Thoughts on BC Politics and More

Canada’s largest corporations are pushing the Mark Carney government for faster and more radical changes in their favour, weeks after a federal budget that was seen by critics as already capitulating to many big business demands.  CEOs from two of the country’s largest business lobby groups, the Business Council of Canada and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, published an op-ed in the Toronto Star on December 4 calling the budget’s measures “baby steps” and asking for deeper tax cuts and fewer regulations. “If Mark Carney wants to hit his $1 trillion investment goal for Canada, baby steps won’t do,” the article’s headline stated. The CEOs called for Canada to “distinguish itself in a big way on the tax front” from the United States.  “Given the level of uncertainty, it is unclear how sensitive business investment is to marginal tax changes,” they wrote ... CLICK HERE for the full story

  ... Federal Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan is launching an examination of the recently resolved British Columbia port dispute to see if “structural issues” in negotiations led to a 13-day work stoppage last month. In a written statement released Wednesday through social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, O’Regan said officials will immediately begin by reviewing reports on previous, similar disputes. O’Regan said the goal is to create “a harmonious working environment” between unions and employers in future collective bargaining, in order to prevent future stoppages similar to the port strike from happening ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Nations at UN climate talks back universal emissions rules Frank Jordans ~~ The Associated Press / CTV News   ~~ December 15, 2018 KATOWICE, Poland -- After two weeks of bruising negotiations, officials from almost 200 countries agreed Saturday on universal, transparent rules that will govern efforts to cut emissions and curb global warming. Fierce disagreements on two other climate issues were kicked down the road for a year to help bridge a chasm of opinions on the best solutions. The deal agreed upon at UN climate talks in Poland enables countries to put into action the principles in the 2015 Paris climate accord. But to the frustration of environmental activists and some countries who were urging more ambitious climate goals, negotiators delayed decisions on two key issues until next year in an effort to get a deal on them. CLICK HERE to read full story : Forgive my bluntness, but this is the sort of crap that falls out of th...