blood of the innocents.

In another example, in phrases repeated so often as to numb the mind, some teachers and well-meaning citizens decry the closing of classrooms and schools. Governments are impugned as “uncaring” for failing to keep schools open or for failing to hire more teachers. The point is, classrooms are made for students, not for teachers. Over 100,000 future students and workers are killed by decree each year in Canada and the empty classrooms that would have echoed with their laughter are silent. Have the “educators” who are oh so busy sharing with their students the guiltless doctrine of casual sex and the “quick-and-easy” solution for unplanned pregnancy so little logic within them as to fail to see the logical consequence of diminishing the value of life?

So it is in the preservation of “rights.” Of course, the central and absolutely necessary right for any person is the right to life. Without it, all other rights are meaningless. Yet university students, news media and spokespeople of supposed stature in our nation spend their time and energy venting about a so-called “right” to a free education, or a “right” to have the state sanction their new-found sexual “identity.” The complete, total and irrevocable abuse of taking away the lives (and all the human rights) of 100,000 little people every year is totally ignored.

There are two ways in which one could put a cart before a horse—in time or physical arrangement. Neither one works. If we create a cart for a horse to pull and have no horse to pull it, we have a useless item, completely devoid of function. If we have both a horse and a cart and hitch them up incorrectly (with the cart in front), we have a dysfunctional combination of elements, doomed to fail, or even worse, to work only in reverse. We must work our way back to the basics and realize that the value of a right, or a classroom or a teacher or a clean river is what it does for the boy or girl, the man or woman whom God has created to people this planet for His own glory. Let’s put first things first. Protecting innocent human life belongs in that category.

 
CHP Canada Celebrates 25 Years

The Christian Heritage Party of Canada held its triennial national membership convention last week in Abbotsford, BC. This convention also marked CHP’s 25 years as Canada’s only solidly prolife federal party. Members converged from across the country to discuss policies, elect new members to the national executive and to renew their commitment to the leadership and direction of the party.

National Leader, Jim Hnatiuk of Nova Scotia, spoke on the convention theme of “Setting Our Sails for Tomorrow.” A former sailor, Mr. Hnatiuk spent 25 years in Canada’s Navy and was able to bring a personal touch to the metaphors of shipbuilding and navigation. His remarks were enthusiastically received by those in attendance who reaffirmed their support for his leadership.

The convention featured a series of plenary sessions in which members agreed on improvements to the party constitution, policies and platform statements. Items of discussion included: provision for integrating digital participation in future party deliberations,  more flexibility in local district organization, reducing the cost and red tape involved in adoption, the approval of CHP’s unique Family Care Allowance, firearms policies, integrity analysis of candidates, immigration policies, health care and pensions, life and justice issues and more.

In addition to the plenary sessions, delegates also participated in a series of workshops and presentations. Presenters included Jakki Jeffs, from Alliance for Life Ontario, the sponsor of “We Want the Debate”, Michael Coren, Sun News host, speaking on the challenges we face in a biased media environment, former CHP Leader Ron Gray, speaking on today’s abhorrent slave trade, Jordan Bateman, BC representative of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, CHP Surrey members Adam Vandenhoven and Paul Jubenville who shared insights on photography, videography and electronic elements of campaigning  and the Lethbridge Youth Caucus who led youth and others in a discussion of engaging youth in the issues of the day. There were also information tables for the 180 Project and Prayer Canada as well as tables hosted by supportive businesses.

In regard to establishing the new national executive for the next three years, Luke Kwantes, of Smithers, BC, was chosen to serve as the new National President. Peter Vogel, of Bowmanville, Ontario will serve as Vice President. Martha Sjaarda from St. Ann’s, Ontario has become the National Secretary and Ron Benell of Portage La Prairie, Manitoba takes on the job of National Treasurer. Jim Hnatiuk reaffirmed his appointment of Rod Taylor of Telkwa, BC, as his Deputy Leader.

The CHP Canada delegates also were introduced to the leaders of the two first provincial wings of the party. Wilf Hanni is the Interim Leader of CHP British Columbia and Colin Atkins leads the fledgling CHP Manitoba which is in the process of registering as a provincial party there.

The convention was rounded out with a Gala Dinner featuring keynote speaker, Michael Coren and a Candidates’ Appreciation Brunch on Saturday morning was followed by a short meeting of the new national board. Many members expressed their appreciation, enthusiasm and intent to continue to work hard to provide a credible political party with comprehensive solutions for the challenges of the 21st Century.


Photos above:

#1 CHP National Leader Jim Hnatiuk, (courtesy of Stephen Plamondon)

#2 members of the incoming and outgoing national board (courtesy of Stephen Plamondon)

Photo #3:  11 members from Skeena-Bulkley Valley, (courtesy of Alice Tuininga)

 

 
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CHP YOUTH CAUCUS ACTIVITY
The Skeena-Bulkley Valley CHP Youth were again active this past year trying to support a local housing initiative. Sparrows Christian Housing Society has started building a home in Smithers, designed for independent living for adults who have intellectual disabilities. The youth have been doing various fund raising activities for Sparrows, while at the same time being visibly present in the community during the annual Fall Fair, and taking part in the local parade.





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