Wednesday-Night.com
Salon Magazine vol 18
Nov 17, 1999
david.nicholson's
Wednesday-Night.com |
#935 Peter G. White
Holly Jonas click for brother Bengie
Thanks to Holly Jonas we will welcomed Peter White
from The Red Violin & more
Assistant Director Jennifer Jonas .ROBERT GREENHILL
President and Chief Operating Officer, Bombardier International
On October 20, 2000, Robert Greenhill was appointed the President and Chief Operating Officer of Bombardier International, created in 1998 to pursue growth opportunities for Bombardier in non-traditional markets, particularly in Asia, in Latin America, in Eastern and Central Europe, and Russia. Since joining Bombardier in 1995, Mr. Greenhill has occupied a number of increasingly senior posts, most recently as Senior Vice President Strategy for Bombardier Inc. Prior to this, he worked with the strategy consulting firm McKinsey & Company. Born in Alberta, Mr. Greenhill has a BA in International Relations (University of Alberta: 1984), an MA in International History (London School of Economics: 1986), and an MBA (INSEAD: 1987).Peter was introduced by his long-time friend, Donald Patriquin who paid tribute to Peter's many activities and interests, but also mentioned the bright blue Brazilian bikini which had somewhat astonished Peter's classmates at BCS. On to more serious topics.
This week's Canadian political developments
Peter White
It is a maxim of political life that the mandate of any party in power is of finite length and the current Chrétien government has all the earmarks of a government reaching the end of its life span. The current scandal in Jane Stewart's department appears to be one that will stick to the Teflon Party and now the question arises of course, as to the probable date of its demise and the identity of its successor.
Québec appears to have opted out of national politics by supporting The Bloc Québecois, but this is not necessarily what will happen in the future. After all, in 1958 the Conservatives under John Diefenbaker succeeded in winning fifty seats in Québec.
Preston Manning quite rightly recognized that the west-based Reform party could never hope to be more than a regional party, thus the initiative of launching the United Alternative or Canadian Conservative Reform Alliance Party. Three of the four objectives of this new entity have already been met.
- A new constitution has been adopted,
- as well as new policies and a new name.
- It is in the process of electing a new leader with the expectation of gaining support on a national basis.
With half the adult population of Canada either on the public payroll or students, or social assistance or not earning enough to pay taxes, the promise of tax reduction comes as a very poor rallying cry.
The main issue among Canadians appears to be the restoration of a healthy medicare system. With the Conservatives in disarray and in the absence of a centrist party with national scope that is in a position to challenge the Liberal Party, it appears that the current ailing Liberal government is destined to remain alive albeit possibly on life-support through the next election, if not the next two. Please see our Medical file
Some form of proportional representation appears to have gained some support in order to ensure that Parliament more accurately reflects the view of the electorate. McGill College International
The McGill College International scheme gets mixed reviews. McGill University is otherwise in a strapped situation. Fees are regulated and spending is controlled. McGill cannot hire because it cannot match U.S. university salaries. The revenue earned from a private university within McGill would enable that institution to hire high quality academic staff that might be able to serve both institutions. Our universities require an additional five to eight million dollars per year.
Municipal Amalgamation
The government of Québec may be having second thoughts on municipal amalgamation. It is possible that it is listening to the municipalities who resist amalgamation, but would prefer a light regional structure as a partial solution to Montréal's problems. It was predicted that Premier Bouchard will make an announcement on February 7th to the effect that regional concerns will be the focus of any action, effectively putting amalgamation on a back burner.
Peter F. Trent
Dr. John Jonas OC
The Economy
The economy remains very strong, perhaps too strong. The United States can expect interest rate increases of a quarter percent in February, March and again in June of this year. The major concerns are inflation and labour shortages. On the latter point, there was agreement that the unions have outlived their usefulness and are impeding progress with the pervasive philosophy that seniority must be served before talent. Moreover, mandatory retirement age is a concept that must be eliminated if we are to fill the jobs available and guarantee a healthier pension outlook.I was most miffed by the Cochrane article on the pension plan this morning. Why is it that despite all evidence to the contrary, there is a systematic refusal to recognize that not only are we living longer (and therefore becoming a burden on the system) but we are living HEALTHIER longer and in fact are working right up until our health gives out.
Bismark set the age for retirement at 65 precisely because statistically most of the population would have died before that age. We tied pension benefits to that age with the same premise. In fact, there have been very few years during which people did in fact retire and live on their pensions exclusively.
At the present rate, the job market is getting so tight that the future employees will be the newly retired. CARP may evolve into a Labour Union of the newly recycled and start agitating for better furniture, stronger lighting and shorter hours. The future cannot does not lend itself to linear extrapolation of statistical data.
Margaret Lefebvre-Walker
Ask any turkey who was making plans for the day after Thanksgiving.
MML
from Robert Stewart
Maybe we are witnessing the death, and none too soon, of the old left/right dichotomy. On the face it you could hardly get more leftish than Julius Grey nor more rightist than Peter White. As a general rule, opinion among the group tends run a little to the right, and voices like Julius's and Warren Allmand's provide a welcome corrective to everybody thinking more or less along the same lines. But last Wednesday, it was surprising how many points of agreement cropped up between the two ends of the spectrum. People were refusing to put a label on points of view on particular issues and focussing on the issues themselves.
Warren Allmand
On ideological grounds, whether in the private (the Calgary Herald case) or the public (in Quebec hospitals and universities) sector. Left, right, and the good old middle (why did the Canadian cross the road?) appeared equally disturbed by the huge percentage of tax money that is eaten up in our institutions by administrative and other built-in costs that are ancillary to doing the main job.
Discussion of the "one big city" concept was similarly bereft of doctrinaire views: the attitude around the room was that it ain't broke, so don't fix it, although some modification may be in order.
???merits. People simply looked at the case at hand, and agreed with Peter Trent.
Peter White & Bob Stewart??? wants more public spending out of the surplus. We'd all like to pay a hell of a lot lower taxes, but... Most participants seemed resigned to the fact that polls show Canadians today are interested first and foremost in resuscitating the health care system, and that's going to take a lot of spending that will preclude any really significant tax cuts. As for the system itself, no one on the "left" was saying that the principle of universality was inviolable, and no one on the "right" was saying we should dismantle the whole thing and go back to private care.
Toward the end of the evening, somebody said (or said in effect): "Let's not talk in terms of right wing and left wing here, it's getting us nowhere."
Is 33 Rosemount a bastion of Canadian pragmatism, or what?
click the boysThis peice by Robert Stewart is as is un edited and he has our thanks.
[NB Wednesday-Night hears all languages, sides and valuable input. Our aim is to find the best answer! And politics be dammed!]
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
- On the Protection of Canadian Publications:
- "Newspaper business is a burnout business. The Newspaper business is the only business where the skimmed milk rises to the top."
- "In Canada, the reason that the barriers have to be higher is that except for Québec,
- there is no cultural difference from the United States and we would be swamped without protection."
- On Medicare:
- "Is social capital more important than consumer goods?"
- "There is a moral imperative to treat people on the basis of need. This cannot be done in a privatized system."
- On Canadian Politics:
- "We have to recognize that we have made political life virtually impossible for any sane person."
- "Leadership will not solve any of our problems. We need to fundamentally change the electoral system."
- "How can two mainstream parties capture the diversity of opinion of Canadians?"
Meet Peter G. White click to see his interests and investments with Some Examples of his activities
Mr. and Mrs. David and Diana Nicholson
33 Rosemount Ave.
Westmount, QC
H3Y 3G6
Dear Diana and David,Thank you both for a most interesting evening on February 2. You certainly have gathered an eclectic Afamily, and I was pleased to have the opportunity to make some new acquaintances, as well as to see some old friends. The music was particularly enjoyable.
On reflection, the logistics of my Knowlton base, my Toronto office and my frequent mid-week travels unfortunately have led me to conclude that I must decline your kind invitation to become a regular guest at your salon. Pursuant to your suggestion, I might however be able to help orchestrate some web-based work on the issues surrounding health care in Canada. I was very impressed with Dr. Mark Roper, and Margaret, as head of Couchiching, is also both knowledgeable and interested in the subject. My main contacts in this field are in Alberta and Ontario, and I suspect that they would be interested in participating. Please let me know how you propose this might proceed.
Thanks again for your stimulating hospitality.
Yours sincerely, Peter
Lake Louise World Cup
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Jill Hugesson Brillon her husband is Marc Brillon
Me Jill Hugessen
Sunday 23 January 2000 Cherishing our Institutions by Janyne Hodder Principal of Boshop's University (saved)
Topics?
Sunday 30 January 2000 Believing there is no alternative to current policies is folly HUGH SEGAL...public fatigue around the entire question to create a sense among many of our fellow citizens that progress on the larger issues has stalled.
Anxiety over the crisis in our health-care system has risen to unprecedented levels. The stubborn problems of homelessness and poverty seem intractable. The level of student debt and the high tax rates our young people must face as they enter the work force also conspire to increase worry, anxiety and pessimism.
The Gazette Board of Contributors Hugh Segal Is president of the Institute for Research on Public Policy, a national, non-profit think-tank based in Montreal.
UA delegates set stage for fierce debate over new party
OTTAWA Friday, January 28, 2000 - Delegates to the United Alternative convention yesterday overwhelmingly approved a resolution to create the framework for a new conservative political party -- setting the stage for two days of intense debate over its name and policy platform.
Julie Van Dusen reports for CBC TV; Susan Murray reports for CBC Radio
CBC TV reporter Paul Hunter talks to Reform members in Alberta about Sunday's vote
January 27, 2000 Reform: A bridge too far?
The Rideau Canal is not the Rubicon and Preston Manning is not Julius Caesar. I think we're safe on both those points. Still what's going on in Ottawa this weekend with Mr. Manning and his effort to bridge Reform into a United Alternative is fundamental. Whatever happens there's no turning back. The key to Canadian politics can be seen in that wonderful drama of last week. The hockey fiasco in which for a couple of days John Manley appeared to be playing Regis Philbin's "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" to people who were already millionaires. What was remarkable about Mr. Manley's attempt to play game show host with taxpayer money wasn't that he backtracked but where he got the courage to try in the first place. It's all as they like to say when negotiating players' contracts, in the numbers.
REX MURPHY:
Saturday 29 January 2000 Chretien for emperor He could let others practice governing Canada while he plays golf Josh Freed more Freed
Davos 2000Davos 2000 27 January 2000
Davos 1999, 1998
February 03, 2000 Davos: CBC view... The man was Pierre PettigrewPIERRE S. PETTIGREW, P.C., M.P.
Member of Parliament for Papineau–Saint-Denis and Minister of Human Resources Development Canada
Pierre Pettigrew was named Minister of Human Resources Development Canada in October 1996. Since then, the Minister has worked to reinforce the social commitment of the Government of Canada and to develop many positive initiatives through stronger relations with the provinces and territories. He clearly states that his priority for the government is to continue modernizing Canada’s federation to better meet the needs of all Canadians.
Prior to his work on the political scene, Minister Pettigrew was Vice-President of Samson Bélair Deloitte & Touche International (Montréal) from 1985 to 1995 where he acted as a business consultant to companies with dealings in international markets.
Minister Pettigrew’s educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières and a Masters of Philosophy in International Relations from Balliol College, Oxford University.
Some of players
Susan Eyton-Jones
Donald Patriquin at the piano
Susan Eyton-Jones
Click for Queen of the Night
Rick Schultz
Dr. of Political Science Fiction.
Guy Stanley
Guy Stanley on Free Trade issues; ...
Professor Tony Deutsch on the budget and pensions,
Prof Tony Deutsch
U.S. records longest economic expansion in its history WebPosted Tue Feb 1 09:27:34 2000
WASHINGTON - When the opening bell rang at the New York Stock Exchange Tuesday morning, it signified a historic day for the U.S.economy. It marked the 107th month in a row that the economy has expanded--almost 9 years--the longest uninterupted run of economic growth in U.S. history. The previous record, 106 months, was set back in the 1960s.
Dr. John J. Jonas
Tony Deutsch
Diana Thébaud & Thaipan
click = movie Susan Eyton-Jones &
Peter F. Trent
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