The latest embarrassment surrounds a faked Citizenship Ceremony created in Sun TV’s Toronto studios last October, because for some mysterious reason, covering the 13 already-scheduled swearing in ceremonies around the city for new Canadians was not good enough.

It didn’t start out as a faked event ….but became one when not enough “real” new Canadians could be found to take part.  So six federal bureaucrats stood in, along with three legitimate newcomers, taking part in the Sun studio ceremony and faked taking the Oath of Citizenship.

Incredible!

To be fair, at one point the network was going to cancel the ruse, but then decided to go ahead after the federal officials said six stand-ins had been found to take part and make it look real.

“Let’s do it. We can fake the Oath,” wrote a still unnamed buy apparent Sun media official in a sunmedia.ca  e-mail later obtained by The Canadian Press.

Lately, the whole disgraceful event has been the subject of political charges and accusations, pitting the Opposition against Immigration Minister Jason Kenney and embarrassed federal officials.

But frankly, MY main concern is with SUN MEDIA.

I find it outrageous that the newtwork went along with the ruse and aired the faked footage.

How could ANY news organization do that????

What it shows me is a complete disrespect for journalistic ethics, their own news product and, most of all, their viewers!

And according to the Toronto Star, this was not the first time Canada’s newest news network has been caught leaving truth and ethics out of its reports.  In November, a photo of Sun employees posing with Toronto’s mayor was PHOTOSHOPPED to take out an anchore who no longer worked for the network and ADD in a new Sun TV host.

Geez!

And making it all worse, although the politicians are all flailing about over the government’s role in the latest faked news item, Sun officials have had very little to say about their disgraceful action.

Or perhaps they don’t even think it’s newsworthy.

Just the new norm we can expect from Sun TV … unless some other media blows their cover?

Harv Oberfeld

I’ve been thinking… always a dangerous and sometimes a quite cheeky intellectual exercise … and I’ve come up with a few new program suggestions for CBC’s next television season … featuring a “Revised”  Program Standards Policy to fit with its new reality.

First, Hockey Night in Canada can now have a new Sports Reporter, Jennifer Mather, ”imbedded” to  cover the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Mather, as former BCTV fans can testify, is a fine reporter.  But more than that old-fashioned journalistic qualification, she’s also married to Brian Burke, Leafs’ General Manager, reflecting the new apparently acceptable standard at CBC for reporters.

Vancouver Canucks fans (not to mention Montreal Canadiens supporters) may have some doubts about the validity of her stories, especially if she just happens to honestly find something to  rave about ….., for example, if the Leafs string together two consecutive wins …. but CBC management are confident that likely won’t happen, so it should not pose any problems.

And Jennifer could promise that, if after another losing game, hubby Brian puts his fist through a wall at HOME, she will NOT take advantage of her unusual access to scoop other media with the story.  BUT if he puts his fist through a wall at the OFFICE, where other reporters can also see the results, she WILL report it … complete with ALL his &%*$ quotes.

And in light of the CBC Pacific Region managers’ recent decision that legislative reporter Stephen Smart can continue to cover BC politics and the legislature, even though his wife is the premier’s deputy press secretary, there can now be other changes in CBC news as well.

The National can now feature a new At Issue panel member: Laureen Harper.

Ms. Harper has extensive experience in both national and international travel and has skillfully written many memos to her kids’ school, meal menus and messages on Christmas cards … none of which have ever had a partisan bias.

Ms. Harper will bring a new perspective to the At Issue panel: being close enough to the corridors of power walked daily by her spouse Stephen, but she has assured CBC managers she will never take advantage of that unique situation by having the Prime Minister or any of his staff suggest stories, write scripts or insert OR delete quotes…. EVER.  Except, of course,  maybe in the 38 days immediately preceding an election … an occasional exception that should be no problem for CBC management, especially in the Alberta and the Pacific Regions.

And then, there’s the popular  CBC show Quirks and Quarks, currently looking for a new host.

Apparently, TWO well-known British Columbians have the inside edge as co-hosts: Adrian Dix and John Cummins.

With their extensive knowledge of politics, CBC management might find them perfect candidates to explore the quirks and quarks of BC and Canada’s political “sciences”  …exploring unproven and untested theories for Canada’s future,  in the light of current and historical failed experiments.

Apparently, the possibility of previous political connections are not a problem.   Although neither currently have close family members working for the government (or National Research Council),  CBC management can assure them that will not be a problem if any or all of their relatives  win major lucrative jobs or contracts.

And should the political leaders actually gain power and become Premier or Opposition leader … again, no problem under CBC’s new journalistic standards.

Since it’s apparently hard to survive in Victoria on just one salary, their spouses could simply replace them as Quirks and Quarks hosts …. unless, of course, they are scooped up by CBC News division to cover their hubbies at the legislature.

In either case, it will no longer be a problem.

What an amazing season the CBC can now have …. unencumbered by pesky rulings of its own ombudsman or any public concerns about perceived fairness and independent thinking.

Of course, I personally find this all particularly amusing: because when The Webster Awards dumped me as an unpaid, voluntary judge after I did it for two years following retirement  ( my own tribute to Jack, who helped me get my great job at BCTV), they told me the reason was this blog (on which there are NO ads, NO revenues).    I was told it was as if I was still “working” in the media. Huh?

Apparently THAT was a conflict.  Certainly NOT because I had written articles critical of declining standards and the quality of journalism in BC media!

I guess journalistic standards in BC have indeed now changed!

And I wonder what Jack would say about the new realities.

Harv Oberfeld

P.S.  And a reminder, if you want First Alert notifications of every new blog on here, follow me on Twitter @harveyoberfeld.  Again, FREE, no ads, no costs …not even if I ever get a lucrative government contract!

The integrity of CBC Television requires that ONE of those alternatives take place.. PRONTO!

What’s the problem?

Smart, who has covered the legislature for CBC since 2010, and Scott, appointed in 2011 as Clark’s deputy press secretary, are married …TO EACH OTHER.

There is NO WAY, in my opinion, that Smart can continue to cover the Liberal government and Clark while his wife works for it and her. Period. Simple. END OF STORY!

Or maybe not.

Certainly, the CBC’s own ombudsman, Kirk Lapointe … a veteran experienced former journalist and media manager … thinks there is a conflict here.

“There is a violation of CBC Journalist Standards and Policy,” the CBC ombudsman wrote in his review, after a private citizen complained about the apparent conflict of interest.

“Just because there is no impropriety does not mean there is no conflict,” Lapointe wrote. “Whether a real or perceived conflict of interest, no amount of managing it can do more than mitigating the impact of an impartial fulfilment of duties.”

He’s right.

Yet, incredibly, the real culprit in this situation …CBC regional management … decided to let Smart continue to cover the legislature.

“We feel the ombudsman’s ruling found no issues wuth Stephen’s reporting,” said Johnny Michel, managing director for CBC’s Pacific Region. “Without a shred of evidence that Stephen is offside in his reporting, we feel this is now just a personal matter and a corporate matter.”

Not!!!

There’s a lot more to journalism than just what actually appears in stories: what about things any reporter may know but decides NOT to report for various reasons?  What about possible public perceptions …. justified or not … of easier questioning of the premier or government ministers  or tougher questioning of opponents? What about the reporter himself becoming more the center of attention than the story being presented, as viewers, knowing of the conflict ruling, now will always  look for bias?

Problems like these do not relate solely to Stephen Smart: any reporter can face tougher scrutiny once even a POTENTIAL  for bias surfaces. And in covering politics, the sensitivity becomes even greater …to the point of viewer distraction.

The fact that this even has to be debated…. the IDEA that a political legislative reporter’s wife can work personally and directly for the premier and this could be considered acceptable … I believe speaks to the sad state of ethics at CBC Vancouver region; and the fact so many others in the business defend such ludicrous reality exposes the sad standard of journalism in BC today.

Are they so out of touch with real Canadians in Fortress CBC they think they can withstand their own ombudsman’s findings,  the public’s likely suspicions from now on and the decline in credibility among viewers for their news product?

How can Smart possibly cover the provincial election campaign without the question of his impartiality coming up?  And the closer that election comes …the more questions I suspect will be raised about his stories, his spin, his conclusions … handicapping CBC’s coverage.

This will NOT go away … as things now stand,  the situation will get worse: for Smart; for Scott; and for the CBC. (Clark’s credibility with many is already in the bin.)

Smart is a good reporter and Scott (by the way, they both worked at CKNW before) has never, as far as I can determine, ever been guilty of manipulating her hubby’s stories.

But that is not the point.

Let’s say Smart uncovers a great POSITIVE story about government plans to substantially increase funding in health care or housing or education: I submit just about every viewer would see that story as just a government plant, unworthy of deserving any journalistic credit or credibility.

And how could viewers ever be totally comfortable in the belief that Smart is telling us EVERYTHING he knows about skeletons in the government or Clark’s office? Simply not possible.

The regional CBC management response is an insult to journalistic integrity in general, Lapointe in particular, and to all CBC viewers and voters, who have the right to EXPECT there be NO CONNECTIONS OF ANY KIND between those who cover the legislature and those who have politically sensitive jobs working for the government and/or the premier.

Scott has to move from the premier’s staff to another ministry job less political and less directly related to the media.

Or Smart has to move to another beat… unrelated to covering provincial politics… so his stories, and not the reporter, once more become the focus of viewers’ attention.

Harv Oberfeld

Opponents of ANY tar sands oil extraction activity will celebrate along with environmental activists who oppose ANY pipelines, whether through the U.S. to Texas for refining or through the Coastal range to Canada’s Pacific for export by tanker. Keystone supporters will mourn, briefly, before looking at some other way to get around the Obama administration’s negative ruling.

And then, there’s the “To hell with the U.S., let’s teach them a lesson and ship our oil to China … that’ll show ‘em!”.

I must admit, the latter was my initial response to Obama’s announcement But I’ve been thinking….

It WOULD feel good to tell the Americans to shove off: you don’t want our oil, then it’s YOU who will suffer and we’ll just sell it to the Commies … probably at premium prices,too!

And frankly, much to the chagrin of many of those who read this blog, I have no aversion to a pipeline to the coast …. IF every reasonable precaution is taken to make it as environmentally safe as possible.

The knee-jerk naysayers may hate it, but I’ll bet they all love all those petroleum products/by-products they use every day and in more ways then they even imagine. And not only oil product consumers, but those enjoying the thousands of jobs … directly and indirectly … that come from serving and servicing the tar sands’ extraction industry, its needs, equipment, services, staffing and shipping want to get that oil out… via the coast, if necessary.

And yet, I don’t believe Canada should now rush to the “China solution”.

Let’s face it: almost everything we see unfolding politically in the US right now … and for the next 10 months… is almost TOTALLY election-related.  Obama didn’t like the way the Republicans sttached the Keystone 60-day deadline approval rider to the Bill that extended middle-class tax cuts: that’s WHY he rejected the project.

Wait until AFTER the November election and, if Obama gets his second term, I’d bet he’ll find some way of giving the go-ahead to the project with some sort of face-saving alterations.  And if Obama, loses the Keystone project will get the go-ahead from the Republicans before White House stationery is changed!

So why rush to signing some very long-term huge commitment to China?

That would no doubt anger the Americans (stop cheering the idea!),  interfere in the US election campaign .. and probably hurt Canada’s trade relations with the US in the long run, regardless of who captures the White House in November.  And we saw during the softwood lumber dspute how nasty the Americans can be, even when court ruling after court ruling came out in Canada’s favour.

And according to Stats Canada, Canadian exports in 2011 (to the end of Nov) to China totalled $19 Billion … and to the US,  more than $300 Billion.  So would it really be a good thing for Canada to antagonize its largest trading partner?  Answer that, not from the heart, but as if YOUR job depended on it.

Patience must triumph over passion.

Prime Minister Harper had already warned Canada would not become a “captive supplier” to the US, and he is right.  Canada should sell SOME of its oil to China, but we will not benefit in the long term by entering into huge long-term contracts with China for the bulk of our oil/natural gas.

This is a good time, however, for Harper to squeeze Obama for better access by Canadian companies/suppliers to public infrastructure projects south of the border …  which have become more and more protectionist under the Democrats …. in return for a Canadian go-slow policy on oil market alternatives.

That would be the smartest way to proceed.

But wouldn’t it be nice to see at least some sort of signing ceremony featuring Canada and Chinese energy corporations or our governments signing a new trade agreement for oil … and shaking hands enthusiastically in front of the two countries’ flags.

We’d probably even make the US Evening News … without a hockey stick in sight.

Harv Oberfeld

It all started with covering Burnaby City Council meetings for The Vancouver Sun … clearly a gateway event …that eventually led me to cover Vancouver City Hall, the GVRD, the Legislature in Victoria, Parliament in Ottawa (see the progression?)  … and now lately, I’m even hooked on watching U.S. Presidential politics.

And trust me … stay away, unless you are prepared to be let down.  U.S. Presidential Primary Debates may attract viewers looking for an ultimate high … but what you get is an initial rush, followed by a high or two as lines are delivered,  but ultimately ending with a crash at the end of it all, leaving you empty, unfulfilled and exhausted … time after time.

Why?

Because the “reporters” asking the questions, probing the candidates have forgotten to be real journalists.

They all seem to be sticking to pre-scripted questions on pre-determined topics in pre-allocated segments ..all in an orchestrated, precisely timed order … which forces the whole debate into a pre-measured straight jacket formula that almost totally removes the essential questioning tool of cross-examination.

So we get assigned discussion segments on The Economy, Social Issues and Foreign Relations.

And admittedly, I do get my expected high from some of the questions and the responses from the candidates, or lack of responses, and parrying that follows between the aspiring Presidential candidates, and sometimes, the reporters on the panel.

But then comes the crash.

Why?

Because the journalists are so tied to their scripts, they don’t  think about previous answers tossed out by the contenders as they totally contradict themsleves 20 minutes later in another segment.

For example, in Monday’s debate on Fox News the candidates, in the section on The Economy,  were asked what level of personal income taxes they thought should be applied, even for the highest earners … and, of course, they responded calling for lower personal taxes …right down to zero in the case of Ron Paul. An easy lob to experienced journalists:  what would lowering taxes on EVERYONE do to the US deficit, debt, economy???? And down to zero??  Where would Paul make up for the HUGE loss of revenues?  Nothing.  Nada. Rien.

And of course, they all called for lower corporate taxes as well.   But even that didn’t lead to a single question about the impact this shallow rhetoric would have on the US government operations, its deficit and debt.  The journalism was as shallow as the responses.

And it got even worse.

In a later segment on Foreign Affairs, all of the candidates, except Paul, called for a STRONG US defence policy and did quite a lot of saber-rattling in the direction of Iran.  And even seemingly-isolationist Paul called for a strong US miliitary to DEFEND the country.

The OBVIOUS question ..how would they pay for all that …in light of their earlier pledge to lower or compeltely eliminate personal taxes, lowewr corproate taxes etc etc.?????

But apparently, when these illustrous journalists move on to a new segment …they MUST STICK to their pre-determined questions.

And they totally forget everything said by the candidates only minutes earlier … so there are no “wait a minute” moments, no questioning of how they intend to pay for a stronger military, a new war on Iran … while lowering taxes even more.

What would they cut … even eliminating two or three departments (likely impossible-to-keep rhetoric) and cutting foreign aid wouldn’t be enough to do all they kept promising to keep America “strong” without MAJOR service eliminations in huge already-committed social programs.  Which would they cut or eliminate? And what would happen to those people who can’t find jobs and depend on those programs.  Nothing. Nada Rien.

It’s actually quite a surprise to see such seasoned senior reporters failing to connect the dots between what a politician says now and what he said 20 minutes earlier.  And it was not just done in the latest debate on Fox.

Quite shameful.

But now that you’re on to it, if you too are a political junky like me, I urge you NOT to watch for it next time. Take it from me: that will just make your crash when it’s over even worse. And vow never to do it again.

Until the next one.

Harv Oberfeld

At their weekend convention, according to The Vancouver Sun, the “new” Liberals actually reasoned that “a new spirit of openness and a policy in favour of legalizing and pot will help breathe life into the Liberal Party in Western Canada”.

What an insult!

I’m surprised they didn’t also pass motions saying the Libs LOVE wheat, oil,  salmon, samosas and dim sum … to really reach out to the West in 2012.

Do they think we didn’t notice that when the subject of giving BC and Alberta our DESERVED RIGHT to additional Commons seats, the Libs weren’t exactly defending our rights?

From the Windsor Star Jan 3: “The NDP and Liberals criticized the bill for relying on the population formula and for the speed at which it was rushed through Parliament and the Senate before receiving royal assent.”

Well, we already knew the federal NDP had sold out BC and the West during the last election, as Jack Layton promised Quebec anything and everything it wants, including more seats if BC got more seats, and BC’s NDP MPs and candidates not only went along with that, but actually defended the outrage.    Of course that worked in Quebec … just the way favoring the East, at the cost of fairness in the West, has always worked for federal parties down East.

But where were the Liberals?  Certainly not defending BC rights or justice or fair play.

In fact, when a Francophone NDP MP from New Brunswick also pushed a Private Member’s Bill that would have made sure almost no Westerners could ever qualify in the future for nomination to Canada’s Supreme Court by requiring expert level bilingualism for all new appointees, the Liberals joined the NDP and the Bloc Quebecois and voted FOR that Bill.

The unofficial  Commons Coalition to Screw the West (Liberals, NDP, Bloc Quebec) succeeded in the House…. overwhelming the Conservative minority government and passed the legislation.  The only thing that stopped it from becoming law was the Tory majority in the oft-maligned, but in this case, West-saving Senate.  (Perfect example of why we should keep the Senate …until our democracy truly gives the West its fair share of power in Ottawa!)

And what about the recent contracts to build new coast guard and navy vessels … contracts awarded by the Tory government to BC and Nova Scotia firms …  based totally on independent assessments of costs and technical merit,  without ANY POLITICAL  INTERFERENCE.  Does anyone really believe the Liberals would have carried out the process that way????

Do the federal Liberals think we don’t know about all this … about how the ACT back East … compared to what they SAY out West?

And they think saying they would legalize pot (which they wouldn’t do anyway, because the Americans would shut the border tighter than a drum) is the key to winning BC votes!

Maybe they should start Keeping It Real and read more BC and Western Canada blogs.

Harv Oberfeld

Or will it?

For those who missed it, Shaw Media has applied to the CRTC for “a regional, Global BC-driven all-news speciality channel” to begin broadcasting next summer.

The company says the new network will provide viewers throughout the province with “top local, national and international headlines” 24 hours a day and “more live event coverage and more in-depth, original local reporting than any other in the market”.

I like it … if it’s true.

Keeping to those promising words could give  viewers (not just those of us who are news junkies) all kinds of new windows of coverage on events, issues and politics unfolding at municipalities, regions and the provincial level.

But that will take a lot more resources than Global has at its disposal right now … including more seasoned journalists, adept at covering more than shootings, fires, traffic accidents, weather events and charity walks, runs and swims; serious political reporters who ENJOY getting out from behind a desk to go ask tough questions of politicians, and investigative experts, given the resources and time to research and shoot compelling stories and exposees.

That would be just wonderful … and could even have a multiplier effect with other BC news stations and networks as well …benefiting us all. As I reported on the blog in November CTV also expanded its news shows in BC … another good step in the right direction.

Of course, the new network could be a bust.

Just the same stories we now get,  run over and over again …twenty times a day instead of four or five or six.

Or hours and hours of talking heads … more people sitting behind desks, discussing the news instead of showing it to us.  That’s what we got with the “new” Sun News network …the last place I go to find out what’s happening with serious breaking news. About all I find there are talking heads, and  repeat broadcasts of talking head shows I’d swear I had seen when clicking hours earlier in the day. Almost all of it, of course, what I would describe as just right wing propaganda.  Yech!

Of course, there will be lots of cynics who will worry the “new” BC news network will be nothing more than a provincial Liberal government or federal Tory government mouthpiece … offering up pap and propaganda in return for lots of government advertising revenues, which after all is the mainstay of private stations and networks.

And how will the dedication of the huge resources needed for a substantive 24-hour news channel affect the Newshour and other news shows on Global?

Will the Newshour be scooped by its own new rival?  Will the competition enjoy a new “heads up” service, advising them at 3 p.m what the Newshour will be featuring at 6 p.m?   Or will the Newshour withold legitimate news stories from its own 24-hour network, making it “all the news …  the second time over”.    And what about Newshour sports? Will much of the 6 p.m. (and Early and Noon and Final) be original sports coverage and different? Or just cuts and/or rehashes from sports stories running on the 24-hour network?

Lots of questions.  Lots of fears. But lots of opportunities.

And that’s sure better than the past 10 years … of watching Global doing more with less … and suffering as a result.

Harv Oberfeld

Just going back as far as World War II is bad enough to get the point.  Our treatment of Japanese CANADIANS in interning them without cause and stealing most of their possessions was shameful to put it mildly; our turning away of Jewish refugees (and even sending many back to their deaths in Europe) was an anti-Semitic blot on our history; and our subsequent failure to expeditiously pursue war criminals who made it here was not our shining moment.

Not to mention those aboriginal residential schools,  our second-rate treatment of Asian immigrants, and the racial discrimination practiced for too many decades in jobs and appointments, our residential neighbourhoods, social clubs and even our supposed institutions of higher learning.

It still bothers me to think about this stuff … and although I am fortunately too young to have witnessed most of it, I do remember …je me souviens … as we said where I grew up in Montreal,  Quebec some of thes realities.  In fact, on this blog I wrote “Memories” in 2008 about my personal experience witnessing what a wonderful black man named Sweeney … Oscar Peterson’s brother-in-law… went though at the hands of the oh-so-proper White Upper Crust English Montrealers when he just tried to run a neighborhood restaurant.

Thankfully, though, things have improved greatly almost everywhere in our land: discrimination and racism is seen for the silliness it is; anti-semitism is relegated to the idiot-fringe; huge waves of Asian immigration have been absorbed without many problems, and welcome additions to our dining delights; and if Sikhs and Muslim immigrants experience any new-culture challenges, they seem more often to be internally-generated rather than externally applied.

Except in Quebec.

I still remember, moving to my first newspaper job at the Saskatoon Star Phoenix in 1969, how surprised I was to find the city’s mayor, Sid Buckwold, was Jewish.  How could that be, I wondered? Co-workers were appalled at the question … until I explained that, in Montreal, an English person …let alone someone who is Jewish..could NEVER be elected Mayor.

Sadly, 40 years later, THAT IS STILL THE CASE in Montreal and Quebec.  An Anglo or Jew or Chinese or Muslim or Black could NEVER today be elected mayor of Montreal or Quebec City or Premier of Quebec. With very rare exceptions, Quebec minorities are still largely electable only in communities where their ethnic minorities exist in larger numbers.

It’s a reality we in BC thought Canada had left behind decades ago. It was 40 years ago that Dave Barrett was elected Premier of BC without his Jewish religion being an issue at all. We’ve had mayors and MLAs and MPs elected from virtually every minority without their ethnicity being an issue of any kind.

But a minority member becoming Mayor of Montreal or Quebec City  or Premier … even now …. NON! Impossible!

And yet no one says anything.  After all, it’s Quebec.

In fact, students of history will know that minorities actually were treated and accepted better in Quebec two hundred years ago than they are now. The province actually led in passing laws granting voting rights to Jews, for instance. But while there has been progress among Quebecois in the higher-educated sectors of  urban society on some parts of the Island of Montreal,  much of Quebec … especially rural areas …  remains isolationist and unwelcoming.

Many will remember how, in 2007, the town of  Herouxville way up the St. Lawrence River past Quebec City, adopted a set of STANDARDS warning any ”new arrivals” who might dare to think of moving there that they must NOT bring their home country lifestyles to Herouxville! “We consider that killing women in public beatings or burning them alive are not part of our standards of life,”  the City Fathers warned.

“And the only time you can cover your faces is during Halloween,”   they added.  What Ignoramuses!!!  The rest of us may have laughed, and condemned …but, in my view,  the good people of Herouxville, Quebec had made themselves quite clear; foreigners with any “foreign ways” not wanted.

Can you imagine if a BC community passed such warnings?  The BC government, the federal government, the Canadian Human Rights Commission … probably even the UN …would have raked them over the coals.  But it was Quebec: so we just “tsk tsk”ed and did nothing.

An anomaly?   Unfortunately not.

Gatineau, Que. is a suburb of Ottawa that owes MUCH of its economic development and residential growth to its proximity to the nation’s capital. And along with that growth have come ethnic minorities, and (YIKES!) immigrants from far-flung lands.  … all part of the modern Canadian modern mosaic.

Most of us wouldn’t bat an eye. Yet just recently, the City of Gatineau released a 16-point , FUNDED by the Quebec provincial government, warning newcomers not to cook “smelly” foods, not to carry out “honour” killings etc., not to brutalize their children etc.   What imbeciles!  (Fortunately the Quebec experts left out any reference to where to park your camels!)

Again, no outcry from our “leaders” who would have raked over the coals (justifiably) any BC or Alberta community that issued such a demeaning, 1930′s type document.

The truth is today that horrible racist view by Francophone Quebeckers that only they are ”pure lain” (pure wool …ie real Quebeckers) still applies in much of Quebec society: outsiders (non French-speaking, non-Catholic, non-white) … are still not accepted as equals …. even those with family roots going back 200 years.

And with no one calling Quebec on the issue, it’s NOT getting better.

Ask black Haitian immigrants who thought they’d be welcome as French-speaking additions to Quebec society.  Not!  When many … like immigrants everywhere … got started in their new land taxi drivers,  taxi companies soon came to understand when callers asked for “un bon chauffeur” (a good driver) they meant a WHITE driver.

This is not to say, of course, thast there aren’t bigots elsewhere too …but in Quebec, it is still respectable and acceptable to express ethnic ignorance and bias.

That’s why in recent weeks, there was public outrage … not opposed, but actually  LED by the Quebec French media because, tabernacle, the Canadiens hired a coach who doesn’t speak French.

Now, you might have thought the only real criteria for hiring an NHL coach is that he (or she) have the capability of taking the team to the Stanley Cup.  Not in Quebec!  No matter that ALL the Canadien hockey players today speak/understand English or that only a few are even of French origin: the Canadiens coach, according to many, must not only speak French but should BE French.

Apparently, that’s more important than winning.

That, sadly, is the truth of Quebec today … and if you pay attention to what they say down there, you’ll hear/see a lot of racism and xenophobia openly expressed ….  and just taken for granted.

It’s time for the “leaders” in our society to start standing up against it.

Harv Oberfeld

And also because it’s not something the pro-HST media pundits and propagandists would want to tell you about: so I will.

In an article in The Vancouver Province about weak Christmas retail sales Dec. 28, experienced Credit Suisse analyst Gary Balter was commenting on the 40 per cent drop in Searts Canada’s share value in 2011.

Sears is in a lot of trouble in the US, because of the wretched economy …but Canada’s economy is relatively strong, our debt load is a fraction of the US, our consumer confidence is higher and our political situation is much more stable.

Yet all is not well in the retail sector here… especially as viewed from through the microcosm of Sears Canada. Why?

“Canada has been very, very difficult, due to the harmonized sales tax,” said Balter.

That’s not me saying it; not Bill Vander Zalm saying it; not some NDP critic saying it.  No, it’s from an economist working for the well-known and trusted international financial analysis institution, Credit Suisse.

Is Sears alone in suffering under the HST?  Impossible!  Imagine what a little digging by the working media could find!

The HST indeed HAS had a dampening effect, to put it mildly, on major spending by British Columbians.

Many, many restaurateurs, catering to middle class diners …not the high end specialty dining rooms frequented by corporate executives, political leaders and their highly-placed media pundit friends  … have been telling us that for years.  Many have closed or are struggling because adding HST onto bills, on top of PST,  on top of tips,  on top of even higher parking fees anywhere nearby have made going out for meals in many BC urban areas just too expensive to do as often as people used to enjoy doing.

Now retail has also been shown to be suffering …especially when it comes to gift-giving, larger purchases, major appliances and furnishings.

Of course, HST apologists will point out that some of these items will still have the GST added onto the PST when the HST is finally removed, so what’s the difference?. What they fail to take into account is that the HST being applied to so many goods and services that did not have the GST applied previously, has hurt so much that purchases of all goods and services have clearly been affected.

The HST has clearly sucked too much money from the economy and put it instead into the pocket of the provincial government.  And created a negative attitude among consumers that is now being widely felt.

And it is going to get worse!!!

Christy Clark’s inability or unwillingness to get rid of the HST in the next few months will continue to hurt everyone …except the provincial coffers… for another yewar or MORE!!!

In fact, the economic damage will grow even greater: because as the eventual end date is known and approaches, people will hold back on spending even more than threy do now.

Why buy a house or do a major renovation on a kitchen or entire house when waiting could save THOUSANDS in taxes?

Many construction, renovation and service industries are well aware of this: the damage to BC business, especially in the last six months of the hated tax,  will be  substantial…. as people wait it out.

But in Victoria, no one seems to be listening.  In fact, they say even the anticipated March 2013 end date may not be met.

I see it as deliberate milking of the consumers … or just plain incompetency by the government and its bureaucrats.

The HST MUST be ended BEFORE the next Fall/Christmas shopping season.

And the governhment MUST lift the tax from the construction and service industries MUCH FASTER than that.

Or face the economic ruin to many more businesses and resulting taxpayer rage that will result if they do NOT expedite the Horrible Sales Tax’s demise.

Harv Oberfeld

Wishing everyone the Best for the Holidays …and then we’ll get at it all again, with no doubt lots to talk about once the politicians, protesters, pundits and all the other protagonists pick up the pace again.

A reminder …if interested in checking out some topics you may have missed … and judging how accurate any of us were with predictions … just click your favorite topic in the Archives on the side.

And anyone who wants fast alerts of New Postings as soon as they are published, just follow me  @harveyoberfeld on Twitter.

Now… enjoy the most important things.

Harv Oberfeld