Canadian Parliament Dissolves, Election Set for May

The Canadian Parliament was dissolved last week after a vote of confidence was lost by the minority Conservative Government and the current Prime Minister, Stephen Harper. The Liberals, the NDP's and the Bloc Quebecois voted against the proposed budget that the Conservatives brought forward to Parliament, and, as such, caused an election voting against the minority Conservative Government. Because of this vote, Harper asked Governor General David Johnston to dissolve Parliament. This was carried out after the vote was lost by the Conservatives, 156-145. All of the NDP, Liberal and Bloc MP's voted for an election. All Conservative and Independent MP's voted against an election.

The coalition of the Liberals, the NDP's and the Bloc voted for an election because of many different issues. They say the Conservatives have not been honest and open about their policies. They also have a problem with the fact that Harper hired someone with a criminal record and who is under investigation by the RCMP to be one of his top advisors.

Harper has said he thinks many Canadians will be dissapointed that the budget did not pass. He says it was an essential next step in Canada's Economic Action Plan, to help us recover even more from the economic hard times that hit us a few years ago. This is Canada's fourth election in seven years, and I do not think this election is really necessary. If what early polls show is correct, then the Conservatives will stay in power, and may even win a small majority. Elections also cost a lot of money, which all comes from taxpayers. Seeing as many people do not want another election, this will make them even more fed up with the Liberals and NDPs and may even make people who used to vote for them vote for another party. This is an unnecessary election, and will not really make that much of a difference in how Parliament is structured.

http://thesudburystar.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3045056

Stabbed Taxi Driver Loses Source of Income

On February 14, cabbie Khalil Talke was stabbed by an unknown man while in his taxicab, and is still in hospital recovering from the wounds today, his left arm still in a cast after trying to fend off the attacker. The worst part of the attack, however, came after the incident. Because of city rules, Talke has been prohibited from renting out his cab as a source of income while in hospital. He was forced by law to return his Ambassador Taxicab licence to the city. By city law, they return the licence when the driver is healthy enough to resume his job.

Talke, a father of four says he feels he's been cheated by the city - and that racism is at the heart of the issue. There are two kinds of taxi licences in Toronto - Ambassador and Standard. Standard licences allow the driver to rent out the cab in case of injury or sickness, while the Ambassador licences do not. Talke believes that minorities, who make up the majority of cab drivers, are refused Standard licences based on race alone. Talke is not the first person to be victimized by this, as other members of minorities have been fighting on this issue for years.

This is just one of many examples that racism is not yet dead in Canada, despite our best efforts. Laws need to be changed based on our changing times. Robbing a stab vicim of income while in hospital is adding insult to injury, and that's not something the municipal government wants to have pinned on them.

http://www.thestar.com/news/crime/article/948851--stabbed-cabbie-loses-his-income-because-of-city-rules?bn=1

Double Doubles and Blood Tests?

The Royal Columbian Hospital in British Columbia was forced to house five patients in the hospital's Tim Hortons on Tuesday. The hospital's emergency area was dealing with overcrowding at the time, so there was no room for the five patients. The Tim Horton's was closed at the time, and screens were put up to guard the patients' privacy while they underwent heart monitoring and blood tests. It only took about 90 minutes for space to open up, and the Tim Hortons then went back to normal operations.

Dr. Sheldon Glazer, an emergency room doctor at the hospital has admitted that the hospital has been dealing with overcrowding problems for quite some time. Apparently, they have been seeing patients for years in hallways or even in stairwells. This causes a problem because nurses and doctors cannot adequately treat patients in makeshift triage areas like hallways, or even Tim Hortons'.

This is an awful situation, especially for the patients and their families. The British Columbia health board, and especially the Royal Columbian Hospital need to do something about the overcrowding now that it is in the national spotlight. They could renovate or expand the hospital, or simply convert existing space into new triage areas. On the positive side, however, kudos goes to the nurses and doctors who have been dealing with this issue for years. They care about the patients, and will do whatever it takes to make sure they get the proper care.

http://www.healthzone.ca/health/newsfeatures/article/946644--b-c-hospital-uses-tim-hortons-to-check-patients-bits