THE AL BUNDY AWARDS

Following my last post, and out of curiosity, I googled alternative Christmas trees. I am pleased to present the nominations for the Al Bundy Award for the most tacky Christmas tree.

Please feel free to make nominations and add some links.

Merry Christmas

REAL OR ARTIFICIAL?

It is getting close to that time of the year when Kris, the boys and I go hunting for the perfect Christmas tree. We normally do not put a tree up until the week before Christmas but this year it will be going up earlier.

Real or artificial? We prefer a real tree. There is no debate or discussion. Artificial trees are not an option. The thought of placing presents under an artificial tree does not appeal to me. The Christmas fragrance of a real tree placed in a prominent spot in my house is a central tenet of the Christmas season.

My brother Mike and his wife Michelle have a lovely artificial tree. It rotates and looks so perfect each year. I secretly envy the zero maintenance: collapse it into the bag, needle-free, no watering, no hassle approach.

Which leads me into the real and artificial Christmas tree debate. There are pros and cons for each. There appears to be a fair amount of debate this year on eco-friendly trees and alternatives to traditional Christmas trees.

Proponents of real trees point to the positive environmental impact of Christmas tree farms. They provide oxygen, stabilize soils, provide shelter for animals, act as giant air filters removing carbon dioxide and other airborne pollutants from the air, and provide incomes for people.

Artificial trees are mostly made from plastics and metals, which are not easily biodegradable. A lot of energy is used in making the plastics. They have long-term impact on our landfills because they take up a lot of space and are slow to biodegrade. The big plus, of course, is that if you use the tree for more than one year, it is less expensive then purchasing a tree each year.

For those of you considering an alternative to the traditional cut tree here is a link with some creative alternatives.

I used to have some misgivings about killing a healthy tree each year. The thought of butchering a healthy tree to string a few lights on and serve as a festive decoration for a few weeks seemed wrong. However, I feel much better knowing that we are helping mitigate the greenhouse effect and providing employment to a environmentally friendly industry.

The glow of the tree, a nice Irish coffee, snow flakes floating down from the heavens outside, the kids asleep in bed. It is starting to feel a lot like Christmas!

KEEP CHRIST IN CHRISTMAS

Okay, I am a Christian and I celebrate Christmas. I make no apologies for that. I fall into the cafeteria-style Roman Catholicism that puts me at odds with some of the papal decrees from time to time. I have been a member of the Knights Of Columbus for 23 years and greatly enjoy the community work that we do.

In a time when all things religious are being swept away in an effort to be politically correct, it is reassuring to see our order continue to promote the “Keep Christ In Christmas” campaign through the Lenten season.

With three sons of my own to raise , the Church and Christian values have become more important to me than ever before. Keeping Christ in Christmas is keeping the very heart and meaning of the Christmas celebration alive. It is easy sometimes to forget that Christmas is first, and foremost, a holy day.

The St. Paul’s Council sponsors a “Keep Christ in Christmas” billboard which is well lit up on the outside of our church on Newfoundland Drive. There are a couple of events that jump-start the Christmas season for me; the lighting of the tree at the Confederation Building is one, and the other is the lighting of our billboard.

So inbetween the Christmas socials and shopping take a second to reflect on the purpose of the season.

WHO IS GOING TO FILL THEIR SHOES

I was saddened to learn that retired senator Jacques Hebert has passed away. He leaves behind a rich legacy as a journalist, civil liberties activist and promoter of youth in Canada and around the world.

I first met him at a Liberal Party of Canada bi-annual meeting in Ottawa in the post-Trudeau days when I was an idealistic young Liberal. His passion for creating opportunities for youth to maximize their potential was contagious. He was instrumental in the creation of Canada World Youth and Katimavik, and both are living legacies to his vision, passion and dedication.

As a boy growing up in St. Bernard’s one of the things that helped develop my world view was my mother's work with Memorial University Extension Services and her participation in delivering Katimavik programs. I met dozens of men and women from all over the country who stayed with us and have kept in contact over the years. In 1986 the Mulroney Tories cut funding to Katimavik. I remember being upset about the decision and watching media reports of Senator Hebert’s hunger strike in the Senate Lobby in an attempt to shame the Progressive Conservatives into reinstating the program. But they were heartless and without vision, and the program remained inactive until the Liberals returned to power in 1993.

In 1990 I attended a National Young Liberal retreat at a Katimavik facility just outside of Montreal. These were heady times. The party was listening to the youth wing and we were charged. Hebert, Don Johnston and Paul Martin spent a great deal of time talking to us about issues and our obligation to make Canada a better country

Hebert spoke of his relationship with the young Pierre Trudeau, of backpacking across China, of challenging authority, of his days with Cite Libre, and of our responsibilities as the next generation of leaders. I remember him saying that he was proud of our provincial leader, Clyde Wells, who had taken a principled stand on the Meech Lake Accord. It was an inspiring chapter in my life.

So it is with sadness that I join the 28,000 members of the Katimivik Alumni and countless thousands of others who mourn the passing of Jacques Hebert, a person who left the world a much better place than he found it.

BIG SIX HAVE A BANNER YEAR

The big banks in Canada are reporting record profits this year. They are claiming the boost is the result of lower interest rates, mortgages, increased commercial loans, lots of trading and sales of mutual funds.

This country's biggest banks reported profits totaling a record $19.5 billion on revenues of slightly more than $74 billion. Three of the six banks reported their best-ever annual earnings.

Apparently the record profits are not attributable to bank fees. The Canadian Bankers Association said that service fees account for only five per cent of total bank revenues. In 2007 that equates to service fee income of about $3.7 billion.

Another interesting factoid. The record profits come despite most of them having to take big write downs related to the subprime mortgage crisis that has rocked the United States.

The big six should really consider passing on some of that profit to the consumers and eliminate or scale back service fees. I am looking forward to a nice warm and cozy Scotia Bank or BMO commercial where the president of the Bank announces that as a Christmas present to you the consumer, we are eliminating bank fees. O did I mention I still believe in Santa Claus!

For more information on how well the big six did check out this link.

RURAL INNOVATION

More evidence of the decline of medical service in rural Newfoundland and Labrador. A story on the CBC radio piqued my interest this morning.

Residents in Robert’s Arm have been told they have to come up with $9,000 to help defray the costs associated with the operation of a part-time clinic or Central Health will not reopen it.

For its part, Central Health has renovated space, recruited a physician and designated a half- time nurse practitioner to service the area.

The local municipal government and residents are considering a fee that would be charged to offset that cost. Apparently the Town of Triton has faced the same issue. The municipal council there collects a fee to assist in keeping their part-clinic open.

This begs the question: How many municipalities in this province are collecting extra fees, or offering incentives, to hold onto medical services in their communities?

DEMOCRATIC REFORM ON THE FLY

The House of Assembly Management Committee is on the right track on the issue of determining the core staffing needs of the opposition. They ordered that "the study of caucus resources as recommended by Chief Justice Green in chapter 12 of his report be conducted and brought back for the Commission’s consideration as soon as possible."

In his report, Chief Justice Green said that it was time for the House of Assembly to look into establishing set staffing levels for parties in the House of Assembly. He said he did not have the time, or the resources, to carry out that study as part of last years review of member's benefits.

Opposition parties should not have to march into the House of Assembly Management Committee after every election and negotiate their needs. An established formula for determining staff levels is critically important to the opposition's ability to do its job.

The House of Assembly is comprised of 48 electoral seats. The parliamentary group that captures the majority of seats is invited to form the Government. The parliamentary group with the next largest number of seats forms Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. The precedent for being granted status as a parliamentary group stands at 2, while 3 members makes you a recognized party.

The New Democrats in this province have not enjoyed a lot of electoral success. The Jack Harris – Randy Collins duo was recognized as a parliamentary group in the House of Assembly. This was a very important step for the NDP because it not only guaranteed them time in the House of Assembly to respond to Ministers' statements, ask questions and speak to legislation, it opened the doors to financial resources from the House of Assembly that they had not been entitled to previously.

As NDP Leader, Jack Harris successfully argued that special status in the House of Assembly entitled them to more research and travel allotments. They were given a base of $100,000 for research, an additional $20,000 per member for research, and a small travel budget for the leader.

In 2006, Randy Collins resigned his seat to accept a position with his old employer, the Steelworkers Union. The New Democrats failed to win back the district in the subsequent by-election, reducing them to a single seat. The Commission of Internal Economy and the House of Assembly agreed to allow the NDP to carry on as before, at least up until the provincial election. The result for the NDP on election night was the status quo, one seat and no gains. They did, however, increase their popular vote to 8%.

The $100,000 base for the NDP is great news for democracy and non-traditional political parties. The House of Assembly has recognized that the current system is broken, that it creates unacceptable results that stifle the ability of the non-government parties to mount effective opposition.

In light of the recent election results, the request from the Liberals for 17 staff to support three elected members was a tad bit excessive. There ask, factoring in the salaries of the three MHA's, was in excess of a million dollars. The request was for a significant increase despite a significant decrease in the number of members elected. In this sense, the Liberals have come out of the election in pretty good shape. They are down only $40,000 in research funding despite losing 9 seats.

So here is the twist: if the New Democrats have just one seat, they are not a parliamentary group. If they are not a recognized parliamentary group, than how can the House of Assembly Management Committee fund them at all? Clearly this decision creates a quandry. What is the justification for treating one MHA in the House of Assembly different than all others?

In Newfoundland and Labrador we have a first-past-the-post system. It’s a zero sum game. Percentages do not matter, majorities do. Are we now telling the voters that they made a mistake and should not have voted for so many Progressive Conservatives? Should we ask the Progressive Conservative MHA's to place their names in a bag and let the NDP and Liberals draw a couple of seats to balance things out!

This seemingly kind gesture, at a time when the opposition parties have been decimated, does much more than protect the status quo, it makes significant changes to our electoral and parliamentary process. That said, similar allowances have been made in Alberta, British Columbia, Quebec, New Brunswick and PEI.

It is time for a review of the proper staffing needs of the opposition parties. It should include public hearings so that the public can have input on the final recommendations. After all, it was the people that judged the parties in the last election, and the people who decided the composition of the people's house.

UNIVERSITY OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC?

The Provincial Government is moving forward with plans to transform Sir Wilfred Grenfell College into a full university. The appointment by Education Minister Joan Burke of an advisory committee to examine options is a positive step forward.

A number of people have expressed concern about the potential costs associated with establishing a new university. SWG is basically its own university already, so it's not like government is starting from scratch. Others argue that there will be expensive duplication of programs, too few students and competition. I think it is possible to address the costs, the student population numbers and the duplications in administration, and establish another world class university in the province.

One option that I hope the committee explores is folding the College of the North Atlantic into this new west coast-based university. The University of the North Atlantic could provide degree, diploma and certificate programs and specialize in natural resource programs like forestry, wildlife, ecosystem management, cold climate research and the environment. This would be in addition to further developing opportunities in fine arts.

These enhanced programs would provide opportunities to strengthen existing institutes and research, allow for enhanced collaboration with business, industry and government agencies, and ensure the new university's success with the creation of new centres of excellence.

Students would be able to combine training with a liberal arts education. University doors would become more open to those whose background and culture leads them initially to consider only the college route.

CONA has a great deal of experience in governance, finance and student affairs. This would also address many of the concerns expressed by critics of the government's plan by reducing the duplication of administration and governance.

A combined CONA and SWG would have a student body of over 20,000 students, making it the largest university in Atlantic Canada. There is also the opportunity to build on the initial successes between CONA and the State of Qatar.

Nearly ten years ago the provincial government showed great leadership by relocating the headquarters to Stephenville. Not only did it prove that the system could be run efficiently outside the capital, it created opportunities and jobs in rural Newfoundland and Labrador.

Whatever happens, let's hope the recommendations of the advisory committee are heeded. It is critical to take an approach that maximizes the benefits of establishing a second university and minimizes the costs. There is no rush, so get it right and keep partisan politics out of the discussion.