5 PMs Who've Served Longer Than Harper

Stephen Harper is now the sixth longest-serving prime minister in Canadian history.

On November 13, 2014 -- his 3,203-rd day on the job -- Stephen Harper leapfrogged former PM (and fellow Conservative) Brian Mulroney to become the sixth longest-serving prime minister in Canadian history.

But he still has a ways to go to catch the five former leaders ahead of him.

In his acclaimed 2013 book, 'The Longer I'm Prime Minister: Stephen Harper and Canada, 2006 –,' Paul Wells equated Harper's endurance, in part, to his discipline. Wells wrote that Harper has avoided chasing after bold projects that can blow up in a leader's face and has not allowed a rival from within his ranks rise to the point of challenging him.

"Harper brings a temper and a vengeful streak to office, but he is also awesomely clear-eyed," Wells wrote. "Because he is temperamentally the most conservative Canadian prime minister of his lifetime, he will not ever run out of ideas for conservative things to do. So on any day he has a choice: he can do the big conservative thing that would be the end of his career, or he can do some of the small conservative things that won't. He is amazed that earlier leaders had a hard time choosing."

Political historian Jack Granatstein said that length of time in office is a "serious measure" of a PM's success.

"You have to keep winning elections. You have to keep your party quiet, happy and satisfied. And you have to manage the affairs of the country and its dealing abroad. Anyone who can do that for almost nine years is somebody who is very effective," Granatstein said.

"It doesn't mean you’re popular – God knows the dislike of Harper is extreme and widespread – but he is effective."


Tories are hoping Harper can win at least one more time when Canadians head to the ballot box next year. The party's main slogan, which has appeared in messages to supporters and in a campaign-style ad released in September, is "We're Better Off With Harper."

5. Jean Chretien - Liberal

Days in office: 3,689

4. Sir Wilfrid Laurier - Liberal

Days in office: 5,564

3. Pierre Trudeau - Liberal

Days in office: 5,642

2. Sir John A. Macdonald - Liberal-Conservative

Days in office: 6,934

1. William Lyon Mackenzie King - Liberal

Days in office: 7,837

Canadian Environmental Bill of Rights

LINDA DUNCAN INTRODUCES LANDMARK ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS BILL

Private Member’s Bill

Canada fares surprisingly poorly when it comes to protecting the environment. In 2013, the Conference Board of Canada ranked us 15th out of 17 countries based on a wide range of environmental metrics. Tens of thousands of Canadians die prematurely each year because of environmental hazards such as air pollution, and millions suffer illnesses.

Source :  No Breathing Room
               National Illness Costs of Air Pollution



NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair says the private member’s bill introduced by Edmonton MP Linda Duncan would safeguard the right of present and future generations to have a clean environment.

Duncan says the bill also gives people the right to take the federal government to court when those rights are denied. It’s the second time Duncan has tried to enact an environmental bill of rights. She says the Conservatives and Liberals shot down her first bill five years ago.

Source

World's Most Prosperous Countries

Legatum Prosperity Index, 2014



20. Hong Kong

19. Japan

18. Singapore

17. Belgium

16. Luxembourg

15. Austria

14. Germany

13. United Kingdom

12. Ireland

11. Iceland

10. United States

9. Netherlands

8. Finland

7. Australia

6. Sweden

5. Canada

4. Denmark

3. New Zealand

2. Switzerland

1. Norway

Canada has fallen one spot on a ranking of the world’s most prosperous countries, but is still doing better than it was just a few years ago.

5 Key Ontario Liberal Scandals

Kathleen Wynne hoped Ontario voters can look past these five scandals when they cast their ballots on June 12.

And they have so it seemed.

Let's not forget these scandals.

Ornge

Ontario's publicly funded air ambulance service has been under fire for almost two years over sky-high salaries, financial irregularities and corruption allegations. A legislative committee has been probing the service's complex structures and pay scales in detail, and opposition parties have been alleging wrongdoing with nearly every revelation. The auditor general has criticized the governing Liberals for failing to oversee  Ornge, despite giving it $730 million over five years and allowing it to borrow another $300 million. The Liberals insist Ornge went rogue with a web of for-profit companies and questionable business deals, as well as exorbitant salaries and lavish expenses.

Cancelled Gas Plants

Scandal has swirled around the government's decision to cancel the construction of two Toronto-area gas plants ahead of the 2011 election, in which the government then led by Dalton McGuinty was reduced to minority status. The cancellation costs have now been pegged at $1.1 billion, but opposition parties have accused the Liberals of actively trying to cover up that figure. Ontario's privacy commissioner has concluded that staff working for McGuinty and a former energy minister broke the law by deleting emails pertaining to the project. Ontario Provincial Police are also investigating the document deletions, seizing government computers at both Queen's Park and beyond.

eHealth

The provincial agency was given a $1-billion budget to develop electronic health records, but wound up building themselves a bad reputation. A lot of the eHealth money went for untendered contracts given to highly paid consultants who then billed taxpayers for additional expenses in a scandal that cost former health minister David Caplan his job. In 2009, the auditor general said the agency had very little progress to show  for its efforts, and opposition parties have alleged further financial mismanagement since then.

Windsor Parkway

The government has taken heat for not immediately acting when it learned a $1.4-billion infrastructure project didn't live up to safety standards. The Liberals were told that questionable materials were being used on the support beams on Windsor's Herb Gray Parkway in December 2012, but didn't halt the project until July. More than 500 support beams are being replaced by the project overseer at no cost to the tax payers,  but the NDP has accused the Wynne government of trying to cover up the affair and only backing down when threatened with media exposure.

PanAm Games

Premier Kathleen Wynne has hailed the 2015 games as a cause for celebration, but opposition parties call it just another scandal. The $1.4-billion budget for the games does not include some key expenses, like the $700 million athletes' village. The government has also come under fire for $7 million worth of bonuses paid out to 64 executives.

Liberal government releases previously leaked ORNGE report

Ont. gas-plant probe running out of gas

What Gets More Expensive When Oil Prices Rise

Plastic

About 40% of an oil barrel yields gasoline; the rest generates a variety of other petroleum-based products, according to the Department of Energy. Anything made out of plastic is derived from petrochemicals--chemical products made from petroleum--and therefore, its production depends on the price of that barrel.


The How's and Why's of Replacing the Whole Barrel

Petroleum-based products are around us, in us


Health Care

Besides delivery charges, the cost of manufacturing certain medical products depends on oil prices. Heart valves, artificial limbs and other kinds of medical equipment contain petroleum-based plastics. Antihistamines, antibiotics, antibacterials, analgesics and many other items found at pharmacies and hospitals use petrochemicals. 

Medicine After Oil

Cosmetic And Household Products

Deodorants, soaps and lotions are all made from petrochemicals. Vinyl flooring, floor wax and lots of house-cleaning supplies also contain oil. If manufacturers need to pay more to produce these products, their prices at retail stores will likely increase as well.

Petroleum Products
Products Made From Oil

Shipping

It might make sense to buy things online and have items delivered to your front door instead of burning gas on shopping trips. But shipping companies also use planes, trucks, ocean vessels and railroads--all of which require oil. FedEx and UPS make customers pay fuel surcharges in addition to regular shipping costs in order to offset increases in the price of oil.

FedEx : Fuel Surcharges

UPS : Fuel Surcharge

Shopping

Unfortunately the items you see in stores don't grow on shelves. Most products were once on a truck. As gas prices go up, so do delivery costs. Shop owners will offset an increase in costs by charging you more for their goods.

Small firms prep for rise in gas prices


Things That Grow From The Ground

Farmers need fuel to run their tractors. This means you'll be paying more for fruits and vegetables. You'll also be spending more to maintain your home landscaping--lots of lawn equipment burns fuel. 

Fabric

Nylon and polyester are made in part from petroleum-based fibers. This means the cost of your workout attire might be affected by the price of oil.

Plane Tickets

Deutsche Bank analyst Micheal Linenberg recently predicted that to offset higher fuel costs, airlines will be increasing fares and decreasing the number of flights and sale offers. If you are thinking of vacationing anytime soon, book your plane ticket now.

Car Maintenance

Petroleum-based lubricants--such as transmission fluid, grease and motor oil--are what make your automobile function properly. High petrol prices mean that these materials will likely cost more to produce. When you go to the repair garage, don't be surprised to see higher fees for maintenance costs. 

Public Transport

If you live in a city, then you probably expect to pay a certain rate for using public transport. Increased oil prices will likely affect that fare in the long run.

Once-Peaceful Canada Turns Militaristic

Once-Peaceful Canada Turns Militaristic; Blowback Follows

Long-awaited anti-terror legislation introduced today by the Conservatives would strengthen protection of intelligence sources, but it stops short of shielding an identity crucial to proving someone's innocence.

As expected, the government bill also gives the Canadian Security Intelligence Service more latitude to obtain a court-ordered warrant authorizing security investigations abroad.

In addition, the legislation tweaks the CSIS Act to prohibit the naming of individuals who might be involved in covert operations in the future.

http://www.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?DocId=5712979

CSIS powers beefed up under new bill tabled by Steven Blaney

Experts cautious about boost in powers for spy agency

13 Weird and Wacky Facts About Toronto's Mayors

Rob Ford, you'll never out-weird your predecessors

6 Toronto mayors who behaved badly before Ford

List of mayors of Toronto

William Lyon Mackenzie

Toronto's first mayor helped lead the Upper Canada Rebellion against the colonial regime that dominated the country in his day. Rebels marched down Yonge Street with plans to reach the home of Lt.-Gov. Sir Francis Bond Head. Mackenzie and the rebels were intercepted at Montgomery's Tavern and defeated. Future mayors would rob his home and try to shoot him.

George Gurnett
Toronto's fourth mayor tortured an opposing candidate by having him stripped, beaten, tarred and feathered. The feathers were so stuck to the candidate's body that he had to peel off his own skin to get them off.

John Powell
Toronto's fifth mayor had been involved in putting down the Upper Canada Rebellion. He killed a rebel, then tried to shoot William Lyon MacKenzie, Toronto's first mayor, but the gun jammed. He was elected anyway.

George Monro
How many times has a sex scandal vaulted a mayor INTO office? That was true of George Monro, Toronto's sixth mayor, who won the job after it turned out that the incumbent, John Powell, had rented out a property to be used as a brothel.

Henry Sherwood
Poor William Lyon MacKenzie. Not only had John Powell tried to shoot him, but Toronto's seventh mayor, Henry Sherwood, broke into the man's house! He led a drunken mob, which proceeded to destroy a printing press at MacKenzie's newspaper office and throw it into the harbour.

William Howland
And you thought Rob Ford's crusade against graffiti was puritanical. Hogtown's 25th mayor came up with the motto "Toronto the Good" and campaigned against liquor, gambling and prostitution. It was like having "Boardwalk Empire's" Nelson van Alden as your mayor.

Ernest Macdonald
Can't fault a man for trying. Toronto's 30th mayor finally landed the job after running for public office 17 times. Ernest Macdonald's reign was brief (one year) but eventful: he was boorish with city commissioners, who refused to hand over documents that would allow him to deliver his inaugural council address. He died of syphilis after losing a bid for re-election.

Thomas Church
Toronto's 37th mayor (at left) despised bilingual money and was mocked by Ernest Hemingway.

Pretty Mean City

A new “biography” charts the dark side of Toronto’s prosperity

Thomas Foster
Toronto's 40th mayor was so tight with money that he preferred to pay back robbery victims rather than add to Toronto's police force.

Sam McBride
Toronto's 41st mayor helped to create the Toronto Transit Commission. He was also known for taking swings at council members, even smacking them with agenda packages. He even slammed a councillor's head against a wall. Oh, and he also cheated on his taxes.

Allan Lamport
Rob Ford wasn't wrong about city hall excess, he was just several years too late. Allan Lamport (right), Toronto's 50th mayor, spent an estimated $373,000 of taxpayers' money on booze, cigars, dinners and room service at the lavish Royal York Hotel.

He was also known for bizarre quotes such as, "The only thing you'll catch swimming in Lake Ontario is dead fish" or "If anyone's going to stab me in the back, I want to be there."

Meet a Toronto Mayor: Allan Lamport

Mel Lastman
It's tough to know where to begin with Mel Lastman, Toronto's eccentric 62nd mayor. For now, let's just recall that he welcomed famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma to city hall with — what else? — a yo-yo.

Pretty Mean City 


David Miller
David Miller, Toronto's 63rd mayor, went to school with Prince Andrew.

Why David Miller doesn't read the papers