Phil McColeman: Soft on Crime, pt. 2

There's been a lot of debate over my post in Dec. 2009 titled "Phil McColeman: Soft on Crime." So I thought I'd follow up.

The Canadian Police Association and the Canadian Association of Police Boards have both decided that the Firearms Registry DOES prevent crime. This is despite what certain armchair pundits claim. Yet Phil McColeman does not support the continuation of this valuable tool. In fact, he has spoken up in Parliament, calling opposition members "bullies" for fighting to keep the Registry.

At the same time, Phil has sent out numerous flyers to the constituents of Brant claiming to be "Tough on Crime." The fact is that Harper's tough on crime strategy involving harsher jail sentences WILL NOT reduce crime, but WILL be very expensive. This is a proven fact.

Therefore, while Phil claims to be "Tough on Crime," he is not actually doing anything to lower the crime rate. All he advocates is 1) scrapping a valuable crime-fighting tool, and 2) replacing it with a very expensive strategy that will accomplish nothing.

Phil McColeman is NOT tough on crime. If he claims to be tough on crime he is lying or ignorant.

I encourage Brant students to participate in Phil's Public Safety Essay Contest by writing about the efficacy of gun control compared to the efficacy of harsh prison sentences.

Phil Investigated by Ethics Commissioner

We know that Phil signed his own name on cheques that should have been signed by the appropriate Government minister (see here and here). He was then investigated by the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner.

The Commissioner found that Phil and other MPs acted unethically; using oversize partisan cheques undermines public confidence in the integrity of Parliament and the government.

Lazy Phil Worked One Day in 1½ Months

We know that Phil McColeman supported the anti-democratic prorogation of Parliament earlier this year. He probably supported it because he ONLY WORKED ONE SINGLE DAY DURING THE WHOLE THING! So while hard-working Canadians were busting their butts to stave off the recession, Phil was relaxing in Ottawa or something.

Dissatisfied Citizens

There have been some real zingers in the Expositor lately regarding Phil and the Conservatives. Here's a sampling:

Cost of McColeman's Advertising

Dear Editor,

I read that Members of Parliament have chosen not to disclose their office expenses, which total millions of taxpayer dollars.

Of course, an individual MP can disclose his/her expenses and our MP Phil McColeman should do so as a matter of integrity.

He has spent a lot of money advertising himself, which is not the purpose of his office budget. Many ads have been paid for by us, as taxpayers, ads which show Phil's and/or name - coffee with the MP, skating with the MP, eat pork with the MP, not to mention his website at the bottom of the flag.

Tell us,Phil, how much of our money have you spent advertising yourself? We want to know before the next election.

Nic Coivert

You tell 'em Nic! Here's another letter about how McColeman's Conservatives are wasting our money more generally:

PM showing his true colours

The federal Conservative government has been fairly successful in hiding their puppet-master behind a curtain of secrecy and deceit. Glimpses of the wizard, however, are beginning to show as the curtain flaps in the wind. We are beginning to see some instances of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's views on issues like women, retirees, the arts, the environment and justice. It's not that he is trying hard to be open, it's just that his slip is showing. Here are a few actions that point to the course he is tacking.

* Scrap a national day-care plan that would allow more women to go to work and pay income taxes vs. $100 a month, which doesn't even cover the cost of diapers and wipes.

* Scrap the long-gun registry, even though the evidence shows long guns were used in 40% of domestic violence homicides prior to its implementation-now reduced to 15%.

* Scrap the promise to not tax income trusts, causing retirees to lose millions of their invested retirement funds.

* Scrap the Kyoto accord whilst denying climate change, tarnishing Canada's international image.

* Scrap the promise to reform the Senate, all the while stacking the Senate with Tory appointees.

* Scrap major features of Corrections and Conditional Release Act to allow for longer sentences for inmates at a cost of up to $100,000 a year per inmate.

* Feign indignation about a lax parole system even though the National Parole Board is now stacked with conservative patronage appointments.

*Feign surprise that inmates over 65 years of age receive pensions. The government has had four years to figure things out.

Soon, the wizard will be revealed on full display in living colour, pulling strings and manipulating the smoke and mirrors to try to obscure the rest of his agenda, including Canada's role in the torture of Afghan prisoners, abortion and family planning.

Rick Trebilcock, Brantford

It's time to change, and that change can't come too soon!

Phil's spending money like a "drunken sailor"

This recent letter to the editor is right on point with respect to Phil's Pork-Barrel Parade:

I see that Coun. Richard Carpenter has moved a resolution thanking Brant MP Phil McColeman for "looking into other funding methods."

Coun. Carpenter seems to have forgotten that there is really only one source of funding, and that is the taxpayer. This is the same councillor who was properly critical of our MP for not getting funding for our main need, roads and bridges.

The real question to ask is one that Mr. McColeman hasn't answered. Who is going to get the country out of the massive deficit hole that the Harper government has dug for us? The deficit is now $56 billion. MPs are spending our money like drunken sailors and taking credit for it. Is he also taking credit for the huge deficit that will be passed on to us and to our children? Not a word from him on that.

Tell your constituents, Mr. McColeman, how the deficit will be paid off. If you can't do that, then stop spending our money and taking all the credit for it.

Chris Melling, Brantford

I'll tell you how the deficit will be paid off: by a future non-Conservative government that believes in responsible spending!

Demolishing Democracy

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Phil has secured a couple bucks for the demolition of the south side of Colborne St. Well, better late than never.

And at the same time, Phil supports the demolition of democracy.

Which demolition project will leave the bigger crater?

Lazy Phil Takes a Vacation

While native land claims and unemployment continue to be top political issues in Brant, Phil McColeman somehow thinks that he can justify taking a two-month vacation. Stephen Harper has yet again prorogued Parliament, and this is what McColeman has to say:

The Liberal Party of Canada will certainly continue to make accusations suggesting that this decision will waste time for Parliament, while the opposite is true. The Liberal Party has been wasting the time of all Parliamentarians for months by using the Liberal-controlled Senate to gut vital legislation that has already been approved by the House of Commons. However, through this move, the Conservative government will put an end to Michael Ignatieff`s opportunistic political games and be able to take a majority position in the senate. This will allow us to take important bills that have been blocked by the Liberal Senate and get those bills passed, for the benefit of all Canadians.

If we want to talk about "opportunistic political games," how about undermining democracy yet again just because Harper doesn't want to face questions about abuse of Afghan detainees. Shutting down Parliament in a recession is irrational and cowardly; justifying the decision by saying that it will allow the Conservatives to stack the Senate is basically stating that democracy should be put on hold so that the Conservatives can consolidate power. It's like cutting off your nose to spite your face. Except that Harper is cutting the nose off the face of Canada, to spite the Liberals.