|
      by
      Jim-beau
      Lieyeah
     
    

    
     
      |
      STAFF
      GONZO
     
     
      Tuesday,
      Feb.2nd,
     
     
      12:25AM-
      Priorities,
     
     
      priorities,
      priorities.
      Mine
     
     
      are
      obviously
      misplaced
     
     
      right
      now
      as]
      really
      should
     
     
      be
      taking
      on
      other
      forms
      of
     
     
      “housecleaning.”
     
     
      Sometimes
      though,
      it
      is
     
     
      better
      to
      wait
      till
      the
      last
     
     
      minute
      to
      feel
      a
      sense
      of
     
     
      urgency...
      and
      I
      am
      here
     
     
      now.
      So
      here
      we
      go
      with
      a
     
     
      look
      at
      some
      of
      the
      big
     
     
      political
      stories
      of
      last
     
     
      week...
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      See
      Cap.
      (CCRAP)...
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Stands
      for
      the
      Canadian
     
     
      Conservative
      Reform
      Party
     
     
      Alliance
      (CCRAP).
      I
      can
     
     
      not
      believe
      that
      in
      this
      day
     
     
      and
      age
      of
      spin
      doctors,
      one
     
     
      could
      actually
      proclaim
      to
     
     
      the
      world
      a
      new
      party
     
     
      name,
      CCRAP,
      and
      expect
     
     
      to
      be
      taken
      seriously.
      That
     
     
      only
      begins
      to
      give
      an
     
     
      insight
      into
      how
      far
      out
      of
     
     
      it
      Preston
      Manning
      is.
      The
     
     
      new
      party
      had
      problems
     
     
      convincing
      its
      own
      Reform
     
     
      founders
      that
      this
      would
     
     
      be
      the
      new
      party
      that
     
     
      would
      lead
      the
      right.
      They
     
     
      managed
      to
      poll
      only
     
     
      74.6%
      of
      the
      original
      1100
     
     
      delegates.
      The
      party
      proudly
     
     
      proclaims
      itself
      to
      give
     
     
      every
      member
      a
      vote
      yet
     
     
      somehow
      1500
      votes
      were
     
     
      counted.
      Now
      that
      sounds
     
     
      like
      the
      work
      of
      a
      spin
     
     
      doctor.
      But
      even
      with
      arm
     
     
      twisting
      going
      on
      all
      over
     
     
      the
      place
      the
      right
      wing
     
     
      rainbow
      coalition
      of
     
     
      Conservatives
      and
      Reforms
     
     
      are
      being
      divided
      into
      two
     
     
      camps...
      those
      for
      it
      and
     
     
      those
      who
      will
      not
      oppose
     
     
      it.
      For
      those
      who
      oppose
      it
     
    
   
   
    
     
      will
      etijoy
      the
      same
      fate
      as
      |
      To
      our
      governing
      Liberals,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      House
      Leader
      Randy
      White
     
     
      from
      Langley
      /Abbotsford,
     
     
      BC.
      He
      got
      shitcanned
     
     
      because
      he
      stood
      opposed
     
     
      to
      this
      as_he
      thought
      it
     
     
      would
      further
      fracture
      the
     
     
      right
      and
      jeopardize
      gains
     
     
      made
      to
      date.
      The
      only
      one
     
     
      with
      enough
      brains
      to
      see
     
     
      what
      is
      going
      on
      is
      relegated
     
     
      to
      the
      back
      benches
      in
     
     
      Preston’s
      version
      of
      an
     
     
      open,
      democratic
      party.
      A
     
     
      party
      whose
      philosophies
     
     
      include
      a
      proposal
      for
      a
     
     
      federal
      flat
      income
      tax
      of
     
     
      17%
      as
      wellas
      the
      tried
      and
     
     
      true
      western
      values
      of
     
     
      smaller
      government,
      law
     
    
   
   
    
     
      tase
      lie
     
     
      CITT
      ee
      Ti
     
     
      Breton
      and
     
    
   
   
    
     
      reliefdoes
     
     
      not
      look
      like
      it
     
     
      is
      coming
     
     
      STIL
     
    
   
   
    
     
      and
      order.
      All
      this
      was
      done
     
     
      to
      try
      and
      con
      vote
      rich
     
     
      Ontario
      and
      try
      to
      make
      it
     
     
      a
      little
      less
      bitter
      than
      the
     
     
      previous
      Reform
      pill.
      But
     
     
      when
      Ontario
     
     
      Conservatives
      wake
      up
      and
     
     
      see
      Joe
      Clark
      (too
      chicken
     
     
      to
      run
      in
      Charlie
      Powers
     
     
      Conservative
      St.John’s,
     
     
      Newfoundland
      seat
      he
     
     
      stepped
      down
      from),
      have
     
     
      a
      look
      at
      CCRAP,
      stop
     
     
      laughing,
      then
      they
      will
     
     
      probably
      cry.
      For
      they
     
     
      know
      that
      they
      will
      swing
     
     
      their
      balance
      of
      power
     
     
      (over
      100
      of
      300
      federal
     
     
      seats)
      to
      the
      least
      threatening
     
     
      alternative...
      and
      it
      ain’t
     
     
      Alexa
      McDonough.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      >
      *Wt°
      =
     
    
   
   
    
     
      <i
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      not
      much
      (to
      Islanders
      it
      is
     
     
      everything
      that
      is
      produced
     
     
      on
      the
      Island
      in
      a
      year'!).
     
     
      That
      is
      the
      amount
      that
      an
     
     
      audit
      of
      459
      projects
     
     
      revealed
      was
      lost.
      How
      did
     
     
      this
      happen?
      Human
     
     
      Resources
      Development
     
     
      Canada
      (HRDC)
      wrote
     
     
      checks
      for
      $1
      billion
     
     
      without
      doing
      proper
     
     
      checks
      on
      the
      recipient
     
     
      companies
      administration
     
     
      or
      accounting
      practices.
     
     
      Right
      now
      the
      Minister,
     
     
      Jane
      Stewart,
      is
      getting
     
     
      hung
      out
      to
      dry
      for
      it.
      Jean
     
     
      Chretien,
      an
      old
      family
     
     
      friend,
      is
      standing
      behind
     
     
      her
      for
      more
      reasons
      than
     
     
      her
      uncle.
      He
      sees
      her
      in
      a
     
     
      type
      of
      (I
      hope
      not)
      Kim
     
     
      Campbell
      leadership
      role.
     
     
      She
      already
      has
      a
      lot
      of
     
     
      baggage
      before
      this
      debacle
     
     
      (what
      with
      her
      old
      pot
     
     
      problem
      and
      not
      being
     
     
      married
      and
      all-
      which
      is
     
     
      sure
      to
      offend
      Conservatives
     
     
      everywhere).
      Things
      are
      so
     
     
      out
      of
      control
      in
      her
     
     
      Department
      that
      when
     
     
      Tory
      Critic
      (her
      opposite
     
     
      number)
      Gilles
      Bernier
     
     
      requested
      information
      on
     
     
      the
      audit,
      they
      sent
      the
     
     
      whole
      thing
      over.
      To
     
     
      compound
      things
      they
     
     
      realized
      their
      error
      and
     
     
      asked
      for
      it
      back.
      When
     
     
      Bernier
      and
      company
     
     
      stopped
      howling,
      they
     
     
      started
      looking
      more
     
     
      carefully
      at
      it.
      And
      what
     
     
      ‘they
      saw
      was
      ghastly.
     
     
      Heads
      will
      certainly
      roll
      at
     
     
      HRDC
      and
      it
      could,
     
     
      probably
      should,
      cost
     
     
      Stewart
      her
      job.
      The
     
     
      interesting
      thing
      about
      this
     
     
      mess
      is
      that
      Pierre
      Pettigrew
     
     
      (another
      future
      Liberal
     
     
      leader
      hopeful
      and
      big
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Politics
      )
     
     
      continued
      on
      page
      8
      _-
     
     
      ;