OTTAWA - The Honourable Maxime Bernier, Minister of Industry, today, for the first time, released a comprehensive package of information regarding the Technology Partnerships Canada program (TPC).

"Our government has accountability and transparency at the top of its agenda, and I am bringing this same focus to activities related to TPC," said Minister Bernier. "When it came to my attention that the TPC program has been a source of controversy in the past year, I made it clear to my Department that I wanted to get to the bottom of the audit issues."

Specifically, Minister Bernier released an updated report on the status of ongoing audit activity into company compliance with the terms of their TPC contribution agreements, and a report on repayments of TPC investments received by Industry Canada to date.

"Boosting Canada's competitiveness and prosperity is a top priority for this government, but starting now, this government believes that our partnerships with the private sector should be managed in a fully transparent and accountable manner. Taxpayers have a right to know how their money is being used," stated Minister Bernier.

"Our government is aware of the major economic importance of the research, development, and commercialization activities undertaken by Canadian firms," said Minister Bernier. "To that end, my Cabinet colleagues and I will be discussing options for how the federal government can best play a role in ensuring that our companies are positioned to continue to bring new technologies, products and processes to market."

In accordance with this unprecedented transparency effort, the Minister of Industry also made public four TPC investments that were approved in 2005. These include an investment with CAE Inc. of Montreal, Quebec, two investments with Messier Dowty Inc. of Ajax, Ontario, and an investment with D-Wave Systems Inc. of Vancouver, British Columbia.

Details on these announcements, as well as the Status Report on Company Compliance and the Report on Repayments to TPC are available at: http://www.tpc-ptc.ic.gc.ca/.

TORONTO - The Ontario government is keeping secret key accountability agreements it is requiring universities to sign in order to secure funding, says Michael Doucet, president of the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA).

For months, OCUFA has been asking the Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities (MTCU) to make the agreements available to the public but the government has refused.

"The government claims it wants universities to be more accountable to the public, and these agreements are central to the government's accountability strategy," says Doucet.

"But irony among all ironies, the government refuses to release those agreements to the public. Where is the accountability in that strategy?" OCUFA has submitted a Freedom of Information request in an attempt to secure the agreements, which detail how many faculty universities have agreed to hire in return for government funding as well as the number of faculty who will be departing from universities.

"Ontario universities need to hire 11,000 professors within four years to avert a faculty shortage crisis due to pending Baby Boom retirements and growing student enrolment," Doucet says.

"All we're asking of the government is to release public documents that indicate whether we're on track with those hirings. We think the public has the right to know whether its government is managing to avoid a crisis."

TORONTO - Ontario's municipalities have high expectations that the McGuinty government's third Budget will recognize the urgent needs of Ontario's communities.

"Ontarians have seen a health care budget and an education budget from the McGuinty government," said Anderson. "Municipal governments and property tax payers in Ontario will judge this Budget on its commitment to building strong communities, including better cost sharing arrangements and investment in infrastructure priorities."

"Municipalities and property tax payers in Ontario are expecting to see progress on the provincial/municipal fiscal imbalance and in other priority areas such as provincial funding for roads," said AMO President Roger Anderson.

Ontario is the only province in Canada that requires municipal property taxpayers to subsidize provincial health and social services programs, such as disability benefits, and prescription drug benefits for low-income families. Annually, the municipal subsidy to the Province for provincial health and social services programs exceeds $3 billion. The direct result is that Ontarians pay the highest property taxes in Canada and municipal revenues are diverted from municipal services and infrastructure into the provincial treasury.

AMO, on behalf of its 400 member municipalities throughout Ontario, continues to urge the McGuinty government to address the burden of provincial health and social service program costs that the previous government downloaded onto municipalities. The current cost sharing arrangements are unsustainable and have been undermining the strength of Ontario's communities for almost a decade.

Municipalities welcomed Premier McGuinty's announcement in February that he was committed to making progress on the $3 billion provincial/municipal fiscal imbalance. That announcement was accompanied by a commitment of an additional $300 million over three years to bring the Province's share of ambulance funding up to 50 percent of total costs; a welcome development for municipalities in every part of Ontario.

Guelph Mayor Kate Quarrie announced today that Guelph City Council has approved amendments to the City’s Official Plan to create contemporary policies to manage commercial growth within the City for the next 15 years.

“After nearly two years of research, option analysis and consultation, this revised framework sets the stage for the City to facilitate commercial development in appropriate locations.” said Mayor Quarrie. A key component of the framework includes strong urban design standards to ensure that commercial development is attractive, functional and integrated with surrounding communities. The amendments to the Official Plan will recognize the downtown as a major focal area for investment, employment and residential uses and as a city-wide focal area for commercial, civic and entertainment uses. The proposed intensification and mixed use nodes will provide locations for commercial uses serving the nearby residential and business areas such as personal and professional services, drug stores, restaurants and grocery stores.

“We are committed to making Guelph a great place to call home,” said Quarrie. “This commercial policy framework is another sign that we’re making progress on our Strategic Plan to strengthen this City’s economic base.”

"Our goal is to ensure that customers can benefit from competitive prices and choice in the market for fine paper," said Gaston Jorré, Senior Deputy Commissioner of the Competition Bureau. "This agreement will preserve competition in the supply of fine paper to customers in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan."

Over the course of its review, the Bureau analysed the merger's impact on competition in the industry and consulted with printers, distributors, and office paper users such as businesses, governments and institutions.

On November 17, 2005, PaperlinX Limited announced from its headquarters in Melbourne, Australia that it intended to acquire the paper distribution and merchant assets of Cascades through PaperlinX Canada.

Fine paper is used by commercial printers for products ranging from brochures to books and by office paper users such as businesses, institutions and other consumers.

The Southwestern Ontario Marketing Alliance (SOMA) is pleased to welcome their seventh member, the Municipality of North Perth. With a solid economic base ranging from agricultural products to technological manufacturing and a recent acceleration within the automotive industry, North Perths industry employs nearly 3,000 people. By joining the alliance, this municipality will add more than 170 acres of new vacant Industrial land to the SOMA inventory.

The Southwestern Ontario Marketing Alliance is a partnership that was generated from regional economic ties. North Perth joins the SOMA member municipalities of Aylmer, Ingersoll, St. Thomas, Stratford, Tillsonburg, and Woodstock. SOMA was formed in 1998 as a groundbreaking regional initiative aimed at enhancing the marketing and promotion of Southwestern Ontario. The Economic Development Departments and Corporations of these communities have been working together since even before that time to attract new manufacturing investment into Ontarios Heartland. The addition of the Municipality of North Perth will serve to further enhance these efforts.

In order to ensure evening programming at the City's arenas run according to schedule, the following changes will take place tomorrow, during the day:

* All school board day programs will be cancelled.

* The family senior skate at Lions Arena will be relocated to The Aud.

* The high school hockey game scheduled for Lions Arena be moved to Kinsmen ice pad.

All day programming at the Aud, Kinsmen, and Kiwanis will remain as scheduled. All evening programming at the Aud Complex and Community Arenas will remain as scheduled.

All other City facilities will remain open tomorrow.

In addition to a panel discussion involving Canadian experts in the field with local decision-makers and key stakeholders, there will be an opportunity for residents to share ideas and ask questions.

The session is intended to promote understanding and integration of quality design in city building.

Among the topics to be discussed will be the role and value of urban design in the decision-making process and the challenges in impending urban design initiatives.

The panel includes several experts in the urban design profession, including Larry Beasley, a nationally recognized urban planner and designer from the City of Vancouver, Anne McIlroy, a Toronto urban design consultant and Chair of the OPPI Urban Design Working Group, Rob Horne, Commissioner of Planning Housing and Community Services for the Region of Waterloo, Rod Regier, the Executive Director of Economic Development for the City of Kitchener, Glenn Scheels, a local consultant providing planning, urban design and landscape architecture services, and Christina Weylie, the City of Kitchener councilor for the West Victoria Park Ward and Chair of the Development and Technical Services Department Committee.

A growing number of cities, like Kitchener, are moving toward a design-based approach to city planning and are integrating urban design initiatives into the decision making process to improve the quality of life for citizens. Similarly, the Region of Waterloo supports and encourages good design through its Regional Growth Management Strategy.

As this event is proving to be very popular, please register for Friday’s discussion by sending an email to Hanna Domagala at dhanna@region.waterloo.on.ca.

KITCHENER— Waterloo Region will receive an additional $6.17 million to help meet its transportation funding needs under the second year of the McGuinty government’s gas tax funding program, John Milloy, MPP for Kitchener Centre announced today on behalf of the Minister of Transportation, the Honourable Harinder Takhar.

Last year, Waterloo Region received $4.05 million in provincial gas tax funding bringing the two year total to over $10 million. The allocation contributed towards the new express route, iXpress, which connects the cities of Waterloo, Kitchener and Cambridge.

“We are delivering on our commitment to pump a share of the provincial gas tax into public transit in Waterloo Region,” Milloy said. “The gas tax is paying off for our community because it provides long-term, stable funding, allowing Grand River Transit to plan significant transit improvements at the local level,” said Milloy.

"The Region's share of the Provincial Gas Tax allocation to municipalities has had a very positive impact on Grand River Transit," said Ken Seiling, Regional Chair. "We have been able to continue to expand our services and this has translated into significant ridership growth. Since 2000, GRT ridership has grown by almost 35% system-wide, with more than 80% ridership growth in the Cambridge area alone."

Across Ontario, the gas tax funding program has increased ridership by 3.4 per cent. Greater use of local transit reduces traffic congestion, commute times and smog. Transit riders benefit from more convenient and efficient transit systems.

In 2004/05, Ontario started sharing one cent a litre of the gas tax with municipalities across Ontario, resulting in $156 million for local transit funding. In the second year of the program municipalities will receive one-and-a-half cents a litre, totalling $232 million. The investment will grow to two cents a litre by October 2006.

Funding from the gas tax program is in addition to the government’s other commitments to strengthen Ontario’s public transit. By 2009, the government will invest more than $1 billion in gas tax funding on public transit.

Public opinion shifts may be blamed on the questions, but the real issues have not been addressed.

Angus Reid Global Scan - Wilson Lam – James Carville, who was an advisor to Bill Clinton during his presidential campaigns, is fond of saying that any message can gain currency so long as its broadcast adheres to the mantra of relevance, simplicity, and repetition. United States president George W. Bush and his administration, it has become clear, have learnt at least the latter two-thirds of the lesson by rote.

The administration has in recent weeks begun a concerted effort to recast its domestic spying program as unequivocally legal and necessary. When the program’s three-year existence was first uncovered by the New York Times late last year, it provoked a public outcry against both its intrinsic legitimacy and the broader implications of its creation with regard to the constitutional prerogative of the office of the president.

The administration appears to believe that Americans are fairly divided over its warrantless wiretap program and that opinions can be swayed in its favour if only the debate were framed in the language of the "war on terror." The polls seem to support this line of reasoning.

In one survey conducted by Rasmussen Reports on Jan. 2 and Jan. 3, an overwhelming plurality of respondents (50 per cent) did not think that "U.S. president George W. Bush [broke] the law by authorizing the National Security Agency [NSA] to intercept telephone conversations between terrorism suspects in other countries and people living in the United States." The same survey found that 33 per cent of respondents believed Bush did break the law.

By comparison, the findings are noticeably different when the question is asked as follows: "[s]hould the Bush administration be required to get a warrant from a judge before monitoring phone and internet communications between American citizens in the United States and suspected terrorists, or should the government be allowed to monitor such communications without a warrant?" A majority of respondents to this enquiry, 56 per cent, believed that a warrant should be required while 42 per cent opined that the Bush administration "[s]hould be allowed to monitor without a warrant." This poll was conducted by Ipsos-Public Affairs for the Associated Press between Jan. 3 and Jan. 5.

The most salient difference between the two questions above is that the latter explicitly mentions "American citizens" while the former does not. Furthermore, the first is couched in the dichotomy of legality—i.e. did "Bush break the law"—while the second asks merely of the necessity for warrants. Respondents, it appears, were unwilling to ascribe legal sanction to the president, particularly not when the notion American citizenship and all its component rights seem uninvolved.

Taking this logic further, it is almost unsurprising to find that fully 68 per cent of respondents were "not willing," when asked: "In order to reduce the threat of terrorism, would you be willing or not willing to allow government agencies to monitor the telephone calls and e-mails of ordinary Americans on a regular basis?" The idea of infringing upon "ordinary Americans" seems to trump even the spectre of "the threat of terrorism" when the elements of legality and of the president are not mentioned. Conducted by CBS News between Jan. 4 and Jan. 8, the poll found 28 per cent of respondents answered in the affirmative to the same question.

Perhaps it is with these findings in mind that Karl Rove, a senior advisor to Bush, said in an address to the Republican National Committee, "Let me be as clear as I can be. President Bush believes if al-Qaeda is calling somebody in America, it is in our national security interests to know who they are calling and why."

Rove’s premise was repeated publicly last week not only by senior administration officials including attorney general Alberto Gonzales and former head of the NSA, Michael Hayden, but by Bush himself in a speech at NSA headquarters. All the speeches resounded less for their thematic focus—national security, the imperative for speed, "war on terror," etc.—than for what they did not address. There was no mention that there are procedures already in place to conduct such surveillance but with judicial oversight; no discussion that the three-year-old program’s scope includes American citizens; and certainly nothing with regard to the president’s role as preserver, protector, and defender of the entire constitution, including the first ten amendments.

A book co-authored by a University of Guelph political scientist that looks at public opinion of government scandal, corruption and ethics has been reissued to coincide with the upcoming federal election.

The second edition of A Question of Ethics: Canadians Speak Out, which includes new text and analysis about the Gomery report on the sponsorship scandal written by Guelph’s Prof. Maureen Mancuso, provost and vice-president (academic), was released by Oxford Press this month.

First published in 1998 to wide acclaim, the book addresses conflict of interest, patronage, lying, gifts and gains. It’s based on a poll of more than 1,400 Canadians that remains to date the only study of what citizens think about the behaviour of their elected representatives.

Mancuso was the principal investigator for a team of five political scientists who conducted those first nationwide surveys of politicians, journalists and the general public. “This information remains especially relevant today,” she said.

“Our data represent a snapshot of the ethical views of Canadians at the very time the sponsorship program started down the path toward scandal. It was those attitudes and expectations that were ignored and violated by the officials who turned the program into a morass of abuse and mismanagement. Did they misunderstand their responsibilities and the expectation of the public, or did they simply ignore them?”

Some findings include:

• 68 per cent would prefer that politicians tell the truth about an issue rather than avoid discussing it.

• 60 per cent believe ministers should not accept campaign donations if there is an apparent conflict of interest.

• 57 per cent feel MPs should have higher ethical standards than the average person.

“The sponsorship scandal was an almost ‘perfect storm’ in that it encompassed all four of the main types of unethical behaviour: gifts, gain, lying and conflict of interest,” Mancuso said. “It’s also a potentially defining moment in the history of how we react to and deal with official misbehaviour. Elected leaders need to know that the public is paying attention and that they continue to speak out about ethics. The public can have a long memory; even after apparent abuses are corrected, they are remembered for a long time.”

Mancuso, who chaired U of G’s Department of Political Science from 1996 to 2000, has served as a consultant to the Canadian House of Commons on legislative codes of conduct and conflict-of-interest legislation, testifying before committees considering new laws. Most recently, she organized a symposium that brought together leading scholars, writers and leaders in ethics and democracy to discuss the nation’s state of public affairs and public perceptions.

“As an academic, you always welcome the chance to influence public policy by putting forward your point of view and research and showing how it has practical applications,” she said.

Mancuso earned her BA at McMaster University, her MA at Carleton and a D.Phil. in politics from Nuffield College at the University of Oxford. She was a parliamentary intern in the House of Commons in 1984. She was appointed associate vice-president (academic) in 2000 and to her current position in 2004.

TORONTO- YWCA Canada joins the Coalition for Women's
Equality (CWE) to produce a federal election voter's tool called Still in
Shock.
    Providing Canadians with information on 14 areas of concern to women,
Still in Shock succinctly outlines the urgent political actions needed to
advance women's equality in Canada. Each topic is accompanied by specific,
hard-hitting questions voters can ask their candidates.
    Universal quality child care, adequate permanent housing, equitable
employment, social support and personal safety are fundamental rights that are
currently denied Canadian women. Lack of progress on these issues deeply
affects the quality of life for women in Canada; and political ambivalence
concerning them is the true barrier to realizing change for women.
    "Simply put," says Holly Nimmons, Interim CEO YWCA Canada, "ignoring
these issues jeopardizes women's lives".
    Still in Shock is accompanied by the CWE's election website,
www.canadaelection.net. Over the coming weeks posting to the site will provide
analysis on how the various party platforms are measuring up to the needs of
Canadian women. The website received close to half a million hits during the
last federal election campaign, and the CWE expects that number to rise this
time around.
    "Tools like these allow us to share our expertise with Canadians; giving
them the information to assess their candidate's commitment to equality for
women and to vote accordingly. Women in Canada need real choices; not vague
ambivalent rhetoric... women know the difference," concludes Nimmons.

OTTAWA- A coalition of 10 national women's organizations
yesterday launched the 2006 edition of Still in Shock, a practical voter's tool
highlighting key women's issues and questions for Canadians to ask politicians
in the critical final stretch of the election campaign.
    Still in Shock 2006 is an updated version of the highly successful Pink
Paper, a women's lobbying and mobilization resource produced by the Coalition
for Women's Equality (CWE) during the last federal election. Distressingly,
the new edition reveals that little progress has been made since 2004.
    From child care, to poverty, violence against women, health and pay
equity, the Pink Paper succinctly outlines 14 areas in which urgent political
action is needed to advance women's equality in Canada. Each topic is
accompanied by specific, hard-hitting questions voters can ask their
candidates.
    The Pink Paper will be accompanied by the CWE's Election website,
providing up to the minute analysis on how the various parties' platforms and
pitches measure up against women's needs throughout the election. The website
received close to half a million hits during the last campaign, and the
Coalition expects that number to rise this year.
    "Women will be voting for parties and candidates who support equality,"
says Bonnie Diamond, Executive Director of the National Association of Women
and the Law.
    "The materials in this paper and on the CWE Election Website will empower
women to make better informed choices."
    The Pink Paper is now available for download at www.canadaelection.net
and can be obtained in hard copy format in communities across Canada.

Consumers should be aware that there are a number of fuel saving devices on the market that claim to lower fuel consumption and reduce emissions. Consumers should exercise caution and be skeptical if manufacturers cannot provide proof about the performance claims of their products.

Africa - Canada will go to the polls for a snap general election after opposition parties on Monday used a no-confidence vote to oust Prime Minister Paul Martin's scandal-hit government.

The country's three opposition parties, which control a majority of seats in Parliament, called for the vote last week, claiming that Martin's Liberal party lacked the moral authority to lead the nation.

His government's 17 months in power were overshadowed by corruption that began in February last year when it emerged that C$100-million in government advertising and sponsorship contracts had been funnelled to Liberal-friendly firms for little or no work.

Although an initial investigation absolved Martin of wrongdoing, it accused senior Liberal members of taking kickbacks and wasting tens of millions of dollars in public funds. In the past few weeks, the government has unveiled spending initiatives worth several billion dollars and promised a wide range of tax cuts, prompting the opposition to accuse Martin of seeking to bribe voters.

Hours before Monday's vote, Peter MacKay, the Conservative leader in Parliament, asked: "Does the prime minister really believe that rushing money out the door on the eve of an election will distract Canadians away from his Liberal government's sordid record of waste, mismanagement and corruption?"

Opposition politicians cheered as it emerged that the government had lost the vote by 171 votes to 133. The loss means an election for all 308 seats in the lower House of Commons, which is likely to be held on January 23. The prime minister is expected to dissolve the House on Tuesday, although his government will lead until the country goes to the polls.

Martin's troubles worsened when the Conservative party, led by Stephen Harper, joined the New Democratic and Bloc Quebecois parties to bring down the government. Recent polls have given the Liberals an edge on the Conservatives, with the New Democrats in third place.

Grace Skogstad, a professor of politics at the University of Toronto, said the opposition parties are unlikely to incur the wrath of voters for precipitating Canada's first Christmas campaign for 26 years.

"It's going to be those last three weeks after January 1 that are going to matter," said Skogstad, who predicted the Liberals would win another minority government. -- Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005

OTTAWA, Xinhuanet - Canadians are facing the first winter federal election in 26 years after Prime Minister Paul Martin's Liberal minority government was toppled in a non-confidence motion Monday by united efforts from three opposition parties.

The Conservatives, the New Democratic Party (NDP) and the Bloc Quebecois banded together in forcing the Liberals down, claiming that it has lost the moral authority to rule after being proven of misusing millions of dollars in an advertising campaign during former Prime Minister Jean Chretien's rule.

Martin, who first assumed power in December 2003, has come through a tough time marked by several motions of non-confidence which he survived, sometimes narrowly, and a snap election in June 2004, which saw him out to become a minority government leader from a majority one.

At the center of all these political upheavals is the federal sponsorship scandal, which came out in early 2004 and sparked widespread discontent towards the Liberal government, whose supporting rate once dropped to the lowest point in the last decade.

In February 2004, Auditor General Sheila Fraser released her audit of the federal sponsorship program, asserting that about 100 million Canadian dollars (85 million US dollars) appropriated in 1993 for a national unity program in the French speaking province of Quebec were misused, with the sum going to Liberal-connected companies for little or no work.

Martin, who ordered an extensive investigation into the case, has repeatedly promised to call an election 30 days after the second report comes out in February next year.

::::: Canadians head for winter election as govt falls

:::::: Paul Martin to call for new election Tuesday

:::::: Canadian govt defeated in non-confidence vote

Although the first report, unveiled earlier this month, put most blame on Chretien and exonerated Martin of any wrongdoing, the opposition has decided to grasp this opportunity to bring the government down.

Conservative Party Leader Stephen Harper tabled the non-confidence motion following Martin's refusal to the opposition demands to dissolve the 38th parliament in January and hold election in mid-February.

The Liberals have lost their moral authority to lead the nation,and the house has lost confidence in the government, claimed the Conservatives, who got support from the Bloc Quebecois and the NDP.

The NDP's backing helped Martin survive a non-confidence motionby a single vote in May, but the party withdrew that support earlier this month.

The motion was approved by a vote of 171 to 133. The Liberals now hold 133 of the 308 seats in the House of Commons. The Conservatives have 98, the Bloc Quebecois, 53, and the New Democrats, 18.

There are four independent legislators and two vacant seats in the House of Commons.

On Tuesday, Martin is expected to ask Governor General Michaelle Jean to dismiss the parliament and call an election, which may be set on Jan. 16 or 23.

Although Canadians are hoping for a more stable majority government, recent polls show that most of them expect a minority one, with Liberals having a better chance to win.

A Pollara poll released on Monday showed public support for the Liberals at 36 percent, compared with 31 percent for the Conservatives. Parties typically need to win more than 40 percent of the vote to gain majorities in parliament.

Because Canadian parties do not form coalitions, minority administrations need opposition backing for passage of laws. Another informal alliance between the Liberals and the NDP may be the most likely outcome in the January vote, observers said.

Minority governments have lasted an average 16 months in Canada.Concerned about the adverse effects of a shaky minority government, observers pointed out that a future Liberal prime minister's ability may be impaired to pass corporate tax cuts, open up regulated industries to foreign ownership or allow lenders such as Royal Bank of Canada to merge.

"There are never any fiscal merits to a minority government," said Michael Behiels, a historian and constitutional expert of the University of Ottawa. "Minority governments tend to spend, spend, spend."

Martin's government was forced to raise spending and shelve corporate tax cuts to win the NDP's backing to stay in power.

In 2004, Martin raised spending by 15 percent, the largest increase in 20 years, and repealed a tax-cut package for corporations that had initially been included in this year's budget.

Bloomberg -- Paul Martin, the first Canadian prime minister ousted by parliament in 26 years, will seek re- election by stressing his record of economic growth and job creation as he tries to deflect voter anger over corruption allegations.

Opposition lawmakers defeated Martin's government by a vote of 171 to 133 in the House of Commons last night in Ottawa. Martin will meet with Governor-General Michaelle Jean this morning to set a date for the election, probably in January.

Martin has countered the allegations with more than C$40 billion ($34 billion) in pledges this month for new spending and tax cuts, funded by soaring natural gas and oil prices and record corporate profits. Canada is al