mardi 27 avril 2010

Milliken's Ruling

Forces full disclosure on the government, upholding that Parliament is supreme, while allowing for (justifiable) national security concerns.

Two weeks to come up with a mechanism to ensure that this is achieved.

On an aside, a great presentation by Milliken, well researched and presented.

samedi 10 avril 2010

Open Letter on the Canadian Reserves/Lettre Ouverte sur les Réserves Canadiennes

La version française a été publiée dans La Tribune de Sherbrooke ce matin, and the English version in the Sherbrooke Record yesterday.

(English version follows)

À la défense de nos réserves militaires

Les Fusiliers de Sherbrooke fêtent cette année leur 100e anniversaire. Au cours de leur histoire, les réservistes sherbrookois ont participé bravement à plusieurs guerres, à des missions de maintien de la paix et des interventions humanitaires.

Chaque mission accomplie, nos hommes et femmes en uniforme reviennent chez nous, dans leur famille, au travail ou aux études. Ils réintègrent la société et sortent de nos pensées.

Pourtant, ils font partie intégrale de nos forces canadiennes, et sont souvent appelés pour venir en aide chez nous, ici au Québec, et ailleurs au Canada. Nous avons qu’à penser à leur rôle lors de la crise du verglas en 1998, des inondations au Saguenay ou au Manitoba, ou pour la sécurité lors des Jeux olympiques à Vancouver.

Nous n’en sommes pas toujours conscients, mais ils sont importants comme intervenants, tant au Canada qu’à l’international.

Depuis quelques mois, et ce même avant le budget fédéral du mois de mars, les unités de réserves canadiennes sont sous le couteau des coupures budgétaires de la part du gouvernement Harper. Chaque unité de réserve doit couper dans les cycles d’entrainement, dans le recrutement, et dans le fonctionnement général.

Quelques réservistes nous indiquent que la situation est plutôt grave. Ils nous parlent de fermeture temporaire de certaines unités ainsi qu’un manque au niveau de la direction et la planification des opérations. Ceci n’est pas une situation propice à la bonne continuité de nos unités de réserve.

Nous avons tous une responsabilité de dire au gouvernement Harper que nous avons besoin de mieux soutenir nos réserves. Certes, ces hommes et ces femmes sont habitués à faire beaucoup avec peu de ressources, mais la situation actuelle est devenue presque insupportable.

Après plus de cent ans de service auprès de nous, nous leur devons bien ça.

William Hogg
Candidat libéral
Compton-Stanstead

Marcel Proulx
Député libéral et Porte-parole adjoint en matière de Défense national
Hull-Aylmer

David Price
Ancien secrétaire parlementaire libéral du ministre de la Défense national
Chargé du rôle de la réserve

***

Defending our Reservists

The Sherbrooke Fusiliers are celebrating their 100th anniversary this year. Throughout their history, reservists from Sherbrooke and the surrounding area have bravely taken part in international conflicts and peacekeeping and humanitarian assistance missions.

Their missions completed, our men and women in uniform come home, to their families, their jobs or to their studies. They reintegrate into society and generally pass from our thoughts.

Nonetheless, they are an integral part of the today’s Canadian Forces, and are often called upon to help out at home, in Quebec or elsewhere across Canada. Think of their participation during the Ice Storm of 1998, the floods in the Saguenay or in Manitoba, or their security role during the recent Vancouver Olympics.

We do not often recognize their efforts, but they are our first respondents in emergencies, both at home and abroad.

Sadly, predating even the March federal budget, the Harper government has significantly cut funding to Reserve units of the Canadian Forces.

Units across the country have had to cut their training cycles, recruitment drives and their regular activities.

Reservists have told us that the situation is serious. They talk of temporary closures of units, as well as an ongoing inability to properly plan for and direct current and future operations.

Under these conditions, it would be difficult ensure the long term viability of our Reserve units.

These men and women have long been used to doing a lot with little in the way of resources, but the current situation is untenable.

It is our responsibility to tell the Harper government that they need to better support our reservists.

After more than 100 years of serving our country, this is the least we could do for them.

William Hogg
Liberal candidate
Compton-Stanstead

Marcel Proulx
MP, Hull-Aylmer
Liberal Associate Critic for National Defence

David Price
Former Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence
Responsible for the Reserves

jeudi 8 avril 2010

I was called "petty" by John Baird

Well, actually, by one of his staffers! But boy did it make my day ;). I guess that ministers, or Prime Ministers, can't respond to direct criticism, and have to go through lower minions...

lundi 5 avril 2010

Canada-US Border - Looking for Solutions



In the past month we have seen at least two cases where Canadian citizens have made unfortunate errors in crossing the Canada-US border.

In both cases, here in my riding of Compton-Stanstead, and on the New Brunswick-Maine border, US border officials took, in my opinion, overzealous steps in detaining, questioning, and then photographing and fingerprinting these citizens. The latest case (NB-Maine) children were in fact photographed and fingerprinted, if CBC is correct.

I have asked that Ottawa act. Harper and Cannon, in their not-so-fortunate meetings with Clinton last week, did not bring it up, even though Harper, here in my riding less than a week prior, said that he would.

What do you think? Time to sit down with American law-makers to figure our joint border out? Let me know, and let Ottawa know!

Contact me at william@williamhogg.ca