CANADA'S GOVERNMENT WELCOMES IMF REPORT ON CANADIAN ECONOMY

Dec 25, 2011 at 12:10 PM It's amazing how fast the year went!? Many things transpired throughout the world. The "Arab Spring" as it's been termed brought about huge change and an abundance of hope in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya and it hasn't stopped there. It's something to behold in terms of understanding that fighting and working for freedom isn't just done with a gun. It includes a cell phone, an i-phone and a blackberry. The world communicates with anyone and everyone. Mercy on those who ignore what the world is striving for, democracy, freedom and the rule of law. It doesn't just stop there. We're also seeing that unless a country understands it's impact on the rest of the world, it potentially negatively impacts all of us. It?can create economic instability,?potential recession, and stops all of us in our tracks. Clearly we need in 2012 to lead at the G-7, lead at the G-20 and show that the basing?a country's model on what Canada's has been focused on achieving.......is a damn good thing. Merry Christmas and a blessed and prosperous New Year in 2012. Regards, Discuss this article on the forums. (0 posts) Nov 21, 2011 at 11:55 AM It was an interesting weekend!? Thursday night I left for Halifax where I spent two days participating in a conference sponsored by the Trudeau Foundation. The topic was immigration and the impact it is having and will have on Canada. I wasn't sure what to expect just based on the name of the organization. It became clear pretty quickly that a lot folks believe that we as a country and as a government are moving in the right direction with respect to our immigration policy changes. Discussed were the changes we have made to the foreign skilled worker program in 2008, C-11 our refugee reform legislation, C-35 our crooked consultant legislation, changes to the provincial nominee program, the investments we've made in settlement funding across the country or the recent changes we to the family class immigration category for parents and grandparents.? Many argued our work has produced and will continue to produce positive results. We finished off the conference with a political panel discussion including Green Party leader Elizabeth May, NDP critic Don Davies and Liberal critic Kevin Lamoureux. I thought it was a good debate and the discussion with the audience was a very informative one. The only let down for me was Elizabeth May stating that our human smuggling bill should be renamed the "Refugee Internment bill." That was kind of a cheap shot and even suggesting it was way over the line. Debate and disagreement is one thing, making a reference to one of the darkest periods of time in the 20th Century is just wrong. Overall the conference was a good experience and who knows they may even invite me back next year. On Saturday evening I got back to Ottawa and headed up to play in my colleague Gord Brown's Hockey Night in Leeds Grenville. Last night was the silent auction and get together. This afternoon was the game.?? Tony McKegny and former Leafs Gary Leeman and Alyn MacAuley were on my team so it was a lot of fun. Great game too, we won 12-10! The United Way was the charity that the proceeds went to. We raised $105,000.00 so the United Way was thrilled with the result. Back in Ottawa now preparing for the week to come! Later! [Click Here] for conference web site. Discuss this article on the forums. (0 posts) Nov 11, 2011 at 09:31 AM Every year we mark the 11th month, the 11th day and the 11th hour with two minutes of silence. This year it's also the 11th year of the century. One hundred years ago in 1911 WWI was not something Canadians we're even thinking about. The issues of the day including debates over the beginning of the Royal Navy, whether free trade with the USA was a good or bad thing and our continued loyalty to Great Britain were all hot topics. It was the year Sir Robert Borden's Conservatives formed a majority government, defeating Sir Wilfred Laurier and his Liberal government of the day. To say that there was no conflict or war would not have been true. In fact 100 years ago there was a revolution in Mexico, Italy declared war on the Ottoman empire and the Wuchang Uprising started a revolution that lead to the founding of the Republic of China. What wasn't talked about or envisioned was a First World War. It's amazing when you think about what has happened over the past century. Whether or not 100 years ago today anyone would have imagined that two world wars would have taken place and that democracy and freedom would be called into question and lives lost because of the battles for it. Both times despite the fear and tragedy of human sacrifice, democracy and freedom won. Moving forward over those 100 years to 2011 democracy and freedom has marked this year as well. Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Syria and Libya are countries which have seen their people rise up and demand that their country move forward in freedom and in democracy. It is a challenge and a change which will take decades still to unfold and to implement and the road will not be an easy one for any of them. They have though; put a stake in the ground and a demand for a beginning. When we take pause to look back and see the sacrifices of so many, it's amazing to see that a majority of those who surrendered their lives in WWI and WWII were of the same age as those who surrendered their lives this year; young men and young women struggling for the same common purpose of freedom and democracy.?? This morning when you?re at the cenotaph, at work, at school, at home or on the street take pause at 11am and remember. Remember the sacrifice of every man and every woman whose name is handwritten in the books which rest at the foot of the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill; Women and men who gave their lives for our country and for our democracy and freedom.? This year has reminded me of what others still wish and die for 100 years later, democracy and freedom. This morning specifically, on the 11th year, 11th month, 11th day and the 11th hour that's what I will be thinking about. Discuss this article on the forums. (0 posts) Oct 17, 2011 at 03:24 PM On Sunday evenings I'm usually heading to Lester B Pearson airport to fly back to Ottawa. Yesterday though we drove up early, went into Toronto and spent the afternoon with the Saperia family at their home as they hosted their annual Sukkot Party. It was the first time I have had the opportunity to celebrate Sukkot.? It's a traditional celebration of bringing in of the harvest and crops and the remembrance of the Israeli's sojourn from Egypt back to Israel as described in the Old Testament. The hut you see in the picture (that's me with host Les Saperia and fine brandy, which may be a newer introduction to the party) is a re-creation of the hut families would have set up and taken down for their continued travel back to Israel. We were welcomed with open arms into the Saperia home and I want to thank them for hosting us and for inviting us to share their celebration. Later! [Click Here] for more photos. Discuss this article on the forums. (0 posts) Aug 22, 2011 at 12:30 PM ?This morning, August 22nd, 2011, a friend I got to know over the past 6 years in Ottawa passed away after a determined battle. Getting to know Jack Layton was an experience.? We sat across from each other in the House of Commons, where I learned about the political part of him. His passion, his politics and when he rose to speak in the House, his ability to express almost perfectly what he believed in. Getting to know the personal side of him though, is what I will miss the most. For whatever reason, Jack and I ended up becoming friends merely because we worked out in the Member of Parliament gym at the same time. Although, most of our discussions were not actually about politics. The barrier of him being NDP and I Conservative, never once got in the way of our back and forth discussions. He often joked about the fact that the purchase of his new "environmental" roof when he and Olivia were renovating their house was the responsibility of a Conservative MP from St. Catharines. When he won his first battle against cancer he was right back at the gym. He had lost weight, but on the bright side he said "it made him look more ripped than ever and I had better watch myself." Jack really gave me an understanding of what it was to respect each other, come to know each other and call each other friends regardless of our political differences and beliefs. It's a tribute to being Canadian actually. In a country where you sit on opposite sides of Parliament, you still can become friends and learn to respect and admire a guy like Jack.? I've attached the last note he sent to me this summer. His second sentence "keep taking good care" was awesome. That's from a friend who was passing on some advice despite what he was going through. I'm going to miss hanging out with Jack in the House and in the gym. He was a great Canadian, a respected leader and best of all, a good friend.? Rick Dykstra [Click Here] to view note. Discuss this article on the forums. (0 posts) << Start < Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next > End >> Results 1 - 10 of 312

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