Paul "Donkey" Martin and Jean "Shrek" Chretien
The Uncensored Taxpayer Diary: Ideas please ... not egos and games
Ottawa - Tuesday, August 20, 2002 - by: Walter Robinson, Federal Director, Canadian Taxpayers Federation
all leadership	Dear diary, it’s been a frustrating summer. Where should we start? Let’s begin with the continuing feud between Jean “Shrek” Chretien and Paul “Donkey” Martin. The 12-year simmering feud between these two boiled over with Paul Martin’s dismissal from Cabinet in June. Since then it has been all leadership, all the time in the Liberal party.
tepid hold	The absurdity of it all reached a climax this past Sunday with the release of a letter signed by 94 MPs who are supposedly loyal to the Prime Minister. But already some MPs don’t want to be on the list and the pundits have dissected it to ferret out Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries (people who owe their jobs to the PM) to reveal Shrek’s tepid hold on his caucus.
means nothing	Ordinary Canadians are asking two simple, yet prescient questions: Who cares? And what does any of this have to do with the big issues facing the country? Nothing of course!
slush fund	What’s next? A secret handshake and password? Or maybe all Grit MPs should get a secret decoder ring. Come to think of it, Industry Minister Allan Rock could dole out some corporate welfare money from the Technology Partnerships Canada slush fund for a new combination decoder ring and Blackberry pager. Think this is over the top? Do you remember cucumber greenhouses in Newfoundland? Enough said.
employment equity fund	Meanwhile, things aren’t much better in the bureaucracy. We now have word that the feds have blown $30 million on an employment equity scheme to ensure that 20% of recruits into the public service come from a visible minority background.
national fabric	Is Canada an ethnically diverse country? Yes. Does this add value to the national fabric? Of course! Should our public service reflect the make-up of our society? Why should it? Some fret that many public servants will be retiring over the next decade, but perspective is everything. This is a blessing, not a curse.
merit	When people retire, each job can be reassessed. Does this job still need to exist? If so, can the duties and tasks be taken on by someone (or other people) else? And if the position needs to be filled, then fill the position based on merit, not skin colour. The best people should have these jobs, be they Indian, black, white, yellow or blue skinned.
bearded rotund folically challenged	If we are going to walk the quota route then dear diary I must protest. After walking the streets of Ottawa almost every lunch hour this summer, I have noticed a disproportionate amount of bearded, rotund and folically challenged males working in our public service … no doubt far above the national average, so some of these folks must be let go. Does this sound goofy? Yes it does … just like employment equity quotas.
social engineering	Dear diary, I hate to be so negative but ignoring the facts won’t make them disappear. The politicians continue to play their silly games and the bureaucracy is engaged in costly and divisive social engineering.
national agenda	Meanwhile the national agenda is missing in action. Punitive capital taxes continue to punish business and stifle innovation. The basic personal exemption is too low and condemns the working poor to a life of servitude. Our dollar/peso remains in the toilet and our forces are still flying around in 40-year old Sea Kings. Health care reform is stuck on a waiting list. Farmers, softwood lumber, internal trade … forget it.
ideas vision	Dear diary, at a time when Canadians cry out for ideas, vision and creative solutions for the nations problems, all they get are egos and silly games.
	Walter Robinson Federal Director
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