Fixing Harper - Part 8 - Conservatives Still Whining

Yes, the new government has been in power for a mere 3 months and a few days and to listen to the Conservatives, you'd think the sky was falling.  Of course, as they predicted.

Conservative supporters and former government ministers have been heard bleating about how "...friends of the Trudeau PMO go to the front of the line everywhere."  As Michael Harris responded: "Oh no...not patronage, not in the Federal Government!  How did all those Cons end up in the Senate?  The Stork?"

The "Rona and Tony show" are being ridiculed on other fronts as well.  Michael Harris is at his best, again, as he pillories the two former Harper acolytes over their reversals on the long-form census, science, pot, arms deals with the Saudis..... and on it goes.

Other editorials are starting to point out that actually, the Liberals are pretty much doing what they promised to do.  An op-ed in The Star put it this way: 

But Trudeau’s early days have not been the fiasco the Tories make out. There’s fresh energy and purpose in Ottawa. For the first time, the cabinet is gender-balanced. Relations with premiers, First Nations and cities are much better. The Liberals are bringing in more tax fairness, and more support for a greener economy. MPs and scientists are free to speak their minds again. Draconian security laws are being reviewed.

There's just no pleasing some people. 

Even on the issue of falling oil prices, articles are starting to appear that suggest, pretty clearly, that this might be an opportunity, even in the midst of a economic disaster for Alberta and the country.  Alberta's Clean Energy Shift is a Massive Economic Opportunity, comments an article in the Huffington Post.

There are obvious reasons why oil at $30/bbl (or lower) create some problems, and not just the budgetary and employment ones that everyone might think of.  This article takes a look at 10 problems that low oil prices create and the mismatch between oil supply and demand.

Meanwhile, employment related to solar power are exploding even while jobs related to the oil & gas industry are disappearing, as discussed in Fortune Magazine on-line.

Pointed barbs and nasty comments are flying back and forth over the possibility (or not) of the Energy East pipeline.  Quebec mayors say no.  Alberta's Wild Rose Party blames it all on the Alberta NDP government.  The ex-HarperCons do more arm-waving.  Alberta and Ontario's premiers seem to be on the same page.  People keep talking about the safety record of oil pipelines.

And Parliament gets back into session this week.

As Canadians, though, there is at least one thing that we can be thankful for, as summed up in this charming image: 

New friends. Former Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin endorsed Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at the Iowa State University on Tuesday. (Mary Altaffer/Associated Press)