Tories want review of affirmative action hiring in public service

[Spazito]

OTTAWA - The Harper government says race and ethnicity need not apply when it comes to landing a job in the public service.

The Conservatives have ordered a review of government hiring practices, which currently give priority to qualified applicants from minority groups.

The Tories say favouring applicants from one group or another isn't fair.

snip

The federal government relies on data from Statistics Canada to determine how many people from each group are in the country's workforce. That data tells the government how well each group is represented within the federal bureaucracy.

more, much more

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/breakingnews/tories-want-review-of-affirmative-action-hiring-in-public-service-99031834.html

As I suspected, the backroom change to the census was not done in isolation but to enable the racist Reform Party aka New Conservative Party free reign to discriminate.

Despicable, completely despicable but, sadly, not surprising.

[JBoy]

1. Another indication that an election may be nearing

Tories start inventing issues that will energize their base.

Wouldn't be surprised at all if they start making noise about gay rights, gay marriage, or abortion.

[Spazito]

2. Yep, it seems they are gearing up for sure...

Their poll numbers aren't showing enough support for a majority so what is the impetus I wonder?

I wonder, as well, what their internal polling is showing, perhaps a drop in support from the rabid racist lunatics ergo the increasing pandering to them?

It is going to be interesting to watch, that's for sure.

[daleo]

3. Maybe they will go for alcohol prohibition

Or a poll tax.
Or mandatory church attendance.

Who knows? They seem to be losing it.

[Spazito]

4. I am finding this rather bizarre, even for them...

will be watching carefully for what's behind the pandering to their base, the rabid right wing racists of their Reform party. They are giving the Opposition some good ammunition with this crap and they better use it, use it and use it again.

It is time for a reminder to Canadians about harper and his cabal's roots to the rabid racist, homophobic, anti-choice Reform party and their recent actions provide the perfect opportunity to do so if the Opposition shows a spine and uses it.

[Toilet]

5. You're

A giant hyperbol

[Spazito]

10. You are quite amusing...

silly but amusing!

:rofl:

[Bragi]

6. This is all about Harper's exit strategy

I think Harper is in exit mode, and the sudden new anti-census policy and ending affirmative action are part of his strategy.

Harper knows quite well he has no shot at ever appealing to a majority of Canadians, and knows that with the current polling numbers, he will likely get a reduced minority after the next vote, or even come back as opposition leader. So he is now bored with Canada, a country he never really liked very much.

What I think he's doing with his new radical right-wing initiatives (e.g. anti-census, attack affirmative action, etc.) is to lay more groundwork for his next career move, which I think is to join a Washington-based right-wing think-tank, and to establish himself as a conservative "elder statesman" on US cable news (mostly Fox.)

This is why he has a U.S PR firm (paid for by us) and why he spends so much time endorsing ideas promoted by right-wing U.S. bloggers. He's working to establish his "brand" in the U.S.

The ill-effects of Harper's reign will likely be profound and lasting for Canada, of course.

For example, through his attack on the census, he has probably riled up enough right wing Canadians that even if he were to reverse his decision, there will be a campaign against the census (let me guess, run out of Calgary?) and the refusal rate will probably be sufficiently high to make the results statistically questionable.

So he may have already won a big battle against evidence-based public policy, and in favour of ideology-driven policies, even if reverses himself now. It will be up to the rest of us, of course, to pick up the pieces once he has moved to Washington to soak up the applause of the tea party crowd and Fox news.

[Toilet]

7. Wow.

You forgot one thing though.

He'll probably move in with George W Bush so they collaborate on creating a new and improved earthquake and hurricane machine.

[Metric System]

16. FLUSH

[Spazito]

9. Whatever it takes for him and his cabal to be thrown out of office...

works for me. Once he is gone it is the simple stroke of a pen to undo that which he has done re the census. As to him going to the U.S., great, the sooner the better if that's his plan although I doubt it.

[Bragi]

12. Not sure a "stroke of the pen" will do it

Even if he reverses himself now, the anti-census trash talk from the government itself (!) will fuel an officially unofficial right-wing backlash that may result in refusals that will make the 2011 survey statistically suspect.

This serves their purpose because after that, they can critique any social policy decisions made using census data as not being fact-based. (I agree the hypocrisy is almost unbearable here.)

So it will probably require at minimum, an entire redo of the 2011 survey, and for the first time they will actually have to enforce the law to reduce refusals.

You will recall that Harper said he would remake the country till we didn't recognize it, and I think he is doing just that.

I sincerely hope a lot of the damage can be undone by a simple stroke of the pen, and in some cases I think this is true, but in other areas, it will take a long time for Canada to recover from Harper and his wrecking crew.

[Spazito]

13. I suspect those rabid right wingers that received the mandatory long-form...

prior to this crap by harper would not have filled it out then either so not really much change if the decision is reversed, imo. As to the damage the harper cabal has done, I agree, it will take some time to repair the country domestically and Canada's reputation internationally. The sooner we are able to get started on the repairs, the better!

[Bragi]

14. I hope you're right on the census

My fear is that when you get ministers, and a PM, arguing that the government's own census is intrusive and the information should be withheld, we may end up with an unprecedented new level of refusals.

Combined with the known problem associated with disadvantaged minorities not responding to a voluntary census in proportionate numbers, we may end up with census data that is, in fact, flawed and unreliable.

I hope this isn't the case, but I fear in just making this an issue, Harper has already wrecked the census, even if he climbs down from his idiotic decision (which I doubt he will.)

[Spazito]

15. What is interesting, imo....

is that the real and valid reasons for having the mandatory long-form are now being discussed which is a good thing, imo. How important the numbers and information provided by them are used to benefit many Canadians is something that has not been in the public eye for a very long time and this action by the harper cabal may actually result in educating Canadians on an important issue instead of causing any outrage except from the rabid right wingers who have ALWAYS been against it.

[CHIMO]

21. You

May just have identified what is happening.

Bouchard left the federal scene when he was forty nine.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucien_Bouchard
At the time, as I remember, it was his spouse that wanted him to make a decision.

Harper is now forty nine.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Harper
Having awarded a twenty billion contract for planes he must be wondering why he isn't making the kind of money that the sales people are making.

Looks like we may be having a fight for the top spot happening now. And some of the seniors stepping aside.

[Bragi]

8. Hey, the ignore function works well here

Just tried it for the first time, and it works like a charm.

[Spazito]

11. LOL, it does that...

haven't used it for a few years but, like leaky plumbing, it is good to use the appropriate tools one has.

[CHIMO]

17. Doris

Just put his foot in his mouth. Not hard for him to do.

Today on Power n Politics his stated at least three times over, a recording that the system is working as designed. It seems to me that he just got on to a machine that he should never have touched. He was given at least ten minutes to talk and couldn't answer a simple question.

Perhaps he was trying to steal the limelight from Clement with his announcement?

[Spazito]

18. What were the questions about that he couldn't answer?

The census? What system was he referring to when he said it was working as designed?

[CHIMO]

19. Affirmative Action

He said it was working as designed.

Asked if he was bringing it up to obtain political points he kept saying that it was working as designed. It was the Liberals that wanted to open it up.

It was brought to our attention by an individual who was not allowed to apply because she was white. The issue was picked up by the media and we investigated as we do when such things come to our attention.

He was asked if the fact that the person was a Conservative, stay at home mom who blogged about it had any effect on his announcement his reply was no. It came to our attention and the media picked it up and we investigated. The system is working because the number of blah blah blah. After every question on the item he came back that the system is working because women occupy 55% by their information.

He had no answer to the questions.

He was also asked about the census. Reply was that many people come from oppressive countries where they are afraid of governments that require information.

But the one item that came across to me was that he was not going to do anything about affirmative action. But he wouldn't say it. A complete screw up at the cabinet level.

It is almost as if Harper was out of the country and no body is orchestrating the lot.

[Spazito]

20. Thanks, that is very interesting...

and, lol, trust Doris to screw it up and, in doing so, let the 'cat out of the bag' aka the truth.