Most Canadians Think NAFTA is a Bad Deal for Canada

In an Angus Reid Poll that the mainstream media has seemed to ignore, the glaring answer to the age old question becomes apparent. h/t to my friend Grant Orchard for this one.

Dear Friends,

Below is a July 22/08 Angus Reid Strategies poll that's quite sensational in what it reveals about what Canadians think about NAFTA: (be sure to click on the pdf link on the page for all the polling data).

Here are some of the results — from a representative poll by one of Canada's most respected polling firms:

• Only 7% of Canadians asked believe Canada has been the main beneficiary of NAFTA (only 3% of the women asked believe it).

• A clear majority of Canadians see the U.S. (46%) and Mexico (30%) as the countries that benefited the most and 17% are not sure.

• More than half, 52%, think that Canada should do whatever is necessary to renegotiate the terms of NAFTA and 11% think that Canada should do whatever is necessary to leave NAFTA.

• 56% of those who intend to vote Liberal in the next election think that NAFTA should be renegotiated. (And, interestingly, 52% of Conservative and Bloc supporters think so too.)

Not surprisingly, this poll has received scant attention in the media, so please forward far and wide!

"an abuse to women's rights"

Yep. I said that. Having a baby isn't a guy thing, but I certainly support a woman's right to good health care and an ob/gyn/mat ward in the local hospital without having to drive a half hour to get there.

Join the Facebook Group.

Sign the Petition.

The Conservative Version of Adscam

Remember this part of the Conservative Platform?

So the Globe is reporting some excessive Government advertising spending. The Conservative defense? Yes, but the Liberals did it.

Thank God I Wasn't in Labour

On the way home this evening I got stuck (again) on the Garden City Skyway. 32 minutes worth of stuck. Equally stuck were the cars Toronto bound.

Now, imagine being in labour and stuck on that bridge on your way from Niagara and/or Fort Erie to have that baby in St. Catharines!

You get my point.

SIGN THE PETITION!!!

Guelph By-Election Called For September 8th

Prediction: Frank Valeriote Wins!!!

Frank's HQ Info:

336 Speedvale Drive
Guelph, ON

Harper Hits Snag... Dion a Winner!

Burried in the Toronto Sun today is this article by Michael Den Tandt. Poor Stevie. All out of plans.

Conservatives are Tougher on Climate Change Than Anybody Else!

This is my Friday joke of the day. Brought to you by none other than John Baird. And, on that note....

And the Maternity Ward Fight Continues

Wow! Over 185 have signed the petition. You should too!

And the Facebook Group is getting just as large. Join up!

We're Going Viral With This

This morning I blogged about the closure of the Greater Niagara General Hospital's Maternity Ward. My friends at Creative Revolution took it up a notch. And, now, there is an online petition.

My thoughts? SIGN THE PETITION!

City of 82,000 to Go without Maternity Ward

UPDATE: Here is the Petition. Sign it Please!

Updater:I fixed the map link.

Imagine that? With an average growth rate of 11% per year, Niagara Falls is scheduled to close their Maternity ward and all birthing is to take place in the City of St. Catharines.

Let's put this into perspective for those of you that can't or don't know the geography of the Niagara region. This is liking asking residents of downtown Toronto to deliver their children is Scarborough; or residents of Yaletown or Gastown in Vancouver delivering in Surrey; or residents of Regina delivering in Sedley (only their would be cars on the road on the way); or delivering in Pointe Claire when you live in downtown Montreal. Anyway, I'm sure you get my point here.

Here's the map.Notice that you would have to travel down the QEW to get to St. Catharines? The same stretch of highway scheduled for construction for the next 5 years? The same stretch that I sat for 45 minutes without moving a single kilometre last Friday because of said construction?

Now wouldn't one think that a City the size of Niagara Falls should have, as a medical necessity, a maternity ward? So one hospital is to service the needs of 325,000 citizens over a region the size of France. Interesting.

To that end, I bring you the motion from Niagara Falls City Council (The NHS Motion):

NHS Motion

WHEREAS the Niagara Health System (NHS) has repeatedly denied the planned closure of the Niagara Falls Labour and Delivery Unit since 2006; and

WHEREAS with the release on July 16, 2008 of their Hospital Improvement Plan (HIP), the NHS plan is to accommodate all births in the Niagara Region in St. Catharines; and

WHEREAS with an eleven percent (11%) increase, the majority of growth in new births has taken place in Niagara Falls; and

WHEREAS conversely, the largest decrease in birth rates in the Region, at approximately twenty-five percent (25%) continues to be in St. Catharines; and

WHEREAS with minimal urban growth opportunities present it is likely that the trend of decreased birth rates in St. Catharines will continue, and

WHEREAS Niagara Falls City Council has gone on record on many occasions indicating that the proposed new hospital location in St. Catharines is not convenient, easily accessible nor strategically placed to properly serve residents outside of St. Catharines, and

WHEREAS the HIP, as related to Labour and Delivery Units, is not feasible until a Niagara Regional Transportation service is in place and functional; and

WHEREAS with Niagara Falls playing host to over 12 million visitors per year it has some very unique health care challenges that call for the preservation of core services at the Greater Niagara General Hospital (GNGH); and

Whereas labour and delivery is largely unscheduled and unpredictable in it's natural form, and

WHEREAS there has been an erosion in confidence in the NHS by elected officials and taxpayers alike; and

WHEREAS the NHS have shown an inability, to date, balance its budget; and

WHEREAS as a result, the Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant (HNHB) Local Health Integration Network (LHIN), which is responsible for planning, integrating and funding health care providers, has asked the NHS for its Hospital Improvement Plan.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of Niagara Falls insist that the NHS withdraw it’s suggestion to the LHIN of closing the Labour and Delivery Unit of Niagara Falls; and

FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED that in the alternative the City Council of Niagara Falls forward this resolution to the Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant (HNHB) Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) and Dr. Jack Kitts, the expert who has been chosen to review the Hospital Improvement Plan (HIP); and

FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED that before making any final decisions, the LHIN have appropriate public consultation throughout the Niagara Region; and

FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED that copies of this resolution also be forwarded to the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, the Honourable David Kaplan, Kim Craitor, M.P.P., Niagara Falls , Area Municipalities, and the Ontario Nurses’ Association.