Making it up as they go along

#cdnpoli


This really is pathetic. Now the Harper government proves how far into the future they really look.

An award-winning program that helps rehabilitate prisoners and protect the public by keeping them from re-offending is falling victim to budget cuts.

The Lifeline program, which provides support for those serving life sentences and helps re-integrate those who are released on parole, has been operating in Canadian prisons for more than 20 years.

Rick Sauve, who spent 17 years behind bars and has been out for almost two decades, says he survived thanks to the program he now works for.

In other words, they don't. Sister Sage gives this a good slicing and dicing.

Further down the punishment road, Impolitical makes a clear point on the Harper government's inconsistency when making clemency pleas for Canadians facing the death penalty.

Failure to provide evidence of a consistent position reduces the impact of such a plea, regardless of the jurisdiction.

It's like these clowns watched one episode of Perry Mason, two episodes of Kojak and made up their minds during the commercials.

More: Harebell highlights how these morons digest information. Must read. 

Flaherty pants on fire

#cdnpoli

Back office, my ass.

 

This is not a "back office" operation. This is a federal laboratory that has evolved since 1916. It's mandate, explained on this page (for as long as it lasts):

The Centre for Plant Health provides testing, virus indexing, therapy, and technology development for viruses and pests of grapevines, treefruits and other crops.

With key research areas of:

• Plant introduction and post-entry quarantine testing of all imported tree fruit, grapes, and woody ornamentals that are not accompanied by an acceptable certificate of good health from the exporting country
• Testing promising selections from Canadian tree fruit and grape breeders to ensure that original releases to industry are free from potential viruses
• Eliminating virus infections from valuable fruit, grape and ornamental clones by heat therapy
• Auditing the reliability of recognized foreign certification programs by testing plant samples from imported commercial shipments for virus infection

It is also the only post-entry quarantine lab in the country for imported plant species. It was tasked with preventing the introduction and spread of plant virus to and to detect forest invasive insect species.

It was the only one in the country.

Gone.

Flaherty and Harper: Taking the "good" out of government.

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It will be worth watching to see what happens to this facility and the large area of land it occupies. You see, once a very rural stretch of the Saanich Peninsula, the Centre for Plant Health is located in one of the wealthiest sections of Greater Victoria and in the federal riding of Saanich-Gulf Islands. It is bounded by expensive homes to the west (Dean Park Estates) and to the south.

Ringing a few bells?

This was the riding of Harper flunky, Gary Lunn, who's 2008 election campaign remains a source of suspicion.