Power and Politics on Vote 4 the Internet Campaign

Open Government vs. Closed Government

We need to have an open and transparent government, that will follow the code of ethics. Let look at The Conservative Party of Canada, they had minority government for the last 5 years.During the general election of 2006 Stephen Harper promise to clean up Ottawa by bring in a Code of Ethic making the government more transparent, did that happen?

Open and Transparent --FAILED--

Following a Code of Ethics --FAILED--

The way how Stephen Harper is running his election campaign (2011) is the same way he ran his government. It is micro managed, staged and very well scripted. His campaign rallies are not open to the public. If you are not a Conservative, you are denied entry. In London Ontario, Stephen Harper was in town on April 3^rd for a rally, and two Londoners where asked to leave the rally because they where friends with Michael Ignatieff on facebook, and had a picture of them with Michael Ignatieff for their profile picture. For the full story please read this (http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/2011/04/04/17875211.html).

While campaigning in Halifax, reports asked him; “Why do you only take 4 questions?”, he did not give a reason why but asked if they had a question on a different topic. Stephen Harper takes 4 questions from national reporter, 2 in english and 2 in french and 1 from local reporter. These networks that sent reports to follow the Prime Minster and pay about $10,000 a week to travel with the leader, are frustrated at the lack of access. (http://thechronicleherald.ca/Metro/1236141.html). He is give me impression that he is hiding something or that he is afraid of the reporters.

Canada is in need of replacing her ageing CF-18 Hornet, everyone agrees with this, however the question is this: Is the CF-35a Lightning II the best jet and is it the best price? Is the government being honest and open on the cost of these jet?

For the first question, has two answers Yes and No. It will do the job that we need it to do, however we don't need a stealth jet fighter. The second part is no, this jet was priced at 75m per jet and now it has gone way over budget

The second question, the government claims that the jet are going to be costing us 75m. But wait a sec why is watch dog group in the US is claiming that the Jet will cost 110m and more? How can Canada get the Jets at 75m and US has to pay 110m per Jet? Please note that their are 3 different types of jet, the one that Canada is get is F-35a (b/c) version are wroth more. Here are some links about the jets and reports on the jets

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_Martin_F-35_Lightning_II

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canadavotes2011/story/2011/03/29/cv-f35-costs.html

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20110328/fact-check-stealth-fighters-110329/20110329?s_name=election2011&no_ads=

http://www.metronews.ca/calgary/canada/article/823878--u-s-expert-says-jet-costs-will-soar

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2011/04/05/pol-fighter-jet-cost.html?ref=rss

Is this the best jet for Canada? I would have to say no, we can not afford this cost. Why is the government stuck on this jet for? What's wrong with looking at other jets? Like F/A-18E/F Super Hornet? They cost 55m, witch makes it more affordable for us.

CAF Jets -- CF-18 Hornet

In the late 1970's Canada was in need of replace it's fleet of aging aircraft. The CF-100 Canuck, CF-101 Voodoos, CF-104 Starfighter and CF-5/CF-116 Freedom Fighter. The Candidates included the Grumman F-14 Tomcat, McDonnell-Douglas F-15 Eagle, Panavia Tornado, Dassault Mirage F1 (later replaced by the Mirage 2000), General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, the F/A-18 Hornet

CF/A – 188a Hornet
commonly known as CF-18 Hornet

• Manufacturer: McDonnell Douglas / Boeing
• First flight: 18 November 1978
• Introduced: 7 January 1983
• Number built: 138
• Unit cost: US$35 million (1977)
  

General characteristics

• Length: 56 ft 0 in (17.07 m)
• Wingspan: 40 ft 0 in with Sidewinders (12.31 m)
• Height: 15 ft 4 in (4.66 m)
• Wing area: 400 ft2 (37.16 m2)
• Loaded weight: 37150 lb (16850 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 51550 lb (23400 kg)
• Powerplant: 2 × General Electric F404-GE-400 turbofans, 16000 lbf (71.2 kN) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: Mach 1.8 (1127 mph, 1814 km/h) at 36100 ft (11000 m)
• Combat radius: 330 mi (290 nmi, 537 km) on hi-lo-lo-hi mission
• Ferry range: 2070 mi (1800 nmi, 3330 km) (range without ordnance)
• Service ceiling: 50000 ft (15000 m)
• Rate of climb: 50000 ft/min (254 m/s)
• Thrust/weight: 0.89

Armament

• Nine Weapon/ Store Stations (5 pylons: 1 Under Fuselage and 4 Wing Stations) (2 LAU 116 located on sides of fuselage: deploys AIM 7 Sparrow and AMRAAM Missiles)(2 LAU 7 located on the wing tips: Deploys AIM 9 Sidewinder Missile), carrying up to 13700 lb (6215 kg) of missiles, rockets, bombs, fuel tanks, and pods
• 1 × 20 mm M61A1 Vulcan internal gatling gun with 578 rounds, with a firing rate of 4000 or 6000 shots per minute

Missiles

• Air-to-air: AIM-9 Sidewinder, AIM-120 AMR AAM, AIM-7 Sparrow
• Air-to-ground: AGM-65 Maverick, CRV7 rockets
  
• Bombs: Paveway, Mk 82, Mk 83, Mk 84, GBU-10, -12, -16 and -24 laser guided bombs.
  

Avionics

• Raytheon AN/APG-73 radar
• BAE Systems AN/APX-111 IFF
• Rockwell Collins AN/ARC-210 RT-1556/ARC VHF/UHF Radio
• General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems AN/AYK-14 XN-8 mission computer
• Smiths Aerospace AN/AYQ-9 Stores Management System

Variants

• CF-18A: Single-seat fighter and ground attack aircraft.
• CF-18B: Two-seat training version.

Deployment

Canadian Forces Air Command has 72 CF-18As and 31 CF-18Bs in inventory

3 Wing CFB Bagotville, Quebec

• No. 425 Alouette Tactical Fighter Squadron

4 Wing CFB Cold Lake, Alberta

• No. 409 Nighthawks Tactical Fighter Squadron
• No. 410 Cougars Tactical Fighter (Operational Training) Squadron
• AETE (Aerospace Engineering Test Establishment)
  

Notable Losses

• As of March 2011 not one Jet was not lost in combat
• 14 August 1996: Aircraft crashes on takeoff from Iqaluit, Northwest Territories. Pilot safely ejects.
• 26 May 2003: CF-18 crashes on the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range during the annual international training exercise MAPLE FLAG; pilot (Captain Kevin Naismith) killed.
• 19 June 2004: Aircraft from CFB Cold Lake lost when it was unable to stop while at Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. Aircraft was salvaged and is back in service. Pilot ejected but was injured.
• 16 August 2005: Aircraft crashes during a training exercise near CFB Bagotville. Pilot safely ejects.
• 23 July 2010: A CF-18 (#188738) crashed while practicing an airshow routine at the Lethbridge County Airport. The pilot, Captain Brian Bews safely ejected.
• Here is a link to the July 23 crash Video
  
• 17 November 2010: Captain Darren Blakie ejected from his CF-18 on approach to CFB Cold Lake. The aircraft crashed 13 kilometres from the base.

NORAD and NOTA

As a member of NORAD and NATO, the CF-18 Hornet is being used as interceptors for North America air space. In 1995 a Tu-95 Bear-H bomber came to close to Canadian air space, CF-18 Hornets where scrammed from CFB Cold Lake to intercepted the Bomber.

After the attacks of 9/11 The CF-18 Hornet where task to secure the USA air space. They where also used to secure 2010 Winter Olympics, 2010 Winter Paralympics games and G8 summit.

CF-18 Hornet in Combat

In 1991, Canada sent 26 CF-18 Hornet to the Persian Gulf, based in Doha, Qatar, for the Gulf War, to remove the Iraq forces from Kuwait. Canadian pilots flew more than 5700 hrs, including 2700 combat missions. They flew in combat escort missions and ground attack missions. They flew 56 bombing sorties dropping 500lb (230kg) conventional bombs (dumb bombs). This was the first time since the Korean war that the Canadian military had participated in combat operations

In 1999, Canada sent 18 CF-18 Hornet Aviano, Italy. For the NATO peacekeepers in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Canadian pilots flew 678 combat sorties. 120 as combat escort missions and 558 bombing strikes.

In 2011, Canada sent 6 CF-18 Hornet, to enforce the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973 (2011) was adopted to enforce a Libyan no-fly zone, Canadian pilots are flying combat escort and bombing strikes, this mission is still going on.

The replacement of the CF-18 Hornet

Currently the Government is looking to replace the CF-18 Hornet by 2020, and so far the runner up is the CF-35a Lightning II

~~~~~~~~~ Part 2 CF-35a ~~~~~~~~~

Federal Election of Canada 2011, Part 3, Look at the Parties and Leaders

The Conservative Party of Canada

Founded in 2003, Incorporated Progressive Conservative Party and Canadian Alliance Party (formally Reform Party of Canada).

Last election: 143 seats and 37.65% poplar vote

Current Leader: Stephen Harper

Party Platform:

After spending some time on their web-site, I could not find anything on their election platform, the only two items that I came across was fair mongering on a coalition government and the failed budget

I really want to see what the Conservative stand for and the direction that they want to take the country to.

Stephen Harper

Born: April 30, 1959 (age 51)

Toronto, Ontario

Riding: Calgary Southwest

Bio: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Harper

The Liberal Party of Canada

Founded: July 1, 1867

Last election: 77 seats and 26.26% poplar vote

Current Leader: Michael Ignatieff

Party Platform:(taken from their web-site: http://www.liberal.ca/issues/)

The Economy - Liberals are fighting for a strong economy. A future Liberal government will take a balanced and credible fiscal approach to tackling the Conservatives’ record deficit and restoring

Canada’s fiscal health including:

• Cancelling Harper’s additional corporate tax breaks and restoring rates to 2010 levels. Canada already has the second lowest corporate tax rates in the G7 and 25% lower than the U.S. Canadian families deserve a break, not the largest corporations;

• Making better choices instead of spending billions on stealth fighter jets and US-style mega prisons;

• Deficit reduction by committing to a deficit to GDP target of 1% within the first two years of a Liberal government and further decline every year thereafter until the budget is balanced;

• Fiscal prudence by restoring a reserve as a buffer to achieve targets; and,

• Spending discipline by finding targeted, sustainable savings in partnership with the public service and proposing new programs in the Liberal platform only if they can be financed without adding to the deficit.

Families, Finances and the Future

Michael Ignatieff and the Liberal Party of Canada are fighting for your family. A future Liberal government will invest in addressing the economic pressures on Canadian families, like Learning, Health care and Pensions, through:

• A Family Care Plan to enhance care for our parents, our grandparents and our sick loved ones, and to help reduce the pressure on hundreds of thousands of struggling Canadian families;

• A Pension Reform Plan to establish a voluntary Supplementary Canada Pension Plan to help more Canadians use our trusted national pension plan to save for their retirement and to protect the pension savings of Canadians whose companies have gone bankrupt; and

• A Pan-Canadian Learning Strategy spanning early childhood development and care, aboriginal education, workforce literacy, language training for New Canadians, and access to higher education and training to build the best-educated, most skilled workforce in the world.

Clean Resources, Healthy Environment and the Economy of Tomorrow

Liberals are fighting to protect our natural environment as we transition to the cleaner economy of tomorrow, through:

• An Environment and Clean Energy Plan that takes real action on climate change, creates jobs by investing in renewable energy production, promotes energy efficiency, and helps companies to develop and manufacture new clean energy products and materials. We will also protect our future by preserving our oceans, lakes and coastal communities;
  
  

Bringing Canadians Together

Liberals are fighting to bring Canadians together. While divisive politics has made our country small, Liberals want to build bridges between communities and renew our democracy through:

The Rural Canada Matters strategy to boost rural communities with better access to b

roadband internet, doctors and nurses, emergency services, and postal services;

• A National Food Policy to promote healthy living, safe food, sustainable farm incomes, environmental farmland stewardship and international leadership; and

• An Open Government Initiative to create a new level of accountability for government spending and to spur innovation and economic growth.
  

Michael Ignatieff

Born: May 12, 1947 (age 63)
Toronto, Ontario

Riding: Etobicoke—Lakeshore

Bio: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Ignatieff

New Democratic Party Of Canada

Founded: 17 June 1961 Incorporated CCF and CLC

Last election: 37 seats and 18.18% poplar vote

Current Leader: Jack Layton

Party Platform:(taken from their web-site: http://www.ndp.ca/platform/)

Leadership you can trust

It’s time for a leader who will get things done for you and your family. Jack Layton’s New Democrats will work with others, stop the scandals and get results. Together, we can start fixing Ottawa – right now.

Making life more affordable

New Democrats will reduce the cost of everyday essentials like home heating. And we’ll ensure that every family takes home more of every paycheque.

Rewarding job creators

Under Stephen Harper, your tax dollars went to companies shipping Canadian jobs overseas. New Democrats will target investment to small businesses and companies actually creating jobs right here at home.

Improving front-line health services

New Democrats will take concrete steps to train more family doctors. We’ll improve homecare. And

we’ll make your prescription medicines a little more affordable.

Putting families first

New Democrats will strengthen pensions. We’ll make childcare and education more accessible. And we’ll improve EI to make it easier for families to care for ageing loved ones.

Jack Layton

Born: July 18, 1950 (age 60)
Montreal, Quebec

Riding: Toronto—Danforth

Bio: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Layton




Other parties running in this election

Bloc Québécois
Green
Christian Heritage
Marxist–Leninist
Libertarian
Progressive Canadian
Communist
Canadian Action
Marijuana
Rhinoceros
First Peoples National
Western Block
Animal Alliance Environment Voters
People's Political Power
Pirate Party
United Party

Federal Election of Canada 2011, Part 2. Why another Election

Why are we in another election? My opinion is, the Conservatives can not work with the opposition party(s). And with all the scandals. Before the Conservatives where elected into government, they campaign fixed election date, Code of Ethics and Transparency in the Government.

• Fixed election date. So that government can not call a snap elect, to gain more seats. To prevent elects less then 4 years. With the exception of if the government loses a confidence vote by the House of Commons (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fixed_election_dates_in_Canada)

• Now in September 2008, half way through the Conservatives mandate Stephen Harper called election. The Government did not lose a non confidence vote. In fact at this time the Liberal Part was still week, just after voting a new Leader.

• Ottawa-based advocacy group, filed a legal suit claiming that the election call was illegal. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_federal_election,_2008#Legality_of_the_election)

• Code of Ethics and Transparency in the Government. All this because of the previous Governments scandals. After the Sponsorship scandal - 2004 - misuse and misdirection of funds disbursed through the Liberal government's 1990s sponsorship program. Investigated by the Gomery Commission (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gomery_Commission).

  • Now the Conservatives are facing these scandals:

    • Julie Couillard scandal - Conservative Foreign Minister Maxime Bernier resigned after leaving sensitive NATO documents in the home of Julie Couillard, an ex-girlfriend with links to the Hells Angels biker gang.

    • In and Out scandal - 2007 - alleged circumvention of election finance rules by the Conservatives in the 2006 election campaign

    • Shoe Store Project - 2007 - Prime Minister's Office under Stephen Harper plans $2M, government-controlled media centre to replace current National Press Theatre (which is run by press gallery staff, instead of those from the PMO)

    • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Canadian_political_scandals

• What is more alarming is the Conservatives was facing the charge of Contempt of Parliament http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contempt_of_parliament#Canada

  • The April 10, 2008 case involved RCMP deputy commissioner Barbara George who was cited for contempt for deliberately misleading a parliamentary committee over an income trust scandal. She was ultimately found in contempt but was not punished further than the motion itself.

  • The March, 2011 contempt citation case involved Conservative MP Bev Oda. She eventually ended up "off the hook."

  • Failure to provide detail information on the total cost of the new prisons and the new jet fighers CF-35

• With all these scandals and the Government not being so transparent, the opposition party called an non confidence vote after committee found the Conservatives in Contempt of Parliament. This is the FIRST TIME that a Canadian Government was facing this charge, in fact it's also the FIRST TIME that an country within Commonwealth of fifty-four states http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contempt_of_parliament#Canada

The 40^th parliament started off on the wrong foot. With Jim Flaherty economic update. With largest recession happening around the world, they did not include anything to help Canada. Meanwhile USA and other countries where dumping millions of $$ to bail out banks, auto-Industry and more. And not to mention a “Poison Pill” for the opposition parties. This was to cut money to the opposition parties.

The Liberal, NDP and Bloc Québécois where going to setup a coalition government. Before going to the Governor General, Stephen Harper talk to the Governor General Michaëlle Jean to prorogue Parliament. She granted him that, which killed all the bills that where being debated on, so all the time that they sat in Parliament was a wast of time.

That was the only time that the “coalition” was purposed. In March 2011 there was NO coalition, however the opposition parties can work together. That's something that I expect my government to do.

Federal Election of Canada 2011, Part 1. Looking back at the 2008 Election

On March 25th 2011, the Canadian Government was defeated by an Non-Confidence vote.
Let look at the last elections.

Party	Seats Elected	Popular Vote	Changed Seats	Changed Popular
Conservatives	143	37.60%	+19	+1.38%
Liberal	77	26.20%	-18	-3.97%
NDP	37	18.20%	+8	+0.70%
Bloc Québécois	49	10.00%	-2	-0.50%
Green	0	6.80%	0	+2.30%
Others	2	1.20%

Results by Ridings

Click the map to enlarge it






Voter Turnout

Alberta ................. 52.9%
British Columbia . 61.0%
Manitoba ............. 56.8%
New Brunswick ... 62.8%
NLF ...................... 48.1%
NWT .................... 48.6%
Nova Scotia .......... 60.1%
Nunavut ............... 49.4%
Ontario ................. 59.1%
PEI ....................... 69.5%
Saskatchewan ...... 59.4%
Quebec .................. 61.1%
Yukon ................... 63.7%
Nationally ............. 64.7%

2008 Elections was the worst voter turn out in Canadian history.

The Governing Party before the election was Conservatives (minority government)
Prime Minister: Stephen Harper

Party Leaders

Name: Stephen Harper
Party: Conservatives
Leader since: 2004
Riding: Calgary Southwest
Elected: Yes
Web-Site




Name: Stéphane Dion
Party: Liberal
Leader since: 2006-2008
Riding: Saint-Laurent—Cartierville
Elected: Yes
Web-Site




Name: Jack Layton
Party: NDP
Leader since: 2003
Riding: Toronto—Danforth
Elected: Yes
Web-Site





Name: Gilles Duceppe
Party: Bloc Québécois
Leader since: 1997
Riding: Laurier—Sainte-Marie
Elected: Yes
Web-Site In French, for English Translate




Name: Elizabeth May
Party: Green
Leader since: 2006
Riding: Central Nova
Elected: No
Web-Site

The Campaign Issues

Arts

The Conservatives cut $45 million to the Arts Funding. This cause criticism from the opposition Leaders and Quebecers. At this time the Conservatives where leading in the polls for Quebec, then lost the support and went to the Bloc Québécois.

Stephen Harper had said that the money was being reallocated to other arts and cultural programs, like the 400^th anniversary of Quebec City and 2010 Vancouver-Whistler Winter Olympic Games.

The Conservative's refusal to have a parliamentary review of their cuts and for a moratorium on the measures until the House of Commons Heritage Committee had a chance to hold hearings on culture and arts funding has most opposition members calling foul.

Both Stéphane Dion and Jack Layton have promised to reverse the cut, with Dion also promising to increase funding to Canada Council for the Arts to $360 million, while Layton also promised to bring income averaging for artists to the national level and providing an annual tax exemption of $20,000 for income earned by copyright and residuals, stating that "one of the key things we must do, before we start giving $50-billion tax giveaways to banks and oil companies, is to protect and promote the arts" and "stable, sure and appropriate funding" for CBC/Radio-Canada while also protecting Telefilm Canada and the Canadian Television Fund.

Alleged Cadman bribe attempt

In early 2008 it was alleged that Independent MP Chuck Cadman of Surrey North, who was terminally ill with cancer at the time, had been offered a half-million life insurance policy in exchange for voting against the proposed Liberal budget in May 2005, which he turned down. Under section 119 of the Criminal Code of Canada, it is illegal to bribe an MP. Accordingly, Opposition Liberal party Intergovernmental Affairs critic Dominic LeBlanc asked the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in February 2008 to investigate this allegation, that the Conservatives had offered Mr. Cadman a million-dollar life insurance policy in exchange for his support on the budget vote. In May 2008, the RCMP announced that there was not enough evidence to support charges. Cadman died in July. The following month, Harper stated in a court deposition that he personally authorized an offer made to Cadman in 2005. There is currently an ongoing legal battle between the Liberals and the Conservatives over the matter.

On September 24, while campaigning in Surrey North, Stephen Harper's campaign team barred reporters from talking with the local Conservative candidate, Dona Cadman, who is Chuck Cadman's widow. The campaign team called in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), and ordered them to "Keep [the reporters] out" while Cadman was taken away by staff. Harper spokesman Kory Teneycke later stated that he had not seen the incident, but the local candidates did not need to be interviewed, that "Local candidates' priority is campaigning in their local ridings, and not talking to the national media", and that it should be enough that they hold daily news conferences with the party's most prominent members.

The incident has reminded people of Conservative tactics during the 2006 election, where attempts by the media to speak with local candidates were stopped by campaign personnel, especially the Harold Albrecht incident, where campaign officials forced Albrecht to stay in a restaurant kitchen when journalists attempted to interview him.

The Conservatives chose former FBI agent Bruce Koenig to analyze a tape of reporter Tom Zytaruk interviewing Harper on the Cadman bribe attempt. The tape was a key piece of evidence in the ongoing legal battle. On October 10, Keonig announced that the tape had not been altered in any way, contrary to the claims by Stephen Harper that it had been altered

Listeriosis outbreak

The Minister of Agriculture Gerry Ritz, who has already been criticized by Canada's food scientists for his handling of the 2008 listeriosis outbreak,[83] has also been criticized for making inappropriate comments, further angering the families of those affected. Ritz had joked about the outbreak while he was on a conference call with scientists and political staffers on August 30, saying the political fallout from the outbreak was "like a death by a thousand cuts, or should I say cold cuts". In addition, when he was informed of a listeriosis-related death in Prince Edward Island, he quipped "Please tell me it's [Liberal agriculture critic] Wayne Easter." Despite calls for Ritz's resignation from the other parties and the public, Stephen Harper has supported Ritz and rebuffed calls for his resignation.

The Public Service Alliance of Canada revealed to the media that the Conservative party plans to cut federal funding to meat inspection programs by $3 million, effectively ending their operation in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and British Columbia.

Cities and infrastructure

Toronto Mayor David Miller has spoken out that the parties need to focus more on cities and their infrastructure, stating that 8 out of 10 Canadians live in cities, and that so far only the Green party has revealed a platform on the issue, with a national transit strategy and plans to give cities a permanent revenue source to help fix a growing infrastructure backlog. Miller stated he will not endorse a specific party, but urges people to choose a party that will "help cities thrive". He disagrees with Stephen Harper's opinion that "cities are not of national importance".

On September 18, Stéphane Dion pledged to spend more than $70 billion over the next 10 years to improve Canada's infrastructure if elected, and budget surpluses that exceed a $3-billion contingency fund to infrastructure projects, particularly those with a green focus, calling Canada's cities and towns "the engines of our economy". Stephen Harper immediately lashed out at the spending proposal, saying Dion was "promising money no government could afford" and that the Conservative's infrastructure plans "are modest and affordable within the four-year budget we've published".

On September 23, Montreal and Toronto mayors Gérald Tremblay and David Miller laid out their demands for urban municipalities, describing cities' current financial problems as a national issue, saying that cities have become the country's economic, social and cultural development engines and need appropriate support, and that they need better "fiscal tools" to continue their role as Canada's economic engines or the country will suffer. They listed Homelessness, traffic gridlock, crowded buses and overstretched police departments as just a few of the symptoms, that "These problems are too big and too important to be solved on the backs of property taxpayers" and that "in order to remain competitive, transport goods efficiently and attract new talent, our cities require quality infrastructure, affordable housing and first-rate recreational and cultural facilities". Jean Perrault, president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and mayor of Sherbrooke, Quebec, has stated that things like the Federal Gas Tax Fund were an important federal commitment, but that more is needed to tackle cities' overwhelming infrastructure needs.

On September 29, Layton announced plans to direct one cent per litre of the gas tax, approximately $400 million a year, into transit projects across the country, and direct $350 million from the sale of carbon permits to big polluters, saying that "the major polluters would be the ones paying to make transit greener, not you and your families", and that "fighting climate change requires investing in transit, and that's what our plan does"

Environment

Shortly after the election was called, Harper was criticized for using a four-vehicle motorcade that included a van and SUV to travel the 395 m (1,296 ft) across the street from the door of 24 Sussex Drive to the door of Rideau Hall to dissolve parliament. In return, the Conservatives criticized the Liberal party's decision to use a 29-year-old Boeing 737-200 for campaigning, saying that the older airplane's poor fuel efficiency demonstrates hypocrisy on environmental matters. Daniel Lauzon, a spokesperson for the Liberals, denied their airplane was substantially less efficient than the Conservatives' Airbus A319.

The Tories have been previously criticized for backing out of Canada's commitments under the Kyoto Protocol. Their new plan requires industries to reduce the rate at which they generate greenhouse gases, with a goal of reducing overall emissions by 45 to 65 percent by 2050. The plan has been criticized by groups such as the Sierra Club, who called it "completely inadequate". Criticism has focused on the use of "intensity-based" targets, for which emission reductions are relative to overall production, so overall emissions could potentially increase if production also increases. This is in contrast to a "hard cap" on emissions, for which the overall amount cannot increase. The Conservatives' plan includes a hard cap to begin in 2020 or 2025, while environmental groups have advocated for an immediate hard cap.

The Liberals have developed a "Green Shift" plan, creating a carbon tax that will be coupled with reductions to income tax rates. The proposal was to tax greenhouse gas emissions, starting at $10 (Canadian) per ton of CO2 and reaching $40 (Canadian) per ton within four years. The plan would engage in revenue recycling by matching the tax with reductions in the income tax. Criticism of the Green Shift plan has focused on its economic effects, with the Conservatives predicting it would cause a "big recession". When pressed by reporters to provide evidence of this impact, Harper "wasn't able to cite a study that specifically modelled the impact of the Liberal Green Shift plan", instead citing an older economic model about the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol.

One trucking association claimed the Liberal carbon tax plan could put up to 10,000 jobs in jeopardy in Moncton alone. Environmental activist David Suzuki has come out in support of Dion's plan, saying "To oppose [the carbon tax plan], it's just nonsense. It's certainly the way we got to go" and giving an interview explaining why it is the most effective way to solve the environmental crisis.

The NDP's plan for the environment has focused on emissions trading, claiming their system will decrease greenhouse emissions by 80% by 2050. The plan includes a series of financial incentives to retrofit public transit systems and transition the economy to be "green-collar". The plan would also halt new tar sands development until emissions have been capped. Layton has also criticized the Liberal carbon tax plan, stating it taxes families instead of polluters.


Potential fall of government

On December 1, 2008, as the result of opposition dissatisfaction with the government's economic update (which failed to include stimulus measures to help the Canadian economy contend with the global crisis and included a 'poison pill' regarding the cessation of public party financing), the leaders of the Liberal Party, New Democratic Party, and Bloc Québécois announced they had reached an agreement to approach the governor general for the purpose of forming a coalition government. Combined, the three opposition parties constitute a majority of seats in the House of Commons. Parliament was due to vote on a no-confidence motion on December 8; if successful, the Liberals and NDP would have formally formed the coalition for 30 months, while the BQ pledged to support it for at least 18 months. Liberal leader Stéphane Dion would have become prime minister until the selection of his successor at the Liberal leadership convention in May 2009, and a coalition cabinet would have comprised 18 Liberal members (including a finance minister) and 6 NDP members. Governor General Michaëlle Jean had cut short a state visit to Europe "in light of the current political situation in Canada." On December 4, 2008, Jean granted Harper's request to prorogue Parliament until January 26, 2009, thereby staving off the prospect of an imminent change in government.

CF-105 The Avro Arrow

“In its planning, design and flight-test programme, this fighter, in almost every way the most advanced of all the fighters of the 1950s, was as impressive, and successful as any aircraft in history.”
— Bill Gunston, 1981
In 1953 Canadian Air-Force wanted a new interceptor to protect the northern part of the country from the USSR heavy bomber. At this time jets had the speed of 1060 km/h and ceiling of 12000 m. The Canadian Generals wanted their new jet to have the speed of 2410 km/h (mack 2) and a ceiling of 50,000 ft+.

They went to Avro with this plains to make the jet and at the time it was almost impossible thing to do. Avro took the contract and deside that this project will be an all Canadian Jet.
Avro had in the past made plans during World War II for the British and Canadian Air Force. Here are some of the air craft that they made:


Handley Page Hampden Medium Bomber
Primary Users: RAF and RCAF
Crew: 4
Maiden Flight: 21, June, 1936
Produced: 1936 to 1941
Retired: 1945
Number Built: 1,430
Length: 16.33 m
Height: 4.37 m
Wingspan: 21.98 m
Powerplant: 2 Bristol Pegasus XVIII 9-Cylinder Radial engines (980 hp each)
Maximum Speed: 410 km/h at 4,724 m
Service ceiling: 5,790 m
4 to 6 7.7 mm Vickers K Machine Guns
Bombs/Torpedoes and Mines: 1,814 kg

Avro Lancaster Heavy Bomber
Primary Users: RAF and RCAF
Crew: 7
Maiden Flight: 8, January, 1941
Produced: 1942
Retired: 1963 (In Canada)
Number Built: 7,377
Length: 21.18 m
Height: 5.97 m
Wingspan: 31.09 m
Powerplant: 4 Rolls-Royce Merlin XX V12 engines (1280 hp each)
Maximum Speed: 450 km/h at 5,600 m
Service ceiling: 8,160 m
8 7.70 mm Browning Machine Guns
Payload: max 10,000 kg, typical 6,400 kg

There are a few variants of the Lancaster; Avro Lancastrian, Avro Lincoln, Avro York and the Halifax.

Hawker Hurricane Fighter; Battle of France and Battle of Britain
Primary Users: RAF and RCAF
Crew: 1
Maiden Flight: 6, November, 1935
Produced: 1937 - 1944
Number Built: 14,000
Length: 9.84 m
Height: 4.0 m
Wingspan: 12.19 m
Powerplant: 1 Rolls-Royce Merlin XX liquid-cooled V12 engines (1,185 hp)
Maximum Speed: 547 km/h at 6,400 m
Service ceiling: 10,970 m
8 7.70 mm Browning Machine Guns

The Cold War Canadian Designed
Avro CF 100 Canuck
Primary Users:RCAF and Belgian
Crew: 2
Maiden Flight: 19, January, 1950
Produced: 1952
Retired: 1981 (In Canada)
Number Built: 692
Length: 16.5 m
Height: 4.4 m
Wingspan: 17.4 m
Powerplant: 2 Avro Orenda 11 turbojets
Maximum Speed: 888 km/h
Service ceiling: 13,700 m

Avro CF-105 Arrow
Primary Users: RCAF
Crew: 2
Maiden Flight: 25, March, 1958
Produced: Canceled
Retired: 20, February 1959
Number Built: 5
Length: 23.71 m
Height: 6.25 m
Wingspan: 15.24 m
Powerplant: 2 Pratt & Whitney J75-P-3 turbojets (this was going to be replaced with the Iroquois Jet Engines)
Maximum Speed: 2,104 km/h at 15,000m
Service ceiling: 16,150 m
1 to 4 AIR-2 Genie unguided nuclear rockets
8 AIM-4 Falcon, Canadair Velvet Glove (cancelled 1956)
2 AIM-7 Sparrow II 2D Active guidance missiles (cancelled)

Design and development

At the start of the project, there was some debate on the design of a supersonic jet. Namely the wings, straight or swept style wings. The CF-100 had straight wings and it can carry a lot of fuel within the wings. After some testing with mock-up of wooden jets, they decided to go with a delta style wings and tailless. With using the delta wings, they increase the amount of fuel the jet can carry and keeping the wings thin so that it can be very aerodynamic.

One new idea that Avro employed in their new supersonic jet. Adding 4,000 pounds per square inch hydraulic system, It used small actuators and piping, this first time that this kind of system was used. This was a rudimentary “Fly-By-Wire”, most modern jets use today.

In 1955 Avro was given the go-head to start rolling out the prototype jets, five where made and the flight test started. For the most part the testing went really good. However one of the jets landing gear broke on landing. At this time the Iroquois engines where not completed, so the Pratt & Whitney J75-P-3 turbojets where used in their place. The rollout of the first CF-105, marked as RL-201, took place 4 October 1957. The company had planned to capitalize on the event, inviting more than 13,000 guests to the formal occasion. Unfortunately, the media and public attention for the Arrow rollout was dwarfed by the launch of Sputnik the same day.

Sputnik was the first satellite launch from Earth. The Russian name "???????" means literally "co-traveller", "travelling companion" or "satellite", and its R-7 launch vehicle was designed initially to carry nuclear warheads.

RL-201 first flew on March 25 1958 with chief development test pilot Janusz Zurakowski. The aircraft demonstrated excellent handling throughout the flight envelope. The Jet went supersonic on only its third flight and reached at three quarters throttle. (Mach 1.98).

Political issues

Storms of Controversy revealed a top secret brief prepared for George Pearkes, then Minister of National Defence, for his July 1958 meeting with U.S. officials. The brief states,

"The introduction of SAGE in Canada will cost in the neighbourhood of $107 million. Further improvements are required in the radar… NORAD has also recommended the introduction of the BOMARC missile… will be a further commitment of $164 million… All these commitments coming at this particular time… will tend to increase our defence budget by as much as 25 to 30%…"

It was the Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent (Liberal) that approved and gave the go-head with the Avro CF-105 Arrow. They had refused the USA offers on their jets, namely the CF-101 Voodoo and the Bomarc Missiles. The Government did not want the Nuclear missiles installed on Canadian soil. They tried to sell USA, British and the French governments on the CF-105 Arrow. The USA was no, the French did not want the jets, however they wanted the Iroquois engines and order 200 for their Mirage Jets. Some years later the British government was about to order the CF-105 Arrows after the first flight test and later changed their minds on the deal, then the French cancelled their order on Iroquois engines, in 1957.

At this time there was an election in Canada and the Liberal Party lost. The Progressive Conservative lead by John Diefenbaker, won a Minority Government. It is believed that some one in the Canadian government leak-out the information that the Avro CF-105 Arrow was about to be cancelled.

In 1958 there was another general election in Canada and John Diefenbaker's Progressive Conservative won the election. They started to cancel majority of the Liberal projects, calling them "industrial welfare".

Black Friday -- Broken Dreams


On 20 February 1959, later know as "Black Friday", the government of Canada, Prime Mister John Diefenbaker canceled the Avro Arrow.

Avro of Canada at the time only had two projects on the go. One being the CF-105 Arrow and the other was the Orenda Iroquois. With no new money, a decision was made to layoff all of the employees at the time. This immediately put over 50,000 people out of work at the plants and outside suppliers.

Within two months, all aircraft, engines, production tooling and technical data were ordered scrapped. This was partly in response to Royal Canadian Mounted Police fears that a Soviet "mole" had infiltrated Avro, later confirmed to some degree in the Mitrokhin archives. Officially, the reason given for the destruction order from Cabinet and the Chiefs of Staff was to destroy classified and "secret" materials utilized in the Arrow/Iroquois programs.

Along with the five flying test models and production aircraft, blueprints and other materials were destroyed leading to the creation of a piece of Canadian mythology. The rushed destruction incited a number of conspiracy theories alleging American culpability for the Arrow's demise. There remains an enduring but fanciful legend that one of the prototypes was spirited away after the cancellation and remains intact, but continues to be the basis of an urban legend.

Following the Canadian government's cancellation of the Avro Arrow project in 1959, CF-105 Chief Aerodynamicist Jim Chamberlin led a team of 25 engineers to NASA's Space Task Group to become lead engineers, program managers, and heads of engineering in NASA's manned space programs-Projects Mercury, Gemini and Apollo. This team would eventually grow to 32 Avro engineers and technicians, and become emblematic of what many Canadians viewed as a "brain drain" to the US. Many other engineers, including Jim Floyd (whose design studies at Hawker Siddeley (Avro Aircraft's UK parent) on the HSA.1000 SST design studies were ultimately influential in the design of the Concorde) found work abroad in either the UK or the United States.

Key People of Avro Canada


Gordon Jr. Crawford
December 26, 1914 - January 26, 1967
Born in: Winnipeg Man
He was the President of Avro 1952 to 1959

During the Second World War, he helped the government to reorganize the industrial resource to meet the needs of the wartime productions. In 1952 he was called upon to become the new president of Avro.

A quot from the Avro Vice-President (Engineering) James C. Floyd.
"At the time we laid down the design of the CF-105, there was a somewhat emotional controversy going on in the United States on the relative merits of the delta plan form versus the straight wing for supersonic aircraft… our choice of a tailless delta was based mainly on the compromise of attempting to achieve structural and aeroelastic efficiency, with a very thin wing, and yet, at the same time, achieving the large internal fuel capacity required for the specified range"

After “Black Friday”, James Floyd moved England. He did come back to Canada in 1981 and retired in the Toronto area in the shadows of the once-great Avro Canada company buildings, that are now demolished.

Janusz Zurakowski
September 12, 1914 - Februrary 9, 2004
Born in: Ryzawka, Russia
He was the chief development test pilot

At the outbreak of the Second World War, he flew with the Polish air force. After the defeat, he escaped the Germans and went to England. He flew in Spitfire V in the Battle of Britain. He also escorted the USAAF bombers on daylight bombing raids

After the war he became a test pilot for RAF, he flew 30 different type of plan. He moved to Canada in 1952 and was a test pilot for Avro. He broke the sound barrier on 18 December 1952, diving the CF-100 fighter, the first straight-winged jet aircraft to achieve this feat. He flew Arrows RL 201, 202 and 203, over a total of 21 flights, 23.75 hours, reaching speeds of Mach 1.89 and an altitude of 50,000 feet.

After flying Arrow 203 on 26 September 1958, Janusz decided to give up test flying for good, fulfilling a promise he had made to his wife to stop experimental flying once he reached the age of 40.

John Carver Meadows Frost
1915 - October 9 1979
Born in: Walton-on-Thames, England

In 1947 he left England and moved to Canada, where he started to work at Avro Canada. On 14 June 1947, the Avro design team met their new Project Designer, working on the XC-100 (CF-100) and later worked on the CF-105 and the Avrocar.

After Black Friday he moved to New Zealand.

Jim Chamberlin
May 23, 1915 - 1981
Born in: Kamloops, British Columbia

Chamberlin was chief aerodynamicist on the C-102 Jetliner and CF-100 "Canuck" jet interceptor and, later, chief of technical design for the CF-105 Avro Arrow, generating many of the ideas that would make the design famous.

After Black Friday, he and 25 others moved to the States and worked in NASA on Mercury, Gemini and Apollo projects.

Chamberlin was described by a NASA Administrator as "one of the most brilliant men ever to work with NASA." In March 1962, millions of people watched John Glenn, the first American to orbit the earth, wave to the crowds in New York from the lead limousine of his ticker tape parade. Directly behind, in the second limousine, was Jim Chamberlin

Chamberlin left NASA in 1970 to join McDonnell Douglas Astronautics, where he prepared an ultimately unsuccessful space shuttle bid before becoming technical director for the company's facility at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, a position he held until his death in 1981.